Key of electronic device and electronic device

Abstract

The present application relates to the field of structural technology, and discloses a key of an electronic device and an electronic device. The key provided in the present application includes a keycap and a trigger member, and the trigger member may include a rod and a head connected in sequence. The head is located at one end of the trigger member facing the direction of pressing the key, and the rod is located between the keycap and the head. The outer diameter of the head can be larger than the outer diameter of the rod, so that the part of the head protruding from the rod can form a hanging ear. When the key is installed on the electronic device, the rod is inserted into the mounting hole of the electronic device, and the hanging ear of the head can be hung on the first end face of the mounting hole. Through this arrangement, the installation requirements of the key on the middle frame can be met by drilling a mounting hole in the middle frame along the pressing direction, without the need to process a hanging ear stretching groove on the middle frame, and thus without the need to process a blind hole on the front or back of the middle frame. In this way, the protective structures on the front and back of the middle frame will not be damaged, which is conducive to improving the protective performance of the electronic device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the field of structural technology, and in particular to a key of an electronic device and the electronic device. Background Art

[0002] Electronic devices are often equipped with side buttons, such as volume buttons and power buttons. When the electronic device detects a user pressing a side button, it can implement corresponding functions such as volume adjustment and screen lock. Side buttons typically include hanging ears. When the hanging ears of the side buttons are embedded in the hanging ear expansion grooves of the electronic device's middle frame, the side buttons can be fixed to the middle frame.

[0003] However, providing ear-hanging expansion slots on the middle frame of the electronic device will break the waterproof path of the middle frame, resulting in poor waterproof performance of the electronic device. Summary of the Invention

[0004] Some embodiments of the present application provide a key of an electronic device and an electronic device. The present application is introduced from multiple aspects below, and the embodiments and beneficial effects of the following multiple aspects can be referenced to each other.

[0005] In the first aspect, the present application provides a button of an electronic device, comprising: a keycap and a trigger member, the trigger member being connected to the keycap and being located on the side of the keycap facing the pressing direction of the button; the trigger member comprising a rod and a head connected in sequence along the pressing direction of the button, the head being located at one end of the trigger member; wherein the trigger member is used to trigger the switch of the electronic device through the head when the button is pressed; wherein the button is used to be installed on the electronic device, and when the button is installed on the electronic device, the rod is inserted into the mounting hole on the electronic device, and the head is located on the outside of the mounting hole and opposite to the first end face of the mounting hole; and the head has a hanging ear protruding from the rod along a first direction, the first direction is perpendicular to the pressing direction, and the hanging ear can be hung on the first end face in the opposite direction of the pressing direction.

[0006] In some embodiments, the outer diameter of the head of the trigger member may be larger than the outer portion of the stem, so that the portion of the head protruding from the stem along the first direction can form a hanging ear.

[0007] Additionally, the middle frame of the electronic device may include a first mounting slot for embedding the keycap, and a through-hole may be defined in the bottom wall of the first mounting slot, which may form a mounting hole for receiving the rod. In other words, the mounting hole may extend from the bottom wall of the first mounting slot to the inner surface of the middle frame along the pressing direction. It is understood that the inner surface of the middle frame may form a first end surface of the mounting hole, and the bottom wall of the first mounting slot may form a second end surface of the mounting hole.

[0008] When the key is mounted on an electronic device, the keycap can be embedded in the first mounting groove, and the stem can be inserted into the mounting hole. The head portion is located outside the mounting hole, and the mounting lug can be mounted on the first end surface of the mounting hole in a direction opposite to the pressing direction. It is understood that when the mounting lug is mounted on the first end surface, the first end surface can cooperate with the mounting lug to limit movement of the key in a direction opposite to the pressing direction, thereby preventing the key from falling off the middle frame.

[0009] Thus, with the above arrangement, the key installation requirements can be met by drilling mounting holes in the middle frame along the pressing direction, without the need for forming mounting holes in the middle frame, thereby eliminating the need for blind holes on the front or back of the middle frame. This prevents damage to the protective structures on the front and back of the middle frame, improving the electronic device's protective performance, for example, by enhancing its waterproof performance.

[0010] In a possible implementation of the first aspect above, the material of the head may be a deformable material; the rod may include a first rod and a second rod connected in sequence along the pressing direction, and the second rod is connected to the head; wherein the outer diameter of the first rod is larger than the outer diameter of the second rod, and when the button is installed on the electronic device, there is a first gap between the second rod and the hole wall of the mounting hole, and the first gap is used to accommodate at least part of the material of the head after it is deformed in the opposite direction of the pressing direction.

[0011] In some embodiments, if the head is made of a deformable material, when the key is pressed, the middle area of ​​the head is supported by the stem to contact and press the switch, while part of the edge area of ​​the head may collapse and deform in the direction opposite to the pressing direction. Therefore, in some embodiments of the present application, the stem may include a first stem and a second stem, and the outer diameter of the first stem is larger than the outer diameter of the second stem.

[0012] Thus, when the rod portion is inserted into the mounting hole, a first gap is formed between the second rod portion and the wall of the mounting hole. In this case, if the head portion deforms in a direction opposite to the pressing direction, the first gap can accommodate at least part of the material of the head portion that has deformed in the direction opposite to the pressing direction, thereby preventing damage to the material in that area due to excessive compression.

[0013] In a possible implementation of the first aspect above, the button further includes a sealing ring, which is sleeved on the outside of the rod and is used to seal a gap between the rod and a wall of the mounting hole.

[0014] In some embodiments, to facilitate key installation, a small gap, for example, 0.05 mm to 0.1 mm, may exist between the stem and the wall of the mounting hole. To prevent moisture and other substances from entering the electronic device through this gap, a sealing ring may be provided between the stem and the wall of the mounting hole to seal the gap. The interference between the sealing ring and the wall of the mounting hole may be 0 to 0.02 mm.

[0015] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the sealing ring and the rod portion may be integrally connected. For example, the sealing ring and the rod portion may be an integral structure directly injection-molded.

[0016] In addition, the sealing ring and the rod can also be detachably connected. For example, the rod can be injection molded first, and then the sealing ring is sleeved on the rod.

[0017] In a possible implementation of the first aspect above, the key may further include a rebound column connected to the keycap and located on a side of the keycap facing a pressing direction of the key.

[0018] In a possible implementation of the first aspect above, the rebound column may include a first rebound column and a second rebound column; and along a first direction, the first rebound column and the second rebound column are respectively located on both sides of the trigger member, and the first direction is perpendicular to the pressing direction.

[0019] In some embodiments, the rebound post may be formed of an elastic material. In this case, when the key is pressed, the rebound post may be in a compressed state; when the user stops pressing the key, the rebound post may rebound to an expanded state, thereby causing the key to rebound to its original position before the key was pressed.

[0020] In a possible implementation of the first aspect above, the key includes a first material layer and a second material layer, the second material layer is located on the side of the first material layer facing the pressing direction, and the hardness of the second material layer is less than the hardness of the first material layer; wherein the second material layer is at least used to form the head, and the first material layer is at least used to form the keycap.

[0021] In some embodiments, the first material layer may be metal or hard colloid, and the second material layer may be soft colloid.

[0022] In a possible implementation of the first aspect above, the rod portion may include a core and a sleeve sleeved outside the core, the first material layer is also used to form the core, and the second material layer is also used to form the sleeve.

[0023] Thus, by making the core from the first material layer, the stem can support the head. Furthermore, by making the sleeve from the second material layer, the stem can press the head with a greater elastic force, thereby causing the head to press the switch with a greater elastic force, thereby quickly pressing the switch to the on position, which helps improve the electronic device's response speed to user button presses.

[0024] In a possible implementation of the first aspect, the material of the first material layer is a metal material or a material used for injection molding; or the material of the second material layer is a material used for injection molding.

[0025] In a possible implementation of the first aspect above, the material of the first material layer may include polycarbonate, polyetherimide, or a composite material of polycarbonate and glass fiber; or, the material of the second material layer includes thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer, thermoplastic polyester elastomer, or liquid silicone rubber.

