A backlight for a display device, such as a liquid crystal display device, includes a light guiding plate having a front and a rear surface. The front and rear surfaces may be parallel to one another, or may instead be non-parallel. To the extent that such surfaces are non-parallel, one surface may be included at a single, or multiple angles with respect to the other surface. The backlight further includes a light source that is coupled to an edge of the light guiding plate by means of an energy conserving coupling section, and which provides light that is conditioned and transmitted through the light guiding plate. Light extractors are disposed on at least one side of the light guiding plate to assist in the transmission and conditioning of the light that is provided to the light guiding plate by the light source.
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application claims priority to copending U.S. provisional application Ser. No. 60/291,475 filed on May 16, 2001, which is entirely incorporated herein by reference.
An area light source device includes an L-shaped cold-cathode fluorescent lamp, a wedge-shaped light guide having an incidence surface, on which emission light from the cold-cathode fluorescent lamp is incident, and a reflector that surrounds the cold-cathode fluorescent lamp, has an opening facing the incidence surface, and reflects the emission light from the cold-cathode fluorescent lamp toward the light guide, wherein the opening of the reflector has a shape corresponding to shapes of two mutually neighboring incidence surfaces of the light guide.
A system for providing a backlight module has a light guide plate and at least a light source set positioned adjacent to the incident surface. The light source set contains a plurality of light sources stacking along a direction parallel with the incident surface of the light guide plate.
A lighting unit and a liquid crystal display device which can improve the efficiency of usable light. The lighting unit includes a light source, a light guide plate, and a truncated pyramid located between the light guide plate and the light source. The truncated pyramid has a base, a top smaller than the base, and a slope linking the base and the top. The light source is placed in close contact with the top of the truncated pyramid, and the light guide plate is placed in close contact with the base of the truncated pyramid. Light is propagated from a light emitting part of the light source to the light guide plate without passing through any air layer. Also, an unnecessary light removing structure is provided in the light guide plate near the incidence surface thereof.
An apparatus for generating light sheets useful in flame simulators or other lighting displays. The apparatus includes first and second light strips, which may include light emitting diodes of differing colors. Each of the light strips is mounted on support members that are mounted in the apparatus to rotate such that the orientations of the light strip outputs can be adjusted. The support members are mounted on end plates that can be rotated such that the light strips can be moved to be into a single plane or into differing planes, and the support members may be rotated to set the orientation of the light strips. Positioned over each light strip is an elongate projection lens such as a cylindrical rod. The light generated by the light strips is focused by the projection lenses into a sheet of light by converging and combining the light from the light strips.
