Key

Abstract

The utility model discloses a key, which comprises a key cap, a lifting support mechanism and a bottom plate. The lifting support mechanism is arranged below the key cap and comprises a first support piece and a second support piece which are crossed and pivoted with each other and movably connected with the key cap. The pivot end portion of the first supporting piece protrudes laterally to form a pivot shaft, and the sliding shaft end portion of the second supporting piece protrudes laterally to form a sliding shaft. First and second blow hole structures are respectively formed on the bottom plate corresponding to the pivot end part and the sliding shaft end part; the bottom plate is in bridge connection with the first broken hole structure to form a first arch bridge structure with a first notch, and the bottom plate is in bridge connection with the second broken hole structure to form a second arch bridge structure with a second notch. The pivot shaft and the sliding shaft movably penetrate through the first arch bridge structure and the second arch bridge structure through the first notch and the second notch respectively, so that the key cap can move up and down relative to the bottom plate through the lifting supporting mechanism, and the structural deformation resistance of the bottom plate when the bottom plate is connected with the lifting supporting mechanism is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The utility model relates to a key, in particular to a key with an arch bridge structure formed on a bottom plate to connect a lifting support mechanism. Background Art

[0002] In terms of current personal computer usage habits, the keyboard is used to input text, symbols or numbers and is one of the indispensable input devices. In addition, consumer electronic products in daily life or large-scale processing equipment used in the industrial sector all need to be equipped with a key structure as an input device to operate the above electronic products and processing equipment.

[0003] The key structure used in general notebook computers often uses a lifting support mechanism (such as a scissor foot bracket) to provide keycap support and lifting mechanism. Structures connected to the lifting support mechanism are set on the keycap and the base plate. In the design of the base plate structure, in order to save space, a structure connected to the lifting support mechanism is usually formed on the base plate, so that the lifting support mechanism can be movably connected to the base plate. In the prior art, the base plate is generally formed by stamping a metal plate to form a bent hook structure on a single side wall of the base plate. However, when the lifting support mechanism needs to be disassembled, the bent hook structure will be pulled and easily cause structural deformation at its bend. Utility Model Content

[0004] The utility model aims to provide a key which forms an arch bridge structure on a bottom plate to connect a lifting support mechanism, so as to improve the structural anti-deformation capability of the bottom plate when connecting the lifting support mechanism.

[0005] In order to achieve the above-mentioned purpose, the utility model provides a key, comprising a keycap, a lifting support mechanism and a bottom plate, the lifting support mechanism is arranged under the keycap, the lifting support mechanism comprises a first support member and a second support member, the first support member can be movably connected to the keycap and the first support member has a pivot end, at least one end of the pivot end protrudes laterally to form a pivot axis; the second support member is accommodated in the first support member and cross-pivoted with the first support member, the second support member can be movably connected to the keycap and the second support member has a sliding shaft end, at least one end of the sliding shaft end protrudes laterally to form a sliding shaft; the bottom plate is formed with at least one first broken hole structure at a position corresponding to the pivot end, and the second support member has a sliding shaft end. At least one second broken hole structure is formed at the position, the base plate bridges the first outer hole wall and the first inner hole wall opposite to each other in the at least one first broken hole structure to form a first arch bridge structure, the base plate bridges the second outer hole wall and the second inner hole wall opposite to each other in the at least one second broken hole structure to form a second arch bridge structure, the first arch bridge structure has a first notch formed at the position corresponding to the pivot axis, and the second arch bridge structure has a second notch formed at the position corresponding to the sliding axis; wherein the pivot axis is movably inserted in the first arch bridge structure through the first notch, and the sliding axis is movably inserted in the second arch bridge structure through the second notch, so that the keycap can move up and down relative to the base plate via the lifting support mechanism.

[0006] As an optional technical solution, the first arch bridge structure has a flat plate portion and a first bridging arm portion and a second bridging arm portion respectively bent from the first outer hole wall and the first inner hole wall, and the flat plate portion is connected between the first bridging arm portion and the second bridging arm portion.

