US 2002/0163791 A1Published application

Illumination system and display device

AssigneeKoninklijke Philips Electronics N.V.

InventorsChristoph Gerard August Hoelen, Gerard Harbers

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Abstract

A backlight system comprises at least two light-emitting panels (1; 11) having a front wall (2; 12), an opposing rear wall (3; 13) and opposite edge surfaces (4, 14; 5, 15). At least one of the edge surfaces (4; 14) is light-transmitting and associated with a light source (6; 16). Light originating from the light source (6; 16) is diffused in the light-emitting panels (1; 11) and coupled out of the light-emitting panels (1; 11) in the direction of a display device (25), preferably a LCD device. The light source (6) associated with the light-emitting panel bearing reference numeral 1 comprises clusters of red and blue or red and green LEDs. The light source (16) associated with the light-emitting panel bearing reference numeral 11 comprises clusters of blue and green LEDs or only green LEDs.

Claims11

Dependent claims

An illumination system for illuminating a display device, which illumination system is provided with a light-emitting panel (1;

11) comprising
a front wall (2;
12), a rear wall (3;
13) situated opposite said front wall, and edge areas (4, 5;
14, 15) between the front wall (2;
12) and the rear wall (3;
13),
at least one of the edge areas (4;
14) of the panel (1;
11) being light-transmitting,
at least one light source (6;
16) being associated with the light-transmitting edge area (4;
14), and
in operation, light originating from the light source (6;
16) being incident on the light-transmitting edge area (4;
14) and spreading in the panel (1;
11), characterized in that the illumination system comprises a first light-emitting panel (1) and a second light-emitting panel (11),
which first and second light-emitting panel (1, 11) are arranged so as to be at least substantially parallel,
the light source (6) associated with the light-transmitting edge area (4) of the first light-emitting panel (1) comprising two light-emitting diodes (6R, 6B;
6R, 6G) having a first and a second light emission wavelength,
the light source (16) associated with the light-transmitting edge area (14) of the second light-emitting panel (11) comprising a light-emitting diode (16G;
16B) having a third light emission wavelength, or two light-emitting diodes (16B, 16G), one of the light-emitting diodes (16G) including a light-emitting diode having a third light emission wavelength, and
the first, the second and the third light emission wavelength being different.

20 more elements

An illumination system for illuminating a display device, which illumination system is provided with a light-emitting panel (101;

111;
101′) comprising
a front wall, a rear wall situated opposite said front wall, and edge areas between the front wall and the rear wall,
at least one of the edge areas of the panel (101;
111;
101′) being light-transmitting,
at least one light source (106;
116;
106′) being associated with the light-transmitting edge area, and
in operation, light originating from the light source (106;
116;
106′) being incident on the light-transmitting edge area and spreading in the panel (101;
111;
101′), characterized in that
the illumination system comprises a first light-emitting panel (106), a second light-emitting panel (111) and a third light-emitting panel (106′), which first, second and third light-emitting panels (101;
111;
101′) are arranged so as to be substantially parallel,
the light source (106) associated with the light-transmitting edge area of the first light-emitting panel (101) comprising a light-emitting diode having a first light emission wavelength,
the light source (116) associated with the light-transmitting edge area of the second light-emitting panel (111) comprising a light-emitting diode having a second light emission wavelength,
the light source (106′) associated with the light-transmitting edge area of the third comprising a light-emitting diode having a third light emission wavelength, and
the first, the second and the third light emission wavelength being different.

18 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Facts

Application: 10/117,585Filed 5 Apr 2002
Priority: EP 01201323.110 Apr 2001
Published: 7 Nov 2002
Term ends: Not estimatedThe source records don’t support an estimate.

Classification5 codes

G02B 6/0068
Characterised by the light source being coupled to the light guide: arrangements of plural sources, e.g. multi-colour light sources
G02B 6/0076
Arrangements of multiple light guides: stacked arrangements of multiple light guides of the same or different cross-sectional area
G02B 6/0018
Provided on the surface of the light guide or in the bulk of it: redirecting means on the surface of the light guide
G02B 6/0033
The light guides being planar or of plate-like form: means for improving the coupling-out of light from the light guide