[0026] In the second aspect, the present application also provides an electronic device, comprising a shell and the button mentioned in the first aspect of the present application and any possible implementation of the first aspect, the button being installed on the shell, and a mounting hole being provided on the shell; the rod of the button is passed through the mounting hole, and the head is located outside the mounting hole and opposite to the first end face of the mounting hole; and the hanging ear of the head can be hung on the first end face of the mounting hole in the opposite direction of the pressing direction.

[0027] In some embodiments, the middle frame of the electronic device may include a first mounting groove for embedding a keycap. A through-hole may be defined in the bottom wall of the first mounting groove, which may form a mounting hole for inserting a rod. In other words, the mounting hole may extend from the bottom wall of the first mounting groove to the inner surface of the middle frame along the pressing direction. It is understood that the inner surface of the middle frame may form a first end surface of the mounting hole, and the bottom wall of the first mounting groove may form a second end surface of the mounting hole.

[0028] When the key is mounted on an electronic device, the keycap can be embedded in the first mounting groove, and the stem can be inserted into the mounting hole. The head can be located outside the mounting hole, and the mounting lug can be mounted on the first end surface of the mounting hole in a direction opposite to the pressing direction. It is understood that when the mounting lug is mounted on the first end surface, the first end surface can cooperate with the mounting lug to restrict movement of the key in a direction opposite to the pressing direction, thereby preventing the key from falling off the midframe.

[0029] Thus, with the above arrangement, the key installation requirements can be met by drilling mounting holes in the middle frame along the pressing direction, without the need for forming mounting ear expansion slots in the middle frame, and thus eliminating the need for blind holes on the front or back of the middle frame. This prevents damage to the protective structures on the front and back of the middle frame, which helps improve the protection performance of the electronic device, for example, improving the waterproof performance of the electronic device.

[0030] In a possible implementation of the second aspect above, the outer diameter of the rod is smaller than the diameter of the mounting hole, which can facilitate the installation of the button.

[0031] In a possible implementation of the second aspect above, the key may further include a rebound column, which is connected to the keycap and is located on the side of the keycap facing the pressing direction of the key; the rebound column is opposite to the second end face of the mounting hole, and when the key is pressed, the rebound column is compressed by the second end face.

[0032] In some embodiments, the bottom wall of the first mounting groove for embedding the keycap may form the second end surface of the mounting hole.

[0033] In some embodiments, when the mounting lug is mounted on the first end surface, a gap may exist between the keycap and the second end surface of the mounting hole along the pressing direction, allowing the keycap to be pressed and moved. That is, the distance of this gap along the pressing direction can be used as the key's pressing stroke. Therefore, in some embodiments of the present application, when the key is mounted on an electronic device, the rebound post may be embedded between the keycap and the bottom wall of the first mounting slot, such that the rebound post is positioned opposite the second end surface of the mounting hole.

[0034] The rebound post may be formed of an elastic material. When the button is pressed, the rebound post is compressed by the second end surface of the mounting hole. When the user stops pressing the button, the rebound post rebounds to an expanded state, thereby causing the button to rebound to its original position before being pressed. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0035] Figure 1A According to some embodiments of the present application, a schematic structural diagram of an electronic device is shown;

[0036] Figure 1B According to some embodiments of the present application, a schematic structural diagram of a middle frame of an electronic device is shown;

[0037] Figure 2A According to some embodiments of the present application, a schematic diagram (exploded view) of installing a first button with a hanging ear on an electronic device is shown;

[0038] Figure 2B According to some embodiments of the present application, a schematic diagram (cross-sectional view) of installing a first button with a hanging ear on an electronic device is shown;

[0039] Figure 3 According to some embodiments of the present application, a schematic diagram (cross-sectional view) of installing a second type of button with a hanging ear on an electronic device is shown;

[0040] Figure 4AAccording to some embodiments of the present application, a schematic diagram (exploded view) of installing a third type of button with a hanging ear on an electronic device is shown;

[0041] Figure 4B According to some embodiments of the present application, a schematic diagram (cross-sectional view) of installing a third type of button with a hanging ear on an electronic device is shown;

[0042] Figure 5A According to some embodiments of the present application, a schematic diagram of a three-dimensional structure of a first type of key is shown;

[0043] Figure 5B According to some embodiments of the present application, a schematic diagram of a top view of a first type of button is shown;

[0044] Figure 6A According to some embodiments of the present application, a first partial exploded view of an electronic device is shown;

[0045] Figure 6B According to some embodiments of the present application, a first cross-sectional view of an electronic device is shown;

[0046] Figure 6C According to some embodiments of the present application, a partial enlarged view of a first cross-sectional view is shown;

[0047] Figure 6D According to some embodiments of the present application, a second cross-sectional view of an electronic device is shown;

[0048] Figure 6E According to some embodiments of the present application, a cross-sectional view of a first type of key is shown;

[0049] Figure 7 According to some embodiments of the present application, a third cross-sectional view of an electronic device is shown;

[0050] Figure 8A According to some embodiments of the present application, a schematic diagram of a three-dimensional structure of a second type of key is shown;

[0051] Figure 8B According to some embodiments of the present application, a schematic diagram of a top view of a second type of button is shown;

[0052] Figure 9 According to some embodiments of the present application, a fourth cross-sectional view of an electronic device is shown;

[0053] Figure 10 According to some embodiments of the present application, a schematic diagram of the manufacturing process of the second type of key is shown;

[0054] Figure 11 According to some embodiments of the present application, a schematic diagram of demolding when preparing the second type of key is shown. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0055] The specific embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0056] Figure 1A The following illustrates an exemplary application scenario of an embodiment of the present application, specifically an electronic device 10. The electronic device 10 may be a mobile phone, tablet computer, laptop computer, ultra-mobile personal computer (UMPC), handheld computer, touch-screen TV, large-screen device, speaker, netbook, personal digital assistant (PDA), wearable device, virtual reality device, intelligent robot, industrial equipment, etc., without limitation in this application. Hereinafter, a mobile phone may be used as an example of the electronic device 10 to describe the technical solution of this application.

[0057] In the figures herein, the X direction may be the width direction of the electronic device 10, the Y direction may be the length direction of the electronic device 10, and the Z direction may be the thickness direction of the electronic device 10. The X direction, the Y direction, and the Z direction may be perpendicular to each other.

[0058] refer to Figure 1A The electronic device 10 may include a display screen 101, a housing 102, and buttons 20. The housing 102 may include a middle frame 12 and a back cover 13 connected to each other. The middle frame 12 and the back cover 13 may be an integrated structure or two independent structures. The display screen 101 and the back cover 13 are respectively located on opposite sides of the middle frame 12. The buttons 20 may include a volume button 141 and a power button 142. The user can adjust the volume of the electronic device 10 by controlling the volume button 141, or turn the electronic device 10 on and off by controlling the power button 142.

[0059] In the embodiment of the present application, the volume key 141 and the power key 142 are used as examples of the keys 20. However, it is understood that in other embodiments, the electronic device 10 may have more or fewer keys 20. The keys 20 may also be keys with other functions, such as a shutter button for shooting, a focus button, etc.

[0060] In the embodiment of the present application, the side of the electronic device 10 and its components (for example, the middle frame 12) facing the user when in use (for example, the side facing the negative direction of the Z axis) is referred to as the front side of the electronic device 10 and its components, and the side facing away from the user (for example, the side facing the positive direction of the Z axis) is referred to as the back side of the electronic device 10 and its components.

[0061] in, Figure 1BFigure 1 shows a partial structural diagram of the middle frame 12 within the electronic device 10. The middle frame 12 may include a middle plate 121 and a frame body 122 disposed at the edge of the middle plate 121. The display 101 and the back cover 13 may be located on opposite sides of the middle plate 121. The middle plate 121 may be used to mount multiple components (not shown), such as a motherboard, speakers, camera, microphone, etc., although this application does not limit this. The frame body 122 may constitute the two side walls 122a, the top wall 122b, and the bottom wall 122c of the electronic device 10.

[0062] It can be understood that when the electronic device 10 is in use, the top wall 122 b can be located at the top end of the electronic device 10 , and the bottom wall 122 c can be located at the bottom end of the electronic device 10 .

[0063] It should be understood that in the embodiment of the present application, the button 20 can be installed on the side wall 122a of the electronic device. In this case, the pressing direction of the button 20 can be the positive direction of the X-axis.

