TW202441541A - Illuminated keyswitch structure and illuminating module - Google Patents

Abstract

An illuminated keyswitch structure and an illuminating module thereof are provided. The illuminating module includes a drive circuit board having a reflector layer disposed thereon, a light-emitting part disposed on the drive circuit board and proximate to the reflector layer, a covering structure having an island-shaped covering portion, and a spacer adhered between the covering structure and the drive circuit board and having a through hole and an adhesive-less clearance fringe at least partially surrounding the through hole, wherein the island-shaped covering portion covers above the light-emitting part and the through hole.

Description

Luminous key structure and illumination module

The present invention relates to a key structure, and more particularly to a luminous key structure and an illumination module.

This case is a continuation-in-part of and claims priority to U.S. Patent Application No. 18/353,925 (filed on July 18, 2023), which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Patent Application No. 17/847,853 (filed on June 23, 2022), which is now a continuation-in-part of U.S. Patent Application No. 11,728,110, which is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Patent Application No. 17/234,808 (filed on April 20, 2021). Application) is now a continuation-in-part of U.S. Patent No. 11,764,004 and claims priority to Taiwan Patent Application No. 110100264 (filed on January 5, 2021) and China Patent Application No. 202110441985.1 (filed on April 23, 2021) and U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/325,623 (filed on March 31, 2022). This case also claims priority to U.S. Provisional Application No. 63/446,794 (filed on February 17, 2023). The entire contents of the above patent applications are incorporated herein by reference and constitute a part of this specification.

Some luminous key structures on the market have a dedicated light source under the bottom plate to emit light upward. An opening is formed at the bottom plate corresponding to the light source so that the light can pass through the bottom plate. Usually, in order to avoid electrostatic discharge between the bottom plate and the light source and to protect the light source, an insulating sheet is attached to the light source and the light source circuit board. In principle, the light source is protruding from the circuit board, so that the insulating sheet also has a protruding structure as a whole. This protruding structure will make the part of the luminous key structure near the light source appear uneven, which is not conducive to the assembly of the components of the luminous key structure, nor is it conducive to the overall thin design of the luminous key structure. In addition, the protruding insulating sheet will enter the opening of the bottom plate, and even the light source will partially enter the opening. This structural configuration will increase the chance of structural interference with the structural parts above the bottom plate (such as the bracket supporting the keycap), causing the keycap to be unable to rise and fall smoothly, or indirectly damaging the light source.

Furthermore, in an illuminated keyboard, an illumination module is usually used to illuminate the keycap characters and keycap outlines. However, when the light source is located below the keycaps, the keycap characters directly above the light source become too bright, while the characters (such as corner characters) and keycap outlines far from the light source become too dark, making it difficult to achieve uniform illumination between characters and keycap outlines.

One purpose of the present invention is to provide a light-emitting key structure that utilizes a flat spacer to separate a bottom plate from a light-emitting element, which helps control the structural dimensions and ensure the light mixing distance, and also helps protect the light-emitting element to avoid structural interference between the light-emitting element and components above the bottom plate, thereby preventing damage.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the luminous key structure includes a base plate, a driving circuit board, a spacer, a luminous element and a light-transmitting covering structure. The base plate has a plurality of openings and a plurality of ribs separating the plurality of openings; the driving circuit board is arranged below the base plate; the spacer is arranged below the base plate and above the driving circuit board, the spacer having a through hole; the light-emitting element is arranged on the driving circuit board and is located in the through hole, and the light-emitting element vertically corresponds to one of the openings of the base plate; the light-transmitting covering structure includes at least one first covering layer and at least one second covering layer; wherein the first covering layer covers the light-emitting element and overlaps with a vertical projection of one of the openings of the base plate; wherein the second covering layer vertically corresponds to the light-emitting element and one of the openings of the base plate, and the second covering layer blocks at least part of the light emitted by the light-emitting element to one of the openings to reduce the light intensity provided from one of the openings.

In another embodiment, the first covering layer covers the driving circuit board in the through hole of the spacer.

In another embodiment, the through hole of the spacer is vertically connected to at least two openings of the bottom plate, and/or the through hole of the spacer is vertically connected to at least two ribs of the bottom plate.

In another embodiment, vertical projections of at least two openings of the first covering layer and the bottom plate overlap, and/or vertical projections of at least two ribs of the first covering layer and the bottom plate overlap.

In another embodiment, the spacer includes a top glue disposed on the top and a bottom glue disposed on the bottom; the overall thickness of the spacer, the top glue and the bottom glue is greater than or equal to the sum of the height of the light-emitting element and the thickness of a portion of the light-transmitting covering structure located above the light-emitting element.

In another embodiment, the spacer includes a top glue disposed on the top and/or a bottom glue disposed on the bottom; the spacer also includes an annular clear edge on which there is no top glue or bottom glue, and the annular clear edge surrounds the periphery of the through hole of the spacer.

In another embodiment, the second covering layer further includes an upper light absorbing layer and a bottom reflecting layer.

In another embodiment, the diameter of the upper light absorbing layer may be smaller than the diameter of the bottom reflective layer.

In another embodiment, the first cover layer is achieved by constructing a flat first cover layer between the base plate and the spacer and not entering the through hole.

In another embodiment, the second covering layer further includes an upper light absorbing layer disposed on the top of the flat first covering layer and a bottom reflecting layer disposed on the bottom of the flat first covering layer.

In another embodiment, the flat first covering layer includes a septum glue disposed thereon, and the flat first covering layer further includes an annular clear edge without the septum glue thereon, and the annular clear edge surrounds the periphery of the vertical projection of the through hole of the spacer.

In another embodiment, the second cover layer is reflective to reflect light back to the first cover layer in the through hole of the spacer.

In another embodiment, at least one second cover layer is reflective and shielded between one of the ribs of the bottom plate and the first cover layer to reflect light from the one of the ribs back to the first cover layer.

In another embodiment, the driving circuit board includes a plurality of reflective elements disposed thereon, and the plurality of reflective elements are vertically located at positions corresponding to at least two openings of the bottom plate.

In another embodiment, the driving circuit board includes at least one surface reflector and a plurality of point reflectors, the surface reflector is disposed on the top of the driving circuit board, and the plurality of point reflectors are located on the surface reflector and vertically correspond to at least two openings of the bottom plate.

In another embodiment, the luminous key structure further includes a key cap having at least one light-transmitting portion, wherein light passes through the plurality of openings of the bottom plate and then illuminates the light-transmitting portion.

In a derivative embodiment, the light-emitting key structure includes a base plate, a driving circuit board, a spacer, a light-emitting element, and a light-transmitting cover structure. The base plate has a plurality of openings and a plurality of ribs separating the plurality of openings; the driving circuit board is disposed below the base plate; the spacer is disposed below the base plate and disposed on the driving circuit board; the spacer has a through hole; the light-emitting element is disposed on the driving circuit board and is located in the through hole, and the light-emitting element vertically corresponds to one of the openings of the base plate; the light-transmitting cover structure includes a flat first cover layer, a block-shaped first cover layer, and at least one second cover layer, wherein the block-shaped first cover layer covers the through hole of the light-emitting element and the spacer. A driving circuit board is arranged in the hole, and the block-shaped first covering layer overlaps with a vertical projection of one of the openings of the base plate; wherein the flat first covering layer is constructed between the base plate and the spacer and does not enter the through hole; wherein the second covering layer is at least partially arranged on the flat first covering layer and vertically corresponds to the light-emitting element and one of the openings of the base plate, and the second covering layer blocks at least part of the light emitted by the light-emitting element to one of the openings to reduce the light intensity provided from one of the openings.

In another derivative embodiment, the driving circuit board includes a plurality of reflective elements disposed thereon, and the plurality of reflective elements are located at positions vertically corresponding to at least two openings of the bottom plate.

In another derivative embodiment, the driving circuit board includes at least one surface reflector and multiple point reflectors. The surface reflector is arranged on the top of the driving circuit board, and the multiple point reflectors are located on the surface reflector and vertically correspond to at least two openings of the bottom plate.

In another variant embodiment, the second cover layer is reflective to reflect light back to the first cover layer located in the through hole of the spacer.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the light-emitting key structure includes a base plate, a driving circuit board, a spacer, a light-emitting element and a transparent covering structure, wherein the base plate has an opening; the driving circuit board has a surface reflector and at least one point reflector arranged thereon; the spacer is bonded to the driving circuit board, the spacer has a through hole and a glue-free clear edge at least partially surrounding the through hole; the light-emitting element is arranged on the driving circuit board and is adjacent to the surface reflector and the point reflector; the transparent covering structure covers the light-emitting element and includes a reflective layer, wherein the reflective layer reflects light from the light-emitting element toward the surface reflector and/or the point reflector, so that the light is reflected upward from the surface reflector and/or the point reflector and passes through the through hole of the spacer, and then irradiates upward through the opening of the base plate.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, an illumination module is used to illuminate a key, and includes a driving circuit board, a spacer, a light-emitting element, and a transparent covering structure, wherein the driving circuit board has a surface reflector and at least one point reflector disposed thereon; the spacer is bonded to the driving circuit board, and the spacer has a through hole and a glue-free clear edge at least partially surrounding the through hole; the light-emitting element is disposed on the driving circuit board and between the surface reflector and the at least one point reflector; the transparent covering structure covers the light-emitting element and includes a reflective layer, wherein the reflective layer reflects light from the light-emitting element, and the surface reflector and/or at least one point reflector reflect light to pass through the through hole of the spacer, and then irradiate upward through the transparent covering structure.

In yet another embodiment of the present invention, an illumination module is used to illuminate a key, and includes a driving circuit board, a light-emitting element, a light-transmitting covering structure, and a spacer, wherein the driving circuit board has a surface reflector and at least one point reflector disposed thereon; the light-emitting element is disposed on the driving circuit board and is located between the surface reflector and the at least one point reflector; the light-transmitting covering structure covers the light-emitting element and includes a reflective layer and a flat transparent layer, and the reflective layer reflects light from the light-emitting element; the spacer is bonded between the flat transparent layer and the driving circuit board, and the spacer has a through hole and a glue-free clear edge that at least partially surrounds the through hole, so that one or both of the surface reflector and the at least one point reflector are at least partially disposed between the light-emitting element and the glue-free clear edge.

