Keyboard switch and keyboard

Abstract

The invention discloses a keyboard switch and a keyboard. The keyboard switch comprises a shell; the button can slide up and down relative to the shell; the magnet is arranged on the button, and the magnet is linked along with the button; the spring abuts against the button and the shell and provides reset force for the button. The supporting part is arranged on the button and is used for supporting the magnet; the collision part is arranged on the button, and when the button moves downwards, the collision part can collide with the shell; the supporting part forms the impact part; or the supporting part and the impact part are arranged separately; or the impact part comprises a first impact part and a second impact part, the supporting part forms the first impact part, and the supporting part and the second impact part are arranged separately. The magnets are not easy to fall off, and the impact sound generated when the magnetic shaft works is easy to realize diversified design.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of keyboards, and specifically to a keyboard switch and a keyboard. Background Art

[0002] As a kind of keyboard switch, a magnetic axis is used on a keyboard. The keyboard has layouts such as 68 keys or 108 keys. A magnetic axis is provided below each key. The magnetic axis has a button and a magnet. The magnet can slide up and down with the button, so that the magnet approaches or moves away from a Hall element inside the keyboard. The Hall element senses the change in magnetic flux to form an electrical signal. Thus, the keystrokes of the keyboard are recognized.

[0003] Specifically refer to Figure 1 As shown, in the existing magnetic axis design, the magnetic axis includes a housing 1 and a button 2. A guide post 26 is provided at the lower part of the button 2. An installation groove is provided at the bottom of the guide post. The magnet 3 is assembled into the installation groove from bottom to top and fixed by interference fit. When a user strikes a keyboard key, the button slides down, causing the magnet at the bottom of the button to hit the housing and generate a sound. This structure has at least the following defects:

[0004] ①. When striking the keyboard, since the sound is brought by the magnet hitting the housing, and the material of the magnet is basically constant and difficult to change, and the housing is generally made of plastic parts, the feedback sound generated by the impact of the magnet and the plastic housing when striking the keyboard is basically fixed, resulting in relatively serious homogenization of the keyboard feedback sound. For users, different users have different requirements for the keyboard feedback sound. Therefore, the existing magnetic axes are difficult to meet the diverse needs of users.

[0005] ②. Specifically refer to Figure 1 As shown, since the magnet is installed in the installation groove from bottom to top, the magnet is suspended. During the use of the keyboard, the magnet will frequently hit the housing. After long-term use, the magnet is likely to become loose or even fall off, affecting the performance stability and service life of the magnetic axis, and the user experience is not good.

[0006] Therefore, it is necessary to improve and optimize the existing magnetic axis. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The present invention aims to solve at least one of the problems in the prior art. For this purpose, the present invention provides a keyboard switch and a keyboard, in which the magnet is not easily dropped, and the impact sound during the operation of the magnetic axis can be easily designed diversely.

[0008] The technical solution adopted by the present invention to solve its technical problems is as follows:

[0009] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a keyboard switch, including:

[0010] A housing;

[0011] A button, which can slide up and down relative to the housing;

[0012] A magnet is arranged on the button, and the magnet moves in conjunction with the button;

[0013] A spring abuts against the button and the housing to provide a reset force for the button;

[0014] A supporting portion, disposed on the button and used to support the magnet;

[0015] An impact part, arranged on the button, and when the button moves downward, the impact part can impact with the housing;

[0016] The supporting portion forms the impact portion; or, the supporting portion is disposed separately from the impact portion; or, the impact portion includes a first impact portion and a second impact portion, the supporting portion forms the first impact portion, and the supporting portion is disposed separately from the second impact portion.

[0017] Optionally, the magnet and the button are injection molded as one piece; or, the magnet and the button are separately provided, a mounting groove is provided on the button, and the magnet is installed in the mounting groove from top to bottom, or the magnet is installed in the mounting groove from the side.

[0018] Optionally, a guide post is provided on the button, a guide ring cooperating with the guide post is provided on the shell, and the magnet is provided on the guide post, or the magnet is provided on the side of the guide post.

