CN110571081B - Key structure - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention discloses a key structure, which comprises a bottom plate, a key cap, a scissor support frame, a linkage support, a movable piece and a magnetic piece. The scissors foot support frame is connected with the bottom plate and the keycap. The movable piece is arranged in a sliding mode relative to the bottom plate. The linkage support is rotatably arranged on the bottom plate and is provided with a magnetic suction part and a driving part. The magnetic suction piece is arranged on the moving piece and can generate magnetic suction force with the magnetic suction part. When the movable part is located the first position, magnetism is inhaled the piece and is located magnetism and inhale the portion below, and magnetism suction force is via the interlock support in order to order about the key cap and keep away from the bottom plate and remove. When the movable piece moves from the first position to the second position, the magnetic attraction piece is far away from the magnetic attraction part, so that the magnetic attraction force is reduced to enable the keycap to move towards the base plate. According to the key structure, the keycap can sink to be convenient to store even if the keycap is not pressed by external force. Moreover, the restoring force (i.e. magnetic attraction) of the keycap is not generated by the elastic structure, so that the problem that the elastic member may be permanently deformed to influence the elasticity in the prior art is solved.

Description

Key structure

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a magnetic button structure, and more particularly to a magnetic button structure with a key cap capable of being stored in a sunken position.

Background

The conventional notebook computer keyboard does not have a sinking and accommodating design, so that the keycaps are kept at the same height (the non-pressed position) no matter the computer screen is opened or closed, and the conventional keyboard has a fixed height. For the notebook computer, when the user does not need to use the notebook computer, the user can close the screen, and the screen may collide with the keys to be damaged because the traditional keys cannot sink and be stored. In addition, the keys that cannot be stored in a sink manner occupy more space, which limits the notebook computer to be thin. In addition, if the key structure adopts a design that an elastic member (such as a silicone protrusion) provides a restoring force for the key cap, when the key cap is forced to sink for storage, the elastic member may be in a compressed state for a long time, which may cause permanent deformation to affect elasticity, and is not favorable for the service life of the elastic member.

Disclosure of Invention

In view of the problems in the prior art, an object of the present invention is to provide a key structure, which can sink down the key cap for easy storage by pulling away the distance between two magnetic attraction members for generating the restoring force of the key cap.

In order to achieve the above object, the present application provides a key structure, which comprises a bottom plate, a key cap, a scissor-foot support frame, a linkage support, a movable member, and a magnetic member. The keycap is arranged on the bottom plate; the scissor support frame is connected between the bottom plate and the keycap, and the keycap can move along the vertical direction relative to the bottom plate through the scissor support frame; the linkage support is rotatably arranged on the bottom plate and is provided with a magnetic suction part and a driving part, and the driving part abuts against one of the scissor support frame and the keycap; the movable piece is movably arranged along the horizontal direction relative to the bottom plate; the magnetic part is arranged on the movable part, and a magnetic attraction force is generated between the magnetic part and the magnetic part; when the movable piece is located at the first position, the magnetic attraction piece is located below the magnetic attraction part, and the magnetic attraction force drives the keycap to be far away from the bottom plate through the linkage support; when the movable piece moves horizontally from the first position to the second position, the magnetic part is far away from the magnetic part, so that the magnetic attraction force is reduced to enable the keycap to move towards the bottom plate.

In an embodiment, when the movable member is located at the first position and the key cap is not pressed, the magnetic part is in line contact with the magnetic element or the magnetic part and the magnetic element are spaced apart from each other.

In one embodiment, the linkage bracket has a pivot portion, and the linkage bracket is rotatably disposed on the bottom plate via the pivot portion, the magnetic attraction portion and the driving portion are disposed on two sides of the pivot portion, and when the movable member is located at the second position, the magnetic attraction member is disposed below the pivot portion.

In an embodiment, the button structure further includes a switch disposed on the movable member, wherein the linking bracket has a triggering portion or the scissor-leg supporting frame has a triggering portion, when the movable member is located at the first position, the switch is located below the triggering portion, and when the movable member is located at the second position, the switch is away from a downward projection area of the triggering portion along the vertical direction.

In one embodiment, when the linkage bracket has the triggering portion, the linkage bracket has a pivot portion and is rotatably disposed on the bottom plate by the pivot portion, and the magnetic attraction portion and the triggering portion are disposed on two sides of the pivot portion.

In one embodiment, the scissor-foot support comprises a first support and a second support which are pivoted with each other, the keycap can vertically move relative to the base plate through the first support and the second support, the first support is connected with the keycap through a first upper end portion and is connected with the base plate through a first lower end portion, the second support is connected with the keycap through a second upper end portion and is connected with the base plate through a second lower end portion.

