TWI814583B - Keyswitch with quick assembly property and related keyboard - Google Patents

Abstract

A keyswitch with quick assembly property is applied to a keyboard and includes a keycap, a thin-film circuit board, a resilient recovering component, a lift supporting mechanism and a base. The thin-film circuit board has a switch located under the keycap. The keycap is pushed upwardly by a resilient covering force of the resilient recovering component. The lift supporting mechanism includes a first connecting component and a second connecting component. The first connecting component is rotatably disposed inside the second connecting component. The second connecting component has a guiding structure on an axle. The lift supporting mechanism is disposed on the base. The base includes a hook structure and a stopper structure. The hook structure is engaged with the axle. A protrusion of the stopper structure abuts against a side of the axle whereon the guiding structure is disposed.

Description

Buttons and keyboards with quick installation features

The invention provides a key and its keyboard, particularly a key and its keyboard with quick installation characteristics.

Traditional keyboard keys include keycaps, lifting support mechanisms, elastic parts, film circuit boards and base plates. The thin film circuit board is arranged on the base plate. The lifting support mechanism and the elastic member are arranged between the keycap and the bottom plate. When the component cap moves downward under pressure, the elastic component is also compressed and deformed, causing the switch on the film circuit board to ignite. The lifting support mechanism supports the keycap to maintain its pressing stroke. The two legs of the lifting support mechanism are assembled on the engaging portion and the stopper portion on the bottom plate. The engaging part of the traditional button will cover the entire foot shaft, and the stopper will block the side of the foot shaft but not the top of the foot shaft. The gap between the engaging part and the stop part of the traditional button is small, and the interference with the legs of the lifting support mechanism is large, making assembly difficult; if the gap between the engaging part and the stop part is too large, the When it is turned on, the amount of assembly interference is reduced but the keys are easily dropped. Therefore, how to design a key and its keyboard with high assembly efficiency and low risk of key dropping is one of the development goals of the design industry of relevant organizations.

The present invention provides a key and its keyboard with quick installation characteristics to solve the above problems.

The patent application scope of the present invention discloses a key with quick installation characteristics, which includes a keycap, a film circuit board, an elastic return member, a lifting support mechanism and a base plate. The film circuit board has a switch, and the switch is located under the keycap. The elastic return member is disposed between the keycap and the film circuit board, and an elastic restoring force of the elastic return member pushes the keycap upward. The lifting support mechanism supports the keycap to move up and down. The lifting support mechanism has a first connecting piece and a second connecting piece. The first connecting piece is rotatably sleeved on the inner edge of the second connecting piece, and a rotating shaft of the second connecting piece has a leading angle structure. The bottom plate is used to carry the lifting support mechanism. The bottom plate has a hook structure and a stop structure. The hook structure is fastened to the rotating shaft, and a protruding portion of the stopper structure is blocked on the side of the rotating shaft having the guide angle structure.

The patent scope of the present invention also discloses a keyboard with quick installation characteristics, which includes a plurality of keys and a base plate. Each key includes a keycap, a thin film circuit board, an elastic reset member and a lifting support mechanism. The film circuit board has a switch, and the switch is located under the keycap. The elastic return member is disposed between the keycap and the film circuit board, and an elastic restoring force of the elastic return member pushes the keycap upward. The lifting support mechanism supports the keycap to move up and down. The lifting support mechanism has a first connecting piece and a second connecting piece. The first connecting piece is rotatably sleeved on the inner edge of the second connecting piece, and a rotating shaft of the second connecting piece has a leading angle structure. The bottom plate is used to carry the lifting support mechanism. The bottom plate has a hook structure and a stop structure. The hook structure is fastened to the rotating shaft, and a protruding portion of the stopper structure is blocked on the side of the rotating shaft having the guide angle structure.

