The present invention relates to a luminous keyboard, and more particularly to a luminous keyboard capable of avoiding light leakage from rims of key structures.
As known, keyboards are indispensable input devices for people in the modern societies. Generally, plural keys are installed on a top surface of the keyboard. Via the keyboard, the user can press one or more keys to input a command.
With increasing development of keyboards, a keyboard with a backlight module has been prevailing in the market. The keyboard with the backlight module is also referred as a luminous keyboard. When the luminous keyboard is used in an indoor lighting environment such as an office or a room, the human eyes can obviously recognize that the light beams from a bottom side of the luminous keyboard illuminate all keys of the luminous keyboard. Consequently, a visual effect is generated.
However, the conventional luminous keyboard still has some drawbacks. For example, the light beams are not only transmissible through the light-transmissible zones of all keys but also leaked from the vacant spaces between adjacent keys. The portions of the light beams leaked from the vacant spaces between adjacent keys are stray light that interferes with the vision line of the user. The stray light is undesired.
Therefore, the conventional luminous keyboard needs to be further improved.
The present invention provides a luminous keyboard. The luminous keyboard includes a light guide plate, and plural elongated condenser structures are formed on a top surface of the light guide plate. By the elongated condenser structures, the beam angles of the light beams from the light guide plate are converged and the light beams are concentrated. Consequently, the light beams do not leak from the vacant spaces between adjacent key structures.
In accordance with an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a luminous keyboard. The luminous keyboard includes plural key structures, a light guide module and a shielding plate. Each of the plural key structures includes a keycap, a movable triggering mechanism, a membrane circuit board and a supporting plate. The movable triggering mechanism is disposed under the keycap and connected with the keycap. The membrane circuit board is disposed under the movable triggering mechanism. The membrane circuit board is triggered by the movable triggering mechanism when the movable triggering mechanism receives an external pressing force from the keycap. The supporting plate is disposed under the membrane circuit board. The movable triggering mechanism is penetrated through the membrane circuit board and movably coupled with the supporting plate. The light guide module is disposed under the supporting plate, and includes a light source and a light guide plate. Moreover, plural elongated condenser structures are formed on a top surface of the light guide plate. The light source emits plural light beams into the light guide plate. The plural light beams travel within the light guide plate and pass through the plural elongated condenser structures. Each of the plural elongated condenser structures has a long axial direction. The plural elongated condenser structures are distributed in parallel and along a direction perpendicular to the long axial direction. The shielding plate is arranged between the supporting plate and the light guide plate. The shielding plate includes plural openings, and the plural openings are aligned with the corresponding keycaps. A vacant space between every two adjacent key structures is sheltered by the shielding plate. After the light beams pass through the elongated condenser structures, beam angles of the light beams are converged. Moreover, first portions of the light beams are reflected back to the light guide plate by the shielding plate, and the first portions of the light beams travel to the plural keycaps through the plural openings. Moreover, second portions of the light beams are not reflected by the shielding plate, and the second portions of the light beams travel to the plural keycaps through the plural openings. The top surface of the light guide plate is a smooth surface.
In an embodiment, the elongated condenser structures are V-cut structures. The V-cut structures are formed on the top surface of the light guide plate and arranged in parallel with each other.
In an embodiment, movable triggering mechanism includes a scissors-type connecting element and a rubbery elastomer. The scissors-type connecting element has a first end and a second end opposed to the first end. The first end of the scissors-type connecting element is connected with the keycap. The second end of the scissors-type connecting element is penetrated through plural through-holes of the membrane circuit board and connected with the supporting plate. The movable triggering mechanism has an accommodation space. The rubbery elastomer is disposed within the accommodation space. An end of the rubbery elastomer is contacted with the membrane circuit board.
In an embodiment, the supporting plate includes plural perforations, and at least portions of the perforations are aligned with the corresponding through-holes. After the second portions of the light beams leave the elongated condenser structures, the second portions of the light beams pass through the openings of the shielding plate, the perforations of the supporting plate and the through-holes of the membrane circuit board sequentially and travel to the keycaps of the plural key structures.
In an embodiment, the light guide plate includes a light guide substrate and a brightness enhancement film. The brightness enhancement film is stacked over the light guide substrate. The plural elongated condenser structures are formed on the brightness enhancement film.
