JP2003279990A - Illuminator using dot light emitting body for light source - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a power saving illuminator illuminating the surface of a body to be illuminated such as a liquid crystal display panel and the keyboard of a portable personal computer by using a luminous flux from a dot light emitting body. <P>SOLUTION: By disposing a straight or circular-arcuate or curved columnar light converging device 4 with excellent light transmissivity parallelly to or upright on a surface to be illuminated corresponding to the surface to be illuminated and arranging the dot light emitting bodies 3a and 3b in contact with or near the columnar light converging device 4, the luminous flux from the dot light emitting bodies 3a and 3b is converted into a planar shape and a transmission type or reflection type liquid crystal panel 2 or the body to be illuminated is illuminated. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

[Industrial application] Recently, the efficiency of light emitting diodes (LEDs) has been rapidly improved, and white LEDs with a brightness of 10 candela or more have been developed. The luminous efficiency is higher than that of incandescent bulbs and is being used as a lighting lamp. It's coming.
The light obtained from a light emitting diode is not suitable for a lighting device because it has a good brightness but has the property that the light travels straight, and thus it has uneven brightness like glare, glare, and eyesight. There was also a way of thinking. On the other hand, this L
Since the ED light emitter originally exhibits point emission or a luminous flux characteristic close to a circle, when used in a planar illumination device, the unevenness of light or the spread of the luminous flux is limited to a specific range. It has been pointed out that it is not suitable as a lighting device, and it has been put to practical use in limited fields such as outdoor lighting and surgical lighting, and is also being used as a special flashlight. Further, generally, in many mobile devices, light emitting diodes are already used as a light source as a liquid crystal backlight, but the number of light emitting diodes used in the device is 4 to 6.
Since there are many pieces, the power consumption is large and the battery wears down significantly. Further, in a game machine or the like, a light source is rarely provided in the device due to the fact that the light source consumes a large amount of power and the battery has a short life. Therefore, a reflective liquid crystal panel is often used as a display panel. Therefore, the screen is not clearly visible in a dimly lit room, and children's eyes are hurt, and the injury is gradually becoming a social problem. The inventor has already succeeded in improving the brightness of a light image formed on a target surface by using a cylindrical lens to shine light of a light emitting diode linearly or narrowly on an upright panel or screen surface. However, after confirming that this method is useful for decoration-related and information processing devices, an illumination device (patent application number Japanese Patent Application No. 2000
403884) and an eddy current detection device (patent application number Japanese Patent Application No. 2001-371420). In the present invention, with respect to the above-mentioned portable game machine, portable computer, mobile phone, and lighting of liquid crystal panel of a similar device, a light flux at a relatively short distance and an illumination surface which is required to set an arbitrary angle are used. And convert the luminous flux from the point-like illuminant into a plane shape, which can be used in industrial fields such as lighting of portable computer keyboard surfaces and hand lights, display shelves for jewelry, bicycle lamps, etc. An illumination device using a light emitting body as a light source is provided.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art A light emitting diode is used as a light source for a flashlight, or a light emitting diode is lit by using a power source of USB (Universal Serial Bus), which is a standard for peripheral equipment of a personal computer, to illuminate the keyboard surface. Various new products have already appeared as the brightness of the diode increases. For example, for lighting a keyboard of a portable computer, a product name sold by Sun Supply Co., called a computer light or a flight light, is called Ke.
It is manufactured by Nisiton Technology Group (sold by the Nanyo Shokai in Japan). In the personal computer light, the three light emitting diodes are arranged in a straight line so that the luminous flux is directly guided to the keyboard through the transparent arc-shaped cover, and an illuminated surface that almost covers the keyboard surface is obtained. However, the current consumption of this lighting device is approximately 70 mA, and the current capacity of the USB standard is 50 mA.
It occupies a considerably large current consumption for 0 mA,
Driving the B devices at the same time may cause problems. In the latter flight light, one light emitting diode is installed at the tip of a supply line covered with a flexible metal cover, which is called a flexible wire. Then, a transparent lens-like resin is attached to the tip of the light emitting diode, and the flexibility of the flexible wire is used so that the light flux is optimal for the illuminated object, for example, the illuminated object such as a keyboard. Then the illumination position and angle are adjusted. However, even with such adjusting means, the illuminated surface obtained on the illuminated object becomes a circle, or an ellipse, and it is difficult to obtain an optimal illuminated state on the illuminated surface. On the other hand, in a portable game machine, a reflective liquid crystal panel is often used as a display panel. Such a reflective liquid crystal panel not only causes the display panel to function only in a bright place where there is a sufficient amount of extraneous light, but also has the adverse effect of changing the color tone due to extraneous light. In game machines, etc., the luminous flux of the light emitting diode has a strong straight-line property, and it is thought that it is difficult to obtain the optimum irradiation angle for the image on the liquid crystal surface. Is often used. Figure 1
14 is a schematic plan view for explaining a conventional technique of a lighting device used in a portable game machine. In FIG. 14, reference numeral 112 denotes a display panel of the game machine, and a main body 100 of the game machine is provided with a switch 101 and the like for operating the game machine. Therefore, auxiliary lighting is required when using the game machine in the dark. In the conventional example shown in FIG. 14, the auxiliary lighting device 110 used for such a purpose is integrally formed of a plastic case. The auxiliary lighting device 110 is detachably capped so as to avoid the operation switch 101 and the like installed in the main body 100 of the game machine. In addition, the main body 100 of the game machine and the auxiliary lighting device 11
A halogen-based white miniature electric bulb 102 is attached in a gap formed between the zero point and the zero point as shown by a dotted line. Therefore, the luminous flux from the white miniature bulb is radiated to the entire inner surface of the plastic case, and the amount of light reaching the panel surface 112 formed in the main body 100 of the game machine is much larger than the total amount of luminous flux emitted from the lamp. Few. Furthermore, since this kind of light bulb generates a great deal of heat, the light bulb should not be brought into direct contact with the plastic case of the main body 100 or the auxiliary lighting device 110. Further, in order to illuminate the panel surface well, it is necessary to install the light bulb above the panel surface, which requires a lot of space for the portion where the light bulb is installed. That is, 11 of the auxiliary lighting device
There is also a problem that the thickness of the whole 0 becomes thick.

