WO2011027596A1 - Light source module and electronic equipment provided with the same - Google Patents

Abstract

Disclosed is a light source module wherein a semiconductor light source (12) having divergent radiation properties is provided on a substrate (13), and a reflective frame (14) is arranged on the substrate (13) in such a way that the semiconductor light source (12) is surrounded by a reflective surface which extends in the light emission direction. A transparent light-collecting member (22) is arranged in such a way as to cover the light emission direction above the reflective frame (14). One or other surface of the light-collecting member (22) has a concentric blaze shape; the height of the inner circumferential section including directly above where the semiconductor light source is arranged is lower than the height of the outer circumferential section with respect to the inner circumferential section. In this way, by employing a semiconductor light source such as an LED, a light source module for a flash light source can be obtained which is capable of being mounted on electronic equipment that is of small size, such as a mobile telephone, and that also has power consumption limitations.

Description

LIGHT SOURCE MODULE AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE PROVIDED WITH THE MODULE

The present invention relates to a light source module used as a flash light source for electronic equipment such as a camera.

Conventionally, a flash light source mounted on a general camera such as a digital still camera generally uses a xenon tube. While this xenon tube can obtain a high light quantity, it is relatively large in size and power consumption. In recent years, it has been common for mobile phones to be equipped with a camera function. However, xenon tubes have the above-mentioned problems and are not suitable for applications such as mobile phones that require miniaturization and low power consumption. Yes, there is no progress in installing flash light sources on mobile phones.

For this reason, an LED lamp using a light emitting diode (LED) that is small and easy to mount has been proposed. Since LEDs do not produce as much output as a xenon lamp, multiple LEDs are mounted on the circuit board to obtain the necessary light intensity. However, since multiple LEDs are mounted, there is a problem that the power consumption of the flash light source increases. It was.

For this reason, the LED lamp described in Patent Document 1 is designed to cope with the following configuration. In the LED lamp, a reflection frame having a recess is formed on a circuit board on which an electrode pattern is formed, and the recess has a shape in which an inner peripheral surface which is a reflection surface expands toward an upper surface, and a central portion thereof LED is mounted as a light emitter. In addition, an air layer is provided on the light emitter, and a lens body is provided on the reflection frame via the air layer.

In this technique, a reflective frame body having a reflective recess disposed so as to surround a light emitting body composed of LEDs is formed on a circuit board, and the lens body is attached to the reflective frame body. Thus, it is possible to obtain a sufficient amount of light as a flash light source of the camera without increasing the number of LEDs and current consumption.

However, in the flash light source using the conventional LED, when viewed in a specific angle range, unevenness due to the light source occurs, and there is a problem as illumination for imaging. Moreover, since light is emitted toward a person, there is a problem from the viewpoint of eye-safety.

Japanese Patent Publication “Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2004-327955 (published on November 18, 2004)”

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems with respect to a light source module that uses a small semiconductor light source such as an LED by flashing light. An object of the present invention is to provide a light source module that is uniform without causing unevenness in luminance and illuminance of emitted light caused by a light source, and has no eye-safe problem.

In order to solve the above problems, a light source module according to the present invention is:
A semiconductor light source having a divergent light distribution characteristic is disposed on a substrate such as a printed circuit board for mounting a semiconductor light source or an optical member. The semiconductor light source mainly refers to an LED, but may be an LD (Laser Diode) or the like, which is a small light source having a divergent light distribution characteristic and meeting the object of the present invention. The divergence mentioned here means that, for example, the full angle at half maximum of the light distribution angle is 60 ° or more and the radiation angle is large, that is, the irradiation area is increased as the distance from the light source is increased. In addition, the semiconductor light source is a light source that emits a high light output from a small sub-milli-order region, and unevenness in luminance and illuminance due to the size of the semiconductor light source is likely to occur.

Further, a reflection frame is installed on the base body so as to surround the semiconductor light source with a reflection surface extending in the light emission direction. The reflective frame ensures a distance that allows the light emitted from the divergent semiconductor light source to spread to a size that does not damage the eye, and the light emitted from the semiconductor light source with a large divergence angle is used outside the illumination area. Prevents over-expanding angular ranges.

