TWM678184U - Glowing button - Google Patents

Abstract

This invention provides a light-emitting button, comprising a first circuit board with a push-button switch and at least two first pin header connectors arranged in pairs; a second circuit board disposed on the top side of the first circuit board, its upper surface having a plurality of LEDs and its lower surface having at least two second pin header connectors arranged in pairs for electrical connection with the first pin header connectors; a light guide plate disposed on the top side of the second circuit board, its sides forming a plurality of light-incident surfaces corresponding to the LEDs; a light-transmitting button cover covering the light guide plate has at least one pattern, which can transmit light for display when the LEDs are lit. Thus, when the light-transmitting button cover is pressed, the push-button switch is driven downwards, and the paired first and second pin header connectors provide good stress support and structural rigidity.

Description

Glowing button

This creation relates to the field of electronic component technology, particularly a light-emitting button.

In modern electronic device human-machine interface (HMI) design, buttons are the primary operation and input elements. As the functions of electronic devices become increasingly diverse, HMI design continues to evolve. Traditional buttons mainly focus on input and triggering functions, but as the market demands higher product appearance and user experience, buttons are gradually being given more added value, such as backlighting, to improve visibility and enhance visual appeal.

Furthermore, pressure balance is also a crucial consideration in button design. If the button mechanism lacks a sound structural design, uneven force application at different angles and positions can easily lead to eccentric force, resulting in poor contact, unstable trigger response, or inconsistent tactile feedback. This is particularly noticeable in the design of buttons with luminous effects. This is because luminous buttons require various light-emitting components, increasing the number of component layers and making them more prone to wobbling or tilting due to uneven pressure, further affecting operational stability and product durability. Therefore, effectively improving the stability of the press and structural strength while meeting the requirements for luminous effect has become a pressing issue in current technology.

In view of this, the creator, based on extensive professional experience in the relevant field, conceived and proposed a light-up button in order to effectively overcome the above-mentioned shortcomings.

One of the purposes of this invention is to provide a light-emitting button that combines light-emitting effect with operation input function, and effectively improves the stability and structural rigidity when pressed, so as to improve the shortcomings of existing technology such as poor contact and unstable operation caused by uneven force.

To achieve the above objectives, one embodiment of this invention discloses a light-emitting button, comprising: a first circuit board having a push-button switch and at least two first pin header connectors, wherein the first pin header connectors are arranged in pairs; and a second circuit board disposed on the top side of the first circuit board, the top side of the second circuit board having a plurality of LEDs, and the bottom side of the second circuit board having at least two second pin header connectors, wherein the second pin header connectors are arranged in pairs for connection with the first pin header connectors. The circuit includes an electrical connection; a light guide plate disposed on the top side of the second circuit board and having a plurality of light-incident surfaces on its side, with LEDs corresponding to these light-incident surfaces; and a light-transmitting button cover covering the light guide plate and having at least one pattern for illumination by the LEDs. When the light-transmitting button cover is pressed, it drives the push-button switch downwards, and the rigidity of the stress structure is maintained by the paired first and second pin header connectors. This ensures the smoothness and reliability of the pressing operation while maintaining the display effect of the luminous pattern, effectively improving upon the shortcomings of existing technologies.

In another embodiment, it is revealed that the top side of the second circuit board has a reflective layer to effectively improve light utilization.

Furthermore, based on the aforementioned embodiments, in another embodiment, it is revealed that the reflective layer is white paint applied to the top side of the second circuit board, thereby possessing both excellent reflective effect and ease of production and manufacturing.

In addition, in one embodiment, the first circuit board is provided with at least one lock hole, and the top surface of the first circuit board is provided with at least one washer corresponding to the lock hole. The washer has a through hole for a locking fastener to pass through, so that the entire stack of the luminous button can be stably assembled and fixed with external components.

Based on the aforementioned embodiments, in another embodiment, the second circuit board has at least one recess formed by a recess in the side of the second circuit board, through which a fastener can pass.

In another embodiment, it is disclosed that there are four light-incident surfaces, and the light-incident surfaces are respectively located on opposite sides of the light guide plate. The light guide plate has two light-incident surfaces on the same side, so that the light source can be uniformly guided into the light guide plate from multiple points, thereby improving the overall light guiding effect and brightness uniformity.

