CN218384924U - Key, key assembly and display device - Google Patents

Abstract

The application provides a key, a key assembly and a display device, wherein the key comprises a key support; the key caps are arranged on one side of the key support at intervals and are pressed to be close to the key support; the elastic arm is respectively connected with the key support and the key cap so as to provide elastic force for driving the key cap to reset; at least two elastic arms are oppositely arranged; the projection of each elastic arm on the side, close to the key cap, of the key support is a first projection, the projection of the key cap on the side, close to the key cap, of the key support is a second projection, and at least part of the first projection is located in the range of the second projection. The application provides a button, button subassembly and display device, because the elastic arm that supports the button cap need not to be connected with the panel, consequently the elastic arm is located the button cap at the button support and is close to the projection range that the button cap was close to the button cap side at the button support at least part, and the elastic arm is at least partially hidden in the button cap promptly and keeps away from one side of panel, can effectively reduce the structural space who occupies the panel.

Description

Key, key assembly and display device

Technical Field

The application relates to the technical field of display, in particular to a key, a key assembly and display equipment.

Background

In consideration of the overall appearance of the device and the user experience, the interactive portion of some keys (e.g., start/stop keys) is usually designed to be a structure with a larger area, and a mounting structure connected to the panel (or front cover) of the device is added. However, the mounting structure additionally occupies the structural space of the panel, which is not favorable for the structural layout of the panel.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

In view of the above, an object of the present application is to provide a key, a key assembly and a display device, so as to solve the problem that an installation structure of the key needs to be connected to a panel, so that the installation structure occupies an additional space of the panel structure.

In view of the above, the present application provides a key, comprising: a key holder; the key caps are arranged on one side of the key support at intervals and are pressed to be close to the key support; the elastic arm is respectively connected with the key support and the key cap so as to provide elastic force for driving the key cap to reset; the number of the elastic arms is at least two and the elastic arms are arranged oppositely; the projection of each elastic arm on the side, close to the key cap, of the key support is a first projection, the projection of the key cap on the side, close to the key cap, of the key support is a second projection, and at least part of the first projection is located within the range of the second projection.

Optionally, all of the first projections are located within the range of the second projection.

Optionally, each of the resilient arms comprises: the first bulge is arranged on the key support and is spaced from the key cap; the second bulge is arranged on the key cap and is spaced from the key support; the deformation part is respectively connected with the first bulge and the second bulge; when the key cap is close to the key support, the deformation part is elastically deformed to provide the elastic force, and the first protrusion can abut against the key cap and/or the second protrusion can abut against the key support.

Optionally, the deformation part is of a strip-shaped structure; when the elastic arm is in a natural state, the axis of the deformation part is respectively vertical to the protruding direction of the first protrusion and the protruding direction of the second protrusion.

Optionally, a pressing surface is arranged on one side of the key cap, which is far away from the key support, and when the elastic arm is in a natural state, the extending direction of the deformation portion is parallel to the pressing surface and perpendicular to the first direction of the key cap.

Optionally, two groups of elastic arms are oppositely arranged along a first direction of the key cap, and each group includes two elastic arms; the two elastic arms in the same group are symmetrically arranged relative to the center line of the key cap along the first direction.

Optionally, the key support, the key cap and the elastic arm are of an integrally formed structure.

Optionally, a triggering protrusion is arranged on one side, close to the key support, of the key cap, and a hollow portion is at least arranged in the second projection range of the key support, so that the triggering protrusion can penetrate through the hollow portion to trigger a function control panel connected to the key support.

Based on the same inventive concept, the application also provides a key assembly, which comprises a cover plate and the keys; the cover plate at least forms a stop with two ends of the key cap in the second direction, so that when one side of the key cap in the length direction is pressed to be close to the key support, the other side of the key cap is kept at an initial position; the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction of the key cap.

Optionally, at least two opposite side walls of the key cap are respectively provided with a protruding limiting protrusion, and the cover plate is arranged on one side of the limiting protrusion far away from the key support and abuts against the side of the limiting protrusion.