[0064] It is understood that in other embodiments, the button 20 may be installed in other locations of the electronic device 10, for example, on the top wall 122b of the electronic device 10. In this embodiment, the pressing direction of the button 20 may be the negative direction of the Y axis. The following description uses the example of the button 20 being installed on the side wall 122a and the pressing direction of the button 20 being the positive direction of the X axis.

[0065] Figure 2A and Figure 2B FIG. 1 shows an exemplary installation method of the button 20 in the electronic device 10 in some embodiments. Figure 2A is a partial exploded view of the electronic device 10; Figure 2B is a cross-sectional view of the electronic device 10 .

[0066] refer to Figure 2A and Figure 2B The volume button 141 includes a keycap 21, two connectors 143, and two triggers 22 (also known as dome conductive bases). The two connectors 143 and the two triggers 22 are located on the side of the keycap 21 facing the pressing direction. The connector 143 is provided with a mounting ear 143´. The connector 143 and the trigger 22 can be an integrated structure.

[0067] The power button 142 includes a keycap 21, two connectors 143, and a trigger 22. The two connectors 143 and the trigger 22 are located on the side of the keycap 21 facing the pressing direction. The connector 143 is provided with a hook 143', and the connector 143 and the trigger 22 can be an integrated structure.

[0068] Continue to refer Figure 2A and Figure 2BIn order to install the button 20 (shown in the diagonal shaded area), the middle frame 12 of the electronic device 10 may include a hanging ear stretching groove 123 and an assembly hole 124. Taking the volume button 141 as an example, when the volume button 141 is installed on the middle frame 12, the connecting member 143 and the trigger member 22 are respectively inserted into the corresponding assembly hole 124. The hanging ear 143´ on the connecting member 143 is located in the hanging ear stretching groove 123. The trigger member 22 can pass through the middle frame 12 along the X direction and is arranged opposite to the switch 1221 (shown in the cross-hatched area) inside the electronic device 10 along the X direction. When the volume button 141 is pressed, the trigger member 22 can press the switch 1221 to trigger the switch 1221.

[0069] Among them, such as Figure 2B As shown, the mounting hole 124 protrudes from the mounting ear extension groove 123 along the Y-axis direction. Therefore, when processing the middle frame 12 , the mounting ear extension groove 123 cannot be processed on the middle frame 12 by drilling along the X-axis.

[0070] Currently, in some examples, such as Figure 2A and Figure 2B As shown, the ear extension groove 123 can be machined by inserting a tool from the back of the middle frame 12. For example, a tool insert can be used to insert a tool from the back of the middle frame 12 in the negative Z-axis direction, thereby forming a blind hole 126 in the middle frame. The bottom end of this blind hole 126 can form the ear extension groove 123. The inserting process of the tool insert can be controlled using computer numerical control (CNC) technology. It will be understood that in this machining method, the back of the middle frame 12 will have an opening 126a for the blind hole 126. The size of the opening 126a can be the same as the tool diameter of the tool insert.

[0071] However, the blind hole 126 will destroy the liquid protection path of the electronic device 10. Specifically, liquid or water vapor can enter the blind hole 126 from the gap between the middle frame 12 and the keycap 21, flow through the blind hole 126 to the opening 126a on the back of the middle frame 12, and further penetrate into the interior of the electronic device 10.

[0072] Furthermore, in this solution, the ear extension groove 123 machined by the end cutter has a large number of burrs, which affects the user's tactile experience when pressing the key 20. Furthermore, when installing the key 20 on the middle frame 12 as mentioned in this solution, the connector 143 needs to be inserted into the assembly hole 124 (therefore, the key 20 of this solution can also be called a "forced insertion key"). At this time, a charge-coupled device (CCD) magnifier is required to observe whether the ear 143' is fully extended, which complicates the installation process. Furthermore, when the ear 143' hits the middle frame 12 during the extension process, it may be squeezed and deformed. Therefore, the size of the ear extension groove 123 needs to be larger than the size of the ear 143' to reduce the possibility of the ear 143' hitting the middle frame 12 during the extension process. In other words, it is also necessary to ensure that the ear 143' has sufficient space (also known as additional travel) to extend when passing through the ear extension groove 123. In addition, when the hanging ear 143' falls off the key 20 due to lack of glue, it will also cause the key 20 to fall off from the middle frame 12.

[0073] Figure 3 FIG2 shows exemplary installation methods (cross-sectional views) of the button 20 in the electronic device 10 in some other embodiments.

[0074] refer to Figure 3 The volume key 141 includes a keycap 21 (shown in the diagonal shaded area), two connecting members 143 (shown in the diagonal shaded area), and two trigger members 22 (shown in the dotted shaded area). The two connecting members 143 and the two trigger members 22 are located on the side of the keycap 21 facing the pressing direction. The connecting member 143 is provided with a hanging ear 143'. Figure 2A 、 Figure 2B The difference from the illustrated embodiment is that the triggering member 22 and the key cap 21 are two independent components.

[0075] The power button 142 includes a keycap 21 (shown in the diagonal shaded area), two connectors 143 (shown in the diagonal shaded area), and a trigger 22 (shown in the dotted shaded area). The two connectors 143 and the trigger 22 are located on the side of the keycap 21 facing the pressing direction. The connector 143 is provided with a hanging ear 143'. Figure 2A 、 Figure 2B The difference from the illustrated embodiment is that the triggering member 22 and the key cap 21 are two independent components.

[0076] The middle frame 12 may include a hanging ear stretching groove 123, a limiting bracket 127 (also called a latch), and an assembly hole (not shown in the figure) for inserting a connecting member 143 and a trigger member 22.

[0077] Taking the volume button 141 as an example, when the volume button 141 is installed on the middle frame 12, the connector 143 and the trigger 22 are respectively inserted into the corresponding assembly holes. The ear 143' on the connector 143 is located in the ear stretch groove 123. The limit bracket 127 can hook the ear 143' on the volume button 141 to further stabilize the volume button 141. The trigger 22 can pass through the middle frame 12 along the X direction and be arranged opposite to the switch 1221 (shown in the cross-hatched area) inside the electronic device 10 along the X direction. When the volume button 141 is pressed, the trigger 22 (also known as a guide column) can press the switch 1221 to trigger the switch 1221.

[0078] Furthermore, in this scheme, Figure 2A-2B Similar to the illustrated solution, the mounting ear expansion slot 123 can be machined by inserting a knife from the back of the middle frame 12. For example, a blind hole (not shown) can be machined in the middle frame 12 using an end cutter, inserting the knife from the back of the middle frame 12 in the negative Z-axis direction. The bottom of this blind hole can form the mounting ear expansion slot 123. It will be understood that in this machining method, the back of the middle frame 12 will have an opening for the blind hole, and the opening size is the same as the end cutter's blade diameter. However, this blind hole will disrupt the liquid protection path of the electronic device 10.

[0079] In addition, Figure 3 In the solution shown, the trigger member 22 and the key cap 21 are two independent components, and the trigger member 22 may shake.

[0080] Figure 4A and Figure 4B FIG2 shows exemplary installation methods of the button 20 in the electronic device 10 in some other embodiments. Figure 4A is a partial exploded view of the electronic device 10; Figure 4B is a cross-sectional view of the electronic device 10 .

[0081] refer to Figure 4A and Figure 4B The volume key 141 includes a key cap 21 (shown in the oblique line shaded area), two connecting members 143 (shown in the oblique line shaded area), and two trigger members 22 (shown in the dotted shaded area). The connecting member 143 is provided with a hanging ear 143'.

[0082] The power button 142 includes a keycap 21 (shown in the oblique line shaded area), two connecting members 143 (shown in the oblique line shaded area), and a trigger member 22 (shown in the dotted shaded area). The connecting member 143 is provided with a hanging ear 143'.

[0083] The middle frame 12 may include an ear extension groove 123 and an assembly hole 124 for inserting the connecting member 143 and the trigger member 22.

[0084] It is understood that the specific connection structure of the button 20 and the installation method of the button 20 in the electronic device 10 can be referred to Figure 3 The above is not repeated here.