In another embodiment, it is disclosed that the two light-incident surfaces located on the same side of the light guide plate are mirrored to each other and are inclined surfaces, thereby improving the light utilization efficiency and overall light emission uniformity.

In another embodiment, the light-transmitting button cover includes a substrate and a light-transmitting material. The substrate has an infeed hole for disposing of the light-transmitting material, and the pattern is located on the light-transmitting material. Accordingly, the pattern can be clearly seen while maintaining the structural strength of the light-transmitting button cover.

In summary, the illuminated button disclosed in this invention, through the paired first and second pin header connectors on the first and second circuit boards, combined with the light-incident surface configuration on the side of the light guide plate and the structural design of the light-transmitting button cover, allows the illuminated button to simultaneously ensure stable pressing operation and effective display of the illuminated pattern, while also offering advantages such as simplified structure and low material cost. Furthermore, this invention can be further enhanced with numerous detailed technical features to improve the functionality of the illuminated button in various aspects; the specific technical details are as described in the preceding paragraphs.

As mentioned earlier, existing button designs often suffer from problems such as insufficient pressure balance. Therefore, the creator conceived of a structural design using a multi-layer circuit board, pin header connectors, light guide plates, and a backlit button cover to achieve a backlit button product that combines a stable pressing feel with a uniform light emission effect. The following will provide a detailed explanation of this creation with accompanying text and illustrations. The structural dimensions, proportions, sizes, shapes, or application states shown in the illustrations are for illustrative purposes only and are not representations of the actual structural design; this is stated in advance.

Please refer to Figures 1 and 2, which are exploded schematic diagrams and partially superimposed schematic diagrams of the light-emitting button structure according to one embodiment of the present invention. The light-emitting button 1 disclosed in the present invention includes a first circuit board 11, a second circuit board 12, a light guide plate 13, and a light-transmitting button cover 14.

The first circuit board 11 is provided with a push-button switch 111 and at least two first pin header connectors 112, which are arranged in pairs. The second circuit board 12 is located on the top side of the first circuit board 11, with a plurality of LEDs 121 on its top side and at least two second pin header connectors 122 on its bottom side. These second pin header connectors 122 are arranged in pairs and are electrically connected to the first pin header connectors 112. Specifically, the first pin header connectors 112 and the second pin header connectors 122 can be fixed to the first circuit board 11 and the second circuit board 12 by through-hole soldering or surface mounting. The LEDs 121 can be monochromatic or multi-color emitting types to meet different color emission requirements and display effects. A light guide plate 13 is disposed on the top side of the second circuit board 12 and has a plurality of light-incident surfaces 131 on its side. The LEDs 121 of the second circuit board 12 are correspondingly arranged with the light-incident surfaces 131. The light guide plate 13 may be provided with optical structures such as microstructures to improve its light emission uniformity and meet the light emission requirements. A light-transmitting button cover 14 covers the light guide plate 13 and has at least one pattern 141 for being illuminated by the LEDs 121. In Figure 2, the stacked state of the components is drawn in a simplified manner to illustrate the structure of the light-emitting button 1.

Therefore, when the light-transmitting key cover 14 is pressed, the push-button switch 111 is driven downwards. The force-bearing structure is maintained by the paired first pin header connector 112 and second pin header connector 122, thereby improving the stability and tactile feedback of the pressing operation. Specifically, the first pin header connector 112 and second pin header connector 122 on the first circuit board 11 and the second circuit board 12 can form a floating bridge-type force-bearing structure. In this way, when the light-transmitting key cover 14 is pressed at different positions, the force within a unit area can be made more consistent by the floating bridge shape, so that the push-button switch 111 can be smoothly actuated. In other words, through this structural design, even if the user's force application position is slightly off when pressing the light-transmitting button cover 14, the force can still be kept stable and the push-button switch 111 can be effectively driven. As for the light emission effect, the side light-injection design can effectively improve the light-injection efficiency, thereby reducing the number of LEDs 121, achieving the effect of improving light incident efficiency and reducing manufacturing costs at the same time.

