Curved Backlight Unit Light Leakage Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Curved display apparatuses face issues with light leakage, leading to non-uniform brightness and reduced image quality due to the curvature of the display panel, which affects both 3D and 2D image modes.
Innovation Solution
A curved backlight unit with a light guide plate having different areas for varying illumination light intensities, utilizing a light blocking member and grating elements with adjustable transmittance to manage light leakage, and employing an electrowetting phenomenon for dynamic adjustment of light transmittance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If a curved light guide plate is used to match the curvature of the display panel, then the backlight unit can provide uniform illumination across the curved surface, but light leakage occurs at certain areas leading to non-uniform brightness
Solution Approach 1:
The patent divides the curved light guide plate into multiple areas with different light transmittance characteristics. A light blocking member is selectively disposed in specific areas (second area) where light leakage occurs, creating local variations in light transmission. This allows the system to maintain uniform overall illumination while compensating for localized light leakage issues through differential light management across different regions of the light guide plate.
2Illumination intensity
If a light blocking member is added to reduce light leakage, then brightness uniformity improves, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The light blocking member is integrated directly onto the curved light guide plate structure, merging the light blocking function with the existing light guide components. This integration approach reduces the need for separate, complex light blocking mechanisms and simplifies the overall device structure while still achieving the desired brightness uniformity through the selective light blocking in specific areas.
3Illumination intensity
If grating elements with different heights are used to control light exit intensity, then light distribution uniformity improves, but manufacturing precision requirements increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent varies the height parameter of grating elements across different areas of the curved light guide plate to control light exit intensity. By strategically designing different grating heights in different regions, the system achieves uniform light distribution without requiring extremely high manufacturing precision for all grating elements. The differential height design allows for more relaxed tolerance requirements compared to uniform high-precision gratings.
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 effectively reduces light leakage, ensuring uniform brightness across the display panel for both 3D and 2D images, enhancing image quality and viewer experience by adjusting illumination light intensities and transmittance accordingly.
Implementation Method 1
a light blocking member disposed in the second area and configured to at least partially absorb or reflect the second illumination light
Implementation Method 2
a light blocking member disposed in the second area and configured to at least partially absorb or reflect the second illumination light
Implementation Method 3
a transparent coating layer attached to the third surface of the curved light guide plate, wherein the light blocking member is disposed on the transparent coating layer, and a refractive index of the transparent coating layer is less than a refractive index of the curved light guide plate
Implementation Method 4
The light blocking member may be configured to electrically adjust a transmittance of the second illumination light via an electrowetting phenomenon
Implementation Method 5
an array of a plurality of different grating elements disposed on a second surface of the curved light guide plate and configured to allow the first illumination light to exit the curved light guide plate from the second surface
Data Source
AI summary
A curved backlight unit is provided. The backlight unit includes a curved light guide plate having a curvature, a first light source configured to provide a first illumination light to a first surface of the curved light guide plate, an array of a plurality of different grating elements disposed on a second surface of the curved light guide plate and configured to allow the first illumination light to exit the curved light guide plate from the second surface, and a second light source configured to provide a second illumination light to a third surface facing the second surface of the curved light guide plate. The curved light guide plate includes a first area configured to allow the second illumination light to exist at a first intensity and a second area configured to allow the second illumination light to exist at a second intensity that is less than the first intensity.