Key element and electronic device

Abstract

The invention discloses a key element and an electronic device. The key element has elasticity and is used for being connected with the shell; the key element comprises a pressing part and an opening part; the pressing part is used for being exposed out of the opening of the shell for being pressed by a user; the open part extends from the first connecting end to the open end and sequentially comprises a first cantilever and an open anchoring area, the first connecting end is connected with the pressing part, and the open anchoring area is used for being fixedly connected with the shell. Therefore, the key element and the electronic device can be applied to the design of eccentric pressing or non-eccentric pressing, in the pressing process, it is ensured that the sinking stroke of the pressing part is stable, excessive deflection is restrained, and then the problem that pressing fails or the pressing hand feeling is poor is solved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a key component and an electronic device, and particularly to a key component including an open end, and an electronic device applying the key component. Background Art

[0002] In products in a living or industrial environment, it is common that a key component is mounted on the outer shell of an electronic device, and a tact switch is provided on a circuit board adjacent to the key component for a user to press the key component to trigger the tact switch. However, limited by the structural configuration between the appearance design of the electronic device and its internal components, sometimes the pressing center of the tact switch deviates from the center of the key component. Especially when the eccentricity is too large, when the user presses the key component, the key component may be pressed obliquely, or even the tact switch cannot be triggered at all.

[0003] According to the above, in the current market of key components and electronic devices, there is an urgent need to develop a key component and an electronic device that can ensure a smooth sinking stroke of the pressing part of the key component during the pressing process, suppress excessive skew, and thus improve the problems of pressing failure or poor pressing feel. Summary of the Invention

[0004] The present invention provides a key component and an electronic device. The open part of the key component extends from the first connection end to the open end and sequentially includes a first cantilever and an open anchoring area. The first connection end is connected to the pressing part, and the open anchoring area is used for fixedly connecting with the outer shell, so that the key component can be matched with various appearance designs of electronic devices and their internal component configurations, including eccentric pressing or non-eccentric pressing situations, and during the pressing process, ensure a smooth sinking stroke of the pressing part, suppress excessive skew, and thus improve the problems of pressing failure or poor pressing feel.

[0005] According to an embodiment of the present invention, a key component is provided, which is elastic and used for connecting with the outer shell. The key component includes a pressing part and an open part. The pressing part is used for being exposed through an opening in the outer shell for a user to press. The open part extends from the first connection end to the open end and sequentially includes a first cantilever and an open anchoring area. The first connection end is connected to the pressing part, and the open anchoring area is used for fixedly connecting with the outer shell.

[0006] According to another embodiment of the present invention, an electronic device is provided, which includes an outer shell, a key component, and a tact switch. The outer shell includes an opening. The key component includes a pressing part and an open part. The pressing part is exposed through the opening. The open part extends from the first connection end to the open end and sequentially includes a first cantilever and an open anchoring area. The first connection end is connected to the pressing part, and the open anchoring area is fixedly connected with the outer shell. The tact switch is arranged corresponding to the pressing part and includes a contact part. When the user presses the pressing part, the pressing part contacts the contact part. Brief Description of the Drawings

[0007] Figure 1 Front view of the key element showing the first embodiment of the present invention;

[0008] Figure 2 Front view of the electronic device showing the second embodiment of the present invention;

[0009] Figure 3 Showing Figure 2 An enlarged view of part 3 in;

[0010] Figure 4 Showing Figure 3 An exploded view of a part of the electronic device in; and

[0011] Figure 5 Showing Figure 2 A cross-sectional view taken along the cutting line 5-5 in.