[0003]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION In the present invention, a point light-emitting body, for example, a light-emitting diode is used to create a continuous planar brilliance with respect to a light source of a liquid crystal panel or an illuminated object, and thereby a liquid crystal surface or an illuminated object To obtain a small, lightweight, and high-illumination lighting device that illuminates the body surface so that the liquid crystal panel can be fully functional even in a dark place or under dim light, and for brightly illuminating the operation surface. The object of the invention is to solve the problems by constructing the illumination target, that is, the illumination means adapted to the shape and size of the panel surface with a simple structure and minimizing the amount of ineffective light. Further, it is another object to obtain a lighting device in which the number of light emitting bodies is reduced as much as possible and a long-life light emitting operation is continued even when a battery is used as driving energy.

[0004]

[Means for Solving the Problems] The center or center of the ridge of a cylindrical concentrator made of at least one of a series of synthetic resins such as acrylic, polycarbonate, acrylic styrene, and glass having good light transmittance. By arranging at least one or more point-like light emitters arranged with a step with respect to the cylindrical light collector in contact with or with a slight gap, By guiding the luminous flux emitted from the illuminator part with a built-in luminaire or point light emitter to the reflective type or transmissive type liquid crystal panel provided in the game machine, the mobile phone and similar devices, the panel surface In addition to making it shine, it is configured so that an image made of liquid crystal can be seen in a dark place or under dim light.

The point light emitters are arranged in parallel with the surface of the light collector having a good light transmission property and in contact or with a slight gap, and the lower end of the cylindrical light collector is slightly smaller than the transmission type liquid crystal surface. By arranging it so that it is located below or slightly above the reflective liquid crystal surface, the luminous flux from the point concentrator is reflected on the surface to be illuminated by the refraction of the cylindrical concentrator. Sometimes it shines like a sheet.

A transparent, at least one or more columnar, linear condenser is contacted, or at least one or more point light emitters are arranged with a slight air gap, and a reflecting surface is further provided. By arranging it in a case in an illuminator part having an inner surface, the luminous flux from the point light emitter is guided to the illuminated object, and the illuminated object may be made to illuminate with high illuminance.

[0007] A cylindrical light collector having good light transmittance is arranged vertically or horizontally with respect to the illuminated surface, the angle and position of the cylindrical light collector is changed at any time, or fixed. Then, the brightness of the illuminated surface may be made uniform or the size of the illuminated surface may be set.

In the illuminator unit, in addition to the point light emitter and the light collector, a power source and a drive circuit for the light emitter may be incorporated, or a light reflecting function may be given to a printed circuit board surface on which the light emitter is mounted.

The concentrator is transparent and has a circular arc shape or a curved columnar shape, and the brightness may be uniformized even on an illuminated surface curved along a non-planar surface.

Either the cylindrical condensers arranged vertically or horizontally with respect to the surface to be illuminated, or both of the cylindrical condensers are configured to be movable at the same time so that the illumination area on the surface to be illuminated can be changed at any time. It may be configured to be possible.

[0011]

DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

[0012]

