LED display device for electronic input device

Abstract

We provide LED display devices for electronic input devices. The electronic input device includes a light-emitting unit (10) that is provided in one area of ​​the electronic input device and includes a plurality of LEDs (11) that emit light, a cover (40) that covers the light-emitting unit and emits light emitted from the plurality of LEDs to the outside of the electronic input device, and a partition member (20) that is provided between the light-emitting unit and the cover, and that has a plurality of partitions (21) formed on it that have a height that covers the lower side of an LED lens (15) through which the light from the LEDs is emitted. A single hardware structure can achieve both information display and decorative functions, meeting the diverse customization needs of users.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to an LED display device for electronic input devices. [Background technology]

[0002] In general, visual display functions using LEDs in electronic input devices, particularly keyboards and mice, have become an important factor in enhancing user convenience and aesthetic satisfaction.

[0003] Such an LED display device can provide an information display function that mainly indicates the functional status of a specific key, and a decorative effect function that displays a logo or pattern.

[0004] However, conventional LED display devices for electronic input devices may have structural limitations in achieving these two functions simultaneously.

[0005] Since the light from each LED must be clearly distinguishable to display information, it is common to install complete partitions between the LEDs.

[0006] Such a full partition structure can have the advantage of accurately displaying the functional status of, for example, Caps Lock, Num Lock, Scroll Lock, etc.

[0007] On the other hand, to achieve decorative effects such as logos, text, and patterns, the light emitted from multiple LEDs must mix naturally, so it may be desirable to apply a partition-less structure.

[0008] Due to such structural constraints, the following specific problems can occur in the conventional technology.

[0009] First, in an LED display device that uses a complete partition structure for displaying information, the light from each LED is completely separated, making it difficult to achieve decorative visual effects. In particular, when displaying continuous logos or text, the boundaries between each LED area become clearly visible, resulting in an aesthetically unnatural result.

[0010] Secondly, when a no-partition structure for decorative effect is applied, the state of each LED may not be clearly distinguishable due to the mixing of light, and the accurate functional status may not be displayed. This may cause a practical problem in that the user may not accurately know whether a specific function of the keyboard is activated or not.

[0011] Thirdly, such a dichotomous structure choice requires manufacturers to separately design and produce different LED display devices depending on the intended use, which may increase manufacturing costs and complicate inventory management, and also limits end users' choices by forcing them to purchase separate products depending on the desired functions.

[0012] Due to these limitations, there is a growing technological need for a new concept LED display device that can simultaneously realize information display and decorative effects with a single hardware structure, while meeting various customization needs of users. [Prior art documents] [Patent documents]

[0013] [Patent Document 1] Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2024-0171898 Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0014] The present invention is intended to solve the above problems and aims to provide an LED display device for electronic input devices that can achieve both information display and decorative functions with a single hardware structure, and can meet the diverse customization needs of users.

[0015] The problems that the present invention aims to solve are not limited to the problems mentioned above, and other problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description. [Means for solving the problem]

[0016] The object of the present invention can be achieved by an LED display device for an electronic input device, comprising: a light-emitting unit provided in a region of the electronic input device and including a plurality of LEDs that emit light; a cover that covers the light-emitting unit and emits the light emitted from the plurality of LEDs to the outside of the electronic input device; and a partition member provided between the light-emitting unit and the cover, which has a plurality of partitions formed thereon and has a height that covers the lower side of an LED lens through which the light from the LEDs is emitted.

[0017] Here, the light source device may further include a blocking member selectively provided between the partition member and the cover, partitioning the LEDs together with the partition members, surrounding upper sides of the LED lenses of the LEDs, and forming a plurality of blocking walls that block light interference between adjacent LEDs.

[0018] The cover and the light emitting unit can be detachably coupled to each other by magnetic coupling, fitting coupling, or screw coupling.

[0019] The cover may further include a decorative portion decorated with at least one of a logo, text, and a pattern.

