Direct type backlight module

Abstract

To provide a direct backlight module including a light emitting module and a lens array unit capable of further improving display quality.SOLUTION: The direct type backlight module 1 includes a light emitting module 2 and a lens array unit 3. The light-emitting module 2 includes a plurality of light-emitting units 21 arranged in an array. The lens array unit 3 is disposed on the light emitting module 2. Further, the lens array unit 3 is provided with a plurality of curved surfaces respectively corresponding to the plurality of light emitting units 21, and the plurality of curved surfaces are disposed on one surface of the lens array unit 3 facing the light emitting module 2 or the other surface thereof opposite to the one surface, or on both surfaces of the lens array unit 3.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS This application claims the benefit of Taiwan Patent Application No. 113130784, filed August 16, 2024, the subject matter of which is incorporated herein by reference.

[0002] The present invention relates to a direct-type backlight module, and more particularly to a direct-type backlight module suitable for an automotive display panel. [Background technology]

[0003] Because liquid crystal displays are non-self-emissive, they must have a backlight module to provide the necessary light source. In recent years, in response to demand, backlight modules have been developed with the goals of lightweight, thin, narrow bezel design, high performance, low cost, and environmental protection. How to achieve a balance among the multiple design goals mentioned above has become a key development point in the LCD industry, and how to consider both efficiency and cost reduction is important in this industry.

[0004] Backlight modules for LCD displays are mainly divided into direct-type backlight modules and edge-type backlight modules. The light guide plates used in edge-type backlight modules require special designs, which not only increase manufacturing costs but also easily cause uneven light emission problems, thereby affecting display quality.

[0005] Meanwhile, how to make direct-type backlight modules meet the needs of liquid crystal displays and solve the above problems with lower technical costs has become one of the current research and development priorities in the industry. Therefore, there is an urgent need to provide an improved direct-type backlight module that can mitigate and / or avoid the above problems. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The specially designed lens array unit of the present invention, which has multiple curved surfaces corresponding to multiple light-emitting units respectively, not only increases the light-emitting efficiency of the light-emitting units, but also allows light-emitting units with lower wattage or lumens to be used instead to achieve the same display quality, eliminating the need for an additional heat-dissipating unit and thereby providing cost savings. Furthermore, by providing a first film material and a second film material and adjusting the angle between the first film material and the second film material according to the light-emitting angle, the uniformity of the light emitted from the light-emitting units can be increased to achieve the purpose of viewing angle control, thereby further improving display quality.

[0007] In this respect, the present invention provides a direct-type backlight module including a light-emitting module and a lens array unit. The light-emitting module includes a plurality of light-emitting units arranged in an array, and the number of light-emitting units is not particularly limited and can be adjusted according to the size of the required light source or display panel. The plurality of light-emitting units may be LEDs. The lens array unit is disposed on the light-emitting module and is used to collimate the light emitted by the plurality of light-emitting units. The lens array unit has a plurality of curved surfaces corresponding to the plurality of light-emitting units, respectively. The curved surfaces may be disposed on one side of the lens array unit facing the light-emitting module, on the other side of the lens array unit opposite to the one side, or on both sides of the lens array unit, so that the light emitted from the light-emitting units is refracted through the corresponding curved surfaces, thereby diffusing the small-area light source emitted by the light-emitting units into a large-area light source, thereby improving the uniformity of light emission.

[0008] In the present invention, the direct type backlight module may further include a plurality of lens array units disposed on the light emitting module.

[0009] In the present invention, the material of the lens array unit can be transparent polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polycarbonate (PC), cyclic olefin polymer (COC) or silicone, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0010] In the present invention, the light emitting units of the light emitting module may be arranged in an M×N array, where M and N are each an integer of 2 or greater. For example, M and N are each an integer of 2 to 100,000.

[0011] In the present invention, the direct type backlight module may further include a first film material disposed on the lens array unit to improve the uniformity of light emission and achieve the purpose of viewing angle control.

[0012] In the present invention, the direct type backlight module may further include a second film material disposed on the first film material, so as to further improve the uniformity of light emission and achieve the purpose of viewing angle control.

[0013] In the present invention, the minimum distance between the first film material and the second film material can be 0 mm to 5 mm, such as 0.01 mm to 5 mm, 0.5 mm to 5 mm, 1 mm to 5 mm, 3 mm to 5 mm, 0.5 mm to 3 mm, 1 mm to 3 mm, or 0.5 mm to 1 mm. If the minimum distance between the first film material and the second film material is 0 mm, it indicates that the first film material and the second film material are in direct contact. In the present invention, the materials of the first film material and the second film material can be, but are not limited to, lenses, transparent polyethylene terephthalate, transparent polymethyl methacrylate, polycarbonate (PC), cyclic olefin polymer (COC), or silicone.

