TWI844393B - Keyswitch with quick assembling function and related keyboard - Google Patents

Abstract

A keyswitch with a quick assembling function is applied to a keyboard and includes a base, a lifting mechanism, a resilient recovering component and a keycap. The lifting mechanism is disposed on the base in a movable manner. The resilient recovering component is disposed on the base. The keycap includes a bottom member, a top member and a covering member. The bottom member is assembled with the lifting mechanism in a movable manner and includes a first connecting portion. The top member includes a second connecting portion connected with the first connecting portion in a detachable manner. The covering member has a symbol and is disposed on the top member.

Description

Keys with quick release function and keyboards therefor

The present invention provides a key and a keyboard thereof, in particular a key and a keyboard thereof with a quick release function.

With the advancement of technology, many manufacturers have successively produced a variety of different types of keyboards. Different types of keyboards may have different key arrangements. For example, the placement of the Fn key and the Ctrl key on a keyboard of a certain brand may be different from the placement of the Fn key and the Ctrl key on a keyboard of another brand. Although the signal output of the Fn key and the Ctrl key can be exchanged by software or firmware update, the characters on the keycaps do not change. The traditional method is to remove the keycaps directly from the lifting support mechanism, but the operation is difficult, labor-intensive, and easy to damage the internal mechanism of the keys. Therefore, how to design a quick-release key and keyboard that can quickly and conveniently replace the key cap and its characters is one of the development goals of the relevant mechanism design industry.

The present invention provides a key with quick release function and a keyboard thereof to solve the above-mentioned problem.

The scope of the patent application of the present invention discloses a key with a quick release function, which includes a bottom plate, a lifting support mechanism, an elastic reset member and a key cap. The lifting support mechanism is movably coupled to the bottom plate. The elastic reset member is disposed on the bottom plate. The key cap includes a bottom member, a top member and a cover member. The bottom member is movably coupled to the lifting support mechanism, and the bottom member has a first coupling portion. The top member has a second coupling portion, and the first coupling portion and the second coupling portion are detachably coupled. The cover member has a character and is disposed on the top member.

The patent application scope of the present invention further discloses that the first coupling part and the second coupling part are respectively a protrusion and a groove, and the protrusion is engaged and separated from the groove by using structural deformation characteristics. Alternatively, the first coupling part and the second coupling part are respectively a magnet and a magnetic part. The first coupling part is the magnet, and the magnet is arranged on one side of the bottom piece, or in a middle area between two opposite sides of the bottom piece. The bottom piece further has a receiving area, the first coupling part is embedded in the receiving area, and the second coupling part is at least a part of the top piece.

The patent application scope of the present invention further discloses that the bottom piece is composed of a light-transmitting material, and the top piece further has a light-transmitting hole, whose position corresponds to the character of the cover piece. The bottom piece further has a filling portion, which is arranged at a position corresponding to the light-transmitting hole on an upper surface of the bottom piece, for filling the light-transmitting hole. The bottom piece further has a slot, which is arranged on a side of a main body of the bottom piece, and a slot direction of the slot is directed to the top piece. The bottom piece further has a first buckle portion, which is arranged at a position different from the first coupling portion, and the top piece further has a second buckle portion, whose position corresponds to the first buckle portion, and the first buckle portion and the second buckle portion are buckled with each other to limit the displacement of the top piece relative to the bottom piece.

The scope of the patent application of the present invention further discloses a keyboard, which includes a base plate, a circuit board and a plurality of keys. The circuit board is arranged on the base plate and has a plurality of switches. Each key includes a lifting support mechanism, an elastic reset member and a key cap. The lifting support mechanism is movably coupled to the base plate. The elastic reset member is arranged on the circuit board to trigger a corresponding switch. The key cap includes a bottom member, a top member and a covering member. The bottom member is movably coupled to the lifting support mechanism, and the bottom member has a first coupling portion. The top member has a second coupling portion, and the first coupling portion and the second coupling portion are detachably coupled. The cover has a character and is disposed on the top.

