CN110137015B

CN110137015B - Keyboard device

Info

Publication number: CN110137015B
Application number: CN201810104604.9A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 杨哲玮; 叶天煜; 吴明翰
Original assignee: Zhishen Technology Co ltd
Current assignee: Zhishen Technology Co ltd
Priority date: 2018-02-02
Filing date: 2018-02-02
Publication date: 2021-03-09
Anticipated expiration: 2038-02-02
Also published as: CN110137015A

Abstract

The invention provides a keyboard device which comprises a key bottom plate, a connecting element and a replaceable key, wherein the replaceable key comprises a connecting plate and a keycap, and the connecting element is connected between the connecting plate and the key bottom plate. The connecting plate is provided with a connecting plate sliding part, and the keycap is provided with a keycap sliding part which is used for sliding relative to the connecting plate sliding part so as to enable the keycap to be combined with the connecting plate or to enable the keycap to be separated from the connecting plate. Therefore, the keycap has the functions of easy disassembly and assembly, and the connecting element can not be contacted by a user in the process of disassembling the keycap, so that the connecting element can not be damaged.

Description

Keyboard device

Technical Field

The invention relates to the field of input devices, in particular to a keyboard device.

Background

Common input devices for computer peripherals include mouse devices, keyboard devices 1 and trackball devices, among which keyboard devices are very important for users to input characters and symbols directly into computers.

First, the structure and function of the known keyboard device will be described. Please refer to fig. 1, which is a side view of a conventional keyboard apparatus. For clarity, fig. 1 shows only a single key 11 and the related components, but the number is not limited in practical application. The keyboard device 1 includes a plurality of keys 11, a key base 15 and a film circuit board 14 disposed between the keys 11 and the key base 15, and each key 11 includes a key cap 111, a connecting element 12 and an elastic body 13, wherein the connecting element 12 is connected between the key cap 111 and the key base 15, so that the key cap 111 can move up and down relative to the key base 15, and the elastic body 13 is disposed between the key caps 111 and the key base 15 and has a top portion 131.

Furthermore, the connecting element 12 is a scissors-type connecting element, and includes a first frame 121 and a second frame 122 pivotally connected to the first frame 121, two ends of the first frame 121 are respectively connected to the key cap 111 and the key bottom plate 15, and two ends of the second frame 122 are also respectively connected to the key cap 111 and the key bottom plate 15.

In addition, the thin film circuit board 14 includes a plurality of key switches (not shown), when the key cap 111 of any key 11 is pressed and moves downward relative to the key base plate 15, the first frame 121 and the second frame 122 of the connecting element 12 change from the open-close state to the overlapped state, and the key cap 111 moving downward presses the elastic body 13, so that the abutting portion 131 of the elastic body 13 abuts against and presses the corresponding key switch on the thin film circuit board 14, thereby triggering the corresponding key switch and enabling the keyboard apparatus 1 to generate the corresponding key signal. When the key cap 111 of the key 11 is no longer pressed, the key cap 111 moves upward relative to the key base 15 according to the elastic force of the elastic body 13, and the first frame 121 and the second frame 122 change from the folded state to the open-closed state, and the key cap 111 returns to the original position.

With the development of technology, the functionality of the keyboard apparatus 1 is increasing, and the requirement of the user for the keyboard apparatus 1 is also increasing. For example, the key caps 111 of the keyboard apparatus 1 are made of plastic material, but some users may desire to change the shape or material of the key caps 111 according to personal preference, for example, it is desired to replace some of the key caps 111 with the key caps 111 made of other materials such as wood material, leather material, etc. However, it is not easy for a general user to detach the key cap 111 of the keyboard apparatus 1, and the user may easily damage the connecting element 12 or other elements during the process of detaching the key cap 111.

From the above description, the known keyboard apparatus has improved space, that is, there is a need for a keyboard apparatus that can easily replace key caps.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention mainly aims to provide a keyboard device with a keycap capable of being replaced easily.

In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a keyboard device, which includes a key switch, a key base, a connecting element and a replaceable key. The connecting element is positioned on the key bottom plate and connected to the key bottom plate; the replaceable key comprises a connecting plate and a keycap, wherein the connecting plate is positioned above the connecting element and is connected with the connecting element, and the connecting plate is provided with a connecting plate sliding part; when the connecting plate moves downwards relative to the key bottom plate, the key switch is triggered; the key cap is exposed out of the keyboard device and is provided with a key cap sliding part; the key cap sliding part is used for sliding relative to the connecting plate sliding part to enable the key cap to be combined with the connecting plate and cover at least part of the connecting plate, or used for sliding relative to the connecting plate sliding part to enable the key cap to be separated from the connecting plate.

