CN110047677B

CN110047677B - Optical switch key

Info

Publication number: CN110047677B
Application number: CN201910229964.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 王庆余; 张立德
Original assignee: Darfon Electronics Suzhou Co Ltd
Current assignee: Darfon Electronics Suzhou Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-03-26
Filing date: 2019-03-26
Publication date: 2021-06-08
Anticipated expiration: 2039-03-26
Also published as: CN110047677A

Abstract

The invention relates to an optical switch key, which comprises a keycap, a supporting mechanism and a switch module. The supporting mechanism is arranged below the keycap and used for supporting the keycap to move up and down, the supporting mechanism comprises a second support and a first support pivoted to the inner side of the second support, and the second support is provided with a protruding part which extends and protrudes from the second support in the direction far away from the keycap; the switch module comprises a circuit board, a light emitter and a light receiver, wherein the light emitter and the light receiver are electrically connected with the circuit board and are positioned outside the vertical projection area of the first support, and the light emitter emits light signals corresponding to the light receiver. When the keycap is not pressed, the optical signal received by the optical receiver is of a first intensity; when the key cap is pressed, the key cap drives the protruding part to move, so that the protruding part changes the optical signal received by the optical receiver into a second intensity, and the second intensity is different from the first intensity, so as to trigger the switch module to generate a trigger signal. The invention achieves the rapid and accurate conversion of the pressing signal by changing the receiving state of the optical signal along with the pressing stroke through the protruding part of the supporting mechanism.

Description

Optical switch key

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an optical switch, and more particularly to an optical switch that actuates a switch by pressing a key cap to change an optical signal receiving state.

Background

Membrane switch keys and mechanical keys are the types of keys commonly used in conventional keyboards. The main difference between the membrane switch key and the mechanical key is that the circuit structure for generating signals is different. Generally, a membrane switch key is a switch element using a membrane circuit layer as a signal generation, when a key cap is pressed to trigger the membrane circuit layer, the upper circuit layer is deformed to make a switch contact of the upper circuit layer contact a switch contact corresponding to the lower circuit layer, and then the membrane switch is turned on to generate a signal. However, the thin film circuit layer is easily damaged by frequent use or improper force application, and is difficult to maintain, and when a user presses the key cap to trigger the thin film circuit layer, clear step feedback is lacked, so that the pressing hand feeling is not good, and the manipulation feeling of the user cannot be satisfied.

The mechanical key is a switch element which uses the conduction of the metal sheet and the metal contact as the signal generation. However, the metal sheet and the metal contact are easily worn by impact, which affects the service life of the key, and the metal sheet or the metal contact is corroded by moisture, which results in poor conduction and affects the stability of the key. Furthermore, the conventional mechanical key is not suitable for being applied to a portable electronic device with a high requirement for thin-type, such as a notebook computer, because the structure is complicated and the volume is large.

Disclosure of Invention

An objective of the present invention is to provide an optical switch key, which utilizes a switch module composed of an optical transmitter and an optical receiver, and provides a fast and precise triggering function by changing the receiving state of an optical signal along with the pressing stroke through the components in the key.

Another objective of the present invention is to provide an optical switch key, which integrates a low-profile key structure for a portable electronic device.

According to an aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides an optical switch key, including:

a keycap;

the supporting mechanism is arranged below the keycap and used for supporting the keycap to move up and down, the supporting mechanism comprises a first support and a second support, the first support is pivoted to the inner side of the second support to form a scissor-type supporting mechanism, the second support is provided with a protruding part, and the protruding part extends and protrudes from the second support in the direction far away from the keycap; and

the switch module comprises a circuit board, a light emitter and a light receiver, the light emitter and the light receiver are electrically connected with the circuit board and are positioned outside the vertical projection area of the first bracket, the light emitter emits light signals corresponding to the light receiver,

when the keycap is not pressed, the optical signal received by the optical receiver is of a first intensity; when the key cap is pressed, the key cap drives the protruding part to move, so that the protruding part changes the optical signal received by the optical receiver into a second intensity, and the second intensity is different from the first intensity, so as to trigger the switch module to generate a trigger signal.

