Key structure

Abstract

The invention provides a key structure which comprises a bottom plate, a key cap and a lifting mechanism, the projection of the key cap on the bottom plate comprises a rectangular part and a protruding part, the protruding part protrudes from the long side of the rectangular part, and the key cap is provided with a plurality of support connecting parts; the lifting mechanism supports the keycap on the bottom plate in a vertical direction, the projection of the lifting mechanism on the bottom plate is overlapped with the protruding part, the lifting mechanism comprises an inner bracket and an outer bracket, the outer bracket and the inner bracket are mutually pivoted relative to a rotating shaft, the outer bracket is provided with two outer frame parts and a central frame, and the central frame is provided with a plurality of outer frame parts. The central frame is located between the two outer frame portions along the rotating shaft, when the outer support and the inner support are overlapped, the inner support is located on the inner side of the outer support and stretches across the central frame, the key cap is connected with the two outer frame portions of the outer support and the inner support through the support connecting portions, the support connecting portions comprise shaft grooves, and the shaft grooves are connected with the key cap through the shaft grooves. And the shaft groove is pivoted with the inner bracket.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a key structure, in particular to a key structure with a non-rectangular key cap. Background Art

[0002] In addition to square keys (such as numeric keys, letter keys, etc.), keyboards also have long keys (i.e. rectangular keys with unequal adjacent sides, such as function keys, blank keys, etc.), and non-rectangular keys (such as the Enter key). The keycap of each key moves up and down relative to the base plate via its lifting mechanism. During use, the user may press any position of the keycap, causing the keycap to be easily subjected to uneven force. If the lifting mechanism cannot effectively transmit the pressing force, it is difficult for the keycap to move up and down smoothly. This problem will be more serious for long keys and non-rectangular keys. Summary of the invention

[0003] The present invention provides a key structure, wherein a lifting mechanism of the key structure can provide better support for a key cap and can effectively transmit pressing force, thereby helping the key cap to move up and down smoothly.

[0004] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the present invention proposes a key structure, which includes a base plate, a keycap and a lifting mechanism, the projection of the keycap on the base plate includes a rectangular part and a protruding part, the protruding part protrudes from the long side of the rectangular part, the keycap has a plurality of bracket connecting parts, the lifting mechanism supports the keycap on the base plate in a vertical direction, the projection of the lifting mechanism on the base plate overlaps with the protruding part, the lifting mechanism includes an inner bracket and an outer bracket, the outer bracket and the inner bracket are pivotally connected to each other relative to a rotation axis, the outer bracket has two outer frame parts and a central frame, the central frame is located between the two outer frame parts along the rotation axis, when the outer bracket and the inner bracket overlap, the inner bracket is located on the inner side of the outer bracket and spans the central frame, wherein the keycap is connected to the two outer frame parts and the inner bracket of the outer bracket via the plurality of bracket connecting parts, the plurality of bracket connecting parts include an axis groove, and the axis groove is pivotally connected to the inner bracket.

[0005] As an optional technical solution, the projection of the outer bracket on the base plate overlaps with the protruding portion, and the projection of the inner bracket on the base plate is located within the rectangular portion.

[0006] As an optional technical solution, the projection of the shaft groove on the bottom plate and the protruding portion are respectively located on two opposite sides of the projection of the rotation axis on the bottom plate.

[0007] As an optional technical solution, the outer bracket has a supporting portion, the projection of the supporting portion on the base plate is located within the protruding portion, and when the key cap is not pressed, the supporting portion contacts the bottom surface of the key cap.

[0008] As an optional technical solution, the projection of the key cap on the base plate is L-shaped as a whole.

[0009] As an optional technical solution, the inner bracket includes two side frames and an intermediate bridge, which connects the two side frames. The two side frames and the intermediate bridge are arranged parallel to the rotation axis, and when the outer bracket overlaps with the inner bracket, the intermediate bridge is superimposed on the central frame.

[0010] As an optional technical solution, the central frame has an opening, and the lifting mechanism as a whole defines a central space, which vertically runs through the entire lifting mechanism. The central space passes through the opening, and when the outer bracket and the inner bracket overlap, the central space is located between the middle span and the keycap connection part of the outer bracket.

[0011] As an optional technical solution, the central frame has a recessed structure, the recessed structure is located below the middle span, and when the outer bracket overlaps the inner bracket, the middle span enters the recessed structure.

[0012] As an optional technical solution, the inner bracket has a keycap connecting portion, and the inner bracket is connected to the keycap via the keycap connecting portion. The outer frame portion has a base plate connecting portion, and the outer frame portion is connected to the base plate via the base plate connecting portion. The extension width of the keycap connecting portion of the inner bracket is greater than 1.5 times the extension width of the base plate connecting portion of the outer frame portion.

[0013] As an optional technical solution, the outer frame portion has a keycap connecting portion and a base plate connecting portion relative to the keycap connecting portion, the outer frame portion is connected to the keycap via the keycap connecting portion, and the outer frame portion is connected to the base plate via the base plate connecting portion, the keycap connecting portion and the base plate connecting portion both extend parallel to the rotation axis, and the ratio of an extension width of the base plate connecting portion to an extension width of the keycap connecting portion is between 0.5 and 0.8.

[0014] In addition, the present invention also proposes a key structure, which includes a base plate, a key cap and a lifting mechanism, wherein the projection of the key cap on the base plate includes a rectangular portion and a protruding portion, wherein the protruding portion protrudes from the long side of the rectangular portion, and the key cap has a plurality of bracket connecting portions, and the lifting mechanism supports the key cap on the base plate in a vertical direction, wherein the projection of the lifting mechanism on the base plate overlaps with the protruding portion, and the lifting mechanism includes a first inner bracket, a second inner bracket and an outer bracket, wherein the outer bracket and the first inner bracket are pivotally connected to each other relative to a first rotation axis, and the outer bracket The frame and the first inner frame are pivotally connected to each other relative to the second rotation axis, the outer frame includes a first outer frame portion, a second outer frame portion and a central frame, the central frame is located between the first outer frame portion and the second outer frame portion, the first inner frame and the second inner frame are pivotally connected to the inner sides of the first outer frame portion and the second outer frame portion, respectively, wherein the key cap is connected to the outer frame, the first inner frame and the second inner frame via the multiple bracket connecting portions, the multiple bracket connecting portions include a first axis groove and a second axis groove, the first axis groove and the second axis groove are pivotally connected to the first inner frame and the second inner frame, respectively.

[0015] As an optional technical solution, the projection of the first inner bracket on the base plate overlaps with the protruding portion, and the projection of the outer bracket on the base plate is located within the rectangular portion.

[0016] As an optional technical solution, a projection of the first shaft groove on the bottom plate overlaps with the protruding portion.

[0017] As an optional technical solution, the projection of the outer bracket on the base plate overlaps with the protruding portion, and the projections of the first inner bracket and the second inner bracket on the base plate are located within the rectangular portion.

[0018] As an optional technical solution, the projection of the first axis groove on the base plate and the protruding portion are respectively located on opposite sides of the projection of the first rotation axis on the base plate, and the projection of the second axis groove on the base plate and the protruding portion are respectively located on opposite sides of the projection of the second rotation axis on the base plate.

[0019] As an optional technical solution, the outer bracket has a supporting portion, the projection of the supporting portion on the base plate is located within the protruding portion, and when the key cap is not pressed, the supporting portion contacts the bottom surface of the key cap.

[0020] As an optional technical solution, the projection of the key cap on the base plate is L-shaped as a whole.

[0021] As an optional technical solution, the first rotation axis and the second rotation axis are not colinear.

[0022] As an optional technical solution, the first outer frame portion has a keycap connecting portion and a base plate connecting portion relative to the keycap connecting portion, the first outer frame portion is connected to the keycap via the keycap connecting portion, and the first outer frame portion is connected to the base plate via the base plate connecting portion, the keycap connecting portion and the base plate connecting portion both extend parallel to the rotation axis, and the ratio of an extension width of the base plate connecting portion to an extension width of the keycap connecting portion is between 0.5 and 0.8.

[0023] The present invention provides a key structure, which improves the pressing feel by changing the position of a bracket connection part so that it is placed in the direction of a structural weak area. At the same time, the inner bracket and the outer bracket of the lifting mechanism are designed to overlap, so that the bracket connection part is as close to the structural weak area as possible, and the inner bracket extends as far as possible toward the structural weak area, further improving the pressing feel, effectively transmitting the pressing force, and helping the keycap to move up and down smoothly. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0024] The specific implementation modes of the present invention will be further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0025] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a key structure according to a first embodiment;

[0026] Figure 2 It is a partial exploded view of the key structure of the first embodiment;

[0027] Figure 3 An exploded view of the key structure of the first embodiment;

[0028] Figure 4 An exploded view of the key structure of the first embodiment at another viewing angle;

[0029] Figure 5 It is a top view of the bottom plate of the key structure of the first embodiment, on which the outline projection of the lifting mechanism and the key cap on the bottom plate is drawn;

[0030] Figure 6 A schematic diagram of an outer bracket of a lifting mechanism of a key structure of the first embodiment;

[0031] Figure 7 A schematic diagram of an inner bracket of a lifting mechanism of a key structure of the first embodiment;

[0032] Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of the key structure of the first embodiment, and its cross-sectional position is as follows Figure 1 As shown by the center line X4-X4;

[0033] Fig. 9 A partial exploded view of the key structure of the second embodiment;

[0034] Fig.10 An exploded view of the key structure of the second embodiment;

[0035] Fig.11 An exploded view of the key structure of the second embodiment from another perspective;

[0036] Fig.12 It is a top view of the bottom plate of the key structure of the second embodiment, on which the outline projection of the lifting mechanism and the key cap on the bottom plate is drawn;

[0037] Fig.13 A schematic diagram of an outer bracket of a lifting mechanism of a key structure of a second embodiment;

[0038] Fig.14 A schematic diagram of an inner bracket of a lifting mechanism of a key structure of a second embodiment;

[0039] Fig.15 is a cross-sectional view of the key structure of the second embodiment, and its cross-sectional position is as follows Fig. 9 As shown by the center line X5-X5;

[0040] Fig.16 is a schematic diagram of a key structure according to a third embodiment;

[0041] Fig.17 A partial exploded view of the key structure of the third embodiment;

[0042] Fig.18 An exploded view of the key structure of the third embodiment;

[0043] Fig.19 An exploded view of the key structure of the third embodiment from another perspective;

[0044] Fig. 20 A top view of the bottom plate of the key structure of the third embodiment, on which the contour projection of the lifting mechanism and the key cap on the bottom plate is drawn;

[0045] Fig.21 A schematic diagram of an outer bracket of a lifting mechanism of a key structure of a third embodiment;

[0046] Fig. 22 A schematic diagram of a first inner bracket of a lifting mechanism of a key structure of a third embodiment;

[0047] Fig.23 is a cross-sectional view of the key structure of the third embodiment, and its cross-sectional position is as follows Fig.16 As shown by the center line X6-X6;

