TW202027113A - Keyswitch and keyboard thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

A keyswitch includes a cap, a board having a slot, an engaging slot member and a lifting device. First and second bulges are formed at two sides of the slot. The first bulge has a hole. The engaging slot member is connected to the first and second bulges by an integral forming process to be fixed to the slot and has an engaging slot structure and a base having first and second end portions extending from the engaging slot structure toward the first and second bulges to respectively fill the first and second bulges. The first end portion passes through the hole to be connected to the engaging slot structure. The lifting device is movably connected to the cap and the engaging slot member such that the cap can move upward and downward relative to the board via the lifting device.

Description

Keys and keyboard

The present invention relates to a key and a keyboard, in particular to a key and a keyboard in which a slot member is fixed on a bottom plate by injection molding.

In terms of current personal computer usage habits, the keyboard is one of the indispensable input devices for inputting text, symbols or numbers. Not only that, all consumer electronic products in daily life or large-scale processing equipment used in the industry need to have a key structure as an input device to operate the above-mentioned electronic products and processing equipment.

Generally speaking, the common button pressing actuation mechanism adopts the scissor foot lifting support design, that is, two supporting members that are crossed and pivotally connected are used to movably connect to the slot member of the key cap and the pivot member and the slot member of the bottom plate. With the pivoting member, the keycap can move up and down relative to the bottom plate with the cross pivoting of the two supporting members. In the prior art, the above-mentioned slot member and the pivotal member can be respectively injected and molded through slot-shaped openings formed on the bottom plate to fill in the locking convex pockets located on both sides of the slot-shaped opening, so that the card The groove piece and the pivotal piece are fixed on the bottom plate. However, the above-mentioned design is prone to the problem of poor structural joint strength between the latching member and the latching convex hull, so that the latching member often pivots on the latching hull due to excessive force or improper drawing angle by the user. Instead, it falls off from the bottom plate, which causes a lot of inconvenience for the user in disassembling and installing the keys.

Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a key and keyboard for fixing the slot member on the bottom plate by injection molding to solve the above-mentioned problem.

According to an embodiment, the key of the present invention includes a key cap, a bottom plate, a slot member, and a lifting support device. The bottom plate has a groove-shaped opening, a first engaging convex hull and a second engaging convex hull are respectively formed on two sides of the groove-shaped opening and opposite to each other, and the first engaging convex hull has a through hole. The slot member is connected to the first engagement protrusion and the second engagement protrusion by injection molding to be fixed on the slot-shaped opening, the slot member has a slot structure and a fixing base, the A first base end and a second base end are formed by the fixed base extending from the slot structure to the first and second engaging projections respectively, and the first base end fills the The first engaging protrusion passes through the through hole and is connected to the groove structure so that the groove member is fixed to the first engaging protrusion, and the end of the second base fills the second engaging protrusion. The lifting support device is arranged between the keycap and the bottom plate, one end of the lifting support device is movably connected to the keycap, and the other end of the lifting support device is movably connected to the slot member, so that the keycap can The lifting support device moves up and down relative to the bottom plate.

According to another embodiment, the keyboard of the present invention includes a bottom plate and a plurality of keys. The bottom plate has a groove-shaped opening, a first engaging convex hull and a second engaging convex hull are respectively formed on two sides of the groove-shaped opening and opposite to each other, and the first engaging convex hull has a through hole. The plurality of keys are arranged on the bottom plate, and at least one of the plurality of keys includes a key cap, a slot member, and a lifting support device. The slot member is connected to the first engagement protrusion and the second engagement protrusion by injection molding to be fixed on the slot-shaped opening, the slot member has a slot structure and a fixing base, the A first base end and a second base end are formed by the fixed base extending from the slot structure to the first and second engaging projections respectively, and the first base end fills the The first engaging protrusion passes through the through hole and is connected to the groove structure so that the groove member is fixed to the first engaging protrusion, and the end of the second base fills the second engaging protrusion. The lifting support device is arranged between the keycap and the bottom plate, one end of the lifting support device is movably connected to the keycap, and the other end of the lifting support device is movably connected to the slot member, so that the keycap can The lifting support device moves up and down relative to the bottom plate.

Through the above-mentioned design, in addition to using the fixed base to fill the first engaging projection and the second engaging projection through the way of injection molding, the slot member can also use the end of the first base to pass through the through hole. The perforated connection method connected to the slot structure to ensure that the slot member can be firmly combined with the first and second engagement protrusions. Therefore, the present invention can greatly enhance the engagement between the slot member and the bottom plate. The structural joint strength between the engaging convex hull can effectively solve the problem that the card slot member mentioned in the prior art is prone to cause the card groove member to pivot on the engaging convex hull due to excessive force or improper drawing angle caused by the user. The problem of falling off on the bottom plate.

