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US 5,335,100 AGranted
Apparatus for lighting a liquid crystal element
AssigneeSharp Kabushiki Kaisha
InventorMasao Obata
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
With the aim of reducing the thickness of a liquid crystal lighting apparatus, side ends, different from light incident ends, of an optical conductor plate are cut out to form steps so that the optical conductor plate may be thinner at the side ends than at the light incident ends. Alternatively, portions, contiguous to the light incident ends, of a reflector sheet and a diffusion sheet are cut out to form thickness reduced portions and only the thickness reduced portions are clamped and held by a main body.
Claims17
A liquid crystal lighting apparatus comprising:
- a lighting apparatus main body disposed rearwardly of a liquid crystal display panel;
- an optical conductor plate, parallel to said liquid crystal display panel, arranged within said lighting apparatus main body;
- light sources disposed at opposite sides of said optical conductor plate;
- and
- a reflector sheet disposed rearwardly of said optical conductor plate and in parallel therewith, for reflecting light traveling toward a rear side of said optical conductor plate, toward said liquid crystal display panel,
- said lighting apparatus main body including a window frame disposed between the liquid crystal panel and said optical conductor plate, and a support disposed rearwardly of said optical conductor plate, for clamping said optical conductor plate between said window frame and support,
- said optical conductor plate being reduced in thickness at opposite sides, different from the light source sides, to form steps, said support abutting said steps, said steps having a depth making a thickness between said window frame and said support smaller than a thickness between said window frame and said reflector sheet.
4 more elements
A liquid crystal lighting apparatus comprising:
- a window frame disposed rearwardly of a liquid crystal display panel;
- an optical conductor plate disposed rearwardly of said window frame and in parallel with said liquid crystal display panel;
- light sources disposed at opposite sides of said optical conductor plate;
- and
- a reflector sheet disposed rearwardly of said optical conductor plate and in parallel therewith, for reflecting light traveling toward a rear side of said optical conductor plate, toward said liquid crystal display panel,
- said optical conductor plate being provided, at opposite sides, different from the light source sides, with engaging mechanisms for engagement with said window frame, said engaging mechanisms having, upon engagement with said window frame, a thickness smaller than a thickness of said optical conductor plate.
3 more elements
A liquid crystal lighting apparatus comprising:
- a lighting apparatus main body disposed rearwardly of a liquid crystal display panel;
- an optical conductor plate, parallel to said liquid crystal display panel, arranged within said lighting apparatus main body;
- light sources disposed at opposite sides of said optical conductor plate;
- a reflector sheet disposed rearwardly of said optical conductor plate and in parallel therewith, for reflecting light traveling toward a rear side of said optical conductor plate, toward said liquid crystal display panel;
- a diffusion sheet disposed between said optical conductor plate and said liquid crystal display panel and in parallel therewith, for providing uniform brightness of light emitted from said optical conductor plate;
- and
- light source reflectors for reflecting light, emitted from said light sources and traveling outwardly from said optical conductor plate, toward said optical conductor plate,
- said lighting apparatus main body including a window frame disposed between the liquid crystal panel and said optical conductor plate, and a support disposed rearwardly of said optical conductor plate, for clamping said optical conductor plate between said window frame and support,
- edges of said reflector sheet proximate to said light sources being removed to expose rear ends of said optical conductor plate to contact with said light source reflectors, edges of said diffusion sheet proximate to said light sources being removed to expose front ends of said optical conductor plate to contact with said window frame, to thereby provide a display element lighting apparatus of reduced thickness.
6 more elements
A display element lighting apparatus, comprising
- an optical conductor;
- light sources disposed at opposite sides of the optical conductor;
- a frame, disposed between the display element and the optical conductor;
- and
- a support, disposed rearward of the optical conductor,
- said optical conductor being reduced in thickness at edges of opposing sides, different from the light source sides, wherein said support abuts said edges and said reduction in thickness is greater than a thickness of said support to thereby provide a display element lighting apparatus of reduced thickness.
3 more elements
A display element lighting apparatus, comprising:
- an optical conductor;
- light sources disposed at opposing sides of the optical conductor;
- a frame, disposed between the display element and the optical conductor;
- engaging mechanisms, attaching opposing sides of the optical conductor, different from the light source sides, to the frame;
- a guard member contacting the frame and the engaging mechanism on each of the attached opposing sides of the optical conductor;
- and
- a reflector sheet, contacting a rear side of the optical conductor, for reflecting light traveling toward a rear side of the optical conductor, toward the display element,
- a combined thickness of the frame, engaging mechanism, and guard member, at each attached opposing side, being less than a combined thickness of the frame, optical conductor, and reflector sheet, to thereby provide a display element lighting apparatus of reduced thickness.
5 more elements
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.