Keyboard buffer structure and keyboard

Abstract

The utility model provides a keyboard buffer structure and a keyboard, the keyboard buffer structure comprises a shell and an inner container, the inner container comprises a positioning plate and a circuit board which are arranged from top to bottom, the positioning plate is provided with an insertion hole used for being matched with a key shaft, and at least one position of the periphery of the positioning plate is supported by the shell; the circuit board adopts a flexible circuit board, the keyboard buffer structure further comprises a bottom pad, and the bottom pad is arranged in the shell and at least supports the central area of the flexible circuit board; the positioning plate is provided with a through groove penetrating through the two sides of the thickness, and the through groove is formed between the multiple insertion holes. The keyboard comprises the keyboard buffer structure. According to the keyboard, the hand feeling consistency of knocking different areas of the keyboard can be well improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of keyboard technology, specifically to a keyboard buffer structure and keyboard that improves the consistency of tactile feedback. Background Technology

[0002] Existing mechanical keyboards include a shell, inner tube, and keycaps. The inner tube comprises a PCB circuit board, a positioning plate, and multiple key switches. The positioning plate and the PCB circuit board are stacked from top to bottom, with or without a cushioning pad between them. The positioning plate has insertion holes for the key switches to pass through. The PCB circuit board has solder holes and positioning holes. The bottom of the key switch has a positioning post and a contact. The key switch is installed from top to bottom after entering the insertion hole. The positioning post at the bottom of the key switch mates with the positioning hole on the PCB circuit board, and the contact mates with the solder hole to achieve electrical connection with the PCB circuit board. Multiple contacts can be soldered to the PCB circuit board in a single wave soldering process to achieve electrical connection. Alternatively, multiple connectors corresponding one-to-one with the multiple key switches can be used to electrically connect the PCB circuit board and the contacts, allowing for hot-swapping of the key switches. Keycaps are installed onto each key switch individually. The inner tube is placed inside and supported by the shell, which includes a bottom shell. The bottom shell supports several support points on the outer periphery of the positioning plate, thus supporting the inner tube.

[0003] The current technical problem is that the user experience of a keyboard is related to the typing feel, and the elastic deformation of the keyboard structure is one of the factors affecting the typing feel. When a user types a keycap, the force falls on the inner shell. Since the inner shell's support point is on its outer perimeter, the positioning plate and PCB circuit board have the following characteristics: the closer to the support point, the smaller the elastic deformation; the farther away from the support point, the larger the elastic deformation. Ultimately, the resulting typing feel is that the keys in the central area of ​​the keyboard have a sufficiently elastic typing feel, while the keys in the outer perimeter have a more rigid typing feel, leading to poor consistency in the keyboard's key feel. Utility Model Content

[0004] The primary objective of this invention is to provide a keyboard buffer structure that improves the consistency of tactile feedback.

[0005] The second objective of this invention is to provide a keyboard that improves the consistency of tactile feedback.

[0006] The keyboard buffer structure provided by this utility model includes an outer shell and an inner shell. The inner shell includes a positioning plate and a circuit board arranged from top to bottom. The positioning plate is provided with a socket for cooperating with the key switch. At least one part of the outer periphery of the positioning plate is supported by the outer shell. The circuit board is a flexible circuit board. The keyboard buffer structure also includes a bottom pad, which is disposed in the outer shell and supports at least the central area of ​​the flexible circuit board. The positioning plate is provided with a through groove that penetrates both sides of the thickness. The through groove is disposed between multiple sockets.

[0007] As can be seen from the above solution, replacing the rigid PCB circuit board with a flexible FPC circuit board and creating through slots on the rigid positioning plate both increase the elastic deformation of various parts of the outer periphery of the keyboard, thus making the keystroke feel of the keys in the outer periphery of the keyboard more elastic. Although the elastic deformation of the central area of ​​the keyboard also increases, this improvement results in good elastic feedback in both the outer and inner periphery areas. Compared with existing technologies, the difference in feel between the outer and inner periphery areas is reduced. Furthermore, this invention adds a bottom pad, which supports the flexible circuit board to ensure effective support of the keyboard. On the other hand, the bottom pad can slightly limit the elastic deformation of the central area of ​​the keyboard, further reducing the difference in feel between the central and outer periphery areas. Therefore, this invention can significantly improve the consistency of the keystroke feel in different areas of the keyboard.

[0008] A further option is to have multiple insertion holes arranged in rows along the length of the positioning plate, and the through slots include transverse slots, which are disposed between two adjacent rows of insertion holes and extend along the length of the positioning plate.

