U.S. patent application number 16/896561 was filed with the patent office on 2020-12-24 for input device.
This patent application is currently assigned to Lite-On Electronics (Guangzhou) Limited. The applicant listed for this patent is Lite-On Electronics (Guangzhou) Limited, LITE-ON Technology Corporation. Invention is credited to Yi-Wen CHEN, Shih-Wen CHIU.
Application Number | 20200401234 16/896561 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000004888036 |
Filed Date | 2020-12-24 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20200401234 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
CHIU; Shih-Wen ; et
al. |
December 24, 2020 |
Input Device
Abstract
The present disclosure provides an input device including a
housing, a keyboard assembly, and a first light source. The housing
comprises a body and a plurality of sidewalls. The plurality of
sidewalls is disposed along the body, forming an accommodating
space. The keyboard assembly is disposed in the accommodating
space. The first light source is disposed in the body. The light
emitted from the first light source emits from the plurality of
sidewalls, creating a glowing effect on the periphery of the
keyboard assembly. By configuring computer using modes
corresponding to the light emitting states, it is possible for
users to intuitively discriminate the using patterns.
Inventors: |
CHIU; Shih-Wen; (Taipei
City, TW) ; CHEN; Yi-Wen; (Taipei City, TW) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Lite-On Electronics (Guangzhou) Limited
LITE-ON Technology Corporation |
Guangzhou City
Taipei City |
|
CN
TW |
|
|
Assignee: |
Lite-On Electronics (Guangzhou)
Limited
Guangzhou City
CN
LITE-ON Technology Corporation
Taipei City
TW
|
Family ID: |
1000004888036 |
Appl. No.: |
16/896561 |
Filed: |
June 9, 2020 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
62863251 |
Jun 18, 2019 |
|
|
|
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 3/0202 20130101;
H01H 13/704 20130101; H01H 13/7057 20130101; H01H 2219/039
20130101; H01H 13/83 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G06F 3/02 20060101
G06F003/02; H01H 13/83 20060101 H01H013/83; H01H 13/7057 20060101
H01H013/7057; H01H 13/704 20060101 H01H013/704 |
Claims
1. An input device, comprising: a housing comprising a body and a
plurality of sidewalls, wherein the plurality of sidewalls disposed
along the body, and connecting to the body, thereby forming an
accommodating space; a keyboard assembly disposed in the
accommodating space; and a first light source disposed in the body,
the light emitted from the first light source emitting through the
plurality of sidewalls.
2. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the keyboard
assembly comprises: a baseplate; and a plurality of keyswitches
disposed on the baseplate; wherein the plurality of sidewalls
extends toward the baseplate from the body.
3. The input device according to claim 2, wherein the keyboard
assembly further comprises a second light source disposed below the
plurality of keyswitches; the light emitted from the second light
source emit from the plurality of keyswitches.
4. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the first light
source comprises at least one first light emitting element and at
least one first light source circuit board; the at least one first
light emitting element is disposed on the at least one first light
source circuit board.
5. The input device according to claim 4, wherein the at least one
first light source circuit board disposed below the body is
separated from the body by a distance.
6. The input device according to claim 5, wherein the first light
source further comprises at least one light guiding element
disposed on the light exit path of the at least one first light
emitting element; the light emitted from the at least one first
light emitting element is guided by the at least one light guiding
element to emit to the plurality of sidewalls.
7. The input device according to claim 6, wherein the number of the
at least one first light emitting element is plural; a reflective
layer is provided on a surface of the body opposite to the
plurality of first light emitting elements.
8. The input device according to claim 6, wherein the at least one
light guiding element comprises a light incident surface, a light
exit surface, a side surface, and a bottom surface; the light exit
surface is opposite to the bottom surface; the light incident
surface is connected to the light exit surface; the side surface is
connected to the bottom surface; wherein the side surface is
provided with a reflective layer or a light shielding layer.
9. The input device according to claim 4, wherein the at least one
first light source circuit board disposed below the body is
connected to the body.
10. The input device according to claim 9, wherein the number of
the at least one first light emitting element is plural; a
reflective layer is provided below the plurality of first light
emitting elements.
Description
CROSS REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims the priority benefit of U.S.
Provisional Application Ser. No. US62/863,251, filed on Jun. 18,
2019, the full disclosure of which is incorporated herein by
reference.
BACKGROUND
Technical Field
[0002] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of
input devices, particularly to an input device capable of
discriminating using patterns of users.
