Waterproof key structure

Abstract

The utility model relates to the technical field of key waterproofing, in particular to a waterproof key structure, which comprises a shell provided with a mounting part, and a connecting through hole is formed in the mounting part; the key cap comprises a cap body and an inserting part, the cap body is arranged on the outer side of the mounting part, the inserting part is arranged on the side, close to the mounting part, of the cap body, and the inserting part is movably inserted into the connecting through hole; the flexible waterproof part is arranged on the inner side of the mounting part and comprises a main body part and a skirt edge part, the skirt edge part is annularly arranged on the peripheral side of the main body part, waterproof glue is attached to the inner side wall of the mounting part around the connecting through hole, and the skirt edge part is attached to the peripheral side of the connecting through hole through the waterproof glue, so that the flexible waterproof part seals the connecting through hole; a socket structure is arranged on one side, close to the connecting through hole, of the main body part and is used for being matched with the inserting part in an inserting manner; one side of the main body part deviating from the connecting through hole is provided with a trigger surface. The connecting through hole is sealed by the flexible waterproof piece from the inner side of the mounting part, so that the waterproof effect and the waterproof performance stability of the key are improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of waterproof buttons, and in particular to a waterproof button structure. Background Art

[0002] As consumer electronic products such as mobile phones and tablets are applied to various industries, higher requirements are placed on the waterproof performance of products such as express logistics PDAs. The overall waterproof level of some products needs to reach IP68, and the waterproofness of the button part is an important factor affecting the overall waterproof performance of the product.

[0003] Currently, there are two main approaches to waterproofing keys on the market: one involves installing a waterproof cap made of a material such as silicone inside the keycap, which is then interference-fitted into the key connection hole in the housing to achieve waterproofing; the other involves forming a thin layer of soft rubber on the inside of the keycap through a two-shot injection molding process to achieve waterproofing. However, both approaches lack waterproofing effectiveness. Utility Model Content

[0004] In order to improve the waterproof effect of a button, the present application provides a waterproof button structure.

[0005] One embodiment provides a waterproof key structure, including:

[0006] A housing, the housing having a mounting portion, the mounting portion being provided with a connecting through hole;

[0007] A keycap, comprising a cap body and an inserting portion, wherein the cap body is arranged on the outside of the mounting portion, the inserting portion is arranged on a side of the cap body close to the mounting portion, and the inserting portion is movably inserted into the connecting through hole;

[0008] a flexible waterproof member disposed on the inner side of the mounting portion, the flexible waterproof member comprising a main body and a skirt portion, the skirt portion being disposed around the circumference of the main body, a waterproof adhesive tape being affixed to the inner sidewall of the mounting portion surrounding the connecting through-hole, the skirt portion being affixed to the circumference of the connecting through-hole via the waterproof adhesive tape, so that the flexible waterproof member seals the connecting through-hole from the inner side of the mounting portion;

[0009] The main body has a socket structure on the side close to the connecting through hole, and the socket structure is used to be plugged into and matched with the plug-in part so that the cap body and the main body are arranged in a linkage manner; the main body has a trigger surface on the side away from the connecting through hole, and the trigger surface is used to trigger the touch switch under the drive of the cap body.

[0010] In one embodiment, a waterproof adhesive edge is provided on the outer circumference of the skirt portion, and the waterproof adhesive edge is used to seal the joint between the skirt portion and the inner side wall of the mounting portion.

[0011] In one embodiment, the socket structure includes a protruding portion protruding from a side of the main body close to the connecting through hole, and the protruding portion is provided with a socket for the plug-in portion to be inserted.

[0012] In one embodiment, an adhesive is provided in the insertion hole, and the adhesive is used to adhere the plug-in portion and the protrusion.

[0013] In one embodiment, the main body portion includes a middle portion and an edge portion, the middle portion is connected to the skirt portion through the edge portion, and the middle portion is closer to the plug-in portion than the edge portion; a trigger protrusion is provided on the side of the middle portion away from the connecting through hole, and the trigger surface is provided at the end of the trigger protrusion away from the plug-in portion.

