TW201432760A - Key switch and keyboard - Google Patents

Abstract

A key switch comprises a keycap, a base, a frame and a guiding mechanism. The keycap is configured to be depressed by a user. The base is disposed under the keycap. The frame comprises a storage space for storing the keycap. The storage space extends along an X axis, a Y axis and a Z axis, wherein any two axes of the X axis, Y axis and Z axis are perpendicular. The guiding mechanism is disposed between the keycap and the frame. The guiding mechanism guides the keycap toward a route and constrains the keycap to a level orientation while the key is depressed by the user. The route has displacement in all of the X axis, Y axis and Z axis.

Description

button

The invention relates to a push button switch, in particular to a push button switch for driving a key cap by using a guiding mechanism.

The movement direction of the conventional button is straight up and down. When the height of the button is to be lowered again, the travel distance will be relatively reduced, for example, from 2 mm to 1 mm, which will make the user's pressing feel worse. .

The invention provides a push button switch, which can move a keycap by a guiding mechanism, and can maintain a certain pressing feel while reducing the height of the button.

According to the present invention, a push button switch is provided that includes a keycap, a base, a frame, and a guiding mechanism. The key cap is for the user to press. The base is located below the keycap. The frame includes an accommodation space for housing the keycap. The accommodating space extends along the X axis, the Y axis, and the Z axis, wherein any one of the X axis, the Y axis, and the Z axis is perpendicular to each other. The guiding mechanism is disposed between the keycap and the frame. During the pressing of the keycap by the user, the guiding mechanism maintains the keycap in a substantially horizontal space, and the guiding keycap moves along a path that allows the keycap to be on the X-axis, the Y-axis, and the Z-axis. The amount of displacement.

According to the present invention, a push button switch is provided that includes a base, a keycap, and a guiding mechanism. The keycap is disposed on the base and movable between a first position and a second position relative to the base. The guiding mechanism is composed of at least one guiding groove and at least one convex block, and the protruding block has a curved side surface. When the keycap is used When pressed, the key cap is moved from the first position to the second position by the guiding mechanism, and the curved side surface of the bump is in contact with the guide groove.

In order to make the above-mentioned contents of the present invention more comprehensible, various embodiments are described below, and in conjunction with the drawings, the detailed description is as follows:

Various embodiments will be described below, and a detailed description will be given of a push button switch that uses a guiding mechanism to drive the movement of the keycap. However, the examples are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Further, the drawings in the embodiments are omitted to partially illustrate the technical features of the present invention.

First embodiment

1A and 1B, FIG. 1A is an exploded perspective view of a key switch according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a partial view of the components of the first embodiment (key cap 110, base 120, frame 130). The bottom view of the perspective. The push button switch 100 includes a keycap 110, a base 120, a frame 130, a guiding mechanism 140, a returning device 150, a switching element 170, and a bottom plate 175. The frame 130 has an accommodation space S for accommodating the keycap 110. The key cap 110 is located above the base 120. The keycap 110 is movable relative to the frame 130 by the guiding mechanism 140. The returning device 150 returns the keycap 110 to the home position after being pressed. The switching element 170 is located below the base 120 for sending a signal. The bottom plate 175 serves as a support and is located below the above elements.

The guiding mechanism 140 is composed of a sliding portion 141 and a guide groove 142. This case The sliding portion 141 is an arc-shaped projection, for example, a sphere or any other shape having a curved side surface (such as a spherical surface), and is located at four corners of the keycap 110. The guide groove 142 is located at a position corresponding to the sliding portion 141 on the base 120, and each of the guide grooves 142 is inclined in the same direction. When the user presses the keycap 110, the sliding portion 141 can slide down along the guiding groove 142, thereby driving the keycap 110 to move toward the base. Since the guiding directions of the guiding grooves 142 are uniform and have the same inclination, the sliding can be maintained. The keycap 110 slides in a horizontal space. The recovery device 150 is composed of a first magnetic member 151 and a second magnetic member 152; the first magnetic member 151 and the second magnetic member 152 can be attracted to each other, for example, two magnets of opposite polarities, or respectively composed of an iron member and a magnet. .

In addition, the button switch 100 further includes a backlight module (not shown) disposed under the base 120. The light-emitting area (not shown) is disposed on the keycap 110, and the light source of the backlight module can penetrate the light-transmitting area, so that the user can operate the key switch in the dark.

