A keyboard key detection device

Abstract

This invention provides a keyboard key detection device, including a support plate, a cover plate, and a probe. The support plate includes multiple grooves, the shapes of which correspond to the shapes of keycaps to accommodate them. The cover plate includes multiple through holes, which can accommodate pins and are located at opening positions corresponding to the edges of each keycap on the keyboard substrate. When the keyboard is placed upside down on the support plate, multiple support ribs pass through the holes around the keycaps, abutting against and supporting the keyboard substrate, and the keycaps are accommodated in the grooves formed by the support ribs. The cover plate covers the keyboard substrate, and the probe passes through the through holes and the openings in the aluminum plate on the keyboard to abut against the edges of the keycaps. This keyboard key detection device improves key detection efficiency, reduces drive control difficulty and equipment manufacturing costs, and can achieve automated detection of keyboards with small-gap keycaps.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to the field of keyboard key detection, and specifically to a keyboard key detection device. Background Technology

[0002] Computer keyboards are generally assembled from an aluminum substrate, a circuit board, a scissor-switch support, and keycaps. The keycaps and scissor-switch support are usually referred to together as the keys. The scissor-switch support is typically mounted on the bottom surface of the aluminum substrate, while the keycaps are mounted on the top surface.

[0003] The keycaps are fastened to the scissor-switch support bracket via a snap-fit ​​and sliding mechanism. Simultaneously, the scissor-switch support bracket is engaged with hooks on the aluminum base plate via a pivot mechanism, thus achieving overall positioning, assembly, and freedom of movement. The aluminum base plate has pre-drilled holes corresponding to each keycap's position, with the hole area smaller than the keycap's outer frame.

[0004] In the manufacturing process of computer keyboards, it is not only necessary to ensure that the keycaps and scissor-switch brackets are properly assembled to prevent them from falling off due to insecure assembly or misalignment causing one side of the keycap to warp, but also to ensure that the keycaps and scissor-switch brackets function correctly. For example, the brackets must provide a stable and consistent rebound force and load-bearing force to the keycaps, and transmit an accurate pressing signal to the circuit board when the keycap is pressed. Therefore, after assembling the computer keyboard, the keys need to be tested to detect any defective keys. To this end, the industry has developed a variety of key testing devices.

[0005] The utility model patent with publication number CN102135469B discloses a detection device for whether the assembly of keycaps and scissor support brackets is secure, but it does not involve the detection of the rebound force and bearing pressure of the keycaps, so it cannot meet the requirements for keycap detection.

[0006] Utility model patent CN209689896U, entitled "A Keyboard Key Pull-Out Detection Device," discloses a key detection device. This patent relates to the detection of keycap rebound force and pressure resistance. It employs an electromechanically driven pull block that extends into the gap between keycaps and pulls them out by moving up and down. An elastic pressure sensor connected to the pull hook detects and records the magnitude of the pull force and reaction force, thereby detecting keyboards with poor rebound force and pressure resistance. However, this method has the following drawbacks: 1. Because the gaps between keycaps and between keycaps and openings in the aluminum substrate are very small, it is extremely difficult to control the precision when the pull block is inserted into these gaps to pull the keycaps; correspondingly, the manufacturing cost of the equipment for the pull block is extremely high; 2. Because the pull block needs to be driven into the gaps and pulled a certain distance, coupled with the high precision control requirements, the key detection speed is relatively slow; 3. With the trend of miniaturization and precision in electronic products, the gaps between keycaps and between keycaps and openings in the aluminum substrate are getting smaller and smaller. During the detection process, the tolerances may cause damage to the keyboard or the detection equipment.

[0007] There is an urgent need to provide a new type of keyboard key detection device that can overcome the above-mentioned technical problems. Utility Model Content

[0008] The purpose of this invention is to provide a key testing device that can improve the efficiency of keyboard key detection.

[0009] Another objective of this invention is to provide a key testing device that can reduce the difficulty of keyboard key detection and control.

[0010] Another objective of this invention is to provide a key testing device that can reduce the manufacturing cost of keyboard key detection equipment.

[0011] Another objective of this invention is to provide an automated keycap testing device suitable for small-gap keyboards.

[0012] The keyboard key detection device of this utility model includes a support plate, a cover plate, and a pin; the support plate includes multiple support ribs and multiple grooves formed by the multiple support ribs, and the shape of the grooves is set to correspond to the shape of the keycaps to accommodate the keycaps;

[0013] The cover plate includes multiple through holes, which can accommodate ejector pins and are located at the opening positions corresponding to the keycap edges of each key on the keyboard base plate.

[0014] When the keyboard is placed upside down on the support plate, the multiple support ribs pass through the holes around the keycaps to abut and support the keyboard substrate, and the keycaps are accommodated in the grooves formed by the support ribs; the cover plate covers the keyboard substrate, and the pins pass through the through holes and the openings of the substrate to abut against the edges of the keycaps.