Optionally, the two limiting protrusions are arranged at two ends of the key cap in the length direction respectively, and each limiting protrusion comprises a first strip-shaped limiting protrusion extending from the edge of the root of the key cap and at least two second limiting protrusions extending from two ends of the first limiting protrusion.

Based on the same inventive concept, the application also provides a display device which comprises the key or the key assembly.

It can be seen from the foregoing that, according to the key, the key assembly and the display device provided by the application, since the elastic arm for supporting the key cap does not need to be connected to the panel, the projection of the elastic arm on the side of the key support close to the key cap can be at least partially located in the projection range of the key cap on the side of the key support close to the key cap, that is, the elastic arm is at least partially hidden on the side of the key cap far away from the panel, so that the structural space occupied by the panel can be effectively reduced.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present application or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments or the prior art will be briefly described below, it is obvious that the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application, and for those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained according to the drawings without creative efforts.

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a prior art key cap in the related art;

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a key of an embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 3a is a schematic diagram of a position relationship between a first projection and a second projection of a key according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

FIG. 3b is a schematic diagram illustrating another position relationship between the first projection and the second projection of the key according to the embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram illustrating an exemplary key cap of a key of an embodiment of the present disclosure in an initial position;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a key cap of a key of an embodiment of the present application being in a triggered position after being pressed;

FIG. 6 is a schematic view of a key of an embodiment of the present application in another viewing direction;

FIG. 7 is a schematic view illustrating an assembly process of the key and the function control board according to the embodiment of the present application;

fig. 8 is an exploded view of a key assembly according to an embodiment of the present application;

fig. 9 is a schematic view of a key assembly of an embodiment of the present application in a natural state after a function control board is installed;

fig. 10 is a schematic diagram of a key assembly in a triggered state after being installed with a function control board and being pressed by a single side according to an embodiment of the present application.

Description of reference numerals:

1. existing key caps; 2. a flexible cantilever;

3. a key holder; 3-1, a hollow part; 3-2, a connecting part; 3-3, supporting beams; 3-4, a positioning column; 3-5, mounting holes;

4. a key cap; 4-1, pressing the dough; 4-2, a groove; 4-3, a central bulge; 4-4, external reinforcing ribs; 4-5, triggering a bulge; 4-6, inner reinforcing ribs; 4-7, limiting bulges; 4-7-1, a first limiting bulge; 4-7-2 and a second limiting bulge;

5. a resilient arm; 5-1, a first protrusion; 5-2, second bulges; 5-3, a deformation part;

6. a first projection; 7. a second projection; 8. a clearance for movement;

9. a function control panel; 9-1, moving contact; 9-2, positioning holes; 9-3, through holes;

10. and (7) a cover plate.

Detailed Description

In order to make the objects, technical solutions and advantages of the present application more apparent, the present application is further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings in combination with specific embodiments.

It should be noted that technical terms or scientific terms used in the embodiments of the present application should have a general meaning as understood by those having ordinary skill in the art to which the present application belongs, unless otherwise defined. As used in this application, the terms "first," "second," and the like do not denote any order, quantity, or importance, but rather are used to distinguish one element from another. The word "comprising" or "comprises", and the like, means that the element or item preceding the word comprises the element or item listed after the word and its equivalent, but does not exclude other elements or items. The terms "connected" or "coupled" and the like are not restricted to physical or mechanical connections, but may include electrical connections, whether direct or indirect. "upper", "lower", "left", "right", and the like are used only to indicate relative positional relationships, and when the absolute position of the object being described is changed, the relative positional relationships may also be changed accordingly.