Referring to FIGS. 1A and 1B simultaneously, the sliding portion 141 (arc-shaped projection) of the key cap 110 has a curved side surface, and the corresponding guide groove 142 is also curved and has a curved curved surface. The radius of curvature of the guide groove 142 may be equal to or larger than the radius of curvature of the sliding portion to accommodate the sliding portion. FIG. 1C is an enlarged view of the guide groove 142 of FIG. 1A. When the user presses the key cap, the moving path of the sliding portion in the guide groove 142 is represented by N1.

As shown in FIG. 1C, if the radius of curvature of the guide groove 142 is equal to the radius of curvature of the sliding portion, the curved side surface of the sliding portion is in "arc contact" with the guide groove 142, and the contact line T _N can be a semicircular arc. . As the sliding portion slides in the guide groove 142, the contact line also moves, for example, downwardly to the contact line T _N+1 , that is, the sliding portion is in line contact with the guide groove 142 during the entire sliding process. The contact lines T _N , T _{N+1 are} substantially parallel to the horizontal plane from which the base 120 extends.

In contrast, if the radius of curvature of the guide groove 142 is larger than the radius of curvature of the sliding portion, the sliding portion and the guiding groove 142 are still "arc contact", but the length of the contact line T _N , T _N+1 will be reduced, for example, from The semi-circular arc is shortened to a quarter arc, and even becomes a point contact. Since the contact area of the sliding portion with the guide groove is relatively small (for example, line contact or point contact), the frictional force is also small, so that the user can press the button more smoothly.

When the radius of curvature of the guide groove 142 is equal to the radius of curvature of the sliding portion 141, and the size of the sliding portion 141 is close to the predetermined width of the guide groove 142, the movement of the sliding portion 141 is restricted, and it is substantially movable only along the path N1. The length of the path N1 is the travel distance of the push switch 100. In one embodiment, the displacement of the path N1 in the X-axis direction is 0.7 mm, the displacement in the Y-axis direction is 0.4 mm, and the displacement in the Z-axis direction is 0.7 mm, and the total stroke is about 1.1 mm. PCT. (1.06=√((0.4) ² +(0.7) ² +(0.7) ² )

Compared with the traditional scissor foot design, the push button switch of the embodiment has the displacement amount in the X, Y and Z directions at the same time, so that the stroke in the shorter Z axis direction can reach the same stroke of 1.1 mm, so that the pressing can be maintained. The paragraph feels, and can greatly reduce the thickness of the keyboard. In addition, in this example, the path N1 is a straight line (please refer to the 2A, 2B, and 2C drawings at the same time), that is, the path through which the sliding portion passes is linear, but in other embodiments, the distortion of the guiding groove 142 can also be adjusted. The movement path N1 of the sliding portion can be made into a curve.

Please refer to Figures 2A to 2C. 2A is a combination diagram of the button switch of FIG. 1A, and FIG. 2B is a diagram showing a button switch of FIG. 1A when the button switch is not pressed. In the top view, FIG. 2C is a top view of the button switch of FIG. 1A after being pressed. When the user does not press the keycap, the keycap 110 is in a first position and is at the highest position relative to the frame 130, as shown in FIG. 2B, at which point an angle A1 of the keycap 110 is adjacent to a corner B1 of the frame. When the user presses the keycap, the keycap 110 is moved to a second position by the guiding mechanism described above, at which time the keycap 110 is lowest with respect to the frame 130, and the other corner A2 of the keycap 110 is adjacent to the other corner of the frame 130. B2, as shown in Figure 2C. Where A2 is the diagonal of A1 and B2 is also the diagonal of B1. The keycap has a reference point located at A2. When the keycap is in the first position, the coordinate of the reference point is (x1, y1, z1), and when the second position is located, the coordinate of the reference point is (x2, y2, z2). ), the connection of the two reference points is represented by N2. Since the movement of the sliding portion 141 causes the keycap 110 to move, the moving path and the displacement amount of the two are naturally the same. That is, when the moving path N1 of the sliding portion 141 is a straight line, the vector from the start point to the end point of the path N1 is parallel to N2 (the reference point moves from the coordinates (x1, y1, z1) to the coordinates (x2, y2, z2)) When the path N1 is a curve, the displacement from the start point to the end point of the path N1 is equal to the length of N2 (the displacement of the reference point from the coordinate (x1, y1, z1) to the coordinate (x2, y2, z2) ).

