TW201447945A - Key and keyboard using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A key and a keyboard using the same are provided. The key comprises a base, a keycap, a supporting structure, a first magnetic element, a second magnetic element and a switch element. The keycap is disposed on the base. One end of the supporting structure is movably connected to the keycap, and the other end is movably connected to the base. The first magnetic element is disposed on the base. The second magnetic element has a bump and could attract the first magnetic element. One end of the second magnetic element is connected to the keycap or the supporting structure. The switch element is disposed under the base. The first magnetic element attracts the second magnetic element when the keycap is undepressed. The first magnetic element is apart from the second magnetic element so that the bump contacts the switch element when the keycap is pressed.

Description

Button and keyboard for applying the same

The present invention relates to a button and a keyboard for applying the same, and more particularly to a button for utilizing a magnetic force to generate a feeling of pressing a paragraph and a keyboard for applying the same.

Even though touch panels have been widely used on various electronic devices, the keyboard is still one of the indispensable input devices for electronic devices in terms of general usage habits. With the trend of thinning portable electronic devices, the keyboard has also become thinner.

Conventional keyboard keys are often provided with elastic elements such as rubber domes, which can trigger the switch to send electrical signals when pressed, and also provide a tactile to let the user know that the keys have been Actuated. However, the rubber bowl has a certain volume, and a large button height is required to provide space accommodation. At the same time, the life of rubber is limited. After a certain number of deformations, it is easy to be elastic and fatigue, which makes the buttons lose their effectiveness.

The invention relates to a button and a keyboard for applying the same, the button has a small volume and a long life.

According to an aspect of the invention, a button is proposed. The button includes a base, a keycap, a support structure, a first magnetic element, a second magnetic element, and a switching element. The key cap is disposed on the base. One end of the support structure is movably coupled to the keycap, and the other end is movably coupled to the base for driving the keycap to move up and down relative to the base. The first magnetic element is disposed on the base. The second magnetic element can be attracted to the first magnetic element and has a bump. One end of the second magnetic element is coupled to the keycap or support structure. The switching element is located below the pedestal. When the keycap is not pressed, the first magnetic element attracts the second magnetic element, and when the keycap is pressed to move downward, the first magnetic element is separated from the second magnetic element such that the bump contacts the switching element.

According to another aspect of the invention, a keyboard is provided. The keyboard includes a housing, a bottom plate and a plurality of buttons. The button is disposed on the housing, and one of the buttons includes a base, a key cap, a support structure, a first magnetic element, a second magnetic element, and a switching element. The base is located above the base plate. The key cap is disposed on the base. One end of the support structure is movably coupled to the keycap, and the other end is movably coupled to the base for driving the keycap to move up and down relative to the base. The first magnetic element is disposed on the base. The second magnetic element can be attracted to the first magnetic element and has a bump. One end of the second magnetic element is coupled to the keycap or support structure. The switching element is located below the pedestal. When the keycap is not pressed, the first magnetic element adsorbs the second magnetic element, and when the keycap is pressed, the first magnetic element is separated from the second magnetic element, so that the bump contacts Close the component.

In order to better understand the above and other aspects of the present invention, the preferred embodiments are described below, and in conjunction with the drawings, the detailed description is as follows:

100‧‧‧ keyboard

110‧‧‧shell

120, 220, 320‧‧‧ buttons

121, 221, 321 ‧ ‧ pedestal

122, 222, 322‧‧‧ key caps

123,223,323‧‧‧Support structure

123a‧‧‧ inner circle

123b‧‧‧Outer ring

124, 224, 324, 324'‧‧‧ first magnetic components

125, 225, 325, 325'‧‧‧ second magnetic components

126‧‧‧Switching elements

127, 227‧‧ ‧ bumps

T‧‧‧ touch points

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a keyboard according to an embodiment of the invention.

