TWI721887B - Keyboard - Google Patents

Abstract

A keyboard includes a base plate, a circuit board, and at least one keyswitch assembly. The circuit board is disposed on the bottom plate. The keyswitch assembly includes a housing, a keycap, and a rotating member. The housing is disposed on the circuit board and has an entrance and a guiding channel communicated with each other. The keycap includes a plunger. The plunger inserts into the guiding channel from the entrance and is configured to slide along the guiding channel. The rotating member is rotatably engaged with the housing and rollably abuts against the plunger in the guiding channel.

Description

keyboard

The present invention relates to a keyboard.

In terms of current personal computer usage habits, the keyboard is one of the indispensable input devices for inputting characters or numbers. Not only that, for example, all consumer-grade electronic products in daily life or large-scale processing equipment used in the industry need to be equipped with keys as input devices to operate the above-mentioned electronic products and processing equipment. However, in the production process of the keyboard, due to the tolerances of the various parts of the keyboard, the gap between the keys and the casing may be large. Therefore, when the button is pressed, if the button is not pressed vertically, the button will be tilted and rubbed against the housing, making the pressing not smooth, and it is more likely that the button cannot be smoothly returned to the unpressed position after being pressed. . Or after a long time of use, some keys may not be pressed smoothly due to some reasons (for example, accumulation of dirt or wear of parts), which affects the user's feel when using the keyboard.

Therefore, how to propose a keyboard that can solve the above problems is one of the problems that the industry urgently wants to invest in research and development resources to solve.

In view of this, one purpose of the present invention is to provide a keyboard that can solve the above-mentioned problems.

In order to achieve the above objective, according to one embodiment of the present invention, a keyboard includes a bottom plate, a circuit board, and at least one key assembly. The circuit board is arranged on the bottom plate. The key assembly includes a housing, a key cap and a rotating part. The shell is arranged on the circuit board and has a communicating entrance and a guiding channel. The key cap contains the plunger. The plunger is inserted into the guide channel from the inlet and is configured to slide along the guide channel. The rotating member is rotatably connected with the housing and rotatably abuts against the plunger in the guiding channel.

In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the rotating member includes a rotating shaft portion and a rolling portion. The shaft part is pivotally connected with the housing. The rolling part is coupled with the rotating shaft part and rotatably abuts against the plunger.

In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the shaft portion and the rolling portion together constitute a single structure.

In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the rolling portion is a roller rotatably sleeved on the shaft portion.

In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the rolling part is a bearing sleeved on the shaft part.

In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the housing further has a receiving portion. The accommodating part communicates with the guiding channel. The rotating part is connected with the shell in the containing part.

In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the rotating member includes a rolling part. The rolling part and the plunger are in rolling contact with each other. The accommodating part has an inner opening. In the longitudinal section passing through the accommodating portion and the rolling portion, the diameter of the rolling portion is smaller than the width of the inner opening.

In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the accommodating portion further has an outer opening. In the longitudinal section, the diameter of the rolling part is larger than the width of the outer opening.

In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the button assembly further includes a cover. The cover is coupled to the outer wall surface of the shell and covers the outer opening of the accommodating part.

In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the button assembly further includes a ring-shaped cover. The ring-shaped cover is sleeved on the outside of the casing and covers the outer opening of the accommodating part.

In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the plunger includes at least one abutting wall and two fasteners. The abutting wall is located between the two fastening parts. The rotating member rotatably abuts against the abutting wall. The two fasteners are coupled with the shell.

To sum up, in the keyboard of the present invention, when the key cap is pressed down so that the plunger moves in the guide channel of the housing, the rotating member rotatably abuts the plunger in the guide channel , You can improve the smoothness of operating the key assembly, and effectively avoid the problem of key stuck.

The above description is only used to illustrate the problem to be solved by the present invention, the technical means to solve the problem, and the effects produced by it, etc. The specific details of the present invention will be described in detail in the following embodiments and related drawings.

Hereinafter, a plurality of embodiments of the present invention will be disclosed in drawings. For clear description, many practical details will be described in the following description. However, it should be understood that these practical details should not be used to limit the present invention. That is to say, in some embodiments of the present invention, these practical details are unnecessary. In addition, in order to simplify the drawings, some conventionally used structures and elements will be shown in a simple schematic manner in the drawings. The same reference numerals will be used to indicate the same or similar elements in all the drawings.