[0009] A further approach is to have a transverse groove spanning at least two insertion holes along the length of the positioning plate.

[0010] As can be seen above, the keyboard keys are arranged in rows along the length of the positioning plate, and correspondingly, the key switch holes are also arranged in rows along the length of the positioning plate. The position between two adjacent rows of holes is very suitable for setting a transverse slot. A preferred solution is to set a long, narrow transverse slot spanning two or more holes between two rows of holes, since the setting is unobstructed. This increases the slot area and further increases the elastic deformation of the positioning plate. In particular, the material continuity of the plate in the width direction is relatively more disrupted, weakening the plate's resistance to deformation in the width direction and making it more susceptible to elastic deformation under external forces.

[0011] Another further option is that the through groove includes a longitudinal groove along the length of the positioning plate, the longitudinal groove being disposed between two adjacent insertion holes and extending along the width of the positioning plate.

[0012] As can be seen from the above, the position between two adjacent buttons in each row is suitable for setting longitudinal slots. Slotting along the width direction disrupts the continuity and integrity of the material in the length direction, resulting in a decrease in the stiffness of the plate in the length direction and a poorer ability to resist deformation. When subjected to external forces, elastic deformation is more likely to occur in the length direction.

[0013] A further approach is to have at least one longitudinal slot connected to at least one transverse slot.

[0014] A further proposed solution is that one of the transverse grooves is connected to multiple longitudinal grooves; and one of the longitudinal grooves is connected to multiple transverse grooves.

[0015] As can be seen from the above, in order to facilitate processing, by rationally arranging the longitudinal and transverse grooves, two through grooves can be formed in one cut, and preferably, even multiple through grooves can be formed.

[0016] Another further solution is to have the outer shell support only the two ends of the positioning plate.

[0017] As can be seen from the above, due to the small width of the positioning plate, its elastic deformation is also relatively small. If the width is supported on both sides, the typing feel on both sides of the inner tube is still relatively rigid. Therefore, the present invention adopts the method of supporting only the length ends, while the width sides are not supported and are left as free sides, so that the width sides also have good elastic deformation ability, further improving the consistency of the key typing feel in all parts of the keyboard.

[0018] Another further design is that the positioning plate includes a supported structure extending outward from its outer periphery; the keyboard buffer structure also includes a buffer; the outer shell includes a supporting part; and the supporting part, the buffer, and the supported structure abut against each other from bottom to top.

[0019] As can be seen from the above, the design of the buffer component gives the inner tube a better overall cushioning and vibration reduction effect, preventing more vibration from being transmitted to the fingers and causing discomfort, and improving the comfort of long-term continuous tapping.

[0020] Another further option is that the outer shell includes a bottom shell, the lower surface of the bottom pad contacts and fits with the bottom shell surface, and the upper surface of the bottom pad contacts and fits with the flexible circuit board surface.

[0021] As can be seen from the above, compared with PCB circuit boards, FPC flexible circuit boards are relatively thin. The area where the bottom shell, bottom pad and flexible circuit board are kept together can avoid stress concentration points on the flexible circuit board and damage, thus improving product quality.

[0022] The second objective of this utility model is to provide a keyboard that includes the aforementioned keyboard buffer structure. Attached Figure Description

[0023] Figure 1 This is a cross-sectional view of an embodiment of the keyboard of this utility model.

[0024] Figure 2 This is an exploded view of the keyboard embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 3 This is a structural diagram of the positioning plate in an embodiment of the keyboard of this utility model.

[0026] Figure 4 for Figure 2 Enlarged view of point A in the middle.

[0027] Figure 5 for Figure 2 Enlarged view of point B in the middle.

[0028] Figure 6 This is a structural diagram showing the hidden bottom shell and bottom pad of the keyboard embodiment of this utility model. Detailed Implementation

[0029] See Figure 1 and Figure 2 The keyboard includes a shell 1, an inner chamber, a base pad 21, and keycaps 9. The shell 1 includes a bottom shell 11 and a top cover 12. The inner chamber includes key switches 8, a positioning plate 3, a circuit board 4, a connector 49, and a noise-dampening interlayer 22. The keyboard includes a keyboard buffer structure, which in this embodiment is composed of the shell 1, the positioning plate 3, the circuit board 4, the connector 49, the base pad 21, and the noise-dampening interlayer 22. The circuit board 4 is an FPC flexible circuit board.