In one embodiment, the reflective layer of the light-transmissive cover structure at least partially allows light to pass through.

In one embodiment, the reflective layer of the light-transmitting cover structure at least partially overlaps with the surface reflective element and/or at least one point reflective element.

In one embodiment, the light-transmitting covering structure further includes a flat transparent layer that covers the light-emitting element but does not enter the through hole.

In one embodiment, the spacer is bonded between the driving circuit board and the flat transparent layer of the light-transmitting cover structure.

In one embodiment, the through hole of the spacer overlaps with the opening of the bottom plate.

In one embodiment, the light absorbing layer is disposed above the reflective layer of the light-transmitting cover structure.

In one embodiment, the diameter of the light absorbing layer is smaller than the diameter of the reflective layer.

In one embodiment, one or both of the surface reflector and the at least one point reflector are at least partially disposed between the light emitting element and the glue-free clear space edge.

In another variation of the present invention, an illumination module is used to illuminate a key, and includes a driving circuit board, a light-emitting element, a covering structure, and a spacer, wherein the driving circuit board is provided with a reflective element layer; the light-emitting element is disposed on the driving circuit board and is adjacent to the reflective element layer; the covering structure has an island-shaped covering portion; the spacer is bonded between the covering structure and the driving circuit board, and the spacer has a through hole and a glue-free clear edge that at least partially surrounds the through hole, wherein the island-shaped covering portion covers the light-emitting element and the through hole.

In one embodiment, the covering structure further has a frame-shaped covering portion surrounding the island-shaped covering portion, the island-shaped covering portion extends to connect two opposite sides of the frame-shaped covering portion to define two light-permeable portions in the frame-shaped covering portion, and the two light-permeable portions surround the light-emitting element.

In one embodiment, the illumination module further includes a light emitting pattern, wherein the light emitting pattern includes a reflection pattern and a diffusion pattern, the reflection pattern is on the reflection element layer, the diffusion pattern is on the spacer, and the light emitting pattern is used to guide light upward to at least one of the two light-transmissive portions.

In one embodiment, each of the two light-permeable portions has two or more corners and three or more side edges, so that each corner of the frame-shaped covering portion corresponds to one of the corners of the two light-permeable portions.

In one embodiment, the covering structure includes a first covering layer and a second covering layer, the first covering layer is used to substantially reflect light, and the second covering layer is used to substantially block light; at least one of the first covering layer and the second covering layer forms an island-shaped covering portion, and the first covering layer and the second covering layer together form a frame-shaped covering portion.

In one embodiment, the covering structure further includes a flat covering layer, the first covering layer and the second covering layer are disposed on the same side or two opposite sides of the flat covering layer, and the first covering layer is closer to the spacer than the second covering layer.

In one embodiment, the second covering layer extends from the first covering layer to at least partially surround at least one of the two light-transmissive portions.

In another derivative embodiment, the light-emitting key structure includes a base plate, a key cap and an illumination module, wherein the base plate has an opening; the key cap is arranged relative to the base plate; the illumination module includes: a driving circuit board, a light-emitting element, a covering structure and a spacer, wherein the driving circuit board has a reflective element layer disposed thereon; the light-emitting element is disposed on the driving circuit board and adjacent to the reflective element layer; the covering structure The structure has a frame-shaped covering portion and an island-shaped covering portion; a spacer is bonded between the covering structure and the driving circuit board, the spacer has a through hole and a glue-free clean edge, the through hole corresponds to the opening, and the glue-free clean edge at least partially surrounds the through hole, wherein the frame-shaped covering portion is arranged around the outline of the key cap, and the island-shaped covering portion covers the light-emitting component and the through hole.

In one embodiment, each of the two light-permeable portions has two or more corners and three or more sides, so that each corner of the keycap corresponds to one of the corners of the two light-permeable portions.

In one embodiment, the two light-permeable portions each have two or more corners and three or more side edges, and each side edge of the key cap corresponds to at least one of the side edges of the two light-permeable portions.

In one embodiment, the bottom plate further has two or more peripheral openings arranged around the opening, and each of the two light-permeable portions at least partially corresponds to at least one of the two or more peripheral openings.

In one embodiment, the illumination module further includes a light emitting pattern, which corresponds to the two light-permeable portions and is used to guide light upward through at least one of the two light-permeable portions and further through two or more peripheral openings.

In one embodiment, the key cap has a plurality of light-transmitting portions, and one of the two light-transmitting portions is located between two of the plurality of light-transmitting portions.

In one embodiment, the key cap has a plurality of light-transmitting portions, and one of the two light-transmitting portions is located between one of the plurality of light-transmitting portions and the outline of the key cap.

In another derivative embodiment, the illumination module is used to illuminate the key, which includes a driving circuit board, a light-emitting element, a covering structure, a spacer and a light-emitting pattern, wherein the driving circuit board is provided with a reflective element layer; the light-emitting element is arranged on the driving circuit board and is adjacent to the reflective element layer; the covering structure has an island-shaped covering portion; the spacer is bonded between the covering structure and the driving circuit board, and the spacer has a through hole and a glue-free clear edge that at least partially surrounds the through hole; the light-emitting pattern includes a reflective pattern and a diffusion pattern, the reflective pattern is on the reflective element layer, and the diffusion pattern is on the spacer, wherein the island-shaped covering portion covers the light-emitting element and the through hole, and the light-emitting pattern is substantially arranged adjacent to the island-shaped covering portion and is used to guide light upward.

According to the embodiment of the present invention, for the light-emitting keys with dedicated low-illuminance light-emitting elements, the illumination uniformity of the entire keycap can be enhanced. Furthermore, the illumination loss caused by the light toward the ribs of the bottom plate can be solved by a corresponding reflective second cover layer. In addition, a larger block-shaped first cover layer is introduced to cover the light-emitting elements in the through holes of the spacer, which is large enough to overlap with the vertical projections of at least two of the multiple openings of the bottom plate. Such a block-shaped first cover layer may have a reflective element at the bottom to reflect the recycled light toward the light-transmitting portion of the corner of the keycap, thereby improving the illumination uniformity. A flat first cover layer is further introduced to match or not match the block-shaped first cover layer application, thereby optimizing the illumination uniformity of the luminous key with a low-illuminance luminous element.

The above and other objects of the present invention will no doubt become apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments shown in the various drawings and accompanying drawings.

Please refer to FIGS. 1 to 3. According to an embodiment, a light-emitting key structure 1 comprises a base plate 10, a key cap 12, a lifting mechanism 14, a switch circuit board 16, an elastic reset member 18, a driving circuit board 20, a light-emitting member 22 and a spacer 24. The key cap 12 is disposed on the base plate 10. The lifting mechanism 14 is connected between the base plate 10 and the key cap 12, so that the key cap 12 can move up and down relative to the base plate 10 via the lifting mechanism 14. The switch circuit board 16 is disposed on the base plate 10 and has a switch 162 (indicated by a circle with hatching in FIG. 1). The elastic reset member 18 is disposed between the key cap 12 and the switch 162 corresponding to the switch 162. The key cap 12 can be pressed to squeeze the elastic reset member 18 downward, so that the elastic reset member 18 triggers the switch 162. The switch 162 can be triggered by a trigger bump located above the switch circuit board 16. The trigger bump extends from any component located above the switch circuit board 16, such as the elastic reset member 18, the lifting mechanism 14 or the key cap 12. When the key cap 12 is not pressed, the rebound force of the elastic reset member 18 causes the key cap 12 to move upward back to its original position. Among them, the lifting mechanism 14 is implemented by a scissor foot bracket, which includes two brackets that are individually connected to the bottom plate 10 and the key cap 12 and are pivotally connected to each other. The switch circuit board 16 is implemented by a thin film circuit board, which includes an upper circuit board, a lower circuit board, and an intermediate insulating plate disposed between the upper circuit board and the lower circuit board. The switch is implemented by circuit contacts located relatively on the upper circuit board and the lower circuit board. The elastic reset member 18 can be implemented by, for example, but not limited to, a rubber protrusion.

In practice, the lifting mechanism 14, the switch circuit board 16 and the elastic reset member 18 can also be implemented by other structures that can produce the same effect. For example, the lifting mechanism 14 can be implemented by a butterfly bracket or other mechanism that can provide a corresponding key cap to move up and down. In practice, the lifting mechanism of a longer key cap (such as a blank key, an input key, a reverse key, a shift key, etc.) can be implemented by a plurality of scissor-leg brackets, butterfly brackets or a combination thereof. For another example, the switch circuit board 16 can be implemented by a circuit board with a touch switch. For another example, the switch circuit board 16 can be implemented by a printed circuit board or a flexible circuit board, on which two adjacent contacts are formed as a switch 162. The elastic reset member 18 has a conductive portion corresponding to the two contacts and can simultaneously contact the two contacts through the conductive portion to implement the triggering of the switch 162. For another example, the elastic reset member 18 can be implemented by a spring or other elastic structure.