Please refer to Figure 1. FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of a keyboard 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 1, the keyboard 100 of this embodiment can be an external keyboard for use by a desktop computer (for example, a keyboard with a PS2 interface or a keyboard with a USB interface) or an input device that includes keys (for example, a notebook computer). On the touchpad), but not limited to this. In other words, the concept of the keyboard 100 of the present invention can be applied to any electronic product that uses pressing as an input method. The structure and function of each element included in the keyboard 100 and the connection relationship between the elements will be described in detail below.

Please also refer to Figure 2A, Figure 2B and Figure 3. FIG. 2A is a partial three-dimensional assembly diagram of the keyboard 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2B is an exploded view showing the key assembly 200 in FIG. 2A. Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the structure in Figure 2A along the cutting line 3-3. As shown in FIGS. 1 to 3, the keyboard 100 includes a bottom plate 110, a circuit board 120, and a plurality of key assemblies 200. The circuit board 120 is disposed on the bottom plate 110. Each of FIG. 2A to FIG. 3 only shows one of the key assemblies 200. The key assembly 200 includes a housing 210, a key cap 220 and a reset member 230. The housing 210 is disposed on the circuit board 120. The gap between the housing 210 and the circuit board 120 can be adjusted. The housing 210 has a communicating inlet 211, a guiding channel 212 and an accommodating space 213. The accommodating space 213 is wider than the guiding channel 212. The key cap 220 includes a pressing portion 221 and a plunger 222 connected to each other. The pressing portion 221 is configured for the user to press. The plunger 222 is connected to the bottom surface of the pressing portion 221, is inserted into the guide channel 212 through the inlet 211, and is configured to slide along the guide channel 212. The reset member 230 is disposed between the circuit board 120 and the key cap 220 and at least partly located in the accommodating space 213. The plunger 222 abuts against the top of the reset member 230, and the circuit board 120 abuts against the bottom of the reset member 230.

Specifically, when the keycap 220 receives an external force and is pressed down, the plunger 222 of the keycap 220 protrudes downward into the accommodating space 213 and presses the resetting member 230, and the resetting member 230 correspondingly generates a top support The resistance of the plunger 222 further provides the user's pressing feeling. In some embodiments, the button assembly 200 may also include a linkage and/or a balance assembly (not shown). Guided by the linkage and/or the balance assembly, the pressed keycap 220 can be moved to the lowest position. After the external force applied to the keycap 220 is released, the resetting member 230 can restore the previously pressed keycap 220 to the highest position (that is, the position when the keycap 220 does not receive an external force) by its own resistance.

In some embodiments, the restoring member 230 may be an elastic body, such as a rubber dome, but the invention is not limited to this. In practical applications, the reset member 230 can also be replaced with other components with similar functions, such as metal shrapnel, mechanical switches, magnetic components, and trigger the circuit board 120 in an appropriate manner (for example, through deformation, linear displacement, swing, etc.) On the switch circuit.

In some embodiments, the circuit board 120 is a membrane switch, but the invention is not limited to this. For example, a membrane switch includes a lower membrane layer, an upper membrane layer, and a spacer layer (not shown) separating the two membrane layers. The spacer layer has a through hole located directly under the key cap 220. The lower film layer and the upper film layer respectively include a circuit and a plurality of conductive contacts. When the keycap 220 is not pressed, the conductive contact points on the upper film layer and the conductive contact points on the lower film layer are separated on both sides of the spacer layer and are electrically separated. When the keycap 220 is pressed and moved toward the bottom plate 110, the keycap 220 will directly or indirectly push the upper film layer into the through hole of the spacer layer, so that the conductive point on the upper film layer passes through the through hole and contacts the lower The guiding point of the film layer (that is, the triggering behavior, in this embodiment, the upper film layer is pushed by the reset member 230 deformed by the squeeze of the key cap 220, so that the guiding point of the upper film layer contacts the lower film The conductive contact of the layer to trigger the switch circuit). Thereby, the circuit board 120 can then generate a trigger signal corresponding to the pressed key assembly 200.

