CN116417278A

CN116417278A - Hand feeling adjusting keyboard and composite operation button

Info

Publication number: CN116417278A
Application number: CN202111631620.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 杨宸; 纪智耀; 萧绍仑; 陈志豪
Original assignee: Huaian Darfon Electronics Co ltd; Darfon Electronics Corp
Current assignee: Huaian Darfon Electronics Co ltd; Darfon Electronics Corp
Priority date: 2021-12-29
Filing date: 2021-12-29
Publication date: 2023-07-11

Abstract

The invention relates to a hand feeling adjusting keyboard and a compound operating button. The adjusting frame is arranged corresponding to the plurality of keys and corresponds to at least one of the plurality of keys to move and interfere. The composite operation button comprises a hand feeling switcher and a non-hand feeling knob. The hand feeling switcher comprises a switching shaft and a switching handle; the switching shaft is rotatably connected with the adjusting frame to move the adjusting frame, and the switching handle extends outwards from the switching shaft; the non-feel knob at least partially surrounds the feel switch. The hand feeling feedback of at least one of the keys is changed along with the rotation of the hand feeling switcher, and the non-hand feeling signal can be generated along with the rotation of the non-hand feeling knob.

Description

Hand feeling adjusting keyboard and composite operation button

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a keyboard and a composite operating button, and more particularly, to a touch adjusting keyboard and a composite operating button capable of adjusting a pressing touch.

Background

The keys of the conventional keyboard generally provide only one pressing feeling, so a user must select a keyboard having a proper pressing feeling from among a plurality of keyboards having different pressing feeling according to the pressing habit of the user. However, when the user is in different operation states (such as typing, playing games, etc.), different pressing handfeel is generally desired, so that the keyboard providing only a single pressing handfeel cannot meet the requirement of the user, so that the user must purchase the keyboard with different pressing handfeel additionally, which causes additional costs and storage problems of idle keyboards.

Disclosure of Invention

Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a touch adjusting keyboard and a composite operation button thereof, so as to solve the above-mentioned problems.

According to an aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides a touch adjusting keyboard, comprising:

a plurality of keys;

the adjusting frame is arranged corresponding to the plurality of keys, and the adjusting frame can move and interfere at least one of the plurality of keys; a kind of electronic device with high-pressure air-conditioning system

A composite operation button comprising:

the hand feeling switcher comprises a switching shaft and a switching handle, wherein the switching shaft is rotatably connected with the adjusting frame to move the adjusting frame, and the switching handle extends outwards from the switching shaft; a kind of electronic device with high-pressure air-conditioning system

A non-feel knob at least partially surrounding the feel switch;

the touch feedback of at least one of the keys is changed along with the rotation of the touch switcher, and the at least one of the keys can generate a non-touch signal along with the rotation of the non-touch knob.

Alternatively, the switching handle may be rotatable between a first manual position and a second manual position.

As an alternative solution, the swing projection of the switching handle during rotation is at least partially coincident with the non-handfeel knob.

As an optional technical solution, the at least one key includes a touch feedback element, and the adjusting frame interferes with the touch feedback element along with rotation of the touch switch.

As an alternative solution, the device further comprises a light-transmitting component, wherein the light-transmitting component surrounds at least part of the non-handfeel knob.

As an optional solution, the light-emitting device further includes a first light-emitting element, wherein the first light-emitting element is optically connected to the light-transmitting member, and the first light-emitting element irradiates the light-transmitting member or generates a light change according to rotation of the switching handle or movement of the adjustment frame.

As an optional technical solution, the portable electronic device further comprises a second light emitting element, wherein the second light emitting element is optically connected with the at least one key, and the second light emitting element irradiates the at least one key or generates light change along with the rotation of the switching handle or the movement of the adjusting frame.

Alternatively, the shielding member extending from the adjusting frame may be movable between two positions to cover or expose the second light emitting member.

As an alternative solution, the non-handfeel knob includes a rotating member and an encoder, and the encoder generates the non-handfeel signal along with the rotation of the rotating member.

As an alternative solution, the portable electronic device further comprises a pivot plate and at least one magnet, wherein the switching shaft penetrates through the non-hand-feeling knob to be connected with the pivot plate, and the magnet fixes the pivot plate at a required position after the pivot plate and the hand-feeling switcher synchronously rotate.

As an optional technical solution, the touch sensor further comprises a hall sensor, and when the hall sensor senses the magnetic flux change in the rotating process of the touch switch, the hall sensor triggers a readable indication displayed on the keyboard.

As an optional solution, the portable electronic device further includes a motor, and the motor is configured to drive the adjustment frame to move along with the rotation of the hand-feeling switch.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is provided another hand feeling adjustment keyboard comprising:

a keyboard housing;

a plurality of keys arranged on the keyboard shell; a kind of electronic device with high-pressure air-conditioning system

A composite operation button provided near an edge of the keyboard housing, the composite operation button including:

a non-touch knob disposed on an outer surface of the keyboard housing; a kind of electronic device with high-pressure air-conditioning system

A hand-feel switch at least partially surrounded by the non-hand-feel knob, the hand-feel switch including a switching shaft having a distal end portion provided in the middle of the non-hand-feel knob, and a switching handle extending outward from the distal end portion of the switching shaft;

Wherein the swing projection of the switch lever at least partially overlaps the non-touch knob while the switch lever is rotated between the first and second touch positions.

As an alternative solution, the switch and the non-handfeel knob are coaxially arranged.

As an alternative solution, the device further comprises a light-transmitting component, wherein the light-transmitting component at least partially surrounds the non-handfeel knob.

As an alternative solution, the device further comprises two pattern surfaces, one of the two pattern surfaces is formed on a section of the switching handle of the switch, and the other of the two pattern surfaces is formed on an annular portion surrounding the non-handfeel knob.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a composite operation button for a touch-adjusting keyboard having a plurality of keys, including:

the hand-feeling switcher comprises a switching shaft and a switching handle, the switching shaft is rotatably connected with the keyboard, the switching handle extends outwards from the switching shaft, and when the switching handle and the switching shaft rotate, the hand-feeling switcher generates adjusting force to interfere at least one of the keys; a kind of electronic device with high-pressure air-conditioning system

A non-feel knob at least partially surrounding the feel switch;

the touch feedback of one of the plurality of keys is changed along with the rotation of the touch switcher, and the one of the plurality of keys can generate a non-touch signal along with the rotation of the non-touch knob.

As an optional solution, the touch sensor further includes a first light emitting element, wherein the first light emitting element and the light transmitting member are optically connected to each other, and the first light emitting element irradiates the light transmitting member or generates a light change according to rotation of the touch sensor.

Alternatively, the touch switch rotates to generate a readable indication displayed on the touch adjustment keyboard.

In summary, the touch adjusting keyboard of the present invention can partially move the touch feedback member by the adjusting mechanism to provide different pressing touch. In addition, the hand feeling adjusting keyboard has an opening design which can at least partially accommodate the keys, and the adjusting mechanism (or the adjusting piece) can be arranged on the side edge of the keys, so that the arrangement space of the adjusting mechanism in the thickness direction is reduced, the thickness of the keyboard or the keys is effectively minimized, and the feasibility of thinning is improved. Furthermore, the composite operation button provides at least two functions for the hand-feeling adjustment keyboard through the hand-feeling switcher and the non-hand-feeling knob, the hand-feeling switcher generates adjustment forces transmitted from the adjustment frame, the adjustment part and the hand-feeling feedback piece to interfere the keys when the switching handle and the switching shaft rotate, and finally, the hand-feeling feedback of each interfered key changes along with the rotation of the hand-feeling switcher, and the non-hand-feeling signal is generated along with the rotation of the non-hand-feeling knob. Furthermore, the readable indication is displayed on the hand-feeling adjustment keyboard along with the rotation triggering of the hand-feeling switcher, so as to inform the user that the hand-feeling feedback of the interfered key is changed.

The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the drawings and specific examples, which are not intended to limit the invention thereto.

Drawings

Fig. 1A and fig. 1B are a partially exploded schematic view and a partially cross-sectional schematic view, respectively, of a keyboard according to an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2A and 2B are exploded views of a return mechanism embodiment of a key of the keyboard of fig. 1A at different viewing angles.

Fig. 2C is a schematic view of the lower housing of fig. 2A at another view angle.

Fig. 3A to 3C are an exploded view, a combined view and a partial sectional view of an adjusting mechanism positioned on an upper cover according to an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 3D is an enlarged schematic view of the positioning block of fig. 3A.

Fig. 3E is a schematic diagram of the adjusting mechanism of fig. 3A.

Fig. 4A is a schematic cross-sectional view of the key of fig. 1A with a first pressing feel.

Fig. 4B and 4C are a bottom view and a partial cross-sectional view showing the relative positions of the adjustment mechanism and the upper cover when the key is in the state of fig. 4A.

Fig. 5A is a schematic cross-sectional view of the key of fig. 1A with a second pressing feel.

Fig. 5B and 5C are a bottom view and a partial cross-sectional view showing the relative positions of the adjustment mechanism and the upper cover when the key is in the state of fig. 5A.

Fig. 6 is a schematic view of an adjusting mechanism according to another embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 7A is a schematic cross-sectional view of a key of a keyboard using the adjustment mechanism of fig. 6 with a first pressing feel.

Fig. 7B is a schematic cross-sectional view of the key press of fig. 7A without the lower housing.

Fig. 8A is a schematic cross-sectional view of a key of a keyboard using the adjustment mechanism of fig. 6 with a second pressing feel.

Fig. 8B is a schematic cross-sectional view of the key press of fig. 8A without the lower housing.

Fig. 9A and 9B are exploded views and a combination diagram of an adjusting mechanism positioned on a top cover according to another embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 9C is a schematic diagram of the adjusting mechanism of fig. 9A.

Fig. 10 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view of a keyboard with a first pressing feel employing the design of fig. 9A.

FIG. 11 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view of a keyboard with a second pressing feel employing the design of FIG. 9A.

Fig. 12A and 12B are exploded views of a key and a top view of a non-upper case according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 12C is a partially hollowed-out view of the key top-less housing of FIG. 12A.

Fig. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a variation of the adjuster of fig. 12A.

Fig. 14 is a schematic diagram showing another variation of the adjuster of fig. 12A.

Fig. 15 is a schematic view showing a modification of the adjuster of fig. 14.

Fig. 16 is a schematic diagram showing a configuration of a lower housing and an adjusting mechanism of the keyboard applying the keys of fig. 12A.

Fig. 17 is a schematic diagram showing a variation of the keyboard of fig. 1A.