[0019] Optionally, the magnet is arranged on the guide column, and a plurality of heat dissipation holes are arranged at the bottom of the support portion and the guide ring.

[0020] Optionally, the supporting portion is located at the lower part of the magnet, or the supporting portion is located at the middle part of the magnet.

[0021] Optionally, the bottom of the guide column forms the impact portion; or, the magnet is arranged on the side of the guide column, the support portion is located below the magnet, and the support portion forms the impact portion; or, the bottom of the guide column forms the first impact portion, the magnet is arranged on the side of the guide column, the support portion is located below the magnet, and the support portion forms the second impact portion.

[0022] Optionally, the impact portion and the button are integrally formed or separately connected.

[0023] Optionally, the button includes an upper button and a lower button that are separately arranged, the upper button and the lower button are connected and fixed, and the impact part is arranged on the lower button.

[0024] Optionally, the mounting groove is provided on the lower button, the magnet is installed in the mounting groove from top to bottom, a soft pad is provided in the mounting groove, the lower part of the soft pad abuts against the magnet, and the upper part of the soft pad abuts against the upper button; or, the upper part of the soft pad abuts against the magnet, and the lower part of the soft pad abuts against the bottom of the mounting groove.

[0025] Optionally, a plurality of undercuts are provided on the button, and the undercuts are arranged circumferentially to form a mounting groove. After the magnet is placed into the mounting groove from bottom to top, the undercuts are buckled onto the bottom of the magnet, and the undercuts form the supporting portion, and the supporting portion forms the impact portion, or the supporting portion does not serve as the impact portion.

[0026] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a keyboard, comprising a circuit board, on which a Hall element is arranged, and also comprising a keyboard switch as described in any one of the embodiments of the first aspect above, wherein the number of the keyboard switches is plural.

[0027] The present invention has at least one of the following beneficial effects: in the embodiment of the present invention, a support part is provided on the button, and the support part is used to support the magnet, so that when the button moves downward to the end of the stroke and collides, the support part can always provide good support for the magnet, and the magnet is not easy to loosen or fall off, thereby ensuring the stability of the magnet structure; an impact part is provided on the button, and the impact part is formed by the support part, or the support part and the impact part are separately provided, or the impact part is designed to include a first impact part and a second impact part, the support part forms the first impact part, and the support part and the second impact part are separately provided, and the impact part is used to impact the shell to produce a sound, thereby abandoning the structure in the prior art of using a magnet to impact the shell, so that the impact sound is different from the existing impact sound, and the homogenization problem of magnetic axis products is avoided, and the manufacturer can easily achieve different impact sounds only by changing the material of the impact part, and achieve diversified impact feedback sounds by using a combination of different materials, so that the product structure has strong versatility, which can not only reduce production costs but also meet the diversified needs of users. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of a keyboard switch in an existing product design;

[0029] Figure 2 is an exploded schematic diagram of a keyboard switch in one embodiment of the present invention (the magnet is arranged on the side of the guide column);

[0030] Figure 3 yes Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of the structure after assembly;

[0031] Figure 4 yes Figure 2 A schematic diagram of the cross-sectional structure of the magnet and the button after assembly in the structure shown;

[0032] Figure 5 is an exploded schematic view of the keyboard switch in another embodiment of the present invention (the magnet is arranged on the guide post);

[0033] Figure 6 is Figure 5 a schematic cross-sectional structure view after the structure shown is assembled;

[0034] Figure 7 is Figure 5 a schematic cross-sectional structure view after the magnet and the button in the structure shown are assembled;

[0035] Figure 8 is Figure 5 a schematic cross-sectional structure view with heat dissipation holes provided on the basis of the structure shown;

[0036] Figure 9 is an exploded schematic view of the keyboard switch in another embodiment of the present invention (the magnet is installed on the guide post from the side);

[0037] Figure 10 is Figure 9 a schematic cross-sectional structure view after the structure shown is assembled;

[0038] Figure 11 is an exploded schematic view of the keyboard switch in another embodiment of the present invention (the magnet is installed by reverse buckling);

