TWI674605B - Keyswitch with a noise reduction effect and keyboard thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

A key with noise reduction effect includes a bottom plate with a T-shaped hook, a keycap, a supporting device, a buffer, and a balance rod with a middle section and a straight section. The supporting device is movably connected between the bottom plate and the keycap. A T-shaped slot and a slot are formed in the buffer, and the T-shaped slot and the T-shaped hook are detachably engaged to fix the buffer to the bottom plate. The middle section is pivotally connected to the keycap, and the straight section is formed from one end of the middle section to the slot to be movably inserted in the slot. When the keycap moves up and down with respect to the bottom plate, the middle rod portion pivots with respect to the keycap and the straight rod portion swings up and down in the slot correspondingly, so that the balance rod moves with the keycap. The material of the cushion is softer than the material of the bottom plate to reduce the collision sound made when the straight rod part swings in the slot.

Description

Keys and keyboard with noise reduction effect

The invention relates to a key and a keyboard thereof, in particular to a key and a keyboard having a noise reduction effect.

Generally speaking, in the traditional keyboard design, when the key is pressed, in order to reliably trigger the key switch and to obtain a good feel of the key lift, a balance is usually set at the bottom of the keycap of the longer key (also known as the multiple key). In this design, the cross bar in the middle of the balance bar is fixed to the bottom of the keycap, and the bent bar portions at both ends of the balance bar are extended to hook into the hole structure of the bottom plate support. When pressed, the balance lever can evenly transmit the pressing force to the entire key, so that the keycap of the key can be kept horizontally and smoothly moved up and down, to achieve a good pressing touch and indeed trigger the key switch.

However, as can be seen from the above, since the connection between the balance bar and the bottom plate adopts a shaft-hole fitting design in which the bent lever portion is hooked into the hole structure, and usually there is a clearance fit between the bent lever portion and the hole structure for assembly Therefore, when the button is pressed, the bending lever portion will collide with the hole structure, and the bending contact surface between the bending lever portion and the hole structure will cause the bending lever portion and the hole structure to generate a considerable amount of collision. Noise, which in turn causes a rather inconvenient operation experience when the user presses a button.

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a key with a noise reduction effect and a keyboard thereof to solve the above problems.

According to an embodiment, the key with the noise reduction effect of the present invention includes a base plate, a keycap, at least one supporting device, a buffer member, and a first balance bar. The bottom plate has a first T-shaped hook. The keycap is disposed above the bottom plate. The at least one supporting device is movably connected between the bottom plate and the keycap so that the keycap can move up and down relative to the bottom plate. A first T-shaped slot and a first slot are formed in the buffer, and the first T-shaped slot is detachably engaged with the first T-shaped hook so that the buffer is fixed on the bottom plate. . The first balance rod has a first middle section and a first straight section, the first middle section is pivotally connected to the keycap, and the first straight section is first from one of the first middle section The end is extended to the first slot to be movably inserted in the first slot. When the keycap moves up and down relative to the bottom plate, the first middle lever portion pivots relative to the keycap and the first straight lever portion swings up and down correspondingly in the first slot, so that the first balance lever As the keycap moves together, the material of the buffer member is softer than the material of the bottom plate to reduce the collision noise emitted when the first straight rod portion swings in the first slot.

According to another embodiment, the keyboard with noise reduction effect of the present invention includes a bottom plate and a plurality of keys. The plurality of keys are disposed on the bottom plate, and at least one of the plurality of keys includes a keycap, at least one supporting device, a buffer, and a first balance bar. The keycap is disposed above the bottom plate. The at least one supporting device is movably connected between the bottom plate and the keycap so that the keycap can move up and down relative to the bottom plate. A first T-shaped card slot and a first slot are formed in the buffer, and a first T-shaped hook is formed on the bottom plate at a position corresponding to the first T-shaped card slot. The first T-shaped card slot and the first T-shaped card slot are formed in the bottom plate. A T-shaped hook is detachably engaged and connected, so that the buffer member is fixed on the bottom plate. The first balance rod has a first middle section and a first straight section, the first middle section is pivotally connected to the keycap, and the first straight section is first from one of the first middle section The end is extended to the first slot to be movably inserted in the first slot. When the keycap moves up and down relative to the bottom plate, the first middle lever portion pivots relative to the keycap and the first straight lever portion swings up and down correspondingly in the first slot, so that the first balance lever As the keycap moves together, the material of the buffer member is softer than the material of the bottom plate to reduce the collision noise emitted when the first straight rod portion swings in the first slot.

