Light Guiding Substrate for Illuminated Keyboard Thickness Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional illuminated keyboards with backlight modules have a complex light guiding structure that increases the overall thickness due to the use of multiple plates, such as light shielding, guiding, and reflection plates.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a single light guiding substrate with assembly structures and a support plate featuring penetrated portions, eliminating the need for additional shielding and reflection plates, and utilizing liftable connecting members to reduce thickness while maintaining effective light distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If a backlight module with multiple plates (light shielding plate, light guiding plate, light reflection plate) is used, then light guiding function is achieved, but the overall thickness of the keyboard increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple separate plates (light shielding plate, light guiding plate, light reflection plate) into a single integrated light guiding substrate. This substrate incorporates both light guiding and light reflection functions in one component, eliminating the need for separate plates and reducing the overall thickness of the keyboard while maintaining effective light distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
The light guiding substrate is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously: it guides light from the light source, reflects light to improve distribution uniformity, and provides structural support. This multi-functional design replaces the conventional multi-plate structure, achieving the same optical effects with reduced thickness.
2Illumination intensity
If additional shielding plate and reflection plate are added to the light guiding structure, then light distribution uniformity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent integrates light guiding and light reflection functions into a single light guiding substrate, eliminating the need for separate shielding and reflection plates. The substrate includes built-in reflection surfaces that achieve uniform light distribution without requiring additional components, thereby simplifying the overall structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The light guiding substrate is made of light-guiding material with integrated reflection surfaces, combining the functions of light guiding and light reflection in one composite structure. This approach achieves uniform light distribution while reducing the number of separate components needed.
3Ease of operation
If assembly structures are added to the light guiding substrate, then keycap assembly is enabled, but the thickness of the support plate increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs the assembly structures as protrusions extending from the surface of the light guiding substrate, utilizing the vertical dimension efficiently. The penetrated portions in the support plate align with these protrusions, enabling keycap assembly without requiring increased support plate thickness, as the assembly features are integrated into the lighter-guiding substrate 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 configuration reduces the overall thickness of the keyboard by eliminating unnecessary plate structures and enhancing light guiding efficiency through a one-layer light guiding substrate and support plate setup, allowing for uniform illumination in low-light conditions.
Implementation Method 1
a light guiding substrate, a support plate, a plurality of keycaps, and a plurality of liftable connecting members. The light guiding substrate comprises an upper surface and a lower surface opposite to the upper surface
Implementation Method 2
The support plate comprises a top surface and a bottom surface opposite to the top surface. The support plate has a plurality of first penetrated portions respectively corresponding to the assembly areas
Data Source
AI summary
An illuminated keyboard includes a light guiding substrate, a support plate, a plurality of keycaps, and a plurality of liftable connecting member. The light guiding substrate has an upper surface and a lower surface. The upper surface includes a plurality of assembly areas, each of the assembly areas has an assembly structure. The support plate is above the light guiding substrate, and the support plate has a top surface and a bottom surface. The support plate is provided with a plurality of first penetrated portions, each of the first penetrated portions corresponds to the corresponding assembly area, and each of the assembly structures passes through the corresponding first penetrated portion. The keycaps are above the support plate and corresponding to the assembly areas. Each of the liftable connecting members is connected to the corresponding keycap and the assembly structure of the corresponding assembly area.