[0085] Among them, Figure 3 The embodiment shown is different in that Figure 4A 、 Figure 4B In the illustrated embodiment, the mounting bracket expansion slot 123 can be machined by inserting a tool from the front of the middle frame 12. For example, a tool inserting along the positive Z-axis can be used to machine a blind hole 126 on the middle frame 12. The bottom end of the blind hole 126 can form the mounting bracket expansion slot 123. It will be understood that in this machining method, the front of the middle frame 12 will have an opening 126a for the blind hole 126, and the size of the opening 126a is the same as the tool diameter of the tool insert.

[0086] However, the blind hole 126 still destroys the liquid protection path of the electronic device 10. Specifically, liquid or water vapor can enter the blind hole 126 from the gap between the middle frame 12 and the keycap 21, flow through the blind hole 126 to the opening 126a on the front of the middle frame 12, and further penetrate into the interior of the electronic device 10.

[0087] In order to improve the liquid protection performance of the electronic device 10, in this solution, reference is made to Figure 4A A layer of waterproof polyester film 129 (shown as a transparent oblique line shaded area) can be added to the front side of the middle frame 12 (the side where the opening 126 a of the blind hole 126 is located) to prevent liquid from entering the interior of the electronic device 10 through the blind hole 126 on the front side of the middle frame 12.

[0088] However, if the polyester film 129 is not properly adhered when added to the front of the middle frame 12, for example, the polyester film 129 does not cover the opening 126a of the blind hole 126 due to deviation, liquid or water vapor can still enter the blind hole 126 from the gap between the middle frame 12 and the keycap 21, and flow through the blind hole 126 to the opening 126a on the front of the middle frame 12, and further penetrate into the interior of the electronic device 10.

[0089] Furthermore, the flexible printed circuit (FPC) on which the switch 1221 is mounted is typically located on the back of the middle frame 12 (that is, mounted on the back of the middle plate 121). When the opening 126a of the blind via 126 is located on the front of the middle frame 12, it is impossible to simultaneously detect the correct installation of the FPC and the extension of the mounting bracket 143' on the back of the middle frame 12. Instead, the FPC must be inspected on the back of the middle frame 12 for correct installation and on the front of the middle frame 12 for extension, resulting in an additional inspection direction.

[0090] Furthermore, when the trigger 22 and keycap 21 are two separate components, the trigger 22 is typically formed of a relatively hard metal material. When the metal material, which has insufficient elasticity, contacts the switch 1221, the resulting contact can affect the user's tactile experience when pressing the key 20. Furthermore, taking the power key 142 as an example, the keycap 21 and its two side ears 143' form a seesaw-like structure. Due to the short distance (also called a cantilever) between the ears 143' and the trigger 22, the resulting seesaw structure exerts a relatively weak elastic force on the trigger 22, affecting the user's tactile experience when pressing the power key 142.

[0091] In summary, based on the above Figures 2A to 4B As shown, when there is a hanging ear on the button 20, the middle frame 12 of the electronic device 10 needs to have a hanging ear stretching groove to limit the hanging ear 143' of the button 20, resulting in poor liquid protection performance of the electronic device 10.

[0092] In order to solve the above problems, the present application provides a key. In the key provided in the present application, the trigger member includes a connected rod and a head, and the outer diameter of the head can be larger than the outer diameter of the rod, so that the part of the head protruding from the rod can form a hanging ear. When the key is installed on an electronic device, the rod is inserted into the mounting hole of the electronic device, and the hanging ear can be hung on the first end face of the mounting hole. With this arrangement, the installation requirements of the key on the middle frame can be met by drilling a mounting hole in the middle frame along the pressing direction, without the need to process a hanging ear stretching groove in the middle frame, and thus without the need to process a blind hole on the front or back of the middle frame. In this way, the protective structures on the front and back of the middle frame will not be damaged, which is beneficial to improving the protective performance (for example, waterproof performance) of the electronic device.

[0093] The following describes an exemplary structure of a key provided by an embodiment of the present application, with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the various figures herein, the X-direction may be the height direction of the key, where the positive direction of the X-axis may be the direction in which the key is pressed. The Y-direction may be the length direction of the key, and the Z-direction may be the width direction of the key. The X-direction, Y-direction, and Z-direction may be perpendicular to each other.

[0094] It should be understood that the term "perpendicular" in this application does not necessarily mean absolute perpendicularity. Approximate perpendicularity due to processing and assembly errors (for example, an angle of 89.9° between two structural features) is also within the scope of "perpendicular" in this application. The term "parallel" in this application does not necessarily mean absolute parallelism. Approximate parallelism due to processing and assembly errors (for example, an angle of 0.1° between two structural features) is also within the scope of "parallel" in this application. The definitions of "parallel" and "perpendicular" will not be repeated below.

[0095] In addition, it should be noted that the directional terms such as "up", "down", "left", "right", "front", "back", "top", and "bottom" in this document are exemplary positions of the various components of the key, and do not indicate or imply that the referred components must have a specific orientation. They can change accordingly according to actual use and cannot be understood as limitations on this application.

[0096] The following describes a key provided by the first embodiment of the present application. In this embodiment, the trigger member of the key includes a rod and a head connected in sequence, and the head can form a hanging ear. When the key is installed on an electronic device, the rod is inserted into the mounting hole of the middle frame, and the hanging ear can be hung on the first end face of the mounting hole. In this way, the key can be installed on the middle frame simply by drilling a mounting hole in the pressing direction, without having to machine a hanging ear stretching groove in the middle frame. This eliminates the need to open blind holes on the front and back of the middle frame, which is beneficial to the integrity of the protection path of the electronic device.

[0097] Figure 5A and Figure 5B FIG. 2 shows an exemplary structure of the button 20 in the first embodiment of the present application. Figure 5A is a three-dimensional diagram of the button 20, Figure 5B is a top view of the key 20. In addition, Figures 6A to 6C This is an exemplary installation method of the button 20 in the electronic device 10. Figure 6A is a partial exploded view of the electronic device 10; Figure 6B is a cross-sectional view of the electronic device 10; Figure 6C It is a partial enlarged view of the area 60 in the cross-sectional view.

[0098] like Figures 5A to 6C As shown, the key 20 includes a keycap 21 and a trigger 22. The trigger 22 is connected to the keycap 21 and is located on the side of the keycap 21 facing the pressing direction of the key 20 (e.g., the positive direction of the X-axis). For example, the key 20 can be a power key.

[0099] Continue to refer Figures 5A to 6C The trigger member 22 may include a head 221 and a stem 222. The head 221 is located at the end of the trigger member 22 facing the pressing direction. The stem 222 may be located between the head 221 and the keycap 21 and may be connected to the keycap 21. The stem 222 and the head 221 are sequentially connected along the pressing direction of the key 20. The outer diameter of the head 221 may be larger than the outer diameter of the stem 222, so that the portion of the head 221 protruding from the stem 222 in a direction perpendicular to the pressing direction (e.g., the Y direction, as a first direction) can form a hanging ear 221a.

[0100] Continue to refer Figures 6A to 6CThe middle frame 12 of the electronic device 10 includes a first mounting groove 61. A through-hole is defined in the bottom wall of the first mounting groove 61, which can form a mounting hole 62. In other words, the mounting hole 62 extends from the bottom wall of the first mounting groove 61 to the inner surface of the middle frame 12 along the positive direction of the X-axis. It will be appreciated that the bottom wall of the first mounting groove 61 can form the second end surface 62b of the mounting hole 62, and the inner surface of the middle frame 12 can form the first end surface 62a of the mounting hole 62.

[0101] When the key 20 is mounted on the electronic device 10, the keycap 21 can be embedded in the first mounting groove 61. The rod portion 222 can be inserted into the mounting hole 62. The head portion 221 is located outside the mounting hole 62 and is opposite to the first end face 62a of the mounting hole 62. The ear 221a of the head portion 221 can be hung on the first end face 62a of the mounting hole 62 in the opposite direction of the pressing direction. It can be understood that when the ear 221a is hung on the first end face 62a, the first end face 62a can cooperate with the ear 221a to limit the movement of the key 20 along the negative direction of the X-axis, thereby preventing the key 20 from falling off the middle frame 12. In other words, when the ear 221a is hung on the first end face 62a, the ear 221a can be installed on the middle frame 12.