As an optional technical solution, the second bracket has a key cap end side edge and a bottom plate end side edge opposite to each other, the key cap end side edge is closer to the key cap than the bottom plate end side edge, the protrusion is disposed at the key cap end side edge, the optical transmitter transmits the optical signal along a linear optical path corresponding to the optical receiver, and the linear optical path is substantially parallel to an extending direction of the key cap end side edge.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the present invention further provides an optical switch key, comprising:

a keycap;

the supporting mechanism is arranged below the keycap and used for supporting the keycap to move up and down, the supporting mechanism comprises a first support and a second support, the first support and the second support are respectively positioned at two opposite sides of the keycap so as to form a butterfly wing type supporting mechanism rotating around a pivot, one of the first support and the second support is provided with a protruding part, and the protruding part extends and protrudes towards the direction far away from the keycap; and

the switch module comprises a circuit board, a light emitter and a light receiver, wherein the light emitter and the light receiver are electrically connected with the circuit board, the light emitter emits light signals along a linear light path corresponding to the light receiver, and the linear light path is not crossed with the pivot;

As an optional technical solution, the portable electronic device further includes a bottom plate and a magnetic member, wherein the supporting mechanism is disposed between the keycap and the bottom plate, the bottom plate has a magnetic portion, the magnetic member is disposed corresponding to the magnetic portion, the magnetic member has a first side and a second side, the first side of the magnetic member is movably connected to the first support, and the second side of the magnetic member corresponds to the second support, so that the magnetic member contacts the magnetic portion and generates a magnetic attraction force to support the keycap at a non-pressed position.

As an optional technical solution, the first bracket has a slot, and the magnetic member has a shaft, and the shaft is rotatably engaged with the slot, so that the first side of the magnetic member is movably connected to the first bracket.

As an optional technical solution, the second support has a supporting portion, the second side of the magnetic member is located on the supporting portion, and when the second support moves along with the keycap, the supporting portion lifts the second side of the magnetic member upward, so that the magnetic member moves away from the magnetic portion.

Alternatively, the linear light path is substantially parallel to the pivot axis.

As an optional technical solution, the protrusion is a triangular bump, and two side surfaces of the triangular bump respectively correspond to the light emitter and the light receiver.

As an optional technical solution, when the key cap is pressed to drive the protrusion to move, the protrusion at least partially blocks the optical signal, so that the second intensity is smaller than the first intensity.

As an optional technical solution, the circuit board is provided with an avoiding groove corresponding to the opening of the bottom plate, the optical emitter and the optical receiver are arranged on two opposite sides of the avoiding groove, and when the keycap is pressed to drive the protruding portion to move downwards, the protruding portion can extend into the avoiding groove to increase the moving space in the Z-axis direction.

In summary, compared with the prior art, the optical switch key of the present invention uses the optical transmitter and the optical receiver as the switch signal, and the projection of the supporting mechanism in the key changes the receiving state of the optical signal along with the pressing stroke to achieve the fast and accurate conversion of the pressing signal, so that the optical switch key is suitable for the portable electronic device.

The invention is described in detail below with reference to the drawings and specific examples, but the invention is not limited thereto.

Drawings

Fig. 1A is an exploded view of an optical switch button according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram of the optical switch key of FIG. 1A without a keycap.

Fig. 2A and fig. 3A are schematic cross-sectional views of a key cap of an optical switch key according to a first embodiment of the invention at an un-pressed position and a triggered position along an X-axis direction.

Fig. 2B and fig. 3B are schematic cross-sectional views of a key cap of an optical switch key according to a first embodiment of the invention at an un-pressed position and a triggered position along a Y-axis direction.

Fig. 4A is an exploded view of an optical switch button according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4B is a schematic diagram of the optical switch key of FIG. 4A without a keycap.

Fig. 4C is a top view of fig. 4B.

Fig. 5A and 5B are bottom views of the supporting mechanism and the magnetic member at different viewing angles according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6A and 7A are schematic cross-sectional views of a key cap of an optical switch key according to a second embodiment of the invention at an un-pressed position and a triggered position along an X-axis direction.

Fig. 6B and 7B are schematic cross-sectional views of a key cap of an optical switch key according to a first embodiment of the invention at an un-pressed position and a triggered position along a Y-axis direction.

Detailed Description

The foregoing and other aspects, features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following more particular description of a preferred embodiment, as illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Directional terms as referred to in the following examples, for example: up, down, left, right, front or rear, etc., are referred to only in the direction of the attached drawings. Accordingly, the directional terminology is used for purposes of illustration and is in no way limiting.

The present invention provides an optical switch key, which can be applied to any pressing type input device (such as a keyboard), or be integrated into any suitable electronic device (such as a key of a portable electronic device or a keyboard of a notebook computer) to provide a quick and accurate triggering function. The structure and operation of each component of the optical switch key in the embodiment of the present invention are described in detail with reference to the drawings.

