JP2007147678A - Indicator light of thin display device - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a means for improving visibility of an indicator light under such a circumstance that indicator lights having directivity and arranged around a display screen are often viewed from an oblique direction along with upsizing of a display screen and practical use of a horizontally long screen of a thin display device. <P>SOLUTION: A bundle of rays from a point light source such as a light emitting diode chip 7 incorporated in an electronic device is received by a light incident surface 11a of a light transmission body 11 and the bundle of rays is emitted from a light emission surface 11b of the light transmission body. The light emission surface 11b is made to protrude from the external surface of a front cabinet of the electronic device. A paraboloidal or spherical concave surface whose axis of rotation symmetry is made to coincide with the optical axis of the protruded light transmission body 11 is formed on the external surface of the front cabinet. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to an indicator lamp for notifying a user of an electronic device of an operation state by blinking or color of light in an electronic device, and in particular, excellent visibility without restricting the design design of the product appearance. The present invention relates to a means for realizing the indicator light.

Conventionally, in a liquid crystal television or liquid crystal display using a liquid crystal display panel as a display element, when viewing the display screen from an angle and position away from the normal passing through the center of the display screen, the brightness and contrast of the display screen are reduced. Although the viewing angle had a weak point, recently, due to the remarkable development of liquid crystal technology, good image quality is maintained even from a position away from the normal passing through the center of the display screen in the vertical and horizontal directions, and the viewing angle Has reached 170 degrees, and the problem with viewing angle, which has been considered a weak point in the past, has been completely eliminated. In addition to the wide viewing angle of the display screen, along with the practical use of large display screens and horizontally long display screens such as the high-definition television standard, directional indicator lamps placed around the display screen are viewed from an oblique direction. In many cases, the visibility of the indicator lamp needs to be improved.

FIG. 5 shows a conventional example of the indicator lamp portion, and FIG. 5 (a) is a longitudinal section of a conventional example corresponding to the case of cutting along the cutting line AA of the liquid crystal television in FIG. FIG. 5 (b) is an enlarged view of the indicator lamp portion indicated by a broken line in FIG. 5 (a). Along with the technological advancement characterized by the large display screen and flat screen provided in the LCD TV, the display lamp can be made as small as possible by narrowing the width of the frame-shaped front cabinet 22 surrounding the display screen. It also promotes advanced design aspects such as emphasizing the screen. Therefore, the indicator lamp is incorporated in a narrow space inside the front cabinet 22 as shown in FIG. 5A, and the printed wiring board 6 on which the small light-emitting diode chip 7 is mounted is disposed in a position close to the front cabinet 22. It is difficult, and between the light emitting diode chip 7 and the front surface of the front cabinet 22, a light emitting portion 11 e of the light guide 11 made of a member having excellent light transmission performance is formed in the front cabinet 22. The light guide is inserted into the light guide insertion hole 22a and attached to the front cabinet 22 through a flange portion 11f formed integrally with the light guide 11.

As a means for increasing the brightness of the indicator lamp and improving the visibility, as seen in Patent Document 1, an invention has been made in which the central portion of the light incident surface of the convex lens arranged in parallel facing the light emitter is a flat surface. However, despite the fact that the exit surface of the light guide serving as the light exit portion of the indicator lamp is formed small, the object of the present invention is to improve the visibility of the indicator lamp by showing a wide lighting area when the indicator lamp is turned on. And the effect is different.
JP-A-6-289797

  In a thin display device, with the enlargement of the display screen and the practical use of a horizontally long screen, directional display lamps arranged on the periphery of the display screen are often seen from an oblique direction. Provide a means of improving sex.

The light emitting surface of the light guide that receives the light flux from the light emitting element incorporated in the electronic device at the light incident surface and emits it from the light emitting surface is projected from the outer surface of the casing of the electronic device.

In the display lamp, a concave surface is formed on the outer surface of the light guide so that the light radiating surface protrudes from the outer surface of the light guide and the optical axis of the light guide coincides with the rotational symmetry axis.

In the indicator lamp, the optical axis of the light guide having the light exit surface projecting from the outer surface of the housing is formed so that the rotationally symmetric axis of the parabolic or spherical concave surface coincides.

In the indicator lamp, an offset angle is provided between the optical axis of the light guide having the light exit surface projecting from the outer surface of the housing and the rotationally symmetric axis of a parabolic or spherical concave surface.

In any one of the indicator lamps, the outer surface of the housing including the optical axis of the light guide having the light exit surface projecting from the outer surface of the housing has a gloss finish.

The light emitting surface of the light guide that receives the light bundle from the light emitting element incorporated in the electronic device at the light incident surface and emits it from the light emitting surface is projected from the outer surface of the cabinet of the electronic device, and the light guide By forming a concave surface whose rotational axis coincides with the optical axis on the outer surface of the cabinet, in addition to the light emitted from the narrow light emitting surface of the light guide, the reflected light from the concave surface having a large area can be used as an indicator lamp. Thus, the electronic device user can easily recognize the operating state of the electronic device.

