CN111768995A

CN111768995A - Key mechanism

Info

Publication number: CN111768995A
Application number: CN201910699969.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 王聪法; 张彥闵
Original assignee: Pixart Imaging Inc
Current assignee: Pixart Imaging Inc
Priority date: 2019-04-01
Filing date: 2019-07-31
Publication date: 2020-10-13

Abstract

The invention discloses a key mechanism capable of identifying whether a keycap is replaced. The keycap is arranged on the substrate and provided with a reflecting component. The elastic component is arranged between the substrate and the keycap. The optical detection module is arranged on the substrate and used for receiving the optical signal reflected by the reflection assembly. The processor is disposed on the substrate and electrically connected to the optical detection module. The processor is used for analyzing the light signal to obtain the movement information and the type information of the keycap. The user can replace the reflection component or the keycap with the reflection component to adjust the operation mode of the key mechanism and change the use hand feeling of the key mechanism. Therefore, the key mechanism can effectively identify the reflection coefficient, the reflection component and the keycap thereof so as to determine how to switch and trigger the operation mode of the key mechanism.

Description

Key mechanism

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a key mechanism, and more particularly, to a key mechanism capable of identifying whether a key cap is replaced.

Background

Referring to fig. 6, fig. 6 shows a mechanical key 60 of the prior art. The key cap 62 of the conventional mechanical key 60 is moved relative to the base plate 64 by the elevating unit 66. When the key cap 62 is pressed and moved downward relative to the support 64, the elastic element 68 is elastically deformed to contact the switch 70 on the substrate 64 to form a conductive path and output an actuation signal. The actuation signal is analyzed to retrieve control commands related to the depressed mechanical keys 60. However, when the key cap 62 is pressed downward, the conventional mechanical key 60 uses the cylinder contact switch 70 inside the key cap 62, and the user can only feel a pressing feeling during the operation of the conventional mechanical key, so how to design a key mechanism with multi-stage control functions is one of the important development targets of the related mechanism design industry.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention relates to a key mechanism capable of identifying whether a keycap is replaced or not.

The invention further discloses a key mechanism capable of identifying whether the keycap is replaced, and the key mechanism comprises a substrate, the keycap, an elastic component, an optical detection module and a processor. The keycap is arranged on the substrate and provided with a reflecting component. The elastic component is arranged between the substrate and the keycap. The optical detection module is arranged on the substrate and used for receiving the optical signal reflected by the reflection assembly. The processor is disposed on the substrate and electrically connected to the optical detection module. The processor is used for analyzing the light signal to obtain the movement information and the type information of the keycap. The key mechanism further comprises a supporting component, one end of the supporting component is connected with the keycap, and the other end of the supporting component is connected with the substrate. The key mechanism further comprises a thin film circuit board with light transmission characteristics, and the thin film circuit board is arranged on the optical detection module.

The invention further discloses that the optical detection module comprises an optical signal transmitter and an optical signal receiver, wherein the optical signal transmitter outputs the optical signal, and the optical signal receiver is used for receiving the optical signal reflected from the reflection component. The processor analyzes one or both of the intensity information of the light signal and the position information of the light signal projected to the optical detection module to obtain the type information of the keycap. The optical detection module provides a linear optical detection function, and the processor analyzes the intensity information change of the optical signal to judge the movement information of the keycap.

The key mechanism can utilize the optical detection module to detect whether the keycap is pressed, the pressing depth of the pressed key and whether the keycap or the reflecting component thereof is replaced. The optical detection module may analyze intensity information of the optical signal reflected from the reflective component on the keycap. If the intensity information is in the low gray scale range, the reflective element can be identified as having a low reflectance; if the intensity information is in the high gray scale region, the reflective element can be identified as having a high reflectance. The user can replace the reflection component (or the keycap with the reflection component) to adjust the operation mode of the key mechanism and change the use hand feeling of the key mechanism; thus, the processor can effectively identify the reflection coefficient (and its reflective element and keycap) to determine how to switch and initiate the operating mode of the key mechanism.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a key mechanism according to an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 and fig. 3 are schematic views of a key mechanism in other operation modes according to an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a key mechanism according to another embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 5 is a schematic view of a key mechanism according to another embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 6 is a prior art mechanical key.

