Keyboard key module

Abstract

A keyboard key module comprises a circuit board unit, a substrate and a key unit. The substrate is arranged above the circuit board unit and comprises an open hole. The key unit comprises a supporting module arranged on the substrate, a key cover module arranged on the supporting module and an elastic piece located between the circuit board unit and the key cover module, and the key cover module is provided with a lower cover body which is arranged on the supporting module and provided with a through hole. The lower cover body is provided with a through hole, the upper cover body is arranged above the lower cover body, the lower end of the elastic piece abuts against the circuit board unit through the open hole, and the upper end of the elastic piece abuts against the upper cover body through the through hole. The keyboard key module can be greatly improved in the aspect of thickness optimization, and the effects of thin thickness, large pressing stroke and good pressing hand feeling are achieved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to a keyboard key module, and more particularly to a keyboard key module that is thin and has a large pressing stroke. Background Technology

[0002] An existing button module includes a backlight module, a substrate disposed above the backlight module, a thin-film circuit board disposed above the substrate, and a plurality of button modules disposed on the substrate. The substrate has a plurality of hook modules. The thin-film circuit board has a plurality of openings through which the hook modules pass. Each button module has a scissor-switch mechanism disposed on the corresponding hook module, a keycap disposed on the scissor-switch mechanism, and an elastic body disposed between the keycap and the thin-film circuit board. When each keycap is pressed, the elastic body compresses the thin-film circuit board to generate an electronic signal.

[0003] However, the key module has the problem of difficulty in reducing its thickness. Since the keycaps are made of plastic, further reducing their thickness would lead to uneven cooling during the plastic injection molding process, resulting in decreased flatness. Reducing the height of the elastomer would decrease the distance between the keycap and the thin-film circuit board, resulting in a reduced pressing stroke and poor tactile feedback. Utility Model Content

[0004] The purpose of this invention is to provide a keyboard button module that can improve upon at least one of the aforementioned shortcomings.

[0005] The keyboard key module of this utility model includes a circuit board unit, a substrate, and key units. The substrate is disposed above the circuit board unit and includes an opening. The key unit includes a support module disposed on the substrate, a key cover module disposed on the support module, and an elastic member located between the circuit board unit and the key cover module. The key cover module has a lower cover body disposed on the support module and having a through hole, and an upper cover body disposed above the lower cover body. The lower end of the elastic member abuts against the circuit board unit through the opening, and the upper end of the elastic member abuts against the upper cover body through the through hole.

[0006] The keyboard button module of this utility model has an upper cover made of metal.

[0007] The keyboard button module of this utility model has an upper cover made of aluminum.

[0008] The keyboard button module of this utility model has a lower cover made of light-transmitting plastic material.

[0009] The keyboard button module of this utility model has an elastic member that abuts against the top of the upper cover, a cover portion connected to the top and abutting against the circuit board unit, and a protrusion extending downward from the top and surrounded by the cover portion, the protrusion facing the circuit board unit through the opening.

[0010] The keyboard button module of this utility model includes a substrate comprising a plate having the opening and a hook module disposed on the plate, wherein the support module is a scissor-type and disposed on the hook module.

[0011] The keyboard button module of this utility model has a circuit board unit that is a modular component including a backlight module and a thin film circuit board.

[0012] The beneficial effects of this utility model are as follows: by setting the key cover module and placing the circuit board unit below the substrate, the elastic element abuts against the upper cover through the through hole of the lower cover and abuts against the circuit board unit through the opening of the substrate. The keyboard key module can achieve a significant improvement in thickness optimization and achieve the effects of thinness, large pressing stroke, and good pressing feel. Attached Figure Description

[0013] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of an embodiment of the keyboard button module of this utility model;

[0014] Figure 2 This is an exploded perspective view of the embodiment described above;

[0015] Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional view of the embodiment. Detailed Implementation

[0016] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0017] See Figure 1 ,and Figure 2 An embodiment of the keyboard button module of this utility model includes a circuit board unit 1, a substrate 2, and a button unit 3.

