Backlight module and keyboard thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12087522-B2
Application number	US-202318223031-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 18, 2023
Priority date	Jul 26, 2022
Publication date	Sep 10, 2024
Grant date	Sep 10, 2024

Abstract

A backlight module is applied to providing light to a plurality of keyswitches of a keyboard. Each keyswitch has a keycap and an elastic member abutting against the keycap. The backlight module includes a membrane circuit board and a light guide plate. The membrane circuit board has a light emitting diode corresponding to the keyswitch. The light emitting diode is located at a side of the elastic member and emits light to the keycap. The light guide plate is disposed on the membrane circuit board. The light guide plate has a slot hole for containing the light emitting diode and has a hole corresponding to the elastic member. An optical microstructure is formed on the light guide plate for guiding light of the light emitting diode to be incident to the keycap. The elastic member passes through the hole to be disposed on the membrane circuit board.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A backlight module applied to providing light to a plurality of keyswitches of a keyboard, each keyswitch having a keycap and an elastic member abutting against the keycap, the backlight module comprising:
a membrane circuit board having at least one light emitting diode corresponding to the keyswitch, the at least one light emitting diode being located on at least one side of the elastic member and emitting light to the keycap; and
a light guide plate disposed on the membrane circuit board, the light guide plate having at least one slot hole for containing the at least one light emitting diode and having a hole, different from the at least one slot hole, corresponding to the elastic member, an optical microstructure being formed on the light guide plate for guiding light of the at least one light emitting diode to be incident to the keycap, and the elastic member passing through the hole to be disposed on the membrane circuit board.

2. The backlight module of claim 1 , wherein the hole and the at least one slot hole are communicated with each other to be in a keyhole shape.

3. The backlight module of claim 1 , wherein the light guide plate has a ridge-shaped ink layer formed along a projection contour of each keyswitch relative to the light guide plate, and the ridge-shaped ink layer is made of opaque ink.

4. The backlight module of claim 1 , wherein the membrane circuit board has a reflective ink layer coated corresponding to each keyswitch.

5. The backlight module of claim 1 , wherein the membrane circuit board has a ridge-shaped ink layer formed along a projection contour of each keyswitch relative to the membrane circuit board, and the ridge-shaped ink layer is made of opaque ink.

6. The backlight module of claim 1 further comprising:
at least one ring-shaped adhesive layer attached between the light guide plate and the membrane circuit board and disposed around the at least one light emitting diode.

7. The backlight module of claim 1 further comprising:
a fixing adhesive layer formed along a projection contour of each keyswitch relative to the light guide plate to be ridge-shaped and attached between the light guide plate and the membrane circuit board.

8. The backlight module of claim 1 , wherein the keycap has at least one center symbol and at least one side symbol, and a microstructure density of the optical microstructure in a proximal region close to the at least one light emitting diode and corresponding to the side symbol is less than a microstructure density of the optical microstructure in a distal region away from the at least one light emitting diode and corresponding to the center symbol, but is greater than a microstructure density of the optical microstructure in the remaining region except the proximal region and the distal region.

9. A keyboard comprising:
a plurality of keyswitches, each keyswitch having a keycap, a lifting mechanism and an elastic member, the lifting mechanism being movably connected to the keycap, and the elastic member abutting against the keycap;
a transparent baseplate having a first hole corresponding to each elastic member, each lifting mechanism being movably connected to the transparent baseplate to make each keycap movable relative to the transparent baseplate;
a membrane circuit board disposed under the transparent baseplate, the membrane circuit board having at least one light emitting diode corresponding to the keyswitch, and the at least one light emitting diode being located on at least one side of the elastic member and emitting light to the keycap; and
a light guide plate disposed between the membrane circuit board and the transparent baseplate, the light guide plate having a slot hole for containing the at least one light emitting diode and having a second hole corresponding to the elastic member, an optical microstructure being formed on the light guide plate for guiding light of the light emitting diode to be incident to the keycap, and the elastic member passing through the first hole and the second hole to be disposed on the membrane circuit board.

10. The keyboard of claim 9 , wherein the second hole and the at least one slot hole are communicated with each other to be in a keyhole shape.

11. The keyboard of claim 9 , wherein the light guide plate has a ridge-shaped ink layer formed along a projection contour of each keyswitch relative to the light guide plate, and the ridge-shaped ink layer is made of opaque ink.

12. The keyboard of claim 9 , wherein the membrane circuit board has a reflective ink layer coated corresponding to each keyswitch.

13. The keyboard of claim 9 , wherein the membrane circuit board has a ridge-shaped ink layer formed along a projection contour of each keyswitch relative to the membrane circuit board, and the ridge-shaped ink layer is made of opaque ink.

14. The keyboard of claim 9 further comprising:
at least one ring-shaped adhesive layer attached between the light guide plate and the membrane circuit board and disposed around the at least one light emitting diode.

15. The keyboard of claim 9 further comprising:
a fixing adhesive layer formed along a projection contour of each keyswitch relative to the light guide plate to be ridge-shaped and attached between the light guide plate and the membrane circuit board.

16. The keyboard of claim 9 , wherein the keycap has at least one center symbol and at least one side symbol, and a microstructure density of the optical microstructure in a proximal region close to the at least one light emitting diode and corresponding to the side symbol is less than a microstructure density of the optical microstructure in a distal region away from the at least one light emitting diode and corresponding to the center symbol, but is greater than a microstructure density of the optical microstructure in the remaining region except the proximal region and the distal region.

17. The keyboard of claim 9 , wherein the transparent baseplate has a ridge-shaped ink layer formed along a projection contour of each keyswitch relative to the transparent baseplate, and the ridge-shaped ink layer is made of opaque ink.

18. The keyboard of claim 9 , wherein the transparent baseplate has an avoiding hole formed corresponding to the at least one light emitting diode for containing the at least one light emitting diode.

19. The keyboard of claim 9 , wherein the transparent baseplate forms a plurality of hooks and a plurality of connecting structures in an integral forming manner, the connecting structure is movably connected to the lifting mechanism to make the keycap movable relative to the transparent baseplate for triggering the membrane circuit board, and the plurality of hooks passes through the membrane circuit board to be engaged with a plurality of engaging hole structures of a holding baseplate of a computer device respectively, so as to detachably mount the keyboard on the computer device.

Assignees

• Darfon Electronics Corp

Inventors

• Tsai Po-Wei
• Chen Yen-Chang
• Yang sheng-yun

Classifications

• G06F3/0202

  Constructional details or processes of manufacture of the input device · CPC title

• G02B6/0061

  to provide homogeneous light output intensity · CPC title

• G02B6/006

  to produce indicia, symbols, texts or the like · CPC title

• G02B6/0073

  Light emitting diode [LED] · CPC title

• G02B6/0055

  Reflecting element, sheet or layer · CPC title