阅读说明：本技术 键盘键结构、用于键盘键结构的光导及计算机键机构 (Keyboard key structure, light guide for keyboard key structure and computer key mechanism ) 是由 许富凯 陈永霖 林枫皓 于 2021-04-30 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明涉及键盘键结构、用于键盘键结构的光导及计算计键机构。该键盘键结构可以包括：基板；键开关,其中键开关的底部被配置成耦接至基板；键帽,其包括透明区域；光导,其耦接至键开关的侧面,该光导包括平坦的底部表面以及宽于且平行于该底部表面的平坦的顶部表面；发光元件,其耦接至基板并配置在光导的底部表面下方,使得发光元件、光导和键帽的透明区域处于共线布置。(The invention relates to a keyboard key structure, a light guide for a keyboard key structure and a computer key mechanism. The keyboard key structure may include: a substrate; a key switch, wherein a bottom of the key switch is configured to be coupled to the substrate; a keycap including a transparent region; a light guide coupled to a side of the key switch, the light guide including a flat bottom surface and a flat top surface wider than and parallel to the bottom surface; a light emitting element coupled to the substrate and configured below the bottom surface of the light guide such that the light emitting element, the light guide, and the transparent region of the keycap are in a collinear arrangement.)

1. A keyboard key structure comprising:

a substrate;

a key switch having a top, a bottom, and a side, wherein the bottom of the key switch is configured to be coupled to the substrate;

a keycap comprising a transparent region, the keycap configured to be coupled to a top of the key switch; and

a light guide coupled to a side of the key switch, the light guide comprising:

a flat bottom surface; and

a flat top surface wider than and parallel to the bottom surface;

a light emitting element coupled to the substrate and configured below a bottom surface of the light guide such that the light emitting element, the light guide, and the transparent region of the keycap are in a collinear arrangement,

wherein the light emitting element is operable to emit light into a bottom surface of the light guide, an

Wherein the light guide directs light entering the bottom surface through a body of the light guide, out a top surface of the light guide, and through a transparent region of the keycap.

2. A keyboard key structure according to claim 1, wherein the distance (K) of the air gap between the light emitting element and the light guide is 0< K <0.3mm and comprises 0mm and 0.3 mm.

3. The keyboard key structure of claim 2, wherein a width of a bottom surface of the light guide is wider than a width of the light emitting element.

4. The keyboard key structure of claim 1, wherein the light guide has a trapezoidal shape and a uniform thickness.

5. The keyboard key structure of claim 1, wherein a top surface of the light guide is at a distance D from a transparent region of the keycap when the key switch is in a non-depressed state, and

wherein the light guide is dimensioned to optically propagate light exiting the light guide at the top surface at an angle such that the light fills the transparent region of the keycap when the transparent region is at a distance D from the light guide.

6. The keyboard key structure of claim 5, wherein the distance D is greater than or equal to 4 mm.

7. The keyboard key structure of claim 1, wherein the light guide is 1mm to 3.5mm thick and comprises 1mm and 3.5 mm.

8. The keyboard key structure of claim 1, wherein a width of the transparent region is equal to or less than a width of a top surface of the light guide.

9. The keyboard key structure of claim 1, wherein a width of a top surface of the light guide is at least twice a width of a bottom surface of the light guide.

10. The keyboard key structure of claim 1, wherein the height of the transparent area is greater than or equal to 0.8 mm.

11. The keyboard key structure of claim 1, wherein a thickness of the transparent region is less than or equal to a thickness of the light guide plus 2 mm.

12. A light guide for a keyboard key structure, the light guide comprising:

a flat bottom surface; and

a flat top surface twice as wide as and parallel to the bottom surface,

wherein the light guide in operation is configured to be placed in a collinear arrangement between the light emitting element and the transparent region of the keycap,

wherein the light guide receives light from the light emitting element on a bottom surface thereof, an

Wherein the light guide directs light entering the bottom surface through a body of the light guide, out a top surface of the light guide, and out toward a transparent region of the keycap.

13. The light guide for a keyboard key structure of claim 12, wherein the light guide has a trapezoidal shape and a uniform thickness.

14. A light guide for a keyboard key structure according to claim 13, wherein the height of the light guide is greater than or equal to 5mm, and wherein the light guide has a depth T such that 1mm ≦ T ≦ 3.5 mm.

15. A light guide for a keyboard key structure as claimed in claim 12, wherein a bottom surface of the light guide is configured to be arranged at a distance (K) from the light emitting element such that 0< K <0.3mm and including 0mm and 0.3 mm.

16. A light guide for a keyboard key structure as claimed in claim 12, wherein a width of a bottom surface of the light guide is wider than a width of the light emitting element.

17. The light guide for a keyboard key structure of claim 12, wherein a top surface of the light guide is at a distance D from a transparent region of the keycap when the key switch is in a non-depressed state, and

wherein the light guide is dimensioned to optically propagate light exiting the light guide at the top surface at an angle such that the light fills the transparent region of the keycap when the transparent region is at a distance D from the light guide.

18. A light guide for a keyboard key structure as claimed in claim 17, wherein the distance D is greater than or equal to 4 mm.

19. The light guide for a keyboard key structure of claim 12, wherein a width of the transparent area is equal to or less than a width of a top surface of the light guide.

20. A light guide for a keyboard key structure as claimed in claim 12, wherein the thickness of the transparent region is less than or equal to the thickness of the light guide plus 2 mm.

21. A computer key mechanism, comprising:

a keycap comprising an at least partially transparent illuminated portion;

a light emitter;

a light pipe coupled to the keycap and the light emitter, wherein the light pipe is shaped as a trapezoidal prism having a distal end located near the keycap and a proximal end located near the light emitter; and

wherein the light pipe has a uniform thickness.

22. The computer key mechanism of claim 21, wherein a length of the distal end is substantially twice a corresponding length of the proximal end.

23. The computer key mechanism of claim 21 or 22, wherein a distance between the distal end and the proximal end is greater than or equal to 5 millimeters.

24. The computer key mechanism of any of claims 21 to 23, wherein a distance between a distal end of the light pipe and the keycap is greater than or equal to 4 millimeters.

25. The computer key mechanism of any of claims 21-24, wherein the trapezoidal prism is an isosceles trapezoidal prism.

26. The computer key mechanism of any of claims 21-25, wherein the light pipe has a thickness greater than or equal to 1 millimeter and less than or equal to 3.5 millimeters.

27. The computer key mechanism of any of claims 21-26, wherein the light pipe has a refractive index between 1.3 and 1.7.

28. The computer key mechanism of any of claims 21-27, wherein the illuminated portion has a thickness corresponding to a thickness of the light pipe, and wherein the thickness of the illuminated portion is less than 2 millimeters greater than the thickness of the light pipe.

29. The computer key mechanism of any of claims 21-28, wherein the illuminated portion has a height that corresponds to a height of the light pipe, and wherein the height of the illuminated portion is greater than or equal to 0.8 millimeters.

30. The computer key mechanism of any of claims 21-29, wherein an air gap between the light emitter and the light pipe is between 0 millimeters and 0.3 millimeters in width and comprises 0 millimeters and 0.3 millimeters.

Technical Field

The invention relates to a keyboard key structure, a light guide for a keyboard key structure and a computer key mechanism.

Background

Peripherals typically include auxiliary devices that can be used to interface a person with a computer. Some common peripheral devices include keyboards, computer mice, image scanners, speakers, microphones, webcams, and the like. For example, keyboards have been improved in function and performance over the past few decades to increase user productivity, ergonomics and performance. For example, the advent of function keys, keypads, programmable hot keys, scroll wheels, and the like has helped users become more efficient by placing commonly used functions in quickly accessible locations on keyboards.

In particular, key switches have been improved and modified to accommodate specific user requirements. A key switch is a mechanism of the overall key structure that records keystrokes and can vary in response profile, sound, and travel time, which can be selected to meet the needs of the user. To name just a few common key switch types, some key switch profiles may have increased tactile feedback, a linear feedback profile, faster response time (e.g., shorter activation threshold), or relatively quiet operation.

In some cases, the key structures may be illuminated to highlight alphanumeric characters or symbols on the corresponding keycaps. For example, the backlight may include an array of lights configured below the key switches of the keyboard that generally direct light upward and through the transparent portions of the keycaps. Backlights may be used in gaming applications, for example, to dynamically generate lighting patterns of multiple colors on a keyboard. However, backlight solutions typically have an area effect and typically do not provide individual key addressing and illumination. Thus, backlighting may improve the user experience, but is limited in its useful applications. A better key illumination solution is needed.

It should be noted that, unless otherwise indicated herein, the materials described in this section are not prior art to the claims in this application and are not admitted to be prior art by inclusion in this section.