[0102] The outer diameter of the head portion 221 can also be larger than the diameter of the mounting hole 62. For example, the difference between the outer diameter of the head portion 221 and the diameter of the mounting hole 62 is 0.3 mm to 0.4 mm. Therefore, when the hanging ear 221a of the head portion 221 is attached to the first end surface 62a of the mounting hole 62, there is a certain overlap between the hanging ear 221a and the middle frame 12 outside the mounting hole 62. For example, the overlap can be 0.15 mm to 0.2 mm.

[0103] In summary, for the key 20 provided in the present application, when the key 20 is installed on the electronic device 10, the rod portion 222 is inserted into the mounting hole 62, the head portion 221 can be located outside the mounting hole 62, and the ear 221a of the head portion 221 can be hung on the first end surface 62a of the mounting hole 62. With this arrangement, the mounting hole 62 is drilled in the middle frame 12 along the pressing direction, thereby meeting the installation requirements of the key 20 on the middle frame 12, without the need to machine an ear expansion groove in the middle frame 12, and thus without the need to machine a blind hole on the front or back of the middle frame 12. In this way, the protective structures on the front and back of the middle frame 12 will not be damaged, which is beneficial to improving the protective performance of the electronic device 10, for example, improving the waterproof performance of the electronic device 10.

[0104] In addition, the present application does not require the use of an end cutter to machine the lug expansion groove on the middle frame 12, so no burrs will be formed on the middle frame 12 after the end cutter processing, and the key 20 will not be stuck on the burr and fall off the middle frame 12, and the burr will not affect the tactile experience when the user presses the key 20. In addition, when installing the key 20, the key 20 can be directly inserted into the middle frame 12 along the positive direction of the X axis. At this time, the lug 221a will be directly hung on the first end surface 62a, and the extension of the lug 221a can be observed with the naked eye without the need to observe the extension of the lug 221a through a CCD magnifying glass. In addition, the trigger 22 and the keycap 21 can be connected in one piece, and when the key 20 is installed on the middle frame 12, the trigger 22 will not shake. In addition, when the key 20 is pressed, the head 221 can be pressed directly by the rod 222, and the pressure on the head 221 is independent of the distance between the lug 221a and the rod 222. That is to say, when the button 20 is pressed, the distance between the ear 221 a and the rod 222 will not affect the pressure on the head 221 , thereby not affecting the user's tactile experience when pressing the button 20 .

[0105] For example, during the installation process of the button 20, the button 20 can be first placed outside the middle frame 12, and the stem 222 of the button 20 is aligned with the mounting hole 62. Then, the button 20 is pushed in the pressing direction so that the head 221 of the button 20 passes through the mounting hole 62, thereby assembling the button 20 on the middle frame 12.

[0106] For example, continue to refer to Figure 6B and Figure 6C To facilitate installation of the key 20, a first chamfer 62f can be provided on the edge of the mounting hole 62. The first chamfer 62f can be a 45° chamfer. During installation of the key 20, the first chamfer 62f can guide the key 20, facilitating installation of the key 20. In this embodiment of the present application, the first chamfer 62f can be referred to as the assembly C-angle.

[0107] In addition, continue to refer to Figure 6B and Figure 6C To facilitate the expansion of the mounting lug 221a after the head 221 passes through the mounting hole 62, a second chamfer 62e may be provided on the edge of the mounting hole 62. The second chamfer 62e may be a 45° chamfer or an arc-shaped chamfer. The second chamfer 62e guides the expansion of the mounting lug 221a. In this embodiment of the present application, the second chamfer 62e may be referred to as an auxiliary expansion C-angle.

[0108] For example, when the mounting ear 221a is attached to the first end surface 62a, a gap 62d may exist between the keycap 21 and the second end surface 62b along the pressing direction, allowing the keycap 21 to be pressed and moved. In other words, the distance of the gap 62d along the X-axis can serve as the pressing travel of the key 20. In other embodiments, the gap 62d may not exist, and the surface of the keycap 21 facing the second end surface 62b may be made of an elastic material, with the elastic deformation of the elastic material providing the pressing travel.

[0109] For example, when the ear 221a of the head portion 221 is hung on the first end surface 62a of the mounting hole 62, the head portion 221 can be arranged opposite to the switch 1221 inside the electronic device 10. When the button 20 is pressed, the button 20 can press the switch 1221 through the head portion 221, thereby triggering the switch 1221. When the switch 1221 is pressed by the pressure of the head portion 221, it enters the triggered state.

[0110] It should be understood that this application does not limit the structure and triggering method of switch 1221. In some embodiments, switch 1221 can be a mechanical switch, and when switch 1221 is pressed and moves in the pressing direction, the circuit in which switch 1221 is located can be closed, thereby causing switch 1221 to enter a triggered state.

[0111] In other embodiments, switch 1221 may also be a sensor. For example, switch 1221 may be a pressure sensor. When the pressure received by switch 1221 exceeds a preset pressure threshold, switch 1221 may enter a trigger state. Alternatively, switch 1221 may be a capacitance sensor. When switch 1221 contacts head 221, switch 1221 may detect a change in capacitance and enter a trigger state. This application does not limit switch 1221.

[0112] Furthermore, in other embodiments, the middle frame 12 may not include the first mounting groove 61. Instead, a through hole may be directly formed on the outer surface of the middle frame 12, and the through hole may form the mounting hole 62. In other words, the mounting hole 62 may extend from the outer surface of the middle frame 12 to the inner surface of the middle frame 12 along the X-direction. It will be appreciated that the outer surface of the middle frame 12 may form the second end surface 62b of the mounting hole 62, and the inner surface of the middle frame 12 may form the first end surface 62a of the mounting hole 62.

[0113] For the electronic device 10 that does not include the first mounting slot 61, when the key 20 is mounted on the electronic device 10, the stem 222 can be inserted into the mounting hole 62. The keycap 21 can be mounted on the second end surface 62b of the mounting hole 62, and the ear 221a of the head 221 can be mounted on the first end surface 62a of the mounting hole 62.

[0114] In addition, in other embodiments, reference Figure 6D , the middle frame 12 may include a first mounting groove 61, a mounting hole 62, and a second mounting groove 63. Specifically, the open end of the first mounting groove 61 is located on the outer surface of the middle frame 12, and the open end of the second mounting groove 63 is located on the inner surface of the middle frame 12. A through hole is provided between the bottom wall of the first mounting groove 61 and the bottom wall of the second mounting groove 63, and the through hole can form the mounting hole 62. That is, the mounting hole 62 extends from the bottom wall of the first mounting groove 61 to the bottom wall of the second mounting groove 63 along the X direction. It can be understood that the bottom wall of the first mounting groove 61 can form the second end surface 62b of the mounting hole 62, and the bottom wall of the second mounting groove 63 can form the first end surface 62a of the mounting hole 62.

[0115] For the electronic device 10 including the second mounting slot 63, when the key 20 is mounted on the electronic device 10, the keycap 21 can be embedded in the first mounting slot 61. The stem 222 can be inserted into the mounting hole 62. The head 221 can be embedded in the second mounting slot 63, facing the switch 1221 inside the electronic device 10, and the ear 221a of the head 221 can be mounted on the first end surface 62a of the mounting hole 62.

[0116] Further, continue to refer to Figures 5A to 6B In some embodiments, the material of the head 221 can be a deformable material, such as a thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer material. At this time, when the key 20 is pressed, the head 221 may be deformed and collapsed due to the large pressure. For example, referring to Figure 7 When the button 20 is pressed, the middle area of ​​the head 221 is supported by the rod 222 so as to contact and press the switch 1221, while part of the edge area of ​​the head 221 may collapse in the opposite direction of the pressing direction.

[0117] Therefore, in this embodiment, reference Figures 5A to 7 The stem 222 may include a first stem 222a and a second stem 222b, which are sequentially connected along the pressing direction. The outer diameter of the first stem 222a is larger than that of the second stem 222b. The first stem 222a is connected to the keycap 21, and the second stem 222b is located between the first stem 222a and the head 221, and the second stem 222b is connected to the head 221.

[0118] Thus, when the rod portion 222 is inserted into the mounting hole 62, there will be an assembly gap 62c (as an example of a first gap) between the second rod portion 222b and the hole wall of the mounting hole 62. The assembly gap 62c can also be called a soft rubber stretching receiving groove. Figure 7If the head 221 is deformed in the opposite direction of the pressing direction, the assembly gap 62c between the second rod portion 222b and the hole wall of the mounting hole 62 can accommodate at least part of the material of the head 221 that is deformed in the opposite direction of the pressing direction, thereby preventing the material in this area from being damaged due to excessive squeezing.