[0048] Fig.24 is a partial exploded view according to a fourth embodiment;

[0049] Fig.25 An exploded view of the key structure of the fourth embodiment;

[0050] Fig.26 An exploded view of the key structure of the fourth embodiment from another perspective;

[0051] Fig. 27 It is a top view of the bottom plate of the key structure of the fourth embodiment, on which the outline projection of the lifting mechanism and the key cap on the bottom plate is drawn;

[0052] Fig.28 A schematic diagram of an outer bracket of a lifting mechanism of a key structure of a fourth embodiment;

[0053] Fig.29 A schematic diagram of a first inner bracket of a lifting mechanism of a key structure of a fourth embodiment;

[0054] Fig.30 Schematic diagram of the second inner bracket of the lifting mechanism of the key structure of the fourth embodiment. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0055] In order to more clearly illustrate the present invention, the present invention is further described below in conjunction with preferred embodiments and accompanying drawings. Similar components in the accompanying drawings are represented by the same reference numerals. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that the content specifically described below is illustrative rather than restrictive, and should not be used to limit the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0056] See also Figures 1 to 4. The key structure 400 according to the first embodiment is different from a general rectangular key (such as a keyboard's numeric key, letter key, blank key, function key, etc.), for example, it can be but not limited to the Enter key of a keyboard. The key structure 400 includes a keycap 410, a base plate 420, a lifting mechanism 430, a switch circuit board 440 and an elastic member 450. The keycap 410 is disposed on the base plate 420. The lifting mechanism 430 is connected between the keycap 410 and the base plate 420, and supports the keycap 410 on the base plate 420 in the vertical direction Dv4 (indicated by a double-headed arrow in the figure), so that the keycap 410 can move up and down relative to the base plate 420 via the lifting mechanism 430 (i.e., move parallel to the vertical direction Dv4). The switch circuit board 440 is superimposed on the base plate 420 and is located below the keycap 410. In practical applications, the switch circuit board 440 may be, but is not limited to, a thin film circuit board (e.g., formed of a layered plate structure, with switch circuits formed on the upper and lower substrates, and an insulating layer sandwiched between the upper and lower substrates); it is represented by a single plate-like member in the figure to simplify the drawing. The switch circuit board 440 has a switch 4401 (the position in the figure is represented by a circle with hatching). The elastic member 450 is aligned with the switch 4401 and is disposed between the key cap 410 and the switch circuit board 440, and passes through the lifting mechanism 430. In practical applications, the elastic member 450 may be, but is not limited to, a rubber protrusion. The key cap 410 may be pressed to move toward the bottom plate 420 and squeeze the elastic member 450 so that the elastic member 450 triggers the switch 4401.

[0057] The lifting mechanism 430 includes an outer bracket 4301 and an inner bracket 4302. The outer bracket 4301 and the inner bracket 4302 are pivotally connected to each other relative to a rotation axis 430a (indicated by a chain line in the figure). The keycap 410 has a plurality of bracket connecting parts 4101, 4102, and 4103 on its bottom surface 4104. The keycap 410 is pivotally connected to the shaft 4303 of the inner bracket 4302 via the bracket connecting part 4101. In the first embodiment, the bracket connecting part 4101 is realized by two oppositely arranged hooks, and an axis groove 4101a is formed between the two hooks. The axis 4303 is cylindrical and rotatably accommodated in the axis groove 4101a (for example, the outer diameter of the axis 4303 is the same as the inner diameter of the axis groove 4101a), thereby realizing the pivotal connection between the inner bracket 4302 and the bracket connecting part 4101. In addition, the key cap 410 is rotatably and slidably connected to the outer bracket 4301 via the bracket connecting parts 4102 and 4103. The bracket connecting parts 4102 and 4103 are slightly different in structure, but both provide a slide groove so that the outer bracket 4301 can be rotatably and slidably connected thereto.

[0058] The bottom plate 420 has a plurality of support connection parts 4201, 4202. The bottom plate 420 is rotatably and slidably connected to the inner support 4302 via the support connection part 4201, and is rotatably and slidably connected to the outer support 4301 via the support connection part 4202. In addition, the bottom plate 420 also has a plurality of limit parts 4203, and the limit parts 4203 are adjacent to the support connection part 4202. The limit parts 4203 can prevent the outer support 4301 from being separated from the support connection part 4202. In addition, in the first embodiment, the support connection parts 4201, 4202 are slightly different in structure, but both provide a slide groove so that the outer support 4301 and the inner support 4302 can be rotatably and slidably connected thereto. The range of sliding provided by the bracket connection part 4201 (in the horizontal direction Dh4 (indicated by a double-headed arrow in the figure) perpendicular to the rotation axis 430a and the vertical direction Dv4) is larger than the range of sliding provided by the bracket connection part 4202. The bracket connection part 4202 and the stopper part 4203 can jointly provide a nearly pivotal connection structure of the outer bracket 4301, which helps to stabilize the movement of the lifting mechanism 430 relative to the bottom plate 420 (including that when stationary, the lifting mechanism 430 is not easy to shake relative to the bottom plate 420 along the horizontal direction Dh4).

[0059] See also Figure 5 , which is a top view of the bottom plate 420; wherein the projection contour of the lifting mechanism 430 on the bottom plate 420 is drawn with a thin solid line, the projection contour 4105 of the keycap 410 on the bottom plate 420 is drawn with a chain line, and the projection contours 4109, 4110, 4111 of the bracket connecting parts 4101, 4102, 4103 of the keycap 410 on the bottom plate 420 are simply indicated with chain line blocks. It should be supplemented that the aforementioned projection on the bottom plate 420 logically refers to the projection of the aforementioned components on the virtual plane containing the upper surface of the bottom plate 420. Figure 5As shown, the projection 4105 of the keycap 410 on the base plate 420 is generally L-shaped as a whole, and logically can be regarded as including a rectangular part 4106 and a protruding part 4107, and the boundary between the two is indicated by a dotted line. Both the rectangular part 4106 and the protruding part 4107 are long rectangles extending parallel to the rotation axis 430a or its projection 430b (shown by a chain line in the figure), and the protruding part 4107 protrudes from the long side 4108 (parallel to the rotation axis 430a) of the rectangular part 4106. The overall projection of the lifting mechanism 430 (including the projection 4304 of the outer bracket 4301 and the projection 4305 of the inner bracket 4302) overlaps with the protruding part 4107; among them, the projection 4304 of the outer bracket 4301 on the base plate 420 overlaps with the protruding part 4107, and the projection 4305 of the inner bracket 4302 on the base plate 420 is entirely located within the rectangular part 4106. The projections 4109, 4110, and 4111 of the bracket connecting parts 4101, 4102, and 4103 on the base plate 420 are also all located within the rectangular part 4106, and the projection 4109 of the bracket connecting part 4101 on the base plate 420 and the protruding part 4107 are on both sides of the projection 430b of the rotation axis 430a on the base plate 420. In addition, the overall outer contour of the projection 4304 of the outer bracket 4301 on the base plate 420 is similar to the overall outer contour of the projection 4105 of the keycap 410 on the base plate 420.

[0060] Please refer to Figure 6 and Figure 7 , which are schematic diagrams of the outer bracket 4301 and the inner bracket 4302 respectively. As Figure 6 shown, the overall outer bracket 4301 is generally in the shape of a Chinese character "mu". The outer bracket 4301 has two outer frame parts 4306 and a central frame 4307 (both shown by dotted frames in Figure 6 ), and the central frame 4307 is located between the two outer frame parts 4306 along the rotation axis 430a. The inner bracket 4302 includes two side frames 4308 and an intermediate bridge 4309, and the intermediate bridge 4309 connects the two side frames 4308, and the two side frames 4308 and the intermediate bridge 4309 are arranged parallel to the rotation axis 430a. The two side frames 4308 are respectively pivotally connected to the inner sides of the two outer frame parts 4306 relative to the rotation axis 430a (for reference, see Figure 2 ). When the outer bracket 4301 and the inner bracket 4302 overlap (for reference, see Figure 5 ), the inner bracket 4302 is located inside the outer bracket 4301 and straddles the central frame 4307; among them, the intermediate bridge 4309 is stacked on the central frame 4307.

[0061] In addition, as Figure 6As shown, the outer frame 4306 has a keycap connection portion 4310 (with a chain line frame to indicate its structural range) and a bottom plate connection portion 4311 (with a chain line frame to indicate its structural range) relative to the keycap connection portion 4310, and the keycap connection portion 4310 and the bottom plate connection portion 4311 both extend parallel to the rotation axis 430a. The outer frame 4306 is connected to the bracket connection portions 4102 and 4103 of the keycap 410 via the keycap connection portion 4310, and is connected to the bracket connection portion 4202 of the bottom plate 420 via the bottom plate connection portion 4311. Among them, for the keycap connection part 4310, in addition to the structure on the keycap connection part 4310 for cooperating with the support connection parts 4102 and 4103 of the keycap 410, the keycap connection part 4310 as a whole can be regarded as extending in parallel with the rotation axis 430a with the same width; for the bottom plate connection part 4311, in addition to the structure on the bottom plate connection part 4311 for cooperating with the support connection part 4202 and the limit part 4203 of the bottom plate 420, and the structure for avoiding the support connection part 4101 of the keycap 410, the bottom plate connection part 4311 as a whole can also be regarded as extending in parallel with the rotation axis 430a with the same width. The extension widths 4312 and 4313 (such as Figure 6 The outer frame portion 4306 corresponding to the upper and lower parts of the figure) is larger than the extension width 4314 of the bottom plate connecting portion 4311 (such as Figure 6 ) is larger, which helps to relatively improve the structural stability of the outer bracket 4301 after assembly when the overall structural size is limited, thereby improving the stability of the outer bracket 4301 in supporting the keycap 410. For example, when the portion of the keycap 410 corresponding to the keycap connecting portion 4310 (especially the corner of the keycap 410) is pressed, the keycap connecting portion 4310 can effectively transmit the pressing force along its extension direction (i.e., the direction parallel to the rotation axis 430a). In actual applications, the ratio of the extension width 4314 of the base plate connecting portion 4311 to the extension width 4312 (or the extension width 4313) of the keycap connecting portion 4310 can be designed to be between 0.5 and 0.8. In addition, with respect to the key structure 400 as a whole, the base plate 420 is a stationary part, and the connection between the external bracket 4301 (via the base plate connection portion 4311) and the base plate 420 is easier to maintain stability. Therefore, in actual applications, the base plate connection portion 4311 may not contain metal parts (for example, it does not contain elements for strengthening the structure there); similarly, the keycap 410 is a moving part, and the keycap connection portion 4310 of the external bracket 4301 may contain metal parts in actual applications (for example, by embedding metal parts in plastic injection parts to achieve structural strengthening there), so as to enhance its own structural stability and also enhance the stability of its connection with the keycap 410.

