阅读说明：本技术 键盘 (Keyboard with a keyboard body ) 是由 李易树 蔡磊龙 于 2018-07-31 设计创作，主要内容包括：本发明提供一种键盘,包括底板、蝴蝶式连接元件以及按键帽组件,且按键帽组件包括连接框体以及按键帽。连接框体具有第一连接部,而按键帽具有第二连接部。蝴蝶式连接元件分别连接于底板以及连接框体,且可通过第一连接部以及第二连接部而结合按键帽以及连接框体。因此,当使用者触压按键帽的角落时,触压力可通过连接框体被传导至整个按键帽,以改善触压力传导不良的问题。(The invention provides a keyboard, which comprises a bottom plate, a butterfly type connecting element and a key cap assembly, wherein the key cap assembly comprises a connecting frame body and a key cap. The connecting frame body is provided with a first connecting part, and the key cap is provided with a second connecting part. The butterfly connecting element is respectively connected to the bottom plate and the connecting frame body, and can be combined with the key cap and the connecting frame body through the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion. Therefore, when a user touches and presses the corners of the key cap, the touch pressure can be transmitted to the whole key cap through the connecting frame body, so that the problem of poor touch pressure transmission is solved.)

1. A keyboard, comprising:

a base plate;

a butterfly type connecting element located on the bottom plate and connected to the bottom plate; and

a key cap assembly coupled to the butterfly coupling element and movable relative to the base plate, the key cap assembly comprising:

a connecting frame located above the butterfly connecting element and connected to the butterfly connecting element, the connecting frame comprising:

a body;

the first connecting parts are arranged on the outer side of the side wall of the body; and

a plurality of connecting holes, which are arranged in the central area of the side wall of the body and are used for being stretched by the butterfly-type connecting element to combine the connecting frame body and the butterfly-type connecting element; and

and the key cap is exposed outside the keyboard and covers the connecting frame body, and the key cap is provided with a plurality of second connecting parts which are used for being connected with the corresponding first connecting parts so as to fix the connecting frame body on an inner surface of the key cap.

2. The keyboard of claim 1, wherein the butterfly link element comprises:

the first frame is arranged below the key cap and positioned on a first side of the key cap, a first end of the first frame extends into the corresponding connecting holes and is connected with the connecting frame body, and a second end of the first frame is connected with the bottom plate; and

the second frame is arranged below the key cap and positioned on a second side of the key cap, a first end of the second frame extends into the corresponding connecting holes and is connected with the connecting frame body, and a second end of the second frame is connected with the bottom plate.

3. The keyboard of claim 2, wherein the base plate comprises a plurality of base plate hooks disposed on an upper surface of the base plate for connecting with the second end of the first frame or the second end of the second frame.

4. The keyboard of claim 2, wherein when the key cap is pressed, the key cap pushes against the connecting frame to move the connecting frame relative to the bottom plate, and the connecting frame drives the first frame and the second frame to swing relative to the bottom plate, respectively.

5. The keyboard of claim 2, wherein the first frame and the second frame are n-shaped.

6. The keyboard of claim 1, wherein the first connecting portion is a connecting post and the second connecting portion is a hook corresponding to the connecting post.

7. The keyboard of claim 1, further comprising:

the switch circuit board is positioned below the key cap component and used for outputting a key signal according to the movement of the key cap component; and

the elastic element is positioned between the key cap and the switch circuit board, penetrates through the connecting frame body and is used for being pushed by the moved key cap to abut against the switch circuit board; when the elastic element is not pushed by the key cap any more, the elastic element provides an elastic force to the key cap to reset the key cap.

8. The keyboard of claim 1, wherein the body of the connection frame is shaped to correspond to a rectangular ring of the keycap.

Technical Field

The present invention relates to an input device, and more particularly, to a keyboard including a plurality of key structures.

Background

Common peripheral input devices for computers include mice, keyboards, trackballs, etc., wherein the keyboard can directly input characters and symbols to the computer, and therefore, the users and manufacturers of the input devices pay attention to the input devices. Among them, a keyboard including a plurality of key structures is more common.

The structure of the key structure in the keyboard will be described below, taking the key structure including the scissors-type connecting element as an example. Please refer to fig. 1, which is a schematic cross-sectional side view of a conventional key structure. The conventional key structure 1 includes a key cap 11, a scissors-type connecting element 12, an elastic rubber body 13, a membrane switch circuit 14 and a bottom plate 15, wherein the bottom plate 15 is used for carrying the key cap 11, the scissors-type connecting element 12, the elastic rubber body 13 and the membrane switch circuit 14. Wherein the scissors-type connecting element 12 is used to connect the bottom plate 15 and the key cap 11.

