CN220171974U

CN220171974U - Key structure

Info

Publication number: CN220171974U
Application number: CN202320249567.7U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 苏振畇; 谢育群; 萧绍仑
Original assignee: Chongqing Dafang Electronics Co ltd; Darfon Electronics Corp
Current assignee: Chongqing Dafang Electronics Co ltd; Darfon Electronics Corp
Priority date: 2023-02-17
Filing date: 2023-02-17
Publication date: 2023-12-12
Anticipated expiration: 2033-02-17

Abstract

The utility model provides a key structure which comprises a lower shell, an upper shell, a key switch, a control part and a connecting rod part. The upper shell is provided with a limiting part extending towards the lower shell; the key switch is arranged on the lower shell; the control part is positioned on the lower shell and between the limiting part and the key switch; the connecting rod component is coupled with the control component and the key switch. When external force is applied to trigger the key switch, the connecting rod part generates or does not generate knocking sound by contacting or not contacting the limiting part according to different positions coupled with the control part. The utility model provides a key structure capable of freely selecting silence or non-silence.

Description

Key structure

Technical Field

The present utility model relates to a key structure, and more particularly, to a key structure which can be selected with or without a clicking sound.

Background

In the current society, computers are indispensable articles for most people in one day, and the number of times of using computers in one day is considerable, so that the peripheral devices of the computers are also developed rapidly, and the corresponding performance is improved at any time according to the demands of users, which is the pursuit of most manufacturers of the peripheral devices of the computers.

In the prior art, the related mute design or non-mute design of a key structure such as a mouse is usually fixed, and is limited by the mechanism of the key structure, so that a user can only select one of the two mechanisms of muting or sounding the key structure, and the key structure cannot have both the two mechanisms of muting or sounding. Because there are few products related to keys that can mute and make sounds simultaneously in the market, it is not possible to meet the need that a consumer can select to mute when he or she does not want to disturb other people nearby, but to select to make sounds when he or she wants to make a key by himself or herself. It is therefore desirable to provide a key structure that can freely select mute or non-mute to improve the problems faced by the prior art.

Disclosure of Invention

The utility model provides a key structure, which solves the problem that the existing key structure cannot freely select mute or non-mute.

In order to achieve the above objective, the present utility model provides a key structure, which includes a lower housing, an upper housing, a key switch, a control component and a link component. The upper shell is provided with a limiting part extending towards the lower shell; the key switch is arranged on the lower shell; the control part is positioned on the lower shell and between the limiting part and the key switch; the connecting rod component is coupled with the control component and the key switch. When external force is applied to trigger the key switch, the connecting rod part is contacted with the limiting part according to different positions coupled with the control part to generate the knocking sound or not contacted with the limiting part to generate the knocking sound.

Alternatively, the control part has an operation part protruding from the lower housing, and the position of the connecting rod part coupled with the control part is changed by pulling the operation part.

As an optional technical scheme, the key structure further comprises a magnetic element, the magnetic element is arranged below the limiting component, and when the connecting rod component moves towards the limiting component, the magnetic element increases the resistance of the connecting rod component to the movement of the limiting component.

As an alternative technical scheme, when the operation part of the control part moves to a first position and the external force is applied to trigger the key switch, the connecting rod part contacts the limiting part to generate a knock sound; when the control part moves to the second position and the external force is applied to trigger the key switch, the connecting rod part does not contact the limiting part and does not generate knocking sound.

As an alternative solution, when the operation portion of the control component moves to the first position, the position of the connecting rod component coupled to the control component is a first coupling position; when the operating part moves to the second position, the position of the connecting rod part coupled with the control part is a second coupling position, and the first coupling position is different from the second coupling position.

As an alternative solution, the horizontal linear distance between the first coupling position and the limiting member is greater than the horizontal linear distance between the second coupling position and the limiting member.

As an alternative solution, the connecting rod component is made of metal and has a turn portion to be selectively coupled with the control component at different positions by different portions of the turn portion.

As an alternative solution, when the connecting rod component is coupled to the control component at the first coupling position, the first turning portion of the connecting rod component is located on the first positioning portion of the control component, or when the connecting rod component is coupled to the control component at the second coupling position, the second turning portion of the connecting rod component is located on the second positioning portion of the control component.

As an alternative technical scheme, the connecting rod component is provided with a first end and a second end which are opposite, and the first end corresponds to the limiting component; the second end is far away from the limiting component and is coupled with the key switch.

