Lifting mechanism and button structure

By designing a gap between the lower shaft of the lifting mechanism and the bottom wall of the base plate in the button structure, the problem of wear affecting button height is solved, thereby improving the stability of thin buttons and the efficiency of automated assembly.

CN115312343BActive Publication Date: 2026-04-17HUAIAN DARFON ELECTRONICS +1
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Patent Information

Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Patents(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
HUAIAN DARFON ELECTRONICS
Filing Date
2021-05-08
Publication Date
2026-04-17

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

With the trend towards thinner button structures, the wear and tear on the lifting mechanism and base plate affects the accuracy of button height control, leading to unstable assembly strength and stroke, and increasing the complexity of automated assembly.

Method used

Design a button structure that maintains a gap between the lower shaft of the lifting mechanism and the bottom wall of the base plate in the released state, ensuring that wear does not affect the button height. By selecting the sliding side as the height control target, interference with assembly and component damage are avoided. The hardness difference between polymer material and metal base plate is used to reduce wear.

Benefits of technology

It achieves stability and accuracy of button height in a thin button structure, improves automated assembly efficiency and assembly strength, and reduces the impact of wear on travel.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

The present application relates to a lifting mechanism and a key structure, which comprises a bottom plate, a key cap and a lifting mechanism. The bottom plate comprises a first bottom wall. The key cap is arranged opposite to the bottom plate and comprises a first cap wall. The lifting mechanism is movably connected between the key cap and the bottom plate, so that the key cap can reciprocate relative to the bottom plate, and the lifting mechanism comprises a first lower shaft portion and a first upper shaft portion, which are movably connected on the same side of the bottom plate and the key cap, respectively. When the key cap is in a released state, the first upper shaft portion abuts against the first cap wall, but the first lower shaft portion is spaced apart from the first bottom wall by a reserved gap. When the key structure of the present application is in the released state, the lower shaft portion of the lifting mechanism is spaced apart from the bottom wall of the bottom plate by a reserved gap. In this way, even if the lower shaft portion has a wear amount, since the lower shaft portion and the bottom wall are spaced apart from each other in the released state, the wear amount will not affect (change) the default lifting stroke and key height of the key cap. Therefore, the key structure of the present application can particularly meet the design requirements of short-stroke thin-type keys.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a lifting mechanism and a button structure, and more particularly to a lifting mechanism and a button structure with a gap between the lower shaft and the bottom wall of the base plate. Background Technology

[0002] A conventional key structure includes a keycap, a lifting mechanism, and a base plate. In automated assembly, the lifting mechanism must first be assembled and connected to the base plate, and then the keycap is assembled and connected to the lifting mechanism on the base plate, thus connecting the lifting mechanism between the keycap and the base plate. However, the long-standing trend towards thinner and thinner electronic devices has left no room for reduction in the size of the connecting components between the keycap, lifting mechanism, and base plate. Furthermore, the automated assembly of the lifting mechanism involves various design requirements and complex variables, such as keycap height control, ensuring the keycap moves vertically without tilting, tensile strength between the lifting mechanism and the base plate, preventing the lifting mechanism from detaching, and preventing structural damage and deformation of the lifting mechanism. These design requirements and variables all affect the strength of the key structure, key operation, automated assembly actions and processes, assembly time, and production capacity. In particular, the wear and tear on the lifting mechanism and base plate during assembly alters the default lifting stroke of the key structure, leading to inaccurate key height control. Therefore, how to propose a properly designed key structure to improve the aforementioned problems is an important issue for those in the field. Summary of the Invention

[0003] This invention proposes a button structure that can improve the above-mentioned problems.

[0004] According to one aspect of the present invention, a button structure is provided, comprising:

[0005] The base plate, including the first base wall;

[0006] Keycaps, configured opposite to the base plate and including a first cap wall;

[0007] A lifting mechanism is movably connected between the keycap and the base plate, allowing the keycap to reciprocate relative to the base plate. The lifting mechanism includes a first lower shaft and a first upper shaft, which are movably connected to the base plate and the same side of the keycap, respectively.

[0008] When the keycap is in the released state, the first upper shaft portion abuts against the first cap wall, but the first lower shaft portion is separated from the first bottom wall by a reserved gap.

