Keyboard key module

Abstract

A keyboard key module includes a circuit board unit, a substrate, and a key unit. The substrate is disposed above the circuit board unit and includes an opening. The key unit includes a support module disposed on the substrate, a key cover module disposed on the support module, and an elastic member located between the circuit board unit and the key cover module. The key cover module has a lower cover disposed on the support module and having a through hole, and an upper cover disposed above the lower cover. The lower end of the elastic member abuts against the circuit board unit through the opening, and the upper end of the elastic member abuts against the upper cover through the through hole. This keyboard key module achieves significant improvement in thickness optimization, resulting in a thinner profile, a longer press travel, and a better tactile feel.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a keyboard key module, and more particularly to a keyboard key module that is thin and has a long pressing stroke. Prior Technology

[0002] An existing button module includes a backlight module, a substrate disposed above the backlight module, a thin-film circuit board disposed above the substrate, and a plurality of button modules disposed on the substrate. The substrate has a plurality of latching modules. The thin-film circuit board has a plurality of openings for the latching modules to pass through. Each button module has a scissor-switch structure disposed on the corresponding latching module, a keycap disposed on the scissor-switch structure, and an elastic body disposed between the keycap and the thin-film circuit board. When each keycap is pressed, the elastic body compresses the thin-film circuit board to generate an electronic signal.

[0003] However, this key module has the problem of difficulty in reducing its thickness. Since the keycap is made of plastic, further reducing its thickness would cause uneven cooling during the plastic injection molding process, resulting in a decrease in flatness. Reducing the height of the elastomer would shorten the distance between the keycap and the thin-film circuit board, leading to a reduction in the pressing stroke and poor tactile feedback. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Therefore, the object of the present invention is to provide a keyboard key module that can improve upon at least one of the aforementioned drawbacks.

[0005] Therefore, the keyboard key module of the present invention includes a circuit board unit, a substrate, and a key unit. The substrate is disposed above the circuit board unit and includes an opening. The key unit includes a support module disposed on the substrate, a key cover module disposed on the support module, and an elastic member located between the circuit board unit and the key cover module. The key cover module has a lower cover disposed on the support module and having a through hole, and an upper cover disposed above the lower cover. The lower end of the elastic member abuts against the circuit board unit through the opening, and the upper end of the elastic member abuts against the upper cover through the through hole.

[0006] The advantages of this invention are: by setting the key cover module and placing the circuit board unit below the substrate, the elastic member abuts against the upper cover through the through hole of the lower cover and abuts against the circuit board unit through the opening of the substrate, the keyboard key module can achieve a significant improvement in thickness optimization and achieve the effects of thinness, large pressing stroke and good pressing feel. Simple Explanation of the Diagram

[0007] Other features and effects of the present invention will be clearly presented in the embodiments with reference to the drawings, wherein: Figure 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the keyboard key module of the present invention; Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of this embodiment; and Figure 3 is a cross-sectional view of this embodiment. Implementation

[0008] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0009] Referring to Figures 1 and 2, an embodiment of the keyboard key module of the present invention includes a circuit board unit 1, a substrate 2, and a key unit 3.

[0010] The circuit board unit 1 is a modular component that includes a thin film circuit board and a backlight module, that is, the circuit board unit 1 is a two-in-one liquid-resistant backlight circuit board.

[0011] Referring to Figures 2 and 3, the substrate 2 is disposed above the circuit board unit 1. The substrate 2 is made of metal and includes a plate body 21 with an opening 211 formed therein, and a hook module 22 disposed on the plate body 21. The hook module 22 has a plurality of hooks 221. Specifically, the substrate 2 is bonded to the circuit board unit 1.

[0012] The button unit 3 includes a support module 31 disposed on the substrate 2, a key cover module 32 disposed on the support module 31, and an elastic member 33 located between the circuit board unit 1 and the key cover module 32.

[0013] The support module 31 has scissor legs and is provided with the hooks 221 of the hook module 22.

[0014] The keycap module 32 has a lower cover 321 disposed on the support module 31 and having a through hole 323, and an upper cover 322 disposed above the lower cover 321 and covering the lower cover 321. The lower cover 321 is made of translucent plastic material. The upper cover 322 is made of metal material, specifically, it is made of aluminum.

[0015] The lower end of the elastic member 33 abuts against the circuit board unit 1 through the opening 211 of the plate 21, and the upper end of the elastic member 33 abuts against the upper cover 322 through the through hole 323 of the lower cover 321. Specifically, the elastic member 33 has a top 331 abutting against the upper cover 322, a cover portion 332 connected to the top 331 and abutting against the circuit board unit 1, and a protrusion 333 extending downward from the top 331 and surrounded by the cover portion 332. The protrusion 333 faces the circuit board unit 1 through the opening 211. When the upper cover 322 is pressed, the protrusion 333 of the elastic member 33 squeezes the circuit board unit 1 to generate a pressing signal.

[0016] Since the elastic element 33 abuts against the upper cover 322 and the circuit board unit 1, this embodiment can increase the pressing stroke to obtain better pressing feedback and pressing feel while maintaining the overall thickness of the keyboard key module. The detailed principle is explained below.

[0017] To increase the press travel, the height of the elastic element 33 needs to be increased, but increasing the height of the elastic element 33 will correspondingly increase the overall thickness of the keyboard key module. Therefore, if it is necessary to increase the press travel while maintaining the overall thickness of the keyboard key module, the distance between the key cover module 32 and the elastic element 33 and the distance between the circuit board unit 1 and the elastic element 33 needs to be increased.

