TW201919080A - Keyswitch structure - Google Patents

Abstract

A keyswitch structure includes a base plate, a keycap, two supports, a restoration force generating part, and a movable plate. The two supports are pivotally connected with each other and are connected to and between the base plate and the keycap, so that the keycap can move up and down relative to the base plate. The restoration force generating part is disposed between the base plate and the keycap. The keycap includes a magnetic portion. One of the supports includes a sliding slot. The movable plate is movably disposed below the base plate and includes a sliding hook and a magnetic portion. The sliding hook is slidably disposed in the sliding slot. The two magnetic portions produce a magnetic attraction force therebetween. When the movable plate horizontally moves relative to the base plate, the distance between the two magnetic portions becomes shorter, and the sliding hook slides in the sliding slot and hooks the support down, so that the two supports are folded toward the base plate so as to make the keycap be disposed close to the base plate.

Description

Button structure

The invention relates to a button structure, in particular to a mechanical button structure.

When the button on the traditional keyboard is not in use, the key cap is kept in the unpressed position, so the conventional keyboard has a certain thickness when it is not in use, which is unfavorable for storage or handling. For a notebook computer, when the user does not need to use the notebook computer, the user will close the screen, and since the conventional button cannot be folded, the screen may be damaged by the collision of the button. In addition, the buttons that cannot be folded take up more space, which limits the thinning of the notebook. For this problem, magnetic attraction has been used so that when the button is not in use, the keycap can be pressed against the button of the bottom plate. However, when the keyboard is thinned, the size of the button is reduced, making it difficult to arrange a magnet that generates sufficient magnetic attraction. In addition, there is also a slide that is horizontally slid by a sliding hook to support the support of the keycap, so that the keycap can be pressed against the button of the bottom plate. However, when the sliding hook slides horizontally to hook the bracket, the friction between the sliding hook and the bracket is often too large, causing the sliding hook to hook the bracket to make the stacking of the bottom plate unsatisfactory, and the sliding hook and the bracket are also easily generated by relative sliding. Structural scratches.

In view of the problems in the prior art, the present invention provides a button structure, which utilizes a magnetic attraction and a sliding hook structure to achieve the purpose of folding a keycap and facilitating the storage of the button structure.

The button structure according to the present invention comprises a bottom plate, a keycap, a first bracket, a second bracket, a restoring force generating component and a movable panel. The keycap is disposed on the bottom plate and includes a first magnetic attraction portion. The first bracket is connected between the bottom plate and the keycap and includes a sliding slot. The first bracket is pivotally connected to the bottom plate by a first end and connected to the key cap by a second end. The slot extends in an extending direction that is directed from the first end to the second end. The second bracket is pivotally connected to the first bracket and connected between the bottom plate and the keycap. The restoring force generating element is disposed between the bottom plate and the key cap. The movable plate is slidably disposed under the bottom plate and includes a sliding hook and a second magnetic attraction portion. The sliding hook is slidably disposed in the sliding slot, the first magnetic attraction portion and the second magnetic attraction portion A magnetic attraction is generated between the parts. Wherein, when the movable panel is in a first position, the keycap can move up and down between the unpressed position and the pressed position relative to the bottom plate through the first bracket and the second bracket, and the activity During the sliding of the plate from the first position to the second position, the magnetic attraction enhances and drives the keycap to move toward the bottom plate, and the sliding hook slides in the sliding slot and applies force to the sliding slot to enable the The first bracket rotates toward the bottom plate. Thereby, when the movable panel is located in the second position, the first bracket and the second bracket are folded toward the bottom plate, so that the key cap is disposed adjacent to the bottom plate, which reduces the overall height of the button structure, and is favorable for receiving .

Compared with the prior art, the button structure of the present invention simultaneously utilizes the magnetic attraction force and the sliding of the sliding hook in the sliding slot to drive the keycap to be disposed near the bottom plate, so the magnitude of the magnetic attraction force need not be too large, the first The magnetic attraction portion and the second magnetic attraction portion do not need an excessive installation space, and the friction between the sliding hook and the sliding groove is also reduced, thereby effectively suppressing structural scratches caused by relative sliding between the sliding hook and the sliding groove. .