In addition, in this embodiment, the driving circuit board 20 is disposed below the base plate 10 and has an upper surface 202. The light-emitting element 22 is electrically disposed on the upper surface 202 of the driving circuit board 20. The light-emitting element 22 can be a single-color light-emitting diode (e.g., white) or a plurality of light-emitting diodes of different colors (e.g., red, green, and blue). The spacer 24 is disposed between the base plate 10 and the driving circuit board 20. The base plate 10 has a bottom surface 102 and one or more openings 104/104'. The switch circuit board 16 has a through hole 164. The spacer 24 has a through hole 242. The opening 104 of the base plate 10, the through hole 164 of the switch circuit board 16 and the through hole 242 of the spacer 24 are connected in the vertical direction D1 (as shown by the double arrows in the figure), and the projections of the three in the vertical direction D1 can be completely aligned, or at least partially overlap. In other words, the opening 104, the through hole 164 and the through hole 242 at least partially overlap in the vertical direction D1, so that there is a straight channel in the vertical direction D1, passing through the opening 104, the through hole 164 and the through hole 242. In other implementations, the switch circuit board 16 is light-transmissive except for the circuit, and the through hole 164 is not absolutely necessary. The light-emitting element 22 has a top surface 222 and is located in the through hole 242. The top surface 222 is lower in height than the bottom surface 102 of the base plate 10. Thus, the structure of the light-emitting key structure 1 near the light-emitting element 22 can be kept flat, which is helpful for controlling the structure size. In addition, in other embodiments, the light-emitting element 22 and the through hole 242 can also be located at positions corresponding to other openings 104' of the bottom plate 10. In keys with larger sizes or in keys that require an additional indicator light source, multiple light-emitting elements 22 may be located at openings 104, 104' corresponding to different bottom plates 10.

The spacer 24 can also prevent the light-emitting element 22 from structurally entering the opening 104 of the bottom plate 10, so as to avoid structural interference between the light-emitting element 22 and other components in the light-emitting key structure 1 located above the bottom plate 10 (for example, they may temporarily enter the opening 104 due to actuation), thereby preventing damage. In addition, in this embodiment, the spacer 24 is plate-shaped and has the same contour as the driving circuit board 20. This structural configuration is more helpful in keeping the bottom plate 10, the driving circuit board 20 and the spacer 24 flat as a whole, but the practice is not limited to this. For example, the spacer 24 is in a ring shape (e.g., a circular, square or other geometric ring shape) and surrounds the light-emitting element 22, and it can still play the role of keeping the structure of the light-emitting key structure 1 near the light-emitting element 22 flat. In addition, in practice, the switch circuit board 16 can also be arranged below the bottom plate 10 and integrated with the driving circuit board 20 structure into a single circuit board. For example, the switch circuit board 16 is removed, and a touch switch is arranged at the corresponding trigger bump on the driving circuit board 20 relative to any extended trigger bump of the elastic reset member 18, the lifting mechanism 14 or the key cap 12. The bottom plate 10 is correspondingly formed with an opening so that the elastic reset member 18 can move downward and contact the touch switch.

In this embodiment, the side wall 242a of the through hole 242 of the spacer 24 surrounds the light emitting element 22 and is sufficiently close to the side surface of the light emitting element 22. The top edge of the side wall 242a is also higher than the light emitting element 22 to protect the light emitting element 22. Therefore, whether the light emitting element 22 is covered by an insulating material or not, the light emitting element 22 can be protected to avoid interference and collision during the assembly process or operation process. Furthermore, the side wall 242a of the through hole 242 is opaque, so that the light emitted by the light emitting element 22 will not enter the spacer 24, which can avoid unexpected side light leakage around the keys or keyboard. In practice, when the spacer 24 is made of a light-transmissive material, an opaque layer can be coated on the side wall 242a. Alternatively, the spacer 24 can be made directly of an opaque material, so that the entire spacer 24 is opaque. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the through hole 242 of the spacer 24 is larger than the opening 104 of the bottom plate 10 (for example, in the vertical direction D1, the projection of the opening 104 falls within the projection of the through hole 242, and the light-emitting element 22 falls within the projection of the opening 104), which helps to suppress the light reflected by the side wall 242a of the through hole 242 from being directly emitted from the opening 104. Furthermore, the through hole 164 of the switch circuit board 16 is larger than the opening 104 of the base plate 10 (for example, in the vertical direction D1, the projection of the opening 104 falls within the projection of the through hole 164), which helps to suppress the light emitted from the opening 104 from entering the switch circuit board 16 from the side wall of the through hole 164. In other embodiments, the size of the opening 104/104' of the base plate 10 is not necessarily smaller than the size of the through hole 242 of the spacer 24, as long as the projections of the two in the vertical direction D1 at least partially overlap, and the light-emitting element 22 completely falls within the projection of the opening 104/104' of the base plate 10 in the vertical direction D1, and is not directly blocked by the base plate 10.

In addition, in this embodiment, the luminous key structure 1 includes a top glue 26 and a bottom glue 28 (not shown in this figure to simplify the drawing of FIG. 1 ), so that the spacer 24 is respectively combined with the base plate 10 and the driving circuit board 20. The spacer 24 has an upper surface 244 and a lower surface 246 opposite to the upper surface 244. The top glue 26 is disposed between the upper surface 244 and the bottom surface 102 of the base plate 10. The top glue 26 avoids all the openings 104/104' of the base plate 10. The spacer 24 is fixedly connected to the base plate 10 via the top glue 26 (i.e., the top glue 26 adheres the upper surface 244 to the bottom surface 102 of the base plate 10). The bottom glue 28 is disposed between the lower surface 246 and the upper surface 202 of the driving circuit board 20. The spacer 24 is fixedly connected to the driving circuit board 20 via the bottom glue 28 (i.e., the bottom glue 28 adheres the lower surface 246 and the upper surface 202 of the driving circuit board 20). In addition, the top glue 26 and the bottom glue 28 can also be made of opaque materials in practice to prevent light from entering the top glue 26 and the bottom glue 28.

In practice, the spacer 24 may first be coated with a top glue 26 and a bottom glue 28 on its upper surface 244 and lower surface 246, respectively. Then, the spacer 24 is bonded to the driving circuit board 20 by the bottom glue 28. Finally, the spacer 24 is bonded to the bottom plate 10 by the top glue 26. Generally speaking, the top glue 26 and the bottom glue 28 do not overflow into the through hole 242 of the spacer 24 and contact the side wall 242a of the through hole 242 or the light-emitting element 22. In this embodiment, the coating range of the top glue 26 on the upper surface 244 is shown as the hatched area in FIG. 1, which is equivalent to the projection area of the bottom plate 10 on the upper surface 244. After bonding, the top glue 26 will not be exposed; that is, the bottom plate 10 and the spacer 24 can completely cover the top glue 26. In addition, the lower surface 246 of the spacer 24 can completely fall on the upper surface 202 of the driving circuit board 20 in the vertical direction D1, so the bottom glue 28 is applied to the entire area of the lower surface 246 of the spacer 24 except the corresponding light-emitting element 22, or in other words, the bottom glue 28 is applied to the entire area of the lower surface 246 of the spacer 24 except the corresponding through hole 242. Similarly, after bonding, the bottom glue 28 will not be exposed; that is, the driving circuit board 20 and the spacer 24 can completely cover the bottom glue 28. However, this is not limited to this in practice. In addition, in the variation shown in FIG. 4 , the top glue 26 ′ (its thickness is exaggerated in the figure) is coated on the upper surface 244 of the spacer 24 in a grid pattern; wherein, after bonding, the top glue 26 ′ still completely covers the bottom plate 10. In practice, the pattern of the grid is not limited to that shown in FIG. 4 . The grid coating is beneficial to the coating margin of the top glue 26 ′, and can prevent the top glue 26 ′ from overflowing from between the spacer 24 and the bottom plate 10 and interfering with the operation of other components (e.g., contacting the bracket of the lifting mechanism 14) or assembly (e.g., contacting the outer shell of the light-emitting key structure 1 (not shown in the figure)).

In addition, as shown in FIG. 4 , the upper surface 244 has an annular clear edge 244a surrounding the through hole 242. There is no top glue 26' on the annular clear edge 244a (i.e., there is no clear edge), which can prevent the top glue 26' from overflowing from between the spacer 24 and the bottom plate 10 and entering the through hole 242 of the spacer 24 or the opening 104 of the bottom plate 10. In addition, the upper surface 244 has a clear outer edge 244b. There is no top glue 26' on the clear outer edge 244b, which can prevent the top glue 26' from overflowing from between the spacer 24 and the bottom plate 10. Similarly, in the variation shown in FIG. 5 , the base glue 28 ′ (whose thickness is exaggerated in the figure) is applied in a grid pattern on the lower surface 246 of the spacer 24. The lower surface 246 has an annular clean edge 246a and a clean outer edge 246b, and the annular clean edge 246a surrounds the through hole 242. There is no base glue 28 ′ on the annular clean edge 246a, and there is no base glue 28 ′ on the clean outer edge 246b. The grid application of the base glue 28 ′ also has the same effect as the grid application of the top glue 26 ′, which will not be described separately. In addition, in practice, the top glue and the bottom glue can also be applied in discrete dots on the upper surface 244 and the lower surface 246 of the spacer 24, so that the spacer 24 can be bonded to the bottom plate 10 and the driving circuit board 20. Furthermore, due to the trend of thinning of the light-emitting key structure, the distance between the light-emitting element 22 and the key cap 12 is gradually reduced. When the light-emitting element 22 is a combination of multiple light-emitting diodes of different colors, in terms of white light or specific color light, the distance between the light-emitting element 22 and the key cap 12 may be too small, resulting in insufficient mixing distance. Therefore, adjusting the thickness of the spacer 24, or adjusting the total thickness of the spacer 24/top glue 26 (26')/bottom glue 28 (28'), helps to adjust the light mixing distance, so that the multi-color light emitted by the light-emitting element 22 can have a sufficient light mixing distance, and can achieve the light mixing effect of the target color light before passing through the key cap 12. For the protection effect of the light-emitting element 22, the total thickness of the spacer 24/top glue 26 (26')/bottom glue 28 (28') (starting from the top surface of the driving circuit board 20, the same below), or the height of the side wall 242a of the through hole 242 plus the thickness of the top glue 26 (26') and the thickness of the bottom glue 28 (28'), should be greater than or equal to the height of the light-emitting element 22.