Related Art
[0003] Electronic devices such as computers generally comprises a
host, a display and an input device, etc. With the development of
technology, light-emitting devices such as backlight sources can be
installed to specific computer input devices, maintaining certain
visibility in the dark for the computer input device.
[0004] However, the backlight light source of the general computer
input device is only disposed below the keyswitch providing visual
reorganization of characters on the keyswitch for users in the
dark, which is unsatisfactory for advanced needs for users. For
example, the current using mode/status of the input device cannot
be recognized from the illuminating state of the characters of the
keyswitch. Thus, it is desirous to develop a solution to recognize
the current user mode with the input device.
SUMMARY
[0005] The embodiments of the present disclosure provide an input
device capable of discriminating using patterns of users.
[0006] In one embodiment, the present disclosure provides an input
device comprising a housing, a keyboard assembly, and a first light
source. The housing comprises a body and a plurality of sidewalls.
The plurality of sidewalls is disposed along the body to form an
accommodating space. The keyboard assembly is disposed in the
accommodating space. The first light source is disposed in the
body. The light emitted from the first light source emits from the
plurality of sidewalls.
[0007] Therefore, within the input device of the embodiments of the
present disclosure, a glowing visual effect is created through the
periphery of the keyboard assembly by providing the body with the
first light source emitting light that emits the plurality of the
sidewalls of the housing. By configuring computer using modes,
which correspond to the light emitting states, it is possible for
users to intuitively discriminate the using patterns.
[0008] It should be understood, however, that this summary may not
contain all aspects and embodiments of the present disclosure, that
this summary is not meant to be limiting or restrictive in any
manner, and that the disclosure as disclosed herein will be
understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to encompass obvious
improvements and modifications thereto.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0009] The features of the exemplary embodiments believed to be
novel and the elements and/or the steps characteristic of the
exemplary embodiments are set forth with particularity in the
appended claims. The Figures are for illustration purposes only and
are not drawn to scale. The exemplary embodiments, both as to
organization and method of operation, may best be understood by
reference to the detailed description which follows taken in
conjunction with the accompanying drawings in which:
[0010] FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an input device of one
embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0011] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the input device of one
embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0012] FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of an input device of
another embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0013] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of an input device of
another embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0014] FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of an input device of
another embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0015] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of an input device of
another embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0016] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of an input device of
another embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0017] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of an input device of
another embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0018] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a first light source of an
input device of one embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0019] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a first light source of an
input device of another embodiment of the present disclosure;
[0020] FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional view of an input device of
another embodiment of the present disclosure; and
[0021] FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of an input device of
another embodiment of the present disclosure.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE EMBODIMENTS
[0022] The present disclosure will now be described more fully
hereinafter with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which
exemplary embodiments of the disclosure are shown. This present
disclosure may, however, be embodied in many different forms and
should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth
herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this present
disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the
scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art.
[0023] Certain terms are used throughout the description and
following claims to refer to particular components. As one skilled
in the art will appreciate, manufacturers may refer to a component
by different names. This document does not intend to distinguish
between components that differ in name but function. In the
following description and in the claims, the terms
"include/including" and "comprise/comprising" are used in an
open-ended fashion, and thus should be interpreted as "including
but not limited to". "Substantial/substantially" means, within an
acceptable error range, the person skilled in the art may solve the
technical problem in a certain error range to achieve the basic
technical effect.
[0024] The following description is of the best-contemplated mode
of carrying out the disclosure. This description is made for the
purpose of illustration of the general principles of the disclosure
and should not be taken in a limiting sense. The scope of the
disclosure is best determined by reference to the appended
claims.
[0025] Moreover, the terms "include", "contain", and any variation
thereof are intended to cover a non-exclusive inclusion. Therefore,
a process, method, object, or device that includes a series of
elements not only includes these elements, but also includes other
elements not specified expressly, or may include inherent elements
of the process, method, object, or device. If no more limitations
are made, an element limited by "include a/an" does not exclude
other same elements existing in the process, the method, the
article, or the device which includes the element.
[0026] In the following embodiment, the same reference numerals are
used to refer to the same or similar elements throughout the
disclosure.
[0027] FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 are schematic diagram and cross-sectional
view of an input device of one embodiment of the present
disclosure. The input device 1 of this embodiment includes a
housing 10, a keyboard assembly 20, and a first light source 30.
The housing 10 comprises a body 11 and a plurality of sidewalls 12.
