Source: https://patents.google.com/patent/US7932890B2/en
Timestamp: 2019-05-24 08:08:03
Document Index: 472746973

Matched Legal Cases: ['art 6', 'art 6', 'art 6', 'art 6', 'art 6', 'art 6', 'art 6', 'art 6', 'art 6', 'art 6', 'art 6', 'art 102', 'art 104', 'art 105', 'art 104', 'art 104', 'art 104', 'art 102', 'art 6', 'art 6', 'art 6']

US7932890B2 - Lightguide plate and electronic device - Google Patents
Lightguide plate and electronic device Download PDF
US7932890B2
US7932890B2 US12/201,471 US20147108A US7932890B2 US 7932890 B2 US7932890 B2 US 7932890B2 US 20147108 A US20147108 A US 20147108A US 7932890 B2 US7932890 B2 US 7932890B2
US12/201,471
US20090059618A1 (en
2007-08-30 Priority to JP2007224932A priority Critical patent/JP2009059546A/en
2007-08-30 Priority to JPJP2007-224932 priority
2007-08-30 Priority to JP2007-224929 priority
2007-08-30 Priority to JP2007224929A priority patent/JP2009059543A/en
2007-08-30 Priority to JPJP2007-224929 priority
2007-08-30 Priority to JP2007-224932 priority
2008-08-29 Application filed by Citizen Electronics Co Ltd filed Critical Citizen Electronics Co Ltd
2008-09-02 Assigned to CITIZEN ELECTRONICS CO., LTD. reassignment CITIZEN ELECTRONICS CO., LTD. ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST (SEE DOCUMENT FOR DETAILS). Assignors: KAYANUMA, YASUAKI, OKUWAKI, DAISAKU, ONIKIRI, AKIRA
2009-03-05 Publication of US20090059618A1 publication Critical patent/US20090059618A1/en
2011-04-26 Publication of US7932890B2 publication Critical patent/US7932890B2/en
An electronic device includes a casing having a display part (2) provided with an image display panel (1), a operation part (4) provided with operation keys (3), and a joint part (5) that connects together the display part and the operation part, and a lightguide plate (6) disposed in the casing. The lightguide plate is an edge-light type lightguide plate having a display illuminating part (6 a) illuminating the image display panel, a key illuminating part (6 b) illuminating the operation keys, and a connecting part (6 c) that connects together the display illuminating part and the key illuminating part and that guides light therebetween. The lightguide plate is deformable in accordance with the deformation of the casing.
The backlight unit 7 for the liquid crystal display panel 1 includes LED light sources (light source) L, a display illuminating part 6 a, a diffusing sheet 9 stacked over the upper side of the display illuminating part 6 a, a combination of a first prism sheet 10A and a second prism sheet 10B, and a reflecting sheet 11 disposed at least underneath the display illuminating part 6 a.
The first prism sheet 10A and the second prism sheet 10B are transparent sheet-shaped members that collect light from the diffusing sheet 9 and direct it upward. The first and second prism sheets 10A and 10B have on their upper sides a plurality of mutually parallel and elongated prisms. The respective prisms of the first and second prism sheets 10A and 10B are disposed to intersect each other as viewed from above the prism sheets 10A and 10B, i.e. in plan view. To increase the upward directivity of light transmitted through the first and second prism sheets 10A and 10B, the prisms of the first prism sheet 10A are set in a direction perpendicular to the optical axis of light emitted from the LED light sources L and traveling through the film-shaped lightguide plate 6 from one end toward the other end thereof, and the prisms of the second prism sheet 10B are set parallel to the optical axis of light from the LED light sources L. Also, the key illuminating part 6 b may be provided with a diffusing sheet 9 and prism sheets 10A and 10B, if necessary. In this case, the diffusing sheet 9 and the prism sheets 10A and 10B provided for the key illuminating part 6 b may be integrally formed with the diffusing sheet 9 and the prism sheets 10A and 10B, respectively, of the display illuminating part 6 a.