The basic configuration of the present invention is composed of the point light emitter 3 shown in FIG. 1 and the cylindrical light collector 4 arranged between the reflective liquid crystal panel 2 and its illuminated surface. A typical high-intensity light-emitting diode as a point light emitter is a small light emitter chip molded with a transparent resin such as polyethylene,
The tip of this resin constitutes a part called a lens, so-called bullet shape, bow shape, etc., and a parabolic reflector is attached to the back surface of the light emitting element to collect light emitted from the light emitting chip, For example, it is molded integrally with transparent resin. In addition, most of the white light emitting diodes currently on the market use a blue light emitting diode as a base, and a phosphor such as YAG; Ce (yttrium, aluminum, garnet; cesium) is added to the light emitter, and the light emitted by the phosphor is emitted. The light emitting diode emits a pseudo-white light flux so that the spectrum has a complementary color relationship. It has also been clarified that the emission spectrum from the white light emitting diode can improve the color saturation of the liquid crystal screen by interpolating the spectrum which has a high intensity in the blue vicinity and is insufficient for the liquid crystal screen. Further, the directivity angle of the light emitted from the light emitting diode is 15 degrees, 30 degrees, or 6 degrees.
There are various things such as 0 degree. Then, the light emitted at any of the directional angles shows an inverse conical spread with respect to the distance according to each angle, and when the distance from the light emitting point to the illuminated target surface becomes long, The illuminance on the illuminated surface decreases. When the angle between the luminous flux and the surface to be illuminated is a right angle, the brilliance created on the surface to be illuminated is
Although it has a circular shape, the brightness becomes elliptic unless the angle between the light flux and the irradiation target surface is a right angle, and even in such a state, the brightness also decreases in inverse proportion to the distance to the illumination target surface.
In addition, the peculiar link-shaped brightness unevenness of the light emitting diode, whether it shines circularly or elliptically on the projection surface,
If a special circular lens is not added, almost the same brightness unevenness will be created, and this unevenness will not disappear even if the irradiation angle is changed. The liquid crystal panel of a game machine or the like targeted by the lighting device, that is, the lighting target surface has almost no round or elliptical shape, and is often constituted by a quadrangle or a similar shape. Whatever the shape of the panel, the luminous flux generated by the luminous flux from the point emission source preferably has a shape corresponding to the shape of the panel. That is, if the surface to be illuminated is a quadrangle, it can be said that an efficient illuminating device is configured by irradiating the object to be illuminated with a light flux that is close to the quadrangle. In addition, in liquid crystal panels used in mobile phones, portable game machines and similar devices,
It is difficult to guide the light flux from the direction perpendicular to the panel surface because it is held in the hand, and the thickness is reduced, and it is desirable to guide the light flux from the diagonal direction or the side surface to the panel surface. . In addition, it is not necessary to incorporate an illuminator section into the game machine from a direction perpendicular to the back surface of the liquid crystal panel, that is, from the direction below the back surface or the front surface of the liquid crystal panel surface. It is hard to say that the thickness is so thick that it is not so preferable. The most ideal irradiation state of the panel surface in a portable game machine or a similar device is that the luminous flux is below the panel surface with respect to the transmissive liquid crystal surface and slightly toward the reflective liquid crystal. This is to configure the panel so that light is applied from above. Where
In the illumination method of directly illuminating from a single light source having a strong straight traveling property in the above arrangement, the illumination surface, that is, the panel surface, is in a substantially parallel state with the light flux. This projected image is shown in FIG. 10, and in the state shown in FIG. 10, the luminous flux is irradiated onto the irradiated surface substantially in parallel with the paper surface. In such a case, the unevenness of the link-like light from the light emitting diode 3 remains as it is, and as shown in FIG. 10, strong light portions P1 and P2 shine as a pair, and P3 and P4 shine as a pair, and Images of brilliance other than the strong parts P1, P2, P3, and P4
The brightness surface P0 is much weaker. Further, the luminous flux radiated in the air above and below the panel surface becomes an ineffective luminous flux without shining the panel surface. In the illumination method in which the light flux is applied parallel to the panel surface, the above-described unevenness of the light amount remains as it is, so that not only the liquid crystal surface cannot be satisfactorily shined but also the illumination of the liquid crystal image is not very good. Further, the above-mentioned problem with illumination is that a cylindrical lens and a light scattering plate according to the present invention are installed between a light emitting diode and a surface to be illuminated, or a point-like light source is provided in a case where a mirror surface is configured as an inner surface. I was able to solve it by arranging a cylindrical collector. As described above, FIGS. 7, 8 and 9 schematically show the positional relationship between the point light emitter 3 and various shapes of the cylindrical light collector 4 which play an important role in the present invention. Is. In addition to what is shown in this figure, a cylindrical concentrator of various shapes, such as a cylindrical concentrator with a part of an arc cut away, or a cylindrical concentrator is shown without departing from the scope of the present application. Needless to say that it is a straight line like
Can be arranged in the display device by being arcuate or curved along the side surface of the illuminated surface so as to face the side surface of the liquid crystal panel or the like which is configured in the shape of an arc or curve. It is needless to say that the various columnar shapes illustrated in FIG. 7 include the above-mentioned shapes, and in order to help the gist and understanding of the present invention, a cylindrical shape, an hourglass shape, a conical shape, and an elliptical shape collector can be used.
The end face is circular and the other end faces are elliptical, and a typical shape thereof is illustrated. 7, (8) and 9 (a) are plan views seen from the panel side, and (b) are side views corresponding to FIG. (A). is there. In FIG. 7, the shapes of various cylindrical lenses are shown respectively, but in the present invention, the concentrators 54a, 54b, 54b, 54b, 54b, 54b
All of 54c and 54d are injection-molded as a collective body of condensers and are arranged corresponding to one panel surface, or in some cases, the condenser 5 is simply attached to one panel surface.
Only one of 4a, 54b, 54c, 54d
Individual pieces, for example, the condenser 54a may be arranged corresponding to one panel.

FIG. 9 shows a panel 2 and a virtual plane 90 on which the cylindrical condenser 4 and the point light source 3 and the cylindrical condenser 4 are arranged.
FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram for explaining a relationship between a, an angle θ between the virtual plane 90 and the panel surface 2a, and projected images P1 and P2.
The difference between FIG. 9 (X) and FIG. 9 (Y) is that the cylindrical collector 4 is installed parallel to the plane of the virtual plane 90 in FIG. Then, the light collector 4 is located upright on the virtual plane 90. Further, the vertical spread of the light beam P1 light with respect to the panel surface 2a in the figure (X) is determined by the directivity width of light of the cylindrical condenser 4 and the light emitting diode 3. When a light emitting diode is placed in contact with a cylindrical light collector with a diameter slightly larger than the diameter, most of the light emitted in the vertical direction is guided inside the light collector regardless of the size of the directivity angle. This light flux is emitted toward the panel as light having directivity due to the refraction effect of the condenser. And
In the width direction, the light flux is emitted toward the panel while widening the width of the light flux due to the directivity of the light emitting diode and the refraction effect. Further, the circular light unevenness P2 is also greatly reduced. In consideration of the above-mentioned relationship, if the difference in the installation state of the condenser 3 with respect to the illumination surface is illustrated, the illumination state of the panel surface at the same angle θ as shown in FIG. ). In the trial production example, the light-emitting diode 3 is a straight type 3 mm NSPN 310 manufactured by Nichia, and a white light-emitting diode with a directivity angle of 60 degrees is used. The cylindrical light collector 4 has a diameter of 8 mm and a length of 20 mm of a transparent light collector 4. When the light-emitting diode 3 is in contact with the light collector and the light collector 4 is installed parallel to the same surface as the illuminated surface, the virtual plane 90 in the state of FIG. The angle θ between the panel surface 2a and the panel surface 2a is zero, that is, the light flux on the illuminated surface on the same plane is the bottom surface of the condenser 4.
20 with respect to the horizontal plane in the screen direction that is in contact with the virtual plane 90
The light is uniformly emitted in a plane corresponding to the length of the light collector of the light collector 4 of mm, and further 40 mm from the both ends of the light collector.
It was possible to make the panel surface shine uniformly at an angle of degrees. The width of this light is given on the panel surface 2a by changing the length of the light collector 4, and the length in the surface direction can be changed by changing the diameter of the light collector. . It was also confirmed that the width of the bright line narrows as the angle θ shown in FIG. Furthermore, the panel surface 2
The upper light flux based on a is concentrated on the panel surface 2a due to the refraction phenomenon corresponding to the curvature of the cylindrical light collector, but the diameter and length of the cylindrical light collector 4 and the light emitting diode 3
By appropriately selecting the directivity angle of, the luminous flux originally supposed to be emitted into the air could be efficiently guided to the screen. When the panel surface 2a and the virtual plane 90 are set at the same angle in FIGS. (X) and (Y), the width of the light flux P1 ′ by the condenser 3 shown in the figure (Y) is as shown in FIG. The width of the light flux P1 is narrower than that shown, and the length of the light flux is substantially opposite to the length of the condenser. The above relationship could be applied not only to a linear collector but also to an arcuate or curved collector.

