CN110189949B

CN110189949B - Key structure

Info

Publication number: CN110189949B
Application number: CN201910428962.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 杨淞富; 侯柏均
Original assignee: Darfon Electronics Suzhou Co Ltd; Darfon Electronics Corp
Current assignee: Darfon Electronics Suzhou Co Ltd; Darfon Electronics Corp
Priority date: 2019-05-22
Filing date: 2019-05-22
Publication date: 2022-01-14
Anticipated expiration: 2039-05-22
Also published as: CN110189949A

Abstract

The invention discloses a key structure, which comprises a keycap, a bottom plate, a support piece, a magnetic part and a switch layer. The bottom plate is arranged below the keycap and provided with a buffer space; the supporting piece is movably arranged between the bottom plate and the keycap; the magnetic part is provided with a magnetic part front section, a magnetic part middle section and a magnetic part tail end which are coupled with the supporting part; the magnetic part is correspondingly arranged below the magnetic part and has magnetic attraction with the magnetic part; the switch layer is arranged on the bottom plate and is provided with a buffer part partially extending to the buffer space. When the keycap is pressed, the magnetic part is far away from the magnetic part by the support part, and the tail end of the magnetic part is far away from the buffer part; when the keycap is released, the magnetic attraction force enables the magnetic part to move towards the magnetic part, the tail end of the magnetic part moves to contact with the buffer part, the buffer part deforms towards the buffer space, and the middle section of the magnetic part contacts with the magnetic part to drive the support part to upwards support the keycap. The key structure of the invention provides a buffer effect before the magnetic components collide with each other, so as to reduce abnormal sound generated when the magnetic components contact with each other.

Description

Key structure

Technical Field

The invention relates to a key structure, in particular to a key structure with a noise reduction function.

Background

In the conventional magnetic key, the magnetic attraction between magnetic components such as a magnet and an iron plate serves as a restoring force for returning the key cap to the non-pressed position after being pressed. However, when the key cap moves back to the non-pressed position by the magnetic attraction, the magnetic elements move towards each other and then collide with each other to generate abnormal sound. The noise problem is more pronounced because the impact between the magnetic components is metal-to-metal.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to provide a key structure capable of effectively reducing operation abnormal sounds.

In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a key structure, comprising: the key cap, bottom plate, support piece, magnetism spare, magnetism portion and switching layer. The bottom plate is arranged below the keycap and provided with a buffer space; the supporting piece is movably arranged between the bottom plate and the keycap; the magnetic part is provided with a magnetic part front section, a magnetic part middle section and a magnetic part tail end, and the magnetic part front section is coupled with the support; the magnetic part is correspondingly arranged below the magnetic part, and magnetic attraction is formed between the magnetic part and the magnetic part; the switch layer is arranged on the bottom plate and provided with a buffer part, and part of the buffer part extends to the buffer space; when the keycap is pressed, the magnetic part is far away from the magnetic part by the support part, so that the tail end of the magnetic part is far away from the buffer part; when the keycap is released, the magnetic attraction force enables the magnetic piece to move towards the magnetic part, so that the tail end of the magnetic piece firstly moves to contact with the buffer part, the buffer part deforms towards the buffer space, and then the middle section of the magnetic piece contacts with the magnetic part to drive the support piece to upwards support the keycap.

As an optional technical solution, the tail end of the magnetic member has an end edge and an extension portion, the extension portion protrudes from the end edge, when the keycap is released, the magnetic attraction force moves the magnetic member toward the magnetic portion, only the extension portion moves to contact the buffer portion first, so that the buffer portion deforms toward the buffer space, and the end edge remains separated from the buffer portion.

As an optional technical solution, when the keycap is released and the extending portion moves to contact the buffer portion, the end edge of the magnetic member and a vertical projection of the buffer portion to the base plate do not overlap.

As an optional technical solution, the extending portion is bent toward the buffer portion with respect to the end edge.

As an optional technical solution, the tail end of the magnetic member has a protrusion, and the protrusion protrudes from the bottom surface of the tail end of the magnetic member toward the buffer portion.

As an optional technical solution, the bottom plate further has a receiving space and a positioning portion, the positioning portion is disposed adjacent to the opposite side of the receiving space, and the receiving space is communicated with the buffering space.

As an optional technical solution, the switch layer has a multilayer structure, and the buffer portion is formed by at least one layer of the switch layer.

As an optional technical solution, the switch layer has a switch layer body, and the buffer portion is a bridge section having opposite ends connected to the switch layer body, so that two sides of the buffer portion respectively define an opening together with the switch layer body.

As an optional technical solution, the switch layer has a switch layer body, the buffer portion is a tongue piece, and the tongue piece extends from the switch layer body to have a free end corresponding to the tail end of the magnetic member, and the free end is adjacent to the lower side of the tail end of the magnetic member.

As an optional technical solution, the switch layer has a switch layer body, the buffer portion is a bridging structure, and the bridging structure extends from the switch layer body to have a suspended middle section structure corresponding to the tail end of the magnetic member, the suspended middle section structure is adjacent to the lower side of the tail end of the magnetic member.

As an optional technical solution, the bottom plate has a support portion, and the support portion supports the buffer portion correspondingly and locally.