[0119] Further, continue to refer to Figures 5A to 7 In some embodiments, the button 20 may further include a sealing ring 23 , which may be sleeved on the outside of the rod 222 .

[0120] It should be understood that to facilitate installation of the button 20, a small gap, for example, 0.05 mm to 0.1 mm, may exist between the stem 222 and the wall of the mounting hole 62. To prevent moisture and the like from entering the interior of the electronic device 10 through this gap, a sealing ring 23 may be provided between the stem 222 and the wall of the mounting hole 62 to seal the gap. The interference between the sealing ring 23 and the wall of the mounting hole 62 may be 0 to 0.02 mm.

[0121] For example, refer to Figures 5A to 7 The sealing ring 23 and the rod 222 can be integrally connected. For example, the sealing ring 23 and the rod 222 can be directly injection molded into an integral structure. Furthermore, the sealing ring 23 and the rod 222 can be detachably connected. For example, the rod 222 can be injection molded first, and then the sealing ring 23 can be sleeved onto the rod 222.

[0122] It can also be understood that this embodiment does not limit the number of sealing rings 23. For example, referring to Figure 5A Two sealing rings 23, also known as double-rib sealing rings, are sleeved on the exterior of the rod portion 222, respectively sleeved on the top and middle of the first rod portion 222a, but the present application is not limited thereto. For example, in other embodiments, the exterior of the rod portion 222 may be sleeved with more or fewer sealing rings 23, such as a single-rib sealing ring (i.e., a single sealing ring), a triple-rib sealing ring (i.e., three sealing rings), etc. Furthermore, the sealing rings 23 may be sleeved at any location on the exterior of the first rod portion 222a and / or the second rod portion 222b, and the present application does not limit this.

[0123] Furthermore, in some other embodiments, referring to Figures 5A to 7 The key 20 may further include a rebound column 24 , which may also be referred to as an end surface anti-collapse rebound column. The rebound column 24 is connected to the key cap 21 and is located on the side of the key cap 21 facing the pressing direction of the key 20 .

[0124] The resilient post 24 may include a first resilient post 24a and a second resilient post 24b, both of which are connected to the keycap 21. Furthermore, along a direction perpendicular to the pressing direction of the key 20 (e.g., the Y-axis direction, which may be described as the "first direction"), the first resilient post 24a and the second resilient post 24b are respectively located on either side of the trigger member 22.

[0125] For example, refer to Figure 6B and Figure 6C When the ear 221a is attached to the first end surface 62a, a gap 62d exists between the keycap 21 and the bottom wall of the first mounting groove 61 along the pressing direction, allowing the keycap 21 to be pressed and moved. Therefore, in this embodiment, when the key 20 is installed on the electronic device 10, the rebound post 24 can be embedded between the keycap 21 and the bottom wall of the first mounting groove 61, facing the second end surface 62b of the mounting hole 62.

[0126] For example, in this embodiment, the rebound column 24 can be formed of an elastic material. Figure 7 As shown, when the button 20 is pressed, the rebound column 24 can be compressed by the second end surface 62b of the mounting hole 62; when the user stops pressing the button 20, the rebound column 24 can rebound to a stretched state, thereby driving the button 20 to rebound to its initial position before being pressed.

[0127] Furthermore, in other embodiments, a blind hole may be formed in the bottom wall of the first mounting slot 61 to form a mounting hole (not shown) for inserting the resilient post 24. In other words, this unillustrated mounting hole may extend from the bottom wall of the first mounting slot 61 to the interior of the middle frame 12 along the X-direction. It is understood that when the button 20 is mounted on the electronic device 10, the resilient post 24 may be inserted through this unillustrated mounting hole. This is not a limitation in the present application.

[0128] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the button 20 may be formed from a first material layer and a second material layer. For example, the first material layer may be made of a metal material (e.g., an aluminum alloy); alternatively, the first material layer may be made of a material suitable for injection molding, in which case the first material layer may be referred to as a hard plastic. Alternatively, the second material layer may be made of a material suitable for injection molding, in which case the second material layer may be referred to as a soft plastic.

[0129] For example, when the first material layer is a hard adhesive, the material of the hard adhesive may include any one of a variety of materials, such as polycarbonate (PC), polyetherimide (PEI), a composite material of PC and glass fiber (e.g., 20% glass fiber). Alternatively, when the second material layer is a soft adhesive, the material of the soft adhesive may include any one or more of thermoplastic polyurethane (TPU), thermoplastic polyester elastomer (TPEE), liquid silicone rubber (LSR) formed by a liquid injection molding (LIM) process, and the like.

[0130] The hardness of the second material layer is less than that of the first material layer, and the elasticity of the second material layer is greater than that of the first material layer. Therefore, in the key 20 provided in the present application, the second material layer can be located on the side of the first material layer facing the pressing direction, so that the second material layer is supported by the first material layer, and the key 20 can also press the switch 1221 with greater pressure. For example, the keycap 21 can be formed of the first material layer so as to support the trigger member 22 and not be deformed when the user presses the keycap 21; the head 221 of the trigger member 22 can be formed of the second material layer so that the head 221 can press the switch 1221 with greater pressure, so that the press switch 1221 can be quickly pressed to the on position.

[0131] It is understood that when the first material layer is made of metal, the keycap 21 of the key 20 can have a high-gloss appearance. When the first material layer is made of a hard plastic, the keycap 21 can achieve a high-gloss appearance through a physical vapor deposition (PVD) process.

[0132] For example, refer to Figure 6E The cross-sectional view of the key 20 is shown in FIG. In this embodiment, the rod 222 may include a core 223 and a sleeve 224 sleeved outside the core 223. Figure 6E In the cross-sectional view shown, the boundary line between the core 223 and the sleeve 224 is represented by a dotted line. It should be understood that in an actual product, this dotted line may not be included.

[0133] Continue to refer Figure 6EThe core 223 may include a first core 223a corresponding to the first rod 222a and a second core 223b corresponding to the second rod 222b. The first core 223a and the second core 223b are sequentially connected along the pressing direction, and the outer diameter of the first core 223a is larger than the outer diameter of the second core 223b. The sleeve 224 includes a first sleeve 224a corresponding to the first rod 222a and a second sleeve 224b corresponding to the second rod 222b. The first sleeve 224a and the second sleeve 224b are sequentially connected along the pressing direction, and the outer diameter of the first sleeve 224a is larger than the outer diameter of the second sleeve 224b.

[0134] For example, in this embodiment, the core 223 can be formed by a first material layer, and the sleeve 224 can be formed by a second material layer. The first material layer has a higher hardness, and the second material layer has a higher elasticity. In this way, by making the core 223 by the first material layer, the rod 222 can support the head 221. In addition, by making the sleeve 224 by the second material layer, the rod 222 can also press the head 221 with a greater elastic force, so that the head 221 presses the switch 1221 with a greater elastic force, so as to quickly press the switch 1221 to the on position, which is beneficial to improve the response speed of the electronic device 10 to the user's key pressing operation. In addition, the rod 222 can also be made entirely of hard rubber material, which is not limited in this application.

[0135] For example, since the second material layer has good elasticity, in this embodiment, the second material layer can also be used to form the rebound column 24. Figure 7 As shown, when the button 20 is pressed, the rebound column 24 can be in a compressed state; when the user stops pressing the button 20, the rebound column 24 can rebound to an extended state, thereby driving the button 20 to rebound to its initial position before being pressed.

[0136] For example, since the second material layer has good waterproof performance, in this embodiment, the second material layer may further form a sealing ring 23 to improve the waterproof performance of the electronic device 10 .

[0137] In summary, this embodiment provides a button 20, wherein the trigger member 22 of the button 20 includes a rod 222 and a head 221 connected in sequence, and the outer diameter of the head 221 is larger than the outer diameter of the rod 222, so that the portion of the head 221 protruding from the rod 222 can form a hanging ear 221a. When the button 20 is installed on the electronic device 10, the rod 222 is inserted into the mounting hole 62 of the middle frame 12, and the hanging ear 221a can be hung on the first end face 62a of the mounting hole 62. In this way, the button 20 can be installed on the middle frame 12 only by drilling a mounting hole 62 on the middle frame 12 along the pressing direction, without the need to machine a hanging ear stretching groove in the middle frame 12, thereby eliminating the need to open a blind hole on the front or back of the middle frame 12, which is beneficial to the integrity of the protection path of the electronic device 10.

