CN110391105B

CN110391105B - Key structure

Info

Publication number: CN110391105B
Application number: CN201910079620.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 颜铭甫; 庄祥笙
Original assignee: Lite On Technology Corp
Current assignee: Lite On Technology Corp
Priority date: 2018-04-16
Filing date: 2019-01-28
Publication date: 2022-03-18
Anticipated expiration: 2039-01-28
Also published as: CN110391105A; TWI713983B; TW201944442A

Abstract

The invention provides a key structure, which comprises a keycap, a bottom plate, a backlight module and a thin film circuit board. The bottom plate comprises a body and a plurality of protruding parts, wherein the body is provided with a plurality of openings, and the protruding parts protrude from the first surface of the body and are arranged around the openings. The backlight module is arranged on the second surface of the body, wherein the first surface and the second surface are two opposite surfaces. The film circuit board and the keycap are arranged on the first surface of the body, the film circuit board is located between the keycap and the bottom plate, and the protruding portion is located in the orthographic projection range of the keycap.

Description

Key structure

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a key structure, and more particularly, to a key structure for preventing light leakage.

Background

With the development of technology, many portable electronic devices, such as notebook computers (notebooks) or Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), have come to be used. The user communicates with the electronic device by using input devices such as a keyboard and a mouse.

However, in a weak light environment, it may be difficult for a user to recognize the numbers and characters marked on the keys of the keyboard, which makes the operation difficult. Therefore, a key structure capable of emitting light is provided in the market at present, and a backlight module capable of being applied to various electronic devices is applied to a keyboard module, so that the input problem caused by insufficient ambient light is improved.

However, due to the structural configuration of the keyboard module, light emitted from the backlight module may leak from the assembly gap after assembly of the components, which affects uniformity of light emission and causes troubles in use for users.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims at a key structure which can prevent light leakage and has uniform light emission.

According to the embodiment of the invention, the key structure comprises a keycap, a bottom plate, a backlight module and a thin film circuit board. The bottom plate comprises a body and a plurality of protruding parts, wherein the body is provided with a plurality of openings, and the protruding parts protrude from the first surface of the body and are arranged around the openings. The backlight module is arranged on the second surface of the body, wherein the first surface and the second surface are two opposite surfaces. The film circuit board and the keycap are arranged on the first surface of the body, the film circuit board is located between the keycap and the bottom plate, and the protruding portion is located in the orthographic projection range of the keycap.

In an embodiment of the invention, the body has a plurality of protrusion setting openings, and the protrusions are correspondingly disposed in the protrusion setting openings, wherein the material of the protrusions may be the same as or different from the material of the body.

In an embodiment of the invention, the protrusion setting opening is spaced from the corresponding opening by a predetermined distance.

In an embodiment of the invention, the backlight module includes a light source and a light guide plate, wherein the light source is disposed at a side of the light guide plate or at through holes of the light guide plate.

In an embodiment of the invention, the backlight module includes a light source, wherein the light source is disposed in a front projection range of the keycap.

In an embodiment of the invention, the key structure may further include an elastic member (rubber dome) disposed between the film circuit board and the key cap and located within a range enclosed by the protrusion.

In an embodiment of the invention, the key structure may further include a supporting member disposed between the bottom plate and the key cap and located within a range enclosed by the protruding portion.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, the key structure includes a key cap, a bottom plate, at least one protrusion, a supporting member, and a backlight module. The bottom plate is arranged under the keycap, the protruding portion is arranged on the bottom plate and extends towards the keycap, the protruding portion defines an assembly area, the supporting piece is arranged on the bottom plate and is arranged in the assembly area, and the backlight module is arranged under the bottom plate.

In an embodiment of the invention, the protruding portion is within a forward projection range of the key cap.

In an embodiment of the invention, the key structure further includes a film circuit board and an elastic element, the film circuit board is disposed between the bottom plate and the key cap, and the elastic element is disposed on the film circuit board.

In an embodiment of the invention, the bottom plate has a plurality of openings, and the openings are located in the assembly area.

In an embodiment of the invention, the bottom plate has a plurality of fixing portions disposed in the assembly region, and the supporting member is pivotally connected to the fixing portions.

In an embodiment according to the present invention, the surface of the protrusion has a light absorbing material.

Based on the above, the arrangement of the protruding part can well prevent the light emitted by the backlight module from leaking from the gap between the keycap and the bottom plate, and the use convenience of a user is improved.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention, and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification. The drawings illustrate embodiments of the invention and together with the description serve to explain the principles of the invention.

Fig. 1 is an assembly diagram of a key structure according to an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 is an exploded view of the key structure of fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a schematic view showing that the protrusion setting hole is a groove and the protrusion is set in the protrusion setting hole.