In an embodiment, the first bracket includes a sliding groove extending along an extending direction, the extending direction is from the first lower end to the first upper end, the movable element includes a sliding hook, and the sliding hook slides in the sliding groove and applies a force to the sliding groove to rotate the first bracket toward the bottom plate when the movable element moves from the first position to the second position, so as to reduce the height of the first upper end.

In an embodiment, the first bracket and the second bracket are pivotally connected to each other in a rotational axis direction, the driving portion abuts against the second upper end portion of the second bracket, and projections of the sliding groove and the driving portion in the vertical direction are located on the same side of the rotational axis direction.

In an embodiment, the sliding groove has a groove bottom surface, the groove bottom surface extends in a direction deviating from the extending direction toward the bottom plate, and the sliding hook slides on the groove bottom surface toward the first lower end in the process that the movable member moves from the first position to the second position.

In an embodiment, the first support and the second support are pivotally connected with respect to a rotational axis, the driving portion abuts against the keycap, and projections of the sliding groove and the driving portion in the vertical direction are located on two opposite sides of the rotational axis.

In an embodiment, the sliding groove has a groove bottom surface, the groove bottom surface extends in a direction deviating from the extending direction toward the keycap, and the sliding hook slides on the groove bottom surface toward the first upper end portion in a process that the movable member moves from the first position to the second position.

In one embodiment, the first support is an outer ring, the second support is an inner ring, the inner ring is pivotally connected to the inner side of the outer ring, and the linkage support is located on the inner side of the inner ring.

In one embodiment, the driving portion abuts against the first bracket.

In one embodiment, the second support is a n-shaped structure, the linking support passes through the opening of the n-shaped structure, and the n-shaped structure has two end portions as the second lower end portion.

In an embodiment, the first bracket and the second bracket are pivotally connected to each other along the rotational axis, the bottom plate includes a bottom plate connecting portion, the second lower end portion is rotatably connected to the bottom plate connecting portion, the bottom plate connecting portion has a first stopping surface, the second lower end portion has a first abutting surface, the first stopping surface faces the inner side of the second bracket, and the first stopping surface and the first abutting surface are disposed opposite to each other along the rotational axis.

In an embodiment, the bottom plate includes a restraining structure, the linking bracket is pivotally connected to the restraining structure, the restraining structure is located inside the second bracket, the restraining structure has a second stop surface, the second bracket has a second abutting surface, and the second stop surface and the second abutting surface are disposed opposite to each other along the rotation axis.

In one embodiment, the linkage bracket comprises a plastic part and a paramagnetic plate combined to the plastic part, the plastic part forms the driving part, and the paramagnetic plate forms the magnetic part.

In one embodiment, the linking bracket includes a paramagnetic plate and a rod, the rod is disposed on the paramagnetic plate, and the linking bracket is rotatably disposed on the bottom plate via the rod.

In one embodiment, the paramagnetic plate has a groove, and the rod part is accommodated in the groove.

In one embodiment, the magnetic attraction is reduced during horizontal movement of the movable member from the first position to the second position.

In an embodiment, the button structure further includes a switch disposed on the movable member, wherein the movable member is disposed under the bottom plate.

Compared with the prior art, according to the key structure provided by the invention, the keycap can sink to be convenient to store even if the keycap is not pressed by external force. Moreover, the restoring force (i.e. magnetic attraction) of the keycap is not generated by the elastic structure, so that the problem that the elastic member may be permanently deformed to influence the elasticity in the prior art is solved.

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

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a key structure according to an embodiment.

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

Fig. 3 is an exploded view of another portion of the key structure of fig. 1.

Fig. 4 is an exploded view of the key structure of fig. 1.

Fig. 5 is a schematic view of fig. 4 from another viewing angle.

Fig. 6 is an exploded view of the interlocking bracket of fig. 3.

Fig. 7 is a schematic view of fig. 6 from another viewing angle.

Fig. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the key structure of fig. 1 taken along line X-X.

FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the key structure of FIG. 1 taken along line Y-Y, the cut plane passing through the constraining structure of the base.

FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the key structure of FIG. 8 when the key cap is pressed.

Fig. 11 is a sectional view of the key structure of fig. 8 in a storage state.

FIG. 12 is a cross-sectional view of the key structure of FIG. 8 according to another embodiment.

FIG. 13 is a side view of the key structure of FIG. 1 in a stowed state, where the keycap is shown in phantom outline.

FIG. 14 is an exploded view of a portion of a key structure according to another embodiment.

Fig. 15 is an exploded view of the key structure of fig. 14.

Fig. 16 is a schematic view of fig. 15 from another viewing angle.

Fig. 17 is a cross-sectional view of the key structure of fig. 14.

FIG. 18 is a side view of the key structure of FIG. 14 in a stowed condition, with the keycap outlined in phantom.