The reference numbers illustrate:

Detailed Description

Referring to fig. 1, fig. 1 is a schematic view of a key mechanism 10 according to an embodiment of the invention. The key mechanism 10 may include a substrate 12, a key cap 14, a resilient member 16, a support member 18, an optical detection module 20, a thin film circuit board 22, and a processor 24. The key cap 14 may have a reflective element 26 disposed on a base 141 of the key cap 14. The base 141 may be an inner surface of the keycap 14. The reflection element 26 can be disposed on the base 141 by coating or pasting. The resilient member 16 may be disposed between the substrate 12 and the keycap 14. When the external force applied to the key cap 14 is removed, the elastic restoring force of the elastic assembly 16 may be used to move the key cap 14 back to the initial position. The supporting member 18 is connected to the substrate 12 and the key cap 14 at two ends thereof, respectively, for supporting and positioning the key cap 14.

Optical detection module 20 may include an optical signal transmitter 28 and an optical signal receiver 30, and is disposed on substrate 12. The optical signal emitter 28 may be directed toward the key cap 14 to output an optical signal S. The optical signal receiver 30 can then receive the optical signal S reflected from the reflective member 26 of the key cap 14. The thin film circuit board 22 is an optional component. A thin film circuit board 22 may be disposed on the substrate 12 to cover the optical detection module 20 for protection. The thin film circuit board 22 may have a light-transmitting property, so that the optical signal S can pass through the thin film circuit board 22 to be projected onto the reflection assembly 26, and can be reflected back from the reflection assembly 26 to be received by the optical detection module 20. Processor 24 may be disposed on substrate 12 and electrically connected to optical detection module 20. The processor 24 can analyze one or both of the intensity information of the optical signal S and the position information projected to the optical detection module 20 to obtain the type information and the movement information of the keycap 14.

After the information on the type of the key top 14 is obtained, the operation mode of the key mechanism 10 can be determined based on the information. After the movement information of the key top 14 is acquired, it can be used to determine whether the key mechanism 10 is pressed or not and the pressing depth of the key mechanism 10. In the present embodiment, the key cap 14 with the reflective element 26 can be replaced, so the processor 24 can analyze the optical signal S to obtain the type information and the movement information of the key cap 14. If the key cap 14 is not removable and only the reflective element 26 is replaced, the processor 24 can analyze the optical signal S to obtain information on the type of reflective element 26 and the movement of the key cap 14.

In the present embodiment, the optical detection module 20 can provide a linear optical detection function. The optical detection module 20 can not only detect whether the key cap 14 is pressed, but also calculate the moving distance of the key cap 14 to represent a specific control command. Referring to fig. 1 to 3, fig. 2 and 3 are schematic views of a key mechanism 10 according to an embodiment of the invention in other operation modes. In the mode of operation shown in FIG. 1, with the key cap 14 in the initial stage, the distance H1 between the key cap 14 and the substrate 12 can be obtained; the key cap 14 is now in the upper position, i.e. the key mechanism 10 is not actuated. In the operation mode shown in fig. 2, the key cap 14 is pressed to move to the middle position, so that the distance H2 between the key cap 14 and the substrate 12 can be obtained, and the processor 24 can output the first control command. In the operation mode shown in FIG. 3, when the key cap 14 is pressed to move to the lower position, the distance H3 between the key cap 14 and the substrate 12 can be obtained, and the processor 24 can output a second control command different from the first control command. Therefore, the processor 24 can analyze the change of the intensity information of the optical signal S, and accordingly determine whether the key cap 14 is moved to the upper position, the middle position or the lower position.

The user may replace the reflective element 26 (or the key cap 14 with the reflective element 26) with another reflective element (or another key cap with a reflective element) to turn on or off the linear optical detection function of the optical detection module 20. The processor 24 can analyze the intensity information of the optical signal S to determine whether the optical signal S belongs to the first situation or the second situation, and then determine the type information of the key cap 14 to switch the operation mode of the key mechanism 10. The operation modes can be expressed as a multi-segment control mode and a single-segment control mode. The first scenario may be a luminance range between 20 gray-scale values and 30 gray-scale values. The second scenario may be a luminance range between a grayscale value of 200 to a grayscale value of 230. The number and features of the scenarios are not limited to those described in the above embodiments, depending on the actual needs. For example, the key mechanism 10 may be suitable for three situations, i.e., the light signal S may belong to a first situation, a second situation or a third situation, and the third situation may be a luminance range between a gray level of 100 and a gray level of 150.