[0014] In one embodiment, the keycap further includes a snap-on portion, which is arranged on the cap body and side by side with the plug-in portion. The mounting portion is provided with a snap-on through hole for the snap-on portion to pass through. A snap-on protrusion is provided at one end of the snap-on portion away from the cap body, and the snap-on protrusion is used to snap on the inner side wall of the mounting portion so that the keycap can be movably snapped on the mounting portion.

[0015] In one embodiment, an avoidance recess is provided on the main body portion, and the avoidance recess is arranged relative to the buckle portion to provide a movable space for the buckle portion.

[0016] In one embodiment, the cap body is in an elongated strip shape, the plug-in portion is arranged in the middle portion of the cap body, and buckle portions are arranged on both sides of the cap body along its length direction.

[0017] In one embodiment, the mounting portion is thinner than the shell, so that an outer mounting cavity is formed between the mounting portion and the outer wall of the shell, and an inner mounting cavity is formed between the mounting portion and the inner wall of the shell, the outer mounting cavity is used to accommodate at least part of the keycap, and the inner mounting cavity is used to accommodate at least part of the flexible waterproof part.

[0018] In one embodiment, a chamfer is provided on an edge of the cap body close to the plug-in portion.

[0019] According to the waterproof key structure of the above embodiment, a mounting portion with a connecting through-hole is provided on the shell, the keycap body is provided on the outside of the mounting portion, and the flexible waterproof component is attached to the inside of the mounting portion through a waterproof adhesive sticker. The plug-in portion of the keycap and the socket structure of the flexible waterproof component are plugged in and matched, so that when the keycap is under pressure, it can drive the trigger surface on the flexible waterproof component to trigger the touch switch, which helps to ensure smooth key pressing while the flexible waterproof component seals the connecting through-hole from the inside of the mounting portion. The waterproof effect is not easily affected by processing accuracy, matching dimensions and fatigue wear, which helps to improve the waterproof effect and waterproof performance stability of the key. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 An explosion diagram of a waterproof key structure according to an embodiment Figure 1 ;

[0021] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of an explosion of a waterproof key structure according to an embodiment Figure 2 ;

[0022] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the structure of a flexible waterproof key in a waterproof key structure according to an embodiment;

[0023] Figure 4 The figure is a schematic structural diagram of a keycap in a waterproof key structure according to an embodiment.

[0024] In the figure, 100, housing; 110, mounting portion; 111, connecting through hole; 112, waterproof adhesive; 113, snap-on through hole; 120, outer mounting cavity; 130, inner mounting cavity;

[0025] 200, keycap; 210, cap body; 211, chamfer; 220, plug-in portion; 230, buckle portion; 231, snap-fit ​​protrusion;

[0026] 300, flexible waterproof part; 310, main body; 311, middle part; 312, side; 313, avoidance recess; 320, skirt; 330, socket structure; 331, protrusion; 332, socket; 340, trigger protrusion; 341, trigger surface. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0027] The present application is further described in detail below by means of specific embodiments in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Similar elements in different embodiments are numbered with associated similar elements. In the following embodiments, many detailed descriptions are provided to enable the present application to be better understood. However, those skilled in the art will readily appreciate that some of the features may be omitted in different circumstances, or may be replaced by other elements, materials, or methods. In some cases, some operations related to the present application are not shown or described in the specification. This is to avoid the core portion of the present application being overwhelmed by excessive descriptions. For those skilled in the art, it is not necessary to describe these related operations in detail. They can fully understand the related operations based on the description in the specification and the general technical knowledge in the art.

[0028] In addition, the features, operations, or characteristics described in the specification may be combined in any appropriate manner to form various embodiments. Furthermore, the steps or actions in the method description may be reordered or adjusted in a manner readily apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, the various sequences in the specification and drawings are provided solely for the purpose of clearly describing a particular embodiment and are not intended to be mandatory, unless otherwise specified.