The keys and keyboard of the present invention have quick installation characteristics. The size of the hook portion of the hook structure of the base plate is shortened to reduce the amount of assembly interference. The rotating shaft of the connector with quick installation characteristics is provided with a leading angle structure that can match the stop of the base plate. The sloped portion of the stop structure improves assembly efficiency, and the protruding portion of the stop structure is used to limit the upward movement range of the rotating shaft, thereby preventing the lifting support mechanism from separating the bottom plate and reducing the risk of key loss. The present invention can also selectively provide an outwardly protruding limiting structure on the rotating shaft of the connecting piece, which is used to insert into the fitting space of the stop structure to further reduce the risk of key loss.

Please refer to Figures 1 to 4. Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the keyboard 10 according to the embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the key 12 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the first embodiment of the present invention. An exploded view of the components of the button 12 is shown. Figure 4 is a partial structural diagram of the button 12 according to the first embodiment of the present invention. The keyboard 10 may include a plurality of keys 12 disposed on the bottom panel 14 . The number and appearance of the buttons 12 are not limited to the implementation shown in the drawings, but depend on the design requirements. The key 12 can have quick installation characteristics, providing the advantages of high assembly efficiency and low risk of key dropping.

The key 12 may include a keycap 16 , a film circuit board 18 , an elastic return member 20 and a lifting support mechanism 22 . The keycap 16 is a contact interface for the user to press the key 12 . The membrane circuit board 18 may have a switch 24 located under the keycap 16 . The elastic return member 20 may be disposed between the keycap 16 and the film circuit board 18 . When the elastic return member 20 is pressed down by the keycap 16, the elastic restoring force will be stored and trigger the switch 24 of the thin film circuit board 18. After the external force exerted on the keycap 16 is removed, the elastic restoring force of the elastic return member 20 is used to push the keycap 16 upward to the initial position to complete the reset. The style of the elastic restoring component 20 is not limited to the implementation shown in the drawings, and depends on the design requirements.

The lifting support mechanism 22 can support the keycap 16 to move up and down, ensuring that the key 12 can maintain a fixed pressing stroke during use. The lifting support mechanism 22 may have a first connecting piece 26 and a second connecting piece 28 that are pivotally connected to each other. The first connecting member 26 is rotatably sleeved on the inner edge of the second connecting member 28 , and the upper and lower ends of the first connecting member 26 and the second connecting member 28 are respectively engaged with the keycap 16 and the bottom plate 14 . The keycap 16 uses a snapping structure (not shown in the drawings) to connect the upper ends of the first connecting member 26 and the second connecting member 28 . The second connecting member 28 is provided with a rotating shaft 30 at its lower end, and the rotating shaft 30 may have a leading angle structure 32 .

The bottom plate 14 is used to carry and fix the lifting support mechanism 22 . The bottom plate 14 may have a hook structure 34 and a stop structure 36 . The hook structure 34 can extend upward from the body of the bottom plate 14 and then turn toward the direction of the rotating shaft 30 to form a hook portion 38 to block directly above the rotating shaft 30 . The hook structure 34 can engage the rotating shaft 30 . The structural length D1 of the hook portion 38 extending outward from the vertical body 40 of the hook structure 34 should be shortened as much as possible to reduce the amount of interference when the lifting support mechanism 22 is assembled to the bottom plate 14; generally speaking, the rotating shaft 30 will be in an arc shape. The outer surface faces the hook structure 34, so the structural length D1 can be at least greater than the radius length D2 from the axis C of the rotating shaft 30 to the arc outer surface, ensuring that the lifting support mechanism 22 will not be easily separated from the base plate 14.

The stop structure 36 may include at least a protrusion 42 and a vertical body 44 . The vertical main body 44 can extend upward from the body of the bottom plate 14 , and the protruding portion 42 extends outward from the vertical main body 44 toward the direction of the rotating shaft 30 . The protruding portion 42 will stop on the side of the rotating shaft 30 with the guide angle structure 32 . The second connecting member 28 forms a leading angle structure 32 on the rotating shaft 30, which is used to reduce the amount of interference when the lifting support mechanism 22 is assembled to the base plate 14, thereby improving the assembly efficiency. Therefore, the stop structure 36 can be provided with a protrusion on the side of the vertical body 44 accordingly. The exit portion 42 is used to stop above the rotating shaft 30 to avoid increasing the risk of key dropping due to reduced assembly interference.

