TW201931405A - Optical keyswitch - Google Patents

Abstract

An optical keyswitch includes a keycap, a supporting mechanism having a protrusion disposed under the keycap to support the keycap to move downward or upward, and a switch module including a circuit board, an emitter, and a receiver. The emitter and the receiver are electrically connected to the circuit board. The emitter emits an optical signal to the receiver. When the keycap is not pressed, the receiver receives the optical signal of a first intensity. When the keycap is pressed, the protrusion moves along with the keycap, and the protrusion changes the optical signal received by the receiver to be a second intensity different from the first intensity, so the switch module is triggered to generate a triggering signal.

Description

Optical switch button

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention This invention generally relates to an optical switch button. More particularly, the present invention relates to an optical switch button that activates a switch by pressing a keycap to change a state of receiving an optical signal.

Membrane switch buttons and mechanical buttons are commonly used button types for conventional keyboards. The main difference between the membrane switch button and the mechanical button is that the circuit structure for generating the signal is different. Generally, the membrane switch button is a switching element generated by using a thin film circuit layer as a signal. When the key cap is pressed to trigger the thin film circuit layer, the upper circuit layer is deformed so that the switch contact of the upper circuit layer contacts the corresponding switch of the lower circuit layer. Point, which in turn causes the membrane switch to conduct to generate a signal. However, the thin film circuit layer is easily damaged when it is frequently used or improperly applied, and it is difficult to repair, and when the user presses the keycap to trigger the thin film circuit layer, there is a lack of sharp step feedback, resulting in a poor hand feeling, which cannot be satisfied. The sense of manipulation.

The mechanical button is a switching element that uses a metal plate and a metal contact to turn on or off as a signal. However, the metal piece and the metal contact are easily damaged by the impact, which affects the service life of the button, and the metal piece or the metal contact is rusted due to moisture, which causes poor conduction and affects the stability of the button. Moreover, the conventional mechanical buttons are generally not suitable for portable electronic devices that require high thinning, such as notebook computers, because of their complicated structure and large size.

An object of the present invention is to provide an optical switch button that utilizes a light emitter And the switch module formed by the light receiver, and the component in the button changes the receiving state of the optical signal with the pressing stroke, providing a fast and accurate trigger function.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an optical switch button that integrates an optical switch in a low-key button structure to be suitable for use in a portable electronic device.

Another object of the present invention is to provide an optical switch button comprising an optical switch and a mechanical recovery mechanism, which not only provides a pressing feel of the mechanical button, but also improves maintenance feasibility.

In one embodiment, the present invention provides an optical switch button including a keycap, a support mechanism, and a switch module, wherein the support mechanism is disposed under the keycap and supports the upper/lower movement of the keycap, and the support mechanism has a protruding portion; The group comprises a circuit board, a light emitter and a light receiver, the light emitter and the light receiver are electrically connected to the circuit board, and the light emitter emits an optical signal corresponding to the light receiver, and when the keycap is not pressed, the light receiver receives The optical signal is the first intensity; when the key cap is pressed, the key cap drives the protrusion to move, so that the protrusion changes the optical signal received by the light receiver to the second intensity, and the second intensity is different from the first intensity to trigger the switch The module generates a trigger signal.

In another embodiment, the present invention provides an optical switch button including a key cap, a support mechanism, a return mechanism, and a switch module, wherein the key cap has a protrusion; the support mechanism is disposed under the key cap and supports the keycap up/down Moving; the returning mechanism is disposed under the keycap to provide a restoring force, so that the keycap returns to the position before pressing after pressing, the returning mechanism comprises a housing and an elastic member, the housing has an elastic member accommodating space, and the elastic member is disposed on the The elastic component is accommodated in the space; the switch module comprises a circuit board, a light emitter and a light receiver, the light emitter and the light receiver are electrically connected to the circuit board, and the light emitter corresponds to the light receiver to emit the light signal, the light emitter and There is a light amount adjustment space between the light receivers. When the key cap is not pressed, the protrusion has a first positional relationship with respect to the light amount adjustment space, and the light signal received by the light receiver is the first intensity; when the keycap is pressed, the keycap drives the protrusion Moving outside the housing, the protrusion has a second positional relationship with respect to the light quantity adjustment space, the second positional relationship being different from the first positional relationship, the protrusion changing the optical signal received by the light receiver to be the second intensity, and the second intensity Different from the first intensity, the trigger switch module generates a trigger signal.

In an embodiment, the protruding portion has a hole, the first positional relationship represents the broken hole away from the light amount adjusting space, the protruding portion at least partially blocks the optical signal received by the light receiver; and the second positional relationship represents the broken hole entering the light amount adjusting space. The hole allows the optical signal to pass, so that the second intensity is greater than the first intensity to trigger the switch module to generate the trigger signal.

In an embodiment, the first positional relationship represents that the protruding portion is away from the light amount adjusting space, and the protruding portion does not change the intensity of the light signal received by the light receiver; the second positional relationship represents that the protruding portion enters the light amount adjusting space, and the protruding portion attenuates the light receiving. The intensity of the optical signal received by the device is such that the second intensity is less than the first intensity to trigger the switch module to generate the trigger signal.

In an embodiment, the housing has an upper and lower moving passage and a side wall, and the side wall is disposed between the upper and lower moving passages and the elastic member receiving space to partition the upper and lower moving passages and the elastic member receiving space. When the key cap is pressed, the key cap The driving protrusion moves downward in the upper and lower movement passages.

In an embodiment, the circuit board has a escaping space, and the up-and-down motion channel, the light amount adjustment space, and the escaping space are aligned with each other. When the key cap is pressed, the key cap drives the protrusion to move downward from the up-and-down motion channel. The light amount adjusts the space and enters the escape space.

In one embodiment, the housing is formed by combining an upper housing having a substantially U-shaped horizontal cross section, and a lower housing having a left arm portion and a right arm portion protruding toward the lower housing to form a lower housing. The notch portion is between the left arm portion and the right arm portion, and the vertical movement passage is located in the notch portion, and the light emitter and the light receiver are located below the left arm portion and the right arm portion, respectively.

In one embodiment, the support mechanism is a scissor support mechanism, a scissor support machine The inner bracket and the outer bracket have an inner bracket and a middle bracket coupled to each other and rotate around the axis of the scissors structure, and the return mechanism and the switch module are located in the vertical projection area of the inner bracket, and the return mechanism is substantially located on the axis of the scissors structure axis. On one side, the switch module is located on the second side of the axis of the scissor structure axis, and the first side of the axis and the second side of the axis are opposite sides of the axis of the scissor structure.

In one embodiment, the light emitter, the light amount adjustment space, and the light receiver are sequentially arranged along a linear light path that is parallel to the scissor structure axis.

In one embodiment, the housing is formed by combining an upper housing and a lower housing, the lower housing having a deformable portion extending from the lower housing toward the upper housing to correspond to the protruding portion when the keycap is pressed When the protrusion is moved, the protrusion is pressed against the deformable portion to bend the deformable portion to at least partially block the light signal such that the second intensity is less than the first intensity.

In an embodiment, the upper casing has a deformable portion extending from the lower casing to correspond to the protruding portion. When the pressing of the keycap drives the protruding portion, the protruding portion presses against the deformable portion to enable the deformable portion. The bending further at least partially blocks the optical signal such that the second intensity is less than the first intensity.

In an embodiment, the optical switch button of the present invention further comprises a bottom plate, wherein the circuit board is disposed above the bottom plate, the protruding portion extends from the lower surface of the key cap toward the bottom plate, and the bottom plate has an extended deformable portion, and the deformable portion corresponding to the protruding portion Extending in the direction of the keycap to at least partially block the optical signal. When the keycap is pressed to move the protruding portion, the protruding portion is pressed against the extending deformable portion, so that the extended deformable portion is deformed to avoid the optical signal, so that the second intensity is greater than the first intensity.

In one embodiment, the housing has a grating portion that is disposed corresponding to the light emitter or the light receiver to define a stroke that presses the keycap to generate the trigger signal.

In another embodiment, the present invention provides an optical switch button including a key cap, a support mechanism, a switch module, and a return mechanism, wherein the support mechanism is disposed under the key cap and supports the key The cap moves up/down; the switch module comprises a circuit board, a light emitter and a light receiver, the light emitter and the light receiver are electrically connected to the circuit board, and the light emitter emits an optical signal corresponding to the light receiver; the return mechanism is disposed on the key The underside of the cap provides a restoring force to return the keycap to the position before pressing, and the restoring mechanism includes an elastic member. The elastic member includes a spring and an extended deformation portion extending from one end of the spring toward the keycap. When the keycap is pressed, the keycap is pressed against the extendable deformable portion to deform the extended deformable portion to at least partially block the optical signal to trigger the switch module to generate the trigger signal.

In another embodiment, the present invention provides an optical switch button including a bottom plate, a key cap, a support mechanism, a magnetic member, and a switch module, wherein the bottom plate has a magnetic portion; the key cap is disposed above the bottom plate; and the support mechanism is disposed on the key cap And supporting the keycap relative to the bottom plate between the bottom plate, the support mechanism comprises a first bracket and a second bracket, and the first bracket and the second bracket are respectively located on opposite sides of the key cap; the magnetic member is disposed corresponding to the magnetic portion, the magnetic component Having a first side and a second side, the first side of the magnetic member is movably coupled to the first bracket, and the second side of the magnetic member corresponds to the second bracket to contact the magnetic member with the magnetic portion and generate magnetic attraction to support the key The cap module is in an unpressed position; the switch module comprises a circuit board, a light emitter and a light receiver, wherein the light emitter and the light receiver are electrically connected to the circuit board and are arranged along a connecting direction of the first side and the second side of the magnetic member, The light emitter emits an optical signal corresponding to the light receiver. When the keycap is in the unpressed position, the magnetic member blocks the optical signal; when the keycap is pressed, the second bracket moves with the keycap to drive the magnetic member to move away from the magnetic portion to allow the optical receiver to receive the optical signal, thereby The trigger switch module generates a trigger signal.

In another embodiment, the present invention provides an optical switch button including a key cap, a support mechanism, an elastic member, and a switch module, wherein the support mechanism is disposed under the key cap and supports the keycap to move up/down, and the support mechanism includes a bracket and a second bracket; the elastic member is connected between the first bracket and the second bracket; the switch module comprises a circuit board, a light emitter and a light receiver, and the light emitter and The optical receiver is electrically connected to the circuit board, and the optical transmitter emits an optical signal corresponding to the optical receiver. When the keycap is pressed, the first bracket slides horizontally with respect to the circuit board to at least partially block the optical signal, thereby triggering the switch module to generate a trigger signal.

In another embodiment, the present invention provides an optical switch button including a key cap, a support mechanism, an elastic member, a tactile elastic member, and a switch module, wherein the support mechanism is disposed under the key cap and supports the key cap up/down movement The supporting mechanism comprises a first bracket and a second bracket; the elastic member is connected between the first bracket and the second bracket; the tactile elastic member has a connecting portion, a pressing portion and a tapping portion, and the connecting portion is connected to the first bracket, and the pressing portion is connected The abutting portion corresponds to the first bracket, the tapping portion is connected to the pressing portion and is located at the opposite end of the connecting portion; the switch module comprises a circuit board, a light emitter and a light receiver, and the light emitter and the light receiver are electrically connected to the circuit board, and the light is The transmitter emits an optical signal corresponding to the optical receiver. When the keycap is pressed, the first bracket moves with the keycap to press against the pressing portion, so that the tapping portion at least partially blocks the optical signal, thereby triggering the switch module to generate the trigger signal.

In an embodiment, the optical switch button of the present invention further comprises a light source, wherein the key cap has a light transmitting portion, and the light source is electrically connected to the circuit board to provide light to be emitted toward the light transmitting portion.