As an optional technical solution, the supporting portion protrudes toward the key cap, so that the buffering portion is at least partially closer to the key cap than the switch layer body.

As an optional technical solution, the keycap has a protruding portion, the protruding portion extends from a bottom surface of the keycap toward the base plate, the base plate has an avoiding space corresponding to the protruding portion, and the switch layer covers the avoiding space; when the keycap is pressed, the protruding part presses the switch layer to enter the avoiding space.

As an optional technical solution, the magnetic member further has a convex portion protruding from a bottom surface of the magnetic member toward the magnetic portion; when the key cap is released, the magnetic part is contacted with the magnetic part through the convex part so as to support the key cap at the non-pressed position.

In addition, the present invention also provides another key structure, comprising: keycap, bottom plate, support piece, magnetic part and magnetism portion. The bottom plate is arranged below the keycap; the supporting piece is movably arranged between the bottom plate and the keycap; the magnetic part is coupled with the supporting part and provided with a convex part which protrudes from the bottom surface of the magnetic part to the bottom plate; the magnetic part is correspondingly arranged below the magnetic part, magnetic attraction force is formed between the magnetic part and the magnetic part, and when the keycap is pressed, the magnetic part is far away from the magnetic part by the support piece; when the keycap is released, the magnetic attraction force enables the magnetic piece to move towards the magnetic part, so that the magnetic piece is contacted with the magnetic part through the convex part to drive the support piece to upwards support the keycap.

Compared with the prior art, the key structure provided by the invention has the advantages that the buffering effect is provided before the magnetic components collide with each other, so that abnormal sound generated when the magnetic components contact with each other is relieved, and the operation experience of a user is favorably improved.

The invention is described in detail below with reference to the drawings and specific examples, but the invention is not limited thereto.

Drawings

Fig. 1A is an exploded schematic view of a key structure according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram of the key structure of FIG. 1A without the key cap in the non-pressed position.

FIG. 1C is a schematic cross-sectional view of the key structure of FIG. 1A at an un-pressed position.

FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram of the key structure of FIG. 1A showing the combination of the pressed positions without keycaps.

Fig. 2B is a schematic cross-sectional view of the key structure of fig. 1A at a pressed position.

Fig. 3A to 3C are schematic diagrams of a circuit layer and a backplane according to various embodiments of the invention.

Fig. 3D is a schematic cross-sectional view of the supporting portion and the buffering portion according to an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 4A is a schematic diagram of a switch layer and a backplane according to another variation of the present invention.

Fig. 4B is a schematic cross-sectional view of the supporting portion and the buffering portion in fig. 4A.

Fig. 5A and 5B are a schematic view and a side view of a magnetic element according to another embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 6A and 6B are a schematic view and a side view of a magnetic member according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 7A and 7B are schematic views and side views of a magnetic member according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 8A and 8B are schematic cross-sectional views of a key structure at an un-pressed position and a pressed position according to an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 9A is an exploded view of a key structure according to another embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 9B is a schematic diagram of the key structure of FIG. 9A without keycap assembly.

Fig. 9C is a schematic cross-sectional view of the key structure of fig. 9A.

Detailed Description

The invention provides a key structure, which can be applied to any press type input equipment (such as a keyboard) or be integrated in any convenient electronic device (such as a key of a portable electronic device or a keyboard of a notebook computer) so as to reduce operation abnormal sound and improve operation experience. The details of the structure and operation of each component of the key structure according to the embodiment of the present invention are described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

Fig. 1A is an exploded schematic view of a key structure according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 1B is a schematic diagram of the key structure of FIG. 1A without the key cap in the non-pressed position. FIG. 1C is a schematic cross-sectional view of the key structure of FIG. 1A at an un-pressed position. As shown in fig. 1A to 1C, in an embodiment, the key structure 1 includes a key cap 10, a bottom plate 20, a support 50, a magnetic element 30, a magnetic portion 22, and a switch layer 40. The base plate 20 is disposed under the key cap 10, and the base plate 20 has a buffer space 24A. The supporting member 50 is movably disposed between the bottom plate 20 and the key cap 10. The magnetic element 30 has a front magnetic element section 301, a middle magnetic element section 302 and a rear magnetic element section 303, and the front magnetic element section 301 is coupled to the supporting member 50. The magnetic part 22 is correspondingly arranged below the magnetic member 30, and a magnetic attraction force exists between the magnetic member 30 and the magnetic part 22. The switch layer 40 is disposed on the bottom plate 20, and the switch layer 40 has a buffer portion 42, and the buffer portion 42 partially extends to the buffer space 24A. As shown in fig. 2A and 2B, when the key cap 10 is pressed, the support 50 moves the magnetic member 30 away from the magnetic portion 22, so that the tail end 303 of the magnetic member is away from the buffer portion 42. As shown in fig. 1B and fig. 1C, when the key cap 10 is released, the magnetic attraction force moves the magnetic member 30 toward the magnetic portion 22, such that the tail end 303 of the magnetic member first moves to contact the buffer portion 42, such that the buffer portion 42 deforms toward the buffer space 24A, and then the middle section 302 of the magnetic member contacts the magnetic portion 22 to drive the supporting member 50 to support the key cap 10 upward. In addition, the key structure 1 may include other components according to practical applications. For example, the key structure 1 may further include a balance bar 60 (described in detail later).