Fig. 1A to 4B are schematic views illustrating a first embodiment of the present invention, wherein fig. 1A is an exploded view of an optical switch key according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and fig. 1B is a schematic view illustrating the optical switch key in fig. 1A without a keycap. As shown in the drawings, in the first embodiment, the optical switch key 1 includes a key cap 10, a supporting mechanism 20 and a switch module 30. The supporting mechanism 20 is disposed under the key cap 10 to support the key cap 10 to move up and down. The supporting mechanism 20 includes a first bracket 22 and a second bracket 24, and the first bracket 22 is pivoted to the inner side of the second bracket 24 to form a scissor-type supporting mechanism. The second support 24 has a protruding portion 21, and the protruding portion 21 extends and protrudes from the second support 22 in a direction away from the key cap 10. The switch module 30 includes a circuit board 32, an optical transmitter 34 and an optical receiver 36. The light emitter 34 and the light receiver 36 are electrically connected to the circuit board 32 and located outside the vertical projection area of the first bracket 22, and the light emitter 34 emits a light signal corresponding to the light receiver 36. When the key cap 10 is not pressed, the optical signal received by the optical receiver 36 has a first intensity; when the key cap 10 is pressed, the key cap 10 drives the protrusion 21 to move, so that the protrusion 21 changes the optical signal received by the optical receiver to a second intensity, and the second intensity is different from the first intensity, so as to trigger the switch module 30 to generate the trigger signal.

In this embodiment, the optical switch key 1 may further include a bottom plate 40 as a structural strength supporting plate of the optical switch key 1. The supporting mechanism 20 is disposed between the key cap 10 and the base plate 40, and the base plate 40 preferably has a first connecting member 42 and a second connecting member 44 connected to the supporting mechanism 20. In one embodiment, the bottom plate 40 is preferably stamped and formed from a sheet metal member. The first and

second connectors

42 and 44 are preferably hook-type or hole-type connectors bent and protruded from the surface of the base plate 40 toward the key cap 10. It should be noted that when the circuit board 32 has sufficient structural strength, the first connecting member 42 and the second connecting member 44 can be selectively disposed on the circuit board 32, thereby eliminating the use of the bottom plate 40.

In addition, the optical switch key 1 may further include a restoring mechanism to provide a restoring force after the key cap 10 is pressed. Depending on the application, the restoring mechanism may provide the restoring force by an elastic member (e.g., an elastic body, a spring, etc.) or a magnetic member (e.g., a magnet). Furthermore, the light switch key 1 may also include a backlight light source to form a light emitting key. For example, the backlight source may be a light emitting diode, and may be integrated with the circuit board 32 of the switch module 30, but not limited thereto.

Specifically, the key cap 10 can be, for example, an injection molded rectangular key cap, and the lower surface of the key cap 10 has a first coupling element 12 and a second coupling element 14 coupled to the supporting mechanism 20. The first coupling element 12 may be a coupling structure having a shaft hole, and the second coupling element 14 may be a coupling structure having a sliding groove. Furthermore, according to practical applications, the key cap 10 can be a transparent key cap with a transparent portion, so as to be applied to a light-emitting keyboard. For example, the light-transmitting portion may be in the form of characters to represent instructions for keystrokes.

In this embodiment, the supporting mechanism 20 includes a first bracket 22 and a second bracket 24, and the first bracket 22 is pivoted to the inner side of the second bracket 24 to form a scissor-type supporting mechanism. The first and

second brackets

22, 24 are preferably rectangular frames, such as injection molded frames, and the first and

second brackets

22, 24 may be rotatably connected by a pivot and shaft hole mechanism, for example. For example, the middle section of the first frame 22 has outwardly protruding pivot shafts on opposite outer sides, and the second frame 24 has shaft holes corresponding to the pivot shafts on opposite inner sides, so that the middle section of the first frame 22 and the middle section of the second frame 24 are coupled to each other for rotation about the scissors structure axis 26 (e.g., a line connecting the two pivot shafts along the Y-axis direction). In addition, the two ends of the first support 22 and the second support 24 are movably connected to the keycap 10 and the bottom plate 40, respectively. For example, the two ends of the first and

second supports

22 and 24 are the keycap end side (e.g., 222, 242) adjacent to the keycap 10 and the bottom plate end side (e.g., 224, 244) adjacent to the bottom plate 40, respectively. The key cap end side 222 of the first support 22 is rotatably connected to the first coupling member 12 of the key cap 10, and the base end side 224 of the first support 22 is movably connected to the first connecting member 42 of the base 40. Similarly, the key cap end side 242 of the second bracket 24 is movably connected with the second coupling member 14 of the key cap 10, and the bottom plate end side 244 of the second bracket 24 is movably connected with the second connection member 44 of the bottom plate 40. Thereby, the support mechanism 20 can smoothly support the key cap 10 to move up and down with respect to the base plate 40.