As an optional solution, the horizontal distance between the second end and the first coupling position is smaller than the horizontal distance between the first coupling position and the limiting member.

The utility model provides a key structure, which is characterized in that different turning parts in a connecting rod component are coupled with different positions of the control component by adjusting the positions of the control component, so that different rotary moments are provided in the pressing process, and the key structure can freely select a mute or non-mute mechanism by contacting a limiting component or not contacting the limiting component to generate or not generating a clicking sound.

The following describes the embodiments of the present utility model in further detail with reference to the drawings.

Drawings

FIG. 1A is a schematic view of an embodiment of a key structure according to the present utility model;

FIG. 1B is a partially exploded view of a key structure according to an embodiment of the present utility model;

FIG. 2 is a schematic view of an upper housing at one angle and a schematic view of a lower housing at another angle according to an embodiment of the present utility model;

fig. 3A to 3C are schematic cross-sectional views illustrating connection and operation of other components when the operation portion of the key structure is moved to the first position according to an embodiment of the present utility model;

fig. 4A to fig. 4C are schematic cross-sectional views illustrating the connection and operation of other components when the operation portion of the key structure is moved to the second position according to an embodiment of the present utility model;

fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of a key structure according to another embodiment of the present utility model.

Detailed Description

In order to more clearly illustrate the present utility model, the present utility model will be further described with reference to preferred embodiments and the accompanying drawings. Like parts in the drawings are denoted by the same reference numerals. It is to be understood by persons skilled in the art that the following detailed description is illustrative and not restrictive, and that this utility model is not limited to the details given herein.

Referring to fig. 1A to 1B, fig. 1A is a schematic view of an appearance of a key structure 1 according to an embodiment of the utility model; fig. 1B is a partially exploded view of a key structure 1 according to an embodiment of the utility model, as shown in fig. 1A to 1B, the key structure 1 has a cover 101 and an upper housing 102. The cover 101 provides an operation interface for a user to apply operations to the key structure 1, and protects the internal integral parts of the key structure 1. The upper housing 102 is positioned below the cover 101 and is integrally shaped to conform to the cover 101 in a tight engagement. In this embodiment, the key structure 1 is exemplified by a mouse device, but not limited thereto; the key structure 1 may be any convenient input device or switching device.

Referring to fig. 2, fig. 2 is a schematic view of an upper housing 102 at one angle and a schematic view of a lower housing 201 at another angle according to an embodiment of the utility model. As shown in fig. 2, the key structure 1 further includes a lower case 201. In fig. 2, the internal structure of the upper case 102 is shown in a bottom view, the upper case 102 has a stopper 103, and the stopper 103 is connected to the upper case 102 and extends from the upper case 102 toward the inside of the key structure 1, for example, toward the lower case 201. Meanwhile, the internal structure of the lower case 201 is presented in a top view in fig. 2. The lower case 201 is positioned below the upper case 102 and is in tight engagement with the upper case 102, and a link member 202, a control member 203, and a key switch 204 are provided on the lower case 201. The link member 202 is an elongated rod with a u-turn in this embodiment, but the utility model is not limited thereto. The connecting rod 202 has a first end 2021 and a second end 2022, and the first end 2021 and the second end 2022 correspond to the limiting component 103 and the key switch 204, respectively. In an embodiment, the connecting rod 202 is preferably made of metal, and the connecting rod 202 can be directly bent to form a turning portion and has better strength, so that different portions of the turning portion (e.g. the first turning portion 2023 and the second turning portion 2024) are selectively coupled to the control member 203 at different positions (e.g. the first coupling position C1 and the second coupling position C2). For example, the link member 202 has an n-turn portion, wherein the first turn portion 2023 and the second turn portion 2024 are respectively located at two opposite sides of the n-turn portion, so as to selectively serve as a portion of the link member 202 contacting the control member 203. The linkage between the above elements will be described in detail with reference to the following drawings.

Referring to fig. 3A to 3C, fig. 3A to 3C are schematic cross-sectional views illustrating the connection and operation of other components when the operation portion of the key structure 1 is moved to the first position according to an embodiment of the present utility model. Fig. 3A to 3C illustrate the key structure 1 of the present utility model in partial cross-section at different angles. Fig. 3A presents the key structure 1 with a partial cross section at the angle of viewing the key structure 1 from the bottom of the key structure 1, for the purpose of clearly illustrating the components that are capable of presenting the concept of the utility model. As shown in fig. 3A, the control member 203 has an operation portion 2031, and the operation portion 2031 can be moved to the first position P1 or to the second position P2 shown in fig. 4A. When the operation portion 2031 is moved, the control member 203 contacts the link member 202 at different positions, so that the first end 2021 of the link member 202 corresponds to the limiting member 103 to generate different action patterns. Fig. 3B is a schematic partial perspective view of the key structure 1 of fig. 3A viewed from another angle, so as to more clearly show the connection relationship between the components.

