TWI631588B - Keyboard switch assembly and keyboard - Google Patents

Abstract

A button assembly includes a bottom plate, a push button switch, a keycap and at least one buffer structure. The push button switch includes a base having a cavity and a mechanical shaft. The base is embedded in the bottom plate. A portion of the mechanical shaft is disposed within the base and the mechanical shaft is movable relative to the base. The key cap is sleeved on the mechanical shaft and moves toward or away from the bottom plate along with the mechanical shaft. The cushioning structure is located on the bottom plate, the keycap or the base such that the cushioning structure can be compressed between the bottom plate and the keycap or between the base and the keycap. A keyboard employing the key assembly is also disclosed herein.

Description

Button component and keyboard containing the same

The invention relates to the field of keyboard technology, in particular to a button assembly having a buffer structure and a keyboard having the button assembly.

With the advancement of technology, a variety of electronic products, such as desktop computers, notebook computers, etc., have become one of the essential tools for people to live and work. Among them, the keyboard is one of the main operating devices of the above electronic products. Common keyboards on the market are mainly divided into mechanical keyboards and membrane keyboards. The mechanical keyboard is popular among consumers because of its better touch and long service life.

However, as the market competition becomes more and more fierce, in order to increase its competitiveness, it is necessary to improve the problem of the current mechanical keyboard. For example, in a conventional mechanical keyboard, there is a mechanical shaft in the button. When the key cap disposed above the mechanical shaft is pressed, the key cap will push the mechanical axial downward motion to trigger the signal predetermined by the button. When the keycap is pressed to the bottom, the mechanical pressure is supported by the pressing force. However, when the keycap is subjected to excessive pressure rails or keycaps due to improper use, the mechanical shaft may be damaged by excessive force, thereby shortening its service life and even directly causing damage to the mechanical shaft.

The present invention provides a key assembly and a keyboard including the same, thereby solving the problem that the mechanical shaft is easily affected by improper use of an excessive pressure rail or the like.

The button assembly disclosed in the present invention comprises a bottom plate, a push button switch, a key cap and at least one buffer structure. The push button switch includes a base having a cavity and a mechanical shaft. The base is embedded in the bottom plate. A portion of the mechanical shaft is disposed within the base and the mechanical shaft is movable relative to the base. The key cap is sleeved on the mechanical shaft and moves toward or away from the bottom plate along with the mechanical shaft. The cushioning structure is located on the bottom plate, the keycap or the base such that the cushioning structure can be compressed between the bottom plate and the keycap or between the base and the keycap.

The keyboard disclosed in the present invention comprises a keyboard housing, a plurality of key assemblies as described above, and a circuit board. The button assembly and the circuit board are all located in the keyboard housing, and the button assemblies are electrically connected to the circuit board.

In the button assembly and the keyboard disclosed in the present invention, a buffer structure may be disposed between the bottom plate and the key cap or between the base and the key cap to enable the buffer structure to be compressed between the bottom plate and the key cap or the base and the key cap. Between the impact force of the key cap downward movement can be absorbed by the buffer structure to reduce the impact force generated by the mechanical shaft and the internal structure, thereby reducing damage to the mechanical shaft, thereby prolonging the life of the mechanical shaft.

The above description of the disclosure and the following description of the embodiments of the present invention are intended to illustrate and explain the spirit and principles of the invention.

The embodiment of the present invention provides a button assembly suitable for preventing violent pressing or abnormal use. In addition to the key cap and the key switch, the button element further adds a supporting structure such as a buffering member at the bottom of the key cap, or is used for installing a button. A support structure corresponding to the bottom position of the keycap is added to the bottom plate of the switch, or a support structure for supporting the keycap is added to the base of the key switch, or a support structure for resisting the key switch is added to the inner side wall of the keycap . When the button is pressed to the bottom or almost to the end, the added support structure can support the bearing weight transmitted by the key cap, and the mechanical bearing is prevented from being subjected to excessive external force and thus affecting the life. Therefore, when encountering abnormal use conditions, such as vigorously tapping a button, dropping a heavy object on a button, or accidentally pressing a button on a pet, the support structure can protect the mechanical shaft from damage.

