How Selective Illumination Enhances Product Performance and User Experience
User expectations for capacitive touch applications are higher than ever. Beyond performance, they look for image quality and responsive communication. As a result, you can’t underestimate the power of illumination and its impact on the success or failure of the whole system.
GLT always seeks opportunities to innovate the technology through enhancements to our custom light guide solutions. With selective illumination, we leverage special materials to control specific areas of the backlight and improve feedback.
The Versatility of Selective Illumination
Selective illumination is the process of incorporating light-blocking properties to reduce light bleed, particularly within capacitive touch applications that operate with a single backlight. This allows display features or buttons to operate independently of each other and without interference. Depending on a customer’s needs, selective illumination can be accomplished in a few ways.
1. Single Light Guide
If an application like a keyboard, cell phone or TV screen uses only a single light guide, we can restrict the optical pattern to specific areas of the system. This makes for an efficient light guide that, depending on the system’s needs and goals, requires fewer LEDs.
2. Overmolding
In the past, a foam material was incorporated into the light guide structure to block backlight bleed between sections of the illumination system. But these foam assemblies weren’t budget or timeline friendly.
In response, GLT developed an overmolding process that involves placing injection-molded light guides into a secondary injection molding tool. Once together, a light blocking plastic is injected in between both light guides. The result: A single, secure panel that offers light-blocking capabilities.
3. Stacked Light Guides
An additional method of selective illumination involves two stacked light guides, using tray inserts and adhesives, that are lit independently of each other. This type of light guide solution can be used in applications like dual lighting signage.
Would you like to learn more about selective illumination or other custom light guide solutions? Contact our lighting experts today.