Referring to fig. 3B and 3C, fig. 3C is a side view showing the connection and operation relationship of the components when the operation portion 2031 is moved to the first position P1. As shown in fig. 3B and 3C, when the operation portion 2031 is moved to the first position P1 (i.e., the control member 203 moves in a direction approaching the limit member 103), the link member 202 couples the control member 203 to the first coupling position C1, and the first turning portion 2023 is located on the first positioning portion 2032 of the control member 203. The first positioning portion 2032 has a positioning effect on the link member 202 when the second end 2022 is depressed, and provides a pivot point. When a user applies an external force to the cover 101, the second end 2022 of the link member 202 receives the external force transmitted by the cover 101 and the upper housing 102, and touches the key switch 204, and the link member 202 couples the control member 203 to the first coupling position C1. Thereby, the link member 202 rotates counterclockwise about the first coupling position C1 as the rotation axis, so that the first end 2021 of the link member 202 moves upward to contact the limiting member 103 to generate the striking sound. Specifically, the stop member 103 preferably has a recessed stop region 1031, and the first end 2021 of the link member 202 contacts a stop surface (e.g., an upper surface of the recessed portion) within the stop region 1031. At this time, the link member 202 makes a clicking sound by contacting the stopper surface in the stopper region 1031.

Referring to fig. 4A to fig. 4C, fig. 4A to fig. 4C are schematic cross-sectional views illustrating the connection and operation of other components when the operation portion of the key structure of an embodiment of the utility model is moved to the second position. Fig. 4A to 4C are schematic perspective views with different viewing angles and partial cross sections, and the connection and operation relationships of the components when the operation portion 2031 of the control component 203 of the key structure 1 is moved to the second position P2 are further described in a manner similar to the description of fig. 3A to 3C. Fig. 4A shows the key structure 1 with a partial cross section at an angle of viewing the key structure 1 from the bottom of the key structure 1, and as shown in fig. 4A, the operation portion 2031 of the control part 203 is shifted to the second position P2. Fig. 4B is a schematic partial perspective view of the key structure 1 of fig. 4A viewed from another angle, so as to more clearly show the connection relationship between the components.

Referring to fig. 4B and 4C, fig. 4C is a side view showing the connection and operation relationship of the components when the operation portion 2031 is moved to the second position P2. As shown in fig. 4B and fig. 4C, when the operation portion 2031 is shifted to the second position P2 (i.e., the control member 203 moves away from the limiting member 103), the link member 202 couples the control member 203 to the second coupling position C2, and the second turning portion 2024 of the link member 202 is located on the second positioning portion 2033 of the control member 203. The second positioning portion 2033 has a positioning effect on the link member 202 when the second end 2022 is depressed, and provides a pivot point for the link member 202. When a user applies an external force to the cover 101, the second end 2022 of the link member 202 receives the external force transmitted by the cover 101 and the upper housing 102 to trigger the key switch 204. Unlike the case of the first hinge 2023 of the link member 202 being coupled to the first coupling position C1 of the control member 203 in fig. 3C, the first end 2021 of the link member 202 moves upward by a short distance and does not contact the limiting member 103, i.e., does not contact the limiting surface in the limiting region 1031, because the link member 202 rotates counterclockwise about the second coupling position C2 as the rotation axis. At this time, the link member 202 does not generate a clicking sound because it does not contact the stopper surface in the stopper region 1031.