The keyboard device of the invention connects the connecting element with the bottom plate and the connecting plate respectively, and then combines the keycap and the connecting plate or detaches the keycap from the connecting plate through the relative sliding between the sliding part of the connecting plate and the sliding part of the keycap. Because the connecting element is connected with the connecting plate instead of the keycap as in the prior art, a user can not contact with the connecting element in the process of disassembling the keycap, so that the connecting element can not be damaged, and the keycap has the functions of easy disassembly and assembly so as to solve the problems in the prior art.

Drawings

FIG. 1: is a side view schematic diagram of a conventional keyboard device.

FIG. 2: an appearance structure diagram of the keyboard device in a first preferred embodiment of the invention is shown.

FIG. 3: is a partial structure diagram of the keyboard apparatus shown in fig. 2.

FIG. 4: is a schematic exploded perspective view of a portion of the keyboard apparatus shown in fig. 3 at a viewing angle.

FIG. 5: is a schematic exploded perspective view of the replaceable key of the keyboard apparatus shown in fig. 3 from another viewing angle.

FIG. 6: a conceptual side view of a partial structure of a film wiring board of the keyboard apparatus shown in fig. 3.

FIG. 7: the structure of the replaceable key shown in fig. 5 is schematically illustrated in the process of combining or separating the keycap and the connecting plate.

FIG. 8: is a schematic structural diagram of the replaceable key shown in fig. 5 after the keycap is combined with the connecting plate.

FIG. 9: is a schematic view of the appearance structure of the keyboard apparatus shown in fig. 2 after the keycap is replaced.

FIG. 10: is a schematic exploded view of a replaceable key of a second preferred embodiment of the keyboard apparatus of the present invention.

FIG. 11: the structure of the alternative key shown in fig. 10 is schematically illustrated in the process of combining or separating the keycap and the connecting plate.

FIG. 12: is a schematic structural diagram of the alternative key shown in fig. 10 after the keycap is combined with the connecting plate.

The reference numbers are as follows:

1 keyboard device

11 push button

12 connecting element

13 elastomer

14 film circuit board

15 key bottom board

21 replaceable key

21' replaceable key

22 connecting element

23 elastomer

24 thin film circuit board

25 key bottom board

111 key cap

121 first frame

122 second frame

131 butting part

211 key cap

211' key cap

211A key cap

212 connecting plate

212' connecting plate

221 first frame

222 second frame

241 upper film

242 lower film

243 middle layer film

244 push-button switch

251 base plate hook

2111 keycap sliding part

2111' keycap sliding part

2121 connecting plate sliding part

2121' connecting plate sliding part

2122 fixing hook

2123 Movable hook

2411 first circuit pattern

2412 contacting point on the top

2421 second circuit pattern

2422 lower joint

2431 opening contact

Direction D1

Direction D2

Direction D3

Direction D4

Detailed Description

Referring to fig. 2 to 5, fig. 2 is an external structural view of a keyboard apparatus according to a first preferred embodiment of the present invention, fig. 3 is a partial structural view of the keyboard apparatus shown in fig. 2, fig. 4 is an exploded perspective view of a partial structure of the keyboard apparatus 2 shown in fig. 3 at one viewing angle, and fig. 5 is an exploded perspective view of an alternative key of the keyboard apparatus shown in fig. 3 at another viewing angle. For clarity, fig. 3-5 only show a single replaceable key and related components, but the number is not limited in practical applications. The keyboard device 2 includes a plurality of replaceable keys 21, a key base 25, a film circuit board 24, a connecting element 22 and an elastic body 23, wherein the plurality of replaceable keys 21 can be classified into a general key, a numeric key and a function key, which are respectively pressed by a user's fingers to enable the keyboard device 2 to generate a corresponding key signal to a computer (not shown) so as to enable the computer to execute a corresponding function, for example, the general key is used for inputting symbols such as english letters, the numeric key is used for inputting numbers, and the function key is used for providing various shortcut functions, for example, F1-F12.

