Key assembly and electronic equipment
The key component with mechanical structure design solves the high cost problem of the Hall sensor method and realizes the key component design with low cost and convenient installation and maintenance.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202422975477.3
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Utility models(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2024-12-03
- Publication Date
- 2025-10-24
- Estimated Expiration
- 2034-12-03
AI Technical Summary
In the prior art, the toggle button assembly uses a Hall sensor combined with a magnet, which is costly and difficult to install and maintain.
The mechanical structure design of the shell, button and switch unit is adopted. It is mechanically triggered by the button and the switch unit without relying on the Hall sensor. It includes a combination of the shell, button, limit part and switch unit, and uses the elastic connection between the movable part and the fixed part to realize the sliding trigger of the button.
The manufacturing cost is reduced, the installation and maintenance process is simplified, and the reliability and ease of use of the key assembly are improved.
Smart Images
Figure CN223471516U_ABST
Abstract
Description
TECHNICAL FIELD
[0001] The present disclosure relates to the technical field of electronic devices, and in particular, to a key assembly and an electronic device. BACKGROUND
[0002] Key assemblies are usually provided in electronic devices, such as key assemblies for controlling volume, key assemblies for controlling power switches, and the like.
[0003] For a dial-type key assembly, a Hall sensor combined with a magnet is usually used in the related art to achieve this, which is relatively high in cost, and since calibration of the sensor is involved, it is not conducive to installation and maintenance. CONTENT OF THE UTILITY MODEL
[0004] To overcome the problems in the related art, the present disclosure provides a key assembly and an electronic device.
[0005] According to a first aspect of an embodiment of the present disclosure, a key assembly is provided, comprising:
[0006] a housing, a top portion of which is provided with an upper opening, and a bottom portion of which is provided with a lower opening;
[0007] a key, which is slidably connected to the housing, and comprises a dial portion and a limiting portion; wherein the dial portion at least partially passes through the upper opening and is exposed outside the housing; the limiting portion is located inside the housing and is used to limit the sliding direction of the key;
[0008] a switch unit, which comprises a fixed portion and a movable portion; wherein the fixed portion at least partially passes through the lower opening, and the positional relationship between the fixed portion and the housing is relatively fixed; the first end of the movable portion is in abutment with the key, and the second end of the movable portion is elastically connected to the fixed portion;
[0009] During the sliding of the key, the distance between the movable portion and the fixed portion changes.
[0010] In some embodiments, the key assembly further comprises an elastic member.
[0011] The elastic member is arranged inside the housing along the slidable direction of the key, the first end of the elastic member is in contact with the key, and the second end of the elastic member is in contact with the side wall inside the housing.
[0012] In some embodiments, during the sliding of the key, the compression amount of the elastic member changes.
[0013] In some embodiments, in the slidable direction of the key, there is a gap between the limiting portion and the housing.
[0014] In some embodiments, the key is further provided with a guide surface at the abutting position with the movable part, which cooperates with the movable part to guide the moving direction of the movable part.
[0015] In some embodiments, the fixed part and the movable part are arranged along a slidable direction of the key, or the fixed part and the movable part are arranged along a direction perpendicular to the slidable direction.
[0016] In some embodiments, the length of the limiting part in the slidable direction of the key is greater than the length of the upper opening in the slidable direction.
[0017] In some embodiments, the fixed part is arranged at a side of the switch unit away from the key, and the movable part is arranged at a side of the switch unit close to the key.
[0018] In some embodiments, a sealing member is further arranged between the fixed part and the lower opening.
[0019] According to a second aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, an electronic device comprises the key assembly as described in the first aspect.