[0030] In the coordinate system shown, the z-axis represents the height of the keyboard, the y-axis represents the length of the keyboard, and the x-axis represents the width of the keyboard. The bottom shell 11 and the top cover 12 are closed along the z-axis to form the internal space of the keyboard, in which the inner shell and the bottom pad 21 are placed. The top cover 12 is a square frame, and the inner circumference of the top cover 12 forms an opening for multiple key switches 8 on the inner shell to be exposed upwards. Multiple keycaps 9 are detachably installed onto the key switches 8 through the opening, and the multiple keycaps 9 protrude upwards from the top cover 12.

[0031] On the inner liner, the positioning plate 3, the sound-absorbing interlayer 22, and the circuit board 4 are stacked sequentially from top to bottom. In this embodiment, the sound-absorbing interlayer 22 includes three layers of sound-absorbing cushioning material, such as PET pads, sponge pads, or IXPE pads. In other embodiments, the sound-absorbing interlayer 22 may include only one layer of material. The main body of the key shaft 8 is inserted from top to bottom through the positioning plate 3 and the sound-absorbing interlayer 22. The positioning post and pin at the bottom of the key shaft 8 then pass through the circuit board 4 and connect to the connector 49 connected to the lower surface of the circuit board 4, thereby establishing an electrical connection between the key shaft 8 and the circuit board 4. The bottom pad 21 is positioned above the bottom wall of the bottom shell 11 and below the circuit board 4 to support the circuit board 4.

[0032] See Figure 3 The positioning plate 3 has multiple insertion holes 31 for inserting and mating the key shaft 8. The insertion holes 31 are arranged in a row along the length of the positioning plate 3 and in five rows along the width of the positioning plate 3. Figure 3 The diagram shows multiple rows of sockets 31 arranged from top to bottom. The topmost row of sockets 31 corresponds to the numeric keypad on the keyboard, while the bottommost row of sockets 31 corresponds to the function keypad. The middle three rows of sockets 31 mainly correspond to the letter keypad. Of course, depending on the actual situation of the keyboard, each row of sockets 31 will include some function keys.

[0033] The positioning plate 3 is provided with through slots that penetrate both sides of the thickness, and the through slots are disposed between multiple insertion holes 31. The through slots include transverse slots, which are disposed between two adjacent rows of insertion holes 31 and extend along the length direction of the positioning plate 3, and span at least two insertion holes 31 along the length direction of the positioning plate 3; the through slots also include longitudinal slots, which are disposed between two adjacent insertion holes 31 and extend along the width direction of the positioning plate 3.

[0034] In this embodiment, the multiple transverse grooves include a relatively long first transverse groove 321, which is set in... Figure 3 The first row of sockets 31 and the second row of sockets 31 arranged from top to bottom are connected along the length of the positioning plate, and nearly span all the sockets 31 in both rows. In this embodiment, the multiple transverse slots also include a shorter second transverse slot 323 that spans only a few sockets 31. In this embodiment, the multiple transverse slots also include a shortest third transverse slot 325, the length of which is less than the length of one socket 31.

[0035] In this embodiment, the multiple longitudinal grooves include a first longitudinal groove 322, which is an independent groove. The first longitudinal groove 322 is mainly set in Figure 3 The last row of sockets 31 arranged from top to bottom is between the sockets 31; multiple longitudinal slots include second longitudinal slots 324, several second longitudinal slots 324 are connected to the same second transverse slot 323, and the second longitudinal slots 324 are mainly arranged between adjacent sockets 31 in the middle three rows of sockets 31; multiple longitudinal slots include third longitudinal slots 326, several third transverse slots 325 are connected to the same third longitudinal slot 326, and the third longitudinal slots 326 are .... Figure 3 The row of sockets 31 on the last side, located at the end of the positioning plate 3 along its length, is between the other sockets 31.

[0036] Combined Figure 4 The positioning plate 3 includes a supporting structure 33 extending outward from its outer peripheral edge. In this embodiment, the supporting structure 33 is only provided at both ends of the length of the positioning plate 3, that is, the supporting structure 33 is not provided at both ends of the width of the positioning plate 3. The supporting structure 33 extends along the length direction of the positioning plate 3 and extends into a strip along the width direction of the positioning plate 3.

[0037] See Figure 4 and Figure 5Two support portions 111 are provided at both ends of the length of the bottom shell 11. The support portion 111 is a recessed part on the peripheral wall of the bottom shell 11 that is recessed downward and opens inward and upward and outward in the circumferential direction. When the positioning plate 3 is placed into the bottom shell 11, the supported structure 33 is placed in the support portion 111. Furthermore, not shown, a rubber buffer is provided between the supporting surface of the support portion 111 and the supported structure 33. The support portion 111, the buffer, the supported structure 33 and the frame of the cover 12 are stacked and abutted from bottom to top.

