Lighting apparatus for liquid crystal display

The present application is a Divisional Application of pending U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/208,526, filed on Aug. 23, 2005, which claims the benefit of Japanese Patent Application No. 2004-243252, filed on Aug. 24, 2004, the subject matter of which are expressly incorporated herein in their entirety.

The present invention relates to a lighting apparatus for an LCD (liquid crystal display), and particularly to a lighting apparatus for an LCD of a digital camera.

A digital camera is generally provided with an LCD allowing a user to monitor captured images. Generally, there are two types of LCDs: a reflective type LCD; and a transmissive type LCD. The reflective type LCD is widely used as a display device in various devices such as a cellular phone and personal digital assistant (PDA). The LCD of this type requires, however, a device for illuminating an image displaying surface. Therefore, the reflective type LCD tends to be large in size. In addition, the color saturation of the reflective type LCD is relatively low. Such reflective liquid crystal may be adaptable, for example, for a cellular phone, wherein no specifically high image quality is required, but the reflective liquid crystal may not be suitable for a display configured in a digital camera wherein relatively high image quality is required. If the reflective liquid crystal is possibly used for a display in a digital camera, a light guide is required to be overlaid on the surface of the LCD whereto the emitted beams are introduced, as described in Japanese Provisional Patent Publication No. 2000-162576. In this case, the camera body inevitably increases the dimension in depth. For the purpose of downsizing, the light guide needs to be configured thinner, although the beams through a thinner light guide may not reach to the periphery of the display area, or may not be provided evenly with enough brightness.

Thus, it is difficult to use the reflective type LCD in the digital camera which requires, in many cases, a transmissive type LCD, and it is equipped with back lights for clearer images to be seen. The LCD of the digital camera is typically arranged on the back surface of the camera body. An example of a configuration of back lights is disclosed in Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 2000-162576. According to JP Provisional Publication No. 2000-162576, the liquid crystal is provided with light sources and a light guide. The beams emitted from the light sources or other available light are guided to illuminate the LCD from the rear side of the LCD.

With this structure, thus, the dimension of the LCD with a light guide is increased in depth, which results in, as shown in FIG. 12 of Japanese Patent Provisional Publication No. 2000-162576, the LCD protrudes outward of the camera body, and may cause a difficulty in configuring a slim and downsized camera.

The present invention is advantageous in that a lighting apparatus for an LCD is provided, wherein the apparatus is adapted to illuminate a transmissive or reflective LCD, and is downsized in depth by having substantially no light guide.

According to an aspect of the present invention, a display device is provided to a body of a predetermined device. The display device includes a transmissive LCD configured to be movable with respect to the body between a retracted position and a protruded position. An outer surface of the LCD is substantially in a same plane of a surface of the body on which the LCD is provided when the LCD is located at the retracted position. The outer surface of the LCD is protruded from the plane of the body when the LCD is located at the protruded position. An open space is formed on an inner side of the LCD. And at least one light source configured to emit light toward the open space to illuminate the LCD located at the protruded position from a rear side thereof is provided.

Optionally, the LCD may be rotatably supported at one side end thereof, so that an opposite end portion of the LCD may be protrusible outward from the device body, and the at least one light source may be provided at an edge corresponding to opposite end portion of the LCD. Alternatively, the entirety of the LCD may be configured to protrude outward from the device body, and the light sources that may include a plurality of light sources may be arranged along two edges corresponding to the sides of the LCD that are parallel to each other. Optionally, a reflector that may reflect beams may be provided on a surface of the device body facing to the rear side of the LCD, and a diffuser to diffuse beams on the rear side of the LCD.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided a display device to a body of a predetermined device. The display device includes a reflective LCD, and a transparent plate member, which is arranged in front of the LCD. The plate member is configured to be movable with respect to the LCD between a retracted position and a protruded position. An outer surface of the plate member is substantially in a same plane of a surface of the body on which the LCD is provided when the plate member is located at the retracted position. The outer surface of the plate member is protruded from the plane of the body when the plate member is located at the protruded position. An open space is formed on an inner side of the plate member. And at least one light source is configured to emit light toward the open space to illuminate the LCD, when the plate member is located at the protruded position from the front side thereof.

Optionally, the plate member may be rotatably supported at one side end thereof so that an opposite end portion of the plate member is protrusible outward from the device body. In addition, the at least one light source may be provided at an edge corresponding to the opposite end portion of the plate member.