To further improve the efficiency of light utilization and avoid some light escaping outward and causing waste, in one embodiment, the top side of the second circuit board 12 has a reflective layer 123, so that some of the light transmitted to the bottom surface of the light guide plate 13 can be reflected back into the light guide plate 13 by the reflective layer 123 for continued use, thereby reducing light energy loss and ensuring that the pattern 141 has sufficient luminous brightness.

Furthermore, the reflective layer 123 can be white paint applied to the top side of the second circuit board 12. Using white paint as the reflective layer 123 not only has the advantages of simple manufacturing process and ease of mass production, but it can also replace additional separate sheet components, thereby reducing the number of parts, reducing the overall product thickness, and shortening assembly time. In this way, not only is the light reflection and light guiding efficiency improved, but also the effects of cost control and process efficiency improvement are achieved.

Furthermore, to improve the assembly stability of the first circuit board 11 and external components, the first circuit board 11 can be provided with at least one locking hole 113, and at least one washer 114 is provided on the top surface of the first circuit board 11 corresponding to the locking hole 113. The washer 114 has a through hole 1141 for a fastener 2, such as a screw, to pass through. The washer 114 can be used as a component to compensate for the difference in locking distance between the first circuit board 11 and external components, such as a housing, to ensure the fastener 2 is stably assembled; at the same time, the washer 114 can also distribute the force applied by the fastener 2, extend the force-bearing volume of the locking structure, and improve the overall assembly stability and reliability. In this embodiment, the first circuit board 11 is provided with two locking holes 113 and two washers 114 as an example, and the locking holes 113 and washers 114 are respectively provided in pairs. In addition, the inner side of the through holes 1141 of the locking holes 113 and washers 114 of the first circuit board 11 can also be provided with a threaded structure to improve the assembly strength.

Furthermore, in the configuration with the gasket 114, the second circuit board 12 may have at least one recess 124, which is formed by the recess of the side of the second circuit board 12 and corresponds to the gasket 114. Thus, by means of the recess 124, when the second circuit board 12 is stacked on the first circuit board 11, the fastener 2 can pass through. At the same time, the structural design of the recess 124 can also simplify the manufacturing process and maintain the overall strength of the board.

In one application example, the light guide plate 13 can have four light-incident surfaces 131, which are located on opposite sides of the light guide plate 13, with two light-incident surfaces 131 on the same side. Through this distribution design of the light-incident surfaces 131, the light emitted by the LED 121 can be guided into the light guide plate 13 from multiple points, thereby improving the uniformity of light emission from the light guide plate 13.

Furthermore, the two light-incident surfaces 131 located on the same side of the light guide plate 13 are mirrored to each other and are respectively inclined surfaces. This structure can effectively improve the light-incident efficiency. In addition, this type of light-incident surface 131 can avoid the light from concentrating in a local area and causing uneven brightness, thus achieving a uniform overall light emission optical effect.

Regarding the structure of the light-transmitting button cover 14, in one embodiment, the light-transmitting button cover 14 includes a substrate 142 and a light-transmitting material 143. The substrate 142 has an embedded hole 1421 for mounting the light-transmitting material 143, and the pattern 141 is located on the light-transmitting material 143. Accordingly, when light is emitted from the light guide plate 13, it can directly penetrate the light-transmitting material 143 and clearly display the pattern 141, thus balancing appearance recognizability and overall structural strength. The pattern 141 can be a partial area of the light-transmitting material 143, or the entire light-transmitting material 143 can be designed as the pattern 141 to be illuminated. The thickness of the substrate 142 can be less than that of the light-transmitting material 143.