[0014]

Example 1 In FIG. 1, (a) is a plan view having a partial fracture surface, and (b) is an explanatory view schematically showing a side cross-sectional view corresponding to the plan view. In the drawings described below, those having the same functions and operation modes as those in FIG. 1 are numbered so as to be related by adding the same numbers or supplementary symbols. In FIG. 1, reference numeral 1 denotes a main body of a game machine, in which a reflective liquid crystal panel 2 is incorporated. Reference numeral 7 in FIG. 1 denotes an illuminator section, and the illuminator section 7 is attached to the game device by a known technique such as nailing which is not detachably attached to the game device.
It is connected to the main body 1 by. Inside the illuminator section 7, the point light emitters 3a and 3b already described in detail, and as will be described in detail later,
The printed circuit board 5 on which the point light emitters 3a and 3b are mounted, the circuits 6a and 6b for driving the point light emitters 3a and 3b, and the cylindrical light collector 4 are installed as illustrated. further,
In the illuminator section, a power source for supplying electric power to the point light emitters 3a and 3b, and here, a battery 12 is used as necessary.
And a switch 13 for opening and closing the electric power of the point light emitters 3a, 3b, via an electric conductor (not shown),
The point light emitters 3a and 3b are electrically connected so that they can be turned on. The case forming a part of the illuminator section 7 has an optical opening surface 8 so that the light fluxes from the point light emitters 3a and 3b are guided to the game machine 1. The light fluxes created by 3a and 3b are opened as shown so that they are guided to the liquid crystal panel surface 2 of the game machine 1. The height of the opening surface 8 is slightly larger than the radius of the cylindrical light collector 4, and the width thereof is substantially equal to that of the cylindrical light collector 4. In the first embodiment of the present invention thus configured, when the illuminator section 7 is attached to the game machine 1 and the power switch 13 is in the contact state, the point light emitters 3a and 3b are turned on, Light emitters 3a, 3
The light flux from b is refracted by the cylindrical condenser and passes through the opening surface 8 and most of the light flux is guided to the surface of the reflective liquid crystal panel 2 to form illumination surfaces P1 and P2, respectively. This luminous flux has a small unevenness of light on the panel surface and a sufficient illuminance can be obtained, and the reflected liquid crystal image can not only be visually observed with good saturation even in a dark place or a dim light, but also in a bright place. The color image was clearly visible without any change.

[0015]

Second Embodiment FIG. 2 schematically shows a second embodiment of the present invention. 2A is a plan view having a partially broken cross section, and FIG. 2B is an explanatory view schematically showing a side sectional view corresponding to the plan view. In FIG. 2, reference numeral 1 denotes the main body of the game machine as in FIG. 1, and the reflective liquid crystal panel 2 is incorporated in the main body 1. Reference numeral 7 in FIG. 2 denotes an illuminator section, and the illuminator section 7 is attached to the game device by a known technique such as nailing, which is not shown so as to be detachably attached to the game device.
Join by. Inside the illuminator section 7, the point light emitters 3a, 3b, 3c already described in detail, and, as will be described in detail later, the printed circuit board 5 to which the point light emitters 3a, 3b, 3c are attached, and Circuits 6a, 6b, 6c for driving the point light emitters 3a, 3b, 3c are further provided on the printed circuit board.
At the same time, the cylindrical light collector 4 is installed as illustrated. Further, in the illuminator section 7, the point light emitters 3a, 3b,
3c, a power source for supplying electric power, here a battery 12 and a switch 13 for opening and closing the electric power of the point light emitters 3a, 3b, 3c, if necessary, via an electric conductor not shown. The point light emitters 3a, 3b, 3c are electrically connected so that they can be turned on. The case that constitutes a part of the illuminator section 7 faces the liquid crystal panel surface 2 of the game machine 1 so that the light fluxes from the point light emitters 3a, 3b, 3c can be guided to the game machine 1. Then the opening is made. Further, the height of the surface of the opening is slightly larger than the radius of the cylindrical light collector 4 and the width thereof is substantially equal to that of the cylindrical light collector 4. Further, the bottom surface of the light collector 4 is installed substantially at the same position as the liquid crystal panel surface 2. In the second embodiment of the present invention configured as described above, when the illuminator section 7 is attached to the game machine 1 and the power switch 13 is in the contact state, the point light emitters 3a, 3b, 3c are turned on, The light fluxes from the point light emitters 3a, 3b, 3c are refracted by the cylindrical condenser and pass through the opening surface 8 and most of the light fluxes are guided to the surface of the reflective liquid crystal panel 2 to form the illumination image P. Make as shown. Further, in the second embodiment, a light reflection function is given to a portion corresponding to the inner surface 22 of the case, and a reflecting tube 23 is attached to the light emitting diode itself so that the luminous flux is concentrated on the illuminated surface. The light flux guided in this way should have sufficient light intensity with little unevenness on the panel surface, and should allow the image on the reflective LCD panel surface to be viewed with good saturation in the dark or under dim light. I was able to.