A reflecting sheet 12 for the connecting part 6 c is disposed at the upper side of the connecting part 6 c. An extension 11 a of the reflecting sheet 11 is disposed at the lower side of the connecting part 6 c.
The reflecting sheet 11 and the reflecting sheet 12 for the connecting part 6 c are each a pliable metal sheet, film or foil having a light-reflecting function. In this embodiment, a film provided with an evaporated silver layer is employed as each of the reflecting sheets 11 and 12. It should be noted that an evaporated aluminum layer or the like may be used in place of the evaporated silver layer.
The key operation unit 8 has a plurality of operation keys 3, at least a part of each of which is transparent or semitransparent, a key sheet 13 disposed underneath the operation keys 3 and having on the lower side thereof projections corresponding to the operation keys 3, and a switching mechanism 14 disposed directly below the key sheet 13 and underneath the key illuminating part 6 b.
In an electronic device of the tenth embodiment shown in FIG. 12, a display part 102 and a operation part 104 are connected together through a joint part 105 with a step therebetween. The operation part 104 has a key cover 104 a, which is attached thereto openably and closably through a cover hinge part 104 b.
In the electronic device of the tenth embodiment, the operation part 104 is thinner than the display part 102 by an amount corresponding to the thickness of the key cover 104 a because the surface of the key cover 104 a and the surface of the liquid crystal display panel 1 are substantially flush with each other when the key cover 104 a is closed.
Although the lightguide plate 6 is preferably in the shape of a film as a whole, as stated above, it is also possible to form a lightguide plate 6 by connecting together a film-shaped display illuminating part 6 a and a film-shaped key illuminating part 6 b into one unit through a film-shaped connecting part 6 c.
US12/201,471 2007-08-30 2008-08-29 Lightguide plate and electronic device Active 2029-08-06 US7932890B2 (en)
JP2007-224929 2007-08-30
JP2007224929A JP2009059543A (en) 2007-08-30 2007-08-30 Light guide plate, and electronic apparatus
JPJP2007-224929 2007-08-30
JP2007-224932 2007-08-30
JP2007224932A JP2009059546A (en) 2007-08-30 2007-08-30 Light guide plate, and electronic apparatus
JPJP2007-224932 2007-08-30
US20090059618A1 US20090059618A1 (en) 2009-03-05
US7932890B2 true US7932890B2 (en) 2011-04-26
ID=40407185
US12/201,471 Active 2029-08-06 US7932890B2 (en) 2007-08-30 2008-08-29 Lightguide plate and electronic device
US (1) US7932890B2 (en)
US20140092630A1 (en) * 2012-09-28 2014-04-03 Apple Inc. Backlight Structures and Assemblies for Electronic Device Displays
CN103323903B (en) * 2013-06-15 2015-11-18 苏州达方电子有限公司 For emitting light guide plate and the light emitting keypad keyboard
JP2002049439A (en) 2000-08-07 2002-02-15 Nec Access Technica Ltd Information terminal
2008-08-29 US US12/201,471 patent/US7932890B2/en active Active
US8325290B2 (en) * 2008-01-17 2012-12-04 Samsung Display Co., Ltd. Dual liquid crystal display device
US20090059618A1 (en) 2009-03-05
US20060262515A1 (en) 2006-11-23 Polarized light source device and back light module for liquid crystal display
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:ONIKIRI, AKIRA;OKUWAKI, DAISAKU;KAYANUMA, YASUAKI;REEL/FRAME:021469/0453;SIGNING DATES FROM 20080804 TO 20080806
Free format text: ASSIGNMENT OF ASSIGNORS INTEREST;ASSIGNORS:ONIKIRI, AKIRA;OKUWAKI, DAISAKU;KAYANUMA, YASUAKI;SIGNING DATES FROM 20080804 TO 20080806;REEL/FRAME:021469/0453