[0020] The electronic input device may further include a control unit that controls the illumination of the plurality of LEDs, and the control unit may control the illumination of the plurality of LEDs to indicate whether a function of a specific key of the electronic input device is activated or to indicate a decorative part of the cover.

[0021] The LEDs can emit light of the same color or different colors.

[0022] The plurality of LEDs may be arranged in a line at intervals along one direction. [Effects of the Invention]

[0023] According to this invention, by using a partially open partition structure to block the lower side of the LED lens and open the upper side of the LED lens, it is possible to simultaneously realize information display and decorative functions with a single hardware structure.

[0024] Furthermore, by detachably connecting the cover and the light emitting unit, the cover can be easily replaced, and various customization needs of users can be met.

[0025] Furthermore, by further including a blocking member between the cover and the partition member, the information display function can be further enhanced selectively depending on the purpose of use.

[0026] The effects of the present invention are not limited to those mentioned above, and other effects not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0027] [Figure 1] 1 is an exploded perspective view of an LED display device for an electronic input device according to an embodiment of the present invention; [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the connection shown in FIG. [Figure 3]2 is a diagram showing a state in which a blocking member is provided in the LED display device for an electronic input device of FIG. 1. FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a combined cross-sectional view of FIG. 3. [Figure 5] FIG. [Figure 6] 1 is a diagram showing an example in which an LED display device for an electronic input device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied to a keyboard; DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0028] The advantages and features of the present invention, as well as methods for achieving them, will become apparent from the following detailed description of the embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the embodiments disclosed below, and may be realized in various different forms. The present embodiments are provided solely to complete the disclosure of the present invention and fully convey the scope of the present invention to those skilled in the art to which the present invention pertains, and the present invention is only defined by the scope of the claims.

[0029] The terms used in this specification are for the purpose of describing embodiments and are not intended to limit the present invention. In this specification, the singular forms include the plural forms unless the context clearly dictates otherwise. The words "comprises" and / or "comprising" used in this specification do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other elements in addition to the elements listed. The same reference numerals refer to the same elements throughout the specification, and "and / or" includes each and every combination of one or more of the listed elements.

[0030] Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used in this specification can be used in the sense that they can be commonly understood by a person skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs. Furthermore, terms defined in commonly used dictionaries should not be interpreted ideally or excessively unless they are specifically defined.

[0031] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0032] Before explaining, it should be made clear that in the following embodiments, a keyboard will be described as one embodiment of an electronic input device, but this is not limited thereto, and the technical ideas of the present invention can also be applied to various electronic input devices such as a mouse.

[0033] 1 and 2 show an LED display device for an electronic input device according to one embodiment of the present invention.

[0034] As shown in these drawings, an LED display device 1a for an electronic input device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a light emitting unit 10, a cover 40, and a partition member 20. As shown in FIG.

[0035] These components interact organically to selectively control the light emitted from the LED 11, providing the user with the ability to freely switch between information display mode and decorative mode according to their needs.

[0036] In particular, the plurality of partitions 21 formed in the partition member 20 are formed lower than the height of the LED lenses 15 of the LEDs 11, blocking the lower illumination area of ​​the LED lenses 15 and opening the upper illumination area of ​​the LED lenses 15, thereby realizing an original optical design that can simultaneously achieve light division and mixing with a single structure.

[0037] The light emitting unit 10 is a component that provides the basic light source of the present invention, and is provided in one area of ​​the keyboard 100 and includes a plurality of LEDs 11 that emit light.

[0038] In one embodiment of the present invention, the LEDs 11 can be arranged in a row at intervals along one direction, and the intervals between the LEDs 11 can be appropriately adjusted according to the purpose of use and the size of the keyboard 100.

