A combined shaft body key

Abstract

The application relates to the field of keys, in particular to a combined shaft body key. The key comprises a shell body internally provided with a reset spring and a shaft body assembly matched with the shell body. The shaft body assembly is sequentially connected by a handle, an intermediate connecting piece and a shaft. In the initial state of the key, a part of the handle extends out of the shell body, and one end of the handle extending out of the shell body is provided with a connecting structure for connecting a key cap. The handle has a peripheral wall slidably matched with the inner wall of the shell body, the peripheral wall plays a guiding role in the key stroke and guarantees the stability of the pressing direction. The key realizes the active connection and modular combination of the pressing handle and the pressing shaft, can optimize the smoothness and stability of the shaft body itself, and can bring great flexibility to the production end.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of buttons, and in particular to a button with a combination switch. Background Technology

[0002] In the field of key switches, traditional switch structures typically employ a one-piece or fixed-connection design, with the key and switch moving as a single unit. These switches utilize springs for return force and metal contacts for circuit switching, demonstrating mature performance in stability, response speed, and durability, and are widely used in various keyboard products. However, with the increasing market demand for keyboard diversification and customization, the inherent limitations of this traditional design in production are gradually becoming apparent.

[0003] Specifically, because the handle, pin, and internal structure of traditional switches are fixed as a single unit during the design and manufacturing stage, their feel and acoustic characteristics depend entirely on the single configuration at the time of manufacture. This integrated structural design makes it difficult to achieve flexibility on the production line. To provide different feel or sound options, it is necessary to create separate molds and organize production lines for each characteristic, which greatly increases R&D, management, and material costs and limits the diversification of product lines. For users, even if they need to change the feel, they cannot make any adjustments because the switch itself is an indivisible unit. The root cause of these shortcomings is that traditional switches lack modular thinking in their design concept. Their highly integrated structure stifles flexibility and scalability from the production source, making product customization and upgrades extremely difficult and uneconomical.

[0004] Therefore, it is of great significance to develop a new button structure that can solve the above problems from the design source. Utility Model Content

[0005] The purpose of this application is to overcome at least one deficiency of the existing technology and provide a button with a modular switch. By realizing the active connection and modular combination of the stick and the switch, this button can not only optimize the smoothness and stability of the switch itself, but also bring great flexibility to the production end. It makes it possible to quickly develop a variety of products with different feel and acoustic characteristics based on the same platform, thereby significantly reducing R&D and production costs, and ultimately providing users with an unprecedented personalized experience and choice.

[0006] To achieve the above objectives, this application relates to a combined shaft key, which includes a housing with a reset spring inside and a shaft assembly that cooperates with the housing. The shaft assembly consists of a handle, an intermediate connector, and a shaft connected sequentially. In the initial key press state, a portion of the handle extends outside the housing, and one end of the handle extending outside the housing has a connecting structure for connecting a keycap. The handle has an outer wall that slides against the inner wall of the housing; this outer wall acts as a guide during the key travel, ensuring stability in the pressing direction. The handle and the intermediate connector are connected by a pin and a bayonet to form a movable connection, allowing them to deflect relative to each other. This enables adaptive adjustment during the linear up-and-down movement of the shaft, effectively improving sliding smoothness and centering performance. The intermediate connector and the shaft are connected by a snap-fit ​​structure, making the shaft a replaceable module that allows for easy adjustment of the button's trigger characteristics and tactile feel as needed.

[0007] Furthermore, the shaft portion can be designed as a hollow rod-shaped structure. Additionally, a magnet can be selectively embedded inside the shaft portion to achieve non-contact trigger detection in conjunction with an external sensor, thereby improving the reliability and durability of the button.

[0008] Furthermore, the bottom of the shaft is designed as a closed or semi-closed solid bottom structure, which can be used to change the sound characteristics when the key bottoms out.

[0009] Furthermore, the handle edge extends upward to form an upper enclosure section. This upper enclosure section further increases the guiding stroke with the housing during button pressing, helping to prevent deflection and jamming. When the button is at its lower stop, the upper enclosure remains in contact with the housing opening, enhancing the overall sealing effect and effectively preventing dust.

[0010] Compared with the prior art, this application has at least one of the following beneficial technical effects: 1. Through the movable connection structure between the handle and the intermediate connector, the self-adaptive wobble adjustment of the switch during movement is realized, which effectively improves the smoothness and stability of button operation; 2. The modular and detachable connection method makes the shaft a replaceable component, which not only facilitates the production end to quickly assemble product variations with different feel and acoustic characteristics, but also makes it convenient for users to replace and adjust according to their personal preferences.