FIG. 19 is a partially exploded view of a key structure according to another embodiment.

Fig. 20 is an exploded view of the key structure of fig. 19.

Fig. 21 is a schematic view of fig. 20 from another perspective.

Fig. 22 is a cross-sectional view of the key structure of fig. 19.

Fig. 23 is a sectional view of the key structure of fig. 22 in a storage state.

FIG. 24 is a partial top view of the key structure of FIG. 19 with the keycap removed.

FIG. 25 is a schematic view of an interlock bracket according to an embodiment.

Fig. 26 is an exploded view of the interlocking bracket of fig. 25.

FIG. 27 is a cross-sectional view of a key structure according to one embodiment.

Fig. 28 is a sectional view of the key structure of fig. 27 in a stored state.

Detailed Description

Please refer to fig. 1 to 10. The key structure 1 according to an embodiment includes a bottom plate 10, a key cap 12, a scissor-foot support 14, a movable member 16, a linking bracket 18, a magnetic member 20, and a switch circuit board 22. The keycaps 12 are disposed over the base plate 10. The scissors foot support 14 is disposed between the base plate 10 and the keycap 12 such that the keycap 12 is movable by the scissors foot support 14 in a substantially vertical direction D1 (indicated in fig. 1, 8-10 with double arrows) relative to the base plate 10. The movable member 16 is movably disposed relative to the base plate 10 in a substantially horizontal direction D2 (indicated by double arrows in fig. 1, 8-10). The linking bracket 18 has a pivot part 182, a magnetic part 184 and a driving part 186, the pivot part 182 penetrates the linking bracket 18 and extends to two opposite side surfaces of the linking bracket 18, and the magnetic part 184 and the driving part 186 are located at two sides of the pivot part 182. The linking bracket 18 is rotatably disposed on the bottom plate 10 by a pivot portion 182, and the driving portion 186 abuts against the scissors foot supporting frame 14. The magnetic element 20 is disposed on the movable element 16 and located below the magnetic portion 184, and a magnetic attraction force F (shown by a double arrow in fig. 8 and 10) is generated between the magnetic portion 184 and the magnetic element 20. The movable member 16 is operable to move horizontally relative to the base plate 10 to change the horizontal position of the magnetically attractive element 20 relative to the base plate 10; in fig. 1, 2, 8 and 10, the movable member 16 is located at the first position, and the key structure 1 is in a state that can be pressed by a user. The magnetic attraction force F causes the magnetic attraction part 184 to descend, so that the linking bracket 18 rotates around the pivot part 182 to drive the driving part 186 to ascend, and further the key cap 12 ascends to be away from the bottom plate 10. The switch circuit board 22 has a switch 222 (shown in fig. 4 as a hatched circle; shown in fig. 8 and 10 as a single rectangular block), and the switch circuit board 22 is disposed on the movable member 16 and is movable together with the movable member 16. When the keycap 12 is pressed to move downwards, the switch 222 is triggered; when the keycap 12 is no longer depressed, the magnetic attraction force F provides a keycap 12 return force to move the keycap 12 upward to the original higher position.

In the present embodiment, the scissors foot supporting frame 14 includes a first bracket 142 and a second bracket 144, the first bracket 142 and the second bracket 144 are pivoted with respect to the rotating shaft 14a (shown in fig. 2 and 3 by dashed lines); the rotation axis 14a is perpendicular to the vertical direction D1 and the horizontal direction D2. The first support 142 is connected to the first key cap connecting portion 122 of the key cap 12 (implemented by two sliding groove structures, which protrude downward from the bottom surface 120a of the cap body 120 of the key cap 12) at a first upper end 1422, and the first support 142 is connected to the first base plate connecting portion 102 of the base plate 10 (implemented by two L-shaped hook structures) at a first lower end 1424. The second support 144 is connected with a second upper end 1442 to the second key cap connecting part 124 of the key cap 12 (implemented with two water drop hole structures, which protrude downward from the bottom surface 120a of the cap body 120) and the second support 144 is connected with a second lower end 1444 to the second base plate connecting part 104 of the base plate 10 (implemented with two L-shaped hook structures). Thereby, the keycap 12 can move vertically relative to the base plate 10 through the first and second supports 142 and 144.

