keyboard

Abstract

The present invention discloses a keyboard, which includes a base plate, a film circuit board, a plurality of keys and a frame. The base plate includes a plurality of assembly areas and at least one first opening. The first opening is located between some of the plurality of assembly areas. The film circuit board is arranged on the base plate. The film circuit board includes at least one second opening corresponding to the first opening. The frame is arranged above the base plate, and the film circuit board is located between the base plate and the frame. The frame shields the first opening and the second opening. The frame includes a plurality of accommodating parts corresponding to the plurality of assembly areas. The keys pass through the accommodating parts respectively and are fixed to the assembly areas of the base plate, and the gaps between the keys and the frame, the first opening and the second opening together form an air flow channel.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a keyboard. Background Art

[0002] As far as the current computer usage habits are concerned, the keyboard is one of the indispensable input devices. Whether it is the computer itself or its peripheral products, they are all developing towards the design concept of light, thin, short and small. The keyboard has also changed from the early large structure to a thin keyboard. The main structure of a thin keyboard includes a base plate, a membrane circuit board and multiple keys. In addition, a thin keyboard is often equipped with a backlight module to form an illuminated keyboard.

[0003] Generally speaking, there are gaps between keys. In order to achieve dustproof or light leakage prevention effects, a frame is added to the upper layer of the keyboard. The frame has multiple openings that can accommodate keys, so that the gaps between keys can be blocked by the frame, thereby achieving dustproof and light leakage prevention effects.

[0004] In addition, keyboards are often used in portable electronic devices (such as notebook computers), and generally an opening is opened on the bottom side or side wall of the housing of the portable electronic device so that a heat dissipation structure (such as a fan) disposed inside the portable electronic device can utilize the outside air to achieve air circulation and heat dissipation effects. However, the heat dissipation effect that can be achieved by only opening the bottom side or side wall of the housing is limited. Summary of the invention

[0005] In view of the above problems, the main purpose of the present invention is to provide a keyboard, which solves the problem of heat dissipation by setting (first and second) openings on the bottom plate and the thin film circuit board.

[0006] To achieve the above-mentioned purpose, a keyboard of the present invention includes a base plate, a thin film circuit board, a plurality of keys and a frame. The base plate includes a plurality of assembly areas and at least one first opening. The first opening is located between some of the plurality of assembly areas. The thin film circuit board is arranged on the base plate. The thin film circuit board includes at least one second opening corresponding to the first opening. The frame is arranged above the base plate, and the thin film circuit board is located between the base plate and the frame. The frame shields the first opening and the second opening, and the frame includes a plurality of accommodating parts corresponding to the plurality of assembly areas. The keys pass through the accommodating parts respectively and are fixed to the assembly area of ​​the base plate, and the gap between the keys and the frame, the first opening and the second opening together form an air flow channel.

[0007] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first opening and the second opening together form a through hole.

[0008] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a width of the first opening is substantially greater than a width of one of the assembly regions.

[0009] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the first opening further includes an extension portion extending outward along the short axis direction of the bottom plate and the extension portion is located between two adjacent assembly areas.

[0010] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the accommodating portion has at least one recessed portion disposed on one side wall of the accommodating portion.

[0011] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the accommodating portion has a plurality of recesses, and the plurality of recesses are disposed at intervals on at least one side wall of the accommodating portion.

[0012] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of recesses are disposed at intervals on two opposite side walls of the accommodating portion, and the plurality of recesses located on the two opposite side walls are arranged in a complementary manner.

[0013] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the keyboard further comprises a backlight module, which is arranged on a side of the bottom plate opposite to the key. The backlight module comprises a light guide plate and at least one light emitting unit. The light guide plate comprises a third opening, which corresponds to the first opening and the second opening. The light emitting unit irradiates toward the inside of the light guide plate.

[0014] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the light emitting unit has a light emitting direction, and the long axis direction of the third opening is parallel to the light emitting direction.

[0015] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the backlight module has a reflective structure disposed on the inner wall of the third opening of the light guide plate.

[0016] According to an embodiment of the present invention, an outer edge of the first opening or the second opening is smaller than an outer edge of the third opening.

[0017] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the outer edge of the second opening is smaller than the outer edge of the first opening, and the outer edge of the first opening is smaller than the outer edge of the third opening.

[0018] According to an embodiment of the present invention, an outer edge of the second opening is smaller than an outer edge of the first opening.

[0019] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a long axis direction of the first opening is parallel to a long axis direction of the bottom plate.

