TW201717235A - Key structure and keyboard using the same - Google Patents

Abstract

A key structure and a keyboard using the same is disclosed. The key structure includes a base; a thin-film circuit board set on the base; a waterproof structure set on the thin-film circuit board, wherein the waterproof structure includes a waterproof plate and a waterproof wall, the waterproof plate has a through hole, and the waterproof wall surrounds the through hole and extends toward an opposite direction of a position of the thin-film circuit board; a key cap; a conduction dome, one end passing through the through hole and connecting to the thin-film circuit board, another end extending out of the waterproof wall and connecting to the key cap; and a scissor mechanism structure having a first end portion and a second end portion, wherein the first end portion is pivotally connected to the key cap and the second end portion is pivotally connected to the waterproof wall.

Description

Button structure and keyboard for applying the same

This case is about a keyboard, especially a keyboard with waterproof function.

A keyboard that is currently used in an electronic device (for example, a notebook computer) is one in which a flexible switch is provided on the thin film circuit, and the key cap is disposed on the conductive switch. By pressing the keycap to drive the conduction switch, the conduction switch turns on the corresponding button circuit on the thin film circuit, so that the corresponding button sends the signal. Usually under the keycap is a thin film circuit structure. When the user flips the liquid when using the keyboard, it will flow directly through the gap between the keycaps to the thin film circuit, which will affect the circuit or cause damage.

In addition, in order to allow the keycap to move up and down within a certain distance, a scissor-type positioning structure is used. In the structural arrangement, a support plate is installed under the thin film circuit, and a bracket for mounting the scissor foot structure is disposed on the support plate. However, this method requires a large number of holes in the film circuit so that the holder can pass through the film circuit to mount the scissor structure. However, excessive holes can make the routing on the thin film circuit more complicated.

In one embodiment, the present invention provides a button structure, including: a bottom plate; a thin film circuit disposed on the bottom plate; and a waterproof structure disposed on the thin film circuit, including a waterproof board and a waterproof wall, the waterproof board having a through hole, the waterproof wall is disposed around the through hole and extends in a direction opposite to a position of the thin film circuit; a key cap; a conduction switch, one end of which is disposed through the through hole and disposed at the thin film circuit, and the other end protrudes a waterproof wall and connected to the keycap; and a scissor structure having a first end and a second end, the first end being pivoted to the keycap, the second end being pivoted to the waterproof wall The keycap can be moved up and down relative to the film circuit.

In another embodiment, the present invention provides a keyboard, comprising: a housing; a bottom plate disposed in the housing; a thin film circuit disposed on the bottom plate; a waterproof structure disposed on the thin film circuit, including a a waterproof board and a plurality of waterproof walls, the waterproof board having a plurality of through holes, each of the waterproof walls being disposed around the through hole and extending in a direction opposite to a position of the film circuit; a plurality of key caps; a plurality of conductive switches, one end of each of the conductive switches The through hole is disposed in the thin film circuit, the other end protrudes from the waterproof wall and is connected to the key cap; and the plurality of scissor foot structures each have a first end portion and a second end portion, the first end portion One end portion is pivotally disposed on the keycap, and the second end portion is pivotally disposed on the waterproof wall to assist the keycap to move up and down relative to the thin film circuit.

Thereby, a waterproof structure is additionally provided on the film circuit, so that the liquid splashed on the button or the keyboard can be blocked in the waterproof structure without directly affecting the film circuit or causing the film circuit to be damaged. In addition, the scissor foot structure is pivoted on the waterproof wall of the waterproof structure, that is, there is no need to pierce the hole on the film circuit, and the position of the wire on the film circuit is also facilitated.

Please refer to FIG. 1 to FIG. 5 , FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a button structure of a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a button structure of the embodiment, and FIG. 3 to FIG. 5 are respectively a button of the embodiment. Assembly diagram of the structure. The key structure in the embodiment is described by taking a button as an example, and can be applied to a single button in an application, or can be used on a keyboard having a plurality of buttons, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the key structure of the present embodiment includes a bottom plate 11, a film circuit 12, a waterproof structure 13, a key cap 14, a conduction switch 15, and a scissor foot structure 16. Referring to FIG. 3 to FIG. 5 , the key structure of the present embodiment can be assembled in the following order, and the assembly sequence can be arbitrarily changed. The present invention is not limited thereto. First, as shown in Fig. 3, the conduction switch 15 and the thin film circuit 12 are first bonded and fixed so that the control circuit on the thin film circuit 12 can be turned on when the conduction switch 15 is pressed downward. Next, the thin film circuit 12 in which the turn-on switch 15 is set is placed on the bottom plate 11.