[0039] Figure 12 is Figure 11 a schematic cross-sectional structure view after the structure shown is assembled;

[0040] Explanation of the reference numerals in the drawings:

[0041] 1 - housing, 11 - upper cover, 12 - base, 13 - opening, 14 - guide ring, 15 - heat dissipation hole, 2 - button, 21 - support part, 22 - impact part, 23 - upper button, 24 - lower button, 25 - installation groove, 26 - guide post, 27 - reverse buckle, 3 - magnet, 4 - spring, 5 - soft pad. Specific embodiments

[0042] To make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention clearer and more understandable, the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings. It should be noted that, without conflict, the embodiments described below and the features in the embodiments can be combined with each other arbitrarily.

[0043] Many different embodiments or examples are provided below to implement the structure of the present invention.

[0044] See Figure 2 - Figure 12The first aspect of the present invention provides a keyboard switch, including a shell 1, the shell 1 includes an upper cover 11 and a base 12, the upper cover 11 and the base 12 can be fixed by a snap connection, and an opening 13 is provided on the upper cover 11 to allow the following button 2 to extend; the button 2 can slide up and down relative to the shell 1; the magnet 3 is arranged on the button 2, and the magnet 3 follows the button 2 in linkage; the spring 4 abuts on the button 2 and the shell 1 to provide a reset force for the button 2. In actual use, a keycap can be installed on the button 2. When the user taps the keycap, the button 2 is pressed down, so that the magnet 3 slides down with the button 2. When the finger is released, the button 2 is reset upward under the reset force of the spring 4, and the upper part of the button 2 will abut on the upper cover 11 and will not detach from the shell 1; the support part 21 is arranged on the button 2 and is used to support the magnet 3. The support part 21, as a support point, can form an upward support force on the magnet 3, so that the magnet 3 will not fall off after long-term use and vibration. For details, see Figure 2 - Figure 8 As shown, in some embodiments, the support portion 21 can be located at the lower part of the magnet 3; or, in other embodiments, the support portion 21 can be located in the middle of the magnet 3, for example, the magnet 3 can be designed to be T-shaped, and the support portion 21 can be designed to be located below the horizontal side of the T-shaped structure; the impact portion 22 is arranged on the button 2, and when the button 2 moves downward, the impact portion 22 can collide with the housing 1, specifically with the base 12, and the impact portion 22 can also be called a contact portion; according to the different magnet installation methods and installation positions, the support portion 21 forms the impact portion 22, that is, the button 2 has a portion A, and the portion A is used to support the magnet 3 and also to impact the base 12 when the button 2 moves downward; in other embodiments, the support portion 21 and the impact portion 22 can also be set separately; in other embodiments, the impact portion 22 can also be designed to include a first impact portion and a second impact portion, and the support portion 21 forms the first impact portion, and the support portion 21 and the second impact portion are set separately. The specific description will be given in more detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0045] In some embodiments of the present invention, the magnet 3 is integrally molded with the button 2, and the button 2 is generally made of plastic. When the button 2 is designed to include an upper button 23 and a lower button 24, the magnet 3 can be integrally molded with the lower button 24. When the magnet 3 is fixed by injection molding, a support portion 21 is provided at the lower or middle part of the magnet 3 to support the magnet 3; the magnet 3 and the button 2 can also be designed as a separate structure, and a mounting groove 25 is provided on the button 2, such as Figure 2 or Figure 5 As shown, the magnet 3 is installed in the installation groove 25 from top to bottom, or, as shown in Figure 9As shown, the magnet 3 is mounted in the mounting groove 25 from the side. Thus, the method of mounting the magnet from bottom to top in the prior art (referred to as "forward mounting") is abandoned. The method of assembling the magnet 3 in the mounting groove 25 from top to bottom or from the side in this embodiment realizes the reverse mounting or lateral mounting of the magnet. The magnet is no longer a suspended structure, and the magnet will not fall off after the keyboard switch is used for a long time. It can be understood that Figure 3 or Figure 6 In the structure shown, the magnet 3 can be integrally formed with the button 2 by injection molding.