Disclosure of Invention

In some embodiments, a keyboard key structure comprises: a substrate; a key switch having a top, a bottom, and a side, wherein the bottom of the key switch is configured to be coupled to the substrate; a keycap comprising a transparent region and configured to be coupled to a top of a key switch; a light guide coupled to a side of the key switch and including a flat bottom surface and a flat top surface wider than and parallel to the bottom surface; and a light emitting element coupled to the substrate and configured below the bottom surface of the light guide such that the light emitting element, the light guide, and the transparent region of the keycap are in a collinear arrangement. The light emitting elements are operable to emit light into the bottom surface of the light guide. The light guide may guide light entering the bottom surface through a body of the light guide, out a top surface of the light guide, and through the transparent region of the keycap. The distance (K) of the air gap between the light emitting element and the light guide may be 0< K <0.3mm and comprise 0mm and 0.3 mm. The width of the bottom surface of the light guide may be wider than the width of the light emitting element. The light guide has a trapezoidal shape and a uniform thickness. When the key switch is in the non-depressed state, the top surface of the light guide is at a distance D from the transparent region of the keycap, and the light guide is sized to optically propagate light exiting the light guide at the top surface at an angle such that the light fills the transparent region of the keycap when the transparent region is at the distance D from the light guide. The distance D may be greater than or equal to 4 mm. The thickness of the light guide may be from 1mm to 3.5mm and include 1mm and 3.5 mm. The width of the transparent region may be equal to or less than the width of the top surface of the light guide. The width of the top surface of the light guide may be at least twice the width of the bottom surface of the light guide. The height of the transparent area may be greater than or equal to 0.8 mm. The thickness of the transparent region may be less than or equal to the thickness of the light guide plus 2 mm.

In some embodiments, a light guide for a keyboard key structure includes a flat bottom surface and a flat top surface that is twice as wide as and parallel to the bottom surface. In some aspects, the light guide in operation is configured to be placed in a collinear arrangement between the light emitting element and the transparent region of the keycap, wherein the light guide receives light from the light emitting element on a bottom surface thereof, and wherein the light guide directs light entering the bottom surface through a body of the light guide, out a top surface of the light guide, and out toward the transparent region of the keycap.

The light guide may have a trapezoidal shape and a uniform thickness. The light guide may have a height greater than or equal to 5 mm. The light guide may have a depth T such that T is 1mm ≦ T ≦ 3.5 mm. The bottom surface of the light guide may be configured to be arranged at a distance (K) from the light emitting element such that 0< K <0.3mm and including 0mm and 0.3 mm. The width of the bottom surface of the light guide may be wider than the width of the light emitting element. When the key switch is in the non-depressed state, the top surface of the light guide is at a distance D from the transparent region of the keycap, and the light guide is sized to optically propagate light exiting the light guide at the top surface at an angle such that the light fills the transparent region of the keycap when the transparent region is at the distance D from the light guide. The distance D may be greater than or equal to 4 mm. The width of the transparent region may be equal to or less than the width of the top surface of the light guide. The thickness of the transparent region may be less than or equal to the thickness of the light guide plus 2 mm.

In some embodiments, a computer key mechanism comprises: a keycap comprising an at least partially transparent illuminated portion; a light emitter; a light pipe coupled to the keycap and the light emitter, wherein the light pipe is shaped as a trapezoidal prism having a distal end located near the keycap and a proximal end located near the light emitter; and wherein the light pipe has a uniform thickness.

The terms and expressions which have been employed are used as terms of description and not of limitation, and there is no intention in the use of such terms and expressions of excluding any equivalents of the features shown and described or portions thereof. Nevertheless, it will be understood that various modifications may be made within the scope of the claimed system and method. Thus, it should be understood that although the present systems and methods have been specifically disclosed by way of example and optional features, modification and variation of the concepts herein disclosed will be recognized by those skilled in the art and that such modifications and variations are considered to be within the scope of the systems and methods as defined by the appended claims.

This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in isolation to determine the scope of the claimed subject matter. The subject matter should be understood with reference to the entire specification of this disclosure, any or all of the drawings, and appropriate portions of each claim.

The foregoing features and examples, together with other features and examples, are described in more detail in the following specification, appended claims, and accompanying drawings.

Drawings

The above features of various embodiments of the invention, as well as other features and advantages of certain embodiments, will be more apparent from the following detailed description when taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, wherein:

FIG. 1 illustrates a keyboard in a typical system environment;

FIG. 2 illustrates a simplified system block diagram of a keyboard and a host computing device according to some embodiments;

FIG. 3 illustrates a keyboard including a plurality of key structures from a top view according to some embodiments.

FIG. 4 illustrates aspects of a key structure according to some embodiments;

FIG. 5 illustrates light guides of various sizes in accordance with certain embodiments;

FIG. 6A illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a light guide and corresponding performance features according to certain embodiments;

fig. 6B-6F illustrate light guides having different dimensions and their corresponding performance characteristics.

FIG. 7A illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a light guide and keycap having different illumination areas along a first dimension and corresponding performance characteristics according to some embodiments;

7B-7C illustrate light guides having different dimensions with different illumination areas along a first dimension and their corresponding performance characteristics;

FIG. 8A illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a light guide and keycap having different illumination areas along a second dimension and corresponding performance characteristics according to some embodiments;

8B-8E illustrate light guides having different dimensions with different illumination areas along a second dimension and their corresponding performance characteristics;

FIG. 9A illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a light guide and keycap having different illumination areas along a third dimension and corresponding performance characteristics according to some embodiments;

9B-9C illustrate light guides having different dimensions with different illumination areas along a third dimension and their corresponding performance characteristics;

FIG. 10 illustrates a mechanism for use in an illuminated keyboard in accordance with certain techniques of the present disclosure;

FIG. 11 illustrates dimensions of a light pipe system that may be used in the mechanism of FIG. 10 in accordance with certain techniques of the present disclosure; and

FIG. 12 illustrates features of the present disclosure relating to illumination uniformity that may be used in the mechanism of FIG. 10.

Throughout the drawings, it should be noted that the same reference numerals are generally used to depict the same or similar elements, features and structures.

Detailed Description

According to certain embodiments, aspects of the present disclosure relate generally to key structures, and more particularly to embodiments of light guides that may be used to guide light from a light emitting element to a keycap to individually illuminate portions of corresponding key structures.

In the following description, various examples of light guides are described. For purposes of explanation, specific configurations and details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the embodiments. It will be apparent, however, to one skilled in the art that certain embodiments may be practiced or carried out without every detail disclosed. Furthermore, well-known features may be omitted or simplified in order to avoid any confusion of the novel features described herein.

The following high-level summary is intended to provide a basic understanding of some of the novel innovations depicted in the drawings and presented in the corresponding description provided below. Aspects of the present invention relate to computer key structures that may include, for example, keycaps, key switches, light-emitting elements (e.g., also referred to as "light emitters," "light illumination devices," or other suitable terms denoting light sources), light guides (also referred to as "light pipes" or "lenses"), and other related structures as shown in fig. 4. The keycap may include a transparent region that may be illuminated by the light emitting element via the light guide. The light guide may be arranged between the keycap and the light emitting element, e.g. a Light Emitting Diode (LED). The light guide is operable to couple light from the underlying LED through the light guide and disperse the light towards the transparent region of the keycap. The transparent area may include transparent symbols, characters, glyphs, etc. that indicate the function of the keys (e.g., the "A" key may have an "A" symbol illuminated). The key caps are actuated by a user of the keyboard by pressing the key caps with fingers or thumbs. Depending on the design of the keycap, light may be effectively dispersed in more or less different patterns. Techniques are disclosed that have been found to provide a desired balance between light dispersion on the illuminated portion of the keycap and relatively high light transmittance (e.g., relatively high transmission efficiency) of the light source.

In some exemplary embodiments, the keyboard key structure may include: a substrate; a key switch having a top, a bottom, and a side, wherein the bottom of the key switch is configured to be coupled to the substrate. The key structure may further include: a keycap comprising a transparent region, the keycap configured to be coupled to a top of a key switch; and a light guide coupled to a side of the key switch, the light guide including a flat bottom surface and a flat top surface wider than and parallel to the bottom surface. The key structure may further include a light emitting element coupled to the substrate and configured below the bottom surface of the light guide such that the light emitting element, the light guide, and the transparent region of the keycap are configured in a collinear arrangement. The light emitting element is operable to emit light into the bottom surface of the light guide, and the light guide can direct light entering the bottom surface through the body of the light guide, out the top surface of the light guide, and through the transparent region of the keycap.

In some embodiments, the light guide may be shaped as a trapezoidal prism having a distal end adjacent the keycap and a proximal end adjacent the light emitting element, for example as shown in fig. 5. In some embodiments, the length of the distal end may be substantially twice the length of the corresponding proximal end. The light guide may have a uniform thickness. The distance between the distal end and the proximal end may be greater than or equal to five millimeters. The distance between the distal end of the light guide and the keycap may be greater than or equal to four millimeters. The trapezoidal prism may be an isosceles trapezoidal prism. The thickness of the light guide may be greater than or equal to 1 millimeter and less than or equal to 3.5 millimeters. The light guide may have a refractive index between 1.3 and 1.7. The length of the illuminated portion (e.g., the transparent region) may correspond to the length of the distal end of the light guide, wherein the length of the illuminated portion may be less than or equal to the length of the distal end. The thickness of the illuminated portion may correspond to the thickness of the light guide. The thickness of the illuminated portion may be less than two millimeters greater than the thickness of the light guide. The illuminated portion may have a height corresponding to the height of the light guide. The height of the illuminated portion may be greater than or equal to eight tenths of a millimeter. The width of the air gap between the light emitter and the light guide may be between and including zero and three tenths of a millimeter. In some cases, the width of the bottom surface of the light guide may be wider than the width of the light emitting elements. In some aspects, when the key switch is in the non-depressed state, a top surface of the light guide is at a distance D (e.g., greater than or equal to 4mm) from the transparent region of the keycap, and the light guide is sized to optically propagate light exiting the light guide at its top surface at an angle such that the light fills the transparent region of the keycap when the transparent region is at the distance D from the light guide. The light guide may be configured to emit increased uniform illumination and/or color uniformity in the transparent region. In some implementations, the width of the top surface of the light guide can be at least twice the width of the bottom surface of the light guide.