Further, a light transmitting condensing member is disposed on the reflection frame so as to cover the light emitting direction. In the condensing member, at least one of the light incident surface and the light emitting surface has a blazed shape concentrically, and the blaze has a height of an inner peripheral portion including just above the semiconductor light source. The height of the outer peripheral portion relative to the inner peripheral portion is lower. The outer peripheral portion has a high blaze height, that is, incident light is greatly bent. On the other hand, the inner peripheral portion has a low blaze height, and incident light is not bent much. The light distribution characteristics can be controlled by optimizing the blaze shape, but considering only the light distribution characteristics, the size of the light source when the light source module is considered as one virtual light source is reduced, and eye-safety is the safety for the eyes. Regulation becomes stricter. By dividing the blazed area into two parts, the inner periphery has a shape that optimizes the light distribution characteristics, and the outer periphery has a shape that increases the virtual light source size. , The light beam can be condensed in a region suitable for photographing or the like.

Here, the inner peripheral portion of the translucent condensing member refers to the inner peripheral portion including at least the semiconductor light source disposed from the concentric center point, and the outer peripheral portion refers to the inner peripheral portion. Refers to the outside of the circumference.

Other objects, features, and superior points of the present invention will be fully understood from the following description. The advantages of the present invention will become apparent from the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings.

According to the light source module of the present invention, the function of condensing light and the function of improving the non-uniformity of luminance and illuminance caused by the submillimeter semiconductor light source can be realized by a combination of the light collecting member and the reflecting frame. . With the above configuration, it is possible to obtain a function of condensing light in a predetermined area such as an imaging area while ensuring safety for eyes. Uniformity necessary for imaging illumination and prevention of eye damage can be realized at the same time.

It is sectional drawing for demonstrating the light source module of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a perspective view for demonstrating the light source module of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a top view for demonstrating the light source module of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating the principle of the light source module of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating regarding the safety | security to the eye of a light source. It is a figure for demonstrating regarding the safety | security to the eye of a light source. It is a figure for demonstrating the illumination area | region in connection with this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating about the effect | action of the condensing member of the conventional light source module. It is a figure for demonstrating regarding the effect | action of the condensing member of 1st Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating regarding the effect | action of the condensing member of 2nd Embodiment of this invention. It is a figure for demonstrating regarding the effect | action of the diffusion member of 3rd Embodiment of this invention.

Embodiments of the present invention will be described. The present invention is applied to a semiconductor light source having a divergent light distribution characteristic and is mainly intended for an LED. However, even a LD or the like is a small light source having a divergent light distribution characteristic and meets the object of the present invention. I just need it. Therefore, in the following description, a case where an LED is used as a light source will be described, but the present invention can be applied as long as a similar effect can be achieved with an LD or the like, and is limited to the configurations of the following embodiments. Not.

In the following description of the embodiments, members having the same function and action are denoted by the same reference numerals and description thereof is omitted.

(First embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the light source module 10 of the first embodiment. FIGS. 2A and 2B are a perspective view and a plan view when the light collecting member 22 described later is removed from the light source module 10.

In the first embodiment, a plurality of semiconductor light sources 12 are provided, but a single semiconductor light source having a large output may be used. The semiconductor light source 12 is a plurality of LED chips, and the size per chip is, for example, 0.24 mm long, 0.6 mm wide, and 0.12 mm thick.

For applications involving camera imaging, such as camera flash light sources, white light sources with a broad wavelength in the visible range are suitable. Therefore, the LED chip which is the semiconductor light source 12 is a blue LED having a wavelength of, for example, 405 nm, and a phosphor (not shown) is provided so as to cover the periphery and the light emission direction. The phosphor receives blue light emitted from the LED chip, excites yellow light, and mixes with the blue light to act as a white light source.

In this embodiment, ten LED chips as the semiconductor light source 12 are arranged on a printed circuit board, which is a base 13 on which a power source and a driver circuit are formed, in one light source module. The arrangement form may be an evenly aligned form at a predetermined interval, but it is preferable to make a staggered arrangement so that the emitted light does not interfere with other LED chips as shown in FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b).