Fig. 4 is a schematic view of the protrusion setting hole being an open hole and the protrusion being set in the protrusion setting hole.

Fig. 5A to 5C are schematic views of different embodiments of the protrusion.

Fig. 6A to 6C are schematic diagrams of different embodiments of the backlight module.

FIG. 7 is a diagram of another embodiment of a key structure of the present invention.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of a key structure of the present invention.

Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of a key structure according to still another embodiment of the invention.

Description of the reference numerals

100. 200, 300, 400: key structure

110: base plate

112: body

112 a: first surface

112 b: second surface

112 c: opening holes

114. 214, 314, 414: projection part

116: the protruding part is provided with an opening

118: fixing part

120: backlight module

122: light source

124: light guide plate

126: through hole

130: thin film circuit board

140: key cap

150. 450: elastic piece

160. 460: support piece

216: light absorbing material

d: a predetermined distance

A: and (5) assembling the area.

Detailed Description

Reference will now be made in detail to exemplary embodiments of the invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts.

Fig. 1 is an assembly schematic view of a key structure according to an embodiment of the invention, and fig. 2 is an exploded schematic view of the key structure of fig. 1. Referring to fig. 1 and fig. 2, the key structure 100 of the present embodiment includes a bottom plate 110, a backlight module 120, a thin film circuit board 130, and a key cap 140. The key structure 100 of the present embodiment is, for example, a key structure of a keyboard module, and particularly, a keyboard module applied to an electronic device (e.g., a notebook computer).

The base plate 110 includes a body 112 and a plurality of protrusions 114, wherein the body 112 has a first surface 112a, a second surface 112b opposite to the first surface 112a, and a plurality of openings 112c penetrating the first surface 112a and the second surface 112 b. The protrusion 114 protrudes from the first surface 112a of the body 112 and extends toward the key cap 140, and the protrusion 114 is disposed at the periphery of the opening 112 c. In the present embodiment, the protrusion 114 is disposed around the opening 112 c. The backlight module 120 is disposed at the second surface 112b of the body 112. The thin film circuit board 130 and the key cap 140 are disposed at the first surface 112a of the body 112, and the thin film circuit board 130 is located between the key cap 140 and the bottom plate 110, wherein the protrusion 114 is located within a front projection range of the key cap 140. In other words, when the key cap 140 is mounted on the body 112 of the base plate 110, the key cap 140 covers the protrusions 114.

In view of the above, the present embodiment is described by taking the case that the bottom plate 110 has a plurality of protruding portions 114 (as shown in fig. 1), and in other embodiments, the bottom plate 110 may have only one protruding portion 114 (as shown in fig. 7). Next, the protrusion 114 of the present embodiment may be formed by processing, such as stamping, the body 112 of the bottom plate 110 to form a plurality of openings 112c penetrating the first surface 112a and the second surface 112 b. In this way, the protrusion 114 and the body 112 are formed by processing the same sheet, so that the protrusion 114 and the body 112 are made of the same material, and the protrusion 114 is disposed adjacent to the opening 112 c. It should be noted that, in the present embodiment, each protrusion 114 protrudes from the first surface 112a in a manner of a retaining wall, for example, to achieve a better light shielding effect, in other words, each protrusion 114 itself does not have any through hole.

In other embodiments, the protrusion 114 may be fixed to the body 112 by post-processing. For example, the plurality of protrusion setting holes 116 may be formed by machining at the edge surrounding the opening 112c, wherein the protrusion setting holes 116 are spaced apart from the corresponding openings 112c by a predetermined distance d. Then, the protrusion 114 is correspondingly disposed in the protrusion disposing hole 116. The protrusion-disposing holes 116 can be designed according to practical requirements, such as a groove recessed from the first surface 112a but not penetrating the second surface 112b, or an opening penetrating the first surface 112a and the second surface 112 b.

Fig. 3 is a schematic view showing that the protrusion setting hole is a groove and the protrusion is set in the protrusion setting hole. Referring to fig. 3, in the embodiment shown in fig. 3, the protrusion setting hole 116 is a groove recessed from the first surface 112a but not penetrating the second surface 112b, and the protrusion 114 is disposed in the protrusion setting hole 116.

Fig. 4 is a schematic view showing that the protrusion setting hole is an opening and the protrusion is set in the protrusion setting hole. Referring to fig. 4, in the embodiment shown in fig. 4, the protrusion setting hole 116 is an opening penetrating through the first surface 112a and the second surface 112b, and the protrusion 114 is disposed in the protrusion setting hole 116 and then protrudes from the first surface 112a, or the protrusion 114 may be formed in the protrusion setting hole 116 by injection molding or in-mold molding.