Compared with the prior art, the optical switch button of the present invention uses the light emitter and the light receiver as the switching signal, and achieves a fast and accurate pressing signal through any suitable component of the button to change the receiving state of the optical signal with the pressing stroke. The conversion can be applied to various key structures for portable electronic devices. Furthermore, the optical switch button of the present invention can have a grating structure to avoid interference of external light to improve the correctness of operation, and can control the trigger position when pressing to reduce the trigger point error. In addition, the optical switch button of the present invention bears the return mechanism against the circuit board (or the bottom plate) and can be easily replaced to improve the feasibility of maintenance.

1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 100‧‧‧ optical switch buttons

10, 10', 10" ‧ ‧ key caps

12, 14‧‧‧ couplings

16‧‧‧Transmission Department

111, 111’, 115‧‧‧ protruding parts

1111‧‧‧Bevel

1112‧‧‧Flat Department

115a‧‧‧ hole

20, 20’ ‧ ‧ support institutions

21‧‧‧Protruding

212‧‧‧ horizontal department

214‧‧‧ vertical section

22‧‧‧ inner bracket

221‧‧‧ pivot

222‧‧‧Keycap end

224‧‧‧ bottom plate end

24‧‧‧ outer bracket

241‧‧‧Axis hole

242‧‧‧Keycap end

244‧‧‧ bottom plate end

26‧‧‧Scissor structure axis

262‧‧‧ first side of the axis

264‧‧‧ second side of the axis

30‧‧‧Switch Module

32‧‧‧ boards

322‧‧‧ openings

324‧‧‧ escaping space

34‧‧‧Light emitter

36‧‧‧Optical Receiver

40‧‧‧floor

42, 44‧‧‧ Connections

46‧‧‧Guide

50, 50', 50", 50''' ‧ ‧ replies

52‧‧‧ housing

52a‧‧‧Up and down movement passage

52b‧‧‧Light adjustment space

521‧‧‧ accommodating space

522, 522', 522" ‧ ‧ upper casing

524, 524'‧‧‧ lower casing

5242‧‧‧Under the Carding Department

5243‧‧‧Positioning holes

5244‧‧‧ Sockets

5245‧‧‧Deformable Department

5245a‧‧‧Upright

5245b‧‧‧ horizontal department

5246‧‧‧ Guide slot

5248, 5249‧‧‧Affiliation

526, 526', 526" ‧ ‧ upper casing

5261‧‧‧through hole

5262‧‧‧上卡合部

5263‧‧‧Gap section

5264‧‧‧ Left arm

5265‧‧‧ right arm

5266‧‧‧ side wall

5266a‧‧‧Channel

5266b‧‧‧ channel

5267‧‧‧Raster Department

5267a‧‧‧Grating gap

5268‧‧‧ notch

5269‧‧‧Deformable Department

528‧‧‧ Activities Department

5282‧‧‧Location space

5283‧‧‧ openings

5284‧‧‧Positioning column

5285‧‧‧Limited

5286‧‧‧Action Department

54, 54'‧‧‧ Elastic parts

542‧‧ ‧ spring

544‧‧‧Extension of deformable parts

544a‧‧‧Bend section

56‧‧‧Tactile feedback

562‧‧‧ Positioning end

564‧‧‧Action

60‧‧‧Backlight source

110‧‧‧Key Cap

112, 114‧‧‧ couplings

116‧‧‧ Groove

120‧‧‧Support institutions

122‧‧‧First bracket

122a, 122b‧‧‧ coupling

1222‧‧‧ card slot

124‧‧‧second bracket

124a, 124b‧‧‧ coupling

1242‧‧‧Support

130‧‧‧Switch Module

132‧‧‧ boards

134‧‧‧Light emitter

136‧‧‧Optical Receiver

140‧‧‧floor

142‧‧ Magnetic Department

143, 144‧‧‧ Connections

146‧‧‧ Positioning Department

150‧‧‧Responsive agency

151‧‧‧ accommodating space

152‧‧‧Upper casing

1521‧‧‧through hole

1522‧‧‧上卡合部

1523‧‧‧Gap section

1524‧‧‧ Left arm

1525‧‧‧ right arm

1526‧‧‧ side wall

1527‧‧‧Raster Department

1527a‧‧‧Grating gap

1528‧‧‧ notch

154‧‧‧ Activities Department

1541‧‧‧Limited

1542‧‧‧Location space

1543‧‧‧Positioning column

1544‧‧‧Action Department

1544a‧‧‧ Bevel

156‧‧‧ Lower case

1562‧‧‧Under the Carding Department

1564‧‧‧ Sockets

1566‧‧‧ Guide slot

1568‧‧‧Responsible Department

160‧‧‧Magnetic parts

162‧‧‧ card shaft

210‧‧‧Key Cap

220‧‧‧Support institutions

222‧‧‧First bracket

224‧‧‧second bracket

230‧‧‧Switch Module

232‧‧‧PCB

234‧‧‧Light emitter

236‧‧‧Optical Receiver

240‧‧‧floor

250‧‧‧Flexible parts

270‧‧‧Tactile elastic parts

272‧‧‧Connecting Department

274‧‧‧The Ministry of Pressure

276‧‧‧Knocking Department

Fig. 1A is an exploded view of the optical switch button of the first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1B is a combined perspective view of the optical switch button of FIG. 1A without a keycap.

Figure 1C is a top view of Figure 1B.

Figure 1D is an exploded view of the support mechanism of Figure 1A at different viewing angles.

Figure 1E is an exploded view of the return mechanism of Figure 1A.

Figure 1F is a combination view of another view of the reply mechanism of Figure 1A.

1G and 1H are an exploded view and a combined view of the recovery mechanism of the recovery mechanism of FIG. 1A.

2A, FIG. 3A and FIG. 4A are respectively schematic cross-sectional views of the keycap of the optical switch button according to the first embodiment of the present invention along the X-axis at an unpressed position, a trigger position, and a lowest position.

2B, FIG. 3B and FIG. 4B are respectively schematic cross-sectional views of the keycap of the optical switch button according to the first embodiment of the present invention along the Y-axis at an unpressed position, a trigger position, and a lowest position.

Figure 5A is an exploded view of the optical switch button of the second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5B is a combined perspective view of the optical switch button of FIG. 5A without a keycap. FIG.

Figure 5C is a top view of Figure 5B.

6A, FIG. 7A and FIG. 8A are respectively schematic cross-sectional views of the keycap of the optical switch button according to the second embodiment of the present invention along the X-axis at an unpressed position, a trigger position, and a lowest position.

6B, FIG. 7B and FIG. 8B are respectively schematic cross-sectional views of the keycap of the optical switch button according to the second embodiment of the present invention along the Y-axis at the unpressed position, the trigger position, and the lowest position.

Figure 9A is an exploded view of the optical switch button of the third embodiment of the present invention.

9B is a combined perspective view of the optical switch button of FIG. 9A without a keycap.

Figure 9C is a top view of Figure 9B.

Figure 9D is an exploded view of the return mechanism of Figure 9A.

10A and FIG. 11A are respectively schematic cross-sectional views of the keycap of the optical switch button in the un-pressed position and the trigger position along the X-axis according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

10B and FIG. 11B are respectively schematic cross-sectional views of the keycap of the optical switch button in the un-pressed position and the trigger position along the Y-axis according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 12A is an exploded view of the optical switch button of the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 12B is a perspective view showing the combination of the optical switch button of Figure 12A without a keycap.

Figure 12C is a top view of Figure 12B.

Figure 12D is an exploded view of the return mechanism of Figure 12A.

13A and FIG. 14A are respectively schematic cross-sectional views of the keycap of the optical switch button in the un-pressed position and the trigger position along the X-axis according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

13B and FIG. 14B are respectively schematic cross-sectional views of the keycap of the optical switch button in the un-pressed position and the trigger position along the Y-axis according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 15A is an exploded view of the optical switch button of the fifth embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 15B is a perspective view showing the combination of the optical switch button of Figure 15A without a keycap.

Figure 15C is a top view of Figure 15B.

16A and FIG. 17A are respectively schematic cross-sectional views of the keycap of the optical switch button according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention along the X-axis at the unpressed position and the trigger position.

16B and FIG. 17B are respectively schematic cross-sectional views of the keycap of the optical switch button according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention along the Y-axis at the unpressed position and the trigger position.

Figure 18A is an exploded view of the optical switch button of the sixth embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 18B is a perspective view showing the combination of the optical switch button of Figure 18A without a keycap.

Figure 18C is a top view of Figure 18B.

Figure 18D is an exploded view of the return mechanism of Figure 18A.

Figure 18E is an exploded view of the return mechanism of Figure 18A at different viewing angles.

19A and FIG. 20A are respectively schematic cross-sectional views of the keycap of the optical switch button according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention along the X-axis at the unpressed position and the trigger position.

19B and FIG. 20B are respectively schematic cross-sectional views of the keycap of the optical switch button according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention along the Y-axis at the unpressed position and the trigger position.

Figure 21A is an exploded view of the optical switch button of the seventh embodiment of the present invention.

21B is a combined perspective view of the optical switch button of FIG. 21A without a keycap.

Figure 21C is a top view of Figure 21B.

21D and 21E are exploded views of different viewing angles of the return mechanism of FIG. 21A.

22A, FIG. 23A and FIG. 24A are respectively schematic cross-sectional views of the keycap of the optical switch button according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention along the X-axis at the unpressed position, the trigger position, and the lowest position.

22B, FIG. 23B and FIG. 24B are respectively schematic cross-sectional views of the keycap of the optical switch button according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention along the Y-axis at the unpressed position, the trigger position, and the lowest position.

25A and FIG. 26A are respectively schematic cross-sectional views of the keycap of the optical switch button according to the eighth embodiment of the present invention along the X-axis at the unpressed position and the trigger position.

25B and FIG. 26B are respectively schematic cross-sectional views of the keycap of the optical switch button according to the eighth embodiment of the present invention along the Y-axis at the unpressed position and the trigger position.

Figure 27 is a cross-sectional view showing the keycap of the optical switch button of the ninth embodiment of the present invention along the Y-axis at an unpressed position.

Figure 28A is an exploded view of the optical switch button of the tenth embodiment of the present invention.

28B is a perspective view showing the combination of the optical switch button of FIG. 28A without a keycap.

Figure 28C is a top view of Figure 28B.

29 and FIG. 30 are cross-sectional views showing the keycap of the optical switch button according to the tenth embodiment of the present invention along the X-axis at the unpressed position and the trigger position, respectively.

31A and 31B are respectively schematic cross-sectional views showing the keycap of the optical switch button in the unpressed position and the trigger position according to the eleventh embodiment of the present invention.

32A and 32B are respectively cross-sectional views showing the keycap of the optical switch button in the undepressed position and the triggering position according to the twelfth embodiment of the present invention.

The present invention provides an optical switch button that can be applied to any push-type input device (such as a keyboard) or integrated into any suitable electronic device (such as a button of a portable electronic device or a keyboard of a notebook computer) to provide fast It also has precise trigger function and is suitable for a variety of key structure design, and improves maintenance feasibility. The structure and operation of the components of the optical switch button of the embodiment of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

1A to 4B are schematic views of a first embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 1A is an exploded view of the optical switch button according to the first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 1B is a combined perspective view of the keyless cap of FIG. 1A, and FIG. 1B's top view. As shown in FIG. 1A to FIG. 1C, the optical switch button 1 of the first embodiment of the present invention includes a keycap 10, a support mechanism 20, and a switch module 30. The support mechanism 20 is disposed below the keycap 10 and supports the up/down movement of the keycap 10. The support mechanism 20 has a projection 21 . The switch module 30 includes a circuit board 32, a light emitter 34, and a light receiver 36. The light emitter 34 and the light receiver 36 are electrically connected to the circuit board 32, and the light emitter 34 transmits an optical signal corresponding to the light receiver 36. When the keycap 10 is not pressed, the optical signal received by the optical receiver 36 is the first intensity; when the keycap 10 is pressed, the keycap 10 is driven to protrude The output portion 21 is moved such that the protrusion 21 changes the optical signal received by the optical receiver 36 to a second intensity, and the second intensity is different from the first intensity to trigger the switch module 30 to generate a trigger signal. In addition, the optical switch button 1 may further include a bottom plate 40, a return mechanism 50, a backlight source 60, and the like (described in detail later).

