CN201417692Y - Support structure, keys and keyboard - Google Patents

Abstract

Supporting structure, keys and keyboard, the supporting structure includes: two supporting members, each supporting member has a connecting portion, a first side arm and a second side arm, the first side arm and the second side arm are respectively opposite connected with the connecting portion, a rotating shaft protrudes from the first side arm, and a shaft hole is formed corresponding to the rotating shaft on the second side arm; wherein, the rotating shaft of each support member is respectively rotatably accommodated in the shaft hole of the other support member. The utility model can simplify the manufacturing steps and save the manufacturing time. In addition, the supporting structure can be assembled through jigs, so that the rotating shaft in one supporting member can be accommodated in the shaft hole of the other supporting member. Avoid damage to the support structure or keys due to improper force during manual assembly.

Description

Support structure, keys and keyboard

technical field

The utility model relates to a support structure for connecting and supporting keycaps, and in particular, the utility model relates to a new type of scissor support structure, and a key and a keyboard using the support structure.

Background technique

In order to communicate information with the computer and perform functions on the computer, people often use various input devices, such as keyboards, mice, and stylus pens. Among them, the keyboard is one of the indispensable input devices when operating the computer. Generally speaking, a keyboard is composed of a bottom plate and a plurality of keys arranged on the bottom plate, and each key mainly includes a keycap, a supporting structure, an elastic body, and a switch. The switch is arranged on the base plate to control whether the signal is sent or not, and the support structure is respectively connected with the base plate and the keycap to support the keycap and is located on the base plate, and the elastic body is arranged in the gap in the support structure.

When the user presses the keycap, the keycap presses the elastic body, and driven by the support structure, the elastic body moves toward the switch, triggering the switch and generating a signal. And when there is no external force acting on the keycap, the elastic body returns to its original shape, so that the keycap returns to its original position and stops generating signals.

There are many types of structures used to support the keycaps, one of which is a scissor-type support structure, which is mainly constructed by two mutually pivoted support members. See Figure 1. Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a support structure 1 in the prior art. As shown in FIG. 1 , the supporting structure 1 has a first supporting member 11 and a second supporting member 13 . The first supporting member 11 has a first connecting portion 110 , a first side arm 111 , a third side arm 113 , a first pivot portion 115 , and two third pivot portions 117 , 119 . The first side arm 111 and the third side arm 113 are respectively connected to the first connecting portion 110 , and the first side arm 111 and the third side arm 113 are respectively provided with rotating shafts 1110 and 1130 . The two ends of the first pivotal portion 115 are respectively connected to the first side arm 111 and the third side arm 113 , which can be disposed in the bottom plate (not shown in the figure) of the button, and then connected to the bottom plate. The third pivotal portions 117 , 119 are located on two sides of the first connecting portion 110 respectively, and are used for connecting the keycaps of the keys (not shown in the figure). The second support member 13 has a second connecting portion 130 , a second side arm 131 , a fourth side arm 133 , two second pivotal portions 135 , 137 , and a fourth pivotal portion 139 . The second side arm 131 and the fourth side arm 133 are respectively connected to the second connecting portion 130 , and the second side arm 131 and the fourth side arm 133 are respectively provided with shaft holes 1310 , 1330 corresponding to the rotation shafts 1110 , 1130 . The second pivotal parts 135 and 137 are located at the ends of the second side arm 131 and the fourth side arm 133 away from the second connecting part 130 respectively, and are used for connecting the bottom plate of the button. The fourth pivoting portion 139 is disposed on both sides of the second connecting portion 130 for connecting the keycap of the key.

When assembling the supporting structure 1, the shaft 1110 on the first side arm 111 is aligned with the shaft hole 1310 on the second side arm 131 and pivoted; The shaft holes 1330 are aligned and pivotally connected. Thereby, the first supporting member 11 and the second supporting member 13 can rotate relative to the rotating shafts 1110 , 1130 , so that the keycap supported by the supporting structure 1 can move vertically relative to the bottom plate.