2A is an exploded perspective view of one of the buttons 120 in FIG. 1; and FIG. 2B is a bottom view of the support member 123 in the button 120 of FIG. 2A.

FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view showing the button 120 of FIG. 2A when it is not pressed, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view when the button 120 is pressed.

4A is a cross-sectional view of the button 220 when it is not pressed according to another embodiment of the present invention; and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view of the button 220 when it is pressed.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing the button 320 not being pressed according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

Please refer to FIG. 1 , which illustrates a schematic diagram of a keyboard 100 according to an embodiment of the invention. The keyboard 100 includes a housing 110, a bottom plate (not shown), and a plurality of buttons 120. The bottom plate is disposed in the housing 110, and the button 120 is disposed on the housing 110.

Referring to FIG. 2A, an exploded perspective view of one of the buttons 120 in the keyboard 100 of FIG. 1 is illustrated. The button 120 is composed of a base 121, a key cap 122, a support structure 123, a first magnetic element 124, and a second magnetic element 125. The key cap 122 is disposed on the base 121 for the user to press. Support structure 123 The connecting base 121 and the key cap 122 are respectively disposed between the base 121 and the keycap 122, and the movable cap 122 can move up and down relative to the base 121. The first magnetic element 124 is disposed on the base 121, and one end of the second magnetic element 125 is coupled to the support structure 123. The switching element 126 is disposed under the susceptor 121 for sending a signal when the button is triggered.

Please refer to FIG. 2B, which shows a bottom view of the support member 123 in FIG. 2A. In this example, the support member 123 is a scissor-foot structure including an inner ring 123a and an outer ring 123b, and the second magnetic member 125 is coupled to the inner ring 123a of the scissor-leg structure. The second magnetic element 125 is not linear, but has a bent shape that is attracted to the first magnetic element 124 (Fig. 2A) on the susceptor 121. In this embodiment, the conventional rubber bowl is replaced by the attraction force of the two magnetic elements, so that the user feels a paragraph when pressing the button. The operation of the button 120 will be described below using Figs. 3A and 3B.

FIG. 3A is a cross-sectional view showing the button 120 of FIG. 2A not being pressed, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view showing the button 120 being pressed. As shown in FIG. 3A, the inner ring 123a of the support structure 123 and the outer ring 123b can intersect to form a shape similar to the English letter X. The upper end of the support structure 123 is movable to connect the keycap 122, and the lower end of the movable connection base 121 can drive the keycap 122 to move up and down relative to the base 121. The "movable" here is, for example, sliding or rotating, and in this example, the upper end is rotatably connected to the keycap 122, and the lower end slidable connecting base 121 is taken as an example, but in other embodiments, it may be The upper end of the support structure is slidably coupled to the keycap, and the lower end is rotatable to the base, and is not limited thereto.

As shown in FIG. 3A, one end of the second magnetic element 125 is connected to the support structure. The inner ring 123a of 123 can be interlocked with it. When the button 120 is not pressed, the other end of the second magnetic member 125 adsorbs the first magnetic member 124 disposed on the base, so that the key cap 122 can be maintained at a fixed position. The first magnetic element 124 and the second magnetic element 125 may each be a permanent magnet of opposite polarity, or one of the magnets, and the other may be made of a material that the magnet can attract so that the two can attract each other. In other embodiments, the second magnetic element 125 can be divided into a connecting portion and a magnetic portion, the connecting portion is used to connect the supporting structure, and the portion in contact with the first magnetic element 124 is a magnetic portion, and a magnet or a magnet can be used. The adsorbed material is made to adhere to the first magnetic member 124, and the magnetic portion and the connecting portion have an angle other than 0 or 180, so that the second magnetic member 125 has a bent shape.