Specifically, the key cap 10 may be, for example, an injection molded key cap. In one embodiment, the key cap 10 is preferably a rectangular key cap extending along the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction, but not limited thereto. The key cap 10 may have different shapes, such as circular and other geometric shapes, depending on the application. Corresponding to the arrangement of the supporting member 50 and the balance bar 60, the lower surface of the key cap 10 has

coupling portions

12 and 14, i.e., the

coupling portions

12 and 14 protrude from the lower surface of the key cap 10 along the Z-axis direction for coupling the supporting member 50 and the balance bar 60. For example, the

coupling portions

12 and 14 may be coupling structures having card slots. Furthermore, the bottom surface of the key cap 10 may optionally have a concave portion 16 corresponding to the magnetic tail end 303 of the magnetic member 30, so as to increase the moving space of the magnetic member 30 in the Z-axis direction. In addition, the key cap 10 may be a transparent key cap having a transparent portion for use in a light-emitting keyboard.

The base plate 20 may serve as a structural strength support plate for the key structure 1. In one embodiment, the bottom plate 20 is preferably formed by stamping a metal plate, and the buffer space 24A of the bottom plate 20 is preferably formed by a hole or an opening formed in the bottom plate 20, but not limited thereto. In other embodiments (not shown), the buffer space 24A may be a groove formed on the bottom plate 20, such as a space recessed downward from the upper surface of the bottom plate 20. The magnetic part 22 can be a magnet or other magnetic component that can generate magnetic attraction with the magnetic element 30, and the magnetic part 22 is preferably positioned on the bottom plate 20 by a positioning mechanism. In one embodiment, the bottom plate 20 preferably has a positioning portion 26 and a receiving space 24B. The positioning portion 26 is disposed adjacent to the opposite side of the receiving space 24B, and the magnetic portion 22 may be disposed in the receiving space 24B. In one embodiment, the receiving space 24B and the buffering space 24A are preferably communicated with each other, but not limited to a single space or two adjacent portions of the opening 24. In other embodiments, the receiving space 24B and the buffering space 24A may be independent spaces or openings, respectively. The positioning portion 26 is preferably an L-shaped positioning member bent and protruded from the surface of the bottom plate 20 toward the key cap 10 for positioning the magnetic portion 22. For example, the positioning portions 26 are preferably disposed on two opposite sides of the receiving space 24B along the Y-axis direction, and the magnetic portion 22 is disposed below the positioning portions 26, such that the positioning portions 26 and the magnetic portion 22 at least partially overlap in the Z-axis direction and the Y-axis direction to define the position of the magnetic portion 22 on the XY plane of the bottom plate 20 and the height of the magnetic portion 22 in the Z-axis direction. Furthermore, the bottom plate 20 preferably further has a connecting portion 27 and a coupling portion 28. The connecting portion 27 is preferably a hook-type connecting member bent and protruded from the surface of the base plate 20 toward the key cap 10 for connecting the supporting member 50. The coupling portions 28 are preferably disposed on opposite sides of the base plate 20, such as opposite sides in the X-axis direction, and are used to couple the balance bar 60. For example, the coupling portion 28 may be a coupling structure having a snap hole and bent to protrude from the surface of the bottom plate 20 toward the key cap 10.

The supporting member 50 is movably disposed on the base plate 20 and the key cap 10 for supporting the key cap 10 to move up/down relative to the base plate 20. Specifically, the support 50 is a bracket connecting the key cap 10 and the base plate 20, and the support 50 has coupling portions 52 and 54 at opposite ends in the X-axis direction. The coupling portion 52 is preferably in the form of a hinge for rotatably engaging with the coupling portion 12 of the key cap 10, and the coupling portion 54 is in the form of a boss for movably coupling with the connecting portion 27 of the base 20 to support the key cap 10 to move up/down relative to the base 20. The supporting member 50 further has engaging slots 56, 57 for coupling with the front section 301 of the magnetic member 30 to move the magnetic member 30.

The magnetic member 30 is disposed between the bottom plate 20 and the key cap 10 corresponding to the magnetic portion 22, and a magnetic attraction force is generated between the magnetic member 30 and the magnetic portion 22. For example, the magnetic member 30 may be an iron member, or a combination of other materials and magnetic materials. In one embodiment, the magnetic element 30 is positioned on the supporting member 50 corresponding to the magnetic portion 22, so that when the magnetic element 30 contacts the magnetic portion 22, the tail end 303 of the magnetic element and the buffer portion 42 have a predetermined interference amount in the Z-axis direction, such as but not limited to 0.5 mm. Specifically, the magnetic element 30 has a magnetic element front section 301, a magnetic element middle section 302 and a magnetic element tail end 303 along the X-axis direction, wherein the magnetic element front section 301 is configured to be coupled to the supporting member 50, the magnetic element middle section 302 corresponds to the magnetic portion 22, and the magnetic element tail end 303 corresponds to the buffering portion 42. In other words, the magnetic element front section 301 and the magnetic element tail end 303 are respectively disposed at two opposite sides of the magnetic element 30, the magnetic element middle section 302 connects the magnetic element front section 301 and the magnetic element tail end 303, and the magnetic portion 22 is located below the magnetic element middle section 302. For example, the magnetic element 30 has engaging