Next, please refer to FIG. 2 and FIG. 4 simultaneously. The waterproof structure 13 is disposed on the thin film circuit 12. The waterproof structure 13 includes a waterproof board 131, a waterproof wall 132, and a fixing post 133. The waterproof plate 131 has a through hole 1311. When the waterproof structure 13 is assembled to the thin film circuit 12, the through hole 1311 corresponds to the conduction switch 15, so that the conduction switch 15 can pass through the through hole 1311 and be disposed in the thin film circuit 12. The waterproof wall 132 is disposed to surround the through hole 1311 and extends in a direction opposite to the position of the thin film circuit 12. In the present embodiment, the waterproof wall 132 has a certain height. When a large amount of liquid is splashed onto the waterproof structure 13, the waterproof wall 132 provides a certain waterproof effect to prevent liquid from flowing to the thin film circuit 12. In addition, in the present embodiment, the waterproof board 131 and the waterproof wall 132 are integrally formed, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In an embodiment, the waterproof wall 132 may be fixed to the waterproof board 131 by welding or cementing.

As shown in FIG. 2 and FIG. 4, in the present embodiment, the through hole 1311 and the waterproof wall 132 are both rectangular, and the waterproof wall 132 is disposed around the edge of the through hole 1311. However, in other embodiments, the through hole 1311 and The waterproof wall 132 can also be circular or any other shape. The waterproof wall 132 may not be completely disposed along the edge of the through hole 1311, and the shape surrounded by the waterproof wall 132 does not need to conform to the shape of the through hole 1311. For example, the through hole 1311 may be circular, and the size of the through hole 1311 may be only slightly larger than the outer circumference of one end of the connection of the conduction switch 15 and the thin film circuit 12. In this way, the gap between the waterproof board 131 and the conduction switch 15 can be made as small as possible, so that the liquid can also flow under the surface tension without easily flowing into the underlying thin film circuit 12. The waterproof wall 132 may be circularly arranged along the shape of the through hole 1311, or may be surrounded by the through hole 1311 in a rectangular shape. Since the waterproof wall 132 surrounds the through hole 1311, the liquid on the waterproof plate 131 can be prevented from flowing directly to the through hole 1311 regardless of the shape of the waterproof wall 132.

Referring also to FIGS. 2 to 4, a plurality of first through holes 111 are formed in the bottom plate 11, and a plurality of second through holes 121 are formed in the thin film circuit 12. The positions of the first through hole 111 and the second through hole 121 correspond to each other, so that when the film circuit 12 is disposed on the bottom plate 11, the first through hole 111 and the second through hole 121 are opposite to each other. The fixing posts 133 of the waterproof structure 13 are fixed to the surface of the waterproof board 131 adjacent to the film circuit 12 and extend in a direction opposite to the direction in which the waterproof wall 132 extends. That is, the fixing post 133 is disposed on the waterproof board 131 with respect to the other side surface of the waterproof wall 132 such that the fixing post 133 and the waterproof wall 132 extend in two opposite directions. The position and number of the fixed posts 133 are corresponding to the positions and numbers of the first through holes 111 and the second through holes 121.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 4, when the waterproof structure 13 is assembled to the thin film circuit 12, one of the fixing posts 133 passes through a pair of aligned first through holes 111 and second through holes 121. Thereby, the bottom plate 11, the thin film circuit 12, and the waterproof structure 13 can be positioned by the fixing post 133 being bored through the first through hole 111 and the second through hole 121. After the fixing post 133 passes through the first through hole 111 and the second through hole 121, the fixing post 133 can be fixed to the bottom plate 11 by using adhesive or welding to prevent the waterproof plate 131 from being detached. Moreover, by fixing the fixing post 133 to the bottom plate 11, it is also possible to eliminate the structure of the other layers. In this embodiment, the number of the first through hole 111, the second through hole 121, and the fixed post 133 is exemplified by four. In other embodiments, the number of the first through hole 111, the second through hole 121, and the fixed post 133 is also Can be at least one or more, this case is not limited to this.