Furthermore, each replaceable key 21 includes a key cap 211 and a web 212, and the key cap 211 is exposed outside the keyboard apparatus 2, wherein the web 212 has a web sliding portion 2121, and the key cap 211 has a key cap sliding portion 2111 for sliding relative to the web sliding portion 2121, so that the key cap 211 can slide relative to the web 212 to be combined with the web 212 and cover at least part of the web 212, or can slide relative to the web 212 to be detached from the web 212, which will be described in detail later, and when the key cap 211 is combined with the web 212, the web 212 can be interlocked with the key cap 211 being pressed. In addition, the connecting element 22 is disposed on the key base 25 and connected between the connecting plate 212 and the key base 25 for moving the connecting plate 212 up and down relative to the key base 25, and the elastic body 23 is disposed between the connecting plate 212 and the film circuit board 24 and has an abutting portion (not shown).

In the preferred embodiment, the connecting plate 212 further has a fixed hook 2122 disposed on the lower surface of the connecting plate 212 and located on the first side of the connecting plate 212 and a movable hook 2123 disposed on the lower surface of the connecting plate 212 and located on the second side of the connecting plate 212, and the connecting element 22 is a scissors-type connecting element 22 and includes a first frame 221 and a second frame 222 pivotally connected to the first frame 221, wherein the first frame 221 and the second frame 222 are respectively an inner frame and an outer frame. In addition, the key substrate 25 includes a plurality of substrate hooks 251 extending upward. Based on the above structure design, the first frame 221 and the second frame 222 can swing relative to each other to switch from an overlapped state to an open/close state or from an open/close state to an overlapped state, wherein the first end and the second end of the first frame 221 are respectively connected to the fixed hook 2122 of the connection board 212 and the bottom board hook 251 of the key bottom board 25, and the first end and the second end of the second frame 222 are respectively connected to the bottom board hook 251 of the key bottom board 25 and the movable hook 2123 of the connection board 212. However, the above is only an embodiment, and the connection relationship among the connection element 22, the key base 25 and the connection plate 212 is not limited thereto.

The film wiring board 24 is provided between the key base 25 and the connection board 212, and includes a plurality of films stacked on each other. Please refer to fig. 6, which is a conceptual side view of a portion of the structure of the thin film circuit board of the keyboard apparatus shown in fig. 3. The film circuit board 24 includes an upper film 241 and a lower film 242, the lower surface of the upper film 241 has a first circuit pattern 2411, the first circuit pattern 2411 has an upper contact 2412 corresponding to the replaceable key 21, the upper surface of the lower film 242 has a second circuit pattern 2421, and the second circuit pattern 2421 has a lower contact 2422 corresponding to the upper contact 2412; each upper contact 2412 is spaced apart from its corresponding lower contact 2422, and forms a key switch 244 together with the corresponding lower contact 2422. In order to provide a distance between the upper contact 2412 and the lower contact 2422, the film circuit board 24 further includes an intermediate film 243 disposed between the upper film 241 and the lower film 242, and the intermediate film 243 has contact openings 2431 corresponding to the upper contact 2412 and the lower contact 2422.

When the key cap 211 of any replaceable key 21 is pressed, the key cap 211 and the connecting plate 212 coupled thereto move downward relative to the key base 25 and push against the connecting element 22 to swing the connecting element 22, in this process, the first frame 221 and the second frame 222 change from the open-close state to the folded state, and the connecting plate 212 moving downward presses the elastic body 23, so that the top of the elastic body 23 abuts against and presses the corresponding upper contact 2412, and the corresponding upper contact 2412 contacts the corresponding lower contact 2422 through the corresponding contact opening 2431, thereby electrically connecting the corresponding key switch 244 to trigger the key switch 244, and enabling the keyboard apparatus 2 to generate the corresponding key signal. When the key cap 211 of the replaceable key 21 is no longer pressed, the connecting plate 212 moves upward relative to the key base plate 25 according to the elastic force of the elastic body 23, and the first frame 221 and the second frame 222 are changed from the folded state to the open-closed state, and the key cap 211 moving upward synchronously with the connecting plate 212 returns to the original position.