[0015] Preferably, a positioning device is provided at a corresponding position on the support plate and the cover plate, so that the support plate and the cover plate are accurately aligned by the positioning device.

[0016] Preferably, the positioning device consists of a corresponding alignment pin and an alignment hole; when the cover plate is pressed onto the support plate, the alignment pin is inserted into the alignment hole.

[0017] Preferably, the ejector pin includes an upper end portion and an ejector pin body; the diameter of the through hole is larger than the diameter of the ejector pin body but smaller than the diameter of the upper end portion.

[0018] Preferably, the length of the ejector pin body is greater than the sum of the thickness of the cover plate and the distance between the bottom surface of the cover plate and the keycap.

[0019] Preferably, the ejector pin includes an upper end, an ejector pin body, and a lower end; the diameters of the upper end, the ejector pin body, and the lower end decrease sequentially; the diameter of the through hole is greater than the diameter of the ejector pin body but less than the diameter of the upper end; and the sum of the lengths of the ejector pin body and the lower end is greater than the sum of the thickness of the cover plate and the distance between the bottom surface of the cover plate and the keycap.

[0020] Preferably, the upper part of the support plate is provided with a frame groove, the shape of which is adapted to the outline of the keyboard to restrict and fix the position of the keyboard.

[0021] This invention relates to a keyboard key detection device. By inverting the keyboard to be tested onto a support plate and clamping it with a cover plate, the keyboard and keycaps are accurately positioned. The through-holes on the cover plate are precisely aligned with the four sides of the keycaps and the openings on the keyboard substrate. A push pin is inserted into the through-hole and abuts against the keycaps around their edges. The length of the push pin replaces the detection stroke. Therefore, only vertical pressure needs to be applied to the upper surface of the push pin by the probe to obtain detection data. This eliminates the need to control the displacement of the detection force-applying component within a confined space, resulting in extremely fast detection speed. Furthermore, by employing the aforementioned mechanical static positioning method, the positioning between the support plate and the cover plate, and the alignment of the through-holes in the cover plate with the four sides of the keycaps, replaces the driving positioning of the detection force-applying component. The length of the push pin replaces most of the displacement of the detection force-applying component, thus significantly reducing the difficulty of keyboard key detection control. In addition, by adopting the above-mentioned static positioning and fixing method, the displacement of the force-applying component is limited to the space above the cover plate, reducing mechanical component obstructions. Furthermore, the necessary displacement of the force-applying component is limited to a very small and single direction, thus making the drive mechanism of the key detection device extremely simple. Consequently, the manufacturing cost of the key detection device is greatly reduced, and automated detection of small-gap keycap keyboards can be achieved. Attached Figure Description

[0022] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the keyboard key detection device of this utility model.

[0023] Figure 2A This is a schematic diagram of the support plate in the keyboard key detection device of this utility model.

[0024] Figure 2B This is a front view of the keyboard to be tested in the keyboard key detection device of this utility model.

[0025] Figure 2C This is a schematic diagram of the back of the keyboard to be tested in the keyboard key detection device of this utility model.

[0026] Figure 2D This is a schematic diagram of the cover plate in the keyboard key detection device of this utility model.

[0027] Figure 3A This is a schematic diagram of the ejector pin structure in the keyboard key detection device of this utility model.

[0028] Figure 3B This is a schematic diagram of another pin structure in the keyboard key detection device of this utility model.

[0029] Figure 4A This is a schematic diagram illustrating the working principle of the keyboard key detection device of this utility model.

[0030] Figure 4BThis is a partial schematic diagram of the detection process of the keyboard key detection device of this utility model.

[0031] Figure 5A This is a schematic diagram showing the good product inspection results of the keyboard key detection device of this utility model.

[0032] Figure 5B This is a schematic diagram of the defective product detection results in the keyboard key detection device of this utility model.

[0033] Symbol Explanation: 1. Support plate; 11. Support rib; 12. Groove; 13. Frame groove; 2. Keyboard; 21. Keycap; 22. Keyboard base plate; 23. Opening; 3. Cover plate; 31. Ejector pin; 311. Upper end; 312. Ejector pin body; 313. Lower end; 314. Guide sleeve; 32. Through hole; 33. Alignment pin; 34. Alignment hole; 41. Probe; 42. Sensor; Detailed Implementation

[0034] The preferred embodiments of this utility model will be described in detail below.

[0035] To explain the technical solution of this utility model more clearly and concisely, we first define the directional terms in the following description. We assume that the steering wheel structure of this utility model runs on a horizontal plane of the earth, the direction perpendicular to this horizontal plane is the vertical direction, the direction closer to the ground is down, and the direction farther from the ground is up.