portions

34 and 36 on the front magnetic element segment 301, which correspond to the engaging slots 56 and 57 of the supporting element 50, respectively. In one embodiment, the engaging portion 34 is a bar-shaped or strip-shaped engaging portion protruding along the X-axis direction, and the engaging portion 36 is a hook-shaped engaging portion disposed on two opposite sides along the Y-axis direction. The engaging portion 34 extends into the engaging groove 56, and the engaging portion 36 corresponds to the engaging groove 57, so that the supporting member 50 and the magnetic member 30 form a linkage mechanism.

Furthermore, in one embodiment, the magnetic member end 303 preferably has an end edge 31 and an extension portion 32, and the extension portion 32 protrudes from the end edge 31. For example, the end edge 31 is an edge extending along the Y-axis direction, and the extending portion 32 preferably protrudes outward from the end edge 31 along the X-axis direction, so that the perpendicular projection of the extending portion 32 and the buffer portion 42 in the Z-axis direction toward the bottom plate 20 at least partially overlaps, but not limited thereto.

The buffer portion 42 is a portion having a larger elastic deformation amount than other portions of the switching layer 40. The buffer 42 on the switching layer 40 can be formed to provide a greater amount of deformation, typically by varying the thickness, material, or profile. In one embodiment, the switch layer 40 includes a switch layer body 41 and a buffer portion 42, and the buffer portion 42 can have a larger elastic deformation amount than the switch layer body 41. For example, the buffer portion 42 is integrally formed with the switch layer body 41 and has a relatively large elastic deformation amount by locally connecting the switch layer body 41. In this embodiment, the buffer portion 42 may be a bridge section having two opposite ends connected to the switch layer body 41, such that two sides of the buffer portion 42 and the switch layer body 41 respectively define the

openings

44 and 46. For example, the

openings

44 and 46 may be formed by cutting the switch layer 40, and the opposite ends of the buffer portion 42 are connected to the switch layer body 41. In this embodiment, the buffer portion 42 is a bridge section extending along the Y-axis direction, and the buffer portion 42 is connected to the switch layer body 41 at two opposite ends of the Y-axis direction, so as to divide the switch layer body 41 into an opening 44 on the right side of the buffer portion 42 and an opening 46 on the left side of the buffer portion 42. Thereby, the central portion of the buffer layer 42 is made to have a relatively large amount of elastic deformation with respect to the connecting portions of both sides and the switch layer body 41. Furthermore, according to practical requirements, the cushioning portion 42 can be disposed over the cushioning space 24A of the bottom plate 20, so that the portion of the bottom plate 20 adjacent to the cushioning space 24A can be used as the supporting portion 25 for supporting the cushioning portion 42, thereby adjusting the elastic deformation of the cushioning portion 42, for example, locally increasing the structural strength of the cushioning portion 42 and reducing the deformation. In addition, the opening 46 of the switch layer 40 can allow the positioning portion 26 and the connecting portion 27 of the bottom plate 20 to pass through, so that the magnetic portion 22 can protrude from the switch layer 40, and the connecting portion 27 can be connected to the supporting member 50.

The balance bar 60 is connected between the key cap 10 and the base plate 20, i.e. one side of the balance bar 60 is connected to the coupling portion 14 of the key cap 10, and the other side is connected to the coupling portion 28 of the base plate 20, so as to improve the driving performance of the key cap 10. So when the user only pressed the key cap right side, the key cap left side also can descend simultaneously together, avoids key cap 10 to present the lower, the higher tilt state in left side in right side. In this embodiment, the balance bar 60 is a U-shaped bar, and has extending portions 62 bent toward the U-shaped opening at both ends of the U-shape, wherein the extending portions 62 serve as hooks for slidably engaging with the coupling portion 28 of the base plate 20. It is noted herein that the switch layer 40 has corresponding openings 48 to allow the coupling portion 28 to protrude from the openings 48 such that the extension portion 62 of the balance bar 60 is slidably inserted into the card hole of the coupling portion 28. In addition, the balance bar 60 is selectively arranged, and the key structure may include more than one balance bar 60 or no balance bar according to practical applications, which is not limited to the embodiment shown.