Specifically, the keycap 10 may be, for example, an injection molded rectangular keycap, and the lower surface of the keycap 10 has coupling members 12 and 14 coupled to the support mechanism 20. The coupling member 12 can be a coupling structure having a shaft hole, and the coupling member 14 can be a coupling structure having a sliding slot. Furthermore, depending on the practical application, the keycap 10 can be a light-transmitting keycap having a light transmitting portion 16 for application to an illuminated keyboard. For example, the light transmissive portion 16 can be in the form of a character to indicate an instruction to input a key.

The bottom plate 40 can serve as a structural strength support plate for the optical switch button 1 and has connecting members 42 and 44 that connect the support mechanism 20. In one embodiment, the bottom plate 40 is preferably stamped from sheet metal. The connecting members 42 and 44 are preferably hook-and-loop connectors that are bent from the surface of the bottom plate 40 toward the keycap 10. It should be noted here that when the circuit board 32 has sufficient structural strength, the connectors 42 and 44 can be selectively disposed on the circuit board 32 without the use of the bottom board 40.

1A to 1D, FIG. 1D is an exploded view of the support mechanism of FIG. 1A at different viewing angles. As shown, the support mechanism 20 preferably includes an inner bracket 22 and an outer bracket 24, and the inner bracket 22 is pivotally coupled to the inner side of the outer bracket 24 to form a scissor support mechanism. The inner bracket 22 and the outer bracket 24 are preferably, for example, an injection molded rectangular frame, and the inner bracket 22 and the outer bracket 24 are rotatably connected by, for example, a pivot shaft and a shaft hole mechanism. For example, the opposite side of the middle portion of the inner bracket 22 has an outwardly projecting pivot 221, and the opposite inner side of the outer bracket 24 has a shaft hole 241 corresponding to the pivot 221 such that the middle portion of the inner bracket 22 and the middle portion of the outer bracket 24 are coupled to each other. Rotate about the scissor structure axis 26 (i.e., the line connecting the two pivots 221). In addition, the two ends of the inner bracket 22 and the outer bracket 24 are movably connected to the keycap 10 and the bottom plate 40, respectively. For example, the keycap end 222 of the inner bracket 22 rotatably connects the coupling of the keycap 10 12, and the bottom end 224 of the inner bracket 22 is movably coupled to the connector 42 of the bottom plate 40. Similarly, the keycap end 242 of the outer bracket 24 is movably coupled to the coupling member 14 of the keycap 10, and the bottom end 244 of the outer bracket 24 is movably coupled to the connector 44 of the bottom panel 40. Thereby, the support mechanism 20 can smoothly support the up/down movement of the keycap 10 with respect to the bottom plate 40.

The protruding portion 21 is provided to the inner bracket 22 and protrudes from the inner bracket 22 toward the inner side of the inner bracket 22. For example, the protrusion 21 is preferably disposed inside the key end 222 of the inner bracket 22 . The projection 21 is preferably an L-shaped stud comprising a horizontal portion 212 extending horizontally from the inner bracket 22 toward the center of the frame and a vertical portion 214 extending downward from the end of the horizontal portion 212.

The circuit board 32 is preferably disposed on the bottom plate 40, and the circuit board 32 has an opening 322 to allow the connectors 42, 44 of the bottom plate 40 to pass through to connect the support mechanism 20. The light emitter 34 and the light receiver 36 are disposed on the circuit board 32 and electrically connected to the circuit board 32. Specifically, the circuit board 32 preferably has a switch line, and the light emitter 34 and the light receiver 36 are electrically connected to the switch circuit of the circuit board 32, so that the light emitter 34 can emit optical signals toward the light receiver 36, and when When the intensity of the optical signal received by the optical receiver 36 changes, the trigger switch module 30 generates a trigger signal. For example, the light emitter 34 can be any emitter that emits a light signal having a suitable wavelength, and the light signal emitted by the light emitter 34 can include electromagnetic waves, infrared rays, or visible light. Optical receiver 36 is any suitable receiver that can receive a corresponding optical signal. The circuit board 32 preferably has a relief space 324 to allow the protrusions 21 to pass. For example, the escaping space 324 can be a escaping slot formed on the circuit board 32, and the light emitters 34 and the light receivers 36 are disposed on opposite sides of the escaping slot to be between the light emitter 34 and the light receiver 36. A light amount adjustment space 52b is formed (shown in FIG. 2A).

Further, corresponding to the arrangement of the backlight source 60, the circuit board 32 preferably has a light source line that drives the backlight source 60. The backlight source 60 can be disposed on the circuit board 32 and electrically connected to the circuit board 32 The light source line is provided to provide light to the light transmitting portion 16 of the keycap 10. In one embodiment, the backlight source 60 is preferably a light-emitting diode, and the wavelength of the light emitted by the backlight source 60 is preferably different from the wavelength of the light signal emitted by the light emitter 34 to reduce interference, but is not limited thereto. The backlight source 60 is preferably disposed on opposite sides of the light emitter 34 and the light receiver 36, and is preferably located in the vertical projection area of the inner bracket 22 in the bottom plate 40. For example, the light emitter 34 and the light receiver 36 are preferably disposed corresponding to the key end 222 of the inner bracket 22 corresponding to the protrusion 21, and the backlight source 60 is correspondingly disposed adjacent to the bottom end 224 of the inner bracket 22.

Referring to FIGS. 1A-1C and 1E-1H, in an embodiment, the return mechanism 50 is disposed under the keycap 10 to provide a restoring force to return the keycap 10 to a position before pressing after pressing. Specifically, the recovery mechanism 50 is disposed between the keycap 10 and the bottom plate 40 (or the circuit board 32) and includes a housing 52 and an elastic member 54. The housing 52 has an elastic member accommodating space 521, and the elastic member 54 is disposed in the elastic member accommodating space 521. In this embodiment, the resilient member 54 is preferably a spring to provide a mechanical push operation feel. The housing 52 is combined by the upper housing 522 and the lower housing 524 to enclose an elastic member receiving space 521. The upper housing 522 includes an upper housing portion 526 and a movable portion 528 , and the movable portion 528 is movably sleeved relative to the upper housing portion 526 to the upper housing portion 526 . Specifically, the upper casing portion 526 has a through hole 5261 and an upper engaging portion 5262. The movable portion 528 is movably inserted from the bottom to the top in the through hole 5261 to position the elastic member 54 as an actuating member when the keycap 10 is pressed. The lower housing 524 has a lower engaging portion 5242 for engaging with the upper engaging portion 5262 so that the upper housing 522 is coupled to the lower housing 524. In an embodiment, the upper engaging portion 5262 is preferably formed on the opposite sides of the upper casing portion 526, and the lower engaging portion 5242 is a hook corresponding to the card slot, but is not limited thereto. According to an actual application, the upper engaging portion 5262 can be a hook formed on the upper casing portion 526, and the lower engaging portion 5242 is a corresponding slot of the hook.

Specifically, the upper housing portion 526 is preferably a rectangular cover having a notch portion 5263. structure. The upper engaging portion 5262 is preferably disposed on both sides of the notch portion 5263 so that the left arm portion 5264 is formed between the left upper engaging portion 5262 and the notched portion 5263, and the right upper engaging portion 5262 and the notched portion 5263 are formed. Right arm 5265. When the recovery mechanism 50 is disposed on the circuit board 32, the light emitter 34 and the light receiver 36 are preferably covered by the housing 52 to achieve dust prevention and reduce external light interference. For example, the light emitter 34 and the light receiver 36 are respectively located on opposite sides of the notch portion 5263 and are covered by the upper casing portion 526. In one embodiment, the lower housing 524 preferably has a substantially U-shaped horizontal cross-section. The left arm portion 5264 and the right arm portion 5265 of the upper casing 526 protrude toward each other from the both sides of the U-shaped horizontal cross section toward the center of the U-shaped horizontal cross-section toward the lower casing 524 (that is, the left arm portion 5264 and the right of the upper casing 526). The vertical projection of the arm 5265 extends beyond the vertical projection range of the lower housing 524 to form a notch 5263 between the left arm portion 5264 and the right arm portion 5265. As shown in FIG. 1H, the light emitters 34 and the light receivers 36 are preferably located under the left arm portion 5264 and the right arm portion 5265, respectively, to achieve the effect of dust prevention, but not limited thereto. In other embodiments, by changing the design of the lower housing 524, the light emitter 34 and the light receiver 36 may also be located below the two sides of the U-shaped horizontal section of the lower housing 524 to be covered by the lower housing 524. Furthermore, the upper housing portion 526 has a side wall 5266, the side wall 5266 is adjacent to the notch portion 5263, and the elastic receiving space 521 and the notch portion 5263 are separated by the side wall 5266, so that when the keycap 10 is pressed, the protruding portion 21 is substantially in the housing 52 moves outside. That is, when the keycap 10 is pressed, the protruding portion 21 preferably moves outside the elastic member accommodating space 521 surrounded by the upper casing 522 and the lower casing 524.

In one embodiment, the movable portion 528 is preferably sleeve-shaped to form a positioning space 5282 and an axially extending positioning post 5284 below the movable portion 528. The movable portion 528 has a finite portion 5285 and an action portion 5286 on the opposite side of the sleeve, wherein the limiting portion 5285 is for limiting the displacement of the movable portion 528 relative to the upper housing portion 526, and the acting portion 5286 and the tactile feedback member 56 Cooperate to provide tactile feedback (described in detail later). In an embodiment, the limiting portion 5285 is a hook protruding radially outward from the movable portion 528. The acting portion 5286 is a slope that is inclined upward from the top to the bottom. The movable portion 528 further has a bump 5287, and the bump 5287 is preferably disposed at the center of the top of the sleeve as a contact point with the keycap 10.

The lower housing 524 further has a sleeve portion 5244 for positioning the elastic member 54. In one embodiment, the socket portion 5244 protrudes from the surface of the lower housing 524 corresponding to the movable portion 528 toward the upper housing 522 and has a guide groove 5246 extending downward along the socket portion 5244. When the recovery mechanism 50 is assembled, the spring-type elastic member 54 is sleeved on the outer side of the sleeve portion 5244 of the lower housing 524, and the positioning post 5284 of the movable portion 528 extends into the guide groove 5246 so that the top end of the elastic member 54 is correspondingly received. The positioning space 5282 is positioned, and the lower end of the elastic member 54 is positioned between the movable portion 528 and the socket portion 5244. Then, the upper engaging portion 5262 of the upper casing portion 526 is correspondingly engaged with the lower engaging portion 5242 of the lower casing 524, so that the top of the movable portion 528 passes through the through hole 5261, and the socket portion 5244 and the positioning column 5284 positions the resilient member 54 between the movable portion 528 and the lower housing 524. When the keycap 10 is pressed, the movable portion 528 can move downward along the guide groove 5246 relative to the upper housing portion 526 to compress the elastic member 54. When the keycap 10 is released, the elastic member 54 provides an elastic force, so that the movable portion 528 drives the keycap 10 to move upward relative to the upper housing portion 526, and is positioned by the limiting portion 5285 at a position before pressing.