[0020] The technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure can have the following beneficial effects:
[0021] The key assembly provided by the embodiments of the present disclosure comprises a housing, a key, and a switch unit. The top of the housing is provided with an upper opening, and the bottom of the housing is provided with a lower opening. The key is slidably connected with the housing and comprises a knob part and a limiting part. The knob part at least partially passes through the upper opening and is exposed outside the housing, and the limiting part is located inside the housing and is used to limit the sliding direction of the key. The switch unit comprises a fixed part and a movable part. The fixed part at least partially passes through the lower opening and has a relative fixed position relationship with the housing, and the first end of the movable part abuts against the key and the second end of the movable part is elastically connected with the fixed part. In the process of sliding of the key, the distance between the movable part and the fixed part changes. The scheme of the embodiments of the present disclosure can trigger the key assembly through the movable part abutting against the key, without relying on a Hall sensor. Therefore, the manufacturing cost is low, and the subsequent installation and maintenance process is relatively simple. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS
[0022] Figure 1 FIG. 1 shows a structure schematic diagram of a key assembly in an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0023] Figure 2 FIG. 2 shows a structure schematic diagram of another key assembly in an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0024] Figure 3 FIG. 3 shows a structure schematic diagram of another key assembly in an embodiment of the present disclosure.
[0025] Reference signs:
[0026] 100 - housing; 101 - upper opening; 102 - lower opening; 200 - key; 201 - actuating portion; 202 - limiting portion; 300 - switch unit; 301 - fixed portion; 302 - movable portion; 400 - elastic member. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0027] The exemplary embodiments will be described in detail hereinbelow with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the following description, the same numbers refer to the same or similar elements throughout the drawings. The implementations described in the following exemplary embodiments do not represent all implementations consistent with the present disclosure. Instead, they only represent examples of apparatuses and methods consistent with some aspects of the present disclosure, as detailed in the appended claims.
[0028] In addition, the terms "first", "second", and the like used in the present disclosure are only used to distinguish descriptions, and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance.
[0029] Figure 1 A structure schematic diagram of a key assembly in an embodiment of the present disclosure is shown in FIG. 1. Figure 1 As shown in FIG. 1, the key assembly can include a housing 100, a key 200, and a switch unit 300.
[0030] The housing 100 is provided with an upper opening 101 at the top and a lower opening 102 at the bottom.
[0031] The key 200 is slidably connected to the housing 100 and includes an actuating portion 201 and a limiting portion 202. The actuating portion 201 at least partially passes through the upper opening 101 and is exposed outside the housing 100, so that a user can apply an external force through the actuating portion 201 to control the sliding of the key 200. The limiting portion 202 is located inside the housing 100 and is used to limit the sliding direction of the key 200.
[0032] The switch unit 300 includes a fixed portion 301 and a movable portion 302. The fixed portion 301 at least partially passes through the lower opening 102 and is relatively fixed in position with the housing 100. The movable portion 302 has a first end abutting the key 200 and a second end elastically connected to the fixed portion 301. During the sliding of the key 200, the distance between the movable portion 302 and the fixed portion 301 changes.
[0033] Since the triggering of the key assembly in the embodiment of the present disclosure does not rely on a Hall sensor, but is triggered by a mechanical structure, the manufacturing cost is low, and the installation and maintenance process is relatively simple.
[0034] In some embodiments, the switch unit 300 can be a tactile switch, a micro switch or the like, and regardless of the switch unit 300, the fixed part 301 and the movable part 302 are elastically connected. The fixed part 301 and the movable part 302 can be elastically connected by a metal spring, a metal sheet or conductive rubber, etc.
[0035] For example, the fixed part 301 and the movable part 302 of the tactile switch are elastically connected by a metal spring. When the movable part 302 receives an external force and moves towards the fixed part 301, the metal spring is compressed and deformed, thereby contacting the metal contact provided on the fixed part 301, so that the key assembly is in a triggered state. When the external force disappears, the spring returns to the initial state, and the metal spring and the metal contact are separated, so that the key assembly is in an untriggered state.
[0036] In some embodiments, the fixed part 301 of the switch unit 300 can be fixed on the circuit board in the electronic device by welding after passing through the lower opening 102, so that the control circuit in the circuit board can sense the state change of the key assembly. Since the circuit board is usually fixed relative to the shell 100 of the key assembly, the fixed part 301 fixed on the circuit board can also be relatively fixed in the position relationship with the shell 100.
[0037] In some embodiments, the fixed part 301 and the movable part 302 are arranged in a direction perpendicular to the slidable direction.