It should be appreciated that this high-level summary is provided to provide the reader with a basic understanding of some novel aspects of the disclosure, as well as a roadmap for details that follow. This high-level overview in no way limits the scope of the various embodiments described throughout the detailed description, and each of the above-referenced figures is further described below in greater detail and within its scope.

FIG. 1 illustrates an example of a computer system 100, which computer system 100 may comprise any of a variety of host computing devices and computer peripherals including peripherals (e.g., a keyboard or a computer mouse) that may be configured to include aspects of the various inventive concepts described herein. Computer system 100 illustrates a user 105 operating a host computing device (shown as a desktop computer) 110 and a plurality of computer peripherals communicatively coupled to host computing device 110, including a display device 120, a computer mouse 130, and a keyboard 140, and may include any other suitable computer peripheral(s).

Although the host computing device is shown as a desktop computer, other types of host computing devices may be used, including gaming systems, laptop computers, set-top boxes, entertainment systems, tablet or "tablet" computers, standalone Head Mounted Displays (HMDs), or any other suitable host computing device (e.g., smart phones, smart wearable devices, internet of things (IoT) devices, etc.). In some cases, multiple host computing devices may be used, and one or more of the computer peripherals may be communicatively coupled to one, some, or all of the host computing devices (e.g., a computer keyboard may be coupled to multiple host computing devices). The host computing device may also be referred to herein as a "host," "host computer," "host device," "computing device," "computer," etc., and may include a machine-readable medium (not shown) configured to store computer code, such as driver software, firmware, etc., where the computer code is executable by one or more processors of the host computing device(s) to control aspects of the host computing device, e.g., via one or more computer peripherals.

Typical computer peripherals may include: any suitable input device, output device, or input/output devices including those shown (e.g., computer keyboard 140) and those not shown (e.g., game controller, HMD, or remote control), AR/VR controller, joystick, stylus device, or other suitable device that may be used to convert analog input to digital signals for computer processing. For example, as would be understood by one of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure, a computer peripheral (e.g., keyboard 140) may be configured to provide control signals for input detection (e.g., alphanumeric input or knob/scroll wheel movement), output functions (e.g., LED control, haptic feedback, or display), or any of a number of other features that may be provided by a computer peripheral.

Computer peripherals may be referred to as "input devices," "peripheral devices," "computer input devices," "user interface devices," "control devices," "input units," and the like. Most embodiments described herein generally refer to a particular computer peripheral (keyboard 140) and its corresponding features (e.g., key structures, light-emitting elements, light guides, or keycaps), however it should be understood that the computer peripheral may be any suitable input/output (I/O) device that may be adapted to utilize the novel embodiments described and contemplated herein.

FIG. 2 shows a simplified block diagram of the keyboard 140 and the example host computing device 110 shown in FIG. 1. As shown in fig. 2, the keypad 140 may include a processor 205, the processor 205 coupled to a communication module 210, a memory 215, a battery 220, one or more user interface keys 225, and a visual/tactile output module 230. The plurality of user interface keys 225 may be configured to be physically actuated by a user of the keyboard, where each key communicates a particular signal to the processor 205. The processor 205 includes circuitry that receives a particular signal from each user interface key 225 and responds by instructing the communication module 210 to send a signal corresponding to the particular key to the host computer 110 via the communication channel 245. As will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure, the processor 205 may be programmed to employ one or more visual and/or tactile outputs 230 (e.g., lights, audible sounds, vibrations, etc.).

In some embodiments, the battery 220 may independently power some or all of the keyboard functions 205-230, including the processor 205. In such an embodiment, the keyboard 140 may be configured independently of the host computing device 110, where the configuration is stored in the memory 215. In further embodiments, keyboard 140 may be used with multiple host computing devices 110 and may maintain a constant configuration regardless of the host with which it is communicating. Further, in some implementations, the host computing device may not be required to install software to communicate with the keyboard 140.

The processor 205 may include any type of logic device including a programmable integrated circuit or, for example, one or more single or multi-core microprocessors and/or microcontrollers that execute program code to carry out the various functions associated with the keyboard 140. For example, the processor 205 may implement various processes (or portions of various processes) as implemented by peripheral devices described throughout this disclosure, e.g., by executing program code stored in the memory 215. The processor 205 may also execute other programs to control other functions of the keyboard 140. In some cases, the program executed by the processor 205 may interact with a host computer (e.g., host computer 110) by generating and/or receiving messages to be sent to and/or from the host computer. In some cases, messages may be sent and/or received using the communication module 210 or a wired connection (e.g., Universal Serial Bus (USB)).

The communication module 210 may provide wireless or wired communication capabilities for the keyboard 140. In some embodiments, the communication module 210 may include: a Radio Frequency (RF) transceiver component for accessing a wireless voice network and/or a data network (e.g., using cellular telephone technology, data network technologies such as 3G, 4G/LTE, Wi-Fi, other IEEE802.11 family standards, or other mobile communication technologies, or any combination thereof); means for short-range wireless communication (e.g., using bluetooth and/or bluetooth LE standards, NFC, etc.); and/or other components. In some embodiments, the communication module 210 may provide a wired network connection (e.g., ethernet) in addition to or instead of a wireless interface. The communication module 210 may be implemented using a combination of hardware (e.g., driver circuits, antennas, modulators/demodulators, encoders/decoders, and other analog and/or digital signal processing circuitry) and software components. In some embodiments, the communication module 210 may support multiple communication channels simultaneously or at different times using the same transmission or different transmissions. Thus, for example, keyboard 140 may communicate with a host via a local channel at certain times and communicate with the host via a relay service at other times.

Memory 215 may be implemented, for example, using magnetic disk, flash memory, or any other non-transitory storage medium or combination of media, and may include volatile and/or non-volatile media. In some implementations, memory 215 may store one or more programs (e.g., firmware) to be executed by processor 205, including programs for implementing various operations described as being performed by a keyboard or other suitable computer peripheral. The memory 215 may also store peripheral object or peripheral definition records that are provided to the host computing device, for example, during device discovery. Memory 215 may also store peripheral device state information and any other data that may be used during operation of keyboard 140. Memory 215 may also store program code that is executable to communicate with communication interface 250.

Battery 220 may include any type of energy storage device including rechargeable devices and non-rechargeable devices. In some embodiments, battery 220 is a nickel metal hydride, nickel cadmium, lithium ion, or lead acid configuration. Those skilled in the art, with the benefit of this disclosure, will appreciate that other types of energy storage devices may be used. In some embodiments, the battery 220 may be wirelessly rechargeable.

The user interface keys 225 may include a user-operable input device, such as one or more depressible keys. Each user interface key 225 may correspond to a unique signal that is communicated to the processor 205 so that the processor identifies the desired input of the user. In certain embodiments, as further described at least with respect to fig. 3-8E, the user interface keys 225 may include any type of key utilizing a key switch.

Visual/tactile output 230 may include any output device that may be used to communicate with a user. In some embodiments, the light may be turned on or off, the light may change color, or the light may flash at different rates. The haptic device may vibrate, tap (ping), or tap the keyboard, and in some embodiments, the haptic device may include an unbalanced motor that provides vibration and/or a voice coil. In various embodiments, the haptic device may be included in a base or wrist rest, or the haptic device may be key-specific. The audible device may sound a beep, tones (tones), music, recorded messages, and/or electronically generated messages. In some aspects, the visual/tactile output 230, the processor 205, or a combination thereof, may control illumination of one or more light-emitting elements on a peripheral (keyboard), as described in various embodiments herein relating to illuminating keycaps via light-emitting elements and corresponding light guides. In further embodiments, a display screen may be used. In some embodiments, one or more light emitting elements illuminating the keys may be used as a digitizing display screen. That is, each key light may be used to display an alphanumeric message to the user. The message may be fixed and/or the message may scroll, and/or the message may include characters that are displayed sequentially. Those skilled in the art having the benefit of this disclosure will appreciate that other types of visual/tactile output devices may be used without departing from this disclosure.

Fig. 2 also shows a simplified block diagram of an example host computing device that may illustrate features and functionality of the host device 110 shown in fig. 1 (or other suitable host computing device (s)) according to some embodiments. In some implementations, the host computing device 110 may implement any or all of the functions, acts, and capabilities described herein as being performed by the host computing device, as well as other functions, acts, and capabilities not explicitly described. Host computing device 110 may include a processing subsystem 255, a storage device 260, a network interface 265, and a communication interface 250. The host computing device 110 may also include other components (not explicitly shown), such as a battery, a power controller, and other components operable to provide various enhanced functionality. In various implementations, the host computing device 110 may be implemented in a desktop computer, laptop computer, tablet computer, smart phone, other mobile phone, wearable computing device, cellular phone, or other system having any form factor. Further, in some embodiments, the host computing device 110 may be implemented partially in a base station and partially in a mobile unit that communicates with the base station and provides a user interface.

