Light-emitting device

Abstract

A light-emitting device includes a body, a light guide plate, and a flexible circuit board. The body includes a light-emitting wall and sidewalls that are connected and bent relative to each other. The light-emitting wall and sidewalls together form a groove. The light guide plate has a light-emitting area and a light-diffusing area. A plurality of microstructures are provided on the light-emitting area. At least a portion of the light-emitting area is engaged in the groove. The flexible circuit board has light-emitting units. The light-emitting units are configured to emit light toward the side of the light-diffusing area. Light enters the light guide plate from the side of the light-diffusing area and undergoes total internal reflection in the light-diffusing area, and is then guided to the light-emitting wall via the microstructures. In this way, the body can not only fix the light guide plate, but also prevent water vapor from entering the interior of the light-emitting device and causing water droplets to form on the light-emitting wall, affecting the light-emitting effect.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a light-emitting device. Background Technology

[0002] Nowadays, some electronic devices (such as high-performance / gaming laptops) have added light strips around their perimeter to enhance the overall visual effect. There are currently two main ways to make the light strips emit light: (1) placing a light-emitting diode (LED) behind the light strip, and the light from the LED shines through the end of the light strip; and (2) placing an optical fiber that can emit light behind the light strip, and the light from the optical fiber shines through the end of the light strip.

[0003] However, regardless of whether LEDs or optical fibers are used as the light source, a molded light strip must be designed in front of it to make a bent / wound shape to meet the appearance requirements, and there are basic thickness limitations for the light strip molding (for example, it must be greater than 1 mm).

[0004] Therefore, how to propose a light-emitting device that can solve the above problems is one of the issues that the industry is currently eager to invest research and development resources to address. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of this, one objective of this disclosure is to propose a light-emitting device that can effectively solve the above-mentioned problems.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, according to one embodiment of this disclosure, a light-emitting device includes a body, a light guide plate, and a flexible circuit board. The body includes a light-emitting wall and sidewalls that are connected and bent relative to each other. The light-emitting wall and sidewalls together form a groove. The light guide plate has a light-emitting area and a light-monitoring area. A plurality of microstructures are provided on the light-emitting area. At least a portion of the light-emitting area is engaged in the groove. The flexible circuit board has light-emitting units. The light-emitting units are configured to emit light toward the side of the light-monitoring area. Light enters the light guide plate from the side of the light-monitoring area and undergoes total internal reflection in the light-monitoring area, and is then guided to the light-emitting wall via the microstructures.

[0007] In one or more embodiments disclosed herein, the light-emitting device further includes a light-diffusing film. The light-diffusing film covers at least a portion of the light guide plate.

[0008] In one or more embodiments disclosed herein, the light-diffusing film is partially adhered to a flexible circuit board and surrounds the light guide plate in a circumferential manner.

[0009] In one or more embodiments disclosed herein, the light-emitting device further includes a reflective layer. The reflective layer is disposed on one side of the flexible circuit board facing the light guide plate.

[0010] In one or more embodiments disclosed herein, the light-emitting wall is annular. Sidewalls connect to the edge of the light-emitting wall and extend to the inner side of the light-emitting wall.

[0011] In one or more embodiments disclosed herein, the bottom of the trench is at least partially translucent. A portion of the light exits the light guide plate from its side and passes through the bottom of the trench before exiting the body.

[0012] In one or more embodiments disclosed herein, the light-emitting device further includes a light-diffusing film. The light-diffusing film is disposed between the light-emitting area and the light-emitting wall, and extends into the groove and covers the side of the light guide plate.

[0013] In one or more embodiments disclosed herein, the light-emitting device further includes a reflective layer. The reflective layer is located below the light guide plate. A light-shielding film is provided on the bottom surface of the reflective layer.

[0014] In one or more embodiments disclosed herein, the light guide plate is curved and has a uniform thickness.

[0015] In one or more embodiments disclosed herein, the light guide plate includes a first plate portion, a second plate portion, and a bent portion. The second plate portion is opposite to the first plate portion. The bent portion is connected to the same-side edge of the first plate portion and the second plate portion. At least a portion of the microstructure is located on the bent portion.