[0062] In addition, if Figure 7As shown, the inner bracket 4302 has a keycap connection portion 4315 (the structural scope is indicated by a chain line frame), and the keycap connection portion 4315 extends parallel to the rotation axis 430a. The inner bracket 4302 is connected to the keycap 410 via the keycap connection portion 4315 (i.e., it is rotatably accommodated in four shaft grooves 4101a via four shaft portions 4303). Among them, one shaft portion 4303 is set on a side frame 4308, and two shaft portions 4303 are set on the middle bridge 4309. This configuration helps to increase the structural stability of the middle bridge 4309 itself, and also helps the inner bracket 4302 to transmit the pressing force in the direction parallel to the rotation axis 430a. With respect to the keycap connection portion 4315, in addition to the structure on the keycap connection portion 4315 for cooperating with the bracket connection portion 4101 of the keycap 410, the keycap connection portion 4315 as a whole can be regarded as extending parallel to the rotation axis 430a with the same width. Refer to Figure 2 , Figure 6 and Figure 7 , the inner bracket 4302 is pivotally connected to the inner side of the outer bracket 4301, and in terms of the structure itself, the inner bracket 4302 and the outer bracket 4301 can be placed horizontally, so the structural size of the inner bracket 4302 will also be limited by the outer bracket 4301. The key cap connection part 4315 of the inner bracket 4302 and the bottom plate connection part 4311 of the outer bracket 4301 are located on the same side of the rotation axis 430a, so the extension width 4316 (such as Figure 7 ) will be aligned with the extension width 4314 (as indicated in Figure 6 In actual applications, the extension width 4316 of the keycap connection portion 4315 can be greater than the extension width 4314 of the bottom plate connection portion 4311 of the outer bracket 4301, so as to improve the structural stability of the inner bracket 4302 after assembly, thereby improving the stability of the inner bracket 4302 supporting the keycap 410. For example, the extension width 4316 of the keycap connection portion 4315 is greater than 1.5 times the extension width 4314 of the bottom plate connection portion 4311 of the outer bracket 4301.

[0063] In addition, if Figure 2 , Figure 6 and Figure 8 As shown, in the first embodiment, in the horizontal direction Dh4, the outer bracket 4301 has a supporting portion 4317 (located in one of the outer frame portions 4306), and its projection on the bottom plate 420 (reference Figure 5) is located in the protruding portion 4107 (or at least partially located in the protruding portion 1107). The abutting portion 4317 increases the overall volume of the outer bracket 4301 (compared to the outer bracket in the general scissor-leg bracket which is a simple rectangular frame), which helps to improve the structural rigidity of the outer bracket 4301. In the first embodiment, the outer bracket 4301 is designed so that when the keycap 410 is not pressed, the abutting portion 4317 contacts the bottom surface 4104 of the keycap 410 (such as Figure 8 This structural configuration also helps the lifting mechanism 430 to stably support the key cap 410. However, this is not limited to this in actual applications.

[0064] In addition, if Figures 2 to 4 and Figure 6 As shown, in the first embodiment, when the outer bracket 4301 and the inner bracket 4302 overlap (see Figure 5 ), the inner support 4302 is located inside the outer support 4301 and across the central frame 4307. The central frame 4307 has a recessed structure 4318, and the recessed structure 4318 is located below the middle span 4309, and the middle span 4309 enters the recessed structure 4318. Thereby, the outer support 4301 and the inner support 4302 can be placed horizontally. For example, after the outer support 4301 and the inner support 4302 are overlapped, the overall thickness is not greater than the thickness of the outer support 4301 or the inner support 4302. In addition, the central frame 4307 has an opening 4319. The lifting mechanism 430 as a whole can define a central space 430c (indicated by a dotted column in Figure 2 ), the central space 430c vertically penetrates the entire lifting mechanism 430 to accommodate the elastic member 450. The central space 430c passes through the opening 4319 and is adjacent to the middle bridge 4309. When the outer bracket 4301 and the inner bracket 4302 overlap (or in terms of the horizontal direction Dh4), the central space 430c is located between the middle bridge 4309 and the keycap connecting portion 4310 of the outer bracket 4301.

[0065] In addition, in the first embodiment, the outer bracket 4301 and the inner bracket 4302 are both made of a single material, such as a plastic injection molded part; however, this is not the only limitation in practical applications. For example, the outer bracket 4301 or the inner bracket 4302 may be a composite structure, such as adding a reinforcement part (such as a metal part, embedded in the injection molded part) to the plastic injection molded part.

[0066] In general, in the first embodiment (see Figures 1 to 8), the lifting mechanism 430 of the key structure 400 still maintains the scissor foot bracket, which can improve assembly efficiency. The key structure 400 does not use a balance bar (which is commonly found in general long keys, such as blank keys, in the shape of a letter "ㄇ", connecting the keycap and the base plate to help the keycap move up and down smoothly), which can reduce impact noise (such as the sound produced by the balance bar colliding with other components). The inner and outer brackets 4302 and 4301 of the lifting mechanism 430 are designed to overlap (for example, when the outer bracket 4301 and the inner bracket 4302 are both placed horizontally, the inner bracket 4302 will be stacked on the outer bracket 4302), which can increase the volume of the outer bracket 4301, thereby enhancing the structural rigidity and improving the structural weak areas (for example, such as Figure 5 In addition, in the outer bracket 4301, the width of the keycap connecting portion 4310 is increased (i.e., its extended widths 4312 and 4313 are larger than the extended width 4314 of the bottom plate connecting portion 4311), which can relatively enhance the structural rigidity of the keycap connecting portion 4310 of the outer bracket 4301, and is also beneficial to improving the pressing feel of the structural weak area. Therefore, the structural rigidity of the key structure 400 is improved, overcoming or effectively suppressing the problem of the structural weak area. In addition, the space provided by the lifting mechanism 430 for placing the elastic member 450 (i.e., the central space 430c) can be made into a non-circular form, so that the elastic member 450 can be flexibly adjusted according to the needs of the setting position, such as making the elastic member 450 as close to the upper left corner of the keycap 410 as possible, so as to improve the pressing feel. In addition, in the key structure 400, the shaft groove 4101a is pivotally connected to the inner bracket 4302, but it is not limited to this in actual applications. For example, the inner bracket 4302 is connected to the bracket connecting parts 4102 and 4103, the outer bracket 4301 is connected to the bracket connecting part 4101, the abutting part 4317 of the outer bracket 4301 is formed on the inner bracket 4302, and other structures are also modified (for example, Figure 5 From the perspective of FIG. 4 , the middle span 4309 is changed to the left side of the rotation axis 430a), which will not be further described.

[0067] See also Figures 9 to 11. The key structure 500 according to the second embodiment is different from a general rectangular key (such as a keyboard's numeric key, letter key, blank key, function key, etc.), for example, it can be but not limited to the Enter key of a keyboard. The key structure 500 includes a keycap 510, a base plate 520, a lifting mechanism 530, a switch circuit board 540 and an elastic member 550. The keycap 510 is disposed on the base plate 520. The lifting mechanism 530 is connected between the keycap 510 and the base plate 520, and supports the keycap 510 on the base plate 520 in the vertical direction Dv5 (indicated by a double-headed arrow in the figure), so that the keycap 510 can move up and down relative to the base plate 520 via the lifting mechanism 530 (i.e., move parallel to the vertical direction Dv5). The switch circuit board 540 is superimposed on the base plate 520 and is located below the keycap 510. In practical applications, the switch circuit board 540 may be, but is not limited to, a thin film circuit board (for example, formed by a layered plate structure, with switch circuits formed on the upper and lower substrates, and an insulating layer sandwiched between the upper and lower substrates); it is represented by a single plate-shaped member in the figure to simplify the drawing. The switch circuit board 540 has a switch 5401 (the position in the figure is represented by a circle with hatching). The elastic member 550 is aligned with the switch 5401 and is arranged between the key cap 510 and the switch circuit board 540, and passes through the lifting mechanism 530. In practical applications, the elastic member 550 may be, but is not limited to, a rubber protrusion. The key cap 510 may be pressed to move toward the bottom plate 520 and squeeze the elastic member 550 so that the elastic member 550 triggers the switch 5401.

[0068] The lifting mechanism 530 includes an outer bracket 5301 and an inner bracket 5302. The outer bracket 5301 and the inner bracket 5302 are pivotally connected to each other relative to a rotation axis 530a (indicated by a chain line in the figure). The keycap 510 has a plurality of bracket connecting parts 5101, 5102, and 5103 on its bottom surface 5104. The keycap 510 is pivotally connected to the shaft 5303 of the inner bracket 5302 via the bracket connecting part 5101. In the second embodiment, the bracket connecting part 5101 is realized by two oppositely arranged hooks, and an axis groove 5101a is formed between the two hooks. The axis 5303 is cylindrical and rotatably accommodated in the axis groove 5101a (for example, the outer diameter of the axis 5303 is the same as the inner diameter of the axis groove 5101a), thereby realizing the pivotal connection between the inner bracket 5302 and the bracket connecting part 5101. In addition, the key cap 510 is rotatably and slidably connected to the outer bracket 5301 via the bracket connecting parts 5102 and 5103. The bracket connecting parts 5102 and 5103 are slightly different in structure, but both provide a slide groove so that the outer bracket 5301 can be rotatably and slidably connected thereto.

[0069] The bottom plate 520 has a plurality of support connection parts 5201, 5202. The bottom plate 520 is rotatably and slidably connected to the inner support 5302 via the support connection parts 5201, and is rotatably and slidably connected to the outer support 5301 via the support connection parts 5202. In addition, the bottom plate 520 also has a plurality of limit parts 5203, and the limit parts 5203 are adjacent to the support connection parts 5202. The limit parts 5203 can prevent the outer support 5301 from being separated from the support connection parts 5202. In addition, in the second embodiment, the support connection parts 5201, 5202 are slightly different in structure, but both provide a slide groove so that the outer support 5301 and the inner support 5302 can be rotatably and slidably connected thereto. The range of sliding provided by the bracket connection part 5201 (in the horizontal direction Dh5 (indicated by a double-headed arrow in the figure) perpendicular to the rotation axis 530a and the vertical direction Dv5) is larger than the range of sliding provided by the bracket connection part 5202. The bracket connection part 5202 and the stopper part 5203 can jointly provide a nearly pivotal connection structure of the outer bracket 5301, which helps to stabilize the movement of the lifting mechanism 530 relative to the bottom plate 520 (including that the lifting mechanism 530 is not easy to shake relative to the bottom plate 520 along the horizontal direction Dh5 when stationary).

