# US 7,744,235 B2 · Lighting device and light control member used therefor and image display device using the lighting device and the light control member

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- Number: US 7,744,235 B2
- Document ID: US7744235B2
- Status: Granted
- Kind: B2
- Application number: 11/994,377
- Filed: 2006-06-26
- Published: 2009-09-10
- Granted: 2010-06-29
- Earliest claimed: 2005-06-29
- Assignees: Kuraray Co., Ltd.
- Inventors: Satoko Horikoshi; Ikuo Onishi; Shigeki Kikuyama; Yoshiki Mukoo; Tsuyoshi Kanda
- Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US7744235B2

## CPC

- G02F 1/1337: Surface-induced orientation of the liquid crystal molecules, e.g. by alignment layers
- G02B 3/005: {arranged along a single direction only, e.g. lenticular sheets (G02B3/0043 takes precedence)}
- G02B 3/0062: {Stacked lens arrays, i.e. refractive surfaces arranged in at least two planes, without structurally separate optical elements in-between}
- G02B 3/0068: {arranged in a single integral body or plate, e.g. laminates or hybrid structures with other optical elements (G02B5/1885, G02B17/002, G02B30/27 take precedence)}
- G02F 1/133526: {Lenses, e.g. microlenses or Fresnel lenses}
- G02F 1/133606: {including a specially adapted diffusing, scattering or light controlling members}
- G02F 1/133604: {with lamps}
- G02F 1/133607: {the light controlling member including light directing or refracting elements, e.g. prisms or lenses}
- G02F: OPTICAL DEVICES OR ARRANGEMENTS FOR THE CONTROL OF LIGHT BY MODIFICATION OF THE OPTICAL PROPERTIES OF THE MEDIA OF THE ELEMENTS INVOLVED THEREIN; NON-LINEAR OPTICS; FREQUENCY-CHANGING OF LIGHT; OPTICAL LOGIC ELEMENTS; OPTICAL ANALOGUE/DIGITAL CONVERTERS
- G02B: OPTICAL ELEMENTS, SYSTEMS OR APPARATUS

## Abstract

In a lighting device, suppose a distance between centers of linear light sources is D and a distance between the linear light sources and a light control member is H and a function representing an outgoing light intensity toward a normal direction at a position coordinate X (light source position shall be X=0) and f(X−D)+f(X)+f(X+D), in a range of −D/2≦X≦D/2, a ratio between g(X)min and g(X)max is 0.6 or more, a minimum value Xmin is in a range of −3.0D≦Xmin≦−0.5D, a maximum value Xmax is in a range of 0.5≦Xmax≦3.0D, and a cross-sectional shape of a given convex portion in X direction is formed of areas with (2N+1) number of different gradients represented by a certain relationship obtained from D, H and X.

## Claims

### Claim 1

A lighting device comprising:
a rectangular emission surface formed of a X direction and a Y direction, the Y direction being vertical to the X direction; and
a reflective plate, a plurality of linear light sources and a plate shape light control member,
wherein the reflective plate is placed in parallel to the X direction and the Y direction,
the linear light sources are placed in one virtual flat surface, the virtual flat surface being in parallel to the X direction and the Y direction by the emission surface side of the reflective plate,
the linear light sources in a longitudinal direction are parallel to the Y direction and also arranged at a regular interval along the X direction,
the light control member is placed by the emission surface side of the arranged linear light sources and a principal surface is parallel to the virtual flat surface where the linear light sources are arranged,
the principal surface of the light control member is formed of an incident surface opposite to the linear light sources for receiving light from the linear light sources and an emission surface for outputting light received to the incident surface,
the emission surface has a plurality of ridge form convex portions to a surface thereof,
a ridge form ridgeline of a top part of the convex portions is formed in parallel to the Y direction and also arranged along the X direction,
with a distance between centers of the linear light sources being D, a distance between a center of any of the linear light sources and the light control member being H and a function representing an outgoing light intensity of light entered from one linear light source to the light control member to a normal direction of the emission surface at a position coordinate X (light source position shall be X=0) in the X direction being f(X),
with g(X)=f(X−D)+f(X)+f(X+D) (1),
in a range of −D/2≦X≦D/2, a ratio g(X)min/g(X)max between g(X)min and g(X)max is 0.6 or more, g(X)min being the minimum value of g(X) and g(X)max being the maximum value of g(X),
Xmin, a minimum value of X, is in a range of −3.0D≦Xmin≦−0.5D, Xmax, a maximum value of X, is in a range of 0.5≦Xmax≦3.0D (where Xmin and Xmax are coordinates of both ends when a value of f(X) declines centering near one linear light source in which the value of f(X) is X=0 and becomes practically 0), and
a cross-sectional shape of a given convex portion in the X direction is formed of areas −N to N with (2N+1) number of different gradients represented by following formulas:
δ=(Xmax−Xmin)/(2N+1) (2)
Xi=i×δ (3)
αi=Tan−1(Xi/H) (4)
βi=Sin−1((1/n)sin αi) (5)
γi=Sin−1((1/n2)sin αi) (6)
ai∝f(Xi+T·tan γi)·cos Φi·cos βi/cos αi/cos(Φi−βi) (7)
Φi=Tan−1((n·sin βi)/(n·cos βi−1)) (8)
where
N: Natural number
i: Integer from −N to N
n: Refractive index of a convex portion of the light control member
n2: Refractive index of a base material of the light control member
ai: Width of an area i in the X direction
Φi: A gradient of a slope to an emission surface of the area i
T: Thickness from the incident surface to a bottom part of a convex portion of the light control member.

