CN218162429U

CN218162429U - Key assembly

Info

Publication number: CN218162429U
Application number: CN202220428335.3U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 张立德; 陈志宏; 陈彦廷
Original assignee: Huaian Darfon Electronics Co ltd; Darfon Electronics Corp
Current assignee: Huaian Darfon Electronics Co ltd; Darfon Electronics Corp
Priority date: 2021-04-07
Filing date: 2022-03-01
Publication date: 2022-12-27
Anticipated expiration: 2032-03-01
Also published as: TWI790921B; CN115208376A; TW202240617A

Abstract

The utility model discloses a key assembly contains switch module, supporting mechanism, shelters from mechanism, gain light source and backlight source. The switch module is provided with a substrate and a pair of signal generator and signal sensor. The signal generator provides a sensing signal to the signal sensor. The supporting mechanism is arranged on the top surface. The shielding mechanism is arranged on the top surface and is provided with a light-transmitting part, and one part of the shielding mechanism is inserted into or separated from a gap between the signal generator and the signal sensor. The backlight source is arranged on the top surface and is positioned outside the vertical projection area of the shielding mechanism on the top surface. The gain light source is arranged on the top surface, is positioned in the vertical projection area of the shielding mechanism on the top surface and corresponds to the light transmission part. The utility model discloses an interference control to signal transmission path and trigger switch to provide quick accurate trigger function again. The key assembly is suitable for various key structure designs and improves the backlight illumination effect.

Description

Key assembly

Technical Field

The utility model relates to a switch button particularly, the utility model relates to a button assembly.

Background

Membrane switch keys and mechanical keys are the types of keys commonly used in conventional keyboards. The main difference between the membrane switch key and the mechanical key is that the circuit structure for generating signals is different. Generally, a membrane switch key is a switch element using a membrane circuit layer as a signal generation, when a key cap is pressed to trigger the membrane circuit layer, an upper circuit layer is deformed to make a switch contact of the upper circuit layer contact a corresponding switch contact of a lower circuit layer, and then the membrane switch is turned on to generate a signal. However, the thin film circuit layer is easily damaged by frequent use or improper force application, and is difficult to maintain, and when a user presses the key cap to trigger the thin film circuit layer, clear step feedback is lacked, so that the pressing hand feeling is not good, and the manipulation feeling of the user cannot be satisfied.

The mechanical key is a switch element which uses the conduction of the metal sheet and the metal contact as the signal generation. However, the metal sheet and the metal contact are easily abraded by impact to affect the service life of the key, and the metal sheet or the metal contact is corroded by moisture to cause bad conduction and affect the stability of the key. Furthermore, the conventional mechanical key is not suitable for being applied to a portable electronic device with a high requirement for thinning, such as a notebook computer, because of its complicated structure and large volume, and thus has a corresponding key design. However, in addition to meeting the requirement of thinning, it is also a problem to consider how to improve the backlight effect of the key applied to the thinned portable electronic device.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

In view of the problems in the prior art, the present invention provides a key assembly, which improves the backlight illumination effect through the gain light source in the key.

Therefore, the utility model aims to solve the technical problem that a key assembly is provided, this key assembly contains:

a switch module having a substrate and a pair of a signal generator and a signal sensor; the signal generator provides a sensing signal to the signal sensor, and the signal sensor receives the sensing signal to obtain corresponding sensing intensity;

the supporting mechanism is arranged on the top surface, and the top of the supporting mechanism moves up and down in response to the pressing force; and

the shielding mechanism is arranged on the top surface, and part of components of the shielding mechanism are inserted into or separated from a gap between the signal generator and the signal sensor along with the movement of the top part so as to change the size of the sensing intensity, wherein the shielding mechanism is provided with a light-transmitting part;

the backlight light source is arranged on the top surface and is positioned outside a vertical projection area of the shielding mechanism relative to the top surface; and

and the gain light source is arranged on the top surface, is positioned in a vertical projection area of the shielding mechanism relative to the top surface, and corresponds to the light transmission part.

As an optional technical solution, the key assembly further includes a key cap disposed at the top of the supporting mechanism so as to be supported by the supporting mechanism and located at the top, and the supporting mechanism supports the key cap to move up and down relative to the substrate, wherein the backlight source and the gain light source are used for projecting illumination light toward the key cap.

The utility model also provides a key assembly, this key assembly contains:

a switch module having a substrate and a signal generator and a signal sensor paired with each other; the substrate is provided with a top surface, the signal generator and the signal sensor are arranged in a first area of the top surface, the signal generator provides sensing signals for the signal sensor, and the signal sensor receives the sensing signals to obtain corresponding sensing intensity;

the supporting mechanism is arranged on the top surface, and the top of the supporting mechanism moves up and down along with the pressing force; and

the shielding mechanism is arranged in the first area of the top surface, and part of components of the shielding mechanism are inserted into or separated from a gap between the signal generator and the signal sensor along with the movement of the top part so as to change the sensing intensity; and

and the gain light source is arranged in the first area of the top surface.