In summary, the connection design of the straight rod portion of the balance rod directly inserted into the slot replaces the shaft hole matching design of the bent structure of the balance rod hooked to the hole structure of the bottom plate used in the prior art. The present invention The system can effectively solve the problem that the bending rod portion and the hole structure mentioned in the prior art can generate obvious noise when they collide, thereby achieving the noise reduction effect, thereby greatly improving the user's operating experience when pressing a button. In addition, since the buffer member can be firmly fixed on the base plate through the engagement of the T-shaped hook and the T-shaped groove, and the present invention adopts a design in which the material of the buffer member is softer than that of the base plate, The invention can not only ensure that the structure does not shake or loosen during the process of pressing the button by the user, but also can reduce the impact sound of the balance bar and the buffer when it is swung in the slot to further enhance it. Noise reduction effect.

The advantages and spirit of the present invention can be further understood through the following detailed description of the invention and the accompanying drawings.

Please refer to FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 3, and FIG. 4. FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a keyboard 10 with noise reduction effect according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is FIG. The enlarged schematic diagram of button 14 in the figure, FIG. 3 is an exploded schematic diagram of button 14 in FIG. 1, and the fourth diagram is an enlarged schematic diagram of the cushioning member 20 and the cushioning member 22 in FIG. 3 from another perspective, for clear display The internal mechanism of the key 14 is shown in the figure. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the keyboard 10 includes a bottom plate 12 and a plurality of keys 14. The plurality of keys 12 are provided on the bottom plate 12 for users to press and perform corresponding input operations. The keyboard 10 can be compared with It is preferably applied to portable electronic devices (such as notebook computers or foldable keyboard devices) generally having an opening and closing mechanism composed of an upper cover and a lower case, but is not limited thereto.

The design of the balance bar inserted into the buffering member according to the present invention can be applied to at least one of the plurality of keys 14 (such as multiple keys). The number of the ends depends on the actual application of the keyboard 10, To simplify the description, the following is a description of one of the keys 14 having the above design. As for the structural design of the other keys 14 having the same design, the same can be deduced by analogy. As can be seen from FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 3, and FIG. 4, the key 14 includes a keycap 16, at least one supporting device 18 (two are shown in FIG. 2 but not limited to this), and a cushion member 20 , Buffer member 22, and balance bar 24. The keycap 16 is disposed above the bottom plate 12, and the supporting device 18 is movably connected between the bottom plate 12 and the keycap 16 so that the keycap 16 can move up and down relative to the bottom plate 12, wherein the supporting device 18 is preferably Scissor support design (but not limited to this, it can also use other common key support design, such as magnetic support design, etc.), its related description is common in the prior art, and will not be repeated here.

The buffer member 20 is formed with a T-shaped slot 26 and a slot 28, the buffer member 22 is formed with a T-shaped slot 30 and a slot 32, and the bottom plate 12 corresponds to the T-shaped slot 26 and the T-shaped slot 30. T-shaped hooks 34 and T-shaped hooks 36 are respectively formed at the positions, whereby the T-shaped slot 26 is detachably engaged with the T-shaped hook 34 and the T-shaped slot 30 is connected to the T-shaped hook 36 The detachably engaging connection enables the buffer member 20 and the buffer member 22 to be respectively fixed on the bottom plate 12. In this embodiment, the material of the cushioning member 20 and the cushioning member 22 is softer than the material of the bottom plate 12 (such as metal, but not limited to this), so as to lower the balance rod 24 and the cushioning member 20 and the cushioning member 22 after inserting. The impact sound generated when the grooves 28 and 32 are swinging to achieve the noise reduction effect. For example, the cushioning member 20 and the cushioning member 22 are preferably composed of polyoxymethylene (POM).

