TWI781565B - Keyboard devic and key structure - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention discloses a keyboard device including plurality of key structures. Each key structure includes a key bottom plate, a key cap, a connecting component, and at least one stopper. The key cap is disposed above the key bottom plate. The connecting component is disposed between the key cap and the key bottom plate, the key cap moves up and down relative to the key bottom plate through the connecting component, and the connecting component includes at least one abutting member. The stopper is disposed on the key bottom plate, and the stopper extends in a direction close to the keycap and is located on one side of the abutting member, and the stopper has a surface facing the abutting member. When the key cap is pressed, the abutting member of the connecting component abuts against the stopper, and when the key cap moves down toward the key bottom plate by the connecting component, the abutting member is driven through the connecting component to move along the surface of the stopper.

Description

Keyboard device and key structure thereof

The invention relates to the field of input devices, in particular to a keyboard device and its key structure.

With the rapid development of science and technology, the vigorous development of electronic equipment has brought a lot of convenience to human life, so how to make the operation of electronic equipment more humanized is an important issue. Common input devices of electronic equipment include a mouse device, a keyboard device, and a trackball device, among which the keyboard device can be used for users to directly input characters and symbols into the computer, so it is highly valued.

The keyboard device includes multiple key structures, and each key structure mainly includes sequentially stacked key caps, scissor-type connection components, thin film circuit boards, and key bottom plates. Backlight module. Specifically, a membrane switch is provided on the membrane circuit board, and an elastic element is arranged between the key cap and the membrane circuit board. The first frame is the second frame, so the first frame and the second frame can swing relative to each other. Wherein, when the keycap of any key structure is pressed and moves downward relative to the key bottom plate, the first frame and the second frame of the scissor-type connection assembly will change from the open-close state to the folded state, and move downward The keycap will squeeze the elastic element, so that the elastic element will touch and trigger the corresponding membrane switch, so that the keyboard device will generate a corresponding key signal. And when the key cap of the key structure is no longer pressed, the key cap will move upward relative to the key bottom plate in response to the elastic restoring force of the elastic element, and at this time the first frame and the second frame will change from the overlapping state to the open state. and the keycap will return to its original position.

However, the disadvantage of the conventional keyboard device is that when any corner of the key structure is pressed, the scissors connection assembly will be deformed due to uneven force, and during the deformation process of the scissors connection assembly, the key The cap does not move downward relative to the key bottom plate to cause the problem of idle travel, and then cause the problem that the membrane switch on the thin film circuit board cannot be triggered and cause the delay of the key signal. Therefore, how to improve the above problems is actually the focus of attention of relevant people in the field.

One of the objects of the present invention is to provide a keyboard device, the connecting assembly of the key structure has at least one abutment, and the key bottom plate has at least one stopper, when the keycap is pressed, the abutment is against the The stopper, and when the keycap moves down through the connecting component, the abutment moves along the surface of the stopper, effectively solving the problem of idle travel.

Another object of the present invention is to provide a button structure, the connection assembly has at least one abutment, and the bottom plate of the key has at least one stopper, when the keycap is pressed, the abutment abuts against the stopper , and when the keycap is moved down by the connecting component, the abutting member moves along the surface of the stopper, effectively solving the problem of idle travel.

Other purposes and advantages of the present invention can be further understood from the technical features disclosed in the present invention.

To achieve one or part or all of the above objectives or other objectives, the present invention provides a keyboard device, which includes a plurality of key structures, each key structure includes a key bottom plate, a key cap, a street assembly and at least one stopper. The key cap is arranged on the top of the key bottom plate. The connection component is arranged between the key cap and the key bottom plate. The key cap moves up and down relative to the key bottom plate by connecting the components. The connection assembly includes at least one abutment. The stopper is arranged on the key bottom plate, and the stopper extends toward the direction close to the keycap and is located on one side of the abutment of the connecting component, and the stopper has a surface facing the abutment. When the keycap is pressed, the abutting part of the connecting component abuts against the stopper, and when the keycap is moved down toward the bottom plate of the key by the connecting component, the abutting part is driven by the connecting component to move Move along the face of the stopper.

In an embodiment of the present invention, when the keycap is pressed, the connection assembly deforms to drive the at least one abutting member to abut against the at least one stopper.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned keyboard device further includes a thin film circuit board, the thin film circuit board is disposed between the keycap and the key bottom plate, the thin film circuit board has a hollow area, and at least one stopper faces the direction close to the keycap Extending through the hollow area to be located on one side of at least one abutting piece of the connecting component.