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

Please refer to Figure 1, Figure 2, and Figure 3. Figure 1 is a partially enlarged schematic view of a keyboard 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 2 is an exploded schematic view of the button 14 in Figure 1. FIG. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the keyboard 10 in FIG. 1 along the section line AA. In order to clearly show the internal mechanism design of the key 14, the key cap 24 is shown as a dashed line in the first FIG. As shown in Figs. 1, 2, and 3, the keyboard 10 includes a bottom plate 12 and a plurality of buttons 14 (only one button 14 is briefly shown in Fig. 1). A plurality of buttons 14 are arranged on the bottom plate 12 for the user to press, and then perform the function input by the user. The fixed connection design of the card slot member proposed by the present invention can be applied to at least one of the plurality of keys 14, the number of which depends on the actual application of the keyboard 10. The following is for one of them with the above fixed connection design The key 14 is described. As for the structural design of other keys 14 with the same design, it can be deduced by analogy.

As can be seen from Figures 2 and 3, the bottom plate 12 has a slot-shaped opening 16, and the first engaging convex hull 18 and the second engaging convex hull 20 are respectively formed on both sides of the groove-shaped opening 16 (for example, punching convex The first engaging convex hull 18 has a perforation 22 (the perforation 22 is a circular hole design in the second figure, but it is not limited to this, it can also adopt other shapes of perforation design, such as rectangular Perforation etc.). The button 14 includes a keycap 24, at least one slot member 26 (two are shown in the second figure, but not limited to this), and a lifting support device 28. The slot member 26 is connected to the first engagement projection 18 and the second engagement projection 20 by injection molding to be fixed on the slot opening 16. In this embodiment, the slot member 26 has a slot structure 30 and a fixed base 32. The fixed base 32 extends from the slot structure 30 to below the first engaging protrusion 18 and the second engaging protrusion 20 to form a first base end 34 and a second base end 36 respectively. In this way, through the above-mentioned injection molding process, the first base end 34 and the second base end 36 can be filled with the first engagement protrusion 18 and the second engagement protrusion 20, respectively, and the first base end The system 34 can be connected to the slot structure 30 through the through hole 22 (as shown in FIG. 3 ), so that the slot member 26 can be firmly fixed to the first engagement protrusion 18 and the second engagement protrusion 20. In practical applications, the clamping groove structure 30 may be formed with a clamping end 31 at a position corresponding to the second clamping protrusion 20, whereby the clamping end 31 can clamp the second base end 36 up and down. The two engaging convex hulls 20 can further improve the structural bonding strength between the groove member 26 and the second engaging convex hull 20.

As for the design of the lifting support device 28, it can be seen from Figures 1 to 3 that the lifting support device 28 is arranged between the keycap 24 and the bottom plate 12, and one end of the lifting support device 28 is movably connected to the keycap 24 The other end of the lifting support device 28 is movably connected to the slot member 26. In more detail, in this embodiment, the lifting support device 28 preferably adopts a scissor foot lifting design (but not limited to this). It includes a first support 38 and a second support 40. The first support 38 is rotatably pivotally connected to the keycap 24 and has a sliding portion 42 that is slidably disposed in the slot structure 30 to enable The first support member 38 is slidably connected to the slot member 26, and the second support member 40 is movably connected to the keycap 24 and rotatably pivotally connected to the bottom plate 12 (for example, the second support member shown in Figure 2 One end of the member 40 is pivotally connected to the pivot member 27 on the bottom plate 12) and is pivotally connected to the first support member 38 so that the key cap 24 can move up and down relative to the bottom plate 12 via the lifting support device 28.

In addition, in terms of switch trigger design, as shown in Figures 2 and 3, the keyboard 10 may further include a membrane circuit board 44, which has a switch 45, so that when the keycap 24 is pressed, the key 14 can be pressed against the trigger switch 45 (for example, the elastic body 46 used to drive the keycap 24 to return to the position shown in FIG. 2 is used to trigger the switch 45), so that the button 14 performs the corresponding input function. It should be noted that in the embodiment with the film circuit board 44, the film circuit board 44 may have an escape hole 48 at the position corresponding to the slot member 26, so that the slot member 26 can pass through the escape hole 48 and be fixed to the groove shape. In the opening 16, the portion of the slot member 26 that penetrates the avoidance hole 48 extends toward the film circuit board 44 to form a pad 50 to pad the sliding portion 42 to the engagement height of the slot structure 30, thereby It is ensured that the sliding portion 42 can slide stably in the slot structure 30 without loosening during the relative pivoting of the first support 38 and the second support 40.

