TWI620222B - Keyswitch and keyboard thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

A button includes a switch unit, a circuit board, and a backplane. The switch unit has two first electrical contacts and a plurality of first positioning portions. The circuit board has two second electrical contacts. The bottom plate is disposed under the circuit board and has a plurality of second positioning portions. The plurality of second positioning portions pass through the circuit board and are respectively combined with the plurality of first positioning portions to fix the switch unit on the circuit board, and the second electrical contacts are contacted with the two first electrical contacts for use The triggering of the switching unit is performed.

Description

Button and its keyboard

The invention relates to a button and a keyboard thereof, in particular to a first positioning portion on a switch unit passing through a circuit board and respectively combined with a second positioning portion on the bottom plate to fix the switch unit on the circuit board and the switch unit The first electrical contact contacts the button of the second electrical contact on the conductive board and its keyboard.

In terms of current personal computer usage habits, the keyboard is one of the indispensable input devices for entering text, symbols or numbers. Moreover, the consumer electronics products that are in contact with everyday life or the large-scale processing equipment used in the industry need to have a button structure as an input device to operate the above-mentioned electronic products and processing equipment.

The common button triggering design is to solder the push button switch unit (for example, using Surface Mounting Technology (SMT)) on the circuit board so that the two electrical contacts of the push button switch unit are crimped onto the circuit board. Corresponding two electrical contacts, whereby when the keycap is pressed down to the trigger position, the button member on the push button switch unit can be triggered to push down the conductive contact as the key cap is pressed The switch on the circuit board performs the function that the user wants to input. However, the above-mentioned button-type switch unit welding process is time-consuming and labor-intensive, and the key-related components need to use a high-temperature resistant material, which causes the button process and design to be unnecessarily restricted and causes assembly inconvenience.

One of the objectives of the present invention is to provide a first positioning portion on a switch unit that passes through a circuit board and is respectively coupled to a second positioning portion on the bottom plate to fix the switch unit to the circuit board and to make the first power of the switch unit The sexual contact contacts the button of the second electrical contact on the circuit board and its keyboard to solve the above problem.

According to an embodiment, the button of the present invention includes a switch unit, a circuit board, and a backplane. The switch unit has two first electrical contacts and a plurality of first positioning portions. The circuit board has two second electrical contacts. The bottom plate is disposed under the circuit board and has a plurality of second positioning portions. The plurality of second positioning portions are passed through the circuit board and respectively coupled to the plurality of first positioning portions, so that the switch unit is fixed on the circuit board, and the two second electrical contacts are in contact with the two first Electrical contacts are used to trigger the switching unit.

In accordance with another embodiment, a keyboard of the present invention includes a plurality of switch units, a circuit board, and a backplane. Each switch unit has two first electrical contacts and a plurality of first positioning portions. The circuit board has two second electrical contacts corresponding to the position of each switch unit. The bottom plate is disposed under the circuit board and has a plurality of second positioning portions corresponding to the positions of the plurality of first positioning portions of each of the switch units. The plurality of second positioning portions are passed through the circuit board and respectively coupled to the plurality of first positioning portions, so that the switch unit is fixed on the circuit board, and the two second electrical contacts are in contact with the two first Electrical contacts are used to trigger the switching unit.

In summary, the first positioning portion on the switch unit passes through the circuit board and is respectively coupled to the second positioning portion on the bottom plate to fix the switch unit on the circuit board and the first electrical contact of the switch unit. The design of the second electrical contact on the contact conducting circuit board can effectively solve the problem that the welding process of the push button switch unit mentioned in the prior art is time-consuming and labor-intensive, and the high-temperature material needs to be selected for the key related component. Thereby greatly improving the efficiency of the button process and the convenience of button assembly.

The advantages and spirit of the present invention will be further understood from the following embodiments and the accompanying drawings.

Please refer to FIG. 1 , which is a perspective view of a keyboard 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1 , the keyboard 10 includes a plurality of buttons 12 , a circuit board 14 , and a bottom plate 16 . The button 12 and the circuit board 14 are all disposed on the bottom plate 16. The button 12 is used for the user to press, thereby performing the function that the user desires to input. The design of the present invention for engaging the positioning portion between the bottom plate and the switch unit to set the switch unit on the circuit board can be applied to at least one of the plurality of buttons 12, the number of which is different from the keyboard 10 Depending on the actual application, the following description will be made for one of the buttons 12 having this design. As for the structural design of the buttons 12 having the same design, it can be deduced.