The support structure 1 as described above must be assembled or disassembled manually. Therefore, a considerable amount of time and manpower are consumed during the assembly or disassembly process. In addition, improper force may be applied during assembly to damage the support structure 1 and increase production costs.

Utility model content

Therefore, the utility model provides a novel support structure to solve the problems in the prior art.

According to a specific embodiment, the support structure includes two support members, each support member has a connecting portion, a first side arm and a second side arm, and the first side arm and the second side arm are respectively connected to the connecting portion oppositely, A rotating shaft protrudes from the first side arm, and a shaft hole is formed corresponding to the rotating shaft on the second side arm, and the rotating shaft of each supporting member is respectively rotatably accommodated in the shaft hole of the other supporting member.

The utility model also provides a key to solve the problems in the prior art.

According to a specific embodiment, the key comprises a base plate, a key cap and a supporting structure. The supporting structure is disposed between the keycap and the bottom plate, and includes two supporting members that can relatively rotate through the rotating shaft and the shaft hole, and its detailed structure and function are as described above. In addition, the supporting structure is respectively connected with the keycap and the bottom plate, thereby enabling the keycap to move relative to the bottom plate.

The utility model also provides a keyboard to solve the problems in the prior art.

According to a specific embodiment, the keyboard includes a bottom plate, a plurality of keycaps and a plurality of supporting structures. The keycaps are arranged on the bottom plate, and the supporting structures are correspondingly arranged between the keycaps and the bottom plate. The support structure includes two relatively rotatable support members, each support member includes a connecting portion, a first side arm and a second side arm, and the support structure is respectively connected to the base plate and the keycap so that the keycap can move relative to the base plate . The detailed structure of the support structure in this specific embodiment is as above, and will not be repeated here.

In the prior art, the supporting structure is composed of two supporting members with different shapes. Different from the prior art, the supporting structure is composed of two identical supporting members, thereby simplifying the manufacturing steps and saving the manufacturing time. In addition, the support structure can be assembled through a jig, and the jig moves the two support structures relatively in parallel, so that the rotating shaft in one support member can be accommodated in the shaft hole of the other support member. This can avoid damage to the support structure or keys due to improper application of force during manual assembly. Furthermore, the support structure of the cover can rotate more smoothly than the support structures in the prior art.

The advantages and spirit of the present utility model can be further understood through the following creation details and accompanying drawings.

Description of drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a supporting structure in the prior art.

Fig. 2A is a schematic diagram of a supporting structure of a specific embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2B is an isolated schematic diagram of the support structure in FIG. 2A .

Fig. 2C is a schematic diagram of a supporting structure of another specific embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2D is an isolated schematic diagram of the support structure in FIG. 2C .

Fig. 3A is a schematic diagram of a supporting structure of another specific embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3B is an isolated schematic diagram of the support structure in FIG. 3A .

Fig. 4 is a combined schematic view of the supporting structure of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of the separation of the key according to a specific embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of the separation of the key according to a specific embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of a keyboard according to a specific embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed ways

The utility model provides a support structure, a key using the support structure and a keyboard. The support structure can support and connect the keycaps of the keys, and the support structure is a scissors-type support structure.