[0036] like Figure 1 A- Figure 3B As shown, the keyboard keycap detection device of this utility model includes a support plate 1, a cover plate 3, and a pin 31. The support plate 1 includes multiple support ribs 11 and multiple grooves 12 formed by the support ribs. The shape of the grooves 12 corresponds to the shape and position of the keycaps 21 on the keyboard 2 to accommodate the keycaps 21. Typically, the cross-sectional area of ​​the groove 12 should be slightly larger than the area of ​​the keycap 21, so that the keycap 21 is accommodated in the groove 12, and the depth of the groove 12 is slightly greater than the thickness of the keycap, so that the keycap 12 can move up and down in the groove 12. It should be noted that the groove 12 can be a space enclosed by four sides, a U-shaped space enclosed by three sides, or a space formed by two parallel sides. The support ribs 11 are used to support the keyboard base plate around the keycap, and the space enclosed by the groove is used to accommodate the keycap and allow the keycap to move up and down within it.

[0037] The cover plate 3 includes multiple through holes 32, which can accommodate ejector pins 31 and are located at the positions of openings 23 corresponding to the edges of each keycap 21 on the keyboard base plate 22. Typically, in order to achieve a more precise detection effect, cover plate through holes 32 and ejector pins 31 can be set at the positions of openings 23 on the four edges of the keycap 21.

[0038] When the keyboard 2 is placed upside down on the support plate 1, the multiple support ribs 11 pass through the holes around the keycaps 21 to abut against and support the keyboard base plate 22, and the keycaps 21 are accommodated in the groove 12 formed by the support ribs 11; the cover plate 3 covers the keyboard base plate 22, and the ejector pins 31 pass through the through hole 32 and the opening 23 on the keyboard 2 to abut against the edge of the keycaps 21.

[0039] During testing, the probe 41, connected to the sensor 42, presses against the upper end 311 of the pin 31. The probe 41 is the component that controls the force applied during testing.

[0040] like Figure 5A and Figure 5B The figures show the test results using the keyboard key detection device of this invention. The Y-axis represents the magnitude of the force and reaction force detected by the sensor on the probe, and the X-axis represents the vertical displacement of the probe. During the test, a threshold for good product detection results and a good product judgment standard can be established, and the test results can be compared with these standards to determine whether the product under test is a good or defective product. Figure 5A The results shown are those of good product testing. Figure 5B The results shown are those of defective product testing.

[0041] This invention relates to a keyboard key detection device. By inverting the keyboard onto a support plate and using a cover plate, the keyboard and keycaps are accurately positioned. The through-holes on the cover plate are precisely aligned with the four sides of the keycaps and the openings in the keyboard substrate. A push pin is inserted into the through-hole and abuts against the keycaps around their edges. The length of the push pin replaces the detection stroke. Therefore, only vertical pressure from the probe on the upper surface is needed to obtain detection data. This eliminates the need to control the displacement of the detection force-applying component within a confined space, resulting in extremely fast detection speed. Furthermore, by employing the aforementioned mechanical static positioning method, utilizing the positioning between the support plate and the cover plate, and the alignment of the through-holes in the cover plate with the four sides of the keycaps, instead of driving the precise trajectory movement of the detection force-applying component, and using the length of the push pin to replace most of the displacement of the detection force-applying component, the difficulty of keyboard key detection control is greatly reduced. In addition, by adopting the above-mentioned static positioning and fixing method, the displacement of the force-applying component is limited to the space above the cover plate, reducing mechanical component obstructions. Furthermore, the necessary displacement of the force-applying component is limited to a very small and single direction, thus making the drive mechanism of the button detection device extremely simple and significantly reducing the manufacturing cost of the button detection device.

[0042] In addition, such as Figure 2A and Figure 2D As shown, positioning devices are provided at corresponding positions on the support plate 1 and the cover plate 3, which ensure accurate alignment of the support plate 1 and the cover plate 3. For example, the positioning device is... Figure 2A and Figure 2D The diagram shows the corresponding alignment pins 33 and alignment holes 34. When the cover plate 3 is pressed onto the support plate, the alignment pins 33 are inserted into the alignment holes 34, thereby ensuring precise alignment between the cover plate and the support plate. The positioning device is not limited to alignment pins and alignment holes; it can be positioning grooves and positioning ribs, or other structural components that enable accurate alignment of the two parts.

[0043] like Figure 3A and 3B As shown, the ejector pin 31 includes an upper end portion 311 and an ejector pin body 312; the diameter of the through hole 32 is larger than the diameter of the ejector pin body 312 but smaller than the diameter of the upper end portion 311.