[0020] As described above, according to the keyboard of the present invention, the bottom plate has an assembly area and a first opening, and the first opening is located between parts of the assembly area. In addition, the thin film circuit board has a second opening corresponding to the first opening. By setting the first opening and the second opening, the cold air from the outside can enter the interior of the device (such as a portable electronic device) through the gap between the key and the frame, the first opening and the second opening, thereby achieving a heat dissipation effect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0021] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a keyboard according to a first embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 2 for Figure 1 An exploded schematic diagram of the keyboard shown;

[0023] Figure 3 for Figure 2 An enlarged schematic diagram of the bottom plate in area B is shown;

[0024] Figure 4 for Figure 2 The enlarged schematic diagram of the bottom plate, the film circuit board and the key combination shown;

[0025] Figure 5 for Figure 1 A partial cross-sectional schematic diagram of a keyboard applied to a portable electronic device;

[0026] Figure 6 for Figure 5 A partially enlarged schematic diagram of the keyboard shown;

[0027] Fig. 7A for Figure 2 A partially enlarged schematic diagram of the frame shown, and Fig. 7A for Figure 2 An enlarged view of region C is shown;

[0028] Figure 7B for Fig. 7A A schematic diagram of the bottom surface of the frame shown;

[0029] Figure 8 is an exploded schematic diagram of a keyboard according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Fig. 9 for Figure 8 A partial cross-sectional schematic diagram of a keyboard applied to a portable electronic device;

[0031] Fig.10 for Fig. 9 A partially enlarged schematic diagram of the keyboard is shown.

[0032] Description of reference numerals:

[0033] Keyboard 1, 1a Bottom plate 10

[0034] Assembly area 11 First opening 12

[0035] Extension 121 Thin film circuit board 20

[0036] Second opening 21 Extension portion 211

[0037] Button 30 Frame 40

[0038] Accommodation portion 41 Side walls 410, 410a, 410b

[0039] Concave part 411 Protruding part 412

[0040] Rib 42 Backlight module 50

[0041] Light guide plate 51 Light source receiving groove 511

[0042] Third opening 512 Light emitting unit 52

[0043] Reflective structure 53 Portable electronic device 9

[0044] Cooling fan 91 opening 92

[0045] AA line area B, C

[0046] Gap G Through hole P

[0047] Long axis direction X Short axis direction Y DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0048] In order to better understand the technical content of the present invention, preferred specific embodiments are described below.

[0049] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a keyboard according to an embodiment of the present invention, Figure 2 for Figure 1 The exploded diagram of the keyboard shown in FIG. Figure 3 for Figure 2 The enlarged schematic diagram of the bottom plate in area B is shown. Figure 4 for Figure 2 The enlarged schematic diagram of the bottom plate, thin film circuit board and key combination is shown. Figure 5 for Figure 1 The keyboard shown is a partial cross-sectional diagram of a portable electronic device. Please also refer to Figures 1 to 5 The keyboard 1 of this embodiment includes a base plate 10, a thin film circuit board 20, a plurality of keys 30 and a frame 40. The base plate 10 includes a plurality of assembly areas 11 and at least one first opening 12. Figure 3 As shown, Figure 3 for Figure 2The enlarged view of the area B shown. The assembly area 11 is used to assemble the keys 30. Each assembly area 11 is provided with a plurality of hook structures. The plurality of keys 30 include a plurality of keycaps, reset parts and a plurality of connectors. The connectors of the keys 30 are used to connect the hook structures and keycaps of the bottom plate 10 and guide the keycaps to rise and fall relative to the bottom plate 10. The connectors are, for example, scissor-type connectors, whereby the plurality of keys 30 are respectively arranged in the plurality of assembly areas 11 of the bottom plate 10. The reset parts are used to provide the force required for resetting the keycaps. The reset parts are, for example, rubber elastic bodies, metal springs or magnetic elements. It should be noted that, for the sake of simplicity, the scissor-type connectors and reset parts are not drawn in the figure, only the keycaps of the keys 30 are drawn.

[0050] The first opening 12 is located between some of the assembly areas 11. Specifically, there is a gap between the assembly areas 11, and the first opening 12 is located in the gap between the assembly areas 11. In other words, when the key 30 is arranged on the bottom plate 10, the first opening 12 is located between some of the keys 30. Preferably, the first opening 12 can be substantially an elongated opening to increase the efficiency of air circulation. In other embodiments, a plurality of square openings, circular openings or elliptical openings can be arranged to form a substantially elongated opening. More preferably, the width of the first opening 12 can be greater than the width of one of the assembly areas 11. In other words, the length of the long axis of the first opening 12 can preferably be greater than the length of one of the assembly areas 11 in the long axis direction X of the bottom plate 10. It should be noted that although the assembly area 11 is provided with a hollow structure, when the key 30 is arranged on the bottom plate 10, the key 30 will block the hollow structure of the assembly area 11, thereby making it difficult for the outside air to circulate from the assembly area 11. Therefore, the first opening 12 is provided between some of the assembly areas 11 so that the outside air can circulate through the first opening 12. Preferably, the long axis direction of the first opening 12 is parallel to the long axis direction X of the bottom plate 10 .

