TWM569489U - Illuminating key cap structure - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention provides a light-emitting keycap structure for setting on a button of a keyboard, comprising a visible area, a mask part and a mounting groove. The visible area has a light-emitting surface and a plurality of light-guiding dots, the mask portion is located around the edge of the visible area, and protrudes toward the button to include a button, and the mounting groove is located at the bottom side of the mask portion and is provided with an LED to make the LED The light is incident on the visible area to form the side-entry light, and the light is formed by the light guiding network on the light-emitting surface. Moreover, in order to make the light-emitting performance of the light-emitting keycap structure have higher light taste, it can also be changed for the light-guide dot layout of the visible area. Through the light-emitting keycap structure of the present invention, the button can have the luminous performance, thereby improving the functionality of the keyboard.

Description

Luminous keycap structure

This creation is related to the field of optical components, especially a light-emitting keycap structure.

With the development of optical product technology, optical products have been gradually expanded to other electronic device fields in addition to lighting fixtures, so that in addition to the existing functions of electronic devices, the effect of light-emitting indicators can be further added.

At present, one of the common applications of optical products in conjunction with electronic devices is the keyboard. The keyboard is the main product for users to input commands to desktop computers and notebook computers. With the thinning and thinning of notebook computers, the mobility of people Use the notebook computer at any time in various environments, especially in the darker environment, the keyboard's instruction performance is more important, and after the optical products are combined with the keyboard, the key indication on the keyboard can be made more light-emitting For promotion. The main structural implementation method to make the keyboard keys have luminous efficacy is to set the backlight under the keys. When the backlight is driven, a whole surface light source can be formed to provide light to all the keys so that the keys can achieve the effect of luminous indication. .

The author of this case has gathered many years of experience in the field of optical components, and then conceived a light-emitting keycap structure to provide another design scheme of the light-emitting keyboard that is very different from the backlight.

One purpose of this creation is to provide a light-emitting keycap structure that provides a design scheme for the front light mode, so that the design of the light-emitting keyboard can be more selective.

In order to achieve the above purpose, the present invention discloses a light-emitting keycap structure for covering a key of a keyboard in one embodiment, including: a visible area, having a light-emitting surface and a plurality of light-guiding dots; and a mask part , Located around the edge of the visible area, and protruding toward the key to contain the key; and a mounting groove, located on the bottom side of the mask portion and for placing an LED, so that the light of the LED enters the visible area to form Side-entry light, and the light-guiding dots form light on the light-emitting surface. In this way, when the light-emitting keycap structure is sleeved on the key, the key can have a light-emitting effect, thereby improving the prompting and aesthetic appearance.

In another embodiment, the visible area is located in the center of a transparent cover, and the mask part is formed by applying a shading paint around the transparent cover to make the light-emitting key cap structure as a whole The formed structure effectively improves production efficiency and reduces material cost.

In the next embodiment, it is disclosed that the mounting groove receives the light of the LED with a light incident surface, and the light incident surface is provided with a plurality of lens arrays, thereby improving the incidence of the LED from the light incident surface to the visible area Light spread angle, improve overall light utilization.

In addition, in another embodiment, it is disclosed that the mask part is a frame, the visible area is located in the center of a light guide sheet, and the frame body is placed on the light guide sheet to make the mask part The hollow area corresponds to the visible area, so that the light-emitting keycap structure is a combined structure.

Preferably, in one embodiment, the bottom side of the mask part is made of white material, and the light guide dots are not arranged in the area where the edge of the viewing zone extends inward and outward by 1 mm, thereby illuminating the keycap The structure can be changed in color according to the needs of the application items, and when it is white, in order to reduce the light reflection phenomenon, the light guide dots are arranged through the above method.

Or as described in another embodiment, the bottom side of the mask part is made of black material, and the light guide dots are arranged in a region where the edge of the viewing zone extends outward 2 to 3 mm. In this way, when the light-emitting keycap structure is black according to the applied keyboard, in order to prevent the phenomenon of insufficient light intensity in the visible area, the light guide dots are arranged through the above method.

In addition, in one embodiment, it is disclosed that there are four blank areas defined in the viewable area, each of the blank areas is located at a corner of the viewable area, and the light guide dots are not arranged in the blank areas, In this way, the transparency of the visible area is enhanced to prevent the key pattern or text from being obscured.

Based on the foregoing embodiment, in one embodiment, it is disclosed that each of the blanking areas can have sufficient brightness, and a plurality of reinforcing dots are arranged on the peripheral side of each of the blanking areas.

In addition, preferably, in the next embodiment, the mounting groove is located at a corner of the viewing area, so that light can fully enter the viewing area to form light.