Referring to fig. 1, in the related art, the installation structure of the mechanical key with a large interaction area (i.e., the portion pressed by the user) is two elastic cantilevers respectively disposed on two opposite sides of the existing key cap, each elastic cantilever extends outward from a circumferential sidewall of the existing key cap, and a free end (an end away from the existing key cap) of each elastic cantilever is connected to the panel. In the structure of the key, the main functions of the elastic cantilever are two, one of the two functions is that the elastic cantilever can support the existing key cap, and the partial structure of the existing key cap can be ensured to extend out of the equipment through the through hole arranged on the panel so as to meet the pressing and triggering requirements of a user. Secondly, after a user presses the existing key cap, the elastic cantilever can be elastically deformed to generate elastic force for driving the existing key cap to reset (namely, the elastic cantilever is moved from the triggering position after being pressed to the initial position before being pressed).

It can be seen from fig. 1 that two elastic cantilevers 2 are located outside the existing key cap 1, except that the existing key cap 1 occupies the structural space of the panel, the two elastic cantilevers 2 located outside the existing key cap 1 further expand the occupied structural space, so that the overall structure of the panel is increased, and the optimal layout of the panel is not facilitated.

In view of this, as shown in fig. 2 and fig. 3a, the key provided in the embodiment of the present application includes: a key holder 3; the key caps 4 are arranged on one side of the key support 3 at intervals, and the key caps 4 are pressed to be close to the key support 3; the elastic arm 5 is respectively connected with the key support 3 and the key cap 4 to provide elastic force for driving the key cap 4 to reset; at least two elastic arms 5 are provided; the projection of each elastic arm 5 on the side of the key support 3 close to the key cap 4 is a first projection 6, the projection of the key cap 4 on the side of the key support 3 close to the key cap 4 is a second projection 7, and the first projection 6 is at least partially located within the range of the second projection 7.

In the button of this embodiment, inside key-press support 3 was fixed in equipment, can set up different fixed mode according to the actual overall arrangement of equipment inner structure, for example, set up mounting structure such as jack catch on key-press support 3 to it is fixed with the equipment inner structure joint of keeping away from the panel through the jack catch. For another example, a connection position is reserved on the key support 3, and the key support 3 is fixed with the internal structure of the device far away from the panel in a welding or gluing mode and the like. The fixing manner of the key holder 3 is only exemplary and is not intended to limit the structure of the key holder 3.

For the key cap 4 interacting with the user, the key cap 4 is connected with the key support 3 through at least two elastic arms 5, so that a certain movable gap 8 is kept between the key cap 4 and the key support 3. Since the key cap 4 is large, if the key cap 4 is supported by only one elastic arm 5, the elastic arm 5 needs to have a large strength, but the elastic arm 5 has a low elasticity, and the key cap 4 is difficult to move after being pressed. Therefore, the key of the present embodiment supports the key cap 4 by providing at least two elastic arms 5, so that the strength and elasticity of each elastic arm 5 are balanced.

In order to reduce the structural space of the panel occupied by the keys of this embodiment, the elastic arm 5 is disposed on a side of the key cap 4 away from the panel, and is connected to the key cap 4 and the key holder 3 along a direction perpendicular to the panel (e.g., the Z direction in fig. 2), and at least a portion of the elastic arm 5 overlaps the key cap 4 in a direction parallel to the panel (e.g., the X direction and the Y direction in fig. 2). In the key of the present embodiment, since the user is outside the device, the key cap 4 will occupy the panel structure space to protrude from the inside of the device for the purpose of interacting with the user; the elastic arm 5 for supporting the key cap 4 can be at least partially hidden at the side of the key cap 4 far from the panel to reduce the space occupied by the panel structure, because it is not required to be connected with the panel.

In order to further reduce the panel structure space occupied by the resilient arm 5, the distance by which the resilient arm 5 protrudes beyond the keycap 4 in a direction parallel to the panel may be further reduced, e.g. as shown in fig. 3b, all of the first projections 6 are located within the second projections 7. The elastic arm 5 can be completely hidden at the side of the key cap 4 far away from the panel, and the elastic arm 5 will not occupy the structural space of the panel.

