TW201618146A - Electronic device - Google Patents

Abstract

An electronic device including a first body and a second body is provided. The first body includes an upper casing, a lower casing, and a keyboard module. The upper casing has a plurality of openings. The keyboard module includes a carrier and a plurality of keys. The carrier is disposed between the upper casing and the lower casing. The keys are disposed on the carrier, wherein each of the keys is located in the corresponding opening. The second body is pivoted to the first body to switch between an opened state and a closed state. At the opened state, each of the keys protrudes from the upper casing. At the closed state, each of the keys draws back in the upper casing.

Description

Electronic device

The present invention relates to an electronic device, and more particularly to an electronic device in which a keyboard module is concealably disposed on a body.

Benefiting from advances in semiconductor components and display technology, electronic devices continue to evolve toward small, versatile, and portable devices. Common portable electronic devices include tablet PCs, smart phones, or Notebook computer, etc. Taking a notebook computer as an example, a typical notebook computer is mostly composed of a host computer and a display screen, wherein the host computer and the display screen are pivotally connected to each other through a hinge structure. The user can close the mainframe and display screen of the notebook computer by the relative rotation of the host computer and the display screen for convenient carrying. When the notebook computer is to be used, the display screen is expanded to facilitate operation.

In order to meet the thin and light design requirements, the thickness of the mainframe and display screen of the notebook computer is continuously compressed. In detail, after the host and the display screen are closed, the overall thickness of the notebook computer is defined, wherein the thickness of the host computer accounts for the bulk of the overall thickness of the notebook computer, and particularly the thickness of the host computer is influenced by the design of the keyboard module. Very big. Generally speaking, after the host and the display screen are closed, a gap is maintained between the two to prevent the keyboard module from touching the display screen. Although the gap can prevent the keyboard module and the display screen from being damaged by mutual contact, the overall thickness of the notebook computer is increased, which is disadvantageous for the thin and light design of the notebook computer. Not only that, but the aforementioned gap also affects the overall appearance of the notebook computer, and it is difficult to meet the needs of simple and elegant design.

The invention provides an electronic device capable of preventing damage caused by a button of a keyboard module and a display screen being touched by each other.

The invention provides an electronic device comprising a first body and a second body. The first body includes an upper case, a lower case, and a keyboard module. The upper casing has a plurality of openings. The lower case is connected to the upper case. The keyboard module includes a carrier board and a plurality of buttons. The carrier plate is disposed between the upper case and the lower case. These buttons are disposed on the carrier board, wherein each button is located in the corresponding opening. The second body is pivoted to the first body to switch between an open state and a closed state. In the on state, each button protrudes from the upper case. In the closed state, each button is retracted to the upper case.

Based on the above, the electronic device of the present invention can be switched between the open state and the closed state through the first body and the second body that are pivotally connected to each other, wherein in the open state, the keys of the keyboard module can protrude from the upper case For the user to operate. When the first body and the second body rotate relative to each other to switch from the open state to the closed state, the keys of the keyboard module can be contracted to the upper shell, so that the first body and the second body can be completely attached. put them together. According to this, not only can the simple and elegant overall appearance be maintained, but the button that is retracted to the upper casing will not touch the second body, so that the button and the second body can be prevented from being damaged.

The above described features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description.

100‧‧‧Electronic devices

110‧‧‧First body

111‧‧‧Upper shell

111a‧‧‧ openings

112‧‧‧ lower case

112a‧‧‧Limited

113‧‧‧ keyboard module

114‧‧‧ Carrier Board

115‧‧‧ button

115a‧‧‧Key Cap

115b‧‧‧Magnetic parts

115c‧‧‧Connecting parts

115d‧‧‧ Elastomer

115e‧‧‧ pressing surface

116‧‧‧Metal plates

117‧‧‧ body

117a‧‧‧ first end

117b‧‧‧second end

117c‧‧‧ opening

120‧‧‧Second body

130‧‧‧ pivoting mechanism

131‧‧‧ pivot

132‧‧‧ drive parts

140‧‧‧Flexible parts

D1‧‧‧ first direction

D2‧‧‧ second direction

R1‧‧‧first direction of rotation

1 is a partial exploded view of an electronic device in an open state according to an embodiment of the invention.

2 is a side view of the electronic device of FIG. 1.

3 is a side view of the electronic device of FIG. 2 when it is switched to a closed state.

4 is a partial cross-sectional view of the electronic device of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of the electronic device of FIG. 3. FIG.