In summary, the luminous button disclosed in this invention achieves significant improvements in both mechanical and optical aspects through a multi-layered circuit board and paired pin header connectors stacked together, combined with the side-light-incident configuration of the light guide plate. Mechanically, the paired pin header connectors and circuit board stacking form a floating bridge structure, ensuring consistent force per unit area during pressing, thereby improving pressing stability and reducing the probability of poor contact due to eccentric force. Furthermore, the assembly stability is enhanced by the gaskets on the first circuit board, while the corresponding recesses on the second circuit board maintain the overall strength of the board and simplify the manufacturing process. From an optical perspective, side-incident lighting can effectively improve light incidence efficiency, thereby reducing the number of LEDs required and effectively reducing product costs. Furthermore, by using a reflective layer (such as white paint coating or other high-reflectivity treatment) on the second circuit board, more light can be effectively guided into and retained within the light guide plate, achieving the effect of improving light utilization efficiency. Alternatively, in application examples where the light guide plate has four light-incident surfaces distributed on opposite sides, light can be guided into the light guide plate from multiple points, thus improving light uniformity. Additionally, when the two light-incident surfaces on the side of the light guide plate are mirrored and have an angled design, the light-incident efficiency can be effectively improved, while reducing the problem of local brightness concentration. Furthermore, the backlit button cover utilizes a base material and embedded light-transmitting material, which enhances the clarity of the displayed pattern and the overall durability of the cover structure. In summary, this innovative backlit button not only improves the user experience and reliability but also optimizes the optical display effect and manufacturing process (e.g., reducing parts, decreasing stack thickness, and simplifying assembly), thus providing a highly reliable, low-cost, and visually recognizable backlit button.

1: Illuminated button; 11: First circuit board; 111: Push-button switch; 112: First pin header connector; 113: Locking hole; 114: Gasket; 1141: Through hole; 12: Second circuit board; 121: LED; 122: Second pin header connector; 123: Reflective layer; 124: Recess; 13: Light guide plate; 131: Light incident surface; 14: Light-transmitting button cover; 141: Pattern; 142: Substrate; 1421: Embedding hole; 143: Light-transmitting material; 2: Locking fastener.

Figure 1 is an exploded view of the structure of the light-emitting button according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a partial superimposed view of the structure of the light-emitting button according to one embodiment of the present invention.

1: Illuminated button

11: First Circuit Board

111: Push-button switch

112: First row of pin connectors

113: Lockhole

114: Pads

1141: Perforation

12: Second Circuit Board

121: LED

122: Second row of pin connectors

123: Reflective layer

124: concave part

13: Light guide plate

131: Surface receiving light

14: Translucent button cover

141: Pattern

142: Substrate

1421: Embedded Hole

143: Translucent Materials

2: Locking hardware

Claims (8)

A light-emitting button includes: a first circuit board having a push-button switch and at least two first pin header connectors, wherein the first pin header connectors are arranged in pairs; a second circuit board disposed on the top side of the first circuit board, the top side of the second circuit board having a plurality of LEDs, and the bottom side of the second circuit board having at least two second pin header connectors, wherein the second pin header connectors are arranged in pairs for electrical connection with the first pin header connectors; a light guide plate disposed on the top side of the second circuit board and having a plurality of light-incident surfaces on its side, wherein the LEDs are correspondingly arranged with respect to the light-incident surfaces; and a light-transmitting button cover covering the light guide plate and having at least one pattern for being illuminated by the LEDs; In this way, when the light-transmitting button cover is pressed, the push-button switch is driven downward, and the rigidity of the stress structure is maintained by the paired first pin header connectors and the second pin header connectors. The luminous button as described in claim 1, wherein the top side of the second circuit board has a reflective layer. The light-emitting button as described in claim 2, wherein the reflective layer is white paint applied to the top side of the second circuit board. The luminous button as described in claim 1, wherein the first circuit board has at least one lock hole, and the top surface of the first circuit board has at least one washer corresponding to the lock hole, the washer having a through hole for a locking fastener to pass through. The light-emitting button as described in claim 4, wherein the second circuit board has at least one recess formed by a recess in the side of the second circuit board and corresponding to the pad. The light-emitting button as described in claim 1, wherein the number of light-incident surfaces is four, and the light-incident surfaces are respectively located on opposite sides of the light guide plate, the light guide plate having two light-incident surfaces on the same side. The light-emitting button as described in claim 6, wherein the two light-incident surfaces located on the same side of the light guide plate are mirrored to each other and are respectively inclined surfaces. The light-emitting button as described in claim 1, wherein the light-transmitting button cover includes a substrate and a light-transmitting material, the substrate having an infeed hole for disposing of the light-transmitting material, and the pattern being located on the light-transmitting material.