Communication interface 250 may provide voice and/or data communication capabilities for master computing device 110. In some embodiments, communication interface 250 may include: a Radio Frequency (RF) transceiver component for accessing a wireless voice network and/or a data network (e.g., using cellular telephone technology such as 3G, 4G/LTE, Wi-Fi, other data network technologies of the IEEE802.11 family of standards, or other mobile communication technologies, or any combination thereof); means for short-range wireless communication (e.g., using bluetooth and/or bluetooth LE standards, NFC, etc.); and/or other components. In some embodiments, communication interface 250 may provide a wired network connection (e.g., ethernet) in addition to or in place of a wireless interface. Communication interface 250 may be implemented using a combination of hardware (e.g., driver circuits, antennas, modulators/demodulators, encoders/decoders, and other analog and/or digital signal processing circuitry) and software components. In some embodiments, communication interface 250 may support multiple communication channels simultaneously or at different times using the same transmission or different transmissions. Thus, for example, the host computing device 110 may communicate with the accessory via a local channel at one time and via a relay service at other times.

The processing subsystem 255 may be implemented as one or more integrated circuits, such as one or more single-core or multi-core microprocessors or microcontrollers, examples of which are known in the art. In operation, the processing subsystem 255 may control the operation of the host computing device 110. In various embodiments, the processing subsystem 255 may execute various programs in response to program code and may maintain multiple programs or processes executing concurrently. Some or all of the program code to be executed at any given moment may reside in processing subsystem 255 and/or a storage medium such as storage device 260.

With appropriate programming, the processing subsystem 255 may provide various functionality to the host computing device 110. For example, in some embodiments, the processing subsystem 255 may implement various processes (or portions of processes) described above as being implemented by a host computing device. Processing subsystem 255 may also execute other programs for controlling other functions of host computing device 110, including application programs that may be stored in storage device 260. In some implementations, these applications can interact with the peripheral device, for example, by generating messages to be sent to the peripheral device and/or receiving responses from the peripheral device. For example, as described above, such interaction may be facilitated by a peripheral device management daemon (daemon) and/or other operating system processes, and may include communicating with a peripheral device via communication interface 250.

Storage 260 may be implemented, for example, using magnetic disk, flash memory, or any other non-transitory storage medium or combination of media, and may include volatile and/or non-volatile media. In some embodiments, storage device 260 may store one or more applications and/or operating system programs to be executed by processing subsystem 255, including programs for performing various operations described above as being performed by a host computing device. For example, the storage device 260 may store a unified host application that may read the peripheral device profile and generate a graphical user interface for controlling the peripheral device based on information in the peripheral device profile. Storage device 260 may also store program code that is executable to communicate with communication module 210 of a peripheral keyboard device (e.g., keyboard 140). Although fig. 2 shows communication interface 250 as a subsystem of host computing device 110, it should be understood that communication interface 250 may be a dongle that plugs into host computing device 110 and electrically couples with host computing device 110. In some embodiments, some (or all) of the host computing device functionality described herein may be implemented in an operating system program rather than an application. In some implementations, the storage device 260 may also store applications ("apps") designed for specific accessories or classes of accessories.

Network interface 265 may include any type of connection to a network, including: wired Ethernet, RS-232, or others; and wireless networks, such as 3G, 4G/LTE, Wi-Fi, data network technologies of other IEEE802.11 series standards, or other mobile communication technologies, or any combination thereof; means for short-range wireless communication (e.g., using bluetooth and/or bluetooth LE standards, NFC, etc.); and/or other components. In some embodiments, the network interface 265 may provide a wired network connection (e.g., ethernet) in addition to or in place of a wireless interface. The network interface 265 may be implemented using a combination of hardware (e.g., driver circuits, antennas, modulators/demodulators, encoders/decoders, and other analog and/or digital signal processing circuitry) and software components.

Further, although the hosts are described herein with reference to specific blocks, it should be understood that these blocks are defined for convenience of description and are not intended to imply a particular physical arrangement of component parts. Furthermore, the blocks need not correspond to physically distinct components. The blocks may be configured to perform various operations, e.g., by programming a processor or providing appropriate control circuitry, and the various blocks may or may not be reconfigurable depending on how the initial configuration is obtained. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in various apparatuses including electronic devices implemented using any combination of circuitry and software.

The host computing device and peripheral devices described herein may be implemented in electronic devices that may be of generally conventional design. Such devices may be adapted to communicate using a unified peripheral protocol that supports command and control operations by which a host (first electronic device) may control the operation of a peripheral (second electronic device). In some cases, such as in the case of a proxy server as described above, the device may incorporate features or aspects of the host and peripheral devices.

It will be understood that the system configurations and components described herein are illustrative and that variations and modifications are possible. It should be understood that an implementation of the host computing device 110 may perform all of the operations described above as being performed by a media access device, and an implementation of the keyboard 140 may perform any or all of the operations described above as being performed by a peripheral device. A proxy server, bridge, channel, or coordinator may use the same hardware or different hardware to combine the components of host computing device 110 and keyboard 140 as desired. The media access device and/or the peripheral device may have other capabilities not specifically described herein (e.g., mobile phone, Global Positioning System (GPS), broadband data communication, internet connection, etc.). Depending on the implementation, the devices may interoperate to provide any functionality supported by either (or both) devices, or to provide functionality partially implemented in each device. In some implementations, a particular peripheral device may have some functionality that is not accessible or callable via a particular media access device, but which is accessible via another host or by direct interaction with the peripheral device.

Furthermore, although the media access device and peripheral devices are described herein with reference to particular blocks, it should be understood that these blocks are defined for convenience of description and are not intended to imply a particular physical arrangement of component parts. Furthermore, the blocks need not correspond to physically distinct components. The blocks may be configured to perform various operations, e.g., by programming a processor or providing appropriate control circuitry, and the various blocks may or may not be reconfigurable depending on how the initial configuration is obtained. Embodiments of the present disclosure may be implemented in various apparatuses including electronic devices implemented using any combination of circuitry and software.

FIG. 3 illustrates a keyboard 300 including a plurality of key structures 310, according to some embodiments. Keyboard 300 may include any suitable number and/or arrangement of key structures, and the key structures may be configured to trigger any suitable output including, but not limited to, an alphanumeric output, a functional output (e.g., a function key), a directionality (e.g., an arrow key), a plurality of outputs (e.g., a number and a symbol), and so forth. In some cases, a tactile output (e.g., vibration) or a visual output (e.g., illumination) may be associated with one or more key structures. As described further below with respect to at least fig. 4, the key structure is disposed in the key frame 320 and may be coupled to the key frame 320, which is also referred to as a "top plate". The key structure of fig. 3 shows only the keycap of each key structure from a top view, however, more detailed views and corresponding discussion of the novel features presented herein are better shown and described in fig. 4-9C.

FIG. 4 illustrates aspects of a key structure 400 having a novel light guide structure according to some embodiments. The key structure 400 may include a key switch 410, a top plate (not shown), a key cap 420, a light guide 430 (e.g., a lens), a light emitting element (LED)440, and a Printed Circuit Board (PCB) 450.

Key switches are mechanical devices that record keystrokes and can vary in response profile, sound, travel time, and travel distance. Many modern keyboard implementationsOr a "MX" key switch, saidOr "MX" key switches exhibit excellent performance characteristics, including a variety of possible force profiles (e.g., "feel" of the key) and operational lifetimes (e.g., over 5000 million taps before material signal (material signal) degradation). Although the key switches may be different, the key switches generally include:a valve stem (stem) and a corresponding precision coil spring forming a mechanical module that operates to define the operating characteristics of the key (e.g., linear operation, actuation force threshold, etc.); and a cross mount (e.g., which may appear as a "plus" or cross on top of the key switch, as shown, for example, in fig. 4). The key switch may include an upper housing that covers the mechanical module and is operable to facilitate precise guiding of the switch slider. The key switch may also include cross-point contacts (e.g., made of copper, gold, or other suitable conductive material) to close the electronic circuit when the key is depressed to trigger the key structure output. The housing base may serve as the base of the key switch and is typically reinforced (e.g., using fiberglass) for pressure stability and durability. Some key switches may have a tactile output where the module has a distinct and/or audible click point or "click feel," which is a unique feature of mechanical keyboards. Linear key switches typically do not include this type of physical feedback, but rather feedback with linear resistance characteristics. Some types of key switches may be configured for gaming (e.g., quick-trigger with minimal activation force), office efficiency (e.g., tactile feel of an actuation point detectable with or without a click), precision (e.g., tactile feel of high activation force), accuracy (e.g., linearity of tighter coil springs for returning to a rest position of the key switch more quickly), and speed (e.g., low activation force, short pre-stroke, and linear switch), to name a few. Many modifications, variations, and alternative embodiments of the disclosure will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure.

The LED may be any suitable semiconductor light source that emits light when current flows through it. The electrons in the semiconductor recombine with electron holes, which release energy in the form of photons that can be observed as light of any suitable color based on the amount of energy required for the electron to pass through the bandgap of the semiconductor. For example, white light may be achieved by using multiple semiconductor light sources or a luminescent phosphor layer on a semiconductor device. LEDs can have relatively low power consumption, long operating life, more robust physical structure, smaller size, and faster switching than conventional incandescent light sources. Thus, some keyboards may employ LEDs for each key switch, and in some cases, the power, intensity, and color of each LED may be independently controlled. In some implementations, LEDs may be integrated with key switches (e.g., some Cherry MX-based keyboards employ LEDs integrated with key switches). Unlike lasers, however, LEDs are typically neither spectrally coherent nor substantially monochromatic, and their spectra are narrow enough to appear as saturated colors. Furthermore, LEDs are typically spatially incoherent (e.g., they typically have a broader dispersion pattern than lasers), and thus they typically cannot achieve the high brightness of lasers. Thus, many LED-based systems and LED-integrated systems have some deleterious effects such as unevenly illuminated glyphs or narrow glyph layouts to ensure that each glyph falls within the illumination range of the LED. In view of these issues, and in general the limited brightness and illumination characteristics of LEDs relative to lasers or other more coherent light sources, some aspects of the novel light guide structures described herein are to guide dispersed light from the LEDs into a transparent portion of the keycap (e.g., in the shape of one or more glyphs, alphanumeric characters, etc.), as described further below, with a focused illumination pattern that is brighter, more uniform, more efficient (e.g., less lossy) and wider than other key illumination modes. The LEDs may have any suitable mounting configuration (e.g., through-hole, surface mount, etc.) and may be mounted on any suitable substrate. The light-emitting element 440 may include a plurality of LEDs, each LED having a different primary color, which operates to proportionally affect the overall color of light emitted by the light-emitting element 440. As will be appreciated by one of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure, any suitable type of LED (e.g., common anode, common cathode, OLED, etc.) may be used, and more generally, any suitable light emitting element (e.g., LED, laser, incandescent, etc.) may be used.