The interlocking bracket 18 includes a plastic part 18a and a paramagnetic plate 18b, and the paramagnetic plate 18b is inserted into the plastic part 18a. In practice, the paramagnetic plate 18b can also be coupled to the plastic part 18a by insert-injection, which can reduce the structural openings and increase the structural strength of the plastic part 18a. The plastic piece 18a forms the driving portion 186 and the pivoting portion 182, and the paramagnetic plate piece 18b forms the magnetic portion 184. The pivoting portion 182 is pivotally connected to the two restraining structures 106 of the base plate 10 by two end portions 182a thereof; the restraining structures 106 include L-shaped hooks 1062 and limiting posts 1064, and the end 182a of each restraining structure 106 is disposed between the L-shaped hooks 1062 and the limiting posts 1064 in a limited and rotatable manner, as shown in fig. 9. The driving portion 186 abuts upward against a portion of the second bracket 144 adjacent to the second upper end 1442. In addition, the plastic part 18a also forms a trigger portion 188, the trigger portion 188 faces the base plate 10; as shown in fig. 10, the magnetic attraction portion 184 and the trigger portion 188 are located on both sides of the pivot portion 182, and the switch 222 is located below (the trigger portion 188 of) the linking bracket 18, so that when the key cap 12 is pressed, the trigger portion 188 triggers the switch 222.

The movable member 16 includes a movable plate 162 and a restraining structure 164 (implemented by two opposite structures extending and bending upward) disposed on the movable plate 162, wherein the movable plate 162 is movably disposed under the bottom plate 10. The magnetic element 20 is a magnet, and the magnetic element 20 is fixed to the movable element 16 by the restraining structure 164. The switch circuit board 22 is disposed on the movable plate 162, and the switch circuit board 22 is located below the bottom plate 10, and the bottom plate 10 has an opening structure corresponding to the switch 222 to expose the switch 222; thereby, (the trigger portion 188 of) the linking bracket 18 located above the base plate 10 can be rotated relative to the base plate 10 to trigger the switch 222. In practice, the switch circuit board 22 can be implemented by, but not limited to, a conventional three-layer structure thin film circuit board (the upper and lower layers carry the switch circuit, and the middle layer insulates the circuits of the upper and lower layers); to simplify the drawing, the switch circuit board 22 is still shown as a single solid structure. For example, the switch circuit board 22 may also be implemented as a printed circuit board or a flexible board, on which a touch switch (as the mechanical switch 222) or a set of light source and light sensor (as the optical switch 222) is soldered.

In addition, in practical applications, for example, but not limited to, the bottom plate 10 may be implemented by a metal stamping, wherein the first bottom plate connecting portion 102, the second bottom plate connecting portion 104 and the L-shaped hook 1062 are formed by bending the L-shaped plate portion upwards, and the spacing column 1064 is formed by bending the plate portion upwards. The key cap 12, the first support 142 and the second support 144 can be formed by injection molding of plastic. The moveable member 16 may be implemented as a metal stamping, wherein the restraining structure 164 may be formed by bending a sheet of material extending upwardly. In addition, in practical operation, the linking bracket 18 may also be implemented as a paramagnetic metal stamping. Alternatively, when the magnetic part 184 is implemented by a magnet, the magnetic member 20 can be implemented by a paramagnetic material.

Please refer to fig. 8 and 11. When the movable element 16 moves substantially horizontally (or slides rightward) from the first position (as shown in fig. 8) to the second position (as shown in fig. 11), the magnetic member 20 also moves horizontally to be away from the magnetic portion 184 (or away from the position below the magnetic portion 184), so that the magnetic force F decreases to move the key cap 12 toward the bottom plate 10 for easy storage. As shown in fig. 11, the key structure 1 is in the storage state. In addition, the switch circuit board 22 moves along with the movable element 16, so that when the movable element 16 is located at the second position, the switch 222 is far away from the downward projection area of the trigger portion 188 along the vertical direction D1, and therefore when the key structure 1 is in the storage state, the trigger portion 188 does not press the switch 222, which can avoid continuously applying force to the switch 222 for a long time, and can effectively prolong the service life of the switch 222. In practical applications, the magnetic attraction force F is designed to be insufficient to support the weight of the scissor-leg support 14 and the key cap 12 when the movable member 16 is located at the second position, so that the key structure 1 is in a sunken, folded state; or, at this time, the magnetic attraction force F is insufficient to maintain the linkage support 18 in the posture shown in fig. 8, so that the scissor support 14 and the key cap 12 cannot be supported and maintained at the high position (or the key cap 12 cannot be moved upward), and the key structure 1 is in the state of sinking, accommodating and folding. In the present embodiment, when the movable member 16 is located at the second position, the magnetic attraction member 20 is located below the pivot portion 182, as shown in fig. 11. At this time, it is substantially difficult for the magnetic attraction force F to provide a sufficient moment of the interlocking bracket 18 to maintain the posture as shown in fig. 8.

When the key structure 1 in the storage state (as shown in fig. 11) is to be switched to the state that can be pressed by the user, the movable member 16 can be operated to move in a reverse direction (or slide leftward; that is, move substantially horizontally from the second position to the first position) so as to return the magnetic member 20 to the position below the magnetic portion 184, so that the magnetic attraction force F is increased and drives the linking bracket 18 to rotate to unfold the scissors foot supporting frame 14, raise the key cap 12, and further, the key structure 1 is in the state that can be pressed by the user (as shown in fig. 8).

