Illuminating device and liquid crystal display apparatus

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9279931-B2
Application number	US-53337409-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 31, 2009
Priority date	Aug 1, 2008
Publication date	Mar 8, 2016
Grant date	Mar 8, 2016

Abstract

An illuminating device includes light emitting elements extending in a lengthwise direction and a light guide plate having a first principal surface for emitting light from the light emitting elements and a second principal surface facing the first principal surface. The light guide plate has light guide regions corresponding to the light emitting elements. The light emitting elements overlap the light guide plate on a side of the second principal surface of the light guide plate in plan view. The side of the second principal surface of the light guide plate has first sectional surfaces, on which light originated from each of the light emitting elements is incident. The side of the second principal surface of the light guide plate has second sectional surfaces, each having a reflection surface for reflecting the light originated from each light emitting element toward the first sectional surface, corresponding to the light emitting elements.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. An illuminating device comprising:
a plurality of light emitting elements constituting light emitting parts extending in a lengthwise direction; and
a single light guide plate formed over the plurality of light emitting units having a first principal surface for emitting light originated from the light emitting elements as illuminating light and a second principal surface facing the first principal surface, the light guide plate having a plurality of light guide regions corresponding to the plurality of light emitting elements,
wherein the plurality of light emitting elements are arranged to overlap with the light guide plate on a side of the second principal surface of the light guide plate in plan view,
wherein the side of the second principal surface of the light guide plate is provided with
first sectional surfaces, on which light originated from each of the plurality of light emitting elements is incident and each of which is substantially perpendicular to the first principal surface or the second principal surface, corresponding to the plurality of light emitting elements, and
second sectional surfaces, each of which is disposed adjacent to the first sectional surface so as to face obliquely to the first sectional surface and has a reflection surface for reflecting the light originated from each light emitting element and outside of light guide plate toward the first sectional surface and into the light guide plate, each reflection surface corresponding to a corresponding one of the plurality of light emitting elements,

wherein the first sectional surfaces and the second sectional surfaces extend in the lengthwise direction of the light emitting elements, and each light emitting part of the light emitting elements and each second sectional surface are disposed so as to overlap with each other in plan view,
wherein the plurality of light emitting elements are disposed below the entire second sectional surface,
wherein a plurality of first reflection layers are disposed on the second sectional surfaces and a plurality of second reflection layers are disposed under each of the plurality of light emitting units so as to overlap the light emitting elements in planar view, and
wherein the first reflection layers and second reflection layers are formed opposite to each other with each of the corresponding light emitting elements being formed between a corresponding first reflection layer and second reflection layer.

2. The illuminating device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the second sectional surface is disposed to face obliquely to the light emitting part of the light emitting element.

3. The illuminating device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the second principal surface of the light guide plate is provided with opening portions by the first sectional surfaces and the second sectional surfaces, and each opening portion is formed in accordance with a length of the light emitting part of the light emitting element in the lengthwise direction and a width of the light emitting part in a widthwise direction crossing the lengthwise direction.

4. The illuminating device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the plurality of light emitting elements are disposed such that a center of the light emitting part and a center of the opening portion substantially coincide with each other in plan view and face each other.

5. The illuminating device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the opening portions are continuously formed so as to be adjacent to each other in the lengthwise direction.

6. The illuminating device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the opening portions are formed in a staggered array so as to separate from each other in the widthwise direction and so as not to be adjacent to each other in the lengthwise direction.

7. The illuminating device according to claim 1 ,
wherein a reflection layer for reflecting light originated from the light emitting element is formed on the second principal surface.

8. The illuminating device according to claim 1 ,
wherein light shielding units are formed on the first principal surface of the light guide plate in adjacent portions between the first sectional surfaces and the second sectional surfaces in the opening portions so as to cover the adjacent portions.

9. The illuminating device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the light emitting element is an element emitting light by applying current between a pair of electrodes formed with a thin film function layer, which includes at least a light emitting layer and is formed on a substrate, interposed there between.

10. The illuminating device according to claim 9 ,
wherein a width of the light emitting part in the widthwise direction does not exceeds a width of the opening portion in the widthwise direction.
wherein a reflection film for reflecting light originated from the light emitting element is formed on a region, which overlaps with the opening portion in plan view, on the substrate other than at least the light emitting part.

11. The illuminating device according to claim 9 ,
wherein the plurality of light emitting elements is formed on one sheet of the substrate.

12. The illuminating device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the light emitting elements have substantially identical lengths in the lengthwise direction, and are divided into a plurality of the light emitting parts in the widthwise direction, and the plurality of the divided light emitting parts are elements for emitting light of mutually different colors.

13. The illuminating device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the light emitting element is an organic EL element.

14. The illuminating device according to claim 13 ,
wherein the organic EL element is a top emission type element for emitting luminescent light toward a side opposite to the substrate.

15. The illuminating device according to claim 1 ,
further comprising protective members covering the light emitting elements,
wherein the protective members are provided with positioning units for specifying planar positional relationship between the divided light guide plates and the light emitting elements.

16. A liquid crystal display apparatus having a display region for displaying an image obtained by optically modulating illuminating light through liquid crystal, the apparatus comprising:
the illuminating device according to claim 1 as an illuminating device which is disposed to face the display region and emits the illuminating light.

Assignees

• Yokoyama Osamu
• Seiko Epson Corp

Inventors

• Yokoyama Osamu

Classifications

• G02B6/0055

  Reflecting element, sheet or layer · CPC title

• G02B6/0038 Primary

  Linear indentations or grooves, e.g. arc-shaped grooves or meandering grooves, extending over the full length or width of the light guide · CPC title

• G02F1/133603

  with LEDs · CPC title

• G02F1/133621

  providing coloured light (G02F1/133617, G02F1/133533 take precedence) · CPC title

• G02F2001/133613

  Physics · mapped topic