Patent ID: 8520164
Filing Date: 2013-08-27
Classification: G02B

Abstract:
1. An illumination device comprising a plurality of light source units each having a light guide plate and a plurality of light sources, the light guide plate having an illumination region through which incident beams of light from the light sources are emitted outward and a light guide region through which the incident beams of light from the light sources are guided toward the illumination region, with the illumination region and the light guide region laid side-by-side when viewed from a direction perpendicular to a main surface of the light guide plate, the illumination region being divided into a plurality of light-emitting sections by a divider, provided in such a way as to extend along a direction of an optical axis of each of the light sources, which restricts transmission of light, the light guide region being formed integrally so that adjacent light guide regions are connected at least partially to each other when viewed from the direction perpendicular to the main surface of the light guide plate, the plurality of light-emitting sections being arranged in the form of teeth of a comb with respect to the light guide region when viewed from the direction perpendicular to the main surface of the light guide plate, at least one of the light sources being provided to each of the light-emitting sections in such a way as to be placed side-by-side along the light guide region, light source units adjacent to each other along the direction of the optical axis of each of the light sources being disposed so that the illumination region of one of the light source units covers at least a part of the light guide region of the other light source unit.