Special-shaped light guide plate with groove design, backlight module and display device
By setting a dimming unit in the groove of the light guide plate and using reflective components with different reflective properties to adjust the light distribution, the problem of brightness difference on the periphery of the groove of the light guide plate is solved, and better light uniformity and brightness are achieved.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202520680533.2
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Priority Date
- 2024-06-18
- Filing Date
- 2025-04-11
- Publication Date
- 2026-03-03
- Estimated Expiration
- 2035-04-11
AI Technical Summary
In existing display devices, the backlight module has a recessed design in the light guide plate, which causes differences in brightness in the area around the recessed wall, affecting the display quality.
A non-circular light guide plate is designed with a groove on the light-reflecting side of the plate and a dimming unit is arranged in the groove. The dimming unit consists of a first reflective part and a second reflective part, which have different dimming characteristics. The light is evenly distributed by adjusting the reflectivity and absorptivity of the light.
It effectively reduces the difference in brightness around the groove of the light guide plate, improves light uniformity and brightness, and meets the optical performance requirements of the display device.
Smart Images
Figure CN223966715U_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] This utility model relates to a light guide plate, and more particularly to an irregularly shaped light guide plate suitable for backlight modules in display devices. Background Technology
[0002] Currently, most existing display devices are LCD devices with rectangular or polygonal geometric shapes. The LCD panel of the LCD device is provided with a backlight by a backlight module. The light guide plate in the backlight module has grooves on its edges, which makes the distance between the edge of the light guide plate and the periphery of the grooves relative to the side light source inconsistent. As a result, when the light emitted by the side light source of the backlight module is projected into the light guide plate and reflected, the area of the light guide plate near the grooves is closer to the side light source and produces a brighter area.
[0003] To ensure image display quality, it is necessary to further overcome the issue of brightness differences caused by the grooves in the light guide plate. Utility Model Content
[0004] The purpose of this utility model is to provide a special-shaped light guide plate with a groove design, a backlight module and a display device, to solve the technical problem of brightness difference in the peripheral wall area of the groove on the light-reflecting side of the light guide plate of the existing backlight module.
[0005] To achieve the aforementioned objectives, the present invention proposes an irregularly shaped light guide plate with a groove design, comprising:
[0006] A plate body includes a light-emitting surface, and a light-incident side and a light-reflecting side located on opposite sides of the light-emitting surface, and has a groove extending from the light-reflecting side toward the light-incident side; and
[0007] A dimming unit is disposed in the groove and includes a first reflective part and two second reflective parts, wherein the first reflective part and the second reflective parts have different dimming characteristics, and the first reflective part is disposed between the two second reflective parts.
[0008] To achieve the aforementioned objectives, the backlight module proposed in this utility model includes:
[0009] An irregularly shaped light guide plate as described above;
[0010] A light source is positioned outside the light-incident side of the irregularly shaped light guide plate and is capable of projecting light onto that light-incident side; and
[0011] At least one optical film is disposed on the light-emitting surface of the irregularly shaped light guide plate.
[0012] To achieve the aforementioned objectives, the display device proposed in this utility model includes:
[0013] A backlight module as described above; and
[0014] A display panel is disposed on the optical film of the backlight module.
[0015] The aforementioned irregularly shaped light guide plate with groove design, backlight module, and display device are created by utilizing a dimming unit in the groove on the light-reflecting side of the irregularly shaped light guide plate. The dimming unit has a first reflective part and two second reflective parts. The first reflective part is located between the two second reflective parts, and the first reflective part and the second reflective part have different dimming characteristics. When light is incident on the irregularly shaped light guide plate, the first reflective part and the second reflective part with different dimming characteristics are arranged at different positions on the periphery of the groove to provide differentiated dimming performance. After the light is incident on the plate, the difference in brightness in the area around the groove is adjusted, so that the light source can achieve good light uniformity when it is incident on the irregularly shaped light guide plate.
[0016] This invention can further utilize the fact that the parallel reflectivity of the first reflective part is greater than that of the second reflective part, or that the light absorption rate of the first reflective part is greater than that of the second reflective part. By utilizing the difference in parallel reflectivity or light absorption rate between the first and second reflective parts disposed on the periphery of the groove, the brightness of different areas around the groove of the plate can be adjusted.
[0017] This invention can further utilize the reflective sheets on the light-reflecting side and two sides of the plate to reflect the light projected onto the light-reflecting side and two sides back into the plate, thereby improving the light energy utilization rate of the irregularly shaped light guide plate. At the same time, the reflective sheets on the light-reflecting side and two sides of the plate assist the dimming unit configured on the periphery of the groove of the plate in dimming the dimming performance of the area around the groove, thereby improving the brightness and uniformity of the light output of the irregularly shaped light guide plate.