As shown in FIGS. 2A to 3, the key assembly 200 further includes two rotating members 240. The two rotating members 240 are respectively located on opposite sides of the housing 210 and are rotatably connected to the housing 210. Each rotating member 240 and the plunger 222 rollably abut in the guiding channel 212. Specifically, two accommodating portions 214 are respectively provided on opposite sides of the housing 210. The accommodating portion 214 communicates with the guiding channel 212. The two rotating members 240 and the housing 210 are respectively engaged in the two accommodating portions 214, and the axis of the rotating member 240 is substantially perpendicular to the lifting path during the pressing process of the keycap 220. Through the aforementioned structural configuration, the rotating member 240 can roll against the plunger 222 while the keycap 220 is being pressed down, thereby improving the smoothness of operating the key assembly 200 and effectively avoiding the problem of key jamming. .

Please refer to FIG. 4, which is a perspective view of the keycap 220 in FIG. 2A. As shown in FIGS. 2B and 4, the plunger 222 of the keycap 220 includes two abutting walls 222a, four outer protrusions 222b, and a connecting rib 222c. The two abutting walls 222a extend from the bottom surface of the pressing portion 221, and are opposite and parallel to each other, for example, parallel to the direction Z. The direction Z is perpendicular to the bottom surface of the pressing portion 221. The outer sides of the two abutting walls 222a respectively abut the two rotating members 240 in a rolling manner. In some embodiments, the inner edge contour of the inlet 211 and the outer edge contour of a cross section of the plunger 222 (for example, the cross section parallel to the direction X and the direction Y shown in Figure 4) are substantially rectangular, and such The design can be applied to function keys, but the present invention is not limited to this. In practical applications, the aforementioned inner contour of the inlet 211 and the aforementioned outer contour of the plunger 222 can also be substantially square or circular, and such a design can be applied to a normal key. In other words, the inner edge profile of the inlet 211 and the outer edge profile of the plunger 222 in the cross section described above can be substantially rectangular, square or circular, and not limited thereto.

Two opposite edges of each abutting wall 222a are respectively connected to two of the outer protrusions 222b. The four outer protrusions 222b protrude more laterally than the two abutting walls 222a, for example, in the direction X and the direction Y shown in FIG. 4. The direction X and the direction Y are parallel to the bottom surface of the pressing portion 221. In detail, the two abutting walls 222a are located in the cubic space surrounded by the four outer protrusions 222b. Thereby, when the plunger 222 is inserted into the guide channel 212 through the inlet 211, the outer arc surface of the outer protrusion 222b can effectively reduce the insertion obstacle, so that the plunger 222 can be inserted smoothly. In practical applications, the number of the abutting wall 222a, the outer protrusion 222b, and the connecting rib 222c included in the keycap 220 can be flexibly increased or decreased according to actual requirements. For example, in an application where the aforementioned outer edge contour of the plunger 222 is substantially circular, the plunger 222 may include an abutting wall 222a without the outer protrusion 222b.

The connecting rib 222c is connected between the two abutting walls 222a, and is coplanar with the end surface of the abutting wall 222a away from the pressing portion 221. Thereby, the two abutting walls 222a and the connecting rib 222c can abut against the top of the restoring member 230 together.

In addition, the plunger 222 of the keycap 220 further includes two fasteners 222d. The two fastening members 222d extend from the bottom surface of the pressing portion 221, and are respectively located between two ends of the two abutting walls 222a. In other words, the abutting wall 222a is located between the two fastening members 222d. The housing 210 further includes two buckling portions 216 (see FIG. 2B). The two buckling portions 216 respectively extend from two sides of the entrance 211 to the center of the entrance 211 opposite to each other. In this embodiment, the two buckling members 222d and the two buckling portions 216 are both in the shape of a hook, but it is not limited to this. When the plunger 222 is inserted into the guiding channel 212 through the inlet 211, the two buckling parts 222d will be pressed through the two buckling parts 216 respectively. After the plunger 222 is inserted into the guide channel 212, the reset member 230 will apply force to make the two buckling parts 222d respectively buckle to the two buckling parts 216, and the two buckling parts 216 can block the two buckling parts 222d. Thus, the plunger 222 is prevented from escaping from the inlet 211.

In practical applications, the number of rotating members 240 included in the key assembly 200 can be flexibly increased or decreased according to actual requirements.