[0009] As an optional technical solution, the lifting mechanism includes an inner ring side arm and an outer ring side arm, the inner ring side arm and the outer ring side arm are pivotally connected to a pivot axis, and the first lower shaft portion and the first upper shaft portion are located on the same side of the pivot axis.

[0010] As an optional technical solution, the hardness of the first bottom wall of the base plate is greater than the hardness of the first lower shaft of the lifting mechanism.

[0011] As an optional technical solution, the material of the first upper shaft of the lifting mechanism and the material of the first cap wall of the keycap are both polymers.

[0012] As an optional technical solution, the surface of the first lower shaft facing the first bottom wall has a wear amount, and the retention gap is greater than the wear amount.

[0013] As an optional technical solution, the keycap also includes a second cap wall, wherein the absolute value of the tolerance of the distance between the first cap wall and the second cap wall is less than the reserved gap.

[0014] As an optional technical solution, the first lower shaft portion is separated from the first bottom wall by a bottom wall gap, the first upper shaft portion is separated from the first cap wall by a cap wall gap, and the cap wall gap is smaller than the bottom wall gap.

[0015] According to another aspect of the present invention, the present invention also provides a lifting mechanism movably connected between a keycap and a base plate, allowing the keycap to reciprocate relative to the base plate, the lifting mechanism comprising:

[0016] A pair of supports that move relative to each other, the pair of supports including a first upper shaft and a first lower shaft, which are respectively movably connected to the same side of the keycap and the base plate;

[0017] When the keycap is in the released state, the first upper shaft portion abuts against the first cap wall of the keycap, but the first lower shaft portion is separated from the first bottom wall of the base plate by a reserved gap.

[0018] As an optional technical solution, the two supports are pivotally connected to each other.

[0019] As an optional technical solution, the first upper shaft portion and the first lower shaft portion are respectively movably connected to the first side of the keycap and the base plate; the pair of brackets also includes a second upper shaft portion and a second lower shaft portion, the second upper shaft portion and the second lower shaft portion are respectively pivotally connected to the second side of the keycap and the base plate, the second side being located on the opposite side of the first side.

[0020] As an optional technical solution, the pair of brackets includes an inner ring side arm and an outer ring side arm, the inner ring side arm and the outer ring side arm are pivotally connected to a pivot axis, and the first lower shaft portion and the first upper shaft portion are located on the same side of the pivot axis.

[0021] As an optional technical solution, the pair of brackets also includes a second upper shaft portion and a second lower shaft portion, the second lower shaft portion and the second upper shaft portion being located on opposite sides of the same side in the pivot axis.

[0022] As an optional technical solution, the surface of the first lower shaft facing the first bottom wall has a wear amount, and the retention gap is greater than the wear amount.

[0023] As an optional technical solution, the keycap also includes a second cap wall, wherein the absolute value of the tolerance of the distance between the first cap wall and the second cap wall is less than the reserved gap.

[0024] As an optional technical solution, the first lower shaft portion is separated from the first bottom wall by a bottom wall gap, the first upper shaft portion is separated from the first cap wall by a cap wall gap, and the cap wall gap is smaller than the bottom wall gap.

[0025] In summary, the key structure of the present invention includes a keycap, a lifting mechanism, and a base plate. When the keycap is in the released state, the lower shaft of the lifting mechanism is spaced apart from the bottom wall of the base plate by a clearance. Thus, even if the lower shaft experiences wear, the wear will not affect (change) the default lifting stroke and key height of the keycap because the lower shaft and the bottom wall are spaced apart in the released state. Therefore, the key structure of this embodiment of the invention is particularly suitable for the design requirements of short-stroke, thin keys.

[0026] The present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments, but this is not intended to limit the present invention. Attached Figure Description

[0027] Figure 1 This is a diagram showing the button structure in the released state according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 2 and Figure 3 for Figure 1 Exploded views of the button structure from different perspectives.

[0029] Figure 4 for Figure 1 Top view of the key structure (keycaps not shown).

[0030] Figure 5 for Figure 4 A cross-sectional view of the central button structure along direction 5-5'.

[0031] Figure 6 for Figure 1 A diagram showing the combination of buttons in the pressed state.