The protruding portion 21 is disposed on the second support 24 and extends and protrudes from the second support 24 in a direction away from the keycap 10 (i.e., a direction approaching the bottom plate 40). For example, the protruding portion 21 is preferably disposed below the key cap end side 242 of the second frame 24, such that the extending direction (e.g., Z-axis direction) of the protruding portion 21 is preferably substantially perpendicular to the extending direction (e.g., Y-axis direction) of the key cap end side 242 of the second frame 24. The protrusion 21 may be a bump or a pillar with a suitable shape, and is preferably disposed at the middle position of the end side 242 of the key cap of the second bracket 24. For example, the protrusion 21 may be a rectangular bump or a pillar, but not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the protrusion 21 may be a triangular bump or a convex pillar.

Depending on the application, the circuit board 32 may be disposed above or below the bottom plate 40. As shown, in this embodiment, the circuit board 32 is disposed under the bottom plate 40, and the bottom plate 40 has an opening 46 to expose the optical transmitter 34 and the optical receiver 36, but not limited thereto. In another embodiment (not shown), the circuit board 32 may be disposed above the base plate 40, and the circuit board 32 has an opening to allow the first connector 42 and the second connector 44 of the base plate 40 to pass through to connect to the supporting mechanism 20. The light emitter 34 and the light receiver 36 are disposed on the circuit board 32 and electrically connected to the circuit board 32. Specifically, the circuit board 32 preferably has a switch circuit, and the optical transmitter 34 and the optical receiver 36 are electrically connected to the switch circuit of the circuit board 32, so that the optical transmitter 34 can transmit an optical signal to the optical receiver 36, and the trigger switch module 30 generates a trigger signal when the intensity of the optical signal received by the optical receiver 36 changes. For example, the light emitter 34 can be any emitter that can emit a light signal with a suitable wavelength, and the light signal emitted by the light emitter 34 can include electromagnetic waves, infrared light, or visible light. The optical receiver 36 is any convenient receiver that can receive a corresponding optical signal.

In this embodiment, the optical transmitter 34 and the optical receiver 36 emit optical signals along a linear optical path L, which preferably does not intersect the scissors structure axis 26. Specifically, the light emitter 34 and the light receiver 36 are preferably disposed below the key cap end side 242 of the second frame 24 along the extending direction (e.g., Y-axis direction) of the key cap end side 242 of the second frame 24, such that the light emitter 34 and the light receiver 36 are located outside the vertical projection area of the first frame 22 and the linear light path L does not pass through the scissors structure axis 26. In one embodiment, the optical transmitter 34 and the optical receiver 36 are preferably arranged such that the linear optical path L is substantially parallel to the extending direction (e.g., Y-axis direction) of the end side 242 of the keycap. That is, the light emitting end of the light emitter 34 and the receiving end of the light receiver 36 are preferably, but not limited to, facing forward along the Y-axis direction. In practical applications, depending on the design of the second bracket 24, the light emitting end of the light emitter 34 and the receiving end of the light receiver 36 may face obliquely along the Y-axis direction, such that the straight light path L between the light emitter 34 and the light receiver 36 is slightly deviated from the extending direction (e.g., the Y-axis direction) of the key cap end side 242.

It should be noted that, depending on the practical application, the circuit board 32 may have an avoiding design to increase the moving space of the protrusion 21, but not limited thereto. For example, the circuit board 32 may be provided with an avoiding space such as an avoiding groove corresponding to the opening 46 of the bottom plate 40, and the optical transmitter 34 and the optical receiver 36 are disposed on two opposite sides of the avoiding groove. When the key cap 10 is pressed to drive the protrusion 21 downward, the protrusion 21 can extend into the avoiding groove to increase the moving space in the Z-axis direction.

The operation of the optical switch key according to the first embodiment of the present invention is described with reference to fig. 2A to 3B, wherein fig. 2A and 3A are schematic cross-sectional views of a key cap of the optical switch key at an un-pressed position and a triggered position along an X-axis, respectively, and fig. 2B and 3B are schematic cross-sectional views of the key cap of the optical switch key at the un-pressed position and the triggered position along a Y-axis, respectively. As shown in fig. 2A and 2B, the optical emitter 34 and the optical receiver 36 are preferably arranged in sequence along a linear optical path L (e.g., arranged linearly along the Y-axis), and the linear optical path L is parallel to the scissors structure axis 26. When the key cap 10 is not pressed, the protrusion 21 has a first positional relationship with respect to the linear light path L, and the optical signal received by the optical receiver 36 has a first intensity (e.g., an unobstructed/attenuated optical signal intensity).

As shown in fig. 3A and 3B, when the key cap 10 is pressed, the key cap 10 drives the protrusion 21 to move toward the bottom plate 40, so that the protrusion 21 has a second positional relationship with respect to the linear light path L, and the second positional relationship is different from the first positional relationship. The protrusion 21 changes the optical signal received by the optical receiver 36 to a second intensity, and the second intensity is different from the first intensity, so as to trigger the switch module 30 to generate the trigger signal. In other words, when the key cap 10 is pressed, the key cap 10 rotates the first support 22 and the second support 24 of the supporting mechanism 20 relative to the scissors structure axis 26, so that the protrusion 21 moves downward.

