CN114388289A

CN114388289A - Key structure

Info

Publication number: CN114388289A
Application number: CN202011110408.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 刘建宏
Original assignee: Primax Electronics Ltd
Current assignee: Primax Electronics Ltd
Priority date: 2020-10-16
Filing date: 2020-10-16
Publication date: 2022-04-22

Abstract

The invention provides a key structure. The key cap comprises a key cap, an elastic buffer part, a supporting plate, a first supporting element, a second supporting element and an elastic body. The elastic buffer piece is arranged on the buckling part of the keycap; the first supporting element is used for connecting the keycap and the supporting plate, so that the keycap can move up and down relative to the supporting plate; one end of the second supporting element is pivoted to the supporting plate, and the other opposite end of the second supporting element penetrates through the pivot hole of the pivot seat of the elastic buffer piece and the clamping notch of the clamping part. Wherein the inner diameter of the pivot hole is slightly smaller than that of the clamping notch.

Description

Key structure

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to input devices, and particularly to a key structure.

Background

In the modern society, the use of electronic products has become an indispensable part of life, and all foods, clothes, live, walk, breed and happiness are related to electronic products. Generally, electronic products are equipped with a keyboard, and in order to allow users to use the keyboard flexibly, the key structure of the keyboard is often provided with a support member or a balance bar to improve the structural strength of the whole key, and the key cap can move up and down relative to the support plate by using the support member or the balance bar. However, when the key cap is displaced up and down, the supporting member or the balance bar easily rubs or collides with the key cap to generate noise.

In the prior art, in order to reduce the noise generated by the friction and impact between the supporting member or the balance bar and the key cap, lubricating oil is usually applied to the connecting structure, or an interference structure for reducing noise is disposed on the lower surface of the key cap to reduce the impact noise. However, the lubricating oil arranged between the elements may still generate high-frequency noise when the strut or balance bar is rotationally rubbed. On the other hand, the interference structure for noise reduction may also cause the key to lose good pressing feel.

Therefore, how to provide a key structure with noise reduction function and good pressing feeling is the technical subject to be solved by the present invention.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention mainly aims to provide a key structure which has a noise reduction function and keeps good pressing hand feeling.

To achieve the above objective, the present invention provides a key structure, which includes a key cap, an elastic buffer, a supporting plate, a first supporting element, a second supporting element and an elastic body. The lower surface of the keycap is provided with a buckling part which is provided with a clamping notch; the elastic buffer piece comprises a pivot seat, the pivot seat is provided with a pivot hole, the elastic buffer piece is arranged on the buckling part, and the pivot hole is opposite to the clamping notch; the first supporting element is connected with the keycap and the supporting plate, so that the keycap can move up and down relative to the supporting plate; one end of the second supporting element is pivoted to the supporting plate, and the other end of the second supporting element penetrates through the pivot hole and the clamping notch; the elastic body is arranged between the keycap and the support plate and is used for providing elastic restoring force for the keycap; wherein, the inner diameter of the pivot hole is slightly smaller than that of the clamping notch.

In the above preferred embodiment, the elastic member further includes a membrane circuit board having a membrane switch, the membrane circuit board is disposed on the supporting plate, and the elastic member is disposed on the membrane switch.

In the above preferred embodiment, the elastic buffer has a first surface and a second surface opposite to each other, and the second surface is used for being combined with the lower surface of the keycap.

In the above preferred embodiment, the pivot base has a first pivot portion, a second pivot portion and a through slot, the through slot is located between the first pivot portion and the second pivot portion, and the locking portion is disposed in the through slot.

In the above preferred embodiment, the first pivot portion has a first pivot hole, the second pivot portion has a second pivot hole, the first pivot hole and the second pivot hole are located at two sides of the clamping recess and opposite to the clamping recess, and the opening portions of the first pivot hole and the second pivot hole are located on the first surface.

In the above preferred embodiment, the elastic buffer further includes a buffer pad, the buffer pad is disposed on a side of the first pivot portion close to the second surface, and the buffer pad corresponds to the first pivot hole.

In the above preferred embodiment, the elastic buffer further includes an L-shaped groove, the L-shaped groove is located on the first surface, one end of the L-shaped groove is connected to the second pivot hole, and the opposite end is an open end.

In the above preferred embodiment, the second supporting element has a cross bar and two supporting rods perpendicular to the cross bar at two ends of the cross bar, and the cross bar is connected to the supporting rods via the first bending section.

In the above preferred embodiment, the cross bar is forced into the opening portion of the first pivot hole and the second pivot hole, so that the cross bar passes through the first pivot hole, the clamping recess and the second pivot hole, and the cross bar can rotate relative to the pivot seat and the fastening portion.

