CN213547489U

CN213547489U - Optical key

Info

Publication number: CN213547489U
Application number: CN202022094307.6U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 林科闯; 曾评伟; 范纲维
Original assignee: Xiamen Sanan Integrated Circuit Co Ltd
Current assignee: Quanzhou San'an Optical Communication Technology Co ltd
Priority date: 2020-09-22
Filing date: 2020-09-22
Publication date: 2021-06-25
Anticipated expiration: 2030-09-22

Abstract

The utility model relates to an optical key, which adopts a surface emitting laser to emit surface laser towards a trigger piece, and the surface laser is reflected by a light reflecting layer of the trigger piece to form reflected light with a certain coverage range; through the reciprocating motion of trigger piece, change the coverage of reverberation, and then whether or not or how much based on the light receiver receipt reverberation, can judge the button and press or lift up, left out traditional light path guide structure, simplify the overall structure of button, be favorable to carrying out the miniaturized design, realize the frivolousization of button. The utility model discloses simple structure, it is with low costs to specially adapted electricity contests keyboard, notebook computer keyboard, perhaps other occasions that need ultra-thin button.

Description

Optical key

Technical Field

The utility model relates to a button technical field, more specifically say, relate to an optical key.

Background

The optical key in the prior art adopts an LED as a line light source, changes the path of light by matching with a light path guide structure, realizes the triggering of the key, and comprises a fixedly arranged light path guide structure and a light path guide structure which moves back and forth along with the pressing and lifting of the key. Due to the arrangement of the light path guide structure, the whole key has more parts and larger volume, and particularly the thickness is difficult to further optimize.

For example, chinese utility model application 201810843798.4 discloses a key switch, which comprises a base, an upper cover, a sleeve member, an elastic member, a circuit board, a light path guiding structure, an optical transmitter, and an optical receiver. The upper cover is arranged on the base. The sleeve part is rotatably sleeved on the positioning column of the base and movably penetrates through the upper cover to be connected with the keycap. The elastic piece is abutted to the sleeve piece and the base. The circuit board is arranged under the base. The light path guiding structure is formed by extending downwards from the sleeve part. The optical emitter and the optical receiver are respectively arranged on two opposite surfaces of the circuit board, and light rays of the optical emitter are incident into the light path guiding structure to be reflected to the optical receiver. When the keycap is pressed, the light path guide structure conducts or blocks the light path transmission established by the optical transmitter and the optical receiver through the guide of the light path guide structure along with the downward movement of the sleeve piece, so as to generate a trigger signal.

Above-mentioned utility model not only need set up the light path guide structure of certain volume, still need begin certain altitude distance between optical transmitter and the optical receiver, not only cause the holistic spare part of button more, the volume is great moreover, is unfavorable for carrying on frivolous design.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

An object of the utility model is to overcome prior art not enough, provide an optics button, simplify the trigger mechanism of button, reduce the holistic spare part of button, be favorable to miniaturized design.

The technical scheme of the utility model as follows:

an optical key comprises an action mechanism and an optical mechanism, wherein the optical mechanism comprises a surface emitting laser and an optical receiver, the action mechanism comprises a movably arranged trigger piece, and the trigger piece moves close to or far away from the surface emitting laser; the surface of the trigger piece opposite to the surface emitting laser is provided with a light reflecting layer, and the light receiver and the surface emitting laser are arranged on the same side of the trigger piece; emergent light of the surface emitting laser irradiates towards the trigger piece and is reflected by the light reflecting layer; the light receiver is used for receiving the reflected light.

Preferably, the movement direction of the trigger is parallel to or coaxial with the light emitting direction of the surface emitting laser.

Preferably, the light reflecting layer is perpendicular to the light emitting direction of the surface emitting laser.

Preferably, the light reflecting layer is a reflective coating applied to the trigger.

Preferably, the light receiver is arranged beside the surface emitting laser, the coverage of the reflected light changes along with the movement of the trigger piece on the plane where the light receiver is located, and the light receiver is used for converting the optical signal into the electric signal.

Preferably, the light receiver and the surface emitting laser are disposed on the same plane.

Preferably, the light receiver is arranged on a plane, the coverage range of the reflected light changes along with the movement of the trigger piece, and the light receiver is used for converting the light signal into the electric signal.

Preferably, the light receiver has a certain plane area, is disposed below the surface emitting laser, and extends out of the surface emitting laser.

Preferably, the surface emitting laser is disposed at a central position of the light receiver.

Preferably, the light receiver determines the degree of pressing of the optical key based on the received reflected light.