The light guide 430 is configured to optically couple light received from a light source (e.g., LED 440) to a user interface (e.g., keycap 420). The light guide 430 (also referred to as a "light pipe" or "light pipe") is typically placed proximate to the light emitting elements on one side of the PCB 450 (e.g., distance "K" in fig. 5). The light guide 430 is generally configured such that it is collinear with the light-emitting element and with the transparent region of the keycap or a portion thereof. The light guide 430 can be configured in an infinite number of shapes, sizes, etc., such as in fig. 5-9C with some exemplary embodiments presented herein. In some aspects, a light diffuser (not shown) may be used to spread the light over a defined area at the expense of some brightness, and may work in conjunction with the light guide 430. The light guide 430 may be composed of optical acrylic and polycarbonate materials, however, as shown in the following table, and other materials may be used as persons of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the present disclosure.

The refractive index of the material used for the light guide 430 may generally be in the range of 1.30 to 1.70. For example, the following materials may be used, where the approximate refractive index is represented by n:

plastic:

acrylonitrile butadiene styrene copolymer (ABS), n 1.534

Polycarbonate (PC), n 1.496

Polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), n ═ 1.493

Polystyrene (PS), n ═ 1.596

Polypropylene (PP), n ═ 1.492

Glass, n is 1.50 to 1.65

Silicon rubber, n is 1.40-1.60

A top plate (not shown) may provide structural support for the key switches and may receive clips from the key switches 410 that may engage the top plate when the key switches are coupled to the PCB 450, thereby securing the key structures within the keyboard. In some embodiments, the top plate may provide structural support for a plurality of key switches (e.g., >100 keys), which is shown in fig. 3 as key frame 320. Although the top plate 320 may be an intermediate layer, the top plate may extend laterally in any direction, which is generally represented as the top surface of the keyboard. In some aspects, the top plate 320 may be planar or may have contours, for example, in certain ergonomically contoured (contours) keyboards. For example, the top plate 320 may have a two-dimensional (e.g., an XY plane shape shown in fig. 4) or three-dimensional (e.g., an XYZ shape of a contoured surface) contour, and the thickness of the top plate 320 may vary. Top plate 320 is typically a single monolithic plate having a plurality of apertures to accommodate at least one key structure. However, the top plate 320 may include a single aperture (e.g., shown as a square ring shape in fig. 4) or a plurality of apertures, and the top plate 320 may include a plurality of continuous or discontinuous portions that may be planar or non-planar. Many modifications, variations, and alternative embodiments thereof will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure.

In some embodiments, as shown in fig. 4, the bottom side of the key switch 410 may be coupled to the top surface of a substrate (e.g., PCB 450). As persons of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure understand, a printed circuit board or PCB is a generic term for the following technologies: allowing conductors to extend from one location on the board to another location on the board and from one layer to another. In some cases, posts (not shown) from key switches 410 may partially or completely pass through PCB 450, which may increase the stability of the key structure in PCB 450. Although a PCB is primarily shown and described throughout this disclosure, other types of boards, such as Printed Wiring Boards (PWBs), may be used and typically include an epoxy glass substrate to create electrical interconnections and for connection to components to create an electronic circuit. More generally, the PCB, PWB, etc. may be referred to as a substrate. For purposes of this disclosure, the PCB and PWB may be used interchangeably, and any other type of substrate or mounting surface may be used with the novel key structure arrangement described herein, as persons of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure understand.

Keycap 420 may include one or more sidewalls to shield and protect the interior portion of mechanical device key structure 400 (e.g., in combination with a top plate) and to prevent foreign particles from entering the interior portion of the key structure. For example, the key switch 410 and the light guide 430 may be located within a cavity defined by the keycap 420 and its respective sidewalls. Furthermore, as shown in fig. 3, all internal portions of the key structure 400, including the key switches, light guides, light emitting elements, and substrate, may be shielded and protected in part by the combination of the keycap and the top plate. The physical space constraints within the cavity can present challenges to the design of the light guide. For example, the keycaps and the tops of the key switches are depressible with respect to, for example, the PCB, the light emitting element, and the light guide. Thus, the light guide may be designed to illuminate the transparent area and the corresponding glyph when the keycap is in the non-depressed state.

Transparent region 425 may include one or more surface features 428, which surface features 428 may be viewed by a user of the illuminated keyboard using key structure 400. Surface features 428 may include alphanumeric symbols (more generally "glyphs"), phrases (e.g., Delete, Home, PgUp, etc.), operating system specific symbols (e.g., Windows or Mac keys), chinese characters, system functions (volume up, volume down), etc., application symbols (e.g., calculator, lock screen, etc.), etc. The surface features may be illuminated to allow a user of the keyboard to more easily determine the function of the key to be processed. This may be useful, for example, if the keyboard is in a dark environment where the user cannot see the non-illuminated symbols. The illumination may be a monotonic color or may be a multi-color. In other words, a combination of differently colored light sources illuminating light guide 430 and transparent region 425 may be used to change the color of each key over time. Transparent regions 425 and/or portions of surface features 428 may be transparent to allow light to pass through to the eyes of a user of keyboard 300. It should be understood that the transparent region can have any suitable amount of transparency, from near opaque to nearly transparent and colorless. In some embodiments, and as can be applied to all examples of transparent regions described throughout, the transparent regions can have any amount of transparency (from opaque to transparent), "opalescence," "paint," and the like. In some cases, white paint and/or a diffuser is added to the keycap, making it appear "milky" and operative to better disperse light over desired areas.

For example, some embodiments may include a keyboard key structure including a substrate and a key switch having a top, a bottom, and sides, wherein the bottom of the key switch is configured to be coupled to the substrate. The key structure may further include: a keycap comprising a transparent region, the keycap configured to be coupled to a top of a key switch; and a light guide coupled to a side of the key switch, the light guide including a flat bottom surface and a flat top surface, the flat top surface being wider than the bottom surface and parallel to the bottom surface. The key structure may further include a light emitting element coupled to the substrate and configured below a bottom surface of the light guide such that the light emitting element, the light guide, and the transparent region of the keycap are configured in a collinear arrangement. The light emitting element can be operable to emit light into a bottom surface of the light guide, and the light guide can direct light entering the bottom surface through a body of the light guide, out a top surface of the light guide, and through the transparent region of the keycap.

Fig. 5 illustrates various sizes and relative positions of various elements of a simplified model of a light guide structure including light-emitting elements 440, light guide 430, and transparent regions 425, according to some embodiments. As disclosed herein, the features of the light guide 430 and its position relative to the light emitting elements 440 and the transparent region 425 can be selected to: provide satisfactory illumination uniformity to transparent region 425 (or corresponding glyph 428), satisfactory efficiency in light transmitted from the light emitting element to transparent region 425; and fall within the physical constraints of the cavity defined by the dimensions and travel path of the respective keycap.

Referring to fig. 5, the size of the LED 440 may be defined by a width E (x-dimension), a height F (z-dimension), and a depth or thickness G (y-dimension). The dimensions of the light guide 430 may be defined by a bottom surface (proximal end) a (x-dimension), a top surface (distal end) B (x-dimension), a distance C (z-dimension) defining the distance between a and B, and a depth or thickness T (y-dimension). The dimensions of transparent region 425 (e.g., a portion of keycap 420) can be defined by a width H (x-dimension), a height J (z-dimension), and a depth or thickness I (y-dimension). The distance between the LED 440 and the light guide 430 is defined by the distance K (z dimension). The distance between the top surface of the light guide 430 and the bottom surface of the transparent region 425 is defined by the distance D (z-dimension).

As evidenced by the various permutations disclosed herein (see, e.g., fig. 6A-6F, 7B-7C, 8B-8E, and 9B-9C), some embodiments may share common features, although embodiments may differ substantially. For example, some embodiments employ a uniform thickness for the light guide (e.g., 1mm to 3.5mm, including 1mm and 3.5 mm); flat and parallel top and bottom surfaces, trapezoidal shape (e.g., isosceles); the width of B is at least twice as long as the width of A; a height of at least 5 mm; a collinear arrangement of light emitting elements, light guides and transparent regions; the depth of the light emitting elements 440 is less than or equal to the depth of the light guide 430; the distance K is between 0mm and 0.3 mm; the depth of the transparent area (or the area to be illuminated, e.g., at least a portion of the glyph or more generally the transparent area 425) is at least equal to the depth (T) of the light guide 430 plus 2 mm; the transparent regions 425 may have a width H that is less than or equal to the respective length B of the light guide 430; transparent region 425 may have a height J, etc., greater than or equal to 0.8 mm. Some embodiments may share some, all, or none of these features and are presented to provide non-limiting examples of how some features may be implemented.

