TWI643225B - Scissors support and keyswitch structure - Google Patents

Abstract

A button structure includes a bottom plate, a key cap and a scissor foot support frame connected between the key cap and the bottom plate, and the key cap can move up and down relative to the bottom plate via the scissor foot support frame. The scissor foot support frame includes a first bracket and a second bracket. The first bracket has a first slope. The second bracket is pivotally connected to the inner side of the first bracket, and the second bracket has a second inclined surface. The second inclined surface is opposite to the first inclined surface, and the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface are opposite to each other. It is inclined in the rotation axis. The first bevel is separated from the second bevel when the scissor foot support is in a collapsed state. When the scissor foot support frame is in an unfolded state, the first inclined surface contacts the second inclined surface so that the key cap supported by the scissor foot support frame does not shake.

Description

Scissor foot support frame and button structure

The invention relates to a button structure, in particular to a scissor foot support frame used for a button structure.

In general, the button structure is designed to be smoothly operated, and in principle, a gap is reserved between the members to avoid structural interference or excessive friction when the actuator is actuated. However, the presence of these gaps tends to cause some looseness between the components. For example, in a button structure generally using a scissor foot support frame, the scissor foot support frame includes two mutually pivoted brackets, which are in the process of being actuated (ie, unfolded and folded to move the keycap up and down) except for the pivot. There are no other structural parts in contact with the connected structure. When the keycap is not pressed, the two brackets are in an unfolded state, because the gap between the two is present, the keycap may be shaken, which may affect the user's hand feeling of pressing the keycap.

In view of the problems in the prior art, the present invention provides a scissor-foot support frame for a button structure, wherein opposite sides of the bracket are disposed, and when the scissor-foot support frame is deployed, the inclined surfaces can contact each other to make the scissor-foot support frame Can keep the structure stable.

The scissor foot support according to the present invention comprises a first bracket and a second bracket. The first bracket has a first slope. The second bracket is pivotally connected to the inner side of the first bracket, and the second bracket has a second inclined surface. The second inclined surface is opposite to the first inclined surface, and the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface are opposite to each other. It is inclined in the rotation axis. Wherein, when the scissor foot support frame is in a folded state, the first inclined surface is separated from the second inclined surface; and when the scissor foot support frame is in an unfolded state, the first inclined surface contacts the second inclined surface. Therefore, before the scissor foot support frame is fully deployed, the first inclined surface is separated from the second inclined surface, so that the first bracket and the second bracket can smoothly rotate relative to each other during deployment, without Structural interference or excessive friction; after the scissor foot support frame is fully deployed, the first inclined surface is in contact with the second inclined surface, and the first bracket and the second bracket exhibit a stable unfolded state.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a button structure with opposite inclined faces on the brackets of the scissor foot support frame. When the scissor foot support frame is deployed, the inclined surfaces can contact each other to maintain the structure of the scissor foot support frame. So that the key cap can be kept in a fixed position without shaking.

The button structure according to the present invention comprises a bottom plate, a keycap and the aforementioned scissor foot support frame. The keycap is disposed above the bottom plate. The scissor foot support frame is coupled between the key cap and the bottom plate such that the key cap can move up and down relative to the bottom plate via the scissor foot support frame. Thereby, when the key cap is not pressed, the scissor foot support frame is fully deployed, the first inclined surface is in contact with the second inclined surface, and the first bracket and the second bracket exhibit a stable unfolded state, so that the key cap There is no shaking phenomenon; during the movement of the keycap toward the bottom plate (for example, the user presses the keycap), the first inclined surface is separated from the second inclined surface, and the first bracket and the second bracket can be smoothly The ground is relatively rotated without structural interference or excessive friction, so that the key cap can be smoothly pressed by the user.

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

Please refer to Figure 1 to Figure 4. According to an embodiment, the button structure 1 includes a bottom plate 10, a key cap 12 and a scissor foot support frame 14. The key cap 12 is disposed above the bottom plate 10, and the scissor foot support frame 14 is connected between the key cap 12 and the bottom plate 10. The keycap 12 can be moved up and down relative to the bottom plate 10 via the scissor foot support frame 14. In addition, the button structure 1 further includes a thin film circuit board 16 and an elastic circular protrusion 18 disposed on the bottom plate 10 and having a switch 162 (shown in hatching circles in FIG. 2), the elastic round protrusion 18 The corresponding switch 162 is disposed between the keycap 12 and the thin film circuit board 16. When the keycap 12 is pressed to move toward the bottom plate 10, the keycap 12 elastically presses the elastic knob 18 to trigger the switch 162.