The operation of the key structure 1 will be described later with reference to fig. 2A and 2B. As shown in fig. 2A and 2B, when the key cap 10 is pressed, the supporting member 50 makes the magnetic member 30 away from the magnetic portion 22, and the magnetic member tail end 303 is away from the buffer portion 42. Specifically, when the pressing force applied is greater than the magnetic attraction force between the magnetic part 22 and the magnetic member 30, the key cap 10 moves downward and drives the supporting member 50 and the balance bar 60 to rotate downward, so as to trigger the switch layer 40 (e.g. the switch circuit in the switch layer body 41 is turned on) to generate the trigger signal. In other words, when the key cap 10 moves downward to trigger the switch layer 40, the supporting element 50 uses the coupling portion 54 and the connecting portion 27 as a fulcrum, such that the side of the supporting element 50 having the engaging slots 56 and 57 rotates downward and drives the side of the magnetic element 30 having the engaging portions 34 and 36 (i.e. the front magnetic element section 301) to rotate downward, and further the middle magnetic element section 302 and the tail magnetic element end 301 rotate upward correspondingly and away from the magnetic portion 22, and the tail magnetic element end 301 is partially accommodated in the recessed portion 16 of the key cap 10. For example, the tail end 301 of the magnetic member correspondingly rotates upward away from the magnetic portion 22, so that the extension portion 32 is also away from the buffer portion 42 and partially received in the recess 16 of the key cap 10.

As shown in fig. 1B and fig. 1C, when the key cap 10 is released, the magnetic attraction force causes the magnetic member 30 to move toward the magnetic portion 22, such that the tail end 303 of the magnetic member first moves to contact the buffer portion 42, and the buffer portion 42 deforms toward the buffer space 24A, and then the middle section 302 of the magnetic member contacts the magnetic portion 22 to drive the supporting member 50 to upwardly support the key cap 10, such that the key cap 10 is supported at the non-pressed position. Specifically, when the pressing force applied to the key cap 10 is removed, the magnetic attraction between the magnetic element 30 and the magnetic portion 22 causes the magnetic element 30 to rotate toward the magnetic portion 22, i.e., the middle section 302 and the tail end 303 of the magnetic element move downward, and the side of the magnetic element 30 having the engaging portions 34 and 36 (i.e., the front section 301 of the magnetic element) moves upward and drives the supporting member 50 to move upward, so as to drive the key cap 10 to move away from the bottom plate 20, and the magnetic attraction between the magnetic element 30 and the magnetic portion 22 drives the supporting member 50 to support the key cap 10 upward at the non-pressed position. It should be noted that, when the magnetic member 30 moves towards the magnetic portion 22, since the magnetic member tail end 303 (e.g. the extension portion 32) and the buffer portion 42 have a predetermined interference amount in the Z-axis direction when the magnetic member 30 contacts the magnetic portion 22, when the magnetic member middle section 302 and the magnetic member tail end 303 move downward, the magnetic member tail end 303 (e.g. the extension portion 32) will touch the buffer portion 42 before the magnetic member 30 (e.g. the magnetic member middle section 302) contacts the magnetic portion 22, and the magnetic member 30 approaches the magnetic portion 22 slowly by the buffer effect of the buffer portion 42 deforming towards the buffer space 24A, and then the magnetic member middle section 302 contacts the magnetic portion 22, thereby preventing the magnetic member 30 from rapidly striking the magnetic portion 22 and effectively reducing the noise generated during the contact.

Furthermore, in one embodiment, when the key cap 10 is released, the magnetic attraction force moves the magnetic member 30 toward the magnetic portion 22, preferably only the extension portion 32 is moved to contact the buffer portion 42 first, so that the buffer portion 42 is deformed toward the buffer space 24A, and the end edge 31 remains separated from the buffer portion 42. For example, as shown in the enlarged partial view of fig. 1B, when the key cap 10 is released and the extension portion 32 moves to contact the buffer portion 42, the edge 31 of the magnetic member 30 and the vertical projection of the buffer portion 42 to the bottom plate 20 do not overlap. In other words, when the magnetic element 30 contacts the magnetic portion 22 (i.e. when the key structure 1 is located at the non-pressed position), the magnetic element 30 preferably only contacts the extending portion 32 and the buffer portion 42 in the Z-axis direction, and the other portion of the magnetic element 30 does not press against the buffer portion 42 in the Z-axis direction, for example, there is preferably a gap between the end edge 31 of the magnetic element 30 and the buffer portion 42 in the X-axis direction, so as to improve the control of the interference between the extending portion 32 and the buffer portion 42 in the Z-axis direction, but not limited thereto. It should be noted that, in other embodiments, the design of the tail end 303 of the magnetic member may be changed, so that the end edge 31 of the magnetic member 30 and the buffer portion 42 may partially overlap in the Z-axis direction, but the end edge 31 of the magnetic member 30 and the buffer portion 42 maintain a gap, that is, only the extending portion 32 contacts the buffer portion 42, and the control of the interference amount between the tail end 303 of the magnetic member and the buffer portion 42 in the Z-axis direction may also be improved.