Please also refer to Figures 3A and 3B and Figures 2B and 2C. 3A is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 2B, that is, a side cross-sectional view before the push button switch is pressed, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 2C, that is, a side cross-sectional view after the push button switch is pressed. The first magnetic member 151 is located on the keycap 110 and the second magnetic member 152 is located on the frame 130. When the push button switch 100 is not pressed, the returning device 150 fixes the keycap 110 to the frame 130 to hold the keycap 110 in the first position (Figs. 3A and 2B). When the user presses the keycap 110, the key cap 110 is guided by the guiding mechanism 140 (the sliding portion 141 and the guiding groove 142) The keycap 110 is moved to the second position (Figs. 3B and 2C), and the sliding portion 141 is in line contact with the guide groove 142 during the movement, and the curved side surface and the guide portion of the sliding portion 141 are viewed in cross section. The slot 142 is tangent at one point. When the user releases the keycap 110, the attractive force of the returning device 150 returns the keycap 110 to the first position (Figs. 3A and 2B).

Referring to FIGS. 3A and 3B , the push button switch 100 further includes a limiting mechanism 160 . The restriction mechanism is composed of a protrusion 161 and a channel 162. The protrusion 161 is located on the keycap 110 and extends toward the outside of the keycap. The channel 162 is located on the frame 130 at a position corresponding to the protrusion 161 and is larger in size than the protrusion 161. Regardless of whether the keycap 110 is in the first position (FIG. 3A) or the second position (FIG. 3B) with respect to the base 120, the protrusions 161 are all located within the channel 162, so that the keycap 110 can be prevented from falling off the frame 130.

In this example, as shown in FIG. 1A, the returning device 150 is disposed near the center line M of the keycap 110, and the restricting mechanism 160 projecting portion 161 is disposed at two corners of the keycap 110. As shown in FIG. 4A, when it is necessary to arrange the key switches 100 in a dense arrangement (for example, as a keyboard), the design allows the restriction mechanism 160 of the first row of button switches and the recovery device 150 of the second row of button switches to be The positions within the space of the frame 130 are staggered to make full use of the space of the frame 130, so that the key distance D of the two rows of push button switches is reduced. However, the position and number of the protrusions of the present invention are not limited thereto. In other embodiments, if the key distance D of the two rows of button switches is large and the space of the frame 130 is sufficient, the position and number of the protrusions can be set according to requirements. Freely adjusting, for example, as shown in FIG. 4B, the returning device 150 (including the first magnetic member 151 and the second magnetic member 152) and the restricting mechanism 160 (including the protruding portion 161 and the channel 162) are all disposed on the keycap 110 On the midline M.

Referring to FIGS. 3A and 3B , the push button switch 100 includes a switching element 170 located below the base 120 . In order to further reduce the overall height of the push switch 100, the spherical body can be cut out as a sliding portion 141, and the sliding portion can have a curved side surface to slide in the guide groove. The bottom of the sliding portion 141 has a bump 111. When the key cap 110 is in the second position (Fig. 3B), the bump 111 touches the switching element 170 to send a signal. In this example, in addition to the sliding portion 141 of the four corners of the key cap 110 having the bump 111, the center of the key cap 110 is also provided with a bump 112 for touching the switching element 170; and as shown in FIG. 1A, the key switch Also provided on the 100 are five switching elements 170 that can be turned on by respective contacts. In this way, the entire push button switch 100 has five switching elements 170 and corresponding five contact points, even if the user presses the strength of the key cap unevenly, as long as at least one bump/bump contacts the corresponding switching element 170, The electrical signal represented by the push button switch 100 can be sent.

Second embodiment

5A to 5D, FIG. 5A is an exploded perspective view of a push button switch according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5B is a bottom exploded view of the push button switch of FIG. 5A, and FIG. 5C is a view FIG. 5A is a side cross-sectional view of the push button switch before pressing, and FIG. 5D is a cross-sectional view showing the push button switch of FIG. 5A after being pressed. The main difference between the push button switch 200 and the push button switch 100 is that the guide groove 242 of the guiding mechanism 240 is located on the key cap 210, and the sliding portion 241 is disposed on the base 220, and the rest will not be described again.