[0029] The serial numbers assigned to components herein, such as "first," "second," etc., are used solely to distinguish the objects being described and do not convey any sequential or technical meaning. References to "connection" and "coupling" herein, unless otherwise specified, include both direct and indirect connections (couplings).

[0030] Currently, there are two main approaches to achieving waterproof keys on the market. One involves installing a waterproof cap made of a waterproof material such as silicone inside the keycap, relying on an interference fit between the cap's outer flange and the key mounting hole. This approach, however, suffers from unstable waterproofing performance, which is affected by the cap's dimensional accuracy and fatigue over time. Furthermore, the high precision required for the cap leads to high mold and manufacturing costs. Furthermore, since a certain interference thickness is required between the cap and the key mounting hole, and sufficient deformation space is required at the cap's head, this approach is not suitable for ultra-thin keyholes.

[0031] Another solution is to use a two-shot injection molding process to create a soft film (such as TPU) on the inside of the produced keycaps to provide waterproofing. The formation of this film requires high precision in the injection mold and other injection molding conditions. This can lead to unstable molding and the possibility of glue shortages, which can easily lead to substandard waterproofing of the keys. Furthermore, the thickness of the film directly affects the consistency of the key feel, which can easily lead to poor consistency in the feel of the keys.

[0032] In the embodiment of the present application, by providing a mounting portion 110 having a connecting through-hole 111 on the housing 100, the flexible waterproof member 300 is attached to the inner side of the mounting portion 110 via a waterproof adhesive 112, and the connecting through-hole 111 is sealed by the inner side of the mounting portion 110. This makes the waterproof effect less susceptible to the processing accuracy, matching dimensions, and fatigue wear of the flexible waterproof member 300, thereby helping to improve the waterproof effect and stability of the key. The cap body 210 of the keycap 200 is provided on the outer side of the mounting portion 110. The plug-in portion 220 of the keycap 200 and the socket structure 330 of the flexible waterproof member 300 are plugged in and mated, so that when the keycap 200 is pressurized, it can drive the trigger surface 341 on the flexible waterproof member 300 to trigger the touch switch, helping to ensure smooth keystrokes.

[0033] In one embodiment, a waterproof key structure is disclosed, please refer to Figure 1-Figure 4 The waterproof key structure includes a shell 100, a keycap 200 and a flexible waterproof component 300.

[0034] Those skilled in the art should know that the housing 100 can be the entire housing of a mobile phone, tablet computer or other device with waterproof requirements, or it can be a partial housing of a part of the device with waterproof requirements. Figure 1 and Figure 2 The housing 100 has a mounting portion 110 , and a connecting through hole 111 is provided on the mounting portion 110 . The mounting portion 110 is used for mounting the keycap 200 and the flexible waterproof member 300 to the housing 100 .

[0035] It will be understood by those skilled in the art that the mounting portion 110 may be arranged in different ways depending on the type of the housing 100. For example, in one embodiment, please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 The mounting portion 110 is thinner than the housing 100, forming an outer mounting cavity 120 between the mounting portion 110 and the outer wall of the housing 100, and an inner mounting cavity 130 between the mounting portion 110 and the inner wall of the housing 100. The outer mounting cavity 120 is used to accommodate at least a portion of the keycap 200, and the inner mounting cavity 130 is used to accommodate at least a portion of the flexible waterproof member 300. This helps reduce the thickness of the key mounting portion 110 and is suitable for housings 100 with ultra-thin frame designs.

[0036] The flexible waterproof member 300 can be understood as the core component of the waterproof key structure that affects the waterproof effect. The flexible waterproof member 300 can transmit the pressure of the keycap 200 to the touch switch corresponding to the key structure while isolating the moisture outside the housing 100 from entering the interior of the housing 100 through the connecting hole 111. The touch switch corresponding to the key structure can be a pot on a flexible printed circuit board.