As shown in Figure 4, the distance H1 of the protruding portion 42 relative to the upper surface of the base plate 14 (not shown in the drawing) can be greater than the distance H2 of the axis C of the rotating shaft 30 relative to the upper surface of the base plate 14, so that the protruding portion 42 can 42 can directly stop above the rotating shaft 30 , or be slightly spaced from the rotating shaft 30 and block the rotating shaft 30 when the rotating shaft 30 moves upward, which can prevent the lifting support mechanism 22 from being easily separated from the base plate 14 . In addition, the stop structure 36 may optionally include a sloped portion 46 adjacent to the protruding portion 42 and located above the vertical body 44 . The inclined portion 46 can provide a large-sized supporting surface to improve the efficiency of assembling the lifting support mechanism 22 to the base plate 14 . For example, the guide structure 32 will slide downward relative to the inclined portion 46 to guide the rotating shaft 30 into a position between the hook structure 34 and the stop structure 36 .

Please refer to Figures 5 and 6. Figure 5 is a partial structural schematic diagram of the button 12A according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 6 is a partial structural schematic diagram of the button 12A according to the third embodiment of the present invention. In the second embodiment and the third embodiment, elements with the same numbers as those in the previous embodiment have the same structure and function, and therefore will not be described again. As shown in Figure 5, the stop structure 36A of the button 12A can have a fitting space 48, and the rotating shaft 30 of the second connecting member 28 can be partially embedded in the fitting space 48 to limit the range of movement of the rotating shaft 30 to avoid lifting support. The mechanism 22 is separated from the base plate 14 . As shown in FIG. 6 , the stop structure 36A of the button 12A may have a fitting space 48 , and the rotating shaft 30A of the second connecting member 28 may have a limiting structure 50 . The limiting structure 50 protrudes from the outer surface of the rotating shaft 30A and is movably inserted into the fitting space 48 to increase the amount of interference between the rotating shaft 30A and the stopper structure 36A to prevent the lifting support mechanism 22 from being separated from the base plate 14 .

In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5 , the fitting space 48 can be designed as a hemisphere for matching the outer surface of the rotating shaft 30 . In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6 , the shape of the fitting space 48 will correspond to the shape of the limiting structure 50 , such as a long strip, a pyramid, or any irregular shape. In addition, the fitting space 48 is not limited to a closed space or a non-closed space. It may be a recessed space dug out on the inner side of the vertical body 44, or it may be a penetration space dug through the vertical body 44. The changes depend on the design requirements, and various possible changes are not described in detail here.

To sum up, the keys and their keyboards of the present invention have quick installation characteristics. The size of the hook portion of the hook structure of the base plate is shortened to reduce the amount of assembly interference, and a leading angle structure is provided on the rotating shaft of the connector with quick installation characteristics. The assembly efficiency can be improved by matching the sloped portion of the stop structure of the base plate, and the protruding portion of the stop structure can be used to limit the upward movement range of the rotating shaft, thereby preventing the lifting support mechanism from separating the base plate and reducing the risk of key loss. The present invention can also selectively provide an outwardly protruding limiting structure on the rotating shaft of the connecting piece, which is used to insert into the fitting space of the stop structure to further reduce the risk of key loss. The above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention, and all equivalent changes and modifications made in accordance with the patentable scope of the present invention shall fall within the scope of the present invention.

10:Keyboard 12, 12A:Button 14: Bottom plate 16:Keycap 18:Thin film circuit board 20: Elastic reset piece 22:Lifting support mechanism 24: switch 26:First connector 28:Second connector 30, 30A:Rotating shaft 32: Lead angle structure 34: Hook structure 36, 36A: Stop structure 38: Hook part 40:Vertical subject 42:Protrusion 44:Vertical body 46: Bevel part 48: Chimeric space 50:Limiting structure C: Axis D1: Length of the hook part D2: Radius of rotating shaft H1: The distance of the protrusion relative to the bottom plate H2: The distance between the axis center and the bottom plate

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a keyboard according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a button according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 is an exploded view of the components of the button according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 is a partial structural diagram of the key according to the first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 is a partial structural diagram of a button according to the second embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6 is a partial structural diagram of a button according to the third embodiment of the present invention. No.