[0014] In the present invention, the first film material may have a plurality of first strip structures, and the second film material may have a plurality of second strip structures, and the plurality of first strip structures may extend in a first direction and the plurality of second strip structures may extend in a second direction, and the first direction may be different from the second direction. The plurality of first strip structures may be arranged on one side of the first film material facing the light emitting module or on the other side opposite to that side, or on both sides, and the plurality of second strip structures may be arranged on one side of the second film material facing the light emitting module or on the other side opposite to that side, or on both sides.

[0015] In the present invention, each of the multiple first strip structures may have a first arcuate surface. The first arcuate surface may be disposed on one side of the first film material facing the light-emitting module, the other side opposite that side, or both sides. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. The multiple first strip structures do not necessarily have to be formed by an arcuate surface, but may be formed by multiple surfaces (for example, a prism formed by two surfaces) or by an irregular shape.

[0016] In the present invention, each of the plurality of second strip structures may have a second arcuate surface. The second arcuate surface may be disposed on one side of the second film material facing the light-emitting module, the other side opposite that side, or both sides. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. The plurality of second strip structures do not necessarily have to be formed by an arcuate surface, but may be formed by multiple surfaces (for example, a prism formed by two surfaces) or by an irregular shape.

[0017] In the present invention, the first direction intersects with the second direction to form an angle, which may be 0° to 90°, such as 0° to 75°, 0° to 60°, 0° to 45°, 0° to 30°, 0° to 15°, 15° to 90°, 15° to 75°, 15° to 60°, 15° to 45°, 15° to 30°, 30° to 90°, 30° to 75°, 30° to 60°, 30° to 45°, 45° to 90°, 45° to 75°, 45° to 60°, 60° to 90°, 60° to 75°, about 0°, about 15°, about 30°, about 45°, about 60°, about 75°, or about 90°.

[0018] In the present invention, the lens array unit may have a plurality of convex portions and a plurality of concave portions, and one of the plurality of convex portions may include one of a plurality of curved surfaces and may be surrounded by a plurality of adjacent concave portions. For example, one of the plurality of convex portions may include one of a plurality of curved surfaces and may be surrounded by three to six adjacent concave portions. In this case, when viewed from above, one of the plurality of convex portions may have a triangular, quadrangular, pentagonal, or hexagonal shape. In one embodiment of the present invention, one of the plurality of convex portions may include one of a plurality of curved surfaces and may be surrounded by four adjacent concave portions. In this case, when viewed from above, one of the plurality of convex portions may have a quadrangular shape.

[0019] In the present invention, the curvature of the multiple curved surfaces can be -5 mm to 5 mm, such as -5 mm to 3 mm, -5 mm to 1 mm, -5 mm to 0 mm, -5 mm to -1 mm, -5 mm to -3 mm, -3 mm to 5 mm, -3 mm to 3 mm, -3 mm to 1 mm, -3 mm to 0 mm, -3 mm to -1 mm, -1 mm to 5 mm, -1 mm to 3 mm, -1 mm to 1 mm, -1 mm to 0 mm, 0 mm to 5 mm, 0 mm to 3 mm, 0 mm to 1 mm, 1 mm to 5 mm, 1 mm to 3 mm, 3 mm to 5 mm, about -5 mm, about -3 mm, about -1 mm, about 1 mm, about 3 mm, or about 5 mm. Alternatively, the curvature of the multiple curved surfaces can be 0 mm to 5 mm, such as 0 mm to 5 mm, 1 mm to 5 mm, 3 mm to 5 mm, about 1 mm, about 3 mm, or about 5 mm.

[0020] In the present invention, the thickness of the lens array unit may be 0.1 mm to 20 mm, such as 0.3 mm to 20 mm, 0.5 mm to 20 mm, 1 mm to 20 mm, 5 mm to 20 mm, 10 mm to 20 mm, 0.1 mm to 15 mm, 0.3 mm to 15 mm, 0.5 mm to 15 mm, 1 mm to 15 mm, 5 mm to 15 mm, 10 mm to 15 mm, 0.1 mm to 10 mm, 0.3 mm to 10 mm, 0.5 mm to 10 mm, 1 mm to 10 mm, 5 mm to 10 mm, about 1 mm, about 3 mm, about 5 mm, about 10 mm, about 12 mm, about 15 mm, or about 20 mm.

