Shaft body switch for mechanical keyboard

Abstract

The utility model discloses a shaft body switch for a mechanical keyboard. The shaft body switch for the mechanical keyboard comprises an upper shell, a lower shell, a shaft core and a reset spring, wherein the shaft core is arranged to penetrate through a through hole of the upper shell and can move from an initial first position to a second position for triggering the shaft body switch to be switched on; the reset spring can reset the shaft core from the second position to the first position; the first pin and the second pin are located on the same side of the shaft core and penetrate through the lower shell, the upper end of the second pin is provided with a second contact, the shaft core is provided with a positioning protrusion on the same side face of the first pin and the second pin, when the shaft core is located at the first position, the positioning protrusion abuts against the first pin and the second pin, and when the shaft core is located at the second position, the positioning protrusion abuts against the second pin. The first pin is separated from the second contact; and when the shaft core is located at the second position, the first pin is in contact with the second contact.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to a shaft switch, in particular to a shaft switch used for a mechanical keyboard. Background Art

[0002] In 1983, Cherry, a German company, launched the MX switch for keyboards. In the 40 years since then, the key switches in mechanical keyboards used by people all over the world are MX switches or MX-like switches. Its size and trigger form have become the current industry standard.

[0003] A typical structure of a MX-like switch is as follows: Figure 7 As shown. The shaft switch 100 includes a housing composed of an upper housing 101 and a lower housing 102, the upper housing 101 and the lower housing 102 are buckled together to form a receiving space inside; the shaft core 103 passes through a through hole set in the central area of ​​the upper housing 101, and can move from an initial position to a trigger position under the action of the downward pressure when the user hits the keycap; the reset spring 104 is set between the upper surface of the lower housing 102 and the shaft core 103, and can reset the shaft core 103 from the trigger position to the initial position. The shaft switch 100 also includes a spring 105 set on the side of the shaft core 103, and a protrusion 108 is provided on the corresponding side of the shaft core 103. When the shaft core 103 moves downward, the protrusion 108 moves downward, and the end 106 of the spring 105 abutting the protrusion 108 moves toward the shaft core direction, and contacts with the contact (not shown in the figure) connected to the pin 107, so that the switch circuit is turned on.

[0004] There are multiple problems with the above structure. First, during the downward movement of the shaft core, there is mutual friction between the protrusion and the shrapnel, which will cause component wear and metal fatigue after long-term use, resulting in problems of non-triggering or multiple triggering. Second, when the shaft core is returned to the top by the reset spring, it collides with the end of the shrapnel, resulting in noise. Third, the trigger stroke of the shaft switch cannot be adjusted. Fourth, the shrapnel is always in a biased state when it is not moving, causing the shaft core to always bear a force perpendicular to its axial direction. Therefore, a shaft core column needs to be set on the shaft core to be sleeved on the inner side of the reset spring, and a shaft core support needs to be set on the base to assist in positioning the shaft core. The height of the shaft core support is usually about 4mm, but in this way, during the movement of the shaft core, friction is generated between the outer surface of the shaft core column and the shaft core support and the reset spring, resulting in poor key feel. Utility Model Content

[0005] In order to solve or alleviate at least a part of the technical problems mentioned in the background technology, the utility model proposes a novel shaft switch for a mechanical keyboard.

[0006] According to an exemplary embodiment, the shaft switch includes: a shell, including an upper shell and a lower shell, the upper shell and the lower shell are buckled together to form a accommodating space, and the upper shell is provided with a through hole; an axis core, the axis core is arranged to pass through the through hole of the upper shell and can move from an initial first position to a second position triggering the shaft switch to be turned on under the action of downward pressure; a reset spring arranged between the lower shell and the axis core, the reset spring can reset the axis core from the second position to the first position; and a first pin and a second pin located on the same side of the axis core and passing through the lower shell, the upper end of the second pin is provided with a second contact, the axis core is provided with a positioning protrusion on the same side as the first pin and the second pin, when the axis core is in the first position, the positioning protrusion abuts the first pin and the second pin, so that the first pin and the second contact are separated; when the axis core is in the second position, the first pin and the second contact are in contact.

