Uniform illumination of keys on a flexible substrate
AssigneeApple Inc.
InventorsPaul X. Wang, Aidan N. Zimmerman
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
Systems and methods for providing illumination to illuminable portions of keys associated with a keyboard are described. A key disposed on a flexible substrate includes a light guide positioned below a keycap. The light guide includes one or more light extraction features to produce a substantially uniform light distribution of light from a light emitting element at an illuminable portion of the key. In one embodiment, a light emitting element is positioned on the flexible substrate and is optically coupled to the light guide. In another embodiment, a light emitting element is positioned below the flexible substrate and is optically coupled to the light guide via an optical interface.
Claims17
An electronic device comprising:
- a keyboard comprising:
- a flexible substrate having a conductive trace;
- a light emitting element on the flexible substrate and electrically coupled to the conductive trace;
- and
- a set of keys, each key comprising:
- a keycap positioned over the flexible substrate and having an illuminable portion defining a symbol;
- a light guide positioned between the keycap and the flexible substrate and configured to optically couple light from the light emitting element to the illuminable portion of the keycap;
- and
- a switch assembly positioned below the flexible substrate.
A keyboard comprising:
- a flexible substrate;
- a set of keycaps positioned over the flexible substrate, each keycap of the set of keycaps comprising a translucent portion and configured to depress in response to a press;
- a set of light guides, each light guide of the set of light guides positioned above the flexible substrate and below a respective keycap of the set of keycaps;
- a set of light emitting elements, each light emitting element of the set of light emitting elements optically coupled to a respective light guide of the set of light guides;
- a set of switch assemblies positioned below the flexible substrate, each switch assembly of the set of switch assemblies comprising:
- a key mechanism configured to upwardly bias a corresponding keycap of the set of keycaps;
- and
- a switch configured to actuate in response to the corresponding keycap being depressed;
- wherein:
- a movable portion of the flexible substrate associated with the corresponding keycap is configured to move in response to the keycap being depressed.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.