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US 6,631,998 B2Granted
Spread illuminating apparatus
AssigneeMinebea Co., Ltd.
InventorsMotoji Egawa, Takahiro Shimura, Shingo Suzuki
Life of this patent
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AssigneeMinebea Co., Ltd.
InventorsMotoji Egawa, Takahiro Shimura, Shingo Suzuki
Estimating the term…
A spread illuminating apparatus provides a uniform illuminance, an accurate illumination, an improved visibility, and an expanded screen size. Light sources (5a, 5b) comprising bar-like light conductive members (3a, 3b) and spot-like light sources (4a, 4b), respectively, are disposed close to end surfaces (8a, 8b) of a transparent substrate (2). A light reflection pattern (29) is formed on a surface of the transparent substrate (2) along the length of the light conductive members (3a, 3b). The light reflection pattern (29) comprises grooves (27) and flat portions (28) adjacent to the grooves. The grooves (27) are shaped trapezoidal in section, and the depth thereof increases in proportion to the increase in distance from the light sources (5a, 5b) and measures maximum at the center of the transparent substrate (2).
A spread illuminating apparatus of side light system, comprising:
A spread illuminating apparatus of side light system, comprising:
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.
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From the US filing history. Foreign family members aren’t listed.
Provided by one optical element, or plurality thereof, placed between the light guide and the light source, or around the light source: light…
Component parts of measuring arrangements not specially adapted for a specific variable: structurally-combined illuminating devices
Provided on the surface of the light guide or in the bulk of it: linear indentations or grooves, e.g. arc-shaped grooves or meandering grooves,…
Characterised by the light source being coupled to the light guide: arrangements of plural sources, e.g. multi-colour light sources
Term ended 31 Aug 2021 (estimated)
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a spread illuminating apparatus, and more particularly to a spread illuminating apparatus used as an illuminating means for a liquid crystal display device.
2. Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of a spread illuminating apparatus in accordance with the present invention;
FIG. 2 is a side view of a light reflection pattern formed on a transparent substrate of the spread illuminating apparatus shown in FIG. 1;
FIG. 3A is a schematic representation of light-and-dark stripes generated by the light reflection pattern in accordance with the present invention;
Preferred embodiments of the spread illuminating apparatus according to the present invention are hereinafter explained referring to the attached drawings. The spread illuminating apparatus of the present invention is realized by improving the light reflection pattern formed on the transparent substrate of the spread illuminating apparatus explained as a conventional example, more specifically, improving the shape of the grooves to constitute the light reflection pattern. The components identical with or corresponding to those in the conventional spread illuminating apparatus are represented by the same reference numerals and the detailed description thereof is omitted.
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing an embodiment of the spread illuminating apparatus in accordance with the present invention. As shown in the figure, a spread illuminating apparatus 1 generally comprises a transparent substrate 2, light sources 5a and 5b disposed along end surfaces 8a and 8b of the transparent substrate 2, and light reflection members (frames) 13a and 13b. The light sources 5a and 5b comprise bar-like light conductive members 3a and 3b and spot-like light sources 4a and 4b, respectively, and optical path conversion means 12a and 12b are formed on one surface of the respective light conductive members 3a and 3b. The light reflection members 13a and 13b are disposed so as to cover the light conductive members 3a and 3b, respectively, when the spread illuminating apparatus 1 is assembled (refer to FIG. 2).
In this embodiment, a light source comprising a spot-like light source and a bar-like (straight) light conductive member is used, but the present invention is not limited to this embodiment and a fluorescent lamp or the like may be used.