In one embodiment, the lower housing 524 further has bearing portions 5248 and 5249, and the recovery mechanism 50 is positioned on the circuit board 32 by the bearing portions 5248 and 5249. Specifically, the bearing portions 5248 and 5249 are preferably disposed on opposite sides of the lower casing 524 such that the bearing portion 5248 bears against the circuit board 32 adjacent to the light emitter 34 and the light receiver 36. The abutment portion 5249 bears against the circuit board 32 adjacent to the backlight source 60. In one embodiment, the bearing portion 5248 can be a pair of bearing arms that extend downwardly from the lower housing 524, and the corresponding light emitters 34 and the light receivers 36 are located below the left arm portion 5264 and the right arm portion 5265, respectively. The bearing portion 5249 can be a pair of bearing recesses that extend toward the lower housing 524. The upper housing portion 526 is formed with a recess 5268 corresponding to the bearing portion 5249, and the backlight source 60 is disposed at a position different from that of the backlight unit 60. Good corresponds to the notch 5268. As a result, the light emitted by the backlight source 60 is blocked by the recovery mechanism 50 without changing the intensity of the optical signal received by the optical receiver 36, thereby preventing the switch module 30 from erroneously generating the trigger signal.

In one embodiment, the recovery mechanism 50 further includes a tactile feedback member 56 for providing tactile feedback when pressed. For example, the tactile feedback member 56 can be implemented as a torsion spring, and one end of the torsion spring is used as the positioning end 562, and the other end of the torsion spring is used as the acting end 564. The lower housing 524 has a positioning hole 5243 correspondingly. When the tactile feedback member 56 is disposed on the lower housing 524, the positioning end 562 is coupled to the positioning hole 5243, and the working end 564 corresponds to the acting portion 5286 of the movable portion 528. In this embodiment, the extending end of the working end 564 is preferably perpendicular to the scissor structure axis 26 (ie, the axis of rotation formed by the pivotal connection of the arms of the scissor structure). When the keycap 10 is pressed, the acting portion 5286 is displaced relative to the acting end 564 of the torsion spring as the keycap 10 moves downward, so that the acting end 564(1) slides on the bottom slope of the acting portion 5286 for use. The finger first feels a large resistance, and (2) the working end 564 is disengaged from the action portion 5286, and the user feels that the resistance is greatly reduced, so that the user feels the sense of step on the tactile sense, and the working end 564 strikes the upper casing portion 526. Produce sound. When the keycap 10 is released, the elastic member 54 provides a restoring force to move the keycap 10 upward, the belt action portion 5286 moves upward, and the action end 564 slides back down to the original position along the gentle slanting surface of the writing portion 5286.

Moreover, referring to FIG. 1C, the light-emitting device 34 and the light receiver 36 of the recovery mechanism 50 and the switch module 30 are preferably located in the vertical projection area of the inner bracket 522 in the bottom plate 40. In particular, the return mechanism 50 is substantially located on the first side 262 of the axis of the scissor structure axis 26, while the light emitter 34 and the light receiver 36 are located on the second side 264 of the axis of the scissor structure axis 26, the first side of the axis 262 and the axis The opposite side of the two-sided 264 series scissor structure axis 26. It should be noted here that in this embodiment, the return mechanism 50 is substantially at the axis of the scissor structure axis 26, the first side 262 refers to the center of the movable portion 528. Or the central axis of the resilient member 54 (e.g., the location of the bump 5287) is located on the first side 262 of the axis and preferably adjacent to the scissor structure axis 26, but is not limited thereto.

In addition, the housing 52 preferably has a grating portion 5267 that is disposed corresponding to the light emitter 34 or the light receiver 36 to define a stroke that presses the keycap 10 to generate a trigger signal. That is, the grating portion 5267 may be a gate grating structure having a grating slit 5267a, preferably disposed between the light emitter 34 and the light receiver 36 and adjacent to the emitting end of the light emitter 34 or the receiving end of the light receiver 36. The grating portion 5267 can control the trigger position of the pressing by controlling the size and corresponding position of the grating slit 5267a, thereby reducing the triggering error. For example, the triggering error that may be generated when pressing is about the thickness of the light emitter 34 or the light receiver 36, which can be reduced by the size of the corresponding control grating slit 5267a being smaller than the thickness of the light emitter 34 or the light receiver 36. Trigger error. In one embodiment, the grating portion 5267 of the housing 52 is disposed on the left arm portion 5264 of the upper housing portion 526 and adjacent to the light emitter 34, but is not limited thereto. According to the actual application, with the design of the circuit board 32, the positions of the light emitter 34 and the light receiver 36 are interchangeable, so that the light emitter 34 and the light receiver 36 are located below the right arm 5265 and the left arm 5264, respectively. In addition, the grating portion 5267 is adjacent to the light receiver 36, so that the optical signal is less susceptible to external light interference at the receiving end, and the possibility of false triggering is more effectively reduced.

The operation of the optical switch button of the first embodiment of the present invention is described with reference to FIG. 2A to FIG. 4B. FIG. 2A, FIG. 3A and FIG. 4A respectively show the keycap of the optical switch button along the X-axis at the unpressed position, the trigger position, and FIG. 2B, FIG. 3B, and FIG. 4B are schematic cross-sectional views of the key cap of the optical switch button along the Y-axis at the unpressed position, the trigger position, and the lowest position, respectively. As shown in FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B, the housing 52 has an upper and lower moving passages 52a. The side walls 5266 are disposed between the upper and lower moving passages 52a and the elastic member accommodating spaces 521 to partition the upper and lower moving passages 52a and the elastic member accommodating spaces 521. In other words, the up and down movement passage 52a is located in the notch portion 5263 of the housing 52. herein In the embodiment, the light emitter 34, the light amount adjusting space 52b and the light receiver 36 are preferably arranged along the linear light path (for example, linearly arranged along the X-axis direction), and the linear light path is parallel to the scissors structure axis 26. When the keycap 10 is not pressed, the protrusion 21 has a first positional relationship with respect to the light amount adjustment space 52b, and the light signal received by the light receiver 36 is a first intensity (for example, an unblocked/attenuated light signal intensity).

As shown in FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B, when the keycap 10 is pressed, the keycap 10 drives the protruding portion 21 to move outside the housing 52, so that the protruding portion 21 has a second positional relationship with respect to the light amount adjusting space 52b, and the second position The relationship is different from the first positional relationship. The protrusion 21 changes the optical signal received by the optical receiver 36 to a second intensity, and the second intensity is different from the first intensity to trigger the switch module 30 to generate a trigger signal. In other words, when the keycap 10 is pressed, the keycap 10 drives the inner bracket 22 of the support mechanism 20 to slide horizontally on the bottom plate 40, so that the projection 21 moves downward in the up and down movement passage 52a.

In this embodiment, the first positional relationship represents that the protruding portion 21 is away from the light amount adjusting space 52b, and the protruding portion 21 does not change the intensity of the light signal received by the light receiver 36. The second positional relationship represents the protrusion 21 entering the light amount adjustment space 52b. The protrusion 21 attenuates the intensity of the light signal received by the light receiver 36, so that the second intensity is less than the first intensity, to trigger the switch module 30 to generate the trigger signal. . In other words, when the button cap 10 is pressed to move the protrusion 21, the protrusion 21 at least partially blocks the light signal, so that the second intensity is less than the first intensity, thereby causing the switch module 30 to generate a trigger signal. In an embodiment, when the keycap 10 is pressed to move the protrusion 21, the protrusion 21 can completely block the optical signal, so that the optical receiver 36 does not receive the optical signal (ie, the second intensity is zero). That is, the horizontal portion 212 of the protruding portion 21 preferably has a length that can extend into the notch portion 5263, and the vertical portion 214 preferably has a length and a width that can substantially block the optical signal, but is not limited thereto. It should be noted here that it can be changed by The circuit board of the variable circuit board 32 is designed such that the switch module 30 can generate a trigger signal according to the change of the amount of light received by the light receiver 36, and can also generate a trigger signal according to whether the light receiver 36 receives the light signal.

As shown in FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B, the up-and-down motion channel 52a, the light amount adjustment space 52b, and the escape space 324 are preferably in positive communication with each other such that when the keycap 10 is pressed, the keycap 10 drives the protrusion 21 from the up-and-down motion channel 52a. In the downward movement, the self-triggering position continues to move downward through the light amount adjusting space 52b, and enters the escaping space 324, which not only can achieve fast triggering, but also can increase the pressing stroke to increase the operating feel. It should be noted here that, depending on the actual application, the bottom plate 40 may also have a avoidance design corresponding to the escape space 324. For example, the bottom plate 40 can be recessed to form a concave portion or an opening at a position corresponding to the escape space 324, so that when the keycap 10 is pressed, the key cap 10 drives the protruding portion 21 to move downward from the upper and lower movement passages 52a. The trigger position continues to move downward through the light amount adjustment space 52b, and after entering the escape space 324, it can further enter the recess or opening of the bottom plate 40.

5A to 8B are schematic views of a second embodiment of the present invention, wherein Fig. 5A is an exploded view of the optical switch button of the second embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5B is a combined perspective view of the optical switch button of FIG. 5A without a keycap. FIG. Figure 5C is a top view of Figure 5B. As shown, in the second embodiment, the optical switch 2 of the present invention includes a keycap 10', a support mechanism 20', a switch module 30, and a return mechanism 50. The keycap 10' has a projection 111. The support mechanism 20' is disposed below the keycap 10' and supports the up/down movement of the keycap 10'. The return mechanism 50 is disposed below the keycap 10' to provide a restoring force to return the keycap 10' to the position before pressing after pressing. The repulsion mechanism 50 includes a housing 52 and an elastic member 54. The housing 52 has an elastic member accommodating space 521, and the elastic member 54 is disposed in the elastic member accommodating space 521. The switch module 30 includes a circuit board 32, a light emitter 34, and a light receiver 36. The light emitter 34 and the light receiver 36 are electrically connected to the circuit board 32, and the light emitter 34 emits an optical signal corresponding to the light receiver 36. 34 and optical connection The receiver 36 has a light amount adjustment space 52b. When the keycap 10' is not pressed, the protruding portion 111 has a first positional relationship with respect to the light amount adjusting space 52b, and the optical signal received by the light receiver 36 is the first intensity. When the keycap 10' is pressed, the keycap 10' drives the protruding portion 111 to move outside the housing 52, so that the protruding portion 111 has a second positional relationship with respect to the light amount adjusting space 52b, and the second positional relationship is different from the first positional relationship. The protrusion 111 changes the optical signal received by the optical receiver 36 to a second intensity, and the second intensity is different from the first intensity to trigger the switch module 30 to generate a trigger signal.

The difference between the optical switch button 2 of Fig. 5A and the optical switch button 1 of Fig. 1A is that the support mechanism 20' does not have the projection 21, but the projection 111 is provided on the lower surface of the keycap 10'. In this embodiment, the protruding portion 111 is preferably a blocking piece extending downward from the lower surface of the keycap 10', and the protruding portion 111 is correspondingly located above the notch portion 5263 of the returning mechanism 50. For the structural details and connection relationship between the remaining components of the optical switch button 2 (for example, the switch module 30, the recovery mechanism 50, the bottom plate 40, the backlight source 60, etc.) and the rest of the keycap 10' and the support mechanism 20', refer to the first embodiment. The related description of the light switch button 1 will not be described herein.