[0039] The LEDs 11 may emit light of the same color or different colors. In one embodiment of the present invention, the LEDs 11 may be configured as single-color LEDs, such as white, blue, red, or green. In another embodiment, RGB LEDs may be used, with each LED being configured to express various colors by combining red (R), green (G), and blue (B). When using RGB LEDs, each color channel can be independently controlled within a range of 0 to 255, allowing for various color combinations.

[0040] The light emitting unit 10 can be configured to have a structure in which the LED 11 is mounted on a printed circuit board (PCB).

[0041] Each LED 11 is mounted on a printed circuit board, and a transparent LED lens 15 is provided above the LED 11, through which light from the LED 11 passes and is irradiated to the surroundings.

[0042] The partition member 20 is the most core component of the present invention, and is arranged between the light emitting unit 10 and the cover 40. A plurality of partitions 21 may be formed to separate the plurality of LEDs 11 so that part of the light emitted from the LEDs 11 is diffused to the illumination area of ​​the adjacent LEDs 11.

[0043] The most important feature of the partition member 20 is that a plurality of partitions 21 protrude from one side surface of the partition member 20 to a height that covers the lower side surfaces of the LED lenses 15 of the plurality of LEDs 11, thereby blocking and partitioning the illumination areas of the lower side surfaces of the LED lenses 15. The partitions 21 of the partition member 20 leave the upper side surfaces of the LED lenses 15 of the plurality of LEDs 11 open, allowing a portion of the light emitted from the LEDs 11 to diffuse into the illumination areas of the adjacent LEDs 11.

[0044] In addition, the partitions 21 of the partition member 20 are formed with openings at the front and top, and are arranged at intervals along the arrangement direction of the multiple LEDs 11, forming an LED accommodating section 25 in which the LEDs 11 are accommodated between a pair of adjacent partitions 21.

[0045] The partition member 20 can be made of various materials, for example, opaque plastic materials such as ABS (acrylonitrile butadiene styrene), PC (polycarbonate), and POM (polyoxymethylene).

[0046] To improve the light blocking effect, the surface of the barrier ribs 21 may be coated with black paint or may be made of a material mixed with black pigment. Also, the inner surface of the barrier ribs 21 may be coated with a non-reflective coating to minimize light reflection.

[0047] Meanwhile, the light emitting unit 10 and the partition member 20 can be embedded in a certain area of ​​the keyboard 100 .

[0048] The cover 40 covers the light emitting unit 10 and functions to emit light emitted from the plurality of LEDs 11 to the outside of the keyboard 100.

[0049] The cover 40 can be made of a transparent or translucent material, such as acrylic (PMMA), polycarbonate (PC), or tempered glass.

[0050] The cover 40 may further include a decorative portion 41 decorated with at least one of a logo, text, and a pattern.

[0051] The decorative part 41 can be formed in various ways, for example, by laser etching, silk screen printing, or injection molding, and can be integrally formed with the cover 40, or can be manufactured as a separate film attachment mold or a separate injection molding product and be replaceably attached to the cover 40.

[0052] An optical filter 43 for filtering unnecessary wavelength components of the light emitted to the outside through the cover 40 may be provided on the surface of the cover 40 facing the light emitting unit 10 .

[0053] Meanwhile, the cover 40 and the light emitting unit 10 can be detachably coupled to each other by magnetic coupling, snap coupling, or screw coupling.

[0054] 1, magnets 50 having different magnetic properties may be embedded on both sides of the bottom surface of the cover 40 and on both sides of the top surface of the light emitting unit 10. The magnetic force of the magnets 50 may be set to a level that can stably fix the cover 40 while allowing the user to easily separate the cover 40.

[0055] Although not shown, when the cover and the light emitting unit are connected by a snap-fit ​​coupling, a female coupling portion can be formed at the bottom of the cover and a male coupling portion can be formed at the top of the light emitting unit. The shape of the coupling portion can be, for example, circular, rectangular, or polygonal, and can have a tapered structure for precise alignment. Furthermore, although not shown, when a screw-fit coupling is used, screws can be used, and screw holes can be formed on both sides of the cover.