The utility model has the advantages as follows:

the optical key of the utility model adopts a surface emitting laser to emit surface laser towards the trigger piece, and the surface laser is reflected by the light reflecting layer of the trigger piece to form reflected light with a certain coverage range; through the reciprocating motion of trigger piece, change the coverage of reverberation, and then whether or not or how much based on the light receiver receipt reverberation, can judge the button and press or lift up, left out traditional light path guide structure, simplify the overall structure of button, be favorable to carrying out the miniaturized design, realize the frivolousization of button.

The utility model discloses simple structure, it is with low costs to specially adapted electricity contests keyboard, notebook computer keyboard, perhaps other occasions that need ultra-thin button.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic view of the first embodiment (keys raised, i.e., not depressed);

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of embodiment one (key press);

FIG. 3 is a diagram of the second embodiment (the key is raised, i.e. not pressed);

FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the second embodiment (key press);

in the figure: reference numeral 10 denotes a trigger, 11 denotes a light reflecting layer, 20 denotes a surface emitting laser, and 21 denotes a light receiver.

Detailed Description

The present invention will be described in further detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples.

The utility model discloses a solve that the structure that prior art exists is complicated, with high costs, bulky etc. not enough, provide an optics button, based on structural optimization, reduce the holistic spare part of button and volume, and then reduce cost to be favorable to carrying out miniaturized design, realize the frivolousization of button.

Example one

In this embodiment, as shown in fig. 1 and fig. 2, the optical key includes a key cap, an actuating mechanism (generally, a component that moves downward when pressed and triggers an effective key action, such as a mechanical axis of a mechanical keyboard or a related component of a membrane keyboard), and an optical mechanism, where the optical mechanism includes a surface emitting laser 20 and a light receiver 21, and the surface emitting laser 20 and the light receiver 21 may be disposed on a PCB. The actuating mechanism comprises a trigger part 10 which is movably arranged, and the trigger part 10 moves close to or away from the surface emitting laser 20; the surface of the trigger 10 opposite to the surface emitting laser 20 is provided with a light reflecting layer 11, and the light receiver 21 and the surface emitting laser 20 are arranged on the same side of the trigger 10; the emergent light of the surface emitting laser 20 is irradiated towards the trigger 10 and reflected by the light reflecting layer 11; the light receiver 21 is for receiving the reflected light.

The direction of pressing the key is taken as the downward direction, the direction of lifting the keyboard is taken as the upward direction, and the optical mechanism is arranged below the action mechanism; the surface emitting laser 20 emits surface laser light (i.e., emission light) upward toward the trigger 10, is reflected by the light reflecting layer 11, returns downward, and is received by the light receiver 21 below the operating mechanism.

In order to ensure that the triggering of the optical key is realized on the shortest optical path, in the embodiment, the movement direction of the triggering piece 10 is parallel to or coaxial with the emergent light direction of the surface emitting laser 20, that is, the movement path of the triggering piece 10 is parallel to or coincident with the emergent light path of the surface emitting laser 20; the light reflection layer 11 is perpendicular to the direction of the outgoing light of the surface emitting laser 20 to ensure that the paths of the reflected light reaching the plane where the light receiver 21 is located are the same, and the illumination intensity is the same, so that the light receiver 21 can conveniently detect and judge the reflected light.

In specific implementation, the light reflection layer 11 is a reflection coating coated on the trigger 10, and the light intensity of reflected light can be controlled by adjusting the reflectivity of the reflection coating, so as to realize products with different performances and working parameters.

In this embodiment, the optical receiver 21 is disposed beside the surface emitting laser 20, on a plane where the optical receiver 21 is located, a coverage range of the reflected light changes along with the movement of the trigger 10, the optical receiver 21 is configured to convert an optical signal into an electrical signal, when the optical receiver 21 receives the reflected light, the optical signal is converted into the electrical signal, and the key is not triggered; otherwise, the key is triggered. Further, the optical receiver 21 can determine the degree of pressing the optical key according to the received photocurrent (i.e. the received reflected light), and can be applied to the game occasions, for example, the person moves faster and jumps higher when pressing deeply; or when watching the movie, the playing speed is controlled by a key.

In the present embodiment, whether the key is pressed is determined based on the presence or absence of the optical signal, that is, when the key is lifted (not pressed or not pressed in place), the distance between the light reflection layer 11 and the surface emitting laser 20 is the largest, the coverage of the reflected light is the largest, and the light receiver 21 is kept covered, when the light receiver 21 receives the reflected light, the optical signal is converted into an electrical signal, and based on the electrical signal, the key is not triggered. When the key is pressed, the trigger 10 moves towards the surface emitting laser 20, the distance between the light reflecting layer 11 and the surface emitting laser 20 is shortened, the coverage range of the reflected light is reduced until the light receiver 21 is not covered by the reflected light, and the key is triggered when the electric signal disappears.