[0007] As an optional technical solution, at least one side edge of the first bridging arm portion extends outwardly along the first outer hole wall to form a rectangular reinforcement area, or extends outwardly to gradually contract to form a bevel reinforcement area.

[0008] As an optional technical solution, the section where the pivot shaft abuts against the first arch bridge structure is formed with a guide rounded corner structure to guide the pivot shaft to rotate in the first arch bridge structure; or, the section where the sliding shaft abuts against the second arch bridge structure is formed with a guide rounded corner structure to guide the sliding shaft to slide and rotate in the second arch bridge structure.

[0009] As an optional technical solution, the base plate is further formed with a third broken hole structure at a position corresponding to the inner side of the at least one first broken hole structure, and a baffle is formed by bending the hole wall on at least one side of the third broken hole structure, which stops the end of the pivot to limit the pivot axis from rotating in the first arch bridge structure.

[0010] As an optional technical solution, the bridging direction of the first arch bridge structure is parallel to the axial direction of the pivot shaft, and the bridging direction of the second arch bridge structure is parallel to the axial direction of the sliding shaft.

[0011] As an optional technical solution, the bridging direction of the first arch bridge structure is perpendicular to the axial direction of the pivot shaft, and the bridging direction of the second arch bridge structure is perpendicular to the axial direction of the sliding shaft.

[0012] As an optional technical solution, a notch depth of the first notch in a longitudinal direction perpendicular to the pivot axis is smaller than a notch depth of the second notch in the longitudinal direction.

[0013] As an optional technical solution, the key further includes a thin film circuit board, which is arranged on the base plate; when the key cap is pressed, the switch corresponding to the key on the thin film circuit board is triggered.

[0014] As an optional technical solution, the key further includes an elastomer, which is arranged between the keycap and the film circuit board. The elastomer is used to provide elastic restoring force to the keycap and trigger the switch when the keycap is pressed.

[0015] To summarize, compared to the single-sided hook design of the prior art that uses a stamped metal plate to form a bent hook structure only on a single side wall of the bottom plate hole, the utility model uses a double-sided docking arch bridge design that bridges the inner and outer hole walls opposite to each other in the bottom plate hole structure to form an arch bridge structure with a notch, so as to enhance the structural deformation resistance of the bottom plate when connected to the lifting support mechanism, thereby effectively solving the problem of deformation of the bottom plate caused by structural pulling or pushing during the disassembly and assembly operation with the lifting support mechanism mentioned in the prior art.

[0016] The present invention is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments, but is not intended to limit the present invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] Figure 1 A three-dimensional schematic diagram of a keyboard proposed in an embodiment of the utility model;

[0018] Figure 2 for Figure 1 An exploded diagram of the buttons;

[0019] Figure 3 for Figure 2 A partially enlarged schematic diagram of a first support member connected to a bottom plate;

[0020] Figure 4 for Figure 2 A partially enlarged schematic diagram of a second support member connected to the bottom plate;

[0021] Figure 5A partially enlarged schematic diagram of a base plate according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0022] Figure 6 A partially enlarged schematic diagram of a base plate according to another embodiment of the present invention;

[0023] Figure 7 It is an enlarged schematic diagram of a bottom plate proposed in an embodiment of the utility model. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0024] In order to provide a further understanding of the purpose, structure, features and functions of the present invention, the present invention is described in detail below with reference to the embodiments.

[0025] See also Figure 1 , which is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of a keyboard 1 proposed in an embodiment of the present utility model. Figure 1 As shown, the keyboard 1 includes a plurality of keys 10 and a bottom plate 12. The plurality of keys 10 are disposed on the bottom plate 12 for the user to press, thereby executing the function that the user wants to input. The keyboard 1 is generally applied to a personal computer, but is not limited thereto. For example, the keyboard 1 can also be applied to a portable electronic device generally having an opening and closing mechanism composed of an upper cover and a lower shell (such as a notebook computer or a folding keyboard).