[0016] In summary, in the light-emitting device disclosed herein, the light-emitting area of ​​the light guide plate is at least partially engaged in the groove formed by the light-emitting wall and side wall of the main body. This not only secures the light guide plate to the main body but also prevents moisture from entering the interior of the light-emitting device and causing water droplets to form on the light-emitting wall, thus affecting the light-emitting effect. The light guide plate of this disclosure, with its uniform thickness, can reduce the thickness to even thinner than existing lamp strips that require mold forming. Therefore, the light-emitting device disclosed herein has advantages in cost, weight, and space. By designing the light-emitting wall of the main body as annular and the light guide plate as curved, the light exiting from the light-emitting area of ​​the light guide plate via the light-emitting wall can create a light pattern with a unique shape. Furthermore, by having the light exit from the side of the light guide plate away from the light-emitting unit and exit via the side wall of the main body, the design flexibility of the light pattern and the light-emitting area of ​​the device can be further increased.

[0017] The above description is only used to illustrate the problem to be solved by this disclosure, the technical means to solve the problem, and the effects produced, etc. The specific details of this disclosure will be described in detail in the following implementation method and related drawings. Attached Figure Description

[0018] To make the above and other objects, features, advantages and embodiments disclosed herein more apparent and understandable, the accompanying drawings are described below:

[0019] Figure 1 A partial perspective view of a light-emitting device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0020] Figure 2A partial cross-sectional view of a light-emitting device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown;

[0021] Figure 3 A partial cross-sectional view of a light guide plate according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0022] Figure 4 A partial cross-sectional view of a light guide plate according to an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown.

[0023] [Symbol Explanation]

[0024] 100: Light-emitting device

[0025] 110:Ontology

[0026] 111: Light wall

[0027] 112: Sidewall

[0028] 113: Trench

[0029] 120: Light guide plate

[0030] 120a: First plate section

[0031] 120b: Second plate section

[0032] 120c: Bending section

[0033] 120d1, 120d2: Extension

[0034] 121: Uniform Lighting Zone

[0035] 121a, 122a: Side view

[0036] 122: Light area

[0037] 122b: Microstructure

[0038] 130: Flexible Circuit Board

[0039] 131: Light-emitting unit

[0040] 140: Homogeneous film

[0041] 151, 152: Reflective layer

[0042] 160:Light-shielding film

[0043] 170: Adhesive parts Detailed Implementation

[0044] The following describes several embodiments of this disclosure with reference to the accompanying drawings. For clarity, many practical details will be described in the following description. However, it should be understood that these practical details should not be used to limit this disclosure. That is, in some embodiments of this disclosure, these practical details are not essential. Furthermore, for the sake of simplicity in the drawings, some conventional structures and elements will be shown in a simple schematic manner.

[0045] Please refer to Figure 1 This is a partial perspective view illustrating a light-emitting device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 1 As shown, in this embodiment, the light-emitting device 100 includes a body 110. The light-emitting device 100 in this embodiment is exemplified by a notebook computer, and the aforementioned body 110 is, for example, at least a part of the casing of the notebook computer's main unit, but this disclosure is not limited thereto. In practical applications, the light-emitting device 100 can also be other electronic products (e.g., personal digital assistants, gaming keyboards, etc.). In other words, the concept of the light-emitting device 100 disclosed herein can be applied to any electronic product. The structure, function, and connection and actuation relationships between some of the components included in the light-emitting device 100 will be described in detail below.

