CN113707483A

CN113707483A - Keyboard and electronic equipment

Info

Publication number: CN113707483A
Application number: CN202110892480.7A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 魏宝; 霍国亮; 彭永锋
Original assignee: Honor Device Co Ltd
Current assignee: Honor Device Co Ltd
Priority date: 2021-08-04
Filing date: 2021-08-04
Publication date: 2021-11-26
Also published as: WO2023010937A1

Abstract

The embodiment of the application provides a keyboard and electronic equipment, and aims to solve the problem that in the related art, liquid flows onto a circuit board to cause the circuit board to be affected with damp and damaged. The keyboard provided by the embodiment comprises: the keyboard comprises a keyboard face shell, a flexible water retaining layer and a plurality of keys, wherein a plurality of key holes are formed in the keyboard face shell; each key comprises a key cap, and the key caps are arranged at the key holes in a telescopic manner; the flexible water retaining layer is arranged around the circumference of each key hole, the flexible water retaining layer is connected with the circumference circle of the keyboard face shell and each key cap respectively, the flexible water retaining layer is used for sealing the gap between the key cap and the key hole, therefore, the flexible water retaining layer can isolate drinks outside the installation cavity, the drink is favorably prevented from flowing to the circuit board, the circuit board is corroded and damaged, and the function of ensuring the keyboard is favorably not influenced.

Description

Keyboard and electronic equipment

Technical Field

The embodiment of the application relates to the technical field of terminals, in particular to a keyboard and electronic equipment.

Background

The keyboard is a common electronic product, and is used in cooperation with terminal devices such as an electronic instrument and a notebook computer (Laptop) to realize input. The keyboard may include a key type keyboard and a touch type keyboard according to the input mode.

At present, key-type keyboard includes keyboard face shell, keyboard drain pan, circuit board and a plurality of button usually, and keyboard face shell covers on the keyboard drain pan, and keyboard face shell encloses jointly with the keyboard drain pan and closes the installation cavity that forms the installation of power supply circuit board, still is equipped with a plurality of keyholes on the keyboard face shell, and every button all is connected with the circuit board and wears out from a keyhole, and every button homoenergetic enough is pressed in order to switch on the circuit board, and then realizes the input.

However, in the process of using the terminal device, the user often places drinks such as water, coffee, milk, tea and the like near the terminal device, and the drinks are difficult to avoid toppling over when being collided, and at this moment, liquid such as water or coffee flows on the keyboard and flows into the installation cavity from the gap between the key and the key hole, and then the liquid flows onto the circuit board easily, and the circuit board is damaged by being affected with damp, thereby affecting the use of the keyboard.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the application provides a keyboard and electronic equipment, and can solve the problem that in the prior art, liquid flows into a mounting cavity from a gap between a key and a key hole to cause damage to electronic elements in the electronic equipment.

A first aspect of an embodiment of the present application provides a keyboard, including: the keyboard comprises a keyboard face shell, a flexible water retaining layer and a plurality of keys, wherein a plurality of key holes are formed in the keyboard face shell;

each key comprises a key cap, and the key caps are arranged at the key holes in a telescopic manner;

the flexible water retaining layer is arranged around the circumference of each key hole, is respectively connected with the keyboard surface shell and the key caps in a circle in the circumference direction, and is used for sealing gaps between the key caps and the key holes.

The keyboard that this application embodiment provided, through setting up flexible manger plate layer, flexible manger plate layer encircles every keyhole setting on the keyboard and is connected with the circumference round that is located the key cap of every keyhole department, and like this, flexible manger plate layer seals the clearance between key cap and the keyhole. Therefore, the flexible water retaining layer can isolate drinks outside the installation cavity, so that the drinks are prevented from flowing onto the circuit board to cause the circuit board to be corroded and damaged, and the function of the keyboard is prevented from being influenced.

In a possible implementation mode, the flexible water retaining layer is provided with a plurality of openings corresponding to the plurality of keys, and the keycap is positioned above the openings or is arranged in the openings in a penetrating way; the keycap is connected with the area, close to the opening, on the flexible water retaining layer.

In a possible embodiment, an orthographic projection area of each keycap facing the corresponding opening is greater than or equal to an opening area of the opening and smaller than an opening area of the corresponding keyhole.

In a possible implementation manner, the central axis of each key cap, the central line of the opening corresponding to each key cap, and the central line of the key hole corresponding to each key cap are arranged in a collinear manner.

In a possible embodiment, the flexible water-retaining layer is a single piece, or the flexible water-retaining layer includes a plurality of sub water-retaining layers, and each sub water-retaining layer is provided with at least one opening.

In one possible embodiment, the flexible water-retaining layer is a flexible water-retaining film.

In a possible embodiment, the flexible water-blocking film is a soft glue water-blocking film made of a soft glue material or a rubber water-blocking film made of rubber.

In a possible embodiment, the thickness of the flexible water retaining layer is greater than or equal to 0.2mm and less than or equal to 1 mm.

In one possible embodiment, the keyboard further comprises: the base plate is located below the keyboard face shell, the keycaps are arranged on the base plate in a telescopic mode, and the flexible water retaining layer is located between the keyboard face shell and the base plate or located above the keyboard face shell.

In a possible embodiment, the flexible water barrier layer is connected with the keyboard panel shell by means of bonding.

In one possible embodiment, the keyboard further comprises: one end of each scissors is rotatably connected with the keycap, the other end of each scissors is rotatably connected with the substrate, and the keycap is connected with the substrate through the scissors.

In one possible embodiment, the keyboard further comprises: the elastic piece, the one end of elastic piece with the key cap links to each other, the other end of elastic piece with the base plate links to each other, just the key cap passes through the elastic piece is in scalable setting on the base plate.

A second aspect of an embodiment of the present application provides an electronic device, including: the keyboard of any one of the aspects provided in the embodiments of the present application.