In some embodiments, each rotating member 240 includes a rotating shaft portion 241 and a rolling portion 242. The rotating shaft portion 241 is pivotally connected to the housing 210 in the corresponding receiving portion 214. Each accommodating portion 214 has an inner opening 214a. The rolling portion 242 is coupled to the shaft portion 241, and a part of the rolling portion 242 enters the guiding channel 212 through the corresponding inner opening 214a, so as to abut the plunger 222 in a rolling manner.

In some embodiments, in a longitudinal section passing through the receiving portion 214 and the rolling portion 242 (such as the cross-sectional view shown in FIG. 3), the diameter D of the rolling portion 242 is smaller than the width W1 of the corresponding inner opening 214a. Thereby, the rotating member 240 can be installed in the corresponding accommodating portion 214 from the inside of the housing 210 through the corresponding inner opening 214a. Although the width W1 of the inner opening 214a is larger than the diameter D of the rolling portion 242, the reasons why the rolling portion 242 does not fall out of the inner opening 214a are at least as follows: (1) The connecting structure of the housing 210 for connecting the shaft portion 241 is Water drop hole, so the shaft portion 241 can be freely rotated in the water drop hole after being squeezed into the water drop hole; and (2) after the keycap 220 is assembled, due to gravity, the rolling portion 242 will interact with the receiving portion 214 If the inner surface is in contact, even if the aforementioned water drop hole is worn out due to excessive use or elastic aging, the inner surface of the receiving portion 214 can still be supported, and the rolling portion 242 will not fall out of the receiving portion 214.

In some embodiments, the shaft portion 241 and the rolling portion 242 together form a single structure. In practical applications, the rotating shaft portion 241 and the rolling portion 242 may be integrally formed using plastic through, for example, an injection molding process.

In some embodiments, the rolling portion 242 is a roller rotatably sleeved on the shaft portion 241. In this way, an additional degree of freedom can be added between the roller and the rotating shaft portion 241, thereby further increasing the smoothness of rolling of the rotating member 240 as a whole.

In some embodiments, the rolling portion 242 is a bearing sleeved on the shaft portion 241. For example, the bearing may be a ball bearing, which includes an inner ring, an outer ring, and a plurality of balls that are rotatably connected between the inner ring and the outer ring. The inner ring is sleeved on the shaft portion 241. The outer ring is rotatable relative to the inner ring via balls, and can roll against the plunger 222. Thereby, two additional degrees of freedom can be added between the inner ring and the ball and between the ball and the outer ring, respectively, so as to further increase the rolling smoothness of the rotating member 240 as a whole.

In some embodiments, each accommodating portion 214 further has an outer opening 214b. In other words, the accommodating portion 214 is a through hole. In a longitudinal section (such as the section view shown in Fig. 3), the diameter D of the rolling portion 242 is larger than the width W2 of the corresponding outer opening 214b. Thereby, after the rotating member 240 is installed in the corresponding accommodating portion 214, the rotating member 240 will not fall out of the housing 210 through the corresponding outer opening 214b.

Please refer to FIG. 5, which is a partial cross-sectional view of a keyboard 100A according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 5, in this embodiment, the keyboard 100A includes a bottom plate 110, a circuit board 120, and a key assembly 200. These components are the same or similar to the embodiment shown in Figure 3. Therefore, you can refer to the aforementioned related descriptions. I won’t repeat them here. At least one difference between this embodiment and the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 is that this embodiment further includes two cover bodies 350. The two cover bodies 350 are coupled to the outer wall surface 215 of the housing 210 and respectively cover the outer openings 214 b of the two accommodating portions 214. In this way, external dirt (for example, dust or liquid) can be effectively prevented from entering the housing 210 through the containing portion 214 to affect the operation of the key assembly 200.

In some embodiments, the two cover bodies 350 are adhered to the outer wall surface 215 of the housing 210. In some other embodiments, the two cover bodies 350 are detachably engaged with the outer wall surface 215 of the housing 210.

Please refer to FIG. 6, which is a partial cross-sectional view of a keyboard 100B according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 6, in this embodiment, the keyboard 100B includes a bottom plate 110, a circuit board 120, and a key assembly 200. These components are the same or similar to the embodiment shown in Fig. 3. Therefore, reference may be made to the aforementioned related descriptions. I won’t repeat them here. Compared with the embodiment shown in FIG. 3, this embodiment has at least one difference in that this embodiment further includes a ring-shaped cover 450. The ring-shaped cover 450 is sleeved outside the housing 210 and covers the outer openings 214b of the two accommodating parts 214. In this way, it is also possible to effectively prevent external dirt from entering the housing 210 through the receiving portion 214 and affecting the operation of the key assembly 200.