[0046] Please refer to Figure 2 This is a partial cross-sectional view illustrating a light-emitting device 100 according to an embodiment of this disclosure. Figure 2 As shown, in this embodiment, the light-emitting device 100 further includes a light guide plate 120 and a flexible circuit board 130. The body 110 of the light-emitting device 100 includes a light-emitting wall 111 and a side wall 112 that are connected and bent relative to each other. The light-emitting wall 111 and the side wall 112 together form a groove 113. In detail, one end of the side wall 112 is connected to the edge of the light-emitting wall 111, while the other end of the side wall 112 is bent and extends opposite to the light-emitting wall 111. For example, the side wall 112 is located at... Figure 2 The cross-sectional profile shown in the viewpoint is L-shaped, and the groove 113 is... Figure 2The cross-sectional profile shown is U-shaped, but this disclosure is not limited to this. The light guide plate 120 has a light-emitting area 122 and a light-diffusing area 121. The light-emitting area 122 is connected to the light-diffusing area 121. A plurality of microstructures 122b are provided on the light-emitting area 122. At least a portion of the light-emitting area 122 engages in a groove 113. A flexible circuit board 130 is disposed within the body 110 and has a light-emitting unit 131. The light-emitting unit 131 is configured to emit light toward the side 121a of the light-diffusing area 121. Light enters the light guide plate 120 from the side 121a of the light-diffusing area 121 and undergoes total internal reflection in the light-diffusing area 121, then is guided to the light-emitting wall 111 via the microstructures 122b. In this embodiment, the microstructures 122 may be uniformly distributed, arranged from sparse to dense, or arranged from dense to sparse to produce a uniform or gradual light emission effect. For example, the microstructure 122 may be arranged from sparse to dense along a direction, causing the light intensity through the light-emitting wall 111 to increase along that direction, such as from the side closer to the light-averaging region 121 to the side farther away from the light-averaging region 121, but this disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0047] With the aforementioned structural configuration, the L-shaped sidewall 112 of the main body 110 can not only fix the light guide plate 120, but also prevent water vapor from entering the interior of the light-emitting device 100, which would cause water droplets to form on the light-emitting wall 111 and affect the light-emitting effect.

[0048] In some embodiments, the body 110 may be made of a semi-transparent plastic. Thus, when the light-emitting unit 131 is not emitting light, the user will see an overall opaque (e.g., black) body 110 without seeing the components inside; when the light-emitting unit 131 emits light, the user will see the luminous effect of the light-emitting wall 111 of the body 110. For example, the plastic may include polycarbonate (PC), but this disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0049] In addition, such as Figure 2 As shown, the light guide plate 120 of this embodiment has a uniform thickness and can be reduced to a thickness thinner than existing lamp bars that require mold processing (for example, reduced to about 0.2 mm). Therefore, the light-emitting device 100 of this embodiment has advantages in cost, weight and space.

[0050] like Figure 1 As shown, in this embodiment, the light-emitting wall 111 of the body 110 is annular. By designing the light-emitting wall 111 as annular and bending the light guide plate 120 into a curved shape to match the shape of the light-emitting wall 111 (because it is thin enough to be flexible), the light exiting from the light-emitting area 122 of the light guide plate 120 through the light-emitting wall 111 can make the light-emitting device 100 present a light pattern with a special shape. Since the light guide plate 120 can be directly bent into a corresponding shape to match the body 110, it has higher application flexibility compared to light strips that need to be molded.

[0051] like Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, in this embodiment, the sidewall 112 of the body 110 connects to the edge of the light-emitting wall 111 and extends to the inner side of the light-emitting wall 111. The bottom of the groove 113 is at least partially translucent (here, the bottom of the groove 113 refers to the other end relative to the opening of the groove 113). Part of the light leaves the light guide plate 120 from the side 122a away from the light-emitting unit 131 and leaves the body 110 through the bottom of the groove 113. By allowing the light to leave from the side 122a away from the light-emitting unit 131 and be emitted through the sidewall 112 of the body 110, the design flexibility of the light pattern presented by the light-emitting device 100 and the light-emitting area can be further increased. That is, in addition to the light-emitting wall 111 of the body 110 presenting a light-emitting effect, the sidewall 112 of this embodiment can also present a light-emitting effect simultaneously.

[0052] like Figure 2 As shown, in this embodiment, the light-emitting device 100 further includes a light-diffusing film 140. The light-diffusing film 140 covers at least a portion of the light guide plate 120. The light-diffusing film 140 is partially adhered to the flexible circuit board 130 (e.g., via an adhesive 170) and surrounds the light guide plate 120. Specifically, the light-diffusing film 140 is disposed between the light-emitting area 122 of the light guide plate 120 and the light-emitting wall 111 of the body 110, and extends into the groove 113 and covers the side surface 122a of the light guide plate 120. This allows the light leaving the light guide plate 120 to be further homogenized or atomized before reaching the light-emitting wall 111 and side wall 112 of the body 110, resulting in softer light transmitted through the light-diffusing film 140. In some embodiments, the light-diffusing film 140 may be omitted.

