Keyboard Backlight Module With Light Guide Slots for Color Mixing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing lighting keyboards face issues with inconsistent illumination, over-illumination of main symbols, and uneven light distribution across keycaps, leading to poor overall and single-key light mixing effects and color visual effects.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of a backlight module with a light guide panel, micro-structure regions, and non-intersecting traces on a lighting board, along with a shielding sheet, to enhance light recycling and distribution, ensuring consistent illumination and improved color saturation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by moving object
If a low luminous LED is used to illuminate each keyswitch, then power consumption is reduced, but the illuminating consistency and color visual effect deteriorate
Solution Approach 1:
A light guide panel is introduced as an intermediary component between the LED and the keyswitches. The light guide panel receives light from the low luminous LED and distributes it uniformly across the keyswitch area, including the surrounding outlets, thereby achieving consistent illumination without increasing power consumption
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies the optical parameters of the system by introducing a light guide panel with specific optical properties (refractive index, thickness, surface structure) that enable efficient light distribution. This changes how light propagates and distributes, allowing low luminous LEDs to achieve uniform illumination across the keyboard surface
2Device complexity
If a single LED illuminates the entire keyswitch area, then device complexity is reduced, but light distribution uniformity deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The illumination area is segmented into different zones (main symbol area, corner areas, surrounding outlets) with different optical requirements. The light guide panel is designed with corresponding segmented structures including slots and micro-structure regions that direct light differently to each zone, achieving uniform distribution while maintaining a simple single-LED structure
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from direct one-dimensional light propagation to two-dimensional light distribution through the light guide panel. The panel spreads light laterally across the keyswitch area, converting the point-source illumination into a面-source illumination, thereby achieving uniform distribution without adding multiple LEDs
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 enhances overall illuminating consistency and color visual effects by increasing the amount of light emitted and optimizing light mixing, addressing issues of uneven illumination and color inconsistency.
Implementation Method 1
the micro-structure region is located between the slot and the reflective layer hole... increasing the amount of light emitted
Implementation Method 2
the shielding sheet includes a reflective layer hole allowing light to exit, and the micro-structure region is at least partially located between the reflective layer hole and the at least one slot
Data Source
AI summary
A lighting keyboard includes a backlight module and a keyswitch. The backlight module includes two lighting units, a light guide panel, a lighting board and a micro-structure layer. The light guide panel includes two panel holes to accommodate the two lighting units. The light guide panel further includes at least one slot located between the two lighting units. The lighting board is disposed in parallel to the light guide panel, and the lighting board includes at least one pair of non-parallel main traces in electrical connection with the two lighting units. The micro-structure layer is disposed in parallel to the light guide panel, and the micro-structure layer includes at least one micro-structure region. The at least one micro-structure region is disposed between the two lighting units, and meanwhile the at least one slot of the light guide panel is at least partially located within the at least one micro-structure region.