The key and keyboard of the present invention are assembled from a bottom part, a top part and a cover part as a key cap. In addition to being combined by elastic deformation and recovery mechanism, the cover part and the top part can also be directly bonded by adhesive. The bottom part and the first bonding part (magnet) can be combined by elastic deformation and recovery mechanism, or can be bonded by in-mold molding or adhesive. The top part and its cover part are bonded to the bottom part and its first bonding part by magnetic adsorption force. If the key cap is to be replaced, an external force greater than the magnetic adsorption force is applied to the top part, so that the cover part and the top part can be detached from the bottom part, and another set of cover part and top part can be replaced and bonded to the bottom part by magnetic adsorption.

10: Keyboard

12: Base plate

14: Circuit board

16,16A: Button

18: Switch

20: Lifting support mechanism

22: Elastic return member

24: Keycaps

26: Bottom part

261: Side

262: Middle area

263:Entity

264: Upper surface

28: Top piece

30: Covering parts

32,32A: First joint

34,34A: Second junction

36: Characters

38: Accommodation area

40: First buckle connection part

42: Second buckle connection part

44: Slotting

46: Light-transmitting hole

48: Filling section

D: Trough direction

Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a keyboard of an embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 2 is an exploded view of the components of the key of the embodiment of the present invention.

Figures 3 and 4 are schematic diagrams of the buttons of the embodiment of the present invention at different combination stages from other viewing angles.

Figure 5 is an exploded view of the components of a key in another embodiment of the present invention.

Please refer to Figure 1, which is a schematic diagram of a keyboard 10 of an embodiment of the present invention. The keyboard 10 may include a base plate 12, a circuit board 14, and a plurality of keys 16. The base plate 12 is used as a carrier to support the circuit board 14 and the plurality of keys 16. The circuit board 14 may have a plurality of switches 18; the plurality of keys 16 are arranged on the circuit board 14 and the base plate 12 by aligning the plurality of switches 18 respectively. The keys 16 of the present invention can be customized with key caps, which means that they have the function of removable key caps; in addition, the keys 16 can be ordinary keys or luminous keys, depending on the design requirements.

Please refer to Figure 2, which is an exploded view of the components of the key 16 of the embodiment of the present invention. The key 16 may include a lifting support mechanism 20, an elastic reset member 22, and a key cap 24. The lifting support mechanism 20 may be a scissor-leg mechanism or other rod-shaped mechanism, and its variation depends on the design requirements. The present invention takes the scissor-leg mechanism as an example, and the bottom end of the lifting support mechanism 20 passes through the hole (not marked in the attached figure) of the circuit board 14 to be movably connected to the bottom plate 12, and the top end of the lifting support mechanism 20 is movably connected to the key cap 24. The elastic reset member 22 is located between the lifting support mechanism 20 and the key cap 24, and is disposed on the circuit board 14 to trigger the corresponding switch 18.

Please refer to Figures 2 to 4. Figures 3 and 4 are schematic diagrams of the key 16 of the embodiment of the present invention at different assembly stages at other viewing angles. The key cap 24 may include a bottom member 26, a top member 28, and a cover member 30. The bottom member 26 is coupled to the top end of the lifting support mechanism 20 in a relatively slidable and relatively rotatable manner, and has a first coupling portion 32. The top member 28 has a second coupling portion 34; the first coupling portion 32 and the second coupling portion 34 are coupled in a detachable manner, so the top member 28 can be easily removed or mounted on the bottom member 26 by combining the first coupling portion 32 and the second coupling portion 34. The cover 30 is an appearance part of the key 16, and the corresponding characters 36 of the key 16 are engraved on its outer surface, and it is set on the top part 28.