Through the above design, since the slot member 26 can use the fixed base 32 to fill the joint design of the first engaging convex hull 18 and the second engaging convex hull 20 by injection molding, it can also use the end of the first base 34 passes through the through hole 22 to be connected to the slot structure 30 (as shown in Figure 3) through the hole connection method to ensure that the slot member 26 can be firmly connected to the first engagement protrusion 18 and the second engagement protrusion 20 Therefore, the present invention can greatly improve the structural bonding strength between the card slot member and the engaging convex hull of the bottom plate, thereby effectively solving the problem that the card slot member mentioned in the prior art is prone to excessive force or force applied by the user. An improper drawing angle causes the problem that the slot member pivots on the engagement protrusion and falls off from the bottom plate.

It is worth mentioning that the design of the engagement between the groove member and the engaging convex hull may not be limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, and a design in which a longitudinal through slot is formed on the engaging convex hull may also be adopted. For example, please refer to Figures 4 and 5. Figure 4 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view of a keyboard 100 according to another embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 5 is an exploded schematic view of the slot member 26 and the bottom plate 102 of Figure 4, here The components described in the embodiments and the above-mentioned embodiments have the same number, which means they have the same structure or function. As shown in Figures 4 and 5, the keyboard 100 includes a bottom plate 102 and a plurality of keys 104. The plurality of keys 104 are provided on the bottom plate 102 for the user to press to perform the functions desired by the user. The bottom plate 102 has The groove-shaped opening 16, the first engaging convex hull 106 and the second engaging convex hull 20 are respectively formed on both sides of the groove-shaped opening 16 and opposite to each other. In this embodiment, the first engaging convex hull 106 may have Perforation 22 (the perforation 22 is a rectangular hole design in Figure 5, but not limited to this) and a gap 108, which extends from the perforation 22 to the slot-shaped opening 16 so as to be on the first engagement protrusion 106 with the perforation 22 A longitudinal through slot 110 is formed together. In this way, it can be seen from Fig. 4 that through the injection molding process, the first base end 34 and the second base end 36 of the fixed base 32 can be filled with the first engaging protrusion 106 and the second engaging protrusion, respectively. The bag 20, and the first base end 34 can be connected to the slot structure 30 through the longitudinal through slot 110, so that the slot member 26 can be firmly fixed to the first engagement protrusion 106 and the second engagement Convex hull 20. As for other related descriptions of the keyboard 100 (such as the design of the clamping end of the second engaging convex hull, the design of the lifting support of the button, the design of the pad of the slot member, etc.), it can be deduced by referring to the above embodiments. This will not be repeated here. The foregoing descriptions are only preferred embodiments of the present invention, and all equivalent changes and modifications made in accordance with the scope of the patent application of the present invention shall fall within the scope of the present invention.

10, 100: keyboard 12, 102: bottom plate 14, 104: Button 16: slot opening 18, 106: the first engagement convex hull 20: The second engagement convex hull 22: Piercing 24: keycap 26: Card slot parts 27: pivot 28: Lifting support device 30: Card slot structure 31: Clamping end 32: fixed base 34: End of the first base 36: second base end 38: The first support 40: second support 42: Sliding part 44: Thin film circuit board 45: switch 46: elastomer 48: Avoidance hole 50: pad 108: gap 110: Longitudinal through slot

Fig. 1 is a partially enlarged schematic diagram of a keyboard according to an embodiment of the invention. Figure 2 is an exploded diagram of the buttons in Figure 1. Figure 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the keyboard of Figure 1 along the section line A-A. FIG. 4 is a schematic partial cross-sectional view of a keyboard according to another embodiment of the invention. Figure 5 is an exploded schematic diagram of the slot member and the bottom plate of Figure 4.