In an embodiment, the light guide plate includes a light guide substrate, a first brightness enhancement film and a second brightness enhancement film. The first brightness enhancement film and the second brightness enhancement film are stacked over the light guide substrate. The elongated condenser structures include plural first elongated condenser structures and plural second elongated condenser structures. The plural first elongated condenser structures are formed on a top surface of the first brightness enhancement film. The plural second elongated condenser structures are formed on the second brightness enhancement film.
In an embodiment, the plural first elongated condenser structures on the first brightness enhancement film are arranged along a first direction and in parallel with each other, and the plural second elongated condenser structures on the second brightness enhancement film are arranged along a second direction and in parallel with each other. The first direction is in parallel with the second direction, or the first direction and the second direction intersect each other.
In an embodiment, the luminous keyboard further includes a fame body. The plural key structures are exposed through the frame body. The light guide module is sheltered by the frame body.
The above objects and advantages of the present invention will become more readily apparent to those ordinarily skilled in the art after reviewing the following detailed description and accompanying drawings, in which:
Please refer to
For well guiding the light beams to the key structure 11, the shielding plate 12 is arranged between a supporting plate 113 of the key structure 11 and the light guide plate 131. Consequently, the light beams are guided to be travel upwardly to the key structure 11. After the light beams pass through the keycap 110, the key structure 11 is illuminated. In more detail, the light-outputting position of the light guide plate 131 is determined according to the position of the opening 12a of the shielding plate 12. The opening 12a of the shielding plate 12 is aligned with the keycap 110. That is, the opening 12a of the shielding plate 12 is disposed under the keycap 110. After the light beams pass through the opening 12a, the light beams travel to the keycap 110. Moreover, a vacant space between every two adjacent key structures 11 is sheltered by the shielding plate 12. Consequently, portions of the light beams that travel to the vacant space are reflected back to the light guide plate 131 by the shielding plate 12. Since the light beams are shaded and reflected by the shielding plate 12, the light beams do not leak to the outside through the vacant space.
Hereinafter, the key structure 11 will be illustrated. Please refer to
The supporting plate 113 is disposed under the membrane circuit board 112. The movable triggering mechanism 111 is penetrated through the membrane circuit board 112, and movably coupled with the supporting plate 113. The movable triggering mechanism 111 comprises a scissors-type connecting element 1111 and a rubbery elastomer 1112. The movable triggering mechanism 111 comprises a first end 1111a and a second end 1111b, which are opposed to each other. The first end 1111a is connected with the keycap 110. The second end 1111b is penetrated through plural through-holes 112a of the membrane circuit board 112 and connected with the supporting plate 113. The movable triggering mechanism 111 has an accommodation space 1111c. The rubbery elastomer 1112 is disposed within the accommodation space 1111c. An end of the rubbery elastomer 1112 is contacted with the membrane circuit board 112 and disposed on the membrane circuit board 112. When an external pressing force is exerted on the keycap 110, the scissors-type connecting element 1111 and the rubbery elastomer 1112 are pushed by the keycap 110. Consequently, the membrane circuit board 112 is triggered by the rubbery elastomer 1112.
The supporting plate 113 has plural perforations 113a along the optical paths of the light beams. At least portions of the perforations 113a are aligned with the corresponding through-hole 112a. After the light beams leave the elongated condenser structures 1312, the light beams pass through the openings 12a of the shielding plate 12, the perforations 113a of the supporting plate 113, the through-holes 112a of the membrane circuit board 112 and the scissors-type connecting element 1111 sequentially and travel to the keycap 110.
It is noted that numerous modifications and alterations may be made while retaining the teachings of the invention. Some examples of the light guide plate 131 will be illustrated with reference to
From the above descriptions, the present invention provides the luminous keyboard. The plural elongated condenser structures are formed on the top surface of the light guide plate and contiguously arranged side by side. By the elongated condenser structures, the beam angles of the light beams from the light guide plate are converged and the light beams are concentrated. Consequently, the brightness of the backlight is increased. Since the light beams do not leak from the vacant spaces between adjacent key structures, the vision line of the user is not interfered. Moreover, since the light beams are outputted from the surfaces of the key structures only, the brightness of the backlight is increased.
While the invention has been described in terms of what is presently considered to be the most practical and preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention needs not be limited to the disclosed embodiments. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements included within the spirit and scope of the appended claims which are to be accorded with the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all modifications and similar structures.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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105126573 | Aug 2016 | TW | national |