6A to 8B, the operation of the optical switch button 2 of the second embodiment of the present invention is illustrated, wherein FIG. 6A, FIG. 7A and FIG. 8A respectively show that the key cap of the optical switch button is in the unpressed position and the trigger position along the X axis. And FIG. 6B, FIG. 7B, and FIG. 8B are schematic cross-sectional views of the keycap of the optical switch button along the Y-axis at the unpressed position, the trigger position, and the lowest position, respectively. As shown in FIG. 6A and FIG. 6B, the housing 52 has an upper and lower moving passages 52a. The side walls 5266 are disposed between the upper and lower moving passages 52a and the elastic member accommodating spaces 521 to partition the upper and lower moving passages 52a and the elastic member accommodating spaces 521. In other words, the up and down movement passage 52a is located in the notch portion 5263 of the housing 52. In this embodiment, the light emitter 34, the light amount adjusting space 52b, and the light receiver 36 are preferably arranged along a linear light path (for example, linearly arranged along the X-axis direction), and the linear light path is parallel to the scissor structure axis. 26. When the keycap 10' is not pressed, the protruding portion 111 is away from the light amount adjusting space 52b, and the protruding portion 111 does not change the intensity of the light signal received by the light receiver 36.

As shown in FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B, when the keycap 10' is pressed, the protruding portion 111 moves downward in the up-and-down motion passage 52a with the keycap 10 to enter the light amount adjusting space 52b to at least partially block the light signal, so that the light signal is at least partially blocked. The second intensity is less than the first intensity, thereby causing the switch module 30 to generate a trigger signal. By changing the extension length and width of the protruding portion 111, the protruding portion 111 can completely block the optical signal, or only partially block the optical signal, so that the switch module 30 can generate the trigger signal according to the change of the amount of light received by the optical receiver 36. The trigger signal may also be generated according to whether the optical receiver 36 receives the optical signal.

As shown in FIG. 8A and FIG. 8B, the up-and-down motion channel 52a, the light amount adjustment space 52b, and the escape space 324 are preferably in positive communication with each other such that when the keycap 10' is pressed, the keycap 10' drives the protrusion 111 to move up and down. The downward movement of the passage 52a, the self-triggering position continues to move downward through the light amount adjustment space 52b, and enters the escape space 324, which not only achieves rapid triggering, but also increases the pressing stroke to increase the operational feel.

In the first embodiment and the second embodiment, the optical switch button 1 or 2 directly generates the trigger signal by changing the receiving state of the optical receiver 36 to the optical signal by the protruding portion 21 or 111, but is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the trigger signal can be generated by changing the receiving state of the optical receiver 36 for the optical signal by changing the design of the protruding portion with other components.

Figure 9A is an exploded view of the optical switch button of the third embodiment of the present invention. 9B is a combined perspective view of the optical switch button of FIG. 9A without a keycap. Figure 9C is a top view of Figure 9B. Figure 9D is an exploded view of the return mechanism of Figure 9A. As shown, in the third embodiment, the optical switch button 3 includes a keycap 10", a support mechanism 20', a switch module 30, a bottom plate 40, and a return mechanism 50', wherein the support mechanism For the structural details and the connection relationship of the switch module 30 and the bottom plate 40, reference may be made to the related descriptions of the first and second embodiments, and details are not described herein again. Only the differences from the previous embodiments will be explained later.

Specifically, the keycap 10" has a projection 111' extending downward from the lower surface of the keycap 10". In one embodiment, the end of the protruding portion 111' preferably has a tapered end portion having a slope portion 1111 and a flat portion 1112. The return mechanism 50' differs from the return mechanism 50 of the first embodiment in that the upper housing 522' has a deformable portion 5269 that extends from the upper housing 522' to correspond to the projection 111'. Specifically, the deformable portion 5269 is a protruding portion that extends from the upper casing portion 526' toward the upper portion of the notch portion 5263. In other words, the deformable portion 5269 is an L-shaped elastic arm that extends horizontally from the upper end of the side wall 5266 toward the notch portion 5263 such that the deformable portion 5269 is located between the left arm portion 5264 and the right arm portion 5265 of the upper housing portion 526'. It should be noted that the remaining structural details of the reply mechanism 50' may refer to the related description of the reply mechanism 50 of the first embodiment, and details are not described herein again.

The operation of the optical switch button 3 of the third embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 10A to FIG. 11B. FIG. 10A and FIG. 11A are respectively schematic cross-sectional views of the key cap of the optical switch button along the X-axis at the unpressed position and the trigger position. 10B and FIG. 11B are schematic cross-sectional views of the key cap of the optical switch button along the Y axis at the unpressed position and the trigger position, respectively. As shown in FIGS. 10A and 10B, when the keycap 10" is in the unpressed position, the protruding portion 111' of the keycap 10" is correspondingly located above the deformable portion 5269, and the horizontal portion 1112 of the protruding portion 111' is preferably parallel. On the surface of the deformable portion 5269, the slope portion 1111 is inclined upward from the horizontal portion 1112 toward the side wall 5266 such that the vertical projection of the slope portion 1111 on the deformable portion 5269 overlaps with the deformable portion 5269. The protruding portion 111' and the deformable portion 5269 are away from the light amount adjusting space 52b, and the intensity of the light signal received by the light receiver 36 is not changed.

As shown in FIG. 11A and FIG. 11B, when the keycap 10" is pressed to move the protruding portion 111', the protruding portion 111' is pressed against the deformable portion 5269 to bend the deformable portion 5269 to at least partially block. The light blocking signal is such that the second intensity is less than the first intensity. Specifically, when the keycap 10" is pressed, the protruding portion 111' presses down against the deformable portion 5269 along the slope portion 1112 as the keycap 10" moves downward, causing the deformable portion 5269 to elastically deform downward. The light blocking signal is blocked by the protruding portion 111' and the deformable portion 5269 (or only by the deformable portion 5269), thereby causing the switch module 30 to generate a trigger signal. It should be noted that the protruding portion 111' of the embodiment has an extended length smaller than the protruding portion 111 of the keycap 10', which can reduce the possibility of generating a water wave appearance at the corresponding upper surface of the protruding portion when the key cap is formed by injection, thereby effectively improving The appearance of the key cap.

12A to 14B are schematic views of a fourth embodiment of the present invention, wherein Fig. 12A is an exploded view of the optical switch button of the fourth embodiment of the present invention. Figure 12B is a perspective view showing the combination of the optical switch button of Figure 12A without a keycap. Figure 12C is a top view of Figure 12B. Figure 12D is an exploded view of the return mechanism of Figure 12A. As shown in the figure, in the fourth embodiment, the optical switch button 4 includes a keycap 10", a support mechanism 20', a switch module 30, a bottom plate 40, and a return mechanism 50", wherein the keycap 10" and the support mechanism 20' For the structural details and connection relationship of the switch module 30 and the bottom plate 40, reference may be made to the related descriptions of the first to third embodiments, and details are not described herein. Only the differences from the foregoing embodiments will be emphasized later.

Specifically, the difference between the recovery mechanism 50" and the recovery mechanism 50 of the first embodiment is that the lower housing 524' has a deformable portion 5245 extending from the lower housing 524' toward the upper housing 522". Corresponding to the protrusion 111'. The deformable portion 5245 includes an upright portion 5245a extending from the lower case 524' toward the upper case 522" and a horizontal portion 5245b extending horizontally from the end of the upright portion 5245a toward the upper portion of the notch portion 5263 so that the deformable portion 5245 has an L shape Corresponding to the arrangement of the deformable portion 5245, the upper housing portion 526" preferably has a channel 5266a in the side wall 5266 corresponding to the upright portion 5245a to allow the upright portion 5245a to pass. Thereby, the deformable portion 5245 can be located between the left arm portion 5264 and the right arm portion 5265 of the upper housing portion 526", and the upright portion 5245a is located in the channel 5266a of the side wall 5266. A partition wall separating the elastic member accommodation space 521 and the vertical movement passage 52a (and the light amount adjustment space 52b) is formed together with the side wall 5266. It should be noted that the remaining structural details of the reply mechanism 50 ′ can be referred to the related description of the reply mechanism 50 of the first embodiment, and details are not described herein again.

The operation of the optical switch button 4 of the fourth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 13A to FIG. 14B. FIG. 13A and FIG. 14A are respectively schematic cross-sectional views of the key cap of the optical switch button along the X-axis at the unpressed position and the trigger position. 13B and FIG. 14B are schematic cross-sectional views of the key cap of the optical switch button along the Y axis at the unpressed position and the trigger position, respectively. As shown in FIGS. 13A and 13B, when the keycap 10" is in the unpressed position, the protruding portion 111' of the keycap 10" is correspondingly located above the deformable portion 5245, and the horizontal portion 1112 of the protruding portion 111' is preferably parallel. The horizontal portion 5245b of the deformable portion 5245, and the inclined surface portion 1111 is inclined upward from the horizontal portion 1112 toward the side wall 5266, so that the vertical projection of the inclined surface portion 1111 on the deformable portion 5245 overlaps with the deformable portion 5245. The protruding portion 111' and the deformable portion 5245 are away from the light amount adjusting space 52b, and the intensity of the light signal received by the light receiver 36 is not changed.

As shown in FIG. 14A and FIG. 14B, when the keycap 10" is pressed to move the protruding portion 111', the protruding portion 111' is pressed against the deformable portion 5245 to bend the deformable portion 5245 to at least partially block the optical signal, so that The second strength is less than the first strength. Specifically, when the keycap 10" is pressed, the protruding portion 111' is pressed along the inclined surface portion 1111 against the horizontal portion 5245b of the deformable portion 5245 as the keycap 10" moves downward. The horizontal portion 5245b is elastically deformed downward, and the optical signal is blocked by the protruding portion 111' and the deformable portion 5245 (or only by the deformable portion 5245), thereby causing the switch module 30 to generate a trigger signal.

15A to 17B are schematic views of a fifth embodiment of the present invention, wherein Fig. 15A is an exploded view of the optical switch button of the fifth embodiment of the present invention. Figure 15B is the optical switch button of Figure 15A A combined perspective view of a keyless cap. Figure 15C is a top view of Figure 15B. As shown in the figure, in the fifth embodiment, the optical switch button 5 includes a keycap 10', a support mechanism 20', a switch module 30, a bottom plate 40' and a recovery mechanism 50, wherein the keycap 10' and the support mechanism 20' The structural details and the connection relationship of the switch module 30 and the return mechanism 50 can be referred to the related descriptions of the first to fourth embodiments, and details are not described herein again. Only the differences from the previous embodiments will be explained later.

Specifically, the projection 111 extends from the lower surface of the keycap 10' toward the bottom plate 40', and the bottom plate 40' has an extended deformable portion 46. The extended deformable portion 46 extends toward the keycap 10' corresponding to the projection 111 to at least partially block the optical signal. In this embodiment, the vertical movement passage 52a is preferably offset from the light amount adjustment space 52b in the moving direction of the protruding portion 111, so that the protruding portion 111 does not enter the light amount adjustment space 52b when the vertical movement passage 52a moves, thereby not affecting the light. The intensity of the optical signal received by the receiver 36. The extended deformable portion 46 includes an L-shaped resilient arm that is bent upward from the surface of the bottom plate 40', and the extended deformable portion 46 is preferably located between the left arm portion 5264 and the right arm portion 5265, and extends the deformable portion 46 along the Y-axis. The direction extends from the light amount adjustment space 52b to the up and down movement passage 52a.

The operation of the optical switch button 5 of the fifth embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIG. 16A to FIG. 17B. FIG. 16A and FIG. 17A are respectively schematic cross-sectional views of the key cap of the optical switch button along the X-axis at the unpressed position and the trigger position. 16B and FIG. 17B are schematic cross-sectional views of the key cap of the optical switch button along the Y axis at the unpressed position and the trigger position, respectively. As shown in FIG. 16A and FIG. 16B, when the keycap 10' is in the unpressed position, the extended deformable portion 46 extends into the light amount adjusting space 52b corresponding to the protruding portion 111 toward the keycap 10' to at least partially block the light signal, and extends. The distal end of the deformable portion 46 projects into the upper and lower moving passages 52a to correspond to the protruding portions 111. The protrusion 111 of the keycap 10' is correspondingly located above the end of the extended deformable portion 46, and the protrusion 111 is preferably disposed adjacent to the side wall 5266 such that the protrusion 111 does not affect the intensity of the light signal received by the light receiver 36.