[0012] Description of main component symbols:

[0013] 100 Key element

[0014] 110 Open part

[0015] 113 First connection end

[0016] 114 First cantilever

[0017] 115, 125, 135 Line segments

[0018] 117 Open anchoring area

[0019] 118, 148 Open ends

[0020] 120 Closed part

[0021] 123 Second connection end

[0022] 124 Second cantilever

[0023] 127 Closed anchoring area

[0024] 133 Third connection end

[0025] 134 Third cantilever

[0026] 140 Protrusion

[0027] 143 Fourth connection end

[0028] 150 Bridge part

[0029] 170 Pressing part

[0030] 171 Key center

[0031] 172 Most deflected pressing position

[0032] 200 Electronic device

[0033] 270 Touch switch

[0034] 276 Contact part

[0035] 280 Housing

[0036] 289 Opening

[0037] f, L1, L2 distances

[0038] s1 First connection line

[0039] s3 Third connection line

[0040] s7 Anchoring connection line

[0041] t1 Intersection point

[0042] w1, w2 Feature widths

[0043] θ First included angle

[0044] φ Third included angle Detailed implementation manners

[0045] Multiple embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. For the sake of clarity, many practical details will be described together in the following description. However, it should be understood that these practical details are not used to limit the present invention. That is to say, in the embodiments of the present invention, these practical details are not necessary. In addition, for the purpose of simplifying the drawings, some well-known and commonly used structures and elements will be shown in a simple schematic manner in the drawings; and repeated elements may be represented by the same reference numerals.

[0046] In addition, terms such as first and second are only used to describe different elements and do not limit the elements themselves. Therefore, the first element can also be referred to as the second element. And the combinations of elements / units herein are not well-known, conventional or publicly known combinations in this field, and it cannot be determined whether the combination relationship is easily completed by those of ordinary skill in the art based on whether the elements / units themselves are publicly known.

[0047] Figure 1 Please refer to the front view of the key element 100 showing the first embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 , the key element 100 is elastic and used to connect to a housing (such as Figures 2 to 5 the housing 280 shown), and the key element 100 includes a pressing part 170 and an opening part 110. The pressing part 170 is used to be exposed through an opening in the housing (such as Figure 4The illustrated opening 289) is provided for the user to press. The opening portion 110 extends from the first connection end 113 to the open end 118 and sequentially includes a first cantilever (elastic arm) 114 and an open anchoring area 117. The first connection end 113 is connected to the pressing portion 170, and the open anchoring area 117 is used for fixedly connecting with the housing. Furthermore, the open end of the key element 100 according to the present invention refers to the end that is not connected to the pressing portion 170 but may be used for connecting with other elements (such as the housing). Thus, according to the key element 100 of the present invention, it can be matched with various external designs of electronic devices and the internal component configurations thereof, including the case where the touch switch (such as the touch switch 270 and its contact portion 276) and the pressing portion 170 are eccentric or not eccentric, and during the pressing process, it ensures a smooth sinking stroke of the pressing portion 170, suppresses excessive skew, and further improves the problems of pressing failure or poor pressing feel.

[0048] Specifically, the key element 100 may further include a closing portion 120, which extends from the second connection end 123 to the third connection end 133 and sequentially includes a second cantilever 124, a closing anchoring area 127, and a third cantilever 134. The second connection end 123 and the third connection end 133 are respectively connected to the pressing portion 170, and the closing anchoring area 127 is used for fixedly connecting with the housing. Thus, through the "trident type" (i.e., the first cantilever 114, the second cantilever 124, and the third cantilever 134 are dispersedly connected to the outer periphery of the pressing portion 170) design, it helps to ensure a smooth sinking stroke of the pressing portion 170 even when the key element 100 is applied in the case of being eccentric with the touch switch.

[0049] The length of the first cantilever 114 may be greater than the lengths of the second cantilever 124 and the third cantilever 134. Thus, through the "unequal-length cantilever" design, it helps to suppress excessive skew of the pressing portion 170 even when the key element 100 is applied in the case of being eccentric with the touch switch.

[0050] The characteristic width of the first cantilever 114 is w1, the characteristic width of the second cantilever 124 is w2, and the characteristic widths w1 and w2 respectively refer to the widths of the longest line segment or the main line segment on the first cantilever 114 and the second cantilever 124, and they may satisfy the following condition: w1 > w2. Thus, on the basis of the "unequal-length cantilever" design, further through the "unequal-width cantilever" design, it conforms to the design principle of the moment of inertia of an area in the field of mechanics, thereby improving the pressing feel. In the first embodiment, the characteristic width w1 is 3.16 mm, the characteristic width w2 is 2.01 mm, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0051] The length of the second cantilever 124 can be greater than that of the third cantilever 134. Thus, the first cantilever 114, the second cantilever 124, and the third cantilever 134 serve as the long arm, short arm, and shortest auxiliary arm of the key element 100 respectively, which helps to be applied to the eccentric design through the special asymmetric geometric structure.