[0018] This invention can further define a first distance between the reflected light side and the incident light side, and a second distance between the groove and the incident light side, controlling the first ratio of the second distance to the first distance to be between 0.15 and 0.5 (inclusive of endpoint values). Alternatively, the reflected light side can be defined to have a first width, and the groove to have a second width, controlling the second ratio of the second width to the first width to be between 0.25 and 0.7 (inclusive of endpoint values). This reduces the influence of the groove of the irregular light guide plate on the uniformity of the light emitting surface on the reflected light side, thereby achieving better dimming performance and improving the light output brightness and uniformity of the irregular light guide plate when combined with the dimming unit set in the groove of the irregular light guide plate. Attached Figure Description
[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the irregularly shaped light guide plate of this utility model.
[0020] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A partially enlarged view of the embodiment of the irregularly shaped light guide plate shown.
[0021] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 A schematic cross-sectional view of the section line AA shown.
[0022] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram showing the first and second distances of an embodiment of the irregularly shaped light guide plate of this utility model.
[0023] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram showing the first width and the second width of an embodiment of the irregularly shaped light guide plate of this utility model.
[0024] Figure 6 This is another schematic diagram illustrating the first and second widths of an embodiment of the irregularly shaped light guide plate of this utility model.
[0025] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of one embodiment of the backlight module of this utility model.
[0026] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of the display device of this utility model. Detailed Implementation
[0027] Based on the above description of the utility model, the present utility model includes a shaped light guide plate with a groove design, a backlight module, and a display device. The specific structures of the shaped light guide plate, the backlight module, and the display device are described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
[0028] like Figures 1 to 3 As shown, it reveals an embodiment of the irregular light guide plate 10 with a groove design of the present invention. The irregular light guide plate 10 includes a plate body 11 and a dimming unit 12.
[0029] like Figure 1 and Figure 3 As shown, the plate 11 includes a light-emitting surface 111, and a light-incident side 112 and a light-reflecting side 113 located on opposite sides of the light-emitting surface 111. The plate 11 also has two side edges 114 located between the light-incident side 112 and the light-reflecting side 113, and a back side 116 located on the other side of the light-emitting surface 111. The plate 11 has a groove 115 extending from the light-reflecting side 113 toward the light-incident side 112. The groove 115 extends from the light-emitting surface 111 to the back side 116. The groove 115 provides a space in the plate 11 near the light-reflecting side 113 to accommodate external components, such as image capturing components, sensing components, or combinations thereof for human-computer interaction purposes.
[0030] The dimming unit 12 is specifically designed to reduce the difference in brightness around the groove 115 of the plate 11, such as... Figure 2 As shown, the dimming unit 12 is disposed in the groove 115 of the plate 11, and includes a first reflective part 121 and two second reflective parts 122, with the first reflective part 121 disposed between the two second reflective parts 122. The first reflective part 121 and the two second reflective parts 122 can be independent components, or they can be integrated into a single component. In the dimming unit 12, the first reflective part 121 and the second reflective parts 122 have different dimming characteristics. By having the first reflective part 121 and the second reflective part 122 with different dimming properties located at different positions on the periphery of the groove 115 of the plate 11, differentiated dimming performance can be provided, thereby effectively reducing the difference in brightness of light in the area surrounding the groove 115 of the plate 11.
[0031] like Figures 1 to 3 As shown, generally, light incident from the light-incident side 112 of the irregularly shaped light guide plate 10 travels towards the light-reflecting side 113, and is also guided out of the light surface 111 by total internal reflection of the plate 11. Because the plate 11 has a groove 115 at the light-reflecting side 113, the total internal reflection performance of the original rectangular plate 11 is changed. Before the dimming unit 12 is installed in the groove 115, the peripheral area of the plate 11 adjacent to the groove 115 will have a brighter area due to its proximity to the light-incident side 112.