In terms of the structural design of the balance bar 24, as shown in FIG. 2, the balance bar 24 can preferably adopt a C-shaped member structure design. More specifically, the balance bar 24 has a middle section 38 and a straight section 40. , and a straight bar portion 42, the intermediate rod portion 38 connected to pivot based on the keycap 16, a straight line may stem portion 40 extending from the middle portion of the lever 38 P ₁ to a first end of the slot 28 is formed so as to be movably inserted in the plug In the groove 28, the straight rod portion 42 is formed to extend from the second end P _{2 of the} middle section rod portion 38 to the slot 32 to be movably inserted in the slot 32, whereby the middle section rod portion 38 can be connected with The straight rod portion 40 and the straight rod portion 42 together form a C-shaped member structure.

Here is a detailed description of the pressing action of the button 14. Please refer to FIG. 2, FIG. 5, and FIG. 6. FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the button 14 along the section line AA in FIG. It is a schematic cross-sectional view when the key 14 in FIG. 5 is pressed. Through the above design, when the key cap 16 is pressed, it is up and down relative to the bottom plate 12 between the position shown in FIG. 5 and the position shown in FIG. 6. When moving, the middle rod portion 38 can pivot relative to the keycap 16, and the straight rod portion 40 and the straight rod portion 42 can swing up and down in the slot 28 and slot 30 respectively, so that the balance rod 24 can As the keycap 16 is actuated together, the smoothness of the operation of the keycap 16 is maintained together with the supporting device 18. In the above process, the straight rod portion 40 and the straight rod portion 42 of the balance rod 24 are directly inserted into the slot 28 and the slot 30, respectively, to replace the bent hook portion of the balance rod used in the prior art. With the design of the shaft hole of the hole structure of the bottom plate, the present invention can effectively solve the problem that the bending rod and the hole structure mentioned in the prior art will generate obvious noise when they collide, thereby achieving the noise reduction effect, thereby greatly This improves the user's operating experience when pressing a button. In addition, since the buffer member can be firmly fixed on the base plate through the engagement of the T-shaped hook and the T-shaped groove, and the present invention adopts a design in which the material of the buffer member is softer than that of the base plate, The invention can not only ensure that the structure does not shake or loosen during the process of pressing the button by the user, but also can reduce the impact sound of the balance bar and the buffer when it is swung in the slot to further enhance it. Noise reduction effect.

In practical applications, the structural design of the balance bar may not be limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and it may also adopt a design of the balance bar having only a single straight bar portion. For example, in another embodiment, the present invention provides The balance rod may have only the middle rod portion 38 and the straight rod portion 40 and omit the configuration of the straight rod portion 42. Thus, the middle rod portion 38 and the straight rod portion 40 can form an L-shaped rod structure together, thereby simplifying the cost. The effect of the internal mechanism design of the keys provided by the invention.

It is worth mentioning that the number of the configuration of the balance bar is not limited to the above embodiment, and it can be changed to adopt a design in which the buffer member can be engaged with a plurality of balance bars. For example, refer to FIG. A partial top view of the keyboard 100 according to another embodiment. In order to clearly show the internal mechanism design of the key 102, FIG. 7 omits the illustration of the keycap 16 and is described in this embodiment and the foregoing embodiment. Components with the same number indicate that they have the same structure or function, and their descriptions are not repeated here. It can be seen from FIG. 7 that the keyboard 100 includes a bottom plate 12 and a plurality of keys 102 (only one is shown briefly in FIG. 7). The keys 102 are arranged on the bottom plate 12 for users to press and perform corresponding input operations. The keyboard 100 can be preferably applied to a portable electronic device (such as a notebook computer or a foldable keyboard device) generally having an opening and closing mechanism composed of an upper cover and a lower case, but is not limited thereto.