[0138] Among them, in the above Figures 5A to 7 In the schematic diagram, the button 20 includes a trigger 22. When the button 20 is installed on the electronic device 10, when the button 20 is pressed, the button 20 can press the corresponding switch 1221 through the trigger 22, thereby realizing the corresponding power on / off, screenshot, or photo taking functions. Figures 5A to 7 The button 20 shown can be used as a power button, a screenshot button, a camera button, etc. of the electronic device 10, and this application does not limit this.

[0139] In the second embodiment provided in this application, the button 20 may include two trigger members 22. When the button 20 is installed on the electronic device 10, if the user presses different areas of the button 20, the trigger member 22 at the corresponding position will press the corresponding switch 1221 inside the electronic device 10, thereby realizing different corresponding functions. For example, if the button 20 with two trigger members 22 is a volume button, then when the user presses different areas of the button 20, the trigger member 22 at the corresponding position will press the corresponding switch 1221 inside the electronic device 10, thereby realizing the corresponding volume increase or volume decrease function.

[0140] The following describes a key provided by a second embodiment of the present application, which can be based on the first embodiment. In this embodiment, two trigger members 22 can be provided on the key 20 to achieve more complex functions. For example, the key 20 of this embodiment can be a volume key.

[0141] Figure 8A and Figure 8B FIG. 2 shows an exemplary structure of the button 20 in the second embodiment of the present application. Figure 8A is a three-dimensional diagram of the button 20, Figure 8B is a top view of the key 20. In addition, Figure 9 1 is a schematic diagram of the installation of the button 20 on the electronic device 10 , that is, a cross-sectional view of the electronic device 10 .

[0142] like Figures 8A to 9 As shown, the key 20 includes a key cap 21 , two trigger members 22 , a sealing ring 23 , a first rebound column 24 a , and a second rebound column 24 b .

[0143] The two trigger members 22 are both connected to the keycap 21 and are located on the side of the keycap 21 facing the pressing direction of the key 20. In addition, along a direction perpendicular to the pressing direction of the key 20 (for example, the Y-axis direction), the two trigger members 22 are located between the first rebound post 24a and the second rebound post 24b.

[0144] In addition, continue to refer to Figures 8A to 9 Each trigger member 22 includes a rod portion 222 and a head portion 221 connected in sequence, and the outer diameter of the head portion 221 is larger than the outer diameter of the rod portion 222, so that the portion of the head portion 221 protruding from the rod portion 222 can form a hanging ear 221a. The rod portion 222 can include a first rod portion 222a and a second rod portion 222b.

[0145] Continue to refer Figure 9 The middle frame 12 of the electronic device 10 may include a first mounting groove 61 and two mounting holes 62 .

[0146] When the button 20 is installed on the electronic device 10, the rods 222 of the two trigger members 22 are respectively inserted into the two mounting holes 62, the heads 221 of the two trigger members 22 are located outside the mounting holes 62, and the hanging ears 221a of the heads 221 can be hung on the first end surface 62a of the mounting hole 62 in the opposite direction of the pressing direction.

[0147] It is understood that the specific connection method of the button 20 and the specific installation method of the button 20 on the middle frame 12 can refer to the above Figures 5A to 7 The above is not repeated here.

[0148] In summary, for the button 20 with two trigger members 22 provided in the present application, when the button 20 is installed on the electronic device 10, the rod portion 222 is inserted into the mounting hole 62, the head portion 221 can be located outside the mounting hole 62, and the ear 221a of the head portion 221 can be hung on the first end face 62a of the mounting hole 62. With this arrangement, two mounting holes 62 are drilled in the middle frame 12 along the pressing direction, thereby meeting the installation requirements of the button 20 on the middle frame 12, without the need to process ear extension grooves in the middle frame 12, and thus without the need to process blind holes on the front or back of the middle frame 12. In this way, the protective structures on the front and back of the middle frame 12 will not be damaged, which is beneficial to improving the protective performance of the electronic device 10. For example, the waterproof performance of the electronic device 10 can be improved.

[0149] Furthermore, in some embodiments, the key 20 may further include a resilient member 31. The resilient member 31 is connected to the keycap 21 and is located on the side of the keycap 21 facing the pressing direction of the key 20. Furthermore, along a direction perpendicular to the pressing direction of the key 20 (e.g., the Y-axis direction), the resilient member 31 is located between the two trigger members 22.

[0150] The resilient member 31 may include a base 311 and two third resilient columns 312. The base 311 is connected to the keycap 21 and is located on the side of the keycap 21 facing the pressing direction of the key 20. The two third resilient columns 312 are both connected to the base 311 and are located on the side of the base 311 facing the pressing direction of the key 20.

[0151] refer to Figure 9 To install the button 20, the middle frame 12 may further include a third mounting groove 64. When the button 20 is installed on the electronic device 10, the resilient member 31 may be embedded in the third mounting groove 64. The open end of the third mounting groove 64 is located on the bottom wall of the first mounting groove 61. That is, a blind hole may be provided on the bottom wall of the first mounting groove 61, and the blind hole may form the third mounting groove 64. It is understood that the third mounting groove 64 may extend from the bottom wall of the first mounting groove 61 to the interior of the middle frame 12 along the positive direction of the X-axis, and the interior of the middle frame 12 may form the bottom wall of the third mounting groove 64.

[0152] In this way, when the middle area of ​​the button 20 is pressed, the resilient member 31 can be compressed by the bottom wall of the third mounting slot 64; when the user stops pressing the button 20, the resilient member 31 can drive the button 20 to rebound to its initial position before being pressed.

[0153] For example, in some embodiments, the key 20 may be formed by a first material layer (shown in a cross-hatched area) and a second material layer (shown in a diagonal shaded area). Figure 9 In the installation diagram shown, the boundary between the first material layer and the second material layer is represented by a dotted line. It is understood that in an actual product, this boundary may not exist.

[0154] For example, refer to Figure 9 In this embodiment, the keycap 21, the first core 223a and the second core 223b of the stem 222, and the shell 311a of the base 311 can be formed of the first material layer. The head 221, the third core 311b of the base 311, the third rebound column 312, the rebound column 24, and the first sleeve 224a and the second sleeve 224b of the stem 222 can be formed of the second material layer. For details, please refer to the above Figures 5A to 7 The above is not repeated here.

[0155] In summary, this embodiment provides a button 20, which may include two trigger members 22. The trigger member 22 includes a rod 222 and a head 221 connected in sequence, and the outer diameter of the head 221 is larger than the outer diameter of the rod 222, so that the portion of the head 221 protruding from the rod 222 can form a hanging ear 221a. When the button 20 is installed on the electronic device 10, the rod 222 is inserted into the mounting hole 62 of the middle frame 12, and the hanging ear 221a can be hung on the first end face 62a of the mounting hole 62. In this way, the button 20 can be installed on the middle frame 12 only by drilling a mounting hole 62 on the middle frame 12 along the pressing direction, without the need to process a hanging ear stretching groove in the middle frame 12, thereby eliminating the need to open a blind hole on the front or back of the middle frame 12, which is beneficial to the integrity of the protection path of the electronic device 10.

[0156] Other details not described in this embodiment, such as the specific structure of the trigger member 22, can be referred to the introduction of the first embodiment of this article and will not be repeated here.

[0157] In addition, as mentioned above, the key 20 provided by the present application may include a first material layer and a second material layer, the first material layer may be a hard plastic colloid, and the second material layer may be a soft plastic colloid, wherein the material of the hard plastic colloid and the material of the soft plastic colloid are materials for injection molding. That is, the key provided by the present application may be prepared by an injection molding process. Figure 10 and Figure 11 As shown, taking the key 20 provided in the second embodiment as an example, the preparation process of the key 20 provided in this application is introduced.