As can be seen from fig. 3 and 4, the shape and size of the protrusion setting hole 116 can be changed according to the requirement, and the way of assembling or forming the protrusion 114 on the body 112 can be determined by changing the shape and size of the protrusion setting hole 116. Next, in the embodiment shown in fig. 3 and 4, the protrusion 114 may be made of the same material as the body 112, for example, the protrusion 114 and the body 112 are both made of metal; alternatively, the protrusion 114 may be made of a material different from that of the body 112, for example, the body 112 is made of metal, and the protrusion 114 is made of plastic.

Although the protrusion setting port 116 is spaced apart from the opening 112c by the predetermined distance d, the setting position of the protrusion setting port 116 falls within the orthographic projection range of the key cap 140. In this way, the protrusion 114 disposed in the protrusion disposing opening 116 is still located in the orthographic projection range of the key cap 140 and covered by the key cap 140.

Fig. 5A to 5C are schematic views of different embodiments of the protrusion.

In addition, referring to fig. 5A to 5C, the extending manner of the protruding portion 114 towards the key cap 140 can also be different depending on the light emitting state of the backlight module 120 or the overall design of the key. For example, the protrusion 114 extends toward the key cap 140 in a direction substantially perpendicular to the first surface 112a (as shown in fig. 5A), or the protrusion 114 extends toward the key cap 140 in a direction forming an acute angle (as shown in fig. 5B) or an obtuse angle (as shown in fig. 5C) with the first surface 112a of the body 112. Of course, the extension of the protrusion 114 may be selected from any combination of the aforementioned extensions. In other words, the shape and the extending direction of the protrusion 114 can be changed as required, and the shape is not limited to the shape shown in the drawings of the embodiment.

Fig. 6A to 6C show different embodiments of the backlight module, as shown in fig. 6A, the backlight module 120 includes a light source 122 and a light guide plate 124, and the light source 122 is disposed at a side of the light guide plate 124, as shown in fig. 6B, the backlight module 120 includes a light source 122 and a light guide plate 124, and the light source 122 is disposed in a through hole 126 of the light guide plate 124, and as shown in fig. 6C, the backlight module 120 has a light source 122, and the light source 122 is disposed in a front projection range of the keycap 140. In other words, the backlight module 120 can be a side-type backlight module or a direct-type backlight module as required. In addition, the light source 122 of the backlight module 120 may be selected from one of a Light Emitting Diode (LED), a sub-millimeter light emitting diode (Mini LED), a Micro LED or an Organic Light Emitting Diode (OLED) or may be used in combination according to the requirement.

With continued reference to fig. 1 and fig. 2, the key structure 100 further includes an elastic member 150 and a supporting member 160. In the present embodiment, the elastic element 150 is disposed between the thin film circuit board 130 and the key cap 140, the supporting element 160 is pivotally connected to the plurality of fixing portions 118 of the base plate 110 and is disposed between the base plate 110 and the key cap 140, and the supporting element 160 surrounds the elastic element 150. More specifically, the area surrounded by the protrusion 114 defines an assembly area a, and the elastic member 150 and the supporting member 160 are located in the assembly area a.

When a user uses the key structure 100, the light emitted from the backlight module 120 passes through the opening 112c of the body 112 and the thin film circuit board 130 from the lower portion of the body 112 of the bottom plate 110 and then is emitted to the key cap 140, so that the user can clearly and easily recognize the characters printed on the key cap 140.

Particularly, since the key cap 140 covers the protrusion 114 from above, the gap between the key cap 140 and the bottom plate 110 is shielded by the protrusion 114, so that light leakage from the gap between the key cap 140 and the bottom plate 110 can be prevented, thereby preventing the light leakage from affecting the user's recognition of the characters printed on the key cap 140.

It should be noted that, in the present specification, the bottom plate 110, the backlight module 120 and the thin film circuit board 130 are shown in the figures as units cut into the key caps 140 for convenience of description, but those skilled in the art should understand that the bottom plate 110, the backlight module 120 and the thin film circuit board 130 are usually shown in a manner that these units are integrated into a sheet or plate capable of simultaneously corresponding to a plurality of key caps 140.

Referring to fig. 7, which is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the key structure of the present invention, compared to the key structure 100 shown in fig. 1, the difference between the key structure 200 and the key structure 100 is that the key structure 200 has only one protrusion 214. In the present embodiment, the protrusion 214 is disposed on the bottom plate 110 and extends toward the key cap 140 and is located within the orthographic projection range of the key cap 140, and the protrusion 214 defines the assembly area a. The fixing portions 118 and the openings 112c of the base plate 110, and the supporting member 160 are located in the assembly area a surrounded by the protruding portion 214.

