Patent Application
20240402411
The present disclosure relates to the field of optics, and more particularly to a light guide for display illumination and a display arrangement.
In display technology, obtaining an even illumination of a display introduces numerous technical challenges. Typically, the display is illuminated using light-emitting diodes (LEDs). Since LEDs are discrete elements, each producing a distinct beam of light, further manipulation of the light emitted by the LEDs is needed in order to obtain even illumination of the display. However, different types of LEDs may be needed even for a single display for different function of the display. This introduces additional challenges for the optical design since the design may need to be different for different types of LEDs.
This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used to limit the scope of the claimed subject matter.
It is an object to provide a light guide for display illumination and a display arrangement. The foregoing and other objects are achieved by the features of the independent claims. Further implementation forms are apparent from the dependent claims, the description and the figures.
According to a first aspect, a light guide for display illumination comprises: a light guide plate with an in-coupling region for coupling light from a plurality of light sources into the light guide plate enabling the light to propagate inside the light guide plate along at least a main propagation direction, and an illumination region, the light guide plate having a first main surface and a second main surface opposite to the first main surface and separated therefrom by a thickness of the light guide plate, and an out-coupling arrangement for coupling at least part of the light propagating in the light guide plate, and interacting with the out-coupling arrangement, out of the light guide plate in the illumination region, wherein the out-coupling arrangement comprises a plurality of angle-selective out-coupling elements protruding from the first main surface of the light guide plate, each angle-selective out-coupling element having a long axis and a short axis in a plane of the light guide plate and being configured to out-couple light from the light guide plate via refraction at side surfaces of the angle-selective out-coupling element, wherein an angle between the short axis of each angle-selective out-coupling element and the main propagation direction is a function of a distance of the angle-selective out-coupling element from the in-coupling region.
According to second aspect, a display arrangement comprises a display element and the light guide according to the first aspect.
Many of the attendant features will be more readily appreciated as they become better understood by reference to the following detailed description considered in connection with the accompanying drawings.
In the following, example embodiments are described in more detail with reference to the attached figures and drawings, in which:
In the following, identical reference signs refer to similar or at least functionally equivalent features.
In the following description, reference is made to the accompanying drawings, which form part of the disclosure, and in which are shown, by way of illustration, specific aspects in which the present disclosure may be placed. It is understood that other aspects may be utilised, and structural or logical changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present disclosure. The following detailed description, therefore, is not to be taken in a limiting sense, as the scope of the present disclosure is defined be the appended claims.
For instance, it is understood that a disclosure in connection with a described method may also hold true for a corresponding device or system configured to perform the method and vice versa. For example, if a specific method step is described, a corresponding device may include a unit to perform the described method step, even if such unit is not explicitly described or illustrated in the figures. On the other hand, for example, if a specific apparatus is described based on functional units, a corresponding method may include a step performing the described functionality, even if such step is not explicitly described or illustrated in the figures. Further, it is understood that the features of the various example aspects described herein may be combined with each other, unless specifically noted otherwise.
According to an embodiment, a light guide for display illumination comprises a light guide plate 101 with an in-coupling region for coupling light from a plurality of light sources into the light guide plate 101 enabling the light to propagate inside the light guide plate along at least a main propagation direction. The light guide plate 101 may further comprise an illumination region. The light guide plate 101 has a first main surface 104 and a second main surface 105 opposite to the first main surface 104 and separated therefrom by a thickness 106 of the light guide plate 101.
The plurality of light sources may comprise, for example, a plurality of light-emitting diodes (LEDs) and/or any other type of light sources.
The light guide plate 101 may be a planar structure. Thus, the dimensions of the light guide plate 101 may be greater in the two dimensions perpendicular to the thickness direction of the light guide plate 101 than the thickness 106 of the light guide plate 101.
The light guide 100 may further comprise an out-coupling arrangement 103 for coupling at least part of the light propagating in the light guide plate 101, and interacting with the out-coupling arrangement 103, out of the light guide plate 101 in the illumination region. The out-coupling arrangement 103 may comprise a plurality of angle-selective out-coupling elements 110 protruding from the first main surface 104 of the light guide plate 101, each angle-selective out-coupling element 110 having a long axis and a short axis in a plane of the light guide plate 101. Each angle-selective out-coupling element 110 may be configured to out-couple light from the light guide plate via refraction at side surfaces of the angle-selective out-coupling element 110. An angle between the short axis of each angle-selective out-coupling element 110 and the main propagation direction is a function of a distance of the angle-selective out-coupling element 110 from the in-coupling region.