As shown in fig. 4, when the key of the present embodiment is in the natural state, the key cap 4 is located at the initial position. The natural state is a state in which the key is not pressed by an external force and is not deformed so as not to be self-restorable due to wear in use. When the external force F presses the key cap 4, the key cap 4 moves toward the direction close to the key holder 3, the movable gap 8 is reduced, and the elastic arm 5 is pressed to generate an elastic force, as shown in fig. 5. After the external force F is removed, the elastic force generated by the elastic arm 5 pushes the key cap 4 to move towards the direction away from the key holder 3, and the movable gap 8 is increased again until the key cap 4 returns to the initial position.

In consideration of the use habit and the inertia of the user, a large pressing force is generally used for the keycap 4 having a large interaction area. Taking the conventional key cap 1 shown in fig. 1 as an example, the larger the pressing force applied to the conventional key cap 1 is, the larger the moving distance of the conventional key cap is, and if the moving distance of the conventional key cap 1 is kept within the preset safety range, after the conventional key cap 1 is subjected to a plurality of pressing forces, the elastic cantilever 2 can still generate an elastic force enough to drive the conventional key cap to reset. However, if the moving distance of the existing key cap 1 exceeds the safety range, the structure of the elastic cantilever 2 is damaged, and after the existing key cap 1 is pressed for many times (i.e. after abrasion in use), the elastic force generated by the elastic cantilever 2 is gradually reduced, so that the elastic force is not enough to drive the existing key cap 1 to recover to the initial position, and finally the whole hand feeling of the key is deteriorated or the function of the key is disabled.

In order to protect the key, in the key of the present embodiment, as shown in fig. 2, 4 and 5, each of the elastic arms 5 includes: the first bulge 5-1 is arranged on the key support 3 and is spaced from the key cap 4; the second bulge 5-2 is arranged on the key cap 4 and is spaced from the key support 3; the deformation part 5-3 is respectively connected with the first bulge 5-1 and the second bulge 5-2; when the key cap 4 is close to the key support 3, the deformation part 5-3 is elastically deformed to provide elasticity, and the first protrusion 5-1 can abut against the key cap 4 and/or the second protrusion 5-2 can abut against the key support 3.

The elastic arm 5 is integrally arranged in a movable gap 8 between the key cap 4 and the key support 3, when the key cap 4 starts to move towards the key support 3, the deformation part 5-3 is pressed to start elastic deformation, and at the moment, the elastic arm can produce elastic force for driving the deformation part 5-3 to recover or driving the key cap 4 to reset. When the movement distance of the key cap 4 is about to exceed a preset safety range, the first protrusion 5-1 abuts against the key cap 4 and/or the second protrusion 5-2 abuts against the key support 3, in other words, at least one of the first protrusion 5-1 and the second protrusion 5-2 can block the movement of the key cap 4, so that the key cap 4 is forced to stop moving. In this way, even if the key cap 4 receives a large pressing force, the movement of the key cap 4 can be kept within the safe range, which contributes to prolonging the service life of the key of the present embodiment.

In addition to the limit protection of the stroke of key cap 4, it is also necessary to ensure that key cap 4 can move in response to a press immediately. For this reason, it is necessary to make the deformation portion 5-3 more easily deformed. In order to achieve this effect, the key of the present embodiment is designed with the deformation portion 5-3, for example, as shown in fig. 2, fig. 4 and fig. 5, the deformation portion 5-3 is a strip-shaped structure; when the elastic arm 5 is in a natural state (also, in the same way, it means a state where the elastic arm 5 is not pressed by an external force and is not deformed by wear due to use so as not to be self-restorable), the axis of the deformation portion 5-3 (as a dotted line in fig. 4) is perpendicular to the projecting direction of the first projection 5-1 (z 1 direction in fig. 4) and the projecting direction of the second projection 5-2 (z 2 direction in fig. 4), respectively. In order to make the deformation portion 5-3 more easily deformed in a bending manner during the movement of the key cap 4 toward the key holder 3, it is designed to have a bar-like structure. Meanwhile, the top of the first protrusion 5-1 is matched with the top of the second protrusion 5-2 in the protruding direction in position, so that the axis of the deformation part 5-3 of the strip-shaped structure is approximately parallel to the pressing surface 4-1 of the top of the key cap 4, and the deformation part 5-3 is easily bent and deformed and can generate enough elastic force due to the structure. Because, if the top of the first protrusion 5-1 and the top of the second protrusion 5-2 are staggered, the bending variable of the deformation part 5-3 after being pressed is small, the generated elastic force is also small, and it may not be enough to drive the larger key cap 4 to reset. If the top of the first protrusion 5-1 is spaced apart from the top of the second protrusion 5-2, the deformation portion 5-3 will generate a certain force component to resist bending when being pressed, so that the deformation portion 5-3 is not easily deformed.