1 is a partial exploded view of an electronic device in an open state according to an embodiment of the invention. 2 is a side view of the electronic device of FIG. 1. 3 is a side view of the electronic device of FIG. 2 when it is switched to a closed state. Referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3 , in the embodiment, the electronic device 100 is, for example, a notebook computer, or a combination of a tablet computer and a docking station, which is not limited by the present invention.

Taking the notebook computer as an example, the electronic device 100 can include a first body 110 and a second body 120, wherein the second body 120 is pivotally disposed on the first body 110. According to this, The user can perform the relative rotation between the first body 110 and the second body 120 to switch the electronic device 100 between the open state as shown in FIG. 2 and the closed state as shown in FIG. 3. In detail, the first body 110 includes an upper case 111, a lower case 112, and a keyboard module 113. The upper case 111 and the lower case 112 may be made of plastic, metal, composite material or other suitable materials, and have many Openings 111a. On the other hand, the lower case 112 is connected to the upper case 111 to form an accommodating space, and the keyboard module 113 is disposed in the accommodating space.

Specifically, the keyboard module 113 includes a carrier board 114 and a plurality of buttons 115 disposed on the carrier board 114. The carrier board 114 is made of, for example, plastic, acrylic, or other non-metallic materials or non-magnetic materials. And each of the keys 115 is located in the corresponding opening 111a, and in the open state as shown in FIG. 2, each of the keys 115 protrudes from the upper case 111 via the corresponding opening 111a for the user to operate.

Here, the second body 120 is, for example, a display screen, and the display screen may have a touch function or no touch function, which is not limited by the present invention. When the first body 110 and the second body 120 are relatively rotated to switch the electronic device 100 from the open state as shown in FIG. 2 to the closed state as shown in FIG. 3, each of the buttons 115 can pass through the corresponding opening 111a. Shrinking to the upper case 111. At this time, the first body 110 and the second body 120 can be completely attached together without a gap, thereby helping to reduce the overall thickness of the electronic device 100 in the closed state to meet the light and thin design requirements, and can be retained. Simple and elegant overall appearance. On the other hand, since the respective buttons 115 that are retracted to the upper casing 111 are spaced from the second body 120, the respective buttons 115 that are retracted into the upper casing 111 do not touch the second body 120, so that the button 115 can be avoided. or Damage to the second body 120.

In short, the relative rotation of the first body 110 and the second body 120 causes the button 115 on the keyboard module 113 to be raised or lowered, which not only improves the flexibility of use of the electronic device 100, but also achieves lightness and thinness. The design needs to maintain a simple and elegant overall appearance, and avoid structural damage caused by the structural interference between the button 115 of the keyboard module 113 and the second body 120.

4 is a partial cross-sectional view of the electronic device of FIG. 2. Referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 4, in the embodiment, each button 115 may include a key cap 115a, a magnetic member 115b, a connecting member 115c, and an elastic body 115d, wherein the magnetic member 115b (for example, a magnet) is fixed to the key cap 115a, and For example, it is fixed to the keycap 115a in an in-line manner, but the invention is not limited thereto. For example, in other embodiments, the magnetic member 115b may also be fixed to the other surface of the keycap 115a with respect to the pressing surface 115e by gluing or locking. In other words, the magnetic member 115b can be hidden in the first body 110 without affecting the overall appearance of the electronic device 100.

A connecting member 115c, such as a scissor-type linkage mechanism or other suitable linkage mechanism, is coupled between the keycap 115a and the carrier 114 to allow the user to vertically press the keycap 115a downward through the interlocking property of the connector 115c. Contacting a pressing portion (not shown) of a touch film circuit (not shown) provided on the carrier 114, and passing the elastic restoring force of the elastic body 115d after contacting the pressing portion (not shown) The cap 115a and the connector 115c are returned to the initial position before the user presses for subsequent use.

Here, the first body 110 further includes a metal plate 116117 movably disposed in the lower case 112, and the carrier plate 114 is located, for example, on the buttons 115 and the metal plate. Between pieces 116. On the other hand, the electronic device 100 further includes a pivoting mechanism 130 pivotally disposed between the first body 110 and the second body 120. The pivoting mechanism 130 can include a pivot 131 and at least one driving member 132 (two are schematically shown), wherein the driving member 132 is sleeved on the pivot 131 and coupled to the metal plate 116.