The substrate 13 is a printed board in this embodiment, but may be a submount member such as a silicon substrate, or a resin, metal, or ceramic substrate. However, electrical wiring for performing power supply to the semiconductor light source 12 and on / off control of the semiconductor light source 12 needs to be provided.

On the base 13, a reflection frame 14 having a reflection surface 18 that spreads upward in the light emission direction surrounds the semiconductor light source 12 in a recess 16 formed by the reflection surface 18. Be placed. The material of the reflection frame 14 may be a resin or the like, but since the surface on the concave portion 16 side acts as the reflection surface 18, a reflection surface is formed by a polycarbonate resin having a high reflectivity or a high reflection film is formed by a deposition process of Al or the like. Is good.

The shape of the concave portion 16 of the reflection frame 14 may be any shape that extends upward, such as a truncated cone or a truncated pyramid. However, when used as a flash light source for a camera for photographing purposes, the region to be photographed is rectangular. The shape and the illumination area are preferably rectangular areas from the viewpoint of light utilization efficiency. Therefore, in FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B, the concave portion 16 is shaped like a regular quadrangular pyramid, but the illumination area is as shown in FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B described later. If there is a difference between the short side direction and the long side direction, the ratio of the short side to the long side length of the truncated pyramid should be matched with the ratio of the short side to the long side length of the illumination area. good. Moreover, although it is the said rectangular shape, chamfering of the corner | angular part may be performed and moderate R may be provided especially.

A translucent condensing member 22 is installed on the upper surface of the reflecting frame 14 in the light emitting direction.

FIG. 3 is a diagram for explaining the principle of the light source module of the present invention.

3A is a diagram showing a cross section on one side with respect to the center line of the light collecting member 22. FIG. In the blaze 25, the height 26a of the inner peripheral portion 26 including the portion directly above the semiconductor light source 12 is lower than the height 28a of the outer peripheral portion 28 with respect to the inner peripheral portion 26. As shown in FIG. 3 (b), the height of the blaze 25 in the outer peripheral portion 28 is high, so that the incident light to the light condensing member 22 is relatively inclined with respect to the incident light s. Therefore, incident light is greatly bent. For example, in the present embodiment, a large amount of light incident on the inner peripheral portion 26 is incident with the incident angle α inclined by about 10 ° with respect to the optical axis of the semiconductor light source. By setting the height of this region to 0.10 mm with respect to 0.15 mm of the outer peripheral portion, the apex angle θ becomes gentle, approximately 60 ° → 70 °. When the apex angle θ is 60 °, the angle β at which the emitted light t is inclined with respect to the optical axis of the semiconductor light source is about 7 ° with respect to the optical axis, but when the apex angle θ is 70 °, the β is About 15 °. Since the outgoing light β reaches the position of 1000 × tan θ (mm) from the center on the imaging surface set 1 m ahead, it reaches 130 mm from the center when the apex angle θ is 60 ° and 270 mm from the center when the apex angle is 70 °. Therefore, the amount of light near the center can be dispersed outside by reducing the Fresnel height. In the simulation by ray tracing, it has been found that the apex angle of the blaze 25 in the inner peripheral portion 26 when the illumination area is suitably illuminated on the image sensor is in the range of 65 ° to 85 °.

The present invention is to change the apex angle θ and change the light distribution characteristics by changing the blaze height.

Optimize the blaze shape to control the light distribution characteristics, but considering only the light distribution characteristics, the light source size becomes smaller and the eye-safe regulations become stricter. By dividing the area of the blaze 25 into two parts, the inner peripheral part 26 has a shape that optimizes light distribution characteristics, and the outer peripheral part 28 has a shape that increases the light source size, thereby realizing eye-safety and illuminance uniformity. The light beam is condensed in an area suitable for photographing or the like.

