Key structure

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10236138-B2
Application number	US-201715618602-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 9, 2017
Priority date	May 7, 2015
Publication date	Mar 19, 2019
Grant date	Mar 19, 2019

Abstract

A key structure includes a key cap, a bridge assembly, a first supporting part, a second supporting part, an attractable element and a magnet. The bridge assembly includes first and second hinge parts. The first hinge part has a first pivot coupling portion and a first connecting portion. The second hinge part has a second pivot coupling portion and a second connecting portion, wherein the first and second connecting portions are connected on an axis, and the first and second hinge parts rotate with respect to the axis. The first and second supporting parts are coupled to two ends of the first and second pivot coupling portions, respectively. The attractable element is disposed on the second hinge part. The magnet is correspondingly located under the attractable element for providing a magnetic force, so that the attractable element is attracted and positioned by the magnetic force.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A key structure, comprising:
a key cap;
a bridge assembly disposed under the key cap, wherein the bridge assembly comprises:
a first hinge part, having a first pivot coupling portion and a first connecting portion; and
a second hinge part, having a second pivot coupling portion and a second connecting portion, wherein the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion are connected to form an axis, and the first hinge part and the second hinge part rotate with respect to the axis, and the axis is located between the first pivot coupling portion and the second pivot coupling portion;

a first supporting part and a second supporting part coupled to two ends of the first pivot coupling portion and two ends of the second pivot coupling portion, respectively;
an attractable element disposed on the second hinge part; and
a magnet correspondingly located under the attractable element.

2. The key structure according to claim 1 , wherein the magnet has an upper surface, and the attractable element has a lower surface facing the upper surface and forming an included angle with the upper surface when the attractable element has a line contact with the magnet.

3. The key structure according to claim 1 , wherein the attractable element has a middle portion between the first end and the second end, the middle portion has a lower surface facing the upper surface in parallel and the lower surface of the middle portion separates a gap from the upper surface, the first end of the attractable element has a lower surface facing the upper surface and the lower surface of the first end contacts the upper surface at an acute angle, and the lower surface of the first end forms an obtuse angle with the lower surface of the middle portion.

4. The key structure according to claim 2 , wherein the attractable element has an opening, and the opening overlaps the upper surface of the magnet in a vertical projecting direction of the key cap.

5. The key structure according to claim 4 , wherein the attractable element further comprises a tongue plate extending into the opening and forming another included angle with the upper surface when the attractable element has the line contact with the magnet.

6. The key structure according to claim 1 , wherein the first supporting part comprises two first pivot holes, the second supporting part comprises two second pivot holes, and the two first pivot holes are opposite to the two second pivot holes for receiving the two ends of the first pivot coupling portion and the two ends of the second pivot coupling portion, respectively.

7. The key structure according to claim 6 , wherein the first supporting part further comprises a positioning hole located between the two first pivot holes, and the first hinge part has at least a positioning stick on the axis and received in the positioning hole, wherein when the key cap is pressed to move downwards, the positioning stick has a degree of freedom with respect to the positioning hole in a movement direction of the key cap.

8. The key structure according to claim 1 , further comprising two first gaskets and two second gaskets, wherein the first gaskets are disposed on the two ends of the first pivot coupling portion respectively so that the first hinge part and the first supporting part and the first hinge part and the second supporting part are spaced apart at a first distance respectively, and the second gaskets are disposed on the two ends of the second pivot coupling portion respectively so that the second hinge part and the first supporting part and the second hinge part and the second supporting part are spaced apart at a second distance respectively.

9. The key structure according to claim 1 , further comprising a thin film circuit board correspondingly located under the bridge assembly, wherein the first hinge part and the second hinge part further comprise a first protrusion and a second protrusion respectively for being in contact with the thin film circuit board, and wherein when the first hinge part and the second hinge part rotate with respect to each other, the first protrusion and the second protrusion reduce a tolerance between the first hinge part and the thin film circuit board and a tolerance between the second hinge part and the thin film circuit board respectively.

10. The key structure according to claim 1 , further comprising a supporting board for connecting the first supporting part and the second supporting part, wherein the first and second supporting parts are in parallel and erected on the supporting board.

11. The key structure according to claim 10 , further comprising a base board, wherein the base board stacks with the supporting board, and the base board has a recess for receiving the magnet, wherein a bottom of the magnet is in contact with the base board and the magnet is encompassed by sidewalls of the recess.

12. The key structure according to claim 9 , wherein the thin film circuit board has a first switch element and a second switch element, the first hinge part has a first actuation portion correspondingly located above the first switch element, the second hinge part has a second actuation portion correspondingly located above the second switch element, and the first actuation portion and the second actuation portion are adjacent to edges of the key cap and on opposite sides with respect to the axis passing through the center of the key cap.

13. The key structure according to claim 12 , wherein the first switch element are two, and the second switch element are two, and the positions of the first switch elements and the second switch elements are corresponding to four corners of the key cap.

14. A key structure, comprising:
a key cap;
a bridge assembly disposed under the key cap, wherein the bridge assembly comprises:
a first hinge part, having a first pivot coupling portion and a first connecting portion; and
a second hinge part, having a second pivot coupling portion and a second connecting portion, wherein the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion are connected to form an axis, the first hinge part and the second hinge part rotate with respect to the axis, and the axis is located between the first pivot coupling portion and the second pivot coupling portion;

a first supporting part and a second supporting part coupled to two ends of the first pivot coupling portion and two ends of the second pivot coupling portion, respectively;
an attractable element disposed on the second hinge part and rotatable with the second hinge part in a same rotating direction around the axis; and
a magnet correspondingly located under the attractable element.

15. A key structure, comprising:
a key cap;
a bridge assembly disposed under the key cap, wherein the bridge assembly comprises:
a first hinge part, having a first pivot coupling portion and a first connecting portion; and
a second hinge part, having a second pivot coupling portion and a second connecting portion, wherein the first connecting portion and the second connecting portion are connected to form an axis, the first hinge part and the second hinge part rotate with respect to the axis, and the axis is located between the first pivot coupling portion and the second pivot coupling portion;

a first supporting part and a second supporting part coupled to two ends of the first pivot coupling portion and two ends of the second pivot coupling portion, respectively;
an attractable element disposed on the second hinge part; and
a magnet correspondingly located under the attractable element, wherein when the key cap is not presse

Assignees

• Lite On Technology Corp

Inventors

• Chen Chun-Lin
• Liu Hsin-Fu

Classifications

• H01H2227/036

  Minimise height · CPC title

• H01F1/059

  and Va elements, e.g. Sm2Fe17N2 · CPC title

• H01H13/7065

  characterised by the mechanism between keys and layered keyboards · CPC title

• H01H3/122

  with enlarged actuating area, e.g. of the elongated bar-type; Stabilising means therefor · CPC title

• H01H2221/04

  magnetic · CPC title