The body 11 is opaque, which can be made of opaque material or can
be coated with an opaque layer to a surface thereon. The plurality
of side walls 12 is transparent. In one embodiment, the surface of
the plurality of sidewalls 12 is coated with a translucent layer,
such as a translucent layer having a color similar to the color of
the body 11, maintaining consistency from the appearance for the
housing 10. However, whether the surface of the plurality of
sidewalls 12 needs to be coated with a translucent layer and
whether the color of the translucent layer needs to be changed
according to the actual situation, which is not limited by the
present disclosure.
[0028] In this embodiment, the plurality of sidewalls 12 is
connected to the body 11. The plurality of sidewalls 12 is disposed
along the body 11 and extends downward to form an accommodating
space 13. It should be noted that the plurality of sidewalls 12 and
the body 11 could be integrally formed into one piece, for example,
manufactured by double injection molding, or could be connected by
other methods such as pasting and riveting after they have been
individually molded, but the connecting methods are not limited
thereto. The keyboard assembly 20 is disposed in the accommodating
space 13, which means the body 11 and the plurality of sidewalls 12
is disposed along the periphery of the keyboard assembly 20. The
first light source 30 is disposed below the body 11. The "below"
means that the first light source 30 is lower than the body 11 in
vertical height, and the present disclosure would not limit any
overlapping between the first light source 30 and the body 11 in
vertical projection. The first light source 30 comprises a first
light emitting element 31 and a first light source circuit board
32. The first light emitting element 31 is disposed on the first
light source circuit board 32. Since the plurality of sidewalls, 12
is transparent, the light emitted from the first light emitting
element 31 can be emitted from the plurality of sidewalls 12,
thereby lighting up the periphery of the keyboard assembly 20.
[0029] In one embodiment, the input device 1 further comprises a
controller (not shown in) connected to the first light emitting
element 31 for activating and deactivating the first light emitting
element 31. The electronic device can also have the lighting
effects of the first light emitting component 31 corresponding to
the using modes of the electronic device, to facilitate the
discrimination of the current mode or the electronic device. For
example, when the first light emitting element 31 is turned on,
that is, the light is coming out from the plurality of sidewalls
12, the electronic device is under a state of e-competition; when
the first light emitting element 31 is turned off, that is, the
light is not coming out from the plurality of sidewalls 12, the
electronic device is under a state of sleep. In this way, the
current mode or state of the electronic device can be simply
discriminated according to the light emitting state of the
plurality of sidewalls 12.
[0030] In one embodiment, the keyboard assembly 20 comprises a
baseplate 21 and a plurality of keyswitches 22 disposed on the
baseplate 21. The plurality of sidewalls 12 extends from the joint
between the body 11 toward the baseplate 21. In this embodiment,
the angle between the plurality of sidewalls 12 and the body 11 is
an obtuse angle. In other embodiments, the angle between the
plurality of sidewalls 12 and the body 11 may also be an acute
angle or a right angle, which is changeable according to actual
requirements, and it is not limited by the present disclosure.
[0031] In one embodiment, the input device 1 further comprises an
outer frame 40 which is disposed in the accommodating space 13 and
is sleeved on the keyboard assembly 20. The outer frame 40 is
provided with a plurality of openings 41 adapted to the plurality
of keyswitches 22. The plurality of keyswitches 22 protrudes from
the plurality of openings 41. The outer frame 40 can protect and
position the plurality of keyswitches 22. In addition, the height
of the outer frame 40 is lower than that of the body 11. That is, a
height difference exists between the outer frame 40 and the body
11, which prevents the outer frame 40 from blocking light coming
out from the plurality of sidewalls 12.
[0032] FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 are cross-sectional views of an input
device of another embodiment of the present disclosure. In an
embodiment, the keyboard assembly 20 further comprises a second
light source 23 disposed below the baseplate 21. Holes 24 are
provided at positions on the baseplate 21 respectively
corresponding to the plurality of keyswitches 22. The light from
the second light source 23 is emitted to the plurality of
keyswitches 22 from the hole 24. It should be noted that the second
light source 23 may also be disposed above the baseplate 21, which
can be changed according to actual requirements, but it is not
limited by the present disclosure.
[0033] In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the second light
source 23 comprises a plurality of second light emitting elements
25 and a second light source circuit board 26. The number of the
plurality of second light emitting elements 25 corresponds to the
plurality of keyswitches 22. The lights from the plurality of
second light emitting elements 25 are respectively emitted to the
corresponding keyswitches 22. The plurality of second light
emitting elements 25 is, for example, light emitting diodes
(LEDs).
