Keyboard Backlight Module With Light Guide Plate for Uniform Key Illumination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional keyboards face challenges in recyclability due to heavy metal baseplates and non-uniform backlighting, where direct light from LEDs makes symbols too bright, affecting brightness uniformity and the lighting effect.
Innovation Solution
A keyboard design featuring a transparent plastic baseplate with a membrane circuit board, light guide plate, and optical microstructures to guide light efficiently, along with a recyclable plastic construction and adhesive layers to enhance light coupling and prevent leakage, ensuring uniform lighting and improved recyclability.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a heavy metal baseplate is used to connect scissor-type lift mechanisms, then the structural strength and stability are improved, but the recyclability deteriorates and the keyboard thickness increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the baseplate function from a heavy metal component to a lightweight plastic baseplate, maintaining structural support while enabling easier recycling. The plastic baseplate can be easily separated from the scissor-type lift mechanisms, improving recyclability without significantly compromising structural strength.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite material strategy by using plastic instead of metal for the baseplate, creating a keyboard structure that combines lightweight properties with adequate mechanical strength. This material substitution resolves the contradiction between strength requirements and recyclability needs.
2Illumination intensity
If light emitting diodes are disposed under the baseplate to illuminate keycaps, then the backlighting function is achieved, but the symbols on keyswitches become too bright and brightness uniformity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a light guide plate as an intermediary component between the LEDs and the keycaps. This light guide plate diffuses and redistributes the light from the LEDs, preventing direct light exposure to symbols on keyswitches while maintaining overall illumination. The intermediary structure ensures uniform brightness distribution across the keyboard surface.
Solution Approach 2:
The light guide plate creates local quality variations in light distribution, directing light away from symbol areas while maintaining illumination on keycap surfaces. This localized light control achieves both adequate backlighting and uniform brightness without over-illuminating specific symbols.
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 design achieves improved recyclability and uniform backlighting by using a transparent baseplate and optical microstructures to distribute light evenly, reducing material waste and enhancing the visual effect of the keyboard.
Implementation Method 1
An optical microstructure is formed on the light guide plate for guiding light of the at least one light emitting diode to be incident to the keycap
Implementation Method 2
The at least one light emitting diode is located on at least one side of the elastic member and emits light to the keycap
Data Source
AI summary
A backlight module is applied to providing light to a plurality of keyswitches of a keyboard. Each keyswitch has a keycap and an elastic member abutting against the keycap. The backlight module includes a membrane circuit board and a light guide plate. The membrane circuit board has a light emitting diode corresponding to the keyswitch. The light emitting diode is located at a side of the elastic member and emits light to the keycap. The light guide plate is disposed on the membrane circuit board. The light guide plate has a slot hole for containing the light emitting diode and has a hole corresponding to the elastic member. An optical microstructure is formed on the light guide plate for guiding light of the light emitting diode to be incident to the keycap. The elastic member passes through the hole to be disposed on the membrane circuit board.