The advantages and spirit of the present invention will be further understood from the following detailed description of the invention.

Please refer to Figure 1 to Figure 4. According to an embodiment of the invention, the button structure 1 comprises a bottom plate 10, a keycap 12, a first bracket 14, a second bracket 16, a restoring force generating component 18, a film circuit board 20 and a movable panel. twenty two. The keycap 12 is disposed on the bottom plate 10. The first bracket 14 and the second bracket 16 are pivotally connected to each other and are connected between the bottom plate 10 and the keycap 12 so that the keycap 12 can pass through the first bracket 14 and the second bracket 16 in an unpressed position relative to the bottom plate 10. (as shown in Figure 3) moves up and down with a pressing position (as shown in Figure 4). The restoring force generating member 18 is disposed between the bottom plate 10 and the key cap 12. When the key cap 12 is pressed, the restoring force generating member 18 can apply a restoring force to the key cap 12 to drive the key cap 12 back to the original position (ie, The unpressed position). The thin film circuit board 20 is stacked on the bottom plate 10 and includes a switch 202 (shown in FIG. 2 with hatching circles). When the key cap 12 is pressed (for example, the key cap 12 is located at the pressing position), the switch 202 can be Triggered. The movable panel 22 is slidably disposed under the bottom plate 10, and the movable panel 22 is operable to interact with the keycap 12 and the first bracket 14, as will be described later.

In the present embodiment, the key cap 12 includes a cap body 120 and a first magnetic attraction portion 122 on the lower surface of the cap body 120. In practice, the first magnetic attraction portion 122 is transparent but not limited to adhesive and buried. It is incident on the cap 120 or the like. The keycap 12 includes a plurality of connecting structures 124 disposed on the lower surface of the cap 120 for connecting the first bracket 14 and the second bracket 16. The bottom plate 10 includes a plate body 100 and a plurality of connecting structures 102 disposed above the plate body 100 for connecting the first bracket 14 and the second bracket 16 . In practice, the bottom plate 10 is realized by a metal plate, and the connecting structure 102 is bent upwardly from the plate body 100. In this embodiment, the first bracket 14 and the second bracket 16 are both in an annular structure, wherein the first bracket 14 is an outer ring structure, and the second bracket 16 is an inner ring structure, and the inner ring structure is pivotally connected thereto. The inside of the outer ring structure. The first bracket 14 is pivotally connected to the bottom plate 10 via a connecting structure 102 via a first end portion 14a and to the key cap 12 via a connecting structure 124 at a second end portion 14b. In addition, in the embodiment, the bottom plate 10 includes a sliding groove structure 104 disposed under the plate body 100, and the movable plate 22 is slidably disposed on the sliding groove structure 104. The chute structure 104 includes two L-shaped structures 1042 disposed opposite to each other and protruding toward the movable plate; for example, when the bottom plate 10 is implemented by a metal plate, the L-shaped structure 1042 can be bent downwardly from the plate 100 to form . The movable plate 22 includes a plate body 220 having two oppositely disposed slots 2202 corresponding to the two L-shaped structures 1042, respectively. The slot 2202 has an inlet port 2202a and a slot portion 2202b connected to the inlet port 2202a. The inlet port 2202a has a larger opening size to facilitate the passage of the L-shaped structure 1042, and the slot portion 2202b is slit. The structure is such that the L-shaped structure 1042 slides therein without being detached from the chute portion 2202b. When the bottom plate 10 and the movable plate 22 are combined, the L-shaped structure 1042 enters the slot 2202 from the inlet port 2202a of the corresponding slot 2202 to be slidable by the slot portion 2202b. In practice, the movable panel 22 can be sized to slide directly on the L-shaped structure 1042 with its opposite outer edges to achieve a sliding connection of the movable panel 22 to the bottom panel 10. In addition, in practice, a sliding friction can be provided between the bottom plate 10 and the movable plate 22 (as shown by a broken rectangular frame in FIG. 2, such as a Teflon sheet, attached to the bottom plate 10 or active The plate 22 is such that the movable plate 22 can slide smoothly with respect to the bottom plate 10.