[0011] The beneficial effects listed above are not exhaustive of all advantages. Other potential beneficial effects and detailed technical implementation methods will be further disclosed in the embodiments or other descriptive sections of this application. Attached Figure Description

[0012] A better understanding of various aspects of this disclosure will be achieved by reading the following detailed description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. The positions, dimensions, and extents of the structures shown in the drawings, etc., do not always represent actual positions, dimensions, and extents. In the drawings: Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of the first embodiment disclosed in this application.

[0013] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional structural diagram of the first embodiment disclosed in this application.

[0014] Figure 3 This is an exploded view of the structure of the first embodiment disclosed in this application.

[0015] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the shaft assembly in the first embodiment disclosed in this application.

[0016] Figure 5 The structural schematic diagram of the second embodiment disclosed in this application is a structural schematic diagram.

[0017] Figure 6 This is a cross-sectional structural diagram of the second embodiment disclosed in this application. Detailed Implementation

[0018] The present disclosure will now be described with reference to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate several embodiments of the present disclosure. However, it should be understood that the present disclosure can be presented in many different ways and is not limited to the embodiments described below; in fact, the embodiments described below are intended to make the disclosure more complete and to fully illustrate the scope of protection of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art. It should also be understood that the embodiments disclosed herein can be combined in various ways to provide further additional embodiments.

[0019] It should be understood that the same reference numerals denote the same elements in all the accompanying drawings. For clarity, the dimensions of certain features may be modified in the drawings.

[0020] It should be understood that the terminology used in this specification is for describing specific embodiments only and is not intended to limit this disclosure. All terms used in this specification (including technical and scientific terms) have the meanings commonly understood by those skilled in the art, unless otherwise defined. For the sake of brevity and / or clarity, techniques, methods, and apparatus known to those skilled in the art may not be discussed in detail; however, where appropriate, such techniques, methods, and apparatus should be considered part of this specification.

[0021] Unless otherwise specified, the singular forms “a,” “the,” and “the” used in this specification include the plural forms. The terms “comprising,” “including,” and “containing” used in this specification indicate the presence of the claimed feature but do not exclude the presence of one or more other features. The term “and / or” used in this specification includes any and all combinations of one or more of the relevant listed items.

[0022] This application provides a preferred embodiment of a combined shaft button, the button structure including a housing 1 and a cooperating shaft assembly 2. A return spring 3 is provided inside the housing 1 to provide button rebound force; the shaft assembly 2 is composed of a handle 201, an intermediate connector 202, and a shaft 203 connected sequentially. These three components work together through a movable and detachable connection, achieving guiding motion, adaptive adjustment capability, and modular replacement functionality for the button. The specific structure, material selection, working principle, and operation steps of this embodiment will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings, so that those skilled in the art can fully understand and implement this solution.

[0023] like Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the housing 1 is typically made of plastic injection molding. It can be formed by two separate parts, a top cover and a base, or it can be integrally injection molded. Regardless of whether a separate or integral structure is used, its interior forms a hollow cavity to accommodate the return spring 3 and the shaft assembly 2. The return spring 3 is preferably a helical spring, installed between the bottom of the housing 1 and the shaft assembly 2, providing the return force after the button is pressed.

[0024] A portion of the shank 201 of the switch assembly 2 extends outside the housing 1 and has a keycap connection structure 2013 at its top. This structure can be a cross-shaped post, a square groove, or other keycap fixing methods known in the art.

[0025] The outer wall 2011 of the handle 201 forms a sliding fit with the inner wall of the housing 1, which serves as a guide to ensure that the button moves smoothly in the vertical direction without shaking or tilting.

[0026] More specifically, the handle 201 and the intermediate connector 202 are movably connected through the cooperation of a pin and a bayonet. Specifically, the bottom of the handle 201 has a cylindrical pin, and the upper end of the intermediate connector 202 has a matching bayonet. After assembly, the two can rotate relative to each other within a certain angle range. This structure allows the shaft to adaptively adjust for slight positional deviations during pressure, thereby improving operational smoothness and reducing frictional loss. The intermediate connector 202 and the shaft 203 are fixedly connected through a snap-fit ​​structure. In this embodiment, a slot is provided on the intermediate connector 202, and correspondingly, an elastic claw is provided on the upper end of the shaft 203. The elastic claw and the slot are used for assembly connection. This detachable design allows the shaft 203 to be replaced as an independent module. During production / use, shaft 203 modules with different trigger characteristics or tactile styles can be selected as needed.