[0158] in, Figure 10 The schematic diagram shows the structure obtained when each manufacturing process is completed when manufacturing the key 20. Figure 11 The figure shows the disassembly diagram of part of the mold after the key 20 is completed. Figure 11 Figure (a) is a three-dimensional view when the mold is removed; Figure 11 Figure (b) in FIG11 is a partial schematic diagram of the trigger member 22 when the mold is removed; Figure (c) in FIG11 is a top view when the mold is removed.

[0159] It is understood that since the hardness of the hard plastic is greater than that of the soft plastic, the hard plastic can serve as a stable substrate. Therefore, in this embodiment, the hard plastic of the key 20 can be first prepared by injection molding a hard plastic material, and then the soft plastic of the key 20 can be prepared by injection molding a soft plastic material based on the prepared hard plastic, thereby obtaining the key 20 provided by this application.

[0160] For example, refer to Figure 10In Figure (a), on a mold (also called a front mold) for making a hard plastic colloid, hard plastic material can be poured into the middle through two hard plastic gates 91 to form a hard plastic colloid. In other words, the hard plastic colloid can be obtained by injection molding through the two hard plastic gates 91 as the two end gates of the hard plastic colloid.

[0161] The obtained hard plastic body may be an integrated structure of the keycap 21 , the shell 311 a of the base 311 , the first core 223 a , and the second core 223 b .

[0162] Specifically, on the hard plastic body, the key cap 21 has two grooves 21 a , which are used to embed the rod 222 of the trigger member 22 and the adjacent rebound column 24 .

[0163] The shell 311a of the base 311 is in the shape of a groove that is open on one side toward the pressing direction of the key 20. The bottom wall of the shell 311a is connected to the keycap 21, and can be used to inject soft glue into the shell 311a to obtain the third core 311b and two third rebound columns 312 of the base 311.

[0164] Next, after obtaining the hard plastic body of the key 20, the hard plastic body can be placed on a mold (also called a back mold) for making the soft plastic body. Soft plastic material is poured into the hard plastic body shell 311a and the groove 21a through the soft plastic gate 92, thereby obtaining the key 20 mentioned in this application.

[0165] Specifically, refer to Figure 10 In Figure (b), soft rubber material can be poured into the groove 21a through the soft rubber gate 92 to form the head 221, the sleeve 224 of the rod 222, the sealing ring 23, and the rebound column 24. Soft rubber material can also be poured into the shell 311a of the base 311 through the soft rubber gate 92 to form the third core 311b and the third rebound column 312 of the base 311.

[0166] It is understood that after the hard-plastic housing 311a and the recess 21a are molded with the soft-plastic material, the gaps in each recess are filled with the soft-plastic material, i.e., no gaps exist within each recess. This reduces the gaps in the key 20, allowing the electronic device 10 to have better liquid protection when the key 20 is installed in the electronic device 10.

[0167] Next, after the soft rubber material is obtained by injection molding, the button 20 obtained can be taken out from the mold. Figure 11 When demolding the trigger member 22, the mold 93 for molding the sealing ring 23 and the rod 222 can be moved along a direction perpendicular to the pressing direction (ie, Figure 11The slider is demolded in the L direction shown in the figure, which can also be called slider removal or slider removal of Dome column (or slider removal of trigger member 22).

[0168] In some embodiments, the present embodiment can be injection molded using a double-shot process. That is, the mold for making the button 20 includes a hard plastic injection port and a soft plastic injection port. After the hard plastic body is made, the machine can automatically move the hard plastic body to the soft plastic injection port for soft plastic injection molding without removing the hard plastic body.

[0169] Furthermore, in some other embodiments, injection molding can be performed using a single-shot process. That is, the mold for manufacturing the button 20 only includes a hard plastic injection port or a soft plastic injection port. After the hard plastic is manufactured in the hard plastic mold, the hard plastic needs to be removed and placed in a soft plastic mold for soft plastic injection molding. This application is not limited to this.

[0170] Thus, through the above-mentioned preparation method, the prepared key 20 can have better supporting performance and elasticity, and when the prepared key 20 is installed in the electronic device 10, the electronic device 10 can have better liquid protection performance.

[0171] It will be understood that the above embodiments are merely illustrative examples of the present invention, and those skilled in the art may make other modifications.

[0172] For example, the sealing ring 23 and the rod 222 may be detachably connected. In this way, when the aperture of the mounting hole 62 for inserting the rod 222 in the middle frame 12 is small, there is no need to sleeve the sealing ring 23 for sealing and waterproofing.

[0173] In the above description of this embodiment, unless otherwise specified, " / " represents or. For example, A / B can identify either A or B. "And / or" in this document simply describes an association relationship between associated objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, "A and / or B" can represent the existence of A alone, B alone, or both A and B. Furthermore, in this embodiment, the values ​​of each data range include the end values. For example, "A=10 to 50" means that A can be 10 or 50.

Claims

1. A key of an electronic device, characterized in that: include: keycap; a trigger member connected to the keycap and located on a side of the keycap facing the pressing direction of the key; the trigger member includes a rod and a head connected in sequence along the pressing direction, the head being located at one end of the trigger member; wherein the trigger member is configured to trigger a switch of the electronic device via the head when the key is pressed; The button is used to be installed on the electronic device. When the button is installed on the electronic device, the rod portion is inserted into the mounting hole on the electronic device, and the head portion is located outside the mounting hole and opposite to the first end surface of the mounting hole. Furthermore, the head portion has a hanging ear protruding from the rod portion in a first direction, the first direction being perpendicular to the pressing direction, and the hanging ear being capable of being hung on the first end surface in a direction opposite to the pressing direction; The rod portion further comprises a first rod portion and a second rod portion sequentially connected along the pressing direction, the second rod portion is connected to the head portion, the outer diameter of the first rod portion is larger than the outer diameter of the second rod portion, and the button further comprises a sealing ring, which is sleeved on the outside of the first rod portion and is used to seal the gap between the first rod portion and the hole wall of the mounting hole; The head portion is made of a deformable material, and when the first rod portion and the second rod portion are inserted into the mounting hole of the electronic device, a first gap between the second rod portion and the wall of the mounting hole is capable of accommodating at least part of the material of the head portion after deformation in a direction opposite to the pressing direction; In which, the rod also includes a core body and a sleeve sleeved outside the core body, the core body is formed by a first material layer, and the sleeve is formed by a second material layer, the hardness of the first material layer is greater than the hardness of the second material layer, and the elasticity of the second material layer is greater than the elasticity of the first material layer.

2. The button according to claim 1, wherein: The sealing ring is integrally connected to the first rod portion.

3. The button according to claim 1, wherein: The key further includes a rebound column connected to the key cap and located on a side of the key cap facing the pressing direction of the key.

4. The key according to claim 3, characterized in that The rebound column includes a first rebound column and a second rebound column. Along a first direction, the first rebound column and the second rebound column are respectively located on both sides of the trigger member. The first direction is perpendicular to the pressing direction.

5. The button according to claim 1, wherein: The button includes a first material layer and a second material layer, the second material layer is located on a side of the first material layer facing the pressing direction, and the hardness of the second material layer is less than that of the first material layer; The second material layer is at least used to form the head, and the first material layer is at least used to form the keycap.

6. The key according to claim 5, characterized in that The material of the first material layer is a metal material or a material used for injection molding; or The second material layer is made of a material used for injection molding.

7. The key according to claim 5, characterized in that The material of the first material layer includes polycarbonate, polyetherimide, or a composite material of polycarbonate and glass fiber; or The second material layer is made of thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer, thermoplastic polyester elastomer, or liquid silicone rubber.

8. An electronic device, characterized in that: The invention comprises a housing and the key according to any one of claims 1 to 7, wherein the key is mounted on the housing, and the housing is provided with the mounting hole; The rod of the button is inserted into the mounting hole, and the head is located outside the mounting hole and opposite to the first end face of the mounting hole; and the hanging ear of the head can be hung on the first end face of the mounting hole in the opposite direction of the pressing direction.

9. The electronic device according to claim 8, wherein: The outer diameter of the rod portion is smaller than the hole diameter of the mounting hole.

10. The electronic device according to claim 8, wherein The key further includes a rebound column connected to the keycap and located on a side of the keycap facing the pressing direction of the key; The rebound column is opposite to the second end surface of the mounting hole, and when the button is pressed, the rebound column is compressed by the second end surface.

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