[0056] In addition, when the cover 40 and the partition member 20 are joined together, the fitting protrusions 45 formed on the cover 40 are fitted into the fitting grooves 31 formed on the partition member 20, so that the partitions 21 of the partition member 20 are stably aligned and positioned between the multiple LEDs 11.

[0057] Here, the fitting protrusions 45 of the cover 40 are provided on both sides of the cover 40 , and the fitting grooves 31 are provided on both sides of the partition member 20 in correspondence with the positions of the fitting protrusions 45 .

[0058] In addition, the LED display device 1a for an electronic input device according to an embodiment of the present invention may further include a control unit 80 for controlling the light emission of the plurality of LEDs 11.

[0059] The control unit 80 is built into the keyboard 100 and controls the illumination of a plurality of LEDs 11 to indicate whether a specific key function of the electronic input device, such as Caps Lock, Num Lock, Scroll Lock, etc., is activated or not, and can also control the display of the decorative part 41 of the cover 40.

[0060] The control unit 80 is mainly configured with a microcontroller (MCU) and supports various lighting modes.

[0061] In the information display mode, the control unit 80 can light only specific LEDs 11 to clearly indicate the activation status of the corresponding function. For example, as shown in Fig. 6, when the Caps Lock function is activated, only the first LED 11 from the left is lighted, e.g., only the LED corresponding to the letter "G" is lighted, and when the Num Lock function is activated, only the second LED 11 from the left is lighted, e.g., only the LED corresponding to the letter "O" is lighted. In this case, the brightness of each LED 11 can be automatically adjusted according to the ambient illuminance, e.g., to 100% brightness in a bright environment and to 30% to 50% brightness in a dark environment.

[0062] In the decorative mode, the control unit 80 can simultaneously light up multiple LEDs 11 to produce various visual effects. For example, it can support a static mode in which all LEDs 11 light up in the same color, a sequence mode in which the LEDs 11 light up sequentially, a bleeding mode in which the LEDs 11 change brightness as if breathing, and a rainbow mode in which rainbow colors flow. The speed and brightness of each mode can be adjusted by the user.

[0063] The control unit 80 may also include a memory function, allowing it to store and read out lighting patterns set by the user. The memory may use, for example, an EEPROM or flash memory, and may store various user-defined patterns. Each pattern may include information such as the color, brightness, and blinking cycle of each LED 11, and patterns may be switched by a specific key combination on the keyboard 100 or via separate control software.

[0064] With this configuration, the LED display device for electronic input devices according to one embodiment of the present invention, as shown in FIG. 2, has a partition structure in which the LED lens 15 of the LED 11 is partially open, with the lower side of the LED lens 15 of the LED 11 blocked and the upper side open, so that part of the light emitted from the LED 11 is diffused to the illumination area of ​​the adjacent LED 11, thereby achieving both information display and decorative functions with a single hardware structure.

[0065] Furthermore, by detachably connecting the cover 40 and the light emitting unit 10, the cover 40 can be easily replaced, thereby satisfying various customization needs of users.

[0066] 3 and 4 show an embodiment in which the blocking member 60 shown in FIG. 5 is further included in the above-described embodiment.

[0067] The blocking member 60 is provided between the partition member 20 and the cover 40 .

[0068] The blocking member 60 includes a plurality of blocking walls 61 that partition the plurality of LEDs 11 together with the plurality of partition walls 21, surround the upper surface side of the LED lens 15 onto which light from the LEDs 11 is irradiated, and block light interference between the plurality of LEDs 11.

[0069] These blocking walls 61 may have a rectangular lattice shape so as to surround the upper surface side of the LED lens 15 of the LED 11. As a result, between the multiple blocking walls 61, passing holes 63 are formed through which the light emitted from the LED 11 passes.

[0070] Such a dual barrier system can offer the advantage of more precise control over light diffusion.