Fig. 18 is a schematic diagram of a variation of the adjustment mechanism of fig. 6.

Fig. 19 is a schematic diagram of another variation of the adjusting mechanism.

FIG. 20 is a schematic diagram of a touch-adjusted keyboard according to a variation of the present invention.

Fig. 21A and 21B are partial schematic views showing a composite operation button of the hand feeling adjustment keyboard of fig. 20, respectively.

Fig. 22 is a partial schematic view showing a composite operation button of the touch adjusting keyboard of fig. 21A, wherein keys, a keyboard housing and a circuit board are omitted.

Fig. 23A and 23B are partial bottom views of a composite operation button and an adjustment mechanism of a touch adjustment keyboard according to various embodiments of the present invention, respectively.

Fig. 24A and 24B are cross-sectional views of a composite operation button and an adjusting mechanism of a touch adjusting keyboard according to another variation of the present invention, respectively.

Detailed Description

For a further understanding of the objects, construction, features, and functions of the invention, reference should be made to the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments.

Fig. 1A and fig. 1B are a partially exploded schematic view and a partially cross-sectional schematic view, respectively, of a keyboard according to an embodiment of the invention. As shown in fig. 1A and 1B, in an embodiment, the keyboard 1 includes a top cover 10, an adjusting mechanism 20, and a plurality of keys 30. The upper cover 10 has a plurality of first key openings 110. The adjusting mechanism 20 is disposed below the upper cover 10, and the adjusting mechanism 20 includes an adjusting frame 210 and a plurality of adjusting portions 220. The adjustment frame 210 includes a plurality of frame bars 215 (shown in fig. 3E), the plurality of frame bars 215 define a plurality of second key openings 212, the plurality of second key openings 212 respectively correspond to the plurality of first key openings 110, and each adjustment portion 220 is adjacent to the corresponding second key opening 212. Each key 30 includes a touch feedback element 310, and each key 30 is located in the corresponding first key opening 110 and second key opening 212, so that the adjusting portion 220 corresponds to the touch feedback element 310 of the corresponding key 30. The adjusting frame 210 can move relative to the upper cover 10, so that each adjusting portion 220 drives the touch feedback member 310 to move locally, thereby changing the pressing touch provided by the key 30.

Specifically, the keyboard 1 of the present invention may be a stand-alone device or integrated with an electronic device as an external or internal input device. In this embodiment, the keyboard 1 includes nine keys (e.g. keys 30) arranged in a 3×3 array, but not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the keyboard may include at least one key, and the number of keys included in the keyboard and the arrangement of the keys are not limited to the embodiment, for example, the keyboard may be in the form of a single key or in the form of a QWERTY keyboard.

It should be noted that, in the keyboard 1 of the present invention, the keys may have any key structure (

e.g. keys

30, 30A, 30B, 30C, etc.) including a touch feedback element, and are not limited to the embodiment shown. The key 30 includes a key cap 320 (shown in fig. 1A and 1B) and a return mechanism 301. The restoring mechanism 301 is disposed below the key cap 320 to provide a restoring force to restore the key cap 320 to a pre-pressing position after pressing. In addition, the key may further comprise a switch unit for generating a trigger signal. According to practical applications, the key may also optionally include a light source unit for generating light to form a light-emitting key.

In an embodiment, as shown in fig. 2A and 2B, fig. 2A and 2B are exploded views of an embodiment of a return mechanism 301 applicable to a key (e.g. key 30) of the keyboard 1 of fig. 1A at different viewing angles. The restoring mechanism 301 includes a housing 302 and a restoring unit 360. The restoring unit 360 and the touch feedback member 310 are disposed in the housing 302, and an upper portion of the housing 302 protrudes from the first key opening 110, and a lower portion of the housing 302 is at least partially disposed in the second key opening 212. Specifically, the housing 302 includes a lower housing 330, an upper housing 340, and a movable shaft 350. The lower housing 330 is preferably supported by the upper cover 10 and is disposed through the first key opening 110 and the second key opening 212. The upper case 340 is combined with the lower case 330 to form the receiving space 336, and the upper case 340 has a through hole 342. The movable shaft 350 is movably coupled with the upper case 340 to protrude from the through hole 342, and the movable shaft 350 has an actuating portion 352. The touch feedback element 310 and the restoring unit 360 are disposed in the accommodating space 336, and the restoring unit 360 is disposed between the lower housing 330 and the movable shaft 350. The restoring unit 360 provides restoring force to drive the movable shaft 350 and the actuating portion 352 thereon to move away from the lower housing 330, and when the adjusting frame 210 moves relative to the upper cover 10, the adjusting portion 220 changes the position of the touch feedback member 310 relative to the actuating portion 352.

Specifically, the lower housing 330 is preferably a housing extending along the X-axis, Y-axis and Z-axis directions, and the upper housing 340 is a cover corresponding to the lower housing 330. The lower housing 330 is preferably combined with the upper housing 340 to form the housing 302 with the accommodating space 336 therein for accommodating, for example, the restoring unit 360 and the feel feedback member 310. For example, the lower housing 330 may have a fastening portion 332, and the upper housing 340 has a fastening portion 344, such that the lower housing 330 and the upper housing 340 are fastened to each other along the Z-axis direction by the fastening portion 332 and the fastening portion 344. In addition, the lower housing 330 preferably has a bearing portion 334 for bearing against the upper cover 10. Specifically, the lower housing 330 preferably has two bearing portions 334. The two bearing portions 334 are disposed on opposite sides of the upper portion of the lower housing 330 along the Y-axis direction, such that the bearing portions 334 may be wing portions of the lower housing 330 extending outward in the Y-axis direction. As shown in fig. 1B, when the housing 302 is disposed in the first key opening 110 of the upper cover 10, the bearing portion 334 of the lower housing 330 bears against a portion of the upper cover 10 surrounding the first key opening 110, and the upper housing 340 protrudes from the upper cover 10 and is coupled to the key cap 320 by the movable shaft 350.

The through hole 342 of the upper housing 340 preferably corresponds to the top shape of the movable shaft 350, such that the movable shaft 350 can be movably inserted through the through hole 342 of the upper housing 340 from below the upper housing 340, and the top of the movable shaft 350 protrudes out of the through hole 342. The movable shaft 350 preferably has an actuating portion 352, an actuating portion 354, a limiting portion 356, and an engaging portion 358. For example, the movable shaft 350 is preferably a cylindrical cap, the actuating portion 352 and the limiting portion 356 are preferably disposed along a lower periphery of the cylindrical cap, the actuating portion 354 preferably protrudes from a lower end of the cylindrical cap, and the engaging portion 358 is preferably disposed at a top of the movable shaft 350.

Specifically, the actuating portion 352 includes a downward extending bump, and the bump has a lower abutting surface 3521, an upper abutting surface 3522 and an apex 3523, and the apex 3523 is located between the lower abutting surface 3521 and the upper abutting surface 3522. For example, the bump may be an angular block, such that the lower and upper abutting

surfaces

3521 and 3522 preferably extend obliquely toward each other and are connected to the vertex 3523, i.e., the vertex 3523 protrudes outward (e.g., in the Y-axis direction) relative to the lower and upper abutting

surfaces

3521 and 3522. The actuating portion 354 is disposed corresponding to the switch unit, and the actuating portion 354 is preferably a pillar protruding downward from the bottom center of the pillar cap for triggering the switch unit to generate the trigger signal. The limiting portions 356 are preferably pillars protruding radially from both sides of the movable shaft 350, such that a distance between end portions of the pillars is greater than a caliber of the through hole 342 of the upper housing 340, thereby preventing the movable shaft 350 from being separated from the upper housing 340 when moving relative to the lower housing 330. The engaging portion 358 may be, for example, a cross-shaped engaging post formed on the top of the movable shaft 350 for engaging with the key cap 320, but is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the engaging portion 358 may be in other forms (e.g., a snap-fit hole) for engaging with the key cap 320.

The arrangement of the components in the lower housing 330 will be described in detail with reference to fig. 1B and fig. 2A to 2C. In this embodiment, the restoring unit 360 is preferably a spring, and the lower housing 330 has a positioning seat 331, so that the restoring unit 360 can be positioned on the positioning seat 331. For example, the positioning seat 331 is an annular cylinder extending from the bottom of the lower housing 330 to the upper housing 340, such that one end of the spring (i.e. the restoring unit 360) can be sleeved outside the positioning seat 331, and the actuating portion 354 of the movable shaft 350 is inserted into the through hole 3312 surrounded by the annular cylinder, such that the other end of the spring abuts against the bottom of the movable shaft 350, such that the top of the movable shaft 350 protrudes out of the through hole 342 of the upper housing 340, and the spring (i.e. the restoring unit 360) is disposed between the lower housing 330 and the movable shaft 350. Accordingly, when the key cap 320 is pressed such that the movable shaft 350 moves toward the lower housing 330, the movable shaft 350 compresses the spring, and when the pressing force is released, the spring provides an elastic restoring force such that the movable shaft 350 drives the key cap 320 to move toward a direction away from the lower housing 330 to a pre-pressing position.

In this embodiment, the feedback device 310 includes a positioning portion 312 and an extension arm 314. The extension arm 314 extends corresponding to the actuating portion 352, and the positioning portion 312 is positioned on the lower housing 330. Specifically, the feel feedback member 310 may be implemented as a torsion spring. The positioning portion 312 and the extension arm 314 extend from opposite ends of the torsion spring, and an angle is formed between the extending direction of the positioning portion 312 and the extending direction of the extension arm 314, and the angle is preferably not greater than 120 degrees. For example, the positioning portion 312 and the extension arm 314 are rods extending from opposite ends of the torsion spring body 316, and an included angle between the extending directions of the two rods is preferably not greater than 120 degrees.

As shown in fig. 2C, corresponding to the feel feedback element 310, the lower housing 330 has a positioning hole 303 for inserting the positioning portion 312 to position the feel feedback element 310. Furthermore, the side of the lower housing 330 further has an opening 333 for the adjustment portion 220 of the adjustment mechanism 20 to extend into the lower housing 330. For example, the opening 333 is preferably a notch partially hollowed out from the middle lower section of the sidewall 335 adjacent to the positioning hole 303 toward the bottom of the lower housing 330, and the opening 333 is communicated with the accommodating space 336. When the upper portion of the lower housing 330 is supported by the supporting portion 334 against the first key opening 110 of the upper cover 10, the lower portion (or bottom portion) of the lower housing 330 is at least partially located in the second key opening 212 of the adjusting frame 210, such that the position of the adjusting portion 220 corresponds to the opening 333. Therefore, the adjusting frame 210 is located at the side of the lower housing 330 (or the lower portion of the lower housing 330 is at least partially surrounded by the adjusting frame 210), so that the projection range of the adjusting frame 210 along the X-axis direction and/or the Y-axis direction at least partially falls on the sidewall (e.g. 335) of the lower housing 330 (i.e. the adjusting frame 210 and the sidewall of the lower housing 330 are at least partially overlapped), thereby reducing the space required by the adjusting frame 210 in the Z-axis direction (or the thickness direction of the key), effectively improving the possibility of thinning the key, or enhancing the installation space of other components of the key, so as to enhance the touch adjustment feasibility of various key structures.