The key 102 includes a keycap 16, a supporting device 18, a buffer member 104, a balance rod 24, and a balance rod 106. A T-shaped slot 26, a slot 28, and a slot 108 are formed in the buffer member 104. In this embodiment, The slot 28 and the slot 108 are preferably located on both sides of the T-shaped slot 26 and are offset from each other. The material of the buffer member 104 is softer than the material of the base plate 12 (such as metal, but not limited to this). The noise reduction effect can be achieved by reducing the impact sound of the balance bar 24 and the balance bar 106 and the buffer member 104 when they are swung in the slot 28 and the slot 108, respectively. For example, the buffer member 104 is better Consists of polyacetal. The balance rod 106 and the balance rod 24 are opposite to each other and have a middle section 110 and a straight section 112. The middle section 110 is pivotally connected to the keycap 16, and the straight section 112 is from one end of the middle section 110 to the slot 108. It is extended to be movably inserted in the slot 108, and thus the middle section 110 and the straight section 112 can form an L-shaped member structure together.

Through the above design, when the keycap 16 is pressed to move up and down relative to the bottom plate 12, the middle section 38 and the middle section 110 are pivotable relative to the keycap 16, and the straight section 40 and the straight section 112 are pivotable. The socket 28 and the socket 108 swing up and down respectively, so that the balance bar 24 and the balance bar 106 can move together with the keycap 16, thereby further improving the smoothness of the pressing operation of the button 102. As for the other related descriptions of the button 102 and its derivative variations (such as the embodiment in which the balance rod 106 adopts a C-shaped member structure design), it can be deduced by analogy with reference to the above embodiment, and will not be repeated here. The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and all equivalent changes and modifications made in accordance with the scope of patent application of the present invention shall fall within the scope of the present invention.

10, 100‧‧‧ keyboard

12‧‧‧ floor

14, 102‧‧‧ button

16‧‧‧Keycap

18‧‧‧ support device

20, 22, 104‧‧‧ Buffer

24, 106‧‧‧ balance bar

26, 30‧‧‧T card slot

28, 32, 108‧‧‧ slots

34, 36‧‧‧T-type hook

38, 110‧‧‧ mid section

40, 42, 112‧‧‧ Straight Rod

P ₁ ‧‧‧ the first end

P ₂ ‧‧‧ the second end

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a keyboard with noise reduction effect according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is an enlarged schematic diagram of the buttons in Figure 1. Figure 3 is an explosion diagram of the button in Figure 1. Figure 4 is an enlarged schematic view of the buffer member of Figure 3 from another perspective. Fig. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the button of Fig. 1 along the section line A-A. Fig. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view when the button of Fig. 5 is pressed. FIG. 7 is a partial top view of a keyboard according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (10)