In this embodiment, the first positional relationship represents that the protrusion 21 is far from the linear optical path L, and the protrusion 21 does not change the intensity of the optical signal received by the optical receiver 36. The second positional relationship represents that the protrusion 21 is located in the linear light path L, and the protrusion 21 attenuates the intensity of the optical signal received by the optical receiver 36, so that the second intensity is smaller than the first intensity, so as to trigger the switch module 30 to generate the trigger signal. In other words, when the key cap 10 is pressed to drive the protrusion 21 to move, the protrusion 21 at least partially blocks the optical signal, so that the second intensity is smaller than the first intensity, and the switch module 30 generates the trigger signal. In one embodiment, when the key cap 10 is pressed to drive the protrusion 21 to move, the protrusion 21 can completely block the optical signal, so that the optical receiver 36 cannot receive the optical signal (i.e. the second intensity is zero). That is, the protrusion 21 preferably has a length that can extend into the straight light path L between the optical transmitter 34 and the optical receiver 36, and has a width that can substantially block the optical signal, but not limited thereto. It should be noted that, by changing the circuit design of the circuit board 32, the switch module 30 can generate the trigger signal according to the change of the light quantity received by the light receiver 36, and can also generate the trigger signal according to whether the light receiver 36 receives the light signal. In addition, the length of the protrusion 21 extending toward the bottom plate 40 can be varied to control the triggering stroke of the optical switch key 1, so as to achieve slower triggering or faster triggering.

It should be noted that, in the first embodiment, the supporting mechanism 20 is a scissors-type supporting mechanism for illustration, but not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the supporting mechanism can have other configurations, such as a butterfly wing type supporting mechanism, and can also achieve the quick triggering of the optical switch key.

Fig. 4A to 7B are schematic diagrams of a second embodiment of the invention, wherein fig. 4A is an exploded view of an optical switch key according to the second embodiment of the invention, fig. 4B is a schematic diagram of the optical switch key in fig. 4A without a keycap, and fig. 4C is a top view of fig. 4B. As shown, in the second embodiment, the optical switch key 100 includes a key cap 110, a supporting mechanism 120 and a switch module 130. The supporting mechanism 120 is disposed under the key cap 110 for supporting the key cap 110 to move up and down. The support mechanism 120 includes a first bracket 122 and a second bracket 124. The first and

second supports

122 and 124 are respectively located on two opposite sides of the key cap 110 to form a butterfly wing type supporting mechanism rotating around the pivot axis P. One of the first and

second supports

122 and 124 has a protrusion 121, and the protrusion 121 extends and protrudes in a direction away from the key cap 110. The switch module 130 includes a circuit board 132, an optical transmitter 134 and an optical receiver 136. The optical transmitter 134 and the optical receiver 136 are electrically connected to the circuit board 132. The optical transmitter 134 and the corresponding optical receiver 136 transmit the optical signal along a linear optical path L ', and the linear optical path L' is not intersected with the pivot axis P. When the key cap 110 is not pressed, the optical signal received by the optical receiver 136 has a first intensity. When the key cap 110 is pressed, the key cap 110 drives the protrusion 121 to move, so that the protrusion 121 changes the optical signal received by the optical receiver 136 to a second intensity, and the second intensity is different from the first intensity, so as to trigger the switch module 30 to generate the trigger signal.

Furthermore, the optical switch key 100 may further include a bottom plate 140. The base plate 140 is disposed under the key cap 110, and the supporting mechanism 120 is disposed between the key cap 110 and the base plate 140 to support the key cap 110 to move relative to the base plate 140. The key cap 110, the bottom plate 140 and the switch module 130 of the present embodiment may have the key cap 10, the bottom plate 40 and the switch module 30 similar to those of the first embodiment, for example, the key cap 110 has the first coupling element 112 and the second coupling element 114 on the lower surface, the bottom plate 140 has the plurality of first connecting portions 143, the plurality of second connecting portions 144 and the plurality of openings 146, and the light emitter 134 and the light receiver 136 are disposed on the circuit board 132 and exposed from the openings 146, so the structural details and the connection relationship thereof can refer to the related description of the first embodiment, and are not repeated herein. Furthermore, the optical switch button 100 may further include a magnetic member 160, and the bottom plate 140 has a magnetic portion 142. The magnetic member 160 is disposed corresponding to the magnetic portion 142, so that the magnetic member 160 contacts the magnetic portion 142 and generates a magnetic attraction force to support the key cap 110 at the non-pressed position. The following description focuses on the differences between the present embodiment and the first embodiment.