In order to reduce the thickness of the key as much as possible, in the present embodiment, the light receiver 21 and the surface emitting laser 20 are disposed on the same plane, i.e., on the same PCB, so as to avoid the influence on the lightness and thinness of the key due to the height difference between the positions where the light receiver 21 and the surface emitting laser 20 are disposed.

Example two

The present embodiment is different from the first embodiment in that the conditions for determining whether the key is pressed are the intensity of the optical signal, and the arrangement positions of the optical receiver 21 and the surface emitting laser 20 are different.

As shown in fig. 3 and 4, in this embodiment, on the plane where the light receiver 21 is located, the coverage of the reflected light changes along with the movement of the trigger 10, the light receiver 21 is configured to convert the light signal into an electrical signal, when the light receiver 21 receives the reflected light, the light signal is converted into the electrical signal, when the signal intensity of the electrical signal is smaller than a preset trigger threshold, the key is triggered, otherwise, the key is not triggered. That is, when the key is lifted (not pressed or not pressed in place), the distance between the light reflection layer 11 and the surface emitting laser 20 is the largest, the coverage of the reflected light is the largest, and the light receiver 21 is kept covered, when the light receiver 21 receives the reflected light, the optical signal is converted into an electrical signal, and at this time, the signal intensity of the optical signal is the strongest (greater than a preset trigger threshold), and the key is not triggered. When the key is pressed, the trigger 10 moves towards the surface emitting laser 20, the distance between the light reflection layer 11 and the surface emitting laser 20 is shortened, the coverage range of the reflected light is shortened, the reflected light received by the light receiver 21 is shortened, the signal intensity of the electric signal is weakened, and the key is triggered until the signal intensity is smaller than a preset trigger threshold value. Further, the optical receiver 21 can determine the degree of pressing the optical key according to the received photocurrent (i.e. the received reflected light), and can be applied to the game occasions, for example, the person moves faster and jumps higher when pressing deeply; or when watching the movie, the playing speed is controlled by a key.

In order to receive sufficient outgoing light and ensure that a sufficient numerical range (range of signal intensity of an optical signal) is available for determining whether or not a key is pressed, the optical receiver 21 generally has a certain planar area, the optical receiver 21 is disposed below the surface emitting laser 20, and the optical receiver 21 extends out of the surface emitting laser 20. In specific implementation, the optical receiver 21 and the surface emitting laser 20 are stacked on the PCB from bottom to top.

In order to make full use of the reflected light, the surface emitting laser 20 is disposed at the center of the light receiver 21 so that the periphery of the surface emitting laser 20 has a part of the light receiver 21 having a regular shape, and the reflected light can be uniformly distributed on the light receiver 21 so as to overlap with the center of the surface emitting laser 20 or the light receiver 21.

The other parts are the same as the first embodiment.

The above embodiments are merely illustrative, and not restrictive, of the present invention. Changes, modifications, etc. to the above-described embodiments are intended to fall within the scope of the claims of the present invention, as long as they are in accordance with the technical spirit of the present invention.

Claims

1. An optical key comprises an action mechanism and an optical mechanism, and is characterized in that the optical mechanism comprises a surface emitting laser and an optical receiver, the action mechanism comprises a movably arranged trigger piece, and the trigger piece moves close to or far away from the surface emitting laser; the surface of the trigger piece opposite to the surface emitting laser is provided with a light reflecting layer, and the light receiver and the surface emitting laser are arranged on the same side of the trigger piece; emergent light of the surface emitting laser irradiates towards the trigger piece and is reflected by the light reflecting layer; the light receiver is used for receiving the reflected light.

2. The optical key of claim 1, wherein the direction of motion of the trigger is parallel or coaxial with the direction of light emitted from the surface emitting laser.

3. The optical key of claim 2, wherein the light reflecting layer is perpendicular to an exit light direction of the surface emitting laser.

4. The optical key of claim 1, wherein the light reflecting layer is a reflective coating applied to the activation member.

5. An optical key as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the light receiver is arranged beside the surface-emitting laser, in the plane of which the light receiver is arranged, the coverage of the reflected light is changed following the movement of the triggering member, the light receiver being arranged to convert the light signal into an electrical signal.

6. The optical key of claim 5, wherein the light receiver is disposed on the same plane as the surface emitting laser.

7. An optical key as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that the light receiver is arranged in a plane in which the coverage of the reflected light changes following the movement of the activating member, the light receiver being arranged to convert the light signal into an electrical signal.

8. The optical key of claim 7, wherein the light receiver has a planar area, the light receiver is disposed below the surface emitting laser, and the light receiver extends beyond the surface emitting laser.

9. The optical key of claim 8, wherein the surface emitting laser is disposed at a center position of the optical receiver.

10. The optical key of claim 1 wherein the optical receiver determines the extent of depression of the optical key based on the reflected light received.