Furthermore, the lower housing 330 preferably further has a receiving area 338 for the torsion spring body 316 of the touch feedback member 310. For example, the accommodating area 338 can be a space separated by a plurality of wall areas of the lower housing 330 to limit the moving range of the touch feedback element 310. When the adjusting portion 220 drives the feedback member 310 to move partially (e.g. when the positioning portion 312 or the extension arm 314 is driven to move), the torsion spring body 316 is limited in the accommodating area 338, so that the feedback member 310 deforms differently. When the touch feedback member 310 is disposed on the lower housing 330, the positioning portion 312 is inserted into the positioning hole 303, the torsion spring body 316 is positioned in the accommodating area 338, and the extension arm 314 extends downward of the movable shaft 350 to selectively pass through the moving path of the actuating portion 352 of the movable shaft 350. That is, the positioning portion 312 is inserted into the positioning hole 303 substantially along the Z-axis direction, and the extension arm 314 extends substantially along the X-axis direction selectively through the moving path of the actuating portion 352. Furthermore, the lower housing 330 may further have an impact portion 304 for striking the extension arm 314 to generate sound. For example, the striking portion 304 may be a convex wall protruding from the bottom of the lower housing 330 toward the upper housing 340, and the wall of the convex wall facing the extension arm 314 is a striking surface.

As shown in fig. 1B, in an embodiment, the key 30 further includes an elastomer 370 and a switch layer 380 as a switch unit. The elastic body 370 is disposed below the housing 302, and the switch layer 380 is disposed below the elastic body 370. When the key cap 320 is pressed, the elastic body 370 deforms to trigger the switch layer 380 to generate a trigger signal. Specifically, the elastic body 370 is disposed below the through hole 3312 of the positioning seat 331 of the lower housing 330, i.e., below the through hole 3312 surrounded by the annular cylinder, corresponding to the actuating portion 354 of the movable shaft 350. The switching layer 380 may be implemented as a thin film switching layer having a multi-layer structure. When the key cap 320 is pressed, the actuating portion 354 moves down the through hole 3312 against the elastic body 370, so that the elastic body 370 is deformed, and the trigger switch layer 380 generates a trigger signal. Furthermore, key 30 may optionally include a plate 385. The plate 385 is preferably disposed below the switch layer 380 to serve as a support for the key 30, but is not limited thereto. For example, depending on the application, plate 385 may be a bottom plate or a circuit board, and switching layer 380 may be disposed above or below plate 385.

It should be noted that, although the elastic body 370 and the switch layer 380 are used as the switch unit in the key 30, the invention is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the key may be selectively activated by other types of switch elements in response to movement of the movable shaft. For example, in another embodiment, the key may include a light emitter and a light receiver electrically connected to the circuit board as a switch unit (i.e. an optical axis switch), so that the key may change the amount of light received by the light receiver from the light emitter to generate the trigger signal when the movable shaft moves toward the lower housing. In yet another embodiment, the key may include an electrode module electrically connected to the circuit board as a switch unit (i.e., a mechanical switch), so that the key may change a conductive state (e.g., conductive or non-conductive) of the electrode module to generate the trigger signal when the movable shaft moves toward the lower housing.

Referring to fig. 1A and 1B again, the upper cover 10 is preferably an upper casing of the keyboard 1, and can be combined with the lower casing 11 of the keyboard 1, so as to form a containing space 336 between the lower casing 11 and the upper cover 10 for containing part of the components of the keys 30, so that the keycaps 320 of the keys 30 are exposed outside the upper cover 10 for operation by a user, but not limited thereto. In another embodiment, the upper cover 10 may be a plate inside the keyboard, and the keyboard may further include an upper housing to enhance the appearance. The top cover 10 preferably has a corresponding number of first key openings 110. For example, in this embodiment, corresponding to the number of keys 30, nine through holes penetrating the upper cover 10 are formed in the upper cover 10 as the first key openings 110, and each first key opening 110 preferably has a size corresponding to a key (for example, corresponding to the key 30). For example, the first key opening 110 preferably corresponds to the size of the lower housing 330, so that when the key 30 is disposed in the corresponding first key opening 110, the bearing portion 334 of the lower housing 330 can bear against the surface of the upper cover 10 around the first key opening 110, but is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the key may be positioned in the first key opening 110 relative to the upper cover 10 by other positioning mechanisms according to practical applications.

The adjusting mechanism 20 may have different forms according to the adjusted portion (e.g., the positioning portion 312 or the extension arm 314) of the corresponding touch feedback member 310. As shown in fig. 3E, in an embodiment, the adjusting frame 210 of the adjusting mechanism 20 is formed by a plurality of frame bars 215, preferably connected to each other along the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, so as to define a second key opening 212 (for example, 9 keys) having a corresponding number of keys. In other words, the adjusting frame 210 may be regarded as a plurality of through holes formed on the plate, such that the plurality of through holes serve as the plurality of second key openings 212, and the plate portions surrounding the plurality of through holes are regarded as a plurality of frame bars 215 connected to each other, such that the adjusting frame 210 has a mesh plate form. From another point of view, the adjusting mechanism 20 may be regarded as a single component formed by interconnecting and integrating a plurality of adjusting members 201 (shown by the dashed boxes in fig. 3E) corresponding to the plurality of keys 30, and each adjusting member 201 includes a plurality of subframe bars 217 surrounding the opening (i.e. the second key opening 212) of the corresponding key 30, such that each adjusting member 201 has a frame shape. That is, when the plurality of keys 30 are integrated in the keyboard 1, the plurality of sub-frame bars 217 of each adjusting member 201 are connected to each other to form a plurality of frame bars 215, so as to form the adjusting frame 210. When the adjusting mechanism 20 is positioned relative to the upper cover 10, the plurality of first key openings 110 of the upper cover 10 respectively correspond to the plurality of second key openings 212 of the adjusting mechanism 20, that is, the projection ranges of the corresponding first key openings 110 and second key openings 212 in the direction (e.g. the Z-axis direction) penetrating the openings at least partially overlap, so that the upper portion of the housing 302 of the key 30 can protrude from the first key openings 110, and the lower portion of the housing 302 is at least partially accommodated in the second key openings 212.

In this embodiment, the adjusting portion 220 is an adjusting rod extending from the corresponding frame bar 215 (or the sub-frame bar 217) toward the second key opening 212 and bending and protruding from the adjusting frame 210, and the adjusting portion 220 preferably extends into the lower housing 330 to correspond to the extension arm 314 of the touch feedback member 310. For example, when the lower portion (or bottom portion) of the lower housing 330 is inserted into the corresponding second key opening 212 of the adjusting frame 210, the opening 333 of the lower housing 330 corresponds to the adjusting portion 220, such that the adjusting portion 220 extends into the accommodating space 336 of the lower housing 330, and the adjusting frame 210 is located at the side of the lower housing 330 and near the bottom surface of the notch of the opening 333 (i.e., near the middle of the sidewall 335).

In one embodiment, the adjusting portion 220 includes a horizontal section 222 extending from the frame bar 215 toward the second key opening 212 along the X-axis direction, and an upright section 224 bent upward from the end of the horizontal section 222 along the Z-axis direction. When the lower portion (or bottom portion) of the lower housing 330 is inserted into the corresponding second key opening 212 of the adjusting frame 210, the length of the horizontal segment 222 of the adjusting portion 220 is preferably sufficient to extend from the side edge of the lower housing 330 into the opening 333 to the accommodating space 336 of the lower housing 330, so as to correspond to the extension arm 314 of the touch feedback member 310, and the length of the vertical segment 224 of the adjusting portion 220 exceeds the height of the extension arm 314 in the Z-axis direction. In one embodiment, the adjustment portion 220 preferably has a recess portion 226, and the recess portion 226 is preferably recessed inwardly from the wall of the upstanding section 224 facing the extension arm 314 to correspond to the long axis direction of the extension arm 314. For example, the notch 226 may be an L-shaped notch, i.e. the top of the upright segment 224 has a stepped top surface for the extension arm 314 to straddle the notch 226 of the adjusting portion 220, and further emphasize the interlocking positioning of the adjusting portion 220 and the extension arm 314, but not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the adjustment portion 220 may not have the recess 226, but instead may abut the extension arm 314 via the wall of the upright segment 224.

Furthermore, the adjustment mechanism 20 is preferably movably positioned on the upper cover 10. Fig. 3A to 3C are exploded, combined and partially cut-away views of an adjusting mechanism 20 according to an embodiment of the invention positioned on a top cover 10. As shown in fig. 3A to 3C, the keyboard 1 further includes a positioning block 50 and a bolt 60. The positioning block 50 is disposed between the upper cover 10 and the adjusting frame 210, and the bolt 60 is used for locking the positioning block 50 to the upper cover 10. As shown in fig. 3D, the positioning block 50 is a block having an H-like shape, and the positioning block 50 has a structure defining a bolt hole 530 and a channel 540. The bolt hole 530 is provided for the bolt 60 to pass through, and the adjusting frame 210 can be partially disposed in the channel 540. The positioning block 50 includes a lower block portion 510 and an upper block portion 520. The bolt hole 530 is a through hole penetrating the upper block 520 and the lower block 510, and a channel 540 is formed at the side of the positioning block 50 and located between the upper block 520 and the lower block 510. Specifically, the lower block 510 is connected to the lower end of the upper block 520 and protrudes from the side of the upper block 520 to form a wing. In this embodiment, the lower block portion 510 extends in the X-axis direction and extends outward from both sides of the upper block portion 520 in the Y-axis direction to protrude from the upper block portion 520. Opposite sides of the upper block portion 520 in the X-axis direction are partially retracted with respect to the lower block portion 510 to form a passage 540. In other words, the channel 540 is a space formed by the upper block 520 and the lower block 510 at the side portions parallel to the Y-axis direction.

