US 4,043,636 AGranted

Illumination-panel for liquid crystal display of similar device

AssigneeIntel Corporation

InventorsNoel H. Eberhardt, Ron F. Keller

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Abstract

An illumination panel for the enhancement of image brightness of a liquid crystal display for a watch or similar device is disclosed. The panel has an internal light source with a suitably shaped and reflectorized coating to substantially direct internal and external light in the desired direction. More particularly, a transparent layer or member with an internal light source mounted at one end is selectively coated with a metallic reflecting material to reflect light from the internal source and from external sources through a crosshatched surface or a matte finished window on the surface of the member. The window may be defined by the reflectorized coating. The member is mounted adjacent to the exterior surface of the bottom substrate of the liquid crystal display. Diffused light is transmitted from the internal light source of the illumination panel through the bottom substrate of the display.

Claims5

Dependent claims

In a passive electro-optical display having a pair of substrates defining a volume, a liquid crystalline substance disposed in said volume, at least one of said substrates having electrodes disposed thereon to permit excitation of said liquid crystalline substance, the improvement comprising:

an edge lit light conductive body abutting one of said substrates to provide light conduction for illuminating said liquid crystalline substance, said light conductive body having a window with a surface formed into a plurality of subsurfaces, said plurality of subsurfaces forming a repetitive pattern of planar subsurfaces, and each subsurface being inclined with respect to at least one other subsurface of said plurality of subsurfaces;
a light source disposed adjacent to said light conductive body along an edge to provide illumination through said light conductive body generally parallel to said window and through said substrate to said liquid crystalline substance;
and
a specular layer disposed on said light conductive body, to reflect light from said light source incident upon said light conductive body through said window.

1 more element

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.