[0021] In the present invention, the minimum distance between the lens array unit and the light-emitting module may be 0 mm to 10 mm, such as 0.1 mm to 10 mm, 0.3 mm to 10 mm, 0.5 mm to 10 mm, 1 mm to 10 mm, 3 mm to 10 mm, 5 mm to 10 mm, 0.1 mm to 7 mm, 0.3 mm to 7 mm, 0.5 mm to 7 mm, 1 mm to 7 mm, 0.1 mm to 5 mm, 0.3 mm to 5 mm, 0.5 mm to 5 mm, 1 mm to 5 mm, 3 mm to 5 mm, about 0.1 mm, about 0.3 mm, about 0.5 mm, about 1 mm, about 3 mm, about 5 mm, about 7 mm, or about 10 mm. When the minimum distance between the lens array unit and the light-emitting module is 0 mm, this indicates that the lens array unit and the light-emitting module are in direct contact. The lens array unit may be formed using a high-temperature resistant material, such as silicone.

[0022] In the present invention, the minimum distance between the lens array unit and the first film material can be 0 mm to 5 mm, such as 0.01 mm to 5 mm, 0.5 mm to 5 mm, 1 mm to 5 mm, 3 mm to 5 mm, 0.5 mm to 3 mm, 1 mm to 3 mm, or 0.5 mm to 1 mm. When the minimum distance between the lens array unit and the first film material is 0 mm, it indicates that the lens array unit is in direct contact with the first film material.

[0023] Other novel features of the present disclosure will become more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0024] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a direct type backlight module according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of a direct type backlight module according to a first embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of a direct type backlight module according to a second embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 shows a view angle / luminance diagram of the direct type backlight module according to the first embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0025] Various embodiments of the present invention are provided below. These embodiments are not intended to limit the scope of the claims of the present invention, but are used to explain the technical concept of the present invention. The features of one embodiment can be applied to other embodiments by appropriate modification, substitution, combination, and separation.

[0026] It should be noted that in this specification and claims, unless otherwise specified, having "an" element is not limited to having a single such element, but rather that one or more such elements may be provided.

[0027] Furthermore, in this specification and claims, unless otherwise indicated, ordinal numbers such as "first" and "second" as used herein distinguish between elements rather than explicitly or implicitly disclosing that the names of the elements have ordinal language. The ordinal numbers do not imply a sequence of one element relative to another in terms of space, time, or manufacturing process steps. A "first" element and a "second" element may occur together in the same element or independently in different elements. The presence of an element with a higher ordinal number does not necessarily imply the presence of the other element with a lower ordinal number.

[0028] In this specification and claims, unless otherwise specified, feature A "or" or "and / or" feature B means that feature A is present alone, feature B is present alone, or features A and B are present simultaneously. Feature A "and" feature B, feature A "with" feature B, or feature A "plus" feature B refers to the simultaneous presence of features A and B. The terms "comprising," "including," "having," or "containing" refer to inclusion but not limitation.

[0029] Furthermore, in this specification and claims, the terms "above," "below," or "between" are used only to describe the relative positions of multiple elements and can be expanded in interpretation to include translation, rotation, or flipping.

[0030] It should be noted that in this specification and claims, unless otherwise specified, the term "one element on another element" or similar does not necessarily mean that the element is adjacent to the other element.

[0031] Furthermore, in this specification and claims, unless otherwise specified, numerical values ​​may encompass a range of ±10% of that value, particularly a range of ±5% of that value. Unless otherwise specified, numerical ranges consist of subranges defined by the lower endpoint, the lower quartile, the median, the upper quartile, and the upper endpoint.

[0032] First embodiment FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a direct type backlight module according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0033] FIG. 2 shows a cross-sectional view of a direct type backlight module according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the direct-type backlight module 1 of the present invention includes a light-emitting module 2, a lens array unit 3, a first film material 4, and a second film material 5. The light-emitting module 2 includes a plurality of light-emitting units 21 arranged in an array. The number of light-emitting units 21 is not particularly limited and can be adjusted according to the required light source or the size of the display panel used. In this embodiment, the plurality of light-emitting units 21 of the light-emitting module 2 are arranged in a 10x10 array, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the number of lens array units is one.