A key with a noise reduction effect, comprising: a bottom plate having a first T-shaped hook; a keycap disposed above the bottom plate; at least one support device movably connected to the bottom plate and the Between the keycaps so that the keycaps can move up and down relative to the bottom plate; a buffer member formed with a first T-shaped card slot and a first slot therein, the first T-shaped card slot and the first T Type hook is detachably snap-connected, so that the buffer member is fixed on the bottom plate; and a first balance bar having a first middle section and a first straight section, the first middle section is pivoted Connected to the keycap, the first straight rod portion extends from a first end of the first middle rod portion to the first slot to be movably inserted in the first slot; wherein when the key When the cap moves up and down relative to the bottom plate, the first middle lever portion pivots relative to the keycap and the first straight lever portion swings up and down in the first slot correspondingly, so that the first balance rod follows the The keycap moves together; the material of the cushion is softer than the material of the bottom plate to reduce the first straight rod The collision sound made when the part swings in the first slot. The button according to claim 1, wherein the bottom plate further has a second T-shaped hook, and the button further includes a buffer, and a second T-shaped slot and a second slot are formed in the buffer. The second T-shaped groove is detachably engaged with the second T-shaped hook so that the buffer member is fixed on the bottom plate. The first balance rod further has a second straight rod portion, and the second straight rod The portion extends from a second end of the first middle section to the second slot to be movably inserted in the second slot; when the keycap moves up and down relative to the base plate, the second portion The straight rod portion swings up and down correspondingly in the second slot, and the material of the buffer member is softer than the material of the bottom plate to reduce the collision noise emitted when the second straight rod portion swings in the second slot. The button according to claim 2, wherein the first middle rod portion, the first straight rod portion and the second straight rod portion form a C-shaped rod structure together. The button according to claim 1, wherein a second slot is formed in the buffer, and the first slot and the second slot are located on both sides of the T-shaped card slot and are offset from each other. It includes: a second balance bar, which is opposite to the first balance bar and has a second middle section and a second straight section, the second middle section is pivoted to the keycap, and the second straight section A rod portion is formed from one end of the second middle section rod to the second slot to be movably inserted in the second slot; wherein when the keycap moves up and down relative to the bottom plate, the second middle section The lever portion is pivoted relative to the keycap and the second straight lever portion swings up and down correspondingly in the second slot, so that the second balance lever moves along with the keycap. The button according to claim 1, wherein the buffer member is made of polyoxymethylene (POM) material. A keyboard with a noise reduction effect, comprising: a base plate; and a plurality of keys disposed on the base plate, at least one of the plurality of keys comprises: a key cap disposed above the base plate; at least one A supporting device is movably connected between the bottom plate and the keycap so that the keycap can move up and down relative to the bottom plate; a buffer member formed with a first T-shaped card slot and a first slot therein A first T-shaped hook is formed on the bottom plate at a position corresponding to the first T-shaped slot. The first T-shaped slot is detachably engaged with the first T-shaped hook, so that the buffer member is fixed to On the bottom plate; and a first balance rod having a first middle section and a first straight section, the first middle section is pivotally connected to the keycap, and the first straight section is from the first A first end of a middle section is extended to the first slot to be movably inserted in the first slot; wherein when the keycap moves up and down relative to the base plate, the first middle section is opposite When the keycap is pivoted and the first straight rod portion is opposite in the first slot Swing up and down, so that the first balance rod moves with the keycap; the material of the cushion is softer than the material of the bottom plate to reduce the collision sound of the first straight rod when swinging in the first slot . The keyboard according to claim 6, wherein the bottom plate further has a second T-shaped hook, and the key further includes a buffer member, and a second T-shaped card slot and a second slot are formed in the buffer member. The second T-shaped groove is detachably engaged with the second T-shaped hook. The first balance rod also has a second straight rod portion. The second straight rod portion is one of the first middle rod portions. The second end is extended to the second slot to be movably inserted in the second slot. When the keycap moves up and down relative to the bottom plate, the second straight rod portion is in the second slot. Corresponding to swinging up and down, the material of the buffer member is softer than the material of the bottom plate to reduce the collision noise generated when the second straight rod portion swings in the second slot. The keyboard according to claim 7, wherein the first middle section, the first straight section and the second straight section form a C-shaped rod structure together. The keyboard according to claim 6, wherein a second slot is formed in the buffer, and the first slot and the second slot are respectively located on two sides of the T-shaped slot and are offset from each other. It includes: a second balance bar, which is opposite to the first balance bar and has a second middle section and a second straight section, the second middle section is pivoted to the keycap, and the second straight section A rod portion is formed from one end of the second middle section rod to the second slot to be movably inserted in the second slot; wherein when the keycap moves up and down relative to the bottom plate, the second middle section The lever portion is pivoted relative to the keycap and the second straight lever portion swings up and down correspondingly in the second slot, so that the second balance lever moves along with the keycap. The keyboard according to claim 6, wherein the buffer member is made of polyacetal material.