Referring to FIG. 3B, since the keycap 122, the support structure 123 and the second magnetic component 125 are interlocked, when the keycap 122 is subjected to an external force (for example, a user presses), the first magnetic component 124 and the second must be overcome. The attraction between the magnetic elements 125 causes the keycap 122 to continue to move downward. In detail, when the keycap is subjected to downward pressure, a clockwise moment is generated at the edge contact point T of the first magnetic element 124 and the second magnetic element 125, when the clockwise moment is greater than the first magnetic element 124 and When the attraction force between the second magnetic members 125 generates a counterclockwise moment, the first magnetic member 124 and the second magnetic member 125 can be separated to move the key cap 122 downward. When the first magnetic element 124 is separated from the second magnetic element 125, the counterclockwise moment caused by the magnetic force becomes smaller and smaller as the distance increases, and a sense of paragraph is generated, so that the user feels that the button 120 has been pressed. . When the user releases the keycap, the attraction between the first magnetic element 124 and the second magnetic element 125 can cause the two to be adsorbed again, and at the same time, the keycap 122 is reset to return to the initial position when the button is not pressed. (Figure 3A).

In addition, a bump 127 may be disposed on the second magnetic component 125. As shown in FIG. 3B, when the key cap 122 drives the second magnetic element 125 to move downward to a certain extent, the bump 127 contacts the switching element (not shown) under the base 121, and sends out the electrical signal represented by the button 120.

In addition, the second magnetic element 125 and the support structure 123 may be a fixed connection or a rotatable connection. When a rotatable connection is made between the second magnetic element 125 and the support structure 123, the angle of rotation of the second magnetic element 125 can be limited by a restriction mechanism such as a male shaft. In this way, when the support structure 123 moves, the connection between the second magnetic element 125 and the support structure 123 starts to rotate first, and starts to move when it cannot rotate. By controlling the rotation angle, the stroke of the button 120 can be adjusted, and The feel when pressed.

4A is a cross-sectional view showing the button 220 not being pressed according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view showing the button 220 being pressed. The difference between the button 220 and the button 120 is mainly that the shape and position of the second magnetic member 225 are different, and the rest will not be described again.

As shown in FIG. 4A, the second magnetic element 225 is in the form of a straight strip, and one end thereof is pivotally connected to a portion of the support structure 223 connected to the base 221 with a fixed angle θ therebetween, and the number of the clips is not zero. Or 180 degrees, that is, the second magnetic element 225 is not parallel to the support structure 223. When the button 220 is not pressed, the other end of the second magnetic member 225 adsorbs the first magnetic member 224 on the base 221, and the position of the support structure 223 can be fixed to maintain the keycap 222 at a specific height. And when the keycap When the 222 is pressed by an external force, the generated torque can separate the first magnetic element 224 from the second magnetic element 225, as shown in FIG. 4B. This creates a sense of passage that lets the user know that the button has been pressed. In addition, a bump 227 can be disposed at the junction of the support structure 223 and the second magnetic component 225. When the button 220 is pressed to separate the first magnetic component 224 from the second magnetic component 225, the bump 220 can be brought into contact with the bottom. A switching element (not shown) sends a signal. When the button 220 is not subjected to an external force, the attraction between the first magnetic element 224 and the second magnetic element 225 causes the two to re-adsorb, and the support structure 223 and the keycap 222 can be driven back to the initial position shown in FIG. 4A.

Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of a button 320 in accordance with yet another embodiment of the present invention. The main difference between the button 320 and the aforementioned button is the position and number of the magnetic components, and the rest of the similarities will not be described again.

The button 320 shown in FIG. 5 has two oppositely disposed second magnetic elements 325, 325', and corresponding two first magnetic elements 324, 324'. This symmetrical design can make the pressing paragraphs more evenly distributed throughout. Press button 320. It should be noted that in this example, the second magnetic element 325, 325' is disposed within the support structure 323 and is coupled to the keycap 322 instead of the support structure 323. In other embodiments, the first magnetic The position at which the element 324 and the second magnetic element 325 are disposed can be freely adjusted as long as it does not interfere with the actuation of the support structure 323.