Please refer to FIG. 2, FIG. 3, and FIG. 4, FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the button 12 and the circuit board 14 and the bottom plate 16 of FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is the button 12 and the circuit board 14 of FIG. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the button 12 and the circuit board 14 and the bottom plate 16 along the section line AA in FIG. 3, wherein the key cap 20 is in the third position in order to clearly show the structural design of the switch unit 18. The figure is only shown in dashed lines and in Figure 4 the illustration of the keycap 20 and the support structure 22 is omitted. As can be seen from FIGS. 2, 3, and 4, the button 12 includes the switch unit 18, the keycap 20, and the support structure 22. The switch unit 18 includes a button member 24 and an elastic member 26 and has two first electrical contacts 28 and a plurality of first positioning portions 30 (the switch unit 18 may have four first positioning portions 30 in this embodiment (but not Subject to this limitation, only two are shown in Figure 2 due to the viewing angle. The button member 24 can have a conductive sheet 32. The conductive sheet 32 can be formed with two bent portions 34 toward the two first electrical contacts 28, respectively, to further ensure that the conductive sheet 32 can be bent when the button member 24 is pressed. The structural design in which the flap portion 34 is bent downward more surely contacts the effect of turning on the two first electrical contacts 28. The resilient member 26 can preferably be a spring (but not limited thereto, which can also be other conventional elastic-providing components, such as shrapnel, etc.) and abuts the button member 24 to provide a resilient force after the button member 24 is pressed. . The keycap 20 is coupled to one end of the button member 24 for ease of pressing by a user. In this embodiment, the support structure 22 is coupled between the keycap 20 and the bottom plate 16 to allow the keycap 20 to move up and down relative to the bottom plate 16, wherein the support structure 22 is preferably a scissor-type support structure (but Without being limited thereto, other common button supporting structures, such as a magnetic button supporting plate structure, may be used, and the related description is common in the prior art, and therefore will not be described again. In short, in this embodiment, The support structure 22 can include a first support member 36 and a second support member 38. The first support member 36 is movably coupled to the keycap 20 and the bottom plate 16, and the second support member 38 is movably coupled to the keycap 20 and the bottom plate 16. And the first support member 36 is pivotally connected to the first support member 36. Thus, through the structural connection design, the key cap 20 can be opposite to the bottom plate 16 in the pressing position and the release position by the first support member 36 and the second support member 38. Exercise.

The circuit board 14 has two second electrical contacts 40 corresponding to the position of the switch unit 18, and the bottom plate 16 is preferably a metal backplane (but not limited thereto) to enhance the support strength of the bottom board 16 to the circuit board 14, and A plurality of second positioning portions 42 are disposed under the circuit board 14 and at positions of the plurality of first positioning portions 30 corresponding to the switch unit 18, and the plurality of second positioning portions 42 are traversable through the circuit board 14 and respectively respectively The first positioning portion 30 is combined. In more detail, in this embodiment, the circuit board 14 may further have an opening 15, the first positioning portion 30 may preferably be a buckle, and the second positioning portion 42 may preferably be In order to make the slot structure of the U-shaped one, but not limited thereto, that is, as long as the first positioning portion on the switch unit is passed through the circuit board, respectively, combined with the second positioning portion on the bottom plate to enable The design of the switch unit being fixed on the circuit board and contacting the first electrical contact of the switch unit with the second electrical contact on the conductive circuit board is within the protection scope of the present invention.

Through the above design, the first positioning portion 30 can be engaged with the U-shaped snap groove structure of the second positioning portion 42 with the hook structure after the second positioning portion 42 passes through the opening 15 to make the switch unit 18 The two second electrical contacts 40 are respectively fixed to the two first electrical contacts 28 for the user to perform the pressing triggering operation of the subsequent switching unit 18. In this way, the first positioning portion on the switch unit passes through the circuit board and is respectively coupled with the second positioning portion on the bottom plate to fix the switch unit on the circuit board and contact the first electrical contact of the switch unit. The design of the second electrical contact on the conductive circuit board, the invention can effectively solve the problem that the welding process of the push button switch unit mentioned in the prior art is time-consuming and labor-intensive, and the key-related components need to use the high temperature resistant material, thereby Greatly improve the efficiency of the button process and the convenience of button assembly.