The replaceable keys 21 of the keyboard apparatus 2 of the present invention will be described in detail below. Referring to fig. 5, 7 and 8, fig. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of the replaceable key shown in fig. 5 during the process of combining the keycap and the connecting plate or during the process of separating the keycap and the connecting plate, and fig. 8 is a schematic structural diagram of the replaceable key shown in fig. 5 after the keycap and the connecting plate are combined. In the preferred embodiment, the key cap sliding portion 2111 of the key cap 211 is a sliding slot and is formed on the inner surface of the side edge of the key cap 211, the connecting plate sliding portion 2121 of the connecting plate 212 is a convex portion for being located in the sliding slot and sliding relative to the sliding slot, and the connecting plate sliding portion 2121 is formed on the side edge of the connecting plate 212; fig. 5 shows a state that the key cap 211 of the replaceable key 21 is separated from the web 212, when a user wants to combine the key cap 211 and the web 212 shown in fig. 5, the key cap sliding portion 2111 (sliding groove) of the key cap 211 can be aligned with the web sliding portion 2121 (protruding portion) of the web 212, and the key cap 211 is moved toward the direction D1 through the structural design of the key cap sliding portion 2111 (sliding groove) and the web sliding portion 2121 (protruding portion) until the combination is completed, as shown in fig. 7 and 8. Conversely, when the user wants to detach the key cap 211 from the web 212 (i.e., separate the key cap 211 from the web 212) as shown in fig. 8, the key cap 211 can be dragged to move in the direction D2 by the structural design of the key cap sliding part 2111 (sliding groove) and the web sliding part 2121 (protruding part) until the key cap 211 is separated from the web 212 as shown in fig. 5.

As can be seen from the above description, the key cap 211 can be easily combined with the connection plate 212 and can be easily separated from the connection plate 212 by the structural design of the key cap sliding portion 2111 and the connection plate sliding portion 2121 of the preferred embodiment. When a user wants to replace one of the key caps 211 made of plastic material in the keyboard apparatus 2 with another key cap 211A made of other material (e.g., leather material, wood material, etc.), the key cap 211 can be detached from the connecting plate 212 by the relative sliding between the key cap sliding portion 2111 and the connecting plate sliding portion 2121, and then the other key cap 211A is combined with the connecting plate 212. The keyboard apparatus 2 after replacement is shown in fig. 9. In addition, since the connecting element 22 is connected to the connecting plate 212, rather than to the key cap as in the prior art, the connecting element 22 is not touched by the user during the process of detaching the key cap 211, so that the connecting element 22 is not damaged, thereby solving the problems of the prior art.

In addition, the present invention provides a second preferred embodiment different from the above. Referring to fig. 10 to 12, fig. 10 is an exploded perspective view of an alternative key of a keyboard apparatus according to a second preferred embodiment of the present invention, fig. 11 is a schematic structural view of the alternative key shown in fig. 10 during a process of combining or separating a key cap and a connecting plate, and fig. 12 is a schematic structural view of the alternative key shown in fig. 10 after the key cap and the connecting plate are combined. The keyboard device of this embodiment is substantially similar to that described in the first preferred embodiment of the present invention, and will not be described herein again. The difference between the present preferred embodiment and the aforementioned first preferred embodiment is the structure of the replaceable key 21'.

In the preferred embodiment, the connecting plate sliding portion 2121 ' of the connecting plate 212 ' is a sliding slot and is formed at the side edge of the connecting plate 212 ', the key cap sliding portion 2111 ' of the key cap 211 ' is a convex portion extending into the sliding slot and sliding, and the key cap sliding portion 2111 ' is formed at the inner side surface of the side edge of the key cap 211 '; fig. 10 shows a state where the key cap 211 'of the replaceable key 21' is separated from the connecting plate 212 ', and when a user wants to combine the key cap 211' and the connecting plate 212 'shown in fig. 10, the key cap sliding portion 2111' (convex portion) of the key cap 211 'is aligned with and extends into the connecting plate sliding portion 2121' (sliding groove) of the connecting plate 212 ', and further the key cap 211' is moved toward the direction D3 through the structural design of the key cap sliding portion 2111 '(convex portion) and the connecting plate sliding portion 2121' (sliding groove) until the combination is completed, as shown in fig. 11 and 12. Conversely, when the user wants to detach the key cap 211 ' from the web 212 ' as shown in fig. 12 (i.e., separate the key cap 211 ' from the web 212 '), the key cap 211 ' can be dragged to move in the direction D4 by the structural design of the key cap sliding portion 2111 ' (convex) and the web sliding portion 2121 ' (sliding groove) until the key cap 211 ' is separated from the web 212 ', as shown in fig. 10.