From the above detailed description of the specific embodiments of the present invention, it can be clearly seen that, in the keyboard of the present invention, when the key cap is pressed down so that the plunger moves in the guide channel of the housing, by The rotating member rolls against the plunger in the guide channel, which can improve the smoothness of the operation of the key assembly and effectively avoid the problem of key jamming.

Although the present invention has been disclosed in the above embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Anyone who is familiar with the art can make various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection of the present invention The scope shall be subject to those defined by the attached patent scope.

100, 100A, 100B: keyboard 110: bottom plate 120: circuit board 200: Button assembly 210: Shell 211: Entrance 212: Guidance Channel 213: accommodating space 214: Containment Department 214a: inner opening 214b: Outer opening 215: Outer Wall 216: Fastening part 220: keycap 221: pressing part 222: Plunger 222a: against the wall 222b: Outer convex column 222c: connecting rib 222d: Fastener 230: reset piece 240: rotating parts 241: Shaft 242: Rolling part 350: cover 450: Ring cover D: diameter W1, W2: width X, Y, Z: direction

In order to make the above and other objectives, features, advantages and embodiments of the present invention more comprehensible, the description of the accompanying drawings is as follows: FIG. 1 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of a keyboard according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2A is a partial three-dimensional assembly diagram of a keyboard according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2B is an exploded view showing the button assembly in Figure 2A. Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of the structure in Figure 2A along the cutting line 3-3. Figure 4 is a perspective view of the keycap in Figure 2A. Figure 5 is a partial cross-sectional view of a keyboard according to an embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view of a keyboard according to an embodiment of the present invention.

100: keyboard

110: bottom plate

120: circuit board

200: Button assembly

210: shell

211: Entrance

212: Guidance Channel

213: accommodating space

214: Containment Department

214a: inner opening

214b: Outer opening

215: Outer Wall

220: keycap

221: pressing part

222: Plunger

222a: against the wall

230: reset piece

240: rotating parts

241: Shaft

242: Rolling part

D: diameter

W1, W2: width

Claims (11)

A keyboard, comprising: a bottom plate; A circuit board arranged on the bottom plate; and At least one button component, including: A shell, which is arranged on the circuit board and has an inlet and a guide channel in communication with each other; A key cap including a plunger inserted into the guide channel through the inlet and configured to slide along the guide channel; and A rotating part is rotatably connected with the housing and rotatably abuts against the plunger in the guiding channel. The keyboard according to claim 1, wherein the rotating member includes: A rotating shaft part pivotally connected to the housing; and A rolling part is coupled to the rotating shaft part and rotatably abuts against the plunger. The keyboard according to claim 2, wherein the shaft portion and the rolling portion together form a single structure. The keyboard according to claim 2, wherein the scroll part is a scroll wheel rotatably sleeved on the shaft part. The keyboard according to claim 2, wherein the rolling part is a bearing sleeved on the shaft part. The keyboard according to claim 1, wherein the housing further has an accommodating portion, the accommodating portion communicates with the guiding channel, and the rotating member and the housing are connected in the accommodating portion. The keyboard according to claim 6, wherein the rotating member includes a rolling portion, the rolling portion is rotatably abutted with the plunger, the containing portion has an inner opening, and the rolling portion is connected to the rolling portion when passing through the containing portion. On a longitudinal section of the part, a diameter of the rolling part is smaller than a width of the inner opening. The keyboard according to claim 7, wherein the accommodating portion further has an outer opening, and in the longitudinal section, the diameter of the rolling portion is larger than a width of the outer opening. The keyboard according to claim 6, wherein the at least one key component further includes: A cover is coupled to an outer wall surface of the casing and covers an outer opening of the accommodating part. The keyboard according to claim 6, wherein the at least one key component further includes: A ring-shaped cover is sleeved outside the shell and covers an outer opening of the accommodating part. The keyboard according to claim 1, wherein the plunger includes at least one abutting wall and two fastening members, the at least one abutting wall is located between the two fastening members, and the rotating member and the abutting wall can be Rolling abutting, the two fasteners are coupled with the shell.

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