[0070] See also Fig.12 , which is a top view of the bottom plate 520; wherein the projection outline of the lifting mechanism 530 on the bottom plate 520 is drawn with a thin solid line, the projection outline 5105 of the keycap 510 on the bottom plate 520 is drawn with a chain line, and the projection outlines 5109, 5110, 5111 of the bracket connecting parts 5101, 5102, 5103 of the keycap 510 on the bottom plate 520 are simply indicated with chain line blocks. It should be supplemented that the aforementioned projection on the bottom plate 520 logically refers to the projection of the aforementioned components on the virtual plane containing the upper surface of the bottom plate 520. Fig.12As shown, the projection 5105 of the keycap 510 on the bottom plate 520 is slightly L-shaped as a whole, and can be logically regarded as including a rectangular portion 5106 and a protruding portion 5107, and the boundary between the two is indicated by a dotted line. The rectangular portion 5106 and the protruding portion 5107 are both long rectangles extending parallel to the rotation axis 530a or its projection 530b (indicated by a chain line in the figure), and the protruding portion 5107 protrudes from the long side 5108 (parallel to the rotation axis 530a) of the rectangular portion 5106. The projection of the lifting mechanism 530 as a whole (including the projection 5304 of the outer bracket 5301 and the projection 5305 of the inner bracket 5302) overlaps with the protruding portion 5107; wherein, the projection 5305 of the inner bracket 5302 on the bottom plate 520 overlaps with the protruding portion 5107, and the projection 5304 of the outer bracket 5301 on the bottom plate 520 is entirely located in the rectangular portion 5106. The projections 5109, 5110, 5111 of the bracket connecting parts 5101, 5102, 5103 on the bottom plate 520 are also located in the rectangular portion 5106, and the projection 5109 of the bracket connecting part 5101 on the bottom plate 520 and the protruding portion 5107 are located on the same side of the projection 530b of the rotation axis 530a on the bottom plate 520; Fig.12 The two projections 5109 on the upper left side (corresponding to the pivoting support connection part 5101) are closest to the protruding part 5107 relative to the projections 5109, 5110, 5111 of the other support connection parts 5101, 5102, 5103. Therefore, when the portion of the keycap 510 corresponding to the protruding part 5107 is pressed, the inner support 5302 can provide stable support for the keycap 510 by pivoting with at least one support connection part 5101 adjacent thereto and can effectively receive the force of pressing the keycap 510, thereby effectively transmitting the pressing force, which helps the keycap 510 to move up and down smoothly. In addition, the outer contour of the projection 5304 of the outer support 5301 on the bottom plate 520 is generally similar to the outer contour of the projection 5105 of the keycap 510 on the bottom plate 520.

[0071] See also Fig.13 and Fig.14 , which are schematic diagrams of the outer support 5301 and the inner support 5302 respectively. Fig.13 As shown in FIG. 5 , the outer bracket 5301 is generally in the shape of a cross. The outer bracket 5301 has two outer frame portions 5306 and a central frame 5307 (both are indicated by dotted lines in FIG. 5 ). Fig.13 The central frame 5307 is located between the two outer frame parts 5306 along the rotation axis 530a. The inner frame 5302 includes two side frames 5308 and an intermediate bridge 5309. The intermediate bridge 5309 connects the two side frames 5308. The two side frames 5308 and the intermediate bridge 5309 are arranged parallel to the rotation axis 530a. The two side frames 5308 are respectively pivotally connected to the inner sides of the two outer frame parts 5306 relative to the rotation axis 530a (see Fig. 9 ). When the outer support 5301 and the inner support 5302 overlap (refer to Fig.12 ), the inner bracket 5302 is superimposed on the structure of the outer bracket 5301 on one side relative to the rotation axis 530a (which is the part connecting the outer bracket 5301 and the base plate 520); wherein, the side frame 5308 is partially superimposed on the outer frame 5306, and the middle span 5309 is superimposed on the central frame 5307.

[0072] In addition, if Fig.13 As shown, the outer frame 5306 has a keycap connection portion 5310 (with a chain line frame to indicate its structural range) and a bottom plate connection portion 5311 (with a chain line frame to indicate its structural range) relative to the keycap connection portion 5310, both extending parallel to the rotation axis 530a. The outer frame 5306 is connected to the bracket connection portions 5102 and 5103 of the keycap 510 via the keycap connection portion 5310, and is connected to the bracket connection portion 5202 of the bottom plate 520 via the bottom plate connection portion 5311. Among them, for the keycap connection part 5310, in addition to the structure on the keycap connection part 5310 for cooperating with the support connection parts 5102 and 5103 of the keycap 510, the keycap connection part 5310 as a whole can be regarded as extending with the same width parallel to the rotation axis 530a; for the bottom plate connection part 5311, in addition to the structure on the bottom plate connection part 5311 for cooperating with the support connection part 5202 and the limit part 5203 of the bottom plate 520, and the structure for avoiding the support connection part 5101 of the keycap 510, the bottom plate connection part 5311 as a whole can also be regarded as extending with the same width parallel to the rotation axis 530a. The extension width 5312 (such as Fig.13 ) is larger than the extension width 5313 of the bottom plate connecting portion 5311 (as indicated in Fig.13) is larger, which helps to relatively improve the structural stability of the outer bracket 5301 after assembly when the overall structural size is limited, thereby improving the stability of the outer bracket 5301 in supporting the keycap 510. For example, when the portion of the keycap 510 corresponding to the keycap connecting portion 5310 (especially the corner of the keycap 510) is pressed, the keycap connecting portion 5310 can effectively transmit the pressing force along its extension direction (i.e., the direction parallel to the rotation axis 530a). In actual applications, the ratio of the extension width 5313 of the base plate connecting portion 5311 to the extension width 5312 of the keycap connecting portion 5310 can be designed to be between 0.5 and 0.8. In addition, with respect to the key structure 500 as a whole, the base plate 520 is a stationary part, and the connection between the external bracket 5301 (via the base plate connection portion 5311) and the base plate 520 is easier to maintain stability. Therefore, in actual applications, the base plate connection portion 5311 may not contain metal parts (for example, it does not contain elements for strengthening the structure there); similarly, the keycap 510 is a moving part, and the keycap connection portion 5310 of the external bracket 5301 may contain metal parts in actual applications (for example, by embedding metal parts in plastic injection parts to achieve structural strengthening there), so as to enhance its own structural stability and also enhance the stability of its connection with the keycap 510.

[0073] In addition, if Fig.14 As shown, the inner bracket 5302 has a keycap connection portion 5314 (its structural range is indicated by a chain line frame), and the keycap connection portion 5314 extends parallel to the rotation axis 530a. The inner bracket 5302 is connected to the keycap 510 via the keycap connection portion 5315 (i.e., it is rotatably accommodated in four shaft grooves 5101a via four shaft portions 5303). Among them, one shaft portion 5303 is set on a side frame 5308, and two shaft portions 5303 are set on the middle bridge 5309. This configuration helps to increase the structural stability of the middle bridge 5309 itself, and also helps the inner bracket 5302 to transmit the pressing force in the direction parallel to the rotation axis 530a. For the keycap connection portion 5314, in addition to the structure on the keycap connection portion 5314 for cooperating with the bracket connection portion 5101 of the keycap 510, the keycap connection portion 5314 as a whole can be regarded as extending parallel to the rotation axis 530a with the same width.

[0074] In addition, if Fig. 9 , Fig.14 and Fig.15 As shown, in the second embodiment, in the horizontal direction Dh5, the inner bracket 5302 has a supporting portion 5315, the projection of which on the bottom plate 520 (refer to Fig.12) is located inside the protruding portion 5107 (or at least partially located inside the protruding portion 5107). The abutting portion 5315 increases the overall volume of the inner bracket 5302 (compared to the inner bracket in a general scissor-leg bracket which is a simple rectangular frame and is entirely located inside the outer bracket), which helps to improve the structural rigidity of the inner bracket 5302. In the second embodiment, the inner bracket 5302 is designed so that when the keycap 510 is not pressed, the abutting portion 5315 contacts the bottom surface 5104 of the keycap 510 (such as Fig.15 This structural configuration also helps the lifting mechanism 530 to stably support the key cap 510. However, the actual application is not limited to this.

[0075] In addition, if Figures 9 to 11 and Fig.13 As shown, in the second embodiment, when the outer bracket 5301 and the inner bracket 5302 overlap (see Fig.12 ), the inner bracket 5302 is partially overlapped on the outer bracket 5301. The outer bracket 5301 has a recessed structure 5316, which is formed on one side of the outer bracket 5301 relative to the rotation axis 530a and is distributed on the two outer frame parts 5306 and the central frame 5307; correspondingly, the inner bracket 5302 also has a recessed structure 5317, which is formed on one side of the inner bracket 5302 relative to the rotation axis 530a and is distributed on the two side frames 5308 and the middle span 5309. The recessed structure 5316 of the outer bracket 5301 matches the recessed structure 5317 of the inner bracket 5302, so that when the outer bracket 5301 and the inner bracket 5302 overlap, the outer bracket 5301 and the inner bracket 5302 are mutually engaged through the recessed structure 5316 and the recessed structure 5317, wherein the middle span 5309 enters the recessed structure 5316 of the outer bracket 5301. Thus, the outer bracket 5301 and the inner bracket 5302 can be placed horizontally. For example, after the outer bracket 5301 and the inner bracket 5302 are overlapped, the overall thickness is not greater than the thickness of the outer bracket 5301 or the inner bracket 5302. In addition, the central frame 5307 has an opening 5318. The lifting mechanism 530 as a whole can define a central space 530c (indicated by a dotted column in FIG. Fig. 9 ), the central space 530c vertically penetrates the entire lifting mechanism 530 to accommodate the elastic member 550. The central space 530c passes through the opening 5318 and is adjacent to the middle bridge 5309. When the outer bracket 5301 and the inner bracket 5302 overlap (or in terms of the horizontal direction Dh5), the central space 530c is located between the middle bridge 5309 and the keycap connecting portion 5310 of the outer bracket 5301.

[0076] In addition, in the second embodiment, the outer bracket 5301 and the inner bracket 5302 are both made of a single material, such as a plastic injection molded part; however, the actual application is not limited thereto. For example, the outer bracket 5301 or the inner bracket 5302 may be a composite structure, such as adding a reinforcement part (such as a metal part, by embedding injection) to the plastic injection molded part.