The bottom plate 10 includes a plate body 102, a first lower connecting structure 104 and a second lower connecting structure 106. In practice, the bottom plate 10 can be integrally formed (for example, through metal plate stamping or plastic injection). Or it can be realized by embedding (for example, the plate body 102 is a plastic piece and the connection structures 104, 106 are another metal piece or plastic piece). The keycap 12 includes a cap 122, a first upper connecting structure 124 and a second upper connecting structure 126. In practice, the key cap 12 can be integrally formed (for example, plastic injection) or buried (for example). For example, the cap body 122 is a plastic piece and the connecting structures 124, 126 are in the form of another metal piece or plastic piece.

The scissor foot support frame 14 includes a first bracket 142 and a second bracket 144. The second bracket 144 is pivotally connected to the inner side of the first bracket 142 in a rotation axis A1 (shown by a chain line). The first bracket 142 has a first body 1422, a first upper connecting portion 1424 and a first lower connecting portion 1426. The first body 1422 has a first inclined surface 14222. The first bracket 142 and the bottom plate 10 are connected through the first lower connecting portion 1426 and the first lower connecting structure 104. The first bracket 142 and the keycap 12 are connected through the first upper connecting portion 1424 and the first upper connecting structure 124. The second bracket 144 has a second body 1442, a second upper connecting portion 1444 and a second lower connecting portion 1446. The second body 1442 has a second inclined surface 14422, and the second inclined surface 14422 is opposite to the first inclined surface 14222. The second bracket 144 and the bottom plate 10 are connected to the second lower connecting structure 106 through the second lower connecting portion 1446 , and the second bracket 144 and the key cap 12 are connected through the second upper connecting portion 1444 and the second upper connecting structure 126 . Both the first slope 14222 and the second slope 14422 are inclined with respect to the rotation axis A1. In this embodiment, the first bracket 142 and the second bracket 144 are all annular, but the implementation is not limited thereto; for example, the first bracket 142 or the second bracket 144 has a U shape. Moreover, in practice, the first bracket 142 and the second bracket 144 can be realized by, but not limited to, integral molding (for example, plastic injection).

Please also read Figure 5 and Figure 6. When the keycap 12 is not pressed, the scissor foot support frame 14 is in an unfolded state, as shown in FIG. 5; when the keycap 12 is pressed, the scissor foot support frame 14 is in a collapsed state, as shown in FIG. When the scissor foot support frame 14 is in the collapsed state, the first sloped surface 1422 is separated from the second sloped surface 14422. When the scissor foot support frame 14 is in the unfolded state, the first inclined surface 1422 contacts the second inclined surface 14422; at this time, the first bracket 142 and the second bracket 144 exhibit a stable unfolded state, so that the key cap 12 can stably pass the scissor foot. The support frame 14 is supported on the bottom plate 10 without shaking. In addition, in the embodiment, before the scissor-foot support frame 14 is switched from the unfolded state to the folded state (for example, the key cap 12 is pressed), the first inclined surface 1422 does not contact the second inclined surface 14422, and the first bracket 142 is The opposite side surfaces of the second bracket 144 do not have a large area of contact (or there is a considerable gap), so when the first bracket 142 and the second bracket 144 are relatively rotated, there is not much friction between the two. Therefore, the first bracket 142 and the second bracket 144 can smoothly rotate with each other, which also helps to provide a stable hand feeling of the user, and also helps to avoid shortening the service life of the scissor foot support frame 14. In summary, when the keycap 12 is not pressed, the scissor foot support frame 14 is fully deployed, the first inclined surface 14222 is in contact with the second inclined surface 14422, and the first bracket 142 and the second bracket 144 are in a stable unfolded state, so that the key cap 12 is There is no swaying phenomenon; during the movement of the keycap 12 toward the bottom plate 10 (for example, the user presses the keycap 12), the first inclined surface 14222 is separated from the second inclined surface 14422, and the first bracket 142 and the second bracket 144 can be smoothly performed. The ground is relatively rotated without structural interference or excessive friction, so that the keycap 12 can be smoothly pressed by the user.