As an optional technical solution, the key assembly further includes a light blocking portion, and the light blocking portion is disposed between the gain light source and the signal generator.

As an optional technical solution, the shielding mechanism has a light-transmitting portion, and the gain light source is located in a vertical projection area of the shielding mechanism relative to the top surface and corresponds to the light-transmitting portion.

As an optional technical solution, the gain light source is located in a vertical projection area of the light-transmitting portion relative to the top surface.

As an optional technical solution, the key assembly further includes a key cap disposed at the top of the supporting mechanism so as to be supported at the top by the supporting mechanism, and the supporting mechanism supports the key cap to move up and down relative to the substrate, wherein the gain light source is configured to project illumination light toward the key cap.

As an optional technical solution, the key assembly further includes a backlight source disposed on the top surface, the backlight source is located in a second region outside the first region, and the backlight source is configured to project illumination light toward the keycap.

Alternatively, the signal generator and the signal sensor are a combination of a light receiver and a light emitter, or the signal generator and the signal sensor are a combination of a magnet and a hall sensor.

As an optional technical solution, the signal generator, the signal sensor and the gain light source are arranged along a signal transmission direction.

The utility model also provides a button assembly, this button assembly contains:

a switch module having a substrate and a pair of a signal generator and a signal sensor;

the supporting mechanism is arranged on the substrate and provided with two opposite keycap ends which synchronously move up and down along with the pressing force;

the elastic piece is transversely connected with the two keycap ends, and the orthographic projection of the elastic piece divides the three-dimensional space above the substrate into a first area and a second area;

the gain light source and the backlight light source are respectively arranged on the substrate; and

the shielding mechanism is arranged above the substrate, and part of components of the shielding mechanism interfere with the signal transmission paths of the signal generator and the signal sensor along with the movement of the supporting mechanism;

the gain light source, the signal generator and the signal sensor are all located in the first area.

As an optional technical solution, the gain light generated by the gain light source passes through the light-transmitting portion of the shielding mechanism and irradiates towards the keycap through the first region.

As an optional technical solution, the backlight light source is located in the second region.

As an optional technical solution, the key assembly further includes a shielding element, and the shielding element covers the signal generator and the signal sensor.

As an alternative solution, the shielding element has a window for a part of the shielding mechanism to interfere with the signal transmission path.

As an optional technical solution, the shielding element includes a light blocking portion, and the light blocking portion is disposed between the gain light source and the signal generator.

Compared with the prior art, the present invention provides a key assembly, which can be applied to any pressing type input device (e.g. keyboard), or integrated into any suitable electronic device (e.g. keys of a portable electronic device or keyboard of a notebook computer), and trigger a switch by interference control on a signal transmission path, so as to provide a quick and accurate triggering function. The key assembly is suitable for various key structure designs and improves the backlight illumination effect.

The present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a partially exploded schematic view of an embodiment of the key assembly of the present invention.

Fig. 2A and 2B are exploded schematic views of parts of components of the key assembly according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a top view of the switch module, the backlight source, and the gain light source according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the switch module, the shielding mechanism, the backlight source, and the gain source according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a top view of the switch module, the backlight source, the gain light source, and the light blocking portion according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6A is a schematic perspective view of the bottom plate and two brackets according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6B is a schematic perspective view of two brackets, a shielding mechanism and a shielding element according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 7 and 8 are side views of the switch module, two brackets and the shielding mechanism according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

In order to further understand the objects, structures, features and functions of the present invention, the following embodiments are described in detail.

Referring to fig. 1, a key assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention can be applied to any pressing type input device (e.g., a keyboard) or integrated into any suitable electronic device (e.g., a key of a portable electronic device or a keyboard of a notebook computer) to provide a quick and accurate triggering function. The key assembly is suitable for various key structure designs and improves the backlight illumination effect. The structure and operation of the key assembly of each embodiment will be described in detail with reference to the drawings.