[0046] See Figure 2 - Figure 8 As shown, in some embodiments of the present invention, a guide post 26 is provided on the button 2, and a guide ring 14 cooperating with the guide post 26 is provided on the housing 1. Specifically, see Figure 5 - Figure 8 As shown, in some embodiments, the magnet 3 is provided on the guide post 26; or, specifically see Figure 2 - Figure 4 As shown, in some other embodiments, the magnet 3 is provided on the side of the guide post 26. The arrangement of the guide post 26 and the guide ring 14 is beneficial to improving the stability of the button 2 when it slides down, that is, improving the feel when hitting the keyboard.

[0047] Specifically see Figure 8As shown, in some embodiments of the present invention, the magnet 3 is disposed on the guide post 26, and a plurality of heat dissipation holes 15 are provided at the bottom of the support portion 21 and the guide ring 14. In order to improve the smoothness of the button 2 when it slides down and avoid or reduce the shaking of the button 2 in the horizontal direction, the matching degree between the guide post 26 and the guide ring 14 is very high, so that the space between the guide post 26 and the guide ring 14 has a certain tightness, which will cause two problems: ①. The air in the closed space is not easily discharged quickly when the button 2 slides down, that is, the air in the closed space will hinder the sliding of the button 2, affecting the smoothness of keyboard tapping; ②. The hand speed of tapping the keyboard is generally relatively fast. The rapid sliding of the button 2 will cause the air in the closed space to be compressed and generate heat. At the same time, the contact friction between the guide post 26 and the guide ring 14 will also generate heat. After the heat is transmitted to the magnet 3, the temperature of the magnet will increase. The temperature of the magnet will have an important impact on the magnetism of the magnet. Specifically, the magnetic domains inside the magnet will be arranged neatly at low temperatures, thereby endowing the magnet with overall magnetism. As the temperature increases, the thermal motion of the small magnetic domains will become violent and cause them to no longer be arranged neatly, thereby affecting the magnetism. For the magnetic axis product, its working principle is exactly to use the magnetism of the magnet to cooperate with the Hall element to work. The Hall element is a high-precision sensing component, and the change of the magnet temperature may affect the normal operation of the magnetic axis and the keyboard. Therefore, in some embodiments of the present invention, by providing a plurality of heat dissipation holes 15 at the bottom of the support portion 21 and the guide ring 14, when the button 2 slides down, the heat generated in the area related to the magnet can be quickly discharged through the heat dissipation holes 15, which is beneficial to the magnet 3 to maintain a relatively stable temperature, avoid the temperature of the magnet 3 from being too high, and thus avoid the magnet 3 from generating a temperature drift phenomenon, greatly improving the working stability of the magnetic axis product and the keyboard.

[0048] The following is an analysis of the support portion 21 and the impact portion 22: Specifically, refer to Figure 3 or Figure 6 or Figure 10 As shown, in some embodiments of the present invention, when the button 2 slides down to the end of the stroke, the bottom of the guide post 26 impacts the bottom of the guide ring 14, so that the bottom of the guide post 26 forms the impact portion 22; specifically refer to Figure 3 As shown, in other embodiments, the magnet 3 can be disposed on the side of the guide post 26, the support portion 21 is located below the magnet 3, and the support portion 21 impacts the bottom wall of the base 12, so that the support portion 21 forms the impact portion 22; still refer to Figure 3As shown, it can be designed such that the bottom of the guide post 26 impacts the bottom of the guide ring 14. The bottom of the guide post 26 forms the first impact portion, and the magnet 3 is disposed on the side of the guide post 26. The support portion 21 is located below the magnet 3, and the support portion 21 also impacts the inner bottom wall of the base 12, so that the support portion 21 forms the second impact portion. Therefore, by designing impact portions at different positions and with different numbers of impact portions, different impact sounds can be generated, and diverse choices for the feedback sound when the keyboard is struck are realized. It can be understood that for Figure 3 the structure shown, by changing the length of the guide post 26, it is possible to achieve the bottom of the guide post 26 impacting the base 12 to form an impact portion, or it is also possible to achieve the support portion 21 below the magnet 3 to impact the base 12 to form an impact portion; it is also possible to achieve the bottom of the guide post 26 and the support portion 21 below the magnet 3 to simultaneously impact the base 12.