The electronic equipment provided by the embodiment of the application comprises a keyboard. Including flexible manger plate layer in the keyboard, flexible manger plate layer encircles every keyhole setting on the keyboard and is connected with the circumference round that is located the key cap of every keyhole department to be used for sealing up the clearance between key cap and the keyhole. Therefore, the flexible water retaining layer can isolate drinks outside the installation cavity, so that the drinks are prevented from flowing onto the circuit board to cause the circuit board to be corroded and damaged, and the function of the keyboard is prevented from being influenced.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an application scenario of a notebook computer in the related art;

fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of another electronic device according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of another electronic device according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 5 is a schematic structural diagram of another electronic device according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 6 is an exploded schematic view of a keyboard according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic device provided in an embodiment of the present application when a key is omitted;

fig. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of a host top case of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 9 is an exploded view of a host top case of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

fig. 10 is a partial cross-sectional structural diagram of a keyboard according to an embodiment of the present application, in which a key is located at a first position;

fig. 11 is a partial cross-sectional structural diagram of a keyboard according to an embodiment of the present application, in which a key is located at a second position;

FIG. 12 is a partially exploded view of another keyboard according to an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 13 is a partial cross-sectional block diagram of another keyboard provided in accordance with an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 14 is a schematic view of an application scenario of the flexible water barrier in fig. 12;

fig. 15 is a schematic view illustrating a relationship between another flexible water barrier layer and a keyboard panel according to an embodiment of the present application.

Description of reference numerals:

100. an electronic device;

10. a display screen;

20. a host; 21. a host upper shell; 210. an upper case body; 2100. an installation port; 211. a frame;

30. a tablet computer;

40. a keyboard; 41. a keyboard panel; 410. a keyhole; 42. a keyboard bottom case; 43. a substrate; 430. a key sensing electrode; 44. pressing a key; 440. a keycap; 441. a rebound assembly; 4410. outer scissor legs; 4411. inner scissor legs; 4412. an elastic member; 45. a flexible water retaining layer; 450. an opening; 451. a first sub water-retaining layer; 452. a second sub water-retaining layer; 453. a third sub water retaining layer; 46. and a conductive layer.

Detailed Description

The keyboard is widely used as the most common input device in electronic devices, notebook computers (laptop) and other terminal devices. The keyboard comprises a keyboard face shell, a keyboard bottom shell, a circuit board and a plurality of keys arranged on the circuit board, wherein the keyboard face shell is located on the keyboard bottom shell, the keyboard face shell and the keyboard bottom shell jointly enclose and close an installation cavity for installing the circuit board, a plurality of key holes are formed in the keyboard face shell, each key is located in one key hole and can move up and down, and when the keys are pressed and move down, the keys can trigger the circuit board to achieve input.

Fig. 1 shows an application scenario of a notebook computer in the related art. Referring to fig. 1, an electronic device 100 is a notebook computer, and a keyboard 40 is applied to the notebook computer for illustration, the notebook computer includes a display screen and a host, the keyboard 40 is formed on the host of the notebook computer, and when a key is pressed, a character corresponding to the key is input and can be displayed on the display screen.

When a user uses a notebook computer to work or entertain for a long time, drinks such as water, coffee, milk, tea and the like are usually placed beside the notebook computer. Thus, when a user touches a drink or a desk on which the notebook computer and the drink are placed is collided, the drink may be poured and spilled onto the host of the notebook computer, and then the drink may flow into the mounting cavity from the gap between the keys and the key holes and fall onto the circuit board, so that the circuit board is corroded and loses efficacy, and the use of the keyboard 40 and the notebook computer matched with the keyboard is affected. Therefore, how to improve the waterproof performance of the keyboard 40 becomes an urgent problem to be solved.

In order to solve the problems, the inventor tries to arrange a waterproof board in the installation cavity, the waterproof board covers the circuit board, the waterproof board is connected with the cavity wall of the installation cavity in a sealing mode, and the press key applies pressure to the circuit board through the waterproof board to achieve input. Like this, the waterproof board can obstruct drink and circuit board for the drink can not flow to the circuit board and erode the circuit board. However, the inventor finds that although the waterproof board can prevent the drink from flowing onto the circuit board, the drink can flow into the waterproof space enclosed by the keyboard panel and the waterproof board, and even if the keyboard or the notebook computer is turned over, the drink in the waterproof space is difficult to be poured out completely, so that the environment in the waterproof space is wet, and further, the inner wall and the keys of the keyboard panel are easy to rust.

The inventor carefully researches to find that the main reason that the drink in the related art can erode the circuit board is that a gap exists between the key and the key hole, and the drink can enter the mounting cavity from the gap and flow onto the circuit board. Therefore, the inventor tries to arrange a water retaining layer on the keyboard panel shell, and the water retaining layer can block the gap between the key and the key hole, so that the drink cannot enter the installation space, and the drink cannot contact with the circuit board to erode the circuit board. Subsequently, during the test, the inventor found that the hard water-blocking layer can prevent the key from moving downwards. In order to ensure that the keys can be pressed to achieve input, the inventor finally sets the water retaining layer as a flexible water retaining layer, and the flexible water retaining layer can prevent drinks from flowing into the installation space and cannot influence the functions of the keys. Thus, a keyboard having waterproof performance is obtained.

The embodiment of the application provides an electronic device, which may be a mobile terminal, a fixed terminal or a foldable device such as a desktop computer, a notebook computer (laptop), a tablet computer (Table), an ultra-mobile personal computer (UMPC), a handheld computer, an interphone, a netbook, a POS machine, a Personal Digital Assistant (PDA), and the like.