[0032] Figure 7 for Figure 6 Cross-sectional view of the button structure. Detailed Implementation

[0033] Please refer to Figures 1 to 7 , Figures 1-5 This is a schematic diagram showing the button structure 100 in a released state according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figures 6-7 for Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the middle button structure 100 in the pressed state, wherein... Figure 1 This is a diagram showing the button structure 100 in a released state according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 and Figure 3 for Figure 1 Exploded views of the button structure from different perspectives. Figure 4 for Figure 1 Top view of the key structure 100 (keycap 120 not shown), Figure 5 for Figure 4 A cross-sectional view of the central button structure 100 along direction 5-5'. Figure 6 for Figure 1 The diagram shows the combination of button structure 100 in the pressed state, and... Figure 7 for Figure 6 Cross-sectional view of the button structure 100.

[0034] like Figures 1-3 and Figure 5 As shown, the key structure 100 includes a base plate 110, keycaps 120, a lifting mechanism 130, and an elastic body 150. Figure 5 The keycap 120 and the base plate 110 are arranged opposite each other. A lifting mechanism 130 is movably connected between the keycap 120 and the base plate 110, allowing the keycap 120 to reciprocate relative to the base plate 110. Although not shown in all figures, the key structure 100 further includes an elastomer 150 (see...). Figure 5 It is positioned between the keycap 120 and the base plate 110, passing through the lifting mechanism 130. When the keycap 120 is in the pressed state ( Figure 7 At the lower limit position PL), the elastomer 150 deforms and stores elastic potential energy. After the keycap 120 is released, the elastomer 150 releases its elastic potential energy, causing the keycap 120 to return to its released state. Figure 5 The upper limit position (PU) is shown. A membrane switch layer 140 is disposed on the base plate 110. The membrane switch layer 140 includes at least one switch (not shown). When the keycap 120 is pressed, the elastomer 150 triggers the switch of the membrane switch layer 140 to emit a trigger signal. Upon receiving the trigger signal, the processor (not shown) executes the corresponding function.

[0035] The embodiments disclosed in this invention mainly involve adjusting the height control structure of the keycap 120. The keycap height is the height of the keycap 120 relative to the base plate 110 when the keycap 120 is at its highest position and the keycap structure 100 and keycap 120 are in the released state. Height control is achieved by redesigning the component structure of the keycap structure 100 to control the highest position of the keycap 120 during its lifting stroke; when the keycap 120 reaches its highest position, the scissor-type lifting mechanism 130 also unfolds to reach the highest point. However, due to the complexity of the design, clarifying the inventive concept of the embodiments of this invention is extremely important.

[0036] First, due to the high precision and accuracy of the metal-machined base plate 110, its connecting components are commonly used in the design of height control mechanisms. Second, the two interconnecting supports of the scissor-type lifting mechanism 130 (the outer ring support 130X and the inner ring support 130Y) must ensure that the keycap 120 rises and falls stably and smoothly from the released state to the pressed state. The connecting components on the base plate 110 and the keycap 120 must reliably grip the pivot of the lifting mechanism 130 (e.g., the second lower pivot 131B, the first lower pivot 131A, the first upper pivot 132A, and the second upper pivot 132B) to prevent the pivot of the lifting mechanism 130 from disengaging, and must also ensure that the pivot of the lifting mechanism 130 has room for rotation and / or movement during the lifting stroke. During automatic assembly, if it is desired to increase the connection strength between the lifting mechanism 130 and the keycap 120 and the base plate 110, reduce assembly gaps, and speed up assembly, interference assembly can be prioritized. However, the interference during assembly also caused the plastic brackets 130X / 130Y to be damaged by the cutting edge of the connecting parts of the metal base plate 110, creating new component gaps. Therefore, if the height control mechanism is to be designed using the connecting parts of the base plate 110 in the same way as before, the component gap problem on this side of the base plate 110 must also be solved.

