Patent Application
20090290377
1. Technical Field
The present invention relates to a backlight module, and to a light guide plate of the back light module.
2. Description of Related Art
Backlight modules are widely used in various electronic devices. Referring to
However, as shown in
What is needed, therefore, is a backlight module and a light guide plate, which can overcome the above shortcomings.
A backlight module includes a light guide plate and two light emitting elements for emitting light beams. The light guide plate includes a first light guide portion, a second light guide portion and a connecting portion. The first light guide portion has two opposite first light incident surfaces at opposite sides thereof, and a first light output surface. The second light guide portion has a second light incident surface facing first light output surface of the first light guide portion. The connecting portion interconnects first light output surface of the first light guide portion and the second light incident surface of the second light guide portion. Each of the light emitting elements faces one of the first light incident surfaces of the first guide portion. The first guide portion receives the light beams via the first light incident surfaces and output them via the first light output surface. The second light guide portion receives the light beams from the first light output surface via the second light incident surface.
Other advantages and novel features of the present backlight module and light guide plate will become more apparent from the following detailed description of embodiment when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Many aspects of the backlight module and light guide plate can be better understood with reference to the following drawings. The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present backlight module and light guide plate. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout the several views.
Embodiments of the present backlight module and light guide plate will now be described in detail below and with reference to the drawings.
Referring to
The light guide plate 20 includes a first light guide portion 22, a second light guide portion 24 and a connecting portion 26. The first light guide portion 22, the connecting portion 26 and the second light guide portion 24 are integrally formed into a unitary piece. In the illustrated embodiment, a width of the first light guide portion 22 is smaller than the second light guide portion 24, i.e., the first light guide portion 22 is narrower than the second light guide portion 24. A length of the first light guide portion 22 is equal to that of the second light guide portion 24. A first gap 200 and an opposite second gap 260 are defined between the first light guide portion 22 and the second light guide portion 24. A dimension of the first gap 200 is equal to that of the second gap 260.
The first light guide portion 22 includes two opposite first light incident surfaces 220 at the opposite sides thereof, a first light output surface 224 adjacent to both of the first light incident surfaces 220, and a light reflecting and scattering surface 222 opposite to the light output surface 224. The light reflecting and scattering surface 222 may have a plurality of dots (not shown) formed thereon to achieve the reflecting and scattering function.
The second light guide portion 24 includes a second light incident surface 240 facing the first light output surface 224 of the first light guide portion 22, a second light output surface 244 defined substantially perpendicularly adjoining the second light incident surface 240, and a bottom surface 242 opposite to the second light output surface 244.
The light emitting elements 30 each may be an LED. Each of the light emitting elements 30 faces one of the first light incident surfaces 220 of the first guide portion 22. The light beams emitted from the light emitting elements 30 are first received by the first light incident surfaces 220, then guided in the first light guide portion 22, and then outputted from the first output surface 224 to the second light incident surface 240 of the second light guide portion 24. During this process, a part of the light beams may transmit through the first and second gaps 200, 260 directly to reach the second light incident surface 240 of the second light guide portion 24, another part of the light beams may transmit through the connecting portion 26 to reach the second light guide portion 24.
Due to the configuration of the first light guide portion 22, only two light emitting elements are needed, a dark area caused by each adjacent two light emitting elements will thus be avoided. Due to the light guiding capabilities of the first light guide portion 22, the second light incident surface 240 of the second light guide portion 24 will receive a uniform light, and light outputted from the second light output surface 244 of the second light guide portion 24 will be uniform.
The entire backlight module 100 may be applied in an electronic device, and the second light guide portion 24 may be arranged, for example, under a screen for which backlight is needed.
It is understood that the above-described embodiments are intended to illustrate rather than limit the invention. Variations may be made to the embodiments and methods without departing from the spirit of the invention. Accordingly, it is appropriate that the appended claims be construed broadly and in a manner consistent with the scope of the invention.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 200810301669.9 | May 2008 | CN | national |
