CN111953836B

CN111953836B - Side key assembly and terminal equipment

Info

Publication number: CN111953836B
Application number: CN201910405419.8A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 刘建伟
Original assignee: Beijing Xiaomi Mobile Software Co Ltd
Current assignee: Beijing Xiaomi Mobile Software Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-05-16
Filing date: 2019-05-16
Publication date: 2022-07-08
Anticipated expiration: 2039-05-16
Also published as: CN111953836A

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a side key assembly and terminal equipment, and relates to the field of electronic equipment. The side key subassembly and terminal equipment that this disclosure provided, through set up in the side key subassembly with the spacing piece of key cap joint, and will through spacing piece the key cap restriction is in the mounting hole of terminal equipment casing, can realize the equipment of side key subassembly and casing, the operation is simpler easily realized, no longer need other like solder, welding frock, bonding glue etc. and the dismantlement of spacing piece and key cap of being convenient for. In addition, side key subassembly in this embodiment, the key cap is less relatively with spacing piece, can also reduce the occupation to installation space in the casing, does benefit to terminal equipment's miniaturization.

Description

Side key assembly and terminal equipment

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to the field of electronic devices, and in particular, to a side key assembly and a terminal device.

Background

In the related technology, terminals such as mobile phones and tablet computers become indispensable necessities in daily life and work of people, and the requirements of people on convenience are greatly met. Taking a mobile phone as an example, the mobile phone generally includes a housing, a display screen is disposed at the front end of the housing facing a user, and a side key is disposed on the housing and around the side of the display screen, so that the user can control the on/off of the display screen, adjust the volume, and the like through the side key.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the disclosure provides a side key assembly and a terminal device, which can overcome some problems in the related art.

According to a first aspect of embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a side key assembly including: the key cap is used for penetrating through the mounting hole of the shell of the terminal equipment; the limiting piece is clamped with the keycap, and at least part of the limiting piece is used for contacting with the shell at the mounting hole, so that the keycap can be prevented from sliding down from the mounting hole.

Optionally, a clamping groove is formed in the keycap, and a part of the limiting sheet is arranged in the clamping groove.

Optionally, the limiting sheet comprises a limiting main body, two support arms extending along a first direction are arranged on the limiting main body, and the limiting main body extends along a direction opposite to the first direction so as to be capable of contacting with the shell at the mounting hole; or the support arm extends along a direction which is vertical to the first direction and is vertical to the axial direction of the keycap so as to be capable of contacting with the shell at the mounting hole.

Optionally, the key cap is provided with the clamping grooves on two opposite sides; the two support arms of the limiting piece are respectively clamped in the corresponding clamping grooves.

Optionally, one of the support arm and the clamping groove is provided with a clamping hole, and the other is provided with a protruding portion matched with the clamping hole.

Optionally, the arm comprises: the connecting part is connected with the limiting main body, one end of the connecting part, which deviates from the limiting main body, is provided with an abutting part which turns over towards the limiting main body, the abutting part is arranged in parallel with the support arm, and the abutting part abuts against the groove wall of the clamping groove.

Optionally, the abutting portion is smoothly connected with the connecting portion.

Optionally, a protruding portion is arranged on the abutting portion, a clamping hole is formed in the clamping groove, and the protruding portion is arranged in the clamping hole.

Optionally, an accommodating groove is formed at one end of the key cap, which is used for being located in the housing, and the accommodating groove is used for triggering a key in the terminal device when the key cap is stressed.

According to a second aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a terminal device, including a housing and a side key assembly as described in any one of the preceding claims; the shell is provided with a mounting hole, and a key is arranged in the shell; the side key assembly is arranged at the mounting hole, and a keycap in the side key assembly is used for triggering the key when stressed.

The side key subassembly and terminal equipment that this disclosed embodiment provided, through set up the spacing piece with the key cap joint in the side key subassembly, and will through spacing piece the key cap restriction is in the mounting hole of terminal equipment casing, can realize the equipment of side key subassembly and casing, the operation is simpler easily realizes, no longer needs other like solder, welding frock, bonding glue etc. and is convenient for the dismantlement of spacing piece and key cap. In addition, side key subassembly in this embodiment, the key cap is less relatively with spacing piece, can also reduce the occupation to installation space in the casing, does benefit to terminal equipment's miniaturization.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the disclosure.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram illustrating a side key assembly according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 2 is a schematic structural diagram illustrating a side key assembly according to another exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 3 is a schematic view of the side key assembly shown assembled with the housing in accordance with yet another exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a schematic structural diagram illustrating a side key assembly according to yet another exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a schematic structural view of a spacing piece in a side key assembly according to yet another exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram illustrating a structure of a key cap in a side key assembly according to yet another exemplary embodiment;

fig. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of a terminal device shown according to an exemplary embodiment.

