This application is a Continuation-In-Part of U.S. application Ser. No. 10/813,408, filed on Mar. 29, 2004, which is incorporated by reference thereto.
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a direct type backlight module and a related diffusion board, particularly to a large sized diffusion board with uniform brightness and a direct type backlight module using the diffusion board.
2. Description of Related Art
A liquid crystal display is capable of displaying a clear and sharp image over a wide area. It is thus used with various devices in which a message or picture needs to be illustrated. However, a liquid crystal itself does not emit light, therefore, it has to be back-lit by a light source to display the messages and/or pictures shown there.
In an ideal liquid crystal display, the backlight most provide light evenly distributed across the entire surface. In addition, the apparatus has to meet the requirements of being small in size, light in weight, bright enough with low power consumption.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,438,484 issued to Kanda et al. disclosed a surface lighting device. A variety of prior art surface lighting devices are disclosed in FIGS. 1 to 5 of the Kanda patent. The light source arranged in the surface lighting device shown is generally referred to as an “edge-type light source”. Kanda describes the disadvantages of the prior art surface lighting device in detail, i.e. the surface area closer to the light sources are brighter than the central area. According to Kanda's explanation in the specification, “However, as described above, the surface lighting device of an edge type has a low luminance in the central portion between the light sources and a high luminance in the vicinity of the light sources as indicated by a broken line C shown in FIG. 9. This is because the light sources 1a and 1b emit diffusion light and make the vicinity of the light sources 1a and 1b bright while the light emitted from the light sources 1a and 1b mostly reach the opposite light source 1b and 1a to be diffused, respectively, thus making the vicinity of the light sources 1a and 1b brighter. As a result, it is inevitable that the effective light range (effective emission surface) of the foregoing lighting device will become narrower because its overall luminance must be adjusted to latch evenly as a backlight with the lowered luminance between the central portion between the light sources 1a and 1b. Thus, a problem is encountered that the light utilization efficiency for the apparatus as a whole is reduced.” See Column 2, lines 31 to 49.
Kanda provides a solution, such as shown in FIGS. 11 to 16, by providing “a light guide configured by a plural light transmitting members joined together, so that the junction surface therebetween crosses the light emitting surface.” As a result and according to Kanda, the luminance emitted from edge-type light sources is evenly distributed across the entire area.
Kanda provides another solution in FIGS. 17 to 23, typically shown in FIG. 23. In this application, the light source is arranged directly behind the liquid crystal display, instead of at the edge of a light guide, as shown in FIG. 1 of the Kanda patent. However, this arrangement indeed provides a brighter central displaying area, but creates a problem of color chromaticity across the liquid crystal display. As explained by Kanda in Column 12, lines 19-49. Kanda then uses a “light source having preferably be more blueish than the standard color” to solve the “yellowish” problem.
Aside from use of the “blueish light source”, it is noted that a “light curtain”, reference numeral 14 of FIG. 22, has also been used to reduce the luminance projected toward the display area immediately in front of the light source. It should be easy to appreciate that the more parts used within the liquid crystal display, the more laborious the effort needed to assemble the display. No doubt, the size and weight of the liquid crystal display will inevitably be increased.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,881,201 issued to Khanarian disclosed improved lightpipes for backlighting liquid crystal display devices. The lightpipes comprise transparent polymers with scattering centers. A preferred composition for such lightpipes comprises a cycloolefin polymer containing scattering centers from suitable elastomers and inorganic fillers. The inventive lightpipes offer superior scattering efficiency as well as spatial uniformity of scattering and uniformity of scattering across a wide wavelength range.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,881,201 issued to Khanarian discloses an improved lightpipe for backlighting applications in liquid crystal display devices. The lightpipes comprise transparent polymers with scattering centers. According to Khanarian, the scattering centers are evenly distributed within the entire lightpipe so as to increase the luminance refractive thereform.
A direct type backlight module according to one preferred embodiment includes a diffusion board and a plurality of light sources. The light beams emitted from the light sources have a certain space distribution. The diffusion board is utilized for diffusing the light beams, and the diffusion board has an incident surface configured for receiving the light beams. The diffusion board has fluorescent substance therein, and a distribution of the fluorescent substance corresponds to the certain space distribution of the light beams.
A diffusion board, according to the present invention, corresponds to a direct type backlight module having a certain space distribution of light beams emiited from the light sources. The diffusion board includes an incident surface configured for receiving the light beams. The diffusion board has fluorescent substance, and a distribution of the fluorescent substance corresponds to the certain space distribution of the light beams.
Comparing with the conventional direct type backlight module, the present diffusion board has fluorescent substance therein, and the fluorescent substance emits light beams excited by the light beams emitted from the light sources. Furthermore, because the distribution of the fluorescent substance corresponds to the certain space distribution of the light beams emitted from the light sources, the brightness non-uniformity problem, associated with the certain space distribution of the light beams emitted from the light source, is solved. The brightness uniformity of the direct type backlight module is improved. The present direct type backlight module does not include the light curtain; thus its configuration is simple, the assembly thereof is easy, and its light usage efficiency is high.
Referring to
Referring to
The diffusion layer 235 of the diffusion board 230 is produced by injection molding. When manufacturing, different materials are injected into the first areas 237 corresponding in shape to the contour of the light sources 220 and the second areas 236. The first areas 237 are injected with ordinary light guide plastic material, while the second areas 236 is injected with light guide plastic material mixed with fluorescent substance. Those two material will be mixed in the mold cavity. As a result, the fluorescent substance distributes corresponding to the certain space distribution of the light beams emitted from the light sources 220. That is, a concentration of the fluorescent substance in the first areas 237 corresponding to the contour of the light sources 220 is lower than that in the second areas 236.
The diffuser layer 235 can be also a film material with a diffusant or a diffusion material. The method for forming the diffuser layer 235 can be directly coating, vapor deposition, vacuum coating or spraying. In manufacturing, the fluorescent substance is injected in the diffuser layer 235 and the fluorescent material distributes in a shape to the certain space distribution of the light beams.
In this embodiment, the fluorescent material may be fluorescein isothiocyanate (FITC) for emitting green light, nile blue A for emitting red light, rhodamine B for emitting yellow light, etc.
In use, the light beams emitted from the light sources 220 and reflected by the reflection layer 211, transmit to the diffusion board 230 and is evenly diffused by the diffusion board 230. Since the first areas 237 and the second areas 236 of the diffusion layer 235 of the diffusion board 230 have a different concentration of the fluorescent substance, and the fluorescent substance emits light beams with random directions excited by the light beams emitted from the light sources 220, the brightness distribution can be improved, the shadows is eliminated, and the uniformity is increased. The light beams are then exit from the emitting surface 232, and enter the enhancement sheet 240 to be enhanced.
Referring to
Referring to
Referring to
The light source can be cold cathode fluorescent lamp or light emitting diodes, etc. An enhancement film instead of the enhancement sheet can be disposed on the emitting surface of the diffusion board.
While the present invention has been described with reference to particular embodiments, the description is illustrative of the invention and is not to be construed as limiting the invention. Therefore, various modifications can be made to the described embodiments by those skilled in the art without departing from the true spirit and scope of the invention as defmed by the appended claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
---|---|---|---|
92107177 | Mar 2003 | TW | national |
Number | Date | Country | |
---|---|---|---|
Parent | 10813408 | Mar 2004 | US |
Child | 11438026 | May 2006 | US |