In the above preferred embodiment, when the key cap is pressed by an external force, the cross bar rotates relative to the pivot seat and the buckling part, and the first bending section and a part of the support rod enter the L-shaped groove and abut against the bottom surface of the L-shaped groove.

In the above preferred embodiment, the end of each strut has a second bending section, and the second bending section is parallel to the cross bar and is used for connecting the supporting plate.

In the above preferred embodiment, the supporting plate has two connecting structures extending upward and opposite to each other, the two connecting structures respectively have a through hole, and each of the second bending sections respectively penetrates through the through hole, so that the second supporting element can swing relative to the supporting plate.

In the above preferred embodiment, the first supporting element includes a first frame and a second frame pivotally connected to each other, a first end of the first frame is connected to the supporting plate, a second end of the first frame is connected to the key cap, a first end of the second frame is connected to the supporting plate, and a second end of the second frame is connected to the key cap.

In the above preferred embodiment, the lower surface of the key cap has a fixed hook and a movable hook, which are oppositely disposed, the fixed hook is pivotally connected to the second end of the second frame, the movable hook is connected to the second end of the first frame, and the second end of the first frame can slide in the movable hook.

In the above preferred embodiment, the supporting plate has a first supporting hook and a second supporting hook extending upward, the first supporting hook is used to connect with the first end of the first frame, and the second supporting hook is used to connect with the first end of the second frame.

The key structure has the advantages that the provided key structure can reduce micro impact sound generated by shaking between the second supporting element and the key cap through the elastic buffer part arranged at the buckling part of the key cap, and simultaneously reduce high-frequency noise generated by friction of the lower surface of the key cap when the second supporting element rotates. On the other hand, the second support element can also be used as a buffer structure to reduce the impact sound generated when the second support element impacts the lower surface of the keycap. In addition, the reduction of the shaking between the second supporting element and the keycap also enables the keycap to rise and fall more stably, thereby providing good pressing hand feeling for users.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a key structure according to the present invention;

FIG. 2A is an exploded perspective view of a key structure according to the present invention;

FIG. 2B is an exploded perspective view of another perspective of the key structure of the present invention;

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a key cap according to the present invention;

FIG. 4A is a perspective view of an elastic buffer according to the present invention;

FIG. 4B is a perspective view of another perspective view of the elastic buffer of the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a perspective view of the elastic buffer mounted to the keycap according to the present invention; and

FIG. 6 is a schematic view illustrating the second supporting element being actuated when the key cap is lowered.

The reference numbers are as follows:

d1, d2 inner diameter

1 push-button structure

10 keycap

11 upper surface of the container

12 lower surface

121 fixed hook

1211 pivot hole

122 movable hook

1221 chute

123. 124 latch portion

1231 grip notch

12311 open part

20 second support

21 Cross bar

22 first bending section

23 support rod

231 second bending section

30 elastic buffer

31 first surface

32 second surface

33 pivot seat

331 first pivot part

3311 first pivot hole

33111. 33211 open part

332 second pivot part

3321 second pivot hole

333 slotted

34 buffer pad

35L-shaped groove

40 first support

41 first frame

411. 421 first end

412. 422 second end

42 second frame

50 thin film circuit board

51 let-off opening

52 thin film switch

60 supporting plate

61 first support hook

62 second support hook

63 connection structure

631 perforation

70 elastomer

Detailed Description

The advantages and features of the present invention and methods of accomplishing the same will be understood more readily by reference to the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments and accompanying drawings. This invention may, however, be embodied in different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

First, please refer to fig. 1, fig. 2A and fig. 2B, in which fig. 1 is a schematic perspective view of a key structure according to the present invention; FIG. 2A is an exploded perspective view of a key structure according to the present invention; fig. 2B is an exploded perspective view of another perspective of the key structure of the present invention. The key structure 1 includes: key cap 10, second supporting element 20, elastic buffer 30, first supporting element 40, thin film circuit board 50, supporting plate 60 and elastic body 70.

The key cap 10 has an upper surface 11 and a lower surface 12 opposite to each other, wherein the lower surface 12 has two sets of fixed hooks 121, movable hooks 122 opposite to each other, and a plurality of

fastening portions

123, 124 arranged along an inner edge of a skirt structure of the key cap 10. The elastic buffer 30 is mounted on the fastening portion 123. The second support element 20 is a linkage rod and can help the keycap 10 to ascend and descend smoothly. In this embodiment, the second supporting member 20 is n-shaped, and has a longer cross bar 21 and two supporting rods 23 perpendicular to the cross bar 21, and the cross bar 21 is connected to the supporting rods 23 at two ends via the first bending section 22; the end of the supporting rod 23 has a second bending section 231, and the second bending section 231 is bent inward and parallel to the cross bar 21.