In summary, the luminous keycap structure disclosed in this creation can be directly sleeved on the keys so that the keys can have a uniform luminous display, effectively improving the functionality and aesthetics of the keyboard. In order to further improve the light emitting performance of the light-emitting keycap structure and the usage mode set on the key, the structure such as the light-incident surface and the arrangement of the light guide dots in the visible area can be changed to enhance the structure of the light-emitting keycap structure Light performance, enhance optical taste.

In order to eliminate the lack of the existing backlight used in the key structure, the author of this case proposed the light-emitting key cap structure as follows, which adopts a setting method that is nested on the keyboard keys, and has a better light appearance, thereby improving the keys The luminous efficacy. Please refer to Figures 1 and 2, which are three-dimensional schematic diagrams and application schematic diagrams of the first embodiment of the creation. The present invention discloses a light-emitting keycap structure 1 which can be set on a key 2 of a keyboard. The light-emitting keycap structure 1 includes a visible area 10, a mask portion 11 and a mounting groove 12.

The visible area 10 is an area mainly provided with light, which has a light emitting surface 101 and a plurality of light guide dots 102, wherein the visible area 10 described herein is not only a plane, but a structural area with a thickness, so The light exit surface 101 is the upper surface of the viewing area 10. The light guide dot 102 can be a small and shallow structure that is concave or convex, and is disposed on the light emitting surface 101 or its opposite side to prevent the key pattern or text underneath from being obscured, thereby improving the transparency of the light-emitting keycap structure 1, The dimensions of the light guide dots 102 shown in the figures are for illustrative purposes and do not represent the actual structure. The light guide mesh 102 is used to destroy the total reflection phenomenon of the light entering the visible area 10, thereby forming light. The mask portion 11 is located around the edge of the visible area 10 and protrudes toward the button 2 to contain the key. The mounting groove 12 is located on the bottom side of the mask portion 11 for placing an LED 3 so that the light of the LED 3 enters the visible area 10 Form a side-entry light, and form a light exit on the light exit surface 101 by the light guide dot 102. In this way, after the light-emitting keycap structure 1 is set on the key 2, the LED 3 placed in the mounting groove 12 is lit to make the light enter the visible area 10, and then it is subjected to the structure of the light guide network 102 to be in the visible area The light-emitting surface 101 of 10 forms light, and the button 2 has a light-emitting prompt effect. Especially when used in a dark environment, the light-emitting keycap structure 1 is more conducive to the user's viewing and use.

Preferably, in this embodiment, the viewable area 10 is located in the center of a transparent cover, and the mask portion 11 is formed by applying a shading paint around the transparent cover. That is to say, the light-emitting keycap structure 1 can be an integrally formed structure, such as the above-mentioned transparent cover made by injection molding, and a visible area 10 is reserved at the central position, and the transparent cover is not a visible area For the other parts of 10, the mask portion 11 can be formed by applying light-shielding paint. Preferably, the shading paint may be a black ink paint, so that the mask portion 11 does have the effect of shielding light, and prevents the light from entering the non-visible area 10 and overflowing outward.

As shown in the figure, the mounting groove 12 receives a light from the LED 3 with a light incident surface 121 for the visible area 10 to form light. Furthermore, in order to increase the light incident angle of LED3, a plurality of lens arrays 1211 are provided on the light incident surface 121. Preferably, the lens arrays 1211 may be a toothed or wavy concavo-convex continuous structure to adjust the LED3 The angle of incidence on the light incident surface 121 allows it to be enlarged, which is more conducive to receiving light in the viewing area 10.

In application, the light-emitting keycap structure 1 is set on the key 2, and after the LED 3 is lit, the light of the LED 3 enters the visible area 10 from the light-incident surface 121, and the light guide dots 102 can be used to The light-emitting surface 101 forms light to achieve the luminous effect, and the mask portion 11 formed by applying the shading varnish can block part of the light from spilling out to the outside, so as to ensure that the light can pass through the light guide mesh 102 in the visible area 10 to form light.

Please refer to FIG. 3, which is a schematic diagram of another implementation state of the first embodiment of the creation. As shown in FIG. 3, another implementation state of the light-emitting keycap structure 1 can make the mounting groove 12 be located at the corner of the viewing area 10, and let the light of the LED 3 enter from the corner of the viewable area 10, so that the light-emitting keycap structure 1 has enough Light intensity. In the visible area 10, four blank areas 103 are defined. Each blank area 103 is located at the corner of the visible area 10, and the light guide dots 102 are not arranged in the blank area 103, thereby improving the visible area The transparency of 10, especially when applied to the key 2 of the keyboard, can also make the pattern or text on the key 2 obvious. Further, a plurality of reinforcement dots 104 can be arranged on the peripheral side of each blank area 103 to avoid the blank area 103 from being too dark, and the size and structure of the reinforcement dots 104 can be the same as that of the light guide dot 102 and its layout The density may be the same as or different from the arrangement density of the light guide dots 102.