The blaze 25 may be provided on the light exit surface 34 side, the light incident surface 32 side, or both. By providing the blaze 25 on the light incident surface 32 side, the light emitting surface 34 side can be made a surface close to a flat surface, which is preferable because it can easily follow the casing of a device such as a mobile phone equipped with a flash light source. Moreover, when it is close to a flat surface, there is an effect that it is easy to remove even if dirt or the like adheres. On the other hand, by providing also on the light exit surface 34 side, the light condensing function can be distributed between the entrance surface and the exit surface, and without increasing the blaze shape in the case of providing a larger light condensing performance. There is an effect that a shape can be produced, and further, there is an effect that forming a blaze shape in one direction on the surface of the emission surface is superior in design.

Specs required for a light source module used for a flash light source for a camera increase the uniformity of illuminance in addition to obtaining necessary illuminance with low power consumption. In addition, since the flash light source emits strong visible light toward the human body, it is required to take measures against eye safety, that is, eye safety.

4 (a) and 4 (b) are diagrams for explaining the eye-safe of the distributed light source. FIG. 4A shows the distribution of light energy on the retina when the light source is large and small. In FIG. 4A, 40 is a distributed light source, 44 is an eyeball, 46 is a retina, and 48 is a light source image on the retina.

The dispersed light source is a surface light source that is divergent and has a viewing angle of a certain level or more when viewed from the illuminated side. In the JIS の C 8022 standard that defines eye-safety that is the safety of the light source to the eye, the viewing angle is defined as 1.5 mrad. As described below, the larger the size of the dispersed light source, the safer the light source.

Since light having a wavelength of about 400 to 1400 nm emitted from a point light source passes through the cornea and is condensed on the retina 46, the density increases. Therefore, even if the radiation angle is large, the risk to the eyes is high. On the other hand, in the case of a distributed light source having a light emitting area larger than a certain area instead of a point light source, it is irradiated as an image having a spread on the retina 46, so that it is safer than a point light source.

P1 indicates the distribution of light energy on the retina when the dispersed light source 40 is large, and P2 indicates the distribution of light power on the retina when the dispersed light source 40 is small. It is difficult for the dispersed light source 40 to condense the total luminous flux below the light source size, and the image formed on the retina 46 increases as the light source size increases. If the light energy emitted from the distributed light source 40 is constant, P1 has a low energy density, but P2 has a high energy density. Since the dispersed light source 40 forms an image on the retina 46, the possibility of burning the retina 46 decreases as the size of the dispersed light source 40 having a high energy density increases. That is, the larger the light source size, the greater the light output allowed.

Table 1 shows the light source size dependency of the maximum permissible exposure MPE (maximum permissible perexposure). In Table 1, the light source was a square.

Since this embodiment is applied to a flash light source, the MPE in Table 1 is calculated based on JIS C-6802 assuming a case where light is emitted for 0.1 sec. The exposure amount on the retina needs to be equal to or less than the MPE in Table 1 in order not to damage the eyes even if the light is emitted toward the person. In terms of the case where the same amount of light is emitted per light source, the light energy density increases when the light source is small. As described with reference to FIG. 4A, even if the light energy density is the same, if the light source is small, the energy density when imaged on the retina increases. Therefore, the allowable exposure amount becomes smaller when the light source is small due to the two actions.

The chip in the left column of Table 1 indicates the size of the light emitting part of a typical LED, and is assumed to be a square for simplification. Since the LED of 0.24 mm and width 0.6 mm in this embodiment emits light from the entire chip, the area of the LED is assumed to be square and the area is matched with the rectangular LED chip. The unit of the light source size is mm.

FIG. 4 (b) shows the measurement conditions for radiation exposure and irradiance defined in JIS C-6802, and the opening 7mm is defined by the pupil diameter. The distance 100 mm between the light source and the pupil is defined by the shortest distance at which the eye is focused. If the distance is less than 100 mm, the image does not form an image on the retina 46 even when the distance to the light source is short, so the eye-safe problem is reduced. When it is larger than 100 mm, the amount of light coupled into the pupil which is an aperture of φ7 mm is reduced, and the eye-safety problem is reduced.