[0007] According to another exemplary embodiment, the second pin is a bent pin, and the first pin and the second pin have the same shape; the first pin and the second pin are symmetrically arranged with the center line of the positioning protrusion as the axis.

[0008] According to another exemplary embodiment, the bent-type pin includes a bent portion and a pin portion, the upper end of the bent portion is provided with a contact, the lower end of the bent portion is provided with an extension, and the pin portion is provided perpendicular to the extension.

[0009] According to another exemplary embodiment, the bending portion is formed by bending twice, including a first bending point and a second bending point, the contact point is disposed at an upper end of the first bending point, and the extension portion is disposed at a terminal end of the second bending point.

[0010] According to another exemplary embodiment, a first contact is disposed at an upper end of the first pin corresponding to the second contact; the contact is disposed at an angle so that an angle is formed when the first contact contacts the second contact.

[0011] According to yet another exemplary embodiment, the positioning protrusion is disposed between a first bend of the first pin and a first bend of the second pin.

[0012] According to yet another exemplary embodiment, the positioning protrusion is formed integrally with the shaft core.

[0013] According to another exemplary embodiment, the positioning protrusion includes a first contact surface contacting the first pin and a second contact surface contacting the second pin, the first contact surface and the second contact surface are both arc-shaped, and the upper end diameter of the positioning protrusion is smaller than the diameter formed between the first contact surface and the second contact surface.

[0014] According to another exemplary embodiment, a reset spring positioning hole is provided at the lower end of the shaft core, and the reset spring positioning hole is a conical hole, and the diameter of the open end is larger than the diameter of the bottom end.

[0015] According to yet another exemplary embodiment, the lower housing is provided with a return spring positioning protrusion, the return spring positioning protrusion is an annular protrusion, and the height of the annular protrusion is equal to or less than 1.5 mm. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0016] The exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described below in conjunction with the following drawings, wherein:

[0017] Figure 1 is a perspective view of a switch for a mechanical keyboard according to an exemplary embodiment;

[0018] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of a shaft switch for a mechanical keyboard is shown;

[0019] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 An exploded perspective view of a switch for a mechanical keyboard is shown;

[0020] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 A perspective view of a shaft core of a shaft switch for a mechanical keyboard is shown;

[0021] Figure 5 yes Figure 3 A perspective view of the shaft core of the shaft switch for a mechanical keyboard as viewed from another direction;

[0022] Figure 6 yes Figure 1 Schematic diagram of triggering method of shaft switch for mechanical keyboard shown in;

[0023] Figure 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the prior art. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] In order to make the purpose, technical solution and advantages of the utility model clearer, the utility model will be described in detail below with reference to one or more specific implementation methods of the utility model in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

[0025] It should be understood that in this specification, terms indicating orientation, direction or position relationship such as "longitudinal", "lateral", "up", "down", "front", "back", "left", "right", "clockwise" and "counterclockwise" are based on the orientation or position relationship shown in the drawings and are only for the convenience of describing the present invention, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation, unless otherwise specifically provided herein.

[0026] The prefixes "first", "second", etc. of technical features are only used to distinguish different individuals of the same type of technical features, and do not imply any importance or order of precedence between them. Depending on the specific implementation methods, the two may have different structures.

[0027] The schematic embodiment of the shaft switch for a mechanical keyboard of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Figures 1 to 6 The structure of a shaft switch for a mechanical keyboard according to an exemplary embodiment is shown. The shaft switch 200 includes a housing, and the housing may include an upper housing 201 and a lower housing 202, wherein the upper housing 201 and the lower housing 202 are mutually engaged to form a receiving space, and a through hole is provided on the upper housing 201. The shaft switch 200 also includes a shaft core 210, which is arranged to pass through the through hole in the upper housing 201 and can move from an initial or static first position to a second position (or trigger position) that triggers the shaft switch to be turned on under the action of downward pressure. A reset spring 204 is arranged between the lower housing 202 and the shaft core 210, and can reset the shaft core 210 from the second position to the first position. Specifically, a connecting column 211 is provided on the upper surface of the shaft core 210 for connecting with a key cap (not shown in the figure). The reset spring 204 can be the same as the prior art, and adopts a coil spring.