In addition, in the embodiment, when the movable element 16 is located at the first position and the key cap 12 is not pressed (as shown in fig. 8), the magnetic portion 184 is in line contact with the magnetic member 20, which facilitates the movement of the magnetic member 20 relative to the magnetic portion 184, i.e., facilitates the horizontal movement of the movable element 16. In practical operation, the magnetic part 184 and the magnetic part 20 may be separated from each other (i.e. when the key structure 1 is in a state of being pressed by a user, the magnetic part 184 does not contact the magnetic part 20), as shown in fig. 12; the movable member 16 includes a stop structure 168 for stopping the magnetic attraction portion 184 from contacting the magnetic attraction member 20. This arrangement further facilitates horizontal movement of the moveable member 16 (along with the magnetically attractive member 20).

Please refer to fig. 1 to 4, 8 and 13. In this embodiment, the key structure 1 further includes other interaction structures to facilitate the key structure 1 to be in the storage state. The first bracket 142 includes two sliding slots 1426, the two sliding slots 1426 extend along an extending direction 142a (an arrow is shown in fig. 2 to 4), and the extending direction 142a is directed from the first lower end 1424 to the first upper end 1422. The movable plate 18 includes two sliding hooks 166, and the two sliding hooks 166 correspond to the two sliding slots 1426. During the process of moving the movable element 16 from the first position (as shown in fig. 2 or fig. 8) to the second position (as shown in fig. 13), each sliding hook 166 slides in the corresponding sliding slot 1426 and applies a force to the corresponding sliding slot 1426 to rotate the first support 142 toward the bottom plate 10, thereby decreasing the height of the first upper end 1422. In addition, in the process, the decrease of the magnetic attraction force F also helps the first bracket 142 to rotate toward the bottom plate 10, so that the resistance of each sliding hook 166 sliding in the corresponding sliding slot 1426 can be reduced. Therefore, the falling of the magnetic attraction force F and the sliding of the sliding hook 166 in the corresponding sliding slot 1426 both contribute to the storage state of the key structure 1.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the sliding groove 1426 includes an opening 1426a and a slot 1426b. During the sliding of the movable member 16 from the first position to the second position, the sliding hook 166 slides into the slot 1426 from the opening 1426 a. The channel 1426b has a channel bottom 1426c, and the channel bottom 1426c extends in a direction deviating from the extending direction 142a toward the base plate 10. During the sliding of the movable member 16 from the first position to the second position, the sliding hook 166 slides on the slot bottom 1426c toward the first lower end 1424. In addition, the projection of the sliding slot 1426 and the driving portion 186 in the vertical direction D1 are located on the same side of the rotating shaft 14a, which can be seen from fig. 2 and is not described herein. In addition, in the embodiment, the number of the sliding slots 1426 (and the corresponding sliding hooks 166) is two, but in actual operation, only one sliding slot may be provided, which still can exert the effect of the above-mentioned laminated bracket, and will not be described herein.

Referring to fig. 14-18, the cross-sectional position of fig. 17 corresponds to the line X-X in fig. 1. The key structure 3 according to another embodiment is similar to the key structure 1, so the key structure 3 follows the reference numerals of the key structure 1. For other descriptions of the key structure 3, please refer to the key structure 1 and related descriptions of its variations, which are not repeated herein. The difference from the key structure 1 is that (the driving portion 186 of) the linking bracket 18 of the key structure 3 directly abuts against the bottom surface 120a of the cap 120. In addition, in the key structure 3, the projections of the sliding grooves 1426 and the driving portion 186 in the vertical direction D1 are located on opposite sides of the rotation axis 14a, and the groove bottom surfaces 1426c extend in a direction deviating from the extending direction 142a toward the key cap 12. During substantially horizontal movement of the moveable member 16 from the first position (shown in fig. 14) to the second position (shown in fig. 18), the sliding hook 166 slides on the slot bottom 1426c toward the first upper end 1422.

In addition, in the key structure 1, 3, the first support 142 is an outer ring, the second support 144 is an inner ring, the inner ring is pivoted to the inner side of the outer ring, the linking support 18 is located at the inner side of the inner ring, and the chute 1426 is disposed on the first support 142; however, the method is not limited to this. For example, in the key structure 3, the second support 144 is changed to be n-shaped, the linking support 18 can be extended outward to abut against the first support 142, and the linking support 18 will not interfere with the second support 144 when the keycap 12 is pressed. For another example, in the key structure 1, the sliding groove 1426 and the corresponding sliding hook 166 of the first bracket 142 are removed, and the sliding groove 1426 and the corresponding sliding hook 166 of the key structure 3 are implemented on the second bracket 144; at this time, the projections of the sliding groove 1426 and the driving portion 186 in the vertical direction D1 are located at two opposite sides of the rotation axis 14a, and the inner side of the first bracket 142 may need to be modified to avoid structural interference, which is not described herein. Similarly, in the key structure 3, the sliding groove 1426 and the corresponding sliding hook 166 of the first bracket 142 are removed, and the sliding groove 1426 and the corresponding sliding hook 166 of the key structure 1 are implemented on the second bracket 144.