In this embodiment, the first coupling part 32 and the second coupling part 34 can be a magnet and a magnetic part respectively. The bottom member 26 is provided with a receiving area 38 at two opposite sides 261 or in a middle area 262 between the two opposite sides 261, and the first coupling part 32 (magnet) is embedded in the receiving area 38. The number and shape of the first coupling parts 32 correspond to the number and shape of the receiving areas 38, and the number, shape and position of the receiving areas 38 are not limited to the embodiment shown in the figure, but are determined according to the design requirements. The position of the second coupling part 34 on the top member 28 corresponds to the position of the first coupling part 32 on the bottom member 26. The second coupling portion 34 (magnetic portion) may be a partial section of the top member 28, which means that the top member 28 may be formed by splicing the magnetic portion and the non-magnetic portion; or, the second coupling portion 34 may be an independent component attached to a specific section of the top member 28; or, the top member 28 may be made of a magnetic material.

In addition, the bottom member 26 may further include a first buckle portion 40, which is disposed at a position of the body 263 of the bottom member 26 different from the first coupling portion 32. The top member 28 may further include a second buckle portion 42, which is located corresponding to the first buckle portion 40. In this embodiment, the first buckle portion 40 may be a protruding portion of the edge of the bottom member 26, and the second buckle portion 42 may be a hook-shaped portion of the outer edge of the top member 28. To combine the bottom member 26 and the top member 28, just place the top member 28 on the bottom member 26 and apply pressure, the second buckle portion 42 (hook portion) will be elastically deformed and cross the first buckle portion 40 (protrusion), and then the first buckle portion 40 and the second buckle portion 42 will be tightly buckled by releasing its elastic restoring force, thereby limiting the displacement of the top member 28 relative to the bottom member 26. The top member 28 and the cover member 30 can also be assembled and separated using components similar to the first buckle portion 40 and the second buckle portion 42.

In addition, the bottom member 26 may further have a slot 44, which is disposed on the side or end corner of the body 263 of the bottom member 26. The slot direction D of the slot 44 points to the top member 28, that is, the vertical direction shown in FIG. 2. The number and position of the slots 44 are not limited to the illustrated implementation, but depend on the design requirements. When the user wants to change the appearance of the key 16, he only needs to apply force to the top member 28 along the slot direction D; until the applied force is greater than the magnetic adsorption force of the first coupling portion 32 (magnet) relative to the second coupling portion 34 (magnetic portion), the first coupling portion 32 and the second coupling portion 34 can be separated, and the top member 28 and the cover member 30 can be detached from the bottom member 26. Next, you can replace another set of top piece 28 and cover piece 30 (i.e., this cover piece 30 has different characters 36), place the top piece 28 on the bottom piece 26 and apply pressure. In addition to the first coupling part 32 (magnet) of the bottom piece 26 automatically adsorbing to the second coupling part 34 (magnetic part) of the top piece 28, you can also use the elastic deformation and elastic recovery characteristics of the first buckle part 40 and the second buckle part 42 to tightly couple the top piece 28 and the bottom piece 26.

Alternatively, after the top piece 28 and the cover piece 30 are detached from the bottom piece 26, the cover piece 30 may be detached from the top piece 28. The detachable mechanism may be the same as the combination of the first buckle 40 and the second buckle 42 as described above. After the cover piece 30 is detached, another cover piece 30 (i.e., the cover piece 30 has a different character 36) may be first buckled to the original top piece 28, and then the combination (the original top piece 28 and the other cover piece 30) may be placed on the bottom piece 26 and pressed, so as to use the first joint 32 and the second joint 34, and the first buckle 40 and the second buckle 42 to tightly join to the bottom piece 26 and the lifting support mechanism 20 where it is located.