In this example, the sliding portion 241 is, for example, a steel ball and can be coupled to the base 220. The separation is a three-piece design of the keycap-sliding portion-base, as long as the corresponding groove 221 is provided on the base 220. As a result, the sliding portion 241 and the guide groove 242 are in rolling contact on the contact line, which further reduces the frictional force.

In addition, referring to the 5C and 5D drawings, the bumps 211 may be respectively added around the four guiding slots 242 of the key cap 210, and the bumps 212 are also disposed at the center of the keycap 210; similar to the switching components shown in FIG. 1A. In the 170 design, the push button switch 200 is also provided with five switching elements 270 that can be turned on by the respective contacts. As such, the entire push button switch 200 has five switching elements 270 and corresponding five contact points. When the user presses the keycap, even if the force of the user pressing the keycap is not uniform, as long as any bump 211/bump 212 contacts the corresponding switching element 270 (Fig. 5D), the switching element 270 can be turned on. The electrical signal represented by the push button switch 200 is sent.

The push button switch disclosed in the above embodiments of the present invention utilizes the sliding portion and the guide groove of the guiding mechanism to drive the key cap to move relative to the frame, thereby reducing the height of the push button switch. In addition, since the sliding portion and the guide groove are only in line contact when the key cap is moved, the friction is low and easy to start. Further, the movement path of the key cap simultaneously has the displacement amounts in the three directions of X, Y, and Z, and even if the height (Z-axis) is lowered, a certain stroke can be maintained, and the pressing feeling is maintained.

In view of the above, the present invention has been disclosed in various embodiments, and is not intended to limit the present invention. A person skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Therefore, the scope of the invention is defined by the scope of the appended claims.

100, 200‧‧‧ key switch

110, 210‧‧‧ key cap

111, 211‧‧‧ bumps

112, 212‧‧‧Bumps

120, 220‧‧‧ base

221‧‧‧ Groove

130, 230‧‧‧ framework

140, 240‧‧‧ Guidance agencies

141, 241‧‧ ‧ sliding part

142, 242‧‧ ‧ guide slots

150, 250‧‧‧Response device

151, 251‧‧‧ first magnetic parts

152, 252‧‧‧ second magnetic parts

160, 260‧‧‧Restricted institutions

161, 261‧‧ ‧ protruding parts

162, 262‧‧‧ channels

170, 270‧‧‧ Switching components

175, 275‧‧‧ bottom plate

A1, A2, B1, B2‧‧‧ position

M‧‧‧ midline

N1‧‧‧ path

N2‧‧‧ connection

S‧‧‧ accommodating space

T _N , T _N+1 ‧‧‧contact line

1A is a perspective exploded view of a key switch according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 1B is a bottom perspective view of the key cap, the base, and the frame of FIG. 1A, and FIG. 1C is a view showing a guide groove of FIG. 1A. Magnified view.

2A is a combination view of the key switch of FIG. 1A, FIG. 2B is a top view of the key switch of FIG. 1A when it is not pressed, and FIG. 2C is a top view of the key switch of FIG. 1A after being pressed.

3A is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 2B, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 2C.

4A is a bottom view of the push button switch of FIG. 2A, and FIG. 4B is a bottom view of the push button switch according to another embodiment of the present invention.

5A is a perspective exploded view of a push button switch according to another embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 5B is a bottom exploded view of the push button switch of FIG. 5A, and FIG. 5C is a front view of the push button switch of FIG. 5A before pressing FIG. 5D is a side cross-sectional view showing the push button switch of FIG. 5A after being pressed.

100‧‧‧Key switch

110‧‧‧Key Cap

120‧‧‧Base

130‧‧‧Frame

140‧‧‧Guiding agency

141‧‧‧Sliding section

142‧‧

150‧‧‧Return device

151‧‧‧First magnetic parts

152‧‧‧Second magnetic parts

161‧‧‧Protruding

170‧‧‧Switching elements

175‧‧‧floor

M‧‧‧ midline

S‧‧‧ accommodating space

Claims (22)

