A key assembly with vibration feedback

Abstract

The application discloses a key assembly with vibration feedback, wherein the key is arranged on a circuit board and electrically connected with the circuit board, the key comprises a key seat, a presser capable of moving up and down relative to the key seat, and a reset elastic member for resetting the presser, the bottom of the presser extends downwardly with a key shaft, the key shaft has a hollow cavity, and a movable block capable of moving up and down is encapsulated in the hollow cavity; the key further comprises a coil group arranged below the presser and sleeved around the key shaft; when the coil group is electrified, a magnetic field can be generated to attract the movable block to move upwardly and hit the bottom of the presser to generate vibration. The magnetic field generated by electrifying the coil group drives the movable block to move along the key shaft in the axial direction and directly hit the presser, the vibration energy is directly transmitted from the presser to the fingers of a user, the path is short, the loss is small, and the vibration feeling is concentrated; the time from electrifying the coil group to the movable block hitting the presser is extremely short, so that millisecond-level vibration feedback can be realized; and the components are highly integrated, and the structure is simple.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of button technology, and more specifically to a button assembly with vibration feedback. Background Technology

[0002] With the widespread use of electronic devices and the increasing demands of users for user experience, buttons with haptic feedback have gradually become a research hotspot in the field of input devices. Traditional mechanical buttons rely on metal spring contacts for conduction, providing a fixed feel but active haptic feedback. Magnetic shaft buttons, which have emerged in recent years, utilize permanent magnets and Hall effect sensors to achieve contactless triggering. While this solves the problem of contact wear, it only uses the magnetic field for button detection and typically lacks vibration feedback. Existing buttons with vibration feedback often use piezoelectric ceramic plates, eccentric rotary motors, or linear motors as vibration sources. These vibration elements are usually located below or to the side of the button, and their vibration drives the entire button or device housing to vibrate, which is then transmitted to the user's finger. This indirect vibration transmission method suffers from problems such as high energy loss, insufficient vibration concentration, and slow response speed.

[0003] Therefore, there is an urgent need in this field for a button assembly with a compact structure, direct feedback, rapid response, and vibration feedback function. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the aforementioned problems, the present invention aims to provide a button assembly with vibration feedback.

[0005] To achieve this technical objective, the present invention provides a button assembly with vibration feedback. The button is mounted on and electrically connected to a circuit board. The button includes a key base, a handle that can move up and down relative to the key base, and a reset elastic element for resetting the handle. A key shaft extends downward from the bottom of the handle, and the key shaft has a hollow cavity. A movable block that can move up and down is encapsulated within the hollow cavity. The button also includes a coil assembly disposed below the handle and surrounding the key shaft. The movable block is a permanent magnet or a magnetic conductor. When the coil assembly is energized, it generates a magnetic field that attracts the movable block to move upward and impact the bottom of the handle, generating vibration.

[0006] Preferably, the reset elastic element includes a large-diameter spring and a small-diameter spring, both of which are arranged around the key shaft, and the coil assembly is electrically connected to the circuit board through the two springs.

[0007] Preferably, the button further includes a first conductive plate and a second conductive plate, with the bottom of the large-diameter spring and the top of the small-diameter spring abutting against the first conductive plate and the top of the small-diameter spring abutting against the second conductive plate. Each of the first and second conductive plates is provided with conductive lines corresponding to the two springs. The coil group is electrically connected to the second conductive plate. The first conductive plate is electrically connected to the circuit board.

[0008] Preferably, a fixing block is provided at the bottom of the key shaft. The fixing block and the movable block can be attracted to each other by magnetic force, and the fixing block is fixed on the key shaft. When the coil group is energized, it can generate a magnetic field to detach the movable block from the fixing block and move upward to strike the bottom of the handle.

[0009] Preferably, the coil assembly includes a coil frame and a coil wound on the coil frame, the coil frame being fixedly connected to the handle, and the second conductive plate being fixed to the bottom of the coil frame.

[0010] Preferably, the first conductive plate is also provided with pins, and the circuit board is also provided with a socket for the pins to be inserted for electrical connection.

[0011] Preferably, both the fixed block and the movable block are columnar bodies, wherein the diameter of the fixed block is larger than the diameter of the movable block, and the fixed block is fixed to the lower part of the hollow column of the key shaft by an interference fit.

[0012] Preferably, the circuit board is equipped with a magnetic sensor, the fixing block is a permanent magnet, and when the button handle is pressed, the key shaft moves downward with the fixing block to trigger the magnetic sensor to generate a signal output; the magnetic sensor is a Hall sensor or a magnetoresistive sensor.