The scissors connecting element 12 is located between the bottom plate 15 and the key cap 11 and connects the two. Scissor linkage 12 includes a first frame 121 and a second frame 122. A first end of the first frame 121 is connected to the keycap 11, and a second end of the first frame 121 is connected to the bottom plate 15. The elastic rubber 13 is surrounded by the scissors-type connecting element 12, and the membrane switch circuit 14 has a plurality of key contacts (not shown). The key contact outputs a corresponding key signal when triggered. The elastic rubber body 13 is arranged on the membrane switch circuit 14, one elastic rubber body 13 corresponds to one key contact, and when the elastic rubber body 13 is pressed, the elastic rubber body 13 deforms and presses the corresponding key contact in the membrane switch circuit 14 to generate a key signal.

The operation of the conventional key structure 1 pressed by the user will be described next. In fig. 1, when the user presses the key cap 11, the key cap 11 is forced to push the scissors-type connecting element 12 to move, so that the key cap 11 can move downward relative to the bottom plate 15 and press the corresponding elastic rubber 13. At this time, the elastic rubber 13 deforms and presses the membrane switch circuit 14 to trigger the key contact of the membrane switch circuit 14, so that the membrane switch circuit 14 outputs a corresponding key signal. When the user stops pressing the key cap 11, the key cap 11 is no longer stressed to stop pressing the elastic rubber 13, so that the elastic rubber 13 is restored according to the elasticity thereof, and at the same time, provides an upward elastic restoring force, so that the key cap 11 is pushed back to the position before being pressed. The structure and operation of the conventional key structure are described above.

With the development of technology, the functionality and the lightness of the keyboard are increasingly improved, and therefore, the requirements of users for the keyboard are also improved. For example: the user wants to reduce the thickness of the keyboard and wants the movement of the key to be more stable when the key is pressed. Accordingly, there is a keyboard including a butterfly-type connecting element, such as that disclosed in U.S. patent No. 6586695. The keyboard provided in U.S. Pat. No. 6586695 includes a key cap, a butterfly-type connecting element and a fixing member, wherein the butterfly-type connecting element includes a first frame and a second frame, the first frame is located on a first side of the key cap and is connected to a central region of the key cap and the fixing member, respectively, and the second frame is located on a second side of the key cap and is connected to the central region of the key cap and the fixing member, respectively. When the user touches the button cap, the button cap can push against the butterfly-type connecting element, so that the first frame and the second frame respectively swing and slide relative to the fixing piece, and the operation of touching the button can be performed.

The first frame of the butterfly connecting element is adjacent to the second frame, and compared with the scissors type connecting element, the butterfly connecting element has smaller displacement in the vertical direction, so that the movement of the key is more stable when being touched and pressed, and the thickness of a keyboard containing the butterfly connecting element is smaller. However, since the first frame and the second frame are both connected to the center of the key cap, when the user touches the corners of the key cap, the touch pressure cannot be transmitted to the butterfly-type connecting element, and thus the touch pressure is difficult to be touched. In other words, the user must accurately touch the center of the key cap to smoothly complete the pressing operation.

Therefore, a keyboard that easily transmits a touch pressure is required.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to provide a keyboard capable of easily transmitting touch pressure.

In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a keyboard comprising a base plate, a butterfly-type connecting element and a keycap assembly. The butterfly connecting element is located on the bottom plate and connected to the bottom plate, the key cap assembly is connected to the butterfly connecting element and can move relative to the bottom plate, and the key cap assembly comprises a connecting frame body and a key cap. The connecting frame is located above the butterfly-type connecting element and connected to the butterfly-type connecting element, and the connecting frame includes a body, a plurality of first connecting portions and a plurality of connecting holes. The first connecting portions are disposed on an outer side of the sidewall of the body, and the connecting holes are disposed in a central region of the sidewall of the body and are used for being inserted by the butterfly-type connecting element to combine the connecting frame and the butterfly-type connecting element. The key cap is exposed outside the keyboard and covers the connecting frame body, and the key cap is provided with a plurality of second connecting parts which are used for being connected with the corresponding first connecting parts and fixing the connecting frame body on an inner surface of the key cap.

In a preferred embodiment, the butterfly-type connecting element includes a first frame and a second frame. The first frame is arranged below the key cap and positioned on a first side of the key cap, a first end of the first frame extends into the corresponding connecting holes and is connected to the connecting frame body, and a second end of the first frame is connected to the bottom plate. The second frame is arranged below the key cap and positioned on a second side of the key cap, a first end of the second frame extends into the corresponding connecting holes and is connected to the connecting frame body, and a second end of the second frame is connected to the bottom plate. When the key cap is pressed, the key cap pushes against the connecting frame body to enable the connecting frame body to move relative to the bottom plate, and the connecting frame body drives the first frame and the second frame to swing relative to the bottom plate respectively.