Please return to Figures 1 to 3. In this embodiment, the light-emitting key structure 1 further includes a light-transmitting covering structure 30, which covers the light-emitting element 22. The light-emitting element 22 can be, for example but not limited to, a light-emitting diode. The light-emitting element 22 emits light from the top surface 222 (i.e., emits light upward). The light-emitting element 22 has a side surface 224 (i.e., a side wall surface adjacent to the top surface 222 and surrounding the light-emitting element 22). The light-transmitting cover structure 30 covers the top surface 222 and the side surface 224 of the light-emitting element 22 and the upper surface 202 of the driving circuit board 20, so that the light-transmitting cover structure 30 has the effect of modulating the light emitted by the light-emitting element 22 and fixing the light-emitting element 22 on the driving circuit board 20; wherein, the structure of the light-transmitting cover structure 30 located above the top surface 222 can be regarded as a light modulating portion (indicated by a dotted frame in FIG. 3 ), which is used to modulate the light emitted by the light-emitting element 22. This light modulating portion has an upward convex portion, which has a light-collecting effect; but the practice is not limited to this. In this embodiment, the connection pad 206 of the circuit 204 of the driving circuit board 20 is exposed from the through hole 242 of the spacer 24, and the light emitting element 22 is electrically connected to the connection pad 206. The transparent cover structure 30 covers both the connection pad 206 and the portion of the circuit 204 exposed from the through hole 242, so that the transparent cover structure 30 also has an electrostatic discharge protection effect.

In addition, in this embodiment, the highest point of the light-transmitting cover structure 30 is roughly equal to the bottom surface 102 of the base plate 10, which can avoid structural interference with other components located above the base plate 10 in the light-emitting key structure 1. The light-transmitting cover structure 30 can also be lower than the bottom surface 102. In practice, the light-transmitting cover structure 30 can be implemented by dispensing glue (for example, after the spacer 24 is fixed on the driving circuit board 20) or other methods (for example, assembled to the light-emitting component 22 with another component). In addition, the light-emitting key structure 1 may not have a light-transmitting cover structure 30 covering the light-emitting component 22 in practice. In this case, the top surface 222 of the light-emitting component 22 can also be equal to the bottom surface 102 of the base plate 10 in height.

In this embodiment, the light-transmissive cover structure 30 includes a first cover layer 302 and a second cover layer 304. The first cover layer 302 is disposed on the top surface 222, and the second cover layer 304 is disposed on the first cover layer 302. The first cover layer 302 covers the top surface 222, the side surface 224 and the connection pad 206 of the light-emitting element 22 at the same time; the second cover layer 304 is disposed on the first cover layer 302 relative to the top surface 222, but the implementation is not limited to this. For example, the second cover layer 304 covers the entire first cover layer 302. Furthermore, in practice, the first cover layer 302 or the second cover layer 304 can be a light wavelength conversion layer, such as but not limited to containing fluorescent powder or quantum dots. In addition, the light-transmitting cover structure 30 can also be a single-layer structure or a multi-layer structure in practice.

In addition, in this embodiment, the light-transmitting covering structure 30 does not completely fill the through hole 242, so that there is a gap between the light-transmitting covering structure 30 and the side wall 242a of the through hole 242. As shown in FIG3, an air partition is formed between the light-transmitting covering structure 30 and the side wall 242a of the through hole 242, surrounding the side surface 224; but the implementation is not limited to this. For example, in the variation shown in FIG6, the side wall 242b of the through hole 242' can reflect light and is a cup-shaped structure with an opening facing upward (i.e., toward the opening 104 of the base plate 10), which helps to guide the light emitted by the light-emitting element 22 to move upward. In this embodiment, the side wall 242b is a concave surface as a whole. But the implementation is not limited to this. For example, the side wall 242c is a cone (as shown in FIG. 7 ); for another example, the side wall 242d is a stepped surface (as shown in FIG. 8 ); for another example, the side wall may be other structures that can guide light upward. The aforementioned concave surface, cone surface, and stepped surface can be realized through hot pressing molding in practice. In addition, as shown in FIG. 6 , the light-transmitting covering structure 30a is filled with through holes 242' and is roughly coplanar with the bottom surface 102 of the base plate 10, but is not limited to this in practice. For example, the light-transmitting covering structure 30b has an upward convex portion (as shown in FIG. 9 ). For another example, a microstructure (such as a saw-tooth structure, as shown in FIG. 10 ) is formed on the surface of the light-transmitting covering structure 30c. Similarly, the aforementioned light-transmitting covering structure 30a and the light-transmitting covering structure 30b can also be a multi-layer structure, which is unnecessary to elaborate. The outline of the light-transmitting covering structure 30a and the light-transmitting covering structure 30b can also be realized through hot pressing molding. For the protection effect of the light-emitting element 22, the total thickness of the spacer 24/top glue 26 (26')/bottom glue 28 (28'), or the height of the side wall 242a of the through hole 242 plus the sum of the thickness of the top glue 26 (26') and the thickness of the bottom glue 28 (28'), should be greater than or equal to the height of the light-emitting element 22 plus the sum of the thickness of the light-transmitting covering structure 30 (or the light-transmitting covering structure 30a/30b) located above the light-emitting element 22.

In addition, as shown in FIGS. 1 to 3 , in the light-emitting key structure 1 , the elastic reset member 18 is light-transmissive, so that even if the light-emitting member 22 is located below the elastic reset member 18 , the light emitted by the light-emitting member 22 can still travel toward the key cap 12 , so as to provide all backlights for the light-transmissive portion 120 (indicated by a dotted frame in FIGS. 1 and 2 ; for example, numbers, symbols, letters, text, graphics or a combination thereof, etc.) of the key cap 12 . In addition, in this embodiment, the light-emitting member 22 emits light from the top surface 222 , but the implementation is not limited thereto. For example, the light-emitting member 22 can also be side-emitting, and in combination with the through-hole sidewalls (such as sidewalls 242 b~d) of the cup-shaped structure, the light emitted by the light-emitting member 22 can still be effectively guided to travel toward the key cap 12 .

Referring to FIG. 1 , for a single thin luminous key 1, its dedicated luminous element 22 is constructed very close to the keycap 12, and the luminous element 22 only needs low illumination to illuminate the keycap 12. However, although the power consumption is successfully reduced, the illumination uniformity of the entire keycap 12 may become an apparent issue. For example, the light-transmitting portion 120 on the inner side of the keycap 12 (i.e., located in the middle area of the keycap 12) may have the brightest intensity, while the light-transmitting portions 120 at the four corners may be much darker.

Please refer to FIG. 11 , which is a cross-sectional view of a light-emitting key structure of a modified embodiment. In FIG. 11 , a light-emitting member 22 with low illumination is disposed in a single large through hole 242 of a spacer 24. The light-emitting member 22 vertically corresponds to one of the openings 104 or 104' of the base plate 10. The size of the single through hole 242 can overlap with most of the projection area of the key cap 12. The size of the single through hole 242 is sufficient to communicate with at least two or more of the openings 104' and the inner openings 104 at the four corners of the base plate 10 in FIG. 1 . In other words, the large through hole 242 overlaps with the vertical projections of the multiple ribs 106 of the base plate 10. Alternatively, the single through hole 242 at least partially overlaps with at least one of the openings 104' at the four corners, and also at least partially overlaps with the inner opening 104 of the bottom plate 10. Of course, the single through hole 242 at least partially overlaps with one or more ribs 106 of the bottom plate 10. Similarly, the light-transmitting cover structure 30 includes a first cover layer 302 and a second cover layer 304. Both the first cover layer 302 and the second cover layer 304 can be light-transmitting. Alternatively, the first cover layer 302 is light-transmitting, and the second cover layer 304 can be at least partially light-transmitting, and part of the light is absorbed or reflected. The block-shaped first cover layer 302 is not only disposed on the top surface 222 of the light-emitting element 22, but also covers at least most of the through hole 242 and the top surface of the driving circuit board 20 in the through hole 242, so that the first cover layer 302 at least partially overlaps with the vertical projection of each of the openings 104' and the inner openings 104 at the four corners of the bottom plate 10. The second cover layer 304 is disposed on the first cover layer 302 and corresponds to the light-emitting element 22, and the second cover layer 302 at least partially overlaps with the vertical projection of the inner opening 104. In other words, the second cover layer 304 is disposed between the light emitting element 22 and the opening 104 or 104' of the bottom plate 10, and vertically corresponds to the light emitting element 22 and the opening 104 or 104' of the bottom plate 10. The diameter of the second cover layer 304 is larger than the diameter of the light emitting element 22, and may also be smaller than the diameter of the inner opening 104, so as to allow light to pass through the gap between the rib 106 of the bottom plate 10 and the second cover layer 304. In a variant embodiment, the second cover layer 304 may have the same diameter as the inner opening 104. The first cover layer 302 and the second cover layer 304 may both be at least partially light-transmissive, so as to allow light emitted by the light emitting element 22 to pass through. The first cover layer 302 can be made of a highly light-transmitting, curable gel material to allow light to be transmitted within the first cover layer 302 itself. Under certain conditions (e.g., curing the first cover layer 302 to achieve a smooth, hard, and flat surface), part of the light can be totally internally reflected within the first cover layer 302, and the light is allowed to propagate laterally therein, thereby reducing the light passing through the opening 104 on the inner side of the bottom plate, and most of the light from the light-emitting element 22 can be widely diffused to the openings 104' at all four corners of the bottom plate 10 and the vertical projection of the opening 104 on the inner side. Therefore, the light passing through the light-transmitting portions 120 at the four corners of the key cap 12 has an illumination close to that of the light-transmitting portions 120 at the inner side, thereby achieving uniform illumination of all the light-transmitting portions 120 of the key cap 12.