Then, please refer to FIG. 2 and FIG. 5 at the same time. After the waterproof structure 13 is installed, one end of the scissor-foot structure 16 is pivotally connected to the waterproof wall 132. In this embodiment, the scissor-foot structure 16 includes a first pin 161 and a second pin 162. The first pin 161 has a first pivoting portion 1611, a second pivoting portion 1612, and a third pivoting portion 1613. The second pin 162 also has a first pivoting portion 1621, a second pivoting portion 1622, and a third pivoting portion 1623. After the second pivoting portion 1612 of the first pin 161 and the second pivoting portion 1622 of the second pin 162 are pivotally connected to each other, the scissor-foot structure 16 which can be the pivoting center is formed. The first pivoting portion 1611, 1621 above the second pivoting portion 1612, 1622 is the first end of the scissor foot structure 16, and the third pivoting portion 1613 below the second pivoting portion 1612, 1622, 1623 is the second end of the scissor foot structure 16. Here, the definitions of the upper and lower sides are described by the relative positional relationship shown in the drawing of Fig. 5.

The second end of the scissor foot structure 16 is pivoted to the waterproof wall 132. That is, the third pivoting portion 1623 of the second pin 162 is pivotally connected to one side of the waterproof wall 132. The third pivoting portion 1613 of the first pin 161 is pivotally connected to the other side of the waterproof wall 132. Finally, the key cap 14 is set up so that the first end of the scissor foot structure 16 is pivoted to the keycap 14, and the other end of the conduction switch 15 is connected to the keycap 14. That is, the first pivoting portion 1621 of the second pin 162 is pivotally connected to one side of the keycap 14 . The first pivoting portion 1611 of the first pin 161 is pivotally connected to the other side of the keycap 14. The conduction switch 15 is connected to the keycap 14 at one end of the protruding waterproof wall 132.

With the above structure, by additionally providing the waterproof structure 13 on the film circuit 12, the liquid splashed onto the button or the keyboard can be blocked in the waterproof structure 13 without directly affecting the film circuit 12 or the film circuit 12 damage. Moreover, the scissor-foot structure 16 is pivotally disposed on the waterproof wall 132 of the waterproof structure 13, that is, it is not necessary to pierce the hole on the thin film circuit 12, and the position of the trace on the thin film circuit 12 is also facilitated. Further, since the waterproof plate 131 of the waterproof structure 13 is added to assist the strength of the overall structure, the thickness of the bottom plate 11 can also be made thinner.

Further, in the present embodiment, in order to make the waterproof effect better, the area of the through hole 1311 at the time of design may be smaller than the surface area of the key cap 14. As shown in Fig. 2, the surface area of the key cap 14 is larger than the rectangular area of the through hole 1311, so that the key cap 14 can completely cover the through hole 1311. When the liquid is spilled to the first moment of the button structure, the key cap 14 can block most of the liquid first, and the liquid can not directly flow into the through hole 1311.

Next, please refer to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7. FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a part of the keyboard of the second embodiment of the present invention. Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view showing one of the key structures of the keyboard of the embodiment. The keyboard of this example is described by taking a keyboard set in a notebook computer as an example, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The keyboard of this embodiment includes a housing 20, a bottom plate 11, a thin film circuit 12, a waterproof structure 13, a plurality of keycaps 14, a plurality of conductive switches 15, and a plurality of scissor foot structures 16. In this embodiment, the key structure of the first embodiment is applied to the housing 20 of the keyboard. Therefore, the same components and structures as those of the first embodiment will be denoted by the same component symbols in the present embodiment, and Let me repeat. In this embodiment, a plurality of button structures as described in the first embodiment are disposed in the keyboard, and in order to achieve a comprehensive waterproof effect, all buttons of the entire keyboard may be designed with a button structure having a waterproof structure 13. However, it is also possible to provide the waterproof structure 13 only for some of the buttons, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

The waterproof structure 13 of the present embodiment includes a waterproof board 131, a plurality of waterproof walls 132, and a plurality of fixing posts 133, and the waterproof board 131 has a plurality of through holes 1311. Each waterproof wall 132 corresponds to a keycap 14. That is to say, a plurality of buttons can be formed on one waterproof board 131 to form a through hole 1311 and a waterproof wall 132. In addition, the number of the fixing posts 133 can be set as needed, and it is not necessary to provide the fixing post 133 between each button, and at least one or more fixing posts 133 can be provided only on the entire waterproof board 131, as long as the bottom plate 11 can be The thin film circuit 12 and the waterproof structure 13 can be positioned and fixed.