As shown in FIG. 17A and FIG. 17B, when the keycap 10' is pressed to move the protruding portion 111, the protruding portion 111 is pressed against the extending portion of the deformable portion 46 at the end of the vertical movement passage 52a to bend the deformable portion 5245. At least partially blocking the optical signal such that the second intensity is less than the first intensity. Specifically, when the button cap 10' is pressed to move the protrusion 111, the protrusion 111 is pressed against the extended deformable portion 46, and the extended deformable portion 46 is deformed to avoid the light signal, so that the second intensity is greater than the first intensity, and further The switch module 30 is caused to generate a trigger signal. Specifically, when the keycap 10' is pressed, the protrusion 111 is pressed against the end of the extendable deformable portion 46 in the up and down movement passage 52a as the keycap 10' moves downward, thereby causing the extension deformable portion 46 to be extended. The light is adjusted downward to exit the light amount adjustment space 52b, and the intensity of the light signal received by the light receiver 36 is increased to trigger the switch module 30 to generate a trigger signal.

18A to 18E are schematic views of a sixth embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 18A is an exploded view of the optical switch button of the sixth embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 18B is a combined perspective view of the optical switch button of FIG. 18C is a top view of FIG. 18B, and FIG. 18D is an exploded view of the return mechanism of FIG. 18A. As shown, in the sixth embodiment, the optical switch button 6 includes a keycap 10, a support mechanism 20', a switch module 30, and a return mechanism 50"'. The support mechanism 20' is disposed below the keycap 10 and supports the up/down movement of the keycap 10. The switch module 30 includes a circuit board 32, a light emitter 34, and a light receiver 36. The light emitter 34 and the light receiver 36 are electrically connected to the circuit board 32, and the light emitter 34 transmits an optical signal corresponding to the light receiver 36. The return mechanism 50''' is disposed under the keycap 10 to provide a restoring force to return the keycap 10 to the position before pressing after pressing. The return mechanism 51 includes an elastic member 54' including a spring 542 and an extended deformable portion 544 extending from one end of the spring 542 toward the keycap 10. When the keycap 10 is pressed, the keycap 10 is pressed against the extended deformable portion 544 to deform the extended deformable portion 544 to at least partially block the optical signal to trigger the switch module 30 to generate the trigger signal.

It should be noted that the keycap 10, the support mechanism 20', the switch module 30, and the bottom plate 40 of the present embodiment can be referred to the related descriptions of the foregoing first to fifth embodiments, and details are not described herein again. Only the difference between the reply mechanism 50''' and the aforementioned reply mechanism 50 will be emphasized thereafter. In this embodiment, the spring 542 is disposed in the elastic member accommodating space 521 of the housing 52" and the extended deformable portion 544 protrudes beyond the elastic member accommodating space 521. Specifically, the upper housing portion 526'' Preferably, the side wall 5266 is provided with a corresponding channel 5266b extending the deformable portion 544 to allow the extended deformable portion 544 to pass through the housing 52"'. The extended deformable portion 544 preferably has a keycap 10 Pressing the bent section 544a. Further, corresponding to the extended deformable portion 544, the movable portion 528' is provided with an opening 5283 in the side wall of the sleeve. When the movable portion 528' moves up and down, the extended deformable portion 544 is fastened to the opening 5283. In the middle, the opening 5283 of the movable portion 528', the channel 5266b of the upper casing portion 526"', and the notch portion 5263 are preferably aligned, without hindering the movement and extension of the movable portion 528'. Variations of the portion 544. Further, relevant details of the remaining components of the response mechanism 50''' may be referred to the relevant description of the foregoing embodiments.

The operation of the optical switch button 6 of the sixth embodiment of the present invention will be described later with reference to Figs. 19A to 20B. 19A and FIG. 20A are respectively schematic cross-sectional views of the keycap of the optical switch button according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention along the X-axis at the unpressed position and the trigger position. 19B and FIG. 20B are respectively schematic cross-sectional views of the keycap of the optical switch button according to the sixth embodiment of the present invention along the Y-axis at the unpressed position and the trigger position. As shown in FIGS. 19A and 19B, when the keycap 10 is in the undepressed position, the keycap 10 is not in contact with the extended deformable portion 544, and the extended deformable portion 544 does not enter the light amount adjustment space 521. Therefore, the optical receiver 36 can receive the optical signal substantially completely.

As shown in FIGS. 20A and 20B, when the keycap 10 is pressed, the keycap 10 is moved downward to press against the extended deformable portion 544 (for example, pressed against the bent portion 5244a) to deform the extended deformable portion 544 into the amount of light. Adjusting the space 52b to at least partially block the optical signal, so that the optical receiver 36 receives The intensity of the optical signal is attenuated to trigger the switch module 30 to generate a trigger signal.

21A to 24B are schematic views of an optical switch button according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention. Figure 21A is an exploded view of the optical switch button of the seventh embodiment of the present invention. 21B is a combined perspective view of the optical switch button of FIG. 21A without a keycap. Figure 21C is a top view of Figure 21B. 21D and 21E are exploded views of different viewing angles of the return mechanism of FIG. 21A. As shown in the figure, in the seventh embodiment, the optical switch button 7 includes a keycap 10, a support mechanism 20, a switch module 30, a bottom plate 40, and a return mechanism 150. For the structural details and connection relationships of the keycap 10, the support mechanism 20, the switch module 30, and the bottom plate 40, reference may be made to the related description of the foregoing embodiments. Only the emphasis on the difference of the response mechanism 150 will be explained later. As shown, the return mechanism 150 includes an upper housing portion 152, a movable portion 154, a lower housing 156, an elastic member 54, and a tactile feedback member 56. Similar to the foregoing embodiment, the upper housing portion 152 has a through hole 1521, an upper engaging portion 1522, a notch portion 1523, a left arm portion 1524, a right arm portion 1525, a side wall 1526, a grating portion 1527, a notch 1528, and has Structures and effects similar to those of the foregoing embodiment will only be described later. In this embodiment, the grating portion 1527 is disposed adjacent to the receiving end of the optical receiver 36. By adjusting the position and size of the grating slit 1527a, the external light interference and the triggering error can be more effectively prevented, but not limited thereto. In other embodiments (not shown), depending on the actual application, the design of the lower housing 156 can be varied such that the grating portion 1527 is disposed in the lower housing 156. The movable portion 154 is preferably in the form of a sleeve, and has outwardly protruding limiting portions 1541 on opposite sides of the sleeve (for example, on opposite sides of the X-axis) to restrict and guide the movable portion 154 relative to the upper housing The displacement of the portion 152. The movable portion 154 has a positioning space 1542 and a positioning post 1543 under the sleeve to position the elastic member 54 and the relative position of the movable portion 154 and the lower casing 156. The limiting portion 1541, the positioning space 1542 and the positioning post 1543 of the movable portion 154 have similar structures and functions as those of the foregoing embodiment, and details are not described herein. In this embodiment, the movable portion 154 has an action portion 1544 further away from one side of the notch portion 1523 in the Y-axis direction. In one implementation For example, the acting portion 1544 is a protrusion that protrudes outward from the lower end of the sleeve, and preferably has a slope 1544a that is inclined upwardly and downwardly to facilitate relative movement of the working end 564 of the tactile feedback member 56 and the acting portion 1544. In addition, the movable portion 154 forms a curved top surface on the top surface of the sleeve to contact the keycap 10 by the curved top surface without the need to provide the above-mentioned bumps.

In this embodiment, the haptic feedback member 56 is disposed on one side away from the notch portion 1523, and the extending end of the active end 564 of the tactile feedback member 56 is preferably parallel to the limiting portion on the opposite sides of the sleeve. The connection of 1541 (for example, parallel to the X-axis) is such that the action portion 1544 has the aforementioned tactile feedback effect when the keycap 10 is pressed, and the tactile feedback such as the pressing segment difference and the knocking sound is generated. Similar to the foregoing embodiment, the lower housing 156 has a lower engaging portion 1562 to engage with the upper engaging portion 1522 such that the upper housing portion 152 and the lower housing 156 are combined to form a housing having the elastic member receiving space 151. . In addition, the lower housing 156 has a sleeve portion 1564 for the elastic member 54 and a positioning post 1543 for extending into the guide groove 1566. The lower housing 156 further has a positioning hole 1563 for positioning the positioning end 562 of the tactile feedback member 56. Similarly, the return mechanism 150 can be positioned on the circuit board 32 by the abutment 1568 of the lower housing 156. In this way, when the recovery mechanism 150 is damaged and needs to be replaced, after the keycap 10 is disassembled, the recovery mechanism 150 can be extracted and updated, thereby effectively improving the maintenance convenience and the maintenance speed. That is, the lower portion 156 lower engaging portion 1562, the positioning hole 1563, the socket portion 1564, the positioning hole 1563, and the bearing portion 1568 have a similar structure and function as the corresponding member of the lower housing 254 of the return mechanism 50, This will not be repeated here.

The operation of the optical switch button 7 of the seventh embodiment of the present invention will be described later with reference to Figs. 22A to 24B. 22A, FIG. 23A and FIG. 24A are respectively schematic cross-sectional views of the keycap of the optical switch button according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention along the X-axis at the unpressed position, the trigger position, and the lowest position. 22B, FIG. 23B and FIG. 24B respectively show that the keycap of the optical switch button according to the seventh embodiment of the present invention is not pressed along the Y-axis A schematic view of the pressure position, the trigger position, and the lowest position.

As shown in FIG. 22A and FIG. 22B, when the keycap 10 is not pressed, the protrusion 21 is located above the notch portion 1523 and does not block the light emitter 34 from emitting light signals along the linear light path toward the light receiver 36, so that the light receiver 36 can receive the optical signal. In other words, the protruding portion 21 is located in the upper and lower moving passages 52a and does not enter the light amount adjusting space 52b without affecting the traveling (or transmission) of the optical signals, and the acting end 564 of the tactile feedback member 56 is located below the acting portion 1544.

As shown in FIG. 23A and FIG. 23B, when the keycap 10 is pressed to move the protruding portion 21, the protruding portion 21 moves toward the notch portion 1523 to at least partially block the optical signal, so that the optical receiver 36 receives the attenuation of the optical signal intensity and triggers. The switch module 30 generates a trigger signal. In other words, the protruding portion 21 is moved downward in the up-and-down motion channel 52a into the light amount adjusting space 52b, and at least partially blocks the traveling (or transmission) of the optical signal to quickly trigger the switch module 30 to generate the trigger signal, and the haptic feedback member 56 The action end 564 moves from below the action portion 1544 over the apex of the action portion 1544 along the slope 1544a to reach above the action portion 1544.

As shown in FIG. 24A and FIG. 24B, the escape groove of the circuit board 32 communicates with the notch portion 1523. After the trigger position is reached, the key cap 10 drives the protruding portion 21 to continue to move downward through the notch portion 1523 from the trigger position to enter the escape groove. In other words, the protruding portion 21 continues to move downward from the light amount adjusting space 52b into the wall letting space 324, which not only triggers quickly, but also enhances the pressing stroke to increase the operational feeling.