In the indicator lamp, by aligning the rotational symmetry axis of the concave surface formed in a paraboloid shape or a spherical shape with the optical axis of the light guide body in which the light emission surface projects from the outer surface of the cabinet, The emission area of the light is widened, and the brightness of the indicator lamp in the front direction of the display screen can be improved.

In the display lamp, an offset angle is provided between the optical axis of the light guide having the light exit surface projecting from the outer surface of the cabinet and the rotationally symmetrical axis of the concave surface formed in a paraboloid shape or a spherical shape. Thus, it is possible to selectively improve the brightness of the indicator lamp in the light emission direction.

In any one of the indicator lamps, the light reflection performance by the outer surface of the cabinet is improved by displaying the outer surface of the cabinet with a glossy finish including the optical axis of the light guide with the light exit surface protruding from the outer surface of the cabinet. It becomes possible to improve the brightness of the lamp.

A case where the embodiment of the present invention is applied to a liquid crystal television will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1 is an external front view of a liquid crystal television according to the present invention. 1 is a liquid crystal display panel for displaying an image, 2 is a front cabinet, 3 is a speaker unit, and 4 is an operation state of the liquid crystal television by blinking or color of light. An indicator lamp 5 for informing a television user is a stand for using the liquid crystal television as a desktop type.

2A is a longitudinal sectional view taken along a cutting line indicated by a chain line AA in FIG. 1, and FIG. 2B is an embodiment of an indicator lamp portion indicated by a broken line in FIG. 2A. FIG. LCD TVs are equipped with technological advancements characterized by large display screens and flat screens, as well as by reducing the width of the frame-shaped front cabinet 2 that surrounds the periphery of the display screen, and by making the indicator lights appear as small as possible. It also appeals for advanced design features such as emphasizing large screens.

For the above reasons, it is difficult to dispose the printed wiring board 6 on which the light emitting diode chip 7 is mounted at the position close to the rear surface of the front cabinet 2 that forms a narrow space. As shown in FIG. 7 and the front surface of the front cabinet 2, the light emitting portion 11 e of the light guide body 11 made of a member having excellent light transmittance is inserted into the light guide body insertion hole 2 a formed in the front cabinet 2. The light guide 11 is attached to the front cabinet 2 via a flange 11f formed integrally with the light guide 11.

A narrow light emitting surface 11b at the tip of the light guide 11 is projected from the concave portion 2b on the front surface of the front cabinet 2, and a concave surface 2c is formed on the bottom surface of the concave portion 2b. The light exit surface 11b at the tip of the light guide 11 is formed with a diacut surface having fine irregularities to scatter the light emitted from the light exit surface 11b, and allows light as an indicator lamp to pass through the front cabinet 2. The light is emitted to the front. The light emitting surface 11b at the front end of the light guide 11 is designed to be small from the intention of appealing for advanced design design, and visibility is a problem.

FIG. 3 is an exploded perspective view of the indicator lamp portion. The soldering terminal 7a of the light emitting diode chip 7 having the first light emitting point 7b and the second light emitting point 7c having different light emission colors is soldered to the printed wiring board 6 having the screw insertion hole 6a for attachment to the front cabinet. The light flux from the light emitting diode chip 7 is transmitted from the light incident surface 11a of the light guide 11 disposed so as to face the light emitting diode chip 7 to the light incident portion 11c and the cone portion 11d of the light guide 11. And the light emitting portion 11e are sequentially transmitted, and light is emitted into the space from the light emitting surface 11b at the tip of the light guide 11, but in order to disperse the emitted light from the light emitting surface 11b, the light emitting surface 11b The die-cut process which has a fine uneven | corrugated shape is given.

4 is an enlarged vertical cross-sectional view of the light guide 11 and the concave portion of the front cabinet. FIG. 4 (a) is a parabolic surface, FIG. 4 (b) is a spherical surface, and FIG. ) Shows a state where the concave rotational symmetry axis is offset from the optical axis of the light guide. As shown in FIG. 4A, when the concave surface 12 formed on the front surface of the front cabinet has a parabolic shape, and the light emitting surface 11b of the light guide 11 is disposed at the focal position of the concave surface 12 having the parabolic shape. The light beam 11 is irregularly reflected by the die-cut surface of the light emitting surface 11b of the light guide 11, and the light beam is reflected by the concave surface 12 to become a parallel light beam and emitted toward the front surface of the front cabinet. For this reason, the viewer can easily grasp the operation state of the liquid crystal television by viewing not only the light beam from the light exit surface 11b of the light guide 11 but also the light beam from a wide area of the concave surface 12. It becomes.