The second covering layer 304 can be realized by a plastic sheet or an ink coating, which is arranged on the first covering layer 302 and aligned with the light-emitting element 22. Referring to Figures 12A, 12B and 12C, each is an example pattern schematic diagram of the second covering layer 304 according to a variation of the present invention. Various light-transmitting pattern designs can be applied to determine the light-transmitting effect of the second covering layer 304. In Figure 12A, the second covering layer 304 is a pattern with two or more parallel line groups aligned and intersecting each other. In Figure 12B, the second covering layer 304 is composed of concentric circles or concentric ellipses. The width and density of the lines and line groups are adjustable to change the light transmittance of the second covering layer 304. As shown in FIG. 12C , the second cover layer 304 is a pattern formed by integrating a plurality of dots, wherein the shape and size of each dot and the interval between the dots can also be used to adjust the light transmittance of the second cover layer 304. Regardless of the light transmittance, reflectivity and absorptivity of the second cover layer 304, the second cover layer 304 at least partially blocks (reflects or absorbs) the light from the light emitting element 22 from being transmitted to the corresponding upper opening 104 of the bottom plate 10, thereby reducing the light intensity of the light-transmitting portion 120 on the inner side corresponding to the key cap 12.

Returning to FIG. 11 , the light-transmitting cover structure 30 may be arranged to partially enter the opening 104 of the bottom plate 10 and partially remain below the bottom surface 102 of the bottom plate 10. The top glue 26 (26') and the bottom glue 28 (28') (omitted in FIG. 11 ) shown in FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 may be respectively applied to the top and bottom of the spacer 24 of FIG. 11 . Therefore, the total thickness of the spacer 24, the top glue 26 (26') and the bottom glue 28 (28') is greater than or equal to the sum of the height of the light-emitting element 22 and the thickness of the first cover layer 302 of the light-transmitting cover structure 30 above the light-emitting element 22. 11, although the second cover layer 304 is higher than the bottom surface of the bottom plate 10 and enters the opening 104, it is still possible to reduce the thickness of the light-transmitting cover structure 30, or increase the thickness of at least one of the spacer 24, the top glue 26 (26') and the bottom glue 28 (28'), to lower the second cover layer 304 and the entire light-transmitting cover structure 30 to maintain the same height as or below the bottom surface of the bottom plate 10. In this case, the total thickness of the spacer 24, the top glue 26 (26') and the bottom glue 28 (28') is greater than or equal to the sum of the height of the light-emitting element 22 and the thickness of the light-transmitting cover structure 30 above the light-emitting element 22.

Please refer to Figure 13, which is a cross-sectional view of the luminous key structure 1 of another variant embodiment of the present invention. The second cover layer 304 may include a reflective layer that reflects light back to the first cover layer. Optionally, the second cover layer 304 may include two coatings, such as an upper light absorbing layer and a bottom reflective layer. If necessary, the diameter of the upper light absorbing layer may be smaller than the diameter of the bottom reflective layer to allow a certain proportion of non-reflected light to pass through. The reflective second cover layer 304 better reflects light back to the first cover layer 302 to be reused to illuminate all inner light-transmitting portions 120 and light-transmitting portions 120 in the corners. Referring to FIG. 4 and FIG. 13 , the upper surface 244 of the spacer 24 may have an annular clear edge 244a surrounding the periphery of the through hole 242 of the spacer 24. The annular clear edge 244a is free of the top glue 26', which can prevent the top glue 26' from overflowing into the through hole 242 of the spacer 24 or the opening 104 of the bottom plate 10. Similarly, referring to FIG. 5 and FIG. 13 , the lower surface 246 of the spacer 24 may have an annular clear edge 246a (omitted in FIG. 13 ) surrounding the periphery of the through hole 242 of the spacer 24. The annular clear edge 246a is free of the bottom glue 28' to prevent the bottom glue 28' from entering the through hole 242.

In FIGS. 1 and 13 , the base plate 10 includes ribs 106 that separate the openings 104 ′ at the four corners from the openings 104 on the inside. In some cases, we have found that the ribs 106 actually block the light. The ribs 106 cannot effectively reflect the light downward like metal materials to give the light a second chance to reflect back into the interior of the luminous key 1, which then results in a loss of illumination. Therefore, in some embodiments, the ribs 106 of the base plate 10 have a low contribution to the lighting consistency of the entire keycap 12 and can be further adjusted. In FIG. 13 , three second cover layers 304 are shown. If the first cover layer 302 overlaps with the vertical projections of at least two openings 104 or 104', and also overlaps with the vertical projections of at least two ribs 106, this helps to improve the lighting consistency. Each of the two transverse second cover layers 304 not only covers the top of a portion of the first cover layer 302, but also shields between the corresponding ribs 106 of the bottom plate 10 and the first cover layer 302. Similarly, the two transverse second cover layers 304 can be reflective to reflect light back to the first cover layer, respectively. Therefore, the light toward the ribs 106 can be reflected and recycled to the first cover layer 302 for further reuse. Furthermore, in another derivative example, the second covering layer 304 below the ribs of the base plate 10 can be realized by coating the second covering layer 304 on the bottom surface, rather than directly coating the top surface of the first covering layer 302 .

Referring to FIG. 13 , the reuse of light is important for the low-illuminance light-emitting element 22. In order to better reuse the light reflected from the second cover layer 304 to the first cover layer 304, the driving circuit board 20 includes a plurality of reflectors 208 disposed on the top surface of the driving circuit board 20, and the plurality of reflectors 208 correspond to the openings 104 on the inner side of the bottom plate 10 and the openings 104' at the corners. The first cover layer 302 covers these reflectors 208, that is, the reflectors 208 are located below the first cover layer 302. Therefore, the light of the light-transmitting portion 120 illuminating the corners of the key cap 12 is increased to improve the illumination uniformity of the entire key cap 12. In another embodiment, all the multiple reflectors 208 in FIG13 are integrated into one device to obtain better lateral light transmission performance. Alternatively, in addition to the multiple reflectors 208 in FIG13 , an additional larger bottom reflector 208 can surround the light emitting element 22 and cover the top surface of the driving circuit board 20 in the through hole 242, and all the smaller reflectors 208 are disposed on the larger bottom reflector 208.

Refer to FIG. 14 and FIG. 15, which are respectively an exploded view and a cross-sectional view of the light-emitting key structure 1 of another variant embodiment. The main difference between FIG. 14 and FIG. 15 and the previous embodiment is that the through hole 242 is mainly air and is not filled with other materials. The light-transmitting covering structure 30 here includes a flat first covering layer 302 and a second covering layer 304 disposed on the flat first covering layer 302. The flat first covering layer 302 is configured between the base plate 10 and the spacer 24. That is, the flat first covering layer 302 covers the through hole 242 of the spacer 24, and covers the light-emitting member 22 in the through hole 242. The flat first cover layer 302 does not enter the through hole 242, and it also overlaps with at least two of the openings 104 and 104' of the bottom plate 10. The flat first cover layer 302 can still be made of a light-transmitting material, and the second cover layer 304 at least partially blocks the light to reduce the luminous intensity of a corresponding light-transmitting portion 120 in the key cap 12. The double-layer second cover layer 304 in Figure 13 is also applicable to Figure 15. Here, both the upper light-absorbing layer and the bottom reflective layer can be disposed on the flat first cover layer 302. Alternatively, only the upper light-absorbing layer is disposed on the flat first cover layer 302, and the bottom reflective layer is disposed below the flat first cover layer 302. One advantage of this embodiment is that FIG. 14 and FIG. 15 are thin, transparent or translucent sheets, which are convenient for printing or coating a second covering layer 304 of a certain height thereon in an automated manufacturing process, which is easier than forming a second covering layer 304 on a solidified, much smaller block-shaped first covering layer 302 (e.g., FIG. 13 ).

Refer to FIG. 16 , which is a cross-sectional view of a light-emitting key structure 1 of a derivative embodiment of the present invention. Compared with FIG. 13 , in addition to the block-shaped first cover layer 302 and the plurality of reflective second cover layers 304, the light-transmitting cover structure 30 in FIG. 16 further includes a flat first cover layer 306. The flat first cover layer 306 can be the same as the flat first cover layer 302 described in the embodiments related to the aforementioned FIG. 14 and FIG. 15 . The flat first cover layer 306 is disposed between the bottom plate 10 and the spacer 24, that is, the flat first cover layer 306 covers the through hole 242 of the spacer 24, and covers the light-emitting element 22 in the through hole 242. On the top of the flat first cover layer 306, the flat first cover layer 306 includes a spacer glue 308 to bond with the bottom plate 10. The top surface of the flat first cover layer 306 also has an annular clear edge 306a, surrounding the periphery of the bottom side of the opening 104' of all the corners in Figure 14. In addition, a plurality of reflective second cover layers 304 are disposed above the flat first cover layer 306 and between the flat first cover layer 306 and the substrate 10. Some of the plurality of reflective second cover layers 304 are configured to correspond to the above-mentioned ribs 106. In addition, similar to FIG13 , in order to better reuse the light reflected from the second cover layer 304 to the first cover layer 304, the driving circuit board 20 includes a plurality of point reflectors 208a and surface reflectors 208. The point reflectors 208a and surface reflectors 208 are disposed on the top surface of the driving circuit board 20 and are located at the openings 104 and the openings 104' at the corners corresponding to the inner side of the bottom plate 10. These point reflectors 208a and surface reflectors 208 are covered by the block-shaped first cover layer 302, i.e., are located below the block-shaped first cover layer 302. Therefore, the light reflected by the second cover layer 304 back to the block-shaped first cover layer 302 is guided to the reflective member 208a corresponding to the opening 104' at the corner of the bottom plate. In this way, the illumination of the light-transmitting portion 120 on the inner side of the key cap 12 is reduced, while the illumination of the light-transmitting portion 120 at the corner of the key cap 12 is increased, thereby well enhancing the illumination uniformity of the entire key cap 12.