It should be noted that the buffer portion may have different designs, and is not limited to the bridge section. As shown in fig. 3A to 3C, in different embodiments, the

buffer portions

42A and 42B may be tongues, and the buffer portion 42C may be a bridge structure. The tongue piece extends from the switch layer body 41 to have

free ends

421 and 422 corresponding to the tail end 303 of the magnetic element, and the bridging structure extends from the switch layer body 41 to have a floating middle structure 423 corresponding to the tail end 303 of the magnetic element. In other words, only one side of the

buffer portions

42A, 42B (i.e. the tongue piece) is connected to the switch layer body 41, and the other opposite end of the connection end of the

buffer portions

42A, 42B is a

free end

421, 422, and the

free end

421, 422 is adjacent to the lower side of the magnetic member tail end 303 (e.g. the extension portion 32). The buffer portion 42C (i.e., the bridging structure) is connected to the switch layer body 41 at two sides, the bridging structure middle is a floating middle structure 423, and the floating middle structure 423 is adjacent to the lower portion of the magnetic member tail end 303 (e.g., the extending portion 32). Thus, the free ends 421 and 422 or the middle suspension structure 423 have a larger elastic deformation amount relative to the switch layer body 41. As shown in fig. 3A, the buffer portion 42A is a tongue piece extending from the switching layer body 41 in the X-axis direction toward the extension portion 32. As shown in fig. 3B, the buffer portion 42B is a tongue piece extending from the switching layer body 41 in the Y-axis direction toward the extension portion 32. Further, as shown in fig. 3C, the buffer portion 42C has a bridge structure with an opening 424 to increase the elastic deformation amount.

Furthermore, as shown in fig. 3A to 3C, the bottom plate 20 may have a supporting portion 25 with different forms, and the supporting portion 25 supports the

buffering portions

42A, 42B, and 42C corresponding to the local portions, thereby adjusting the elastic deformation amount of the buffering portion 42. For example, in fig. 3A to 3C, the supporting portion 25 is an elongated supporting rod extending in the buffering space 24A, and is prevented from overlapping with the extending portion 32 in the Z-axis direction, but is kept at least partially overlapping with the

buffering portions

42A, 42B, and 42C in the Z-axis direction, but not limited thereto. In other embodiments (not shown), the supporting portion may be a supporting structure extending in a staggered manner with the buffering portion to partially support the buffering portion, so as to modify the elastic deformation of the buffering portion. Furthermore, as shown in fig. 3D, in the embodiment shown in fig. 3A to 3C, the supporting portion 25 extends horizontally from the bottom plate 20, so that the

buffering portions

42A, 42B, and 42C are substantially parallel to the switch layer body 41, but not limited thereto.

In another embodiment, as shown in fig. 4A and 4B, the supporting portion 25A protrudes toward the key cap 10, so that the buffering portion 42A is at least partially closer to the key cap 10 than the switch layer body 41. Specifically, the supporting portion 25A extends obliquely upward from the bottom plate 20, so that the buffer portion 42A is also tilted upward by the support of the supporting portion 25A, and the free end 421 of the buffer portion 42A rises toward the key cap 10 and protrudes out of the switch layer body 41. Thus, the interference between the tail end 303 (e.g., the extension 32) of the magnetic member and the buffer 42A in the Z-axis direction can be changed. It should be noted that, although not shown, the buffer portion 42C may also be inclined upward by the support of the supporting portion 25A, so that the middle suspension structure 423 is lifted toward the key cap 10 and protrudes out of the switch layer body 41.

In other embodiments, the key structure can change the predetermined interference amount between the tail end of the magnetic member and the buffer portion in the Z-axis direction by changing the design of the tail end or the extension portion of the magnetic member. As shown in fig. 5A and 5B, in another embodiment, the extension portion 32A is bent toward the buffer portion 42 with respect to the end edge 31. Specifically, the extending portion 32A extends and protrudes from the end edge 31 and is bent downward toward the end edge 31, so that an included angle θ smaller than 180 degrees is formed between the extending portion 32A and the magnetic element 30. That is, the extending portion 32A is inclined downward with respect to the position where the buffer portion 42 is disposed (for example, the X-axis direction), whereby the preset interference amount in the Z-axis direction between the extending portion 32A and the buffer portion 42 can be changed (for example, the preset interference amount is reduced). As shown in fig. 6A and 6B, in another embodiment, the tail end 303 of the magnetic member has a protrusion 321, and the protrusion 321 protrudes from the bottom surface of the tail end 303 of the magnetic member toward the buffer portion 42. Specifically, the protrusion 321 may be disposed on the extending portion 32 and protrude downward from the bottom surface 322 of the extending portion 32 along the Z-axis direction, so as to reduce a predetermined interference between the extending portion 32 and the buffer portion 42 along the Z-axis direction. For example, the protrusion 321 with a concave-convex shape (i.e. the upper surface is concave and the lower surface is convex) can be formed on the extension 32 by a machining technique, but not limited thereto. The protrusion 321 may be disposed on the bottom 322 of the extension 32B by engaging, adhering, or the like, and may be made of an elastic material such as rubber, polymer, or other suitable materials. It should be noted that, although the protrusion 321 is shown on the bottom surface 322 of the extension portion 32 and located outside the end edge 31 in this embodiment, the disclosure is not limited thereto. In other embodiments (not shown), the design of the extending portion can be changed such that the end edge of the tail end of the magnetic element is substantially the same as the end edge of the extending portion, and the protrusion 321 can be disposed on the bottom surface of the tail end of the magnetic element and inside the end edge.