[0016]

Third Embodiment FIG. 3 is a side view of a third embodiment of the illuminating device according to the present invention, FIG. 3 (a) is a side sectional view with a two-dot chain line as a dividing line, and FIG. 3 (b) is a plan view. , Each of which is shown as a partial cutaway view with a two-dot chain line as a boundary. Figure 3
The figure shows a mode in which the illumination device according to the present invention is adapted to a mobile phone device and a device similar thereto. Since many function switches 43 and the like are arranged on the front panel of this type of device, as in the first and second embodiments. It is not possible to make the lighting device detachable. In FIG. 3, reference numeral 1 denotes a mobile phone or a similar device, for example, a main body of a data collection device. The main body 1 has a reflective liquid crystal or transmissive liquid crystal panel 2, a printed circuit board or a mobile phone (not shown). Various circuits and power switches required as are incorporated. In addition to the functional parts described above, inside the main body 1,
An appropriate number of the condensers 4 and the point light emitters 3a and 3b, which have already been described in detail, are provided so that they can be turned on at any time by a control signal from a mobile phone or the emission color can be changed according to the application. Is configured. Then, the point light emitters 3a and 3b are arranged as shown in the figure with the light collector 3a, 3b in contact with the light collector 4 or with a slight gap. Further, the transparent cover 38 is provided on the entire panel surface, and the condenser 4 is installed so that the light beam can be guided to the side surface of the space 40 formed between the cover 38 and the liquid crystal panel 2. Further, except for the surface on which the condenser 4 is installed, the inner surfaces of the three sides of the spacer 41 for forming the space 40 facing the screen may be mirror-finished. Third of this invention
In the embodiment of FIG. 3, two point light emitters are arranged, but one side of the illuminated surface is 1 as in a cell-phone.
In a very narrow screen of 8 to 25 mm, the point light emitter 3a
A sufficient amount of light can be obtained by simply arranging only one.
However, in mobile phones and similar devices, the speaker 4
In some cases, the point light-emitting body 3a cannot be arranged on the central side surface portion of the illuminated surface, because it is necessary to install the light source 5 and the like. When the installation of the point light emitters is restricted as described above, two or four point light emitters are installed at an arbitrary position within the range of the length of one condenser 4. However, the uneven light amount on the panel surface hardly occurs. However, when the number of point light emitters is increased, the amount of light reaching the panel surface becomes excessive, and the current consumption also increases corresponding to the number of point light emitters. In such a case, the current flowing through the point light-emitting body is set to be less than the rated current within the range where the brightness of the display surface is satisfied to reduce the power consumption. In addition, in the above-described first and second embodiments, the mode has been described centering on the white point light-emitting body so that the illumination corresponds to the color liquid crystal. However, many of the display panels used in mobile phones and similar devices are of a monotone type, and not only white lighting but also the emission color of red, yellow, green, blue, and the like, as well as point light emitters The emission colors may be changed to create a mixed color according to the aesthetics and taste, or any emission color that can be emitted by the point light-emitting body may be used.

[0017]

Fourth Embodiment FIG. 4 illustrates a fourth embodiment of the lighting device according to the present invention. FIG. 4 (a) is a plan view, FIG. 4 (b) is a side sectional view, and FIG. 3 is a schematic detailed plan view of a light collector portion, respectively. FIG. The fourth embodiment according to the present invention shown in FIG. 4 is intended for a display shelf, a bicycle or the like which requires uniformity of illuminance with respect to an illuminated surface having a large illuminated area at a relatively long distance. It is suitable for the lighting device. In FIG. 4, reference numeral 7 denotes an illuminator section in which parts described later are housed in a case made of a known method such as plastic or metal. The illuminator section 7 has an entire surface except an irradiation port 38. Box-shaped,
In the illuminator section 7, the point light-emitting body 3 already described in detail.
a, 3b, 3c, 3d, which will be described in detail later, a printed circuit board 5 on which the point light emitters 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d are mounted and a circuit for driving the point light emitters 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d,
The cylindrical light collector 4 is housed therein. In the figure, reference numeral 33 denotes a pedestal that also serves as a battery case, and in the pedestal 33, a power source for supplying electric power to the point light emitters 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d,
Here, if necessary, the battery 32 and the point light-emitting bodies 3a, 3
The switch 13 for opening and closing the electric power of b, 3c, 3d is provided with a point light-emitting body 3 through an electric conductor (not shown).
a, 3b, 3c, and 3d are electrically connected so that they can be turned on. One end of the leg 9 is fixed to the pedestal 33, and the other end is slidably connected to the leg 30. The other end of the leg 30 is fixed to the case and the bowl 31
It is configured such that it can be tilted forward with respect to the center and can be maintained in a bent state at any set position. The case, the legs 9 and 30, and the pedestal 33 may be processed by a well-known plastic molding process or a metal processing technique, and can be easily configured by any method.