The angle-selective out-coupling elements 110 may comprise any elements for which the strength of the out-coupling of the light is proportional to the angle between the angle-selective out-coupling element and the propagation direction of the light being out-coupled.
The plane of the light guide plate 101 may be the plane defined by the two directions in which the dimensions of the light guide plate 101 are greater than in the third dimension.
The short axis may refer to an axis along which the dimension of the angle-selective out-coupling element is less than in the dimension along the long axis. The short axis and the long axis may be perpendicular to each other. The short axis may be along the smallest dimension of the angle-selective out-coupling element and/or the long axis may be along the largest dimension of the angle-selective out-coupling element.
According to an embodiment, the light guide plate 101 comprises polycarbonate (PC), polylactic acid (PCA), poly(methyl methacrylate) (PMMA), and/or polyethylene terephthalate (PET).
According to an embodiment, each angle-selective out-coupling element 110 comprise an ultraviolet-curing material.
Further, there may be a layer of ultraviolet-curing material under the angle-selective out-coupling elements 110. Thus, the total thickness of the ultraviolet-curing material may be greater than the thickness/height of the angle-selective out-coupling elements 110.
Since the angle between the short axis of each angle-selective out-coupling element 110 and the main propagation direction is a function of a distance of the angle-selective out-coupling element 110 from the in-coupling region, the angle changes as a function of the distance from the in-coupling region. Thus, the angle is different for angle-selective in-coupling elements 110 at different distances from the in-coupling region.
The angle between the short axis of each angle-selective out-coupling element 110 and the main propagation direction may be a continuous function or a discontinuous function of the distance of the angle-selective out-coupling element 110 from the in-coupling region.
In addition to changing as a function of the distance from the in-coupling region, the angle may also change, for example, in a direction perpendicular to the main propagation direction. For example, at the edges of the light guide plate 101, it may be beneficial to change the angle in a different manner than in the middle of the light guide plate 101.
According to an embodiment, a display arrangement comprises a display element and the light guide 100.
The plurality of light sources 203 may form beams 202 in the in-coupling region 201. For example, if the light sources 203 are LEDs, radiant intensity and/or luminous intensity the light sources may be follow the cosine emission law. This can be observed as the beams 202. The width of each beam 202 may be, for example, approximately 40 degrees.
The in-coupling region 201 may refer to any region of the light guide plate 101 suitable for in-coupling light into the light guide plate 101. For example, the light may be in-coupled from a side surface, perpendicular to the first main surface 104 and the second main surface 105, of the light guide plate 101 as illustrated in the embodiment of
In some embodiments, the plurality of light sources may be embedded into the light guide plate 101.
The main propagation direction 210 may refer to the direction along which the light in the light guide plate 101 is mostly propagating. For example, in the embodiment of
The region where the beams 202 of the plurality of light sources 203 cross each other for the first time may be referred to as a first order crosshatch. Further along the main propagation direction 210, the beams 202 crossover each other at various distances from the in-coupling region 201. These may be referred to as higher order crosshatches. Due to the crosshatches, the intensity of the light in the light guide plate 101 is uneven. Thus, if the light is out-coupled from the light guide plate 101 in a homogeneous and/or isotropic manner, the distribution of the out-coupled light is uneven. This may also be referred to as the so-called mura effect.
The mura effect can also be affected by, for example, the distance between the light sources 203, i.e. the pitch, the refractive index of the light guide plate 101, the evenness of the surface via which the light from the plurality of light sources 203 is in-coupled into the light guide plate, and the distance between the plurality of light sources 203 and the light guide plate 101.
The light guide 100 can achieve reduction in the mura effect and more even illumination via the angle-selective out-coupling elements 110 the angle of which is a function of the distance from the in-coupling region 201.
The angle between the short axis of each angle-selective out-coupling element and the main propagation direction may be configured to improve evenness of the out-coupled light.
The illumination region 200 may refer to any region of the light guide plate 101 at which light is out-coupled from the light guide plate 101 via the out-coupling arrangement 103. Typically, it is not beneficial to out-couple light before the first order crosshatch. Thus, the illumination region 200 may start after the first order crosshatch. The in-coupling region 201 may end at or approximately at the first order crosshatch.