Please refer to FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B . FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram of a supporting structure 2 according to a specific embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2B is an isolated schematic diagram of the supporting structure 2 in FIG. 2A . As shown in FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B , the support structure 2 of this specific embodiment includes two support members 21 with approximately the same shape, and each support member 21 has a connecting portion 211, a first side arm 213 and a second side arm 215, The first side arm 213 and the second side arm 215 are respectively connected to the connecting portion 211 oppositely, so that the shape of the support member 21 is approximately U-shaped, and protrudes on the first side arm 213 to form a groove extending toward the second side arm 215. Rotating shaft 2130, the position of rotating shaft 2130 is approximately at the midpoint of the first side arm 213, and a shaft hole 2150 is formed on the second side arm 215 corresponding to the rotating shaft 2130, and the position of the shaft hole 2150 is approximately at the midpoint of the second side arm 215, and The position of the rotating shaft 2130 is opposite, and the shape of the rotating shaft 2130 and the shaft hole 2150 is similar to a cylinder, and the outer diameter of the rotating shaft 2130 is slightly smaller than the inner diameter of the shaft hole 2150 . When assembling the support structure 2, the first side arm 213 and the second side arm 215 of one support member 21 and the first side arm 213 and the second side arm 215 of the other support member 21 are arranged alternately (as shown in FIG. Arrangement shown in A), then align the rotating shaft 2130 with the shaft hole 2150, and then rotate the rotating shaft 2130 of each support member 21 into the shaft hole 2150 of the other support member 21, so that the two support members 21 are mutually compatible. connect. In addition, when the rotating shaft 2130 of the supporting member 21 is respectively rotatably accommodated in the shaft hole 2150 of the other supporting member 21 , the two supporting members 21 can rotate relative to the rotating shaft 2130 . In fact, since the centers of the two rotating shafts 2130 in the support structure 2 are located on the same axis line, the two supporting members 21 relatively rotate around the line of the two rotating shafts 2130 .

In practical applications, the extending direction of the rotating shaft 2130 is not limited to extending toward the second side arm 215 . Please refer to FIG. 2C and FIG. 2D . FIG. 2C is a schematic diagram of a support structure 3 according to another embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2D is a schematic diagram of separation of the support structure 3 in FIG. 2C . As shown in Fig. 2C and Fig. 2D, the supporting structure 3 of this specific embodiment comprises two supporting members 31 with approximately the same shape, and each supporting member 31 has a connecting portion 311, a first side arm 313 and a second side arm 315. The first side arm 313 protrudes to form a rotating shaft 3130 extending away from the second side arm 315, and a shaft hole 3150 is formed on the second side arm 315 corresponding to the rotating shaft 3130, so that the rotating shaft 3130 of each support member 31 can be rotated separately. Placed in the shaft hole 3150 of another supporting member 31. Other detailed explanations about the support member 31 and the method of assembling the support structure 3 are as described above, and will not be repeated here. The difference between this embodiment and FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B is that the rotating shaft 3130 extends away from the second side arm 315 instead of the rotating shaft 2130 in FIG. 2A and FIG. 2B , which extends toward the second side arm 215 .

In fact, the position of the rotating shaft is not limited to the midpoint of the first side arm, and its position can also be far away from one end of the connecting part. Please refer to FIG. 3A and FIG. 33B. FIG. 3A is another specific embodiment of the present invention 3B is a schematic diagram of the supporting structure 4 shown in FIG. 3A . As shown in FIGS. 3A and 3B , the support structure 4 of the present embodiment includes two support members 41 with approximately the same shape, each support member 41 has a connecting portion 411, a first side arm 413 and a second side arm 415, and A plurality of connecting shafts 417 . A rotating shaft 4130 extending away from the second side arm 415 protrudes from the first side arm 413 , and an end of the formed rotating shaft 4130 is away from the connecting portion 411 . A shaft hole 4150 is formed on the second side arm 415 corresponding to the rotation shaft 4130 , and the formed rotation hole 4150 is away from an end of the connecting portion 411 . The position of the shaft hole 4150 roughly corresponds to the rotation shaft 4130 . In addition, different from the aforementioned supporting members 21 and 31, the diameter of the shaft hole 4150 is larger than the shaft diameter of the rotating shaft 4130, so that the rotating shaft 4130 of each supporting member 41 can be respectively rotatably and slidably accommodated in another supporting member. 41 in the shaft hole 4150. The connecting shaft 417 in the support member 41 is used to connect with a bottom plate (not shown in the figure), and the two ends of the connecting portion 411 of the two support members 41 are connected with the keycap (not shown in the figure). In this embodiment, the rotating shaft 4130 extends away from the second side arm 415, and it can also extend toward the second side arm 415, and the shape of the rotating hole 4150 is not limited to a hollow cylinder, but can also be a hollow ellipse Cylinders, or other geometric shapes sufficient to allow the shaft 4130 to slide therein.