If the key 16 is to be designed as a light-emitting key, the present invention will make the bottom member 26 of a light-transmitting material; the top member 28 is made of a magnetic material and is not light-transmitting, so a light-transmitting hole 46 needs to be formed at the position of the top member 28 relative to the character 36 of the cover member 30, and aligned with the light-emitting element on the circuit board 14 (not marked in the attached figure). In this way, the illumination light of the light-emitting element will pass through the gap between the components of the lifting support mechanism 20, pass through the elastic reset member 22 and the light-transmitting material of the bottom member 26, and then pass through the light-transmitting hole 46 of the top member 28 to illuminate the character 36 on the cover member 30. Correspondingly, the bottom piece 26 may optionally have a filling portion 48, which is disposed on the upper surface 264 of the bottom piece 26 at a position corresponding to the light-transmitting hole 46, and is used to fill the light-transmitting hole 46 to make the interface between the bottom piece 26 and the top piece 28 smooth.

Please refer to FIG. 5, which is an exploded view of the components of the key 16A of another embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the components with the same number as the previous embodiment have the same structure and function, and will not be repeated here. The bottom member 26 of the key 16A may have a first coupling portion 32A, and the top member 28 may have a second coupling portion 34A. The first coupling portion 32A and the second coupling portion 34A may be a protrusion and a groove respectively; for example, the first coupling portion 32A may be a protrusion on the edge of the bottom member 26, and the second coupling portion 34A may be a groove on the outer edge of the top member 28. When the bottom member 26 and the top member 28 are to be combined, the top member 28 can be pressed downward on the bottom member 26, and the second combining portion 34A (groove) of the top member 28 will produce a slight structural deformation, so that it can be put on the first combining portion 32A (bump) of the bottom member 26. When the bottom member 26 and the top member 28 are to be separated, force can be applied upward along the slot 44 to force the second combining portion 34A (groove) of the top member 28 to produce structural deformation and separate from the first combining portion 32A (bump) of the bottom member 26. Therefore, the button 16A can use the structural deformation characteristics of the bump and the groove to engage or separate the bottom member 26 and the top member 28.

In summary, the key and keyboard of the present invention are assembled with a bottom part, a top part and a cover part as a key cap. In addition to being combined by elastic deformation and recovery mechanism, the cover part and the top part can also be directly bonded by adhesive. The bottom part and the first bonding part (magnet) can be combined by elastic deformation and recovery mechanism, or can be bonded by in-mold molding or adhesive. The top part and its cover part are bonded to the bottom part and its first bonding part by magnetic adsorption force. If the key cap is to be replaced, an external force greater than the magnetic adsorption force is applied to the top part, so that the cover part and the top part can be detached from the bottom part, and another set of cover part and top part can be replaced and bonded to the bottom part by magnetic adsorption.

The above is only the preferred embodiment of the present invention. All equivalent changes and modifications made according to the scope of the patent application of the present invention shall fall within the scope of the present invention.

12: Base plate

14: Circuit board

16: Button

20: Lifting support mechanism

22: Elastic return member

24: Keycaps

26: Bottom part

261: Side

262: Middle area

263:Entity

264: Upper surface

28: Top piece

30: Covering parts

32: First joint

34: Second joint

36: Characters

38: Accommodation area

40: First buckle connection part

42: Second buckle connection part

44: Slotting

46: Light-transmitting hole

48: Filling section

D: Trough direction

Claims (20)

