CN201440242U - Luminous keyboard - Google Patents

Abstract

The utility model discloses a luminous keyboard, which includes a key module, a backlight module, a flexible circuit board, and a cursor module. The button module includes a plurality of buttons, and the backlight module is arranged under the button module, which includes a light-emitting component for generating light and a light-guiding component for guiding light. The flexible circuit board is adjacent to the backlight module and includes a first circuit, a second circuit and a connection part. The first circuit is connected to the light-emitting member of the backlight module, and the second circuit is connected to the cursor module, and the first circuit and the second circuit are collected to the connection part. The utility model integrates the circuits of the backlight module and the cursor module, effectively reduces the use of flexible circuit boards, and can reduce the working time for arranging flexible printed circuits or arranging wires, thereby reducing production costs.

Description

illuminated keyboard

technical field

The utility model relates to a luminous keyboard, and in particular to a luminous keyboard with a cursor bar, which integrates a backlight module of the luminous keyboard and a circuit of the cursor bar module.

Background technique

With the development of technology, many portable electronic devices have emerged, such as notebook computers (notebook) or personal digital assistants (personal digital assistant, PDA). Users use input devices such as keyboards and mice to communicate with such electronic devices. However, in low-light environments, users may find it difficult to recognize the numbers and characters marked on the keyboard keys, making operations difficult. Therefore, luminous keyboards are currently available on the market to improve input problems caused by insufficient ambient light.

On the other hand, for convenience, such luminous keyboards can be equipped with a touchpad or a point stick, so that users can control the movement of the cursor without an external mouse. Please refer to FIG. 1 , which is a schematic diagram of a notebook computer 1 in the prior art. As shown in FIG. 1A , the notebook computer 1 includes a luminous keyboard 10 , a display screen 12 , and a processor (not shown in the figure). Wherein, the processor is set in the notebook computer 1, when the outside world inputs information through the luminous keyboard 10, the processor can control the notebook computer 1 to perform different functions according to the input information, and the display screen 12 displays the input or output Information.

The luminous keyboard 10 includes a plurality of keys 102 , a backlight module (not shown in the figure), and a cursor module 104 . The backlight module is located under the plurality of keys 102 and is used to emit light to illuminate the keys 102 and the cursor bar 104 . In addition, in order to control the lighting of the backlight module and control the movement of the pointer on the display screen 12 by the cursor rod 104 (not shown in the figure), the backlight module and the cursor rod 104 are connected to the processor. Generally speaking, the backlight module and the cursor bar 104 can be connected to the processor through a connection device such as a cable, a flexible printed circuit (FPC) or a flexible flat cable (FFC). .

Taking the flexible printed circuit board as an example, the circuit on this type of circuit board is made by etching, and the manufacturing cost is relatively expensive. In addition, when such a flexible circuit board or flexible cable is used to electrically connect the backlight module and the cursor bar 104 to the processor, usually connectors are respectively provided on the flexible circuit board and the processing module, and the two are connected by the connector. . This also increases the manufacturing cost and causes the disadvantages of complicated wiring. When making this type of luminous keyboard, if you want to save production costs, in addition to reducing the production and installation costs of the backlight module and cursor module, how to reduce the use of flexible circuit boards is also a key point.

Utility model content

Therefore, the utility model discloses a luminous keyboard with a cursor bar, which integrates circuits of a cursor bar module and a backlight module.

According to the above purpose, the utility model provides a luminous keyboard, which includes a key module, a backlight module, a flexible circuit board, and a cursor module. The button module includes a plurality of buttons, and the backlight module is disposed under the button module. The backlight module includes a light-emitting component and a light-guiding component. The light-guiding component is used to guide the light emitted by the light-emitting component. The flexible circuit board is adjacent to the backlight module and includes a first circuit, a second circuit and a connection part. The first circuit and the second circuit are respectively connected to the light emitting member of the backlight module and the cursor bar module, and the first circuit and the second circuit are collected at the connection part.