The first support element 40 is a two-set scissor structure, including: the first frame 41 and the second frame 42, the first frame 41 and the second frame 42 can be pivoted with each other through a pivot shaft, and can swing relatively. Wherein, the first end 411 of the first frame 41 and the first end 421 of the second frame 42 are used for connecting the supporting plate 60; the second ends 412 and 422 of the first and

second frames

41 and 42 are used for connecting the keycap 10. Although the present invention only proposes the embodiment in which the first supporting element 40 is a scissors structure, in practical applications, other supporting elements with similar functions may be substituted, for example: v-shaped, a-shaped or two parallel linkage arrangements, or may be keyboard bearings, for example: the green axis, the tea axis, the red axis or the black axis are substituted, but not limited to the embodiment of the invention.

The membrane circuit board 50 has two through-going abdicating openings 51 and a membrane switch 52, and the membrane switch 52 is located between the two abdicating openings 51. The elastic body 70 is disposed between the film circuit board 50 and the key cap 10, and the material of the elastic body 70 may be: rubber, silica gel or metal spring.

The supporting plate 60 has two sets of first supporting hooks 61 and second supporting hooks 62 extending upward and disposed opposite to each other, and two sets of connecting structures 63 extending upward and disposed opposite to each other. In the embodiment, the connecting structure 63 is located at one side of the first supporting hook 61 and the second supporting hook 62, and is opposite to the other connecting structure 63, and each connecting structure 63 has two through holes 631. It should be noted that, when manufacturing the supporting board 60, the number of the through holes 631 of each connecting structure 63 can be adjusted according to the number of the second supporting elements 20, if the key structure 1 only needs to be provided with one second supporting element 20, and correspondingly, each connecting structure 63 only needs to be provided with one through hole 631.

Referring to fig. 3, fig. 3 is a schematic perspective view of the key cap according to the present invention. In fig. 3, the lower surface 12 of the key cap 10 has two sets of fixed hooks 121, movable hooks 122 disposed oppositely, and a plurality of

fastening portions

123, 124 disposed along the inner edge of the skirt structure of the key cap 10. Wherein, the fixing hook 121 has a pivot hole 1211; the movable hook 122 has a sliding slot 1221. On the other hand, the locking portion 123 disposed at the corner of the key cap 10 has a clipping notch 1231, and the clipping notch 1231 has a downward opening 12311. Similarly, other fastening portions 124 along the inner edge of the skirt structure of the key cap 10 have holding notches and downward-facing open portions.

Referring to fig. 4A and 4B, fig. 4A is a perspective view of an elastic buffer of the present invention; fig. 4B is a perspective view of another perspective view of the elastic buffer of the present invention. The elastic buffer 30 has a first surface 31 and a second surface 32 opposite to each other. In this embodiment, the elastic buffer 30 includes: the pivot seat 33, the buffer pad 34 and the L-shaped groove 35, and the elastic buffer member 30 is made of soft material, such as silicone rubber. The pivot base 33 has a first pivot portion 331, a second pivot portion 332 opposite to each other, and a through slot 333. The slot 333 is located between the first pivot portion 331 and the second pivot portion 332. In addition, the first pivot portion 331 has a first pivot hole 3311; the second pivot portion 332 has a second pivot hole 3321. The first pivot hole 3311 is opposite to the second pivot hole 3321 and has an inner diameter d1, and the

open portions

33111, 33211 of the first pivot hole 3311 and the second pivot hole 3321 are located on the first surface 31.

The cushion pad 34 is disposed on a side of the first pivot portion 331 close to the second surface 34, and the cushion pad 34 corresponds to the first pivot hole 3311, in short, the cushion pad 34 is disposed at a position overlapping with a virtual axis extending in the axial direction of the first pivot hole 3311 and the second pivot hole 3321. The L-shaped groove 35 is disposed on the first surface 31, and one end of the L-shaped groove 35 is connected to the second pivot hole 3321, and the opposite end is an open end.