Description of reference numerals:

1200-a side key assembly;

1210-key cap; 1211-card slot; 1212-card slot hole; 1213-a holding tank;

1230-limiting sheet; 1231-a restraining body; 1232-arm; 1233-boss; a 1234-linkage; 1235-an abutment; 1235 a-first portion; 1235 b-second portion;

1300-terminal device; 1301-a housing; 1302-a processing component; 1303-push button; 1304-a memory; 1306-a power supply component; 1308-multimedia components; 1310-an audio component; 1312-input/output (I/O) interface; 1314-a sensor component; 1316-a communication component; 1320-processor.

With the foregoing drawings in mind, certain embodiments of the disclosure have been shown and described in more detail below. These drawings and written description are not intended to limit the scope of the disclosed concepts in any way, but rather to illustrate the concepts of the disclosure to those skilled in the art by reference to specific embodiments.

Detailed Description

Reference will now be made in detail to the exemplary embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description refers to the accompanying drawings, like numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements unless otherwise indicated. The implementations described in the exemplary embodiments below are not intended to represent all implementations consistent with the present disclosure. Rather, they are merely examples of devices consistent with certain aspects of the present disclosure, as detailed in the appended claims.

In the related art, a terminal includes a housing and a display screen disposed at an end of the housing facing a user; the shell is provided with a rear wall and a side wall surrounding the side wall of the rear wall, the rear wall and the side wall jointly form an installation space for installing components such as a battery and a control panel, the side wall of the shell is usually provided with a side key, and a user can control the opening and closing of the display screen, adjust the volume and the like through the side key. Wherein, the side wall of the shell is provided with a via hole; the side key comprises a keycap which is arranged in the through hole in a penetrating way, and part of the keycap is positioned outside the shell so as to be convenient for a user to operate; the one end that the key cap stretched into the casing is connected with the baffle, and the baffle size needs to be greater than the through-hole to the roll-off in the through-hole of key cap follow lateral wall.

The keycap and the baffle are usually connected by welding, bonding, etc., which results in complicated assembly operation and inconvenience in detaching the side key. In addition, because the baffle size is great relatively, and the baffle moves along with the key cap, this just leads to the required space of baffle great to be unfavorable for the miniaturization at terminal.

In order to solve the problem that the existing key cap and baffle assembly operation is complex and inconvenient to disassemble, the embodiment provides a side key assembly and a terminal device, the side key assembly and the terminal device are connected with the key cap in a clamped mode through a limiting piece, the key cap is limited in a mounting hole of a terminal device shell through the limiting piece, the clamping operation of the limiting piece and the key cap is simple and easy to realize, and the disassembly of the limiting piece and the key cap is convenient.

In addition, in the side key subassembly of this embodiment, the key cap is less relatively with spacing piece, can also reduce the occupation to installation space in the casing, does benefit to terminal equipment's miniaturization.

Referring to fig. 1 to 6, the side key assembly 1200 of the present example is configured to be installed on a terminal device such as a mobile phone, a tablet pc, an MP3, or a remote controller, for example, on a housing 1301 of the terminal device, so that a user can control an operating state of the terminal device, such as opening and closing a display screen, opening and closing a camera, adjusting a volume, adjusting a brightness, and the like, through the side key assembly 1200.

The side key assembly 1200 may be mounted in a mounting hole of the housing 1301. The housing 1301 may have a rear wall facing away from the user and a side wall surrounding an edge of the rear wall and extending toward the user, wherein the side wall and the rear wall together form an installation space; the mounting hole may be opened in a side wall of the housing 1301, or may be opened in a rear wall of the housing 1301, and the opening position of the mounting hole is not specifically limited in this embodiment, and those skilled in the art may set the mounting hole according to actual needs.