[0049] In some embodiments of the present invention, specifically referring to as Figure 3 or Figure 6 shown, the impact portion 22 is integrally formed with the button 2; in other embodiments, the impact portion 22 and the button 2 can also be detachably connected. For example, the impact portion 22 can be fixed to the button 2 by a snap or other connection means. Another example is to bond a component such as an impact plate to the bottom of the guide post 26 to form an impact portion.

[0050] Specifically referring to Figure 5 shown, in some embodiments of the present invention, the button 2 includes an upper button 23 and a lower button 24 that are separately provided. The upper button 23 and the lower button 24 are connected and fixed, specifically by insertion. The impact portion 22 is provided on the lower button 24. This structure cleverly decomposes the existing integral button structure into two parts. Thus, different materials can be selected for the upper button 23 and the lower button 24. For example, the upper button 23 can be made of a plastic part with better structural strength to meet the requirements of keyboard striking and wear, while the lower button 24 can be made of a material different from that of the upper button 23 to better meet the impact requirements with the base 12. Different materials for the lower button 24 will also produce different impact sounds, making it easier to achieve diverse impact sounds. Moreover, such a structure makes the upper button 23 universal, and the same upper button 23 can be adapted to lower buttons 24 with different structures or different materials, which can reduce the production cost of the manufacturer.

[0051] Specifically referring to Figure 5 and Figure 6As shown, in some embodiments of the present invention, the lower button 24 is provided with the mounting groove 25, the magnet 3 is installed in the mounting groove 25 from top to bottom, and a soft pad 5 is provided in the mounting groove 25, the lower part of the soft pad 5 abuts against the magnet 3, and the upper part of the soft pad 5 abuts against the upper button 23. The provision of the soft pad 5 allows the mounting groove 25 to be designed to be deeper, so that the magnet 3 can be installed downward to better meet the requirements of the Hall element sensing magnetic flux, and at the same time, it can also reduce the amount of magnets used and reduce costs. The soft pad 5 is used to press the magnet 3, so that the magnet 3 is more reliably fixed in the mounting groove 25. Moreover, when the button 2 is reset upward and hits the upper cover 11, the soft pad 5 can also absorb part of the vibration, reduce the sound of the button 2 hitting the upper cover 2 when it is reset, and improve the user experience. In other embodiments, the soft pad can also be provided below the magnet, the upper part of the soft pad abuts against the magnet, and the lower part of the soft pad abuts against the bottom of the mounting groove.

[0052] See Figure 11 and Figure 12 As shown, in other embodiments of the present invention, a plurality of undercuts 27 may be provided on the button 2, and the undercuts 27 are circumferentially arranged to form a mounting groove. After the magnet 3 is placed into the mounting groove from bottom to top, the undercuts 27 are buckled onto the bottom of the magnet 3. In this embodiment, the undercuts 27 serve as the lower half of the guide column 26. After the undercuts 27 are inserted into the guide ring, they can also guide the button 2 when it slides down. The undercuts 27 form the supporting portion 21, and the supporting portion 21 forms the impact portion 22. In other embodiments, depending on the position of the undercuts, the supporting portion formed by the undercuts may not serve as an impact portion.

[0053] The second aspect of the present invention also provides a keyboard, including a circuit board, on which a Hall element is arranged, and also includes the keyboard switch described in any one of the embodiments of the first aspect, wherein there are multiple keyboard switches. Specifically, 108 or 68 keyboard switches can be arranged on a keyboard, or other numbers can be arranged.