FIG. 6A illustrates an exemplary embodiment of a light guide having corresponding performance characteristics according to some embodiments. The embodiment of fig. 6A demonstrates good illumination characteristics for the transparent region 425 due to the light transmission characteristics of the light guide 430. The dimensions of the light guide 430 may be selected not only based on the goal of efficiently coupling light from its input area (e.g., defined by a x T) to its output area (e.g., defined by B x T), but also taking into account distances K and D, which may be important considerations for ensuring that the light delivered to the transparent region 425 is sufficiently uniform in brightness and/or color and has a sufficiently wide illumination area. A number of other embodiments with different dimensions are proposed (e.g., fig. 6B-6E, and others) to demonstrate how particular dimensions, contours, and distances can affect the lighting characteristics of the system. Thus, in certain embodiments including the light guide system 600 of fig. 6A, the light guide dimensional parameters may correspond to the following exemplary values and ranges:

light guide size: b is 2A; c is ≧ 5 mm; d ≧ 4mm

Light guide thickness (depth): t is less than or equal to 1 and less than or equal to 3.5mm

Illumination area (transparent area or glyph): h ≦ B mm; i ≦ T +2 mm; j ≧ 0.8mm

LED size: e ≦ A and G ≦ T;

gap between LED and light guide: 0mm < K ≦ 0.3mm

In summary, certain exemplary embodiments of the LED/light guide/transparent region structure may be configured such that the top surface B of the light guide should be twice the length of its bottom surface a; the height C of the light guide should be greater than or equal to 5 mm; the distance D between the top surface of the light guide and the keycap should be greater than or equal to 4 mm; the depth (thickness) T of the light guide should be between 1mm and 3.5mm, including 1mm and 3.5 mm; the transparent region width H should be less than or equal to the width B of the top surface of the light guide; the depth (thickness) I of the transparent area should be less than or equal to the depth of the light guide +2 mm; the height of the transparent area should be greater than or equal to 0.8 mm; the LED width E should be less than or equal to the width a of the light guide; the depth (thickness) G of the LED should be less than or equal to the depth of the light guide; and the gap K between the LED and the light guide should be greater than 0mm and less than or equal to 0.3 mm.

Referring to the reference variables of fig. 6A and 5, light guide system 600 includes dimensions as presented in table 1 below, table 1 providing illumination parameters including average brightness, uniformity, and brightness ratio for a light guide system (e.g., a combination of LEDs, light guides, and transparent regions). The equations for the illumination parameters are provided in equations 1 through 3 below.

(1)

(2)

(3)

Table 1: dimensions and illumination characteristics of light guide system 600

The unit of brightness (lightness) is Nit (Nit), defined as candela/m²(candela/m squared). Average brightness and brightness uniformity (e.g., 1 x 1mm as 1 unit) can be used to judge the optical performance of a light guide system (e.g., a combination of an LED, a light guide, and a keycap or transparent region — also referred to as a "light system"). When the average brightness is relatively high, the light system tends to be more efficient (e.g., more light is coupled from the LEDs into the transparent region). The uniformity of the illumination system is better (e.g. a uniform distribution of light over the desired area) when the average luminance uniformity is relatively high. Both of these metrics can be considered to more reliably judge the optical performance of the optical system. The luminance ratio is the average luminance of the current light system L1 divided by the exemplary or ideal light system L2 such that the L1 lighting system has a better average luminance than L2 when the luminance ratio is greater than 1, and the L1 lighting system has a lower average luminance than L2 when the luminance ratio is less than 1.

As described above, the light guide system 600 has exemplary illumination characteristics due, in part, to the light guide having a preferred B-2A ratio. The light guide system 600 is an exemplary embodiment (which may be designated as L2) and has a relatively high average luminance (4495nit) across the entire transparent region 425, a uniformity of 57%, and a luminance ratio of 1 (which is compared to itself as an exemplary embodiment, e.g., L1 — L2). As shown in the graph 605 of fig. 6A, exemplary illumination characteristics are evident in a wide and uniform luminance pattern that is uniformly distributed over the mostly transparent area 425. Therefore, the fonts arranged on most of the transparent area can have good lighting characteristics.

In fig. 6B, light guide system 610 illustrates an example of a light guide having a non-preferred B-a configuration (e.g., as compared to a preferred B-2A configuration). As shown in Table 2 below, light guide system 610 has a relatively low average luminance (2637nit), relatively low uniformity of 41%, and a low luminance ratio of 0.58 across transparent region 425 as compared to the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 6A. These non-preferred illumination characteristics are evident in graph 615 of fig. 6B because the illumination spots are primarily concentrated on the middle portion of transparent region 425. Thus, glyphs configured along the edges of the transparent regions may have poor illumination characteristics for light guide system 610.

Table 2: dimensions and illumination characteristics of light guide system 610

In fig. 6C, light guide system 620 shows an example of a light guide having a non-preferred B-0.5A configuration (e.g., having B-4 mm and a-8 mm; which deviates from the preferred B-2A configuration). As shown in Table 3 below, light guide system 620 has a relatively low average luminance (2068nit), a relatively low uniformity of 24%, and a low luminance ratio of 0.46 across the transparent region 425, as compared to the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 6A. These non-preferred illumination characteristics are evident in graph 625 of fig. 6C as non-uniform illumination spots concentrated primarily on the middle portion of transparent region 425, with very dark (unlit) areas near the ends of transparent region 425. Thus, for light guide system 620, glyphs configured along the edges of the transparent regions may have poor illumination and uniformity, which may cause bright and dark spots in some glyphs depending on the location of some glyphs within the transparent regions.

Table 3: dimensions and illumination characteristics of light guide system 620

In fig. 6D, light guide system 630 shows an example of a light guide having non-preferred values of C ≧ 4mm and D ≧ 3mm, offset from the preferred configurations of C ≧ 5mm and D ≧ 4 mm. As shown in Table 4 below, light guide system 630 has a relatively low average luminance (1196nit), relatively low uniformity of 41%, and a low luminance ratio of 0.27 across transparent region 425, as compared to the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 6A. These non-preferred illumination characteristics are evident in the graph 635 of fig. 6D as a non-uniform illumination pattern. As noted above, exemplary light guide system dimensions may follow the design waveguides presented herein, and deviations of typically 1mm or more in any binding relationship (e.g., any of the dimensions described herein) may result in significant degradation of average brightness and uniformity. Referring to fig. 6D, and due to the degradation described above, for light guide system 630, glyphs configured along the edges of the transparent regions may have poor illumination and uniformity, which may cause bright and dark spots in some glyphs depending on the location of some glyphs within the transparent regions.

Table 4: dimensions and illumination characteristics of light guide system 630

In fig. 6E, light guide system 640 shows an example of a light guide with an unpreferable value T0.5 mm and non-ideal LED dimensions 0.5mm x 1mm offset from the preferred light guide depth/thickness 1T 3.5 mm. As shown in table 5 below, light guide system 640 has a relatively satisfactory average luminance (4104nit), relatively low uniformity of 40%, and a lower luminance ratio of 0.91 across transparent region 425, as compared to the exemplary embodiment of fig. 6A. These non-preferred illumination characteristics are evident in graph 645 of fig. 6E as non-uniform illumination patterns. Referring to fig. 6E, as shown, for light guide system 640, glyphs configured along the edges of the transparent region may have fairly good illumination and uniformity along a narrow strip along the center of the transparent region, but have poor illumination characteristics along the top and bottom boundaries. This is due in large part to the relatively thin light guide, which cannot couple light sufficiently to all areas of the transparent region.

Table 5: size and illumination characteristics of light guide system 640

In FIG. 6F, the light guide system 650 shows an example of a light guide having a non-preferred dimension of 5mm 3mm 1mm, offset from the preferred LED dimensions E ≦ A and G ≦ T. As described above, according to some embodiments, a good light guide system design should have the LED width E less than or equal to the width A of the light guide, and the depth G of the LED less than or equal to the depth of the light guide. As shown in Table 6 below, light guide system 650 has a relatively low average luminance (2508nit), 63% uniformity, and a luminance ratio of 0.58 across transparent region 425, as compared to the exemplary embodiment of FIG. 6A. Illumination efficiency is not ideal due to poor light coupling (e.g., the size of the LED exceeds the size of the light guide). These non-preferred illumination characteristics are evident in graph 655 of fig. 6F as non-uniform illumination patterns. It should be noted that the luminance pattern is not normalized in the graphs presented herein and may include different scales. Referring to fig. 6F, as persons of ordinary skill in the art having benefit of the present disclosure understand, although not readily apparent from chart 655 due to the different brightness scales as follows: despite good uniformity, the brightness is relatively low compared to the light guide system 600.

Table 6: dimensions and illumination characteristics of the light guide system 650

Fig. 7A-7C show aspects of light guide system performance where the width of the transparent region 425 is modified to deviate from the preferred dimensional relationship of H ≦ B, where the width of the transparent region is not less than or equal to the width (B) of the top surface of the light guide 430.

In fig. 7A, light guide system 700, which has the same dimensional characteristics as light guide system 600, has exemplary illumination characteristics due in part to the light guide having a preferred H ≦ B ratio (e.g., H ≦ 8 mm; B ≦ 8 mm). As shown in table 7 below, the light guide system 700 has a relatively high average luminance (4495nit), a uniformity of 57%, and a luminance ratio of 1 across the transparent region 425, which is evident in a wide and uniform luminance pattern that is uniformly distributed over the majority of the transparent region 425, as persons of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of this disclosure understand, as shown in the graph 705 of fig. 7A.