The radiation pattern of the distributed light source 40 is generally Lambertian distribution. The coupling efficiency to an opening of φ7 mm corresponding to the pupil of the eye 44 that is 100 mm away from the distributed light source 40 is obtained by 1−cos α. α is about 2 °, and a coupling efficiency of about 0.06% is obtained. In general, an LED light source is provided with a reflector as shown in FIGS. 2 (a) and 2 (b). Therefore, in a simulation by a non-sequential ray tracing method, the coupling efficiency is increased by about 10% to obtain a coupling efficiency of 0.066%. It was.

In the case of FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B, ten LEDs having a light emitting portion of 0.38 mm square and a rated output of 0.026 W are used. A light output of 0.017 mW per unit forms an image on the retina through the φ7 mm aperture. Moreover, since the output of the LED fluctuates during actual use, it is necessary to estimate about 33% of the fluctuation. Therefore, it is necessary to consider the case where a 0.023 mW light output forms an image on the retina through the φ7 mm aperture.

According to Table 1, the MPE of the 0.38 mm square light source is 0.012 mW, and the light output of each LED exceeds the MPE.

Furthermore, in the future, it is necessary to assume a case where the light emission efficiency of the LED is improved and almost the same output can be obtained even with a ¼ chip size. That is, it is necessary to expect a maximum output of 0.026 W with a light emitting unit of 0.19 mm square LED. In this case as well, the light output of 0.023 mW is imaged on the retina through the aperture of φ7 mm. However, as described with reference to FIG. In this case, the density of the light energy at the point increases, and the MPE decreases. The MPE of the 0.19 mm square LED of the light emitting unit is 0.0015 mW, and the amount of light 0.023 mW that forms an image on the retina through the opening of φ7 mm is 10 times or more the MPE value 0.0015 mW.

In addition, although the flash light source has a light emission time of 0.1 sec this time, it is necessary to assume a case in which the system does not have a safety lock and does not turn off in 0.1 sec due to a system failure or the like. Since the target wavelength range is the visible light range, eye protection is performed by an aversive reaction such as “blink”, but it is necessary to consider the exposure time until 0.25 sec. That is, it is necessary to consider 2.5 times the amount of imaged light on the retina as the amount of exposure, which is a more severe value for the 0.0015 mW MPE.

The present invention addresses the above problems, and by taking a distance h between the upper surface, which is the light emission surface of the semiconductor light source 12, and the lower surface, which is the light incident surface, of the light diffusing member 20, is a certain value or more. The divergent light emitted from the semiconductor light source 12 is expanded to a large area. The reflection frame body 14 provided with the reflection surface 18 that extends upward in the light emission direction so as to surround the semiconductor light source 12 also functions as a spacer for securing the distance h.

The divergent light generally has a Lambertian light distribution characteristic. As shown in FIG. 2B, when the maximum distance between adjacent semiconductor light sources 12 is d, a plurality of semiconductor light sources 12 are emitted when h ≧ d due to the Lambertian light distribution. Light mixes.

Next, when a blaze 25 of the present invention is used, a part of the light incident on the condensing member 22 is uniformly dispersed as if it were one light source. With the above operation, an effect of expanding a plurality of small light sources as one uniform virtual light source equivalent to the light source module 10 can be obtained. The virtual light source is called an apparent light source in JISC6082.

FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the illumination area. In order to use as a flash light source, a light flux of about 100 lm is desired in the 1 m × 1.4 m illumination area 50 1 m ahead of the flash light source 10 shown in FIG. In the case of obtaining a light beam of 100 lm, the light beam that illuminates the outside of the illumination area is increased, which is wasteful. Even if the dispersion is too small, a large amount of light flux is locally gathered to obtain a 100 lm light flux in the illumination area 50, which is wasteful. In addition, unevenness in illuminance occurs. Therefore, the light collecting member 22 uniformly collects light on the illumination area 50, and reduces the light flux that illuminates the outside of the illumination area unnecessarily. Specific simulation results by ray tracing according to the present invention are shown below.

6A shows an example of a combination of blaze shapes when the first embodiment is not used, and FIG. 6B shows the orientation characteristics at that time.