[0026] The base plate connection design proposed in the present invention can be applied to at least one of the multiple keys 10, and the number of keys 10 can be determined according to the actual assembly and manufacturing requirements of the keyboard 1. For the sake of simplicity, the following description is made for one of the keys 10 with the base plate connection design. As for the structural designs of other keys 10 with the same design, they can be deduced by analogy and will not be described in detail here. Figure 2 , Figure 3 as well as Figure 4 , Figure 2 for Figure 1 An exploded diagram of key 10, Figure 3 for Figure 2 A partially enlarged schematic diagram of the first support member 18 connected to the bottom plate 12, Figure 4 for Figure 2 A partial enlarged schematic diagram of the second support member 20 connected to the bottom plate 12, Figure 2 , Figure 3 as well as Figure 4 As can be seen, the key 10 includes a base plate 12, a key cap 14 and a lifting support mechanism 16. The lifting support mechanism 16 is disposed under the key cap 14 and includes a first support member 18 and a second support member 20. The first support member 18 is movably connected to the key cap 14 and has a pivot end 22. At least one end of the pivot end 22 protrudes laterally to form a pivot shaft 24 (such as Figure 2The two ends of the pivot end 22 are respectively protruded to form a pivot shaft 24, but it is not limited to this. The utility model can also adopt a single-side pivot shaft design). The second support member 20 is accommodated in the first support member 18 and cross-pivoted with the first support member 18. The second support member 20 can be movably connected to the keycap 14 and has a sliding shaft end 26. At least one end of the sliding shaft end 26 protrudes laterally to form a sliding shaft 28 (such as Figure 2 The two ends of the sliding shaft end 26 are respectively protruded to form a sliding shaft 28, but this is not limited to the present invention. The present invention can also adopt a single-side sliding shaft design). The bottom plate 12 is respectively formed with at least one first broken hole structure 30 and at least one second broken hole structure 32 (such as Figure 2 As shown, two first broken hole structures 30 and two second broken hole structures 32 are shown respectively, but not limited to this. The number of the two first broken hole structures 30 and the second broken hole structures 32 may be determined depending on the connection configuration between the lifting support mechanism 16 and the base plate 12). The base plate 12 bridges the first outer hole wall W1 and the first inner hole wall W2 opposite to each other in the first broken hole structure 30 to form a first arch bridge structure 34 (for example, formed by a stamping and embossing process, but not limited to this), and the base plate 12 bridges the second outer hole wall W3 and the second inner hole wall W4 opposite to each other in the second broken hole structure 32 to form a second arch bridge structure 36 (for example, formed by a stamping and embossing process, but not limited to this). The first arch bridge structure 34 is formed with a first notch 38 at a position corresponding to the pivot shaft 24, and the second arch bridge structure 36 is formed with a second notch 40 at a position corresponding to the sliding shaft 28. In more detail, in this embodiment, the bridging direction B of the first arch bridge structure 34 and the second arch bridge structure 36 can be preferably parallel to the axial direction S1 of the pivot shaft 24 and the axial direction S2 of the sliding shaft 28, and the first arch bridge structure 34 can preferably have a flat plate portion 42 and a first bridging arm portion 44 and a second bridging arm portion 46 respectively bent from the first outer hole wall W1 and the first inner hole wall W2, and the flat plate portion 42 is connected between the first bridging arm portion 44 and the second bridging arm portion 46.

