TWM566854U - Keyboard structure - Google Patents

Abstract

A keyboard structure includes a casing, a carrier, a thin film circuit layer, and a button layer. The housing has opposing inner surfaces, an outer surface opposite the inner surface, and at least one through hole extending through the inner and outer surfaces. The carrier and the thin film circuit layer are disposed in the casing, and the thin film circuit layer is located on the carrier. The button layer is disposed on the thin film circuit layer. The button layer includes a base layer and at least one keycap connecting the base layers. The base layer abuts against the inner surface of the casing and is located between the inner surface of the casing and the thin film circuit layer. The key cap protrudes from the through hole to the outer surface of the casing.

Description

Keyboard structure

The novel creation relates to a keyboard structure, and in particular to a thin and light keyboard structure.

The keyboard acts as a physical operation interface, and the user can input a corresponding signal to control the corresponding software in the host to perform the corresponding function. For example, the keyboard applied to the notebook computer can be divided into two types: external fixed type and internal fixed type. The external fixed type keyboard is easier to disassemble and assemble based on different assembly methods and directions. However, whether it is an external fixed or internal fixed keyboard, the key caps are mostly connected to the carrier through the scissor foot structure or the mechanical shaft, and there is a gap between the key cap and the casing, so there is too thick and it is difficult to prevent external moisture or Foreign matter enters the inside of the casing and other issues.

The novel creation provides a keyboard structure, which not only has a design for preventing external moisture or foreign matter from entering, but also conforms to the trend of thin and light design.

The keyboard structure of the novel creation includes a casing, a carrier, a thin film circuit layer and a button layer. The housing has opposing inner surfaces, an outer surface opposite the inner surface, and at least one through hole extending through the inner and outer surfaces. The carrier and the thin film circuit layer are disposed in the casing, and the thin film circuit layer is located on the carrier. The button layer is disposed on the thin film circuit layer. The button layer includes a base layer and at least one keycap connecting the base layers. The base layer abuts against the inner surface of the casing and is located between the inner surface of the casing and the thin film circuit layer. The key cap protrudes from the through hole to the outer surface of the casing.

Based on the above, by the integrated design of the casing and the button layer, the air density between the casing and the button layer of the keyboard structure of the present invention can be improved, thereby preventing external moisture or foreign matter from entering the inside of the casing. Secondly, based on the integrated design of the casing and the button layer, the keyboard structure created by the novel does not need to be additionally provided with a conventional scissor structure, so that it can meet the design requirements of thin and light, and reduce the manufacturing cost.

The above described features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent and understood from the following description.

1 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the structure of a keyboard of an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the keyboard structure of FIG. 1 after being pressed down. Specifically, a set of the key caps 142 and the through holes 113 are schematically illustrated in the drawings, but the number of sets of the corresponding key caps 142 and the through holes 113 may be increased as needed, and is not limited to the contents disclosed in the drawings. . Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, in the embodiment, the keyboard structure 100 includes a casing 110, a carrier 120, a thin film circuit layer 130, and a button layer 140. The casing 110 may be a plastic casing, but is not limited thereto.

The casing 110 has an opposite inner surface 111, an outer surface 112 opposite the inner surface 111, and at least one through hole 113 penetrating the inner surface 111 and the outer surface 112. Both the carrier 120 and the thin film circuit layer 130 are disposed in the casing 110, and at least a portion of the button layer 140 is disposed in the casing 110. Further, the thin film circuit layer 130 and the button layer 140 are all carried by the carrier 120. The thin film circuit layer 130 is disposed on the carrier 120, and the button layer 140 is disposed on the thin film circuit layer 130. At least a portion of the button layer 140 and the thin film circuit layer 130 are disposed between the inner surface 111 of the casing 110 and the carrier 120, wherein the thin film circuit layer 130 is located between the button layer 140 and the carrier 120, and at least a portion of the button layer 140 Located between the inner surface 111 of the casing 110 and the thin film circuit layer 130.

In this embodiment, the button layer 140 includes a base layer 141 and at least one keycap 142 of the connection base layer 141. The material of the button layer 140 may be silicone, but is not limited thereto. For example, the casing 110 and the button layer 140 may be formed by a two-shot injection molding process, or by gluing, thermal bonding or other bonding means to improve the gas density between the casing 110 and the button layer 140. Thereby, external moisture or foreign matter is prevented from entering the inside of the casing 110 through the through hole 113 of the casing 110. Further, the base layer 141 is closely attached to the inner surface 111 of the casing 110, and the keycap 142 protrudes from the through hole 113 of the casing 110 to protrude from the outer surface 111 of the casing 110. The keycap 142 protrudes from the outer surface 111 of the casing 110 for user operation, and the base layer 141 is not detached from the inner surface 111 of the casing 110 due to the up and down movement of the keycap 142. On the other hand, the side of the keycap 142 facing the thin film circuit layer 130 is kept spaced from the thin film circuit layer 130 to provide a sufficient pressing stroke.