In this embodiment and the following embodiments, the structure and implementation process of this embodiment are illustrated without taking the installation hole formed in the side wall of the housing 1301 as an example; when the mounting hole is provided at another position such as a rear wall of the housing 1301 or at another component, the structure and implementation of the side key assembly 1200 of the present embodiment are similar to those described below.

In this example, the side key assembly 1200 may include: a key cap 1210 and a stopper 1230.

The key cap 1210 may have a cylindrical shape, such as a cylindrical, elliptical, prismatic, etc. After the key cap 1210 is mounted on the housing 1301, it can move in the pressing direction of the user under the pressing force of the user to actuate the key 1303 inside the housing 1301, as shown in fig. 3. The axial direction of the key cap 1210 may be arranged parallel to the pressing direction.

The key cap 1210 has two end portions along an axial direction thereof, with a side wall connected therebetween. Taking the keycap 1210 in a prism shape as an example, 4 side walls are connected between two end portions, and two adjacent side walls are in smooth transition; this example and the following examples are not described as examples.

The keycap 1210 is arranged in the mounting hole of the shell 1301 in a penetrating manner; and one end of the key cap 1210 can be located outside the housing 1301 to facilitate the operation of the key cap 1210 by a user, and the other end of the key cap 1210 can be located inside the housing 1301 and connected with the key 1303 in the terminal device housing 1301. In addition, portions of the sidewalls are also located inside the housing 1301.

The structure and fixation of the key 1303 may be similar to those of the prior art, and are not described herein again; the connection between the key cap 1210 and the key 1303 may be similar to the prior art, and is not limited herein.

The limiting sheet 1230 can be clamped with the key cap 1210, the limiting sheet 1230 is located in the shell 1301, and at least part of the limiting sheet 1230 is used for contacting with the shell 1301 in the mounting hole, so that the key cap 1210 can be clamped in the mounting hole of the shell 1301, and the key cap 1210 can be prevented from sliding out of the mounting hole.

Illustratively, one of the limiting sheet 1230 and the key cap 1210 is provided with a slot 1211, and the other can be clamped in the slot 1211.

In some examples, a slot may be disposed on the position-limiting sheet 1230, and the key cap 1210 is located in the slot, so as to clip the key cap 1210 in the slot of the position-limiting sheet 1230. The limiting sheet 1230 can be made of spring steel, so that the groove wall of the clamping groove can be abutted against the key cap 1210 under the action of elastic potential energy of the groove wall, and the connection reliability of the limiting sheet 1230 and the key cap 1210 is ensured; or, an elastic rubber pad may be disposed between the key cap 1210 and the slot to ensure the connection reliability between the limiting piece 1230 and the key cap 1210.

Of course, the engaging structure between the limiting piece 1230 and the key cap 1210 is not limited thereto, and this embodiment is only illustrated here.

In this embodiment, when the side key assembly 1200 is assembled with the housing 1301, the key cap 1210 may be inserted into the mounting hole, and then the position-limiting piece 1230 is clamped to the key cap 1210. Of course, the limiting piece 1230 may be first clamped with the key cap 1210, and then the key cap 1210 may be placed into the housing 1301 such that one end of the key cap 1210 protrudes through the mounting hole. The assembly process of the side key assembly 1200 and the housing 1301 in the embodiment is not specifically limited, and the embodiment is only an example.

The side key assembly 1200 provided by the embodiment can be assembled with the housing 1301 by arranging the limiting piece 1230 clamped with the key cap 1210 and limiting the key cap 1210 in the mounting hole of the terminal device housing 1301 through the limiting piece 1230, the operation is simple and easy to realize, other welding materials, welding tools, bonding glue and the like are not needed, and the limiting piece 1230 and the key cap 1210 can be conveniently detached.

In addition, in the side key assembly 1200 of the embodiment, the key cap 1210 and the limiting sheet 1230 are relatively small, so that the occupation of the installation space in the housing 1301 can be reduced, and the terminal device is favorably miniaturized.

Optionally, as shown in fig. 1, fig. 2, fig. 4, and fig. 6, a clamping groove 1211 is disposed on the key cap 1210, and at least a portion of the position-limiting sheet 1230 is disposed in the clamping groove 1211, so that when the key cap 1210 moves in the pressing direction, the position-limiting sheet 1230 can move together with the key cap 1210, thereby preventing relative movement between the position-limiting sheet 1230 and the key cap 1210, ensuring connection reliability between the key cap 1210 and the position-limiting sheet 1230, ensuring that the key cap 1210 does not slide down from the mounting hole of the housing 1301, and reducing wear of the key cap 1210.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the limiting sheet 1230 may be a flat plate; the flat plate-shaped restricting piece 1230 may be one or more. At this time, a portion of the stopper 1230 is fixed in the catch 1211, and another portion of the stopper 1230 may contact the case 1301 at the mounting hole.