In an embodiment of the present invention, when the keycap moves upward and away from the key bottom plate through the connecting component, at least one abutting member of the connecting component breaks away from at least one stopper, so that at least There is a gap between one abutment piece and at least one stopper piece.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned at least one stopper is integrally formed with the button bottom plate.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above connection assembly further includes an outer frame and an inner frame. The outer frame includes a first pivotal portion and a second pivotal portion, the first pivotal portion is pivotally connected to the key cap, and the second pivotal portion is pivotally connected to the key bottom plate. The inner frame is pivotally connected to the outer frame. The inner frame includes a third pivotal portion and a fourth pivotal portion. The third pivotal portion is pivotally connected to the keycap, and the fourth pivotal portion is pivotally connected to the key base. During the lifting and moving process of the connecting component relative to the key bottom plate, the keycap drives the outer frame and the inner frame to swing with the pivot joint between them as the fulcrum.

In an embodiment of the present invention, at least one abutting piece of the above-mentioned connection assembly is connected to one side of the outer frame and is located between the first pivotal portion and at least one stopper, and at least one stopper is located at the second between the pivotal portion and at least one abutting piece.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the number of the above-mentioned at least one abutting piece is two, and the number of the at least one stopper is two, and these abutting pieces are respectively located on opposite sides of the outer frame, and these stoppers are disposed opposite each other such that the connection assembly is located between these stoppers.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the above-mentioned connection assembly is a scissors type connection assembly.

The present invention further provides a key structure, including a key bottom plate, a key cap, a connecting component and at least one stopper. The key cap is arranged on the top of the key bottom plate. The connecting component is arranged between the key cap and the key bottom plate. The key cap moves up and down relative to the key bottom plate through the connecting component. The connecting component includes at least one abutting piece. The stopper is arranged on the key bottom plate, and the stopper extends toward the direction close to the keycap and is located on one side of the abutment of the connecting component, and the stopper has a surface facing the abutment. When the keycap is pressed, the abutting part of the connecting component abuts against the stopper, and when the keycap is moved down toward the bottom plate of the key by the connecting component, the abutting part is driven by the connecting component to move Move along the face of the stopper.

In the keyboard device according to the embodiment of the present invention, the connecting component of the key structure has at least one abutting element, and is matched with at least one stopper disposed on the key bottom plate. When the corner of the keycap is pressed, the connecting component drives the abutment against the stopper located on the key bottom plate, and when the keycap moves down and moves towards the key bottom plate through the connecting component, it abuts against the stopper. The part is driven by the connection assembly to move along the surface of the stopper. Under such a structural design, when the corner of the keycap is pressed, the deformation of the connecting group is greatly reduced, so that the keycap can smoothly move down and move toward the bottom plate of the key through the connecting component without creating an empty stroke. question.

In order to make the above and other objects, features and advantages of the present invention more comprehensible, preferred embodiments will be described in detail below together with the attached drawings.

1: Keyboard device

10: Button structure

101: Button bottom plate

102: Keycap

103: Connect components

104: stopper

105: Thin film circuit board

1030: abutting piece

1031: Outer frame

1032: inner frame

1040: surface

1050: Hollow area

A1: The first pivot joint

A2: The second pivot joint

A3: The third pivot joint

A4: The fourth pivot joint

G: Gap

Z: area

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the appearance and structure of a keyboard device according to an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the key structure of the keyboard device shown in FIG. 1 .

FIG. 3 is a schematic top view of the button structure shown in FIG. 2 omitting the keycap.

FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view along line AA shown in FIG. 2 .

FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the button structure shown in FIG. 4 after being pressed.

FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged view of the area Z shown in FIG. 4 .

Please refer to FIG. 1 to FIG. 5 . FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the appearance and structure of a keyboard device according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a schematic perspective view of the key structure of the keyboard device shown in FIG. 1 . FIG. 3 is a schematic top view of the button structure shown in FIG. 2 omitting the keycap. FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view along line AA shown in FIG. 2 . FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the button structure shown in FIG. 4 after being pressed. FIG. 6 is a partially enlarged view of the area Z shown in FIG. 4 .

As shown in FIG. 1 , the keyboard device 1 includes a plurality of key structures 10, which can be classified into general keys, number keys, and function keys, etc., which are respectively pressed by the user's fingers to make the keyboard device 1 produce corresponding The corresponding key signals are sent to the computer, and then the computer executes the corresponding functions. For example, the general keys are used to input symbols such as English letters, the number keys are used to input numbers, and the function keys are used to provide various shortcut functions, such as F1~F12, etc. .