As shown in fig. 7A and 7B, in another embodiment, the magnetic member 30 further has a protrusion 38, and the protrusion 38 protrudes from the bottom surface 33 of the magnetic member 30 toward the magnetic portion 22. When the key cap 10 is released, the magnetic part 30 contacts the magnetic part 22 via the protrusion 38, so as to drive the supporting member 50 to support the key cap 10 upward at the non-pressed position. Specifically, the protrusion 38 is preferably disposed on the bottom surface 33 of the middle section 302 along the Y-axis direction, so that the middle section 302 is in point contact with the magnetic portion 22, thereby reducing the contact area between the magnetic member 30 and the magnetic portion 22, and further reducing noise generated when the magnetic member 30 contacts the magnetic portion 22. For example, the magnetic member 30 may be formed by a machining technique to partially form the convex portion 38 with a concave upper surface and a convex lower surface on the magnetic member middle section 302. In other embodiments, the protrusion 38 may be disposed on the bottom surface 33 of the middle section 302 by engaging, adhering, or the like, and may be made of an elastic material such as rubber, polymer, or other suitable materials.

In one embodiment, as shown in fig. 8A and 8B, the key cap 10 further has a protrusion 18, and the protrusion 18 extends from the bottom surface of the key cap 10 toward the bottom plate 20. The base plate 20 has a relief space 29 corresponding to the projection 18, and the switch layer 40 covers the relief space 29. When the key cap 10 is pressed, the protrusion 18 presses against the switch layer 40 into the escape space 29. Specifically, the portion of the switching layer 40 covering the escape space 29 is preferably the deformable portion 49. For example, the deformable portion 49 of the switch layer 40 may be a portion with a relatively thin thickness or a partially connected portion, such that the deformable portion 49 has a larger elastic deformation amount than other portions of the switch layer 40, and the design of the deformable portion 49 may enable the switch layer 40 not to be broken due to the thin thickness as a whole, thereby increasing manufacturability. The switch layer 40 is connected to the deformable portion 49, and covers the bottom surface around the avoiding space 29, so that the deformable portion 49 provides a buffer mechanism for downward movement of the protrusion 18 of the key cap 10 by elastic deformation, thereby achieving the effect of noise reduction.

Specifically, when the key top 10 is pressed, the key top 10 moves downward to a lower position, and the lower end point of the protruding portion 18 presses the deformable portion 49 toward the escape space 29, so that the deformable portion 49 extends into the escape space 29. Therefore, under the condition of not increasing the height of the key, the protruding part 18 of the key cap 10 has enough downward movement space, and the deformable part 49 of the switch layer 40 is abutted against the protruding part 18 to serve as a buffer elastic body, so that the effect of reducing noise is achieved.

It should be noted that, in the above embodiment, the switch layer 40 has a multi-layer structure, and the buffer portion 42 (or the deformable portion 49) is preferably formed by at least one layer of the switch layer 40. For example, the switch layer 40 may be a three-layer structure in which the upper and lower layers are circuit layers, and an intermediate layer is disposed between the upper and lower layers as an intermediary layer for separating the circuits of the upper and lower layers. When the key cap 10 moves towards the bottom plate 20 to trigger the switch layer 40, the upper layer is in contact conduction with the circuit of the lower layer to output a trigger signal. The buffer portion 42 (or the deformable portion 49) may be formed by one or more layers of the upper layer, the middle layer and the lower layer of the switch layer 40, so that the buffer portion 42 (and the deformable portion 49) may have a suitable elastic deformation amount according to actual requirements.

Fig. 9A to 9C are schematic views of a key structure according to another embodiment of the invention, wherein fig. 9A is an exploded schematic view of the key structure according to the invention; FIG. 9B is a schematic diagram of the key structure of FIG. 9A without keycap; fig. 9C is a schematic cross-sectional view of the key structure of fig. 9A. As shown in fig. 9A to 9C, the key structure 1 'includes a key cap 10, a bottom plate 20, a support 50, a magnetic member 30', and a magnetic portion 22. The base plate 20 is disposed under the key cap 10. The supporting member 50 is movably disposed between the bottom plate 20 and the key cap 10. The magnetic member 30 ' is coupled to the supporting member 50, and the magnetic member 30 ' has a protrusion 38, and the protrusion 38 protrudes from a bottom surface of the magnetic member 30 ' toward the bottom plate 20. The magnetic part 22 is correspondingly arranged below the magnetic member 30, and a magnetic attraction force exists between the magnetic member 30 and the magnetic part 22. When the key cap 10 is pressed, the support 50 moves the magnetic member 20' away from the magnetic portion 22. When the key cap 10 is released, the magnetic attraction force moves the magnetic element 30 'toward the magnetic portion 22, so that the magnetic element 30' contacts the magnetic portion 22 via the protrusion 38, and the supporting member 50 is driven to support the key cap 10 upward at the non-pressed position.

For example, the magnetic member 30 may be partially formed with a convex portion 38 having an upper concave portion and a lower convex portion by a machining technique, but is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the protrusion 38 may be disposed on the bottom surface 33 of the magnetic element 30 by means of engaging, adhering, etc., and the material may be an elastic material such as rubber, polymer, etc., or other suitable materials. The key structure 1 ' is in point contact with the magnetic part 22 through the convex part 38 of the magnetic element 30 ', thereby reducing the contact area between the magnetic element 30 ' and the magnetic part 22, and further reducing the noise generated when the magnetic element 30 contacts the magnetic part 22. It should be noted that, according to practical applications, the key structure 1 'may include other components, such as the switch layer 40, the balance bar 60, etc., and the structural details of each component of the key structure 1' and the changes and connection relationships thereof may refer to the related description of the above embodiments, which are not repeated herein.