As shown in fig. 1 to 2B, the key assembly includes a switch module 607, a key cap 604, a supporting mechanism 600, a shielding mechanism 670, a backlight 643 and a gain light 646.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 1 and 2A, the switch module 607 has a substrate 648 and a pair of signal generators and signal sensors. The signal generator is used for providing a sensing signal, and the signal sensor is used for receiving the sensing signal to obtain a corresponding sensing intensity, and is used for generating a trigger event, triggering the switch module 607 to output a key signal corresponding to the key assembly, so as to input alphanumerics, symbols, functions or operation instructions to a computer system or other information operation equipment. In the examples presented in the following description, the signal generator is the optical transmitter 641, the signal sensor is the optical receiver 642, and the sensing signal is an optical signal, thereby constituting an optical switch; however, the utility model does not exclude the adoption of a magnetic switch. In the following description, the relative positional relationship between the signal generator (light emitter 641) and the signal sensor (light receiver 642) may be interchanged. The utility model discloses be not limited to the light path that the straight line was marchd, the light switch function also can be realized through the tortuous light path of refraction or reflection. That is, the relative positional relationship between the signal generator and the signal sensor need not be limited as long as the signal transmission path of the optical signal or the magnetic signal can be interfered to trigger the optical switch or the magnetic switch.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 2A, the substrate 648 has a top surface 648a and a bottom surface 648b, the light emitter 641 and the light receiver 642 are disposed on the top surface 648a of the substrate 648, and a fixed gap is maintained between the light emitter 641 and the light receiver 642. The optical transmitter 641 and the optical receiver 642 are connected to a processing circuit (not shown) through a substrate 648 to form a switch for generating a trigger event. In one embodiment, the substrate 648 is a circuit board having a key circuit, and the light emitter 641 and the light receiver 642 are electrically connected to the circuit board and further connected to the processing circuit. In various embodiments, the substrate 648 includes a board without signal transmission function and a flexible printed circuit board, the board without signal transmission function and the flexible printed circuit board are disposed in an up-and-down overlapping manner, the light emitter 641 and the light receiver 642 are electrically connected to the flexible printed circuit board, and the flexible printed circuit board is fixed on the top surface 648a, so as to indirectly dispose the light emitter 641 and the light receiver 642 on the top surface 648a of the substrate 648. The substrate 648 of the key assembly or the key circuit on the flexible printed circuit board can be electrically connected to several key circuits of adjacent key assemblies to form a complete keyboard.

As shown in the embodiment of fig. 3, in one embodiment, the sensing signal is a specific wavelength light, especially infrared light. The light emitter 641 projects light of a specific wavelength toward the light receiver 642 as a sensing signal, and the light receiver 642 receives the light of the specific wavelength to generate a corresponding sensing intensity. Generally, the light receiver 642 receives light to generate a corresponding voltage signal, and thus the sensing intensity may be a voltage value of the voltage signal generated after the light receiver 642 receives light with a specific wavelength.

In various embodiments, the signal generator and the signal sensor are a magnet and a hall sensor, respectively. The magnet is used for generating a magnetic field as a sensing signal, and the hall sensor senses the existence and strength of the magnetic field by using the hall effect to obtain sensing strength. The output voltage of the hall sensor is proportional to the magnetic field strength, and thus the sensing strength may be a voltage value of a voltage signal output after the hall sensor senses the magnetic field.

As shown in the embodiment of fig. 1 and 2A, the supporting mechanism 600 is disposed on the top surface 648a, and the top 606 of the supporting mechanism 600 moves up and down in accordance with the pressing force. Further, the key cap 604 is disposed on the top 606 of the supporting mechanism 600, and the upper surface of the key cap 604 is used for receiving a pressing force applied from the outside. The key cap 604 transmits a pressing force to the top 606 of the support mechanism 600, so that the top 606 of the support mechanism 600 moves in compliance with the pressing force to support the key cap 604 to move up and down relative to the substrate 648. As shown in fig. 4, the shielding mechanism 670 is disposed on the top surface 648a, and a part of the shielding mechanism 670 (e.g., the baffle 650) is inserted into or separated from the gap between the signal generator (the light emitter 641) and the signal sensor (the light receiver 642) following the movement of the top portion 606, so as to change the magnitude of the sensing intensity. The shutter mechanism 670 has a light-transmissive portion 674. In one embodiment, the light-transmitting portion 674 is hollow. However, in various embodiments, the light-transmitting portion 674 can be a structure having light-transmitting property. For example, the blocking member 670 can be made of a transparent material and coated with an opaque coating while leaving the transparent portion 674, or the blocking member 650 can be coated with an opaque coating to shield light. Specifically, when the signal generator and the signal sensor are a combination of the light emitter 641 and the light receiver 642, the shielding mechanism 670 is made of a non-light-tight material, especially a material capable of shielding light with a specific wavelength. Alternatively, a surface of the shielding mechanism 670 may be coated with a light-opaque material so that the shielding mechanism 670 is entirely light-opaque except for the light-transmitting portion 674.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 1, the key cap 604 may be provided with one or more light-emitting areas (not shown), and each light-emitting area may be defined as characters or symbols of various languages. The light exit area may be a hollow-out area, and the hollow-out area may be filled with or not filled with a transparent material, or the keycap 604 may be made of a transparent material and coated with an opaque coating while the light exit area is left uncoated. The supporting mechanism 600, the shielding mechanism 670, the backlight light source 643 and the gain light source 646 are substantially located in a key cap projection area 604a (see fig. 3) of the key cap 604 projected toward the substrate 648, and the key cap projection area 604a can be regarded as a three-dimensional space between the key cap 604 and the substrate 648. The positions of the backlight 643 and the gain light source 646 correspond to one or more light emergent regions on the key cap 604, or the illumination light and the gain light generated by the backlight 643 and the gain light source 646 respectively irradiate a specific corresponding light emergent region. Therefore, when the key assembly is viewed from above, the key cap 604 can fully cover the switch module 607, the supporting mechanism 600, the shielding mechanism 670, the backlight 643 and the gain light 646. In the case where the substrate 648 is a circuit board, the backlight source 643 and the gain light source 646 are electrically connected to the substrate 648, and power is received through the substrate 648. If the substrate 648 has no circuit, the backlight 643 and the gain light 646 can receive power and control signals through the flexible circuit board or the wires.