[0013] Preferably, the circuit board is provided with a light sensor, the key shaft has a grating structure, and when the key handle is pressed, the key shaft moves downward, causing the light sensor to generate a signal output.

[0014] Preferably, the circuit board is provided with an inductor coil, and the key shaft has an inductive metal conductor. When the key handle is pressed, the key shaft carries the inductive metal conductor downward into the inductor coil, triggering the inductor coil to generate a signal output.

[0015] The beneficial effects of this invention are that the movable block is movably housed inside the hollow cavity of the key shaft. The magnetic field generated by the energized coil group drives the movable block to move along the axial direction of the key shaft and directly strike the key handle. The vibration energy is directly transmitted from the key handle to the user's finger, with a short path, low loss, and concentrated vibration. The movable block is housed inside the hollow key shaft, and the coil group is sleeved on the outside of the key shaft. The components are highly integrated, do not occupy additional installation space, and have a simplified structure. Attached Figure Description

[0016] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the exploded decomposition structure of a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0017] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the overall structure of a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

[0018] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the resetting elastic element structure of the present invention;

[0019] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the coil assembly structure of the present invention;

[0020] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the internal structure of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 6 This is a partial cross-sectional view of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of the circuit board according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 8 This is a schematic diagram of the circuit board inductor coil according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention;

[0024] Figure 9 This is a schematic diagram of the key shaft being provided with an inductive metal conductor in Embodiment 3 of the present invention.

[0025] In the diagram: 1. Circuit board; 2. Key socket; 3. Button; 4. Key shaft; 5. Movable block; 6. Fixed block; 7. Coil frame; 8. Large diameter spring; 9. Small diameter spring; 10. First conductive plate; 11. Second conductive plate; 12. Coil; 13. Key cover; 14. Pin; 15. Grating; 16. Magnetic sensor; 17. Light-emitting element; 18. Light-receiving element; 19. Inductor coil; 20. Inductive metal conductor. Detailed Implementation

[0026] The invention of this application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. In order to provide a clear and complete description of the technical solution, the following embodiments are selected for illustration; other embodiments obtained based on the content described in this application without creative effort are all within the scope of protection of this invention.

[0027] In the following embodiments, it should be noted that the terms "upper", "lower", "left", "right", "inner", "outer", "top / bottom" and other orientations or positional relationships are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the purpose of clearly describing this embodiment, rather than indicating or implying that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, and therefore should not be construed as a limitation of this application.

[0028] like Figure 1-9 As shown, a specific embodiment of the present invention is a button assembly with vibration feedback, mainly including a key base 2, a handle 3, and a reset elastic element. The entire button is disposed on and electrically connected to the circuit board 1. The button is used to trigger electronic components disposed on the circuit board to generate signal output. The electronic components can be magnetic sensors, optical sensors, and inductor coils. The button can be set / configured accordingly for different electronic components, which can be understood and implemented by those skilled in the art based on the prior art.

[0029] Key base 2 is mounted on circuit board 1, serving as the support structure for the entire key. Button handle 3 is positioned above key base 2 and can move up and down relative to key base 2. A reset elastic element provides the reset force for button handle 3. Extending downwards from the bottom of button handle 3 is key shaft 4, which has a hollow cavity. A movable block 5 is encapsulated within this hollow cavity. The movable block 5 can move up and down within the hollow cavity. The movable block 5 can be a permanent magnet or a magnetic conductor, designed to work in conjunction with the magnetic field generated by the coil assembly to create a driving force for the movement of the movable block 5. In a preferred embodiment, the hollow cavity is a hollow cylinder, and the movable block 5 is preferably a cylindrical magnetic metal block or a cylindrical axially magnetized permanent magnet, with a diameter slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the hollow cylinder of key shaft 4, to ensure that the movable block 5 can move smoothly up and down axially within key shaft 4.

[0030] like Figure 1 and 4 As shown, a coil assembly is fixedly installed around the outer periphery of the handle 3, and the coil assembly is sleeved on the key shaft 4. The coil assembly is located below the handle 3 and loops around the key shaft 4. In a specific implementation, the coil assembly includes a coil frame 7 and a coil 12 wound on the coil frame. The coil frame 7 and the coil 12 move up and down together with the handle 3. When the coil assembly is energized, it can generate a magnetic field to attract the movable block to move upward and strike the bottom of the handle to generate vibration, realizing the vibration feedback of the button. The specific magnetic pole direction can be adjusted adaptively based on common sense; when the coil assembly is de-energized, the magnetic field disappears, and the movable block falls back to its original position.