In brief, the butterfly-type connecting element of the keyboard is connected to the bottom plate and the connecting frame respectively, and the key cap and the connecting frame are combined through the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion. Since the butterfly-type connecting element is connected to the annular connecting frame body, rather than the central region of the key cap as in the prior art, when a contact pressure is applied to the corners of the key cap, the contact pressure can be transmitted to the entire key cap through the connecting frame body, thereby solving the problems of the prior art.

Drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional side view of a conventional key structure.

FIG. 2 is an exploded view of a keyboard according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a partially exploded view of another perspective of the keyboard according to the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a partial schematic structural diagram of a keyboard according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a partial sectional side view of the keyboard according to the preferred embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic side view of a partial structure of a keyboard according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention.

The reference numbers are as follows:

1 push-button structure

22 keyboard

11. 202 key cap

12-scissors type connecting element

13 elastic rubber body

14 thin film switch circuit

15. 21 bottom plate

20 keycap assembly

22 switch circuit board

23 butterfly type connecting element

24 elastic element

121. 231 first frame

122. 232 second frame

201 connecting frame body

211 bottom plate trip

231 first frame

232 second frame

2011 body

2012 first connecting part

2013 connecting hole

2014 side wall of body

2021 second connecting part

2022 inner surface of key cap

2311 first end of the first frame

2312 second end of the first frame

2321 first end of second frame

2322 second end of second frame

Detailed Description

In view of the problems of the prior art, the present invention provides a keyboard capable of solving the problems of the prior art. First, a structure of the keyboard of the present invention is described, please refer to fig. 2 and fig. 3 together, in which fig. 2 is a partially exploded view of the keyboard in a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and fig. 3 is a partially exploded view of another view angle of the keyboard in a preferred embodiment of the present invention. The keyboard 2 of the present invention includes a plurality of key cap assemblies 20, a bottom plate 21, a switch circuit board 22, a plurality of butterfly type connecting elements 23 (only one is shown in the figure), and a plurality of elastic elements 24 (only one is shown in the figure), wherein the plurality of key cap assemblies 20 are exposed outside the keyboard 2, and can be touched by a user with fingers to generate corresponding signals to a computer (not shown in the figure) connected to the keyboard 2, so that the computer executes the touched key function. The bottom plate 21 is disposed under the plurality of key cap assemblies 20 and connected to the plurality of butterfly-type connecting elements 23. The plurality of butterfly-type connecting elements 23 are located on the bottom plate 21 and are respectively connected to the bottom plate 21 and the corresponding key cap assembly 20, and since the key cap assembly 20 is connected to the corresponding butterfly-type connecting element 23, the plurality of butterfly-type connecting elements 23 can swing and slide relative to the bottom plate 21 when the key cap assembly 20 is pressed, and the key cap assembly 20 can move relative to the bottom plate 21.

The switch circuit board 22 is located between the plurality of key cap assemblies 20 and the chassis 21. The elastic element 24 is located between the key cap 202 and the switch circuit board 22 and connected to the frame body through the frame body 201, and can be pushed by the moving key cap 202 to abut against the switch circuit board 22 to trigger the switch circuit board 22. In the preferred embodiment, the elastic element 24 is an elastic rubber body, the switch circuit board 22 is a thin film switch circuit, and the internal structure of the switch circuit board 22 is composed of an upper circuit board, a lower circuit board and an isolation layer, which are well known in the art and therefore will not be described in detail.

In fig. 2 and 3, the key cap assembly 20 includes a connecting frame 201 and a key cap 202, and the connecting frame 201 is located above the butterfly-type connecting element 23 and connected to the corresponding butterfly-type connecting element 23. The connection frame 201 includes a body 2011, a plurality of first connection portions 2012 and a plurality of connection holes 2013, wherein the plurality of first connection portions 2012 are disposed outside the side wall 2014 of the body 2011. A plurality of connection holes 2013 are disposed in a central region of the side wall 2014 of the body 2011, and can be inserted by the corresponding butterfly-type connection element 23 to connect the connection frame 201 and the butterfly-type connection element 23. The key cap 202 is exposed outside the keyboard 2 and covers the connecting frame 201, and the key cap 202 has a plurality of second connecting portions 2021, which can be connected to the corresponding first connecting portions 2012 and fix the connecting frame 201 on the inner surface 2022 of the key cap 202.

