# US 10,871,676 B2 · Illumination unit and display apparatus > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 10,871,676 B2 - Document ID: US10871676B2 - Status: Granted - Kind: B2 - Application number: 16/496,690 - Filed: 2018-03-19 - Published: 2020-04-09 - Granted: 2020-12-22 - Earliest claimed: 2017-05-15 - Assignees: Sony Corporation - Applicants: Sony Corporation - Inventors: Hiroaki Matsui; Takashi Ikuta - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US10871676B2 ## CPC - G02F 1/133603: {with LEDs} - G09G 3/3426: {the different display panel areas being distributed in two dimensions, e.g. matrix} - F21S 2/00: Systems of lighting devices, not provided for in main groups F21S4/00 - F21S10/00 or F21S19/00, e.g. of modular construction - G09G 3/32: semiconductive, e.g. using light-emitting diodes [LED] - G09G 3/342: {using several illumination sources separately controlled corresponding to different display panel areas, e.g. along one dimension such as lines} - G09G 5/10: Intensity circuits - H10H 20/80: Constructional details - H10H 20/855: Optical field-shaping means, e.g. lenses - F21Y 2105/16: square or rectangular, e.g. for light panels - G02F 1/133601: {for spatial active dimming} - G02F: OPTICAL DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF LIGHT BY MODIFICATION OF THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIA OF THE ELEMENTS INVOLVED THEREIN; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; FREQUENCY-CHANGING OF LIGHT; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS - G09G: ARRANGEMENTS OR CIRCUITS FOR CONTROL OF INDICATING DEVICES USING STATIC MEANS TO PRESENT VARIABLE INFORMATION (arrangements for transferring data between digital computers and displays G06F3/14; static indicating arrangements comprising an association of a number of separate sources or light control cells G09F9/00; static indicating arrangements comprising integral associations of a number of light sources H01J, H01K, H10H, H05B33/12; scanning, transmission or reproduction of documents or the like, e.g. facsimile transmission, details thereof H04N1/00) - F21S: NON-PORTABLE LIGHTING DEVICES; SYSTEMS THEREOF; VEHICLE LIGHTING DEVICES SPECIALLY ADAPTED FOR VEHICLE EXTERIORS - H10H: INORGANIC LIGHT-EMITTING SEMICONDUCTOR DEVICES HAVING POTENTIAL BARRIERS - F21Y: INDEXING SCHEME ASSOCIATED WITH SUBCLASSES F21K, F21L, F21S and F21V, RELATING TO THE FORM OR THE KIND OF THE LIGHT SOURCES OR OF THE COLOUR OF THE LIGHT EMITTED ## Abstract An illumination unit according to the present disclosure includes a plurality of first light-emission blocks, a plurality of second light-emission blocks, and a light-emission controller. The first light-emission blocks each include a plurality of first light-emitting devices arranged in a first direction. The second light-emission blocks are partially overlapped with the respective first light-emission blocks, and each include a plurality of second light-emitting devices arranged in a second direction different from the first direction. The light-emission controller performs light-emission control of the first light-emitting devices for each of the first light-emission blocks, and performs the light-emission control of the second light-emitting devices for each of the second light-emission blocks. ## Claims ### Claim 1 An illumination unit comprising: a plurality of first light-emission blocks each including a plurality of first light-emitting devices arranged in a first direction; a plurality of second light-emission blocks partially overlapped with the respective first light-emission blocks, and each including a plurality of second light-emitting devices arranged in a second direction different from the first direction; and a plurality of light-emission controllers that perform light-emission control of the first light-emitting devices for each of the first light-emission blocks, and performs the light-emission control of the second light-emitting devices for each of the second light-emission blocks, wherein the number of light-emission controllers is equal to the number of the first light-emission blocks plus the number of the second light-emission blocks, wherein for each of the first light-emission blocks a respective one of the light-emission controllers controls light emission for all of the first light-emitting devices in the first light-emission block, and wherein for each of the second light-emission blocks a respective one of the light-emission controllers controls light emission for all of the second light-emitting devices in the second light-emission block, wherein the first light-emission blocks and the second light-emission blocks are overlapped with one another respectively to form a plurality of partial light-emission blocks in the first direction and the second direction, wherein one or more of the first light-emitting devices and one or more of the second light-emitting devices are disposed in each of the partial light-emission blocks, and wherein for each of the partial light-emission blocks, the one or more of the first light-emitting devices and the one or more of the second light-emitting devices are in a common package. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The illumination unit according to claim 1, wherein the first light-emitting devices comprise first LED chips, and the second light-emitting devices comprise second LED chips subjected to the light-emission control independently of the first LED chips. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The illumination unit according to claim 1, wherein the partial light-emission block has luminance that is sum of light-emission luminance of the first light-emitting device disposed in the partial light-emission block and light-emission luminance of the second light-emitting device disposed in the partial light-emission block. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The illumination unit according to claim 1, wherein the light-emission controller performs the light-emission control to allow light-emission luminance of the first light-emitting device provided in some of the first light-emission blocks of the plurality of first light-emission blocks and light-emission luminance of the second light-emitting device provided in some of the second light-emission blocks of the plurality of second light-emission blocks to be constant, and variably controls light-emission luminance of the first light-emitting device provided in the first light-emission blocks other than the some of the first light-emission blocks and light-emission luminance of the second light-emitting device provided in the second light-emission blocks other than the some of the second light-emission blocks. ### Claim 5 (depends on 4) The illumination unit according to claim 4, wherein the first light-emission blocks are provided side-by-side in the second direction, and include light-emission blocks located at least at both ends in the second direction of the first light-emission blocks, the light-emission blocks serving as the some of the first light-emission blocks. ### Claim 6 (depends on 4) The illumination unit according to claim 4, wherein the second light-emission blocks are provided side-by-side in the first direction, and include light-emission blocks located at least at both ends in the first direction of the second light-emission blocks, the light-emission blocks serving as the some of the second light-emission blocks. ### Claim 7 (depends on 4) The illumination unit according to claim 4, further comprising, in place of the some of the first light-emission blocks or the some of the second light-emission blocks, a plurality of non-light-emission blocks partially overlapped with the respective second light-emission blocks or the respective first light-emission blocks, wherein the light-emission controller performs the light-emission control to allow the light-emission luminance of the first light-emitting device provided in the some of the first light-emission blocks or the second light-emitting device provided in the some of the second light-emission blocks to be constant. ### Claim 8 A display apparatus comprising: an illumination unit; and a display panel that displays an image on a basis of illumination light derived from the illumination unit, the illumination unit including a plurality of first light-emission blocks each including a plurality of first light-emitting devices arranged in a first direction, a plurality of second light-emission blocks partially overlapped with the respective first light-emission blocks, and each including a plurality of second light-emitting devices arranged in a second direction different from the first direction, and a plurality of light-emission controllers that performs light-emission control of the first light-emitting devices for each of the first light-emission blocks, and performs the light-emission control of the second light-emitting devices for each of the second light-emission blocks, wherein the number of light-emission controllers is equal to the number of the first light-emission blocks plus the number of the second light-emission blocks, wherein for each of the first light-emission blocks a respective one of the light-emission controllers controls light emission for all of the first light-emitting devices in the first light-emission block, and wherein for each of the second light-emission blocks a respective one of the light-emission controllers controls light emission for all of the second light-emitting devices in the second light-emission block, wherein the first light-emission blocks and the second light-emission blocks are overlapped with one another respectively to form a plurality of partial light-emission blocks in the first direction and the second direction, wherein one or more of the first light-emitting devices and one or more of the second light-emitting devices are disposed in each of the partial light-emission blocks, and wherein for each of the partial light-emission blocks, the one or more of the first light-emitting devices and the one or more of the second light-emitting devices are in a common package.