[0018] Since the upper cover 322 is made of aluminum, it can be easily stamped to a thinner and flatter shape compared to plastic. Furthermore, aluminum is easy to surface treat, such as anodizing or brushing, to enhance its appearance. Therefore, by opening the through hole 323 in the lower cover 321, the elastic member 33 abuts against the upper cover 322 through the through hole 323. Thus, the upper part of the elastic member 33 only includes the upper cover 322 and not the lower cover 321, thereby reducing the thickness of the component above the elastic member 33. However, it should be noted that the material of the upper cover 322 is not limited in other variations of this embodiment. The upper cover 322 can also be made of other lightweight metal materials, such as SUS304 or other grades of stainless steel.

[0019] Furthermore, by placing the circuit board unit 1 below the substrate 2 and opening the hole 211 on the substrate 2 corresponding to the elastic member 33, so that the elastic member 33 abuts against the circuit board unit 1 through the opening 211, the area below the elastic member 33 only includes the circuit board unit 1 and not the substrate 2, thereby reducing the component thickness below the elastic member 33.

[0020] In other words, this embodiment has a larger pressing stroke while maintaining the same overall thickness as existing button modules. Alternatively, it can be said that this embodiment has a thinner thickness while maintaining the same pressing stroke as existing button modules.

[0021] In this embodiment, the thickness of the upper cover 322 is 0.3 mm, and the thickness of the substrate 2 is 0.15 mm. The thickness of conventional plastic keycaps is approximately 0.5 mm or more. Therefore, the thickness reduction achieved in this embodiment compared to existing key modules is the thickness of the existing plastic keycap minus the thickness of the upper cover 322, plus the thickness of the substrate 2, which equals 0.35 mm. The overall thickness of a conventional keyboard key structure is 4.5 mm, and the pressing stroke is 1.8 mm. In this embodiment, the overall thickness of the keyboard key module is 3.35 mm, with the same pressing stroke of 1.8 mm. Compared to conventional key structures, while maintaining the same pressing stroke, the thickness is reduced by 25.5%, demonstrating a significant thinning effect and greatly optimizing the thickness of the keyboard key module.

[0022] In summary, the advantages of the keyboard button module of the present invention are explained below.

[0023] 1. By setting up a key cover module 32 composed of the lower cover 321 and the upper cover 322, and placing the circuit board unit 1 below the substrate 2, the upper end of the elastic member 33 abuts against the upper cover 322 through the through hole 323 of the lower cover 321, and the lower end of the elastic member 33 abuts against the circuit board unit 1 through the opening 211 of the substrate 2. In the context of increasingly thinner keyboards, the keyboard key module can achieve a significant improvement in thickness optimization, and achieve the effects of thinness, large pressing stroke, and good pressing feel.

[0024] Second, since the circuit board unit 1 is not located on top of the substrate 2, there is no need to create holes for the hooks 221 to pass through. Therefore, the entire surface of the circuit board unit 1 can be coated with adhesive, resulting in excellent adhesive distribution and reducing the likelihood of air bubbles or streaks, thus improving the bonding quality between the circuit board unit 1 and the substrate 2. Consequently, the keyboard key module also has excellent waterproof and salt spray corrosion resistance.

[0025] Third, the circuit board unit 1 is a two-in-one liquid-resistant backlight circuit board that includes a backlight module and a thin-film circuit board. When manufacturing an illuminated keyboard, the substrate 2 and the components on top of the substrate 2 can be fabricated first and stored. When it is time to deliver, the circuit board unit 1 is then glued to the bottom surface of the substrate 2 and can be shipped directly. Therefore, the illuminated keyboard with the keyboard key module of the present invention also has the advantages of convenient assembly and high production efficiency.

[0026] However, the above description is merely an embodiment of the present invention and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. Any simple equivalent changes and modifications made in accordance with the scope of the patent application and the contents of the patent specification of the present invention shall still fall within the scope of the patent of the present invention.

[0027] 1: Circuit board unit 2:Substrate 21:Plate body 211: Opening 22: Hook Module 221: Hook 3: Button Unit 31: Support Module 32: Key Cover Module 321: Lower cover 322: Upper cover 323: Through-hole 33: Elastic component 331: Top 332: Cover 333: Convex pillar

Claims

1. A keyboard key module, comprising: a circuit board unit; a substrate disposed above the circuit board unit and including an opening; and a key unit including a support module disposed on the substrate, a key cover module disposed on the support module, and an elastic member located between the circuit board unit and the key cover module, the key cover module having a lower cover disposed on the support module and having a through hole, and an upper cover disposed above the lower cover and covering the lower cover, the lower end of the elastic member abutting against the circuit board unit through the opening, and the upper end of the elastic member abutting against the upper cover through the through hole.

2. The keyboard button module as described in claim 1, wherein, The top cover is made of metal.

3. The keyboard button module as described in claim 2, wherein, The top cover is made of aluminum.

4. The keyboard button module as described in claim 2, wherein, The lower cover is made of translucent plastic.

5. The keyboard button module as described in claim 1, wherein, The elastic member has a top abutting against the top of the upper cover, a cover portion connected to the top and abutting against the circuit board unit, and a protrusion extending downward from the top and surrounded by the cover portion, the protrusion facing the circuit board unit through the opening.

6. The keyboard button module as described in claim 1, wherein, The substrate includes a plate body with the openings formed thereon, and a hook module disposed on the plate body. The support module is a scissor-shaped bracket and is disposed on the hook module.

7. The keyboard button module as described in claim 1, wherein, The circuit board unit is a modular component that includes a backlight module and a thin-film circuit board.

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