For the deformation part 5-3, in addition to the axial direction, the length of the deformation part 5-3 is also one of the influencing factors. If the length of the deformation part 5-3 is longer, the elasticity generated when the deformation part is bent is smaller; conversely, if the length of the deformation portion 5-3 is short, the elastic force generated when it is bent is also large. In order to make the elastic force applied to the key cap 4 sufficient and uniform, for example, as shown in fig. 2, 4 and 5, in the key of the present embodiment, two sets of elastic arms 5 are oppositely arranged along a first direction of the key cap 4 (for example, in a Y direction in fig. 2, when the cross-sectional shape of the key cap 4 is a rectangle or a waist, etc., the first direction represents a width direction of the cross-sectional shape), and each set includes two elastic arms 5; the two elastic arms 5 of the same group are arranged symmetrically with respect to the center line of key cap 4 in the first direction (as shown by the dotted line in fig. 4). For the two sides with longer length of the key cap 4, two elastic arms 5 are arranged on each side, so that the length of each elastic arm 5 is short, and the elastic force generated after the elastic arms are bent can drive the key cap 4 to reset. Meanwhile, the two elastic arms 5 on the same side are symmetrically arranged along the center line of the first direction relative to the key cap 4, so that the acting force of the two elastic arms 5 on the key cap 4 is more uniform.

Simultaneously, two sets of elastic arms 5 set up relatively, can make elastic arms 5 more even to the effort of pressing key cap 4, effectively avoid pressing key cap 4 and removing the in-process slope.

In order to make the layout of the elastic arm 5 more reasonable and compact, for example, as shown in fig. 2 and fig. 6, a pressing surface 4-1 is disposed on a side of the key cap 4 away from the key holder 3, and when the elastic arm 5 is in a natural state, an extending direction of the deformation portion 3-3 (for example, when the deformation portion 3-3 is in a strip-shaped structure, the extending direction of the deformation portion is an axial direction thereof) is parallel to the pressing surface 4-1 and perpendicular to the first direction of the key cap 4.

In order to reduce the molding difficulty and the assembling difficulty of the elastic arm 5, in the key of the embodiment, the key support 3, the key cap 4 and the elastic arm 5 are of an integrally molded structure. Illustratively, the key holder 3, the key cap 4 and the elastic arm 5 are injection molded.

The structure of the key of the present embodiment is exemplified by fig. 2 and 6, but the structure of the key is not limited.

The key cap 4 is of a cover-shaped structure, one side of the key cap, which is far away from the key support 3, is used for providing a pressing surface 4-1 for a user, one side of the key cap, which is close to the key support 3, is provided with a groove 4-2, the bottom of the groove 4-2 is provided with an annular central bulge 4-3, and a plurality of external reinforcing ribs 4-4 are also arranged between the central bulge 4-3 and the inner wall of the groove 4-2. The center of the inner part of the central bulge 4-3 is provided with a trigger bulge 4-5, and the cross section of the trigger bulge 4-5 is in a cross shape. The protruding height of the trigger bulge 4-5 is larger than that of the central bulge 4-3, and a plurality of inner reinforcing ribs 4-6 are arranged between the trigger bulge 4-5 and the inner wall of the central bulge 4-3.