25A to FIG. 26B are schematic diagrams showing an optical switch button according to an eighth embodiment of the present invention, wherein FIG. 25A and FIG. 26A are respectively an un-pressed position and a trigger position of the key cap of the optical switch button according to the eighth embodiment of the present invention along the X-axis. FIG. 25B and FIG. 26B are respectively schematic cross-sectional views of the key cap of the optical switch button according to the eighth embodiment of the present invention along the Y-axis at the unpressed position and the trigger position. In the eighth embodiment, the optical switch button 8 has an optical switch button 2 similar to that of the second embodiment. The structure differs in the design of the projection of the keycap 10'. Specifically, as shown in FIGS. 25A and 25B, the protruding portion 115 of the keycap 10' extending downward has a hole 115a, and the protrusion 115 at least partially blocks the light signal to attenuate the light received by the light receiver 36. Signal. That is, when the keycap 10' is not pressed, the protruding portion 115 has a first positional relationship with respect to the light amount adjusting space 52b, and the optical signal received by the light receiver 36 is the first intensity. The first positional relationship represents that the hole 115a is away from the light amount adjustment space 52b, and the protrusion 115 at least partially blocks the light signal received by the light receiver 36.

As shown in FIG. 26A and FIG. 26B, when the keycap 10' is pressed, the keycap 10' drives the protruding portion 115 to move outside the housing 10, so that the protruding portion 115 has a second positional relationship with respect to the light amount adjusting space 52b. The second positional relationship is different from the first positional relationship. The protrusion 115 changes the optical signal received by the optical receiver 36 to the second intensity, and the second intensity is different from the first intensity to trigger the switch module to generate the trigger signal. The second positional relationship represents that the hole 115a enters the light amount adjusting space 52b. The hole 115a allows the light signal to pass, so that the second intensity is greater than the first intensity to trigger the switch module to generate the trigger signal.

Figure 27 is a cross-sectional view showing the keycap of the optical switch button of the ninth embodiment of the present invention along the Y-axis at an unpressed position. In the ninth embodiment, the optical switch button 9 differs only in that the return mechanism 50 further has a latching portion 724 such that the return mechanism 50 is positioned on the circuit board 32 by the latching portion 724. Specifically, in an embodiment, the latching portions 724 are preferably disposed on opposite sides of the upper housing portion 526 , such as the first side 262 of the axis and the second side 264 of the axis. When the return mechanism 50 needs to be replaced, the return mechanism 50 can be removed from the circuit board 32 by pressing the latching portions 724 toward each other at the same time.

28A to 30 are schematic views of an optical switch button according to a tenth embodiment of the present invention. Figure 28A is an exploded view of the optical switch button of the tenth embodiment of the present invention. 28B is a perspective view showing the combination of the optical switch button of FIG. 28A without a keycap. Figure 28C is a top view of Figure 28B. As shown, in In the tenth embodiment, the optical switch button 100 includes a key cap 110, a support mechanism 120, a switch module 130, a bottom plate 140, and a magnetic member 160. The bottom plate 140 has a magnetic portion 142. The key cap 110 is disposed above the bottom plate 140. The support mechanism 120 is disposed between the keycap 110 and the bottom plate 140 to support the movement of the keycap 110 relative to the bottom plate 140. The support mechanism 120 includes a first bracket 122 and a second bracket 124 , and the first bracket 122 and the second bracket 124 are respectively located on opposite sides of the key cap 110 . The magnetic member 160 is disposed corresponding to the magnetic portion 142, and the magnetic member 160 has a first side 162 and a second side 164. The first side 162 of the magnetic member 160 is movably coupled to the first bracket 122, and the second side 164 of the magnetic member 160 corresponds to the second bracket 124 to bring the magnetic member 160 into contact with the magnetic portion 142 and generate magnetic force to support the key cap. 110 is in the unpressed position. The switch module 130 includes a circuit board 132, a light emitter 134, and a light receiver 136. The light emitter 134 and the light receiver 136 are electrically connected to the circuit board 132 and disposed along the line connecting the first side 162 and the second side 164 of the magnetic member 160 (for example, the X-axis direction). The light emitter 134 emits an optical signal corresponding to the light receiver 136, wherein when the keycap 110 is in the unpressed position, the magnetic member 160 blocks the optical signal; when the keycap 110 is pressed, the second bracket 124 moves 110 with the keycap The magnetic member 160 is moved away from the 142 magnetic portion to allow the optical receiver 36 to receive the optical signal, thereby triggering the switch module 30 to generate the trigger signal.

Specifically, the lower surface of the keycap 110 has coupling members 112, 114 and grooves 116. The bottom plate 140 can be a metal stamping member and has a plurality of connecting portions 143, 144 and a positioning portion 145, and the magnetic portion 142 can be a magnet and combined with the bottom plate 140 by the positioning portion 145. The circuit board 132 is disposed below the bottom plate 140, and the bottom plate 140 may have an opening 146 to allow the light emitter 134 and the light receiver 136 on the circuit board 132 to protrude from the bottom plate 140 through the opening 146.

The coupling portions 122a and 122b of the first bracket 122 are movably coupled to the coupling member 112 of the keycap 110 and the connecting portion 143 of the bottom plate 140, respectively, and the coupling portions 124a and 124b at the two ends of the second bracket 124 are respectively movable. The coupling member 114 of the keycap 110 and the connecting portion 144 of the bottom plate 140 are coupled to the ground. Thereby, the support mechanism 120 can stably support the movement of the keycap 110 relative to the bottom plate 140.

The magnetic member 160 is disposed between the bottom plate 140 and the key cap 110 corresponding to the magnetic portion 142 and is positioned on the first bracket 122 . Specifically, the first bracket 122 has a card slot 1222, and the magnetic member has a card shaft 162. The card shaft 162 rotatably engages the card slot 1222 to enable the first side 162 of the magnetic member 160 to be movable (eg, rotated). The first bracket 122 is connected. The second bracket 124 has a support portion 1242. The second side 164 of the magnetic member 160 is located on the support portion 1242 so that the second bracket 124 can rotate the magnetic member 160 as the key cap 110 rotates.

The operation of the optical switch button 100 of the tenth embodiment of the present invention will be described later with reference to Figs. 29 to 30. 29 and FIG. 30 are cross-sectional views showing the keycap of the optical switch button according to the tenth embodiment of the present invention along the X-axis at the unpressed position and the trigger position, respectively. As shown in FIG. 29, when the keycap 110 is in the unpressed position, the magnetic member 160 contacts the magnetic portion 142 and generates a magnetic attraction such that the second side 164 of the magnetic member 160 contacts the support portion 1242 of the second bracket 124 and is at a low position. The position blocks the optical signal, so that the optical receiver 136 cannot receive the optical signal.

As shown in FIG. 30, when the keycap 110 is pressed, the second bracket 124 rotates with the downward movement of the keycap 110, so that the support portion 1242 lifts up the second side 164 of the magnetic member 160 and partially accommodates the recess. 116, the magnetic member 160 is moved away from the magnetic portion 142 and located at a high position to open the optical path of the optical signal, thereby enabling the optical receiver 136 to receive the optical signal, thereby triggering the switch module 130 to generate the trigger signal.

31A and 31B are respectively schematic cross-sectional views showing the keycap of the optical switch button in the unpressed position and the trigger position according to the eleventh embodiment of the present invention. As shown in the figure, in the eleventh embodiment, the optical switch button includes a keycap 210, a support mechanism 220, a switch module 230, an elastic member 250, a tactile elastic member 270, and a bottom plate 240. The support mechanism 220 is disposed under the keycap 210 and supports the keycap 210 move up and down. The support mechanism 220 includes a first bracket 222 and a second bracket 224. The elastic member 250 is connected between the first bracket 222 and the second bracket 224. The tactile elastic member 270 has a connecting portion 272, a pressing portion 274, and a striking portion 276. The connecting portion 272 is connected to the first bracket 222 , the pressing portion 274 corresponds to the first bracket 222 , and the striking portion 276 is connected to the pressing portion 274 and is located at the opposite end of the connecting portion 272 . The switch module 230 includes a circuit board 232, a light emitter 234, and a light receiver 236. The light emitter 234 and the light receiver 236 are electrically connected to the circuit board 232. The light emitter 234 emits an optical signal corresponding to the light receiver 236, and the circuit board 232 is disposed on the bottom plate 240.

For example, the first bracket 222 and the second bracket 224 can be pivotally connected to each other such that the support mechanism 220 forms a scissor support mechanism. The elastic member 250 can be implemented as a coil spring, and the two ends of the spring can be respectively positioned on the bottom ends of the first bracket 222 and the second bracket 224 by snapping, snapping, etc., so that the elastic member 250 can follow the first The relative movement of the bracket 222 and the second bracket 224 is elastically deformed, thereby providing a restoring force to return the keycap 210 to the position before the pressing. The connecting portion 272 of the haptic elastic member 270 rotatably connects the first bracket 222 such that the striking portion 276 can rotate as the first bracket 222 and the second bracket 224 move.

As shown in FIG. 31A, when the keycap 210 is in the unpressed position, the elastic member 250 brings the bottom ends of the first bracket 222 and the second bracket 224 relatively close to maintain the keycap 210 in the unpressed position, and the light emitter The 234 and the light receiver 236 are disposed along the connecting direction of the elastic member 250 connecting the first bracket 222 and the second bracket 224. The tapping portion 276 of the tactile elastic member 270 is located above the light path of the light emitter 234 and the light receiver 236.

As shown in FIG. 31B, when the keycap 210 is pressed, the first bracket 222 moves downward with the keycap 210 to press against the pressing portion 274 of the tactile elastic member 270 and stretch the elastic member 250, so that the tapping portion 276 is directed toward Rotating down to strike the circuit board 232 (or the bottom plate 240) and at least partially block the optical signal, thereby The trigger switch module 230 generates a trigger signal.

32A and 32B are respectively cross-sectional views showing the keycap of the optical switch button in the undepressed position and the triggering position according to the twelfth embodiment of the present invention. In the twelfth embodiment, the optical switch button includes a keycap 210, a support mechanism 220, an elastic member 250, and a switch module 230. The structural details and connection relationship of the keycap 210, the support mechanism 220, and the elastic member 250 can be described with reference to FIG. 31A. The difference between the optical switch button of this embodiment and the eleventh embodiment lies in the set positions of the light emitter 234 and the light receiver 236. As shown in FIG. 32A, in this embodiment, the light emitter 234 and the light receiver 236 are respectively disposed on opposite sides of the connecting direction of the elastic member 250 connecting the first bracket 222 and the second bracket 224. As shown in FIG. 32B, when the keycap 210 is pressed, the first bracket 222 horizontally slides with the keycap 210 relative to the circuit board 232 (or the bottom plate 240) to at least partially block the optical signal, thereby triggering the switch module to generate the trigger signal. . In other words, in the embodiment, the light emitter 234 and the light receiver 236 are disposed on opposite sides of the moving path of the first bracket 222 such that the light path of the optical signal intersects with the moving path of the first bracket 222. Therefore, when the keycap 210 is pressed to move the first bracket 222 relative to the first bracket 222, the first bracket 222 moves to the optical path to attenuate the optical signal to trigger the switch module 230 to generate the trigger signal.

The present invention has been described by the above embodiments, but the above embodiments are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to be limiting. It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that the embodiments specifically described herein may have other modifications of the embodiments. Accordingly, the scope of the invention is intended to cover such modifications and are only limited by the scope of the appended claims.