Fig. 2 schematically shows a three-dimensional structure of the electronic device 100 according to an embodiment. In the embodiment shown in fig. 2, the electronic device 100 may be a notebook computer. Specifically, the notebook computer may include a display screen 10 and a host 20. The display screen 10 is rotatably connected with the main body 20. For example, the display screen 10 and the host 20 may be connected by a hinge; alternatively, the display screen 10 and the host 20 may be rotatably connected by a hinge structure. Or, in some examples, the display screen 10 and the host 20 may be independent devices, for example, the display screen 10 and the host 20 are detachable, when in use, the display screen 10 is placed on the host 20, and after use, the display screen 10 and the host 20 may be separated from each other.

In order to achieve the display effect of the display screen 10, the display screen 10 and the host 20 are electrically connected, for example, the display screen 10 and the host 20 may be electrically connected through a contact, the display screen 10 and the host 20 may be electrically connected through a Flexible Printed Circuit (FPC), the display screen 10 and the host 20 may be electrically connected through a wire, and the display screen 10 and the host 20 may be wirelessly connected through a wireless signal.

Fig. 3 schematically shows a three-dimensional structure of an electronic device 100 of another embodiment. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, electronic device 100 may be a desktop computer. Specifically, the desktop computer may include a display screen 10 and a host 20. The display screen 10 and the host 20 are independently provided. The display screen 10 is electrically connected with the host 20 through a data line, so that the display effect of the display screen 10 is realized.

Fig. 4 schematically shows a three-dimensional structure of an electronic apparatus 100 of yet another embodiment. In the embodiment shown in fig. 4, the electronic device 100 may be a tablet computer 30. Specifically, like a notebook computer and a desktop computer, the tablet computer 30 also includes the display screen 10 and the host 20, and the display screen 10 and the host 20 are not independent but integrated together.

As can be seen from fig. 2 to 4, regardless of whether the electronic device 100 is a laptop computer, a desktop computer or a tablet computer 30, the electronic device 100 may include a keyboard 40, the keyboard 40 may provide input to the electronic device 100, and the electronic device 100 performs an operation in response to the input based on the input of the keyboard 40.

When the electronic device 100 is a notebook computer, the keyboard 40 may be disposed on the host 20. The keyboard 40 is electrically connected to the control unit inside the main body 20, and the keyboard 40 serves as an input device of the notebook computer. In use, a user may press keys on the keypad 40 to input characters or operation instructions.

When the electronic device 100 is a desktop computer, the keyboard 40 and the host 20 are independently disposed. The keyboard 40 is electrically connected to the host 20 through a data line, and the keyboard 40 can be used as an input device of a desktop computer. In other embodiments, the keyboard 40 and the host 20 may be wirelessly connected by a wireless signal (e.g., a bluetooth signal).

When the electronic device 100 is a tablet computer 30, the tablet computer 30 and the keyboard 40 may be independent devices, for example, the tablet computer 30 and the keyboard 40 may be detachable, and when the electronic device is used, the tablet computer 30 is placed on the keyboard 40, and after the use is finished, the tablet computer 30 and the keyboard 40 may be separated from each other.

Illustratively, the electrical connection between the tablet computer 30 and the keyboard 40 may be through contacts. Alternatively, the tablet pc 30 and the keyboard 40 are electrically connected by a wire. Alternatively, the tablet pc 30 and the keyboard 40 may be wirelessly connected through a wireless signal (e.g., a bluetooth signal). In the embodiment of the present application, the keyboard 40 may be, for example, a wireless keyboard shown in fig. 4.

Fig. 5 schematically shows an application scenario of the electronic device 100 according to still another embodiment. Referring to fig. 5, the tablet computer 30 and the keyboard 40 may be used by being placed at a predetermined distance from each other, and the tablet computer 30 and the keyboard 40 may be wirelessly connected through a wireless signal (e.g., a bluetooth signal), so that a user may arbitrarily adjust the placing position of the keyboard 40 according to personal use habits. In the embodiment of the present application, the keyboard 40 may be, for example, a wireless keyboard shown in fig. 4 or fig. 5.

In one embodiment, the tablet computer 30 and the keyboard 40 may be interconnected via a communication network to enable wireless signal interaction. The communication network may be, but is not limited to: a close-range communication network such as a WI-FI hotspot network, a WI-FI peer-to-peer (P2P) network, a bluetooth network, a zigbee network, or a Near Field Communication (NFC) network.

The specific structure of the keyboard 40 provided in the embodiment of the present application is explained in detail below.

Fig. 6 schematically shows an exploded structure of the keyboard 40. The keyboard 40 provided by the embodiment of the application includes a keyboard face 41, a keyboard bottom case 42, a substrate 43 and a plurality of keys 44 (see fig. 10 described below), the keyboard face 41 is disposed above the keyboard bottom case 42, the keyboard face 41 and the keyboard bottom case 42 are detachably connected and define a mounting cavity together, the substrate 43 is mounted in the mounting cavity, the plurality of keys 44 are disposed on the substrate 43, and the substrate 43 provides a supporting function for the plurality of keys 44.

The keyboard face 41 and the keyboard bottom case 42 can be connected in a screwed or clamped manner, so that the keyboard face 41 can be detached from the keyboard bottom case 42, and thus, parts such as the substrate 43 in the installation cavity can be maintained. The keyboard panel 41 and the keyboard bottom case 42 may be made of plastic or metal, and compared with the metal keyboard panel 41 and the metal keyboard bottom case 42, the plastic keyboard panel 41 and the plastic keyboard bottom case 42 have the advantages of light weight and low cost.

The keyboard face 41 is provided with a plurality of key holes 410, and each key hole 410 corresponds to one key. The types of keys may refer to the related art, for example, the keys may include an alphabet key, a number key, and a function key, which is illustratively a blank key, an Enter key, a Shift key, an Fn function key, and the like. It is understood that the shape of the key hole 410 corresponding to the Enter key is adapted to the shape of the Enter key, and the shape of the key hole 410 corresponding to the space key is adapted to the shape of the space key.