The detailed structure of the key structure 10 of the keyboard device 1 of the embodiment of the present invention will be further described below.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 6 , the key structure 10 of this embodiment includes a key bottom plate 101 , a key cap 102 , a connecting component 103 and at least one stopper 104 . The keycap 102 is disposed above the key base 101 . The connecting component 103 is disposed between the keycap 102 and the key base 101 , the keycap 102 can move up and down relative to the key base 101 through the connecting component 103 , and the connecting component 103 includes at least one abutting piece 1030 . The stopper 104 is disposed on the key base 101 . The stopper 104 extends toward the keycap 102 and is located on one side of the abutment 1030 of the connection assembly 103 , and the stopper 104 has a surface 1040 facing the abutment 1030 .

In this embodiment, when the keycap 102 is pressed by an external force, the connecting component 103 is driven by the keycap 102 so that the abutting member 1030 abuts against the stopper 104 on the key bottom plate 101, and the keycap 102 During the downward movement towards the key base 101 by the connecting component 103 , the abutting member 1030 is driven by the connecting component 103 to move along the surface 1040 of the stopper 104 towards the key base 101 .

Specifically, the corners of the keycap 102 are mainly deformed slightly due to the contact pressure of the connecting component 103 by the keycap 102 due to the contact pressure of the external force. At this time, the abutting member 1030 is driven and Abut against the stopper 104 on the key base 101 . When the abutment 1030 abuts against the stopper 104, the connection assembly 103 will no longer continue to deform, and the abutment 1030 of the connection assembly 103 moves downward using the surface 1040 of the stopper 104 as a track, so that The keycap 102 stably descends and moves toward the key bottom plate 101 through the connecting component 103 . Since the connection assembly 103 of this embodiment is pushed by the keycap 102, the amount of deformation produced is very small, so the keycap 102 will not allow the user to use the keycap 102 during the downward movement of the connection assembly 103 toward the direction close to the key bottom plate 101. Touch feel with free travel.

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 6 , the button structure 10 of this embodiment further includes a thin film circuit board 105 . The thin film circuit board 105 is disposed between the keycap 102 and the key base 101, and the thin film circuit board 105 has a hollow area 1050, and the stopper 104 on the key base 101 extends through the thin film circuit board 105 in a direction close to the key cap 102 The hollowed-out area 1050 is located on one side of the abutting member 1030 of the connecting component 103 . In this embodiment, the stopper 104 and the key base 101 are, for example, integrally formed, that is, a part of the key base 101 is bent upward to form the stopper 104, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In the embodiment, the stopper 104 and the key base 101 are, for example, two independent components and assembled with each other. In this embodiment, the key structure 10 further includes an elastic element (not shown in this figure) disposed between the key cap 102 and the thin film circuit board 105, and the thin film circuit board 105 is configured with a membrane switch (in this embodiment). (not shown in the figure), when the key cap 102 of the key structure 10 is pressed and moves downward toward the direction of the key bottom plate 101 through the connecting component 103, the key cap 102 will squeeze the elastic element, so that the elastic element is pressed against And trigger the membrane switch located on the membrane circuit board 105 .

As shown in FIGS. 2 to 6 , the connection assembly 103 of this embodiment further includes an outer frame 1031 and an inner frame 1032 , and the outer frame 1031 and the inner frame 1032 are pivotally connected to each other. The outer frame 1031 includes a first pivot portion A1 and a second pivot portion A2. The first pivotal portion A1 of the outer frame 1031 is pivotally connected to the keycap 102 , and the second pivotal portion A2 is pivotally connected to the key base 101 . The inner frame 1032 includes a third pivot portion A3 and a fourth pivot portion A4. The third pivotal portion A3 of the inner frame 1032 is pivotally connected to the keycap 102 , and the fourth pivotal portion A4 is pivotally connected to the key base 101 . When the keycap 102 moves up and down relative to the key base 101 through the connecting component 103 , the keycap 102 drives the outer frame 1031 and the inner frame 1032 of the connecting component 103 to swing around the pivot joint between them. In this embodiment, the abutting member 1030 of the connection assembly 103 is connected to one side of the outer frame 1031 and is located between the first pivot joint A1 and the stopper 104, and the stopper 104 is located at the second pivot. between the connecting portion A2 and the abutting piece 1030 . In this embodiment, the connecting component 103 is, for example, a scissors-type connecting component, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

It should be noted that when the corner of the keycap 102 is pressed by an external force, the position where the connecting component 103 is slightly deformed by the push of the keycap 102 is the first pivot where the outer frame 1031 and the keycap 102 are pivotally connected. At the connecting portion A1 , due to the slight deformation of the first pivotal portion A1 of the outer frame 1031 , the abutting member 1030 is driven to abut against the stopper 104 on the key base 101 .