In this embodiment, the bottom plate 140 may further have a positioning portion 145, and the magnetic portion 142 may be a magnet and positioned on the bottom plate 140 by the positioning portion 145. The magnetic member 160 may be a member formed of an iron plate, and the magnetic member 160 has a first side 162 and a second side 164. The first side 162 of the magnetic member 160 is movably connected to the first support 122, and the second side 164 of the magnetic member 160 corresponds to the second support 124, so that the magnetic member 160 contacts the magnetic portion 142 and generates a magnetic attraction force to support the key cap 110 in the non-pressed position (as shown in fig. 2A). Corresponding to the arrangement of the magnetic element 160, the bottom surface of the key cap 10 preferably has a groove 116 to increase the moving space of the magnetic element 160 in the Z-axis direction.

In this embodiment, the first support 122 and the second support 124 of the supporting mechanism 120 are respectively located at two opposite sides of the key cap 110 to form a butterfly wing type supporting mechanism rotating around the pivot axis P. The first and

second supports

122 and 124 are disposed on opposite sides of the key cap 110 along the X-axis direction, and each of the first and

second supports

122 and 124 has a key cap end side (e.g., 1221, 1241) and a base end side (e.g., 1223, 1243) adjacent to the key cap 110. For example, along the X-axis direction, the bottom plate end side edge 1223 of the first support 122 is adjacent to the bottom plate end side edge 1243 of the second support 124, and the key cap end side edge 1221 of the first support 122 is away from the key cap end side edge 1241 of the second support 124. That is, the distance between the key cap end side edge 1221 of the first holder 122 and the key cap end side edge 1241 of the second holder 124 is larger than the distance between the bottom plate end side edge 1223 of the first holder 122 and the bottom plate end side edge 1243 of the second holder 124. The first support 122 has a first coupling portion 122a at the end 1221 of the key cap and a second coupling portion 122b at the end 1223 of the bottom plate, so that the first support 122 can be movably coupled to the first coupling portion 112 of the key cap 110 and the first connecting portion 143 of the bottom plate 140. The second bracket 124 has a third coupling portion 124a on the keycap end side 1241 and a fourth coupling portion 124b on the bottom plate end side 1243, so that the second bracket 124 can be movably coupled to the second coupling element 114 of the keycap 110 and the second connecting portion 144 of the bottom plate 140. Thereby, the supporting mechanism 120 may constitute a butterfly wing type supporting mechanism that rotates around the pivot axis P to stably support the keycap 110 to move relative to the base plate 140.

Furthermore, the magnetic part 160 is disposed between the bottom plate 140 and the key cap 110 corresponding to the magnetic part 142, and is positioned on the first support 122. Specifically, the first bracket 122 has a slot 1222, and the magnetic member 160 has a shaft 1622, the shaft 1622 rotatably engaging the slot 1222, such that the first side 162 of the magnetic member 160 is movably (e.g., rotatably) coupled to the first bracket 122. The second support 124 has a support 1242, and the second side 164 of the magnetic member 160 is located on the support 1242, so that the second support 124 can drive the magnetic member 160 to rotate along with the rotation of the key cap 110. For example, when the key cap 110 is pressed, the supporting portion 1242 lifts the second side 164 of the magnetic member 160 upward when the second support 124 moves along with the key cap 110, so that the magnetic member 160 moves away from the magnetic portion 142.

In this embodiment, the pivot P may be a virtual line connecting the second bracket 124 to the fourth coupling portions 124b on two opposite sides. The protrusion 121 may be disposed on a key cap end side of at least one of the first support 122 and the second support 124, i.e., an end adjacent to the key cap 110 and far away from the bottom plate 140 (e.g., the key cap end sides 1221 and 1241). In this embodiment, the protrusion 121 may be disposed on the keycap end side 1221 of the first frame 122 and the keycap end side 1241 of the second frame 124, and extend from the corresponding keycap end side toward the bottom plate 140. Correspondingly, the switch module 130 may have two sets of the light emitter 134 and the light receiver 136 electrically connected to the circuit board 132, wherein the light emitter 134 and the light receiver 136 of one set are disposed along the key cap end side 1221 of the first bracket 122 to correspond to the protrusion 121 of the first bracket 122, and the light emitter 134 and the light receiver 136 of the other set are disposed along the key cap end side 1241 of the second bracket 124 to correspond to the protrusion 121 of the second bracket 124. For example, each group of the optical transmitter 134 and the optical receiver 136 is disposed along the Y-axis direction, and is preferably located below the keycap end side 1221 of the first bracket 122 or the keycap end side 1241 of the second bracket 124, so that the optical path between the optical transmitter 134 and the optical receiver 136 is a straight optical path L' substantially parallel to the Y-axis, that is, the straight connection line between the optical transmitter 134 and the optical receiver 136 is the optical path of the optical signal. In this embodiment, the straight light path L' does not intersect the pivot axis P. For example, the linear light path L' is preferably substantially parallel to the pivot axis P. It should be noted that the shape or number of the openings 146 of the bottom plate 140 can be changed to allow the two sets of the optical transmitters 134 and the optical receivers 136 on the circuit board 132 to be exposed from the openings 146 or protrude from the bottom plate 140.