The key support 3 is at least provided with a hollow part 3-1 in the range of the second projection 7, so that the trigger bulge 4-5 can pass through the hollow part 3-1 to trigger a function control panel 9 connected with the key support 3. For example, the key holder 3 includes two connecting portions 3-2 respectively disposed at two sides of the key cap 4 along a length direction (e.g., an X direction in fig. 2) and two supporting beams 3-3 disposed below the key cap 4 at intervals along a width direction (e.g., a Y direction in fig. 2), and the two connecting portions 3-2 and the two supporting beams 3-3 are connected to form a hollow portion 3-1. The outer walls of the two support beams 3-3, which are far away from each other, are aligned with the outer side wall of the key cap 4, the elastic arms 5 are connected with the support beams 3-3 and the key cap 4, respectively, and the axial direction (x 1 direction in fig. 2) of the elastic arms 5 is parallel to the length direction of the key cap 4. A mounting structure for fixing the key of the present embodiment to the inside of the device may be provided to the support beam 3-3. One side of each connecting part 3-2, which is far away from the panel, is provided with a positioning column 3-4 for positioning a function control panel 9; and a mounting hole 3-5 is formed at a position close to the positioning column 3-4 and used for fixing a function control panel 9 arranged at the side through an existing fastener such as a screw. When the key cap 4 is pressed, the trigger protrusion 4-5 can pass through between the two support beams 3-3 to the trigger function control board 9.

In addition, for the function control board 9 fixed on the key holder 3, as shown in fig. 7, which is provided with a positioning hole 9-2 matched with the positioning column 3-4 and a through hole 9-3 matched with the mounting hole 3-5, one side of the function control board 9 close to the key cap 4 is provided with a movable contact 9-1, which is pressed by the triggering protrusion 4-5 to trigger to realize the corresponding function.

Based on the same inventive concept and in combination with the description of the keys of the above embodiments, this embodiment provides a key assembly having the technical effects corresponding to the keys of the above embodiments, which are not described herein again.

Based on the above description of the various embodiments, the key has achieved the effects of occupying less panel structure space and providing an overload protection function. However, for a rectangular key cap or a waist-shaped key cap with a long length, since the position of the movable contact 9-1 on the function control board 9 corresponds to the center of the key cap 4, and the edge of the key cap 4 in the length direction is far from the center of the key cap 4, a user does not necessarily press the center of the key cap 4 or a position close to the center each time when pressing, when the user presses one side edge of the key cap 4 in the length direction, the key cap 4 may tilt up and down around the center, that is, one side of the pressed key cap 4 descends, the opposite side tilts up, and the center of the key cap 4 does not change or slightly moves down, which is not enough to trigger the movable contact 9-1. In order to solve the above problem, as shown in fig. 8, an embodiment of the present application provides a key assembly, which includes a cover plate 10 and the keys of the above embodiments; the cover plate 10 is abutted against at least two ends of the key cap 4 in a second direction (as shown in X direction in fig. 2, when the cross-sectional shape of the key cap 4 is rectangular or waist-shaped, etc., the second direction represents the length direction of the cross-sectional shape), so that when one side of the key cap 4 in the length direction is pressed to be close to the key holder 3, the other side is kept at an initial position; the second direction of the key cap 4 is perpendicular to the first direction of the key cap 4. As exemplified by the structures in fig. 9 and 10, the key assembly in fig. 9 has the function control board 9 mounted thereto, and the key assembly in fig. 9 is in a natural state with the key cap 4 in an initial position. In fig. 10, when one side of the key cap 4 is pressed by an external force F, it moves toward the direction close to the key holder 3, and the other side abuts against the cover plate 10, so that the key cap 4 moves obliquely toward the direction close to the key holder 3 with the position abutting against the cover plate 10 as a fulcrum under the abutting action of the cover plate 10, and the moving distance of the center position of the key cap 4 is enough to trigger the movable contact 9-1 on the function control board 9.