Table 7: dimensions and illumination characteristics of light guide system 700

In fig. 7B, light guide system 710 shows an example of a light guide with non-preferred values of H ≦ B and B ≦ 9mm (e.g., H > B) deviating from the preferred H ≦ B ratio. That is, the transparent area is larger than the output surface of the lightguide, resulting in undesirable illumination characteristics. As shown in table 8 below, the light guide system 710 has a low average brightness 4231nit, low uniformity of 48%, and a brightness ratio of 0.94 across the transparent region 425, as compared to the exemplary embodiment of fig. 7A. As persons of ordinary skill in the art having benefit of the present disclosure understand, these non-preferred illumination characteristics are evident in graph 715 of fig. 7B as non-uniform illumination patterns.

Table 8: size and illumination characteristics of light guide system 710

In fig. 7C, light guide system 720 shows an example of a light guide with non-preferred values of H ≦ B and B ≦ 8mm (e.g., H > B) deviating from the preferred H ≦ B ratio. As shown in table 9 below, the light guide system 720 has a low average luminance (3940nit), a low uniformity of 36%, and a low luminance ratio of 0.87 across the transparent region 425, as compared to the exemplary embodiment of fig. 7A. As persons of ordinary skill in the art having the benefit of the present disclosure understand, these non-preferred illumination characteristics are evident in graph 725 of fig. 7C as non-uniform illumination patterns.

Table 9: dimensions and illumination characteristics of light guide system 720

Fig. 8A-8E illustrate aspects of light guide system performance when the depth (thickness) of the transparent region 425 is modified to deviate from the preferred dimensional relationship of I ≦ T +2mm, where the depth of the transparent region is less than or equal to the depth (T) of the light guide plus 2 mm.

Light guide 800, which has the same dimensional characteristics as light guide system 600, has exemplary illumination characteristics due, in part, to the light guide having a preferred ratio of I ≦ T +2mm (e.g., I ≦ 4mm, T ≦ 2 mm). As shown in table 10 below, the light guide system 800 has a relatively high average luminance (4495nit), a uniformity of 57%, and a luminance ratio of 1 across the transparent region 425, which is evident in a wide and uniform luminance pattern that is uniformly distributed over the majority of the transparent region 425, as shown in graph 805 of fig. 8A.

Table 10: dimensions and illumination characteristics of light guide system 800

In fig. 8B, light guide system 810 shows an example of a light guide that maintains the preferred ratio of I ≦ T +2mm, but has different values of I ≦ 3mm and T ≦ 1 mm. As shown in Table 11 below, the light guide system 810 had a luminance of 5145nit, a uniformity of 62%, and a luminance ratio of 1.14. As can be seen from the graph 815 of fig. 8B, although the illumination characteristics are good in both average luminance and uniformity since the above-described preferred ranges are followed, the coverage on the transparent area is narrower.

Table 11: size and illumination characteristics of light guide system 810

In fig. 8C, light guide system 820 shows an example of a light guide that maintains the preferred ratio of I ≦ T +2mm, again with different values of I5.5 mm and T3.5 mm. As shown in Table 12 below, the light guide system 820 has a relatively low luminance 3844nit, 56% uniformity, and a luminance ratio of 0.85. While maintaining the recommended ratio, as can be seen in graph 825 of fig. 8C, the illumination characteristics are not as good as the light guide system 800 and the coverage over the transparent area is wider.

Table 12: dimensions and illumination characteristics of light guide system 820

In fig. 8D, light guide system 830 shows an example of a light guide having values of I ≦ 5mm and T ≦ 2mm, deviating from the preferred ratio of I ≦ T +2 mm. As shown in Table 13 below, the light guide system 830 had a luminance of 3896nit, a uniformity of 46%, and a luminance ratio of 0.86. Referring to graph 835 of FIG. 8D, the illumination is very bright in the center and less bright when moving laterally. The top and bottom edges are dark in part due to the transparent regions having a greater depth than the light guide.

Table 13: dimensions and illumination characteristics of light guide system 830

In fig. 8E, light guide system 840 shows an example of a light guide with values of I ≦ 6mm and T ≦ 4mm, maintaining the preferred ratio of I ≦ T +2 mm. As shown in Table 14 below, light guide system 840 had a luminance of 3478nit, a uniformity of 52%, and a luminance ratio of 0.77. The light guide 840 is more uniform than the light guide 830, but has a lower average brightness. Referring to graph 845 of fig. 8E, the illumination is very bright in the center and less bright when moving laterally. The top and bottom edges are dark in part due to the transparent regions having a greater depth than the light guide.

Table 14: dimensions and illumination characteristics of light guide system 840

Fig. 9A-9C illustrate aspects of light guide system performance when the height of transparent region 425 is modified to deviate from the preferred dimensional relationship of J ≧ 0.8 mm.

Light guide 900, which has the same dimensional characteristics as light guide system 600, is due in part to the light guide having a preferred J ≧ 0.8mm ratio (e.g., J ≧ 1.6mm) and 0.3% SiO₂Content (exemplary value) to have exemplary illumination characteristics. As shown in table 15 below, the light guide system 900 has a relatively high average luminance 4495, a uniformity of 57%, and a luminance ratio of 1 across the transparent area 425, which is evident in a wide and uniform luminance pattern that is uniformly distributed over the majority of the transparent area 425, as shown in graph 905 of fig. 9A. SiO 2₂Is a diffuser material that can be used to help achieve better brightness uniformity, however, deviates from 0.3% SiO₂Certain values of the content may result in a reduction of the average brightness. As persons of ordinary skill in the art having benefit of the present disclosure understand, average brightness and uniformity should be considered along with diffuser contentBalance between them.

It should be understood that due to the diffuser (SiO)₂) Content, the transparent region may be less than transparent (e.g., translucent). A diffuser may be added to scatter light when illuminated, and may add to the visible "milky" effect. Further, referring to the drawings (e.g., fig. 6A to 9C) showing the luminance patterns, it is to be understood that the luminance is not normalized on the luminance patterns, and the scale of each luminance pattern may be different from one drawing to another. As such, uniformity may refer to the luminance pattern, but the average luminance should refer to the calculated numbers in the corresponding table.

Table 15: dimensions and illumination characteristics of light guide system 900

In FIG. 9B, light guide system 910 shows preferred ratios of J ≧ 0.8mm, and SiO for abutment₂An example of a 0.3% content light guide. As shown in Table 16 below, the light guide system 810 had a brightness of 8665nit, a uniformity of 29%, and a brightness ratio of 1.93.

Table 16: size and illumination characteristics of light guide system 910

In fig. 9C, the light guide system 920 shows an example of a light guide that maintains the preferred I ≦ T +2mm ratio. As shown in Table 17 below, the light guide system 920 had a brightness of 3866nit, a uniformity of 55%, and a brightness ratio of 0.86.

Table 17: size and illumination characteristics of light guide system 920

Key mechanisms of other embodiments of the present disclosure will be described with reference to fig. 10-12.

FIG. 10 illustrates an example mechanism 1000 for illuminated keyboard keys. A keycap 106 having an illuminated portion 108 is shown. The rebound mechanism 101 couples the keycap 106 to the underlying substrate 112. The rebound mechanism 101 can be a butterfly, mechanical, or dome switch mechanism that can be used to provide a return force to the keycap 106 after the keycap 106 is depressed by a user of the illuminated keyboard key. In other words, the keycap 106 may move relative to the substrate 112 in the direction of arrow 103.

The light pipe 102 may be used to optically couple the light source 104 to the illuminated portion 108 of the keycap 106 to provide an optical path between the light source 104 and the keycap 106. The light sources 104 may be LEDs of any configuration, such as through-hole or Surface Mount Device (SMD) LEDs. The light source 104 may be mounted on the substrate 112 or elsewhere. In some embodiments, the light source 104 may be a multi-color light source that may include multiple LEDs, each having a different primary color, the proportion of which may be varied to change the color of the overall light emitted by the light source 104. The light source 104 may be an organic LED or other light emitting device that converts electrical energy to light energy.

The illuminated portion 108 may include one or more surface features 122 that may be visible to a user using the illuminated keyboard of the mechanism 1000. Surface features 122 may include alphanumeric symbols, phrases (e.g., delete, home page, page up), operating system specific symbols (e.g., Windows or Mac keys), chinese characters, system functions (volume up, down), and the like. The symbols may be illuminated to allow a user of the keyboard to more easily determine the function of the key to be processed. For example, it may be useful to illuminate a symbol if the keyboard is in a dark environment where the user may not see the symbol without illumination. The illumination may be of a monotonic color or may be polychromatic. In other words, the color for each key may be changed over time using a combination of differently colored light sources illuminating light pipe 102 and illuminated area 108. The illuminated portion 108 and/or a portion of the surface features 122 may be transparent to allow light to pass through to the eye of a user of a keyboard that includes the mechanism 1000.

An imaginary optical path is shown by arrow 103, which is generated by light source 104 and passes through transparent portions of light pipe 102 and illuminated portion 108 of keycap 106, respectively, to be ultimately seen by a user (not shown). Further, the light path represented by arrow 103 may illuminate surface features 122 that include transparent portions as disclosed herein.