[0027] In addition, in order to guide the first support member 18 and the second support member 20 to move more smoothly on the bottom plate 12, as shown in FIG. Figure 2 , Figure 3 as well as Figure 4As shown, the section where the pivot shaft 24 abuts against the first arch bridge structure 34 is formed with a guide rounded corner structure 48, and the section where the sliding shaft 28 abuts against the second arch bridge structure 36 is formed with a guide rounded corner structure 50, so as to guide the pivot shaft 24 and the sliding shaft 28 to move smoothly in the first arch bridge structure 34 and the second arch bridge structure 36 of the bottom plate 12 respectively without causing structural collision and interference; further, the notch depth of the first notch 38 in the longitudinal direction L perpendicular to the pivot shaft 24 is smaller than the notch depth of the second notch 40 in the longitudinal direction L, and the bottom plate 12 is further formed with a third broken hole structure 52 at a position corresponding to the inner side of the first broken hole structure 30, and the blocking piece 54 is formed by bending the hole wall W5 of at least one side of the third broken hole structure 52 (as shown in FIG. Figure 2 As shown, the hole walls W5 on both sides of the third hole structure 52 are bent to form blocking pieces 54 respectively, but not limited to this) to stop the pivot end 22, so that the sliding shaft 28 can stably slide and rotate in the second arch bridge structure 36 without being separated, and the pivot shaft 24 can be stably limited to rotate in the first arch bridge structure 34, thereby preventing the pivot shaft 24 and the sliding shaft 28 from accidentally separating from the bottom plate 12 and getting stuck during the user's pressing input operation of the key 10.

[0028] It should be noted that Figure 2 It can be seen that the key 10 may also include a thin film circuit board 56, which may be disposed on the bottom plate 12. When the key cap 14 is pressed to the pressing position, the switch (not shown) on the thin film circuit board 56 may be correspondingly triggered by the triggering portion (not shown), so that the key 10 can perform the function that the user wants to input. In addition, the key 10 may also include an elastic body 58, which may be disposed between the key cap 14 and the bottom plate 12 to provide elastic restoring force to the key cap 14, and trigger the switch on the thin film circuit board 56 when the key cap 14 is pressed to generate a corresponding key signal. As for the design of the elastic body 58 of the key 10 and the triggering design of the thin film circuit board 56, they are commonly found in the prior art and will not be repeated here.

[0029] With the above design, during assembly, it is only necessary to align the sliding shaft 28 of the second support member 20 and insert it laterally into the second notch 40 of the second arch bridge structure 36 so that the sliding shaft 28 can be movably inserted into the second arch bridge structure 36 (such as Figure 4 Then, the pivot shaft 24 of the first support member 18 is pressed down and buckled into the first notch 38 of the first arch bridge structure 34 so that the pivot shaft 24 can be movably arranged in the first arch bridge structure 34 (as shown in FIG. Figure 3 As shown in the figure), the assembly operation of the lifting support mechanism 16 and the base plate 12 can be completed quickly and easily, so that the key cap 14 connected to the lifting support mechanism 16 can move up and down relative to the base plate 12, whereby when the key cap 14 is pressed, the keyboard 1 can execute the function that the user wants to input.

[0030] In this way, compared with the single-sided hook design of the prior art that uses a stamped metal plate to form a bent hook structure only on the single-sided side wall of the bottom plate hole, the utility model uses a double-sided docking arch bridge design that bridges the inner and outer hole walls opposite to each other in the bottom plate hole structure to form an arch bridge structure with a gap, so as to improve the structural deformation resistance of the bottom plate when connected to the lifting support mechanism, thereby effectively solving the problem of deformation of the bottom plate caused by structural pulling or pushing during the disassembly and assembly operation with the lifting support mechanism mentioned in the prior art.

[0031] It is worth mentioning that in order to improve the structural connection strength between the bottom plate and the first support member and the second support member, the utility model can further adopt an arch bridge structure reinforcement design. For example, please refer to Figure 5 , which is a partially enlarged schematic diagram of a base plate 100 proposed in another embodiment of the present invention. Elements in this embodiment with the same number as those in the above embodiment have similar structures or functions, and the relevant descriptions are not repeated here. Figure 5 As shown, the bottom plate 100 bridges the first outer hole wall W1 and the first inner hole wall W2 in the first hole structure 30 to form a first arch bridge structure 102. The first arch bridge structure 102 may include a flat plate portion 42 and a first bridge arm portion 104 and a second bridge arm portion 46 formed by bending from the first outer hole wall W1 and the first inner hole wall W2, respectively. The flat plate portion 42 is connected between the first bridge arm portion 104 and the second bridge arm portion 46. In this embodiment, at least one side of the first bridge arm portion 104 may extend outwardly along the first outer hole wall W1 to form a bevel reinforcement plate area 106 (such as Figure 5 The first bridge arm 104 has a single side extending outward to form a bevel reinforcement area 106, but it is not limited to this. It can also adopt a double-side reinforcement design to increase the extension area of ​​the first bridge arm 104, thereby further improving the deformation resistance of the first arch bridge structure 102. The above arch bridge structure reinforcement design can also be applied to the second bridge arm 46 or the second arch bridge structure 36. The relevant description can be referred to Figure 5 By analogy, I will not elaborate on this.