To sum up, the utility model provides a luminous keyboard with a cursor bar, which integrates the circuits of the cursor bar module and the backlight module in the luminous keyboard, and the cursor bar module and the backlight module are connected to the same flexible circuit board. It will effectively reduce the use of flexible circuit boards, and can reduce the working time of arranging flexible printed circuits or wiring, thereby reducing production costs. In addition, the light-emitting keyboard of the present invention is combined with a cursor bar device, so that the user can conveniently control the movement of the cursor on the screen without carrying an additional mouse.

The advantages and spirit of the present utility model can be further understood from the following specific embodiments and accompanying drawings.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a notebook computer 1 in the prior art.

Fig. 2A is a schematic diagram of a light-emitting keyboard in a specific embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2B is an exploded schematic view of the light-emitting keyboard in FIG. 2A.

FIG. 2C is a functional block diagram of the light-emitting keyboard in FIG. 2A.

Detailed ways

Please refer to FIG. 2A , FIG. 2B and FIG. 2C together. Fig. 2A is a schematic diagram of the luminous keyboard in a specific embodiment of the present invention, Fig. 2B is an exploded schematic diagram of the luminous keyboard in Fig. 2A, and Fig. 2C is a functional block diagram of the luminous keyboard in Fig. 2A. As shown in FIG. 2A, FIG. 2B, and FIG. 2C, the luminous keyboard 2 of the present invention includes a bottom plate 20, a key module 22, a thin film circuit board 24, a cursor module 25, a backlight module 26, and a flexible circuit board 28. Wherein, the flexible circuit board 28 includes a first circuit 280 , a second circuit 282 and a connecting portion 284 .

The button module 22 is composed of a plurality of buttons 220 (only one of which is marked) disposed on the film circuit board 24 and the bottom plate 20 and a supporting structure (not shown in the figure). Each button 220 is respectively supported by its corresponding supporting structure and carried on the bottom plate 20 . When the user presses the key 220 , the thin film circuit board 24 located under the key 220 will be turned on, so that the thin film circuit board 24 generates a corresponding signal.

In addition to communicating with the electronic device (not shown in the figure) using the luminous keyboard 2 of the present invention through the buttons 220, the user can also communicate information through the cursor module 25 of the present invention. The cursor module 25 includes a cursor 250 and a stress sensing device 252 . The cursor bar 250 is disposed between the plurality of keys 22 , and the stress sensing device 252 is respectively connected to the cursor bar 250 and the second circuit 282 of the flexible circuit board 28 . In operation, the user places the fingertip on the cursor rod 250 of the cursor rod module 25 and presses the cursor rod 250 according to a predetermined direction. When the user presses the cursor rod 250, the cursor rod module 25 can sense the strain generated by the direction of the force applied by the operator through the stress sensing device 252 (for example: a strain gauge), and correspondingly generate an analog signal, and the generated signal can be It is transmitted through the flexible circuit board 28 connected with the cursor module 25 .

The luminous keyboard 2 of the present invention can provide a light source as illumination by itself. In this embodiment, the purpose of illumination is achieved through the backlight module 26 . The backlight module 26 is disposed above or below the flexible circuit board 28 and includes a plurality of light-emitting components 260 (only one of which is marked) capable of emitting light, and a light-guiding component 262 for guiding light. The plurality of light emitting components 260 are respectively electrically connected to the first circuit 280 of the flexible circuit board 28 . Taking the light-emitting keyboard 2 in FIG. 2B as an example, the light-emitting member 260 is disposed on one side of the light-guiding member 262 . When the light emitting member 260 emits light, it is guided by the light guide member 262 and emitted from the surface of the key 22 . When the light emitted by the light-emitting member 260 travels in the light-guiding member 262 , the light may exit from the light-guiding member 262 , affecting the luminous effect of the light-emitting keyboard 2 . In order to avoid such situations, the light guide member 262 of this embodiment further includes a light guide plate 2620 and a reflective layer 2622 . The reflective plate 2622 can be formed by directly coating a layer of reflective material on the surface of the light guide plate 2620 , or the reflective layer 2622 itself is a flat plate made of reflective material and bonded to the light guide plate 2620 . When the light travels in the light guide member 262 , the light guide plate 2620 can guide the traveling direction of the light, and the reflective layer 2622 can reflect the light to prevent the light from leaking out of the light guide member 262 .