Similar to the above embodiments, the protrusion 121 may be a bump or a pillar with a suitable shape, and is preferably disposed at the middle position of the key cap end side 1221 of the first frame 122 and the key cap end side 1241 of the second frame 124. In this embodiment, as shown in fig. 5A and 5B, the protrusion 121 disposed on the second bracket 124 may be a triangular bump, and two side surfaces 121a and 121B of the triangular bump respectively correspond to the light emitter 134 and the light receiver 136. Specifically, referring to fig. 6B together, the two side surfaces 121a, 121B extend downward from the keycap end side edges 1221, 1241 to form a ridge line 121c (i.e., the portion of the protrusion 121 closest to the bottom plate 140 or the lowest point of the protrusion 121) connected as a triangular bump, such that the two side surfaces 121a, 121B face the light emitter 134 and the light receiver 136, respectively. For example, the two

side surfaces

121a and 121b are disposed along the Y-axis direction, such that the normals N1 and N2 of the two

side surfaces

121a and 121b are respectively located at two sides of the ridge line 121c and respectively face the light emitter 134 and the light receiver 136, but not limited thereto. For example, the protrusion 121 disposed on the first bracket 122 may be a conical protrusion with a downward top end, and in other embodiments, the protrusion 121 may also be a rectangular protrusion or a convex column.

Fig. 6A to 7B illustrate the operation of the optical switch key 100 in the second embodiment, in which fig. 6A and 7A are schematic cross-sectional views of a key cap of the optical switch key at an un-pressed position and a triggered position along the X-axis direction, respectively, and fig. 6B and 7B are schematic cross-sectional views of the key cap of the optical switch key at the un-pressed position and the triggered position along the Y-axis direction, respectively. As shown in fig. 6A and 6B, when the key cap 110 is not pressed, the magnetic member 160 contacts the magnetic portion 142 and generates a magnetic attraction force, so that the second side 164 of the magnetic member 160 contacts the supporting portion 1242 of the second support 124 and is located at a low position, and the key cap end side edges 1221 and 1241 of the first support 122 and the second support 124 are away from the bottom plate 140. Thus, the protrusions 121 on the end edges 1221, 1241 of the keycap are preferably located above the linear light paths L' of the corresponding optical transmitter 134 and optical receiver 136 without substantially changing the intensity of the optical signal. That is, the first intensity of the optical signal received by the optical receiver 136 is relatively strong.

As shown in fig. 7A and 7B, when the key cap 110 is pressed, the second support 124 rotates around the pivot P along with the downward movement of the key cap 110, so that the support 1242 lifts the second side 164 of the magnetic member 160 upward and is partially accommodated in the recess 116, so that the second side 164 of the magnetic member 160 moves away from the magnetic portion 142 to be located at a high position, and the key cap end side edge 1221 of the first support 122 and the key cap end side edge 1241 of the second support 124 move toward the bottom plate 140. The protrusions 121 of the

end sides

1221, 1241 of the key cap enter the optical path (e.g., the linear optical path L') of the optical signal along with the downward movement of the key cap 110 to change the optical signal received by the corresponding optical receiver 136 to a second intensity, and the second intensity is different from the first intensity, so as to trigger the switch module 130 to generate the trigger signal. In other words, when the key cap 110 is pressed, the protrusion 121 of the supporting mechanism 120 moves downward to at least partially block the optical signal, so that the second intensity is smaller than the first intensity, and the switch module 130 is triggered to generate the trigger signal.

It should be noted that, although two sets of the optical transmitter 134 and the optical receiver 136 are illustrated in the embodiment, the invention is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the protrusion 121 may be disposed only on the first support 122 or the second support 124, and the switch module 130 may have only one set of the light emitter 134 and the light receiver 136 corresponding to the protrusion 121 disposed on the end side of the keycap of the first support 122 or the second support 124. Furthermore, the length of the protrusion 121 extending toward the bottom plate 140 can be varied to control the triggering stroke of the optical switch button, so as to achieve slower triggering or faster triggering.