The detailed features and advantages of the present invention are set forth in the detailed description of the embodiments of the present invention. The objects and advantages associated with the present invention can be readily understood by those skilled in the art. The following examples are intended to describe the present invention in further detail, but are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

Embodiment 1

First, please refer to FIG. 1 to FIG. 2, which are perspective views of a button assembly according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an exploded view of the button assembly of FIG. 1 according to the present invention. This embodiment provides a button assembly 1a that can be applied to a keyboard of an electronic product such as a notebook computer or a desktop computer to trigger a specific signal on the keyboard. As shown in FIG. 1 to 2, in the embodiment, the button assembly 1a includes a button switch 10, a keycap 20, a bottom plate 30 and at least one buffer structure 40. The bottom plate 30 is a flat plate structure for mounting the push button switch 10; the key cap 20 is sleeved above the push button switch 10 and is displaced toward or away from the bottom plate 30 by the push button switch 10 to convert the pressing force on the key cap 20 The switch signal is located between the bottom plate 30 and the keycap 20.

In detail, the push button switch 10 includes a base 11 and a mechanical shaft 14 according to a cavity. A portion of the mechanical shaft 14 is disposed in a cavity (not shown) of the base 11 and is detachably connected or fixedly coupled to the base 11. The top of the mechanical shaft 14 protrudes from the base 11 and is detachably coupled to the keycap 20 or The package is fixedly connected. The base 11 is embedded in the bottom plate 30. The base 11 is provided with two pins (not labeled). The base 11 can be inserted into the base plate 30 and inserted into the circuit board 50 under the bottom plate 30 to be electrically connected to the circuit board 50. Thus, the pressing force on the keycap 20 can be converted into a switching signal to the circuit board 50 to make the line clear. The circuit board 50 is further connected to the electrical common signal in the electronic product via a trace (not shown) or a simple line transmission, but the present invention is not limited to the circuit board 50. It can be understood that more button components 1a can be disposed on the circuit board 50, so that a keyboard can be formed (as shown in FIG. 8).

In the present embodiment, the keycap 20 can be in a release position (the position where the keycap 20 is not pressed) and an end position (the position when the keycap 20 is pressed to the key limit). Inter-activity (such as the up and down movement shown in Figure 3D), but please elaborate on the details. Further, the present invention is not limited to the number of the key switches 10 and the keycaps 20 on the bottom plate 30. In the actual situation, the bottom plate 30 is a road to set a plurality of sets of the key switch 10 and the keycap 20.

The buffer structure 40 is protruded from a part or all of the circumference of the keycap 20 to the bottom plate 30. In the present embodiment, the shape of the keycap 20 toward the bottom plate 30 is square, and the buffer structure 40 is protruded from the four corners of the square road of the keycap 20 to the bottom plate 30. Of course, the cushioning structure 40 can also be written on the four sides of the square road of the keycap 20 that face the bottom plate 30 (for example, the second embodiment described below). Even when the keycap 20 is no longer a square as shown outside, but when he is shaped, the cushioning structure 40 can also be placed in the shape of the keycap of his shape to the periphery of the bottom plate, which may be partially externally Convex in the circumference. In addition, the buffer structure 40 is composed of an elastic material having compressible characteristics, such as a rubber outer plastic, but the invention is not limited thereto. For example when he implemented In an example, the cushioning structure 40 can also be a compression spring. In a particular implementation, the buffer structure 40 generally satisfies: it does not affect function and life after impact. It will be apparent that the cushioning structure 40 can withstand greater pressures, and the strength of the cushioning structure 40 for the mechanical shaft 14 is typically higher than the compressive strength of the mechanical shaft 14 at the time of the number.