10: keyboard

12: bottom plate

14: Button

18: The first engagement convex hull

20: The second engagement convex hull

22: Piercing

24: keycap

26: Card slot parts

27: pivot

28: Lifting support device

30: Card slot structure

31: Clamping end

32: fixed base

34: End of the first base

36: second base end

38: The first support

40: second support

42: Sliding part

44: Thin film circuit board

48: Avoidance hole

50: pad

Claims (10)

A button that includes: One key cap A bottom plate having a groove-shaped opening, a first engaging convex hull and a second engaging convex hull are respectively formed on two sides of the groove-shaped opening and opposite to each other, and the first engaging convex hull has a through hole; A slot member connected to the first engagement protrusion and the second engagement protrusion by injection molding to be fixed on the slot opening, the slot member has a slot structure and a fixing base , The fixed base extends from the slot structure to the first and second engaging projections to form a first base end and a second base end, and the first base end is filled with The first engaging protrusion is filled and connected to the groove structure through the through hole so that the groove member is fixed to the first engaging protrusion, and the second base end is filled with the second engaging protrusion Package; and A lifting support device is arranged between the keycap and the bottom plate. One end of the lifting support device is movably connected to the keycap, and the other end of the lifting support device is movably connected to the slot member, so that the key The cap can move up and down relative to the bottom plate via the lifting support device. The button according to claim 1, wherein the lifting support device includes a first support and a second support, the first support is rotatably pivoted to the keycap and has a sliding portion, the sliding portion Slidably disposed in the slot structure so that the first support member is slidably connected to the slot member, the second support member is movably connected to the keycap and rotatably pivotally connected to the bottom plate and It is pivotally connected to the first support member so that the key cap can move up and down relative to the bottom plate via the lifting support device. The button described in claim 1, which additionally includes: A thin film circuit board is arranged on the bottom plate and has an escape hole corresponding to the slot member so that the slot member can pass through the escape hole and be fixed on the slot-shaped opening, and the slot member penetrates The part in the avoiding hole extends toward the film circuit board to form a pad to increase the height of the sliding portion to be locked in the slot structure; The thin film circuit board has a switch, and when the key cap is pressed, the key triggers the switch. The button according to claim 1, wherein the first engaging convex hull further has a notch, and the notch extends from the perforation to the groove-shaped opening to form a joint with the through hole on the first engaging convex hull A longitudinal through slot hole, the end of the first base fills the first engaging convex hull and passes through the longitudinal through slot and is connected to the engaging groove structure so that the engaging groove member is fixed to the first engaging convex hull . The button according to claim 1, wherein the slot structure is formed with a clamping end portion corresponding to the position of the second clamping protrusion to clamp the second clamping protrusion up and down with the end of the second base. A keyboard including: A bottom plate having a groove-shaped opening, a first engaging convex hull and a second engaging convex hull are respectively formed on two sides of the groove-shaped opening and opposite to each other, and the first engaging convex hull has a through hole; as well as A plurality of buttons are arranged on the bottom plate, and at least one of the plurality of buttons includes: One key cap A slot member connected to the first engagement protrusion and the second engagement protrusion by injection molding to be fixed on the slot opening, the slot member has a slot structure and a fixing base , The fixed base extends from the slot structure to the first and second engaging projections to form a first base end and a second base end, and the first base end is filled with The first engaging protrusion is filled and connected to the groove structure through the through hole so that the groove member is fixed to the first engaging protrusion, and the second base end is filled with the second engaging protrusion Package; and A lifting support device is arranged between the keycap and the bottom plate. One end of the lifting support device is movably connected to the keycap, and the other end of the lifting support device is movably connected to the slot member, so that the key The cap can move up and down relative to the bottom plate via the lifting support device. The keyboard according to claim 6, wherein the lifting support device includes a first support and a second support, the first support is rotatably pivoted to the keycap and has a sliding part, the sliding part Slidably disposed in the slot structure so that the first support member is slidably connected to the slot member, the second support member is movably connected to the keycap and rotatably pivotally connected to the bottom plate and It is pivotally connected to the first support member so that the key cap can move up and down relative to the bottom plate via the lifting support device. The keyboard according to claim 6, which additionally includes: A thin film circuit board is arranged on the bottom plate and has an escape hole corresponding to the slot member so that the slot member can pass through the escape hole and be fixed on the slot-shaped opening, and the slot member penetrates The part in the avoiding hole extends toward the film circuit board to form a pad to increase the height of the sliding portion to be locked in the slot structure; The thin film circuit board has a switch, and when the key cap is pressed, the key triggers the switch. The keyboard according to claim 6, wherein the first engaging protrusion further has a notch, and the notch extends from the perforation to the groove-shaped opening to form a joint with the through hole on the first engaging protrusion A longitudinal through slot hole, the end of the first base fills the first engaging convex hull and passes through the longitudinal through slot and is connected to the engaging groove structure so that the engaging groove member is fixed to the first engaging convex hull . The keyboard according to claim 6, wherein the slot structure has a clamping end formed at a position corresponding to the second clamping protrusion to clamp the second clamping protrusion up and down with the end of the second base.

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