The button of the above embodiment of the present invention generates a pressing paragraph feeling by the adsorption and separation of the magnetic element, and serves as a driving force for resetting the key cap. It can reduce the height and volume of the button while maintaining a certain pressing feel. In addition, because the magnetic force does not bomb In the case of sexual fatigue, the keys of the above embodiments can significantly extend their life compared to elastic members such as rubber bowls.

In conclusion, the present invention has been disclosed in the above embodiments, but it 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.

120‧‧‧ button

121‧‧‧Base

122‧‧‧Key Cap

123‧‧‧Support structure

124‧‧‧First magnetic component

125‧‧‧Second magnetic component

126‧‧‧Switching elements

Claims (15)

A button includes: a base; a keycap disposed on the base; a support structure, one end of the support structure is movably coupled to the keycap, and the other end is movably coupled to the base The first magnetic element is disposed on the base; a second magnetic element is mutually attractable to the first magnetic element, and the second magnetic element has a a bump, and one end of the second magnetic element is coupled to the keycap or the support structure; and a switching element is located under the base, wherein the first magnetic element adsorbs when the keycap is not pressed The second magnetic element is separated from the second magnetic element when the keycap is pressed to move downward, so that the bump contacts the switching element. The button of claim 1, wherein the support structure is a scissor structure. The button of claim 2, wherein the scissor foot structure has an inner ring and an outer ring, and one end of the second magnetic element is rotatably coupled to the inner ring. The button of claim 2, wherein the second magnetic element is pivotally connected to a position at which the scissor foot structure is coupled to the base, the second magnetic element The number of angles between the scissor foot structures is not 0 or 180. The button of claim 1, wherein the second magnetic component comprises a connecting portion and a magnetic portion, the connecting portion is rotatably connected to the key cap or the supporting structure, and the magnetic portion is compatible with the first A magnetic element is attracted to each other, and the number of angles between the connecting portion and the magnetic portion is not 0 or 180. The button of claim 5, wherein the bump is located at a junction of the connecting portion and the magnetic portion. The button of claim 3, wherein the second magnetic element has a limiting mechanism for limiting the angle of rotation of the second magnetic element. The button of claim 1, wherein the first magnetic element is a magnet. A keyboard includes: a casing; a bottom plate; and a plurality of buttons disposed on the casing, wherein one of the buttons comprises: a base on the bottom plate; a key cap disposed on the keyboard a support structure, one end of the support structure is movably coupled to the keycap, and the other end is movably coupled to the base for driving the keycap to move up and down relative to the base; a magnetic component disposed on the base; a second magnetic element engageable with the first magnetic element, the second magnetic element having a bump, and one end of the second magnetic element is coupled to the keycap or the support structure; and a switching element is located Under the pedestal, when the key cap is not pressed, the first magnetic component attracts the second magnetic component, and when the keycap is pressed, the first magnetic component is separated from the second magnetic component, so that The bump contacts the switching element. The keyboard of claim 9, wherein the support structure is a scissor structure. The keyboard of claim 10, wherein the scissor foot structure has an inner ring and an outer ring, and one end of the second magnetic element is rotatably coupled to the inner ring. The keyboard of claim 10, wherein the second magnetic component is pivotally connected to the position of the scissor foot structure connected to the base, and the angle between the second magnetic component and the scissor foot structure is not 0 or 180. The keyboard of claim 9, wherein the second magnetic component comprises a connecting portion and a magnetic portion, the connecting portion being rotatably connected to the key cap or the supporting structure, the magnetic portion being compatible with the first A magnetic element is attracted to each other, and the number of angles between the connecting portion and the magnetic portion is not 0 or 180. The button of claim 13, wherein the bump is located at a junction of the connecting portion and the magnetic portion. The keyboard of claim 11 or 13, wherein the second The magnetic element has a limiting mechanism for limiting the angle of rotation of the second magnetic element.