On the other hand, in order to provide a clear operating feel of the user, and to ensure that the key cap 142 can be automatically reset after the lower pressure is removed, at least two elastic bodies 150 are disposed between the key cap 142 and the film circuit layer 130, wherein the elastic body 150 The material can be made of silicone or other materials with resilient properties, and the number of elastomers 150 can be increased or decreased as needed. As shown in FIG. 1 , a side of the key cap 142 facing the thin film circuit layer 130 is provided with a triggering portion 143 , wherein the triggering portion 143 is located between the two elastic bodies 150 and extends toward the electrical contact 131 on the thin film circuit layer 130 . However, it is not in contact with the electrical contact 131. On the other hand, the elastic body 150 connects the keycap 142 toward the side of the thin film circuit layer 130, and maintains a gap G with the thin film circuit layer 130. By the design of the gap G, it is possible to feed back the user's two-stage operation feeling.

Further, in the process of pressing the keycap 142 by the user, if the elastic body 150 has not been in contact with the thin film circuit layer 130, the user can feel the feeling of falling down, but in the elastic body 150 and the thin film circuit. After the layer 130 is in contact, as shown in FIG. 2, the elastic body 150 exerts a supporting effect to allow the user to obtain a solid feedback feeling, and the feedback feeling is more remarkable as the degree of deformation of the elastic body 150 is increased. For example, the elastomer 150 can employ a columnar structure such as a cylinder, a corner post, or a cone. As shown in FIG. 1, the gap G1 between the trigger portion 143 and the thin film circuit layer 130 is larger than the gap G between the elastic body 150 and the thin film circuit layer 130, so that the pressing stroke of the key cap 142 needs to exceed the gap G and allow elasticity. The body 150 generates a sufficient amount of compressive deformation to cause the triggering portion 143 to contact the electrical contact 131 to generate a corresponding trigger signal and transmit it to a corresponding electronic component (not shown) to perform subsequent actions.

For example, the elastic body 150 can be integrally formed on the keycap 142, which not only simplifies the process but also reduces the manufacturing cost. On the other hand, the elastic body 150 can feedback the user's solid operation feeling during the pressing of the keycap 142 by the user, and can automatically return elastically after the lower pressure is removed to drive the keycap 142 to be reset, so the keyboard structure The 100-scissor structure is not required to be added, so that it can meet the slim design requirements and the production cost is lower.

Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2, in the embodiment, the inner surface 111 of the casing 110 is provided with at least one positioning post 114. Two positioning posts 114 are schematically depicted in the drawing, but the number of the positioning posts 114 is visible. The increase or decrease in demand is not limited to the contents of the drawings. Specifically, the positioning post 114 passes through the base layer 141, the thin film circuit layer 130, and the carrier 120, thereby preventing the base layer 141, the thin film circuit layer 130, and the carrier 120 from slipping relative to each other. On the other hand, a side of the carrier 120 facing away from the thin film circuit layer 130 is provided with a fixing member 115 corresponding to the positioning post 114, and the connecting positioning post 114 is passed through the end of the carrier 120 to connect the base layer 141 and the thin film circuit layer. The limit of the carrier 130 and the carrier 120 is between the inner surface 111 of the casing 110 and the fixture 115. For example, the fixture 115 may be formed of a screw or a hot melt adhesive.

The present invention will be described in detail in the following detailed description of the embodiments, in which the same components will be denoted by the same symbols, and the description of the same technical content will be omitted.

3 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the structure of a keyboard of another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 3, the keyboard structure 100A of the present embodiment differs from the keyboard structure 100 of FIG. 1 in the structural form of the elastic body. Further, in the present embodiment, the elastic body 150a may adopt a stepped structure, and the width of each step is gradually increased from the thin film circuit layer 130 toward the key cap 142. Therefore, after the user presses the keycap 142 and brings the elastic body 150a into contact with the film circuit layer 130, the stepped design of the elastic body 150a allows the user to obtain a plurality of pressing strokes, and the feedback feels with the elastic body 150a. The degree of deformation is increased and more significant. Based on the design of the width of each step of the elastic body 150a from the thin film circuit layer 130 toward the keycap 142, the user needs to continuously increase the force of the lower pressing key cap 142 to deform the elastic body 150a.