In the present embodiment, the restoring force generating member 18 is an elastic round which is elastically deformable and generates a resilience, and is usually made of a rubber material. The restoring force generating member 18 is disposed on the film circuit board 20 corresponding to the switch 202 such that when the key cap 12 is pressed by the external force to move toward the bottom plate 10, the key cap 12 presses the restoring force generating member 18 to cause the restoring force generating member 18 to be triggered. Switch 202. When the external force disappears, the elastic force generated by the restoring force generating member 18 acts as a restoring force applied to the keycap 12 to urge the keycap 12 back to the original position. However, the present invention is not limited thereto; for example, the restoring force generating member 18 is implemented by a spring, and the lower surface of the keycap 12 extends downward to form a protrusion that protrudes into the hollow portion of the spring for the spring. The switch 202 is triggered when compressed. In addition, in the present embodiment, the switch 202 is implemented through the thin film circuit board 20, which is usually formed by stacking three transparent sheets, wherein the upper and lower transparent sheets are formed with conductive lines and the middle is transparent. The sheet provides insulation of the conductive traces, and the conductive traces form the switch 202; however, the invention is not limited thereto, for example, the switch 202 is implemented as a separate component (eg, a touch switch) that can be soldered to a printed circuit board (overlapped) The bottom plate 10) is directly disposed on the bottom plate 10 and electrically connected by wires. Moreover, to simplify the drawing, in FIGS. 3 and 4, the thin film circuit board 20 is represented by a single solid cross section.

Please also refer to Figures 5 to 7. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the button structure 1 when the movable plate 22 is in a first position relative to the bottom plate 10, and FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the button structure 1 when the movable plate 22 is at a second position relative to the bottom plate 10, FIG. Another cross-sectional view of the button structure 1 when the movable panel 22 is in the second position relative to the bottom plate 10; further, in FIGS. 3 and 4, the movable panel 22 is located at the first position relative to the bottom panel 10. In the embodiment, the first bracket 14 includes a frame body 140, a first sliding slot 142 and a second sliding slot 144. The first sliding slot 142 and the second sliding slot 144 are formed on opposite sides of the frame body 140. And extending in an extending direction 14c, the extending direction 14c is directed from the first end portion 14a toward the second end portion 14b. In practice, the first bracket 14 and the second bracket 16 can be respectively formed by a plastic injection member. At this time, the first sliding slot 142 and the second sliding slot 144 can be formed in the same injection program. In this embodiment, the movable panel 22 includes a board body 220, a first sliding hook 222, a second sliding hook 224, and a second magnetic attracting portion 226. The first sliding hook 222 and the second sliding hook 224 are disposed on The plate body 220 is slidably disposed in the first sliding slot 142 and the second sliding slot 144. In practice, the plate body 220 can be implemented as a metal plate. The first sliding hook 222 and the second sliding hook 224 can be implemented by two L-shaped structures extending upwardly from the body plate 220. The plate body 220 can have A recess 2204 is received to receive the second magnetic portion 226. The second magnetic portion 226 can be fixed in the recess 2204 through adhesive bonding and tight fitting. In addition, in the embodiment, the first sliding hook 222 and the second sliding hook 224 have two through holes 100a and 100b corresponding to the first sliding hook 222 and the second sliding hook 224, so that the first sliding hook 222 and the second sliding hook 224 can The corresponding through holes 100a, 100b are slidably correspondingly slid into the first sliding slot 142 and the second sliding slot 144 without structural interference with the bottom plate 10. Similarly, the thin film circuit board 20 also forms a through hole at a corresponding portion for the first sliding hook 222 and the second sliding hook 224 to pass through.