In another implementation, the bottom plate 30 needs to be satisfactory: it does not affect the function and life of the mechanical shaft 14 after impact. For example, assuming that the bottom plate 30 below the keycap 20 is just metal, it can be subjected to pressure. Since the bearing energy of the metal base plate 30 corresponding to the pressure is much larger than the bearing energy of the mechanical shaft 14, it is difficult to deform the general impact, and the outer casing is deformed due to the life and the like, and the function of the mechanical shaft 14 is not affected. Therefore, the mechanical shaft 14 is more securely protected.

Next, please refer to the outer 3A~3D. The outer 3A is a side cross section when the key cap of the assembled key assembly according to the present invention is located at the release position, and the outer 3B is assembled according to the other 1 according to the present invention. The key cap of the button assembly is located at the pivot position (corresponding to the position of the button assembly and the circuit board electrically illuminating the position corresponding to the corresponding signal of the button assembly), and the outer 3C is according to the present invention. The buffer structure of the assembled outer button assembly is connected to the shaft bottom plate (for example, when facing the book base plate), and the outer 3D is the key cap of the assembled button assembly according to the present invention. The side of the position is outside the section. The key line 20 and the buffer structure 40 of the outer 3A are indicated by broken lines in the outer 3B to 3D.

First, as shown in the outer 3A, the key cap 20 is located at the aforementioned release position. The release position may be a position when the keycap 20 is not pressed, which is the farthest from the position of the bottom plate 30. Accordingly, the cushioning structure 40 on the keycap 20 is also located away from the bottom plate 30. In this case, the mechanical shaft 14 maintains the two pins (not labeled) inside the base 11 in an unclear state, so that the upper number predetermined by the button assembly 1a is not issued.

Next, as shown in FIG. 3B, the keycap 20 is pressed to move downward from the release position of FIG. 3A to a book issuing position. During this process, the positional power of the keycap 20 is D1, and the keycap 20 is guided to move downward with the mechanical shaft 14 and is rotated by the mechanical shaft 14 when the keycap 20 reaches the book issuing position. The two pins (not labeled) inside the base 11 are driven to electrically connect the circuit board 50 to issue the upper number predetermined by the button assembly 1a.

Then, as shown in FIG. 3C, the pressing on the application key cap 20 will smoothly move the keycap 20 downward from the book issuing position of FIG. 3B, and the buffer structure 40 on the keycap 20 can be connected to the book bottom plate 30, and possibly even Slightly deformed. It can be seen that the keycap 20 is electrically driven downward from the release position of FIG. 3A until the positional power of the buffer structure 40 to the book backplane 30 is D2.

As shown in FIG. 3D, the keycap 20 can be continuously pressed down to the aforementioned time-shaped position. The time position can be the extreme position at which the keycap 20 can be moved downwards, i.e., the keycap 20 can be mechanically configured to be depressed to a low position. It can be seen that the total amount of electric power of the keycap 20 from the release position of Fig. 3A down to the time position is D3. And in this process, the buffer structure 40 is compressed between the keycap 20 and the bottom plate 30 to absorb the impact from the keycap 20, thereby slowing the impact of the mechanical shaft 14 and the internal structure. At the same time, the cushioning structure 40 can also serve as a support for the keycap 20 to share the pressure applied to the mechanical shaft 14. In addition, in the case of FIG. 3D, the buffer structure 40 may not reach a large compression limit, and the invention is not limited thereto.

Please refer to FIGS. 3A to 3D for the most key comparison. The key assembly of the first invention can satisfy the following conditions (no D3>D2>D1).

Wherein, D1 is the amount of electric power of the keycap from the release position to the trigger position (it can be said that the position of the keycap from the release position to the time-shaped position until the button assembly is triggered), D2 is the key cap self. The release position is electrically driven in the direction of the time-shaped position until the buffer structure contacts the amount of potential of the bottom plate, and D3 is the total amount of displacement of the keycap between the release position and the time-shaped position.

It can be understood that the user can also control the force of pressing the keycap 20 to move the keycap 20 to the trigger position to trigger the button assembly 1a, and it is not necessary to press the keycap 20 to the time-shaped position in operation, the first invention is not This is limited to this.