Moreover, (a) in FIG. 7 shows an example of the combination of blaze shapes when the blaze height of the outer peripheral portion 28 is high and the blaze height of the inner peripheral portion 26 is low, which is the invention of the first embodiment. . The horizontal axis in the figure is the distance from the central axis of the light collecting member 22, the unit is mm, and the vertical axis indicates the height of the blaze 25. In the case of this embodiment, since the blaze 25 is provided on the light incident surface 32 side, the downward direction in the drawing is the height. FIG. 7B shows the orientation characteristics at that time. The vertical axis represents relative illuminance. The horizontal axis indicates the position in the horizontal direction in the illumination area 50 of FIG. 5, and the unit is mm.

By adopting the configuration of the present embodiment, the incident light beam is not so bent at the inner peripheral portion 26. Therefore, as shown in (b) of FIG. 7, FIG. 6 shows the orientation characteristics when the present invention is not used. With respect to (b), a broad and uniform orientation characteristic is obtained, and as a result, a uniform illuminance distribution that is important as an imaging device is obtained.

In addition to the above effects, the effect of expanding a smaller light source area to an area equivalent to the present light source module is obtained, and the function of concentrating in the illumination area is obtained while ensuring safety to the eyes. Uniformity necessary for imaging illumination and prevention of eye damage can be realized at the same time.

With the above configuration, it is possible to obtain a light source module in which the intensity distribution uniformity of the far-field image, which is a light distribution characteristic, and the near-field image expansion and uniformity of the near-field image related to the eye-safe as the light source size. Since the light source module of the present invention can effectively collect and utilize the light flux in the illumination area, a flash light source can be realized with low power consumption using a divergent semiconductor light source such as an LED. Therefore, the light source module of the present invention is suitable as a flash light source for electronic devices that require low power consumption and small size and thickness, such as camera-equipped mobile phones.

(Second Embodiment)
Next, a second embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG.

The parts other than the configuration described below are the same as those in the first embodiment and will not be described.

8A, the horizontal axis of (a) is the distance from the central axis of the light collecting member 22, the unit is mm, and the vertical axis indicates the height of the blaze 25. In the case of this embodiment, since the blaze 25 is provided on the light incident surface 32 side, the downward direction in the drawing is the height.

The difference from the first embodiment is that, with respect to the blazed shape of the first embodiment, of the inner peripheral portion 26, this is the highest inner peripheral portion 26x as shown in FIG. By increasing the height, the light emitted from the inner peripheral portion 26 is uniformly dispersed in the illumination area shown in FIG. 5, and as shown in the orientation characteristic of (b) in FIG. Become. The light beam can be collected in an area suitable for photographing or the like. The vertical axis of (b) in FIG. 8 indicates relative illuminance. The horizontal axis indicates the position in the horizontal direction in the illumination area 50 of FIG. 5, and the unit is mm.

According to the ray tracing simulation, in FIG. 3A, the luminous flux that is preferably collected in the illumination area without condensing much in the inner peripheral portion is concentrated on 26y. The innermost peripheral portion 26x corresponding to a range of about 1.5 mm from the central axis has a large amount of light beams incident relatively vertically, and the light beam incident on 26y is refracted to be more uniformly dispersed in the illumination area. Because.
(Third embodiment)
FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view for explaining the light source module 10 of the third embodiment.

The parts other than the configuration described below are the same as those in the first embodiment and will not be described.

In the present embodiment, the light collecting member 22 is installed on the upper surface, which is the light emission direction, of the reflection frame body 14 so as to sandwich the light diffusing member 20, as in the first and second embodiments. Different.

The light diffusing member 20 is a member in which translucent micro beads having a refractive index slightly different from that of the resin are dispersed in the translucent resin, or on the front or back of the translucent member or one of them. It is a member provided with a coating provided with minute scattering irregularities.

The thickness of the light diffusing member 20 was 100 μm. If the thickness is increased, the light diffusibility is increased, but the thickness of the light source module 10 is increased, which is not preferable for parts that are desired to be thin, such as a camera-equipped mobile phone. Moreover, absorption loss etc. cannot be ignored when the thickness is increased. In the experiment, the best results were obtained with a thickness of 100 μm.