[0037] In one embodiment, please refer to Figure 1-Figure 3 The flexible waterproof component 300 includes a main body 310 and a skirt portion 320. The skirt portion 320 is arranged around the circumference of the main body 310. A waterproof adhesive tape 112 is affixed to the inner side wall of the mounting portion 110 around the connecting through hole 111. The skirt portion 320 is affixed to the circumference of the connecting through hole 111 through the waterproof adhesive tape 112, so that the flexible waterproof component 300 closes the connecting through hole 111 from the inner side of the mounting portion 110.

[0038] Since the flexible waterproof component 300 is fixed by the waterproof adhesive tape 112, the portion where the flexible waterproof component 300 connects to the mounting portion 110 will not move as the keycap 200 transmits pressure, so it is not easy to generate friction loss, which helps to maintain the stability of the waterproof effect; and because it is glued to the inner side of the mounting portion 110, the dimensional accuracy requirements for the flexible waterproof component 300 are relatively low, which is not only easy to process and shape, but also even if there is a small amount of dimensional deviation, it is not easy to affect the waterproof performance.

[0039] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the flexible waterproof member 300 can be made of silicone, butyl rubber, or other flexible waterproof materials. The waterproof adhesive tape 112 can be made of any material, as long as the skirt portion 320 is adhered to the mounting portion 110 so that the flexible waterproof member 300 covers and seals the connecting through-hole 111. Furthermore, a positioning fixture can be used when attaching the flexible waterproof member 300 to improve adhesion and adhesion.

[0040] To further enhance waterproof performance, in one embodiment, a waterproof adhesive rim (not shown) is provided around the outer periphery of the skirt portion 320. The waterproof adhesive rim is used to seal the seam between the skirt portion 320 and the inner sidewall of the mounting portion 110. For example, after the skirt portion 320 is affixed to its position using the waterproof adhesive tape 112, a ring of waterproof glue, such as waterproof silicone glue, can be applied around the seam between the skirt portion 320 and the mounting portion 110. After being allowed to dry, a waterproof adhesive rim is formed to further seal the seam between the skirt portion 320 and the inner sidewall of the mounting portion 110, thereby forming a double-sealed structure.

[0041] The keycap 200, as the pressure-bearing body in the key structure, needs to be able to transmit the received pressing action to the flexible waterproof part 300, so as to drive the flexible waterproof part 300 to deform and trigger the touch switch. In one embodiment, please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 4The keycap 200 includes a cap body 210 and an inserting portion 220. The cap body 210 is arranged on the outside of the mounting portion 110, and the inserting portion 220 is arranged on the side of the cap body 210 close to the mounting portion 110. The inserting portion 220 is movably inserted into the connecting hole 111. The main body 310 has a socket structure 330 on the side close to the connecting hole 111. The socket structure 330 is used to plug and cooperate with the inserting portion 220 so that the cap body 210 and the main body 310 are arranged in a linked manner. The main body 310 has a trigger surface 341 on the side away from the connecting hole 111. The trigger surface 341 is used to trigger the touch switch under the drive of the cap body 210. When the cap body 210 is under pressure, the cap body 210 and the inserting portion 220 move together in a direction close to the flexible waterproof member 300, and the flexible waterproof member 300 is deformed by the socket structure 330, so that the trigger surface 341 approaches and triggers the touch switch.

[0042] Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the plug-in portion 220 and the socket structure 330 are correspondingly arranged so that when the cap body 210 is under pressure, the movement of the cap body 210 is transmitted to the trigger surface 341, thereby triggering the touch switch. Therefore, the socket structure 330 can be a groove or protrusion provided on the side of the main body 310 close to the plug-in portion 220, or other structures or shapes that can meet design and use requirements. For example, in one embodiment, please refer to Figure 3 The socket structure 330 includes a protruding portion 331 protruding from the main body 310 near the connecting through hole 111, and a socket 332 for inserting the plug portion 220 is provided on the protruding portion 331.

[0043] Since the main body 310 needs to be deformed under the drive of the plug-in portion 220 to make the trigger surface 341 move to trigger the touch switch, the deformation difficulty of the main body 310 directly affects the pressing feel of the button. In order to improve the pressing feel, in one embodiment, please refer to Figure 2 and Figure 3 The main body 310 includes a central portion 311 and a side portion 312. The central portion 311 is connected to the skirt portion 320 via the side portion 312. The central portion 311 is closer to the plug portion 220 than the side portion 312. A trigger protrusion 340 is provided on the side of the central portion 311 facing away from the connecting hole 111. A trigger surface 341 is provided on the end of the trigger protrusion 340 facing away from the plug portion 220. The coordinated arrangement of the central portion 311 and the side portion 312 increases the range of movement of the central portion 311 when pressed, thereby enhancing the pressing feel.

[0044] In one embodiment, please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 4The keycap 200 may further include a snap-fit ​​portion 230, which is disposed on a side of the cap body 210 close to the mounting portion 110 and arranged side by side with the plug-in portion 220. The mounting portion 110 is provided with a snap-fit ​​through-hole 113 for the snap-fit ​​portion 230 to pass through. The snap-fit ​​portion 230 is provided with a snap-fit ​​protrusion 231 at one end away from the cap body 210. The snap-fit ​​protrusion 231 is used to snap-fit ​​with the inner side wall of the mounting portion 110, so that the keycap 200 is movably snapped to the mounting portion 110. The provision of the snap-fit ​​portion 230 helps to improve the anti-drop performance of the keycap 200.

[0045] In further embodiments, please refer to Figure 3 The main body 310 may be provided with an avoidance recess 313 , which is arranged relative to the buckle portion 230 to provide a movable space for the buckle portion 230 .

[0046] Furthermore, many devices require blind operation, which places high demands on the stability of the key feel. Pressing any part of the key must trigger a response and meet the required feel. To facilitate blind operation, keys are often designed to be longer. However, in the two common waterproof key implementations mentioned above, pressing the key in the middle only triggers the switch. Pressing the upper or lower parts on either side of the middle makes it difficult to trigger the switch, resulting in a small triggerable area.

[0047] Therefore, in one embodiment, please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 4 The cap body 210 is long and narrow, with the plug-in portion 220 located in the middle of the cap body 210. Buckles 230 are provided on both sides of the cap body 210 along its length. When one side of the cap body 210 is pressed, the engaging protrusion 231 of the buckle portion 230 on the other side abuts against the inner wall of the mounting portion 110, forming a crowbar-like structure. This increases the range of motion of the plug-in portion 220 in the middle, facilitating the triggering of the tactile switch. Furthermore, when pressing each part of the button, the tactile switch provides feedback, improving the pressing feel and enhancing the user experience.

[0048] In one embodiment, please refer to Figure 4 The keycap 200 can be a metal keycap 200, such as an aluminum alloy keycap 200. The edge 312 of the cap body 210 near the plug-in portion 220 can be provided with a chamfer 211. The provision of the chamfer 211 not only removes the flash generated by processing but also helps reduce the risk of key jamming caused by assembly misalignment. In addition, in some embodiments, the side of the cap body 210 facing away from the plug-in portion 220 can be provided with textures to facilitate the operator's touch identification of the keycap 200.

[0049] To reduce the possibility of keycap 200 falling off due to a strong impact such as a drop, in one embodiment, an adhesive is provided in socket 332 to bond the connecting portion 220 and the protrusion 331. The type of adhesive is not limited, as long as it can bond the connecting portion 220 and the protrusion 331. In some examples, to improve bonding quality and efficiency, an automatic quantitative glue dispenser can be used to dispense instant glue into socket 332 as the adhesive.

[0050] The assembly process of the waterproof key structure in one embodiment can be: a waterproof tape 112 is attached to the inner side of the mounting portion 110; a positioning fixture is then used to stick the flexible waterproof component 300 on the waterproof tape 112 so that the flexible waterproof component 300 closes the connecting hole 111; a circle of waterproof silicone glue is then provided around the joint point between the skirt portion 320 and the mounting portion 110, and a waterproof adhesive edge is formed after it is left to dry, so as to further seal the joint between the outer periphery of the skirt portion 320 and the mounting portion 110; an automatic quantitative glue dispensing machine is then used to dispense instant glue into the socket 332 as an adhesive; and finally, the keycap 200 is installed.

