CN100437865C - Thin keyboard key structure - Google Patents

Abstract

A thin keyboard key structure at least comprises: the display device comprises a substrate, a flexible circuit layer and a keycap. The substrate at least comprises a first part, a base and a second part, wherein at least one of the first part and the second part protrudes out of the base and forms a specific angle with the base. The first portion has a first end and the second portion has a second end, the first end and the second end being aligned with each other and spaced apart by a distance. The flexible circuit layer at least comprises a first electric contact fixed on the first end point and a second electric contact fixed on the second end point. The keycap is arranged on the substrate and is provided with at least one connecting part which is connected with at least one of the first part and the second part protruding out of the substrate.

Description

Thin keyboard key structure

【Technical field】

The present invention relates to a keyboard key structure of an information electronic product, and in particular to a thinner keyboard key structure.

【Background technique】

Information electronic products and equipment, such as telephones, computers, personal computers, notebook computers, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and mobile phones generally must operate keyboard keys to input commands when performing functions. Therefore, keyboard keys are one of the very important operating devices of electrical and electronic products.

Please refer to FIG. 1 . FIG. 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a touch structure of a keyboard key according to the prior art. At present, most of the keyboard keys commonly used in electronic information products have a touch-press structure under the key, wherein the touch-press structure includes a block-shaped elastic element 101, an upper flexible circuit board 103, a central separator 105, and a lower flexible circuit board 107 . Wherein, the central separator 105 separates the upper flexible circuit board 103 and the lower flexible circuit board 107 from each other. The circuits located on the upper flexible circuit board 103 and the lower flexible circuit board 107 are provided with contact points 109a and 109b at the relative positions of the buttons; the central partition 105 is provided with a through hole 105a between 109a and 109b. In addition, the elastic element 101 is a rubber block with a protruding post 101a, which is located below the relative position of the key. When the key is pressed down, the protruding post 101a of the pushing elastic element 101 pushes against the contact point 109a of the upper flexible circuit board 103 and passes through the center. The through hole 105 a of the separator 105 is in electrical contact with the contact 109 b of the lower flexible circuit board 107 for inputting signals.

Please refer to FIG. 2 . FIG. 2 is a structural schematic diagram of a keyboard key according to the prior art. In the known keyboard keys, there is a scissors-shaped or bridge-shaped support structure between the keycap 200 and the elastic element 201, such as the first support plate 213, and the second support plate 215 is used to connect the keycap 200 and the opposite Press the structure.

However, the above-mentioned multi-layer button structure not only has high cost of components and materials, but also is inconvenient to assemble. In addition, the button must have a certain thickness, which does not meet the expectations of current consumers for electronic information products.

Therefore, there is a need to provide a thin keyboard key that is easy to assemble and requires less components.

【Content of invention】

Therefore, the purpose of the present invention is to provide a thin keyboard key, which has the advantages of easy assembly and less parts required, so as to meet the requirements of electronic information products, which are light, thin and short.

In a preferred embodiment of the present invention, the thin keyboard key structure at least includes: a substrate, a flexible circuit layer, and a keycap. The substrate includes at least a first part, a base and a second part, the first part is opposite to the second part, and the first part and the second part are respectively connected to the base, wherein at least one of the first part and the second part protrudes from the base, And form an angle with the base. The first portion has a first end point, the second portion has a second end point, the first end point and the second end point are aligned with each other and are separated by a certain distance, at least one of the first portion and the second portion is capable of deforming Instead, the first terminal is in contact with the second terminal. The flexible circuit layer at least includes a first electrical contact fixed on the first terminal, and a second electrical contact fixed on the second terminal, when the first terminal contacts the second terminal, the first electrical contact The second electrical contact also forms an electrical contact. The keycap is located on the base plate and has at least one connecting portion connected to at least one of the first part protruding from the base plate and the second part.

When the keycap is pressed to force the connecting parts, at least one of the first part and the second part protruding from the substrate is deformed, so that the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact form an electrical contact. ;

When the keycap is released, at least one of the first part and the second part returns to its original position through the deformation potential energy of the substrate, and the electrical connection between the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact is cut off.

According to the above-mentioned technical advantages, the preferred embodiment of the present invention uses the deformation potential energy of the substrate to replace the elastic element of the prior art, saves the supporting structure used to fix the elastic element in the prior art, and integrates the upper and lower flexible circuit boards Integrate into a circuit layer. Not only the use of parts is saved, but also the keyboard can be thinned, which can indeed achieve the above-mentioned purpose of the invention.