Similarly, it can be seen from the above description that, due to the structural design of the key cap sliding portion 2111 ' and the connecting plate sliding portion 2121 ' of the preferred embodiment, the key cap 211 ' can be easily combined with the connecting plate 212 ' or easily separated from the connecting plate 212 '. When a user wants to replace one of the key caps 211 'made of plastic material in the keyboard device with another one made of other material (e.g., leather material, wood material, etc.), the key cap 211' can be removed from the connecting plate 212 'by the relative sliding between the key cap sliding portion 2111' and the connecting plate sliding portion 2121 ', and then another key cap can be combined with the connecting plate 212'. In addition, since the connection element 22 is connected to the connection plate 212 'rather than to the key cap as in the prior art, the user will not touch the connection element 22 during the process of detaching the key cap 211', so the connection element 22 will not be damaged, and the problems of the prior art are solved.

However, the above embodiments are only examples, and those skilled in the art can make any equivalent design changes according to the actual application requirements. For example, although the key switches 244 of the keyboard apparatus 2 are membrane-type key switches, they may be designed as mechanical key switches; for example, although the key substrate 25 of the keyboard apparatus 2 is disposed below the thin film circuit board 24, the key substrate may be disposed above the thin film circuit board in a modified design; for another example, although the connecting element 22 of the keyboard device 2 is a scissors-type connecting element 22, other types of connecting elements may be alternatively designed.

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.

Claims

1. A keyboard apparatus, comprising:

a key switch;

a key bottom plate;

the connecting element is positioned on the key bottom plate and connected to the key bottom plate; and

a replaceable key comprising:

a connecting plate located above the connecting element and connected to the connecting element, wherein the connecting plate has a connecting plate sliding part; when the connecting plate moves downwards relative to the key bottom plate, the key switch is triggered; and

a key cap exposed outside the keyboard device and having a key cap sliding part; the key cap sliding part is used for sliding relative to the connecting plate sliding part to enable the key cap to be combined with the connecting plate and cover at least part of the connecting plate, or used for sliding relative to the connecting plate sliding part to enable the key cap to be separated from the connecting plate; the connecting plate sliding part is formed on the side edge of the connecting plate, and the keycap sliding part is formed on the inner side surface of the side edge of the keycap.

2. The keyboard apparatus of claim 1, wherein the web sliding portion is a sliding slot, and the key cap sliding portion is a protrusion for extending into the sliding slot and sliding.

3. The keyboard apparatus of claim 1, wherein the key cap sliding portion is a sliding slot, and the connecting plate sliding portion is a protrusion for sliding relative to the sliding slot.

4. The keyboard apparatus of claim 1, wherein the connecting member comprises:

a first frame, a first end of the first frame is connected to the connecting plate, and a second end of the first frame is connected to the key bottom plate; and

the second frame is combined with the first frame and swings relative to the first frame, a first end of the second frame is connected to the key bottom plate, and a second end of the second frame is connected to the connecting plate.

5. The keyboard apparatus of claim 4, wherein the connecting plate further comprises:

the fixing clamping hook is arranged on the lower surface of the connecting plate, is positioned on a first side of the connecting plate and is used for being connected with the first end of the first frame; and

and the movable clamping hook is arranged on the lower surface of the connecting plate and positioned on a second side of the connecting plate and is used for connecting with the second end of the second frame, so that the second end of the second frame can slide in the movable clamping hook.

6. The keyboard apparatus of claim 4, wherein the key base includes a plurality of base hooks extending upward, and any one of the base hooks is configured to connect to the second end of the first frame or the first end of the second frame.

7. The keyboard apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

the thin film circuit board is arranged between the key bottom plate and the connecting plate and comprises the key switch; and

the elastic body is arranged between the connecting plate and the film circuit board, when the keycap is pressed, the elastic body is compressed by the connecting plate to prop against the key switch, and when the keycap is not pressed any more, the elastic body provides an elastic force to the connecting plate to enable the keycap to recover the original position.

8. The keyboard device of claim 7, wherein the thin film circuit board further comprises an upper film and a lower film, and the upper film is provided with a first circuit pattern and the lower film is provided with a second circuit pattern; the first circuit pattern and the second circuit pattern are respectively provided with an upper contact and a lower contact, and a spacing distance is formed between the upper contact and the lower contact to jointly form the key switch.

9. The keyboard apparatus of claim 8, wherein the film circuit board further comprises a middle film disposed between the lower film and the upper film such that the upper contact and the lower contact have the separation distance therebetween.