Referring to fig. 3, fig. 4A, fig. 4B and fig. 5, fig. 5 is a schematic perspective view illustrating the elastic buffer of the present invention mounted on the key cap. In fig. 5, the elastic buffer 30 can be adhesively mounted on the fastening portion 123, wherein an adhesive can be disposed on the second surface 32 of the elastic buffer 30, so that the second surface 32 is combined with the lower surface 12 of the key cap 10, the fastening portion 123 is disposed through the slot 333 and disposed in the slot 333 of the pivot base 33, and the first pivot hole 3311 and the second pivot hole 3321 are disposed on two sides of the clamping recess 1231 of the fastening portion 123 and opposite to the clamping recess 1231. In the present embodiment, the inner diameters d1 of the first pivot hole 3311 and the second pivot hole 3321 are slightly smaller than the inner diameter d2 of the clamping notch 1231. On the other hand, the side of the elastic buffer 30 with the L-shaped groove 35 is attached to the corner of the skirt structure of the key cap 10. Although the present invention only proposes the embodiment of mounting the elastic buffer 30 on the fastening portion 123, in practical applications, the elastic buffer 30 can also be formed directly at the position of the fastening portion 123 by two-material injection molding when the key cap 10 is manufactured; or, corresponding engaging structures may be disposed on the elastic buffer 30 and the fastening portion 123, so that the elastic buffer 30 can be directly engaged with the fastening portion 123, and the invention is not limited to the embodiments provided in the invention.

Please refer to fig. 2A, fig. 2B, fig. 3 and fig. 5. When the key structure 1 is assembled, the thin film circuit board 50 is disposed on the supporting plate 60, and the first supporting hook 61, the second supporting hook 62 and the connecting structure 63 pass through the avoiding opening 51 and are exposed in the avoiding opening 51. Wherein, the first supporting hook 61 is used to connect with the first end 411 of the first frame 41; the second supporting hook 62 is connected to the first end 421 of the second frame 42. On the other hand, the fixing hook 121 on the lower surface 12 of the key cap 10 is pivotally connected to the second end 422 of the second frame 42; the movable hook 122 is connected to the second end 412 of the first frame 41, and the second end 412 of the first frame 41 can slide in the sliding slot 1221 of the movable hook 122.

The second bending sections 231 of the second supporting member 20 are respectively inserted into the through holes 631 of the connecting structure 63, so that the second supporting member 20 can swing relative to the supporting plate 60. On the other hand, the cross bar 21 of the second supporting element 20 is inserted through the

fastening portions

123 and 124 and the pivot seat 33 of the elastic buffer 30. In the embodiment, the cross bar 21 can be forced into the opening

portions

33111 and 33211 of the first pivot hole 3311 and the second pivot hole 3321, so that the cross bar 21 can sequentially pass through the first pivot portion 331, the locking portion 123 and the second pivot portion 332, and the cross bar 21 can rotate relative to the pivot base 33 and the locking

portions

123 and 124.

The elastic body 70 is disposed on the membrane switch 52, and the top end thereof abuts against the lower surface 12 of the key cap 10. When the key cap 10 is pressed down by an external force, the elastic body 70 is elastically deformed to form a pressing stroke, and simultaneously, the elastic body can contact the membrane switch 52 to generate a key signal; when the external force stops pressing the key cap 10, the elastic body 70 also provides an upward elastic restoring force to the key cap 10, so as to push the key cap 10 to rise and reset.

Referring to fig. 6, fig. 6 is a schematic view illustrating the second supporting element being actuated when the key cap is lowered. In fig. 6, the first pivot portion 331, the second pivot portion 332 and the fastening portion 123 of the pivot base 33 can simultaneously clamp the cross bar 21 of the second supporting member 20, but since the inner diameters d1 of the first pivot hole 3311 and the second pivot hole 3321 are slightly smaller than the inner diameter d2 of the clamping notch 12321 (as shown in fig. 5), the shaking between the second supporting member 20 and the key cap 10 can be reduced, and the small striking sound generated by the shaking can be reduced. In addition, since the rail 21 abuts against the buffer pad 34, high frequency noise generated by the rail 21 rubbing the lower surface 12 of the key cap 10 when the rail 21 rotates can be reduced. On the other hand, when the key cap 10 is pressed by an external force and reaches the lowest stroke, the first bending section 22 and a part of the support rod 23 of the second support element 20 enter the L-shaped groove 35 and abut against the bottom surface of the L-shaped groove 35, so that the bottom surface of the L-shaped groove 35 can serve as a buffer structure, and the impact sound generated when the second support element 20 impacts the lower surface 12 of the key cap 10 is reduced. Although the present invention only proposes the embodiment of mounting the elastic buffer 30 on the buckling portion 123 of the corner of the key cap 10, in practical applications, the elastic buffer 30 without the L-shaped groove 35 can be mounted on other buckling portions 124, and the present invention is not limited to the embodiment presented in the present invention.