[0018] The circuit board unit 1 is a modular component including a thin film circuit board and a backlight module, that is, the circuit board unit 1 is a two-in-one liquid-proof backlight circuit board.

[0019] See Figure 2 ,and Figure 3The substrate 2 is disposed above the circuit board unit 1. The substrate 2 is made of metal and includes a plate body 21 with an opening 211, and a hook module 22 disposed on the plate body 21. The hook module 22 has multiple hooks 221. Specifically, the substrate 2 is bonded to the circuit board unit 1.

[0020] The button unit 3 includes a support module 31 disposed on the substrate 2, a key cover module 32 disposed on the support module 31, and an elastic member 33 located between the circuit board unit 1 and the key cover module 32.

[0021] The support module 31 has scissor legs and is located on the hook 221 of the hook module 22.

[0022] The key cover module 32 has a lower cover 321 disposed on the support module 31 and having a through hole 323, and an upper cover 322 disposed above the lower cover 321 and covering the lower cover 321. The lower cover 321 is made of translucent plastic. The upper cover 322 is made of metal, specifically, it is made of aluminum.

[0023] The lower end of the elastic member 33 abuts against the circuit board unit 1 through the opening 211 of the plate 21, and the upper end of the elastic member 33 abuts against the upper cover 322 through the through hole 323 of the lower cover 321. Specifically, the elastic member 33 has a top 331 abutting against the upper cover 322, a cover portion 332 connected to the top 331 and abutting against the circuit board unit 1, and a protrusion 333 extending downward from the top 331 and surrounded by the cover portion 332. The protrusion 333 faces the circuit board unit 1 through the opening 211. When the upper cover 322 is pressed, the protrusion 333 of the elastic member 33 compresses the circuit board unit 1, generating a pressing signal.

[0024] Since the elastic element 33 abuts against the upper cover 322 and the circuit board unit 1, this embodiment can increase the pressing stroke to obtain better pressing feedback and pressing feel while maintaining the overall thickness of the keyboard key module. The detailed principle is explained below.

[0025] To increase the pressing stroke, the height of the elastic element 33 needs to be increased, but increasing the height of the elastic element 33 will correspondingly increase the overall thickness of the keyboard key module. Therefore, if it is necessary to increase the pressing stroke while maintaining the overall thickness of the keyboard key module, the distance between the key cover module 32 and the elastic element 33 and the distance between the circuit board unit 1 and the elastic element 33 needs to be increased.

[0026] Since the upper cover 322 is made of aluminum, it can be easily processed into a thinner and flatter shape compared to plastic through stamping. Furthermore, aluminum is easy to surface treat, such as anodizing or brushing, to improve its appearance. Therefore, by creating the through hole 323 in the lower cover 321, the elastic member 33 abuts against the upper cover 322 through the through hole 323. Thus, the upper part of the elastic member 33 only includes the upper cover 322 and not the lower cover 321, thereby reducing the thickness of the component above the elastic member 33. However, it should be noted that the material of the upper cover 322 is not limited in other variations of this embodiment. The upper cover 322 can also be made of other thin metal materials, such as SUS304 or other grades of stainless steel.

[0027] Furthermore, by placing the circuit board unit 1 below the substrate 2 and opening the hole 211 on the substrate 2 corresponding to the elastic member 33, so that the elastic member 33 abuts against the circuit board unit 1 through the opening 211, the area below the elastic member 33 only contains the circuit board unit 1 and not the substrate 2, thereby reducing the component thickness below the elastic member 33.

[0028] In other words, this embodiment has a larger pressing stroke while maintaining the same overall thickness as existing button modules. Alternatively, it can be said that this embodiment has a thinner thickness while maintaining the same pressing stroke as existing button modules.