The detailed view shown in FIG. 4C is as shown in FIG.
Of the point-shaped light emitting bodies 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d shown in the plan view of FIG.
And the light collectors 4a and 4b arranged at right angles to the illuminated surface.
The light flux from b passes through the condensers 4a and 4b and the scattering plate 38 'and is emitted toward the illuminated surface 2, but when the area of the illuminated surface is vertically long, the length of the condensers 4a and 4b is long. Is set to match the illuminated surface. Although not shown in the figure (a), the inner wall surface of the case is mirror-finished and the condensers 4a, 4
In some cases, the illuminance on the illuminated surface may be made uniform by installing b in a position in contact with or close to the wall surface. However, when the illuminance on the illuminated surface cannot be made uniform even by performing the above-described processing, the scattering plate 38 ′ may be disposed between the condenser 4 and the illuminated surface 2. Although the scattering plate 38 'is illustrated as a plane in FIG. 3C, the scattering plate 38' is formed into a cylindrical shape, and the condensers 4a and 4b are inserted in the hollow portion of the cylinder to collect the scattering plate 38 '. An optical device can be integrated. further,
For a large screen in which the illuminance unevenness is still generated even with the above-described processing, the point light emitters 3c and 4d without the condenser are arranged as shown in the figure to emit the point light. By directly guiding the light flux of the body to the illuminated surface, the brightness on the illuminated surface can be made uniform.

[0019]

Fifth Embodiment FIGS. 5A and 5B show a fifth embodiment of the lighting device according to the present invention. FIG. 5A is a plan view and FIG. 5B is a side sectional view. The fifth embodiment according to the present invention shown in FIG. 5 is suitable for an illuminating device having a keyboard surface of a portable computer as an illuminated surface. In FIG. 5, reference numeral 1 denotes a main body of a portable computer. The main body 1 includes not only a transmissive liquid crystal panel 2 but also a keyboard 2 '. In the fifth embodiment, the keyboard 2'of the portable computer is used as the illuminated surface. Reference numeral 7 in FIG. 5 shows an illuminator part in which various parts to be described later are housed in a case made of a known method such as plastic or metal. In the case forming a part of the illuminating part 7, the point light emitters 3a and 3b and, as will be described later in detail, the point light emitter 3a, as in the embodiment already described in detail.
Printed circuit board 5 on which 3b is mounted and point light emitters 3a, 3b
It houses the circuit for driving and the cylindrical light collectors 4a, 4b. In addition, the entire surface of the case except the opening surface 8 is formed in a box shape. The cylindrical concentrators 4a and 4b are installed at an angle substantially perpendicular to the keyboard surface, and the luminous flux generated by the point light emitters 3a and 3b is a keyboard of a portable computer as shown in the figure. A part of the case is opened so as to be guided to the surface 2 '. Leg 30
One end of the clip is fixed to the case and the other end is attached to the clip 50.
It is slidably coupled with the main body and is configured so that it can be tilted forward around the bowl portion 51, and that it can be held in a bent state at any set position. Is set so that the optimum amount of light reaches the illuminated surface. Further, as shown in the figure, the illuminator section 7 is fixed by the crocodile of the clip 50 holding the upper end of the panel 2 of the portable computer, or fixed to the end of a shelf or the like not shown. The case, legs, and pedestal may be processed by a well-known plastic molding process or a metal processing technique, and can be easily configured by any other known processing method.

Supply of electric power to the point light emitters 3a, 3b is
This is performed by the USB cable 52 and the USB plug 54. Then, the power supply to the point light emitters 3a and 3b is
It is configured such that at least three types of supply methods can be selected from supply from a battery, supply from a USB power supply, and supply from an AC adapter. In FIG. 5, reference numeral 53 denotes a power source box processed by using a well-known method such as plastic or metal. The power source box 53 is formed in a box shape and the point light emission is provided in the power source box 53. It has a built-in power supply to drive the body. Now, temporarily, the USB plug 54 is inserted into the USB socket 55 provided in the power supply box 53 shown by the arrow in the figure, and the AC
When the adapter plug 57 is not inserted into the AC adapter socket 56, power is supplied to the point light emitters 3 a and 3 b by the battery 12 incorporated in the battery box 53. Then, when the AC adapter plug 57 is inserted into the AC adapter plug 56 indicated by the arrow, the battery circuit is disconnected by the well-known contact closing mechanism,
Electric power is supplied from the AC adapter 58 to the point light emitters 3a and 3b through the USB cable 52. In a device such as a portable computer or a device similar thereto having a built-in USB socket or a fire wire compatible socket, a plug 54 such as a USB or a fire wire is directly connected to a USB socket (not shown) of the main body 1. As a result, electric power is supplied to the point light emitters 3a and 3b. In the fifth embodiment of the present invention configured as described above, when the power source from the power source box 53 is used, when the power source switch 13 is in the contact state, the point light emitters 3a and 3b are turned on, The light fluxes from the point light emitters 3a and 3b are refracted by the cylindrical condenser and pass through the opening surface 8 and most of the light fluxes are guided to the illuminated surface, that is, the keyboard 2'and the illumination image P1. , P2 respectively. The luminous flux has less unevenness on the panel surface, sufficient illuminance can be obtained, and the keyboard can be operated well even in a dark place or a dim light.

[0021]

Sixth Embodiment FIG. 6 illustrates a sixth embodiment of the lighting device according to the present invention. FIG. 6 (a) is a plan view showing a lighting device section in section, and FIG. FIG. 3 is a side sectional view showing a lighting device section in section. In the sixth embodiment according to the present invention shown in FIG. 6, the device body and the legs 6 are integrally formed without paying much attention to the shape of the illumination surface, and the luminous flux is emitted from the outer surface of the device body. Is. Reference numeral 7 in FIG. 6 denotes an illuminator section, and various parts are accommodated in the case including the case, as in the above-described embodiment. The case is made of a well-known method such as plastic or metal, and the case is entirely box-shaped except for the opening surface 38 as in the above-described embodiments. The various elements in the case are numbered the same as in the embodiments already described so far, so the details are omitted, but the cylindrical condensing body 4 is parallel to the illuminated surface. It is different from the fifth embodiment in that it is installed in. And 3 in the figure
Reference numeral 3 denotes a battery case, in which a power source for supplying electric power and a switch 13 for opening and closing the supplied electric power are incorporated in the battery case 33, and point light emission in the case is provided from this power source through a supply line 60. It is configured to be electrically connected to the body 3 so that the point light emitter 3 can be turned on. Then, one end of the leg 9 is fixed to the main body 1, and the other end of the leg 9 is slidably coupled to the leg 30. The other end of the leg 30 is fixed to the case of the illuminator section 7 and the bowl section 31.
It is configured such that it can be tilted forward with respect to the center and can be maintained in a bent state at any set position.