The driving member 132 can be a cam or a push-pull mechanism. This embodiment is exemplified by a cam type driving member 132, but the invention is not limited thereto. In addition, the metal plate member 116 has a body 117 and a first end portion 117a and a second end portion 117b connected to opposite sides of the body 117, wherein the first end portion 117a and the second end portion 117b correspond to the respective driving members 132, respectively. It is provided that the number of the first end portions 117a and the number of the second end portions 117b correspond to the number of the driving members 132, respectively. Each of the driving members 132 is coupled to the corresponding first end portion 117a, and each of the second end portions 117b is slidably disposed on the limiting portion 112a of the lower casing 112 through the corresponding elastic member 140. It should be noted that the number of the elastic members 140 is, for example, corresponding to the number of the second end portions 117b, and the number of the limiting portions 112a is, for example, corresponding to the number of the second end portions 117b, but the invention does not limit this.

In detail, the first end portion 117a and the second end portion 117b are respectively extended structures protruding from opposite sides of the body 117, wherein a part of the driving member 132 abuts the first end portion 117a, and the second end The portion 117b can sequentially pass through the elastic member 140 and the limiting portion 112a such that the elastic member 140 is restrained between the body 117 and the limiting portion 112a. That is, the elastic member 140 abuts the body 117 and the limiting portion 112a, respectively, wherein the elastic member 140 of the embodiment is described by a compression spring, but in other embodiments, the elastic member 140 may also be a torsion spring or a spring. The invention is not limited thereto.

FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of the electronic device of FIG. 3. FIG. Please refer to Figure 4 As shown in FIG. 5, when the first body 110 and the second body 120 are relatively rotated through the pivot 131 to switch between the open state and the closed state, the driving member 132 can be rotated along the pivot 131 in the first rotational direction R1. The metal plate member 116 is driven. Specifically, in the open state as shown in FIG. 4, the elastic member 140 can push against the body 117 to the position of the driving member 132 such that the first end portion 117a abuts against the driving member 132. While switching from the open state shown in FIG. 4 to the closed state shown in FIG. 5, the driving member 132 can push against the first end portion 117a to move the body 117 toward the position of the limiting portion 112a. At this time, the elastic member 140 is elastically deformed by the compression of the body 117, and stores the elastic potential energy. Therefore, when the electronic device 100 is again switched from the closed state as shown in FIG. 5 to the open state as shown in FIG. 4, the driving member 132 can be rotated in the reverse direction of the first rotating direction R1 with the pivot 131, so that the elasticity The resilient position of the member 140 can be released to urge the body 117 to move toward the location of the driver 132.

Referring to FIGS. 1 , 4 and 5 , the metal plate 116 has a plurality of openings 117 c corresponding to the respective buttons 115 , wherein the openings are located on the body 117 . In the open state as shown in FIG. 5, the magnetic members 115b of the respective keys 115 are aligned with the corresponding openings 117c, and more specifically, the orthographic projection of the magnetic members 115b of the respective keys 115 on the metal plate 116 is, for example, It falls within the corresponding opening 117c. Accordingly, the magnetic members 115b of the respective buttons 115 will not be attracted to the metal plate member 116, so that the key caps 115a of the respective buttons 115 can be supported by the connecting member 115c and the elastic body 115d to protrude from the upper case 111 for User operation.

On the other hand, when switching from the open state shown in FIG. 4 to the closed state as shown in FIG. 5, the driving member 132 can be pushed against the first end portion 117a to make the body 117 toward Moving to the position of the limiting portion 112a, the magnetic members 115b of the respective keys 115 are offset from the corresponding openings 117c. At this time, the orthographic projection of the magnetic member 115b of each of the keys 115 on the metal plate 116 falls on the body 117, so that the magnetic member 115b of each of the keys 115 and the metal plate 116 are attracted to each other, thereby driving the key caps of the respective keys 115. 115a is contracted to the upper casing 111 by the interlocking characteristics of the connecting member 115c. At the same time, the elastic body 115d is elastically deformed by the compression of the key cap 115a, and stores the elastic potential energy. It should be noted that the magnetic attraction between the magnetic member 115b of each of the keys 115 and the metal plate member 116 needs to be greater than the elastic restoring force of the compressed elastic body 115d to ensure the closed state as shown in FIG. The key cap 115a can be retracted into the upper casing 111 without coming into contact with the second body 120.