Referring to fig. 19-23, the cross-sectional position of fig. 22 corresponds to the line X-X in fig. 1. The key structure 4 according to another embodiment is an appropriate one using a n-shaped support. The key structure 4 is structurally similar to the key structure 1 in terms of logic, so that the key structure 4 follows the reference numerals of the key structure 1 in principle. For other descriptions of the key structure 4, please refer to the key structure 1 and related descriptions of its variations, which are not repeated herein. In the key structure 4, the second support 444 of the scissor-foot support 44 is of an inverted-U-shaped structure and pivotally connected to the inner side of the first support 442, the second support 444 uses the bottom of the inverted-U-shaped structure as a second upper end 4442 (connected to the keycap 12) and uses two end portions 444a of the inverted-U-shaped structure as second lower ends 4444 (connected to the bottom plate 10). The linking bracket 48 passes through the opening 444b of the n-shaped structure (or the projection of the linking bracket 48 along the vertical direction D1 passes through the opening 444b or between the two end portions 444 a) and abuts against the first bracket 442 with the driving portion 186 thereof. Therefore, the linking bracket 48 will not interfere with the second bracket 444 in the process of pressing the key cap 12. After the movable element 16 moves horizontally from the first position (as shown in fig. 22) to the second position (as shown in fig. 23), the key structure 4 is in the storage state, as shown in fig. 23. The second support 444 is n-shaped to help reduce the area required for the scissors foot support 14 (i.e., the projected area of the scissors foot support 14 in the vertical direction D1).

Please also refer to FIG. 24. In this embodiment, the second board connecting portion 104 is implemented by two L-shaped hook structures, each of the end portions 444a has a groove 444c and a cross bar 444d, the cross bar 444d is connected to two opposite sidewalls of the groove 444c, the L-shaped hook structures are disposed in the groove 444c, and the cross bar 444d is slidably and rotatably connected to the L-shaped hook structures. The second base plate connecting portion 104 has a first stopping surface 104a, each of the end portions 444a (or the second lower end portions 4444) has a first abutting surface 444e, the first stopping surface 102a faces the inner side of the second bracket 444, and the first stopping surface 102a and the first abutting surface 444e are disposed opposite to each other along the rotating axial direction 14 a. In the perspective of fig. 24, the first stopping surface 102a can stop the first abutting surface 444e to prevent the second bracket 444 from moving to the right. The restraining structure 106 (pivotally connected to the pivot portion 182 of the linking bracket 48) of the bottom plate 10 is located inside the second bracket 444 and has a second stopping surface 106a (e.g., a side surface of the L-shaped hook 1062 facing the second bracket 444), the second bracket 444 has a second abutting surface 444f, and the second stopping surface 106a and the second abutting surface 444f are disposed opposite to each other along the rotation axis 14 a. The second stopping surface 106a stops the second abutting surface 444f to prevent the second bracket 444 from moving to the left in the perspective of fig. 24. Therefore, the first and second stopping surfaces 102a and 106a respectively abut against the first and second abutting surfaces 444e and 444f, respectively, so as to facilitate the positioning of the second bracket 444 along the rotation axis 14a and also facilitate the connection stability of the second bracket 444 and the base plate 10.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the first bracket 442 and the second bracket 444 are disposed in an overlapping manner in the vertical direction D1 (i.e. the projections of the two brackets in the vertical direction D1 overlap). The overlapped portions of the first and second brackets 442 and 444 are designed to be mutually retracted, so that the first and second brackets 442 and 444 can be completely folded. As shown in fig. 23, an avoidance space is formed above the first lower end portion 1424 of the first bracket 442, and an avoidance space is also formed below the second upper end portion 4442 of the second bracket 444, so that after the first bracket 442 and the second bracket 444 are folded, the first lower end portion 1424 enters the avoidance space below the second upper end portion 4442, and the second upper end portion 4442 enters the avoidance space above the first lower end portion 1424, so that the first bracket 442 and the second bracket 444 are both horizontally disposed. The design of the structure is helpful to reduce the height of the scissor-foot support frames 14 and also helps to reduce the area required by the arrangement of the scissor-foot support frames 14 (namely the projection area of the scissor-foot support frames 14 in the vertical direction D1); in other words, the structural design of the key structure 4 is suitable for miniaturization of the key structure.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the plastic part 18a of the linking bracket 48 and the paramagnetic plate 18b are combined by insert-injection; however, this is not a limitation in practical operation. For example, as shown in fig. 25 and 26, the linking bracket 58 according to an embodiment includes a paramagnetic plate 58a and a rod 58b, and the rod 58b is disposed on the paramagnetic plate 58a, for example, the rod 58b is fixed on the paramagnetic plate 58a by welding, soldering, gluing, or the like, or the rod 58b is disposed on the paramagnetic plate 58a by a structure retaining manner. The lever 58b serves as a pivot portion 582 of the interlocking bracket 58, and the paramagnetic plate 58a serves as both a magnetic attraction portion 584 and a driving portion 586 of the interlocking bracket 58. The linking bracket 58 can be arranged in the key structure 1, 3, 4 instead of the linking brackets 18, 48; the linkage bracket 58 is rotatably disposed on the base plate 10 via the rod 58b, the driving portion 586 abuts against one of the scissor supports 14 and 48 and the key cap 12, and a magnetic attraction force is generated between the magnetic attraction portion 584 and the magnetic attraction member 20. In actual operation, the structure of the components cooperating with the linking bracket 58 may need to be modified according to needs, and will not be described herein. In addition, in the present embodiment, the paramagnetic plate 58a has a groove 58c, and the rod 58b is partially received in the groove 58 c. In addition, in practical operation, the paramagnetic plate 58a may also have a trigger 588 formed at one end thereof, and the switch 222 is correspondingly disposed, so that the trigger 588 can trigger the switch 222 when the key cap 12 is pressed. In addition, in practical operation, the paramagnetic plate 58a may be changed to have another portion to form the triggering portion 588', and the switch 222 is correspondingly disposed, so that the triggering portion 588' can trigger the switch 222.