Further, as shown in the embodiment of fig. 2A and 2B, the backlight light source 643 is disposed on the top surface 648a and located outside the vertical projection area of the shielding mechanism 670 on the top surface 648a. The gain light source 646 is disposed on the top surface 648a, located in the vertical projection area of the shielding mechanism 670 on the top surface 648a, and corresponding to the light-transmitting portion 674. More specifically, the gain light source 646 is located in a vertical projection area of the light-transmitting portion 674 on the top surface 648a. Thereby, light emitted by the booster light source 646 may pass through the light-transmissive portion 674 for projecting illumination light towards the key cap 604 (see fig. 1). In other words, the backlight 643 and the gain light 646 can both be used to project the illumination light toward the key cap 604 (see fig. 1), thereby enhancing the backlight effect of the key assembly of the present invention.

In order to further reduce the interference to the signal sensor, the key assembly further includes a light blocking portion 646a, and the light blocking portion 646a is disposed between the gain light source 646 and the signal generator (light emitter 641), as shown in the embodiment of fig. 5. The light blocking portion 646a may be a light-tight wall, and in practice, the light blocking portion 646a may be directly or indirectly disposed on the top surface 648a. As shown in the embodiment of fig. 2B, the shielding member 680 includes a light blocking portion 646a. Further, the light blocking portion 646a is a wall between the window 681 and the light transmitting region 683 of the shielding member 680. In different embodiments, the light blocking portion 646a may be disposed on a side of the shielding mechanism 670 opposite to the top surface 648a, and the effect can be achieved by inserting the baffle 650 between the signal generator and the signal sensor and also inserting the gain light source 646 and the signal generator. In one embodiment, the signal generator (the optical transmitter 641), the signal sensor (the optical receiver 642) and the gain light 646 are arranged along the signal transmission direction, and the gain light 646 is disposed at the other side of the signal generator opposite to the signal sensor. Therefore, the signal generator can be used to shield the gain light source 646, and the interference of the light emitted by the gain light source 646 to the signal sensor can be reduced. The utility model discloses do not exclude to form tortuous signal transmission path through refraction, reflection, signal transmission path does not use the straight line along signal transmission direction as the limit.

As shown in the embodiment of fig. 2A, the supporting mechanism includes a first support 601 and a second support 602. The first bracket 601 and the second bracket 602 respectively have bottom board ends 6012, 6022 and key cap ends 6014, 6024, and each

bottom board end

6012, 6022 is movably connected to the top surface 648a of the substrate 648. The

upper edges

6015, 6025 of the first and

second supports

601, 602 constitute the top 606 of the support mechanism 600, and the first and

second supports

601, 602 are spread outwardly away from each other with the two keycap ends 6014, 6024. The key cap ends 6014, 6024 of the first support 601 and the second support 602 are movably connected to the key cap 604, so that the key cap 604 is supported on the top 606 of the supporting mechanism, and can transmit a pressing force to the two key cap ends 6014, 6024. On the top surface 648a of the substrate 648, the light emitter 641 and the light receiver 642 are located between the projections of the two keycap ends 6014, 6024 on the top surface 648a.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2A, the elastic element 605 may be a tension spring or other element (e.g., a wire made of elastic material) for providing tension. The elastic member 605 is laterally connected to the support mechanism, for example, the elastic member 605 is connected to the two key cap ends 6014, 6024, and provides a pulling force between the two key cap ends 6014, 6024, which makes the two key cap ends 6014, 6024 approach each other and move upward, i.e., makes the first support 601 and the second support 602 swing upward, and makes the top of the support mechanism move upward. Specifically, in this embodiment, the present invention does not exclude that the two ends of the elastic member 605 are connected to the other parts of the first support 601 and the second support 602 respectively, as long as the connection of the elastic member 605 can make the first support 601 and the second support 602 swing upward, so as to bring the two key cap ends 6014, 6024 close to each other and move upward, and make the top surface 648a of the supporting mechanism move upward to form a restoring force pushing the key cap 604 upward.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2A, in particular, the first bracket 601 includes a bracket body 613 and two