[0037] From the cross-sectional view, for example Figure 5 As shown, the scissor-type lifting mechanism 120 generally has a centrally pivoting X-shaped structure. To ensure smooth and stable movement of the keycap 120 during the lifting process, the four connection points of the X-shaped structure of the lifting mechanism 120 to the keycap 120 and the base plate 110 typically have two rotating sides and two sliding sides. In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, one of these four connection points needs to be selected as the optimal sliding side to design the height control mechanism. As mentioned earlier, if the height control mechanism is designed using the connecting components of the base plate 110 in the conventional way, the component gap problem on the base plate 110 side must also be addressed. However, with the evolution of the trend towards thinner keys, the highest point of the keycap 120 and the lifting mechanism 130 is getting lower and lower, causing new problems to arise with the conventional method. For example… Figure 5In this embodiment, assuming the first bottom wall 111 in the lower right corner is chosen as the height control mechanism, in order to solve the component gap problem caused by the aforementioned interference assembly and component damage, it is necessary to extend an additional restrictive structure from the base plate 110 to block the second lower shaft 131B of the lifting mechanism 130 to a more right position, so that the highest point of the keycap 120 and the lifting mechanism 130 can be kept at a lower position. However, the first bottom wall 111 is located inside the inner ring bracket 130Y. If the length of the side hook section 111h of its L-shaped hook part has to take into account the design constraints such as interference assembly, avoiding excessive length to interfere with the outer ring bracket 130X, key thinning and key height reduction, etc., a first bottom wall 111 with a side hook section 111h that is too short will be obtained. This will result in insufficient sliding space for the first lower shaft 131A, and the first lower shaft 131A will easily detach from the side hook section 111h of the first bottom wall 111. Alternatively, in this multivariable system, if the processing limitations of the first bottom wall 111 itself and the sliding space of the first lower shaft 131A are prioritized to ensure that the side hook section 111h of the first bottom wall 111 has sufficient length, then excessive interference during assembly, excessive gaps caused by component damage, and inaccurate key height control may occur. In this case, the additional limiting structure of the base plate 110 needs to be moved to the right again, which may cause the first lower shaft 131A or the side hook section 111h of the first bottom wall 111 to interfere with the outer ring bracket 130X, or the sliding space of the first lower shaft 131A is insufficient to allow the keycap 120 to be fully pressed and reach the lowest point.

[0038] Therefore, in the embodiments of the present invention, the sliding side of the connection between the lifting mechanism 130 and the keycap 120 is selected as the target structure for height control. This can avoid unnecessary interference with height control caused by causal variables such as interference assembly, component damage, and component gaps, thereby solving the problem of inaccurate height control caused by interference assembly, component damage, and component gaps.

[0039] like Figures 1-5As shown, the lifting mechanism 130 includes a pair of supports that move relative to each other, namely an inner ring support 130Y and an outer ring support 130X surrounding the inner ring support 130Y. This pair of supports 130X and 130Y includes the aforementioned first lower shaft portion 131A, first upper shaft portion 132A, second lower shaft portion 131B, and second upper shaft portion 132B. The first upper shaft portion 132A and the second lower shaft portion 131B are located on the outer ring support 130X, while the second upper shaft portion 132B and the first lower shaft portion 131A are located on the inner ring support 130Y. In an embodiment, the lifting mechanism 130 also includes a pair of inner ring side arms 133 and a pair of outer ring side arms 134. The first upper shaft portion 132A and the second lower shaft portion 131B are located on opposite sides between a pair of outer ring side arms 134 to form a complete outer ring support 130X; while the second upper shaft portion 132B and the first lower shaft portion 131A are located on opposite sides between a pair of inner ring side arms 133 to form a complete inner ring support 130Y. Furthermore, the inner ring side arms 133 and the outer ring side arms 134 are pivotally connected to a pivot axis P1 (pivot axis P1 is shown in...). Figure 1 In this embodiment, the inner ring side arm 133 and the outer ring side arm 134 are pivotally connected in a purely rotatable manner. As shown in the figure, the first lower shaft portion 131A and the first upper shaft portion 132A are located on the first side S1 of the pivot axis P1, while the second lower shaft portion 131B and the second upper shaft portion 132B are located on the second side S2 of the pivot axis P1, wherein the first side S1 and the second side S2 are opposite sides of the pivot axis P1.

[0040] The keycap 120 also includes at least one pair of second cap walls 122. The second upper spindle portion 132B of the lifting mechanism 130 is located on the inner ring support 130Y, on the other side (second side S2) opposite to the first lower spindle portion 131A; the second upper spindle portion 132B is held and pivotally connected to the keycap 120 by the two second cap walls 122, making the second upper spindle portion 132B the rotational side of the lifting mechanism 130 in the direction of the keycap 120. The base plate 110 further includes one or more second bottom walls 112 (see...). Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 5 The second lower shaft portion 131B of the lifting mechanism 130 is located on the outer ring bracket 130X, on the other side (second side S2) opposite to the first upper shaft portion 132A; the second lower shaft portion 131B is held by at least two second bottom walls 112 and pivotally connected to the base plate 110, so that the second lower shaft portion 131B becomes the rotation side of the lifting mechanism 130 in the direction of the base plate 110.