[0054] As can be seen from the above structural analysis, in the embodiment of the present invention, a support portion 21 is provided on the button 2, and the support portion 21 is used to support the magnet 3. When the button 2 moves downward to the end of the stroke and impacts, the support portion 21 can always form good support for the magnet 3, so that the magnet 3 is not easily loosened or dropped, ensuring the stability of the magnet structure. By providing an impact portion 22 on the button 2, the support portion 21 forms the impact portion 22; alternatively, the support portion 21 and the impact portion 22 are separately provided; alternatively, the impact portion 22 includes a first impact portion and a second impact portion, the support portion 21 forms the first impact portion, and the support portion 21 and the second impact portion are separately provided. The impact portion 22 is used to impact the housing 1 to generate sound, abandoning the structure of using the magnet to impact the housing in the prior art, making the impact sound different from the existing impact sound, avoiding the homogenization problem of the magnetic axis products. Moreover, it is very easy for the manufacturer to achieve different impact sounds only by changing the material of the impact portion, and use different material combinations to achieve diverse impact feedback sounds, making the product structure highly versatile, which can not only reduce the production cost but also meet the diverse needs of users.

[0055] The embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments. Within the scope of knowledge possessed by those of ordinary skill in the art, various changes can be made without departing from the gist of the present invention.

Claims

1. A keyboard switch, characterized in that, include: case; A button, which can slide up and down relative to the housing; A magnet is arranged on the button, and the magnet moves in conjunction with the button; A spring abuts against the button and the housing to provide a reset force for the button; A supporting portion, disposed on the button and used to support the magnet; An impact part, arranged on the button, and when the button moves downward, the impact part can impact with the housing; The supporting portion forms the impact portion; or, the supporting portion is disposed separately from the impact portion; or, the impact portion includes a first impact portion and a second impact portion, the supporting portion forms the first impact portion, and the supporting portion is disposed separately from the second impact portion.

2. The keyboard switch according to claim 1, wherein: The magnet and the button are injection molded as one body; or, the magnet and the button are separately provided, the button is provided with a mounting groove, the magnet is installed in the mounting groove from top to bottom, or the magnet is installed in the mounting groove from the side.

3. The keyboard switch according to claim 1, wherein: The button is provided with a guide post, the housing is provided with a guide ring matched with the guide post, the magnet is provided on the guide post, or the magnet is provided on the side of the guide post.

4. The keyboard switch according to claim 3, characterized in that: The magnet is arranged on the guide column, and a plurality of heat dissipation holes are arranged at the bottom of the support portion and the guide ring.

5. The keyboard switch according to claim 3, characterized in that: The supporting portion is located at the lower part of the magnet, or the supporting portion is located at the middle part of the magnet.

6. The keyboard switch according to claim 5, characterized in that: The bottom of the guide column forms the impact part; or, the magnet is arranged on the side of the guide column, the support part is located below the magnet, and the support part forms the impact part; or, the bottom of the guide column forms the first impact part, the magnet is arranged on the side of the guide column, the support part is located below the magnet, and the support part forms the second impact part.

7. A keyboard switch according to claim 1, characterized in that: The impact part and the button are integrally formed or separately connected.

8. The keyboard switch according to claim 2, characterized in that: The button comprises an upper button and a lower button which are separately arranged, the upper button and the lower button are connected and fixed, and the impact part is arranged on the lower button.

9. The keyboard switch according to claim 8, characterized in that: The lower button is provided with the mounting groove, the magnet is installed in the mounting groove from top to bottom, a soft pad is provided in the mounting groove, the lower part of the soft pad abuts against the magnet, and the upper part of the soft pad abuts against the upper button; or, the upper part of the soft pad abuts against the magnet, and the lower part of the soft pad abuts against the bottom of the mounting groove.

10. A keyboard switch according to claim 1, characterized in that: The button is provided with a plurality of undercuts, which are arranged circumferentially to form a mounting groove. After the magnet is placed into the mounting groove from bottom to top, the undercuts are buckled onto the bottom of the magnet, and the undercuts form the supporting portion, and the supporting portion forms the impact portion, or the supporting portion does not serve as the impact portion.

11. A keyboard, characterized in that: It comprises a circuit board on which a Hall element is arranged, and also comprises a keyboard switch according to any one of claims 1 to 10, wherein there are a plurality of keyboard switches.

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