Backlit Push Button Structure With Direct Keycap Illumination
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional backlight keyboards suffer from light absorption and scattering in the light guide base plate, leading to inefficient utilization of light and reduced illuminating effect.
Innovation Solution
A push button device comprising a base plate, film circuit board, flexible circuit board, keycap, supporting module, resistor units, and a light-emitting member, where the light-emitting member is directly exposed to the keycap to enhance light transmission, and resistor units control brightness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If a light guide base plate is used to guide light in a conventional backlight keyboard, then the light can be directed towards the supporting plate and reflected back, but some light rays are absorbed or scattered by the material, causing loss of light and reduced illuminating effect
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the light guide base plate from the conventional backlight keyboard structure. By extracting this component, the patent eliminates the light absorption and scattering problems caused by the light guide base plate material, allowing light to travel directly from the light emitting member through the supporting plate to illuminate the keycaps without intermediate material interference
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a direct light path from the light emitting member through the supporting plate to the keycaps, ensuring continuous and uninterrupted light transmission. This eliminates the discontinuous light path in conventional designs where light must pass through the light guide base plate, be reflected, and then travel through the supporting plate, thereby reducing light loss and improving illuminating effect
2Illumination intensity
If a reflective layer is added to reflect light back to the light guide base plate, then light can be redirected towards the supporting plate, but the reflective layer cannot completely reflect all light rays, causing scattering and absorption in different directions
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the reflective layer from the conventional backlight keyboard structure. By extracting this component, the patent eliminates the imperfect reflection problem where light rays are scattered in different directions. Instead, the patent uses a direct light path approach where light travels straight from the light emitting member through the supporting plate to illuminate the keycaps, achieving better light utilization efficiency without the complexity and limitations of a reflective layer
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 direct emission of light to the keycap increases the illuminating effect, overcoming inefficiencies in conventional designs.
Implementation Method 1
The light-emitting member is disposed on the upper copper wire layer, and is operable for emitting light directly to the keycap
Implementation Method 2
The keycap is disposed above the upper copper wire layer, and is light-transmissive
Data Source
AI summary
A push button device includes a base plate, a film circuit board that includes a lower circuit board layer disposed on top of the base plate, a separating layer disposed on top of the lower circuit board layer, and an upper circuit board layer disposed on top of the separating layer, a flexible circuit board that includes a lower copper wire layer disposed on top of the upper circuit board layer, a base material layer disposed on top of the lower copper wire layer, and an upper copper wire layer disposed on top of the base material layer, a keycap that is disposed above the upper copper wire layer and that is light-transmissive, a supporting module, at least one resistor unit, and a light-emitting member that is disposed on the upper copper wire layer, and that is operable for emitting light directly to the keycap.