Light guide sheet and movable contact element using the same
AssigneePanasonic Corporation
InventorsNaoki Tatehata, Yousuke Chikahisa, Tsutomu Aisaka, Koji Tanabe
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Abstract
A light guide sheet and a movable contact element using the single sheet have a simple structure and can be variously illuminated. The light guide sheet includes irregular-shaped light extracting elements formed on a film-like base material; and light-transmissive, belt-shaped light guide parts each connecting a predetermined number of groups of the light extracting elements. In addition, dome-shaped movable contacts formed of a conductive sheet metal are arranged on the bottom surfaces of the light extracting elements.
Claims11
A light guide sheet for guiding light from separate light sources to illuminate respective display parts of a display sheet, said light guide sheet comprising:
- a common base film having upper and lower surfaces facing away from each other and respectively constituting upper and lower boundary surfaces of said common base film;
- a common reflective layer formed on said upper surface of said common base film;
- a first grouped plurality of light extracting elements formed on a first area of an upper surface of said common reflective layer, said first grouped plurality of light extracting elements being disposed for illuminating a first of the respective display parts of the display sheet;
- a first belt-shaped light guide part formed on said common reflective layer, said first belt-shaped light guide part being a printed light guide part printed in said first area of said upper surface of said common reflective layer in a location to connect said first grouped plurality of light extracting elements to a first of the light sources;
- a second grouped plurality of light extracting elements formed on a second area of said upper surface of said common reflective layer, said second grouped plurality of light extracting elements being disposed for illuminating a second of the respective display parts of the display sheet;
- and
- a second belt-shaped light guide part formed on said common reflective layer, said second belt-shaped light guide part being a printed light guide part printed in said second area of said upper surface of said common reflective layer in a location to connect said second grouped plurality of light extracting elements to a second of the light sources;
- wherein said second area of said upper surface of said common reflective layer is separate from said first area of said upper surface of said common reflective layer, and said second grouped plurality of light extracting elements is grouped separately from said first grouped plurality of light extracting elements;
- and
- wherein said second belt-shaped light guide part is separate from said first belt-shaped light guide part for respectively separately guiding light from the separate light sources to said first and second grouped pluralities of light extracting elements to respectively illuminate the display parts of the display sheet.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.