Corresponding to the setting of the positioning block 50, the adjusting frame 210 of the adjusting mechanism 20 further has a positioning structure 219, the positioning structure 219 includes a positioning hole 214 and at least one rib 218, the rib 218 protrudes toward the positioning hole 214, and the positioning block 50 is sleeved in the positioning hole 214. As shown in fig. 3A and 3E, the positioning structure 219 is preferably located at a side of the adjusting frame 210 and is connected to at least one of the plurality of frame strips 215, such that the positioning structure 219 and the plurality of frame strips 215 form the adjusting frame 210 in an integral form, i.e. the positioning structure 219 can be regarded as a portion of the adjusting frame 210 extending from the frame strip 215. The positioning hole 214 preferably has an H-like through hole corresponding to the shape of the positioning block 50. The positioning hole 214 extends along the Y-axis direction, and the hole width of both end portions of the positioning hole 214 along the X-axis direction is larger than that of the middle portion, so that the portion of the adjustment frame 210 corresponding to the middle portion of the positioning hole 214 forms a rib 218. That is, the two ribs 218 are disposed on opposite sides of the middle portion of the positioning hole 214 along the X-axis direction. When the positioning block 50 is sleeved in the positioning hole 214 of the adjusting frame 210, the rib 218 is clamped in the channel 540 by the lower block 510 and the upper block 520. For example, the ribs 218 partially overlap the lower block 510 and the upper block 520 along the Y-axis direction, respectively, so as to limit the displacement of the adjustment frame 210 in the Z-axis direction and the X-axis direction, and allow the adjustment frame 210 to move relative to the positioning block 50 along the Y-axis direction. Furthermore, the top cover 10 may have screw hole posts 130 at the bottom to correspond to the bolt holes 530 of the positioning block 50. When the positioning and adjusting mechanism 20 is positioned on the upper cover 10, the positioning block 50 is sleeved on the screw hole column 130 through the bolt hole 530, and then the adjusting frame 210 is locked with the screw hole of the screw hole column 130 through the bolt 60, so that the adjusting frame 210 can be movably positioned on the upper cover 10 relative to the upper cover 10 through the clamping of the positioning block 50.

It should be noted that, although the adjusting mechanism 20 is illustrated in the drawings as being positioned on the upper cover 10 by three positioning structures 219 and three positioning blocks 50, the number and positions of the positioning blocks 50 are not limited to the embodiment. Furthermore, in other embodiments, the adjustment mechanism 20 and the cover 10 may be movably positioned by any convenient positioning mechanism (e.g., a hook/slot).

As shown in fig. 3A and 3E, the adjustment mechanism 20 further includes an operation unit 216. The operation portion 216 extends from the adjustment frame 210 and is bent toward the upper cover 10 for the user to control the displacement of the adjustment mechanism 20. Specifically, the operation portion 216 is bent in the same direction as the adjustment portion 220 (for example, is bent in the Z-axis direction toward the upper cover 10). The upper cover 10 further has an opening 120 provided in correspondence with the operation portion 216 to allow the operation portion 216 to extend through the opening 120 to protrude from the upper cover 10. In one embodiment, the keyboard 1 further comprises an operation button 40. The operation button 40 is sleeved on the operation part 216 to improve the operation hand feeling of the user and the aesthetic appearance of the keyboard. For example, the operation button 40 has a slot 410 at the bottom to allow the operation portion 216 to be inserted into the slot 410, so that the operation button 40 is sleeved on the operation portion 216.

The operation of the keyboard 1 of the present invention for adjusting the pressing feeling of the key 30 by the adjusting mechanism 20 will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 4A is a schematic cross-sectional view of the key 30 of fig. 1A with a first pressing feel. Fig. 4B and 4C are a bottom view and a partial cross-sectional view showing the relative positions of the adjustment mechanism 20 and the upper cover 10 when the key is in the state of fig. 4A. As shown in fig. 1A and 4A, when the adjustment mechanism 20 is located at the first position (e.g., the position of the operation button 40 of the keyboard 1 facing the a side) in the Y-axis direction, the extension arm 314 is located at the first position in the Y-axis direction with respect to the movement path of the operation portion 352. As shown in fig. 4B and 4C, when the adjusting frame 210 is located at the first position, the distance between the left edge of the left positioning hole 214 and the center of the bolt hole 530 of the positioning block 50 is d1, and the distance between the right edge of the right positioning hole 214 and the center of the bolt hole 530 of the positioning block 50 is d2. In this embodiment, when the adjustment frame 210 is located at the first position in the Y-axis direction, the extension arm 314 preferably moves along a moving path (i.e. the moving path is parallel to the Z-axis direction) when the actuating portion 352 moves downward, and the pressing force required for the movable shaft 350 to move toward the lower housing 330 and drive the actuating portion 352 to pass over the extension arm 314 is the first pressing force. In other words, when the adjusting frame 210 is located at the first position in the Y-axis direction, the extension arm 314 is preferably located in the moving path of the actuating portion 352, such that the actuating portion 352 interferes with the extension arm 314 when moving downward, so as to provide the first pressing feel of the first pressing force. Specifically, when the adjusting frame 210 is at the first position along the Y-axis direction and applies the first pressing force to the key cap 320, the key cap 320 drives the movable shaft 350 to move toward the lower housing 330, and the actuating portion 352 presses the extension arm 314, so that the extension arm 314 moves downward and slides along the lower abutting surface 3521 to the top 3523, and moves upward after passing over the top 3523, so as to provide the first pressing feeling. It should be noted that when the extension arm 314 reaches the apex 3523, the impact surface of the extension arm 314 and the lower housing 330 or the upper housing 340 has a first sound interval, and the extension arm 314 strikes the impact surface to generate a first sound. In this embodiment, the striking surface may be a wall surface of the upper housing 340 or the lower housing 330 corresponding to the extension arm 314, such as the striking surface of the striking portion 304 of the lower housing 330.

Fig. 5A is a schematic cross-sectional view of the key 30 of fig. 1A with a second pressing feel. Fig. 5B and 5C are a bottom view and a partial cross-sectional view showing the relative positions of the adjustment mechanism 20 and the upper cover 10 when the key is in the state of fig. 5A. As shown in fig. 1A and 5A, when the adjustment mechanism 20 moves to the second position along the Y-axis direction, the extension arm 314 is located at the second position along the Y-axis direction with respect to the movement path of the operation portion 352. As shown in fig. 5B and 5C, when the adjusting frame 210 is located at the second position, the distance between the left edge of the left positioning hole 214 and the center of the bolt hole 530 of the positioning block 50 is d1', and the distance between the right edge of the right positioning hole 214 and the center of the bolt hole 530 of the positioning block 50 is d2', wherein d1 'is smaller than d1, d2' is larger than d2, and the difference between d1 and d1 '(or d2 and d 2') is the distance that the adjusting frame 210 moves toward the B side. In other words, the adjusting frame 210 moves toward the B side along the Y axis direction, so that the adjusting portion 220 drives the extension arm 314 to move toward the outer side of the lower housing 330, and changes the relative position of the movement path of the extension arm 314 and the actuating portion 352 along the Y axis direction, so as to change the pressing feel provided by the movable shaft 350 moving toward the lower housing 330 and driving the actuating portion 352 to cross the extension arm 314. For example, according to the distance of the adjustment frame 210 moving toward the B side, when the adjustment portion 220 is located at the second position along the Y axis, the relative positions of the extension arm 314 and the actuation portion 352 can be selectively in the following states: (1) The extension arm 314 is closer to the vertex 3523 of the actuating portion 352, and the adjustment portion 220 moves towards the outside of the housing 330 along the Y-axis direction to push the extension arm 314 outwards through the movement path of the actuating portion 352 when moving downwards, so that the pre-compression between the extension arm 314 and the positioning portion 312 is increased, the movable shaft 350 moves towards the lower housing 330 and drives the actuating portion 352 to pass over the extension arm 314 to provide a pressing force (i.e. a second pressing force) different from the first pressing force, and the second sounding distance is smaller than the first sounding distance, so that the second sound generated by the extension arm 314 striking the striking portion 304 is smaller; (2) When the extension arm 314 is located substantially at the position corresponding to the vertex 3523 of the actuation portion 352 relative to the movement path, the pre-compression generated by the deformation between the positioning portion 312 and the extension arm 314 is too large, the movable shaft 350 cannot push down the torsion spring, so as to push out the extension arm 314 from the side, thereby generating a jerky feel, and since the actuation portion 352 does not push down the extension arm 314, the extension arm 314 is only laterally displaced, and does not push down the rebound striking portion 304, thereby generating no sound; (3) When the extension arm 314 is displaced out of the path of movement of the actuation portion 352, the actuation portion 352 does not interfere with the extension arm 314 when moving downward, providing a noiseless linear feel. In other words, according to the distance the adjusting frame 210 moves toward the B side, the adjusting portion 220 drives the extension arm 314 to move along the Y axis direction, so as to provide a pressing feel different from that of fig. 4A, such as a pressing force, a jerky feel, or a linear feel. For example, in the embodiment shown in fig. 5A, when the adjusting portion 220 is located at the second position in the Y-axis direction, the extension arm 314 of the key 30 is offset out of the moving path of the actuating portion 352, so that the actuating portion 352 does not interfere with the extension arm 314 when moving downward, and a silent linear touch is provided.

It should be noted that, although the above embodiment is described with respect to the operation knob 40 moving from the first position to the B-side movement adjusting mechanism 20 to the second position along the Y-axis direction, the present invention is not limited thereto. The user can also change the pressing feeling of the key 30 by controlling the operation knob 40 to move the adjusting mechanism 20 from the second position toward the a-side to the first position along the Y-axis direction. In addition, although two positions (e.g., the first position and the second position) are illustrated herein, the adjusting mechanism 20 may be movably positioned at more than two positions according to practical applications, so as to provide more than two pressing handfeel for the user to select.

In another embodiment, by changing the design of the adjusting portion 220 and the lower housing 330, the key can provide different pressing feeling. Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of an adjusting mechanism 20A according to another embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, the

adjustment mechanisms

20A and 20 are different in that the adjustment portion 220A of the adjustment mechanism 20A has a first inclined surface 228. Specifically, as shown in FIG. 6, the first chamfer 228 is preferably disposed at an upper portion of the upstanding section 224 of the adjustment portion 220. The first incline 228 is disposed corresponding to the extension arm 314 to incline downward toward the extension arm 314. When the adjusting frame 210 moves relative to the upper cover 10, the extension arm 314 can move along the first inclined surface 228 to change the horizontal distance and the vertical distance between the extension arm 314 and the actuating portion 352.