Here, the trigger design of the button 12 will be described. Referring to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5, FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the button member 24 of FIG. 4 pressed to the pressing position. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, when the button member 24 is pressed from the release position as shown in FIG. 4 to the pressing position as shown in FIG. 5, the conduction piece 32 can follow the button member 24. The position shown in FIG. 4 is moved downward to the position shown in FIG. 5, and the two first electrical contacts 28 are respectively contacted via the two bent portions 34, whereby the second board on the circuit board 14 The two electrical contacts 40 can be electrically connected through the conduction circuit established by the two first electrical contacts 28 and the conduction plate 32 when the button member 24 is moved to the pressing position as shown in FIG. 5, thereby completing the switch. The unit 18 is turned on to generate a corresponding trigger signal, so that the button 12 can perform the function that the user desires to input.

It is to be noted that the triggering design of the switch unit is not limited to the resilience of the button member after the button member is pressed by the elastic member and the contact of the conductive member of the button member with the conductive member of the button member. In other words, as long as it is a design that is commonly used in button design for switching triggering, it can be used in the present invention. For example, in another embodiment, the button provided by the present invention can be transmitted through the switch unit. When the circuit board is fixed on the circuit board, the triggering of the switch unit is completed by directly contacting the two second electrical contacts on the conductive circuit board by using the two first electrical contacts. In addition, the above-mentioned keycap and support structure are selectively omitting configurations to further simplify the design of the button mechanism provided by the present invention. For example, in the embodiment in which the configuration of the keycap and the support structure is omitted, the present invention The design of the switch unit can be triggered by the button member being biased by the elastic member only on the button member to move up and down with respect to the bottom plate between the pressing position and the release position and by directly pressing the button member.

In addition, the configuration of the support structure may not be limited to the above embodiment, and a design in which the support structure is disposed in the switch unit may be employed. For example, refer to FIG. 6, FIG. 7, and FIG. FIG. 6 is a schematic exploded view of the button 12 ′ and the circuit board 14 and the bottom plate 16 according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 7 is a schematic view showing the assembly of the button 12 ′ and the circuit board 14 and the bottom plate 16 of FIG. 6 . 8 is a cross-sectional view of the button 12' of FIG. 7 and the circuit board 14 and the bottom plate 16 along the section line BB. In order to clearly show the design of the switch unit 18', the key cap 20 is only dotted with a dotted line in FIG. Brief. The components described in this embodiment are the same as those described in the above embodiments, and have similar functions or structures, and will not be described again. As shown in FIG. 6, FIG. 7, and FIG. 8, the button 12' includes a switch unit 18', a keycap 20, and a support structure 22', the switch unit 18' includes a button member 24' and an elastic member 26 and has The first electrical contact 28 and the plurality of first positioning portions 30 are disposed in the switch unit 18' to move the button member 24' up and down in the switch unit 18', wherein the support structure 22' Preferably, the scissor-type support structure (but not limited thereto), in short, in this embodiment, the support structure 22' may include a first support member 36' and a second support member 38', The first support member 36' is movably coupled to the button member 24' and the switch unit 18', the second support member 38' is movably coupled to the button member 24' and the switch unit 18' and intersects the first support member 36' The pivoting member is configured to move the button member 24' between the pressing position and the releasing position in the switching unit 18' by the first supporting member 36' and the second supporting member 38'. . As for other related descriptions of the button 12' (such as the pressing of the button member, the combination of the first positioning portion of the switch unit and the second positioning portion of the bottom plate, etc.), it can be analogized with reference to the above embodiment, so This will not be repeated here. The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present invention, and all changes and modifications made to the scope of the present invention should be within the scope of the present invention.

