Patent · US Expired

Surface light source device with polarization function

US6172809A · kind A · utility

56Cited by
21References
7Claims
0Family size

Assignee

Inventors

Key dates

Filing dateAug 3, 1998
Grant dateJan 9, 2001
Priority date
Expiry dateAug 3, 2018

Classification

  • Technology area (CPC Y)Emerging Cross-Sectional Technologies
  • CPC primaryY10S385/901
  • WIPO fieldElectrical machinery, apparatus, energy
  • WIPO sectorElectrical engineering

Abstract

Light is supplied into a light incident surface 2 from a fluorescent lamp L enclosed by a silver foil sheet R, and parallelized illuminating light flux is taken out from a light exit surface 3. On a back surface 4 side of a light flux parallelizer 1, across or without a thin air layer 5, a polarization converter .SIGMA. is disposed. The polarization converter .SIGMA. reinforces the polarization function of the surface light source device through polarization conversion action accompanying reflection in the prism. At a position confronting the light exit surface 3 across an air layer 7, a polarization separating plate 8 is disposed. At a further outside, across an air layer 9, an exit light direction modifier 10 is disposed. A bright polarized illuminating light flux is emitted from a light exit surface 11. When applied to a backlight of a liquid crystal display, a liquid crystal display panel is disposed at a further outside of the exit light direction modifier 10.

Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.