Each key comprises a key cap 440 and a resilient member 441 (see fig. 11 described below) disposed below the key cap 440, the key cap 440 is connected to the substrate 43 through the resilient member 441, and the key cap 440 is capable of extending and contracting within the corresponding key hole 410 such that the key cap 440 moves between a first position and a second position, the first position being at a greater height from the substrate 43 than the second position from the substrate 43. Specifically, the first position refers to a position where the key cap 440 is not pressed, the rebounding assembly 441 is in an initial state, and a portion of the key cap 440 can protrude from the corresponding key hole 410, so as to be operated by a user; the second position is a position where the key cap 440 is pressed, the rebound assembly 441 is in a compressed state, and the substrate 43 can be conducted.

The substrate 43 may be a printed Circuit board, a Flexible Printed Circuit (FPC) of a film keyboard, or a plate material with a printed Circuit film on the surface. When the key cap 440 of the key is in the second position, the associated electrical circuit on the substrate 43 is completed.

It should be understood that the keyboard 40 may be used differently on different types of electronic devices 100 in the same type of electronic device 100. It should be noted that, if the keyboard 40 is applied to a notebook computer, the keyboard 40 can be disposed on the host 20 of the notebook computer. Fig. 7 schematically shows a three-dimensional structure of the electronic device 100 according to an embodiment without the key 44. Referring to fig. 7, in this example, the host 20 of the notebook computer includes a host upper case 21 and a host lower case (not shown), the host upper case 21 may serve as a keyboard face case 41 of the keyboard 40, and the host lower case may serve as a keyboard bottom case 42 of the keyboard 40. That is, the substrate 43 of the keyboard 40 is mounted in a space surrounded by the host upper case 21 and the host lower case, and the key hole 410 is formed on the host upper case 21.

Wherein the main body upper case 21 may be formed as a single piece. Alternatively, in some embodiments of the present application, as shown in fig. 8 and 9, the host casing 21 may also include a casing body 210 and a frame 211, the casing body 210 is provided with a mounting opening 2100, the frame 211 is connected to an inner wall of the casing body 210 facing the host casing, the frame 211 faces the mounting opening 2100, and the frame 211 is provided with a plurality of key holes 410. With this design, the main unit upper case 21 is mainly composed of two parts, i.e., an upper case body 210 and a frame 211. Fig. 8 schematically shows a three-dimensional structure of the host casing 21 in the electronic device 100 according to an embodiment, and fig. 9 schematically shows an exploded structure of the host casing 21 shown in fig. 8. The upper housing body 210 and the frame 211 may be made of different materials, for example, the upper housing body 210 is made of plastic, the frame 211 is made of metal, and the key hole 410 may be formed on the metal frame by stamping, which is beneficial to reducing the cost and weight of the upper housing 21 of the host as much as possible on the basis of processing the key hole 410 by using a simple process; for another example, the upper housing body 210 is made of aluminum, the frame 211 is made of stainless steel or carbon fiber, and the structure of the main machine upper housing 21 is reliable.

From the foregoing description, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art from this disclosure that the keyboard 40 may be incorporated and used in a notebook computer.

Fig. 10 schematically shows a partial cross-sectional view of a keyboard 40 with a key 44 in a first position. In this embodiment, referring to fig. 6 and 10, the keyboard 40 further includes a flexible water-blocking layer 45, and the flexible water-blocking layer 45 is used for sealing a gap between the keycap 440 and a hole wall of the keyhole 410. Specifically, the flexible water blocking layer 45 is mounted on the keyboard panel 41, the flexible water blocking layer 45 is provided with a plurality of openings 450, and each opening 450 is opposite to and communicated with one key hole 410, in other words, the flexible water blocking layer 45 is arranged around the circumference of each key hole 410. And, the flexible water retaining layer 45 is connected with the circumferential ring of the key cap 440 in the key hole 410. Therefore, when the flexible water retaining layer 45 is connected with the keyboard face shell 41, the area of the flexible water retaining layer 45 close to the opening 450 is also fixedly connected with the key cap 440, and the flexible water retaining layer 45 can block the gap between the key cap 440 and the key hole 410, so that drinks such as water, coffee and the like cannot flow into the installation cavity from the gap, and then the situation that the drinks fall on the substrate 43 to cause the substrate 43 to be corroded is facilitated, and the keyboard 40 can normally work is facilitated to be ensured.

Since the flexible water blocking layer 45 is connected to the key cap 440 and the keyboard panel 41, the flexible water blocking layer 45 can seal the gap between the key cap 440 and the key hole 410, so that the key cap 440 is located at any position between the first position and the second position, and the flexible water blocking layer 45 can prevent liquid from flowing into the installation cavity of the electronic device.

Fig. 11 schematically shows a partially cut-away structure of a key 44 of the keyboard 40 in a second position. It should be noted that, the flexible water blocking layer 45 has elasticity, and when the key cap 440 is pressed and the key cap 440 moves from the first position to the second position, as shown in fig. 11, the flexible water blocking layer 45 can deform, a portion of the flexible water blocking layer 45 connected to the key cap 440 can be stretched along with the movement of the key cap 440, and the key cap 440 can still be pressed, so that the input function of the keyboard 40 is not affected by the flexible water blocking layer 45. When the keycap 440 moves from the second position to the first position, the flexible water blocking layer 45 can recover the deformation.

Referring to fig. 6, the shape of the opening 450 of the flexible water-blocking layer 45 is not limited, for example, the opening 450 may be square, rectangular, or circular. It will be readily appreciated that since the keys may be of several types, and the shapes of the different types of keys may be different, the shape of each key hole 410 may be adapted to the shape of the corresponding key, and thus, the shape of each opening 450 may also be adapted to the shape of the corresponding key hole 410. That is, the shapes of each keycap 440, the keyhole 410 corresponding to each keycap 440, and the opening 450 corresponding to each keycap 440 may be the same.