Referring to fig. 8, which is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the key structure of the present invention, the assembly area a surrounded by the protruding portion 214 of the key structure 300 further has a plurality of protruding portions 314. In other words, the

protrusions

214, 314 surround the opening 112c of the base plate in an outer ring, inner ring arrangement. In addition, in the embodiment, the light absorption material 216 is further disposed on the surface of the protrusion 214 for illustration, and in other implementation aspects, the light absorption material may be coated on the surfaces of the plurality of protrusions, one protrusion at a specific position, or a plurality of protrusions at a specific position as required, so as to further enhance the light leakage prevention effect.

Next, referring to fig. 9, which is a schematic view of another embodiment of the key structure of the present invention, the key structure 400 is a long-time key, in this embodiment, the key structure 400 has a plurality of protrusions 414, and the protrusions 414 are divided into two groups to respectively define the assembly areas a, and a supporting member 460 is respectively disposed in each assembly area a. Next, the elastic member 450 is located between the two supporting members 460.

In summary, in the key structure of the invention, the gap between the key cap and the bottom plate can be shielded by the protrusion through the protrusion, so that light emitted from the backlight module can be well prevented from leaking from the gap between the key cap and the bottom plate. Therefore, for a user, the characters printed on the keycaps can be more clearly and conveniently identified, and the use convenience is improved.

Finally, it should be noted that: the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solution of the present invention, and not to limit the same; while the invention has been described in detail and with reference to the foregoing embodiments, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that: the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments may still be modified, or some or all of the technical features may be equivalently replaced; and the modifications or the substitutions do not make the essence of the corresponding technical solutions depart from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A key structure, comprising:

a keycap;

a base plate including a body having a plurality of apertures and a plurality of protrusions protruding from a first surface of the body, the plurality of protrusions arranged to correspond in shape to a ring of the keycap and collectively disposed around the plurality of apertures;

the backlight module is arranged on a second surface of the body, wherein the first surface and the second surface are two opposite surfaces;

the thin film circuit board is arranged on the first surface of the body and is positioned between the keycap and the bottom plate; and

a supporting piece arranged on the bottom plate, the bottom plate is also provided with a plurality of fixing parts, and the supporting piece is pivoted with the fixing parts,

wherein the protruding part is in the orthographic projection range of the keycap, and the protruding part does not have any through hole.

2. The key structure according to claim 1, wherein said body has a plurality of protrusion setting openings, and said protrusions are correspondingly provided in said protrusion setting openings.

3. The key structure of claim 1, wherein the material of the protrusion is the same as the material of the body.

4. The key structure of claim 1, wherein the material of the protrusion is different from the material of the body.

5. The key structure of claim 2, wherein the protrusion setting hole is spaced a predetermined distance from the corresponding opening hole.

6. The key structure of claim 1, wherein the backlight module comprises a light source and a light guide plate, wherein the light source is disposed at a side of the light guide plate or at the through holes of the light guide plate.

7. The key structure of claim 1, wherein the backlight module comprises a light source, wherein the light source is disposed in a front projection range of the key cap.

8. The key structure of claim 1, further comprising a resilient member disposed between the membrane circuit board and the key cap and within a range enclosed by the protrusion.

9. The key structure of claim 1, wherein the support is disposed between the base plate and the keycap and within an area enclosed by the protrusion.

10. A key structure, comprising:

a keycap;

the bottom plate is positioned below the keycap and is provided with a plurality of openings;

at least one protrusion disposed on the base plate and extending toward the keycap, the at least one protrusion defining an assembly area, the at least one protrusion itself not having any through-holes, the at least one protrusion having a shape corresponding to a ring shape of the keycap and disposed around the plurality of openings;

the supporting piece is arranged on the bottom plate and positioned in the assembling area, the bottom plate is also provided with a plurality of fixing parts, and the supporting piece is pivoted with the fixing parts; and

the backlight module is arranged under the bottom plate.

11. The key structure of claim 10, wherein the at least one protrusion is in a forward projection of the key cap.

12. The key structure of claim 10, further comprising a thin film circuit board and an elastic member, wherein the thin film circuit board is disposed between the bottom plate and the key cap, and the elastic member is disposed on the thin film circuit board.

13. The key structure of claim 10, wherein the opening is located in the assembly area.

14. The key structure of claim 10, wherein the fixing portion is disposed in the assembly area.

15. The key structure of claim 10, wherein a surface of at least one of the protrusions has a light absorbing material.