Backlight assembly for collimated illumination
US6697042B1 · kind B1 · utility
Assignee
Inventors
Key dates
| Filing date | Nov 27, 2000 |
| Grant date | Feb 24, 2004 |
| Priority date | — |
| Expiry date | Feb 18, 2022 |
Classification
- Technology area (CPC G)Physics
- CPC primaryG02F1/133607
- WIPO fieldOptics
- WIPO sectorInstruments
Abstract
A large, efficient, high power collimated backlight assembly has a highly reflective, substantially closed, thin rectangular light cavity containing highly reflective surfaces and one or more light sources. One of the large faces of the cavity is a light exit plate which contains a transmissive, light collimating structure. The cavity side of the collimating structure includes a highly reflective white planar structure containing an array of circular apertures with minimal sidewall absorption. The apertures are centered on the optical axis and located near the focal distance of a closely packed array of hemispherical or spherical lenses located on the outer surface of the collimating structure. Light rays are trapped between the highly reflective surfaces of the cavity, light sources, and aperture walls, until they enter the lenses, which output the majority of rays that enter in a collimated beam. The backlight assembly is advantageously used for transmissive type electro-optical displays, especially those whose performance is enhanced by efficient collimated light, such as seamless tiled liquid crystal displays.
Source: USPTO / EPO open patent data. Objective bibliographic and citation counts.