Please refer to FIG. 4 again, which is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the second embodiment of this creation. Here, the symbols of the elements in the first embodiment are indicated by the same reference numerals, and the same technical features will not be repeated here. In addition to the examples in the preceding paragraphs, in this embodiment, the light-emitting keycap structure 1 reveals that the mask portion 11 is a frame, the visible area 10 is in the center of a light guide sheet 13, and the frame is covered On the light guide sheet 13, the hollow area of the mask portion 11 corresponds to the visible area 10. More specifically, the mask portion 11 can be made into a hollow frame structure by injection molding, and after being assembled with the light guide sheet 13, the visible area 10 corresponds to the hollow portion of the mask portion 11 to allow visual District 10 revealed. The mounting groove 12 is also located on the bottom side of the mask portion 11 so that light can enter from the side of the light guide sheet 13, and then the light guide dot 102 forms light in the visible area 10. In addition, in order to increase the incident angle of the LED 3 relative to the light guide sheet 13, a plurality of lens arrays may be provided on the side of the light guide sheet 13 corresponding to the light received by the LED 3. In application, the mask part 11 of the frame body is set on the button 2 and the LED 3 is lit to allow light to form a light in the visible area 10, so that the button 2 has a luminous effect. 2 Figure.

Please refer to FIG. 5 again, which is a schematic diagram of another implementation state of the second embodiment of the creation. Depending on the type of keyboard used, the light-emitting keycap structure 1 can have a variety of colors. As shown in Figure 5, when the bottom side of the mask portion 11 is made of white material, the light enters the light guide sheet 13 and is affected by the white material. The phenomenon of light reflection will be formed. In order to avoid the uneven light phenomenon such as bright lines in the visible area 10, the edge of the visible area 10 may be extended inward and outward by 1mm, and the light guide dots 102 are not arranged, accordingly Reduce the over-brightness phenomenon caused by light reflection in the area of the visible area 10 adjacent to the mask portion 11. The preferred embodiment of making the bottom side of the mask portion 11 white is here, it can be an injection-molded white frame as the mask portion 11, or the side with the mounting groove 12 after the frame is made Reapply white paint

Please refer to FIG. 6 as well, which is a schematic diagram of the second implementation state of the second embodiment of the creation. As shown in FIG. 6, when the bottom side of the mask portion 11 is made of black material, light will be absorbed by the black material after entering the light guide sheet 13, resulting in a light absorption phenomenon, resulting in the formation of dark lines in the area of the visible area 10 adjacent to the mask portion 11 In order to avoid the problem of uneven light output, in order to avoid partial dark areas, the light guide dots 102 can be arranged in the area extending 2 to 3 mm outward from the edge of the visible area 10 to enhance the brightness of the edge of the visible area 10 and make the whole Light appears evenly. Similarly, in addition to the mounting groove 12 being located on one side of the light guide sheet 13 as shown in FIG. 5, it can also be arranged corresponding to the corner of the viewing area 10, so that the light of the LED 3 is incident from the corner of the light guide sheet 13 to have better light incidence efficacy. Of course, the structure of the mounting groove 12 corresponding to the corner of the viewing area 10 is also applicable to the implementation state when the bottom side of the mask portion 11 is made of white material. Preferably, the light guide sheet 13 can form a plane for receiving light at the corner corresponding to the mounting groove 12 to facilitate the light from the LED 3 to enter the light guide sheet 13 from there. Here, the preferred embodiment of making the bottom side of the mask part 11 black is a black frame as the mask part 11, or the side with the mounting groove 12 after the frame is made Then apply black paint.

Please refer to FIG. 7 as well, which is a schematic diagram of another implementation state of the second embodiment of the creation. Under the structure disclosed in this embodiment, four blank areas 103 may be defined in the visible area 10, and each blank area 103 is located at the corner of the visible area 10, and no light guide is arranged in the blank area 103 The dot 102 can thereby increase the transparency of the visible area 10 so that the patterns or text on the buttons are not overly obscured. In this structure state, in order to prevent the blanking area 103 from causing the corners of the viewing area 10 to be too dark, a reinforcement dot 104 may be added on the peripheral side of each blanking area 103 to homogenize the light appearance near the area. For the rest of the detailed technical features, please refer to the content contained in the foregoing embodiments.