Referring to fig. 7A and 7B, an embodiment of a key 30A to which the adjustment mechanism 20A of fig. 6 is applied is described. The differences between the keys 30A and the keys 30 are emphasized later, and details of the remaining components of the keys 30A may refer to the related descriptions of the keys 30, which are not repeated here. Fig. 7A is a schematic cross-sectional view of the key 30A with a first pressing feeling, and fig. 7B is a schematic cross-sectional view of the key 30A without the lower housing 330 of fig. 7A. As shown in fig. 7A and 7B, in this embodiment, the lower housing 330 may further have a second inclined surface 337, and when the adjusting frame 210 moves relative to the upper cover 10, the extension arm 314 selectively contacts the first inclined surface 228 or the second inclined surface 337, and the vertical distances between the first inclined surface 228 and the second inclined surface 337 and the actuating portion 352 are different. For example, the second slope 337 of the lower housing 330 may be a protruding surface that is inclined upward from a sidewall of the lower housing 330 toward the receiving space 336, or may be an inclined surface provided in the receiving space 336 and protruding upward from the bottom at the top of the column. The second inclined surface 337 of the lower housing 330 preferably has the same inclination angle as the first inclined surface 228 of the adjusting portion 220, and the position of the first inclined surface 228 is preferably higher than the position of the second inclined surface 337 in the Z-axis direction, i.e., the first inclined surface 228 is closer to the actuating portion 352 than the second inclined surface 337. Thus, when the adjusting mechanism 20A moves along the Y-axis direction by the adjusting frame 210, the extension arm 314 selectively contacts the first slope 228 or the second slope 337 to change the relative distance of the extension arm 314 with respect to the actuating portion 352 in the Z-axis direction and the Y-axis direction.

The operation of the keyboard of the present invention for adjusting the pressing feeling of the key 30A by the adjusting mechanism 20A will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 7A and 7B are schematic cross-sectional views of the lower case 330 with/without the first pressing feeling of the key 30A. As shown in fig. 7A and 7B, when the adjusting mechanism 20A is located at the first position (e.g., the position where the operation button 40 of the keyboard moves toward the a side) in the Y-axis direction, the adjusting portion 220 is further away from the extension arm 314 (i.e., closer to the center of the accommodating space 336) than the second inclined surface 337 of the lower housing 330, such that the extension arm 314 contacts the second inclined surface 337 of the lower housing 330. In other words, the extension arm 314 is located at a first position in the Y-axis direction (i.e., a first horizontal distance in the Y-axis direction from the apex 3523 of the actuation portion 352) and a first vertical distance in the Z-axis direction from the actuation portion 352 relative to the path of movement of the actuation portion 352. In this embodiment, when the adjustment frame 210 is located at the first position in the Y-axis direction, the extension arm 314 preferably passes through the movement path of the actuating portion 352 when moving downward, and the pressing force required for the movable shaft 350 to move toward the lower housing 330 and drive the actuating portion 352 to pass over the extension arm 314 is the first pressing force. In other words, when the adjusting frame 210 is located at the first position in the Y-axis direction, the extension arm 314 is preferably located in the moving path of the actuating portion 352, such that the actuating portion 352 interferes with the extension arm 314 when moving downward, so as to provide a first pressing feeling. Specifically, when the adjusting frame 210 is at the first position along the Y-axis direction and applies the first pressing force to the key cap 320, the key cap 320 drives the movable shaft 350 to move toward the lower housing 330 for the first vertical distance, and the actuating portion 352 presses the extension arm 314, so that the extension arm 314 moves downward along the second inclined surface 337 of the lower housing 330 and slides along the lower abutting surface 3521 to the top 3523, and moves upward beyond the top 3523 to provide the first pressing feeling. It should be noted that when the extension arm 314 reaches the apex 3523, the impact surface of the extension arm 314 and the lower housing 330 or the upper housing 340 has a first sound interval, and the extension arm 314 strikes the impact surface to generate a first sound. In this embodiment, the striking surface may be a wall surface of the upper housing 340 or the lower housing 330 corresponding to the extension arm 314, such as the striking surface of the striking portion 304 of the lower housing 330.

Fig. 8A and 8B are schematic cross-sectional views of the lower case 330 with/without the second pressing feeling of the key 30A. As shown in fig. 8A and 8B, when the adjusting mechanism 20A is moved to a second position (e.g., a position where the operation knob 40 of the keyboard is moved toward the B side) along the Y-axis direction, the extension arm 314 is brought into contact with the first inclined surface 228 of the adjusting portion 220. In other words, the extension arm 314 is located at a second position in the Y-axis direction (i.e., a second horizontal distance in the Y-axis direction from the apex 3523 of the actuation portion 352) with respect to the movement path of the actuation portion 352, and a second vertical distance in the Z-axis direction from the actuation portion 352. In this embodiment, since the first inclined surface 228 of the adjusting part 220 is higher than the second inclined surface 337 of the lower housing 330, the second vertical distance is smaller than the first vertical distance, and the second horizontal distance may be smaller than or equal to the first horizontal distance. In other words, when the adjusting portion 220 is located at the second position in the Y-axis direction (i.e. the position where the extension arm 314 contacts the first inclined surface 228), the stroke point for generating the pressing hand feel is earlier than that of the first position, i.e. the user feels the feedback of the pressing hand feel earlier.

Furthermore, the adjustment frame 210 can provide different pressing force touch, a pause touch, or a linear touch, for example, according to the distance along the Y-axis direction. Specifically, in the embodiment of fig. 7A, although the lower housing 330 has the second inclined surface 337, in other embodiments, the lower housing 330 may not have the second inclined surface 337, but only the first inclined surface 228 of the adjusting portion 220 contacts the extension arm 314, so that the extension arm 314 moves along the first inclined surface 228 along with the movement of the adjusting frame 210, and further changes the horizontal distance (e.g. the Y-axis direction) and the vertical distance (e.g. the Z-axis direction) between the extension arm 314 and the actuating portion 352. For example, similar to the embodiment of fig. 5A, when the extension arm 314 contacts the first inclined surface 228, the extension arm 314 can selectively contact different positions (i.e. different heights) of the first inclined surface 228 according to the distance that the adjustment frame 210 moves toward the B side, and the relative positions of the extension arm 314 and the actuating portion 352 in the Y-axis direction can be selectively in the above states. In other words, when the extension arm 314 contacts the first inclined surface 228, the key 30A can provide a pressing feel with different trigger strokes according to the distance that the adjustment frame 210 moves toward the B side, and the pressing feel can include a different pressing force feel, a jerky feel or a linear feel as described above.

In the above example, the adjusting

mechanism

20, 20A adjusts the extension arm 314 of the touch feedback member 310 by the adjusting portion 220 to change the pressing touch, but is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, by changing the design of the adjusting portion, the adjusting mechanism can change the pressing feeling by adjusting the positioning portion 312 of the feeling feedback member 310 by the adjusting portion. Fig. 9A and 9B are exploded and combined views of an adjusting mechanism 20B positioned on a top cover 10 according to another embodiment of the present invention, and fig. 9C is a schematic view of the adjusting mechanism 20B of fig. 9A. As shown in fig. 9A to 9C, in this embodiment, the adjusting portion 230 horizontally extends from the edge of the adjusting frame 210 at the second key opening 212 toward the second key opening 212 to correspond to the positioning portion 312. Specifically, the adjusting portion 230 is preferably a protruding pillar extending horizontally from the corresponding frame 215 (or the subframe 217) toward the second key opening 212 along the X-axis direction, and the length of the adjusting portion 230 is preferably sufficient to extend into the opening 333 from the side of the lower housing 330 to correspond to the positioning portion 312 of the touch feedback member 310. In an embodiment, the adjusting portion 230 preferably has a notch portion 225, and the notch portion 225 is preferably formed on an end surface of the adjusting portion 230 along the Z-axis direction, so as to correspond to the long axis direction of the positioning portion 312, and further enhance the interlocking positioning of the positioning portion 312 and the adjusting portion 230, but not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the adjusting portion 230 may not have the notch portion 225, but may abut against the positioning portion 312 through the end surface.

In this embodiment, the positioning hole 303 of the lower housing 330 is preferably a slot formed along the X-axis direction, so as to allow the positioning portion 312 of the touch feedback member 310 to displace along the X-axis direction in the positioning hole 303. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the positioning hole 214 of the adjusting frame 210 is preferably an H-shaped through hole extending along the X-axis direction corresponding to the displacement of the positioning hole 303 along the X-axis direction, such that the hole width of the two end portions of the positioning hole 214 along the Y-axis direction is larger than the hole width of the middle portion, such that the portion of the adjusting frame 210 corresponding to the middle portion of the positioning hole 214 forms the rib 218 extending along the X-axis direction. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the positioning block 50 may have the same structure as that of fig. 3A, but the direction of arrangement is different. For example, the positioning block 50 in fig. 9A is rotated 90 degrees to correspond to the positioning hole 214 and the rib 218 extending along the X-axis direction with respect to the positioning block 50 in fig. 3A. In other words, the extending directions of the positioning hole 214, the rib 218 and the adjusting portion 230 are substantially parallel to the X-axis direction, so that the adjusting mechanism 20B is movably positioned on the upper cover 10 in the X-axis direction by the positioning block 50.

In the embodiment of fig. 9A to 11, the adjusting portion 230 extends horizontally from the corresponding frame 215 toward the second key opening 212 and extends from the side of the lower housing 330 into the positioning portion 312 of the fastening portion 332 corresponding to the touch feedback member 310, but is not limited thereto. In another embodiment (not shown), the positioning portion 312 of the touch feedback device is designed to make the positioning portion 312 extend out of the lower housing 330 from the side to correspond to the frame 215, so that the single frame 215 or the adjacent frame 215 can be used as an adjusting portion for driving the positioning portion 312 to move, and the adjusting portion 230 can be omitted.