[0031] The reset elastic element on the button is used to drive the button 3 to return to its initial position after the button 3 is pressed. Based on the conductivity problem of the coil assembly (i.e., the electrical connection problem of the circuit board), this application innovatively constructs the reset elastic element as a large-diameter spring 8 and a small-diameter spring 9, both springs surrounding the key shaft 4, with the large-diameter spring 8 sleeved outside the small-diameter spring 9. The beneficial effect of this is that, in addition to serving as the reset structure, the large-diameter spring 8 and the small-diameter spring 9 also act as wires electrically connecting the coil 12 and the circuit board 1, with the large-diameter spring 8 and the small-diameter spring 9 serving as the positive and negative conductive paths, respectively.

[0032] In a preferred embodiment, the button assembly of this application is further configured with a first conductive plate 10 and a second conductive plate 11. The first conductive plate 10 is fixed to the bottom of the key base 2, and the second conductive plate 11 is fixed to the bottom of the coil frame. The bottoms of both the large-diameter spring 8 and the small-diameter spring 9 abut against the first conductive plate 10, and their tops abut against the second conductive plate 11. Both the first conductive plate 10 and the second conductive plate 11 are provided with conductive lines corresponding one-to-one with the large-diameter spring 8 and the small-diameter spring 9, respectively. The first conductive line corresponds to the large-diameter spring 8, and the second conductive line corresponds to the small-diameter spring 9. The bottom of the large-diameter spring 8 abuts against the first conductive line and is electrically connected, and the bottom of the small-diameter spring 9 abuts against the second conductive line and is electrically connected.

[0033] In the preferred embodiment, the first conductive plate 10 is further provided with pins 14, and the circuit board 1 is correspondingly provided with a socket for inserting the pins 14 to achieve electrical connection. Through the cooperation of the pins 14 and the socket, a pluggable electrical connection is achieved between the first conductive plate 10 and the circuit board 1.

[0034] As a further preferred embodiment of the present invention, in order to increase the reset speed of the movable block 5, a fixing block 6 is also fixedly provided at the bottom of the key shaft 4. The fixing block 6 and the movable block 5 can be attracted to each other by magnetic force, and the fixing block is fixed on the key shaft 4. If the movable block 5 is a magnetic material (such as an iron block), then the fixing block 6 is selected as a permanent magnet; if the movable block 5 is a permanent magnet, then the fixing block 6 can be selected as either a magnetic material or a permanent magnet. When the coil group is energized, it can generate a magnetic field to detach the movable block 5 from the fixing block 6 and move upward to strike the bottom of the handle (the magnetic field strength of the coil group is adjusted according to the specific situation, as long as the movable block and the fixing block can be separated); when the coil group is de-energized, the fixing block 6 generates a strong attraction to the movable block 5 through its own permanent magnet force, quickly pulling the movable block 5 back to the initial bottom position, realizing the instantaneous reset of the button, ensuring that the button can return to its position in milliseconds after release, and significantly improving the response speed.

[0035] In practical application, in the initial state (when the button is not pressed), the movable block 5 is attracted to the upper surface of the fixed block 6 by the magnetic attraction of the fixed block 6. When the user presses the button to a certain travel distance, the control circuit energizes the coil assembly. The energized coil generates a magnetic field, and the magnetic force generated by the coil assembly is greater than the magnetic attraction of the fixed block 6 to the movable block 5. The movable block 5 detaches from the fixed block 6 and moves away from it. The movable block 5 moves upward and strikes the bottom of the key handle, generating an impact. This impact is transmitted to the user's finger through the key handle 3, providing a clear and crisp vibration feedback. Each button press is accompanied by a distinct vibration feedback. Of course, in the optimal embodiment, the control circuit can supply a high-frequency current to the coil assembly, causing the movable block 5 to move repeatedly up and down at high frequency within the hollow cavity of the key shaft 4, allowing the user to experience high-frequency vibration.

[0036] As mentioned above, the button of the present invention is used to trigger electronic components disposed on the circuit board to generate signal output. In Embodiment 1, the electronic component on the circuit board 1 is a magnetic sensor 16, such as... Figure 7 As shown, the magnetic sensor 16 is preferably a Hall sensor or a magnetoresistive sensor. In this case, a permanent magnet is needed on the key shaft to trigger the magnetic sensor 16. Optimally, the fixing block 6 can be directly selected as a permanent magnet. When the button 3 is pressed, the key shaft moves downwards with the fixing block 6, and the magnetic sensor 16 can detect the change in the magnetic field. The magnetic sensor 16 generates a signal output, which enables the control circuit to energize the coil assembly, thereby triggering vibration feedback. The magnetic sensor 16 and the fixing block 6 work together to provide precise vibration feedback and simplify the button structure.