[0032] The shape and size of the groove 115 are set according to the product requirements, such as... Figure 2In the illustrated embodiment, the groove 115 includes a bottom wall 1151 and two side walls 1152 located on both sides of the bottom wall 1151, wherein the bottom wall 1151 faces the light-incident side 112. Based on the position of the bottom wall 1151 facing the light-incident side 112, the distance from the bottom wall 1151 to the light-incident side 112 is less than the distance from the reflected light side 113 to the light-incident side 112. Regarding the periphery of the groove 115, because the bottom wall 1151 is closer to the light-incident side 112, after light is incident on the plate 11, the brightness of the area adjacent to the bottom wall 1151 is greater than the brightness of the area adjacent to the side walls 1152. Both the bottom wall 1151 and the side wall 1152 of the groove are straight surfaces. The angle θ between the bottom wall 1151 and the adjacent side wall 1152 can be a right angle or an obtuse angle, that is, the angle θ between the bottom wall 1151 and the adjacent side wall 1152 is not an acute angle. In this way, the light from the light-incident side 112 can directly and unobstructedly contact the light-reflecting side 113, the bottom wall 1151 and the side wall 1152 of the groove 115. Conversely, if the angle θ is an acute angle, the light may only be able to travel in a straight line, resulting in a dead angle that cannot be transmitted evenly. In this case, the plate 11 of the irregular light guide plate 10 will have a very obvious dark angle.
[0033] like Figure 2 As shown, in this embodiment, the first reflective part 121 is located on the bottom wall 1151 of the groove 115, and the two second reflective parts 122 are respectively located on the two side walls 1152. The dimming unit 12 adjusts the brightness difference in the surrounding area of the groove 115 by utilizing the parallel reflection characteristics or absorption characteristics of light on the periphery of the groove 115 of the plate 11, achieving the desired light uniformity. In this embodiment, to effectively improve the brightness difference in different parts of the groove 115 after light enters the plate 11, the first reflective part 121 and the second reflective part 122 with different dimming characteristics in the dimming unit 12 of the groove 115 can be set such that the parallel reflectivity of the first reflective part 121 is greater than that of the second reflective part 122. Alternatively, the light absorption rate of the first reflective part 121 can be set to be greater than that of the second reflective part 122.
[0034] For example, when selecting an embodiment where the parallel reflectivity of the first reflective portion 121 is greater than that of the second reflective portion 122, the second reflective portion 122 can be a white reflective sheet, while the first reflective portion 121 can be a silver reflective sheet with higher parallel reflectivity. The first reflective portion 121, located on the bottom wall 1151 of the groove 115, provides high parallel reflection performance for light from the incident light side 112, appropriately reflecting the light projected onto the bottom wall 1151 and adjusting the angle of light reflection to regulate the brightness difference in the surrounding area of the groove 115. When selecting an embodiment where the light absorption rate of the first reflective part 121 is greater than that of the second reflective part 122, the second reflective part 122 can be a white reflective sheet, and the first reflective part 121 can be a gray reflective sheet with a higher light absorption rate. The gray reflective sheet can refer to any gray value between white and black in a grayscale image. By having the first reflective part 121 located on the bottom wall 1151 of the groove 115, it provides higher light absorption and dimming performance for light from the incident light side 112, thereby adjusting the brightness difference in the surrounding area of the groove 115.
[0035] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the irregularly shaped light guide plate 10 may further have a reflective sheet 123 on the light-reflecting side 113 and each of the two sides 114 of the plate body 11. The reflective sheets 123 allow light projected onto the light-reflecting side 113 and the two sides 114 to be reflected back into the plate body 11, thereby improving the light energy utilization rate of the irregularly shaped light guide plate 10. Simultaneously, the reflective sheets 123 on the light-reflecting side 113 and the two sides 114 of the plate body 11 assist the dimming unit 12, which is configured on the periphery of the groove 115 of the plate body 11, in dimming the surrounding area of the groove 115, thus improving the brightness and uniformity of the emitted light from the irregularly shaped light guide plate 10.
[0036] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the reflective sheets 123 located on the light-reflecting side 113 and the two sides 114 of the plate 11 can be silver reflective sheets, white reflective sheets, or other reflective sheets with high reflectivity. In this embodiment, the dimming characteristics of the reflective sheet 123 are the same as those of the second reflective part 122. When the second reflective part 122 is a white reflective sheet, the reflective sheet 123 is also a white reflective sheet, but this is not a limitation.
[0037] The main purpose of selecting the same dimming characteristics for the reflective sheet 123 as the second reflective part 122 in this invention is to ensure that the edges of the irregularly shaped light guide plate 10 located outside the bottom wall 1151 of the groove 115, such as the groove side wall 1152, the light-reflecting side 113, and the side 114, can all be treated uniformly by the reflective sheet 123 with the same optical characteristics, thus ensuring consistent brightness of the light-emitting surface 111 in other areas of the irregularly shaped light guide plate 10. Therefore, under the same light reflection or absorption conditions, only the light at the bottom wall 1151 of the groove is adjusted by the first reflective part 121, without needing to do too much trial and error to achieve uniform light emission across the entire light-emitting surface 111.