[0028] The shaft switch 200 further includes a spring trigger switch 220 disposed in the accommodation space and located on one side of the shaft core 210. The spring trigger mechanism 220 includes a first pin 221 and a second pin 222 disposed on the same side of the shaft core 210 and passing through the lower housing 202, and a second contact 2221 is disposed on the upper end of the second pin 222 (not marked due to angle problems in the figure), and the first pin 221 and the second contact 2221 correspond to each other and contact each other in a static state. The shaft core 210 is provided with a positioning protrusion 212 on the same side of the first pin 221 and the second pin 222, and the positioning protrusion 212 is formed integrally with the shaft core 210. The shaft switch 200 is configured such that: when the shaft core 210 is in the first position, the positioning protrusion 212 abuts against the first pin 221 and the second pin 222, so that the first pin 221 and the second contact 2221 are separated; when the shaft core 210 is in the second position, the first pin 221 and the second contact 2221 are in contact.

[0029] The function of the contact is to connect the first pin 221 and the second pin 222 to facilitate electrical conduction; therefore, a contact is provided at the upper end of any one of the first pin 221 and the second pin 222, which are both replaceable solutions of this embodiment.

[0030] In a specific implementation, a first contact 2211 and a second contact 2221 are provided at the upper ends of the first pin 221 and the second pin 222 correspondingly, that is, the first contact 2211 is provided at the upper end of the first pin 221 and the corresponding position of the second contact 2221, and when any contact has poor contact, the second contact can serve as a backup.

[0031] Meanwhile, the first pin 221 and the second pin 222 are made of an elastic material that is electrically conductive.

[0032] By using the spring trigger switch 220 proposed by the utility model, the problems of mutual friction between components and biased pressure of the shaft core 210 existing in the prior art can be solved. The keyboard smoothness is effectively improved, which is conducive to eliminating noise and optimizing the keyboard tapping feel. In addition, the double pin setting, that is, the double elastic member setting, can reduce the pressure on a single pin, reduce the deformation degree of a single pin, and shorten the time required for rebound.

[0033] In one embodiment, the second pin 222 is a bent pin, the first pin 221 and the second pin 222 have the same shape, and the first pin 221 and the second pin 222 are symmetrically arranged with the center line of the positioning protrusion 212 as the axis. In this embodiment, the first pin 221 and the second pin 222 are both bent pins, and the specifications and sizes of the two are exactly the same. They are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the positioning protrusion with the center line of the positioning protrusion as the axis. In this embodiment, since the first pin 221 and the second pin 222 are both bent pins, this embodiment is described by taking the second pin 222 as an example. Specifically, the second pin 222 (bent pin) includes a bent portion and a pin portion, and the bent portion is formed by two bends, including a first bend 2222 and a second bend 2223, the second contact 2221 is arranged at the upper end of the first bend 2222, and the end of the second bend 2223 is provided with an extension 2224, and the pin portion is arranged perpendicular to the extension 2224. In a specific embodiment, the second contact 2221 is tilted at the first bend of the second pin 222, and correspondingly, the first contact 2211 is tilted at the first bend of the first pin 221, so that an angle is formed when the first contact 2211 and the second contact 2221 are in contact.

[0034] Furthermore, the first pin 221 and the second pin 222 are both bent pins with exactly the same specifications and dimensions. During the production process, the same mold can be directly used for production, which can greatly reduce the mold cost. The pin production process is standardized, which can reduce production time and improve production efficiency.

