US 7,001,035 B2 · Illumination device, liquid crystal device, and electronic apparatus

Abstract

An illumination device is provided to solve locally high luminance near point-shaped light sources, while preventing overall decrease in luminance at the light-emitting face of a light guide member. The illumination device includes a light source for generating light, and a light guide member which receives light from the light source at a light input face and emits light from a light emitting face. A continuous optical pattern with prism faces and flat faces is provided on the light input face. Light emitted from the light source is diffused in the plane direction by the optical pattern, so there is no occurrence of locally-high-luminance areas near the LEDs in the light guide member. Moreover, the luminance of the light emitted in a planar manner from the light-emitting face does not decrease.

Claims24

Dependent claims

An illumination device, comprising:

a light source for generating light;
and
a light guide member wherein light from said light source is received at a light input face and emitted from a light emitting face,
wherein said light input face includes a continuous optical pattern of prism faces and flat faces,
a plurality of dot patterns for adjusting a refractive index of light are formed on the light emitting face of said light guide member or a reverse face of said light guide member, and
a width of the dot patterns formed closest to said light input face is smaller than a length of a base of said prism faces.

3 more elements

Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.

Illumination device, liquid crystal device, and electronic apparatus

Life of this patent

Illumination device, liquid crystal device, and electronic apparatus

Life of this patent

Abstract

Claims24