【Description of drawings】

Through the preferred embodiments of the present invention and the accompanying drawings below, when the purpose, features, advantages and technical advantages of the present invention can be better understood, it should be noted that, for the sake of ease of expression, the following drawings are not Shown to scale.

FIG. 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a touch structure of a keyboard key according to the prior art.

FIG. 2 is a structural schematic diagram of a keyboard key according to the prior art.

Fig. 3a and Fig. 3b are schematic diagrams of the key structure of a keyboard according to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4a and FIG. 4b are schematic diagrams of a key structure of a keyboard drawn according to the second preferred embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5a and FIG. 5b are schematic diagrams of a key structure of a keyboard according to a third preferred embodiment of the present invention.

【Detailed ways】

In order to make the above and other purposes, features, and advantages of the present invention more comprehensible, a preferred embodiment is specifically cited below, together with the accompanying drawings, as follows:

Please refer to FIG. 3a and FIG. 3b. FIG. 3a and FIG. 3b are schematic structural diagrams of a keyboard key according to the first preferred embodiment of the present invention.

In the first preferred embodiment of the present invention, the thin keyboard key structure at least includes: a substrate 302 , a flexible circuit layer 304 , and a keycap 300 .

The substrate 302 is composed of elastic metal sheet and non-metal sheet, such as iron sheet, aluminum sheet, plasticized sheet, semiconductor sheet or any combination of the above sheets. In this embodiment, the substrate 302 is an aluminum plate.

The substrate 302 at least includes a first part 302a, a second part 302b and a base 302c, the first part 302a is opposite to the second part 302b, and the first part 302a and the second part 302b are respectively connected to the base 302c, wherein the first part 302a and the second part 302b At least one of the two protrudes from the base 302c. In this embodiment, both the first portion 302a and the second portion 302b protrude above the base 302c, and form an angle not equal to 90 degrees with the base 302c, for example, an angle of 120 degrees. The first portion 302a and the second portion 302b have a thickness of substantially 0.3 mm.

The first portion 302a has a first end point 306a, the second portion 302b has a second end point 306b, and the first end point 306a and the second end point 306b are aligned with each other, and the first end point 306a is a certain distance from the second end point 306b. The distance is not connected to each other, and at least one of the first portion 306 a and the second portion 306 b can be deformed so that the first end point 306 a contacts the second end point 306 b.

The flexible circuit layer 304, located on the substrate 302, at least includes a first electrical contact 308a fixed on the first terminal 306a, and a second electrical contact 308b fixed on the second terminal 306b, when the first terminal 306a When in contact with the second terminal 306b, the first electrical contact 308a and the second electrical contact 308b also form an electrical contact. In some embodiments of the present invention, the flexible circuit layer 304 is a thin film circuit layer coated on the substrate 302 . In other embodiments of the present invention, the flexible circuit layer 304 is a flexible circuit board located on the substrate 302; the first electrical contact 308a and the second electrical contact 308b are formed by two metal bumps.

The keycap 300 is located on the substrate 302 and the flexible circuit layer 304 , and has at least one connecting portion, such as 310 a and 310 b , symmetrically fixed on the first portion 302 a and the second portion 302 b protruding from the substrate 302 through the fixing element 312 . In this embodiment, the length of the connecting portion 310a is equal to the length of the connecting portion 310b.

Please refer to FIG. 3b, when the force is applied to the connecting parts 310a and 310b of the keycap 300, the first part 302a and the second part 302b protruding from the substrate are deformed, so that the first electrical contact 308a and the second electrical contact 308b make electrical contact.

When the keycap 300 is released, the first part 302a and the second part 302b return to their original positions through the deformation potential energy of the substrate 302, and the electrical connection between the first electrical contact 308a and the second electrical contact 308b is cut off ( As shown in Figure 3a).

Please refer to FIG. 4a and FIG. 4b. FIG. 4a and FIG. 4b are structural schematic diagrams of a keyboard according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure, the structure of the second preferred embodiment is similar to that of the first preferred embodiment, the only difference between the two is that the arrangement of the first part and the second part of the substrate is different.

In the second preferred embodiment of the present invention, the thin keyboard key structure at least includes: a substrate 402 , a flexible circuit layer 404 , and a keycap 400 .