side arm portions

611 and 612; the second bracket 602 includes a bracket body 623 and two

side arm portions

621 and 622. In the first holder 601 or the second holder 602, both

side arm portions

611, 612 of the first holder 601 extend from both ends of the holder body 613; the two

side arm portions

621, 622 of the second bracket 602 extend from two ends of the bracket body 623, and the

side arm portions

611, 612, 621, 622 are movably connected to the top surface 648a of the base plate 648. The

support bodies

613 and 623 are perpendicular to the connection direction of the elastic element 605, and the elastic element 605 is connected to the two

support bodies

613 and 623, so that a pulling force is normally provided to the two

support bodies

613 and 623 to make the two

support bodies

613 and 623 approach each other, thereby forming a restoring force that pushes the keycap 604 upwards. One end portions of the

holder bodies

613, 623 form key cap ends 6014, 6024 of the first holder 601 and the second holder 602, respectively, and the ends of the

side arm portions

611, 612, 621, 622 constitute bottom plate ends 6012, 6022 of the first holder 601 and the second holder 602, respectively.

As shown in the embodiments of fig. 2A, 2B, 6A, and 6B, the supporting mechanism 600 further includes a bottom plate 603, and the bottom plate 603 is coupled to the top surface 648a of the substrate 648. The base plate 603 has

connectors

631 and 632, and the

connectors

631 and 632 may be hook-type connectors at both ends of a plate integrally formed with the base plate 603 and protruding away from the substrate 648. The plates may be arranged in pairs and parallel to each other, such that each pair of corresponding hooks constitutes a connecting

element

631, 632. Each

base plate end

6012, 6022 is movably coupled to a

respective connector

631, 632, and thereby to base plate 603. Meanwhile, the key cap ends 6014, 6024 are respectively movably coupled to the key cap 604, thereby forming a butterfly wing type supporting mechanism to stably support the key cap 604 to move up and down relative to the substrate 648. If the integral bottom plate 603 is not provided and the connecting

members

631 and 632 can be directly secured to the top surface 648a of the base plate 648, then the bottom plate ends 6012, 6022 of the first and

second brackets

601, 602 can be movably connected to the connecting

members

631 and 632 of the top surface 648a. It is not excluded to omit the bottom plate 603 and to have the bottom plate ends 6012, 6022 directly pivoted to the circuit board. In addition, the first bracket 601 and the second bracket 602 may be arranged in a cross configuration and pivotally connected to each other, so as to be configured in a scissors configuration.

As shown in fig. 1, specifically, the key cap 604 may be, for example, an injection-molded rectangular cap, and the lower surface of the key cap 604 is provided with

coupling parts

6042, 6044 for coupling with a support mechanism.

Couplings

6042, 6044 can be a coupling 6042 with a shaft bore and a coupling 6044 with a runner, respectively; alternatively, the

couplings

6042, 6044 are both coupling structures having sliding grooves. The key cap ends 6014, 6024 of the first support 601 and the second support 602 are movably connected with the

coupling parts

6042, 6044 of the key cap 604, respectively, and at least one

key cap end

6014, 6024 is slidable relative to the corresponding

coupling part

6042, 6044, so that the key cap ends 6014, 6024 are movably connected to the key cap 604, and the key cap 604 can transmit a pressing force to the key cap ends 6014, 6024.

As shown in the embodiment of FIG. 2A, the shutter mechanism 670 includes a flap 650. The blocking mechanism 670 is rotatably and/or movably disposed on the top surface 648a of the substrate 648. The shielding mechanism 670 further includes two pivoting tabs 673 pivotally connected to the top surface 648a. In general, the rotational axis of the shutter 670, the rotational axis of the first bracket 601, and the rotational axis of the second bracket 602 are parallel to each other.

The top end 675 of the shielding mechanism 670 is movably connected to the first bracket 601, for example, any position of the bracket body 613, so that the shielding mechanism 670 swings up and down relative to the substrate 648 along with the movement of the supporting mechanism 600. The top end 675 of the shielding mechanism 670 can also abut against the lower surface of the key cap 604 and move along with the pressing process of the key cap 604. In other words, the shielding mechanism 670 can rotate, move or swing with the movement of the keycap 604 (e.g., the lower surface thereof) or the support mechanism 600 (e.g., the first support 601). The shutter 650 extends downward from the shielding mechanism 670 to insert into or separate from the gap between the light emitter 641 and the light receiver 642 as the shielding mechanism 670 rotates, so as to change the magnitude of the sensing intensity. That is, the shielding mechanism 670 interferes with the optical transmission paths of the signal generator and the signal sensor with the movement of the key cap 604 or the supporting mechanism 600, thereby triggering the switch module, generating a triggering event, or generating a key signal.