Since the supporting structure is composed of two identical supporting members, time and manpower can be saved through the following manufacturing method and assembly method when manufacturing the supporting structure. First prepare the mold. The mold consists of two parallel runners and multiple mold cavities with the same shape as the supporting structure. The mold cavities are staggered and connected to the runners respectively. Then, under the appropriate injection pressure, temperature and other conditions In the process, the material for making the support structure is injected into the cavity of the mold through the runner. When the material is injected into the mold, in addition to forming multiple support members on the cavity, it is also formed at the junction of the cavity and the runner. A plurality of heads respectively connected with runners and support members. After the head and support members are formed, the mold is demolded to complete the preparation. Please refer to FIG. 4 . FIG. 4 is a schematic view showing the assembly of the supporting structure 6 . As shown in FIG. 4 , the demolded supporting members 61 (its structure is shown in FIG. 2C and FIG. 2D , but not limited thereto) are respectively connected to the sprue 65 via a plurality of sprues 63 . When assembling the supporting structure 6, the supporting member 61 must be separated from the material head. Because the support members 61 are arranged in two rows in a staggered manner, a plurality of support members 61 can be separated from the material head 63 at one time by using a cutting tool, and a plurality of discharge pipes (not shown in the figure) are arranged under the support member 61 to The supporting member 61 dropped due to separation is received. In addition, in order to reduce manual assembly, before the support member 61 is separated from the material head 63, a jig can be used to fix the two rows of formed support members 61, and after the support member 61 is separated from the material head 63, the support member 61 parallel relative movement, its movement direction is as shown by the arrow in Figure 4, so that the rotating shaft of each support member 61 can be respectively rotatably accommodated in the shaft hole of another support member 61, and the assembly can be completed without manpower .

The utility model also provides a button comprising the aforementioned supporting structure. Please refer to FIG. 5 . FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of separation of the button 7 according to a specific embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 5 , the button 7 includes a bottom plate 70 , a flexible circuit board 71 , a rubber pad 73 , a supporting structure 75 , and a keycap 77 . The flexible circuit board 71 is disposed on the bottom board 70 , and the keycap 77 is disposed on the flexible circuit board 71 and the bottom board 70 . The supporting structure 75 is disposed between the keycap 77 and the bottom plate 70 , and is connected with the bottom plate 70 and the keycap 77 respectively. The rubber pad 73 is disposed in the gap of the supporting structure 75 and serves as a medium for the user to connect the circuit on the flexible circuit board 71 .

The structure of the supporting structure 75 is the same as that of the supporting structure 31 in FIG. 2C , including two relatively rotatable supporting members 751 , and the supporting member 751 includes a connecting portion 7511 , a first side arm 7513 , and a second side arm 7515 . The connecting portion 7511 of one supporting member 751 is pivotally connected to the keycap 77, while the connecting portion 7511 of the other supporting member 751 is slidably engaged with the keycap 77, and the first side arm 7513 and the second side arm of the supporting member 751 The end of 7515 away from the connecting portion 7511 further includes a first connecting portion 75131 and a second connecting portion 75151 for connecting with the bottom plate 70 . When the support member 751 is connected to the base plate 70 and the keycap 77 , the support structure 75 can drive the keycap 77 to move toward the base plate 70 . In this embodiment, the supporting member 751 is the same as the supporting member 31 in FIG. 2C and FIG. 2D, and its detailed structure and function will not be repeated here, and the supporting structure is not limited to being the same as in FIG. 2C, and can also be the same as in FIG. The support member 21, 41 of Fig. 2A or Fig. 4A.