As shown in fig. 1, when the limiting sheet 1230 is one, the key cap 1210 has a cross section perpendicular to the pressing direction thereof, and the slot 1211 can extend along the length direction of the cross section, so that the length direction of the limiting sheet 1230 clamped in the slot 1211 can be parallel to the length direction of the cross section, thereby increasing the contact area between the limiting sheet 1230 and the housing 1301, prolonging the service life of the limiting sheet 1230, and ensuring that the key cap 1210 is reliably clamped in the mounting hole by the limiting sheet 1230, i.e. ensuring the reliability of the limiting function of the limiting sheet 1230 on the key cap 1210.

When there are two position-limiting tabs 1230, the slots 1211 can be disposed on two opposite sidewalls of the key cap 1210, and accordingly, the two position-limiting tabs 1230 are disposed on two opposite sidewalls of the key cap 1210, so as to improve the reliability of the function of limiting the key cap 1210. Of course, the slots 1211 can be disposed on two adjacent sidewalls of the key cap 1210, and correspondingly, the two position-limiting tabs 1230 are disposed on two adjacent sidewalls of the key cap 1210, as shown in fig. 2; at this time, the two limiting pieces 1230 may be relatively independently disposed or integrally disposed.

Of course, the number of the limiting pieces 1230 is not limited thereto, and the embodiment is only illustrated here. For example, the number of the position-limiting pieces 1230 can be four, at this time, the four side walls of the key cap 1210 are all provided with the slots 1211, and the four position-limiting pieces 1230 can be respectively arranged in the corresponding slots 1211; the position-limiting pieces 1230 may be independently disposed, or two or three position-limiting pieces 1230 may be integrally disposed.

In this embodiment, the limiting sheet 1230 may be in interference fit with the slot 1211, or an elastic rubber pad may be disposed between the limiting sheet 1230 and the slot 1211 to ensure the connection reliability between the limiting sheet 1230 and the key cap 1210.

Optionally, as shown in fig. 3 to 5, the limiting sheet 1230 includes a limiting main body 1231, and two support arms 1232 extending along the first direction S are disposed on the limiting main body 1231. The limiting main body 1231 can extend in a direction opposite to the first direction S to be capable of contacting with the housing 1301 at the mounting hole; and/or, the arms 1232 extend in the second direction F to enable contact with the housing 1301 at the mounting hole.

The first direction S is perpendicular to the axial direction Z of the keycap and perpendicular to the long side of the keycap; the second direction F is perpendicular to the first direction S and perpendicular to the axial direction Z of the keycap, as shown in fig. 4.

The limiting main body 1231 may extend along a long side of the cross section of the key cap 1210, that is, the length direction of the limiting main body 1231 is parallel to the length direction of the cross section of the key cap 1210.

In some examples, the key cap 1210 has a slot 1211 on a side wall thereof corresponding to the main body 1231 and the two arms 1232, and each slot 1211 is configured to communicate with each other, so as to facilitate the engagement between the limiting plate 1230 and the slot 1211. At this time, the limiting body 1231 and/or the arm 1232 extend in a direction away from the key cap 1210 until the limiting body 1231 extends out of the slot 1211 to be able to contact with the housing 1301 at the mounting hole.

In other examples, the key cap 1210 may be provided with a locking groove 1211 on a side wall corresponding to the limiting body 1231. At this time, the limiting body 1231 may extend in a direction opposite to the first direction S until the limiting body 1231 extends out of the card slot 1211, so that a portion of the limiting body 1231 extending out of the card slot 1211 can contact with the case 1301 of the terminal device, thereby clamping the key cap 1210 in the mounting hole of the case 1301 to prevent the key cap 1210 from sliding out of the mounting hole.

The side walls of the key cap 1210 corresponding to the two support arms 1232 may not be provided with the clamping slot 1211, that is, the two support arms 1232 of the limiting piece 1230 abut against the side walls of the key cap 1210, and at this time, the two support arms 1232 may contact with the housing 1301 of the terminal device, so that the key cap 1210 is clamped in the mounting hole of the housing 1301, so as to prevent the key cap 1210 from sliding down from the mounting hole.