The operation of the keyboard 1B of the present invention to adjust the pressing feeling of the key 30B by the adjusting mechanism 20B will be described with reference to the drawings. Fig. 10 and 11 are schematic cross-sectional views of the key 30B of the keyboard 1B having a first pressing feeling and a second pressing feeling, respectively, wherein the left key 30B does not show the lower housing 330 for convenience of illustration. As shown in fig. 10, when the feel feedback member 310 is disposed on the lower housing 330, the torsion spring body is disposed in the accommodating area 338, the positioning portion 312 is inserted into the positioning hole 303 downward and at least partially abuts against the adjusting portion 230 (e.g., at least partially inserted into the notch portion 225), and the extension arm 314 extends below the actuating portion 352. In this embodiment, the adjusting frame 210 can move toward the extending direction (e.g. X-axis direction) of the extending arm 314 to change the deformation of the feel feedback member 310, thereby changing the pre-compression of the feel feedback member 310. As shown in fig. 11, when the adjusting frame 210 moves along the X-axis direction, the adjusting portion 230 drives the positioning portion 312 to move along the X-axis direction in the positioning hole 303, so that the positions of the positioning portion 312 and the extension arm 314 relative to the torsion spring body are changed (i.e. different deformations are generated), that is, the pre-compression of the torsion spring is changed (e.g. increased), so as to change the actuation relationship between the actuating portion 352 and the touch feedback member 310, thereby providing different pressing touch, such as pressing touch, pause touch, and linear touch, with different pressing force.

For example, as shown in fig. 10, the adjusting portion 230 abuts against the positioning portion 312 and is located at a first position along the X-axis direction (i.e. a position where the distance of the adjusting portion 230 extending from the opening portion 333 is smaller), and the feel feedback member 310 has a first deformation, so that the pressing force required for the movable shaft 350 to move toward the lower housing 330 and drive the actuating portion 352 to pass over the extension arm 314 is a first pressing force. As shown in fig. 11, the adjusting frame 210 moves along the X-axis direction (e.g. moves downward and right in fig. 1A), the adjusting portion 230 abuts against the positioning portion 312 and is located at a second position along the X-axis direction (i.e. a position where the adjusting portion 230 extends from the opening 333 to a larger distance), and the touch feedback member 310 has a second deformation, so that the movable shaft 350 moves toward the lower housing 330 and drives the actuating portion 352 to generate a second pressing touch when passing over the extension arm 314. In other words, the second position of the adjusting portion 230 is closer to the actuating portion 352 than the first position, and the adjusting portion 230 moves toward the inner side of the lower housing 330 to push the positioning portion 312 inward, so that the pre-pressing of the hand feedback member 310 increases.

Specifically, when the distance that the adjusting portion 230 moves toward the actuating portion 352 along the X-axis direction is different, the second deformation of the feel feedback member 310 may be selectively in a state that (1) the torsion spring may have different pre-pressures to provide a pressing feel with different pressing forces and emit sounds with different sound amounts; (2) When the pre-pressing of the torsion spring reaches a certain degree, the force of the torsion spring is too large, and the actuating part 352 cannot press the torsion spring downwards, so that the extension arm 314 is pushed out from the side, and a silent and contusion hand feeling is generated; (3) When the distance of the adjustment portion 230 along the X-axis direction is so large that the touch feedback member 310 is deformed to be displaced, the extension arm 314 is located outside the movement path of the actuation portion 352, thereby providing a silent linear touch. According to practical applications, more than two pressing handfeel can be selectively provided by controlling the moving distance of the adjusting frame 210 in the X-axis direction.

In the above embodiment, the size of the second key opening 212 of the adjusting frame 210 substantially corresponds to the size of the lower housing 330, such that the lower portion of the lower housing 330 at least partially extends into the second key opening 212, for example, the subframe of the adjusting piece of each key surrounds the outer side of the lower housing 330, but not limited thereto. Fig. 12A and 12B are an exploded view of a key 30C and a top view of a non-upper housing 340 according to another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in fig. 12A and 12B, in this embodiment, each component of the key 30C (for example, the upper housing 340, the lower housing 330, the movable shaft 350, etc.) has a similar structure to that of the embodiment of fig. 3A, and the details and connection relationships thereof will be referred to the above related description and will not be repeated herein. The differences between the keys 30C and the keys 30 are emphasized later.

Specifically, in the above embodiment, the elastic member as the restoring unit 360 and the feel feedback member 310 are separate members. In this embodiment, the spring and the feel feedback member as the return unit may be integrated into a single unit. As shown in fig. 12A, the spring-type restoring unit and the feel feedback member may be integrated into a composite elastic member 360A. In this embodiment, the composite elastic member 360A includes a spring body 363, a positioning portion 362 and an extension arm 364. The spring body 363 is similar to the return unit 360 in the form of a spring of the embodiment of fig. 3A to provide a return force to move the movable shaft 350 in a direction away from the lower housing 330. The positioning portion 362 connects the spring body 363 and the extension arm 364, and the positioning portion 362 is positioned in the positioning hole 303 of the lower housing 330, and the extension arm 364 extends corresponding to the actuating portion 352. Specifically, the positioning portion 362 and the extension arm 364 are preferably formed by bending a rod extending from one end (e.g., the lower end) of the spring body 363, and the positioning portion 362 and the extension arm 364 are feel feedback members of the key 30C.

As shown in fig. 12A, the key 30C includes a light emitter 392 and a light receiver 394 electrically connected to the circuit board 391 as the switch unit 390. For example, the light emitter 392 and the light receiver 394 are disposed on opposite sides of the lower portion of the actuating portion 354 along the X-axis direction, such that when the key cap 320 is pressed to drive the movable shaft 350 to move toward the lower housing 330, the key 30 can change the amount of light received by the light receiver 394 from the light emitter 392 by the actuating portion 354 to generate the trigger signal. Furthermore, according to practical applications, the lower housing 330 may be positioned on the underlying circuit board by a positioning mechanism (e.g. a hole/a protrusion), so that the lower housing 330 may or may not have the bearing portion 334.

In this embodiment, the adjusting member 211 includes a plurality of sub-frame strips 217, and the second key opening 212 surrounded by the plurality of sub-frame strips 217 only allows a portion of the lower housing 330 to extend into, such that the adjusting member 211 of each key 30C partially surrounds the outer side of the lower housing 330 and partially extends into the lower housing 330 as the adjusting portion 220 for driving the touch feedback member to partially deform. For a single key 30C, the adjusting portion 220 may be a partial frame (e.g. the sub-frame 217) of the adjusting member 211, and for an entire keyboard (e.g. the keyboard 1C shown in fig. 16), the sub-frame 217 of the adjusting member 211 of the plurality of keys 30C is connected and integrated into a plurality of frame 215 to define a plurality of second key openings 212 of the adjusting mechanism 20C, such that each adjusting portion 220 may be regarded as the frame 215 (or the sub-frame 217) of the adjusting mechanism 20C adjacent to the second key openings 212. In this embodiment, the lower housing 330 preferably has a channel 339, and the channel 339 is recessed downward from the upper surface of the lower housing 330 to allow a portion of the adjustment member 211 (or the sub-frame bar 211) to pass through the channel 339 into the accommodating space 336 to correspond to the extension arm 364. For example, the channel 339 is disposed at the top of two opposite sidewalls of the lower housing 330 along the Y-axis direction, such that one of the frame strips of the adjusting member 211 extending along the Y-axis direction passes through the channel 339 and enters the accommodating space 336 to pass below the extension arm 364. Thus, the upper portion of the lower housing 330 is partially located in the second key opening 212, so that the space required by the adjustment frame 210 (or the adjustment member) in the thickness direction (e.g., the Z-axis direction) of the key can be reduced, and the thinning of the key can be improved.

Referring to fig. 12C, an operation of the key 30C to adjust the pressing feeling is described, wherein fig. 12C is a partially hollowed-out schematic view of the key 30C of fig. 12A without the upper housing 340. As shown in fig. 12C, the adjusting member 211 is partially inserted into the channel 339 of the lower housing 330, so that the frame (e.g., the subframe 217) below the extension arm 364 serves as the adjusting portion 220. In other words, the adjusting portion 220 is the subframe bar 217 of the adjusting member 211 partially sandwiched between the upper case 340 and the lower case 330. By controlling the adjuster 211 to move in the channel 339 in a direction approaching or moving away from the upper housing 340, the extension arm 364 is driven to deform to change the position of the extension arm 364 on the moving path parallel to the actuating portion 352, so as to change the stroke of the pressing hand of the key 30C. In other words, by controlling the movement of the adjusting member 211 in the Z-axis direction, the vertical distance between the extension arm 364 and the actuating portion 352 along the Z-axis direction is changed to provide a pressing feeling with different strokes.

Fig. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a variation of the adjustment member 211 of fig. 12A. As shown in fig. 13, the adjusting member 211 may have a groove 213 on the subframe 217 corresponding to the extension arm 364, so that the extension arm 364 spans the groove 213. Specifically, the extending direction of the recess 213 is substantially parallel to the extending direction of the extension arm 364, and preferably traverses the subframe 217 along the X-axis direction, so as to enhance the interlocking positioning of the adjustment portion 220 and the extension arm 364.

Fig. 14 is a schematic diagram showing another variation of the adjusting member 211 of fig. 12A. With respect to the adjusting member 211 of fig. 12A, which is a closed frame, in the embodiment shown in fig. 14, the adjusting member 211A may be an open frame. Specifically, in this embodiment, the plurality of subframe strips 217 are connected to each other in a shape of "n", and define the second key opening 212 as an open opening. The adjusting member 211A only partially surrounds the side of the lower housing 330, such that one end of the adjusting member 211A (e.g. the end of one of the subframe strips 217) extends into the lower housing 330 and corresponds to the extension arm 314 to serve as the adjusting portion 220. Corresponding to the open frame of the adjusting member 211A, the lower housing 330 may be provided with only one channel 339.

In the embodiments of fig. 12C, 13 and 14, the key 30C is moved in the Z-axis direction by controlling the adjusting member 211/211A to change the vertical distance between the extending arm 364/314 and the actuating portion 352 along the Z-axis direction to provide different pressing handfeel (i.e. the moving direction of the adjusting member is the same as the moving direction of the extending arm), but not limited thereto. Fig. 15 is a schematic view showing a modification of the adjuster of fig. 14. As shown in fig. 15, the adjustment member 211B preferably has a stepped structure provided along the Y-axis direction as an end portion of the adjustment portion 240 (e.g., an end of one of the subframe strips 217). Specifically, the vertical distance between the adjustment portion 240 and the actuation portion 352 changes along the Y-axis direction, for example, the closer to the outside of the lower case 330, the greater the vertical distance. Accordingly, the adjusting member 211B is controlled to move in the Y-axis direction to change the contact position between the adjusting portion 240 and the extending arm 314, so as to change the vertical distance between the extending arm 314 and the actuating portion 352 along the Z-axis direction, thereby providing a pressing feeling with different strokes. In other words, in this embodiment, the moving direction of the adjusting member 211B is different from the moving direction of the extending arm 314, and is preferably substantially orthogonal. In another embodiment, the ladder-like structure of fig. 15 can be changed to a slope structure, and the adjustment member 211B can be controlled to move in the Y-axis direction to change the contact position between the slope structure and the extension arm 314, so as to change the vertical distance between the extension arm 314 and the actuation portion 352 along the Z-axis direction to provide a pressing feeling with different strokes.