In this embodiment, the first magnetic attraction portion 122 and the second magnetic attraction portion 226 are respectively implemented by a magnet, and the first magnetic attraction portion 122 and the second magnetic attraction portion 226 are disposed in a magnetic pole opposite manner, for example, as shown in FIG. And the magnetic pole configuration shown in FIG. Thereby, a magnetic attraction force can be generated between the first magnetic attraction portion 122 and the second magnetic attraction portion 226. However, the invention is not limited thereto. In principle, one of the first magnetic attraction portion 122 and the second magnetic attraction portion 226 is realized by a magnet, and the other is implemented by a paramagnetic member, and a magnetic attraction force is generated therebetween. For example, the first magnetic portion 122 is made of a paramagnetic material. At this time, a magnetic attraction force can also be generated between the first magnetic portion 122 and the second magnetic portion 226. The distance between the first magnetic attraction portion 122 and the second magnetic attraction portion 226 (as shown in FIG. 3 or FIG. 4) is greater when the movable plate 22 is located at the first position than when the movable plate 22 is located at the second position. (As shown in Figure 7).

In this embodiment, when the movable panel 22 is in the first position, the keycap 12 can pass through the first bracket 14 and the second bracket 16 to move up and down relative to the bottom plate 10 between the unpressed position and the pressed position ( As shown in Figures 3 and 4). During the sliding of the movable panel 22 from the first position to the second position (as shown in FIG. 5 and FIG. 6), the magnetic attraction force is shortened by the distance between the first magnetic attraction portion 122 and the second magnetic attraction portion 226. As shown in FIG. 7 , the key cap 121 is moved and moved toward the bottom plate 10 , and the first sliding hook 222 and the second sliding hook 224 are respectively slid in the extending direction 14 c in the first sliding slot 142 and the second sliding slot 144 . The first chute 142 and the second chute 144 are biased to rotate the first bracket 14 toward the bottom plate 10. Wherein, since the second bracket 16 is pivotally connected to the first bracket 14, the second bracket 16 also rotates along the first bracket 14 toward the bottom plate 10, so that when the movable panel 22 is located at the second position, the first bracket 14 and the first bracket The two brackets 16 are folded toward the bottom plate 10, and the keycap 12 is also close to the bottom plate 10. Therefore, the button structure 1 simultaneously utilizes the magnetic force and the interaction of the sliding hooks 222, 224 with the first bracket 14 to bring the keycap 12 closer to the bottom plate 10 (or the keycap 12 sinks, as shown in FIG. 6), and the button is lowered. The overall height (or thickness) of the structure 1 is advantageous for storage. On the other hand, since the button structure 1 simultaneously utilizes the magnetic force and the interaction of the sliding hooks 222, 224 with the first bracket 14 to sink the keycap 12, the first magnetic portion 122 and the second magnetic portion 226 does not require an excessive installation space, which is advantageous for the thin design of the button structure 1. Moreover, the friction between the first sliding hook 222 and the first sliding slot 142 is also reduced, and the structural scratch caused by the relative sliding between the first sliding hook 222 and the first sliding slot 142 is effectively suppressed; the second sliding hook 224 is The friction between the second chutes 144 is also the same.

In addition, in the embodiment, the first sliding slot 142 and the second sliding slot 144 are located on opposite sides of the first bracket 14 , so that the first sliding hook 222 and the second sliding hook 224 can balance the first bracket 14 , which is beneficial. The first bracket 14 and the second bracket 16 are stably and smoothly folded. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the button structure 1 is only configured with the first sliding hook 222 and the first sliding slot 142 (or the second sliding hook 224 and the second sliding slot 144), and the button structure 1 can still effectively utilize the magnetic The suction and the first sliding hook 222 interact with the first sliding slot 142 (or the second sliding hook 224 and the second sliding slot 144) to bring the keycap 12 closer to the bottom plate 10. Moreover, in the present embodiment, the first bracket 14 is disposed outside the second bracket 16. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the first bracket 14 is modified by the inner ring structure, and the second bracket 16 is modified by the outer ring structure. The first sliding hook 222 and the second sliding hook 224 can still be configured through the structure avoidance design. Smoothly correspondingly sliding in the first sliding slot 142 and the second sliding slot 144.