[0051] The above specific examples are used to illustrate the present application, which is only used to help understand the present application and is not intended to limit the present application. For those skilled in the art of the present application, based on the concept of the present application, they can also make some simple deductions, modifications or substitutions.

Claims

1. A waterproof button structure, characterized in that: include: A housing, the housing having a mounting portion, the mounting portion being provided with a connecting through hole; A keycap, comprising a cap body and an inserting portion, wherein the cap body is arranged on the outside of the mounting portion, the inserting portion is arranged on a side of the cap body close to the mounting portion, and the inserting portion is movably inserted into the connecting through hole; a flexible waterproof member, the flexible waterproof member being arranged on the inner side of the mounting portion, the flexible waterproof member comprising a main body and a skirt portion, the skirt portion being arranged around the circumference of the main body, a waterproof adhesive tape being affixed to the inner side wall of the mounting portion around the connecting through hole, the skirt portion being affixed to the circumference of the connecting through hole via the waterproof adhesive tape, so that the flexible waterproof member seals the connecting through hole from the inner side of the mounting portion; The main body has a socket structure on the side close to the connecting through hole, and the socket structure is used to be plugged into and matched with the plug-in part so that the cap body and the main body are arranged in a linkage manner; the main body has a trigger surface on the side away from the connecting through hole, and the trigger surface is used to trigger the touch switch under the drive of the cap body.

2. The waterproof key structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The outer circumference of the skirt portion is provided with a waterproof adhesive edge, and the waterproof adhesive edge is used to seal the seam between the skirt portion and the inner side wall of the mounting portion.

3. The waterproof key structure according to claim 1, wherein: The socket structure includes a protruding portion protruding from one side of the main body close to the connecting through hole, and the protruding portion is provided with a socket for the plug-in portion to be inserted.

4. The waterproof key structure according to claim 3, characterized in that: An adhesive is provided in the insertion hole, and the adhesive is used to adhere the inserting portion and the protruding portion.

5. The waterproof key structure according to claim 1, wherein: The main body includes a middle portion and an edge portion, the middle portion is connected to the skirt portion through the edge portion, and the middle portion is closer to the plug-in portion than the edge portion; a trigger protrusion is provided on the side of the middle portion away from the connecting through hole, and the trigger surface is provided at the end of the trigger protrusion away from the plug-in portion.

6. The waterproof key structure according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The keycap also includes a snap-on portion, which is arranged on the cap body and side by side with the plug-in portion. The mounting portion is provided with a snap-on through hole for the snap-on portion to pass through. The snap-on portion is provided with a snap-on protrusion at one end away from the cap body. The snap-on protrusion is used to snap into contact with the inner side wall of the mounting portion so that the keycap can be movably snapped onto the mounting portion.

7. The waterproof key structure according to claim 6, characterized in that: The main body is provided with an avoidance recess, which is arranged relative to the buckle portion and is used to provide a movable space for the buckle portion.

8. The waterproof key structure according to claim 6, wherein: The cap body is in the shape of an elongated strip, the plug-in portion is arranged in the middle portion of the cap body, and buckle portions are arranged on both sides of the cap body along its length direction.

9. The waterproof key structure according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The mounting portion is thinner than the shell, so that an outer mounting cavity is formed between the mounting portion and the outer wall of the shell, and an inner mounting cavity is formed between the mounting portion and the inner wall of the shell. The outer mounting cavity is used to accommodate at least part of the keycap, and the inner mounting cavity is used to accommodate at least part of the flexible waterproof component.

10. The waterproof key structure according to claim 9, characterized in that: The edge of the cap body close to the plug-in portion is provided with a chamfer.

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