In the key structures 1, 3, and 4, the triggering portion 188 is disposed on the interlocking supports 18 and 48, but the present invention is not limited thereto in actual operation. For example, as shown in fig. 27 and fig. 28 (which shows a modification based on the structure of the key structure 1), the trigger section 188 is disposed on the first bracket 142, and the switch 222 is disposed at a position changed accordingly. In FIG. 27, the moveable member 16 is in the first position and the switch 222 is positioned below the trigger portion 188. The key structure is in a state that can be pressed by a user. In fig. 28, the moveable member 16 is in the second position, and the switch 222 is away from the area of the trigger 188 projected downward along the vertical direction D1. The key structure is in the storage state at this time. Similarly, in actual operation, the triggering portion 188 may be disposed on the second bracket 144 instead, and the switch 222 is disposed correspondingly, which is not described herein. The above description is also applicable to the key structures 3 and 4, and is not repeated herein.

In addition, in the key structures 1, 3, and 4, the movable members 16 and 36 are both slidably disposed below the bottom plate 10, but the present invention is not limited thereto in actual operation. For example, the movable members 16 and 36 are disposed above the base plate 10, and form an opening structure corresponding to the structure of the base plate 10 (e.g., the base plate connecting portions 102 and 104, the restraining structure 106, etc.) to avoid structural interference.

In the key structures 1, 3, and 4, the key caps 12 can be easily accommodated by sinking even without receiving a pressing external force. Moreover, the restoring force (i.e. magnetic attraction) of the key cap 12 is not generated by an elastic structure, so that the problem of influence on elasticity due to permanent deformation of a solid elastic member in the prior art can be avoided.

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 (20)

1. A key structure, comprising:

a base plate;

the keycap is arranged on the bottom plate;

the scissor support frame is connected between the bottom plate and the keycap, and the keycap can move along the vertical direction relative to the bottom plate through the scissor support frame;

the linkage support is rotatably arranged on the bottom plate and is provided with a magnetic suction part and a driving part, and the driving part abuts against one of the scissor support frame and the keycap;

a movable member movably disposed in a horizontal direction with respect to the base plate; and

the magnetic part is arranged on the movable piece, and a magnetic attraction force is generated between the magnetic part and the magnetic part;

when the movable piece is located at the first position, the magnetic attraction piece is located below the magnetic attraction part, and the magnetic attraction force drives the keycap to be far away from the bottom plate through the linkage support; and

when the movable member moves horizontally from the first position to the second position, the magnetic attraction member is away from the magnetic attraction portion, so that the magnetic attraction force is reduced to move the keycap toward the base plate,

the key structure further comprises a switch, the switch is arranged on the moving part, the linkage support is provided with a triggering portion or the scissor-leg supporting frame is provided with a triggering portion, when the moving part is located at the first position, the switch is located below the triggering portion, and when the moving part is located at the second position, the switch is far away from the triggering portion along the downward projection area of the vertical direction.