There can be many ways to set up the above-mentioned point reflectors 208a and surface reflectors 208. For example, multiple parallel reinforcing ribs can be aligned and intersected with each other to form diamond-shaped rib units and diamond-shaped recesses therein. These ribs can be formed by winding a metal mesh. Since the entire top surface of the driving circuit board 20 is made of reflective material, or includes a reflective coating thereon, the surfaces of the rib units and recesses are reflective. Additional high-reflectivity coating dots can be filled into specific groups of these recesses to reflect light directly upward. Even without additional coating dots, the rib units and recesses themselves are already microstructures that can directly reflect light. By flattening or coating the other parts of the recess with a non-reflective material, the non-flattened or uncoated area of the recess and the surrounding rib units can become dedicated reflective parts for illuminating a certain light-transmitting portion 120.

Through the technical solutions of FIG. 11 , FIG. 12A, FIG. 12B, FIG. 12C, FIG. 13, FIG. 14, FIG. 15 and FIG. 16 , for the luminous key 1 equipped with the dedicated low-illuminance luminous element 22, the illumination uniformity of the entire key cap 12 can be well improved. In addition, the illumination loss caused by the light going to the rib 106 of the bottom plate 10 can be solved by the corresponding reflective second covering layer 304. In addition, the larger block-shaped first covering layer 302 is introduced to cover the luminous element 22 in the through hole 242 of the spacer 24, and its size is sufficient to overlap with the vertical projection of at least two of the multiple openings 104/104' of the bottom plate 10. The block-shaped first cover layer 302 may have a reflector 28 underneath to reflect the recovered light toward the light-transmitting portion 120 at the corner of the key cap 12 to improve the illumination uniformity. A flat first cover layer 306 is also introduced to be applied with or without the block-shaped first cover layer 302, thereby optimizing the illumination uniformity of the luminous key structure when the low-illuminance light-emitting element 22 is applied.

Refer to FIG. 17 , which is a cross-sectional view of a light-emitting key structure 1 according to another variation of the present invention. The difference between FIG. 17 and the aforementioned embodiment is that the size of the through hole 242 is much smaller, so as to correspond only to a portion of the multiple openings of the base plate 10, for example, only to the opening 104, and the configuration of the covering structure 30 'is different. As shown in FIG. 17 , the light-emitting key structure 1 includes a base plate 10, a key cap 12, a lifting mechanism 14, a switch circuit board 16, an elastic reset member 18, a driving circuit board 20, a light-emitting member 22 and a spacer 24, which are the same or similar to those described previously. For example, the key cap 12 is disposed above the base plate 10 and has a plurality of light-transmitting portions 120 (such as numbers, symbols, letters, words, graphics or a combination thereof). The lifting mechanism 14 is connected between the bottom plate 10 and the key cap 12, and is used to support the key cap 12 to move up/down relative to the bottom plate 10. The switch circuit board 16 is arranged below the key cap 12, and preferably above the bottom plate 10. The switch circuit board 16 has a switch 162. The elastic reset member 18 is arranged between the key cap 12 and the bottom plate 10 corresponding to the switch 162. When the key cap 12 is pressed, the elastic reset member 18 can trigger the switch 162. The driving circuit board 20, the light emitting element 22, the spacer 24 and the covering structure 30' constitute an illumination module, which is used to illuminate the key composed of the base plate 10, the key cap 12, the lifting mechanism 14, the switch circuit board 16 and the elastic reset element 18.

Referring to FIG. 17 and FIG. 18 , which are schematic plan views of the bottom plate 10 of the luminous key structure 1 of FIG. 17 , the bottom plate 10 can be formed by metal stamping, so that the bottom plate 10 has a plurality of ribs 106, wherein the plurality of ribs 106 are connected to each other to define a plurality of openings (e.g., the opening 104 and two or more peripheral openings 104′). In this embodiment, four peripheral openings 104′ are arranged around the opening 104, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, one side of the opening 104 may be surrounded by a larger peripheral opening 104', and the other side may be surrounded by two smaller peripheral openings 104', or may be surrounded by two larger peripheral openings 104' on both sides, or each side may be surrounded by two or more smaller peripheral openings 104'. The opening 104 (or the peripheral opening 104') preferably at least partially corresponds to one or more light-transmitting portions 120 of the key cap 12. In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 22, the opening 104 preferably corresponds to one of the light-transmitting portions 120, such as the light-transmitting portion 120b with the symbol "/", and the peripheral opening 104' corresponds to the other light-transmitting portion 120, such as the light-transmitting portion 120a with the symbol "?". From another perspective, each light-transmissive portion 120 of the key cap 12 preferably at least partially overlaps with one of the openings 104 and 104' of the base plate 10.

Referring to FIG. 17 and FIG. 19 , which are schematic plan views of the covering structure 30′ of the luminous key structure 1 of FIG. 17 , the covering structure 30′ has an island-shaped covering portion 30a′. The island-shaped covering portion 30a′ covers the light-emitting element 22 and the through hole 242 of the spacer 24. In this embodiment, the covering structure 30′ may further include a frame-shaped covering portion 30b′, which surrounds the island-shaped covering portion 30a′, and the island-shaped covering portion 30a′ extends to connect the opposite sides of the frame-shaped covering portion 30b′ to define two light-transmissive portions 306b in the frame-shaped covering portion 30b′. For example, as shown in FIG. 22 , the frame-shaped covering portion 30b′ surrounds the outline of the key cap 12. In other words, the frame-shaped covering portion 30b′ is preferably disposed continuously along the outline of the key cap 12 without vertically overlapping with the peripheral opening 104′ of the bottom plate 10, but is not limited thereto. The island-shaped covering portion 30a′ preferably extends from opposite sides of the long sides of the two light-transmissive portions 306b to connect the frame-shaped covering portion 30b′, so that the two light-transmissive portions 306b surround the light-emitting member 22 disposed in the through hole 242 of the spacer 24.

In one embodiment, each of the two light-permeable portions 306b preferably has two or more corners and three or more sides, so that each corner of the frame-shaped cover portion 30b' corresponds to one of the corners of the two light-permeable portions 306b. For example, as shown in FIG. 19, the upper left corner and the lower left corner of the left-side light-permeable portion 306b correspond to the upper left corner and the lower left corner of the frame-shaped cover portion 30b' and the key cap 12, respectively. Similarly, the upper right corner and the lower right corner of the right-side light-permeable portion 306b correspond to the upper right corner and the lower right corner of the frame-shaped cover portion 30b' and the key cap 12, respectively. In this configuration, the illumination uniformity of the key cap outline can be improved. Furthermore, in one embodiment, the width of the island-shaped covering portion 30a′ between the two light-transmissive portions 306b is preferably 1/5, 1/4, 1/3 or more of the length of the longest side of the light-transmissive portion 306b, so that the light-transmissive portion in the center and corners of the key cap 12 and the outline of the key cap 12 can have better lighting uniformity.

In another embodiment (not shown), the island-shaped covering portion 30a' may be an independent covering portion without being connected to other covering portions of the covering structure 30'. For example, the island-shaped covering portion 30a' may be disposed in the frame-shaped covering portion 30b' without being connected to the frame-shaped covering portion 30b', so that an annular light-permeable portion is formed in the frame-shaped covering portion 30b'. Similarly, the annular light-permeable portion may surround the light-emitting element 22. In yet another embodiment, according to actual application, the island-shaped covering portion 30a' may extend to connect one side of the frame-shaped covering portion 30b' to form an open-loop light-permeable portion. In other words, the island-shaped covering portion 30a' may be in the form of a semi-island.

Referring to FIG. 17 and FIG. 19 , in one embodiment, the covering structure 30′ includes a first covering layer 302′ and a second covering layer 304′, wherein the first covering layer 302′ is used to substantially reflect light, and the second covering layer 304′ is used to substantially block light. At least one of the first covering layer 302′ and the second covering layer 304′ forms an island-shaped covering portion 30a′, and the first covering layer 302′ and the second covering layer 304′ together form a frame-shaped covering portion 30b′, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In another embodiment, the frame-shaped covering portion 30b′ may be formed by at least one of the first covering layer 302′ and the second covering layer 304′. The first cover layer 302' and the second cover layer 304' have different light transmittances. The first cover layer 302' can reflect most of the light and allow a small part to pass through (or absorb a small part of the light). The second cover layer 304' substantially blocks or absorbs most of the light and allows a small part of the light to pass through (or reflects a small part of the light). For example, in one embodiment, the first cover layer 302' can be a white ink layer, and the second cover layer 304' can be a black ink layer, and both can be formed by printing technology, but are not limited thereto. Furthermore, the covering structure 30' further includes a flat covering layer 306', the first covering layer 302' and the second covering layer 304' are disposed on the same side or two opposite sides of the flat covering layer 306', and the first covering layer 302' is closer to the spacer 24 than the second covering layer 304'. For example, the flat covering layer 306' can be a light-transmissive film, such as a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film, and the first covering layer 302' and the second covering layer 304' are disposed on or printed on the flat covering layer 306'. In one embodiment, the light-permeable portion 306b is preferably a portion of the flat cover layer 306' where the first cover layer 302' and the second cover layer 304' are not provided. In another embodiment, the light-permeable portion 306b may be a portion (or opening) of the flat cover layer 306' where the first cover layer 302' and the second cover layer 304' are not provided and is cut away. In one embodiment, the second cover layer 304' is closer to the base plate 10 than the first cover layer 302' (i.e., the first cover layer 302' is closer to the spacer 24 than the second cover layer 304'). In this way, most of the upward light can be reflected by the first cover layer 302' first, while a small part of the upward light passes through the first cover layer 302' and is then absorbed by the second cover layer 304', so as to effectively guide the upward light from the vertical (upward) direction to the lateral (or horizontal) direction.