In practical applications, the position of the light-emitting member 260 is not limited to this embodiment, and it does not need to be disposed on one side of the light-guiding member 262 , and the light-emitting member 260 can be disposed at different positions according to different lighting requirements. For example: the light-emitting member 260 can be distributed in the light-guiding member 262 by means of embedding and emitting, or be configured in other ways as required. In production, the light-emitting member 260 of the backlight module 26 can be a light-emitting diode (Light-Emitting diode), and light-emitting diodes of different colors can also be selected as the light-emitting member 260 according to different requirements, so as to illuminate the keys 220 with different colors of light. First, it can increase the appearance, and second, different keys 220 can be distinguished by different lights. For example, a red light emitting diode can be arranged near the key 220 used as a number key, and a blue light emitting diode can be arranged in other parts of the area as a partition between the two.

As mentioned above, the flexible circuit board 28 includes a first circuit 280, a second circuit 282, and a connection portion 284, and the first circuit 280 and the second circuit 282 are respectively connected to the light emitting member 260 and the cursor module 25 and collected at the connection portion 284 . In fact, the first circuit 280 and the second circuit 282 gathered in the connection portion 284 can be connected to external electronic devices. Taking the processor of a computer as an external electronic device as an example, when the processor is electrically connected to the thin film circuit board 24 and the flexible circuit board 28, the processor can control the light emitting of the light emitting member 260 through the flexible circuit board 28, And the processor can receive the information generated by the thin film circuit board 24 and the cursor module 25, and then control the functions executed by the computer or move the cursor (not shown in the figure) on the screen. As far as the control of light is concerned: when designing the light-emitting keyboard 2 of the present utility model, the light-emitting mode of the light-emitting member 260 can be designed so that when the processor receives the signal transmitted from the thin film circuit board 24, it starts to output power to the light-emitting member 260 to make it emit light, or when the signal transmitted by the thin film circuit board 24 is not received for a predetermined period of time, that is to stop the light emitting member 260 from emitting light, and its light emitting mode is not limited to the above. For controlling the cursor: when the user presses the cursor rod 250 in different directions, the generated information will be transmitted from the flexible circuit board 28 to the processor through the connector 284, and then the processor will control the corresponding movement of the cursor.

In addition, since the flexible circuit board 28 must be connected with different modules or devices, and different modules or devices are often located in different locations, in order to connect different devices or modules smoothly, flexible flat cables or flexible printed circuit boards can be used. The circuit board is used as the flexible circuit board 28 . When it is a flexible flat cable, it has the advantages of flexibility and high signal transmission capability. When it is a flexible printed circuit board, it has the advantages of light weight, thinness, bendability, low voltage, low power consumption, etc. characteristics, and the volume of the keyboard 2 can be reduced.

As a supplementary note, since the luminous keyboard 2 of the present invention has a backlight module 26 to illuminate the keys 220 and the cursor bar 250, in order to improve the lighting effect, the plurality of keys 220 of the present invention, the bottom plate 20 for supporting the plurality of keys, the light The benchmark 250 can be made of light-transmitting materials. In practice, the plurality of buttons 22 of the present invention can be made of selected materials according to individual needs. For example: the decorative key 220 (dummy key) on the luminous keyboard 2 can be made of a material with low light transmission, while the other keys 220 can be made of a material with high light transmission, so as to separate them or for easy identification. Or the single button itself includes a light-transmitting part, for example, only the area marked with characters or symbols is a light-transmitting part, and the rest are opaque so that the user can identify the symbols or characters.

