Patent ID: 7555194
Filing Date: 2009-06-30
Classification: H04N

Abstract:
1. An illumination device comprising a casing, a bar-shaped light guide having a light-emitting surface and a bottom surface disposed opposite and parallel to the light-emitting surface, said light-emitting and bottom surfaces extending in a longitudinal direction of the guide, said light guide being housed in the casing to cause the light-emitting surface of the light guide to be exposed from the casing, and a light-emitting unit secured to an end section of the casing, wherein light from the light-emitting unit is introduced within the bar-shaped light guide through an end face thereof and then totally reflected within the bar-shaped light guide to be emitted through the light-emitting surface, a shielding section which covers an end section of the bar-shaped light guide at the end section of the casing close to the light-emitting unit and is provided on the light-emitting surface side of the bar-shaped light guide, a notch is formed at a corner of the light guide between the end face of the bar-shaped light guide and the light-emitting surface close to the light-emitting unit, and light from the light-emitting unit is reflected on a rear surface of the shielding section through a gap defined between the notch and the light-emitting unit to be introduced into the bar-shaped light guide, wherein the light-emitting unit includes light-emitting elements of three primary colors disposed along a single line extending perpendicular to a center line in a width direction of the bottom surface of the bar-shaped light guide.