[0038] For example, the key 200 is also provided with a guide surface at the abutting position of the movable part 302. The guide surface cooperates with the movable part 302 to guide the movement direction of the movable part 302. For example, in the embodiment shown in Figure 1 , the end of the movable part 302 abutting with the key 200 is a bevel, so that the abutting position of the key 200 and the movable part 302 can be provided with a guide surface with the same inclination angle as the bevel, and the guide surface and the bevel can realize surface contact. During the sliding of the key 200, the guide surface and the bevel can provide an external force perpendicular to the sliding direction of the movable part 302 to the key 200, so as to press down the movable part 302 and trigger the switch unit 300.
[0039] In some embodiments, please refer to Figure 2The fixed part 301 and the movable part 302 can also be arranged along the slidable direction of the key 200. In this case, the sliding of the key 200 will directly cause the movable part 302 to compress the fixed part 301, so that the sliding of the key 200 can directly trigger the switch unit 300 even without the guiding surface. Meanwhile, since the movable part 302 and the fixed part 301 of the switch unit 300 are elastically connected, after the external force applied to the key 200 is removed, the key 200 can also have the ability of automatic reset under the action of the elastic connection.
[0040] In some embodiments, regardless of the arrangement direction of the fixed part 301 and the movable part 302, the fixed part 301 is always arranged on the side of the switch unit 300 away from the key 200, and the movable part 302 is always arranged on the side of the switch unit 300 close to the key 200. In this way, when the movable part 302 abuts against the key 200, the fixed part 301 will not directly contact the key 200, so as to avoid the key 200 pushing the fixed part 301 in the same direction as the movable part 302 during the movement of the movable part 302, which causes the switch unit 300 to be unable to be triggered.
[0041] Please continue to refer to Figure 1 In some embodiments, there is a gap between the limiting part 202 and the shell 100 in the slidable direction of the key 200. By reserving a gap between the limiting part 202 and the shell 100 in a specific direction, the sliding direction of the key 200 can be controlled. That is, the key 200 cannot slide in the direction in which the limiting part 202 and the shell 100 have abutted.
[0042] For example, the sliding direction of the key 200 is limited not only by the relationship between the limiting part 202 and the shell 100, but also by the relationship between the knob 201 and the upper opening 101. There is also a gap between the knob 201 and the upper opening 101 in the slidable direction of the key 200. The slidable distance of the key 200 depends on the minimum value of the gap size between the limiting part 202 and the shell 100 and the gap size between the knob 201 and the upper opening 101 in the slidable direction of the key 200.
[0043] It can be understood that the knob 201 is the part of the key 200 for being manipulated by the user. The user can apply an external force to the key 200 in the slidable direction of the key 200 through the knob 201, at this time, the key 200 will drive the movable part 302 of the switch unit 300 abutting against the key 200 to move, so as to change the distance between the movable part 302 and the fixed part 301. When the distance between the movable part 302 and the fixed part 301 is small enough, the key assembly will be triggered.
[0044] In some embodiments, the length of the limiting portion 202 in the sliding direction of the key 200 is greater than the length of the upper opening 101 in the sliding direction. This configuration allows the limiting portion 202 to not only limit the sliding direction of the key 200 but also prevent the key 200 from detaching from the upper opening 101 of the housing 100 during the sliding process.
[0045] In some embodiments, a seal is further provided between the fixing portion 301 and the lower opening 102. The seal may be a rubber ring or a sealing structure formed by gluing, for example, a waterproof glue is used to fill the gap between the fixing portion 301 and the lower opening 102.
[0046] By sealing the fixing portion 301 and the lower opening 102, the keypad assembly achieves a certain degree of waterproofing. Once sealed, the upper opening 101 is the only externally accessible opening in the housing 100. When liquid enters the housing 100 through the upper opening 101, it remains inside the housing 100 or flows out again through the upper opening 101, preventing it from passing through the lower opening 102 and contacting the electronic device's circuit boards.
[0047] In addition, while the sealing member plays a sealing role, it can also achieve fixation between the fixing portion 301 and the lower opening 102 to a certain extent, thereby relatively fixing the fixing portion 301 and the housing 100 .