When the signal generator and the signal sensor are a combination of a magnet and a hall sensor to form a magnetic switch, at least the blocking piece 650 is doped with a material having magnetic permeability (such as iron, cobalt, nickel or an alloy thereof), or the blocking piece 650 is made of iron, cobalt, nickel or an alloy thereof having magnetic permeability. It is not excluded that the shielding mechanism 670 is integrally made of a material having magnetic permeability, for example, a sheet of iron, cobalt, nickel or an alloy thereof is directly punched to make the shielding mechanism 670. However, in order for the signal sensor (hall sensor) to detect the magnetic flux change, it is not necessary for a part of the shielding mechanism 670 (such as the aforementioned blocking piece) to be inserted into or removed from the gap between the signal generator and the signal sensor, and the magnetic flux change can be caused only when the shielding mechanism 670 moves to interfere with the magnetic transmission path (or the magnetic signal transmission path).

In the embodiment shown in fig. 1, fig. 2A and fig. 2B, in order to further reduce the interference to the signal sensor, the key assembly further includes a shielding element 680, the shielding element 680 is directly or indirectly disposed on the top surface 648a, the shielding element 680 has a window 681 and a transparent region 683, and the shielding element 680 surrounds the light emitter 641 and the light receiver 642 and substantially covers the signal generator (the light emitter 641) and the signal sensor (the light receiver 642). The window 681 is provided for a part of the shielding mechanism 670 to interfere with the signal transmission path S (see fig. 3). More specifically, the shutter 650 of the shielding mechanism 670 may be inserted into the gap between the optical transmitter 641 and the optical receiver 642 through the window 681 to intercept the sensing signal. The gain light source 646 generates gain light and is disposed on the top surface 648a of the substrate 648 corresponding to the transparent region 683 of the shielding element 680. More specifically, the gain light source 646 is located within the vertical projection area of the transmissive region 683 at the top surface 648a. In other words, the transparent region 683 at least partially overlaps the vertical projection area of the transparent portion 674 on the top surface 648a. Thereby, light emitted by the booster light source 646 can pass through the light-transmissive region 683 and the light-transmissive portion 674 for projecting illumination light towards the keycap 604 (see fig. 1). The pivot tabs 673 are pivotally connected to the pivot posts 682 of the shield element 680 such that the pivot tabs 673 are indirectly pivotally connected to the top surface 648a of the base plate 648. In various embodiments, the pivot post 682 may be separate from the shield element 680 and disposed on the top surface 648a such that the pivot tab 673 is directly pivoted to the top surface 648a of the base plate 648. Depending on the properties of the signal sensor and the switch, the shielding element 680 covering the signal generator and the signal sensor may further include a light shielding material or a magnetic shielding material to prevent the signal sensor from being interfered, for example, triggered by a magnetic force or light (for example, illumination light or gain light) from the external environment. In some implementations, the color of the gain light and the backlight light may be different, and the light shielding material of the shielding element 680 may be relied upon to absorb or reduce the light flux of the illumination light entering the second region (e.g., via reflection/refraction from the keycap 604), and to block and concentrate the illumination range of the gain light passing out of the second region.

As shown in fig. 1 and fig. 2A, the key assembly further includes a diffusion sheet 661. The diffusion sheet 661 is directly or indirectly coupled to the top surface 648a of the substrate 648, and the diffusion sheet 661 covers the backlight light source 643 and is positioned between the backlight light source 643 and the key caps 604. The illumination light emitted from the backlight 643 can be widely irradiated to the inner surface of the key cap 604 through the diffusion sheet 661. In addition, the side walls for disposing the diffusion sheet 661 can be made of a light-shielding material to reduce light emission in the horizontal direction. When the signal sensor is the light receiver 642, the diffusion sheet 661 can prevent the illumination light from interfering with the sensing intensity obtained by the light receiver 642.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2A, the shielding member 680 and the diffusion sheet 661 may be directly coupled to the bottom plate 603, and thus indirectly coupled to the top surface 648a through the bottom plate 603. The base plate 603 is provided with first fasteners 691, and the shielding member 680 and the diffusion plate 661 are respectively provided with second fasteners 692. The first fasteners 691 and the second fasteners 692 are matched to fix the shielding element 680 and the diffusion plate 661 to the bottom plate 603. For example, as shown in the figure, the second fasteners 692 of the diffusion plate 661 are convex pillars, and the corresponding first fasteners 691 are lugs protruding from the bottom plate 603 and having holes; for another example, the second fastening members 692 of the shielding element 680 include a protruding pillar and a hook hole, and the corresponding first fastening members 691 are a protruding ear with a hole and a hook protruding from the bottom plate 603, respectively.