In addition, in the present embodiment, the first body 1422 has a first side surface 14224 that faces the second body 1442 of the second bracket 144 and extends perpendicular to the rotation axis A1. The first slope 14222 is coupled to the first side 14224. The second bevel 14422 has an edge 14424 that slidingly contacts the first side 14224. Before the scissor foot support frame 14 is switched from the unfolded state to the folded state (for example, the key cap 12 is pressed), the first inclined surface 1422 does not contact the second inclined surface 14422, but the edge 14424 slides on the first side surface 14224, which has Helping to maintain the relative positions of the first bracket 142 and the second bracket 144 in the rotational axis A1 also helps to suppress the keycap 12 from shaking. In addition, in the present embodiment, the second body 1442 has a surface 14426 extending from the edge 14424 away from the first side 14224. Therefore, the second body 1442 forms a protruding structure edge at the edge 14424 (where the edge 14424 is the same) The second body 1442 is slid on the first side 14224 by the protruding structure edge, which helps to reduce the second body 1442 at the edge 14424 and the first body 1422 (or the first side 14224) ) sliding friction. In addition, in the embodiment, the surface 14426 is the upper surface of the second body 1442 and extends parallel to the rotation axis A1 such that the edge of the protruding structure has an acute angle, but the implementation is not limited thereto. For example, the edge of the protruding structure can be implemented by an obtuse angle edge (in this case, the surface 14426 is not parallel to the rotation axis A1). Moreover, in another embodiment, when the aforementioned surface 14426 is implemented by the second body 1442 toward the first body 1422 and perpendicular to the surface 1427 of the rotation axis A1 (as shown in FIG. 7), the edge 14424 and the surface 14427 Both slide on the first side 14224 at the same time. Since the surface 14427 is only a partial side of the second body 1422, it still helps to reduce the sliding friction between the first body 1422 and the second body 1442.

In addition, in the button structure 1, the edge 14424 of the second body 1442 is slid on the first side 14224 of the first body 1422, but the implementation is not limited thereto, for example, by the structural edge on the first body 1422. The effect of reducing the sliding friction of the first body 1422 and the second body 1442 can also be produced by sliding the surface on the second body 1442. As shown in FIG. 8 and FIG. 9, the second bracket 144 has a second side 14428. The second side 14428 extends toward the first bracket 142 and extends perpendicular to the rotation axis A1. The second slope 1422 is connected to the second side 14428. A bevel 14222 has an edge 14226 that slidably contacts the second side 14428. This structural configuration also helps maintain the relative position of the first bracket 142 and the second bracket 144 in the rotational axis A1, and also helps to suppress the keycap 12 from shaking. In addition, the first bracket 142 has a surface 14228 extending from the edge 14226 away from the second side 14428. Therefore, the first body 1422 forms a protruding structural edge at the edge 14226, and the first body 1422 slides along the protruding structure edge. On the second side 14428, this also produces the effect of reducing the sliding friction of the first body 1422 and the second body 1442. In addition, the previous description of the edge of the protruding structure and its changes is also applicable here, and will not be described again.

In addition, please refer to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3 and FIG. In the button structure 1, the first lower connecting structure 104 of the bottom plate 10 has a receiving space 1042 and a vertical surface 1044. The first lower connecting portion 1426 of the first bracket 142 has a rod portion 14262 and a protruding structure 14264. The rod portion 14262 extends parallel to the rotation axis D1 and is rotatably disposed in the accommodation space 1042. The protrusion structure 14264 protrudes above the rod portion 14262 and abuts against the vertical surface 1044 parallel to the rotation axis D1. This structural configuration helps to reduce structural interference or friction between the first lower connecting structure 104 and the first lower connecting portion 1426 and still maintain the first lower connecting structure 104 and the first lower connecting portion 1426 in the rotating axial direction A1. relative position. In addition, in the present embodiment, the protruding structure 14264 has a protruding structure edge 14266, and the protruding structure 14264 abuts the vertical surface 1044 with the protruding structure edge 14266, which can further reduce the first lower connecting structure 104 and the first The contact area between the lower connecting portions 1426 also helps to reduce the friction between the two.

In addition, please refer to FIG. 1, FIG. 2, FIG. 4 and FIG. In the button structure 1, the second lower connecting structure 106 of the bottom plate 10 has an accommodating space 1062 and a vertical surface 1064. The second lower connecting portion 1446 of the second bracket 144 has a rod portion 14462 and a protruding structure 14464. The rod portion 14462 extends parallel to the rotation axis D1 and is rotatably disposed in the accommodation space 1062. The protrusion structure 14464 protrudes above the rod portion 14462 and abuts against the vertical surface 1064 parallel to the rotation axis D1. Further, the protruding structure 14464 has a protruding structural edge 14466 that abuts the vertical surface 1064 with the protruding structural edge 14466. Similarly, the structural configuration helps to reduce structural interference or friction between the second lower connecting structure 106 and the second lower connecting portion 1446 and still maintain the second lower connecting structure 106 and the second lower connecting portion 1446 in the rotating axial direction. The relative position on A1.