[0053] In this embodiment, no adhesive is required along the path of light transmission from the light guide plate 120 to the body 110 to avoid the adhesive affecting the light emission effect. For example, the light-diffusing film 140 may not be fixed to the light-emitting wall 111 and side wall 112 of the body 110 with adhesive (i.e., an air layer may exist between them), and the light-emitting area 122 and side wall 122a of the light guide plate 120 may not be directly glued to the light-diffusing film 140 (the light-diffusing film 140 can be fixed by adhering it to the flexible circuit board 130 and the light-shielding film 160 below the light guide plate 120). In embodiments without the light-diffusing film 140, the light-emitting area 122 of the light guide plate 120 and the light-emitting wall 111 of the body 110, as well as the side wall 122a of the light guide plate 120 and the side wall 112 of the body 110, may not be fixed with adhesive (i.e., an air layer may exist between them) to avoid the adhesive affecting the light emission effect.

[0054] like Figure 2As shown, in this embodiment, the light-emitting device 100 further includes reflective layers 151 and 152. Reflective layer 151 is disposed on one side of the flexible circuit board 130 facing the light guide plate 120. Reflective layer 152 is located below the light guide plate 120. This allows the light emitted by the light-emitting unit 131 and entering through the side 121a of the light-diffusing region 121 to be uniformly reflected within the light-diffusing region 121, thereby increasing the uniformity of the light. In some embodiments, the light-diffusing region 121 may be defined as the orthographic projection area of ​​the reflective layer 151 on the light guide plate 120, and the light-emitting region 122 may be defined as the area outside the orthographic projection area of ​​the reflective layer 151 on the light guide plate 120, but this disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0055] like Figure 2 As shown, in this embodiment, a light-shielding film 160 is provided on the bottom surface of the reflective layer 152. For example, the light-shielding film 160 may be a black ink layer formed on the bottom surface of the reflective layer 152 through a printing process, thereby preventing light leakage from the bottom of the light guide plate 120 through the reflective layer 152, but this disclosure is not limited thereto. In addition, in some embodiments, a white ink layer may be formed on the top surface of the reflective layer 152 through a printing process to increase the light utilization rate, but this disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0056] Please refer to Figure 3 This is a partial cross-sectional view illustrating a light guide plate 120 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 3 The illustrated viewing angle is the angle viewed from the side of the light guide plate 120 away from the light-emitting unit 131. For example... Figure 3 As shown, in this embodiment, the light guide plate 120 includes a first plate portion 120a, a second plate portion 120b, and a bent portion 120c. The second plate portion 120b is opposite to the first plate portion 120a. The bent portion 120c is connected to the same-side edge of the first plate portion 120a and the second plate portion 120b. In the embodiment where the light-emitting wall 111 of the body 110 is annular, the first plate portion 120a, the second plate portion 120b, and the bent portion 120c are respectively facing different parts of the inner surface of the light-emitting wall 111. It should be noted that at least a portion of the microstructure 122b is located on the bent portion 120c. In the actual fabrication of the light guide plate 120, the microstructure 122b can be formed on one side of the light guide plate 120 first, and then the light guide plate 120 can be bent into the shape shown. Figure 3 The shape. Conversely, existing mold processing and forming technologies cannot produce molds with a thickness of less than 1 mm and a shape like... Figure 3 The light strip of the light guide plate 120 shown cannot form a microstructure 122b on the bending portion 120c as in the light guide plate 120 of this embodiment. Since the bending portion 120c of the light guide plate 120 can have a microstructure 122b, the light emitting wall 111 can also have a good light emission effect at the bends on both sides.