In this embodiment, the limiting sheet 1230 is configured to have the limiting main body 1231 and the two support arms 1232, so that the connection reliability between the limiting sheet 1230 and the key cap 1210 can be ensured, and the connection reliability between the limiting sheet 1230 and the housing 1301 can be ensured, so that the side key assembly 1200 and the housing 1301 can be assembled reliably, and have a long service life.

Optionally, as shown in fig. 4 and 6, the keycap 1210 is provided with a card slot 1211 on two opposite sides; the two support arms 1232 of the limiting piece 1230 are respectively clamped in the corresponding clamp slots 1211.

In this way, the limiting main body 1231 connected between the two support arms 1232 can be set up on the key cap 1210, and the limiting main body 1231 can contact with the housing 1301, so that the key cap 1210 can be clamped in the installation hole to prevent the key cap 1210 from sliding off the installation hole.

The two arms 1232 may all be located in the card slot 1211. Alternatively, at least one of the two arms 1232 may extend along the second direction F until the limiting body 1231 extends out of the slot 1211, so that the portion of the arm 1232 extending out of the slot 1211 can contact with the housing 1301 of the terminal device, and the key cap 1210 is reliably locked in the mounting hole of the housing 1301, so as to prevent the key cap 1210 from sliding out of the mounting hole.

In this embodiment, the clamping groove 1211 is disposed on the two opposite side walls of the key cap 1210, so that the structure of the key cap 1210 is relatively simple, and the connection reliability between the key cap 1210 and the limiting piece 1230 can be ensured.

Optionally, one of the arm 1232 and the slot 1211 is provided with a slot hole 1212, and the other is provided with a protrusion 1233 engaged with the slot hole 1212.

In some examples, a slot hole 1212 may be formed in the arm 1232, and a protrusion 1233 may be formed on a wall of the slot 1211, so that when the arm 1232 is inserted into the slot 1211 and is inserted into the slot 1211, the protrusion 1233 on the wall of the slot 1211 is just inserted into the slot hole 1212, so as to fix the arm 1232 in the slot 1211 reliably, thereby ensuring the connection reliability between the stopper 1230 and the key cap 1210.

In some examples, as shown in fig. 2 and fig. 3, a card slot 1212 may be disposed on a wall of the card slot 1211, the card slot 1212 is disposed in communication with the card slot 1211, a protrusion 1233 is disposed on the arm 1232, and when the arm 1232 is inserted into the card slot 1211 and is inserted into place, the protrusion 1233 on the arm 1232 is just inserted into the card slot 1212, so that the arm 1232 is reliably fixed in the card slot 1211 to ensure the connection reliability between the stopper 1230 and the key cap 1210.

The protrusion 1233 may be an elastic structure supported by spring steel, and/or the support arm 1232 may be an elastic structure supported by spring steel, so as to facilitate the cooperation between the support arm 1232 and the slot 1211, which is beneficial to improving the assembly efficiency of the side key assembly 1200.

Optionally, arm 1232 comprises: the connecting portion 1234 connected with the limiting main body 1231, one end of the connecting portion 1234 departing from the limiting main body 1231 is provided with an abutting portion 1235 turned over towards the limiting main body 1231, and the abutting portion 1235 abuts against the groove wall of the clamping groove 1211.

For example, the limiting body 1231 may be a rectangular plate connected between the two arms 1232, the connecting portion 1234 may be a connecting plate or a connecting column connected to the limiting body 1231, and the abutting portion 1235 may be a plate or a cylinder; the abutting portion 1235 and the connecting portion 1234 may have a predetermined included angle therebetween.

For convenience of description, an end of the limiting body 1231 of the limiting plate 1230 is taken as an upper end, and an end of the supporting arm 1232 departing from the limiting body 1231 is taken as a lower end. Then the abutting portion 1235 is connected at the lower end of the support arm 1232 and turns over upwards, a preset included angle is further formed between the abutting portion 1235 and the connecting portion 1234, a certain distance is also formed between the upper end of the abutting portion 1235 and the connecting portion 1234, that is, the abutting portion 1235 is inclined and arranged along the direction away from the connecting portion 1234 gradually from bottom to top, so that a certain space is provided for the deformation of the abutting portion 1235, and the groove walls of the abutting portion 1235 and the groove 1211 are reliably abutted.