In the embodiment shown in fig. 3 and 6A, the elastic member 605 is shown in dashed lines. The elastic member 605 laterally connects the key cap ends 6014, 6024 of the first and

second supports

601, 602 in a connection direction. When the key cap 604 is forced to press and move up and down, the elastic key 605 moves up and down along with the key cap; thus, the orthographic projection of the elastic member 605 divides the three-dimensional space of the key cap 604 above the top surface 648a of the substrate 648, i.e. the key cap projection area 604a, into a first area 604a1 and a second area 604a2. The signal generator (optical transmitter 641), the signal sensor (optical receiver 642), and the gain light source 646 are disposed in the first region 604a1, and the backlight light source 643 is disposed in the second region 604a2. Viewed from different angles, the present invention adds the gain light source 646 to the first region 604a1 where the signal generator (light emitter 641) and the signal sensor (light receiver 642) are originally provided, but the gain light generated by the gain light source 646 can pass through the light-transmitting portion 674 of the shielding mechanism 670 and is irradiated upwards through the first region 604a 1; and the backlight effect is enhanced, and the gain light of the gain light source 646 cannot interfere with the sensing trigger functions of the signal generator (the light emitter 641) and the signal sensor (the light receiver 642). In some embodiments, the illumination light of the backlight light source 643 may illuminate the primary character (a light emitting area with a larger area) on the key cap 604 upwards through the second region 604a2, and the gain light of the gain light source 646 illuminates the secondary character or the indication area (a light emitting area with a smaller area) on the key cap 604 upwards through the first region 604a 1.

As shown in the embodiment of fig. 1 and 2A, the base plate 603 has a claw portion 693 protruding toward the base plate 648, and the base plate 648 has a corresponding fastening hole 694. The claw portions 693 can be inserted into and fastened to the edges of the fixing holes 694, thereby fixing the bottom plate 603 to the top surface 648a of the base plate 648. The supporting mechanism, the shielding mechanism 670, the shielding member 680, and the diffusion sheet 661 may be previously combined as a subassembly based on the detachable base plate 603. Positioning of the subassembly, particularly the positioning of the tabs 650 relative to the signal generators and sensors, is accomplished by positioning the base 603 to the base 648 via the attachment holes 694. The key cap 604 may be mounted to the sub-assembly first, or the key cap 604 may be mounted to the sub-assembly after the sub-assembly is secured. In fact, the bottom plate 603 only needs to occupy a small area on the substrate 648 on which the supporting mechanism, the shielding mechanism 670, the shielding element 680 and the diffusion sheet 661 can be mounted, and each key assembly can be provided with a separate bottom plate 603, but it is not excluded that the bottom plates 603 of a plurality of key assemblies are interconnected to form a single bottom plate with a large area.

Fig. 7 and 8 are simplified schematic diagrams, and only the substrate 648, the light emitter 641, the light receiver 642, the first bracket 601, the second bracket 602, and the shielding mechanism 670 remain. As shown, the projection of the blocking piece 650 on the substrate 648 is approximately located between the light emitter 641 and the light receiver 642, and one of the light emitter 641 and the light receiver 642 is located between the blocking piece 650 and the projection of the top end 675 of the shielding mechanism 670 on the substrate 648.

Fig. 7 shows a state where the key cap 604 (see fig. 1) is not pressed, and the pulling force provided by the elastic member 605 (see fig. 1) makes the first support 601 and the second support 602 approach each other and move upward, so as to drive the key cap 604 to move upward to the highest point that can be reached in this embodiment. At this time, the shielding mechanism 670 rotates away from the substrate 648, and drives the blocking piece 650 to move upward to the highest point that can be reached in this embodiment, and the blocking piece can be completely or partially separated from the gap between the light emitter 641 and the light receiver 642, so that the degree of shielding the sensing signal is reduced. At this time, the sensing intensity obtained by the signal sensor, i.e., the light receiver 642, is the first intensity.

Fig. 7 shows a state that the key cap 604 (see fig. 1) is pressed to the lowest point, the key cap 604 is pressed to move downward to transmit the pressing force to the first bracket 601 and the second bracket 602, and the shielding mechanism 670 is driven to rotate toward the substrate 648, and the shielding plate 650 is driven to move downward to the lowest point which can be reached in this embodiment, so as to shield the transmission of the sensing signal. At this time, the sensed intensity obtained by the signal sensor, the light receiver 642 is the second intensity. The second intensity will typically be the minimum sensed intensity in one embodiment; however, the value of the second intensity is not necessarily equal to zero, because when the key cap 604 and the blocking piece 650 are at the lowest point, the transmission of the sensing signal is not necessarily completely interrupted by the blocking piece 650, and a trigger event is generated. The aforementioned trigger event, i.e. the transition of the sensing intensity from the first intensity to the second intensity, can be interpreted as an input trigger by the processing circuit at the back end to generate a corresponding input signal.