[0077] In general, in the second embodiment (see also Figures 9 to 15 ), the lifting mechanism 530 of the key structure 500 still maintains the scissor foot bracket, which can improve assembly efficiency. The key structure 500 does not use a balance bar (which is commonly found in general long keys, such as blank keys, in a U-shape, connecting the keycap and the base plate to help the keycap move up and down smoothly), which can reduce impact noise (such as the sound generated by the balance bar colliding with other components). By utilizing the characteristic that the driving performance (i.e., the stability of the linkage between the bracket connection part 5101 and the inner bracket 5302) of the bracket connection part 5101 (realized by two oppositely arranged hooks, with an axis groove 5101a formed between the two hooks to provide a rotational connection) is better than the driving performance (i.e., the stability of the linkage between the bracket connection parts 5102, 5103 and the outer bracket 5301) of the bracket connection parts 5102, 5103 (realized by a slide groove structure, providing both rotational and sliding connections), that is, the bracket connection part 5101 used for pivoting has more structural restrictions than the bracket connection parts 5102, 5103 used for sliding / rotation, which is beneficial to transmission and the stability of the pivoting structure is also higher. By changing the positions of the bracket connection part 5101 and the bracket connection parts 5102, 5103 so that the bracket connection part 5101 used for pivoting is placed in a structural weak area (such as Fig.12 The inner bracket 5302 and the outer bracket 5301 of the lifting mechanism 530 are designed to overlap (for example, when the outer bracket 5301 and the inner bracket 5302 are both placed horizontally, the inner bracket 5302 will be overlapped on the outer bracket 5302), so that the bracket connection part 5101 used for pivoting is as close as possible to the structural weak area (for example, Fig.12 In general, the inner bracket is entirely located inside the outer bracket. At this time, the inner bracket is far from the protruding portion. The present invention adopts an overlapping design of the inner bracket 5302 and the outer bracket 5301 to make the inner bracket 5302 as close to the structural weak area as possible (for example, Fig.12The upper left corner of the middle key cap 510) can also enhance the pressing feel; wherein, in actual application, the above-mentioned design can be used at either or both of the upper left corner and the lower left corner of the key cap 510 (both are structural weak areas). Therefore, the structural rigidity of the key structure 500 is improved, overcoming or effectively suppressing the problem of the existence of structural weak areas. In addition, the overlapping design of the inner bracket 5302 and the outer bracket 5301 of the lifting mechanism 530 can increase the volume of the outer bracket 5301, thereby enhancing the structural rigidity and improving the structural weak areas (for example, Fig.12 In addition, the lifting mechanism 530 provides a space for placing the elastic member 550 (i.e., the central space 530c) which can be made into a non-circular shape, so that the elastic member 550 can be flexibly adjusted in position as required, such as making the elastic member 550 as close to the upper left corner of the keycap 510 as possible, so as to enhance the pressing feel. In addition, in the key structure 500, the shaft groove 5101a is pivotally connected to the inner bracket 5302, but this is not limited to the actual application. For example, the inner bracket 5302 is changed to be connected to the bracket connecting parts 5102 and 5103, the outer bracket 5301 is changed to be connected to the bracket connecting part 5101, the abutting part 5317 of the outer bracket 5301 is changed to be formed on the inner bracket 5302, and other structures are also modified accordingly (for example, with Fig.12 From the perspective of FIG. 5 , the middle span 5309 is changed to the left side of the rotation axis 530a), which will not be further described.

[0078] See also Figures 16 to 19. The key structure 600 according to the third embodiment is different from a general rectangular key (such as a keyboard's numeric key, letter key, blank key, function key, etc.), for example, it can be but not limited to the Enter key of a keyboard. The key structure 600 includes a keycap 610, a base plate 620, a lifting mechanism 630, a switch circuit board 640 and an elastic member 650. The keycap 610 is disposed on the base plate 620. The lifting mechanism 630 is connected between the keycap 610 and the base plate 620, and supports the keycap 610 on the base plate 620 in the vertical direction Dv6 (indicated by a double-headed arrow in the figure), so that the keycap 610 can move up and down relative to the base plate 620 via the lifting mechanism 630 (i.e., move parallel to the vertical direction Dv6). The switch circuit board 640 is superimposed on the base plate 620 and is located below the keycap 610. In practical applications, the switch circuit board 640 may be, but is not limited to, a thin film circuit board (e.g., formed of a layered plate structure, with switch circuits formed on the upper and lower substrates, and an insulating layer sandwiched between the upper and lower substrates); it is represented by a single plate-shaped member in the figure to simplify the drawing. The switch circuit board 640 has a switch 6401 (the position in the figure is represented by a circle with hatching). The elastic member 650 is aligned with the switch 6401 and is arranged between the key cap 610 and the switch circuit board 640, and passes through the lifting mechanism 630. In practical applications, the elastic member 650 may be, but is not limited to, a rubber protrusion. The key cap 610 may be pressed to move toward the bottom plate 620 and squeeze the elastic member 650 so that the elastic member 650 triggers the switch 6401.

[0079] The lifting mechanism 630 includes an outer bracket 6301, a first inner bracket 6302 and a second inner bracket 6303. The outer bracket 6301 and the first inner bracket 6302 are pivotally connected to each other relative to a first rotation axis 630a (indicated by a chain line in the figure), and are pivotally connected to each other relative to a second rotation axis 630b (indicated by a chain line in the figure); the first rotation axis 630a is parallel to the second rotation axis 630b. The keycap 610 has a plurality of bracket connecting parts 6101, 6102, 6103 on its bottom surface 6104. The keycap 610 is pivotally connected to the shaft 6304 of the first inner bracket 6302 via two of the bracket connecting parts 6101, and is pivotally connected to the shaft 6305 of the second inner bracket 6303 via the other two bracket connecting parts 6101. In the third embodiment, the bracket connecting part 6101 is realized by two oppositely disposed hooks, and an axis groove 6101a is formed between the two hooks. The shaft portions 6304 and 6305 are cylindrical and rotatably accommodated in the shaft groove 6101a (for example, the outer diameter of the shaft portions 6304 and 6305 is the same as the inner diameter of the shaft groove 6101a), thereby realizing the pivot connection between the first inner bracket 6302 and the second inner bracket 6303 and the bracket connecting portion 6101 (wherein, the shaft groove 6101a pivotally connected to the first inner bracket 6302 can be defined as a first shaft groove, and the shaft groove 6101a pivotally connected to the second inner bracket 6303 can be defined as a second shaft groove). In addition, the keycap 610 is rotatably and slidably connected to the outer bracket 6301 via the bracket connecting portions 6102 and 6103. The bracket connecting portions 6102 and 6103 are slightly different in structure, but both provide a slide groove so that the outer bracket 6301 can be rotatably and slidably connected thereto. In addition, in the third embodiment, the first rotation axis 630 a and the second rotation axis 630 b are colinear, but the actual application is not limited thereto.

[0080] The bottom plate 620 has a plurality of support connection parts 6201, 6202. The bottom plate 620 is rotatably and slidably connected to the first inner support 6302 via two of the support connection parts 6201, and is rotatably and slidably connected to the second inner support 6303 via the other two support connection parts 6201; and the bottom plate 620 is rotatably and slidably connected to the outer support 6301 via the support connection parts 6202. In addition, the bottom plate 620 also has a plurality of limiting parts 6203, and the limiting parts 6203 are adjacent to the support connection parts 6202. The limiting parts 6203 can prevent the outer support 6301 from being separated from the support connection parts 6202. In addition, in the third embodiment, the support connection parts 6201, 6202 are slightly different in structure, but both provide a slide groove so that the outer support 6301, the first inner support 6302 and the second inner support 6303 can be rotatably and slidably connected thereto. The range of sliding provided by the bracket connection portion 6201 (in the horizontal direction Dh6 (indicated by a double-headed arrow in the figure) perpendicular to the first rotation axis 630a, the second rotation axis 630b and the vertical direction Dv6) is larger than the range of sliding provided by the bracket connection portion 6202. The bracket connection portion 6202 and the stopper portion 6203 can jointly provide a nearly pivotal connection structure of the outer bracket 6301, which helps to stabilize the movement of the lifting mechanism 630 relative to the bottom plate 620 (including that when stationary, the lifting mechanism 630 is not easy to shake relative to the bottom plate 620 along the horizontal direction Dh6).

[0081] See also Fig. 20 , which is a top view of the bottom plate 620; wherein the projection outline of the lifting mechanism 630 on the bottom plate 620 is drawn with a thin solid line, the projection outline 6105 of the keycap 610 on the bottom plate 620 is drawn with a chain line, and the projection outlines 6109, 6110, 6111 of the bracket connecting parts 6101, 6102, 6103 of the keycap 610 on the bottom plate 620 are simply indicated by chain line blocks. It should be noted that the aforementioned projection on the bottom plate 620 logically refers to the projection of the aforementioned components on the virtual plane containing the upper surface of the bottom plate 620. Fig. 20As shown, the projection 6105 of the keycap 610 on the base plate 620 is generally L-shaped, and logically can be regarded as including a rectangular portion 6106 and a protruding portion 6107, and the boundary between the two is indicated by a dotted line. The rectangular portion 6106 and the protruding portion 6107 are both long rectangles extending parallel to the first rotation axis 630a (or the second rotation axis 630b) or its projection 630c (or projection 630d) (indicated by a chain line in the figure), and the protruding portion 6107 protrudes from the long side 6108 (parallel to the first rotation axis 630a or the second rotation axis 630b) of the rectangular portion 6106. The overall projection of the lifting mechanism 630 (including the projection 6306 of the outer bracket 6301, the projection 6307 of the first inner bracket 6302 and the projection 6308 of the second inner bracket 6303) overlaps with the protruding portion 6107; wherein, the projection 6306 of the outer bracket 6301 on the base plate 620 overlaps with the protruding portion 6107, and the projection 6307 of the first inner bracket 6302 and the projection 6308 of the second inner bracket 6303 are all located within the rectangular portion 6106. The projections 6109, 6110, 6111 of the bracket connection parts 6101, 6102, 6103 on the bottom plate 620 are also located in the rectangular portion 6106. The projection 6109 of the bracket connection part 6101 on the bottom plate 620 (i.e., equivalent to the projection of the first shaft groove and the second shaft groove) and the protruding portion 6107 are located on opposite sides of the projection 630c (or projection 630d) of the first rotation axis 630a (or the second rotation axis 630b) on the bottom plate 620. In addition, the outer contour of the projection 6306 of the outer bracket 6301 on the bottom plate 620 is generally similar to the outer contour of the projection 6105 of the key cap 610 on the bottom plate 620.

[0082] See also Fig.21 and Fig. 22 , which are schematic diagrams of the outer bracket 6301 and the first inner bracket 6302 respectively. Fig.21 As shown in FIG. 6 , the outer bracket 601 is generally in the shape of a cross. The outer bracket 6301 has a first outer frame portion 6309, a second outer frame portion 6310 and a central frame 6311 (all indicated by dotted lines in FIG. 6 ). Fig.21 The central frame 6311 is located between the first outer frame portion 6309 and the second outer frame portion 6310 along the first rotation axis 630a (or the second rotation axis 630b). The first inner bracket 6302 is pivotally connected to the inner side of the first outer frame portion 6309, and the second inner bracket 6303 is pivotally connected to the inner side of the second outer frame portion 6310 (see Fig.17 ). When the outer bracket 6301 overlaps with the first inner bracket 6302 and the second inner bracket 6303 (refer to Fig. 20 ), the first inner bracket 6302 and the second inner bracket 6303 are both located on the inner side of the outer bracket 6301 (that is, located on the inner side of the first outer frame portion 6309 and the second outer frame portion 6310, respectively).