In conclusion, the keyboard 40 that this embodiment provided is through setting up flexible water retaining layer 45, and flexible water retaining layer 45 encircles every keyhole 410 setting and is connected with the circumference round that is located the key cap 440 of every keyhole 410 department, and flexible water retaining layer 45 can be isolated the drink outside the installation cavity, is favorable to avoiding the drink to flow to the base plate 43 on and lead to the circuit damage on the base plate 43 to be favorable to ensureing that the function of keyboard 40 is not influenced.

It can be seen that, in the keyboard 40 provided in this embodiment, the flexible water-blocking layer 45 can close the installation cavity, so that the installation cavity is formed as a closed space, and then the keyboard 40 has a waterproof performance. When liquid such as water or coffee is sprinkled on the keypad 40, the water cannot flow into the mounting cavity to prevent the base plate 43 from being damaged. Moreover, the user can pour out the liquid falling on the keyboard 40 by only turning the keyboard 40.

The connection of the flexible water barrier layer 45 with the key cap 440 and the keyboard panel 41 is not limited. Illustratively, the flexible water retaining layer 45 and the keyboard panel 41 can be connected by bonding, and the connection is simple and reliable. As an alternative embodiment, a plurality of fixing posts (not shown) facing the keyboard bottom case 42 may be protruded from the inner wall of the keyboard face case 41, a fastening hole is formed at the center of the fixing post, the center line of the fastening hole is perpendicular to the substrate 43, a plurality of fastening posts extending upward are protruded from the upper surface of the flexible water-blocking layer 45, and when the flexible water-blocking layer 45 is mounted on the keyboard face case 41, each fastening post is fastened into one fastening hole, so that the flexible water-blocking layer 45 is fastened with the keyboard face case 41.

It can be understood that a plurality of key holes 410 are formed on the keyboard panel 41, a supporting wall is formed between two adjacent key holes 410, and the fixing column can be installed on the supporting wall, so that the non-edge area of the flexible water blocking layer 45 can be fixed. The other end of the flexible water retaining layer 45 is far away from the clamping column from one end connected with the flexible water retaining layer 45, the cross section area of the clamping column along the direction of the central line can be equal everywhere, or the cross section area of the clamping column along the direction of the central line can also be gradually reduced, and the clamping column is in a conical shape at the moment.

The connection mode of the flexible water retaining layer 45 and the key cap 440 can also refer to the connection mode of the flexible water retaining layer 45 and the keyboard panel 41, for example, the flexible water retaining layer 45 can be bonded with the key cap 440, and the connection mode is simple and reliable.

In the above embodiment, there are possible cases where the flexible water blocking layer 45 is mounted on the keyboard face cover 41:

in the first case, with continued reference to fig. 10 and 11, the flexible water-blocking layer 45 may be connected with an inner wall of the keyboard face 41 facing the keyboard bottom 42. That is, the flexible water blocking layer 45 is disposed between the keypad panel 41 and the substrate 43, and the flexible water blocking layer 45 is located below the keypad panel 41. In this example, in an initial state, the key caps 440 are in a first position, at which time the key caps 440 are located within the corresponding key holes 410. The flexible water retaining layer 45 may be connected to the entire inner wall of the keyboard panel 41, or may be connected to only a portion of the inner wall of the keyboard panel 41 in the region where the key hole 410 is formed.

The first case may be applicable to a keyboard 40 that is separate from the main body 20 of the electronic device 100, for example, a keyboard 40 of a desktop computer, where the keys of the keyboard 40 substantially occupy the entire keyboard panel 41, and the flexible water barrier 45 is attached to the entire inner wall of the keyboard panel 41. The advantage of disposing the flexible water-blocking layer 45 on the inner wall of the keyboard panel 41 is: on the one hand, it is beneficial to avoid the flexible water-retaining layer 45 from affecting the overall visual effect of the keyboard 40, and on the other hand, compared with the second case described below, the flexible water-retaining layer 45 does not affect the hand feeling of the user to the keyboard face shell 41.

Fig. 12 schematically shows a partially exploded structure of another keyboard 40, and fig. 13 schematically shows a partially sectional structure of the keyboard 40 shown in fig. 12. In the second case, as shown in fig. 12 and 13, the flexible water-blocking layer 45 may be attached to the outer surface of the keypad face cover 41. For example, as shown in fig. 13, a flexible water barrier layer 45 is overlaid over the keypad face cover 41. In this example, in the initial state, the key caps 440 are in the first position, at least a portion of the key caps 440 are located above the corresponding key holes 410, and the key caps 440 can enter the corresponding key holes 410 when moving from the first position to the second position. The flexible water retaining layer 45 may be connected to the entire outer wall of the keyboard panel 41, or may be connected to only a portion of the outer wall of the keyboard panel 41 in the region where the key hole 410 is formed.

In the second case, which can be applied to the notebook computer, preferably, the flexible water blocking layer 45 can be connected to the frame 211 of the main unit upper casing 21, that is, the flexible water blocking layer 45 covers the frame 211 of the main unit upper casing 21, rather than the whole upper casing body 210. By the arrangement, the flexible water retaining layer 45 can play a role in sealing the gap and can not influence the hand feeling of the user on the upper shell body 210.

Fig. 14 shows an application scenario of the flexible water-retaining layer 45 covering the notebook computer, wherein the holes shown by the dotted lines are the key holes 410, the openings 450 are shown by the solid lines, and it can be seen that the flexible water-retaining layer 45 is connected to the frame 211, and each opening 450 corresponds to one key hole 410.