[0038] In terms of application, this novel irregular-shaped light guide plate can be used in products such as mobile phones, tablets, computers, monitors, and automotive components. For example, because the human-computer interaction process between a car and the driver requires sensors or camera modules located in the display in front of the driver's seat to perceive the driver's instructions or messages, the groove size of the irregular-shaped light guide plate in automotive products is relatively larger than that in mobile phones. Please refer to [reference needed]. Figure 4 In one embodiment of the irregularly shaped light guide plate of this utility model applied to an automotive product, the light-reflecting side 113 of the plate 11 to the light-incident side 112 has a first distance D1, and the groove 115 to the light-reflecting side 113 has a second distance D2. The first ratio of the second distance D2 to the first distance D1 is between 0.15 and 0.5, including the endpoint values. More specifically, the second distance D2 refers to the distance from the bottom wall 1151 of the groove 115 to the light-reflecting side 113.
[0039] Please refer to Figure 5 and Figure 6In other embodiments of the irregularly shaped light guide plate of this utility model, the light-reflecting side 113 of the plate body 11 has a first width W1, and the groove 115 has a second width W2. The second ratio of the second width W2 to the first width W1 is between 0.25 and 0.7, including the endpoint values. The first width W1 of the light-reflecting side 113 may also refer to the distance between the two opposite sides 114. The second width W2 of the groove 115 may be the width of the bottom wall 1151 of the groove 115, or the opening width of the entire groove 115, and is not limited to the width of the bottom wall 1151. More specifically, since automotive products typically require high brightness and low energy consumption, when the shaped light guide plate 10 disclosed in this utility model is placed in the dimming unit 12 of the groove 115, it can ensure that the light can contact the first reflective part 121, the second reflective part 122, and the reflective sheet 123 with different dimming characteristics in different areas, and then return to the shaped light guide plate 10 before being emitted. This not only solves the problem of bright spraying in the area of the groove 115 near the bottom wall 1151 of the groove, but also meets the uniformity and low energy consumption requirements of various types of automotive display devices.
[0040] On the other hand, in conventional small-sized mobile phones, when an opening is made in the light guide plate to accommodate the front camera, the ratio of the distance (i.e., length) from the opening to the light-reflecting side to the distance (i.e., length) from the light-reflecting side to the light-incident side of the light guide plate is usually less than 0.2. Alternatively, the ratio of the width between the two sides of the light guide plate to the diameter of the opening is less than 0.07. Light guide plates for small-sized mobile phones that meet these specifications typically do not have any reflective sheets attached, allowing light to pass directly through the grooves without being reflected back into the light guide plate, thus achieving the required uniformity of the light-emitting surface.
[0041] like Figure 7 As shown, it discloses an embodiment of the backlight module 1 of the present invention. Regarding the composition and structure of the backlight module 1 of the present invention, it includes a shaped light guide plate 10, a light source 20 and at least an optical film 30. The specific shape and structure of the shaped light guide plate 10 are as described above, and will not be repeated here.
[0042] like Figure 7 As shown, the light source 20 is located outside the light-incident side 112 of the irregularly shaped light guide plate 10, and can project light onto the light-incident side 112 of the plate 11, so that the incident light is uniformly emitted from the light-emitting surface 111 of the plate 11 through the light-guiding properties such as total internal reflection of the plate 11. The light source 20 can be an LED light strip including multiple LED light-emitting elements, so that it has the performance of low power consumption and long service life.
[0043] like Figure 7As shown, the optical film 30 can be one or more pieces and has specific optical properties. Generally, the optical film 30 can be a diffuser with light diffusion properties, a brightening film with brightness enhancement properties, or a prism with light guiding properties, etc. The number of optical films 30 and the selection of their optical properties are determined according to the usage requirements of the backlight module 1. The optical film 30 is disposed on the light-emitting surface 111 of the irregular light guide plate 10, and the shape of the optical film 30 matches the shape of the plate body 11 with grooves 115 of the irregular light guide plate 10. After the light emitted by the light source 20 is guided by the irregular light guide plate 10, it continues to pass through the optical film 30 for light diffusion and brightness enhancement, thereby improving the light output brightness and uniformity of the backlight module 1.
