Luminous Keyboard Light Guide Plate Slant Surface
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional luminous keyboard devices face challenges in achieving slimness while maintaining luminous efficiency and cost-effectiveness, as thinner light-emitting elements result in lower luminous efficiency and higher costs.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates thicker light-emitting elements and a supporting plate with first supporting plate openings featuring a light-guiding slant surface, allowing light beams to be efficiently guided into a membrane switch circuit module for enhanced illumination, while maintaining a slim profile.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If thinner light-emitting elements are used, then the keyboard device achieves slimness, but luminous efficiency decreases and cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent changes the thickness parameter of the light-emitting element to a thicker configuration, which directly improves luminous efficiency. This parameter change resolves the contradiction by selecting a thickness that provides sufficient light output while the light guide plate design ensures the overall device remains slim.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a light guide plate with specific optical path designs (including total internal reflection surfaces and light extraction structures) that redirect light in different dimensions. This allows the use of thicker light-emitting elements for better luminous efficiency while maintaining a slim overall device profile through optimized light distribution in the Z-direction.
2Length of moving object
If thinner light-emitting elements are used, then the keyboard device achieves slimness, but manufacturing cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent selects a thicker light-emitting element configuration that is more cost-effective to manufacture. Thicker elements are generally more economical to produce with standard manufacturing processes and have better yield rates, directly addressing the cost issue while the light guide plate design maintains the slim overall profile.
3Length of moving object
If the light guide plate is made thinner, then the keyboard device achieves slimness, but light guidance efficiency decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a light guide plate with composite structural features including different refractive index regions, total internal reflection surfaces, and light extraction structures. This composite design allows the light guide plate to be thin while maintaining high light guidance efficiency through optimized optical paths and multiple light extraction mechanisms.
Solution Approach 2:
The light guide plate incorporates three-dimensional optical path designs including angled reflection surfaces and multi-layer structures that guide light efficiently in multiple directions. This dimensional optimization allows thin construction while preserving light guidance effectiveness through sophisticated light routing in the Z-direction.
4Device complexity
If conventional light-emitting elements are used, then the structure is simple, but luminous efficiency is low
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a light guide plate as an intermediary component between the light-emitting element and the keycaps. This light guide plate mediates light distribution by capturing light from the LED, guiding it through optimized optical paths with total internal reflection surfaces, and extracting light uniformly across the keycap illumination zones, thereby significantly improving luminous efficiency without requiring complex modifications to the LED itself.
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
This approach enhances luminous efficiency and reduces costs by using thicker light-emitting elements, while allowing for a thinner design that meets the requirements of slimness and uniform key illumination.
Implementation Method 1
the light guide plate has a first light-guiding slant surface for guiding the plural light beams to be introduced into the light guide plate
Data Source
AI summary
A luminous keyboard device includes plural keys, a supporting plate, a light-emitting element, and a light guide plate. The supporting plate has a supporting plate opening, and the supporting plate opening has a light-guiding slant surface. The light-emitting element is inserted into the supporting plate opening for emitting plural light beams. When the plural light beams are emitted by the light-emitting element, the plural light beams are guided by the light-guiding slant surface to be introduced into the light guide plate, and the plural light beams are directed to the plural keys to illuminate the plural keys. Consequently, the light amount of the light beams to be introduced into the light guide plate will be increased.