[0052] The first cantilever 114 can extend from the first connection end 113 towards the open anchoring area 117 along an extending direction, and the second cantilever 124 can extend from the second connection end 123 towards the closed anchoring area 127 along the same extending direction. The extending direction is the clockwise or counterclockwise direction around the pressing part 170. For example, when viewed from the perspective of Figure 1 , the extending direction is the counterclockwise direction. Thus, the key element 100 can be applied to the situation where it is eccentric to the touch switch, making the product design and material selection more flexible, increasing the probability of using the off-the-shelf inventory of the touch switch element factory, avoiding the cost of customized development, and thus reducing the material selection cost of the touch switch.

[0053] The key element 100 may further include a convex part 140 that extends from the fourth connection end 143 to the open end 148. The first connection end 113, the fourth connection end 143, the second connection end 123, and the third connection end 133 are arranged in sequence along the extending direction. Thus, the key element 100 can be made of an integrally formed plastic material. The convex part 140 can correspond to the injection port during the molding process without affecting the design and function of the key element 100, and the open anchoring area 117 and the closed anchoring area 127 can be fixed to the housing by hot pressing or hot melting methods.

[0054] The key element 100 may further include a bridge part 150 that is connected between the first cantilever 114 and the third cantilever 134. Thus, it helps to improve the smoothness of the sinking stroke of the pressing part 170.

[0055] The width of the bridge part 150 can be smaller than the widths of each of the first cantilever 114, the second cantilever 124, and the third cantilever 134. Thus, it helps the key element 100 to provide an appropriate and smooth pressing elastic force configuration.

[0056] The connection line of the open anchoring area 117 and the closed anchoring area 127 is defined as the anchoring connection line s7, and the connection line of the first connection end 113 (referring to the center of the intersection of the first connection end 113 and the pressing part 170) and the second connection end 123 (referring to the center of the intersection of the second connection end 123 and the pressing part 170) is defined as the first connection line s1. A first angle θ is formed between a section of the anchoring connection line s7 adjacent to the open anchoring area 117 and a section of the first connection line s1 adjacent to the first connection end 113, and it can satisfy the following condition: 30 degrees ≤ θ ≤ 90 degrees. Thereby, the first cantilever 114 and the second cantilever 124 have appropriate relative positions to allow an eccentric design of the pressing part 170, which helps to improve the flexibility of the stacked structure design in the electronic device and further enhances the product development efficiency.

[0057] The anchoring connection line s7 and the first connection line s1 have an intersection point t1 (which may or may not be located at the center of the pressing part 170). The connection line of the third connection end 133 (referring to the center of the intersection of the third connection end 133 and the pressing part 170) and the intersection point t1 is defined as the third connection line s3. A third angle φ is formed between the section of the first connection line s1 adjacent to the first connection end 113 and the section of the third connection line s3 adjacent to the third connection end 133, and it can satisfy the following condition: θ + φ ≤ 180 degrees. Furthermore, it can simultaneously satisfy the following conditions: 30 degrees ≤ θ ≤ 90 degrees; and 30 degrees < θ + φ ≤ 180 degrees. Thereby, the appropriate configuration position of the third cantilever 134 helps the button element 100 with a special geometric shape to be applied to the eccentric pressing situation. In the first embodiment, the first angle θ is 78 degrees, the third angle φ is 62 degrees, and θ + φ is 140 degrees, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0058] The line segment 115 connecting the first connection end 113 in the first cantilever 114 can extend parallel to the first connection line s1, the line segment 125 connecting the second connection end 123 in the second cantilever 124 can extend parallel to the first connection line s1, and the line segment 135 connecting the third connection end 133 in the third cantilever 134 can extend parallel to the third connection line s3. Thereby, better suppression can be achieved to prevent the pressing part 170 from being overly skewed during eccentric pressing.