The light condensing member 22 has a light incident surface 32 in the blazed shape of the first embodiment and the second embodiment. On the other hand, a blazed shape symmetrical to the central axis is provided on the light emitting surface 34 side. The blaze shape is formed lower than the blaze height of the incident surface, and the refractive power of the surface is set weaker than the blaze shape of the incident surface. A cellular phone or the like is also required to have a design of appearance as well as a characteristic, and the formation of the blaze shape shown in the drawing is advantageous in terms of design. On the other hand, the light incident surface 32 is provided with a lens surface on which a blaze 25 having a function of condensing light is formed. The blaze 25 forms a space 24 between the light diffusion member 20 and the lens surface. To do. With the above configuration, even when a tension is applied to the light diffusing member 20 as shown in FIG. 9, the light condensing member 20 is not interfered with, and a space 24 for refraction can be secured.

By setting the distance h between the upper surface, which is the light emitting surface of the semiconductor light source 12, and the lower surface, which is the light incident surface of the light diffusing member 20, to be a certain distance or more, the divergent light emitted from the semiconductor light source 12 is expanded to a large area. The The reflection frame body 14 provided with the reflection surface 18 that extends upward in the light emission direction so as to surround the semiconductor light source 12 also functions as a spacer for securing the distance h.

A part of the light incident on the light diffusing member 20 is diffused more uniformly than in the first and second embodiments as if it were one light source due to the diffusion effect of the light diffusing member 20. The With the above operation, an effect of expanding a plurality of small light sources as one uniform virtual light source equivalent to the light source module 10 can be further obtained.

In addition to the above effects, the effect of expanding a smaller light source area to an area equivalent to the present light source module is obtained, and the function of concentrating in the illumination area is obtained while ensuring safety to the eyes. Uniformity necessary for imaging illumination and prevention of eye damage can be realized at the same time.

Next, specific actions and effects of the light diffusing member 20 will be described. When the light diffusing member 20 is not introduced, the illuminance at the central portion of the illumination area 50 is high. The illuminance decreases at the outer periphery. On the other hand, the introduction of the light diffusing member 20 serves to reduce the difference in illuminance between the central portion and the outer peripheral portion, but the overall illuminance also decreases to some extent due to scattering and Fresnel reflection. In the experiment, a type having a haze value of 84% and a total line transmittance of 98% had a low decrease in illuminance, and good illuminance uniformity was obtained.

In the structure of the present invention in which the reflecting frame body 14, the light diffusing member 20 and the light collecting member 22 are all provided, the diffusion effect of the reflecting frame body 14 and the light diffusing member 20 makes it more uniform as if it were one light source. A plurality of small light sources that are diffused can be regarded as one uniform virtual light source equivalent to the light source module 10, that is, a so-called aparative light source. Further, the light condensing action of the light condensing member 22 can also provide a light distribution, that is, an illuminance uniformity substantially the same as that of the case of the reflecting frame 14 alone.

With the above configuration, it is possible to obtain a light source module in which the intensity distribution uniformity of the far-field image, which is a light distribution characteristic, and the near-field image expansion and uniformity of the near-field image related to the eye-safe as the light source size. Since the light source module of the present invention can effectively collect and utilize the light flux in the illumination area, a flash light source can be realized with low power consumption using a divergent semiconductor light source such as an LED. Therefore, the light source module of the present invention is suitable as a flash light source for electronic devices that require low power consumption and small size and thickness, such as camera-equipped mobile phones.

In addition, this invention is not limited to each embodiment mentioned above. Those skilled in the art can make various modifications to the present invention within the scope of the claims. That is, a new embodiment can be obtained by combining appropriately changed technical means within the scope of the claims.

