Light Guide Plate Positioning via Asymmetric Nesting
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing liquid crystal display lighting units with light guide plates and frames result in significant material wastage due to the formation of wide gaps between cut light guide plates, leading to inefficient use of large plate material.
Innovation Solution
A lighting unit design featuring a light guide plate with a depressed portion on one side and a projecting portion on the opposite side, allowing for efficient placement and reduced material wastage by using both features for positioning within a frame body, along with similar features on optical sheets for alignment.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If projecting portions are formed in opposite positions at both ends of the light guide plate for positioning, then the light guide plate can be positioned in the frame body, but the remaining material portions become large and material usage efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by making the projecting portion smaller than the depressed portion. Specifically, the projecting portion has dimensions that are equal to or smaller than the depressed portion in both length and width directions. This asymmetric design allows the projecting portion to fit within the depressed portion, enabling nested arrangement of adjacent light guide plates during cutting from large plate material, thereby reducing material wastage while maintaining positioning precision through the frame body's depressed portion and positioning projections
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements nesting by designing the projecting portion to be smaller than the depressed portion, allowing the projecting portion of one light guide plate to be nested within the depressed portion of an adjacent light guide plate when cut from a large plate. This nested arrangement minimizes the gaps between adjacent light guide plates and reduces the amount of remaining material that must be removed, thereby improving material usage efficiency while maintaining positioning functionality
2Manufacturing precision
If both depressed portion and projecting portion are formed on the light guide plate, then positioning accuracy is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies multi-functionality by designing the depressed portion to serve multiple purposes: it receives the positioning projection from the frame body for positioning, and simultaneously accommodates the projecting portion of an adjacent light guide plate for nested arrangement. This dual function reduces the need for separate positioning structures and simplifies the overall device complexity while maintaining positioning accuracy
Solution Approach 2:
The patent merges the positioning function and the material efficiency function into a single integrated structure. The depressed portion and projecting portion work together as a unified positioning and nesting system, where the frame body's depressed portion receives positioning projections, and the light guide plate's depressed portion receives adjacent projecting portions. This merging eliminates the need for separate positioning mechanisms and reduces structural complexity
Data Source
AI summary
An end of a light guide plate used for a liquid crystal display and a lighting unit, which is positioned on one side in a first direction, is provided with a depressed portion, and another end of the light guide plate, which is positioned on the other side in the first direction, is provided with a projecting portion. Using the depressed portion and the projecting portion, the light guide plate is placed in a predetermined position of a frame body. The depressed portion and the projecting portion are formed at positions opposite each other in the first direction, and the projecting portion is equal to or smaller than the depressed portion in size.