Similarly, each button structure as described in the first embodiment has a conductive switch 15 having one end passing through the through hole 1311 and disposed in the thin film circuit 12, and the other end protruding from the waterproof wall 132 and connecting a key cap 14. The first end of the scissor-foot structure 16 is pivotally disposed on the keycap 14 , and the second end of the scissor-foot structure 16 is pivotally mounted on the waterproof wall 132 so that the key cap 14 can be The film circuit 12 is moved up and down. In this way, each button of the entire keyboard has a waterproof function, and when the liquid is spilled onto the keyboard, it does not directly contact the thin film circuit 12 to avoid affecting the circuit or causing damage.

Referring again to Fig. 7, in this cross-sectional view, only one key structure is exemplified for clarity. The distance between the two ends of the first end of the scissor-foot structure 16 of the button structure is greater than the distance between the two ends of the second end. Please refer to FIG. 2 at the same time. The distance between the two ends of the first end is the first of the first pivoting portion 1611 and the second pin 162 of the first pin 161 after the grouping as shown in FIG. The linear distance between the pivoting portions 1621. The distance between the two ends of the second end portion is a linear distance between the third pivot portion 1613 of the first pin 161 and the third pivot portion 1623 of the second pin 162.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the side edges of the waterproof panel 131 are connected to the side walls of the casing 20. Thereby, when the liquid L is splashed onto the keyboard, the liquid L is blocked on the waterproof panel 131, and stays on the waterproof panel 131 under the barrier function of the waterproof wall 132 and the side wall of the casing 20 without Four scattered into the housing 20. In this way, it is easier to clean or air-spray the liquid L spilled into the keyboard without taking a long time to wait for the liquid L in the keyboard to dry, or even to replace the entire keyboard. Here, only one side of the waterproof board 131 is connected to one side wall of the housing 20 as an illustration. In other embodiments, the four sides of the waterproof board 131 may be connected to the four side walls of the housing 20, So that the liquid L can be completely blocked on the waterproof board 131.

Next, please refer to FIG. 8 , which is a schematic diagram of the assembly of a part of the button structure in the third embodiment of the present invention. The same components and structures as those in the first embodiment will be denoted by the same reference numerals and will not be described again. The key structure of this embodiment includes a bottom plate 11, a thin film circuit 12, a waterproof structure 13, a key cap 14, a conduction switch 15, and a scissor foot structure 16. The difference from the first embodiment lies in the fixing post 133 of the waterproof structure 13. As shown in Fig. 8, a projection 1331 is provided at the end of the fixing post 133, and the projection 1331 extends in the radial direction of the fixing post 133. In order to facilitate assembly, the convex portion 1331 may have an inclined surface 1332. In this way, the fixing post 133 can be more easily aligned through the first through hole 111 and the second through hole 121.

Further, after the fixing post 133 passes through the first through hole 111 and the second through hole 121, the convex portion 1331 will abut against the surface of the bottom plate 11 away from the thin film circuit 12. Thereby, the bottom plate 11, the film circuit 12 and the waterproof plate 131 can be fixed to each other without being glued or welded, thereby saving one process.

Although the present invention is disclosed above in the foregoing embodiments, it is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Anyone skilled in the art can make some changes and refinements without departing from the spirit and scope of the case. Therefore, the scope of patent protection in this case must be This is subject to the definition of the scope of the patent application attached to this specification.