2. The key structure according to claim 1, wherein: when the movable member is located at the first position and the keycap is not pressed, the magnetic part is in line contact with the magnetic part or the magnetic part and the magnetic part are arranged separately.

3. The key structure according to claim 1, wherein: the linkage support is provided with a pivot part and is rotatably arranged on the bottom plate through the pivot part, the magnetic attraction part and the driving part are positioned on two sides of the pivot part, and when the movable piece is positioned at the second position, the magnetic attraction part is positioned below the pivot part.

4. The key structure according to claim 1, wherein: when the linkage support is provided with the triggering part, the linkage support is provided with a pivoting part and can be rotatably arranged on the bottom plate through the pivoting part, and the magnetic part and the triggering part are positioned on two sides of the pivoting part.

5. The key structure according to claim 1, wherein: the scissor-leg supporting frame comprises a first support and a second support which are mutually pivoted, the keycap can vertically move relative to the base plate through the first support and the second support, the first support is connected with the keycap through a first upper end part, the first support is connected with the base plate through a first lower end part, the second support is connected with the keycap through a second upper end part, and the second support is connected with the base plate through a second lower end part.

6. The key structure according to claim 5, wherein: the first support comprises a sliding groove, the sliding groove extends along an extending direction, the extending direction is formed by the first lower end portion and points to the first upper end portion, the moving part comprises a sliding hook, and in the process that the moving part moves from the first position to the second position, the sliding hook slides in the sliding groove and applies force to the sliding groove to enable the first support to rotate towards the bottom plate, so that the height of the first upper end portion is reduced.

7. The key structure according to claim 6, wherein: the first support and the second support are pivoted relative to the rotating axial direction, the driving part abuts against the second upper end part of the second support, and the projection of the sliding chute and the driving part in the vertical direction is positioned on the same side of the rotating axial direction.

8. The key structure according to claim 6, wherein: the sliding groove is provided with a groove bottom surface, the groove bottom surface extends along the direction deviating from the extending direction of the bottom plate, and the sliding hook slides on the groove bottom surface towards the first lower end part in the process that the moving piece moves from the first position to the second position.

9. The key structure according to claim 6, wherein: the first support and the second support are pivoted relative to the rotating axial direction, the driving part is abutted against the keycap, and the projections of the sliding chute and the driving part in the vertical direction are positioned on two opposite sides of the rotating axial direction.

10. The key structure according to claim 9, wherein: the sliding groove is provided with a groove bottom surface, the groove bottom surface extends along the direction deviating from the extending direction of the keycap, and the sliding hook slides on the groove bottom surface towards the first upper end in the process that the moving piece moves from the first position to the second position.

11. The key structure according to claim 5, wherein: the first support is an outer ring, the second support is an inner ring, the inner ring is pivoted on the inner side of the outer ring, and the linkage support is positioned on the inner side of the inner ring.

12. The key structure according to claim 11, wherein: the driving part is abutted against the first bracket.

13. The key structure according to claim 12, wherein: the second support is in a structure of n-shape, the linking support passes through the opening of the structure of n-shape, the structure of n-shape has two end parts as the second lower end part.

14. The key structure according to claim 13, wherein: the first bracket and the second bracket are pivoted relative to the rotating axial direction, the bottom plate comprises a bottom plate connecting part, the second lower end part is rotatably connected with the bottom plate connecting part, the bottom plate connecting part is provided with a first stopping surface, the second lower end part is provided with a first abutting surface, the first stopping surface faces the inner side of the second bracket, and the first stopping surface and the first abutting surface are oppositely arranged along the rotating axial direction.

15. The key structure according to claim 14, wherein: the bottom plate comprises a restraint structure, the linkage support is pivoted to the restraint structure, the restraint structure is located on the inner side of the second support and provided with a second stop surface, the second support is provided with a second abutting surface, and the second stop surface and the second abutting surface are oppositely arranged along the rotating axial direction.

16. The key structure according to claim 1, wherein: the linkage support comprises a plastic piece and a paramagnetic plate piece combined to the plastic piece, the plastic piece forms the driving portion, and the paramagnetic plate piece forms the magnetic attraction portion.

17. The key structure according to claim 1, wherein: the linkage support comprises a paramagnetic plate and a rod piece, the rod piece is arranged on the paramagnetic plate, and the linkage support is rotatably arranged on the bottom plate through the rod piece.

18. The key structure of claim 17, wherein: the paramagnetic plate is provided with a groove, and the rod part is accommodated in the groove.

19. The key structure according to claim 1, wherein: and in the process that the movable piece horizontally moves from the first position to the second position, the magnetic attraction force is reduced.

20. The key structure according to claim 1, wherein: the movable piece is arranged below the bottom plate.

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