Light Guide Key Plate Overflow Grooves for Bubble Control
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional light guide key plates for mobile phones face issues with air bubbles and silica gel overflow during the manufacturing process, affecting the quality and thickness of the final product.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating overflow grooves into the light guide plate design that communicate with keyholes and flow passages, allowing for air discharge and excess silica gel removal, thereby preventing bubbles and overflow.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If flow passages are formed between keyholes to disperse silica gel uniformly, then silica gel distribution is improved, but air bubbles easily appear during filling
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces air escape passages as intermediary channels that mediate between the flow passages and the external environment. These passages provide a dedicated pathway for air bubbles to escape during silica gel filling, preventing air bubble entrapment while maintaining the flow passages' function of uniform silica gel distribution.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the functional pathways by separating flow passages (for silica gel delivery) from air escape passages (for air bubble removal). This segmentation allows each passage type to optimize its specific function without interfering with the other, resolving the contradiction between uniform distribution and air bubble prevention.
2Manufacturing precision
If silica gel is filled to fully fill keyholes, then key formation is complete, but surplus silica gel overflows onto product surface
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts the surplus silica gel from the problematic surface overflow location by providing air escape passages that lead to designated escape openings. This allows excess silica gel to be removed through controlled pathways rather than overflowing onto the product surface, while ensuring complete keyhole filling.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent converts the harmful effect of surplus silica gel (which would normally cause overflow) into a beneficial outcome by channeling it through air escape passages to designated escape openings. The surplus material that would cause defects is instead redirected to controlled discharge locations.
3Ease of operation
If conventional multi-layer keyboard structure is used, then key functionality is achieved, but total thickness becomes too thick
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the light guide plate and key pad into a single integrated light guide key plate. The keyholes are directly formed in the light guide plate structure, eliminating the need for separate key layers and shading sheets. This consolidation maintains full key functionality while significantly reducing the total thickness of the keyboard assembly.
Solution Approach 2:
The light guide key plate performs multiple functions simultaneously: it guides light from LED lamps, forms the key pad structure, and provides the surface for key formation. This multi-functionality eliminates the need for separate conventional keyboard layers, achieving both functionality and thickness reduction.
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
Ensures uniform silica gel distribution and prevents surface overflow, enhancing the quality and reducing thickness of the light guide key plate.
Implementation Method 1
the molded light guide plate is formed with crisscross flow passages 13 between different keyholes 12
Implementation Method 2
the air may be discharged through the overflow grooves, thus the air bubbles will not exist in the light guide key plate
Implementation Method 3
the surplus silica gel may be also discharged through the overflow grooves, thus the surplus silica gel will not spread onto the front face of the light guide key plate
Implementation Method 4
After all components are assembled together, the keyboard is often too thick... as a result, after being sulfurized, the silica gel is bonded together with the light guide plate
Data Source
Figure 1~2
Figure 3
AI summary
A light guide key plate includes a light guide plate (1). The light guide plate (1) has a plate body (11) with a plurality of keyholes (12). The plate body (11) is formed with flow passages (13) at one side thereof for communicating with the adjacent keyholes (12). The plate body (11) is also formed with overflow grooves (14) at one side thereof with the flow passages (13), and the overflow grooves (14) are extend inwardly from the edge of the plate body (11) and are communicated with the keyholes (12).