[0037] In the second embodiment, the electronic component on the circuit board 1 is selected as a light sensor, which includes a light-emitting element 17 and a light-receiving element 18. A grating 15 is provided on the key shaft 4. When the key handle 3 is pressed, the key shaft 4 drives the grating 15 to move downward, causing a change in the light path between the light-emitting element 17 and the light-receiving element 18. The light-receiving element 18 will then output a signal. When the control circuit detects the signal from the light-receiving element 18, it outputs an energizing signal to the coil group, thereby triggering vibration feedback.

[0038] In the third embodiment, the electronic component of circuit board 1 is selected as inductor coil 19. Inductor coil 19 is disposed on circuit board 1 and located directly below key shaft 4. In this case, key shaft needs to have an inductive metal conductor 20 to trigger inductor coil 19. As the optimal method, fixing block 6 can directly serve as inductor metal conductor 20, such as... Figure 9 As shown, when the button handle 3 is pressed, the key shaft 4 carries the inductive metal conductor 20 downwards into the inductor coil 19, triggering the inductor coil 19 to generate a signal output, thereby triggering vibration feedback. In this embodiment, the original fixing block 6 is used as the inductive metal conductor 20, which simplifies the button structure.

[0039] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. Any minor modifications, equivalent substitutions, and improvements made to the above embodiments based on the technical essence of the present invention should be included within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A button assembly with vibration feedback, wherein the button is disposed on and electrically connected to a circuit board, the button includes a key base, a handle movable up and down relative to the key base, and a reset elastic element for resetting the handle, wherein a key shaft extends downward from the bottom of the handle, characterized in that, The key shaft has a hollow cavity, in which a movable block capable of moving up and down is encapsulated; the button also includes a coil group disposed below the handle and surrounding the key shaft, and the movable block is a permanent magnet or a magnetic conductor; when the coil group is energized, it can generate a magnetic field to attract the movable block to move upward and strike the bottom of the handle to generate vibration.

2. The button assembly with vibration feedback according to claim 1, characterized in that, The reset elastic element includes a large-diameter spring and a small-diameter spring, both of which are arranged around the key shaft. The coil assembly is electrically connected to the circuit board through these two springs.

3. The button assembly with vibration feedback according to claim 2, characterized in that, The button also includes a first conductive plate and a second conductive plate. The bottoms of the large-diameter spring and the small-diameter spring abut against the first conductive plate, and the tops abut against the second conductive plate. Each of the first and second conductive plates is provided with conductive lines corresponding to the two springs. The coil group is electrically connected to the second conductive plate. The first conductive plate is electrically connected to the circuit board.

4. The button assembly with vibration feedback according to claim 3, characterized in that, The bottom of the key shaft is also provided with a fixed block. The fixed block and the movable block can be attracted to each other by magnetic force. The fixed block is fixed on the key shaft. When the coil group is energized, it can generate a magnetic field to detach the movable block from the fixed block and move upward to hit the bottom of the handle.

5. The button assembly with vibration feedback according to claim 4, characterized in that, The coil assembly includes a coil frame and a coil wound on the coil frame. The coil frame is fixedly connected to the handle, and the second conductive plate is fixed to the bottom of the coil frame.

6. The button assembly with vibration feedback according to claim 5, characterized in that, The first conductive plate is also provided with pins, and the circuit board is also provided with sockets for the pins to be inserted for electrical connection.

7. The button assembly with vibration feedback according to claim 5, characterized in that, Both the fixed block and the movable block are columnar bodies, wherein the diameter of the fixed block is larger than the diameter of the movable block, and the fixed block is fixed to the lower part of the hollow column of the key shaft by interference fit.

8. The button assembly with vibration feedback according to any one of claims 4 to 7, characterized in that, A magnetic sensor is provided on the circuit board, and the fixing block is a permanent magnet. When the button handle is pressed, the key shaft moves the fixing block downward to trigger the magnetic sensor to generate a signal output. The magnetic sensor is a Hall sensor or a magnetoresistive sensor.

9. The button assembly with vibration feedback according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, The circuit board is equipped with a light sensor, and the key shaft has a grating structure. When the key handle is pressed, the key shaft moves downward, causing the light sensor to output a signal.

10. The button assembly with vibration feedback according to any one of claims 1 to 7, characterized in that, An inductor coil is provided on the circuit board, and the key shaft has an inductive metal conductor. When the key handle is pressed, the key shaft carries the inductive metal conductor downward into the inductor coil, triggering the inductor coil to generate a signal output.

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