[0035] In a specific embodiment, the positioning protrusion 212 is provided between the first bend of the first pin 221 and the first bend of the second pin 222. Specifically, the positioning protrusion 212 includes a first contact surface in contact with the first bend of the first pin 221 and a second contact surface in contact with the first bend of the second pin 222. The first contact surface and the second contact surface are both arc-shaped, and the upper end diameter of the positioning protrusion 212 is smaller than the diameter formed between the first contact surface and the second contact surface. The cross section of the positioning protrusion 212 can be circular, elliptical, etc. The positioning protrusion 212 is bounded by the diameter formed between the first contact surface and the second contact surface, and any diameter at the upper end of the boundary is smaller than the diameter formed between the first contact surface and the second contact surface.

[0036] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the trigger stroke between the initial position of the shaft core and the trigger position that starts to trigger the conduction of the shaft switch circuit is not necessarily equal to the maximum stroke (key stroke) of the shaft core. Normally, the maximum stroke of the shaft core of a MX-type shaft switch is set to 4mm, and the trigger stroke is approximately half of the maximum stroke, i.e., 2mm. From the trigger position where the shaft core initially starts to trigger the shrapnel trigger switch to conduct to any position between the maximum stroke position, the shrapnel trigger switch will always be in the on state. The length of the key stroke and the trigger stroke will affect the user's feel to a certain extent, so another aspect of the present invention is how to flexibly change the trigger stroke within the key stroke range.

[0037] In a specific implementation method, the shaft core may be provided with a groove on the same side as the first pin and the second pin, and a rod-shaped component is partially inserted into the groove to form the positioning protrusion. In a more specific case, the groove may be provided with a plurality of grooves, and the rod-shaped component may be selectively inserted into one of the plurality of grooves. The plurality of grooves are distributed at a plurality of preset positions, and by changing the groove into which the rod-shaped component is inserted, the travel distance of the shaft core 210 moving downward when the first contact and the second contact are in contact / separation can be changed, thereby changing the triggering travel of the shaft switch 200. For example, in an exemplary embodiment, the plurality of grooves include a first groove, and the shaft switch can be set so that, when the rod-shaped component is inserted into the first groove, the triggering travel of the shaft switch is half of the maximum travel of the shaft core, and at this time, the positioning protrusion is separated from the first spring sheet and the second spring sheet, so that the first contact and the second contact are in contact. In addition, the plurality of grooves may further include a second groove, and the shaft switch may be set such that, when the rod-shaped member is inserted into the second groove, the trigger stroke of the shaft switch is one third or one fourth of the maximum stroke of the shaft core, and at this time, the positioning protrusion is separated from the first pin and the second pin, so that the first contact point contacts the second contact point. It is easy for those skilled in the art to understand that in order to obtain a desired trigger stroke, it is only necessary to change the position of the positioning protrusion 212 on the shaft core 210.

[0038] In addition, since the shrapnel trigger switch of the utility model replaces the shrapnel switch of the prior art, the shaft core is no longer biased by the shrapnel, so the shaft core column and shaft core support for assisting the shaft core positioning in the prior art can be eliminated, thereby reducing the friction between them and the reset spring.

[0039] Therefore, in one embodiment, a return spring positioning hole 213 is provided at the lower end of the shaft core 210. The return spring positioning hole is a conical hole, and the diameter of the open end is larger than the diameter of the bottom end. The upper end of the return spring 204 is positioned in the return spring positioning hole 213. Since the conical hole is used, there is no friction between the hole wall and the return spring 204.

[0040] In addition, in another embodiment, a reset spring positioning protrusion 2021 is provided on the upper surface of the lower housing 202, and the reset spring positioning protrusion 2021 is an annular protrusion, and the height of the annular protrusion can be equal to or less than 1.5 mm. The lower end of the reset spring is sleeved on the outer side of the annular protrusion. Since the annular protrusion no longer plays a role in positioning the shaft core, and is only used to position the reset spring, the height of the annular protrusion can be significantly reduced. Since the height of the annular protrusion is very small, even if the reset spring changes between compression and recovery, the friction between the outer side of the annular protrusion and the reset spring can be greatly reduced to negligible. In addition, since the height of the positioning protrusion of the utility model (equal to or less than 1.5 mm) is significantly reduced relative to the height of the shaft core support used in the prior art (usually about 4 mm), the lower dead point of the shaft core stroke can be set lower, so the technical solution of the utility model can make the overall height of the shaft body switch smaller, so that it can be used to manufacture thin or ultra-thin mechanical keyboards.