[0034] In another embodiment, the second light source 23 comprises
a plurality of second light emitting elements 25, a second light
source circuit board 26, and a second light guiding plate 27. The
number of second light emitting elements 25 is less than the number
of keyswitches 22. A plurality of second light emitting elements 25
is disposed on a side of the second light guiding plate 27. As
shown in FIG. 4, this embodiment describes the light emitting state
of one of the plurality of second light emitting elements 25
disposed on the side of the second light guide plate 27 in a
cross-sectional view. The light from the second light emitting
element 25 diffuses when passing through the second light guiding
plate 27 and is emitted to the plurality of keyswitches 22. It
should be noted that the second light guide plate 27 may be
provided with a reflective layer and/or a light shielding layer
according to the requirements to improve the luminous efficiency,
but it is not limited by the present disclosure.
[0035] Referring to FIG. 3 and FIG. 5, a cross-sectional view of an
input device 1 of another embodiment of the present disclosure, in
one embodiment, the first light source circuit board 32 is disposed
below the body 11. A gap exists between the first light source
circuit board 32 and the body 11. That is, the first light source
circuit board 32 is not directly connected to the body 11.
[0036] In one embodiment, the first light source circuit board 32
and the second light source circuit board 26 are individually
provided. In another embodiment, the first light source circuit
board 32 and the second light source circuit board 26 are
integrally provided. The term "integrally" indicates that the first
light source circuit board 32 and the second light source circuit
board 26 could be integrally manufactured as a single element, or
could be connected to form a one-piece by other methods.
[0037] In addition, in one embodiment, the first light source 30
comprises a plurality of first light emitting elements 31, a first
light source circuit board 32, and a first reflective layer 33. The
plurality of first light emitting elements 31 are disposed around
the body 11. The first reflective layer 33 is disposed on the
optical path of the plurality of first light emitting elements 31.
That is, the first reflective layer 33 is disposed on a surface of
the body 11 opposite to the plurality of first light emitting
elements 31, which means that each sidewall 12 is correspondingly
provided with the first light emitting element 31 and the first
reflective layer 33. FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of an input
device 1 of another embodiment of the present disclosure. This
embodiment describes the light emitting state when one of the
plurality of first light emitting elements 31 is disposed on the
first light source circuit board 32, and the first reflective layer
33 is provided on the optical path of the first light emitting
element 31 in a cross sectional view. A part of the light from the
first light emitting element 31 is directly emitted to the
corresponding sidewall 12, and part of it is reflected by the first
reflective layer 33 before being emitted to the corresponding
sidewall 12. It should be noted that the first reflective layer 33
may be a single element, such as a ring frame shaped reflective
layer, or maybe a plurality of reflective layers provided
individually, but it is not limited by the present disclosure
[0038] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of an input device 1 of
another embodiment of the present disclosure. In this embodiment,
the first light source 30 comprises a first light emitting element
31, a first light source circuit board 32, and a first light
guiding plate 34. The first light emitting element 31 is disposed
on an upper surface of the first light source circuit board 32. The
first light guiding plate 34 is disposed on a side of the first
light emitting element 31. The first light guide plate 34 is
provided with a light incident surface 341, a light exit surface
342, a side surface 343, and a bottom surface 344. The light exit
surface 342 is opposite to the bottom surface 344. The light
incident surface 341 is connected to the light exit surface 342.
The side surface 343 is connected to the bottom surface 344. The
side surface 343 is provided with a reflective layer or a light
shielding layer. In some embodiments, a part of the light exit
surface 342 away from the sidewall 12 may also be provided with a
reflective layer or a light shielding layer according to
requirements, but it is not limited by the present disclosure.
[0039] FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of an input device 1 of
another embodiment of the present disclosure. In this embodiment,
the first light source 30 comprises a first light emitting element
31, a first light source circuit board 32, and a first light
guiding plate 34. The first light emitting element 31 is disposed
on a lower surface of the first light source circuit board 32. The
first light guiding plate 34 is disposed on a side of the first
light emitting element 31. The first light guide plate 34 is
provided with a light incident surface 341, a light exit surface
342, a side surface 343, and a bottom surface 344. The light exit
surface 342 is opposite to the bottom surface 344. The light
incident surface 341 is connected to the light exit surface 342.
The side surface 343 is connected to the bottom surface 344. The
side surface 343 and the bottom surface 344 are provided with a
reflective layer or a light shielding layer. In some embodiments, a
part of the light exit surface 342 away from the sidewall 12 may
also be provided with a reflective layer or a light shielding layer
according to requirements, but it is not limited by the present
disclosure.