At least part of the abutting portion 1235 may be made of elastic material with certain hardness, such as spring steel, so that the support arm 1232 enters the slot 1211, and the potential energy stored in the deformation process of the abutting portion 1235 can reliably abut the abutting portion 1235 against the slot wall of the slot 1211, thereby ensuring the fixing reliability of the support arm 1232 in the slot 1211 and the connection reliability of the limiting plate 1230 and the keycap 1210.

Optionally, in order to avoid a stress concentration phenomenon at a connection portion between the connection portion 1234 and the abutting portion 1235 in the limiting sheet 1230, the abutting portion 1235 and the connection portion 1234 may be smoothly connected, so as to avoid a fracture at the connection portion between the connection portion 1234 and the abutting portion 1235, and ensure the connection reliability between the support arm 1232 and the clamping slot 1211.

The abutting portion 1235 may include a first portion 1235a and a second portion 1235b, and the first portion 1235a may be curved and connected to the connecting portion 1234, so that the abutting portion 1235 can enter the slot 1211; the second portion 1235b may be connected to an end of the first portion 1235a away from the connecting portion 1234 and extend upward. The second portion 1235b may be parallel to the connecting portion 1234, so as to increase a contact area between the second portion and a groove wall of the slot 1211, and further improve reliability of the abutting connection between the abutting portion 1235 and the groove wall of the slot 1211, thereby further ensuring fixing reliability of the supporting arm 1232 in the slot 1211 and further ensuring connection reliability between the position-limiting plate 1230 and the key cap 1210.

Optionally, the second portion 1235b of the abutting portion 1235 may be provided with a protrusion 1233, the slot 1211 is provided with a slot hole 1212, and the protrusion 1233 is disposed in the slot hole 1212 to limit the relative movement between the position-limiting piece 1230 and the key cap 1210, so as to further ensure the connection reliability between the position-limiting piece 1230 and the key cap 1210.

Optionally, an end of the key cap 1210, which is located in the housing 1301, is provided with an accommodating groove 1213, that is, an end of the key cap 1210, which faces the key 1303, is provided with an accommodating groove 1213, and the accommodating groove 1213 is used for accommodating the key 1303, which is connected to the key cap 1210, in the terminal device, so that the layout in the housing 1301 is more compact, which is beneficial to implementing miniaturization of the terminal device.

The length direction of the accommodating groove 1213 may be parallel to the length direction of the limiting main body 1231, and the accommodating groove 1213 may penetrate through the key cap 1210 in the up-down direction, so that the accommodating groove 1213 has a groove wall with a larger area, and the accommodating groove 1213 has more areas contacting with the keys 1303, so that the key cap 1210 has more arrangement positions, and the flexibility of arrangement of the key cap 1210 is improved.

When the side key assembly 1200 provided by the embodiment is assembled with the housing 1301 of the terminal device, the key cap 1210 can be firstly inserted into the mounting hole of the housing 1301, and the clamping groove 1211 on the key cap 1210 is positioned in the housing 1301; when the two support arms 1232 of the limiting piece 1230 are clamped into the clamping groove 1211, in the process, as the support arms 1232 of the limiting piece 1230 gradually enter the clamping groove 1211, the abutting part 1235 of the support arms 1232 of the limiting piece 1230 deform and store certain potential energy, when the protruding part 1233 on the abutting part 1235 is clamped into the clamping groove hole 1212 in the clamping groove 1211, the support arms 1232 are inserted in place, at the moment, the clamping groove 1211 is clamped in the clamping groove hole 1212, and the abutting part 1235 reliably abuts against the groove wall of the clamping groove 1211 under the action of the potential energy, so that the connection reliability of the support arms 1232 and the clamping groove 1211, namely the connection reliability of the limiting piece 1230 and the key cap 1210, is ensured; meanwhile, a portion of the stopper 1230 may contact the case 1301, thereby preventing the key cap 1210 from moving outside the case 1301 in the mounting hole. The end of the key cap 1210 in the housing 1301 is also in contact with the key 1303.

In this embodiment, when a user presses the key cap 1210, that is, when the user applies a pressing force to the key cap 1210, the key cap 1210 can drive the key 1303 to move together, thereby implementing a control operation of the user; when the user releases the pressing force, the key cap 1210 and the key 1303 may be restored to the original position of releasing the key 1303.