[0041] During the assembly of the base plate 110 and the lifting mechanism 130, the second lower shaft portion 131B of the lifting mechanism 130 first fits into the second bottom wall 112 of the base plate 110, and then the lifting mechanism 130 rotates around the second bottom wall 112 until the first lower shaft portion 131A is fastened into the first bottom wall 111. In one embodiment, the hardness of the first bottom wall 111 is, for example, greater than the hardness of the first lower shaft portion 131A of the lifting mechanism 130. In terms of material, the base plate 110 is, for example, made of metal, such as stainless steel or aluminum alloy, while the lifting mechanism 130 is, for example, made of polymer, such as plastic or synthetic resin. Since the hardness of the first bottom wall 111 is greater than the hardness of the first lower shaft portion 131A, during the fastening process of the first lower shaft portion 131A and the first bottom wall 111, the side hook section 111h of the first lower shaft portion 131A facing the first bottom wall 111 will experience wear w. Since the first lower shaft portion 131A and the first bottom wall 111 are spaced apart (not in contact) when in the released state, the wear amount w does not affect the lifting stroke of the keycap 120. Of course, the lifting mechanism 130 can also be vertically assembled. While the second lower shaft portion 131B is aligned with the second bottom wall 112 fitted into the base plate 110, the first lower shaft portion 131A interferes with the side hook section 111h of the first bottom wall 111, which will also result in wear amount w.

[0042] The height control mechanism for keycap 120 is mainly related to the connection components between keycap 120 and the lifting mechanism 130 on the base plate 110. Please refer to... Figures 1-5 As shown, the base plate 110 includes a first bottom wall 111, and the keycap 120 includes at least one first cap wall 121. The first upper shaft portion 132A and the first lower shaft portion 131A of the scissor-type lifting mechanism 130 are movably connected to the same side of the keycap 120 and the base plate 110, respectively. This same side is, for example, the first side S1 (i.e., the first lower shaft portion 131A of the scissor-type lifting mechanism 130 is movably connected to the first side S1 of the base plate 110, and the first upper shaft portion 132A is movably connected to the first side S1 of the keycap 120). Both the first lower shaft portion 131A and the first upper shaft portion 132A serve as sliding sides. Conversely, on the second side S2, the lifting mechanism 130 includes a second lower shaft portion 131B and a second upper shaft portion 132B as rotating sides. Please refer to [reference needed]. Figures 6-7 As shown, when keycap 120 is in the pressed state and at its lowest point (e.g.) Figure 7When the first lower shaft portion 131A is at its lower limit position (PL), it is separated from the first bottom wall 111 by a bottom wall gap Gb, and the first upper shaft portion 132A is separated from the first cap wall 121 by a cap wall gap Gh, and the cap wall gap Gh is smaller than the bottom wall gap Gb. The cap wall gap Gh relates to the sliding range of the first upper shaft portion 132A within the inner edge of the transverse section 121h of the first cap wall 121, while the bottom wall gap Gb relates to the sliding range of the first lower shaft portion 131A within the inner edge of the side hook section 111h of the first bottom wall 111; in other words, the sliding distance of the first upper shaft portion 132A is limited by the first cap wall 121, which is smaller than the sliding distance of the first lower shaft portion 131A limited by the first bottom wall 111.

[0043] Please refer to Figures 1-5 As shown, and also refer to Figures 6-7 As shown, when the keycap 120 is in the pressed state (e.g.) Figure 7 As shown, when the keycap 120 is at its lowest point (lower limit position P) and rises towards the released state (i.e., towards the highest point (upper limit position PU)), the second lower shaft portion 131B and the second upper shaft portion 132B, as rotating sides, do not move (e.g., do not translate), while the first lower shaft portion 131A and the first upper shaft portion 132A, as sliding sides, move from the outside inwards (towards...). Figure 5 , Figure 7 The keycap 120 slides gradually from right to left. Because the gap Gh between the first upper spindle portion 132A and the first cap wall 121 is short, the first lower spindle portion 131A only moves to a distance G from the first bottom wall 111 before the first upper spindle portion 132A abuts against the first cap wall 121. At this point, the keycap 120 reaches its highest point, the upper limit position PU. In practice, when designing the retaining gap G, its value can approach the difference between the cap wall gap Gh and the bottom wall gap Gb.