In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 17 , the first covering layer 302 ′ and the second covering layer 304 ′ are preferably disposed on different surfaces of the flat covering layer 306 ′. For example, the first covering layer 302 ′ is disposed on the lower surface of the flat covering layer 306 ′ (i.e., closer to the spacer 24), and the second covering layer 304 ′ is disposed on the upper surface of the flat covering layer 306 ′ (i.e., closer to the base plate 10), but not limited thereto. In another embodiment (not shown), the first covering layer 302 ′ and the second covering layer 304 ′ may be disposed on the same surface of the flat covering layer 306 ′. For example, the first cover layer 302' may be disposed on the upper surface of the flat cover layer 306', and the second cover layer 304' may be disposed on the upper surface of the flat cover layer 306' and/or the upper surface of the first cover layer 302'. Alternatively, the second cover layer 304' may be disposed on the lower surface of the flat cover layer 306', and the first cover layer 302' may be disposed on the lower surface of the flat cover layer 306' and/or the lower surface of the second cover layer 304'. In this way, most of the upward light will be reflected by the first cover layer 302', and a small part will pass through the first cover layer 302' and be absorbed by the second cover layer 304'.

It should be noted that in the drawings (e.g., FIG. 19 or FIG. 22 ), the left hatched area is where the first cover layer 302′ is disposed, and the vertical hatched area is where the second cover layer 304′ is disposed. When both the left hatched area and the vertical hatched area exist in an area, the area is where the first cover layer 302′ and the second cover layer 304′ are overlapped, and the first cover layer 302′ is closer to the spacer 24 than the second cover layer 304′.

Referring to Fig. 17, the second covering layer 304' preferably extends from the first covering layer 302' to at least partially surround at least one of the two light-permeable portions 306b. Specifically, the island-shaped covering portion 30a' is disposed corresponding to the opening 104 of the bottom plate 10 and covers the light-emitting element 22. In the area between the two light-permeable portions 306b, the width of the second covering layer 304' is preferably greater than the width of the first covering layer 302'. For example, the first cover layer 304' preferably overlaps vertically with the opening 104 and further extends to the rib 106, while the second cover layer 304' overlaps vertically with the first cover layer 302' and further extends from the first cover layer 302' to overlap partially with the peripheral opening 104'. As shown in Figure 19, the second cover layer 304' defines the edge of the light-permeable portion 306b. In other words, the edge 3041 of the second cover layer 304' serves as the edge of the light-permeable portion 306b. The area between the edge 3021 of the first cover layer 302' and the edge 3041 of the second cover layer 304' is where only the second cover layer 304' is disposed, but the invention is not limited thereto. In other embodiments (not shown), the light-permeable portion 306b may be defined by at least one of the first cover layer 302' and the second cover layer 304'. For example, the first cover layer 302' may extend from the second cover layer 304' to surround the light-permeable portion 306b. Alternatively, the first cover layer 302' and the second cover layer 304' may have the same pattern to define the light-permeable portion 306b together.

Referring to FIG. 17 and FIG. 20 , which are plan views of the spacer 24 of the light-emitting key structure 1 of FIG. 17 , the spacer 24 may be a film-like or sheet-like body, which may be made of a suitable optical material, such as an optical polymer. The through hole 242 is preferably smaller than the opening 104 of the base plate 10, and the light-emitting element 22 may be located in the through hole 242. In one embodiment, the spacer 24 may be a light guide plate, and the light emitted by the light-emitting element 22 enters the spacer 24 from the side wall of the through hole 242. The flat covering layer 306 ′ preferably completely overlaps the spacer 24, so that the island-shaped covering portion 30a ′ is located directly above the through hole 242. The spacer 24 is bonded between the covering structure 30 ′ and the driving circuit board 20. Similar to the aforementioned embodiment, the top glue 26 and the bottom glue 28 are respectively disposed on the upper surface 244 and the lower surface 246 of the spacer 24, and are located around the through hole 242. Specifically, the top glue 26 is used to connect the covering structure 30' and the spacer 24, and the bottom glue 28 is used to connect the spacer 24 and the driving circuit board 20 (or the reflector layer 208). The top glue 26 or the bottom glue 28 can be an annular adhesive portion surrounding the through hole 242 of the spacer 24, and is located between the light-transmissive portions 306b. The top glue 26 or the bottom glue 28 can be made of an optical material that is light-transmissive and has a refractive index closer to that of the spacer 24 than that of air. As a result, light reflected from the first cover layer 302' can enter the spacer 24 at a relatively high ratio and then propagate in the spacer 24 by total reflection.

Furthermore, the spacer 24 has one or more glue-free clear edges (e.g., 244a or 246a) that at least partially surround the through hole 242. Specifically, the top glue 26 or the bottom glue 28 is separated from the edge of the through hole 242 of the spacer 24 by a distance to form an annular clear edge 244a or 246a therebetween, i.e., an area surrounding the through hole 242 without the top glue 26 or the bottom glue 28. The spacer 24 may further have a diffusion pattern 24a, which includes a plurality of light emitting portions (e.g., microstructures, light emitting points) to destroy the total reflection of light and emit the light upward. The diffusion pattern 24a is preferably disposed corresponding to the peripheral opening 104' (or the light-transmissive portion 306b), but is not limited thereto. The diffusion pattern 24a can be disposed at any appropriate light-emitting position. In one embodiment, the diffusion pattern 24a is disposed on the lower surface 246 of the spacer 24, but is not limited thereto.

Referring to FIG. 17 and FIG. 21 , which are schematic plan views of the driving circuit board 20 of the light-emitting key structure 1 of FIG. 17 , the driving circuit board 20 is provided with a reflective element layer 208, and the light-emitting element 22 is disposed on the driving circuit board 20 and adjacent to the reflective element layer 208. The reflective element layer 208 is used to reflect the light exposed from the lower surface 246 of the spacer 24 back to the spacer 24. Specifically, the reflective element layer 208 can be a reflective film made of a reflective material (such as a metal foil), a reflective material layer coated on a non-reflective film, or a plastic film doped with reflective particles (such as a PET film doped with reflective particles), but is not limited thereto. In one embodiment, the reflective layer 208 may be a reflective coating (e.g., a white ink coating) coated on the upper surface of the driving circuit board 20, and the reflectivity of the reflective layer 208 is preferably greater than 80%, but not limited thereto. The opening of the reflective layer 208 may be a through hole passing through the layer of the reflective layer 208, or may be a portion of the upper surface of the driving circuit board 20 where the light-emitting element 22 is to be disposed but without the reflective coating. The driving circuit board 20 further includes one or more main wirings 211 and one or more sub-wirings 212. For example, two main wirings 211 provide high/low potentials respectively, and two sub wirings 212 extend from the two main wirings 211 respectively, so that the light emitting element 22 is electrically connected to the main wiring 211 through the sub wirings 212. Furthermore, a light absorbing layer (not shown) can be disposed under the reflective layer 208 to absorb light passing through the reflective layer 208.

Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 17 , the reflective element layer 208 may have a reflective pattern 208b, which may include a plurality of microstructures (e.g., reflective dots) disposed on the upper surface of the reflective element layer 208. The reflective pattern 208b may be disposed away from the light-emitting element 22 and used to guide light upward. For example, the reflective pattern 208b is disposed corresponding to the peripheral opening 104' (or the light-transmissive portion 306b), but is not limited thereto. The reflective pattern 208b may be disposed at any appropriate light-emitting position. In one embodiment, the reflective pattern 208b is disposed on the upper surface of the reflective element layer 208, but is not limited thereto.

From another point of view, the illumination module of the light-emitting key structure 1 further includes a light-emitting pattern. The light-emitting pattern is substantially disposed adjacent to the island-shaped covering portion 30a' and is used to guide light upward. The light-emitting pattern includes a reflective pattern 208b on the reflective layer 208 and a diffusion pattern 24a on the spacer 24. The light-emitting pattern is used to guide light upward to at least one of the two light-transmissive portions 306b, and then pass through at least one peripheral opening 104' of the base plate 10. When the microstructure or reflection point of the reflective pattern 208b is arranged to overlap with the light-emitting portion of the diffusion pattern 24a of the spacer 24 in the stacking direction (i.e., the vertical direction D1 of the aforementioned embodiment), light output can be increased. When the microstructure or reflection point of the reflection pattern 208b is arranged to not overlap with the light emitting portion of the diffusion pattern 24a of the spacer 24 in the stacking direction, light recovery can be promoted.

Referring to FIG. 17 and FIG. 22 , which are schematic plan views of stacking of certain components of the light-emitting key structure 1 of FIG. 17 , each light-permeable portion 306 b preferably at least partially overlaps with the light-emitting pattern. Each light-permeable portion 306 b has two or more corners and three or more sides, so that each side of the key cap 12 corresponds to at least one of the sides of the two light-permeable portions 306 b. For example, the left side and the right side of the key cap 12 correspond to the left side of the left light-permeable portion 306 b and the right side of the right light-permeable portion 306 b, respectively. The upper side of the key cap 12 corresponds to the upper side of the two light-permeable portions 306 b , and the lower side of the key cap 12 corresponds to the lower side of the two light-permeable portions 306 b .

In one embodiment, one of the two light-permeable portions 306b is located between two of the plurality of light-permeable portions 120. For example, the light-permeable portion 306b on the right side is located between the light-permeable portion 120a and the light-permeable portion 120b. In other words, the light-emitting pattern on the right side is located between the light-permeable portion 120a and the light-permeable portion 120b. In another embodiment, one of the two light-permeable portions 120 is located between one of the plurality of light-permeable portions 120 and the outline of the key cap 12. For example, the light-permeable portion 306b on the right side is located between the light-permeable portion 120b and the right edge of the key cap 12. In other words, the light-emitting pattern on the right side is located between the light-permeable portion 120b and the right edge of the key cap 12. In yet another embodiment, the light-permeable portion 306b may be located below one of the light-permeable portions 120. For example, the right-side light-permeable portion (or the right-side light-emitting pattern) is located below the light-permeable portion 120a. In one embodiment, in an example where the keycap 12 is a square keycap, the difference between the distance between the light-permeable portion 306b (or the light-emitting pattern) and the light-emitting element 22 and the distance between the light-permeable portion 102a and the light-emitting element 22 is preferably less than 1/4 of the side length of the keycap 12. In another embodiment, in an example where the keycap 12 is a square keycap, the distance between the light-permeable portion 306b (or the light-emitting pattern) and the light-permeable portion 102a is preferably less than 1/4 of the side length of the keycap 12. The aforementioned “distance” may be the distance between the light-transmissive portion 306b (or the light-emitting pattern) and the geometric center of the light-transmissive portion 102a, the average distance, the minimum distance, or the maximum distance.