[0029] In this embodiment, the thickness of the upper cover 322 is 0.3 mm, and the thickness of the substrate 2 is 0.15 mm. The known thickness of plastic keycaps is approximately 0.5 mm or more. Therefore, the thickness reduction achieved in this embodiment compared to existing key modules is the thickness of the existing plastic keycap minus the thickness of the upper cover 322, plus the thickness of the substrate 2, which equals 0.35 mm. The overall thickness of a known keyboard key structure is 4.5 mm, and the pressing stroke is 1.8 mm. The overall thickness of the keyboard key module in this embodiment is 3.35 mm, with the same pressing stroke of 1.8 mm. Compared to known key structures, while maintaining the same pressing stroke, this represents a 25.5% reduction in thickness, demonstrating a significant thinning effect and greatly optimizing the thickness of the keyboard key module.

[0030] In summary, the advantages of this keyboard button module are described below.

[0031] 1. By setting up the key cover module 32, which is composed of the lower cover 321 and the upper cover 322, and placing the circuit board unit 1 below the substrate 2, the upper end of the elastic member 33 abuts against the upper cover 322 through the through hole 323 of the lower cover 321, and the lower end of the elastic member 33 abuts against the circuit board unit 1 through the opening 211 of the substrate 2. In the context of increasingly thinner keyboards, the keyboard key module can achieve a significant improvement in thickness optimization, and achieve the effects of thinness, large pressing stroke, and good pressing feel.

[0032] Second, since the circuit board unit 1 is not located on top of the substrate 2, there is no need to create a hole for the hook 221 to pass through. Therefore, the entire surface of the circuit board unit 1 can be coated with adhesive, resulting in excellent adhesive distribution and reducing the likelihood of air bubbles or streaks, thus improving the bonding quality between the circuit board unit 1 and the substrate 2. Consequently, the keyboard button module also exhibits excellent waterproof and salt spray resistance.

[0033] Third, the circuit board unit 1 is a two-in-one liquid-resistant backlight circuit board that includes a backlight module and a thin-film circuit board. When manufacturing the illuminated keyboard, the substrate 2 and the components on top of the substrate 2 can be fabricated first and stored. When it is time to deliver, the circuit board unit 1 is then glued to the bottom surface of the substrate 2 for direct shipment. Therefore, the illuminated keyboard with the keyboard key module of this utility model also has the advantages of convenient assembly and high production efficiency.

[0034] The above description is merely an embodiment of this utility model and should not be construed as limiting the scope of this utility model. Any simple equivalent changes and modifications made in accordance with the claims and description of this utility model shall still fall within the scope of this utility model.

Claims

1. A keyboard key module, characterized by: The application relates to a key unit, which comprises a circuit board unit, a substrate and a key unit, wherein the substrate is arranged above the circuit board unit and comprises an opening; the key unit comprises a supporting module arranged on the substrate, a key cover module arranged on the supporting module and an elastic piece between the circuit board unit and the key cover module; the key cover module comprises a lower cover body arranged on the supporting module and formed with a through hole and an upper cover body arranged above the lower cover body; the lower end of the elastic piece abuts against the circuit board unit through the opening; and the upper end of the elastic piece abuts against the upper cover body through the through hole.

2. The keyboard key module of claim 1, wherein: The upper cover body is made of metal material.

3. The keyboard key module of claim 2, wherein: The upper cover body is made of aluminum material.

4. The keyboard key module of claim 2, wherein: The lower cover body is made of light-transmitting plastic material.

5. The keyboard key module of claim 1, wherein: The elastic piece comprises a top part abutting against the upper cover body, a cover part connected to the top part and abutting against the circuit board unit and a convex column extending downward from the top part and surrounded by the cover part, wherein the convex column faces the circuit board unit through the opening.

6. The keyboard key module of claim 1, wherein: The substrate comprises a plate body formed with the opening and a clamping hook module arranged on the plate body; and the supporting module is a scissors leg and is arranged on the clamping hook module.

7. The keyboard key module of claim 1, wherein: The circuit board unit is a modular assembly comprising a backlight module and a thin film circuit board.

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