The key 1303 may be provided with an elastic member such as a return spring, or an elastic member such as a return spring may be provided between the housing 1301 and the limiting piece 1230. When a user applies pressing force to the key cap 1210 and the key cap 1210 drives the key 1303 to move together, the return spring is compressed or stretched and stores certain potential energy; when the user cancels the pressing force, the return spring restores to the original position under the action of the potential energy of the return spring, and drives the keycap 1210 and the key 1303 to restore to the original position for releasing the key 1303.

Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of a structure of a terminal device shown according to an exemplary embodiment. The terminal device 1300 of the present example includes a housing 1301 and a side key assembly 1200 as in any of the previous examples; the structure, function and implementation process of the side key assembly 1200 may be similar to those described above, and are not described herein again.

The terminal device 1300 in this example may include: smart phones, computers, tablets, MP3, remote controls, personal digital assistants, etc.

Terminal device 1300 can also include one or more of the following components: a processing component 1302, a memory 1304, a power component 1306, a multimedia component 1308, an audio component 1310, an input/output (I/O) interface 1312, a sensor component 1314, and a communications component 1316.

The processing component 1302 generally controls overall operations of the terminal device 1300, such as operations associated with display, telephone calls, data communications, camera operations, and recording operations. The processing component 1302 may include one or more processors 1320 to execute instructions to perform all or part of the steps of the methods described above. Further, the processing component 1302 can include one or more modules that facilitate interaction between the processing component 1302 and other components. For example, the processing component 1302 may include a multimedia module to facilitate interaction between the multimedia component 1308 and the processing component 1302.

The Processor may be a Central Processing sub-module (CPU), or may be another general-purpose Processor, a Digital Signal Processor (DSP), an Application Specific Integrated Circuit (ASIC), or the like. The general-purpose processor may be a microprocessor, or the processor may be any conventional processor, and the aforementioned memory may be a read-only memory (ROM), a Random Access Memory (RAM), a flash memory, a hard disk, or a solid state disk. SIM cards, also known as subscriber identity cards, smart cards, must be installed in a digital mobile phone for use. That is, the information of the digital mobile phone client, the encrypted key and the contents of the user's phone book are stored on the computer chip. The steps of a method disclosed in connection with the embodiments of the present disclosure may be embodied directly in a hardware processor, or in a combination of hardware and software modules.

The memory 1304 is configured to store various types of data to support operation at the terminal device 1300. Examples of such data include instructions for any application or method operating on terminal device 1300, contact data, phonebook data, messages, pictures, videos, and so forth. The memory 1304 may be implemented by any type or combination of volatile or non-volatile memory devices such as Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), read-only memory (ROM), magnetic memory, flash memory, magnetic or optical disks.

Power supply component 1306 provides power to the various components of terminal device 1300. Power components 1306 may include a power management system, one or more power sources, and other components associated with generating, managing, and distributing power for terminal device 1300.

The multimedia component 1308 includes a touch-sensitive display screen between the terminal device 1300 and the user that provides an output interface. In some embodiments, the touch display screen may include a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) and a Touch Panel (TP). The touch panel includes one or more touch sensors to sense touch, slide, and gestures on the touch panel. The touch sensor may not only sense the boundary of a touch or slide action, but also detect the duration and pressure associated with the touch or slide operation. In some embodiments, the multimedia component 1308 includes a front facing camera and/or a rear facing camera. When the terminal device 1300 is in an operation mode, such as a photographing mode or a video mode, the front camera and/or the rear camera may receive external multimedia data. Each front camera and rear camera may be a fixed optical lens system or have a focal length and optical zoom capability.

The audio component 1310 is configured to output and/or input audio signals. For example, the audio component 1310 includes a Microphone (MIC) configured to receive an external audio signal when the terminal device 1300 is in an operating mode, such as a call mode, a recording mode, and a voice recognition mode. The received audio signals may further be stored in the memory 1304 or transmitted via the communication component 1316. In some embodiments, the audio component 1310 also includes a speaker for outputting audio signals.

The I/O interface 1312 provides an interface between the processing component 1302 and peripheral interface modules, which may be keyboards, click wheels, buttons, etc. These buttons may include, but are not limited to: a home button, a volume button, a start button, and a lock button.