In the sixth embodiment of the present invention configured as described above, when the power switch 13 incorporated in the battery case 33 is brought into the contact state, the point light-emitting body 3 lights up, The width of the light flux from the point light emitter 3 is given by the length of the cylindrical light collector 4, and most of the light flux in the vertical direction is refracted after being guided inside the cylindrical light collector. At the same time, it passes through the opening surface 38 and is guided to the illuminated surface 2.
This luminous flux makes the illuminated surface of the portion indicated by a dot in FIG. 6 shine. Even if the point-like light-emitting body 3 was only one lamp, the brightness of the light-emitting body was slightly strong in the central portion, but the illuminated body could be sufficiently observed even in a dark place or under a dim light.

[0023]

[Power Supply Circuit] FIGS. 12 and 13 show a power supply circuit for driving the point light emitter and a printed circuit board in which the power supply circuit is incorporated. In FIG. 12, (a) shows a printed line surface 5'of the printed circuit board, and dropper chip resistors 6a, 6b, 6c, 6d are surface-mounted on the printed line surface 5 '. Further, FIG. (B) shows the component surface 5 ″, and the point light emitters 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d are mounted on the surface 5 ″. Since the figure shows a mode suitable for the lead type point light emitter, the portion corresponding to the lead wire of the point light emitter is used as the through hole 92 and the surface indicated by the back surface (b) is the line surface 5 '. ' However, when the surface mounting point light emitter is used, the through hole 92 may not be provided, and the surface of the drawing line and the component surface may be configured only by the surface of FIG. Then, if the copper foil surface of this component surface 5 '' is subjected to bell plating, aluminum plating, etc., or aluminum tape is adhered to form the optical mirror surface, the luminous flux leaking from the back surface of the light emitting diode will be effective. Available. In FIG. 13, 1
Reference numeral 3 indicates a power switch of the point light emitter which has already been described in the embodiment, and the power switch 13 is an electric power source 12 as shown in the drawing, a battery 12 and dropper resistors 6a, 6b, 6c, in this figure. Point light emitters 3a, 3 via 6n
b, 3c, 3n. Then, by opening / closing the switch, the electric power to the point light emitter is opened or disconnected. When using the dropper resistance method, which is a well-known general method, for the drive circuit of the light emitting diode,
Regardless of the number of light emitting diodes, one dropper resistor is used, and the resistance value of this dropper resistor is a value suitable for the type and number of light emitting diodes. However, in the above-mentioned common dropper resistance method which has been frequently used, the variation in luminance becomes large due to the characteristic difference of the light emitting diodes. Also, red and yellow are 2.4V
The optimum driving voltage varies depending on the emission color of the light emitting diode, such as front and rear, blue, green, and white of about 3.5 V, and resistors with resistance values corresponding to the optimum voltage values for each emission color must be used. I have to. However, according to the present invention, it has been found that the resistance values of the high-brightness light emitting diodes in the optimum light emitting state are very close to each other irrespective of the light emission color. Therefore, the drive circuit shown in FIG. I was burned. Furthermore, the dropper resistor 6 shown in the figure
It was also clarified that the values from a to 6n can obtain a good driving state with the same resistance value regardless of the light emission color of the light emitting diode. That is, in the present invention, when the power supply voltage is 4.5 V, the values of the split dropper resistors are set to the same value of 42 ohms for light emitting diodes of various emission colors such as red, yellow, blue, white, and green. Then, the optimum light emitting state was obtained for the light emitting diodes of each color. Further, if the output voltage of the alkaline battery is boosted from 1.5V to 4.5V by using a boosting IC in the power supply circuit, the light emitting diodes of all the emission colors can be turned on with the same circuit constant, and the power supply circuit is downsized. The miniaturization of the entire device was also achieved.

[0024]

As described above in detail, the illumination device obtained by the present invention is not limited to a flat surface, and the point-like light emission is applicable to various surfaces such as an illuminated surface having an arc shape or a curved shape. Since the light flux of the body can be made to have a high brightness and a planar spread, it is possible to provide an illumination device having a beneficial effect as a backlight of a liquid crystal panel. Further, when the rare earth addition type white light emitting diode is used for the point light emitter corresponding to the liquid crystal screen, it is an illuminating device which also has the effect of obtaining a liquid crystal image of good color saturation which is color-interpolated. Furthermore, not only can the light unevenness of the light emitting diode be absorbed,
By disposing the point light emitter close to the cylindrical light collector, the ineffective space due to the air layer is reduced, and by changing the ineffective light beam to the effective light beam, the planar illumination state with the brightness higher than the lens narrowing effect can be obtained. The power consumption under the same illuminance with respect to the same screen size can be reduced to half as compared with the conventional method, and the illumination device which consumes the battery and saves power can be easily configured. In addition to the liquid crystal panel, even if the illuminated surface is a curved screen, the light beam can be curved along the screen and can be uniformly emitted in a curved shape from a non-linear cylindrical lens such as an arc. Therefore, it is possible to form a beautiful illumination surface having no brightness unevenness even on the non-linear surface on which the liquid crystal panel is mounted along the arc surface of the pillar. In addition, by sliding the cylindrical lens to change the illumination screen size, or by arranging a cylindrical concentrator in an upright or parallel shape on the illuminated surface, the illuminated surface is illuminated uniformly. It is an illuminating device having an effect that can be achieved.
In the case of shining a display screen in a monotone like a portable mobile phone, point light emission with various effects such as obtaining illumination light with little difference in brightness even if the color of the display screen is changed to suit the application It is an illumination device using the body as a light source.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory diagram of Example 1. (A) A plan view having a partial fracture surface. (B) A side sectional view corresponding to a plan view.