In addition, in the button structure 1, the first inclined surface 14222 and the second inclined surface 14422 are adjacent to the pivotal structure of the first bracket 142 and the second bracket 144 (ie, the shaft of the second body 1442 is inserted into the slot of the first body 1422. The pivotal structure is set, but it is not limited in practice. For example, the first inclined surface 14222 and the second inclined surface 14422 can be disposed away from the pivotal structure of the first bracket 142 and the second bracket 144. In principle, only the scissor foot support frame 14 is required in the unfolded state, the first inclined surface 14222 and the first inclined surface 14222 The two inclined faces 14422 can be in contact with each other, and in the folded state, the first inclined surface 14222 and the second inclined surface 14422 can be separated.

Further, in the key structure 1, for example, in the perspective of FIG. 5 or FIG. 6, the structure of the key structure 1 is bilaterally symmetrical. The foregoing is mainly based on the description of the right side structure of the button structure 1 and the pictorial design. In essence, the foregoing description is equally applicable to the left side structure. For example, in the left side structure of the button structure 1, the first body 1422 of the first bracket 142 has a third inclined surface 14230, the third inclined surface 14230 is opposite to the first inclined surface 14222, and the second body 1442 of the second bracket 144 has a first The four slopes 14430 are opposite to the third slopes 14230. When the scissor foot support frame 14 is in the folded state, the third inclined surface 14230 is separated from the fourth inclined surface 14430. When the scissor foot support frame 14 is in the unfolded state, the third sloped surface 14230 contacts the fourth sloped surface 14430. Since the left and right structures of the scissor foot support frame 14 are symmetrical, when the scissor foot support frame 14 is in the unfolded state, the restraining force between the first bracket 142 and the second bracket 144 is also symmetrical, which is more helpful for the first bracket 142 and The second bracket 144 assumes a stable unfolded state, so that the keycap 12 can be more stably supported on the base plate 10 via the scissor-foot support frame 14 without any wobble. For other descriptions of the structure of the left side of the button structure 1, reference may be made to the related art and will not be described again. In addition, in practice, the structure of the button structure 1 is not limited by the left and right pairs. For example, in the button structure 1, the third inclined surface 14230 and the fourth inclined surface 14430 are removed, and the first inclined surface 1422 and the second inclined surface 14422 can still be used. The first bracket 142 and the second bracket 144 are brought into a function of a stable unfolded state. Moreover, in practice, the first inclined surface 1422 and the second inclined surface 14422 are not limited to a planar shape, and may be, for example, a curved surface. The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present invention, and all changes and modifications made to the scope of the present invention should be within the scope of the present invention.

1‧‧‧Key structure

10‧‧‧floor

102‧‧‧ board

104‧‧‧First lower connection structure

1042‧‧‧ accommodating space

1044‧‧‧Vertical

106‧‧‧Second lower connection structure

1062‧‧‧ accommodating space

1064‧‧‧Vertical

12‧‧‧Key Cap

122‧‧‧Cap

124‧‧‧First upper connection structure

126‧‧‧Second upper connection structure

14‧‧‧Scissor foot support

142‧‧‧First bracket

1422‧‧‧First Ontology

14222‧‧‧First bevel

14224‧‧‧ first side

14226‧‧‧ edge

14228‧‧‧ surface

14230‧‧‧3rd bevel

1424‧‧‧First upper connection

1426‧‧‧First lower connection

14262‧‧‧ Rod

14264‧‧‧Outstanding structure

14266‧‧‧ protruding structure edge

144‧‧‧second bracket

1442‧‧‧Second ontology

14422‧‧‧second slope

14424‧‧‧ edge

14426, 14427‧‧‧ surface

14428‧‧‧ second side

14430‧‧‧4th bevel

1444‧‧‧Second upper connection

1446‧‧‧Second lower connection

14462‧‧‧ Rod

14464‧‧‧Outstanding structure

14466‧‧‧bend edge

16‧‧‧Film board

162‧‧‧ switch

18‧‧‧Flexible round

A1‧‧‧Rotary axis

A, B‧‧‧ direction of view

1 is a schematic diagram of a button structure in accordance with an embodiment. Figure 2 is an exploded view of the button structure of Figure 1. 3 is a schematic view of one of the first brackets of the scissor foot support frame of the button structure of FIG. 1. 4 is a schematic view of a second bracket of one of the scissor foot support frames of the button structure of FIG. 1. Figure 5 is a cross-sectional view of the button structure of Figure 1 taken along line X-X. Figure 6 is a cross-sectional view of the button structure of Figure 1 taken along line X-X when its keycap is depressed. Figure 7 is a partial schematic view of a second stent in accordance with another embodiment. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of a key structure according to another embodiment, the cross-sectional position of which may be referred to the line X-X of FIG. Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view of the button structure of Figure 8 with its keycap pressed. Figure 10 is a side elevational view of the button structure of Figure 1 in the viewing direction A. Figure 11 is a side elevational view of the button structure of Figure 1 in a viewing direction B.