[0044] Keycap 120 is in the released state (e.g.) Figure 5 When the keycap 120 reaches its upper limit position PU (as shown), the key structure 100 and the lifting mechanism 130 will fully extend upwards. Because the first lower hinge portion 131A and the first bottom wall 111 are separated by a clearance G, even if the first lower hinge portion 131A has slight wear w, the clearance G is much greater than the wear w. Therefore, the first lower hinge portion 131A will not be limited by the first bottom wall 111, thus changing the preset lifting stroke of the keycap 120.

[0045] Although plastic keycaps are generally manufactured using molds, resulting in a certain tolerance d, this tolerance d does not affect the aforementioned keycap height control. For example... Figure 5As shown, the tolerance d of the distance D between the first cap wall 121 and the second cap wall 122 is less than the wear amount w of the first lower shaft portion 131A. The tolerance d is, for example, a manufacturing and / or assembly tolerance. The tolerance d is smaller than the wear amount w of the first lower shaft portion 131A, and the clearance G is also greater than the absolute value of the tolerance d. Therefore, compared to the wear amount w, the tolerance d has a smaller impact (change) on the lifting stroke; furthermore, even if the keycap 120 does have a tolerance d during the manufacturing process, since the preset clearance G will be greater than the absolute value of the tolerance d, it will ensure that the bottom wall clearance Gb will not be greater than the cap wall clearance Gh, that is, it will not result in the damaged first lower shaft portion 131A being limited by the first bottom wall 111, causing the keycap 120 to have an inaccurate highest point. In one embodiment, the tolerance d is, for example, 0.03 mm, and the wear amount w is, for example, 0.05 mm. However, the value of the tolerance d and / or the value of the wear amount w depends on the actual situation, and the embodiments of the present invention are not limited thereto.

[0046] In one embodiment, the material of the first upper shaft portion 132A of the lifting mechanism 130 is the same as the material of the first cap wall 121 of the keycap 120, for example, both are polymers, such as plastic. Since the first upper shaft portion 132A and the first cap wall 121 are made of the same material, when the first upper shaft portion 132A and the first cap wall 121 are engaged, the first upper shaft portion 132A and the first cap wall 121 only deform without wear, or only experience a very small amount of wear. This small amount of wear (if any) is insufficient to change the lifting stroke of the keycap 120.

[0047] In the above embodiments, it is based on Figure 5 In one embodiment, the outer ring bracket 130X is positioned relative to the first cap wall 121 on its sliding side in the direction of the keycap 120 (i.e., the first upper spindle portion 132A), thereby controlling the height of the keycap 120. However, in another embodiment, the inner ring bracket 130Y can be used as the sliding side at one end in the direction of the keycap 120 (i.e., the second upper spindle portion 132B), and is positioned relative to the second cap wall 122 (the second cap wall 122 is replaced with an L-shaped structure of the first cap wall 121), thereby controlling the height of the keycap 120.

[0048] In other words, although the above embodiment uses the first upper shaft portion 132A and the first cap wall 121 of the outer ring bracket 130X, and the first lower shaft portion 131A and the first bottom wall 111 of the inner ring bracket 130Y as sliding sides, the opposite can be achieved in other embodiments. That is, the aforementioned first upper shaft portion can belong to the end of the inner ring bracket near the keycap, and the first cap wall can belong to the first upper shaft portion of the inner ring bracket corresponding to the keycap. Similarly, the aforementioned first lower shaft portion can belong to the end of the outer ring bracket near the bottom plate, and the first bottom wall can belong to the first lower shaft portion of the outer ring bracket corresponding to the bottom plate. In other words, for scissor-type lifting mechanisms, as long as there is a pair of sliding sides on the same side, and the sliding side at the keycap end is selected as the height control mechanism, the special effects that the present invention can achieve can be obtained.