[0083] In addition, if Fig.21 As shown, the first outer frame portion 6309 of the outer bracket 6301 has a keycap connecting portion 6312 (with a chain line frame to indicate its structural range) and a bottom plate connecting portion 6313 (with a chain line frame to indicate its structural range) relative to the keycap connecting portion 6312, both extending parallel to the first rotation axis 630a. The second outer frame portion 6310 is similar in structure to the first outer frame portion 6309, so the connecting portion between the second outer frame portion 6310 and the keycap 610 and the bottom plate 620 is also marked with the same element symbol and is not repeated. The outer bracket 6301 is connected to the bracket connecting portions 6102 and 6103 of the keycap 610 via the keycap connecting portion 6312, and is connected to the bracket connecting portion 6202 of the bottom plate 620 via the bottom plate connecting portion 6313. Among them, for the keycap connection part 6312, in addition to the structure on the keycap connection part 6312 for cooperating with the bracket connection parts 6102 and 6103 of the keycap 610, the keycap connection part 6312 as a whole can be regarded as extending in parallel with the first rotation axis 630a with the same width; for the bottom plate connection part 6313, in addition to the structure on the bottom plate connection part 6313 for cooperating with the bracket connection part 6202 and the limit part 6203 of the bottom plate 620, and the structure for avoiding the bracket connection part 6101 of the keycap 610, the bottom plate connection part 6313 as a whole can also be regarded as extending in parallel with the first rotation axis 630a with the same width. The extension width 6314, 6315 (such as Fig.21 The first outer frame portion 6309 and the second outer frame portion 6310 in the figure respectively correspond to the extension width 6316 of the bottom plate connecting portion 6313 (such as Fig.21) is larger, which helps to relatively improve the structural stability of the outer bracket 6301 after assembly when the overall structural size is limited, thereby improving the stability of the outer bracket 6301 in supporting the keycap 610. For example, when the portion of the keycap 610 corresponding to the keycap connecting portion 6312 (especially the corner of the keycap 610) is pressed, the keycap connecting portion 6310 can effectively transmit the pressing force along its extension direction (i.e., the direction parallel to the first rotation axis 630a or the second rotation axis 630b). In actual applications, the ratio of the extension width 6316 of the bottom plate connecting portion 6313 to the extension width 6314 (or extension width 6315) of the keycap connecting portion 6310 can be designed to be between 0.5 and 0.8. In addition, with respect to the key structure 600 as a whole, the base plate 620 is a stationary part, and the connection between the external bracket 6301 (via the base plate connection portion 6313) and the base plate 620 is easier to maintain stability. Therefore, in actual applications, the base plate connection portion 6313 may not contain metal parts (for example, it does not contain elements for strengthening the structure there); similarly, the keycap 610 is a moving part, and the keycap connection portion 6312 of the external bracket 6301 may contain metal parts in actual applications (for example, by embedding metal parts in plastic injection parts to achieve structural strengthening there), so as to enhance its own structural stability and also enhance the stability of its connection with the keycap 610.

[0084] In addition, if Fig. 22 As shown, the first inner bracket 6302 has a key cap connection portion 6317 (with a chain line frame to indicate its structural range), and the first inner bracket 6302 extends parallel to the first rotation axis 630a. The first inner bracket 6302 is connected to the key cap 610 via the key cap connection portion 6317 (i.e., the shaft portion 6304 is rotatably accommodated in the shaft groove 6101a). In addition, in the third embodiment, the first inner bracket 6302 and the second inner bracket 6303 have the same structure, so the above description of the first inner bracket 6302 is also applicable to the second inner bracket 6303, and no further description is given.

[0085] In addition, if Fig.17 , Fig.21 and Fig. 22 As shown, in the third embodiment, in the horizontal direction Dh6, the first outer frame portion 6309 of the outer bracket 6301 has a supporting portion 6318, the projection of which on the bottom plate 620 (refer to Fig. 20 ) is located in the protruding portion 6107 (or at least partially located in the protruding portion 6107). The abutting portion 6318 increases the overall volume of the outer bracket 6301 (compared to the outer bracket in the general scissor-leg bracket which is a simple rectangular frame), which helps to improve the structural rigidity of the outer bracket 6301. In the third embodiment, the outer bracket 6301 is designed so that when the keycap 610 is not pressed, the abutting portion 6318 contacts the bottom surface 6104 of the keycap 610 (such as Fig.23This structural configuration also helps the lifting mechanism 630 to stably support the key cap 610. However, the actual application is not limited to this.

[0086] In addition, if Figures 17 to 19 and Fig.21 As shown in the third embodiment, the central frame 6311 has an opening 6319. The lifting mechanism 630 as a whole can define a central space 630e (indicated by a dotted column in FIG. Fig.17 ), the central space 630e vertically penetrates the entire lifting mechanism 630 to accommodate the elastic member 650. The central space 630e passes through the opening 6319 and is located between the first outer frame portion 6309 and the second outer frame portion 6310 (or, the first inner bracket 6302 and the second inner bracket 6303).

[0087] In addition, in the third embodiment, the outer bracket 6301, the first inner bracket 6302 and the second inner bracket 6303 are all made of a single material, such as a plastic injection molded part; however, this is not the only limitation in practical applications. For example, the outer bracket 6301, the first inner bracket 6302 or the second inner bracket 6303 may be a composite structure, such as adding a reinforcement part (such as a metal part, embedded in the injection molded part) to the plastic injection molded part.

[0088] In general, in the third embodiment (see also Figures 16 to 23 ), the lifting mechanism 630 of the key structure 600 still maintains the scissor foot bracket, which can improve assembly efficiency. The key structure 600 does not use a balance bar (which is commonly found in general long keys, such as blank keys, in the shape of a letter "ㄇ", connecting the keycap and the base plate to help the keycap move up and down smoothly), which can reduce impact noise (such as the sound caused by the balance bar colliding with other components). In addition, the first inner bracket 6302 and the second inner bracket 6303 of the lifting mechanism 630 are separately arranged, and the first inner bracket 6302 and the second inner bracket 6303 will not overlap with the outer bracket 6301, so that the outer bracket 6301 can be structurally reinforced to improve rigidity. For example, part of the structure of the outer bracket 6301 (such as Fig.21The structural rigidity of the key structure 600 is improved. In addition, the first inner bracket 6302 and the second inner bracket 6303 can also be designed the same or differently according to the design requirements. In addition, in the first outer frame portion 6309 and the second outer frame portion 6310 of the outer bracket 6301, the width of the key cap connection portion 6312 is increased (that is, its extended width 6314, 6315 is larger than the extended width 6316 of the bottom plate connection portion 6313), which can relatively enhance the structural rigidity of the key cap connection portion 6312 of the outer bracket 6301, and is also beneficial to improve the pressing feel of the structural weak area. Therefore, the structural rigidity of the key structure 600 is improved, overcoming or effectively suppressing the problem of the existence of the structural weak area. In addition, the space (that is, the central space 630e) provided by the lifting mechanism 630 for the elastic member 650 can be made into a non-circular form, so that the elastic member 650 can be adjusted according to the requirements. For example, the elastic member 650 is as close to the upper left corner of the key cap 610 as possible to improve the pressing feel. In addition, in the key structure 600, the shaft groove 6101a is pivotally connected to the first inner bracket 6302 and the second inner bracket 6303, but the actual application is not limited to this. For example, the first inner bracket 6302 is connected to the bracket connecting parts 6102 and 6103, the outer bracket 6301 is connected to the bracket connecting part 6101, and the abutting part 6318 of the outer bracket 6301 is formed on the first inner bracket 6302. Other structures are also modified and will not be described in detail.

[0089] See also Figure 24 to Figure 26. The key structure 700 according to the fourth embodiment is different from a general rectangular key (such as a keyboard's numeric key, letter key, blank key, function key, etc.), for example, it can be but not limited to the Enter key of a keyboard. The key structure 700 includes a keycap 710, a base plate 720, a lifting mechanism 730, a switch circuit board 740 and an elastic member 750. The keycap 710 is disposed on the base plate 720. The lifting mechanism 730 is connected between the keycap 710 and the base plate 720, and supports the keycap 710 on the base plate 720 in a vertical direction Dv7 (indicated by a double-headed arrow in the figure), so that the keycap 710 can move up and down relative to the base plate 720 (i.e., move parallel to the vertical direction Dv7) via the lifting mechanism 730. The switch circuit board 740 is superimposed on the base plate 720 and is located below the keycap 710. In practical applications, the switch circuit board 740 may be, but is not limited to, a thin film circuit board (for example, formed by a layered plate structure, with switch circuits formed on the upper and lower substrates, and an insulating layer sandwiched between the upper and lower substrates); it is represented by a single plate-shaped member in the figure to simplify the drawing. The switch circuit board 740 has a switch 7401 (the position in the figure is represented by a circle with hatching). The elastic member 750 is aligned with the switch 7401 and is disposed between the key cap 710 and the switch circuit board 740, and passes through the lifting mechanism 730. In practical applications, the elastic member 750 may be, but is not limited to, a rubber protrusion. The key cap 710 may be pressed to move toward the bottom plate 720 and squeeze the elastic member 750 so that the elastic member 750 triggers the switch 7401.

[0090] The lifting mechanism 730 includes an outer bracket 7301, a first inner bracket 7302 and a second inner bracket 7303. The outer bracket 7301 and the first inner bracket 7302 are pivotally connected to each other relative to a first rotation axis 730a (indicated by a chain line in the figure), and are pivotally connected to each other relative to a second rotation axis 730b (indicated by a chain line in the figure) with the second inner bracket 7303; the first rotation axis 730a is parallel to the second rotation axis 730b. The keycap 710 has a plurality of bracket connecting portions 7101, 7102, 7103 on its bottom surface 7104. The keycap 710 is pivotally connected to the shaft portion 7304 of the first inner bracket 7302 via two of the bracket connecting portions 7101, and is pivotally connected to the shaft portion 7305 of the second inner bracket 7303 via the other two bracket connecting portions 7101. In the fourth embodiment, the bracket connecting portion 7101 is realized by two oppositely disposed hooks, and an axis groove 7101a is formed between the two hooks. The shaft portions 7304 and 7305 are cylindrical and rotatably accommodated in the shaft groove 7101a (for example, the outer diameter of the shaft portions 7304 and 7305 is the same as the inner diameter of the shaft groove 7101a), thereby realizing the pivot connection between the first inner bracket 7302 and the second inner bracket 7303 and the bracket connecting portion 7101 (wherein, the shaft groove 7101a pivotally connected to the first inner bracket 7302 can be defined as a first shaft groove, and the shaft groove 7101a pivotally connected to the second inner bracket 7303 can be defined as a second shaft groove). In addition, the keycap 710 is rotatably and slidably connected to the outer bracket 7301 via the bracket connecting portions 7102 and 7103. The bracket connecting portions 7102 and 7103 are slightly different in structure, but both provide a slide groove so that the outer bracket 7301 can be rotatably and slidably connected thereto. In addition, in the fourth embodiment, the first rotation axis 730 a and the second rotation axis 730 b are not colinear, but this is not limited to the actual application.