In summary, the luminous keycap structure disclosed in this creation can be directly sleeved on the keys so that the keys can have a uniform luminous display, effectively improving the functionality and aesthetics of the keyboard. In order to further improve the light-emitting performance of the light-emitting keycap structure and the use mode set on the key, the structure such as the light entrance surface and the arrangement of the light guide dots in the visible area can be changed as described in the previous paragraphs , To enhance the light performance of the luminous keycap structure and enhance the optical taste. To proclaim, in the traditional backlit architecture, light is weakened by layers of light-transmitting components before they can appear on the surface of the keycap; this creation returns to the original needs of the luminous keyboard, that is, the darkroom illuminated keycap for users to clearly recognize characters; Therefore, the architecture of the original light mode is adopted, which can avoid the unnecessary loss of light energy and has the benefit of the lowest power consumption.

1‧‧‧luminous keycap structure
10‧‧‧Viewable area
101‧‧‧Glossy
102‧‧‧Light guide network
103‧‧‧Leave a blank area
104‧‧‧Reinforced outlets
11‧‧‧Mask
12‧‧‧Mounting slot
121‧‧‧Into the light side
1211‧‧‧lens array
13‧‧‧Light guide
2‧‧‧button
3‧‧‧LED

Figure 1 is a perspective schematic view of the first embodiment of the creation. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the application of the first embodiment of the creation. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of another implementation state of the first embodiment of the creation. Figure 4 is a perspective schematic view of the second embodiment of the creation. Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of another implementation state of the second embodiment of the creation. Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of the second implementation state of the second embodiment of the creation. Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of another implementation state of the second embodiment of the creation.

Claims (16)

A light-emitting keycap structure for covering a key of a keyboard, including: a visible area with a light-emitting surface and a plurality of light guide dots; a mask portion located around the edge of the visible area and protruding toward the key Extending to include the key; and a mounting groove, which is located on the bottom side of the cover part and is provided with an LED, so that the light of the LED is incident on the viewing area to form a side-entry light, and through the light guide points Light is formed on the light exit surface. The luminous keycap structure as described in item 1 of the patent application scope, wherein the visible area is located in the center of a transparent cover and the mask part is formed by applying a shading paint around the transparent cover . The light-emitting keycap structure as described in item 1 of the patent application range, wherein the mounting groove receives a light from the LED corresponding to a light incident surface, and the light incident surface is provided with a plurality of lens arrays. The light-emitting keycap structure as described in item 1 of the patent application scope, wherein the mask part is a frame body, the visible area is located in the center of a light guide sheet, and the frame body is covered on the light guide sheet, The hollow area of the mask portion corresponds to the viewable area. The light-emitting keycap structure as described in item 4 of the patent application scope, wherein the bottom side of the mask part is made of white material, and the edge of the visible area extends inward and outward by 1 mm, and no such light guide is arranged Outlets. The light-emitting keycap structure as described in item 4 of the patent application scope, wherein the bottom side of the mask part is made of black material, and the light-guiding dots are arranged in a region where the edge of the viewing zone extends outward 2 to 3 mm. The luminous keycap structure as described in item 4 of the patent application scope, wherein four blank areas are defined in the visible area, each blank area is located at the corner of the visible area, and the blank areas are not arranged There are such light guide outlets. The luminous keycap structure as described in item 7 of the patent application scope, wherein a plurality of reinforcement dots are arranged on the peripheral side of each blank area. The illuminated keycap structure as described in item 4 of the patent application scope, wherein the mounting groove is located at the corner of the viewing area. The light-emitting keycap structure as described in item 9 of the patent application scope, wherein the bottom side of the mask part is made of white material, and the edge of the visible area extends inward and outward by 1 mm, and no such light guide is arranged Outlets. The light-emitting keycap structure as described in item 9 of the patent application scope, wherein the bottom side of the mask part is made of black material, and the light guide dots are arranged in a region where the edge of the viewing zone extends outward 2 to 3 mm. The luminous keycap structure as described in item 9 of the patent application scope, wherein four blank areas are defined in the visible area, each of the blank areas is located at the corner of the visible area, and the blank areas are not arranged There are such light guide outlets. The luminous keycap structure as described in item 12 of the patent application scope, wherein a plurality of reinforcement dots are arranged on the peripheral side of each blank area. The luminous keycap structure as described in item 1 of the patent application scope, wherein four blank areas are defined in the visible area, each of the blank areas is located at the corner of the visible area, and the blank areas are not arranged There are such light guide outlets. The luminous keycap structure as described in item 14 of the patent application scope, wherein a plurality of reinforcement dots are arranged on the peripheral side of each blank area. The luminous keycap structure as described in item 1 of the patent application scope, wherein the mounting groove is located at the corner of the viewing area.