[0038] See Figure 2 The base pad 21 is disposed within the housing 1 and supports at least the central area of ​​the flexible circuit board 4. In this embodiment, the sufficiently large base pad 21 supports all areas of the flexible circuit board 4. Furthermore, both the upper and lower surfaces of the base pad 21 are planar. The lower surface of the base pad 21 contacts and engages with the bottom housing surface, and the upper surface 211 of the base pad 21 contacts and engages with the surface of the flexible circuit board 4. Combined with… Figure 1 In this embodiment, by setting the bottom wall of the bottom shell 11 to be a wall of unequal thickness, the bottom surface and the top surface of the bottom shell 11 are inclined to each other. This setting makes the keyboard tilt forward when the bottom shell 11 is placed on a horizontal table, and also allows the top surface of the bottom shell 11 to contact and cooperate with a bottom pad 21 of equal thickness.

[0039] See Figure 1 , Figure 2 and Figure 6 The bottom pad 21 is also provided with a relief recess 210 recessed on its upper surface, which is used to cooperate with the connector 49 protruding from the circuit board 4.

[0040] Mainly, this invention replaces the rigid PCB circuit board with a flexible FPC circuit board and creates through slots on the rigid positioning plate 3, both of which increase the elastic deformation of various parts of the outer periphery of the inner chamber, thus making the keystroke feel of the keys in the outer periphery of the keyboard more elastic. Although the elastic deformation of the central area of ​​the inner chamber also increases, this improvement results in good elastic feedback in both the outer and inner periphery areas. Compared with the prior art, the difference in feel between the outer and inner periphery areas is reduced. Furthermore, this invention adds a bottom pad 21, which supports the flexible circuit board 4 to ensure effective support for the inner chamber. On the other hand, the bottom pad 21 can slightly limit the elastic deformation of the central area of ​​the inner chamber, reducing the difference in feel between the central and outer periphery areas. Therefore, this invention can significantly improve the consistency of the keystroke feel in different areas of the keyboard.

[0041] Finally, it should be emphasized that the above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present utility model and is not intended to limit the present utility model. For those skilled in the art, the present utility model can have various changes and modifications. Any modifications, equivalent substitutions, improvements, etc., made within the spirit and principles of the present utility model should be included within the protection scope of the present utility model.

Claims

1. A keyboard buffer structure, comprising a shell and an inner tube, wherein the inner tube comprises a positioning plate and a circuit board arranged from top to bottom, the positioning plate is provided with a socket for cooperating with a key switch, and at least one part of the outer periphery of the positioning plate is supported by the shell; Its features are: The circuit board is a flexible circuit board, and the keyboard buffer structure also includes a bottom pad, which is disposed in the housing and supports at least the central area of ​​the flexible circuit board; The positioning plate is provided with a through groove that extends through both sides of the thickness, and the through groove is disposed between multiple insertion holes.

2. The keyboard buffer structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The plurality of the sockets are arranged in rows along the length of the positioning plate, and the through slot includes a transverse slot, which is disposed between two adjacent rows of the sockets and extends along the length of the positioning plate.

3. The keyboard buffer structure according to claim 2, characterized in that: Along the length of the positioning plate, the transverse groove spans at least two of the insertion holes.

4. The keyboard buffer structure according to claim 2, characterized in that: The through slot includes a longitudinal slot along the length of the positioning plate, the longitudinal slot being disposed between two adjacent insertion holes and extending along the width of the positioning plate.

5. The keyboard buffer structure according to claim 4, characterized in that: At least one of the longitudinal grooves is connected to at least one of the transverse grooves.

6. The keyboard buffer structure according to claim 5, characterized in that: One of the transverse grooves is connected to multiple of the longitudinal grooves; One of the longitudinal slots is connected to multiple of the transverse slots.

7. The keyboard buffer structure according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The outer shell only supports the two ends of the positioning plate.

8. The keyboard buffer structure according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The positioning plate includes a supported structure extending outward from its outer peripheral edge; The keyboard buffer structure further includes a buffer element, and the outer shell includes a support portion, wherein the support portion, the buffer element, and the supported structure abut against each other from bottom to top.

9. The keyboard buffer structure according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The outer casing includes a bottom shell, the lower surface of the bottom pad is in contact with the bottom shell surface, and the upper surface of the bottom pad is in contact with the flexible circuit board surface.

10. A keyboard, characterized in that, Includes the keyboard buffer structure described in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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