A key switch includes: a key cap for pressing by a user; a base under the key cap; a frame including an accommodating space for accommodating the key cap, the accommodating space along an X a shaft, a Y-axis and a Z-axis extending, the X-axis, the Y-axis and the Z-axis being perpendicular to each other; a guiding mechanism disposed between the keycap and the frame, the user During the pressing of the keycap, the guiding mechanism maintains the keycap in a substantially horizontal space, and the guiding mechanism guides the keycap to move along a path that allows the keycap to be on the X-axis, There is a displacement on the Y axis and the Z axis. The key switch of claim 1, wherein the key cap has a reference point having a point and an end point, the key cap being movable relative to the frame in a first position and a second position Between when the keycap is in the first position, the reference point is located at coordinates (x1, y1, z1), and when the keycap is in the second position, the reference point is located at coordinates (x2, y2) At z2), x1 is not equal to x2, y1 is not equal to y2, and z1 is not equal to z2. The key switch of claim 2, wherein the path is a straight line, and the vector from the start point to the end point of the path moves from the coordinate (x1, y1, z1) to the coordinate (x2, y2) parallel to the reference point. , z2) vector. The key switch of claim 2, wherein the path is a curve. The button structure of claim 1, wherein the guiding mechanism comprises a plurality of guiding slots and a plurality of sliding portions, the plurality of guiding slots are arranged The plurality of sliding portions are disposed on the key cap, and the plurality of sliding portions are respectively downward in the plurality of guiding grooves during the pressing of the key cap by the user. Sliding substantially the same height to maintain the keycap at the substantially horizontal space. The button structure of claim 1, wherein the guiding mechanism comprises a guiding slot and a sliding portion, the guiding slot is disposed on the base and has a predetermined width, and the sliding portion is disposed on the keycap Upper portion of the sliding portion is close to the predetermined width. During the pressing of the keycap, the sliding portion slides downward in the guiding slot to keep the keycap substantially movable only along the path. . The button structure of claim 1, wherein the guiding mechanism comprises a plurality of guiding slots and a plurality of sliding portions, the plurality of guiding slots are disposed on the keycap and have the same inclination, the plurality of The sliding portion is fixed on the base, and during the pressing of the key cap by the user, the plurality of sliding portions respectively slide substantially the same height difference in the plurality of guiding grooves to maintain the key cap in the substantially horizontal space. . The guiding mechanism includes a guiding slot and a sliding portion, the guiding slot is disposed on the keycap and has a predetermined width, and the sliding portion is fixed on the base The sliding portion is sized to approach the predetermined width, and the sliding portion slides in the guiding slot during the user pressing the keycap to keep the keycap substantially movable only along the path. A button switch includes: a base; a key cap disposed on the base, the key cap being opposite to the base Moving between a first position and a second position; and a guiding mechanism comprising at least one guiding groove and at least one protrusion, wherein the protruding piece has an arc-shaped side; wherein, when the key cap is When a user presses, the key cap is moved from the first position to the second position by the guiding mechanism, and the curved side of the protrusion is in line contact with the guiding groove. The push button switch according to claim 9, wherein when the key cap is pressed by the user, a contact line between the curved side surface of the bump and the guide groove is an arc. The push button switch of claim 9, wherein the bump is disposed on the key cap, and the guide groove is disposed on the base. The push button switch of claim 9, wherein the arc guide groove is disposed on the key cap, and the bump is disposed on the base. The push button switch according to claim 9, wherein the curved side surface is a spherical surface. The key switch of claim 9 further includes a backlight module disposed under the base, wherein the key cap includes a light transmitting area, and the light source of the backlight module penetrates the light transmitting area . The push button switch of claim 9, further comprising a returning device, wherein when the user releases the keycap, the keycap is returned from the second position to the first position by the returning device. The key switch of claim 15, wherein the returning device is composed of a first magnetic member and a second magnetic member, and the button further comprises a frame disposed on an outer side of the keycap, wherein The first magnetic member is disposed on the key cap, and the second magnetic member is disposed on the first magnetic member frame. The key switch according to claim 16, wherein the first and second magnetic members are respectively composed of two opposite polarity magnets. For example, in the button switch described in claim 16, the first and second magnetic members are respectively composed of an iron member and a magnet. The push button switch according to claim 16 further includes a switch component disposed under the keycap. The key switch of claim 9, further comprising a limiting mechanism and a frame disposed on an outer side of the keycap, the limiting mechanism for preventing the keycap from falling off. The push button switch of claim 20, wherein the restricting mechanism is formed by at least one protrusion and at least one channel. The push button switch of claim 21, wherein the protrusion is disposed at a corner of the keycap, and the channel is disposed at a position corresponding to the protrusion of the frame.