It should be noted that, as shown in fig. 8, in the foregoing embodiment, the key cap 604, the first support 601 and the second support 602 are pressed to the lowest point to generate the triggering event, i.e., the second intensity is set as the minimum sensing intensity available in the embodiment. In fact, in consideration of the sensitivity requirements of the key assembly, a typical pressing input device (e.g., a keyboard) is not configured such that the key cap 604 is pressed to the lowest point to generate the triggering event. The push input device is typically configured such that a key cap 604 is pushed down a suitable stroke (e.g., half of the maximum stroke) to generate a trigger event. Thus, in one embodiment, the second intensity may be a specified lower intensity threshold, and the magnitude is set between the first intensity and the minimum sensed intensity. When the sensed intensity gradually decreases from a first intensity to a second intensity, a trigger event is generated. If the key cap 604 continues to be pressed and moves downward, the sensing strength will continue to decrease, so that the trigger event remains present and is not determined to be a new trigger event. When the key cap 604 is released and moves upward such that the sensed intensity rises above a second intensity, the processing device determines that the triggering event is terminated.

In various embodiments, the supporting mechanism 600, the backlight light source 643 and the gain light source 646 are disposed on the top surface 648a of the substrate 648, and the signal generator (the light emitter 641) and the signal sensor (the light receiver 642) are disposed on the bottom surface 648b of the substrate 648; that is, the optical switch is disposed on a different surface of the substrate 648 from the backlight light source 643 and the gain light source 646. Accordingly, interference of the backlight 643 and the gain light source 646 with the signal sensor (the light receiver 642) can be reduced, and when the optical switch is replaced by a magnetic switch, the magnetic interference signal sensor that is changed when the backlight 643 and the gain light source 646 are operated can be reduced by disposing the opposite surface.

In summary, the present invention provides a key assembly, which can be applied to any pressing input device (e.g. keyboard), or integrated into any suitable electronic device (e.g. keys of a portable electronic device or keyboard of a notebook computer), and trigger a switch by interference control of a signal transmission path, so as to provide a quick and accurate triggering function. The key assembly is suitable for various key structure designs and improves the backlight illumination effect.

Of course, the present invention may have other embodiments, and those skilled in the art may make various corresponding changes and modifications according to the present invention without departing from the spirit and the essence of the present invention, and these corresponding changes and modifications should fall within the protection scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A key assembly, the key assembly comprising:

2. The key assembly of claim 1, further comprising a key cap disposed on top of the supporting mechanism to be supported by the supporting mechanism to be located on the top, and the supporting mechanism supports the key cap to move up and down relative to the substrate, wherein the backlight source and the gain source are configured to project illumination light toward the key cap.

3. A key assembly, the key assembly comprising:

a switch module having a substrate and a pair of a signal generator and a signal sensor; the substrate is provided with a top surface, the signal generator and the signal sensor are arranged in a first area of the top surface, the signal generator provides sensing signals for the signal sensor, and the signal sensor receives the sensing signals to obtain corresponding sensing intensity;

and the gain light source is arranged in the first area of the top surface.

4. The key assembly of claim 1 or 3, wherein the key assembly further comprises a light blocking portion disposed between the gain light source and the signal generator.

5. The key assembly of claim 3 wherein the blocking mechanism has a light-transmissive portion, the gain light source being positioned within a vertical projection of the blocking mechanism relative to the top surface and corresponding to the light-transmissive portion.

6. The key assembly of claim 1 or 5, wherein the gain light source is located within a vertical projection area of the light transmissive portion relative to the top surface.

7. The key assembly of claim 3, wherein the key assembly further comprises a key cap disposed on top of the supporting mechanism to be supported on the top by the supporting mechanism, and the supporting mechanism supports the key cap to move up and down relative to the substrate, wherein the gain light source is configured to project illumination light toward the key cap.

8. The key assembly of claim 7, further comprising a backlight source disposed on the top surface and located in a second region outside the first region, the backlight source configured to project illumination toward the keycap.

9. A key assembly according to claim 1 or 3 wherein the signal generator and the signal sensor are a combination of an optical receiver and an optical transmitter or a combination of a magnet and a hall sensor.

10. The key assembly of claim 1 or 3, wherein the signal generator, the signal sensor and the gain light source are arranged along a signal transmission direction.

11. A key assembly, the key assembly comprising:

the supporting mechanism is arranged on the substrate and provided with two opposite keycap ends which move up and down synchronously along with the pressing force;

12. The key assembly of claim 11, wherein the gain light generated by the gain light source passes through the light-transmissive portion of the shielding mechanism and is directed toward the key cap through the first region.

13. The key assembly of claim 11, wherein the backlight source is located in the second region.

14. The key assembly of claim 11, wherein the key assembly further comprises a shielding element overlying the signal generator and the signal sensor.

15. The key assembly of claim 14 wherein the shield member has a window for portions of the shutter mechanism to interfere with the signal transmission path.

16. The key assembly of claim 14, wherein the shielding element comprises a light blocking portion disposed between the gain light source and the signal generator.