The flexible circuit board 71 is arranged on the base plate 70, and is actually composed of three films, which are positive circuit film, negative circuit film, and insulating film arranged between the positive circuit film and the negative circuit film. When the user presses the keycap 77, the keycap 77 presses the rubber pad 73 and the support structure 75, and the keycap 77 and the rubber pad 73 move toward the bottom plate 70 driven by the support structure 75, thereby compressing the flexible circuit board. 71, making the positive circuit film and the negative circuit film separated by the insulating film contact, and the circuit is connected to generate a signal. And when no external force acts on the keycap 77, the support structure 75 returns to its original shape due to the elastic recovery force of the rubber pad 73, so that the keycap 77 returns to its original position and stops generating signals.

As mentioned above, the structure of the supporting structure 75 is not limited to be the same as that of FIG. 2C , and may also be the same as the supporting members 21 , 41 of FIG. 2A or FIG. 4A . Please refer to FIG. 6 . FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of separation of the button 8 according to a specific embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 6 , the key 8 includes a base plate 80 , a flexible circuit board 81 , a rubber pad 83 , a supporting structure 85 , and a key cap 87 . The flexible circuit board 81 is disposed on the base plate 80 , and the keycap 87 is disposed on the flexible circuit board 81 and the base plate 80 . The supporting structure 85 is disposed between the keycap 87 and the bottom plate 80 , and is connected with the bottom plate 80 and the keycap 87 respectively. The rubber pad 83 is disposed in the gap of the support structure 85 as a medium for the user to connect the circuit on the flexible circuit board 81 . The difference from FIG. 5 is that the structure of the support structure 85 is the same as that of the support structure 4 shown in FIG. 4A. The structure of the support structure 85 also includes two relatively rotatable support members 851. The side arm 8513, and the second side arm 8515, and a plurality of connecting shafts 8517. Wherein, a rotating shaft 85130 is provided on the first side arm, and a shaft hole 85150 is provided on the second side arm. The connecting portion 8511 of the support member 851 is pivotally connected to the keycap 87 , and the connecting shafts 8517 are respectively connected to the bottom plate 80 . The support structure 85 drives the keycap 87 to move toward the bottom plate 80 . In this embodiment, the supporting member 851 is the same as that shown in FIG. 4A , and its detailed structure and function will not be repeated here. In addition, the present invention also provides a keyboard 9 including the aforementioned supporting structure. Please refer to FIG. 7 . FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a keyboard 9 according to a specific embodiment of the present invention, wherein a group of keys are shown in a separated state. As shown in the figure, the keyboard 9 includes a bottom plate 90 , a flexible circuit board 91 , a plurality of rubber pads 93 , a plurality of support structures 95 , and a plurality of keycaps 97 . The flexible circuit board 91 is disposed on the bottom board 90 , and the keycap 97 is disposed on the flexible circuit board 91 and the bottom board 90 . The support structure 95 is disposed between the keycap 97 and the bottom plate 90 . The gap in the support structure 95 is provided with the rubber pad 93 therein, making it a medium for connecting the circuit on the flexible circuit board 91 .

In this embodiment, the supporting member 951 includes a connecting portion 9511 , a first side arm 9513 , and a second side arm 9515 . The connecting portion 9511 of one supporting member 951 is pivotally connected to the keycap 97, while the connecting portion 9511 of the other supporting member 951 is slidably engaged with the keycap 97, and the first side arm 9513 and the second side arm of the supporting member 951 The end of 9515 away from the connecting portion 9511 also includes a first connecting portion 95131 and a second connecting portion 95151 for connecting to the base plate 90 . The structure and function of the button are as described in FIG. 5 , and will not be repeated here. As previously described, when the user presses the keycap 97, the keycap 97 presses the rubber pad 93 and the supporting structure 95, and then compresses the flexible circuit board 91, so that the circuit is connected to generate a signal, and different keys The corresponding circuits are different and produce different signals. And when no external force acts on the keycap 97, then stop generating the signal.