### Claim 2 (depends on 1)

The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the areas −N to N indicating cross-sectional shapes of the convex portions in the X direction are aligned in order of position coordinate of a X axis.

### Claim 3 (depends on 1)

The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the cross-sectional shape of the convex portion in the X direction is a shape made by approximating shapes of at least one pair of adjacent two areas among the areas with (2N+1) number of different gradients forming the convex portion to a curve.

### Claim 4 (depends on 1)

The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein in a cross-section parallel to the X direction and a normal direction of the principal surface of a light control member, a ratio of light output in a range of 30 degrees from a normal direction of the emission surface is 50% or more of all outgoing light.

### Claim 5 (depends on 1)

The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the convex portions are formed of a material with a refractive index of 1.58 or more.

### Claim 6 (depends on 1)

The lighting device according to claim 1, further comprising:
a light beam direction conversion unit provided to the light control member for converting a light beam direction,
wherein the light beam direction conversion unit converts a direction of 80% to 10% of light entered to an incident surface from a normal direction, and
80% or more of light entered to the incident surface from the linear light sources passes the light beam direction conversion unit and reaches to a convex portion formed to the emission surface.

### Claim 7 (depends on 1)

The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the incident surface further comprises a reflective member formed to the incident surface, and
5 to 20% of light from the linear light sources is reflected to the light source side.

### Claim 8 (depends on 1)

The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the light beam control member includes other convex portions different from the convex portions, the other convex portions functioning as a first beam direction control means,
the convex portions function as a second light beam direction control means to the other convex portions,
the reflective plate is placed in parallel to the X direction and the Y direction to a side opposite to an light emitting surface for the linear light sources,
the first light beam direction control means is placed by the emission surface side than the virtual flat surface having the linear light sources placed thereto so that light from the light sources is received to both of the first light beam direction control means and the second light beam direction control means,
the first light beam direction control means refracts received light, collects light dispersed in a Y axis direction and lets it pass to the emission surface side, and
the second light beam control means reflects and refracts received light to increase positional uniformity in a X axis direction of light and lets it pass to the emission surface side.

### Claim 9 (depends on 1)

The lighting device according to claim 1, further comprising a projection in contact with the light control member for holding the light control member,
wherein the projection is formed of a light transmissive material, a horizontal cross-section of the projection is circular shape and a diameter of a projection apical part in contact with the light control member is 1 mm or less.

### Claim 10 (depends on 1)

The lighting device according to claim 1, wherein the reflective plate, the linear light sources and the light control member are placed toward the front direction in order of the reflective plate, the linear light sources and the light control member,
wherein a periphery of principal surfaces of the reflective plate and the light control member are rectangles parallel to the XY flat surface, and
almost an entire surface of an outgoing light side surface of the principal surface of the reflective plate is regular concave and/or convex form stripe shape, the stripe shape being parallel to the X axis and along the Y axis.

### Claim 11 (depends on 1)

A light control member included in the lighting device according to claim 1.

### Claim 12 (depends on 1)

An image display device comprising a transmissive display device provided to an emission surface side of the lighting device according to claim 1.