[0071] The height of the blocking wall 61 may be the same as or different from the height of the partition wall 21, and the overall height of the blocking wall and the partition wall is the height that surrounds the side of the LED lens 15 of the LED 11, so that the light emitted through the LED lens 15 of the LED 11 is emitted above the LED lens 15, i.e., toward the cover 40.

[0072] Meanwhile, when the blocking member 60 and the partition member 20 are joined together, the fitting protrusion 45 formed on the cover 40 is fitted into the fitting groove 31 formed on the partition member 20 through the communicating hole 65 formed on the blocking member 60, so that the blocking wall 61 of the blocking member 60 is aligned vertically with the partition 21 of the partition member 20 and stacked together.

[0073] Here, the communication holes 65 correspond to the positions of the fitting protrusions 45 of the cover 40 and the fitting grooves 31 of the partition wall member 20 and are provided on both sides of the blocking member 60 .

[0074] With this configuration, by arranging the shielding member 60 and the partition member 20 in a double layer, the light emitted from each LED 11 does not diffuse into the irradiation area of ​​the adjacent LED 11 through the side of the LED lens 15, but is irradiated only above the LED 11 and released to the outside through the cover 40, thereby providing a clearer information display effect than a decorative effect compared to when the shielding member 60 is not included.

[0075] In this way, the LED display device 1 for electronic input devices according to one embodiment of the present invention can be used to further enhance its information display function by selectively including the blocking member 60 depending on the purpose of use, and the cover 40 and the light-emitting unit 10 can be detachably connected, making it possible to easily replace the cover 40 and meet various customization needs of users.

[0076] Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the accompanying drawings, those skilled in the art will understand that the present invention can be embodied in other specific forms without changing the technical spirit or essential characteristics thereof. Therefore, it should be understood that the embodiments described above are illustrative in all respects and are not limiting. [Explanation of symbols]

[0077] 1: LED display device for electronic input device 10: Lighting unit 11: LED 15: LED lens 20: Partition wall member 21: Bulkhead 25: LED housing 31: fitting groove 40: Cover 41: Decoration section 43: Optical filter 45: Insertion protrusion 50: Magnet 60: Blocking member 61: Barrier 63: Passing hole 65:Communication hole 80: Control unit 100: Keyboard

Claims

1. a light-emitting unit including a plurality of LEDs disposed in a region of the electronic input device and configured to emit light; a cover that covers the light emitting unit and emits light emitted from the plurality of LEDs to the outside of the electronic input device; an LED display device for an electronic input device, comprising: a partition member provided between the light-emitting unit and the cover, the partition member separating the plurality of LEDs, and having a plurality of partitions formed thereon, the partitions having a height that covers a lower side surface of an LED lens onto which light from the LEDs is irradiated.

2. 2. The LED display device for an electronic input device according to claim 1, further comprising a blocking member selectively provided between the partition member and the cover, partitioning the plurality of LEDs together with a plurality of the partitions, surrounding upper side surfaces of LED lenses of the LEDs, and forming a plurality of blocking walls that block light interference between adjacent LEDs.

3. 2. The LED display device for an electronic input device according to claim 1, wherein the cover and the light emitting unit are detachably coupled to each other by magnetic coupling, snap coupling, or screw coupling.

4. The LED display device for an electronic input device according to claim 1 , wherein the cover further includes a decorative portion decorated with at least one of a logo, text, and pattern.

5. Further, a control unit controls light emission of the plurality of LEDs, 5. The LED display device for an electronic input device according to claim 4, wherein the control unit controls the light emission of the plurality of LEDs to indicate whether a function of a specific key of the electronic input device is activated or to indicate a decorative part of the cover.

6. 10. The LED display device for an electronic input device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of LEDs emit light of the same color or different colors.

7. 2. The LED display device for an electronic input device according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of LEDs are arranged in a line at intervals along one direction.

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