[0044] Preferably, the ejector pin 31 includes an upper end portion 311, an ejector pin body 312, and a lower end portion 313; the diameters of the upper end portion 311, the ejector pin body 312, and the lower end portion 313 decrease sequentially; the diameter of the through hole 32 is larger than the diameter of the ejector pin body 312 but smaller than the diameter of the upper end portion 311; the sum of the lengths of the ejector pin body 312 and the lower end portion 313 is greater than the sum of the thickness of the cover plate 3 and the distance between the bottom surface of the cover plate 3 and the keycap 21. Additionally, a guide sleeve 314 can be embedded in the through hole 32 of the cover plate 3, allowing the ejector pin 31 to slide within the guide sleeve 314; the guide sleeve 314 can be made of metal or a wear-resistant material, which can prevent the guide hole on the cover plate 3 from being worn or shifted during use, thus improving the service life and alignment accuracy of the cover plate 3.

[0045] On the one hand, with this structure, the ejector pin is less likely to fall off the cover plate during production and testing. On the other hand, the smaller the diameter of the through hole 32, the more accurate the positioning; the larger the upper end 311 of the ejector pin, the easier it is to control the force-applying component. The ejector pin adopts the above structure, which makes the detection positioning accurate and makes it easier to drive the force-applying component.

[0046] In a preferred embodiment, the length of the ejector pin body 312 is greater than the sum of the thickness of the cover plate 3 and the distance between the bottom surface of the cover plate 3 and the keycap 21. By using the length of the ejector pin to replace the displacement of the force-applying component, the difficulty of detection drive control is reduced and the detection speed is improved.

[0047] In addition, such as Figure 2A and Figure 2B As shown, the upper part of the support plate 1 is provided with a frame groove 13. The shape of the frame groove 13 is adapted to the contour of the keyboard 2 to restrict and fix the position of the keyboard 2. Typically, the shape of the frame groove 13 is approximately equal to the outer contour of the keyboard 2 to be tested. For example, in… Figure 2B The keyboard 2 shown also includes a flexible circuit board connected to the keyboard 2. The contour of the frame groove 13 should be adapted to this to enable the keyboard 2 to be positioned more accurately during testing, so as to achieve precise alignment and fit between the keyboard 2 and the support plate, cover plate, and ejector pins.

[0048] The above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present utility model and is not intended to limit the present utility model. Any modifications or equivalent substitutions 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 key detection device, comprising a support plate (1), a cover plate (3), and a pin (31), characterized in that, The support plate (1) includes multiple support ribs (11) and multiple grooves (12) formed by the multiple support ribs. The shape of the grooves (12) corresponds to the shape of the keycaps (21) on the keyboard (2) to accommodate the keycaps (21). The cover plate (3) includes multiple through holes (32), which can accommodate the ejector pins (31) and are located at the opening (23) position corresponding to the edge of each keycap (21) on the keyboard base plate (22); When the keyboard (2) is placed upside down on the support plate (1), the multiple support ribs (11) pass through the holes around the keycaps (21) to abut against and support the keyboard base plate (22), and the keycaps (21) are accommodated in the groove (12) formed by the support ribs (11); the cover plate (3) covers the keyboard base plate (22), and the pins (31) pass through the through hole (32) and the opening (23) on the keyboard (2) to abut against the edge of the keycaps (21).

2. The keyboard key detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that, Positioning devices are provided at corresponding positions on the support plate (1) and the cover plate (3) to ensure accurate alignment of the support plate (1) and the cover plate (3).

3. The keyboard key detection device according to claim 2, characterized in that, The positioning device consists of a corresponding alignment pin (33) and an alignment hole (34); when the cover plate (3) is pressed onto the support plate (1), the alignment pin (33) is inserted into the alignment hole (34).

4. The keyboard key detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ejector pin (31) includes an upper end (311) and an ejector pin body (312); the diameter of the through hole (32) is larger than the diameter of the ejector pin body (312) but smaller than the diameter of the upper end (311).

5. The keyboard key detection device according to claim 4, characterized in that, The length of the ejector pin body (312) is greater than the thickness of the cover plate (3) and the sum of the distance between the bottom surface of the cover plate (3) and the keycap (21).

6. The keyboard key detection device according to claim 1, characterized in that, The ejector pin (31) includes an upper end (311), an ejector pin body (312), and a lower end (313); the diameters of the upper end (311), the ejector pin body (312), and the lower end (313) decrease sequentially; the diameter of the through hole (32) is greater than the diameter of the ejector pin body (312) but smaller than the diameter of the upper end (311); the sum of the lengths of the ejector pin body (312) and the lower end (313) is greater than the sum of the thickness of the cover plate (3) and the distance between the bottom surface of the cover plate (3) and the keycap (21).

7. The keyboard key detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, The upper part of the support plate (1) is provided with a frame groove, the shape of which is adapted to the outline of the keyboard (2) to limit and fix the position of the keyboard (2).

8. The keyboard key detection device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that, A guide sleeve (314) is embedded in the through hole (32) of the cover plate (3).

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