[0051] Preferably, the first opening 12 further includes an extension portion 121, which extends outward along the short axis direction of the first opening 12 (along or parallel to the short axis direction Y of the bottom plate 10), and the extension portion 121 is located between two adjacent assembly areas 11. In other words, the extension portion 121 extends toward the outside of the first opening 12 along the short axis direction Y, so that the extension portion 121 is located between two adjacent assembly areas 11. In addition, the extension portion 121 increases the area of ​​the first opening 12 and increases the area available for air circulation.

[0052] Please refer to Figure 2 and Figure 4As shown, the thin film circuit board 20 is disposed on the bottom plate 10, and is disposed on the side surface of the bottom plate 10 close to the key 30. The thin film circuit board 20 includes at least one second opening 21, which corresponds to the first opening 12. Specifically, the shape and the setting position of the second opening 21 are substantially the same as those of the first opening 12. For example, the second opening 21 is also an elongated opening, and the second opening 21 also includes an extension portion 211 extending outward along the short axis direction Y of the second opening 21, and corresponds to the extension portion 121. When the thin film circuit board 20 is disposed on the bottom plate 10, the first opening 12 and the second opening 21 together form a through hole P, so that air can flow inside and outside the keyboard 1 through the through hole P (the first opening 12 and the second opening 21).

[0053] Please refer to Figure 2 and Figure 5 As shown, Figure 5 for Figure 1 The keyboard 1 is applied to a portable electronic device 9 (e.g., a notebook computer) and is a cross-sectional schematic diagram along line AA. The frame 40 of this embodiment is disposed above the bottom plate 10, and the thin film circuit board 20 is located between the bottom plate 10 and the frame 40. The frame 40 includes a plurality of receiving portions 41, which correspond to the assembly areas 11 respectively. Specifically, the receiving portion 41 is a hollow structure for receiving the key 30, so its setting position corresponds to the assembly area 11, so that the key caps of the key 30 can pass through the receiving portion 41 respectively and be operated by the user. Since the receiving portion 41 is a hollow structure, the frame 40 also has a plurality of ribs 42 to connect the receiving portions 41. In other words, the frame 40 divides the hollow receiving portions 41 by the ribs 42. In addition, when the frame 40 is disposed on the bottom plate 10, the ribs 42 of the frame 40 can cover the through hole P formed by the first opening 12 and the second opening 21 to maintain visual beauty.

[0054] When the keyboard 1 of this embodiment is used in a portable electronic device 9, the first opening 12 and the second opening 21 can be designed to be close to a heat source (such as a processing module) or a heat dissipation fan 91 of the portable electronic device 9. The first opening 12 and the second opening 21 of this embodiment are close to the heat dissipation fan 91 of the portable electronic device 9, and the bottom side of the portable electronic device 9 has an opening 92 for air circulation.

[0055] Figure 6 for Figure 5 Please also refer to the enlarged diagram of the keyboard shown in Figure 5 and Figure 6As shown. When the cooling fan 91 inside the portable electronic device 9 is running, the gap G between the button 30 and the frame 40, the first opening 12 and the second opening 21 together form an airflow channel (as shown by the arrow symbol), so that the external (cold) air can flow into the interior of the portable electronic device 9 through the airflow channel, and then be discharged from the heat dissipation holes on the side wall, thereby achieving the effect of heat dissipation. In addition, the external air can also enter the interior of the portable electronic device 9 through the opening 92 on the bottom side. In short, the external cold air can flow into the interior of the portable electronic device 9 through the opening 92 on the bottom side of the portable electronic device 9 and the airflow channel on the top side, and finally be discharged to the outside of the portable electronic device 9 through the heat dissipation holes on the side wall, so as to achieve the effect of heat dissipation.