[0032] In addition, the arch bridge structure reinforcement design adopted by the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned bevel reinforcement design. For example, please refer to Figure 6 , which is a partially enlarged schematic diagram of a bottom plate 150 proposed in another embodiment of the present invention. Elements in this embodiment with the same number as those in the above embodiment have similar structures or functions, and the relevant descriptions are not repeated here. Figure 6As shown, the bottom plate 150 bridges the first outer hole wall W1 and the first inner hole wall W2 in the first hole structure 30 to form a first arch bridge structure 152. The first arch bridge structure 152 may include a flat plate portion 42 and a first bridge arm portion 154 and a second bridge arm portion 156 formed by bending from the first outer hole wall W1 and the first inner hole wall W2, respectively. The flat plate portion 42 is connected between the first bridge arm portion 154 and the second bridge arm portion 156. In this embodiment, at least one side of the first bridge arm portion 154 may extend outward along the first outer hole wall W1 to form a rectangular reinforcement patch area 158 (such as Figure 6 The two sides of the first bridge arm 154 are extended outward to form a rectangular reinforcement area 158, but it is not limited to this. It can also adopt a single-side reinforcement design) to increase the extension area of ​​the first bridge arm 154. The anti-deformation ability of the first arch bridge structure 152 is further improved. The above-mentioned arch bridge structure reinforcement design can also be applied to the second bridge arm 156 or the second arch bridge structure 36. The relevant description can be referred to Figure 6 By analogy, I will not elaborate on this.

[0033] In practical applications, the bridge structure bridging direction used in the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiment, so as to enhance the design flexibility of the keypad of the present invention in the configuration of the bridge structure. Figure 7 , which is an enlarged schematic diagram of a bottom plate 200 proposed in an embodiment of the present invention. Elements in this embodiment with the same number as those in the above embodiment have similar structures or functions, and the relevant descriptions are not repeated here. Figure 7 As shown, the bottom plate 200 bridges the first outer hole wall W1' and the first inner hole wall W2' in the first hole structure 30 to form a first arch bridge structure 202 (for example, formed by a stamping and embossing process, but not limited thereto), and the bottom plate 200 bridges the second outer hole wall W3' and the second inner hole wall W4' in the second hole structure 32 to form a second arch bridge structure 204 (for example, formed by a stamping and embossing process, but not limited thereto). In this embodiment, the bridge direction B' of the first arch bridge structure 202 and the second arch bridge structure 204 is perpendicular to the axial direction S1 of the pivot shaft 24 and the axial direction S2 of the sliding shaft 28 (in order to clearly indicate the design of the arch bridge structure, the bridge direction B' is perpendicular to the axial direction S1 of the pivot shaft 24 and the axial direction S2 of the sliding shaft 28). Figure 7 The pivot axis 24 and the sliding axis 28 are omitted in the figure). As for which kind of cross-connection design to adopt, it depends on the actual manufacturing and assembly requirements of the key of the utility model.

[0034] The keyboard of the utility model adopts a double-sided butt-jointed arch bridge design that bridges the inner and outer hole walls opposite to each other in the hole structure of the bottom plate to form an arch bridge structure with a gap, so as to improve the structural deformation resistance of the bottom plate when connected to the lifting support mechanism, and avoid the problem of deformation of the bottom plate due to structural pulling or pushing during the disassembly and assembly operation with the lifting support mechanism.