FIG. 2 is a schematic explanatory view of a second embodiment. (A) A plan view having a partial fracture surface. (B) A schematic view of a side sectional view corresponding to the plan view.

FIG. 3 is a schematic explanatory diagram of a third embodiment. (A) Side view. (B) A plan view.

FIG. 4 is a schematic explanatory diagram of a fourth embodiment. (A) Plan view. (B) Side view. (C) Partial detailed view.

FIG. 5 is a schematic explanatory diagram of a fifth embodiment. (A) Plan view. (B) Side view.

FIG. 6 is an explanatory diagram of the sixth embodiment. (A) Plan view. (B) Side view.

FIG. 7 is a shape diagram of a cylindrical light collector. (A) Plan view. (B) Side view.

FIG. 8 is a layout view of a cylindrical light collector and a point light emitter. (A) Plan view. (B) Side view.

FIG. 9 is a layout view of point light emitters of a cylindrical light collector. (A) Plan view. (B) Side view.

FIG. 10 is a luminous flux luminance diagram of a light emitting diode.

FIG. 11 is a functional explanatory diagram. (A) A parallel installation view of the cylindrical light collector. (B) Upright installation drawing of the cylindrical concentrator.

FIG. 12 is a mounting diagram of a printed circuit board. (A) Line surface (B) Parts side

FIG. 13 is a circuit diagram.

FIG. 14 is an explanatory diagram of a conventional technique.

[Explanation of symbols]

1,100 main body. 2, 2a, 112 Panel surface. 2'keyboards 3a, 3b, 3c, 3d, 3n dot-like light emitters. 4, 4a, 4b, 4c, 54a, 54b, 54c, 54
d Cylindrical collector. 5, 5 ', 5''printed circuit board. 6, 6a, 6b, 6c Drive circuit. 7. Illumination part 8, 38 Opening surface. 9 legs. 12, 32 power supply, batteries. 13 Switches 7a, 7b, 14 Mounting claws. 22 Reflective surface. 23 Reflective barrel. 30 legs 33, 53 battery box. 38 Transparent cover. 40 spaces. 41 Spacer. 42 Light guide for backlight. 43 Function switch. 50 Clip 51 Bowl. 52 Power supply cable. 53 Power supply box. 54 USB plug. 55 USB socket. 56 power socket. 57 Power plug. 90 Virtual plane. 101 key 102 miniature bulb. 110 Auxiliary lighting device. P, P0, P1, P2, P3, P4 Brightness. USB bus standard name. θ Angle symbol. mm Unit of length. LED light emitting diode. YAG phosphor. The name of the Ce atom. IC integrated circuit.

Claims (7)

[Claims] 1. A light collector having at least one or more columnar light collectors having good light transmittance, and at least one or more point-like light emitters are brought into contact with or slightly voided in the columnar light collector. The illuminator section arranged so as to have is constituted so that the luminous flux of the point light emitter is guided to the liquid crystal panel surface by the refraction of the cylindrical light collector 4, and the luminous flux from the point light emitter is Illumination using a point light-emitting body as a light source characterized by illuminating in a plane corresponding to the liquid crystal panel surface so that the information formed on the liquid crystal panel surface can be seen even in a dark place. apparatus. 2. At least one or more cylindrical light collectors having good light transmittance, and at least one or more point light emitters along the ridge of the cylindrical light collector. To form a illuminator part which is in contact with a cylindrical light collector or has a slight gap, and the lower end of the cylindrical light collector is located on the same plane as or slightly above the illuminated surface. Illumination using a point light emitter as a light source characterized by arranging and arranging the light flux from the point light collector to illuminate planarly on the surface to be illuminated by the refraction of the cylindrical light collector. apparatus. 3. At least one or more columnar linear concentrators having good light transmittance, and arranged in contact with the columnar concentrator or with a slight air gap. However, one or more point light emitters are arranged in the illuminator section having a reflecting surface on the inner surface, and the luminous flux from the point light emitters is guided to the illuminated object, and the illuminated object is configured to shine with high brightness. An illumination device using a point light emitter as a light source. 4. A cylindrical light collector having good light transmittance is arranged vertically or horizontally with respect to a surface to be illuminated, and the angle or position of the cylindrical light collector is changed to illuminate the object to be illuminated. An illumination device using a point light-emitting body as a light source, characterized in that the brightness of the surface is made uniform and the area to be illuminated is set. 5. The illuminator section includes a drive circuit for the power source section and the illuminant, in addition to the point illuminant and the condenser, and is provided with an optical reflection function on the printed circuit board. An illumination device using the point light emitter according to claim 2 or 4 as a light source. 6. A light collector having at least one arc-shaped or curved columnar collector having good light transmittance, and at least one or more points along the side surface of the columnar collector. 4. The point light-emitting body according to claim 1, 2 or 3, wherein the light-emitting body is arranged in contact with a cylindrical light collector or arranged with a slight air gap to uniformize the brightness of the illuminated surface. Lighting device used as a light source. 7. A cylindrical concentrator arranged vertically or horizontally with respect to the illuminated surface so as to be movable so that the illumination area on the illuminated surface can be varied at any time. Item 4. An illumination device using the point light-emitting body according to item 4 as a light source.