In the preferred embodiment, the body 2011 of the connection frame 201 has a shape corresponding to the rectangular ring of the key cap 202, the first connection portion 2012 is a connection column, and the second connection portion 2021 is a hook corresponding to the connection column, which is only for illustration and not limited thereto. In another preferred embodiment, the first connecting portion can be designed as a hook, and the second connecting portion can be designed as a connecting column corresponding to the hook. In the actual structure of the connecting frame, the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion may be complementary structures of various combining manners.

The butterfly-type connecting element 23 includes a first frame 231 and a second frame 232, the first frame 231 is disposed below the key cap 202 and located on a first side of the key cap 202, a first end 2311 of the first frame 231 extends into a plurality of corresponding connecting holes 2013 (the connecting holes 2013 on the left side in fig. 2) to connect to the connecting frame 201, and a second end 2312 of the first frame 231 is connected to the bottom plate 21. Similarly, the second frame 232 is disposed below the key cap 202 and on a second side of the key cap 202, that is, adjacent to the first frame 231. The first end 2321 of the second frame 232 extends into the corresponding connecting holes 2013 (the right connecting hole 2013 in fig. 2) to connect to the connecting frame 201, and the second end 2322 of the second frame 232 is connected to the bottom plate 21. In the preferred embodiment, the first frame 231 and the second frame 232 are n-shaped.

On the other hand, the base plate 21 includes a plurality of base plate hooks 211 disposed on the upper surface of the base plate 21, and the base plate hooks are capable of connecting with the second end 2312 of the first frame 231 or the second end 2322 of the second frame 232 to combine the butterfly-type connecting element 23 and the base plate 21. In the preferred embodiment, the plurality of bottom plate hooks 211 and the bottom plate 21 are integrally formed, and the bottom plate hooks 211 are open structure, so that the second end 2312 of the first frame 231 and the second end 2322 of the second frame 232 can respectively rotate and slide in the corresponding bottom plate hooks 211.

Referring to fig. 4, fig. 5 and fig. 6, fig. 4 is a partial structural schematic diagram of a keyboard of the present invention in a preferred embodiment, fig. 5 is a partial structural sectional side view of the keyboard of the present invention in a preferred embodiment, and fig. 6 is a partial structural sectional side view of the keyboard of the present invention pressed in a preferred embodiment. Fig. 4 and 5 show the combination of the elements, and the connecting frame 201 is fixed on the inner surface 2022 of the keycap 202. When a user touches and presses the key cap 202 of the key cap assembly 20, the key cap 202 and the connecting frame 201 move downward relative to the bottom plate 21, and the connecting frame 201 drives the first frame 231 and the second frame 232 to swing relative to the bottom plate 21, respectively. The second end 2312 of the first frame 231 and the second end 2322 of the second frame 232 rotate and slide in the corresponding bottom plate hooks 211, respectively.

Meanwhile, the key cap 202 moving downward pushes against the elastic element 24, so that the elastic element 24 is pressed against and deformed to trigger the switch circuit board 22, so as to generate a corresponding key signal, as shown in fig. 6. When the user does not touch the key cap assembly 20 any more, the key cap 202 and the connecting frame 201 move upward relative to the bottom plate 21 according to the elastic force generated by the elastic element 24 recovering from the deformed state, so as to push the connecting frame 201 to move upward, and at the same time, the butterfly-type connecting element 23 is driven to swing to recover from the state shown in fig. 6 to the state shown in fig. 5, and the key cap 202 recovers to the position before being touched.

First, the first end 2311 of the first frame 231 and the first end 2321 of the second frame 232 are respectively connected to the central region of the connection frame 201, and the body 2011 of the connection frame 201 is shaped to correspond to the rectangular ring of the keycap 202 and can be fixed to the inner surface 2022 of the keycap 202. When the user's finger touches the corner of the key cap 202, the touch pressure can be transmitted through the structure of the connecting frame 201, so as to smoothly complete the operation of touching and pressing the key cap 202. At the same time, key cap assembly 20 can provide a good touch and press feel. Second, the key cap 202 can be easily combined with the connecting frame 201 or easily separated from the connecting frame 201 by the structure of the first connecting portion 2012 and the second connecting portion 2021. Therefore, a user can easily replace one of the key caps 202 made of plastic material in the keyboard 2 as required

As described above, in the keyboard of the present invention, the butterfly-type connecting element is connected to the bottom plate and the connecting frame, and the key cap and the connecting frame are coupled to each other by the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion. Since the butterfly-type connecting element is connected to the annular connecting frame body, rather than the central region of the key cap as in the prior art, when a contact pressure is applied to the corners of the key cap, the contact pressure can be transmitted to the entire key cap through the connecting frame body, thereby solving the problems of the prior art.

The above-mentioned embodiments are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention, which are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, and therefore, all equivalent changes and modifications that do not depart from the spirit of the present invention are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention.