Key switch and keyboard

Abstract

The utility model provides a key switch and a keyboard, and belongs to the technical field of electronic equipment. Comprising a shell, the shell comprises a top plate and a side plate which is bent from the edge of the top plate and extends downwards, the side plate and the top plate are matched to define a containing space, and an opening communicated with the outside is formed in the bottom of the containing space. According to the utility model, the housing of the key switch is designed to be an integrated structure, and the bottom of the housing is provided with the bottom cover to block the bottom opening of the housing, thereby improving the overall appearance beauty and dustproof effect of the key switch; in addition, in the photoelectric key switch, the bottom cover can be made of a dark shading material to provide a shading effect on the infrared geminate transistors, so that the material selection of the shell is not restricted, and the shell can be made of a transparent or semitransparent material to improve the overall appearance attractiveness of the key switch.

Description

[Technical field]

[0001] The utility model belongs to the technical field of electronic equipment, and in particular relates to a key switch and a keyboard. [Background technology]

[0002] The keyboard is a common electronic device input tool. The keyboard is provided with a number of key switches. Pressing the key switches generates a sensing signal. The key switch generally includes a housing, a travel component and a signal component. The travel component generates a linear reciprocating motion to trigger the signal component to generate a sensing signal.

[0003] In the related art, the packaging shell of the push switch is designed as a split structure, that is, the waist of the shell is divided into two parts to form a top cover and a base, and the top cover and the base are detachably connected. In the shell of this structure, the joint seam between the top cover and the base is located in the middle position of the push switch, the appearance is poor, and the dustproof effect is poor; and in the photoelectric push switch, in order to ensure the shading effect of the light-emitting element and the light-receiving element, the top cover and the base need to be made of dark shading material, which limits the choice of shell material and restricts the improvement of the appearance of the push switch.

[0004] Therefore, it is necessary to provide a key switch and a keyboard to solve the problems mentioned in the above background technology. [Utility Model Content]

[0005] The utility model aims at solving the defects of the key switch in the prior art which adopts a split shell and has poor appearance and dustproof effect. The utility model designs the shell as an integrated structure, and arranges a bottom cover at the bottom of the shell to block the bottom opening of the shell, thereby improving the overall appearance and dustproof effect of the key switch.

[0006] In order to solve the above technical problems, the technical solution of the utility model is:

[0007] A key switch, comprising:

[0008] A shell, the shell comprising a top plate and side plates bent and extending downward from the edge of the top plate, the side plates cooperate with the top plate to enclose a receiving space, and an opening communicating with the outside is formed at the bottom of the receiving space;

[0009] A bottom cover is fixed to the side plate and covers the opening, the side plate is recessed at a position corresponding to the edge of the bottom cover to form a mounting groove, and the edge of the bottom cover is correspondingly engaged in the mounting groove without exposing the mounting groove;

[0010] A stroke component and a signal component are accommodated in the accommodation space, and the stroke component reciprocates linearly to trigger the signal component to generate an induction signal.

[0011] As an improvement, the top plate and the side plates are formed integrally.

[0012] As an improvement, the shell is made of a transparent or translucent material; and the bottom cover is made of a light-shielding material.

[0013] As an improvement, a through hole is provided on the top plate, and the stroke component is exposed through the through hole; a stroke column is provided on the bottom cover, and the stroke column extends along the stroke direction of the stroke component, and a stroke channel for the movement of the stroke component is provided inside the stroke column, and the signal component includes a PCB board, and the PCB board is arranged under the bottom cover.

[0014] As an improvement, the stroke assembly includes an axis core, a driving member connected to the axis core, and an elastic member that drives the axis core to reset, the axis core includes a pressing portion and a limiting portion, the pressing portion passes through the through hole and is exposed, the limiting portion is limited by the top plate in the accommodating space, the driving member is fixed below the pressing portion and installed in the stroke channel, the axis core drives the driving member to reciprocate linearly in the stroke channel; the elastic member is sleeved on the periphery of the stroke column and is clamped between the bottom cover and the pressing portion.

[0015] As an improvement, the push button switch is a photoelectric switch, the signal component also includes an infrared pair of tubes for forming a light path, the infrared pair of tubes are connected to the PCB board, the driving component is used to cut off and conduct the light path, the bottom surface of the bottom cover is recessed toward the top surface to form a receiving groove, the infrared pair of tubes is located in the receiving groove, and the bottom cover provides a shading effect.

[0016] As an improvement, the travel column includes an upper semi-cylinder and a lower semi-cylinder, the upper semi-cylinder is accommodated in a receiving space, and the lower semi-cylinder passes through the receiving space and is exposed outside the bottom cover, the infrared pair tubes include matching light emitting elements and light receiving elements, a first light channel is penetrated through the side wall of the lower semi-cylinder corresponding to the position of the light emitting element, and a second light channel is penetrated through the position of the light receiving element, the first light channel, the travel channel and the second light channel are connected in sequence to form an optical path channel, and the infrared light emitted by the light emitting element is transmitted to the light receiving element through the optical path channel.

[0017] As an improvement, the push button switch is a mechanical switch, and the signal component also includes a spring and a contact pin, the spring and the contact pin both pass through the bottom cover and are connected to the PCB board, the spring and the contact pin are fixed to the bottom cover, a moving contact is provided on the spring, a static contact is provided on the contact pin, and the shaft core drives the moving contact and the static contact to contact each other to generate an induction signal.

[0018] As an improvement, the push button switch is a magnetic induction switch, and the signal component also includes a triggering member and a sensing member, the triggering member is mounted on the driving member, and the sensing member is mounted on the PCB board, the shaft core drives the driving member to move, and drives the triggering member to move toward the sensing member, and when the distance between the triggering member and the sensing member reaches a preset threshold, an induction signal is triggered.

[0019] A keyboard comprises a plurality of the above-mentioned key switches.

[0020] The beneficial effects of the utility model are:

[0021] The utility model designs the shell as an integrated structure, and arranges a bottom cover at the bottom of the shell to block the bottom opening of the shell, thereby improving the overall appearance and dustproof effect of the key switch.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0022] Figure 1 A three-dimensional structural diagram showing a key switch provided in Example 1;

[0023] Figure 2 express Figure 1 The exploded structural diagram of the key switch shown;

[0024] Figure 3 express Figure 1 A cross-sectional view of the key switch shown;

[0025] Figure 4 express Figure 1 The three-dimensional structure diagram of the key switch shown in another angle;

[0026] Figure 5 A schematic diagram showing the three-dimensional structure of the shell;

[0027] Figure 6 A structural diagram showing a key switch provided in Example 2;

[0028] Figure 7 A decomposed structural diagram showing a signal component in a key switch provided in Example 2;

[0029] Figure 8 A triggering schematic diagram of a signal component in Example 2 is shown;

[0030] Fig. 9 A structural diagram showing a key switch provided in Example 3;

[0031] Fig.10 A schematic diagram showing the structure of the keyboard provided in Examples 1-3. [Specific implementation method]

[0032] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the utility model to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the utility model. Obviously, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the utility model, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the utility model, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the utility model.

[0033] Example 1

[0034] Please refer to Figure 1-Figure 5 This embodiment provides a photoelectric push button switch 100, including a housing 10, a bottom cover 20 connected to the housing 10, a travel component 30 encapsulated in the housing 10, and a signal component 40.

[0035] The housing 10 includes a top plate 11 and a side plate 12 bent downward from the edge of the top plate 11 . The side plate 12 and the top plate 11 are integrally formed to form a receiving space 13 . The bottom of the receiving space 13 is formed with an opening 14 communicating with the outside.

[0036] The bottom cover 20 is fixed to the side plate 12 and covers the opening 14. The side plate 12 is recessed at a position corresponding to the edge of the bottom cover 20 to form a mounting groove 120, the mounting groove 120 is connected to the opening 14, and the edge of the bottom cover 20 is correspondingly snapped into the mounting groove 120 without exposing the mounting groove 120.

[0037] The housing 10 adopts an integrated structure. Compared with the split structure in the prior art, there is no joint seam at the waist of the housing 10, which ensures the integrity of the housing 10 and greatly improves the appearance. In addition, there is no need to add an additional connection structure to the housing 10, which is simpler in structure and greatly simplifies the preparation process of the housing 10. In addition, the integrated housing structure can also play a dustproof effect.

[0038] Furthermore, the bottom cover 20 is completely encapsulated in the mounting groove 120 and is not exposed. The bottom cover 20 is located at the bottom of the key switch 100, which is a blind spot in the field of vision. From a visual point of view, the bottom cover 20 cannot be directly observed. The appearance displayed by the housing 10 is the overall appearance of the key switch 100, which can well ensure the coordination of the appearance of the key switch 100 and improve the aesthetics.

[0039] The top plate 11 is provided with a through hole 110 communicating with the receiving space 13 , and the travel assembly 30 passes through the through hole 110 to be exposed outside.

[0040] A stroke column 21 is disposed on the bottom cover 20 . The stroke column 21 extends along the stroke direction of the stroke assembly 30 . A stroke channel 210 for the stroke assembly 30 to move is disposed inside the stroke column 21 .

[0041] The travel column 21 includes an upper semi-cylinder 211 and a lower semi-cylinder 212 . The upper semi-cylinder 211 is received in the receiving space 13 , and the lower semi-cylinder 212 passes through the receiving space 13 and is exposed outside the bottom cover 20 .

[0042] The stroke assembly 30 is an interactive device that receives a pressing driving force to generate a reciprocating linear stroke. The stroke assembly 30 includes a shaft core 31, a driving member 32 connected to the shaft core 31, and an elastic member 33 that drives the shaft core 31 to return to its original position.

[0043] The shaft core 31 includes a pressing portion 311, a limiting portion 312 and a sliding portion 313. The pressing portion 311 passes through the through hole 110 and is exposed. The limiting portion 312 is limited by the top plate 11 in the receiving space 13. The sliding portion 313 is arranged on the outer wall of the limiting portion 312. The side plate 12 is further provided with a slide groove 15 at a position corresponding to the sliding portion 313. The slide groove 15 extends along the stroke direction of the stroke assembly 30. The sliding portion 313 is correspondingly installed in the slide groove 15 and can reciprocate linearly in the slide groove 15. The matching structure of the sliding portion 313 and the slide groove 15 can provide a guiding and limiting function for the movement of the shaft core 31, so as to prevent the movement direction of the shaft core 31 from deviating and causing the key to be stuck.

[0044] The driving member 32 is fixed below the pressing portion 311 and installed in the stroke channel 210. It can move back and forth in a straight line in the stroke channel 210. The stroke channel 210 serves as a stroke space for the driving member 32. By arranging the stroke column 21 on the periphery of the driving member 32, a guiding and limiting function is provided for the movement of the driving member 32, so that the movement direction of the driving member 32 is always the axial direction of the stroke column 21.

[0045] The elastic member 33 is sleeved on the periphery of the stroke column 21 and sandwiched between the bottom cover 20 and the pressing portion 311, and is used to drive the shaft core 31 to reset. When the shaft core 31 moves downward under the action of the driving force, the elastic member 33 is compressed; after the driving force disappears, the elastic member 33 resets and drives the shaft core 31 to reset upward. In this embodiment, the elastic member 33 is selected to be a spring.

[0046] The travel component 30 is used to trigger the signal component 40 to generate an induction signal. In this embodiment, the signal component 40 includes an infrared pair tube 41 for forming an optical path and a PCB board 42 for powering the infrared pair tube 41. The infrared pair tube 41 includes a light emitting element 411 and a light receiving element 412 that cooperates with the light emitting element 411 to form an optical path. The light emitting element 411 and the light receiving element 412 are both mounted on the PCB board 42, and the PCB board 42 is arranged below the bottom cover 20. The side wall of the lower semi-cylinder 212 is penetrated by a first optical channel 213 corresponding to the position of the light emitting element 411, and the side wall of the lower semi-cylinder 212 is penetrated by a second optical channel 214 corresponding to the position of the light receiving element 412. The first optical channel 213, the travel channel 210 and the second optical channel 214 are sequentially connected to form an optical path channel, and the infrared light emitted by the light emitting element 411 is transmitted to the light receiving element 412 through the optical path channel.

[0047] In the initial state, the driving member 32 is suspended above the optical path, and the light emitting element 411 cooperates with the light receiving element 412 to form an optical path; in the pressed state, the driving member 32 moves downward along the travel channel 210 driven by the shaft core 31 and enters the optical path, and the infrared light emitted by the light emitting element 411 is blocked by the driving member 32 and cannot be transmitted to the light receiving element 412. During the cutting of the optical path, the optical coupler is activated to change the circuit impedance value to complete the circuit cutting; in the reset state, the shaft core 31 is driven by the elastic member 33 to reset upward, driving the driving member 32 to disengage from the optical path, and the infrared light emitted by the light emitting element 411 is received by the light receiving element 412 again. During the conduction of the optical path, the optical coupler is activated to change the circuit impedance value to complete the circuit conduction.

[0048] The PCB board 42 is provided with an avoidance hole 420 at a position corresponding to the lower semi-cylinder 212 , and the lower semi-cylinder 212 extends downwardly from the PCB board 42 through the avoidance hole 420 , thereby making full use of the thickness space and the space below the PCB board 42 and extending the length of the travel channel 210 .

[0049] The bottom surface of the bottom cover 20 is recessed toward the top surface to form a receiving groove 22, and the infrared pair tube 41 is located in the receiving groove 22, and the bottom cover 20 provides a light-shielding effect. It can be understood that the receiving groove 22 is a relatively closed space, and the bottom cover 20 is made of a light-shielding material to effectively block external light and avoid interference with the light path in the signal component 40. Since the bottom cover 20 can already complete the light-shielding effect of the infrared pair tube 41, the design of the housing 10 does not need to consider the light-shielding effect, and the material selection range of the housing 10 can be expanded. For example, a transparent or translucent material can be selected to obtain a product with a more beautiful appearance.

[0050] Furthermore, the bottom cover 20 and the housing 10 may be made of different materials, and the sound of the slider 213 hitting the bottom cover 20 may be changed to obtain different button bottoming sounds.

[0051] In summary, the beneficial effects of the present invention are:

[0052] The shell 10 is designed as an integrated structure, and a bottom cover 20 is provided at the bottom of the shell 10 to block the bottom opening of the shell, thereby improving the overall appearance and dustproof effect of the key switch 100; in the photoelectric key switch, the bottom cover 20 can also be prepared by selecting a dark-colored light-shielding material to provide a light-shielding effect for the infrared tube 41, so that the material selection of the shell 10 is not restricted, and a transparent or translucent material can be selected to improve the overall appearance of the key switch 100.

[0053] Example 2

[0054] See also Figure 6-8 This embodiment provides a mechanical push button switch 300. The difference between this embodiment and embodiment 1 lies in the different structures and triggering principles of the signal component 40. In this embodiment, the signal component 40 includes a spring 43, a contact pin 44 and a PCB board 45.

[0055] The spring piece 43 and the contact pin 44 both pass through the bottom cover 20 and are connected to the PCB board 45. The spring piece 43 and the contact pin 44 are fixed to the bottom cover 20 to further increase the stability of the spring piece 43 and the contact pin 44. The fixing method can be selected to be glue fixing. The colloid can fill the gap between the spring piece 43, the contact pin 44 and the bottom cover 20 to improve the sealing.

[0056] The spring piece 43 is provided with a moving contact 430 , the contact pin 44 is provided with a stationary contact 440 , and the shaft core 31 drives the moving contact 430 and the stationary contact 440 to contact each other to generate an induction signal.

[0057] Specifically, the spring piece 43 includes a support leg 431 and an elastic arm 432 integrally formed with the support leg 431. The elastic arm 432 is a U-shaped curved structure as a whole, including a connecting portion 4321, a contact portion 4322 spaced apart from the connecting portion 4321, and a curved portion 4323 connecting the connecting portion 4321 and the contact portion 4322, and the moving contact 430 is arranged on the contact portion 4322. The contact portion 4322 also protrudes toward the direction close to the shaft core 31 to form an arched portion 4324. There are two arched portions 4324, which are distributed on opposite sides of the moving contact 430. The shaft core 31 is provided with a contact block 314 at a position corresponding to the arched portion 4324. In the initial state, the contact block 314 squeezes the arched portion 4324, causing the elastic arm 432 to bend and deform as a whole. Under the action of pressing force, the shaft core 31 moves downward, causing the contact block 314 to separate from the arched portion 4324. The elastic arm 432 is reset under the action of elasticity, causing the moving contact 430 to contact the static contact 440 to generate a key sensing signal. The shaft core 31 is reset under the drive of the elastic member 33, causing the contact block 314 to return to its initial position, and the moving contact 430 is separated from the static contact 440 again.

[0058] The contact blocks 314 and the arched portions 4324 are disposed in a one-to-one correspondence.

[0059] Preferably, the contact block 314 is a wedge-shaped block, and the cross-sectional area gradually increases from the top to the bottom, so that the arched portion 4324 can move slowly along the wedge-shaped surface of the contact block 314, thereby preventing the elastic arm 432 from quickly detaching and causing the elastic arm 432 to rebound and hit the inner wall of the shell 10 to form impact noise.

[0060] The contact block 314 is fixed to the outer wall of the limiting portion 312 .

[0061] It should be noted that the spring piece 43 and the contact pin 44 are electrically connected to the PCB board 45. The connection between the spring piece 43, the contact pin 44 and the PCB board 45 can be achieved by using conventional techniques in the art, which will not be elaborated in this embodiment.

[0062] Example 3

[0063] See also Fig. 9 This embodiment provides a magnetic induction push button switch 300. The difference between this embodiment and embodiment 1 lies in the different structures and triggering principles of the signal component 40. In this embodiment, the signal component 40 includes a trigger component 46, an induction component 47 and a PCB board 48.

[0064] The trigger member 46 is mounted on the driving member 32 , the sensor member 47 is mounted on the PCB board 48 and electrically connected to the PCB board 48 , and the trigger member 46 and the sensor member 47 are distributed on the upper and lower sides of the bottom cover 20 .

[0065] The shaft core 31 drives the driving member 32 to move, and drives the trigger member 46 to move toward the sensing member 47 . When the distance between the trigger member 46 and the sensing member 47 reaches a preset threshold, a sensing signal is triggered.

[0066] The driving member 32 is a hollow structure, and the trigger member 46 is fixed in the hollow area of ​​the driving member 32, and the fixing method is selected to be glue fixing. During installation, the trigger member 46 is installed from the bottom opening of the driving member 32.

[0067] The triggering member 46 is a magnet, and the induction member 47 is a magnetic sensor.

[0068] Example 4

[0069] See also Fig.10 This embodiment provides a keyboard 400, including a plurality of key switches 500, wherein the key switches are selected from any one or more combinations of the key switches 100 in Embodiment 1, the key switches 200 in Embodiment 2, and the key switches 300 in Embodiment 3.

[0070] The keyboard 400 is used in conjunction with an electronic device as an input tool of the electronic device. When in use, pressing the key switch 500 generates a sensing signal corresponding to the key switch 500.

[0071] The above is only an implementation method of the present invention. It should be pointed out that a person skilled in the art can make improvements without departing from the inventive concept of the present invention, but these improvements are all within the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A key switch, characterized in that: include: A shell, the shell comprising a top plate and side plates bent and extending downward from the edge of the top plate, the side plates cooperate with the top plate to enclose a receiving space, and an opening communicating with the outside is formed at the bottom of the receiving space; A bottom cover is fixed to the side plate and covers the opening, the side plate is recessed at a position corresponding to the edge of the bottom cover to form a mounting groove, and the edge of the bottom cover is correspondingly engaged in the mounting groove without exposing the mounting groove; A stroke component and a signal component are accommodated in the accommodation space, and the stroke component reciprocates linearly to trigger the signal component to generate an induction signal.

2. The key switch according to claim 1, characterized in that: The top plate and the side plate are integrally formed.

3. The key switch according to claim 1, characterized in that: The shell is made of transparent or translucent material; the bottom cover is made of light-shielding material.

4. The key switch according to claim 1, characterized in that: A through hole is penetrated on the top plate, and the stroke component is exposed through the through hole; a stroke column is arranged on the bottom cover, and the stroke column extends along the stroke direction of the stroke component, and the stroke column is provided with a stroke channel for the movement of the stroke component; the signal component includes a PCB board, and the PCB board is arranged below the bottom cover.

5. The key switch according to claim 4, characterized in that: The stroke assembly includes an axis core, a driving member connected to the axis core, and an elastic member driving the axis core to reset. The axis core includes a pressing portion and a limiting portion. The pressing portion passes through the through hole and is exposed to the outside. The limiting portion is limited by the top plate in the accommodating space. The driving member is fixed below the pressing portion and installed in the stroke channel. The axis core drives the driving member to reciprocate in the stroke channel. The elastic member is sleeved on the periphery of the stroke column and is clamped between the bottom cover and the pressing portion.

6. The key switch according to claim 5, characterized in that: The push button switch is a photoelectric switch, and the signal component also includes an infrared pair of tubes for forming a light path. The infrared pair of tubes is connected to the PCB board, and the driving component is used to cut off and conduct the light path. The bottom surface of the bottom cover is recessed toward the top surface to form a receiving groove, and the infrared pair of tubes is located in the receiving groove, and the bottom cover provides a shading effect.

7. The key switch according to claim 6, characterized in that: The travel column includes an upper semi-cylinder and a lower semi-cylinder, the upper semi-cylinder is accommodated in a receiving space, and the lower semi-cylinder passes through the receiving space and is exposed outside the bottom cover. The infrared pair tubes include a matching light emitting element and a light receiving element. A first light channel is penetrated through the side wall of the lower semi-cylinder corresponding to the position of the light emitting element, and a second light channel is penetrated through the position of the light receiving element. The first light channel, the travel channel and the second light channel are connected in sequence to form an optical path channel, and the infrared light emitted by the light emitting element is transmitted to the light receiving element through the optical path channel.

8. The key switch according to claim 5, characterized in that: The push button switch is a mechanical switch, and the signal component also includes a spring and a contact pin. The spring and the contact pin both pass through the bottom cover and are connected to the PCB board. The spring and the contact pin are fixed to the bottom cover. A moving contact is provided on the spring, and a static contact is provided on the contact pin. The shaft core drives the moving contact and the static contact to contact each other to generate an induction signal.

9. The key switch according to claim 5, characterized in that: The push button switch is a magnetic induction switch, and the signal component also includes a triggering member and a sensing member. The triggering member is mounted on the driving member, and the sensing member is mounted on the PCB board. The shaft core drives the driving member to move, driving the triggering member to move toward the sensing member. When the distance between the triggering member and the sensing member reaches a preset threshold, an induction signal is triggered.

10. A keyboard, characterized in that: The invention comprises the key switches described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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