The above detailed description of the preferred embodiments is intended to more clearly illustrate the features and spirit of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention by the preferred embodiments disclosed above. On the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and equivalent arrangements included within the scope of the appended claims. The scope of the invention is therefore to be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and equivalent arrangements as is within the scope of the appended claims.

Claims

1. A key structure, comprising:

a keycap;

the bottom plate is arranged below the keycap and is provided with a buffer space;

the supporting piece is movably arranged between the bottom plate and the keycap;

the magnetic part is provided with a magnetic part front section, a magnetic part middle section and a magnetic part tail end, and the magnetic part front section is coupled with the support part;

the magnetic part is correspondingly arranged below the magnetic part, and magnetic attraction is formed between the magnetic part and the magnetic part; and

the switch layer is arranged on the bottom plate and provided with a buffer part, and part of the buffer part extends to the buffer space; the switch layer has a multilayer structure, and the buffer part is formed by at least one layer of the switch layer;

when the keycap is pressed, the magnetic part is far away from the magnetic part by the support part, so that the tail end of the magnetic part is far away from the buffer part;

when the keycap is released, the magnetic attraction force enables the magnetic piece to move towards the magnetic part, so that the tail end of the magnetic piece firstly moves to contact with the buffer part, the buffer part deforms towards the buffer space, and then the middle section of the magnetic piece contacts with the magnetic part to drive the support piece to upwards support the keycap.

2. The key structure according to claim 1, wherein: the tail end of the magnetic piece is provided with an end edge and an extension part, the extension part protrudes from the end edge, when the keycap is released, the magnetic attraction force enables the magnetic piece to move towards the magnetic part, only the extension part firstly moves to contact the buffer part, the buffer part deforms towards the buffer space, and the end edge still keeps separated from the buffer part.

3. The key structure according to claim 2, wherein: when the keycap is released and the extending part moves to contact with the buffer part, the end edge of the magnetic piece and the vertical projection of the buffer part towards the bottom plate are not overlapped.

4. The key structure according to claim 2, wherein: the extending portion is bent toward the buffer portion relative to the end edge.

5. The key structure according to claim 1, wherein: the tail end of the magnetic piece is provided with a convex part which protrudes from the bottom surface of the tail end of the magnetic piece to the buffer part.

6. The key structure according to claim 1, wherein: the bottom plate is further provided with a containing space and a positioning part, the positioning part is arranged at the opposite side adjacent to the containing space, and the containing space is communicated with the buffer space.

7. The key structure according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: the switch layer is provided with a switch layer body, and the buffer part is a bridging section with two opposite ends connected with the switch layer body, so that two sides of the buffer part respectively define an opening together with the switch layer body.

8. The key structure according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: the switch layer is provided with a switch layer body, the buffer part is a tongue piece, and the tongue piece extends from the switch layer body to be provided with a free end corresponding to the tail end of the magnetic piece, and the free end is adjacent to the lower part of the tail end of the magnetic piece.

9. The key structure according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: the switch layer is provided with a switch layer body, the buffer part is of a bridging structure, and the bridging structure extends from the switch layer body so as to be provided with a suspended middle section structure corresponding to the tail end of the magnetic piece, and the suspended middle section structure is adjacent to the lower part of the tail end of the magnetic piece.

10. The key structure according to any one of claims 1 to 6, wherein: the bottom plate is provided with a supporting part which correspondingly and locally supports the buffer part.

11. The key structure according to claim 10, wherein: the switch layer is provided with a switch layer body, and the supporting part protrudes towards the keycap so that the buffer part is at least partially closer to the keycap than the switch layer body.

12. The key structure according to claim 10, wherein: the key cap is provided with a protruding part, the protruding part extends from the bottom surface of the key cap to the bottom plate, the bottom plate is provided with an avoiding space corresponding to the protruding part, and the switch layer covers the avoiding space; when the keycap is pressed, the protruding part presses the switch layer to enter the avoiding space.

13. The key structure according to claim 10, wherein: the magnetic member further has a convex portion protruding from a bottom surface of the magnetic member toward the magnetic portion; when the key cap is released, the magnetic part is contacted with the magnetic part through the convex part so as to support the key cap at a non-pressed position.

14. A key structure, comprising:

a keycap;

the bottom plate is arranged below the keycap;

a magnetic member coupled to the supporting member, the magnetic member having a protrusion protruding from a bottom surface of the magnetic member toward the bottom plate; and

a magnetic part correspondingly arranged below the magnetic part, a magnetic attraction force is formed between the magnetic part and the magnetic part,

when the keycap is pressed, the magnetic part is far away from the magnetic part by the support piece;

when the keycap is released, the magnetic attraction force enables the magnetic part to move towards the magnetic part, so that the magnetic part forms point contact with the magnetic part in the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction through the convex part to drive the supporting part to upwards support the keycap, the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction are mutually vertical, and the X-axis direction and the Y-axis direction are both vertical to the pressing direction of the keycap.