Fig. 16 is a schematic diagram showing the configuration of the lower housing 330 and the adjusting mechanism 20C of the keyboard 1C applying the keys 30C of fig. 12A. As shown in fig. 16, the plurality of adjusting members 211 are integrated into a single adjusting mechanism 20C, and the lower housing 330 of each key 30C is partially located in an opening (i.e. the second key opening 212) defined by the plurality of sub-frame strips 217 of the corresponding adjusting member 211, so that the adjusting member 211 extends into the sub-frame strips 217 of the lower housing 330 to serve as an adjusting portion for driving the extension arm to move.

In addition, in the embodiment of fig. 1A, the operation portion 216 of the adjusting mechanism 20 passes through the opening 120 of the upper cover 10, so that the operation button 40 is located on the surface of the upper cover 10, but not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the position and design of the operation portion 216 can be changed, so that the user can control the movement of the adjustment mechanism 20 from the side or bottom of the keyboard 1. As shown in fig. 17, in another embodiment, the operation portion 216 of the adjustment mechanism 20 protrudes from the side of the keyboard 1, so that the user can control the movement of the adjustment mechanism 20 from the side of the keyboard 1.

Furthermore, in the embodiment of fig. 1A to 11, the adjusting mechanism is located on the upper cover, but not limited thereto. In yet another embodiment, as shown in fig. 18, the adjusting mechanism 20D can be positioned on other components (e.g., the bottom plate) of the keyboard by changing the design of the operating portion 216 and the positioning structure 219 of the adjusting mechanism 20D. For example, a bottom plate is preferably disposed below the adjustment mechanism 20D, and the bottom plate may be, for example, the lower housing 11 shown in FIG. 1A, a support plate or a circuit board (e.g., the plate 385 of FIG. 1B), and the bottom plate may have a design similar to the screw hole posts 130 and the openings 120 of the upper cover 10 described above. In this embodiment, the bending direction of the operation portion 216 is opposite to the bending direction of the adjustment portion 220A. Thus, the positioning structure 219 of the adjusting mechanism 20D can position the adjusting frame 210 downward on the bottom plate by the positioning block 50 and the bolt 60, and the operating portion 216 of the adjusting mechanism 20D can be exposed from the bottom of the keyboard (e.g. from the lower housing 11) for operation by the user.

Fig. 19 is a schematic diagram of another modification of the adjusting mechanism 20E. As shown in fig. 19, the adjusting mechanism 20E includes a single adjusting frame 210 formed by integrating a plurality of (e.g., nine) adjusting members 211, and the positioning structure 219 is bent upward relative to the adjusting frame 210. The plurality of sub-frame bars 217 of each adjustment member 211 are connected to each other to form a plurality of frame bars 215 of the adjustment frame 210 so as to define a plurality of key openings (e.g., the second key openings 212), and portions of the plurality of frame bars 215 adjacent to the plurality of key openings 212 (e.g., the sub-frame bars 217) serve as a plurality of adjustment portions. In this embodiment, the positioning structure 219 is bent upward relative to the adjusting frame 210, and may also be bent downward according to practical applications, such that the positioning hole 214 extends along the Z-axis direction, the hole widths of the two end portions of the positioning hole 214 along the Z-axis direction are larger than the hole widths of the middle portion, and have a form similar to an H-shaped through hole, and the portion of the adjusting frame 210 corresponding to the middle portion of the positioning hole 214 forms a rib 218 extending along the Z-axis direction and protruding toward the positioning hole 214 along the X-axis direction or the Y-axis direction. When the positioning block 50 is sleeved in the positioning hole 214 of the adjusting frame 210, the rib 218 is clamped in the channel 540 by the lower block 510 and the upper block 520. For example, the ribs 218 partially overlap the lower block 510 and the upper block 520 along the Z-axis direction, respectively, so as to limit the displacement of the adjustment frame 210 in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, and allow the adjustment frame 210 to move relative to the positioning block 50 in the Z-axis direction. Similar to the above embodiment, the adjusting mechanism 20 can be positioned on the corresponding parts of the keyboard by the positioning block 50 and the bolt 60, so that the adjusting frame 210 can move along the Z-axis direction relative to the top cover 10 by sandwiching the positioning block 50, thereby locally driving the touch feedback member to move, so as to change the pressing touch provided by the key, for example, change the stroke point of the pressing touch.

In the above-mentioned keyboard embodiment, each key has a corresponding adjusting portion, but the invention is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the adjusting portion of the touch feedback member is selectively disposed at the selected key position, so that a portion of the keys (e.g. W, A, S, D keys of the keyboard) have the function of adjusting the pressing touch, and the remaining keys do not have the function of adjusting the pressing touch, so as to meet the operation requirements of different situations (e.g. playing games) of the user. When only part of the keys of the keyboard need to have the hand feeling adjusting function, the positioning design of fig. 18 is preferably adopted, so that the adjusting frame can have the configuration corresponding to the keys and the operation part can be exposed from the lower part of the keyboard adjacent to the keys, thereby reducing the design consideration when the operation part is exposed from the upper cover. Furthermore, in the above-mentioned keyboard embodiment, each key preferably has the same touch feedback element, so that all keys provide substantially the same pressing touch, but not limited thereto. According to practical application, part of keys in the keyboard can be provided with different hand feeling feedback pieces so as to provide different pressing hand feeling.

Please refer to fig. 20, 21A, 21B, 22, 23A, 23B, 24A and 24B. The above-described design of the touch-adjusting keyboard has different operating buttons and adjusting mechanisms as described in the above embodiments and the accompanying drawings, and the adjusting force is generated and transmitted during the pressing process to interfere with one or more keys, which may also be applied to a common size independent keyboard 1F. The keyboard 1F includes a plurality of keys 30 (e.g., a case formed by the lower cover 11 and the lid 10) provided on a keyboard housing. The complex operation knob 40F is provided on the top surface of the keyboard housing of the keyboard 1F and near the edge of the keyboard housing, and is rotatably and/or movably connected with the adjustment frame 210 of the adjustment mechanism 20F. The adjusting mechanism 20F and the adjusting frame 210 thereof extend below or in the middle of the plurality of keys 30 of the keyboard 1F, so that the adjusting portion 220 can extend from the adjusting frame 210 and selectively achieve (along X, Y or Z axis) interference or non-interference with the touch feedback member 310 of each specific key 30 during the switching operation, thereby adjusting the pressing touch of the specific key 30. If necessary, the adjusting mechanism 20F and its adjusting frame 210 can be extended along the X-axis and the Y-axis to reach the entire area of the keyboard 1F corresponding to all the specific keys 30. In order to clearly describe the composite operation knob 40F and the adjustment mechanism 20F, the detailed structure of the key 30 is omitted in the present embodiment and the following embodiments. Please refer to fig. 1B, fig. 2A, fig. 2B and fig. 2C again at the same time if necessary.

Unlike the linear operation knob 40 in the previous embodiment, the compound operation knob 40F in fig. 21A, 21B, 22, 23A, 23B, 24A and 24B includes a rotatable portion that is converted to linearly move the adjustment mechanism 20F and the adjustment frame 210 thereof. The composite operation knob 40F has a feel switch 420, a non-feel knob 430, and a light-transmitting member 440, which may all be at least partially circular or annular, and coaxially arranged one after the other in the shared axial direction JA. The hand switch 420 and the non-hand knob 430 may be independently rotated along the shared axis JA without interfering with each other, and the light-transmitting member 440 may not be moved.

Hand switch 420 is a rotary switch and is at least partially surrounded by a non-hand knob 430, which includes a switch handle 421 and a switch shaft 422. The switch shaft 422 penetrates the non-handfeel knob 430 and the light-transmitting member 440 along the shared axis JA and is pivotally coupled (e.g., screwed from the bottom) to the adjustment mechanism 20F and its adjustment frame 210. The switching handle 421 extends outward from the tip end portion of the switching shaft 422 beyond the outer periphery of the switching shaft 422, the non-handfeel knob 430 and the light-transmitting member 440, and has an enlarged operation portion of a larger area than the user's finger. In another embodiment, the switch handle 421 may be at least symmetrical to the shared axial direction JA of the compound operation knob 40F, with both lateral ends of the switch handle 421 exceeding or not exceeding the periphery of the compound operation knob 40F, while the upper ends thereof extend to a sufficiently high position so that the user has a sufficient grip area. However, in another embodiment, the optional motor M may be an arrangement for driving the adjustment frame 210 to move along with the rotation of the hand switch 420 (see fig. 23A and 23B). In this example, the size and shape of switch handle 421 becomes less critical, so long as switch handle 421 can activate motor M by triggering the accompanying switch.

Some parts of the compound operation knob 40F have a visible or recognizable surface treatment for indicating to the user that there are at least two operation parts. For example, two patterned, non-smooth indicating surfaces, such as the grid grooves introduced in fig. 20, 21A, 21B and 22, are formed on the end of the switch handle 421 of the handfeel switch 420 and the annular portion surrounding the non-handfeel knob 430 (this portion may be referred to as the rotating member 431 of the non-handfeel knob 430), respectively. The surface of these patterns provides at least two functions: visual indication of the two operable components, and a high friction surface for manipulation by a user's finger.

Please refer to fig. 21A and 21B. When the switch knob 421 is rotated, at least a portion of the swing projection (e.g., the orthographic projection of the swept area in the Z-axis direction when the switch knob 422 is rotated) overlaps the non-feel knob 430 when the switch knob 422 is rotated between the first feel position TP1 and the second feel position TP 2. If a single switching operation were to interfere with each of the feel feedback members 310 of all hundred keys 30 on the keyboard 1F, it would take hundreds of newtons to turn the feel switch 420 to move the adjustment mechanism 20F and the adjustment frame 210. Switch handle 421 has a length long enough to operate as a lever arm to allow the user to create sufficient torque with a small amount of force. Providing a higher friction at the triangular, patterned non-smooth surface of the upper end of switch handle 421 facilitates the user's turning operation. Similarly, a non-smooth, textured surface on the annular portion around knob 430 (rotating member 431) helps to provide sufficient friction during a user's finger sliding operation.