In order to take account of the aesthetic property of the key assembly and facilitate the user to press the key cap 4, the top of the key cap 4 needs to extend out of the cover plate 10, as shown in fig. 2, fig. 8, fig. 9 and fig. 10, in the key assembly of this embodiment, at least two opposite side walls of the key cap 4 are respectively provided with protruding limiting protrusions 4-7, and the cover plate 10 is disposed on one side of the limiting protrusions 4-7 away from the key support 3 and abuts against the side of the limiting protrusions 4-7. For example, as shown in fig. 8, 9 and 10, when the limiting protrusions 4-7 are disposed on two opposite sidewalls of the key cap 4 in the length direction, the cover plate 10 is disposed at least on two sides of the key cap 4 in the length direction (of course, the cover plate 10 may also be disposed around the circumference of the key cap 4), and when one side of the key cap 4 in the length direction is pressed, the cover plate 10 on the other side is stopped with the limiting protrusions 4-7 on the other side. When the limiting protrusions 4-7 are disposed on two opposite sidewalls of the key cap 4 in the width direction, the cover plate 10 is disposed on two sides of the key cap 4 at least in the width direction, and when one side of the key cap 4 in the length direction is pressed, one end of the limiting protrusion 4-7 close to the side is far away from the cover plate 10, and the other end of the limiting protrusion forms a stop with the cover plate 10. Therefore, on one hand, the cover plate 10 can stop two ends of the key cap 4 in the length direction by abutting the cover plate 10 and the limiting bulges 4-7, and the movable contact 9-1 can be triggered to realize the function by pressing any position on the top of the key cap 4. On the other hand, in actual conditions, a certain gap is inevitably formed between the cover plate 10 and the side wall of the key cap 4, and the gap can be shielded by the limiting protrusions 4-7, so that the internal structure of the equipment is prevented from being exposed through the gap, and the integral attractiveness of the equipment is prevented from being affected.

Alternatively, the cover plate 10 may be fixed to a panel of the device, or may be integrally formed with the panel.

The structure of the position-limiting protrusions 4-7 is illustrated in fig. 2, but the structure of the position-limiting protrusions 4-7 is not limited thereto. For example, two limiting protrusions 4-7 are respectively arranged at two ends of the key cap 4 in the length direction, each limiting protrusion 4-7 comprises a strip-shaped first limiting protrusion 4-7-1 extending along the edge of the root of the key cap 4, and two second limiting protrusions 4-7-2 arranged at least at two ends of the first limiting protrusion 4-7-1 and protruding out of the first limiting protrusion 4-7-1. For another example, the second limiting bulges 4-7-2 are provided with three and are uniformly distributed along the strip-shaped first limiting bulges 4-7-1. When the limiting bulge 4-7 is abutted against the cover plate 10 to form a fulcrum, the second limiting bulge 4-7-2 which is smaller in essence is abutted against the cover plate 10 effectively, because the second limiting bulge 4-7-2 protrudes out of the first limiting bulge 4-7-1, and the second limiting bulge 4-7-2 is abutted against the cover plate 10, the abutting action formed by the second limiting bulge 4-7-2 and the first limiting bulge is more reliable, the downward moving distance of the central position of the key cap 4 is larger, the molding process requirement of the key assembly of the embodiment can be reduced, and the key assembly is more suitable for mass production.

Based on the same inventive concept, in combination with the description of the keys and the key assemblies in the above embodiments, this embodiment provides a display device, which has the corresponding technical effects of the keys and the key assemblies in the above embodiments, and is not described herein again.

A display device comprising a key or key assembly as in the various embodiments described above.

Of course, the keys or key assemblies of the above embodiments may also be used in other existing electronic devices such as a remote controller.

The embodiments are described in a progressive manner, each embodiment focuses on differences from other embodiments, and the same or similar parts among the embodiments are referred to each other.