4 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the structure of a keyboard of still another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 4, the keyboard structure 100B of the present embodiment differs from the keyboard structure 100 of FIG. 1 in the position of the elastic body. Further, in the embodiment, the elastic body 150b connects the side of the thin film circuit layer 130 toward the keycap 142, and has a gap G2 with the key cap 142. The design of the gap G2 can be fed back to the user in two stages. Operation feel. Further, in the process of pressing the keycap 142 by the user, if the keycap 142 is not in contact with the elastic body 150b, the user can feel the feeling of falling down, but in the keycap 142 and the elastic body 150b. After the contact, the elastic body 150b exerts a supporting effect to allow the user to obtain a solid feedback feeling, and the feedback feeling is more remarkable as the degree of deformation of the elastic body 150b is increased. On the other hand, the gap G1 between the trigger portion 143 and the thin film circuit layer 130 is larger than the gap G2 between the elastic body 150b and the key cap 142, so that the pressing stroke of the key cap 142 needs to exceed the gap G2 and the elastic body 150b is generated. A sufficient amount of compression deformation is required to cause the triggering portion 143 to contact the electrical contact 131 to generate a corresponding trigger signal and transmit it to a corresponding electronic component (not shown) to perform subsequent actions.

FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the structure of a keyboard according to still another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 5, the keyboard structure 100C of the present embodiment differs from the keyboard structure 100B of FIG. 4 in the structural form of the elastic body. Further, in the present embodiment, the elastic body 150c may adopt a stepped structure, and the width of each step is gradually increased from the key cap 142 toward the thin film circuit layer 130. Therefore, after the user presses the keycap 142 to make the keycap 142 contact the elastic body 150c, the stepped design of the elastic body 150c allows the user to obtain a plurality of pressing strokes, and the feedback feel changes with the deformation of the elastic body 150c. The degree is increased and more significant. On the other hand, based on the design that the width of each step of the elastic body 150c is gradually increased from the keycap 142 toward the thin film circuit layer 130, the user needs to continuously increase the force of the lower pressing key cap 142 to deform the elastic body 150c.

In summary, by the close fitting of the casing and the button layer, the air density between the casing and the button layer of the keyboard structure created by the novel is improved, thereby preventing external moisture or foreign matter from entering the casing. internal. Secondly, based on the integrated design of the casing and the button layer and the elastic body disposed between the casing and the button layer, the keyboard structure of the novel creation does not need to be additionally provided with a conventional scissor structure, so that it can meet the design requirements of thin and light. And reduce production costs. On the other hand, the elastic body can feedback the user's solid operation feeling during the pressing of the keycap by the user, and can automatically elastically recover after the downward pressure is removed to drive the keycap to reset.

Although the present invention has been disclosed in the above embodiments, it is not intended to limit the novel creation, and any person skilled in the art can make some changes without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel creation. Retouching, the scope of protection of this new creation is subject to the definition of the scope of the patent application attached.

100, 100A~100C‧‧‧ keyboard structure
110‧‧‧Shell
111‧‧‧ inner surface
112‧‧‧ outer surface
113‧‧‧through hole
114‧‧‧Positioning column
115‧‧‧Fixed parts
120‧‧‧Carriage
130‧‧‧film circuit layer
131‧‧‧Electrical contacts
140‧‧‧ button layer
141‧‧‧ grassroots
142‧‧‧Key Cap
143‧‧‧Trigger
150, 150a~150c‧‧‧ Elastomers
G, G1, G2‧‧‧ gap

1 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the structure of a keyboard of an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the keyboard structure of FIG. 1 after being pressed down. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the structure of a keyboard of another embodiment of the present invention. 4 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the structure of a keyboard of still another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the structure of a keyboard according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

Claims (9)

A keyboard structure comprising: a casing having an opposite inner surface, an outer surface opposite to the inner surface, and at least one through hole penetrating the inner surface and the outer surface; a carrier disposed in the casing a thin film circuit layer disposed in the casing and located on the carrier; and a button layer disposed on the film circuit layer, the button layer comprising a base layer and at least one key cap connecting the base layer, The base layer abuts against the inner surface of the casing and is located between the inner surface of the casing and the thin film circuit layer, and the key cap protrudes from the through hole from the outer surface of the casing. The keyboard structure of claim 1, further comprising: at least two elastic bodies disposed between the keycap and the thin film circuit layer, wherein a side of the keycap facing the thin film circuit layer is provided with a trigger portion And the triggering portion is between the two elastomers. The keyboard structure of claim 2, wherein each of the elastic bodies connects the keycap to a side of the thin film circuit layer and maintains a gap with the thin film circuit layer. The keyboard structure of claim 3, wherein each of the elastic bodies is integrally formed on the keycap. The keyboard structure of claim 2, wherein each of the elastic bodies connects the side of the thin film circuit layer toward the keycap and has a gap with the keycap. The keyboard structure of claim 2, wherein the elastomers comprise columnar elastomers. The keyboard structure of claim 2, wherein the elastomers comprise stepped elastomers. The keyboard structure of claim 1, wherein the inner surface of the casing is provided with at least one positioning post, and the positioning post passes through the base layer, the thin film circuit layer and the carrier. The keyboard structure of claim 8, wherein the carrier is provided with at least one fixing member facing away from the side of the thin film circuit layer, and is connected to the positioning post.