Keyboard Backlight Shielding Layout for Uniform Key Halo Illumination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing lighting keyboards face issues with uneven halo illumination due to the limited luminous range of mini LEDs, leading to inconsistent lighting across keyswitches, with main symbols being over-illuminated and corner symbols being too dark, and overall illuminating consistency being poor.
Innovation Solution
A backlight module comprising a lighting board with micro-structure regions and a shielding sheet that optimally arranges frame and block patterns to recycle light, enhancing the amount of light entering the light guide panel and improving overall illuminating consistency by using micro-structure layers to assist light output.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If a low luminous LED is applied to illuminate each keyswitch, then power consumption is reduced, but illumination uniformity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
A light guide panel is introduced as an intermediary component between the LED and the keyswitches. The LED emits light that is collected and redistributed by the light guide panel, which has specifically designed light extraction structures to achieve uniform illumination across all keyswitches while maintaining low power consumption.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies the physical and optical parameters of the light guide panel, including refractive index, thickness, and light extraction structure geometry, to optimize light distribution. By changing these parameters, uniform illumination is achieved without increasing LED power consumption.
2Ease of manufacture
If a single outlet window configuration is used for all keyswitches, then manufacturing is simplified, but halo uniformity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The shielding sheet is designed with different outlet window configurations for different keyswitch positions. Edge keyswitches have different outlet window sizes or shapes compared to center keyswitches, allowing each position to achieve optimal halo uniformity while accounting for local geometric differences in the keyboard layout.
3Illumination intensity
If block patterns are added to the shielding sheet, then light distribution is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The shielding sheet is segmented into multiple functional regions: outlet windows for light extraction, block patterns for light blocking and redistribution, and frame patterns for structural support. This segmentation allows each region to perform its specific function optimally, achieving uniform light distribution while keeping the overall design manageable through modular functionality.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution significantly enhances the uniformity of contour halo illumination across multiple areas and individual keyswitches, ensuring consistent brightness and improved visual effect by increasing light recycling and output.
Implementation Method 1
micro-structure layer to assist light output
Data Source
AI summary
A lighting keyboard includes a backlight module and two rows of keyswitches. The backlight module includes a lighting board and a shielding sheet. The lighting board includes plural illuminants aligned into two rows to correspond to the two rows of keyswitches. The shielding sheet includes plural first outlet windows and plural first block patterns disposed within the first outlet windows respectively and form a first row pattern collectively. Each of the first block patterns respectively corresponds to one of the illuminant. The shielding sheet includes at least one second outlet window and plural second block patterns respectively disposed within the at least one second outlet window and formed a second row pattern collectively. Each of the plural second block patterns respectively correspond to one of the plural illuminants. A first window length of the entire contour of the plural first outlet windows is as long as a second window length of the at least one second outlet window. And the first row pattern is not identical to the second row pattern, thereby providing consistent contour halos for the two rows of keyswitches.