12:Button

30:Rotating axis

32: Lead angle structure

34: Hook structure

36: Stop structure

38: Hook part

40:Vertical subject

42:Protrusion

44:Vertical body

46: Bevel part

C: Axis

D1: Length of the hook part

D2: Radius of rotating shaft

H1: The distance of the protrusion relative to the bottom plate

H2: The distance between the axis center and the bottom plate

Claims (12)

A key with quick installation characteristics, which includes: a keycap; a film circuit board with a switch, and the switch is located under the keycap; an elastic reset member is provided between the keycap and the film circuit board During this time, an elastic restoring force of the elastic return member pushes the keycap upward; a lifting support mechanism supports the keycap to move up and down, and the lifting support mechanism has a first connecting piece and a second connecting piece. The first connecting piece is rotatably sleeved on the inner edge of the second connecting piece. A rotating shaft of the second connecting piece has a leading angle structure; and a bottom plate is used to carry the lifting support mechanism. The bottom plate has a The hook structure and a stop structure are fastened to the rotating shaft, and a protruding portion of the stop structure is blocked on the side of the rotating shaft having the guide angle structure. The key of claim 1, wherein a distance of the protrusion relative to an upper surface of the bottom plate is greater than a distance of an axis of the rotating shaft relative to the upper surface. The button according to claim 1, wherein an inclined portion of the stopper structure is adjacent to the protruding portion, and the guide structure slides relative to the inclined portion to guide the rotating shaft into the hook structure and the stopper structure. position between. The button of claim 1, wherein the hook structure includes a hook portion and a vertical body, the vertical body extends upward from the bottom plate, and the hook portion extends outward from the vertical body. The length is at least greater than one radius of the rotating shaft. The key of claim 1, wherein the stop structure has a fitting space, and the rotating shaft is partially embedded in the fitting space. The key of claim 5, wherein the rotating shaft further has a limiting structure that can be movably inserted into the fitting space to prevent the rotating shaft from being separated from the base plate. A keyboard with quick installation characteristics, which includes: a plurality of keys, each key includes: a keycap; a film circuit board with a switch, and the switch is located under the keycap; an elastic reset member is provided on the keycap Between the keycap and the film circuit board, an elastic restoring force of the elastic return member pushes the keycap upward; and a lifting support mechanism supports the keycap to move up and down, and the lifting support mechanism has a first The connecting piece and a second connecting piece, the first connecting piece is rotatably sleeved on the inner edge of the second connecting piece, a rotating shaft of the second connecting piece has a leading angle structure; and a bottom plate is used to carry In the lifting support mechanism, the bottom plate has a hook structure and a stop structure. The hook structure is fastened to the rotating shaft, and a protruding portion of the stop structure blocks the leading angle structure of the rotating shaft. side. The keyboard of claim 7, wherein a distance of the protrusion relative to an upper surface of the bottom plate is greater than a distance of an axis of the rotating shaft relative to the upper surface. The keyboard according to claim 7, wherein an inclined portion of the stop structure is adjacent to the protrusion. The leading portion slides relative to the inclined portion to guide the rotating shaft into a position between the hook structure and the stop structure. The keyboard of claim 7, wherein the hook structure includes a hook portion and a vertical body, the vertical body extends upward from the bottom plate, and the hook portion extends outward from the vertical body. The length is at least greater than one radius of the rotating shaft. The keyboard of claim 7, wherein the stop structure has a fitting space, and the rotating shaft is partially embedded in the fitting space. The keyboard of claim 11, wherein the rotating shaft further has a limiting structure that can be movably inserted into the fitting space to prevent the rotating shaft from being separated from the base plate.

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