Patent ID: 7452103

Claim:
An illuminating device, comprising a plurality of light source units, each of the plurality of light source units including: a light emitting unit having a light emitting device; a first optical system that adjusts an optical path of light emitted from the light emitting unit; an electrode that supplies power to the light emitting unit; and a connecting element that connects the light emitting unit to the electrode and is disposed so as to block a part of the optical path of light from the light emitting unit thus to create an unilluminated area in a region otherwise illuminated by the light emitting unit, wherein the plurality of light source units are arranged such that unilluminated areas of the plurality of light source units are substantially uniformly distributed over the regions otherwise illuminated by the plurality of light source units; wherein the light emitting unit is provided with a light-emitting surface including a substantially rectangular shaded region created by the connecting element blocking the light; wherein light emitting units of the plurality of light source units have substantially the same shape and are arranged in parallel with a horizontal direction in four rows including first, second third and fourth rows; wherein, in the first row, the light source units are arranged such that all of the shaded regions are located in upper portions thereof; wherein, in the second row, the light source units are arranged such that all of the shaded regions are located in lower portions thereof and at regular intervals from one another, and at least one of the shaded regions in the second row is located right under a center between adjacent shaded regions of the first row; wherein, in the third row, the light source units are arranged such that all of the shaded regions are located in upper portions thereof and at regular intervals from one another, and at least one of the shaded regions in the third row is located right under a center between adjacent shaded regions of the second row; and wherein, in the fourth row, the light source units are arranged such that all of the shaded regions are located in lower portions thereof, and right under the shaded regions of the first row.