The replacement of the reflective assembly 26 can be done in a number of ways. In the first case, the reflective element 26 is removably disposed on the base 141 of the keycap 14, so that the reflective element 26 can be removed directly and replaced with another reflective element having a different reflectance. In the second case, the key cap 14 is removably coupled to the resilient member, so that the key cap 14 with the reflective member 26 can be removed and replaced with another key cap having a reflective member made of a material with a different reflectance. In a third aspect, the key cap 14 and the elastic element 16 (or the supporting element 18) can be integrally formed to form a kit design. The set is removably mounted to the base 12 so that the set can be removed and replaced with another set having a key cap and a resilient member for replacing the reflective element 26.

In the above embodiment, the processor 24 may analyze the intensity information of the optical signal S to determine the reflection coefficient of the reflection element 26, and accordingly switch the key mechanism 10 to the multi-stage control mode or the single-stage control mode. Taking the key mechanism 10 having two situations as an example, when the processor 24 analyzes that the optical signal S belongs to the first situation, the intensity information of the reflected optical signal S is weak, so the reflective element 26 of the key cap 14 can be determined as having a low reflectance, and the key mechanism 10 can be switched to one of the multi-stage control mode and the single-stage control mode according to the detection result of the low reflectance, depending on the default condition. If the processor 24 analyzes that the optical signal S belongs to the second situation, the intensity information of the reflected optical signal S is brighter, so the reflective element 26 of the key cap 14 can be determined to have a high reflectance, and the key mechanism 10 can switch to the other one of the multi-stage control mode and the single-stage control mode according to the detection result of the high reflectance.

In other embodiments, whether the reflection element 26 is tilted with respect to the base 141 and the tilt angle thereof can be recognized as a reference for switching the operation mode of the key mechanism 10. Referring to fig. 1 and 4, fig. 4 is a schematic view of a key mechanism 10 according to another embodiment of the present invention. In the embodiment shown in fig. 1, the reflection assembly 26 having the first reflection coefficient is horizontally disposed on the base 141; in the embodiment shown in fig. 4, the reflection assembly 26 having the second reflection coefficient can be obliquely disposed on the base 141. The processor 24 can analyze the position information of the optical signal S projected on the optical detection module 20 to identify the reflection coefficient of the reflection element 26. The first reflection coefficient and the second reflection coefficient may be the same or different. When the two are the same, the different reflection assemblies 26 are distinguished only by the projection position information; when the two are different, the reflection intensity information of the optical signal S can help to distinguish different reflection elements 26. For example, if processor 24 analyzes the projected location information of optical signal S near optical signal emitter 28, reflective element 26 may be identified as having a first reflection coefficient; if processor 24 analyzes the projected location information of optical signal S away from optical signal emitter 28, reflective element 26 may be identified as having a second reflection coefficient. After the reflection coefficient is identified, the type information of the reflection element 26 or the key cap 14 can be determined accordingly, and then the key mechanism 10 can be switched to one of the multi-stage control mode and the single-stage control mode.

In the above embodiments, the reflective element 26 may be a horizontal plane facing the optical detection module 20, so that the light signal S does not converge or diverge. In other possible embodiments, the reflective member 26 may be configured to face the arc-shaped surface of the optical detection module 20, and the processor 24 may analyze the convergence or divergence of the optical signal S to assist in determining the reflection coefficient of the reflective member 26 and the type information of the key cap 14. Referring to fig. 5, fig. 5 is a schematic view of a key mechanism 10' according to another embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, the components having the same numbers as those in the above embodiments have the same structures and functions, and the description thereof will not be repeated. The difference between these two embodiments is that the key cap 14 'of the key mechanism 10' may include a base 141, a first reflective element 26A, and a second reflective element 26B. The first reflective element 26A and the second reflective element 26B can be disposed on the base 141 and made of materials with different reflective coefficients. The first reflective element 26A and the second reflective element 26B can be disposed on the base 141 at the same time, or alternatively disposed on the base 141 alternately.

In one case, the first reflective element 26A can be located above the optical detection module 20, so that the processor 24 can detect the first reflective element 26A to trigger the corresponding control mode of the key mechanism 10. For example, when the processor 24 detects a feedback of low reflectance, indicating that the first reflective element 26A is above the optical detection module 20, it may trigger the multi-segment control mode to be activated; if the user wants to change the operation mode of the key mechanism 10, the positions of the first reflective element 26A and the second reflective element 26B can be switched, for example, the first reflective element 26A and the second reflective element 26B are removed and then installed back in a position switching manner, and then the processor 24 can switch the key mechanism 10 to another operation mode, for example, when the processor 24 detects the feedback of high reflectance, it indicates that the second reflective element 26B is located above the optical detection module 20, so that the single-stage control mode is switched to be activated. Therefore, when the first reflective element 26A and the second reflective element 26B are disposed on the base 141 at the same time, the positions thereof can be exchanged by disassembling and assembling to switch the operation mode of the key mechanism 10. If the first reflective element 26A and the second reflective element 26B are alternately disposed on the base 141, one of the first reflective element 26A and the second reflective element 26B may be disposed on the base 141 above the optical detection module 20, and the other reflective element may be removed and stored.