When the angle between the short axis of the angle-selective out-coupling elements 110 and the main propagation direction 210 is a function of the distance from the in-coupling region 201, the configuration of the plurality of light sources 202 may be changed without the need to modify the angle-selective out-coupling elements 110. For example, sets of light sources corresponding to, for example, different colours may be used. The colour temperature of the out-coupled light may then be adjusted by adjusting the light intensity of each set of light sources. The distance/pitch between the plurality of light sources 203 may need to be the same for each set of light sources. The sets of light sources may be used together or separately while the improvement in the mura effect is still achieved. This is not typically possible using, for example, isotropic structures, since such structures can reduce the mura effect only for a single light source configuration. Further, different types of light sources, such as LEDs may be used. For example, a first subset of LEDs may be configured for a first colour temperature and a second subset of LEDs may be configured for a second colour temperature.
According to an embodiment, each angle-selective out-coupling element 110 has a substantially oval, a substantially rectangular, a substantially triangular, a substantially quadrilateral, or a substantially rhombus shape in the plane of the light guide plate 101.
According to an embodiment, for each angle-selective out-coupling element 110, a ratio of a dimension 303 of the angle-selective out-coupling element 110 along the long axis 301 to a dimension 304 of the angle-selective out-coupling element 110 along the short axis 302 is greater than three, greater than four, and/or greater than five.
The ratio of the dimension 303 of the angle-selective out-coupling element 110 along the long axis 301 to the dimension 304 of the angle-selective out-coupling element 110 along the short axis 302 may vary, for example, as a function of the distance from the in-coupling region 201 and/or in a direction perpendicular to the main propagation direction 210. For example, at least some of the angle-selective out-coupling elements 110 may change from an elliptical shape to a circular shape in a continuous manner.
In the example embodiment of
As illustrated in the embodiment of
As illustrated in the embodiment of
As illustrated in the embodiment of
Generally, the angle-selective out-coupling elements 110 may be of any size. However, large angle-selective out-coupling elements may result in a sparse arrangement of angle-selective out-coupling elements 110, which may result in a so-called sparkling effect.
The dimensions of each angle-selective out-coupling element along the short axis 302 and/or the long axis 301 may be, for example, from few micrometres (μm) to hundreds of micrometres. For example, the dimension 304 of each angle-selective out-coupling element 110 along the short axis 302 may be in the range 1-50 μm, in the range 1-20 μm, in the range 1-10 μm, in the range 2-10 μm, or in the range 2-20 μm. For example, the dimension 303 of each angle-selective out-coupling element 110 along the long axis 301 may be in the range 1-500 μm, in the range 1-200 μm, in the range 1-100 μm, in the range 10-200 μm, in the range 10-100 μm, in the range 20-200 μm, or in the range 20-50 μm.
Although the shape of the angle-selective out-coupling elements 110 may be illustrated comprising sharp corners in the embodiments of
In the embodiment of
According to an embodiment, for each angle-selective out-coupling element 110, an absolute value of the angle 710 between the short axis 302 of the angle-selective out-coupling element 110 and the main propagation direction 210 is in the range 0-80 degrees or in the range 0-60 degrees.
Alternatively, for each angle-selective out-coupling element 110, an absolute value of the angle 710 between the short axis 302 of the angle-selective out-coupling element 110 and the main propagation direction 210 is in the range 0-75 degrees, in the range 0-70 degrees, in the range 0-65 degrees, in the range 0-55 degrees, or in the range 0-50 degrees.
The angle 710 between the short axis 302 of the angle-selective out-coupling element 110 and the main propagation direction 210 may be in the plane of the light guide plate 101.
According to an embodiment, for each angle-selective out-coupling element 110, a ratio of a dimension 303 of the angle-selective out-coupling element 110 along the long axis 301 to a dimension 304 of the angle-selective out-coupling element 110 along the short axis 302 is a function of the distance 711 of the angle-selective out-coupling element 110 from the in-coupling region 201.
For example, for angle-selective out-coupling elements 110 closest to the in-coupling region 201, the absolute value of the angle 710 between the short axis 302 of the angle-selective out-coupling element 110 and the main propagation direction 210 may be in the range 50-70 degrees, such as approximately 60 degrees.