10‧‧‧ keyboard

12, 12’‧‧‧ button

14‧‧‧ boards

15‧‧‧ openings

16‧‧‧floor

18, 18’‧‧‧ Switching unit

20‧‧‧Key Cap

22, 22’‧‧‧Support structure

24, 24'‧‧‧ button pieces

26‧‧‧Flexible parts

28‧‧‧First electrical contact

30‧‧‧First Positioning Department

32‧‧‧Connecting film

34‧‧‧Bend section

36, 36'‧‧‧ first support

38, 38’‧‧‧second support

40‧‧‧Second electrical contacts

42‧‧‧Second Positioning Department

1 is a perspective view of a keyboard according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the explosion of the button and circuit board of the first figure and the bottom plate. Fig. 3 is a schematic view showing the assembly of the button and the circuit board and the bottom plate of Fig. 2. Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of the button and circuit board of Figure 3 and the bottom plate along section line A-A. Fig. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view showing the button member of Fig. 4 pressed to the pressing position. Figure 6 is a schematic exploded view of a button and a circuit board and a backplane according to another embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 7 is a schematic view showing the assembly of the button and the circuit board and the bottom plate of Fig. 6. Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of the button and circuit board of Figure 7 and the bottom plate along section line B-B.

Claims (14)

A button includes: a switch unit having two first electrical contacts and a plurality of first positioning portions, the switch unit comprising a button member and an elastic member, the elastic member abutting the button member to provide the button The resilient force of the button member is pressed, the button member has a conductive sheet, and the conductive sheet has two bent portions respectively formed toward the two first electrical contacts; and a circuit board having two second electrical connections And a bottom plate disposed under the circuit board and having a plurality of second positioning portions; wherein the plurality of second positioning portions pass through the circuit board and are respectively combined with the plurality of first positioning portions, so that The switch unit is fixed on the circuit board. When the button member is pressed, the two bent portions respectively contact the two first electrical contacts with the button member to turn on the second electrical contacts. Point to generate a trigger signal. The button of claim 1, wherein the bottom plate is a metal bottom plate. The button of claim 1, further comprising a keycap connected to one end of the button member. The button of claim 3, further comprising a support structure connected between the keycap and the bottom plate to enable the keycap to be moved up and down relative to the bottom plate or disposed in the switch unit and connected The button member is configured to move the button member up and down in the switch unit. The button of claim 4, wherein the support structure is a scissor-type support structure. The button of claim 1, wherein the circuit board further has an opening, and the plurality of second positioning portions pass through the opening and are combined with the plurality of first positioning portions. The button of claim 1, wherein each of the second positioning portions is U-shaped. A keyboard comprising: a plurality of switch units, each switch unit having two first electrical contacts and a plurality of first positioning portions, each switch unit comprising a button member and an elastic member, the elastic member abutting a button member for providing a resilient force after the button member is pressed, the button member having a conductive sheet, wherein the conductive sheet is respectively formed with two bent portions toward the two first electrical contacts; a circuit board corresponding to each a switch unit has two second electrical contacts; and a bottom plate disposed under the circuit board and having a plurality of second positioning portions corresponding to the positions of the plurality of first positioning portions of each of the switch units; The plurality of second positioning portions pass through the circuit board and are respectively combined with the plurality of first positioning portions to fix the switch unit to the circuit board. When the button member is pressed, the two bending portions are A trigger signal is generated as the button member contacts the two first electrical contacts downwardly to turn on the two second electrical contacts. The keyboard of claim 8, wherein the bottom plate is a metal base plate. The keyboard of claim 8, further comprising a plurality of key caps, each key cap being connected to one end of the corresponding button member. The keyboard of claim 10, further comprising a plurality of support structures, each support structure Connecting between the corresponding key cap and the bottom plate such that the corresponding key cap can be moved up or down relative to the bottom plate or disposed in the corresponding switch unit and connected to the corresponding button member to make the corresponding button member Move up and down in the corresponding switch unit. The keyboard of claim 11, wherein each support structure is a scissor-type support structure. The keyboard of claim 8, wherein the circuit board further has an opening, and the plurality of second positioning portions pass through the opening and are combined with the plurality of first positioning portions. The keyboard of claim 8, wherein each of the second positioning portions is U-shaped.