[0044] like Figure 8 The diagram illustrates an embodiment of the display device of this invention. The display device comprises a backlight module 1 and a display panel 4. The display panel 4 is disposed on the optical film 30 of the backlight module 1. The display panel 4 is a liquid crystal panel, and a backlight 20 is provided by the backlight module 1. The shape of the display panel 4 matches the shape of the irregularly shaped light guide plate 10. The display panel 4 has a notch 40 that matches the groove 115 of the irregularly shaped light guide plate 10. An image capturing element, a sensing element, or a combination of the image capturing element and the sensing element can be installed in the space where the groove 115 of the corresponding irregularly shaped light guide plate 10 and the notch 40 of the display panel 4 meet. This integrated modular structure facilitates the installation of a display device containing an image capturing element, a sensing element, or a combination thereof in the instrument panel area of a motor vehicle and its connection to an onboard computer. This invention can also be widely applied to various types of side-lit vehicle display devices, and can be widely adapted to electric vehicles and smart cockpits. The display device of this invention can meet the installation needs of external components for human-computer interaction in electric vehicles and smart cockpits.
[0045] [Symbol Explanation]
[0046] 1: Backlight Module
[0047] 10: Irregularly shaped light guide plate
[0048] 11: Board body
[0049] 111: Light-emitting surface
[0050] 112: Receiver side
[0051] 113: Reflected light side
[0052] 114: Side
[0053] 115: Groove
[0054] 1151: Bottom wall of the tank
[0055] 1152: Channel sidewall
[0056] 116: Dorsal side
[0057] θ: Angle between the bottom wall and the side wall of the tank
[0058] 12: Dimming Unit
[0059] 121: First Reflector
[0060] 122: Second reflector
[0061] 123: Reflector
[0062] 20: Light source
[0063] 30: Optical films
[0064] 4: Display panel
[0065] 40: Gap
[0066] D1: The first distance from the incident light side to the reflected light side.
[0067] D2: The second distance from the groove to the side where the light is reflected.
[0068] W1: First width of the reflected light side
[0069] W2: The second width of the groove.
Claims
1. A special-shaped light guide plate having a groove design, characterized in that, The light guide plate comprises: a plate body having a light exit surface, a light entrance surface and a light reflection surface opposite to the light entrance surface, and a groove extending from the light reflection surface to the light entrance surface; a light adjusting unit disposed in the groove and comprising a first reflection portion and two second reflection portions, the first reflection portion and the second reflection portions having different light adjusting characteristics, and the first reflection portion is disposed between the two second reflection portions. The parallel reflectivity of the first reflection portion is greater than that of the second reflection portions.
2. The irregular light guide plate with a groove design according to claim 1, wherein, The light absorption rate of the first reflection portion is greater than that of the second reflection portions.
3. The irregular-shaped light guide plate with a groove design according to claim 1, wherein, The groove comprises a groove bottom wall and two groove side walls disposed on both sides of the groove bottom wall, the groove bottom wall and the groove side walls are straight wall surfaces, the first reflection portion is disposed on the groove bottom wall, and the second reflection portions are disposed on the groove side walls.
4. The irregular-shaped light guide plate with a groove design according to claim 1, wherein, The included angle between the groove bottom wall and the adjacent groove side wall is not an acute angle.
5. The irregular light guide plate with a groove design according to claim 4, wherein, The plate body further comprises two side edges between the light entrance surface and the light reflection surface, the light reflection surface and the two side edges are respectively provided with reflection sheets, and the light adjusting characteristics of the reflection sheets are the same as those of the second reflection portions.
6. The irregular-shaped light guide plate with a groove design according to claim 1, wherein, The first distance between the light reflection surface and the light entrance surface is greater than the second distance between the groove and the light reflection surface, and the first ratio of the second distance to the first distance is between 0.15 and 0.5, inclusive.
7. The irregular-shaped light guide plate with a groove design according to claim 1, wherein, The first width of the light reflection surface is greater than the second width of the groove, and the second ratio of the second width to the first width is between 0.25 and 0.7, inclusive.
8. The irregular-shaped light guide plate with a groove design according to claim 1 or 7, wherein, The light guide plate comprises:
9. A backlight module, characterized in that, the profiled light guide plate according to any one of claims 1 to 8; a light source disposed outside the light entrance surface of the profiled light guide plate and capable of projecting light onto the light entrance surface; and at least one optical film disposed on the light exit surface of the profiled light guide plate. The backlight module comprises: the backlight module according to claim 9; and 10. A display device, characterized by comprising: a display panel disposed on the optical film of the backlight module. The display panel has a notch matching the groove of the profiled light guide plate, and the notch and the groove can be used to install an image capturing element, a sensing element or a combination thereof. 11. The display device of claim 10, wherein,