[0035] The lens array unit 3 is disposed between the light-emitting modules 2 and the first film material 4 to collimate the light emitted by the light-emitting units 21. The lens array unit 3 has a light incident surface 31, a light emitting surface 32, a plurality of curved surfaces 33, a plurality of convex portions 331, and a plurality of concave portions 332. One of the convex portions 331 may include one of the plurality of curved surfaces 33 and may be surrounded by the plurality of concave portions 332 adjacent to it. The plurality of curved surfaces 33 correspond to the plurality of light-emitting units 21, respectively, and are disposed on the light emitting surface 32. That is, the plurality of curved surfaces 33 are disposed on a surface of the lens array unit 3 opposite to the surface facing the light-emitting modules 2. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. Depending on design requirements, the plurality of curved surfaces 33 may be disposed only on the light incident surface 31 or the light emitting surface of the lens array unit 3, or may be disposed simultaneously on the light incident surface 31 and the light emitting surface of the lens array unit 3. In this embodiment, one of the plurality of convex portions 331 may include one of the plurality of curved surfaces 33 and may be surrounded by four adjacent concave portions 332 .

[0036] Furthermore, the first film material 4 is disposed on the lens array unit 3 and has a plurality of first strip structures 41. The plurality of first strip structures 41 extend in a first direction D1, and each of the first strip structures 41 has a first arcuate surface 42. The first arcuate surface 42 is provided on one surface of the first film material 4 facing the light emitting module 2 (i.e., the light incident surface 43). However, the present invention is not limited thereto. Depending on design conditions, the arcuate surfaces 42 of the plurality of first strip structures may be provided only on the light incident surface 43 or the light emitting surface 44, or may be provided on both the light incident surface 43 and the light emitting surface 44 simultaneously. The second film material 5 is disposed on the first film material 4 and has a plurality of second strip structures 51. The plurality of second strip structures 51 extend in a second direction D2, and each of the second strip structures 51 has a second arcuate surface 52. The second arc-shaped surface 52 is provided on one surface (i.e., the light incident surface 53) of the second film material 5 facing the light emitting module 2. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. Depending on design conditions, the second arc-shaped surfaces 52 of the multiple second strip structures 51 may be provided only on the light incident surface 53 or the light emitting surface 54, or may be provided simultaneously on the light incident surface 53 and the light emitting surface 54. The first strip structures 41 of the first film material 4 and the second strip structures 51 of the second film material 5 may be formed by hot pressing, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The first direction D1 is different from the second direction D2. In this embodiment, the angle between the first direction D1 and the second direction D2 is 90°.

[0037] In this embodiment, the light-emitting units 21 are LEDs, the first film material 4 and the second film material 5 are each made of transparent polymethyl methacrylate, and the minimum distance between the first film material 4 and the second film material 5 may be 0.01 mm to 5 mm. The lens array unit 3 is made of transparent polymethyl methacrylate, and the curvature of the lens array unit 3 on the light incident surface 31 may be -3 mm to 3 mm. The thickness of the lens array unit 3 may be 15 mm. The minimum distance between the lens array unit 3 and the light-emitting modules 2 may be 5 mm. The curvature of the multiple curved surfaces 33 may be 0 mm to 3 mm. Furthermore, the lens array unit 3 and the first film material 4 are in direct contact. To prevent the curved surface 33 of the lens array unit 3 from being blocked by the first film material 4 and preventing its characteristics from being displayed, the lens array unit 3 shown in FIG. 1 is not in direct contact with the first film material 4.

[0038] Second embodiment FIG. 3 shows a cross-sectional view of a direct type backlight module according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0039] 3, the direct type backlight module 1' of the second embodiment is similar to the direct type backlight module 1 of the first embodiment, except for the following point: the lens array unit 3' of the direct type backlight module 1' of this embodiment has a plurality of curved surfaces 33' corresponding to the plurality of light emitting units 21, respectively, and disposed on the light incident surface 31 and the light emitting surface 32 simultaneously, whereby the light emitting units 21 emit light using the curved surface 33' of the light incident surface 31 or refract light using the curved surface 33' of the light emitting surface 32, or both the curved surfaces 33' of the light emitting surface and the light incident surface contribute to refraction, and the curved surfaces 33' corresponding to the light incident surface 31 and the light emitting surface 32 may be the same or different, and each may have a curvature of, for example, -3 mm to 3 mm. Furthermore, the first film material 4' has a plurality of first strip structures 41', each of the plurality of first strip structures 41' has a first arcuate surface 42', and the first arcuate surface 42' is simultaneously provided on the light incident surface 43 and the light emitting surface 44 of the first film material 4'.