It should be noted that in the foregoing embodiment, the second intensity is smaller than the first intensity to trigger the

switch modules

30 and 130 to generate the trigger signal, but not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the circuit design of the

protrusions

21, 121 and the switch modules 30, 131 can be changed according to the actual application, so that the second strength is greater than the first strength to trigger the switch modules 30, 131 to generate the trigger signal. For example, the protruding

portion

21, 121 may have a hole design, and when the

key cap

10, 110 is not pressed, the protruding

portion

21, 121 at least partially blocks the optical signal received by the

optical receiver

36, 136. When the

key cap

10, 110 is pressed, the

key cap

10, 110 drives the

protrusion

21, 121 to move downward, so that the hole of the

protrusion

21, 121 is located in the light path to allow the optical signal to pass through, and the second intensity is greater than the first intensity to trigger the

switch module

30, 130 to generate the trigger signal.

The above detailed description of the preferred embodiments is intended to more clearly illustrate the features and spirit of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention by the preferred embodiments disclosed above. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the scope of the appended claims. The scope of the invention is therefore to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements as is within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. An optical switch key, comprising:

a keycap;

the supporting mechanism is arranged below the keycap and used for supporting the keycap to move up and down, the supporting mechanism comprises a first support and a second support, the first support is pivoted to the inner side of the second support to form a scissor-type supporting mechanism, the second support is provided with a protruding part, the protruding part extends and protrudes from the second support in the direction far away from the keycap, and the protruding part is a triangular protruding block; and

the switch module comprises a circuit board, a light emitter and a light receiver, two side surfaces of the triangular bump respectively correspond to the light emitter and the light receiver, the light emitter and the light receiver are electrically connected with the circuit board and are positioned outside a vertical projection area of the first support, and the light emitter emits light signals corresponding to the light receiver;

2. The optical switch key of claim 1, wherein the second frame has opposite keycap end side edges and bottom plate end side edges, the keycap end side edges are adjacent to the keycap than the bottom plate end side edges, the protrusion is disposed on the keycap end side edges, the optical transmitter transmits the optical signal along a linear optical path corresponding to the optical receiver, and the linear optical path is substantially parallel to an extending direction of the keycap end side edges.

3. An optical switch key, comprising:

a keycap;

the supporting mechanism is arranged below the keycap and used for supporting the keycap to move up and down, the supporting mechanism comprises a first support and a second support, the first support and the second support are respectively positioned at two opposite sides of the keycap so as to form a butterfly wing type supporting mechanism rotating around a pivot, one of the first support and the second support is provided with a protruding part, the protruding part extends and protrudes towards the direction far away from the keycap, and the protruding part is a triangular protruding block; and

the switch module comprises a circuit board, a light emitter and a light receiver, wherein two side surfaces of the triangular bump respectively correspond to the light emitter and the light receiver, the light emitter and the light receiver are electrically connected with the circuit board, the light emitter corresponds to the light receiver and emits light signals along a linear light path, and the linear light path is not staggered with the pivot;

4. The optical switch key of claim 3, further comprising a bottom plate and a magnetic member, wherein the supporting mechanism is disposed between the key cap and the bottom plate, the bottom plate has a magnetic portion, the magnetic member is disposed corresponding to the magnetic portion, the magnetic member has a first side and a second side, the first side of the magnetic member is movably connected to the first bracket, and the second side of the magnetic member corresponds to the second bracket, so that the magnetic member contacts the magnetic portion and generates a magnetic attraction force to support the key cap at the non-pressed position.

5. The optical switch key of claim 3, further comprising a magnetic member, wherein the first bracket has a slot, and the magnetic member has a shaft, and the shaft is rotatably engaged with the slot, such that the first side of the magnetic member is movably connected to the first bracket.

6. The optical switch key of claim 3, further comprising a magnetic member and a bottom plate, wherein the bottom plate has a magnetic portion, the magnetic member is disposed corresponding to the magnetic portion, the magnetic member has a first side and a second side, the second bracket has a supporting portion, the first side of the magnetic member is movably connected to the first bracket, the second side of the magnetic member is disposed on the supporting portion, and when the second bracket moves along with the key cap, the supporting portion lifts the second side of the magnetic member upward to move the magnetic member away from the magnetic portion.

7. The optical switch key of claim 3, wherein the linear light path is substantially parallel to the pivot axis.

8. The optical switch key of claim 1 or 3, wherein when the key cap is pressed to move the protrusion, the protrusion at least partially blocks the optical signal, such that the second intensity is less than the first intensity.

9. The optical switch key according to claim 1 or 3, further comprising a bottom plate, wherein the bottom plate has an opening, the circuit board has an avoiding groove corresponding to the opening of the bottom plate, and the optical transmitter and the optical receiver are disposed at two opposite sides of the avoiding groove, so that when the key cap is pressed to drive the protrusion to move downward, the protrusion can extend into the avoiding groove to increase a moving space in the Z-axis direction.