Kowa Company Limited

Techsign Light Panel Co., Ltd.

Nexteye Co., Ltd.

Akira Ikemoto

Taek Woon Kim

Kazuhiro Kashiwagi

Kunitoshi Shimizu

Seog Joon Kim

Mee Suk Rho

Isao Koike

Disclosed herein is an edge-type lighting device which is configured such that when a light guide plate thermally expands, a light source is prevented from being pressed. In the lighting device according to the present invention, a light guide plate () is slidably supported so that the light guide plate () can expand in the planar direction, and a light source () disposed on an edge of the light guide plate () is movably supported in the same direction. A light-guide-plate stopper () is disposed at a position facing an edge (A) of the light guide plate () to prevent the light guide plate () from expanding excessively. Thus, the light source () can be prevented from being pressed toward a frame member ().

Lighting device

The present invention relates to an edge-type lighting device using an LED light source which has high light-emitting efficiency regardless of thermal expansion of a light guide plate. An LED light source () is disposed on an edge of a light guide plate () so as to be movable in the normal line direction (&#xb1;n) of the edge () of the light guide plate. A slide member () is slidably disposed on the rear surface of the LED light source. A spring () is disposed in a frame member () on the rear surface of the slide member. Thus, the LED light source can always be pressed toward the edge of the light guide plate regardless of the thermal expansion of the light guide plate. Because the spring has a simple structure, the lighting device can be compact compared to the case where a coil spring is used.

Edge-type LED lighting device having a high luminous efficiency despite thermal expansion of the lightguide plate

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Hamamatsu, Japan

Akira Ikemoto