[0040] Third embodiment The direct type backlight module of the third embodiment is similar to the direct type backlight module 1 of the first embodiment, except for the following points: in the direct type backlight module of this embodiment, the first film material and the second film material are in direct contact with each other, the lens array unit and the light emitting module are in direct contact with each other, and the minimum distance between the lens array unit and the first film material can be 0.01 mm to 5 mm.

[0041] Fourth embodiment The direct-type backlight module of the fourth embodiment is similar to the direct-type backlight module of the first embodiment, except that the direct-type backlight module of this embodiment includes two lens array units. In other embodiments, the number of lens array units can be 1 to 6 according to actual requirements.

[0042] Experimental results FIG. 4 shows a view angle / luminance diagram of the direct type backlight module according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0043] 4 and 1-2, based on the above design, the light emitted from the light-emitting unit 21 of the direct-type backlight module 1 of the first embodiment is refracted through the curved surface 33 at the light-emitting surface, further improving the uniformity of the light emission. The objective of viewing angle control can be achieved by the arrangement of the first film material 4 and the second film material 5. Furthermore, not only can the light-emitting efficiency of the light-emitting unit 21 reach 80%, but a light-emitting unit 21 with a lower wattage or lumen can be used instead to achieve the same display quality, eliminating the need for an additional heat dissipation unit and thereby saving costs. Furthermore, by adjusting the angle between the first film material 4 and the second film material 5 according to the light-emitting angle, the uniformity of the light emitted from the light-emitting unit 21 is increased, achieving the objective of viewing angle control, thereby further improving display quality.

[0044] Meanwhile, the direct type backlight module 1 of this embodiment achieves the light pattern control requirement of -35° to 35° horizontally and -10° to 10° vertically, and the light pattern can be further controlled by adjusting the angle between the first film material 4 and the second film material 5. Through this light pattern control, lower wattage light emitting units 21 can be selected and used to achieve the advantageous effect of higher light emitting efficiency.

[0045] The specific embodiments described above are to be construed as merely illustrative, and not limitative of the remainder of the disclosure in any way whatsoever.

Claims

1. A direct-type backlight module, a light-emitting module including a plurality of light-emitting units arranged in an array; a lens array unit disposed on the light emitting module, the lens array unit having a plurality of curved surfaces corresponding to the plurality of light emitting units, the plurality of curved surfaces being disposed on one surface of the lens array unit facing the light emitting module, or on another surface opposite to the one surface, or on both surfaces of the lens array unit; A direct-type backlight module comprising:

2. The direct type backlight module according to claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of lens array units disposed on the light emitting modules.

3. The direct type backlight module according to claim 1 , further comprising a first film material disposed on the lens array unit.

4. The direct type backlight module according to claim 3 , further comprising a second film material disposed on the first film material.

5. 5. The direct type backlight module according to claim 4, wherein the minimum distance between the first film material and the second film material is 0 mm to 5 mm.

6. 5. The direct-type backlight module of claim 4, wherein the first film material has a plurality of first strip structures, the second film material has a plurality of second strip structures, the plurality of first strip structures extend in a first direction, and the plurality of second strip structures extend in a second direction, and the first direction is different from the second direction.

7. 7. The direct type backlight module of claim 6, wherein there is an angle between the first direction and the second direction, and the angle is between 0° and 90°.

8. 4. The direct-type backlight module of claim 3, wherein the first film material has a plurality of first strip structures, and the plurality of first strip structures are arranged on one side of the first film material facing the light-emitting module, on the other side of the first film material opposite the one side, or on both sides.

9. The direct-type backlight module of claim 4, wherein the second film material has a plurality of second strip structures, and the plurality of second strip structures are arranged on one side of the second film material facing the light-emitting module, on the other side of the second film material opposite to the one side, or on both sides thereof.

10. 2. The direct-type backlight module according to claim 1, wherein the lens array unit has a plurality of convex portions and a plurality of concave portions, one of the plurality of convex portions including one of the plurality of curved surfaces and surrounded by the plurality of concave portions.

11. 2. The direct type backlight module according to claim 1, wherein the curvatures of the curved surfaces are between -5 mm and 5 mm.

12. 2. The direct type backlight module according to claim 1, wherein the curvatures of the curved surfaces are 0 mm to 5 mm.

13. 2. The direct type backlight module according to claim 1, wherein the lens array unit has a thickness of 0.1 mm to 20 mm.

14. 2. The direct type backlight module according to claim 1, wherein the minimum distance between the lens array unit and the light emitting module is 0 mm to 10 mm.

15. 4. The direct type backlight module according to claim 3, wherein the minimum distance between the lens array unit and the first film material is 0 mm to 5 mm.

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