[0027] More specifically, the shaft portion 203 is typically made of plastic and features a hollow rod-shaped structure, with a permanent magnet, such as a neodymium iron boron magnetic ring, optionally embedded inside. When the magnet is embedded in the cavity of the shaft portion 203, it can work in conjunction with an externally mounted Hall sensor to achieve non-contact trigger detection, avoiding the wear problems of traditional metal contacts and significantly improving the durability and reliability of the button, thus forming a magnetic shaft button structure. The bottom of the shaft portion 203 is designed as a closed solid bottom, which can change the sound frequency when the button bottoms out, meeting the personalized needs of users for a high-speed acoustic experience.

[0028] In another embodiment, refer to Figure 5 and 6 The handle 201 extends upward to form an upper wall section 2012. This structure increases the guide stroke during button pressing, effectively preventing lateral deviation and jamming. When the button is pressed to the lower stop point, the upper wall section 2012 still maintains a tight fit with the opening of the housing 1, which not only enhances the stability of movement but also forms a dust barrier to prevent dust, liquids, and other foreign objects from entering the interior of the housing 1, thereby improving the service life of the button in harsh environments.

[0029] The working principle of this combined switch button is as follows: In the initial state, the return spring 3 supports the switch assembly 2 at the top dead center position; when the keycap is pressed, the force is transmitted to the stem 201, pushing the entire switch assembly 2 to slide downward along the inner wall of the housing 1. During this process, the movable connection structure between the stem 201 and the intermediate connector 202 allows the switch to slightly deflect, adaptively adjusting its position; the switch 203 moves downward to the trigger point (for example, through non-contact triggering by the relative speed change between the magnet and the Hall sensor, or through physical contact triggering of a traditional switch), and continues to press down until the bottom of the switch 203 contacts the base plate, completing the bottoming-out process. After the button is released, the return spring 3 pushes the switch assembly 2 back to the initial position.

[0030] The modular design of this embodiment is particularly suitable for the mechanical keyboard industry. For example, manufacturers can quickly replace the switch modules 203 with different actuation forces, travel distances, or acoustic characteristics according to different typing and gaming scenarios, without having to replace the entire key unit. This enables rapid development and adjustment of multiple products at low cost. Compared with traditional fixed switches, this structure significantly improves product customizability and maintainability, while its adaptive guidance and sealing design significantly improves the feel and environmental adaptability.

[0031] It should be noted that the selection of the reset spring 3, the specific form of the buckle structure, and the matching parameters of the magnet and the sensor involved in this embodiment, which are not described in detail, are all conventional technical means that can be adopted by those skilled in the art according to actual application needs, and will not be elaborated here.

[0032] While exemplary embodiments of this disclosure have been described, those skilled in the art will understand that various changes and modifications can be made to the exemplary embodiments of this disclosure without departing from the spirit and scope thereof. Therefore, all changes and modifications are included within the scope of protection of this disclosure as defined by the claims. This disclosure is defined by the appended claims, and equivalents of those claims are also included.

Claims

1. A combination switch key, characterized in that, It includes a housing with a return spring inside and a shaft assembly that cooperates with the housing; The shaft assembly is composed of a handle, an intermediate connector, and a shaft connected in sequence. In the initial state of the key, a portion of the handle extends outside the housing, and the end of the handle extending outside the housing is provided with a connecting structure for connecting the keycap. The handle has an outer wall that slides with the inner wall of the housing. The handle and the intermediate connector are connected by a pin and a bayonet to form a movable connection, allowing them to rotate relative to each other; the intermediate connector and the shaft are connected by a snap-fit ​​structure.

2. A combined key switch as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The shaft portion can be designed as a hollow rod-shaped structure.

3. A combined key switch as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, A magnet is also embedded inside the shaft, which can be used in conjunction with an external sensor to achieve non-contact triggering detection.

4. A combined switch key as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The bottom of the shaft is designed as a closed or semi-closed solid bottom structure.

5. A combined key with a switch as described in claim 1 or 2, characterized in that, The edge of the handle extends upward to form the upper wall section.

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