According to an embodiment, for angle-selective out-coupling elements 110 further away from the in-coupling region than a threshold distance, the absolute value of the angle 710 between the short axis 302 of each angle-selective out-coupling element 110 and the main propagation direction 210 decreases as a function of the distance 711 of the angle-selective out-coupling element from the in-coupling region 201.
The threshold distance may correspond to, for example, the location of the first order crosshatch.
For example, the absolute value of the angle 710 between the short axis 302 of each angle-selective out-coupling element 110 and the main propagation direction 210 may increase as a function of distance from the in-coupling region 201 before the threshold distance. Alternatively or additionally, the absolute value of the angle 710 may reach a maximum at the threshold distance. Alternatively or additionally, the absolute value of the angle 710 may decrease as a function of distance from the in-coupling region 201 after the threshold distance.
The angle 710 may not need to change as a function of the distance 711 from the in-coupling region 201 for the whole illumination region 200. For example, sufficiently far away from the in-coupling region 201, the mura effect may be negligible, and therefore, the angle 710 may be constant.
According to an embodiment, an absolute value of the angle 710 between the short axis 302 of each angle-selective out-coupling element 110 and the main propagation direction 210 is constant in a direction perpendicular to the main propagation direction 210 for at least a part of the illumination region 200.
For example, the absolute value of the angle 710 between the short axis 302 of each angle-selective out-coupling element 110 and the main propagation direction 210 may be constant in a direction perpendicular to the main propagation direction 210 for a middle part of the illumination region 200. The middle part may refer to a part of the illumination region 200 that is delimited in the direction perpendicular to the main propagation direction 210 by the outmost light sources in the plurality of light sources 203. Outside the middle part, it may be beneficial to alter the angle 710 in a different fashion due to the edges of the light guide plate 201 and the lack of light sources outside the middle part affecting the propagation of the light.
According to an embodiment, the out-coupling arrangement 103 further comprises a plurality of non-angle-selective out-coupling elements protruding from the first main surface 104 of the light guide plate 101, each non-angle-selective out-coupling element being configured to out-couple light from the light guide plate 101 via refraction at side surfaces of the non-angle-selective out-coupling element.
For example, the non-angle-selective out-coupling elements may have a circular shape in the plane of the light guide plate 101. Thus, the non-angle-selective out-coupling elements may out-couple light from the light guide plate 101 in an isotropic manner. The concentration of the non-angle-selective out-coupling elements may vary as a function of distance from the in-coupling region 201 and/or in a direction perpendicular to the main propagation direction 210.
According to an embodiment, the plurality of angle-selective out-coupling elements 110 comprises a first subset 801 of angle-selective out-coupling elements for which the angle 710 between the short axis 302 and the main propagation direction 210 is positive and a second subset 802 of angle-selective out-coupling elements for which the angle 710 between the short axis 302 and the main propagation 210 direction is negative.
The sign of the angle 710 between the short axis 302 and the main propagation 210 direction may be, for example, random for each angle-selective out-coupling element 110 or the sign may alternate between the angle-selective out-coupling elements 110 in the direction perpendicular to the main propagation direction 210.
Herein, the sign of the angle 710 between the short axis 302 and the main propagation direction 210 indicates the direction of the angle. For example, in the embodiment of
According to an embodiment, an angle 903 between a normal vector 901 of the first main surface 104 of the light guide plate 101 and the side surfaces 902 of each angle-selective out-coupling element 110 is in the range 0-45 degrees.
Alternatively, the angle 903 between a normal vector 901 of the first main surface 104 and the side surfaces 902 of each angle-selective out-coupling element 110 may be in the range 0-40 degrees, in the range 0-35 degrees, in the range 0-30 degrees, in the range 0-25 degrees in the range 0-20 degrees, or in the range 0-15 degrees. The minimum of the angle 903 may be limited by the used manufacturing method.
The height 905 of each angle-selective out-coupling element 110 may be in the order of few micrometres. Here, “height” refers to the dimension of each angle-selective out-coupling element 110 in the direction of the normal vector 901 of the first main surface 104. For example, the height 905 of each angle-selective out-coupling element 110 may be in the range 1-10 μm, in the range 1-8 μm, in the range 1-5 μm, in the range 1-2 μm, or in the range 1.5-2 μm.