[0091] The bottom plate 720 has a plurality of support connection parts 7201, 7202. The bottom plate 720 is rotatably and slidably connected to the first inner support 7302 via two of the support connection parts 7201, and is rotatably and slidably connected to the second inner support 7303 via the other two support connection parts 7201; and the bottom plate 720 is rotatably and slidably connected to the outer support 7301 via the support connection parts 7202. In addition, the bottom plate 720 also has a plurality of limiting parts 7203, and the limiting parts 7203 are adjacent to the support connection parts 7202. The limiting parts 7203 can prevent the outer support 7301 from being separated from the support connection parts 7202. In addition, in the fourth embodiment, the support connection parts 7201, 7202 are slightly different in structure, but both provide a slide groove so that the outer support 7301, the first inner support 7302 and the second inner support 7303 can be rotatably and slidably connected thereto. The range of sliding provided by the bracket connection portion 7201 (in the horizontal direction Dh7 (indicated by a double-headed arrow in the figure) perpendicular to the first rotation axis 730a, the second rotation axis 730b and the vertical direction Dv7) is larger than the range of sliding provided by the bracket connection portion 7202. The bracket connection portion 7202 and the stopper portion 7203 can jointly provide a nearly pivotal connection structure of the outer bracket 7301, which helps to stabilize the movement of the lifting mechanism 730 relative to the bottom plate 720 (including that when stationary, the lifting mechanism 730 is not easy to shake relative to the bottom plate 720 along the horizontal direction Dh7).

[0092] See also Fig. 27 , which is a top view of the bottom plate 720; wherein the projection contour of the lifting mechanism 730 on the bottom plate 720 is drawn with a thin solid line, the projection contour 7105 of the keycap 710 on the bottom plate 720 is drawn with a chain line, and the projection contours 7109, 7110, 7111 of the bracket connecting parts 7101, 7102, 7103 of the keycap 710 on the bottom plate 720 are simply indicated by chain line blocks. It should be supplemented that the aforementioned projection on the bottom plate 720 logically refers to the projection of the aforementioned components on the virtual plane containing the upper surface of the bottom plate 720. Fig. 27As shown, the projection 7105 of the keycap 710 on the base plate 720 is generally L-shaped, and can be logically considered to include a rectangular portion 7106 and a protruding portion 7107, and the boundary between the two is indicated by a dotted line. The rectangular portion 7106 and the protruding portion 7107 are both long rectangles extending parallel to the first rotation axis 730a (or the second rotation axis 730b) or its projection 730c (or projection 730d) (indicated by a chain line in the figure), and the protruding portion 7107 protrudes from a long side 7108 (parallel to the first rotation axis 730a or the second rotation axis 730b) of the rectangular portion 7106. The projection of the entire lifting mechanism 730 (including the projection 7306 of the outer bracket 7301, the projection 7307 of the first inner bracket 7302, and the projection 7308 of the second inner bracket 7303) overlaps with the protruding portion 7107; wherein, the projection 7307 of the first inner bracket 7302 overlaps with the protruding portion 7107, and the projection 7306 of the outer bracket 7301 on the bottom plate 720 and the projection 7308 of the second inner bracket 7303 are all located within the rectangular portion 7106. The projection 7109 of the bracket connecting portion 7101 connected to the first inner bracket 7302 on the bottom plate 720 (i.e., equivalent to the projection of the first shaft groove) overlaps with the protruding portion 7107, and the projections 7109, 7110, 7111 of the other bracket connecting portions 7101, 7102, 7103 on the bottom plate 720 (here, the projection 7109 is equivalent to the projection of the second shaft groove) are all located within the rectangular portion 7106. The projection 7109 of the bracket connection portion 7101 on the bottom plate 720 and the protruding portion 7107 are located on the same side of the projection 730c (or projection 730d) of the first rotation axis 730a (or the second rotation axis 730b) on the bottom plate 720.

[0093] See also Figures 28 to 30 , which are schematic diagrams of the outer bracket 7301, the first inner bracket 7302 and the second inner bracket 7303 respectively. Fig.28 As shown in FIG. 1 , the outer bracket 701 is generally in the shape of a cross. The outer bracket 7301 has a first outer frame portion 7309, a second outer frame portion 7310 and a central frame 7311 (all indicated by dotted lines in FIG. 1 ). Fig.28 The central frame 7311 is located between the first outer frame portion 7309 and the second outer frame portion 7310 along the first rotation axis 730a (or the second rotation axis 730b). The first inner bracket 7302 is pivotally connected to the inner side of the first outer frame portion 7309, and the second inner bracket 7303 is pivotally connected to the inner side of the second outer frame portion 7310 (see Fig.24 ). When the outer bracket 7301 overlaps with the first inner bracket 7302 and the second inner bracket 7303 (refer to Fig. 27 ), the first inner bracket 7302 partially overlaps with the first outer frame portion 7309, and the second inner bracket 7303 is entirely located on the inner side of the outer bracket 6301 (ie, located on the inner side of the second outer frame portion 7310).

[0094] In addition, if Fig.28 As shown, the first outer frame portion 7309 of the outer bracket 7301 has a keycap connecting portion 7312 (with a chain line frame to indicate its structural range) and a bottom plate connecting portion 7313 (with a chain line frame to indicate its structural range) relative to the keycap connecting portion 7312, both extending parallel to the first rotation axis 730a. The second outer frame portion 7310 is similar in structure to the first outer frame portion 7309, so the connecting portion of the second outer frame portion 7310 is also marked with the same element symbol and is not repeated. The outer bracket 7301 is connected to the bracket connecting portions 7102 and 7103 of the keycap 710 via the keycap connecting portion 7312, and is connected to the bracket connecting portion 7202 of the bottom plate 720 via the bottom plate connecting portion 7313. Among them, for the keycap connection part 7312, in addition to the structure on the keycap connection part 7312 for cooperating with the bracket connection parts 7102 and 7103 of the keycap 710, the keycap connection part 7312 as a whole can be regarded as extending in parallel with the first rotation axis 730a with the same width; for the bottom plate connection part 7313, in addition to the structure on the bottom plate connection part 7313 for cooperating with the bracket connection part 7202 and the limit part 7203 of the bottom plate 720, the bottom plate connection part 7313 as a whole can also be regarded as extending in parallel with the first rotation axis 730a with the same width. The extension width 7314 (such as Fig.28 ) is larger than the extension width 7316 of the bottom plate connecting portion 7313 (as indicated in Fig.28 ) is larger, which helps to relatively improve the structural stability of the outer bracket 7301 after assembly when the overall structural size is limited, thereby improving the stability of the outer bracket 7301 in supporting the keycap 710. For example, when the portion of the keycap 710 corresponding to the keycap connecting portion 7312 (especially the corner of the keycap 710) is pressed, the keycap connecting portion 7310 can effectively transmit the pressing force along its extension direction (i.e., the direction parallel to the first rotation axis 730a or the second rotation axis 730b). In actual applications, the ratio of the extension width 7316 of the bottom plate connecting portion 7313 to the extension width 7314 of the keycap connecting portion 7310 can be designed to be between 0.5 and 0.8. In addition, with respect to the key structure 700 as a whole, the base plate 720 is a stationary part, and the connection between the external bracket 7301 (via the base plate connection portion 7313) and the base plate 720 is easier to maintain stability. Therefore, in actual applications, the base plate connection portion 7313 may not contain metal parts (for example, it does not contain parts used to strengthen the structure there); similarly, the keycap 710 is a moving part, and the keycap connection portion 7312 of the external bracket 7301 may contain metal parts in actual applications (for example, by embedding metal parts in plastic injection parts to achieve structural strengthening there) to enhance its own structural stability and also enhance the stability of its connection with the keycap 710.

[0095] In addition, if Fig.29As shown, the first inner bracket 7302 has a key cap connection portion 7317 (the chain line frame indicates its structural range), and the key cap connection portion 7317 extends parallel to the first rotation axis 730a. The first inner bracket 7302 is connected to the key cap 710 via the key cap connection portion 7317 (that is, the shaft portion 7304 is rotatably accommodated in the shaft groove 7101a). Fig.24 , Figures 27 to 30 In the fourth embodiment, when the outer bracket 7301 overlaps with the first inner bracket 7302 and the second inner bracket 7303 (see Fig. 27 ), the first inner bracket 7302 protrudes from the outer bracket 7301 in the horizontal direction Dh7, which helps to improve the structural strength of the first inner bracket 7302 (for example, relative to the second inner bracket 7303). In addition, the projection of the keycap connecting portion 7317 (or the connection between the first inner bracket 7302 and the keycap 710) on the bottom plate 720 overlaps with the protruding portion 7107. This structural configuration is also beneficial to improving the support of the lifting mechanism 730 on the keycap 710 (the portion corresponding to the protruding portion 7107), and improving the stability of the lifting mechanism 730 supporting the keycap 710. However, this is not limited to the actual application.

[0096] In addition, if Figure 24 to Figure 26 and Fig.28 As shown, in the fourth embodiment, when the outer bracket 7301 overlaps with the first inner bracket 7302 (see Fig.28 ), the first inner bracket 7302 is partially overlapped on the outer bracket 7301. The outer bracket 7301 has a recessed structure 7319, which is formed on one side of the outer bracket 5301 relative to the first rotation axis 730a and is distributed on the first outer frame portion 7309 and the central frame 7311; correspondingly, the first inner bracket 7302 also has a recessed structure 7320. The recessed structure 7319 of the outer bracket 7301 matches the recessed structure 7320 of the first inner bracket 7302, so that when the outer bracket 7301 and the first inner bracket 7302 overlap, the outer bracket 7301 and the first inner bracket 7302 are mutually engaged through the recessed structure 7319 and the recessed structure 7320. In this way, the outer bracket 7301 and the first inner bracket 7302 can be placed horizontally. For example, after the outer bracket 7301 and the first inner bracket 7302 are overlapped, the overall thickness is not greater than the thickness of the outer bracket 7301 or the first inner bracket 7302 .

[0097] In addition, if Figure 24 to Figure 26 and Fig.28 As shown, in the fourth embodiment, the central frame 7311 has an opening 7321. The lifting mechanism 730 as a whole can define a central space 730e (indicated by a dotted column in FIG. Fig.24), the central space 730e vertically penetrates the entire lifting mechanism 730 to accommodate the elastic member 750. The central space 730e passes through the opening 7321 and is located between the first outer frame portion 7309 and the second outer frame portion 7310 (or, the first inner bracket 7302 and the second inner bracket 7303).

[0098] In addition, in the fourth embodiment, the outer bracket 7301, the first inner bracket 7302 and the second inner bracket 7303 are all made of a single material, such as a plastic injection molded part; however, this is not the only limitation in practical applications. For example, the outer bracket 7301, the first inner bracket 7302 or the second inner bracket 7303 may be a composite structure, such as adding a reinforcement part (such as a metal part, embedded in the injection molded part) to the plastic injection molded part.