Wherein, the installation position of the flexible water retaining layer 45 is in the first situation or in the second situation, the following possible implementation manners exist in the connection relationship between the flexible water retaining layer 45 and the keycap 440.

In one possible implementation, as shown in fig. 10 and 11, the flexible water-blocking layer 45 may be connected to the periphery of the bottom surface of the key cap 440, and accordingly, the upper surface of the flexible water-blocking layer 45 near the opening 450 is connected to the bottom surface of the key cap 440. In this embodiment, an orthographic area of each key cap 440 facing the corresponding opening 450 is larger than the opening area of the opening 450 corresponding to the key cap 440 and smaller than the opening area of the keyhole 410 corresponding to the key cap 440. In other words, the relationship between the cross-sectional areas of each key cap 440, the opening 450 corresponding to the key cap 440, and the key hole 410 corresponding to the key cap 440 along the central line direction of the opening 450 is: the cross-sectional area of key cap 440 is between the cross-sectional area of opening 450 and the cross-sectional area of keyhole 410. At this time, the key cap 440 is located above the opening 450, and the key cap 440 does not enter the opening 450 during the movement between the first position and the second position.

Taking the keyboard 40 shown in fig. 10 as an example, an exemplary installation process of the keyboard 40 provided in this embodiment is as follows: connecting the flexible water retaining layer 45 to the inner wall of the keyboard panel 41 with each opening 450 facing one of the keyholes 410; mounting a plurality of key caps 440 to the base plate 43 via a resilient assembly 441 such that the keys 44 are pre-mounted; then, the substrate 43 with the keys 44 pre-installed is placed below the keyboard panel 41, each key cap 440 is aligned with one key hole 410, then, the substrate 43 is moved until the top surface of each key cap 440 abuts against the lower surface of the flexible water retaining layer 45, the substrate 43 is continuously moved, the key caps 440 abut against the flexible water retaining layer 45, the flexible water retaining layer 45 deforms, then the key caps 440 penetrate into the corresponding openings 450, the flexible water retaining layer 45 recovers deformation, the substrate 43 is adjusted to enable the bottom surfaces of the key caps 440 to be in contact with the upper surface of the flexible water retaining layer 45, and then the key caps 440 and the flexible water retaining layer 45 are connected.

So design, in the installation, flexible manger plate layer 45 resumes the deformation back, and the bottom surface of key cap 440 can show key cap 440 installation target in place with the upper surface contact relation of flexible manger plate layer 45 to in the mounted position of finding key cap 440 accurately is favorable to improving the installation effectiveness.

In another possible implementation manner, with continued reference to fig. 13, the flexible water-blocking layer 45 may be connected to a circumferential ring of the side wall of the keycap 440, that is, each keycap 440 is connected to the hole wall of the corresponding opening 450, and the flexible water-blocking layer 45 is equivalently sleeved outside each keycap 440. In this embodiment, the forward projection area of each key cap 440 facing the corresponding opening 450 is equal to the opening area of the opening 450 corresponding to the key cap 440 and smaller than the opening area of the key hole 410 corresponding to the key cap 440. At this point, at least a portion of the keycap 440 passes through the opening 450.

So design, compare with last a possible implementation, the opening area of opening 450 is bigger on the flexible manger plate layer 45 in this embodiment, then the entity region of flexible manger plate layer 45 is littleer, keyboard 40 is after using a period, flexible manger plate layer 45 is through deformation many times and the phenomenon that can't resume deformation may exist, and the less flexible manger plate layer 45 of entity region warp seriously and the redundant possibility of appearing is lower, be favorable to reducing the risk in the clearance of the redundant part card of flexible manger plate layer 45 between key cap 440 and keyhole 410.

Taking the keyboard 40 shown in fig. 13 as an example, an exemplary installation process of the keyboard 40 provided in this embodiment is as follows: connecting the flexible water retaining layer 45 to the outer wall of the keyboard panel 41 with each opening 450 facing one of the keyholes 410; mounting a plurality of key caps 440 to the base plate 43 via a resilient assembly 441 such that the keys 44 are pre-mounted; then, the substrate 43 with the keys 44 pre-installed is placed below the keyboard panel 41, and each key cap 440 is aligned with one key hole 410, then the substrate 43 is moved, so that the plurality of key caps 440 all extend into the corresponding key holes 410, and then the substrate 43 is moved, and the plurality of key caps 440 extend into the corresponding openings 450 and are connected with the hole walls of the openings 450.

As described above, each opening 450 of the flexible water retaining layer 45 corresponds to one key hole 410, and the opening area of the opening 450 is smaller than the opening area of the corresponding key hole 410. That is, the flexible water dam layer 45 may block portions of each key hole 410.

In some embodiments of the present application, the flexible water barrier 45 may be configured to cover a circumferential ring of keyholes 410. Specifically, each opening 450 may be coaxially disposed with a corresponding keyhole 410. Also, the central axis of the key cap 440 may be disposed collinearly with the central axis of the corresponding opening 450. Therefore, the key cap 440 is aligned with the central portion of the key hole 410 and the central portion of the opening 450, and the key cap 440 is not shifted from the midpoint of the key hole 410, so that the keyboard 40 has a better visual effect as a whole.

To enable the flexible water-stop layer 45 to be disposed around each key hole 410, the flexible water-stop layer 45 may be formed as one piece or may be composed of a plurality of parts.

For example, as shown in fig. 6 and 12, the flexible water-stop layer 45 may be formed as a unitary piece by an integral molding process. Therefore, the flexible water retaining layer 45 is an integrated piece, and only the whole flexible water retaining layer 45 needs to be installed on the keyboard face shell 41 in the installation process, so that the assembly difficulty is reduced.

