Keypad light guide
AssigneeHon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.
InventorWen-Feng Cheng
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
A light guide for illuminating keys of a keyboard or keypad of a portable electronic device includes an array of apertures, at least one groove and at least a protrusion. The apertures are defined in the light guide and are configured to illuminate the keys via at least a light source. The groove is disposed in one end of the light guide for receiving light from the light source. The light guide can provide a desired uniform illumination by means of fewer light sources, and can improve optical uniformity by eliminating the bright areas occurring adjacent to the light sources.
Claims16
A light guide for illuminating keys of a keyboard or keypad of a portable electronic device, comprising:
- an array of apertures defined therein, and being configured to illuminate the keys via at least a light source;
- at least one groove disposed in one end surface of the light guide, for receiving light from the light source;
- and
- at least a protrusion defined in a bottom surface of the at least one groove.
An electronic device comprising:
- a plurality of indicators movably installable along a side of said electronic device and user-accessible at said side of said electronic device;
- a light guide installable in said electronic device beside said plurality of indicators and extendable along said side of said electronic device, said light guide comprising a plurality of apertures corresponding to said plurality of indicators respectively so as to allow each of said plurality of indicators extending partially into a corresponding one of said plurality of apertures;
- and
- at least one light source installable in a neighboring area of said plurality of indicators along said side of said electronic device, and being located beside said light guide and arranged to be substantially surrounded by said light guide, a light-scatter means formed between said at least one light source and said light guide so as to dispersibly transmit light from said at least one light source into said light guide while said light guide subsequently transmits said light toward said each of said plurality of indicators along directions substantially parallel to said side of said electronic device.
An electronic device comprising:
- a plurality of indicators installable along a side of said electronic device and user-accessible at said side of said electronic device;
- a light guide installable beside said plurality of indicators along a plane defined next to said side of said electronic device and parallel thereto, said light guide occupying an area in said plane including projecting areas of said plurality of indicators on said plane and being light-communicable with each of said plurality of indicators;
- and
- at least one light source installable in said plane beside said light guide and capable of emitting light therefrom toward a light-scatter means for altering paths of said light before said light enters said light guide to illuminate said each of said plurality of indicators.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.