[0059] Figure 2 The front view of the electronic device 200 showing the second embodiment of the present invention is Figure 3 Shown Figure 2 The enlarged view of part 3 in Figure 4 Shown Figure 3 The exploded view of the part of the electronic device 200 in Figure 5 Shown Figure 2 The cross-sectional view along the section line 5-5 in Figures 3 to 5 where other elements with relatively low relevance to the present invention in the view are omitted. Please refer to Figures 2 to 5, the electronic device 200 includes a housing 280, the key element 100 of the foregoing first embodiment, and a touch switch 270, where the electronic device 200 is specifically a computer mainframe, and the present invention is not limited thereto. The housing 280 includes an opening 289. The key element 100 includes a pressing portion 170 and an opening portion 110. The pressing portion 170 is exposed through the opening 289. The opening portion 110 extends from the first connection end 113 to the open end 118 and sequentially includes a first cantilever 114 and an open anchoring area 117. The first connection end 113 is connected to the pressing portion 170, and the open anchoring area 117 is fixedly connected to the housing 280. The touch switch 270 is disposed corresponding to the pressing portion 170 and includes a contact portion 276. When the user presses the pressing portion 170, the pressing portion 170 contacts the contact portion 276. Specifically, the rib on the surface of the pressing portion 170 facing the inside of the electronic device 200 can contact the contact portion 276. Thereby, the electronic device 200 according to the present invention can achieve the effect that the touch switch 270 can be successfully triggered by pressing at any position of the pressing portion 170, thereby improving the product texture.

[0060] Specifically, please refer to Figure 3 and Figure 5 , the closed anchoring area 127 is fixedly connected to the housing 280, and the contact portion 276 can be eccentrically disposed corresponding to the pressing portion 170. Thereby, the key element 100 can be applied in both eccentric and non-eccentric cases, which helps to improve the design flexibility of the electronic device 200 and thus reduce the development cost. In the second embodiment, when the key element 100 is applied in an eccentric case, the corresponding position of the contact portion 276 of the touch switch 270 deviates from the key center 171 towards the opening portion 110. In other embodiments according to the present invention (not shown in the figure), the corresponding position of the contact portion 276 can deviate from the key center 171 towards the closed portion 120.

[0061] Please refer to Figure 3 , the pressing portion 170 has the most deflected pressing position 172 that is the farthest from the contact portion 276. The distance between the center of the open anchoring area 117 and the most deflected pressing position 172 is L1, and the distance between the center of the closed anchoring area 127 and the most deflected pressing position 172 is L2, which can satisfy the following condition: L2 < L1. Thereby, through the specific configuration of the open anchoring area 117 and the closed anchoring area 127, even when pressing the pressing portion 170 at the most deflected pressing position 172, it helps to ensure its contact with the touch switch 270. In the second embodiment, the distance L1 is 21.87 mm, the distance L2 is 7.79 mm, and the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0062] The center of the pressing portion 170 is the key center 171. The distance between the most deflected pressing position 172 and the key center 171 is f, and the reference distance is L3, which is defined as: And it can satisfy the following conditions: 0.7×L3≤L2≤1.3×L3. Thereby, the pressing failure can be avoided and the pressing feel can be improved. In the second embodiment, the distance f is 6 mm, the reference distance L3 is 6.34 mm, and the present invention is not limited thereto. It should be noted that the distances L1, L2, and f all have distance components in the x and y directions (the distance components can be equal to or greater than 0). For example Figure 3 the horizontal direction in is defined as the x direction, the vertical direction is defined as the y direction, and the distances L1, L2, and f can be calculated from the distance components in the x and y directions.

[0063] Regarding other details of the key element 100 in the electronic device 200, reference can be made to the description of the key element 100 in the foregoing first embodiment, which will not be elaborated herein.

[0064] Although the present invention has been disclosed as above in the embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention should be determined by the scope defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. A key element, which is elastic and used to connect to a housing, and the key element includes: A pressing part which is used to be exposed through an opening of the housing for a user to press; and An opening part which extends from a first connection end to an open end and sequentially includes a first cantilever and an open anchoring area, wherein the first connection end is connected to the pressing part, and the open anchoring area is used for fixedly connecting with the housing.