The keycap may include one or more sidewalls 124 for shielding and protecting the interior portion of the mechanism 1000 from view by a user and preventing foreign particles from entering the interior portion. For example, both the resilient mechanism 101 and the light pipe 102 may be located within a cavity defined by the keycap 106 and the side wall 124. The limitation on the physical space within the cavity may present challenges to the design of the light pipe 102 and the resilient mechanism 101. For example and as disclosed herein, the resilient mechanism 101 may be a mechanical resilient mechanism that includes a physical spring that provides a resilient force to the keycap 106. The size and position of the resilient mechanism 101 may need to be considered when designing the light pipe 102 to balance the efficiency of the light pipe and the uniformity of illumination of the illuminated portion 108. For example, illumination uniformity may be improved by designing the light pipe 102 such that the end 114 distal from the light source 104 is approximately twice as long as the end 116 proximal to the light source 104. These features contribute to the distribution of light emitted by the light source 104 as indicated by the arrow 103, which arrow 103 shows one such imaginary path of the light beam refracted by the light guide 102.

Figure 11 illustrates features of the present disclosure relating to the physical dimensions of the light pipe 102 and its position relative to the light source 104 and/or the illuminated portion 108 to balance the efficiency of the light pipe and the illumination uniformity of the illuminated portion 108. A mechanism 200 is shown, the mechanism 200 including a light pipe 204 similar to the light pipe 102, a light source 202 similar to the light source 104, and an illuminated portion 206 similar to the illuminated portion 108.

As disclosed herein, the features of the light pipe 204 must be carefully balanced to provide optimal illumination uniformity for the illuminated portion 206, efficiency of the light transmitted from the light source 202 to the illuminated portion 206, and fall within the physical limits of the cavity defined by the keyboard keycaps (such as keycap 106). Some dimensions are shown that were found to optimize these aspects of the light pipe 204 (except that the distal end is approximately twice as long as the proximal end as described with respect to fig. 10). As shown, the length 212 of the light pipe 204 between the proximal and distal ends may be greater than or equal to 5 millimeters.

As shown, the light pipe 204 may take the shape of a trapezoidal prism (including an isosceles trapezoidal prism) and may have a relatively uniform thickness 209 to facilitate packaging along a resilient mechanism (such as resilient mechanism 101) and/or to facilitate uniformity of illumination of the illuminated portion 206. The thickness 209 of the light pipe 204 may be between 1 millimeter and 3.5 millimeters. In the rest position, a distance 213 between the light pipe 204 and the illuminated portion 206 may be greater than or equal to 4 millimeters (e.g., as described with respect to fig. 10, where a rebound mechanism coupled to a keycap including the illuminated portion 206 is not currently pressed by a user).

The refractive index of the material used for the light pipe 204 may range from 1.30 to 1.70. For example, the following materials may be used, where the approximate refractive index is represented by n:

plastic:

■ Acrylonitrile butadiene styrene copolymer (ABS), n 1.534

■ Polycarbonate (PC), n 1.496

■ polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), n 1.493

■ Polystyrene (PS), n 1.596

■ Polypropylene (PP), n 1.492

O glass, n 1.50 to 1.65

Silicone rubber, n ═ 1.40 to 1.60

The light source 202 may have a thickness 208 that is less than or equal to a thickness 209 of the light pipe 204. The distance 218 between the light source 202 and the light pipe 204 may be between 0 millimeters and 0.3 millimeters.

The thickness 214 of the illuminated portion 206 is equal to the thickness 209 of the light pipe 204 plus 2 millimeters. The illuminated portion 206 may have a length 216 that is less than or equal to a corresponding length of the light pipe 204 (e.g., the length 114 of the light pipe 102). Illuminated portion 206 may have a height J of greater than or equal to 0.8 millimeters.

FIG. 12 shows additional features of an illuminated portion 302 of a keycap (such as illuminated portion 206 and/or illuminated portion 108). A system 1200 is shown that includes a light source 306 (which may be similar to the light source 208 and/or the light source 104), a light pipe 304 (which may be similar to the light pipe 204 and/or the light pipe 102). As shown, light may be emitted from the light source 306 and pass through the light pipe 304 and be directed to the illuminated portion 302. Some imaginary light paths are illustrated as arrows, such as arrow 308.

The regions 311 to 326 are respective regions of the illuminated portion 302. Depending on the parameters of the light pipe 304, the light directed from the light source 306 to the illuminated portion 302 may form some different pattern (e.g., some of the regions 311-326 may appear brighter than others of the regions 311-326). The light pipes disclosed herein may provide a relatively uniform distribution of light over regions 311-326. One method of measuring the average brightness across the illuminated portion 302 is to: one of the areas 311-326 having the lowest average illumination provided by the light pipe 304 is found and divided by one of the areas 311-326 having the highest average illumination. It has been found that the disclosed light pipes (such as the light pipes 304, 204, and 102) provide the best average brightness across the illuminated portion 302, thereby providing the desired uniformity of illumination across the illuminated portion 302.

Numerous specific details are set forth herein to provide a thorough understanding of claimed subject matter. However, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that claimed subject matter may be practiced without these specific details. In other instances, methods, devices, or systems that are known to one of ordinary skill in the art have not been described in detail so as not to obscure claimed subject matter. The various embodiments shown and described are provided by way of example only to illustrate various features of the claims. However, features illustrated and described with respect to any given embodiment are not necessarily limited to the associated embodiment, and may be used or combined with other embodiments illustrated and described. Furthermore, the claims are not intended to be limited by any one example embodiment.

While the present subject matter has been described in detail with respect to specific embodiments thereof, it will be appreciated that those skilled in the art, upon attaining an understanding of the foregoing may readily produce alterations to, variations of, and equivalents to such embodiments. It is therefore to be understood that the present disclosure is presented for purposes of illustration and not limitation, and does not preclude inclusion of such modifications, variations and/or additions to the present subject matter as would be readily apparent to one of ordinary skill in the art. Indeed, the methods and systems described herein may be embodied in various other forms; furthermore, various omissions, substitutions and changes in the form of the methods and systems described herein may be made without departing from the spirit of the disclosure. The accompanying claims and their equivalents are intended to cover such forms or modifications as would fall within the scope and spirit of the disclosure.

While this disclosure provides certain example embodiments and applications, other embodiments that are apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art, including embodiments that do not provide all of the features and advantages set forth herein, are also within the scope of this disclosure. Accordingly, the scope of the disclosure is intended to be limited only by reference to the appended claims.

Unless specifically stated otherwise, it is appreciated that throughout the description, discussions utilizing terms such as "processing," "computing," "calculating," "determining," and "identifying" refer to the action and processes of a computing device, such as one or more computers or similar electronic computing devices, that manipulate or transform data represented as physical electronic or magnetic quantities within the memories, registers, or other information storage, transmission, or display devices of the computing platform.

The one or more systems discussed herein are not limited to any particular hardware architecture or configuration. The computing device may include any suitable arrangement of components that provide results conditioned on one or more inputs. Suitable computing devices include multi-function microprocessor-based computer systems that access stored software that programs or configures the computing system from a general-purpose computing device to a special-purpose computing device that implements one or more embodiments of the present subject matter. The teachings contained herein may be implemented in software for programming or configuring a computing device using any suitable programming language, scripting language, or other type of language or combination of languages.

Embodiments of the methods disclosed herein may be performed in the operation of such a computing device. The order of the blocks presented in the above examples may be varied-e.g., the blocks may be reordered, combined, and/or divided into sub-blocks. Some blocks or processes may be performed in parallel.

Conditional language such as "may", "might (might)", "may (may)", "for example" and the like as used herein generally is intended to convey that certain examples include certain features, elements and/or steps and other examples do not include certain features, elements and/or steps unless expressly stated otherwise or otherwise understood in the context of the use. Thus, such conditional language is not generally intended to imply: one or more examples may require features, elements, and/or steps in any way or one or more examples may include logic to decide, with or without author input or prompting, whether such features, elements, and/or steps are included or are to be performed in any particular example.

The terms "comprising," "including," "having," and the like, are synonymous and are used inclusively, in an open-ended fashion, and do not exclude additional elements, features, acts, operations, and the like. Furthermore, the term "or" is used in its inclusive sense (and not in its exclusive sense) such that, when used, e.g., to connect a list of elements, the term "or" means one, some, or all of the elements in the list. The use of "adapted to" or "configured to" herein means open and inclusive language that does not exclude devices adapted to or configured to perform additional tasks or steps. In addition, the use of "based on" means open and inclusive, as a process, step, calculation, or other action that is "based on" one or more recited conditions or values may in fact be based on additional conditions or values in addition to those recited. Similarly, the use of "based, at least in part, on" means open and inclusive, in that a process, step, calculation, or other action that is "based, at least in part, on" one or more recited conditions or values may actually be based on additional conditions or values in addition to those recited. The headings, lists, and labels included herein are for convenience of description only and are not meant to be limiting.

The various features and processes described above may be used independently of one another or may be used in various combinations. All possible combinations and sub-combinations are intended to fall within the scope of the present disclosure. Additionally, in some embodiments, certain method or processing blocks may be omitted. The methods and processes described herein are also not limited to any particular order, and the blocks or states associated therewith may be performed in other appropriate orders. For example, the blocks or states described may be performed in an order other than the order specifically disclosed, or multiple blocks or states may be combined in a single block or state. The example blocks or states may be performed in series, in parallel, or in some other manner. Blocks or states may be added to or removed from the disclosed examples. Similarly, the example systems and components described herein may be configured differently than described. For example, elements may be added, removed, or rearranged in comparison to the disclosed examples.