Of course, the impact force of the keycap 20 is absorbing by the cushioning structure 40 when the pressure rail is too large to produce the downward movement as shown in FIGS. 3B to 3D. The cushioning structure 40 can reduce the impact force generated by the mechanical shaft 14 after receiving the impact and the internal structure, thereby reducing damage to the mechanical shaft 14, thereby extending the service life of the mechanical shaft 14.

In addition, since these buffer structures 40 are evenly disposed on the bottom of the keycap 20 (such as the four corners), it helps to balance the keycap 20 to avoid the problem that the keycap 20 is skewed due to unintended operation. Reduce the chance of damage to the mechanical shaft 14.

Then, it should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the foregoing embodiments, as long as the embodiment in which the buffer structure is located between the bottom plate and the keycap or between the base and the keycap is within the scope of the present invention, for example, in the second embodiment. The description of five.

Embodiment 2

Please refer to FIG. 4. FIG. 4 is an exploded view of the button assembly according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Since the present embodiment is similar to the structure of the first embodiment, only the differences will be described. The present embodiment provides a button assembly 1b that includes at least one buffer structure 41, such as four buffer structures 41, which are disposed on the four sides of the keycap 20 toward the bottom plate 30.

Embodiment 3

Please refer to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the button assembly according to the third embodiment of the present invention. Since the present embodiment is similar to the structure of the first embodiment, only the differences will be described. This embodiment provides a button assembly 1c that includes a buffer structure 42 that is disposed at an edge of the keycap 20 toward the bottom plate 30.

Embodiment 4

Please refer to FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is an exploded view of the button assembly according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. Since the present embodiment is similar to the structure of the first embodiment, only the differences will be described. The present embodiment provides a button assembly 1d including a plurality of buffer structures 43 protruding from the side of the bottom plate 30 toward the keycap 20 and adjacent to the four corners of the base 11 and corresponding keys. The four corners of the bottom of the cap 20 are. That is, the buffer structure 43 is located on the bottom plate 30 corresponding to the position where the key cap 20 falls on the bottom plate 30.

Embodiment 5

Please refer to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is an exploded view of the button assembly according to the fifth embodiment of the present invention. Since the present embodiment is similar to the structure of the first embodiment, only the differences will be described. The present embodiment provides a button assembly 1e including a plurality of buffer structures 44 disposed on a side of the base 11 facing the keycap 20 and corresponding to an inner wall surface (not labeled) of the keycap 20. It can be understood that the existence of the buffer structure does not affect the normal operation of the key cap and the key switch. For example, the height of the buffer structure is lower than the height of the mechanical shaft, but the key cap can be supported when the key cap is pressed to avoid the mechanical bearing being oversized. External force. Of course, the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, in other embodiments, the buffer structure may also be disposed on the inner wall surface of the keycap 20, and corresponding to the position of the buffer structure 44 disposed on the base 11 in FIG.

Next, please refer to FIG. 8. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a keyboard according to an embodiment of the invention. As shown, a keyboard 9 is provided which includes a keyboard housing 91, a plurality of key assemblies 1a as described in the first embodiment, and a circuit board 50 as previously described. The button assembly 1a and the circuit board 50 are both disposed in the keyboard housing 91. The button components 1a are electrically connected to the circuit board 50 and can be used to trigger respective predetermined signals. However, the keyboard 9 is not limited to the button assembly 1a described in Embodiment 1. The user can replace the button component 1a on the keyboard 9 with the button component described in other embodiments, such as the button component 1b. ~1e.

It can be seen from the above that in the button assembly and the keyboard including the same, the buffer structure can be arranged between the bottom plate and the key cap or between the base and the key cap so that the buffer structure can be compressed on the bottom plate and the key. Between the caps or between the base and the keycap, the impact force of the downward movement of the keycap can be absorbed by the buffer structure to reduce the impact force generated by the mechanical shaft and the internal structure, thereby reducing damage to the mechanical shaft, thereby extending The service life of the mechanical shaft.