[0035] Of course, the present invention may have many other embodiments. Without departing from the spirit and essence of the present invention, technicians familiar with the field may make various corresponding changes and deformations based on the present invention, but these corresponding changes and deformations should all fall within the scope of protection of the claims attached to the present invention.

Claims

1. A key, characterized in that Include: keycap; A lifting support mechanism is disposed under the key cap, and the lifting support mechanism comprises: A first support member, which is movably connected to the keycap and has a pivot end portion, at least one end of which protrudes laterally to form a pivot axis; and A second support member is accommodated in the first support member and cross-pivoted with the first support member, the second support member is movably connected to the key cap and has a sliding shaft end portion, at least one end of the sliding shaft end portion protrudes laterally to form a sliding shaft; as well as A bottom plate, wherein at least one first broken hole structure is formed at a position corresponding to the end of the pivot shaft, and at least one second broken hole structure is formed at a position corresponding to the end of the sliding shaft, the bottom plate bridges the first outer hole wall and the first inner hole wall opposite to each other in the at least one first broken hole structure to form a first arch bridge structure, and the bottom plate bridges the second outer hole wall and the second inner hole wall opposite to each other in the at least one second broken hole structure to form a second arch bridge structure, the first arch bridge structure has a first notch formed at a position corresponding to the pivot shaft, and the second arch bridge structure has a second notch formed at a position corresponding to the sliding shaft; The pivot shaft is movably disposed in the first arch bridge structure through the first notch, and the sliding shaft is movably disposed in the second arch bridge structure through the second notch, so that the keycap can move up and down relative to the base plate via the lifting support mechanism.

2. The key according to claim 1, characterized in that The first arch bridge structure has a flat plate portion and a first bridge arm portion and a second bridge arm portion which are respectively bent from the first outer hole wall and the first inner hole wall. The flat plate portion is connected between the first bridge arm portion and the second bridge arm portion.

3. The key according to claim 2, characterized in that: At least one side edge of the first bridging arm portion extends outwardly along the first outer hole wall to form a rectangular reinforcement area, or extends outwardly to gradually contract to form a bevel reinforcement area.

4. The key according to claim 1, characterized in that: The section where the pivot shaft abuts against the first arch bridge structure forms a guide rounded corner structure to guide the pivot shaft to rotate in the first arch bridge structure; or, the section where the sliding shaft abuts against the second arch bridge structure forms a guide rounded corner structure to guide the sliding shaft to slide and rotate in the second arch bridge structure.

5. The key according to claim 1, characterized in that: The bottom plate is also formed with a third broken hole structure at a position corresponding to the inner side of the at least one first broken hole structure, and a blocking piece is formed by bending the hole wall of at least one side of the third broken hole structure, and the blocking piece stops the end of the pivot to limit the pivot axis to rotate in the first arch bridge structure.

6. The key according to claim 1, characterized in that: The spanning direction of the first arch bridge structure is parallel to the axial direction of the pivot shaft, and the spanning direction of the second arch bridge structure is parallel to the axial direction of the sliding shaft.

7. The key according to claim 1, characterized in that: The spanning direction of the first arch bridge structure is perpendicular to the axial direction of the pivot shaft, and the spanning direction of the second arch bridge structure is perpendicular to the axial direction of the sliding shaft.

8. The key according to claim 1, characterized in that: A notch depth of the first notch in a longitudinal direction perpendicular to the pivot axis is smaller than a notch depth of the second notch in the longitudinal direction.

9. The key according to claim 1, characterized in that Also includes: A thin film circuit board is arranged on the base plate; When the key cap is pressed, the switch corresponding to the key on the film circuit board is triggered.

10. The key according to claim 9, characterized in that Also includes: The elastic body is arranged between the key cap and the film circuit board, and is used for providing elastic restoring force to the key cap and triggering the switch when the key cap is pressed.

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