[0048] Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the structure of another key assembly in the embodiment of the present disclosure is shown. Figure 3 The principle of solving the problem of the key assembly shown is the same as the above Figure 1 The key components shown are similar and for the sake of brevity, the repeated parts will not be repeated.
[0049] and Figure 1 The key assembly shown is compared to the Figure 3 The key assembly shown further includes an elastic member 400 , which is disposed inside the housing 100 along the sliding direction of the key 200 , with a first end in contact with the key 200 and a second end in contact with the side wall inside the housing 100 .
[0050] For example, the elastic member 400 may be a spring or a spring sheet that is capable of compressing along the sliding direction of the button 200. As the button 200 slides, the amount of compression of the elastic member 400 changes. The greater the amount of compression of the elastic member 400, the closer the distance between the movable portion 302 and the fixed portion 301 of the switch unit 300.
[0051] That is, the user triggers the action of the key assembly by exerting an external force on the knob 201, which is an action of increasing the compression amount of the elastic member 400. Therefore, after the external force is removed, the key 200 can restore the initial state under the action of the elastic force of the elastic member 400, thereby ensuring that the key assembly can be automatically reset after being triggered each time.
[0052] Based on the same inventive concept, the embodiments of the present disclosure also provide an electronic device comprising the key assembly described above.
[0053] Exemplarily, the electronic device can be a smart phone, a tablet computer, a smart wearable device, etc., and the embodiments of the present disclosure do not limit the electronic device.
[0054] Since the principle of solving the problem of the electronic device embodiment is similar to that of the above-mentioned electronic device embodiment, the implementation of the electronic device embodiment can refer to the implementation of the above-mentioned key assembly embodiment, and the repeated parts will not be described again.
[0055] The embodiments of the present disclosure are described in detail above in combination with the drawings, but the present disclosure is not limited to the specific details in the above embodiments. Within the technical concept range of the present disclosure, various simple modifications can be made to the technical solutions of the present disclosure, and these simple modifications all belong to the protection range of the present disclosure.
[0056] In addition, any combination of various different embodiments of the present disclosure can also be made, as long as it does not deviate from the idea of the present disclosure, and it should also be considered as disclosed by the present disclosure.
Claims
1. A key assembly, characterized by The application relates to a key assembly. The shell is provided with an upper opening at the top and a lower opening at the bottom. The key is slidably connected with the shell and comprises a rotating part and a limiting part; the rotating part is at least partially exposed outside the shell through the upper opening; the limiting part is located inside the shell and is used for limiting the sliding direction of the key. The switch unit comprises a fixed part and a movable part; the fixed part is at least partially located through the lower opening and is relatively fixed with the shell; the first end of the movable part is in abutment with the key, and the second end is elastically connected with the fixed part. During the sliding of the key, the distance between the movable part and the fixed part changes.
2. The key assembly of claim 1, wherein, The key assembly further comprises an elastic member. The elastic member is arranged inside the shell along the slidable direction of the key, the first end of the elastic member is in contact with the key, and the second end is in contact with the side wall inside the shell.
3. The key assembly of claim 2, wherein, During the sliding of the key, the compression amount of the elastic member changes.
4. The key assembly of claim 1, wherein, In the slidable direction of the key, there is a gap between the limiting part and the shell.
5. The key assembly of claim 1, wherein, The key is further provided with a guide surface at the abutment position of the movable part, the guide surface is matched with the movable part, and the guide surface is used for guiding the movement direction of the movable part.
6. The key assembly of claim 1, wherein, The fixed part and the movable part are arranged along the slidable direction of the key, or the fixed part and the movable part are arranged along a direction perpendicular to the slidable direction.
7. The key assembly of claim 1, wherein, The length of the limiting part in the slidable direction of the key is greater than the length of the upper opening in the slidable direction.
8. The key assembly of claim 1, wherein, The fixed part is arranged on the side of the switch unit away from the key, and the movable part is arranged on the side of the switch unit close to the key.
9. The key assembly of claim 1, wherein, The fixed part and the lower opening are further provided with a sealing member.
10. An electronic device, comprising: The application relates to a key assembly. The key assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 9.