Backlight Unit Light Guide Plate Size Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional liquid crystal display (LCD) devices face challenges in achieving high brightness and image quality while minimizing power consumption and manufacturing costs, often requiring larger light guide plates and more light source elements.
Innovation Solution
A backlight unit design featuring a reduced-size light guide plate, a supporter, and a reflection member, with a light source positioned at a bent portion to optimize light distribution and prevent non-uniform illumination, along with an optical sheet and adhesive members to enhance light transfer efficiency.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by stationary object
If the size of light guide plate is reduced, then power consumption and manufacturing cost are reduced, but light distribution uniformity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The supporter is equipped with a light reflection surface that has different reflective properties compared to other components. This local quality enhancement allows the supporter to actively contribute to light distribution, compensating for the reduced size of the light guide plate and maintaining uniform illumination across the display area.
Solution Approach 2:
The light reflection surface on the supporter acts as an intermediary element between the light source and the display area. It mediates light distribution by reflecting and redirecting light rays, ensuring uniform illumination even with a smaller light guide plate, thus resolving the contradiction between reduced size and maintained light uniformity.
2Ease of manufacture
If the number of light source elements is reduced, then manufacturing cost is reduced, but light output and brightness deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
The supporter, which could be considered a structural component with no active light-generating function, is transformed into a light-reflecting element. This converts a potentially harmful or neutral element into a beneficial one that enhances light output, allowing reduced number of light source elements while maintaining overall brightness.
Solution Approach 2:
The optical properties of the supporter are changed by adding a light reflection surface, transforming it from a passive structural element to an active light-manipulating component. This parameter change enables the system to achieve sufficient light output with fewer light source elements, reducing manufacturing cost while maintaining brightness.
3Length of stationary object
If the size of light guide plate is reduced, then device thickness is reduced, but light waste increases
Solution Approach 1:
Light that would otherwise be wasted or lost in a reduced-size light guide plate system is captured and redirected by the light reflection surface on the supporter. This converts potential energy loss into useful light output, maintaining efficiency despite the reduced device thickness.
Solution Approach 2:
Instead of discarding or losing light in the compacted structure, the system recovers stray or wasted light through the reflection surface on the supporter. This recovered light is redirected to contribute to the overall illumination, reducing energy waste while maintaining reduced device thickness.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution enables high-brightness and high-quality images with reduced power consumption and manufacturing costs, using fewer light source elements and minimizing light waste, while maintaining equivalent or improved brightness compared to conventional designs.
Implementation Method 1
The light guide plate is disposed in the accommodation area, the light guide plate configured to transmit light received at a side surface to a top surface
Implementation Method 2
the backlight unit further includes a reflection sheet between the light guide plate and the bottom surface of the rectangular lower case to reflect light emitted from a bottom surface of the light guide plate
Implementation Method 3
the backlight unit includes a reflection member between one or more side surfaces of the light guide plate and corresponding one or more side walls of the rectangular lower case
Data Source
AI summary
Disclosed are a backlight unit and a liquid crystal display device including the same with a light guide plate of a reduced size to enable driving at a low power and manufacture at a low cost despite using fewer light sources, and realizing high-brightness and high quality-driving. The backlight unit includes a lower case having a bottom surface and side walls extending upward extended from edges of the bottom surface. A supporter on the bottom surface is placed along a side surface of the side wall which forms an accommodation area in conjunction with the supporter. A light guide plate is disposed in the accommodation area.