Claims (32)

An optical switch button comprising: a keycap; a support mechanism disposed under the keycap and supporting the keycap to move up/down, the support mechanism having a protrusion; and a switch module comprising a circuit board, An optical transmitter and an optical receiver, the optical transmitter and the optical receiver are electrically connected to the circuit board, and the optical transmitter emits an optical signal corresponding to the optical receiver, wherein when the keycap is not pressed, the optical transmitter The optical signal received by the optical receiver is a first intensity; when the key cap is pressed, the key cap drives the protruding portion to move, so that the protruding portion changes the optical signal received by the optical receiver to be a second The intensity is different from the first intensity to trigger the switch module to generate a trigger signal. The optical switch button of claim 1, wherein the support mechanism comprises an inner bracket and an outer bracket, the inner bracket is pivotally connected to the inner side of the outer bracket to form a scissor support mechanism, and the protrusion is from the inner bracket Extending toward the inner side of one of the inner brackets. The optical switch button of claim 1 or 2, wherein when the key cap is pressed to move the protruding portion, the protruding portion at least partially blocks the optical signal such that the second intensity is less than the first intensity. The optical switch button of claim 1, further comprising a returning mechanism, wherein the returning mechanism is disposed under the keycap to provide a restoring force to return the keycap to a position before pressing after pressing. The optical switch button of claim 4, wherein the returning mechanism comprises a housing and an elastic member, the housing having a resilient member receiving space, the resilient member being disposed in the resilient member receiving space, and The housing is formed by combining an upper housing and a lower housing, and when the key cap is pressed, the protruding portion is Move outside the housing. An optical switch button comprises: a keycap having a protrusion; a support mechanism disposed under the keycap and supporting the keycap to move up/down; a return mechanism disposed under the keycap to provide a Recovering force, the key cap is returned to the position before the pressing, and the returning mechanism comprises a casing and an elastic member, the casing has a resilient member receiving space, and the elastic member is disposed on the elastic member And a switch module comprising a circuit board, a light emitter and a light receiver, the light emitter and the light receiver are electrically connected to the circuit board, and the light emitter is corresponding to the light receiver An optical signal, the light emitter and the light receiver have a light quantity adjustment space, wherein when the key cap is not pressed, the protrusion has a first positional relationship with respect to the light quantity adjustment space, the light receiver The received optical signal is a first intensity; when the keycap is pressed, the key cap drives the protruding portion to move outside the housing, so that the protruding portion has a second positional relationship with respect to the light quantity adjusting space. The first The second positional relationship is different from the first positional relationship. The protruding part changes the optical signal received by the optical receiver to be a second intensity, and the second intensity is different from the first intensity to trigger the generation of the switch module. A trigger signal. The optical switch button of claim 6, wherein the protrusion has a hole, the first positional relationship representing the hole away from the light amount adjustment space, the protrusion at least partially blocking the light receiver receiving The second positional relationship indicates that the hole enters the light quantity adjustment space, and the hole allows the light signal to pass, so that the second intensity is greater than the first intensity to trigger the switch module to generate the trigger signal. The optical switch button of claim 6, wherein the first positional relationship represents that the protruding portion is away from the light amount adjusting space, and the protruding portion does not change the intensity of the optical signal received by the optical receiver; the second positional relationship The protrusion portion enters the light quantity adjustment space, and the protrusion portion attenuates the intensity of the light signal received by the light receiver, such that the second intensity is less than the first intensity, to trigger the switch module to generate the trigger signal. The optical switch button of claim 5 or 6, wherein the housing has an up and down movement passage and a side wall disposed between the upper and lower movement passages and the elastic member accommodation space to partition the upper and lower movement passages And the elastic member accommodating space, when the key cap is pressed, the key cap drives the protruding portion to move downward in the upper and lower movement passages. The optical switch button of claim 9, wherein the circuit board further has a escaping space, the up and down motion channel, the light amount adjusting space and the escaping space are aligned with each other, and when the key cap is pressed, the key cap The protruding portion is driven to move downward from the vertical movement passage, passes through the light amount adjustment space, and enters the escape space. The optical switch button of claim 9, wherein the housing is formed by a combination of an upper housing and a lower housing, the lower housing having a substantially U-shaped horizontal cross section, the upper housing having a left arm portion and a right arm portion protrudes from the lower casing toward each other to form a notch portion between the left arm portion and the right arm portion, wherein the vertical movement passage is located in the notch portion, the light emitter and the light receiver Located below the left arm portion and the right arm portion, respectively. The optical switch button of claim 1 or 6, wherein the support mechanism is a scissor support mechanism, the scissor support mechanism has an inner bracket and an outer bracket, and the inner bracket middle section and the outer bracket middle section are coupled to each other And rotating around a scissor structure axis, the recovery mechanism and the light emitter and the light receiver are both located in a vertical projection area of the inner bracket, and the recovery mechanism is substantially located in the scissors An axial first side of the structural axis, the light emitter and the light receiver being located on an axial second side of the scissor structure axis, the first side of the axis and the second side of the axis being opposite the axis of the scissor structure . The optical switch button of claim 12, wherein the light emitter, the light amount adjustment space, and the light receiver are sequentially arranged along a linear light path that is parallel to the scissor structure axis. The optical switch button of claim 6, wherein the housing is formed by a combination of an upper housing and a lower housing, the lower housing having a deformable portion from the lower housing toward the upper housing Extending in a direction of the housing to correspond to the protruding portion, when the key cap is pressed to move the protruding portion, the protruding portion is pressed against the deformable portion, so that the deformable portion is bent to at least partially block the optical signal, so that The second intensity is less than the first intensity. The optical switch button of claim 6, wherein the housing is formed by a combination of an upper housing and a lower housing, the upper housing having a deformable portion, the deformable portion extending from the upper housing Corresponding to the protruding portion, when the key cap is pressed to move the protruding portion, the protruding portion is pressed against the deformable portion, so that the deformable portion is bent to at least partially block the optical signal, so that the second intensity is smaller than the First strength. The optical switch button of claim 6, further comprising a bottom plate, wherein the circuit board is disposed above the bottom plate, the protruding portion extends from a lower surface of the key cap toward the bottom plate, and the bottom plate has an extended deformable portion The extending deformable portion extends correspondingly to the keycap to at least partially block the optical signal. When the key cap is pressed to move the protruding portion, the protruding portion is pressed against the extended deformable portion, so that the extension can be The deformation portion is deformed to avoid the optical signal such that the second intensity is greater than the first intensity. An optical switch button comprises: a key cap; a support mechanism disposed under the key cap and supporting the key cap to move up/down; a switch module comprising a circuit board, a light emitter and a light receiver The light emitter and the light receiver are electrically connected to the circuit board, and the light emitter emits an optical signal corresponding to the light receiver; and a returning mechanism is disposed under the keycap to provide a restoring force The key cap returns to the position before pressing after pressing, the recovery mechanism includes an elastic member, and the elastic member includes a spring and an extended deformable portion extending from one end of the spring toward the keycap When the keycap is pressed, the keycap is pressed against the extended deformable portion to deform the extended deformable portion to at least partially block the optical signal to trigger the switch module to generate the trigger signal. The optical switch button of claim 17, wherein the returning mechanism further comprises a casing, the casing is combined by an upper casing and a lower casing to define an elastic member receiving space, and the spring is disposed on the elastic The piece of the accommodating space protrudes from the elastic member accommodating space. The optical switch button of claim 5, wherein the upper housing comprises an upper housing portion and a movable portion, the upper housing portion has a through hole and an upper engaging portion, and the movable portion is The upper housing is movably inserted into the through hole to position the elastic member, and the lower housing has a lower engaging portion for engaging with the upper engaging portion to connect the upper housing to the lower housing. The optical switch button of claim 19, wherein the upper housing portion has a notch portion, the light emitter and the light receiver are located on opposite sides of the notch portion and are covered by the upper housing portion, and the Light The signal passes through the notch portion, and when the key cap is pressed to move the protruding portion, the protruding portion moves toward the notch portion to at least partially block the optical signal. The optical switch button of claim 20, wherein the circuit board has a escaping slot, the escaping slot is in communication with the notch portion, and when the protruding portion at least partially blocks the optical signal, the protruding portion enters the through the notch portion Avoid the slot. The optical switch button of claim 5, 14 or 18, wherein the lower housing has a bearing portion, and the returning mechanism is positioned on the circuit board by the bearing portion. The optical switch button of claim 19, wherein the upper housing portion further has a latching portion, and the returning mechanism is positioned on the circuit board by the latching portion. An optical switch button includes: a bottom plate having a magnetic portion; a key cap disposed above the bottom plate; a support mechanism disposed between the key cap and the bottom plate to support movement of the key cap relative to the bottom plate, The support mechanism includes a first bracket and a second bracket, and the first bracket and the second bracket are respectively located on opposite sides of the keycap; a magnetic member is disposed corresponding to the magnetic portion, and the magnetic member has a first a first side of the magnetic member is movably coupled to the first bracket, and the second side of the magnetic member corresponds to the second bracket to contact the magnetic member with the magnetic portion And generating a magnetic attraction to support the keycap in an unpressed position; and a switch module comprising a circuit board, a light emitter and a light receiver, the light emitter and the light receiver being electrically connected to the circuit The light board is disposed along a direction connecting the first side of the magnetic member and the second side, and the light emitter emits an optical signal corresponding to the light receiver. When the key cap is in the unpressed position, the magnetic component blocks the optical signal; when the keycap is pressed, the second bracket moves with the keycap to drive the magnetic component to move away from the magnetic portion, so as to The optical receiver is allowed to receive the optical signal, thereby triggering the switch module to generate a trigger signal. The optical switch button of claim 24, wherein the first bracket has a card slot, and the magnetic member has a card shaft, and the card shaft rotatably engages the card slot to enable the magnetic member One side is movably coupled to the first bracket. The optical switch button of claim 24, wherein the second bracket has a support portion, the second side of the magnetic member is located on the support portion, and the support is supported when the second bracket moves with the key cap The portion lifts the second side of the magnetic member upward to move the magnetic member away from the magnetic portion. An optical switch button comprises: a key cap; a support mechanism disposed under the keycap and supporting the keycap to move up/down, the support mechanism comprises a first bracket and a second bracket; an elastic member, connected Between the first bracket and the second bracket; and a switch module comprising a circuit board, a light emitter and a light receiver, the light emitter and the light receiver are electrically connected to the circuit board, The light emitter emits an optical signal corresponding to the light receiver, wherein when the keycap is pressed, the first bracket slides horizontally with respect to the circuit board to at least partially block the optical signal, thereby triggering the switch The module generates a trigger signal. The optical switch button of claim 27, wherein the light emitter and the light receiver are respectively disposed on opposite sides of the elastic member connected to one of the first bracket and the second bracket. An optical switch button comprises: a key cap; a support mechanism disposed under the keycap and supporting the keycap to move up/down, the support mechanism comprises a first bracket and a second bracket; an elastic member, connected Between the first bracket and the second bracket; a touch-sensitive elastic member having a connecting portion, a pressing portion and a striking portion, the connecting portion connecting the first bracket, the pressing portion corresponding to a bracket, the tapping portion is connected to the pressing portion and located at an opposite end of the connecting portion; and a switch module comprising a circuit board, a light emitter and a light receiver, the light emitter and the light receiving Electrically connecting the circuit board, the light emitter corresponding to the light receiver emitting an optical signal, wherein when the keycap is pressed, the first bracket moves with the keycap to press against the pressing portion, so that the knocking The hitting portion at least partially blocks the optical signal, thereby triggering the switch module to generate a trigger signal. The optical switch button of claim 29, wherein the light emitter and the light receiver are disposed along a direction in which the elastic member is coupled to the first bracket and the second bracket. The optical switch button of claim 1, 6, 17, 24, 27 or 29, further comprising a backlight source, wherein the keycap has a light transmitting portion, the backlight source electrically connecting the circuit board to provide a light toward The light transmitting portion is emitted. The optical switch button of claim 5, 6 or 18, wherein the housing has a grating portion, the grating portion is disposed corresponding to the light emitter or the light receiver to define pressing the keycap to generate the trigger signal Itinerary.