In this embodiment, the number of the abutting pieces 1030 of the connection assembly 103 is, for example, two, and the number of the stoppers 104 on the key base 101 is, for example, two. As shown in FIG. 3 , the two abutting pieces 1030 are connected to opposite sides of the outer frame 1031 respectively, and the two stoppers 104 are arranged opposite to each other so that the connection assembly 103 is located between the two stoppers 104 . It should be noted that the number of abutment pieces 1030 and stopper pieces 104 is two, which is only one embodiment of the present invention, and the number of abutment pieces 1030 and stopper pieces 104 is not limited in the present invention. The numbers of the abutment pieces 1030 and the stopper pieces 104 can be increased or decreased according to actual requirements.

As shown in FIGS. 4 to 6, when the key cap 102 moves upward and away from the key base plate 101 through the connecting component 103, that is, the pressed key structure 10 as shown in FIG. 5 is released by the external force. In the case of changing to the unpressed key structure 10 as shown in FIG. There is a gap G between the stoppers 104 . In other words, when the key structure 10 has not been pressed, the abutting member 1030 of the connection assembly 103 does not abut against the stopper 104 on the key bottom plate 101, but when the corner of the keycap 102 is pressed, the connection assembly 103 is slightly deformed by being pushed by the keycap 102, and the abutment 1030 is due to the connection The component 103 is driven and abutted against the stopper 104 on the key base 101 due to the relationship of slight deformation.

The purpose of having a gap G between the above-mentioned abutting member 1030 and the stopper 104 is to prevent the keycap 102 from being pressed when the key structure 10 is normally pressed (that is, the keycap 102 is not pressed at a corner). The abutment 1030 or the stopper 104 is damaged due to the back and forth friction of the abutment 1030 against the stopper 104 during the lifting movement of the connection assembly 103 relative to the key base 101 .

It should be noted that the gap G between the abutting piece 1030 and the stopper 104 in this embodiment directly affects the deformation of the connecting assembly 103, but due to the gap G between the abutting piece 1030 and the stopper 104 in this embodiment The distance between the gap G is very small, so the abutting member 1030 will immediately abut against the stopper 104 after the connecting component 103 is squeezed by the keycap 102, so that the deformation generated by the connecting component 103 is extremely small, thereby allowing the user to In use, there will be no tactile feeling of empty travel.

To sum up, in the keyboard device according to the embodiment of the present invention, the connection assembly of the key structure has at least one abutting element, and is matched with at least one stopper disposed on the key bottom plate. When the corner of the keycap is pressed, the connecting component drives the abutment against the stopper located on the key bottom plate, and when the keycap moves down and moves towards the key bottom plate through the connecting component, it abuts against the stopper. The part is driven by the connection assembly to move along the surface of the stopper. Under such a structural design, when the corner of the keycap is pressed, the deformation of the connecting group is greatly reduced, so that the keycap can smoothly move down and move toward the bottom plate of the key through the connecting component without creating an empty stroke. question.

But what is described above is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and should not limit the scope of implementation of the present invention with this, that is, all simple equivalent changes and modifications made according to the patent scope of the present invention and the content of the description of the invention, All still belong to the scope covered by the patent of the present invention. In addition, any embodiment or scope of claims of the present invention does not necessarily achieve all the objectives or advantages or features disclosed in the present invention. In addition, the abstract and the title are only used to assist the search of patent documents, and are not used to limit the scope of rights of the present invention. In addition, terms such as "first" and "second" mentioned in this specification or the scope of the patent application are only used to name elements (elements) or to distinguish different embodiments or ranges, and are not used to limit the number of elements. upper or lower limit.