When the electronic device 100 is again switched from the closed state shown in FIG. 5 to the open state as shown in FIG. 4, the driving member 132 can be rotated in the reverse direction of the first rotating direction R1 with the pivot 131, so that the elastic member 140 The elastic position can be released to push the body 117 toward the drive member 132 to move. At this time, since the magnetic members 115b of the respective keys 115 are aligned with the corresponding openings 117c, the magnetic attraction between the magnetic members 115b of the respective keys 115 and the metal plate 116 is released, so that the elastic position of the elastic body 115d can be The release is obtained, and the key cap 115a is driven by the connecting member 115c to protrude from the upper case for the user to operate.

In general, when the first body 110 and the second body 120 are relatively rotated through the pivot 131 to switch between the open state and the closed state, the key cap 115a is adapted to move back and forth along the first direction D1 to protrude The upper casing 111 is or contracted to the upper casing 111, and the metal plate member 116 is adapted to be driven by the driving member 132 and the elastic member 140. Moving in the second direction D2 of the first direction D1 back and forth.

In summary, the electronic device of the present invention can be switched between an open state and a closed state through a first body and a second body that are pivotally connected to each other, wherein in the open state, the keys of the keyboard module can protrude The upper case is for the user to operate. When the first body and the second body rotate relative to each other to switch from the open state to the closed state, the keys of the keyboard module can be contracted to the upper casing, so that the first body and the second body can be completely fitted together. According to this, not only can the simple and elegant overall appearance be maintained, but the button that is retracted to the upper casing will not touch the second body, so that the button and the second body can be prevented from being damaged.

Although the present invention has been disclosed in the above embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention, and any one of ordinary skill in the art can make some changes and refinements without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The scope of the invention is defined by the scope of the appended claims.

100‧‧‧Electronic devices

110‧‧‧First body

111‧‧‧Upper shell

111a‧‧‧ openings

112‧‧‧ lower case

112a‧‧‧Limited

113‧‧‧ keyboard module

114‧‧‧ Carrier Board

115‧‧‧ button

116‧‧‧Metal plates

117‧‧‧ body

117a‧‧‧ first end

117b‧‧‧second end

117c‧‧‧ opening

120‧‧‧Second body

130‧‧‧ pivoting mechanism

131‧‧‧ pivot

132‧‧‧ drive parts

140‧‧‧Flexible parts

Claims (10)

An electronic device comprising: a first body, comprising: an upper case having a plurality of openings; a lower case connected to the upper case; and a keyboard module comprising: a carrier plate disposed on the upper case and the And a plurality of buttons disposed on the carrier, wherein each of the buttons is located in the corresponding opening; and a second body is pivoted to the first body to be in an open state and a closed state Inter-switching, wherein in the open state, each of the buttons protrudes from the upper casing, and in the closed state, each of the keys is retracted to the upper casing. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first body further comprises a metal plate member movably disposed in the lower case, the carrier plate being located between the buttons and the metal plate member. The electronic device of claim 2, further comprising: a pivoting mechanism pivotally disposed between the first body and the second body, wherein the pivoting mechanism includes a pivot and at least one driving member And the at least one driving member is sleeved on the pivot shaft and coupled to the metal plate member, and the first body and the second body are relatively rotated through the pivot shaft to be in the open state and the closed state The at least one drive member rotates with the pivot to drive the sheet metal member during transition between states. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein the at least one drive The moving member is a cam. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein each of the buttons comprises: a key cap; a magnetic member fixed to the key cap; and a connecting member coupled between the key cap and the carrier. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the metal plate member has a plurality of openings corresponding to the respective button settings, and in the open state, the magnetic member of each of the buttons and the corresponding opening Aligning, and switching from the open state to the closed state, the at least one driving member drives the metal plate to move, so that the magnetic member of each of the buttons is misaligned with the corresponding opening and the metal plate The pieces are attracted to each other to cause the key cap of each of the keys to be retracted to the upper case. The electronic device of claim 6, wherein in the open state, an orthographic projection of the magnetic member of each of the keys on the metal plate member falls within the corresponding opening. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the metal plate member has a body for connecting to a first end portion and a second end portion of opposite sides of the body, the at least one driving member being coupled The second end portion is slidably disposed on a limiting portion of the lower case through an elastic member. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein in the closed state, an orthographic projection of the magnetic member of each of the keys on the metal plate member falls on the body. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the key body edge is rotated when the first body and the second body are relatively rotated through the pivot to switch between the open state and the closed state. a first direction moves back and forth to protrude from the upper case or to the upper case, and the metal plate member is driven by the at least one driving member and the elastic member to travel back and forth in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction mobile.