In addition, in the embodiment, the first sliding slot 142 includes an opening 1422 and a channel 1424. During the sliding of the movable panel 22 from the first position to the second position (as shown in FIGS. 5 and 6), the first sliding hook 222 slides into the channel 1424 from the opening 1422. The channel 1424 (or the first chute 142) has a groove bottom surface 1424a extending in a direction away from the extending direction 14c of the keycap 12, which helps the first sliding hook 222 to effectively hook the first The bracket 14 is configured to enable the first bracket 14 to be as close as possible to the bottom plate 10, and the first sliding hook 222 does not protrude (or protrude) from the first bracket 14 (or the frame body 140) toward the surface 140a of the keycap 12. In addition, in this embodiment, when the movable panel 22 is located in the second position (as shown in FIG. 6), the first sliding hook 222 is substantially located at the pivotal connection between the first bracket 14 and the second bracket 16; The sliding hook 222 can directly apply force to the first bracket 14 , and the biasing force can also be transmitted to the second bracket 16 via the pivoting structure of the first bracket 14 and the second bracket 16 , so that the force can be applied to the first bracket 16 . The bracket 14 and the second bracket 16 provide a stable structural restraint effect, which helps the button structure 1 to remain in the stowed state (i.e., the keycap 12 abuts the bottom plate 10). However, the invention is not limited thereto. In practice, the first sliding slot 142 can also be designed such that when the movable panel 22 is in the second position, the first sliding hook 222 has slid to the pivotal joint of the first bracket 14 and the second bracket 16 . In addition, the opening 1422 facilitates assembly of the button structure 1 (even if the first slider 222 is assembled into the first chute 142). The foregoing description of the first chute 142 also applies to the second chute 144, and will not be further described.

In the foregoing embodiment, the thin film circuit board 20 is disposed above the bottom plate 10, but is not limited thereto. For example, the thin film circuit board 20 is disposed under the bottom plate 10. Referring to FIG. 8 to FIG. 10 , the button structure 3 is similar to the structure of the button structure 1 , so the button structure 3 follows the component symbol of the button structure 1 . For other descriptions of the button structure 3 , please refer to the description of the button structure 1 . , no further details. In the key structure 3, the thin film circuit board 21 is fixedly disposed on the movable panel 22, so that the thin film circuit board 21 moves together with the movable panel 22. When the flap 22 is in the first position, the keycap 12 can be pressed to move to the depressed position such that the switch 202 is triggered, as shown in FIG. When the movable panel 22 is in the second position, although the keycap 12 has been depressed, since the thin film circuit board 21 has moved with the movable panel 22, the switch 202 is not triggered, as shown in FIG. In other words, when the movable panel 22 is in the second position for a long time (for example, for accommodating the button structure 3), the switch 202 is not pressed, so the service life of the switch 202 can be extended.

It should be noted that, in the foregoing, a single button structure 1 and 3 are taken as an example, but in practical applications, the button structures 1 and 3 can also be applied to the keys of the keyboard, and the sliding plate 22 of each button is integrated through the structure. Therefore, the user can sink all the key caps of the keyboard through a single operation, so that the overall height (or thickness) of the keyboard is reduced, which is advantageous for storage. The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present invention, and all changes and modifications made to the scope of the present invention should be within the scope of the present invention.