10: Button structure

101: Button bottom plate

102: Keycap

103: Connect components

104: stopper

105: Thin film circuit board

1030: abutting piece

1031: Outer frame

1032: inner frame

1040: surface

1050: Hollow area

A1: The first pivot joint

A2: The second pivot joint

A3: The third pivot joint

A4: The fourth pivot joint

Z: area

Claims (6)

A keyboard device, comprising: a plurality of key structures, each key structure comprising: a key bottom plate; a key cap disposed above the key bottom plate; a connecting component pivotally connected between the key cap and the key bottom plate, The keycap moves up and down relative to the key base plate through the connecting component, the connecting component includes at least one abutting piece, and the at least one abutting piece has an arc-shaped surface, and the connecting component is a scissors-type connecting component; And at least one stopper, configured on the key bottom plate, and the at least one stopper extends toward the direction close to the keycap and is located on one side of the at least one abutment of the connecting component, and the at least one stopper The part has a flat surface facing the at least one abutting part. When the key structure is normally pressed, the keycap moves up and down relative to the key bottom plate through the connecting component, and the at least one abutting part There is a gap between the member and the at least one stopper; wherein, when the corner of the keycap is pressed, the pivot joint between the connecting component and the keycap is pushed by the keycap and deformed, so that the The connecting component drives the at least one abutment to abut against the at least one stopper, and during the process of the keycap descending and moving towards the key bottom plate through the connecting component, the at least one abutting piece is pressed The connecting component is driven to make the arc surface move along the flat surface of the at least one stopper; wherein, the connecting component further includes an outer frame and an inner frame, and the outer frame includes a first pivot portion and a second pivotal part, the first pivotal part is pivotally connected to the keycap, the second pivotal part is pivotally connected to the key bottom plate, the inner frame is pivotally connected to the outer frame, The inner frame includes a third pivotal portion and a fourth pivotal portion, the third pivotal portion is pivotally connected to the keycap, and the fourth pivotal portion is pivotally connected to the key bottom plate, when the keycap is During the lifting and moving process of the connecting assembly relative to the key base plate, the keycap drives the outer frame and the inner frame to swing with a pivot point between them as a fulcrum, wherein the at least one abutting member is connected to the outer frame One side of the frame is located between the first pivotal part and the at least one stopper, and the at least one stopper is located between the pivotal part and the at least one abutting part. The keyboard device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a thin film circuit board disposed between the keycap and the key base, the thin film circuit board has a hollowed out area, and the at least one stopper moves towards The direction of the keycap extends through the hollow area and is located on one side of the at least one abutting member of the connecting component. The keyboard device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one stopper and the key base are integrally formed. The keyboard device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least one stopper of the connection assembly is located between the second pivotal portion and the at least one abutting member. The keyboard device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the number of the at least one abutting member is two, the number of the at least one stopper is two, and the abutting members are respectively located on opposite sides of the outer frame, The stoppers are disposed opposite to each other so that the connection assembly is located between the stoppers. A key structure, comprising: a key bottom plate; a key cap disposed above the key bottom plate; a connecting component pivotally connected between the key cap and the key bottom plate, and the key cap is relatively connected to the key plate through the connecting component The bottom plate of the button moves up and down, and the connection assembly includes at least one abutment , and the at least one abutment has an arc surface, the connection component is a scissors connection component; and at least one stopper, configured on the key bottom plate, and the at least one stopper is close to the keycap Extending in the direction and located on one side of the at least one abutment of the connection assembly, and the at least one stopper has a flat surface facing the at least one abutment, when the button structure is normally pressed, When the keycap moves up and down relative to the key base plate through the connecting component, there is a gap between the at least one abutting part and the at least one stopper; wherein, when the corner of the keycap is pressed At this time, the pivot joint between the connecting component and the keycap is pushed by the keycap and deformed, so that the connecting component drives the at least one abutment against the at least one stopper, and the keycap is During the downward movement of the connection assembly towards the key bottom plate, the at least one abutting member is driven by the connection assembly to move the arc-shaped surface along the flat surface of the at least one stopper; wherein , the connection assembly further includes an outer frame and an inner frame, the outer frame includes a first pivot portion and a second pivot portion, the first pivot portion is pivotally connected to the keycap, and the second pivot portion The part is pivotally connected to the key bottom plate, the inner frame is pivotally connected to the outer frame, the inner frame includes a third pivot part and a fourth pivot part, the third pivot part is pivotally connected to the keycap, the The fourth pivot joint is pivotally connected to the key bottom plate. When the key cap moves up and down relative to the key bottom plate through the connecting component, the key cap drives the outer frame and the inner frame to form a pivot between each other. The joint is a fulcrum for swinging, wherein the at least one abutting piece is connected to one side of the outer frame and is located between the first pivotal portion and the at least one stopper, and the at least one stopper is located at the pivotal joint between the at least one abutment.

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