A key with a quick release function comprises: a bottom plate; a lifting support mechanism movably coupled to the bottom plate; an elastic reset member disposed on the bottom plate; and a key cap, comprising: a bottom member movably coupled to the lifting support mechanism, the bottom member having a first coupling portion and a receiving area, the first coupling portion being embedded in the receiving area so that the bottom member has a flat outer surface; a top member having a second coupling portion, the first coupling portion and the second coupling portion being detachably coupled; and a covering member having a character and disposed on the top member. The key as described in claim 1, wherein the first coupling portion and the second coupling portion are respectively a protrusion and a groove, and the protrusion is engaged with and separated from the groove by utilizing structural deformation characteristics. A key as described in claim 1, wherein the first coupling portion and the second coupling portion are a magnet and a magnetic portion respectively. A key as described in claim 3, wherein the first coupling portion is the magnet, and the magnet is disposed on one side of the base member, or in a middle area between two opposite sides of the base member. A key as described in claim 3, wherein the second joint portion is at least a portion of the top member. A key as described in claim 1, wherein the bottom piece is made of a light-transmitting material, and the top piece further has a light-transmitting hole, the position of which corresponds to the character of the cover piece. A key as described in claim 6, wherein the base further has a filling portion, which is disposed at a position on an upper surface of the base corresponding to the light-transmitting hole, and is used to fill the light-transmitting hole. A key as described in claim 1, wherein the bottom piece further has a slot disposed on one side of a body of the bottom piece, and a slot direction of the slot is directed toward the top piece. The key as described in claim 1, wherein the bottom piece further has a first buckle portion, which is arranged at a position different from the first coupling portion, and the top piece further has a second buckle portion, whose position corresponds to the first buckle portion, and the first buckle portion and the second buckle portion are buckled with each other to limit the displacement of the top piece relative to the bottom piece. A keyboard includes: a bottom plate; a circuit board, which is arranged on the bottom plate and has a plurality of switches; and a plurality of keys, each key including: a lifting support mechanism, which is movably combined with the bottom plate; an elastic reset member, which is arranged on the circuit board to trigger a corresponding switch; and a key cap, which includes: a bottom member, which is movably combined with the lifting support mechanism, the bottom member has a first combination part and a receiving area, the first combination part is embedded in the receiving area so that the bottom member has a flat outer surface; a top member, which has a second combination part, the first combination part and the second combination part are detachably connected; and a cover member, which has a character and is arranged on the top member. As described in claim 10, the first coupling portion and the second coupling portion are respectively a bump and a groove, and the bump is engaged with and separated from the groove by means of structural deformation characteristics. A keyboard as described in claim 10, wherein the first coupling portion and the second coupling portion are a magnet and a magnetic portion, respectively. A keyboard as described in claim 12, wherein the first coupling portion is the magnet, and the magnet is disposed on one side of the base, or in a middle area between two opposite sides of the base. A keyboard as described in claim 12, wherein the second joint is at least a portion of the top member. A keyboard as described in claim 10, wherein the bottom piece is made of a light-transmitting material, and the top piece further has a light-transmitting hole, the position of which corresponds to the character of the cover piece. A keyboard as described in claim 15, wherein the base further has a filling portion disposed at a position corresponding to the light-transmitting hole on an upper surface of the base for filling the light-transmitting hole. A keyboard as described in claim 10, wherein the bottom piece further has a slot disposed on one side of a body of the bottom piece, and a slot direction of the slot is directed toward the top piece. A keyboard as described in claim 10, wherein the bottom piece further has a first buckle portion, which is arranged at a position different from the first coupling portion, and the top piece further has a second buckle portion, whose position corresponds to the first buckle portion, and the first buckle portion and the second buckle portion are buckled with each other to limit the displacement of the top piece relative to the bottom piece. A key with a quick release function comprises: a bottom plate; a lifting support mechanism movably coupled to the bottom plate; an elastic reset member disposed on the bottom plate; and a key cap, comprising: a bottom member movably coupled to the lifting support mechanism, the bottom member having a first coupling portion and a slot disposed on a side of a body of the bottom member; a top member having a second coupling portion, the first coupling portion and the second coupling portion being detachably coupled, a slot body of the slot pointing toward the top member; and a covering member having a character and disposed on the top member. A keyboard comprises: a bottom plate; a circuit board, which is arranged on the bottom plate and has a plurality of switches; and a plurality of keys, each of which comprises: a lifting support mechanism, which is movably combined with the bottom plate; an elastic reset member, which is arranged on the circuit board to trigger a corresponding switch; and a key cap, which comprises: a bottom member, which is movably combined with the lifting support mechanism, the bottom member has a first coupling portion and a slot, the slot is arranged on a side of a body of the bottom member; a top member, which has a second coupling portion, the first coupling portion and the second coupling portion are detachably coupled, and a slot body direction of the slot is directed to the top member; and a cover member, which has a character and is arranged on the top member.

Images