To sum up, the novel supporting structure is used to connect and support keycaps; the plurality of supporting structures can also be used to connect and support multiple keycaps on a bottom plate to form a keyboard. The supporting structure is composed of two identical supporting components, thereby simplifying the manufacturing steps and saving the manufacturing time. In addition, the supporting structure of the present invention can utilize the two supporting structures that the jig moves in parallel to complete the assembly. Avoid damage to the support structure or keys due to improper application of force during manual assembly.

Claims (13)

1. supporting construction is characterized in that comprising:

Two supporting members, each supporting member has a junction, one first side arm and one second side arm, this first side arm relatively is connected with this connecting portion respectively with this second side arm, protrudes formation one rotating shaft on this first side arm, on this second side arm to should rotating shaft forming an axis hole;

Wherein, this rotating shaft of each supporting member rotatably is placed in respectively in this axis hole of another supporting member.

2. supporting construction as claimed in claim 1, the shape approximation that it is characterized in that this supporting member is in the U font.

3. supporting construction as claimed in claim 1, it is characterized in that this two supporting member via with these first side arms and the interlaced arrangement of these second side arms with mutual linking.

4. supporting construction as claimed in claim 1 is characterized in that this rotating shaft is positioned at the mid point of this first side arm or away from an end of this connecting portion; Perhaps this axis hole is positioned at the mid point of this second side arm or away from an end of this connecting portion.

5. supporting construction as claimed in claim 1 is characterized in that the identical shape of this two supporting members tool, and this rotating shaft towards or extend away from this second side arm.

6. button is characterized in that comprising:

Base plate;

Keycap is arranged on this base plate; And

Supporting construction is arranged between this keycap and this base plate, and this supporting construction comprises:

Two supporting members, each supporting member has a junction, one first side arm and one second side arm, this first side arm relatively is connected with this connecting portion respectively with this second side arm, on this first side arm, protrude and form a rotating shaft, on this second side arm to should rotating shaft forming an axis hole, wherein this rotating shaft of each supporting member, rotatably be placed in respectively in this axis hole of another supporting member, and this supporting construction is connected with this keycap and this base plate respectively, so that this keycap can move with respect to this base plate.

7. button as claimed in claim 6, the shape approximation that it is characterized in that this supporting member be in the U font, this two supporting member via with these first side arms and the interlaced arrangement of these second side arms with mutual linking.

8. button as claimed in claim 6 is characterized in that this rotating shaft is positioned at the mid point of this first side arm or away from an end of this connecting portion; Perhaps this axis hole is positioned at the mid point of this second side arm or away from an end of this connecting portion.

9. button as claimed in claim 6 is characterized in that the identical shape of this two supporting members tool, and this rotating shaft towards or extend away from this second side arm.

10. keyboard is characterized in that comprising:

One base plate;

A plurality of keycaps are arranged on this base plate; And

A plurality of supporting constructions, correspondence are arranged between these keycaps and this base plate, and each supporting construction comprises respectively:

Two supporting members, each supporting member has a junction, one first side arm and one second side arm, this first side arm relatively is connected with this connecting portion respectively with this second side arm, on this first side arm, protrude and form a rotating shaft, on this second side arm to should rotating shaft forming an axis hole, wherein this rotating shaft of each supporting member, rotatably be placed in respectively in this axis hole of another supporting member, and the keycap that these supporting constructions are corresponding with these respectively and this base plate connect, so that keycap that should correspondence can move with respect to this base plate.

11. keyboard as claimed in claim 10, it is characterized in that this two supporting member via with these first side arms and the interlaced arrangement of these second side arms with mutual linking; The shape approximation of this supporting member is in the U font.

12. keyboard as claimed in claim 10 is characterized in that this rotating shaft is positioned at the mid point of this first side arm or away from an end of this connecting portion, perhaps this axis hole is positioned at the mid point of this second side arm or away from an end of this connecting portion.

13. keyboard as claimed in claim 10 is characterized in that the identical shape of this two supporting members tool, and this rotating shaft towards or extend away from this second side arm.

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