In another possible implementation manner, the flexible water-stop layer 45 may include a plurality of sub-water-stop layers, and each sub-water-stop layer is provided with at least one opening 450. For example, only one opening 450 is formed in the sub water guard layer, and in this case, the number of the sub water guard layers is the same as that of the key holes 410, and a plurality of sub water guard layers are respectively disposed around one key hole 410. For another example, the sub water stop layer may have a plurality of openings 450, so that each sub water stop layer may correspond to a plurality of keys.

Fig. 15 shows another flexible water barrier 45 in mating relation with the keypad face cover 41. For example, in the example shown in fig. 15, the flexible water guard layer 45 includes a first sub water guard layer 451, a second sub water guard layer 452, and a third sub water guard layer 453, and a plurality of openings 450 are formed on each of the first sub water guard layer 451, the second sub water guard layer 452, and the third sub water guard layer 453. Wherein, the first sub water guard layer 451 is disposed around each key hole 410 of the first area on the keyboard panel 41, the second sub water guard layer 452 is disposed around each key hole 410 of the second area on the keyboard panel 41, and the third sub water guard layer 453 is disposed around each key hole 410 of the third area on the keyboard panel 41. Illustratively, the Fn function keys of the keys 44 are telescopically arranged at the key holes 410 of the first region, the number keys of the keys 44 are telescopically arranged at the key holes 410 of the second region, and the letter keys of the keys 44 are telescopically arranged at the key holes 410 of the third region. Of course, in other embodiments of the present application, by dividing the keyboard panel 41 into different regions, the flexible water-blocking layer 45 may also be divided into a plurality of other sub-water-blocking layers, which is not limited in this embodiment.

It will be appreciated that the flexible water barrier 45 is a single piece, because the keys 44 of each type are pressed at different times, the keyboard 40 will deform to different extents over time as compared to the flexible water barrier 45. Through cutting apart into a plurality of sub water retaining layers with flexible water retaining layer 45, can only change the sub water retaining layer that the degree of deformation is serious, and need not to change whole flexible water retaining layer 45, practiced thrift the maintenance cost.

Illustratively, the flexible water retaining layer 45 includes a first sub water retaining layer 451, a second sub water retaining layer 452, and a third sub water retaining layer 453, the frequency of pressing the Fn function key is lower than that of pressing the letter key, and the deformation degree of the third sub water retaining layer 453 is greater than that of the first sub water retaining layer 451 under the premise of the same duration of use, and at this time, only the third sub water retaining layer 453 may be replaced.

In addition, the flexible water blocking layer 45 should be broadly understood, that is, the flexible water blocking layer 45 may be understood as a flexible water blocking film, or the flexible water blocking layer 45 may also be understood as a flexible water blocking plate, as long as the gap between the keycap 440 and the keyhole 410 can be sealed. The flexible water blocking film is light and thin, and the risk that the operation of the key 44 is interfered by the excessively thick flexible water blocking film is reduced. Further, if the flexible water-blocking layer 45 is a flexible water-blocking film, the flexible water-blocking film may be a rubber water-blocking film made of rubber, such as a silica gel water-blocking film, or may be a plastic water-blocking film made of elastic plastic, such as a soft rubber water-blocking film, where both the soft rubber water-blocking film and the rubber water-blocking film have high elasticity.

The thickness of the flexible water retaining layer 45 is reasonably designed so as to reduce the obstruction of the flexible water retaining layer 45 to the keycap 440 in the stretching process as much as possible. Illustratively, the thickness of the flexible water-blocking layer 45 is between 0.2mm and 1mm, for example, the thickness of the flexible water-blocking layer 45 may be 0.2mm, or the thickness of the flexible water-blocking layer 45 may be 1mm, or the thickness of the flexible water-blocking layer 45 may be 0.5 mm. So set up, the thickness of flexible manger plate layer 45 can not the undersize to manufacturing, meanwhile, the thickness of flexible manger plate layer 45 also can not too big and influence the meeting an emergency.

In some embodiments, the substrate 43 may further include a plurality of light emitting elements, each of which is disposed below one of the key caps 440, and the light emitting elements are configured to provide backlight to the keys 44, so that in a dark environment, a user may clearly observe the corresponding key 44, thereby reducing the possibility of incorrect operation of the key 44 and improving the input efficiency. In this example, the flexible water-blocking layer 45 is configured to transmit light, for example, the material of the flexible water-blocking layer 45 is transparent and elastic plastic, so that the light emitted by the light-emitting component can be transmitted through the flexible water-blocking layer 45 to prevent the backlight from being blocked by the flexible water-blocking layer 45.

Based on the above embodiments, with continued reference to fig. 10, 11 and 13, the resilient assembly 441 may include scissor legs and elastic members 4412, the scissor legs serving to connect the key cap 440 with the substrate 43, the elastic members 4412 providing elastic force to the telescopically arranged key cap 440.

As one implementation, the scissor legs may include outer scissor legs 4410 and inner scissor legs 4411. Outer scissor legs 4410 and inner scissor legs 4411 are interdigitated and rotatably coupled. The lower ends of the outer scissor feet 4410 and the inner scissor feet 4411 are rotatably connected with the base plate 43, and the upper ends of the outer scissor feet 4410 and the inner scissor feet 4411 are rotatably connected with the key cap 440.

Wherein, both the outer scissor leg 4410 and the inner scissor leg 4411 can be in a square frame structure; outer scissor legs 4410 and inner scissor legs 4411 may be made of plastic. It should be noted that, reference may be made to the scissor structure of the key 44 in the related art for the matching relationship between the outer scissor leg 4410 and the inner scissor leg 4411, and this embodiment is not described in detail herein.

With continued reference to fig. 10, 11 and 13, one end (top end in fig. 10) of the elastic member 4412 is connected to the bottom surface of the key cap 440 facing the substrate 43, and the other end (bottom end in fig. 10) of the elastic member 4412 is connected to the substrate 43, such that the elastic member 4412 is disposed between the bottom surface of the key cap 440 facing the substrate 43 and the substrate 43 for providing a resilient force to the key cap 440. The elastic member 4412 is a flexible structure, and the material of the elastic member 4412 may be selected from plastic or rubber having elasticity.