1, 3‧‧‧ button structure

10‧‧‧floor

100‧‧‧ board

100a, 100b‧‧‧through holes

102‧‧‧Connection structure

104‧‧‧slot structure

12‧‧‧Key Cap

120‧‧‧Cap

122‧‧‧First magnetic part

124‧‧‧Connection structure

14‧‧‧First bracket

14a‧‧‧First end

14b‧‧‧second end

14c‧‧‧Extension direction

140‧‧‧ ‧ frame

140a‧‧‧ surface

142‧‧‧First chute

1422‧‧‧ openings

1424‧‧‧Channel

1424a‧‧‧Slot bottom

144‧‧‧Second chute

16‧‧‧second bracket

18‧‧‧Restoring force generating components

20, 21‧‧‧ film board

202‧‧‧ switch

22‧‧‧ activity board

220‧‧‧ board

2202‧‧‧ slotting

2202a‧‧‧ entrance

2202b‧‧‧Slot section

2204‧‧‧ dent

222‧‧‧ first sliding hook

224‧‧‧second sliding hook

226‧‧‧Second magnetic part

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS Figure 1 is a schematic illustration of a partial explosion of a button structure in accordance with one embodiment of the present invention. 2 is an exploded view of the button structure of FIG. 1. 3 is a cross-sectional view of the button structure of FIG. 1 taken along line X-X when its keycap is not pressed. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the button structure of FIG. 1 taken along line X-X when its keycap is depressed. Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the button structure of Figure 1 taken along line Y-Y when its movable plate is in a first position relative to its bottom plate. Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of the button structure of Figure 1 taken along line Y-Y when its movable plate is in a second position relative to its bottom plate. Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of the button structure of Figure 1 taken along line X-X when its movable plate is in the second position relative to its bottom plate. Figure 8 is an exploded view of a button structure in accordance with another embodiment. 9 is a cross-sectional view of the button structure of FIG. 8 with its movable plate in a first position relative to its bottom plate and with its keycap pressed, the cross-sectional position of which corresponds to the line X-X of FIG. 10 is a cross-sectional view of the button structure of FIG. 8 with its movable plate in a second position relative to its bottom plate, the cross-sectional position of which corresponds to the line X-X of FIG.

Claims (10)

A button structure, comprising: a bottom plate; a key cap disposed on the bottom plate and including a first magnetic portion; a first bracket connected between the bottom plate and the key cap and including a first chute The first bracket is pivotally connected to the bottom plate by a first end portion and connected to the key cap by a second end portion. The first sliding slot extends in an extending direction, and the extending direction is directed by the first end portion. a second end portion; a second bracket pivotally connected to the first bracket and connected between the bottom plate and the key cap; a restoring force generating element disposed between the bottom plate and the key cap; and an activity The first sliding hook is slidably disposed in the first sliding slot, and the first magnetic sliding portion is slidably disposed under the bottom plate and includes a first sliding hook and a second magnetic sliding portion. a magnetic attraction is generated between the second magnetic portion; wherein, when the movable plate is in a first position, the key cap can pass through the first bracket and the second bracket to be in an unpressed position relative to the bottom plate Moving up and down between a pressing position, and sliding the movable panel from the first position to a first position During the two positions, the magnetic attraction enhances and drives the keycap to move toward the bottom plate, and the first sliding hook slides in the first sliding slot and applies force to the first sliding slot to orient the first bracket The bottom plate rotates. The button structure of claim 1, wherein the first sliding slot comprises an opening and a channel, and the first sliding hook is in the process of sliding the movable panel from the first position to the second position The opening slides into the channel. The button structure of claim 1, wherein the first chute has a groove bottom surface extending in a direction away from the extending direction of the key cap. The button structure of claim 1, wherein the first sliding hook is substantially located at a pivotal connection between the first bracket and the second bracket when the movable panel is in the second position. The button structure of claim 1, wherein the second magnetic attraction portion is a magnet. The button structure of claim 1, wherein the first sliding hook passes through a through hole of the bottom plate to be slidably disposed in the first sliding slot. The button structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the bottom plate comprises a sliding groove structure, and the movable plate is slidably disposed on the sliding groove structure. The button structure of claim 7, wherein the chute structure comprises two L-shaped structures disposed opposite to each other and protruding toward the movable plate, the movable plate having two oppositely disposed slots, the slot having an inlet And a slot portion connected to the inlet port, the L-shaped structure entering the slot from the inlet port to be slidable in the slot portion. The button structure of claim 1, wherein the first bracket comprises a second sliding slot, the second sliding slot extends along the extending direction, and the first sliding slot and the second sliding slot are located on the first bracket The side of the movable panel includes a second sliding hook, the second sliding hook is slidably disposed in the second sliding slot, and the movable sliding panel is slid from the first position to a second position. The second sliding hook slides in the second sliding slot and applies a force to the second sliding slot to rotate the first bracket toward the bottom plate. The button structure of claim 1, further comprising a thin film circuit board fixedly disposed on the movable panel, wherein the thin film circuit board has a switch, and when the movable panel is in the first position, the keycap can Being pressed to move to the depressed position causes the switch to be triggered, the switch being untriggered when the movable plate is in the second position.