The substrate 402 is composed of elastic metal sheet and non-metal sheet, such as iron sheet, aluminum sheet, plasticized sheet, semiconductor sheet or any combination of the above sheets. In this embodiment, the substrate 402 is an aluminum plate.

The substrate 402 at least includes a first part 402a, a second part 402b and a base 402c, the first part 402a is opposite to the second part 402b, and the first part 402a and the second part 402b are respectively connected to the base 402c, wherein the first part 402a and the second part 402b At least one of the two protrudes from the base 402c. In this embodiment, both the first part 402a and the second part 402b protrude above the 402c, and the first part 402a and the base 402c form a first angle, such as 120 degrees, and the second part 402b and the base 402c form a second angle. Angle, such as 110 degrees. The first portion 402a and the second portion 402b have a thickness of substantially 0.3 mm.

The first portion 402a has a first end point 406a, the second portion 402b has a second end point 406b, and the first end point 406a and the second end point 406b are aligned with each other, and the first end point 406a is a certain distance from the second end point 406b. The distance is not connected to each other, and at least one of the first portion 402 a and the second portion 402 b can be deformed so that the first end point 406 a contacts the second end point 406 b.

The flexible circuit layer 404 at least includes a first electrical contact 408a fixed on the first terminal 406a, and a second electrical contact 408b fixed on the second terminal 406b, when the first terminal 406a is in contact with the second terminal 406b , the first electrical contact 408a and the second electrical contact 408b also form an electrical contact. In some embodiments of the present invention, the flexible circuit layer 404 is a thin film circuit layer coated on the substrate 402 . In other embodiments of the present invention, the flexible circuit layer 404 is a flexible circuit board located on the substrate 402; the first electrical contact 408a and the second electrical contact 408b are formed by two metal bumps.

The keycap 400 is located on the base plate 402 and has at least one connecting portion, such as 410 a and 410 b , fixed on the first portion 402 a and the second portion 402 b protruding from the base plate 402 through the fixing element 412 . In this embodiment, the connecting portion 410a and the connecting portion 410b are not symmetrical.

Please refer to FIG. 4b, when the force is applied to the connecting parts 410a and 410b of the keycap 400, the first part 402a and the second part 402b protruding from the substrate are deformed, so that the first electrical contact 408a and the second electrical contact 408b make electrical contact.

When the keycap 400 is released, the first part 402a and the second part 402b return to their original positions through the deformation potential energy of the substrate 402, and the electrical connection between the first electrical contact 408a and the second electrical contact 408b is cut off ( As shown in Figure 4a).

Please refer to FIG. 5a and FIG. 5b. FIG. 5a and FIG. 5b are structural schematic diagrams of a keyboard according to a third preferred embodiment of the present invention.

In the figure, the structure of the third preferred embodiment is similar to that of the first preferred embodiment, the only difference between the two is that the arrangement of the first part and the second part of the substrate is different.

In the third preferred embodiment of the present invention, the thin keyboard key structure at least includes: a substrate 502 , a flexible circuit layer 504 , and a keycap 500 .

The substrate 502 is made of elastic metal or non-metallic plates, such as iron plates, aluminum plates, plasticized plates, semiconductor plates, or any combination of the above plates. In this embodiment, the substrate 502 is an aluminum plate.

The substrate 502 at least includes a first part 502a, a second part 502b and a base 502c, the first part 402a is opposite to the second part 502b, and the first part 502a and the second part 502b are respectively connected to the base 502c, wherein the first part 502a and the second part 502b At least one of the two protrudes from the base 502c. In this embodiment, only the first portion 502a protrudes above the substrate 502, and the first portion 502a and the base 502c form a first angle, such as 120 degrees, and the second portion 502b is coplanar with the base 502c. The first portion 502a has a thickness of substantially 0.3 mm.

The first portion 502a has a first end point 506a, the second portion 502b has a second end point 506b, and the first end point 506a and the second end point 506b are aligned with each other, and the first end point 506a and the second end point 506b are separated by a certain distance , are not connected to each other, and at least one of the first portion 502a and the second portion 502b can be deformed so that the first end point 506a contacts the second end point 506b.