[0056] Fig. 7A for Figure 2 A partially enlarged schematic diagram of the frame shown, and Fig. 7A for Figure 2 A magnified view of region C is shown; Figure 7B for Fig. 7A Please also refer to the bottom view of the frame shown in Figure 5 , Figure 6 , Fig. 7A and Figure 7B As shown. Preferably, the receiving portion 41 of the present embodiment is provided with at least one recess 411 at the position corresponding to the first opening 12 and the second opening 21, and is provided on one of the side walls 410 of the receiving portion 41. Preferably, the receiving portion 41 has a plurality of recesses 411, and the recesses 411 are provided at intervals on the side wall 410 of the receiving portion 41. The recesses 411 may be formed by directly hollowing out the side wall 410 of the receiving portion 41. In other words, when manufacturing the frame 40, the side wall 410 may be directly hollowed out at intervals to form a plurality of recesses 411. In the present embodiment, the recesses 411 are provided at intervals on the two opposite side walls 410 of the receiving portion 41, and the recesses 411 located on the two opposite side walls 410 are arranged in a complementary manner. Specifically, the receiving portion 41 has a plurality of protrusions 412, that is, the portion of the side wall 410 that is not hollowed out. Therefore, the protrusions 412 are respectively located between two adjacent recesses 411. Furthermore, the concave portions 411 located on the two opposite side walls 410 are arranged in a complementary manner, which means that the concave portion 411 located on one side wall 410a corresponds to the convex portion 412 on the other side wall 410b. Figure 7B Double arrow symbol.

[0057] Please refer to Figure 5 and Figure 6 As shown, by providing the recess 411, the space for air circulation can be increased. In other words, the gap G between the button 30 and the frame 40, the recess 411, the first opening 12 and the second opening 21 can form an airflow channel together. When the heat dissipation fan 91 is running, the cold air outside the portable electronic device 9 can enter the interior of the portable electronic device 9 through the airflow channel to achieve the aforementioned heat dissipation effect.

[0058] Figure 8 FIG. 1 is an exploded schematic diagram of a keyboard according to another embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 9 for Figure 8 The keyboard shown is a partial cross-sectional schematic diagram of a portable electronic device. Fig.10 for Fig. 9 Please refer to the enlarged diagram of the keyboard shown in the figure. Figure 8 , Fig. 9 and Fig.10 As shown. The keyboard 1a of this embodiment also includes a backlight module 50. Since the other components and their connection relationships of the keyboard 1a are the same as those of the keyboard 1 of the previous embodiment, the component numbers are used. The backlight module 50 of this embodiment is arranged on the side of the bottom plate 10 relative to the key 30. The backlight module 50 includes a light guide plate 51 and at least one light-emitting unit 52. Among them, the light guide plate 51 includes at least one light source accommodating groove 511 and at least one third opening 512, and the third opening 512 corresponds to the first opening 12 and the second opening 21.

[0059] Similarly, the configuration of the third opening 512 is the same as that of the first opening 12 and the second opening 21, and the arrangement positions correspond to each other, so that the first opening 12, the second opening 21 and the third opening 512 can together form a through hole P, such as Fig.10 As shown. The gap G between the button 30 and the frame 40, the first opening 12, the second opening 21 and the third opening 512 of the light guide plate 51 can form an airflow channel together. When the heat dissipation fan 91 is running, the cold air from the outside can enter the interior of the portable electronic device 9 through the airflow channel formed by the gap G between the button 30 and the frame 40, the first opening 12, the second opening 21 and the third opening 512, thereby achieving the effect of heat dissipation. In other embodiments, the backlight module 50 can include other film structures (such as a light shielding film or a reflective film), and correspondingly, these film structures have openings corresponding to the first opening 12, the second opening 21 and the third opening 512 to form an airflow channel together. Preferably, the outer edge of the second opening 21 or the first opening 12 is slightly smaller than the outer edge of the third opening 512. When the light inside the light guide plate 51 leaks from the third opening 512, the third opening 512 can be shielded by the bottom plate 10 and the film circuit board 20 to prevent the user from being disturbed by the light leakage from the third opening 512. Preferably, the outer edge of the first opening 12 is slightly smaller than the outer edge of the third opening 512, and the outer edge of the second opening 21 is slightly smaller than the outer edge of the first opening 12, so that the bottom plate 10 can block the light leakage of the third opening 512, and the thin film circuit board 20 can block the light leakage of the first opening 12. Fig.10As shown, preferably, the backlight module 50 of this embodiment has a reflective structure 53, which is arranged on the inner wall of the third opening 512 of the light guide plate 51. In this embodiment, the reflective structure 53 is a reflective film attached to the bottom surface of the light guide plate 51, and the reflective film covers the third opening 512. When the light in the light guide plate 51 is transmitted to the third opening 512, the reflective structure 53 can reflect the light back to the light guide plate 51 for reuse, so as to achieve the effect of avoiding light leakage. It should be noted that for the sake of simplicity, only Fig.10 Presenting a reflective structure 53, Fig. 9 Preferably, when the outer edge of the first opening 12 is slightly smaller than the outer edge of the third opening 512 , the end of the reflective structure 53 can be attached to the bottom surface of the bottom plate 10 (around the first opening 12 ) to achieve a better light leakage prevention effect.

[0060] Please refer to Figure 8 As shown, the light emitting unit 52 is accommodated in the light source accommodating groove 511 of the light guide plate 51, so that the light emitting unit 52 can irradiate toward the inside of the light guide plate 51. The light emitting unit 52 has a light emitting direction (such as Figure 8 (as shown by the dotted arrow), the light emitting direction of the present embodiment is parallel to the long axis direction X of the light guide plate 51 (or keyboard 1a). Preferably, the long axis direction X of the third opening 512 is parallel to the light emitting direction to prevent the hole (third opening 512) from affecting the light utilization efficiency of the light guide plate 51. Specifically, the long axis direction X of the third opening 512 is parallel to the light emitting direction, so the short side of the third opening 512 is facing the light emitting direction. In other words, the contact area between the light emitted by the self-luminous unit 52 and the third opening 512 is small, which can avoid affecting the light utilization efficiency of the light guide plate 51 as much as possible. On the contrary, if the long axis direction X of the third opening 512 is perpendicular to the light emitting direction, the long side of the third opening 512 is facing the light emitting direction, that is, the probability of the light contacting the third opening 512 is greater, which in turn affects the transmission of light in the light guide plate 51.

[0061] In summary, according to the keyboard of the present invention, the bottom plate has an assembly area and a first opening, and the first opening is located between parts of the assembly area. In addition, the thin film circuit board has a second opening corresponding to the first opening. By setting the first opening and the second opening, the cold air from the outside can enter the interior of the device (such as a portable electronic device) through the gap between the key and the frame, the first opening and the second opening, thereby achieving a heat dissipation effect.

[0062] It should be noted that the above embodiments are provided for the purpose of illustration, and the scope of rights claimed by the present invention should be based on the claims, rather than being limited to the above embodiments.

Claims

1. A keyboard, characterized in that: include: Base plate, including: Multiple assembly areas; and at least one first opening located between some of the plurality of assembly areas; A thin film circuit board is disposed on the bottom plate, and the thin film circuit board includes at least one second opening corresponding to the first opening; a frame disposed above the bottom plate, with the thin film circuit board located between the bottom plate and the frame, the frame shielding the first opening and the second opening, and comprising a plurality of accommodating portions corresponding to the plurality of assembly areas; and A plurality of buttons respectively pass through the accommodating parts and are fixed to the assembly area of ​​the bottom plate, and the gaps between the buttons and the frame, the first opening and the second opening together form an air flow channel.

2. The keyboard according to claim 1, wherein: The first opening and the second opening together form a through hole.

3. The keyboard according to claim 1, wherein: The width of the first opening is substantially greater than the width of one of the assembling areas.

4. The keyboard according to claim 1, wherein: The first opening further includes an extension portion extending outward along the short axis direction of the bottom plate and the extension portion is located between two adjacent assembly areas.

5. The keyboard according to claim 1, wherein: The accommodating parts each have at least one recessed portion disposed on one side wall of the accommodating part.

6. The keyboard according to claim 5, characterized in that The accommodating portion has a plurality of recesses, and the plurality of recesses are arranged at intervals on at least one side wall of the accommodating portion.

7. The keyboard according to claim 6, wherein: The plurality of recesses are disposed at intervals on two opposite side walls of the accommodating portion, and the plurality of recesses located on the two opposite side walls are arranged in a complementary manner.

8. The keyboard according to claim 1, wherein: Also includes: A backlight module is arranged on a side of the bottom plate opposite to the plurality of buttons, and the backlight module comprises: A light guide plate, comprising at least one third opening, wherein the third opening corresponds to the first opening and the second opening; as well as At least one light emitting unit illuminates the interior of the light guide plate.

9. The keyboard according to claim 8, wherein: The light emitting unit has a light emitting direction, and the long axis direction of the third opening is parallel to the light emitting direction.

10. The keyboard according to claim 8, wherein: The backlight module has a reflective structure and is disposed on an inner wall of the third opening of the light guide plate.

11. The keyboard according to claim 8, wherein: An outer edge of the first opening or the second opening is smaller than an outer edge of the third opening.

12. The keyboard according to claim 8, wherein: The outer edge of the second opening is smaller than the outer edge of the first opening, and the outer edge of the first opening is smaller than the outer edge of the third opening.

13. The keyboard according to claim 1, wherein: The outer edge of the second opening is smaller than the outer edge of the first opening.

14. The keyboard according to claim 1, wherein: The long axis direction of the first opening is parallel to the long axis direction of the bottom plate.

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