Claims (13)

A scissor foot support frame for a button structure, comprising: a first bracket having a first inclined surface; and a second bracket pivotally connected to the inner side of the first bracket in a rotating direction, the second bracket having a a second inclined surface, the second inclined surface is inclined with respect to the first inclined surface, the first inclined surface and the second inclined surface are opposite to the rotating axial direction; wherein, when the scissor foot support frame is in a folded state, the first inclined surface A bevel is separated from the second bevel, and the first bevel contacts the second bevel when the scissor foot support is in an unfolded state. The scissor-foot support frame of claim 1, wherein the first bracket has a first side facing the second bracket and extending perpendicular to the rotation axis, the first slope and the first side Connected, the second diagonal mask has an edge that slidingly contacts the first side. The scissor foot support of claim 2, wherein the second bracket has a surface from which the surface extends away from the first side. The scissor foot support frame of claim 1, wherein the second bracket has a second side facing the first bracket and extending perpendicular to the rotation axis, the second slope and the second side Connected, the first diagonal mask has an edge that slidingly contacts the second side. The scissor foot support of claim 4, wherein the first bracket has a surface from which the surface extends away from the second side. The scissor-foot support frame of claim 1, wherein the first bracket has a third inclined surface, the third inclined surface is opposite to the first inclined surface, and the second bracket has a fourth inclined surface, the fourth inclined surface is opposite And the third inclined surface is separated from the fourth inclined surface when the scissor foot support frame is in the folded state, and the third inclined surface contacts the first when the scissor foot support frame is in the unfolded state Four bevels. A button structure comprising: a bottom plate; a key cap disposed above the bottom plate; and a scissor foot support frame according to any one of claims 1-6, wherein the scissor foot support frame is coupled between the key cap and the bottom plate, such that The keycap is movable up and down relative to the bottom plate via the scissor foot support frame. The key structure of claim 7, wherein the bottom plate comprises a connecting structure, the connecting structure has an accommodating space and a vertical surface, and the first bracket has a lower connecting portion, the lower connecting portion has a rod portion and a a protruding structure, the rod portion extending parallel to the rotation axis and rotatably disposed in the accommodating space, the protruding structure protruding above the shank portion and abutting the vertical surface parallel to the rotation axis. The key structure of claim 8, wherein the protruding structure has a protruding structural edge, the protruding structure abutting the vertical surface with the protruding structural edge. The key structure of claim 7, wherein the bottom plate comprises a connecting structure, the connecting structure has an accommodating space and a vertical surface, and the second bracket has a lower connecting portion, the lower connecting portion has a rod portion and a a protruding structure, the rod portion extending parallel to the rotation axis and rotatably disposed in the accommodating space, the protruding structure protruding above the shank portion and abutting the vertical surface parallel to the rotation axis. A button structure, comprising: a bottom plate, comprising a second connecting structure, the second connecting structure has a second receiving space and a second vertical surface; a key cap is disposed above the bottom plate; and -6. The scissor foot support frame of any one of the claims, wherein the scissor foot support frame is coupled between the key cap and the bottom plate, such that the key cap can move up and down relative to the bottom plate via the scissor foot support frame, wherein The second bracket has a second lower connecting portion, the second lower connecting portion has a second rod portion and a second protruding portion, the second rod portion extends parallel to the rotating axial direction and Rotatingly disposed in the second receiving space, the second protruding structure protrudes above the second rod portion and abuts the second vertical surface parallel to the rotating axial direction. The key structure of claim 11, wherein the bottom plate comprises a first connecting structure, the first connecting structure has a first receiving space and a first vertical surface, and the first bracket has a first lower connecting portion The first lower connecting portion has a first rod portion and a first protruding portion. The first rod portion extends parallel to the rotating axial direction and is rotatably disposed in the first receiving space. The first protruding structure Projecting parallel to the first axial portion and abutting the first vertical surface parallel to the rotational axis. The key structure of claim 12, wherein the first protruding structure has a protruding structural edge, the first protruding structure abutting the first vertical surface with the protruding structural edge.