[0040] FIG. 9 is a schematic diagram of a first light source of an
input device 1 of one embodiment of the present disclosure. In this
embodiment, the first light source 30 comprises a first light
emitting element 31, a first light source circuit board (not
shown), and a first light guiding plate 34. The first light
emitting element 31 is disposed on the first light guiding plate
34. The first light guiding plate 34 corresponds to each sidewall
12. That is, each sidewall 12 is correspondingly provided with a
first light guiding plate 34, and the light from the first light
emitting element 31 is emitted to the corresponding sidewall 12
through the first light guiding plate 34. It should be noted that
the first light guiding plate 34 may be a single element, such as a
ring frame light guiding plate, or maybe a plurality of light
guiding plates provided individually, but it is not limited by the
present disclosure.
[0041] FIG. 10 is a schematic diagram of a first light source of an
input device 1 of another embodiment of the present disclosure. In
this embodiment, the first light source 30 comprises a plurality of
first light emitting elements 31, a first light source circuit
board (not shown), and a first light guiding plate 34. The
plurality of first light emitting elements 31 is disposed on the
first light guiding plate 34. The first light guiding plate 34
corresponds to each sidewall 12. That is, each sidewall 12 is
correspondingly provided with a first light guiding plate 34, and
the light from the plurality of first light emitting elements 31 is
emitted to the corresponding sidewall 12 through the first light
guiding plate 34. It should be noted that the first light guiding
plate 34 may be a single element, such as a ring frame light
guiding plate, or maybe a plurality of light guiding plates
provided individually, but it is not limited by the present
disclosure. In this embodiment, the plurality of first light
emitting elements 31 is circumferentially disposed on the first
light guiding plate 34 including various situations, such as each
sidewall 12 is correspondingly provided with one or more than one
first light emitting elements 31, or the plurality of first light
emitting elements 31 are only disposed on the two opposing
sidewalls 12, but it is not limited by the present disclosure.
[0042] FIG. 11 and FIG. 12 are cross-sectional views of an input
device of another embodiment of the present disclosure. In one
embodiment, the first light source 30 is disposed below the body 11
and is connected to the body 11. That is, the first light source 30
is directly disposed on a surface of the body 11 opposite to the
baseplate 21.
[0043] In one embodiment, the first light source 30 comprises a
plurality of first light emitting elements 31, a first light source
circuit board 32, and a first reflective layer 33. A plurality of
first light emitting elements 31 is disposed around the body 11,
and the first reflective layer 33 is disposed on the optical path
of the plurality of first light emitting elements 31. That is, the
first reflective layer 33 is disposed below the plurality of first
light emitting elements 31. Each side wall 12 is correspondingly
provided with a first light emitting element 31 and a first
reflective layer 33. A part of the light from the plurality of
first light emitting elements 31 is directly emitted to the
corresponding sidewall 12, and a part of the light is emitted to
the first reflective layer 33 before being reflected to the
corresponding sidewall 12. It should be noted that the first
reflective layer 33 may be a single element, such as a ring frame
shaped reflective layer, or may be a plurality of reflective layers
provided individually, but it is not limited by the present
disclosure.
[0044] In one embodiment, the first light emitting element 31 may
be a light emitting diode (LED) or a flexible light bar, but it is
not limited by the present disclosure.
[0045] In summary, the present disclosure proposed an input device
in which a glowing effect can be created on the periphery of the
keyboard assembly by providing the body with the first light source
emitting light which emits the plurality of the sidewalls of the
housing. By configuring computer using modes, which correspond to
the light emitting states, it is possible for users to intuitively
discriminate the using patterns.
[0046] It is to be understood that the term "comprises",
"comprising", or any other variants thereof, is intended to
encompass a non-exclusive inclusion, such that a process, method,
article, or device of a series of elements not only include those
elements but also comprises other elements that are not explicitly
listed, or elements that are inherent to such a process, method,
article, or device. An element defined by the phrase "comprising a
. . . " does not exclude the presence of the same element in the
process, method, article, or device that comprises the element.
[0047] Although the present disclosure has been explained in
relation to its preferred embodiment, it does not intend to limit
the present disclosure. It will be apparent to those skilled in the
art having regard to this present disclosure that other
modifications of the exemplary embodiments beyond those embodiments
specifically described here may be made without departing from the
spirit of the disclosure. Accordingly, such modifications are
considered within the scope of the disclosure as limited solely by
the appended claims.
* * * * *