[0057] Please refer to Figure 4 This is a partial cross-sectional view illustrating a light guide plate 120 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 4 The illustrated viewing angle is the angle viewed from the side of the light guide plate 120 away from the light-emitting unit 131. For example... Figure 4 As shown, and in conjunction with reference Figure 3 In this embodiment, the first plate portion 120a is located in the upper half of the light guide plate 120, while the second plate portion 120b is located in the lower half of the light guide plate 120. The two ends of the light guide plate 120 are joined at the lower half of the second plate portion 120b. To effectively eliminate discontinuous dark lines at the seams of the light guide plate 120, the light guide plate 120 further includes extension portions 120d1 and 120d2, respectively connected to the ends of the two second plate portions 120b. The extension portions 120d1 and 120d2 overlap each other, and even after overlapping, the light guide plate 120 still has a substantially uniform thickness. Therefore, when viewing the joint of the second plate portions 120b from below, since there is still a continuous and light-guiding portion behind the seam of the light guide plate 120, the aforementioned dark line problem can be effectively eliminated. In other embodiments, the two ends of the light guide plate 120 may also be spliced ​​at other parts, such as the first plate portion 120a or the bent portion 120c, which will not be described in detail here.

[0058] From the detailed description of the specific embodiments disclosed above, it is clear that in the light-emitting device disclosed herein, the light-emitting area of ​​the light guide plate is at least partially engaged in the groove formed by the light-emitting wall and side wall of the main body. In this way, the main body not only fixes the light guide plate but also prevents moisture from entering the interior of the light-emitting device, thus preventing water droplets from forming on the light-emitting wall and affecting the light-emitting effect. The light guide plate of this disclosure, with its uniform thickness, can reduce the thickness to even thinner than existing lamp strips that require mold forming. Therefore, the light-emitting device disclosed herein has advantages in cost, weight, and space. By designing the light-emitting wall of the main body as annular and the light guide plate as curved, the light exiting from the light-emitting area of ​​the light guide plate via the light-emitting wall can give the light-emitting device a light pattern with a special shape. Furthermore, by having the light exit from the side of the light guide plate away from the light-emitting unit and exit via the side wall of the main body, the design flexibility of the light pattern presented by the light-emitting device and the light-emitting area can be further increased.

[0059] Although the present disclosure has been described above with reference to embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present disclosure. Any person skilled in the art may make various modifications and refinements without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present disclosure shall be determined by the scope defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A light-emitting device, characterized in that, Include: A body comprising a light-emitting wall and a side wall that are connected and relatively bent, wherein the light-emitting wall and the side wall together form a groove; A light guide plate has a light emitting area and a light equalization area. The light emitting area has multiple microstructures, wherein at least a portion of the light emitting area is engaged in a groove. A flexible circuit board has a light-emitting unit configured to emit light toward one side of the light-diffusing area, wherein the light enters the light guide plate from the side of the light-diffusing area and undergoes total internal reflection in the light-diffusing area, and is then guided to the light-emitting wall via the plurality of microstructures; The bottom of the groove is at least partially transparent to light, and part of the light leaves the light guide plate from one side of the light guide plate and leaves the body through the bottom of the groove.

2. The light-emitting device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, It further includes a light-diffusing film that covers at least a portion of the light guide plate.

3. The light-emitting device as described in claim 2, characterized in that, The light-diffusing film is partially adhered to the flexible circuit board and wraps around the light guide plate.

4. The light-emitting device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, It further includes a reflective layer disposed on the side of the flexible circuit board facing the light guide plate.

5. The light-emitting device as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The light-emitting wall is annular, and the sidewall connects to the edge of the light-emitting wall and extends to the inner side of the light-emitting wall.

6. The light-emitting device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, It further includes a light-diffusing film disposed between the light-emitting area and the light-emitting wall, extending into the groove and covering the side of the light guide plate.

7. The light-emitting device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, It further includes a reflective layer located below the light guide plate, and a light-shielding film is provided on the bottom surface of the reflective layer.

8. The light-emitting device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The light guide plate is curved and has a uniform thickness.

9. The light-emitting device as described in claim 8, characterized in that, The light guide plate includes: First board section; A second plate portion, opposite to the first plate portion; and A bend is provided, which connects the first plate portion and the second plate portion on the same side edge, wherein at least a portion of the plurality of microstructures are located on the bend.

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