Sensor assembly 1314 includes one or more sensors for providing various aspects of state assessment for terminal device 1300. For example, sensor assembly 1314 can detect an open/closed state of terminal device 1300, the relative positioning of components, such as a display and keypad of terminal device 1300, sensor assembly 1314 can also detect a change in position of terminal device 1300 or a component of terminal device 1300, the presence or absence of user contact with terminal device 1300, orientation or acceleration/deceleration of terminal device 1300, and a change in temperature of terminal device 1300. The sensor assembly 1314 may include a proximity sensor configured to detect the presence of a nearby object without any physical contact. The sensor assembly 1314 may also include a light sensor, such as a CMOS or CCD image sensor, for use in imaging applications. In some embodiments, the sensor assembly 1314 may also include an acceleration sensor, a gyroscope sensor, a magnetic sensor, a pressure sensor, or a temperature sensor.

The communication component 1316 is configured to facilitate communication between the terminal device 1300 and other devices in a wired or wireless manner. The terminal device 1300 may access a wireless network based on a communication standard, such as WiFi, 2G or 3G, or a combination thereof. In an exemplary embodiment, the communication component 1316 receives broadcast signals or broadcast related information from an external broadcast management system via a broadcast channel. In an exemplary embodiment, the communications component 1316 also includes a Near Field Communications (NFC) module to facilitate short-range communications. For example, the NFC module may be implemented based on Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology, infrared data association (IrDA) technology, Ultra Wideband (UWB) technology, Bluetooth (BT) technology, and other technologies.

Of course, the structure of the terminal device 1300 in this embodiment is not limited thereto, and this embodiment is only illustrated here.

Other embodiments of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the disclosure disclosed herein. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the disclosure following, in general, the principles of the disclosure and including such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice in the art to which the disclosure pertains. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of the disclosure being indicated by the following claims.

It will be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the precise arrangements that have been described above and shown in the drawings, and that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope thereof. The scope of the present disclosure is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A side key assembly, comprising:

the key cap is used for penetrating through the mounting hole of the shell of the terminal equipment; the keycap is provided with a clamping groove;

the limiting piece is partially arranged in the clamping groove so that the limiting piece is clamped with the keycap, and at least part of the limiting piece is used for being in contact with the shell at the mounting hole so as to prevent the keycap from sliding off from the mounting hole;

the limiting piece comprises a limiting main body and a support arm, the support arm comprises a connecting part connected with the limiting main body, one end of the connecting part, which is far away from the limiting main body, is provided with a butting part which is turned over towards the limiting main body, a preset included angle is formed between the butting part and the connecting part, the butting part is obliquely arranged in a direction of gradually keeping away from the connecting part from bottom to top, and the butting part butts against the groove wall of the clamping groove so that when the keycap moves in the pressing direction, the limiting piece and the keycap move together; at least part of the abutting part is made of materials with elasticity and hardness so as to facilitate the support arm to enter the clamping groove; the abutting part is smoothly connected with the connecting part;

one of the support arm of the limiting piece and the clamping groove of the keycap is provided with a clamping hole, and the other is provided with a protruding part matched with the clamping hole.

2. The side key assembly of claim 1, wherein the limiting body is provided with two arms extending along a first direction,

the limiting main body extends along the direction opposite to the first direction so as to be capable of contacting with the shell at the mounting hole; or the support arm extends along a second direction which is vertical to the first direction and is vertical to the axial direction of the keycap so as to be capable of contacting with the shell at the mounting hole.

3. The side key assembly of claim 2, wherein the key cap is provided with the locking grooves on two opposite sides; the two support arms of the limiting piece are respectively clamped in the corresponding clamping grooves.

4. The side key assembly of claim 3, wherein the arm comprises: the portion of the abutment is disposed parallel to the arm.

5. The side key assembly of claim 1, wherein the abutting portion is provided with a protrusion, the slot is provided with a locking hole, and the protrusion is disposed in the locking hole.

6. The side key assembly of claim 1, wherein an end of the key cap for being located in the housing is provided with a receiving slot, and the receiving slot is used for activating a key of the terminal device when the key cap is stressed.

7. A terminal device comprising a housing and a side key assembly as recited in any one of claims 1-6; the shell is provided with a mounting hole, and a key is arranged in the shell; the side key assembly is arranged at the mounting hole, and a keycap in the side key assembly is used for triggering the key when stressed.