Patterned Light Guide Panel with Lenticular Skin for LCD Backlight
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing liquid crystal display (LCD) backlight units face challenges in achieving low power consumption and high brightness, particularly in large screen TVs, where printed light guide panels are not suited for one-dimensional dimming and scanning, leading to increased power consumption and temperature issues, and the combination of films in backlight units results in high manufacturing costs and quality deterioration.
Innovation Solution
A patterned light guide panel is developed with a base layer and a skin layer having a lenticular pattern extending orthogonally to the light entrance plane, formed through co-extrusion, which includes particles with a refractive index differing from the base layer to reduce friction and bright lines, and a method of fabricating this panel that allows for improved optical characteristics and slip properties without the need for a protective film.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If a printed light guide panel is used, then manufacturing is simple, but it is not suited for one-dimensional dimming and scanning, leading to increased power consumption
Solution Approach 1:
The light guide panel incorporates a lenticular pattern with specific pitch and height parameters that creates localized optical properties. This pattern enables one-dimensional dimming and scanning capabilities while maintaining manufacturing efficiency through co-extrusion processing, resolving the contradiction between manufacturing simplicity and energy efficiency.
2Illumination intensity
If multiple films are combined in backlight unit, then optical quality can be improved, but manufacturing cost increases and quality deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The invention integrates the lenticular pattern directly into the light guide panel through co-extrusion, merging what would traditionally be separate components (light guide panel and protective film with patterns) into a single integrated structure. This reduces the number of films needed while maintaining optical quality and reducing manufacturing complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The light guide panel uses a composite structure with a base layer and a skin layer containing particles with different refractive indexes. This composite material approach achieves the desired optical properties (reducing bright lines and improving light distribution) within a single component, eliminating the need for multiple separate films.
3Reliability
If protective film is added to light guide panel, then surface protection is improved, but friction increases and manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The protective function is merged into the light guide panel itself by forming a skin layer with particles on the surface. This integrated protective layer provides surface protection without requiring a separate protective film, thereby reducing friction and manufacturing cost while maintaining reliability.
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 patterned light guide panel reduces friction and bright lines, enabling one-dimensional dimming, reducing power consumption, and lowering manufacturing costs by eliminating the protective film, while maintaining high productivity and optical quality.
Implementation Method 1
the skin layer having a lenticular pattern extending orthogonally to a light entrance plane of the light guide panel
Implementation Method 2
The skin layer may include particles, the particles having a refractive index in the range of about ±0.1 with respect to a refractive index of the base layer
Data Source
AI summary
A patterned light guide panel, a manufacturing method thereof, and a backlight unit including the patterned light guide panel, the patterned light guide panel including a base layer; and a skin layer stacked on the base layer, the skin layer having a lenticular pattern extending orthogonally to a light entrance plane of the light guide panel.