Compared with the prior art, the key structure provided by the invention can reduce the shaking between the second supporting element and the key cap through the elastic buffer part arranged at the buckling part of the key cap, so that the micro impact sound generated by the shaking can be reduced, and meanwhile, the high-frequency noise generated by the friction of the lower surface of the key cap when the second supporting element rotates is reduced. On the other hand, the elastic buffer part can also be used as a buffer structure to reduce the impact sound generated when the second supporting element impacts the lower surface of the keycap. In addition, the shaking between the second supporting element and the keycap is reduced, so that the keycap can rise and fall more stably, and a good pressing hand feeling of a user is provided; therefore, the present invention is a creation with great industrial value.

The invention may be modified in various ways by anyone skilled in the art without however departing from the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A key structure comprising:

the lower surface of the keycap is provided with at least one buckling part, and the at least one buckling part is provided with a clamping notch;

an elastic buffer piece, including a pivot base, the pivot base has at least one pivot hole, the elastic buffer piece is installed on the at least one fastening part, and the at least one pivot hole is opposite to the clamping notch;

a supporting plate;

a first supporting element connecting the keycap and the supporting plate to enable the keycap to move up and down relative to the supporting plate;

a second supporting element, one end of which is pivoted to the supporting plate, and the other end of which is penetrated through the at least one pivoting hole and the clamping notch; and

an elastic body arranged between the keycap and the support plate and used for providing elastic restoring force for the keycap;

wherein, the inner diameter of the at least one pivot hole is smaller than that of the clamping notch.

2. The key structure of claim 1, further comprising a membrane circuit board having a membrane switch, the membrane circuit board being disposed on the supporting plate, and the elastic body being disposed on the membrane switch.

3. The key structure of claim 1, wherein the elastic buffer has a first surface and a second surface opposite to each other, the second surface being used to combine with the lower surface of the key cap.

4. The key structure of claim 3, wherein the pivot base has a first pivot portion, a second pivot portion and a slot passing through the first pivot portion and the second pivot portion, the slot is located between the first pivot portion and the second pivot portion, and the at least one locking portion is disposed in the slot.

5. The key structure of claim 4, wherein the first pivot portion has a first pivot hole, the second pivot portion has a second pivot hole, the first pivot hole and the second pivot hole are located at two sides of the clamping recess and opposite to the clamping recess, and the open portions of the first pivot hole and the second pivot hole are located on the first surface.

6. The key structure of claim 5, wherein the elastic buffer further comprises a buffer pad disposed on a side of the first pivot portion near the second surface, and the buffer pad corresponds to the first pivot hole.

7. The key structure of claim 5, wherein the elastic buffer further comprises an L-shaped groove, the L-shaped groove is located on the first surface, one end of the L-shaped groove is connected to the second pivot hole, and the other end is an open end.

8. The key structure of claim 7, wherein the second supporting element has a cross bar and two supporting rods perpendicular to the cross bar at two ends of the cross bar, the cross bar connecting each of the supporting rods via a first bending section.

9. The key structure of claim 8, wherein the cross bar is forced into the first pivot hole and the second pivot hole through the opening portions thereof, so that the cross bar is disposed through the first pivot hole, the clamping recess and the second pivot hole, and the cross bar can rotate relative to the pivot base and the at least one locking portion.

10. The key structure of claim 9, wherein when the key cap is pressed by an external force, the cross bar rotates relative to the pivot base and the at least one locking portion, and the first bending section and a portion of the strut enter the L-shaped groove and abut against a bottom surface of the L-shaped groove.

11. The key structure of claim 8, wherein each of the support rods has a second bent portion at an end thereof, the second bent portion being parallel to the cross bar and connecting the support plate.

12. The key structure of claim 11, wherein the supporting plate has at least two connecting structures extending upward and opposite to each other, the at least two connecting structures each have a through hole, and each of the second bending sections is disposed through the through hole, so that the second supporting element can swing relative to the supporting plate.

13. The key structure of claim 1, wherein the first supporting element comprises a first frame and a second frame pivotally connected to each other, a first end of the first frame is connected to the supporting plate, a second end of the first frame is connected to the key cap, a first end of the second frame is connected to the supporting plate, and a second end of the second frame is connected to the key cap.

14. The key structure of claim 13, wherein the key cap has a fixed hook and a movable hook disposed opposite to each other on a lower surface thereof, the fixed hook is pivotally connected to the second end of the second frame, the movable hook is connected to the second end of the first frame, and the second end of the first frame is slidable within the movable hook.

15. The key structure of claim 13, wherein the supporting plate has a first supporting hook and a second supporting hook extending upward, the first supporting hook is connected to the first end of the first frame, and the second supporting hook is connected to the first end of the second frame.