2. The key element according to claim 1, and the key element further includes: A closing part which extends from a second connection end to a third connection end and sequentially includes a second cantilever, a closing anchoring area and a third cantilever, wherein the second connection end and the third connection end are respectively connected to the pressing part, and the closing anchoring area is used for fixedly connecting with the housing.

3. The key element according to claim 2, wherein the length of the first cantilever is greater than the lengths of the second cantilever and the third cantilever.

4. The key element according to claim 2, wherein the length of the second cantilever is greater than the length of the third cantilever.

5. The key element according to claim 2, wherein the first cantilever extends from the first connection end towards the open anchoring area along an extending direction, the second cantilever extends from the second connection end towards the closed anchoring area along the extending direction, and the extending direction is a clockwise direction or a counterclockwise direction around the pressing part.

6. The key element according to claim 5, and the key element further includes: A convex part which extends from a fourth connection end to another open end, wherein the first connection end, the fourth connection end, the second connection end and the third connection end are sequentially arranged along the extending direction.

7. The key element according to claim 2, and the key element further includes: A bridge part which is connected between the first cantilever and the third cantilever.

8. The key element according to claim 7, wherein the width of the bridge part is less than the widths of each of the first cantilever, the second cantilever and the third cantilever.

9. The key element according to claim 2, wherein the connection line between the open anchoring area and the closed anchoring area is defined as an anchoring connection line, the connection line between the first connection end and the second connection end is defined as a first connection line, a section of the anchoring connection line related to the open anchoring area and a section of the first connection line related to the first connection end form a first included angle, the first included angle is θ, and it satisfies the following condition: 30 degrees ≤ θ ≤ 90 degrees.

10. The key element according to claim 9, wherein the anchoring connection line and the first connection line have an intersection point, the connection line between the third connection end and the intersection point is defined as a third connection line, a section of the first connection line related to the first connection end and a section of the third connection line related to the third connection end form a third included angle, the third included angle is φ, and it satisfies the following condition: θ + φ ≤ 180 degrees.

11. The key element according to claim 10, wherein a line segment of the third cantilever connecting the third connection end extends parallel to the third connection line.

12. The key element according to claim 9, wherein a line segment connecting the first connection end in the first cantilever extends parallel to the first connection line, and a line segment connecting the second connection end in the second cantilever extends parallel to the first connection line.

13. The key element according to claim 2, wherein the characteristic width of the first cantilever is w1, and the characteristic width of the second cantilever is w2, and they satisfy the following conditions: w1 > w2.

14. An electronic device, the electronic device comprising: A housing which includes an opening; A key component which includes a pressing part and an opening part, wherein the pressing part is exposed through the opening, the opening part extends from a first connection end to an open end and sequentially includes a first cantilever and an open anchoring area, the first connection end is connected to the pressing part, and the open anchoring area is fixedly connected with the housing; and A touch switch which is arranged corresponding to the pressing part and includes a contact part; wherein when a user presses the pressing part, the pressing part contacts with the contact part.

15. The electronic device according to claim 14, wherein the contact portion is eccentrically arranged corresponding to the pressing portion.

16. The electronic device according to claim 14, wherein the key element further comprises an enclosing portion, the enclosing portion extends from a second connection end to a third connection end and sequentially includes a second cantilever, an enclosing anchoring region and a third cantilever, the second connection end and the third connection end are respectively connected to the pressing portion, and the enclosing anchoring region is fixedly connected to the housing.

17. The electronic device according to claim 16, wherein the pressing portion has a most skewed pressing position farthest from the contact portion, the distance between the center of the open anchoring region and the most skewed pressing position is L1, and the distance between the center of the enclosing anchoring region and the most skewed pressing position is L2, and they satisfy the following conditions: L2 < L1.

18. The electronic device according to claim 17, wherein the pressing portion has a key center, the distance between the most skewed pressing position and the key center is f, and a reference distance is L3, which is defined as: and they satisfy the following conditions: 0.7×L3 ≤ L2 ≤ 1.3×L3.

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