Since the light emitting patterns are arranged corresponding to the two light-transmissive portions 306b, the two light emitting patterns are preferably arranged to surround the island-shaped covering portion 30a', for example, at two opposite sides. According to the configuration of the above-mentioned embodiment, no or less light irradiates through the opening 104 of the base plate 10 to illuminate the light-transmitting portion 102b, and the light can propagate in the lateral (or horizontal) direction in the spacer 24. When the light hits the light-emitting pattern, it will be emitted upward through the two light-transmitting portions 306b and then through the peripheral opening 104' of the base plate 102, so that the light-transmitting portion 102b above the island-shaped covering portion 30a' can be illuminated by the two light-transmitting portions 306b, and the light-transmitting portion 102a close to the corner or side of the key cap 12 can also be illuminated, thereby improving the illumination uniformity of the characters in the center and corners of the key cap 12.

Those skilled in the art will appreciate that other modifications of the exemplary embodiments may be made to the embodiments specifically described herein without departing from the spirit of the invention. Therefore, the scope of the invention also encompasses such modifications and is limited only by the scope of the attached patent application.

1: Luminous key structure 10: Base plate 102: Bottom surface 104: Opening 104': Peripheral opening 106: Rib 12: Key cap 120, 120a, 120b: Translucent part 14: Lifting mechanism 16: Switch circuit board 162: Switch 164: Perforation 18: Elastic reset element 20: Drive circuit board 202: Upper surface 204: Circuit 206: Connection pad 208: Reflector 208a: Point reflector 208b: Reflection pattern 211: Main wiring 212: Sub-wiring 22: Luminous element 222: Top surface 224: Side surface 24: spacer 24a: diffusion pattern 242, 242': through hole 242a, 242b, 242c, 242d: side wall 244: upper surface 244a: annular clear space edge 244b: clear space outer edge 246: lower surface 246a: annular clear space edge 246b: clear space outer edge 26, 26': top glue 28, 28': bottom glue 30, 30a, 30b, 30c: light-transmitting covering structure 30': covering structure 30a': island-shaped covering part 30b': frame-shaped covering part 302, 302': first covering layer 3021: edge 304, 304': second covering layer 3041: edge 306: flat first covering layer 306': flat covering layer 306a: annular clear edge 306b: light-transmissive part 308: septum glue A: circle D1: vertical direction

FIG. 1 is an exploded view of a light-emitting key structure according to an embodiment. FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the light-emitting key structure of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is an enlarged view of circle A in FIG. 2. FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a top glue coating range of a spacer. FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a bottom glue coating range of a spacer. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a through hole of a spacer. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of a through hole of a spacer. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of a through hole of a spacer. FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of a light-transmitting cover structure located in a through hole of a spacer. FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of a light-transmitting cover structure located in a through hole of a spacer. FIG11 is a cross-sectional view of a variation of the light-emitting key structure. FIG12A, FIG12B and FIG12C are schematic diagrams of example patterns of the second covering layer of certain variations, respectively. FIG13 is a cross-sectional view of a light-emitting key structure according to another variation. FIG14 is an exploded view of a light-emitting key structure according to another variation. FIG15 is a cross-sectional view of the light-emitting key structure of FIG14. FIG16 is a cross-sectional view of a light-emitting key structure according to a derivative example. FIG17 is a cross-sectional view of another variation of the light-emitting key structure. FIG18 to FIG21 are respectively plan schematic diagrams of components of the light-emitting key structure of FIG17. FIG22 is a plan schematic diagram of stacking certain components of the light-emitting key structure of FIG17.

12: Keycaps

120a, 120b: light-transmitting part

208b:Reflection pattern

22: Luminous parts

242:Through hole

24a: Diffusion pattern

244a: Annular clear edge

26: Top glue

30a’: Island-shaped covering part

30b’: frame-shaped covering part

304’: Second covering layer

306b: light-transmitting part

Claims (20)

An illumination module for illuminating a key, comprising: a driving circuit board, on which a reflective layer is disposed; a light-emitting element, disposed on the driving circuit board and adjacent to the reflective layer; a covering structure, having an island-shaped covering portion; and a spacer, bonded between the covering structure and the driving circuit board, the spacer having a through hole and a glue-free clear edge at least partially surrounding the through hole, wherein the island-shaped covering portion covers the light-emitting element and the through hole. An illumination module as described in claim 1, wherein the covering structure further has a frame-shaped covering portion surrounding the island-shaped covering portion, the island-shaped covering portion extends to connect two opposite sides of the frame-shaped covering portion to define two light-transmissive portions in the frame-shaped covering portion, and the two light-transmissive portions surround the light-emitting element. The illumination module as described in claim 2 further includes a light emitting pattern, wherein the light emitting pattern includes a reflection pattern and a diffusion pattern, the reflection pattern is on the reflection layer, the diffusion pattern is on the spacer, and the light emitting pattern is used to guide light upward to at least one of the two light-transmissive parts. An illumination module as described in claim 2, wherein the two light-permeable parts each have two or more corners and three or more sides, so that each corner of the frame-shaped covering part corresponds to one of the corners of the two light-permeable parts. An illumination module as described in claim 2, wherein the covering structure includes a first covering layer and a second covering layer, the first covering layer is used to substantially reflect light, and the second covering layer is used to substantially block light, at least one of the first covering layer and the second covering layer forms the island-shaped covering portion, and the first covering layer and the second covering layer together form the frame-shaped covering portion. An irradiation module as described in claim 5, wherein the covering structure further comprises a flat covering layer, the first covering layer and the second covering layer are disposed on the same side or two opposite sides of the flat covering layer, and the first covering layer is closer to the spacer than the second covering layer. An illumination module as described in claim 5, wherein the second covering layer extends from the first covering layer to at least partially surround at least one of the two light-permeable portions. A light-emitting key structure comprises: a bottom plate having an opening; a key cap disposed relative to the bottom plate; and an illumination module comprising: a driving circuit board having a reflective element layer disposed thereon; a light-emitting element disposed on the driving circuit board and adjacent to the reflective element layer; a covering structure having a frame-shaped covering portion and an island-shaped covering portion; and a spacer bonded between the covering structure and the driving circuit board, the spacer having a through hole and a glue-free clear edge, the through hole corresponding to the opening, the glue-free clear edge at least partially surrounding the through hole, The frame-shaped covering portion is arranged around the outline of the key cap, and the island-shaped covering portion covers the light-emitting element and the through hole. A light-emitting key structure as described in claim 8, wherein the island-shaped covering portion extends to connect two opposite sides of the frame-shaped covering portion to define two light-transmissive portions in the frame-shaped covering portion, and the two light-transmissive portions surround the light-emitting element. The luminous key structure as described in claim 9, wherein the two light-permeable parts each have two or more corners and three or more sides, so that each corner of the key cap corresponds to one of the corners of the two light-permeable parts. The luminous key structure as described in claim 9, wherein the two light-permeable parts each have two or more corners and three or more side edges, and each side edge of the key cap corresponds to at least one of the side edges of the two light-permeable parts. The luminous key structure as described in claim 9, wherein the base plate further has two or more peripheral openings arranged around the opening, and the two light-transmissive portions each at least partially correspond to at least one of the two or more peripheral openings. The luminous key structure as described in claim 12, wherein the illumination module further includes a light-emitting pattern, which corresponds to the two light-permeable parts and is used to guide light upward through at least one of the two light-permeable parts and further through the two or more peripheral openings. A light-emitting key structure as described in claim 13, wherein the light-emitting pattern includes a reflection pattern and a diffusion pattern, the reflection pattern is on the reflection layer, and the diffusion pattern is on the spacer. A luminous key structure as described in claim 9, wherein the key cap has a plurality of light-transmitting portions, and one of the two light-transmitting portions is located between two of the plurality of light-transmitting portions. A luminous key structure as described in claim 9, wherein the key cap has a plurality of light-transmitting portions, and one of the two light-transmitting portions is located between one of the plurality of light-transmitting portions and the outline of the key cap. A luminous key structure as described in claim 8, wherein the covering structure includes a first covering layer and a second covering layer, the first covering layer is used to substantially reflect light, the second covering layer is used to substantially block light, at least one of the first covering layer and the second covering layer forms the island-shaped covering portion, and the first covering layer and the second covering layer together form the frame-shaped covering portion. A light-emitting key structure as described in claim 17, wherein the second covering layer extends from the first covering layer to at least partially surround at least one of the two light-permeable portions. An illumination module for illuminating a key, comprising: a driving circuit board, on which a reflective layer is disposed; a light-emitting element, disposed on the driving circuit board and adjacent to the reflective layer; a covering structure, having an island-shaped covering portion; a spacer, bonded between the covering structure and the driving circuit board, the spacer having a through hole and a glue-free clear edge at least partially surrounding the through hole; and a light-emitting pattern, comprising a reflection pattern and a diffusion pattern, the reflection pattern being on the reflective layer, and the diffusion pattern being on the spacer, wherein the island-shaped covering portion covers the light-emitting element and the through hole, and the light-emitting pattern is substantially disposed adjacent to the island-shaped covering portion and used to guide light upward. An illumination module as described in claim 19, wherein the covering structure further has a frame-shaped covering portion surrounding the island-shaped covering portion, the island-shaped covering portion extends to connect two opposite sides of the frame-shaped covering portion to define two light-transmissive portions in the frame-shaped covering portion, the two light-transmissive portions surround the light-emitting element, and the light-emitting pattern is used to guide the light upward to at least one of the two light-transmissive portions.

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