The flexible circuit layer 504 at least includes a first electrical contact 508a fixed on the first terminal 506a, and a second electrical contact 508b fixed on the second terminal 506b, when the first terminal 506a is in contact with the second terminal 506b , the first electrical contact 508a and the second electrical contact 508b also form an electrical contact. In some embodiments of the present invention, the flexible circuit layer 504 is a thin film circuit layer coated on the substrate 502 . In other embodiments of the present invention, the flexible circuit layer 504 is a flexible circuit board located on the substrate 502; the first electrical contact 508a and the second electrical contact 508b are formed by two metal bumps.

The keycap 500 is located on the base plate 502 and has at least one connection portion, such as 510 , fixed on the first portion 502 a protruding from the base plate 502 through a fixing element 512 .

Referring to FIG. 5b, when the connecting portion 510 of the keycap 500 is pressed, the first portion 502a protruding from the substrate 502 is deformed, so that the first electrical contact 508a and the second electrical contact 508b form electrical contact.

When the keycap 500 is released, the first part 502a returns to its original position through the deformation potential energy of the substrate 502, and the electrical connection between the first electrical contact 508a and the second electrical contact 508b is cut off (as shown in FIG. 5a Show).

According to the above specification, the technical feature of the preferred embodiment of the present invention is that the substrate is used, and the deformation potential energy of a part protruding from the surface of the substrate is used to make the button return to its original position after being pressed again, replacing the elastic element of the conventional technology. , and the upper and lower flexible circuit boards in the prior art are integrated into one circuit layer, which not only saves the supporting structure used to fix the elastic element in the prior art, but also makes the keyboard thinner.

Therefore, the preferred embodiment of the present invention is to provide a keyboard key structure that saves the cost of components and is thinner, which can indeed achieve the above-mentioned purpose of the invention.

Although the present invention has been disclosed above with a preferred embodiment, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Any person skilled in the art can make various modifications and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention should be defined by the scope of the appended patent application.

Claims (13)

1. A thin keyboard key structure, comprising at least: A substrate at least includes a base, a first part and a second part, the first part and the second part are respectively connected to the base, wherein the first part protrudes from the base and forms a first angle with the base, The first part has a first end point, the second part has a second end point, the first end point is aligned with the second end point and separated by a distance, and the first part can be deformed so that the first end point point is in contact with the second endpoint; A flexible circuit layer has a predetermined circuit covering the substrate, wherein the predetermined circuit includes at least a first electrical contact fixed on the first terminal, and a second electrical contact fixed on the second a terminal, when the first terminal is in contact with the second terminal, the first electrical contact is also in electrical contact with the second electrical contact; and a keycap located on the substrate; a first connecting part, one end is connected to the keycap, and the other end is connected to the first part protruding from the base plate; When the keycap is pressed to force the first connecting portion, the first portion protruding from the substrate is pushed to deform, so that the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact form electrical contact; When the keycap is released, the first part returns to its original position by releasing the potential energy stored in the deformation of the substrate, thereby cutting off the electrical connection between the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact. 2 . The thin keyboard key structure according to claim 1 , wherein the substrate is selected from a group consisting of iron plate, aluminum plate, plasticized plate, semiconductor plate and any combination thereof. 3. The thin keyboard key structure according to claim 1, wherein the second part protrudes from the base and forms a second angle with the base, and the second part can be deformed so that the The first terminal is in contact with the second terminal. 4. The thin keyboard key structure according to claim 3, wherein the first angle and the second angle are 120 degrees. 5. The thin keyboard key structure according to claim 3, wherein the second portion has a thickness of 0.3 mm. 6. The thin keyboard key structure according to claim 3, further comprising a second connecting portion, pressing the keycap can force the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion to push and protrude from the substrate The first portion and the second portion are deformed so that the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact form electrical contact. 7. The thin keyboard key structure according to claim 3, wherein the first angle is different from the second angle. 8. The thin keyboard key structure according to claim 1, wherein the second portion is coplanar with the base. 9. The thin keyboard key structure according to claim 1, wherein the first portion has a thickness of 0.3 mm. 10 . The thin keyboard key structure according to claim 1 , wherein the flexible circuit layer is a thin film circuit layer coated on the substrate. 11 . 11. The thin keyboard key structure according to claim 1, wherein the flexible circuit layer is a flexible circuit board. 12 . The thin keyboard key structure according to claim 1 , wherein the first electrical contact and the second electrical contact are formed of metal bumps. 13 . 13. The thin keyboard key structure according to claim 3, wherein at least one of the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion is fixed on the substrate by a fixing element.

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