[0049] In summary, this invention provides a key structure. The key structure includes a keycap, a lifting mechanism, and a base plate. When the keycap is in the released state, the lower shaft of the lifting mechanism is spaced apart from the bottom wall of the base plate by a clearance. Thus, even if the lower shaft experiences wear, the wear will not affect (change) the default lifting stroke and key height of the keycap because the lower shaft and the bottom wall are spaced apart in the released state. Therefore, the key structure of this invention is particularly suitable for the design requirements of short-stroke, thin keys.

[0050] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention. All equivalent changes and modifications made within the scope of the claims of the present invention should be included in the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A key structure characterized by comprising: include: The base plate, including the first base wall; Keycaps, configured opposite to the base plate and including a first cap wall; A lifting mechanism is movably connected between the keycap and the base plate, allowing the keycap to reciprocate relative to the base plate. The lifting mechanism includes a first lower shaft and a first upper shaft, which are movably connected to the base plate and the same side of the keycap, respectively. When the keycap is in the released state, the first upper shaft part abuts against the first cap wall, but the first lower shaft part is separated from the first bottom wall by a reserved gap; The first lower shaft portion is separated from the first bottom wall by a bottom wall gap, the first upper shaft portion is separated from the first cap wall by a cap wall gap, and the cap wall gap is smaller than the bottom wall gap.

2. The key structure according to claim 1, wherein The lifting mechanism includes an inner ring side arm and an outer ring side arm, which are pivotally connected to the outer ring side arm along a pivot axis. The first lower shaft portion and the first upper shaft portion are located on the same side of the pivot axis.

3. The button structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The hardness of the first bottom wall of the base plate is greater than the hardness of the first lower shaft of the lifting mechanism.

4. The button structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The material of the first upper shaft of the lifting mechanism and the material of the first cap wall of the keycap are both polymers.

5. The button structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The surface of the first lower shaft facing the first bottom wall has a wear amount, and the retention gap is greater than the wear amount.

6. The button structure according to claim 1, characterized in that, The keycap also includes a second cap wall, and the absolute value of the tolerance of the distance between the first cap wall and the second cap wall is less than the reserved gap, the tolerance being the assembly and / or manufacturing tolerance of the distance between the first cap wall and the second cap wall.

7. A lifting mechanism, movably connected between a keycap and a base plate, allowing the keycap to reciprocate relative to the base plate, characterized in that, The lifting mechanism includes: A pair of supports that move relative to each other, the pair of supports including a first upper shaft and a first lower shaft, which are respectively movably connected to the same side of the keycap and the base plate; When the keycap is in the released state, the first upper shaft part abuts against the first cap wall of the keycap, but the first lower shaft part is separated from the first bottom wall of the base plate by a reserved gap; The first lower shaft portion is separated from the first bottom wall by a bottom wall gap, and the first upper shaft portion is separated from the first cap wall by a cap wall gap, and the cap wall gap is smaller than the bottom wall gap.

8. The lifting mechanism according to claim 7, characterized in that, The two supports are pivotally connected to each other.

9. The lifting mechanism according to claim 7, characterized in that, The first upper shaft portion and the first lower shaft portion are movably connected to the first side of the keycap and the base plate, respectively; the pair of brackets also includes a second upper shaft portion and a second lower shaft portion, the second upper shaft portion and the second lower shaft portion being pivotally connected to the second side of the keycap and the base plate, the second side being located on the opposite side of the first side.

10. The lifting mechanism according to claim 7, characterized in that, The pair of supports includes an inner ring side arm and an outer ring side arm, which are pivotally connected to the outer ring side arm along a pivot axis. The first lower shaft portion and the first upper shaft portion are located on the same side of the pivot axis.

11. The lifting mechanism according to claim 10, characterized in that, The pair of supports also includes a second upper shaft portion and a second lower shaft portion, the second lower shaft portion and the second upper shaft portion being located on opposite sides of the same side in the pivot axis.

12. The lifting mechanism according to claim 7, characterized in that, The surface of the first lower shaft facing the first bottom wall has a wear amount, and the retention gap is greater than the wear amount.

13. The lifting mechanism according to claim 7, characterized in that, The keycap also includes a second cap wall, and the absolute value of the tolerance of the distance between the first cap wall and the second cap wall is less than the reserved gap, the tolerance being the assembly and / or manufacturing tolerance of the distance between the first cap wall and the second cap wall.

Citation Information

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