Backlight Unit Recessed Supporter Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing backlight units face challenges in aligning and coupling light emitting modules with light guide panels, leading to difficulties in assembly and maintaining uniform brightness across varying temperatures and moisture levels.
Innovation Solution
A novel backlight unit structure featuring a supporter with a recessed area and protrusions for easy alignment and coupling of light emitting modules with light guide panels, using a protrusion/hole or protrusion/recess coupling mechanism, and sharing materials for thermal expansion compatibility.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a conventional flat supporter structure is used, then the structure is simple, but it is difficult to align and couple light emitting modules with light guide panels
Solution Approach 1:
The supporter is pre-formed with recesses and protrusions during manufacturing. These features are prepared in advance to guide the alignment and coupling of light emitting modules with light guide panels, making the assembly process easier without requiring complex adjustment mechanisms during assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The recesses and protrusions act as intermediary coupling elements between the light emitting modules and light guide panels. These features facilitate the alignment and connection processes by providing mechanical guides and coupling points, reducing the complexity of the assembly operation.
2Illumination intensity
If light emitting modules are not precisely aligned with light guide panels, then assembly is easier, but brightness uniformity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The recesses and protrusions are pre-formed on the supporter to provide alignment guides. These features are prepared in advance to ensure that light emitting modules are precisely positioned relative to light guide panels during assembly, achieving both ease of assembly and brightness uniformity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces complex mechanical alignment mechanisms with simple geometric features (recesses and protrusions) that provide inherent alignment through their shape and positioning, achieving precise alignment without requiring complex adjustment mechanisms.
3Reliability
If different materials are used for supporter and light guide panel, then material selection is flexible, but thermal expansion mismatch causes operational instability
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies the same material to both the supporter and light guide panel to ensure homogeneous thermal expansion characteristics. This material selection strategy ensures that both components expand and contract at the same rate with temperature changes, preventing operational instability while maintaining manufacturing flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent addresses thermal expansion by selecting materials with matching expansion coefficients for the supporter and light guide panel. This ensures that temperature variations do not cause relative displacement or stress between components, maintaining operational stability across temperature and moisture variations.
4Strength
If complex coupling mechanisms are used, then coupling strength is improved, but assembly difficulty increases
Solution Approach 1:
The coupling features (recesses and protrusions) are pre-formed during supporter manufacturing. This preliminary action creates built-in coupling mechanisms that provide strong mechanical attachment while maintaining simple assembly operations, as the features are already in place to guide and secure the components.
Solution Approach 2:
The recesses and protrusions are designed to self-align and self-couple the light emitting modules with light guide panels during assembly. The geometric features automatically guide the components into proper alignment and secure them through interference fit, providing strong coupling without requiring complex external fastening mechanisms.
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
Facilitates easy assembly, stable operation across temperature and moisture variations, and ensures uniform brightness by ensuring precise alignment and matching thermal expansion of components.
Implementation Method 1
at least one light emitting module disposed in the recess of the supporter and providing light through a side surface of the light guide panel
Implementation Method 2
at least one light guide panel disposed on the supporter and coupled to the supporter
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided is a backlight unit, which includes at least one supporter, at least one light guide panel, and at least one light emitting module. The supporter includes a recess stepped at a lower height than that of a first region of an upper surface. The light guide panel is disposed on the supporter and is coupled to the supporter. The light emitting module is disposed in the recess of the supporter and provides light through a side surface of the light guide panel.