(Summary of the present invention)
A light source module according to the present invention includes a base, a semiconductor light source having a divergent radiation characteristic disposed on the base, and the semiconductor light source surrounded by a reflecting surface that spreads in the light emission direction. A reflecting frame disposed on the reflecting frame so as to cover the light emitting direction, and at least one of the light incident surface and the light emitting surface is concentrically blazed to form a translucent collection. A light source module configured with an optical member, wherein the blaze has a height of an inner peripheral portion including a portion immediately above where the semiconductor light source is disposed lower than a height of the outer peripheral portion with respect to the inner peripheral portion. Furthermore, the apex angle of the blaze in the inner peripheral portion is set in the range of 65 ° to 85 °. By doing as described above, the illuminance distribution 1 m away from the light source important as proof for the image sensor becomes uniform.

Further, among the inner peripheral portions, the innermost peripheral portion is made the highest. As for the light distribution characteristic after 1 m, it is possible to achieve more uniform illuminance when the height of the innermost peripheral portion is higher than that of other inner peripheral portions, and it is suitable for photographing light rays Condenses inside.

Further, a light diffusing member that is a member that scatters light is provided between the reflecting frame and the light collecting member. A light diffusing member is a member in which light-transmitting micro beads having a slightly different refractive index from that of the member are dispersed in the light-transmitting member, and the light scattering property on the front or back of the light-transmitting member or one of them. This is a member to which a coating having minute irregularities is applied, and is called a diffusion sheet or a diffusion film. The diffusing member scatters the emitted light from the semiconductor light source that has reached through the reflective frame, and makes it easy to form a kind of virtual light source called an apparent light source when viewed from an observer or a subject.

A small light source of sub-milli-order or less can easily form an image on the retina at the time of observation even if it is a light source having a divergent light distribution characteristic, and the energy density of the image forming part is high. As a result, the probability that the retina is thermally damaged is also increased.

By using the light diffusing member of the present invention, the brightness and illuminance of the emitted light caused by the semiconductor light source are uniform without unevenness, and the light is not condensed on a specific part on the retina. Safety can also be secured.

Moreover, an electronic apparatus according to an embodiment of the present invention is characterized by including the light source module of the present invention.

As described above, the light source module of the present invention is uniform without unevenness in luminance and illuminance of the emitted light caused by the semiconductor light source, and the light is not condensed on a specific part on the retina. Can be secured. Therefore, by mounting the light source module of the present invention on an electronic device such as a camera, in particular, a mobile phone or a personal digital assistant, it is possible to mount a low power consumption flash light source and to capture high-quality images even in a dark place. .

The specific embodiments or examples made in the detailed description section of the invention are merely to clarify the technical contents of the present invention, and are limited to such specific examples and are interpreted in a narrow sense. It should be understood that various modifications may be made within the spirit of the invention and the scope of the following claims.

The light source module according to the present invention can be widely used as a flash light source for electronic devices such as cameras.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Light source module 12 Semiconductor light source 13 Base | substrate 14 Reflecting frame 16 Recessed part 18 Reflecting surface 20 Light diffusing member 22 Condensing member 24 Space 26 Inner peripheral part 28 Outer peripheral part 32 Light incident surface 34 Light emitting surface

Claims (5)

1. A substrate;
   A semiconductor light source having a divergent radiation characteristic disposed on the substrate;
   A reflective frame disposed on the substrate in a form surrounding the semiconductor light source with a reflective surface extending in the light emitting direction; and
   It is arranged on the reflective frame so as to cover the light emitting direction, and is composed of a light transmitting condensing member in which at least one of the light incident surface and the light emitting surface is concentrically blazed. A light source module,
   The blaze is a light source module, wherein an inner peripheral portion including a portion directly above the semiconductor light source is lower in height than an outer peripheral portion with respect to the inner peripheral portion.
2. 2. The light source module according to claim 1, wherein an apex angle formed by a blaze shape in the inner peripheral portion is in a range of 65 ° to 85 °.
3. 2. The light source module according to claim 1, wherein the innermost peripheral portion has the highest height among the inner peripheral portions.
4. The light source module according to claim 1, further comprising a light diffusing member between the reflecting frame and the light collecting member.
5. An electronic device comprising the light source module according to any one of claims 1 to 4.

Images