The description of the present application has been presented for purposes of illustration and description, and is not intended to be exhaustive or limited to the application in the form disclosed. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to practitioners skilled in this art. The embodiment was chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the application and the practical application, and to enable others of ordinary skill in the art to understand the application for various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the particular use contemplated.

Those of ordinary skill in the art will understand that: the discussion of any embodiment above is meant to be exemplary only, and is not intended to intimate that the scope of the disclosure, including the claims, is limited to these examples; within the context of the present application, features from the above embodiments or from different embodiments may also be combined, steps may be implemented in any order, and there are many other variations of the different aspects of the present application as described above, which are not provided in detail for the sake of brevity.

The embodiments of the application are intended to embrace all such alterations, modifications and variations that fall within the broad scope of the appended claims. Therefore, any omissions, modifications, substitutions, improvements, and the like that may be made without departing from the spirit and principles of the application are intended to be included within the scope of the application.

Claims (12)

1. A key, comprising:

a key holder;

the key caps are arranged on one side of the key support at intervals and are pressed to be close to the key support;

the elastic arm is respectively connected with the key support and the key cap so as to provide elastic force for driving the key cap to reset; at least two elastic arms are arranged;

the projection of each elastic arm on the side, close to the key cap, of the key support is a first projection, the projection of the key cap on the side, close to the key cap, of the key support is a second projection, and at least part of the first projection is located within the range of the second projection.

2. The key of claim 1, wherein all of the first projections are within the range of the second projection.

3. The key of claim 1, wherein each of the resilient arms comprises:

the first bulge is arranged on the key support and is spaced from the key cap;

the second bulge is arranged on the key cap and is spaced from the key support;

the deformation part is respectively connected with the first bulge and the second bulge;

when the key cap is close to the key support, the deformation part is elastically deformed to provide the elastic force, and the first protrusion can abut against the key cap and/or the second protrusion can abut against the key support.

4. The key according to claim 3, wherein the deformation part is a strip-shaped structure; when the elastic arm is in a natural state, the axis of the deformation part is respectively vertical to the protruding direction of the first protrusion and the protruding direction of the second protrusion.

5. The key of claim 1, wherein the elastic arms are oppositely arranged in two groups along a first direction of the key cap, each group comprising two elastic arms; the two elastic arms of the same group are symmetrically arranged relative to the central line of the key cap along the first direction.

6. The key of claim 3, wherein a pressing surface is disposed on a side of the key cap away from the key holder, and when the elastic arm is in a natural state, an extending direction of the deformation portion is parallel to the pressing surface and perpendicular to the first direction of the key cap.

7. The key of claim 1, wherein the key support, the key cap, and the resilient arm are of an integrally formed construction.

8. The key according to claim 1, wherein a triggering protrusion is disposed on a side of the key cap close to the key support, and a hollow portion is disposed in at least the second projection range of the key support, so that the triggering protrusion can penetrate through the hollow portion to trigger a function control board connected to the key support.

9. A key assembly comprising a cover plate and a key according to any one of claims 1-8; the cover plate at least forms a stop with two ends of the key cap in the second direction, so that when one side of the key cap in the length direction is pressed to be close to the key support, the other side of the key cap is kept at an initial position; the second direction is perpendicular to the first direction of the key cap.

10. The key assembly of claim 9, wherein at least two opposite sidewalls of the key cap are respectively provided with a protruding limiting protrusion, and the cover plate is disposed on a side of the limiting protrusion away from the key holder and abuts against the side of the limiting protrusion.

11. The key assembly of claim 10, wherein two limiting protrusions are respectively disposed at two ends of the key cap in the length direction, each limiting protrusion includes a first limiting protrusion extending along the edge of the root of the key cap, and two second limiting protrusions disposed at least at two ends of the first limiting protrusion and protruding beyond the first limiting protrusion.

12. A display device comprising a key according to any of claims 1-8 or a key assembly according to any of claims 9-11.

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