1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a backlight module of a liquid crystal display, and more particularly to a backlight having a lens array to accelerate light diffusion and to achieve a thin module.
2. Description of Related Art
The liquid crystal display is not self-illuminating and so requires an additional lamp for providing a display function. Thus, the backlight module is one of the key components of the liquid crystal displays. As the size of the display panel increases, the edge-light type backlight module employing only one single lamp fails to satisfy the large-size panel with providing sufficient illumination. In this situation, most of the recent large-size panels adopt the direct-light type backlight module having a plurality of lamps. Some display parameters such as brightness, color and power consumption of the liquid crystal displays rely heavily on the backlight module. The direct-light type backlight module has multiple lamps mounted behind the display panel. Also, a diffuser plate is used so that light rays emitting from the respective lamps are uniformly projected onto the display panel. The quantity of the lamps is subject to the luminosity involved in different sized panels. In most cases, the direct-light type backlight module is adapted to the non-portable products such as desktop liquid crystal monitors and liquid crystal televisions. In particular, the liquid crystal television requires large size, wide view angle and high color saturation, and further requires a higher brightness than the liquid crystal monitor. Hence, more and more lamps are used.
However, the current display panels adopting the direct-light type backlight module cause the maximum brightness to occur directly above the lamps, resulting in non-uniform luminosity emitting from the backlight module, that is, dark and faded stripe problem. In general, the dark and faded stripe problem is solved by increasing the space between the lamp and the diffuser plate. This, however, increases the thickness of the backlight module, and does not conform to the current trend for a thin-type display panel. Accordingly, there is a strong need for the direct-light type backlight module to provide an improved module capable of speedily and uniformly diffusing light rays emitted from the lamps within a confined space. As shown in
Therefore, it is desirable to provide an improved lens-arrayed backlight module and liquid crystal display device to mitigate and/or obviate the aforementioned problems.
A primary object of the present invention is to provide a lens-arrayed backlight module so that each of a plurality of light sources is able to be precisely assembled to the center axis of the corresponding diffusion lens to resolve the shrinkage problem of the diffusion lenses and provide uniform light illumination.
Another object of the present invention is to provide a liquid crystal device so as to improve the dark and faded stripe problem that occurs in the display panels and to provide a thin-profile liquid crystal device having uniform light illumination.
To attain the aforesaid objects, a lens-arrayed backlight module according to the present invention comprises a housing having a plurality of long positioning walls and a plurality of lateral positioning walls; a plurality of light sources disposed in parallel within the housing to provide illuminating rays, each of the light sources including a plurality of lateral positioning sidewalls; and a plurality of lens plates corresponding to the light sources respectively, each of the lens plates including at least two long sidewalls; wherein the lens plates are disposed in parallel on a side of the housing opposite to the light sources, the light sources are mounted on the center axis of the corresponding lens plates respectively so that the illuminating rays provided by the light sources diffuse through the lens plates, the long positioning walls of the housing correspond to the long sidewalls of the lens plates and the lateral positioning sidewalls of the housing correspond to the lateral positioning sidewalls of the light sources so as to position the center axis of the lens plates with respect to the light sources.
To attain the aforesaid objects, a liquid crystal display device according to the present invention comprises a housing; a plurality of light sources disposed in parallel within the housing to provide illuminating rays; and a plurality of lens plates corresponding to the light sources respectively; wherein the lens plates are disposed in parallel on a side of the housing opposite to the light sources, and the light sources are mounted on the center axis of the corresponding lens plates respectively so that the illuminating rays provided by the light sources diffuse through the lens plates.
The light source used in a lens-arrayed backlight module according to the present invention is not specifically defined. Preferably, the light sources is cold cathode florescent lamp (CCFL). The lens plate used in a lens-arrayed backlight module according to the present invention can be any traditional lens assembly capable of diffusing light rays. Preferably, the lens plate is a concave lens assembly or a pair of prisms. Each of the light sources used in a lens-arrayed backlight module according to the present invention has to be precisely mounted at the center axis of the corresponding lens plate so as to diffuse illuminating rays provided by the plurality of light sources. The light sources can be positioned in any traditionally known manner. Preferably, each of the lens plates has at least a first positioning component while each of the light sources has at least a second positioning component for connection to the first positioning component, whereby the plurality of light sources are fixed to the center axis of the lens plates corresponding to the light sources respectively. More preferably, the first positioning component is a protrusion while the second positioning component is a recess capable of engaging with the said protrusion. Alternatively, in a preferred case, the housing has at least a third positioning component and at least a fourth positioning component; each of the lens plates has at least a fifth positioning component for connecting to the third positioning component to fix the relative position of the housing to the lens plates; and each of the light sources has at least a sixth positioning component for connecting to the fourth positioning component to fix the relative position of the housing to the plurality of light sources. As such, the light sources are indirectly fixed at the center axis of the lens plates respectively. More preferably, the third positioning component is a long positioning wall on the housing for engaging with the lens plates, the fourth positioning component is a short positioning wall on the housing for fixedly clamping the light sources, the fifth positioning component is a long edge wall for engaging with the lens plate between the long positioning walls, and the sixth positioning component is a holder for clamping the light sources at the both ends of the light source.
Other objects, advantages, and novel features of the invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.
Preferred embodiments of the lens-arrayed backlight module and the liquid crystal display device will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings for illustrating the present invention.
Referring to
Referring to
Referring now to
Moreover, multiple thread holes 872, 873 are defined in the large housing 80 and the small housings 85, respectively. Multiple bolts 871 are used to secure the plurality of small housings 85 onto the large housing 80.
The direct-light type backlight module of the present invention divides the prior single large diffuser plate having a plurality of lenses into a quantity of smaller lens plates for assembly. Thus, the shrinkage rate of the lens plates is reduced so as to revolve the significant shrinkage problem as associated with the known large diffuser plate in injection molding, as well as reducing cost for the diffuser plate mold. In addition, in assembling the direct-light type backlight module of the present invention, the center of the lamp can be easily aligned with the center axis of the lens plate so as to achieve better diffusion efficiency. This invention is capable of uniformly diffusing illuminating rays within a short distance, revolving the dark and faded stripes formed on the display panel and providing a thin-type liquid crystal display device having uniform brightness.
Although the present invention has been explained in relation to its preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that many other possible modifications and variations can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as hereinafter claimed.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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093112643 | May 2004 | TW | national |