In the luminous keyboard 2 of the present utility model, the flexible circuit board 28 is electrically connected to the cursor bar module 25 and the light emitting member 260 through the first circuit 280 and the second circuit 282 respectively, while the thin film circuit board 24 is not connected to the flexible circuit. The board 28 is electrically connected. In fact, the electrical connection relationship of the luminous keyboard 2 is not limited to that shown in FIG. When the electronic device is connected, other devices are directly connected through the flexible circuit board 28 without connecting the thin film circuit board 24 and the flexible circuit board 28 to other devices respectively.

To sum up, the utility model provides a light-emitting keyboard with a cursor bar, which integrates the light-emitting keyboard cursor bar module and the circuit of the backlight module. Compared with the general keyboard, the light-emitting keyboard of the present invention combines buttons and a cursor bar module, and the user can conveniently control the movement of the cursor on the screen without carrying an additional mouse. Compared with the luminous keyboard of the prior art (please refer to FIG. 1 ), the difference between the two lies in that the luminous component and the cursor module of the luminous keyboard of the present invention are integrated on the same flexible circuit board. In the prior art, the cursor bar and the backlight module of the luminous keyboard usually use two flexible printed circuit boards or flexible cables to respectively connect the backlight module and the cursor bar to the processing module. Since the circuit on the flexible printed circuit board is made by etching, and the base material is relatively expensive. The more flexible circuit boards are used, the higher the manufacturing cost and the more complicated the circuit. When making the light-emitting keyboard of the present utility model, the flexible printed circuit board of the cursor bar and the backlight module is integrated, and only a single flexible circuit board is used, which can effectively reduce the use of the flexible circuit board and reduce the flexibility of finishing. The working time of printing circuit or wiring is reduced, which in turn reduces the production cost. In addition, in terms of application, the luminous keyboard of the present invention can be applied not only to desktop computers, but also to notebook computers or other portable electronic products to solve the problem of insufficient lighting in the prior art.

From the above detailed description of the preferred embodiments, it is hoped that the features and spirit of the present utility model can be described more clearly, and the scope of the present utility model is not limited by the preferred embodiments disclosed above.

Claims (10)

1. illuminated keyboard comprises:

Key-press module comprises a plurality of buttons;

Backlight module is arranged under this key-press module, and described backlight module comprises illuminated component and light conducting member, the light of this light conducting member in order to guide this illuminated component to emit;

Flexible circuit board is adjacent to this backlight module, and described flexible circuit board comprises first circuit, second circuit and connecting portion, and the illuminated component of this backlight module is connected with first circuit; And

Cursor bar module, this cursor bar module is connected with this second circuit;

Wherein this first circuit and this second circuit are collected to this connecting portion.

2. illuminated keyboard according to claim 1 is characterized in that: described cursor bar module further comprises the cursor bar, and this cursor bar is arranged between these a plurality of buttons.

3. illuminated keyboard according to claim 2 is characterized in that: described illuminated keyboard further comprises film circuit board, is arranged between these a plurality of buttons and this light conducting member.

4. illuminated keyboard according to claim 2 is characterized in that: described cursor bar light-permeable.

5. illuminated keyboard according to claim 1 is characterized in that: described a plurality of buttons wherein at least one button comprise light-permeable portion.

6. illuminated keyboard according to claim 1 is characterized in that: described illuminated component comprises a plurality of light emitting diodes.

7. illuminated keyboard according to claim 6 is characterized in that: described a plurality of light emitting diodes are arranged at a side of this light conducting member.

8. illuminated keyboard according to claim 1 is characterized in that: described light conducting member comprises light guide plate and reflection horizon, and this reflection horizon is positioned at the surface of this light guide plate; Or this reflection horizon is coated on this light guide plate surface.

9. illuminated keyboard according to claim 1 is characterized in that: described flexible circuit board is flexible flat bus cable or flexible printed wiring board.

10. illuminated keyboard according to claim 1 is characterized in that: described flexible circuit board be arranged at this backlight module above or below.

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