It is also understood that one of the one end and the other end of the elastic member 4412 is connected by adhesion and the other is connected by abutment. For example, one end of the elastic member 4412 abuts against the bottom surface of the key cap 440, and the other end of the elastic member 4412 is bonded to the substrate 43. When the user presses the key cap 440 to move down, the key cap 440 compresses the elastic member 4412. When the user releases the key cap 440, the elastic member 4412 releases the elastic potential energy to resiliently drive the key cap 440 to move upwards.

In order to ensure that the circuit of the substrate 43 can be connected, as shown in fig. 13, a key sensing electrode 430 may be further disposed on the surface of the substrate 43, and the key 44 further includes a conductive layer 46, the conductive layer 46 is disposed on a region of the elastic member 4412 close to the substrate 43, and the conductive layer 46 is opposite to the key sensing electrode 430. When the keyboard 40 is in the initial state, the key sensing electrode 430 and the conductive layer 46 are spaced apart by a predetermined distance, and a capacitance is formed between the key sensing electrode 430 and the conductive layer 46. When the user presses the key cap 440 to move down, the key cap 440 compresses the elastic member 4412 to move the conductive layer 46 toward the key sensing electrode 430, the distance between the key sensing electrode 430 and the conductive layer 46 changes, the capacitance between the two changes, and the keyboard 40 receives the capacitance change signal, thereby identifying the position of the pressed key 44 to execute the corresponding input command. The material of the conductive layer 46 may be a carbon powder layer or a layer structure containing carbon powder.

In fig. 10, the surface of the elastic member 4412 facing the substrate 43 has a recess, and the conductive layer 46 is provided on the bottom wall of the recess. Since the conductive layer 46 is located in the concave portion, the elastic member 4412 protects the conductive layer 46, which is beneficial to improving the dustproof performance of the keyboard 40, so that the conductive dust is not easy to contact the conductive layer 46, and the possibility of interference of the conductive dust on the capacitance between the conductive layer 46 and the key sensing electrode 430 is reduced.

In the description of the embodiments of the present application, it should be noted that unless otherwise explicitly stated or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," and "connected" are to be construed broadly, and may be, for example, a fixed connection, an indirect connection via an intermediary, a connection between two elements, or an interaction between two elements. The specific meanings of the above terms in the embodiments of the present application can be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art according to specific situations.

Reference throughout this specification to apparatus or components, in embodiments or applications, means or components must be constructed and operated in a particular orientation and therefore should not be construed as limiting the present embodiments. In the description of the embodiments of the present application, "a plurality" means two or more unless specifically stated otherwise.

The terms "first," "second," "third," "fourth," and the like in the description and in the claims of the embodiments of the application and in the drawings described above, if any, are used for distinguishing between similar elements and not necessarily for describing a particular sequential or chronological order. It is to be understood that the data so used is interchangeable under appropriate circumstances such that the embodiments of the application described herein are, for example, capable of operation in sequences other than those illustrated or otherwise described herein.

It should be understood that, in the embodiment of the present application, the sequence numbers of the above-mentioned processes do not mean the execution sequence, and the execution sequence of each process should be determined by its function and inherent logic, and should not constitute any limitation to the implementation process of the embodiment of the present application.

Claims

1. A keyboard, comprising: a keyboard surface shell, a flexible water retaining layer and a plurality of keys,

a plurality of key holes are formed in the keyboard panel shell;

2. The keyboard of claim 1, wherein the flexible water-retaining layer has a plurality of openings corresponding to the plurality of keys, and the keycap is located above the openings or is inserted into the openings;

the keycap is connected with the area, close to the opening, on the flexible water retaining layer.

3. The keyboard of claim 2, wherein an orthographic area of each of the key caps facing the corresponding opening is greater than or equal to an opening area of the opening and less than an open area of the corresponding key hole.

4. The keyboard of claim 2 or 3, wherein the central axis of each key cap, the central axis of the opening corresponding to each key cap, and the central axis of the key hole corresponding to each key cap are arranged in a common line.

5. The keyboard according to any one of claims 2 to 4, wherein the flexible water-retaining layer is a single piece, or the flexible water-retaining layer comprises a plurality of sub-water-retaining layers, each of which is provided with at least one of the openings.

6. The keyboard of any one of claims 1-5, wherein the flexible water-retaining layer is a flexible water-retaining film.

7. The keyboard of claim 6, wherein the flexible water-blocking film is a soft glue water-blocking film made of soft glue material or a rubber water-blocking film made of rubber.

8. The keyboard according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the thickness of the flexible water-retaining layer is greater than or equal to 0.2mm and less than or equal to 1 mm.

9. The keyboard of any one of claims 1-8, further comprising: the base plate is located below the keyboard face shell, the keycaps are arranged on the base plate in a telescopic mode, and the flexible water retaining layer is located between the keyboard face shell and the base plate or located above the keyboard face shell.

10. The keyboard of claim 9, wherein the flexible water barrier layer is adhesively attached to the keyboard face shell.

11. The keyboard of claim 9 or 10, further comprising: one end of each scissors is rotatably connected with the keycap, the other end of each scissors is rotatably connected with the substrate, and the keycap is connected with the substrate through the scissors.

12. The keyboard of claim 11, further comprising: the elastic piece, the one end of elastic piece with the key cap links to each other, the other end of elastic piece with the base plate links to each other, just the key cap passes through the elastic piece is in scalable setting on the base plate.

13. An electronic device, comprising: a keyboard as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 12.

14. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein the electronic device is a notebook computer, the notebook computer includes a host, and the keyboard panel is a host top shell of the notebook computer.