The light-transmitting member 440, which is a light-transmitting optical element, may be installed in one of the touch switch 420 and the non-touch knob 430, or directly on the upper surface of the keyboard case of the keyboard 1F. The arrangement and stacking order of the feel switch 420, the non-feel knob 430, and the light transmissive member 440 may be different in different embodiments. Although the light-transmitting member 440 has been disclosed as at least partially surrounding the non-handfeel knob 430 and being disposed at the bottom side of the non-handfeel knob 430, the light-transmitting member 440 may alternatively be mounted between the handfeel switch 420 and the non-handfeel knob 430. In another embodiment, the feel switch 420 may be disposed at the outer and lower regions, while the light-transmitting member 440 is disposed at the upper center region. Of course, in another embodiment, the light-transmitting member 440 may be omitted if necessary. Alternatively, the light-transmitting member 440 may be integrated as an exposed portion (e.g., disposed at the tip portion) of the switching shaft 422. In fig. 23A and 23B, the compound operation knob 40F further includes a pivot plate 450 provided under the adjustment frame 210 of the adjustment mechanism 20F and tightly fixed to the switching shaft 422 at the shared axial JA so that the pivot plate 450 can be rotated in synchronization with the switching shaft 422 when the switching handle 421 is rotated. The pivot plate 450 includes an arcuate sliding channel 451. The spacing of the sliding grooves 451 and the shared axial direction JA is gradually changed. Meanwhile, a positioning block 50 protrudes from the rear surface of the adjustment frame 210 to extend into the sliding groove 451. When the switching handle 421 and the switching shaft 422 of the hand-feel switch 420 rotate, the pivot plate 450 rotates synchronously, the sliding groove 451 on the pivot plate 450 also rotates, and the sliding groove 451 moves from a position where one end of the sliding groove 451 abuts against the positioning block 50 to a position where the other end of the sliding groove 451 abuts against the positioning block 50. At this time, a pushing or pulling force is applied to the positioning block 50 through the arc-shaped edge of the sliding groove 451. Accordingly, the adjustment mechanism 20F and its adjustment frame 210 and adjustment portion 220 move linearly with the rotation of the switch handle 421 and are pushed by the sliding groove 451 of the pivot plate 450. Therefore, the adjusting part 220 is moved to interfere or not interfere with the feel feedback member 310 of some keys 30, thereby mechanically changing the pressing feel of some keys 30. One or more means may increase stability, such as one or more magnets 452, during rotation of the pivot plate 450 or at the stopping point of the locating block 50 near both ends of the sliding channel 451. The magnets 452 may provide a magnetic force relative to the adjustment frame 210, the fastening fitting 260, or any other magnetically attractive component to secure the pivot plate 450 in a desired position.

Referring to fig. 24A and 24B, the non-handfeel knob 430 may include a rotary member 431 and an encoder 432. The encoder 432 is a ring sensor electrically connected to the circuit board 391, and generates a non-sensing signal according to the rotation of the rotary member 431. The rotary member 431 may be disposed coaxially with the encoder 432 (at the shared axial JA) to rotate corresponding to the encoder 432, and the rotary member 431 may freely rotate without restraint without interfering with the operation of the feel switch 420. Here, the switching shaft 422 penetrates the rotating member 431 and the encoder 432, and then penetrates the circuit board 391, the adjustment frame 210 and the pivot plate 450. The fastening fitting 260 of the adjustment frame 210 (e.g., disposed between the adjustment frame 210 and the circuit board 391) may be adapted to the complex operation knob 40F to maintain the safety and firmness of the stacked structure. The fastening fitting 260 may also be used to provide additional positioning functions, such as extending the restraining portion 261 of both baffles along the lateral edge 453 of the pivot plate 450 (see fig. 22). In various embodiments, the non-touch signal may include an audio volume control signal, a web page scroll signal, an zoom in/out signal, or any other suitable signal that is independent of the touch feedback of the keys 30 but that is useful for controlling certain functions of a computing device such as a notebook, personal computer, or tablet.

Referring to fig. 24A and 24B, as shown, the feedback of the touch of some keys 30 has changed, and the human-readable indication from the keyboard 1F (not necessarily the appearance of the keyboard 1F) may be triggered by the movement of the adjustment frame 210 of the adjustment mechanism 20F or by the rotation of the switch handle 421 of the touch switch 420. For example, the first light emitting member 460 and the second light emitting member 470 are electrically connected to the circuit board 391 and are respectively optically connected to the light transmitting member 440 and/or the key 30 for illuminating the light transmitting member 440 and/or the key 30. The shutter 251 extended from the adjustment frame 210 may be moved between two positions to cover or expose the second light 470. When the switch grip 421 moves between the first and second hand positions TP1 and TP2, the adjustment frame 210 of the adjustment mechanism 20F moves linearly simultaneously with the shutter 251, triggering an optical change as an indication to the user. Such light variation can be accomplished by any kind of backlight effect corresponding to each of the certain keys 30, including but not limited to light color variation, brightness variation, and light on/off. The light variation may be provided from different light exit portions, for example from the key cap 320 or from the lateral periphery of the key 30. Similarly, the first light emitting member 460 may be applied together with the shielding member 251 to be covered or exposed as the handfeel switch 420 rotates or the adjustment frame 210 moves.

On the other hand, the light variation may be provided by the light emitting member 460 and the light transmitting member 440 of the compound operation knob 40F. Please refer to fig. 23A and 23B. The hall sensor 480 may be disposed to correspond to the magnet 452. A signal may be generated when the magnet 452 moves with the pivot plate 450, the switch handle 421, and/or the adjustment frame 210 to change the magnetic flux induced by the hall sensor 480. Such a signal may be used to trigger a human-readable indication on the keyboard 1F, such as a change in light from the glowing member 460 and a clear display from the optically transparent member 440, during rotation of the feel switch 420. Of course, the human-readable indications may include other types of indications generated by a machine or device. For example, as the adjustment frame 210 of the adjustment mechanism 20F moves or the switch knob 421 of the hand-feel switch 42 rotates, the switch signal may trigger an audible indication of a speaker (from a keyboard or host system), or vibration of a piezoelectric assembly or vibration motor, or the like.

In short, the above-described composite operation knob 40F provides at least two functions exclusively for the feel adjustment keyboard 1F by the feel switch 420 and the non-feel knob 430. Since the switching shaft 422 is rotatably coupled to the keyboard 1F and the switching handle 421 extends from the outside of the switching shaft 422, the touch switch 420 generates the adjusting force transmitted from the adjusting frame 210, the adjusting portion 220 and the touch feedback member 310 to interfere with the key 30 when the switching handle 421 and the switching shaft 422 are rotated. Finally, the feel feedback of each interfered key 30 changes with the rotation of the feel switch 420, while the non-feel signal is generated with the rotation of the non-feel knob 430. Then, the human-readable indication described above is generated on the touch adjustment keyboard 1F as the touch switch 420 is rotated to inform the user that the touch feedback of the interfered key 30 has been changed.

The invention has been described with respect to the above-described embodiments, however, the above-described embodiments are merely examples of practicing the invention. It should be noted that the disclosed embodiments do not limit the scope of the invention. On the contrary, the intention is to cover all modifications, equivalents, and alternatives falling within the spirit and scope of the invention.

Claims

1. A touch-adjusting keyboard, comprising:

a plurality of keys;

A composite operation button comprising:

A non-feel knob at least partially surrounding the feel switch;

2. The touch-tone keyboard of claim 1, wherein the switch handle is rotatable between a first touch position and a second touch position.

3. The touch-tone keyboard of claim 1, wherein the swing projection of the switch handle during rotation is at least partially coincident with the non-touch knob.

4. The touch-sensitive adjustment keyboard of claim 1, wherein at least one of the keys comprises a touch-sensitive feedback element, and wherein the adjustment frame interferes with the touch-sensitive feedback element as the touch-sensitive switch rotates.

5. The touch-tone keyboard of claim 1, further comprising a light-transmitting member surrounding at least a portion of the non-touch-tone knob.

6. The touch-sensitive adjustment keyboard of claim 5, further comprising a first light-emitting member, wherein the first light-emitting member is optically connected to the light-transmitting member, and wherein the first light-emitting member irradiates the light-transmitting member or generates a change in light as the switching handle is rotated or the adjustment frame is moved.

7. The touch-adjusting keyboard of claim 1, further comprising a second light-emitting element, wherein the second light-emitting element is optically connected to the at least one key, and the second light-emitting element irradiates the at least one key or generates a light change according to a rotation of the switch handle or a movement of the adjusting frame.

8. The touch-tone keyboard of claim 7, wherein the shutter extending from the adjustment frame is movable between two positions to cover or expose the second light-emitting member.

9. The touch-adjusted keyboard of claim 1, wherein the non-touch-sensitive knob comprises a rotary member and an encoder, the encoder generating the non-touch-sensitive signal in response to rotation of the rotary member.

10. The touch-adjusted keyboard of claim 1, further comprising a pivot plate and at least one magnet, wherein the switch shaft penetrates the non-touch knob to connect the pivot plate, and wherein the magnet secures the pivot plate in a desired position after the pivot plate rotates in synchronization with the touch switch.

11. The touch-adjusted keyboard of claim 1, further comprising a hall sensor that triggers a readable indication presented on the keyboard when the hall sensor senses a change in magnetic flux during rotation of the touch switch.

12. The touch-sensitive adjustment keyboard of claim 1, further comprising a motor configured to drive the adjustment frame to move in response to rotation of the touch-sensitive switch.

13. A touch-adjusting keyboard, comprising:

a keyboard housing;

14. The touch-tone keyboard of claim 13, wherein the switch is coaxially disposed with the non-touch knob.

15. The touch-tone keyboard of claim 13, further comprising a light-transmissive member at least partially surrounding the non-touch-tone knob.

16. The touch-adjusting keyboard of claim 13, further comprising two patterned surfaces, one of the two patterned surfaces being formed on a section of the switch handle of the switch and the other of the two patterned surfaces being formed on an annular portion surrounding the non-touch knob.

17. A compound operating button for a touch-adjusted keyboard having a plurality of keys, comprising:

A non-feel knob at least partially surrounding the feel switch;

18. The composite operation knob according to claim 17, further comprising a light-transmitting member at least partially surrounding the non-tactile knob.

19. The compound operation knob according to claim 18, further comprising a first light emitting member, wherein the first light emitting member and the light transmitting member are optically connected to each other, and wherein the first light emitting member irradiates the light transmitting member or generates a light change in response to rotation of the tactile sensation switch.

20. The compound operation knob of claim 17 wherein upon rotation of said feel switch to produce a readable indication is presented on said feel adjustment keyboard.