[0041] In addition, although the preferred embodiments of the present invention are described exemplarily in the above description, it should be understood that based on the teachings of the present invention, those skilled in the art can easily think of making various modifications or variations to the embodiments disclosed in the present specification, or making obvious combinations or substitutions of various technical features. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention should not be limited to the specific embodiments disclosed in the present specification.

[0042] The protection scope of the utility model should be determined based on the technical solution defined in the claims.

Claims

1. A shaft switch for a mechanical keyboard, comprising: The housing comprises an upper housing and a lower housing, wherein the upper housing and the lower housing are buckled with each other to form a receiving space, and the upper housing is provided with a through hole; The shaft core is arranged to pass through the through hole of the upper shell and can move from an initial first position to a second position triggering the shaft body switch to be turned on under the action of downward pressure: a return spring disposed between the lower housing and the shaft core, wherein the return spring can return the shaft core from the second position to the first position; and A first pin and a second pin are located on the same side of the shaft core and pass through the lower shell, characterized in that a second contact is provided at the upper end of the second pin, and a positioning protrusion is provided on the same side of the shaft core as the first pin and the second pin, when the shaft core is in the first position, the positioning protrusion abuts the first pin and the second pin, so that the first pin and the second contact are separated; when the shaft core is in the second position, the first pin and the second contact are in contact.

2. The shaft switch for a mechanical keyboard according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second pin is a bent pin, and the first pin and the second pin have the same shape; the first pin and the second pin are symmetrically arranged with the center line of the positioning protrusion as the axis.

3. The shaft switch for a mechanical keyboard according to claim 2, characterized in that: The bent pin comprises a bent portion and a pin portion, the upper end of the bent portion is provided with a contact, the lower end of the bent portion is provided with an extension, and the pin portion is provided perpendicular to the extension.

4. The shaft switch for a mechanical keyboard according to claim 3, characterized in that: The bending portion is formed by bending twice, including a first bending portion and a second bending portion, the contact point is arranged at the upper end of the first bending portion, and the extension portion is arranged at the end of the second bending portion.

5. The shaft switch for a mechanical keyboard according to claim 3, characterized in that: A first contact is arranged at the upper end of the first pin corresponding to the second contact: the contact is arranged at an angle so that an angle is formed when the first contact and the second contact are in contact.

6. The shaft switch for a mechanical keyboard according to claim 4, characterized in that: The positioning protrusion is arranged between the first bending part of the first pin and the first bending part of the second pin.

7. The shaft switch for a mechanical keyboard according to claim 1, characterized in that: The positioning protrusion is formed integrally with the shaft core.

8. The shaft switch for a mechanical keyboard according to claim 1, characterized in that: The positioning protrusion includes a first contact surface contacting the first pin and a second contact surface contacting the second pin, the first contact surface and the second contact surface are both arc-shaped, and the upper end diameter of the positioning protrusion is smaller than the diameter formed between the first contact surface and the second contact surface.

9. The shaft switch for a mechanical keyboard according to claim 1, characterized in that: A reset spring positioning hole is provided at the lower end of the shaft core. The reset spring positioning hole is a conical hole, and the diameter of the open end is larger than the diameter of the bottom end.

10. The shaft switch for a mechanical keyboard according to claim 1, characterized in that: The lower shell is provided with a reset spring positioning protrusion, and the reset spring positioning protrusion is an annular protrusion, and the height of the annular protrusion is less than or equal to 1.5 mm.

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