Button device

Abstract

A keypad device includes a substrate unit, a keycap unit, a support unit, and a tactile feedback unit. The substrate unit includes a substrate and a thin-film circuit disposed on the upper side of the substrate. The keycap unit includes a bottom surface. The support unit includes a scissor-switch module, a resilient dome member, and a trigger protrusion. The scissor-switch module has a first bracket and a second bracket. The tactile feedback unit includes a fixing member fixedly disposed on the bottom surface, a follower member movably disposed on the bottom surface, and a tactile elastic member sandwiched between the fixing member and the follower member. During the movement of the keycap unit from a non-pressed position to a pressed position, the follower member is struck by an actuating part of the first bracket, causing the follower member to disengage from the actuating part after being pushed by the actuating part, thereby producing a crisp pressing feel.

Claims

1. A button device, comprising: a substrate unit including a substrate and a thin-film circuit disposed on an upper side of the substrate in a vertical direction; a keycap unit located above the substrate unit in the vertical direction, the keycap unit including a bottom surface facing the substrate unit; a support unit including a hollow scissor-switch module connected between the substrate and the bottom surface, a hollow elastic dome connected between the thin-film circuit and the bottom surface, and a trigger protrusion connected to the inner side of the elastic dome, the scissor-switch module having a first bracket and a second bracket pivotally connected to each other, the first bracket having a first bracket body defining a main accommodating space and an auxiliary accommodating space, and an actuating part fixedly disposed on the first bracket body and located between the main accommodating space and the auxiliary accommodating space. The elastic dome-shaped component is positioned corresponding to the main accommodating space and defines an inner cavity space. The elastic dome-shaped component has an inner top surface adjacent to the inner cavity space and an inner surrounding surface surrounding the inner top surface. The trigger protrusion is connected to the inner top surface. A tactile feedback unit is positioned corresponding to the auxiliary accommodating space. The tactile feedback unit includes a fixing member fixedly disposed on the bottom surface, a driven member movably disposed on the bottom surface in a front-back direction substantially perpendicular to the vertical direction, and a tactile elastic member sandwiched between the fixing member and the driven member. The keycap unit switches between a non-pressed position away from the base plate unit and a pressed position approaching the base plate unit relative to the base plate unit. When the keycap unit moves from the non-pressed position toward the pressed position, the driven member is struck and pushed by the actuating part, and approaches the fixing member in the front-back direction to compress the tactile elastic member until the driven member disengages from the actuating part.

2. The button device as described in claim 1, wherein, The actuating part is wedge-shaped and has a downward-facing lower actuating guide slope, an upward-facing upper actuating guide slope connected to the lower actuating guide slope, and an actuating end edge located between the lower actuating guide slope and the upper actuating guide slope. The driven member has a driven body and a wedge-shaped force-receiving part connected to the driven body. The force-receiving part has a downward-facing driven lower guide slope, an upward-facing driven upper guide slope connected to the lower actuating guide slope, and a driven end edge located between the lower actuating guide slope and the upper actuating guide slope. When the keycap unit moves from the non-pressed position toward the pressed position, the driven lower guide slope approaches the substrate unit along the vertical direction, and the actuating upper guide slope and the actuating end edge approach the driven lower guide slope along the front-back direction and slide relative to the driven lower guide slope. The driven lower guide slope is struck and pushed by at least one of the actuating upper guide slope and the actuating end edge, and approaches the fixing member along the front-back direction to compress the tactile elastic member until the driven lower guide slope and the driven end edge disengage from the actuating upper guide slope and the actuating end edge.

3. The button device as described in claim 1, wherein, The substrate includes a plate body, two first pivot portions protruding from the plate body, and two second pivot portions protruding from the plate body. The keycap unit includes a keycap body having the bottom surface, two first pivot portions fixedly disposed on the bottom surface and respectively corresponding to the second pivot portions, two second pivot portions fixedly disposed on the bottom surface and respectively corresponding to the first pivot portions, and a plurality of limiting block portions fixedly disposed on the bottom surface and collectively defining a feedback space. The first support body has two first lower pivots respectively pivotally connected to the first pivot portions and two first upper pivots respectively pivotally connected to the first pivot portions. The second support has two second lower pivots respectively pivotally connected to the second pivot portions and two second upper pivots respectively pivotally connected to the second pivot portions. The follower is slidably disposed on the limiting block portions. The tactile elastic member is sandwiched between the fixed member and the follower and is located in the feedback space.

4. The button device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, Define a central axis extending along the vertical direction and passing through the geometric center point of the keycap unit along the front-back direction, and a pressing axis extending along the vertical direction and passing through the geometric center point of the trigger protrusion along the front-back direction. The central axis is spaced apart from the pressing axis along the front-back direction, and the central axis and the pressing axis both pass through the main accommodating space.

5. The button device as claimed in claim 4, wherein, The central axis is located between the actuating part and the pressing axis along the front-back direction, and the driven part is further away from the central axis than the actuating part.

6. The button device as claimed in claim 4, wherein, The pressing axis passes through the geometric center point of the elastic dome in the front-back direction.

7. The button device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The main accommodating space is spaced apart from the auxiliary accommodating space along the front-back direction.

8. The button device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The first support body and the actuating part are integrally molded.

9. The button device as claimed in claim 1, wherein, The triggering protrusion and the elastic dome are integrally molded.

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