11‧‧‧floor
111‧‧‧First perforation
12‧‧‧Film circuit
121‧‧‧Second perforation
13‧‧‧Waterproof structure
131‧‧‧Waterproof board
1311‧‧‧through hole
132‧‧‧Waterproof wall
133‧‧‧ fixed column
1331‧‧‧ convex
1332‧‧‧ sloped surface
14‧‧‧Key Cap
15‧‧‧ conduction switch
16‧‧‧Scissors foot structure
161‧‧‧first pin
1611, 1621‧‧‧ first pivotal
1612, 1622‧‧‧ second pivotal
1613, 1623‧‧‧ third pivotal
162‧‧‧second pin
20‧‧‧shell
L‧‧‧Liquid

[Fig. 1] is a schematic view of a key structure of a first embodiment of the present invention; [Fig. 2] is an exploded view of a key structure of the first embodiment of the present invention; [Fig. 3] is an assembly diagram of a key structure of the first embodiment of the present invention ( [Fig. 4] Fig. 4 is a schematic view showing the assembly of the key structure of the first embodiment of the present invention; (Fig. 5) FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing the assembly of the key structure of the first embodiment of the present invention (3); [Fig. 6] BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view showing one of the key structures of the keyboard of the second embodiment of the present invention; [FIG. 8] FIG. 8 is a schematic view showing the assembly of a part of the key structure of the third embodiment of the present invention.

11‧‧‧floor

111‧‧‧First perforation

12‧‧‧Film circuit

121‧‧‧Second perforation

13‧‧‧Waterproof structure

131‧‧‧Waterproof board

1311‧‧‧through hole

132‧‧‧Waterproof wall

133‧‧‧ fixed column

14‧‧‧Key Cap

15‧‧‧ conduction switch

16‧‧‧Scissors foot structure

161‧‧‧first pin

1611, 1621‧‧‧ first pivotal

1612, 1622‧‧‧ second pivotal

1613, 1623‧‧‧ third pivotal

162‧‧‧second pin

Claims (9)

A key structure includes: a bottom plate; a thin film circuit disposed on the bottom plate; a waterproof structure disposed on the thin film circuit, including a waterproof board and a waterproof wall, the waterproof board having a through hole, the waterproof The wall is disposed around the through hole and extends in a direction opposite to the position of the film circuit; a key cap; a conduction switch, one end of which is disposed through the through hole to the thin film circuit, and the other end protrudes from the waterproof wall and connects the key a cap and a scissor structure having a first end and a second end, the first end being pivoted to the keycap, the second end being pivoted to the waterproof wall, so that the key cap can be Moves up and down relative to the film circuit. The button structure of claim 1, wherein the area of the through hole is smaller than the surface area of the key cap. The key structure of claim 1, wherein the bottom plate has a plurality of first perforations, the thin film circuit has a plurality of second perforations, and the waterproof structure further comprises a plurality of fixing posts, each of the fixing posts being fixed adjacent to the waterproof board The surface of the thin film circuit extends in a direction opposite to a direction in which the waterproof wall extends and is disposed through the first through hole and the second through hole. The button structure as claimed in claim 3, wherein the end of each of the fixing posts has a convex portion extending toward a radial direction of the fixing post. The button structure of claim 4, wherein the protrusion is slid against the bottom surface of the film circuit. The button structure of claim 1, wherein a distance between two ends of the first end of the scissor foot structure is greater than a distance between two ends of the second end. A keyboard includes: a casing; a bottom plate disposed in the casing; a film circuit disposed on the bottom plate; a waterproof structure disposed on the film circuit, including a waterproof board and a plurality of waterproof walls, The waterproof board has a plurality of through holes, each of the waterproof walls is disposed around the through hole and extends in a direction opposite to a position of the film circuit; a plurality of key caps; and a plurality of conductive switches, wherein one end of each of the conductive switches is disposed through the through hole The film circuit has the other end protruding from the waterproof wall and connecting the key cap; and a plurality of scissor foot structures, each of the scissor foot structures having a first end and a second end, the first end being pivoted The second end is pivoted to the waterproof wall to assist the keycap to move up and down relative to the thin film circuit. The keyboard of claim 7, wherein the bottom plate has a plurality of first perforations, the film circuit has a plurality of second perforations, and the waterproof structure further comprises a plurality of fixing posts, each of the fixing posts being fixed to the waterproof plate adjacent to the film a surface of the circuit extending in a direction opposite to a direction in which the waterproof wall extends and passing through the first through hole and the second through hole. A keyboard according to claim 7, wherein one side of the waterproof board is connected to one side wall of the housing.