[0099] In general, in the fourth embodiment (see also Figures 16 to 30 ), the lifting mechanism 730 of the key structure 700 still maintains the scissor foot bracket, which can improve assembly efficiency. The key structure 700 does not use a balance bar (which is commonly found in general long keys, such as blank keys, in the shape of a letter "ㄇ", connecting the keycap and the base plate to help the keycap move up and down smoothly), which can reduce impact noise (such as the sound generated by the balance bar hitting other components). By utilizing the characteristic that the driving performance of the bracket connection part 7101 (realized by two oppositely arranged hooks, between which an axial groove 7101a is formed to provide a rotational connection) (i.e. the stability of the linkage between the bracket connection part 7101 and the first inner bracket 7302 and the second inner bracket 7303) is better than the driving performance of the bracket connection parts 7102 and 7103 (realized by a slide groove structure, which provides a rotational and sliding connection at the same time) (i.e. the stability of the linkage between the bracket connection parts 7102 and 7103 and the outer bracket 7301), that is, the bracket connection part 2101 used for pivoting has more structural restrictions than the bracket connection part 2102 used for sliding / rotation, which is beneficial to transmission and the stability of the pivoting structure is also higher. By changing the positions of the bracket connection part 7101 and the bracket connection parts 7102 and 7103 so that the bracket connection part 7101 used for pivoting is placed in a structural weak area (such as Fig.12 The outer bracket 7301 of the lifting mechanism 730 and the first inner bracket 7302 are designed to overlap (for example, when the outer bracket 7301 and the first inner bracket 7302 are both placed horizontally, the first inner bracket 7302 will be stacked on the outer bracket 7301), so that the bracket connection part 7101 (connected to the first inner bracket 7302) is as close as possible to the structural weak area (for example, Fig. 27 In general, the inner bracket is entirely located inside the outer bracket. At this time, the inner bracket is far from the protruding portion. The present invention adopts an overlapping design of the first inner bracket 7302 and the outer bracket 7301 to make the first inner bracket 7302 as close to the structural weak area as possible (for example, Fig. 27 The key cap 710 is extended from the upper left corner of the middle key cap 710, which can also enhance the pressing feel; wherein, in actual application, the above-mentioned design can be selected or used at the upper left corner and the lower left corner of the key cap 710 (both are structural weak areas). Therefore, the structural rigidity of the key structure 700 is improved, overcoming or effectively suppressing the problem of the existence of structural weak areas. In addition, the first inner bracket 7302 and the second inner bracket 7303 of the lifting mechanism 730 are separately arranged, so the first inner bracket 7302 and the second inner bracket 7303 can also be designed the same or differently according to design requirements. In addition, in the first outer frame portion 7309 and the second outer frame portion 7310 of the outer bracket 7301, the width of the key cap connecting portion 7312 is increased (that is, its extended width 7314 is larger than the extended width 7316 of the bottom plate connecting portion 7313), which can relatively enhance the structural rigidity of the key cap connecting portion 7312 of the outer bracket 7301, and is also beneficial to enhance the pressing feel of the structural weak area. Therefore, the structural rigidity of the key structure 600 is improved, overcoming or effectively suppressing the problem of structural weak areas. In addition, the lifting mechanism 730 provides a space for the elastic member 750 (i.e., the central space 730e) to be placed in a non-circular form, so that the elastic member 750 can be flexibly adjusted according to the needs of the setting position, such as making the elastic member 750 as close to the upper left corner of the keycap 710 as possible to improve the pressing feel. In addition, in the key structure 700, the shaft groove 7101a is pivotally connected to the first inner bracket 7302 and the second inner bracket 7303, but this is not limited to the actual application. For example, the first inner bracket 7302 is changed to be connected to the bracket connecting parts 7102 and 7103, and the outer bracket 7301 is changed to be connected to the bracket connecting part 7101, and other structures are also modified accordingly, which will not be repeated.

[0100] In summary, the present invention provides a key structure, which improves the pressing feel by changing the position of the bracket connection part so that it is placed in the direction of the structural weak area. At the same time, the inner bracket and the outer bracket of the lifting mechanism are designed to overlap, so that the bracket connection part is as close to the structural weak area as possible, and the inner bracket extends as far as possible toward the structural weak area, further improving the pressing feel, effectively transmitting the pressing force, and helping the keycap to move up and down smoothly.

[0101] Obviously, the above embodiments of the present invention are merely examples for clearly illustrating the present invention, and are not limitations on the implementation methods of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in the relevant field, other different forms of changes or modifications can be made based on the above description. It is impossible to list all the implementation methods here. All obvious changes or modifications derived from the technical solution of the present invention are still within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A key structure, characterized in that: The key structure includes: Base plate; A key cap, wherein the projection of the key cap on the base plate includes a rectangular portion and a protruding portion, the protruding portion protrudes from a long side of the rectangular portion, and the key cap has a plurality of bracket connecting portions; as well as A lifting mechanism, the lifting mechanism supports the keycap on the base plate in a vertical direction, the projection of the lifting mechanism on the base plate overlaps with the protruding portion, and the lifting mechanism comprises: Internal support; as well as An outer bracket, the outer bracket and the inner bracket are pivotally connected to each other relative to a rotation axis, the outer bracket has two outer frame parts and a central frame, the central frame is located between the two outer frame parts along the rotation axis, when the outer bracket and the inner bracket overlap, the inner bracket is located on the inner side of the outer bracket and spans the central frame, wherein the keycap is connected to the two outer frame parts of the outer bracket and the inner bracket via the multiple bracket connecting parts, the multiple bracket connecting parts include an axis groove, and the axis groove is pivotally connected to the inner bracket.

2. The key structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The projection of the outer bracket on the bottom plate overlaps with the protruding portion, and the projection of the inner bracket on the bottom plate is located within the rectangular portion.

3. The key structure according to claim 2, characterized in that: The projection of the shaft groove on the bottom plate and the protruding portion are respectively located on two opposite sides of the projection of the rotation axis on the bottom plate.

4. The key structure according to claim 2, characterized in that: The outer bracket has a supporting portion, the projection of the supporting portion on the bottom plate is located inside the protruding portion, and when the key cap is not pressed, the supporting portion contacts the bottom surface of the key cap.

5. The key structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The projection of the key cap on the bottom plate is L-shaped as a whole.

6. The key structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inner support comprises two side frames and a middle span, the middle span connects the two side frames, the two side frames and the middle span are arranged parallel to the rotation axis, and when the outer support overlaps with the inner support, the middle span is superimposed on the central frame.

7. The key structure according to claim 6, characterized in that: The central frame has an opening, and the lifting mechanism as a whole defines a central space, which vertically runs through the entire lifting mechanism. The central space passes through the opening, and when the outer bracket and the inner bracket overlap, the central space is located between the middle span and the keycap connection part of the outer bracket.

8. The key structure according to claim 6, characterized in that: The central frame has a recessed structure, which is located below the middle span bridge, and when the outer support and the inner support overlap, the middle span bridge enters the recessed structure.

9. The key structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The inner bracket has a keycap connecting portion, and the inner bracket is connected to the keycap via the keycap connecting portion. The outer frame has a base plate connecting portion, and the outer frame is connected to the base plate via the base plate connecting portion. The extension width of the keycap connecting portion of the inner bracket is greater than 1.5 times the extension width of the base plate connecting portion of the outer frame.

10. The key structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer frame portion has a keycap connecting portion and a base plate connecting portion relative to the keycap connecting portion, the outer frame portion is connected to the keycap via the keycap connecting portion, and the outer frame portion is connected to the base plate via the base plate connecting portion, the keycap connecting portion and the base plate connecting portion both extend parallel to the rotation axis, and the ratio of the extension width of the base plate connecting portion to the extension width of the keycap connecting portion is between 0.5 and 0.

8.

11. A key structure, characterized in that: The key structure includes: Base plate; A key cap, wherein the projection of the key cap on the base plate includes a rectangular portion and a protruding portion, the protruding portion protrudes from a long side of the rectangular portion, and the key cap has a plurality of bracket connecting portions; as well as A lifting mechanism, the lifting mechanism supports the keycap on the base plate in a vertical direction, the projection of the lifting mechanism on the base plate overlaps with the protruding portion, and the lifting mechanism comprises: The first internal stent; Second internal stent; as well as An outer bracket, the outer bracket and the first inner bracket are pivotally connected to each other relative to a first rotation axis, the outer bracket and the first inner bracket are pivotally connected to each other relative to a second rotation axis, the outer bracket includes a first outer frame portion, a second outer frame portion and a central frame, the central frame is located between the first outer frame portion and the second outer frame portion, the first inner bracket and the second inner bracket are pivotally connected to the inner sides of the first outer frame portion and the second outer frame portion, respectively, wherein the keycap is connected to the outer bracket, the first inner bracket and the second inner bracket via the multiple bracket connecting portions, the multiple bracket connecting portions include a first axis groove and a second axis groove, the first axis groove and the second axis groove are pivotally connected to the first inner bracket and the second inner bracket, respectively.

12. The key structure according to claim 11, characterized in that: The projection of the first inner bracket on the bottom plate overlaps with the protruding portion, and the projection of the outer bracket on the bottom plate is located within the rectangular portion.

13. The key structure according to claim 12, characterized in that: The projection of the first shaft groove on the bottom plate overlaps with the protruding portion.

14. The key structure according to claim 11, characterized in that: The projection of the outer bracket on the bottom plate overlaps with the protruding portion, and the projections of the first inner bracket and the second inner bracket on the bottom plate are located within the rectangular portion.

15. The key structure according to claim 14, characterized in that: The projection of the first axis groove on the bottom plate and the protruding portion are respectively located on opposite sides of the projection of the first rotation axis on the bottom plate, and the projection of the second axis groove on the bottom plate and the protruding portion are respectively located on opposite sides of the projection of the second rotation axis on the bottom plate.

16. The key structure according to claim 14, characterized in that: The outer bracket has a supporting portion, the projection of the supporting portion on the bottom plate is located inside the protruding portion, and when the key cap is not pressed, the supporting portion contacts the bottom surface of the key cap.

17. The key structure according to claim 11, characterized in that: The projection of the key cap on the bottom plate is L-shaped as a whole.

18. The key structure according to claim 11, characterized in that: The first rotation axis and the second rotation axis are not collinear.

19. The key structure according to claim 11, characterized in that: The first outer frame portion has a keycap connecting portion and a base plate connecting portion relative to the keycap connecting portion, the first outer frame portion is connected to the keycap via the keycap connecting portion, and the first outer frame portion is connected to the base plate via the base plate connecting portion, the keycap connecting portion and the base plate connecting portion both extend parallel to the rotation axis, and the ratio of the extension width of the base plate connecting portion to the extension width of the keycap connecting portion is between 0.5 and 0.8.

Images