Nippon Sheet Glass Company, Limited

Hirohiko Iwase

Hiroyuki Nemoto

Takashi Kishimoto

Hidemitsu Takeuchi

Makoto Ikeda

Takeshi Ishimaru

Tomihisa Saito

Masahiro Ikadai

Naoki Kinugasa

A glass substrate for a reflective mirror of a rear projection television (RPTV) which ensures display quality by quantitative control, and can reduce control cost and manufacture cost is provided. A reflective mirrorof the rear projection television (RPTV) includes a float glass plate (glass substrate)formed to have a plate thickness of 3 mm by a float process, and a reflection enhancing filmconstituted of aluminum (Al) formed on one surfaceof the glass substrateby a sputtering method. In the measurement condition of a cut-off value of 0.8 to 8 mm, the maximum amplitude of a filtered waviness curve is 0.1 &#x3bc;m or less, the maximum value of a viewability index value &#x3b3; (=A/D) in a range of spatial frequencies 2 to 500/mm by spectral analysis of the filtered waviness curve is 0.02 (/m) or less, and an integral value of the viewability index value &#x3b3; is 2.0 (/m) or less.

Glass substrate for reflective mirror, reflective mirror including the glass substrate, glass substrate for liquid crystal panel, and liquid crystal panel including the glass substrate

A rod-shaped light guide which does not cause unevenness in color at the portion near an incident face is produced by injection-molding transparent resin such as acryl and its surfaces include a light-emitting surface, a bottom face, left and right sides and end faces. One end face opposes a light emitting unit, and light scattering patterns for scattering light incident from the end face are formed on the bottom face. The light scattering patterns are different in shape between a portion near the end face as the incident face and a portion away from the end face. The light scattering patterns formed at the portion near the incident face are composed of a large number of fine hemispherical concaves, whereas the light scattering patterns at the portion away from the incident face are composed of triangular grooves or half cylindrical grooves, and the axial direction of these triangular grooves or half cylindrical grooves coincides with the width direction (sub-scanning direction) of the bottom face on which the patterns are formed.

Light guide having light scattering patterns with different light reflected directions

An improved illumination device shortens a redundant area of insufficient light intensity close to a longitudinal end thereof. The device includes a casing, a bar-shaped light guide housed in the casing to cause a light-emitting surface thereof to be exposed, a light-emitting unit secured to an end section of the casing, wherein light from the light-emitting unit is introduced into the bar-shaped light guide through the end face thereof and is totally reflected within the bar-shaped light guide to be emitted through the light-emitting surface, and a shielding section provided to cover an end section of the bar-shaped light guide including the redundant area at the end section of the casing close to the light-emitting unit. A notch is formed at the end section of the bar-shaped light guide on the light-emitting surface side close to the light-emitting unit, and light from the light-emitting unit is reflected on a rear surface of the shielding section through a gap between this notch and the light-emitting unit to be introduced into the bar-shaped light guide.

Illumination device and image scanning device

The present invention provides a light guide, a line-illuminating device, and an image-scanning device that provide excellent uniformity in the amount of light produced. A light-reflecting portion comprised of spherical concave surfaces becomes a reflecting surface having spherical convex surfaces when it is seen from the inside of the light guide. Even when the incident angle of light from the light source unit is slightly offset, the reflection angle in spherical convex surfaces significantly changes, and light is reflected uniformly toward the upper surface serving as a light-emitting surface. In particular, when the fine spherical concave portions of the light-reflecting portion have a small depth, the incident light from the end surface is reflected toward the upper surface, serving as a light-emitting surface, and both side surfaces without reflecting back to the light-emitting unit side, so that uniform reflection can be achieved.

Light guide, line-illuminating device, and image-scanning device

A light guide, a line-illuminating device, and an image-scanning device are provided which are excellent in uniformity of the light amount. A light-reflecting portion comprised of tubular concave surfaces becomes a reflecting surface having tubular convex surfaces when seen from the inside of the light guide. With such structure, even when the incident angle of light from a light source unit slightly displaces, the reflection angle in the tubular convex surfaces significantly changes. In an irregular surface having a triangular shape, as in a conventional example, the incident angle becomes almost uniform in the area far from the light source unit, and thereby the reflection angle also becomes uniform. Consequently, it is difficult to achieve uniform reflection in the main-scanning direction. However, with the tubular concave surfaces, light is reflected uniformly toward the upper surface as a light-emitting surface.

Growing community of inventors

Tokyo, Japan

Hirohiko Iwase