It may be beneficial to configure the height 905 of each angle-selective out-coupling element 110 in such a way that the light 950 propagating in the light guide plate 101 does not hit the top surface 906 of the angle-selective out-coupling element 110, since this can cause the light to reflect instead of out-coupling.
In some embodiments, the top surface 906 may not be parallel with the first main surface 104. Instead, the angle-selective out-coupling element 110 may form, for example, a wedge-like structure, where the height 905 is less close to the in-coupling region 201 than further away from the in-coupling region 201.
The angle-selective out-coupling elements 110 may be manufactured using, for example, a lithography method, such laser lithography or electron-beam lithography. Alternatively, the angle-selective out-coupling elements 110 may be manufactured using, for example, laser etching, laser ablation, injection moulding, ultraviolet imprinting, and/or hot embossing. The ultraviolet imprinting and/or hot embossing may be implemented using roll-to-roll, plate-to-plate, and/or roll-to-plate methods.
For example, a lithography method, such as those disclosed herein, may be used to manufacture a master plate. Based on the master plate, tools can be manufactured using, for example, electroforming. The tools can be used to manufacture the angle-selective out-coupling elements 110 via, for example, injection moulding, ultraviolet imprinting, and/or hot embossing. Alternatively or additionally, laser ablation can be used to manufacture the master plate, the tools and/or the angle-selective out-coupling elements 110. These are only examples of how the angle-selective out-coupling elements 110 can be manufactured and the angle-selective out-coupling elements 110 may also be manufactured in various other ways.
In the embodiment of
In some embodiments, the side surfaces 902 of the angle-selective out-coupling elements 110 may be non-planar. For example, in the embodiment of
The embodiment of
The embodiment of
Compared to the embodiment of
The embodiment of
The embodiment of
Compared to the embodiment of
The embodiment of
According to an embodiment, a concentration of the angle-selective out-coupling elements 110 changes as a function of a distance from the in-coupling region 201.
Herein, the concentration of the angle-selective out-coupling elements 110 may refer to the number of angle-selective out-coupling elements 110 per unit area.
By having the concentration of the angle-selective out-coupling elements 110 be a function of the distance from the in-coupling region 201, the distribution of the light out-coupled via the out-coupling arrangement 103 can be made more even along the main propagation direction 210 by reducing the crosshatch effect.
According to an embodiment, a concentration of the angle-selective out-coupling elements 110 increases as a function of the distance from the in-coupling region 201.
According to an embodiment, a concentration of the angle-selective out-coupling elements 110 varies in a direction perpendicular to the main propagation direction 210.
Any range or device value given herein may be extended or altered without losing the effect sought. Also any embodiment may be combined with another embodiment unless explicitly disallowed.
Although the subject matter has been described in language specific to structural features and/or acts, it is to be understood that the subject matter defined in the appended claims is not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described above. Rather, the specific features and acts described above are disclosed as examples of implementing the claims and other equivalent features and acts are intended to be within the scope of the claims.
It will be understood that the benefits and advantages described above may relate to one embodiment or may relate to several embodiments. The embodiments are not limited to those that solve any or all of the stated problems or those that have any or all of the stated benefits and advantages. It will further be understood that reference to ‘an’ item may refer to one or more of those items.
The steps of the methods described herein may be carried out in any suitable order, or simultaneously where appropriate. Additionally, individual blocks may be deleted from any of the methods without departing from the spirit and scope of the subject matter described herein. Aspects of any of the embodiments described above may be combined with aspects of any of the other embodiments described to form further embodiments without losing the effect sought.
The term ‘comprising’ is used herein to mean including the method, blocks or elements identified, but that such blocks or elements do not comprise an exclusive list and a method or apparatus may contain additional blocks or elements.
It will be understood that the above description is given by way of example only and that various modifications may be made by those skilled in the art. The above specification, examples and data provide a complete description of the structure and use of exemplary embodiments. Although various embodiments have been described above with a certain degree of particularity, or with reference to one or more individual embodiments, those skilled in the art could make numerous alterations to the disclosed embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of this specification.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 20216059 | Oct 2021 | FI | national |
This application is a national phase entry of, and claims priority to, International Patent Application No. PCT/FI2022/050624 (filed 19 Sep. 2022), which claims priority to Finnish Patent Application No. 20216059 (filed 13 Oct. 2021), the entire disclosures of which are incorporated herein by reference.
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/FI2022/050624 | 9/19/2022 | WO |