In other cases, both the first reflective element 26A and the second reflective element 26B can be disposed on the base 141, and the key cap 14 'is movably combined with the substrate 12, and the positions of the first reflective element 26A and the second reflective element 26B are switched by the action of the key cap 14'. For example, the key cap 14 'is a rotatable component, or the assembly comprising the key cap 14' and the elastic element 16 (or the supporting element 18) is a rotatable module. Thus, the user can rotate the key cap 14 'to make the first reflective element 26A or the second reflective element 26B stay at the position above the optical detection module 20 by changing the rotation angle of the key cap 14', and then the processor 24 can analyze the optical signal according to the feedback effect of the reflection coefficient to determine whether the optical detection module 20 faces the first reflective element 26A or the second reflective element 26B, thereby determining to switch the key mechanism 10 to the multi-stage control mode or the single-stage control mode.

The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention, and various modifications and changes may be made by those skilled in the art. Any modification, equivalent replacement, or improvement made within the spirit and principle of the present invention should be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A key mechanism capable of identifying whether a keycap is replaced, the key mechanism comprising:

a substrate;

a keycap disposed on the substrate, the keycap having a reflective element;

the elastic component is arranged between the substrate and the keycap;

an optical detection module disposed on the substrate for receiving the optical signal reflected by the reflection assembly; and

the processor is arranged on the substrate and electrically connected with the optical detection module, and the processor is used for analyzing the optical signal to acquire the movement information and the type information of the keycap.

2. The key mechanism of claim 1, wherein the optical detection module comprises an optical signal transmitter and an optical signal receiver, the optical signal transmitter outputting the optical signal, the optical signal receiver receiving the optical signal reflected from the reflection assembly.

3. The key mechanism of claim 1, further comprising a support member, one end of the support member being coupled to the key cap and the other end of the support member being coupled to the substrate.

4. The key mechanism of claim 1, further comprising a thin film circuit board having light transmission properties, the thin film circuit board being disposed on the optical detection module.

5. The key mechanism of claim 1, wherein the reflective element is removably disposed on a base of the key cap.

6. The key mechanism of claim 5, wherein the reflective element is disposed obliquely to the base.

7. The key mechanism of claim 5, wherein the reflective element is disposed on the base by coating or adhering.

8. The key mechanism of claim 1, wherein the processor analyzes intensity information of the optical signal to determine a reflection coefficient of the reflective element and obtains the type information of the key cap accordingly.

9. The key mechanism of claim 1, wherein the processor further analyzes the position information of the light signal projected to the optical detection module to determine the reflection coefficient of the reflective element and obtain the type information of the key cap accordingly.

10. The key mechanism of claim 1, wherein the reflective element has a horizontal or arcuate surface facing the optical detection module.

11. The key mechanism of claim 1, wherein the optical detection module provides a linear optical detection function, and the processor analyzes the intensity information variation of the optical signal to determine the movement information of the key cap.

12. The key mechanism of claim 11, wherein the key cap is detachably coupled to the elastic element, and the processor analyzes the optical signal to determine whether the key cap is replaced and whether to switch the mode of the linear optical detection function.

13. The key mechanism of claim 11, wherein the key cap and the elastic element are combined into a kit, the kit is detachably disposed on the substrate, and the processor analyzes the optical signal to determine whether the kit is replaced and whether to switch the mode of the linear optical detection function.

14. The key mechanism of claim 1, wherein the key cap comprises a base, a first reflective element and a second reflective element, the first reflective element and the second reflective element are made of materials with different reflective coefficients and disposed on the base, and the processor analyzes the light signal to determine whether the light signal is reflected from the first reflective element or the second reflective element.

15. The key mechanism of claim 14, wherein one of the first reflective element and the second reflective element is disposed on the base.

16. The key mechanism of claim 14, wherein the key cap movably engages the substrate, and the processor analyzes the optical signal to determine whether the optical detection module faces the first reflective element or the second reflective element.