FIG. 4B shows a case where the concave surface 13 is formed in a spherical shape, and the light beam diffusely reflected by the die-cut surface of the light emitting surface 11b of the light guide 11 is the light beam reflected by the concave surface 13 is the front cabinet. The light is emitted at a wide angle toward the front surface. For this reason, the viewer can easily grasp the operation state of the liquid crystal television by visually recognizing not only the light beam from the light exit surface 11 b of the light guide 11 but also the light beam from a wide area from the concave surface 13. I can do it.

FIG. 4C shows a state in which the concave surface 14 is formed on the front surface of the front cabinet so as to offset the relationship between the rotational symmetry axis of the parabolic concave surface 14 and the optical axis of the light guide 11 by an angle α. . The light beam irregularly reflected by the die-cut surface of the light emitting surface 11b of the light guide 11 disposed at the focal position of the parabolic concave surface 14 is reflected by the concave surface 14 to become a parallel light beam and is formed on the front surface of the front cabinet. 4 is the same as the parabolic concave surface 12 shown in FIG. 4A, but the relationship between the rotational symmetry axis of the parabolic concave surface 14 and the optical axis of the light guide 11 is the same. The center of the light beam reflected by the concave surface 14 is strongly emitted in the rotationally symmetric axis direction of the parabolic concave surface 14 because it is offset by the angle α, and the light beam is selectively and intensively concentrated in the required direction. Can be emitted. As shown in FIG. 4C, the center line of the light beam reflected from the concave surface 14 can be adjusted by offsetting the rotational symmetry axis of the concave surface 14 and the optical axis of the light guide. It is exactly the same when Since the center line of the light beam can be adjusted, the center line of the light beam can be adjusted by adjusting the offset angle according to the cabinet design for each inch size based on the general viewing distance for the inch size of the LCD TV, for example. Can be ensured in the direction of the viewer's face, and the visibility of the display body can be secured even with a smaller light exit surface and concave surface, and the design selectivity in the design design can be expanded.

As described above, the light flux from the light exit surface 11b of the light guide 11 is reflected and refracted by the concave surfaces 12 to 14 formed in the front cabinet based on FIG. 4A to FIG. Although means for improving the notification function of the indicator lamp is described, a molding die for the front cabinet is manufactured so that the concave surfaces 12 to 14 are mirror-finished, or a gloss coating is applied after molding the front cabinet, By improving the light reflectance by the concave surfaces 12 to 14, it is possible to further improve the notification function of the indicator lamp.

It is an external appearance front view of the liquid crystal television concerning this invention. 2A is a longitudinal sectional view cut along the cutting line AA in FIG. 1, and FIG. 2B is an enlarged view of the present invention of the indicator lamp portion indicated by a broken line in FIG. 2A. It is. It is a disassembled perspective view of the indicator light part. FIG. 4A is an enlarged view of the longitudinal section of the concave portion of the light guide and the front cabinet, FIG. 4A is a concave surface, FIG. 4B is a spherical surface, and FIG. 4C is a concave surface. This shows a state where the rotational symmetry axis is offset with the optical axis of the light guide. FIG. 5A shows a conventional example of an indicator lamp portion, FIG. 5A is a longitudinal sectional view cut along a cutting line AA in FIG. 1, and FIG. 5B is shown by a broken line in FIG. It is an enlarged view of an indicator light part.

Explanation of symbols

1: Liquid crystal display panel 2: Front cabinet 2a: Light guide insertion hole 2b: Concave part 2c: Concave surface 3: Speaker unit 4: Indicator lamp 5: Stand 6: Printed wiring board 6a: Mounting hole 7: Light emitting diode (LED) chip 7a: Soldering terminal 7b: First light emitting point 7c: Second light emitting point
11: Light guide 11a: Light incident surface
11b: Light exit surface 11c: Light incident portion 11d: Conical portion 11e: Light exit portion 11f: Flange portion 12: Parabolic surface 13: Spherical surface 14: Parabolic surface 22: Front cabinet 22a: Light guide insertion hole

Claims (5)

In a display lamp including a light emitting element incorporated in an electronic device and a light guide having a light incident surface and a light output surface, the light output surface of the light guide projects from the outer surface of the casing of the electronic device. An indicator light characterized by 2. The display lamp according to claim 1, wherein a concave surface is formed on the outer surface of the light guide so that a rotational symmetry axis coincides with the optical axis of the light guide having a light emission surface projecting from the outer surface of the housing. Indicator light. 3. The indicator lamp according to claim 2, wherein the rotational axis of symmetry of the concave surface formed in a paraboloidal shape or a spherical shape is made coincident with the optical axis of the light guide having the light emitting surface protruding from the outer surface of the housing. Characteristic indicator light. 4. The display lamp according to claim 3, wherein an offset angle is set between the optical axis of the light guide having the light exit surface projecting from the outer surface of the housing and the rotationally symmetrical axis of the concave surface formed in a paraboloid shape or a spherical shape. An indicator lamp characterized by being provided. 5. The display lamp according to claim 1, wherein the outer surface of the housing including the optical axis of the light guide projecting from the outer surface of the housing has a gloss finish.

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