Although the present invention has been disclosed above in the foregoing embodiments, it is not intended to limit the invention. It is within the scope of the invention to be modified and modified without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. Please refer to the attached patent application for the scope of protection defined by the present invention.

1a, 1b, 1c, 1d, 1e‧‧‧ button components

9‧‧‧ keyboard

10‧‧‧Key switch

11‧‧‧Base

14‧‧‧ mechanical shaft

20‧‧‧Key Cap

30‧‧‧floor

40, 41, 42, 43, 44‧‧‧ buffer structure

50‧‧‧ boards

91‧‧‧ Keyboard in body

D1‧‧‧ The amount of displacement of the keycap from the release position toward the time-shaped position until the button assembly is triggered

D2‧‧‧The amount of displacement of the keycap from the release position toward the time-shaped position until the buffer structure initially touches the bottom plate

Total displacement of the D3‧‧‧ keycap between the release position and the time position

1 is a structural view of a key assembly according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is a perspective view of the button assembly of Figure 1 in accordance with the present invention.

Figure 3A is a side cross-sectional view of the assembled key assembly of Figure 1 in accordance with the present invention in a release position.

Figure 3B is a side cross-sectional view of the assembled key assembly of Figure 1 in accordance with the present invention in a triggered position.

3C is a side cross-sectional view showing the buffer structure of the assembled key assembly of FIG. 1 in accordance with the present invention in contact with the bottom plate.

Figure 3D is a side cross-sectional view of the assembled key assembly of Figure 1 in accordance with the present invention in an end position.

4 is a diagram of a button assembly according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 5 is an exploded view of a key assembly in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6 is an exploded view of a button assembly in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is an exploded view of a button assembly according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 8 is a perspective view of a keyboard according to an embodiment of the invention.

Claims (9)

A button assembly, the item comprising: a bottom plate; a button switch, the item comprising a base according to the cavity and a mechanical shaft, the base is embedded in the bottom plate, part of the mechanical shaft is disposed in the base, and the machine The shaft is movable relative to the base; a keycap is sleeved on the mechanical shaft to sequentially move from the release position, the trigger position to the end position with the mechanical phase moving toward the bottom plate, wherein the key cap When the trigger position is located, the button switch triggers a predetermined signal; and is released to a buffer, located on the bottom plate or the key cap, wherein the key cap is uncompressed from the release position to the trigger position a first displacement amount of a buffer release is D1, and a second displacement amount of the key cap from the release position to simultaneous contact with the bottom plate to a buffer release is D2, and the key cap is from the release position to The termination position is compressed with the bottom plate to a third displacement amount to D3, and it satisfies the following condition: D3>D2>D1. The button assembly of claim 1, wherein the to-buffering release shaft is disposed on a possible partial or full circumference of the keycap facing the bottom plate. The key assembly of claim 2, wherein a face of the keycap facing the bottom plate is square, and the plurality of buffers are released into a plurality of buffers, respectively protruding from a square of the keycap facing the bottom plate. Corners and/or sides. The button assembly of claim 1, wherein the inward buffering is convexly disposed on the bottom plate and corresponds to a position of the keycap at the bottom plate. The button assembly of claim 1, wherein the to-buffer release is disposed on an inner wall surface of the key cap toward the base. The button assembly of claim 1, wherein the to-one buffer release is released by an elastic material having compressible properties, or the release to a buffer is a compression spring. The button assembly of claim 1, wherein the plate press strength to the buffer release is greater than the plate press strength of the mechanical phase. The button assembly of claim 1, wherein the plate press strength of the bottom plate is greater than the plate press strength of the mechanical phase. A keyboard comprising: a keyboard housing; a plurality of button assemblies according to any one of claims 1 to 8; and a circuit board, wherein the button assemblies and the circuit board are located in the keyboard housing, and The button components are electrically connected to the circuit board.