Please refer to fig. 3C and fig. 4C, respectively. In fig. 3C, when the operation portion 2031 is moved to the first position P1 and an external force is applied to move the second end 2022 downward, the link member 202 is coupled to the first coupling position C1 (i.e., the first rotation axis position) of the control member 203, so that the rotation moment generated from the first turning portion 2023 to the first end 2021 of the link member 202 can make the first end 2021 strike the limiting surface of the limiting member 103. In contrast, in fig. 4C, when the operation portion 2031 is moved to the second position P2 and an external force is applied to move the second end 2022 downward, the link member 202 is coupled to the second coupling position C2 (i.e. the second rotation axis position) of the control member 203, and the rotation moment generated from the second turning portion 2024 to the first end 2021 causes the first end 2021 not to contact the limiting surface in the limiting area 1031. And comparing fig. 3C with fig. 4C, it can be seen that the horizontal linear distance between the first coupling position C1 and the limiting member 103 is greater than the horizontal linear distance between the second coupling position C2 and the limiting member 103, i.e. the horizontal distance of the second end 2022 from the first coupling position C1 is smaller than the horizontal distance of the first coupling position C1 from the limiting member 103. Thus, under the same external force applied, the vertical displacement generated by the first end 2021 of the link member 202 in fig. 3C is larger than the vertical displacement generated by the first end 2021 of the link member 202 in fig. 4C, so that the first end 2021 of the link member 202 in fig. 3C can strike the stopper member 103 to generate the striking sound, whereas the displacement of the first end 2021 of the link member 202 in fig. 4C is too small to strike the stopper member 103 and thus no striking sound is generated.

Referring to fig. 5, fig. 5 is a schematic diagram of a key structure according to another embodiment of the utility model. As shown in fig. 5, the magnetic element 301 is disposed below the limit region 1031 of the limit member 103. In this embodiment, because the magnetic element 301 attracts the first end 2021 of the link member 202, the first end 2021 needs a larger force to disengage from the magnetic element 301 to move toward the limit surface of the limit area 1031 (i.e., a larger external force should be applied), so as to increase the force applied by the user to operate the pressing hand of the key structure 1.

In summary, the present utility model provides a key structure, in which different turning portions of a connecting rod component are coupled to different positions of the control component by adjusting the positions of the control component, so as to provide different magnitudes of rotational moment in the pressing process, and the key structure can freely select a mute or non-mute mechanism by contacting with a limiting component or not contacting with the limiting component to generate or not generate a clicking sound.

It should be understood that the foregoing examples of the present utility model are provided merely for clearly illustrating the present utility model and are not intended to limit the embodiments of the present utility model, and that various other changes and modifications may be made therein by one skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and scope of the present utility model as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A key structure, comprising:

a lower housing;

an upper housing having a stopper extending toward the lower housing;

the key switch is arranged on the lower shell;

the control part is positioned on the lower shell and between the limiting part and the key switch; and

the connecting rod component is coupled with the control component and the key switch;

when external force is applied to trigger the key switch, the connecting rod part is contacted with the limiting part according to different positions coupled with the control part to generate the knocking sound or not contacted with the limiting part to generate the knocking sound.

2. The key structure of claim 1, wherein the control member has an operation portion protruding from the lower housing, and the position of the link member coupled to the control member is changed by pulling the operation portion.

3. The key structure of claim 1, further comprising a magnetic element disposed below the spacing member, the magnetic element increasing resistance to movement of the link member toward the spacing member when the link member is moved toward the spacing member.

4. The key structure of claim 2, wherein when the operating portion of the control member moves to the first position and the external force is applied to trigger the key switch, the link member contacts the limiting member to generate a clicking sound; when the control part moves to the second position and the external force is applied to trigger the key switch, the connecting rod part does not contact the limiting part and does not generate knocking sound.

5. The key structure of claim 4, wherein when the operating portion of the control member moves to the first position, the position of the link member coupled to the control member is a first coupling position; when the operating part moves to the second position, the position of the connecting rod part coupled with the control part is a second coupling position, and the first coupling position is different from the second coupling position.

6. The key structure of claim 5, wherein a horizontal linear distance between the first coupling position and the limiting member is greater than a horizontal linear distance between the second coupling position and the limiting member.

7. The key structure of claim 6, wherein the link member is made of metal and has a turn portion to selectively couple with the control member at different positions by different portions of the turn portion.

8. The key structure of claim 7, wherein the first turning portion of the link member is located on the first positioning portion of the control member when the link member is coupled to the control member at the first coupling position, or the second turning portion of the link member is located on the second positioning portion of the control member when the link member is coupled to the control member at the second coupling position.

9. The key structure of claim 1, wherein the link member has opposite first and second ends, the first end corresponding to the limiting member; the second end is far away from the limiting component and is coupled with the key switch.

10. The key structure of claim 5, wherein the link member has opposite first and second ends, and the second end is spaced from the first coupling position by a smaller horizontal distance than the first coupling position.