Key structure with mechanical switch and mechanical switch thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9972461-B2
Application number	US-201715656254-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 21, 2017
Priority date	Sep 29, 2016
Publication date	May 15, 2018
Grant date	May 15, 2018

Abstract

A key structure with mechanical switch includes a keycap, a support plate board disposed under the keycap, a scissor unit, a receiving housing, a guiding outer cylinder, a rotating inner cylinder and an elastic element. The scissor unit guides the keycap up or down along a pressing direction. The receiving housing has a plurality of sectional boards and a plurality of sectional cutouts. The guiding outer cylinder is movably received in the receiving housing along the pressing direction, and abuts against a bottom surface of the keycap. The guiding outer cylinder has a plurality of positioning bumps and a plurality of lodging recesses. The rotating inner cylinder is received in the guiding outer cylinder and has a plurality of sliding bumps. The elastic element is located in the rotating inner cylinder to provide elasticity toward the keycap. The present disclosure also provides a mechanical switch.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A key structure with mechanical switch, comprising:
a keycap;
a support plate, disposed under the keycap, the support plate having an opening;
a scissor unit, disposed between the keycap and the support plate, to guide the keycap to move up or down along a pressing direction;
a receiving housing, disposed under the support plate, the receiving housing having a plurality of sectional boards arranged in an annular manner and a plurality of sectional cutouts formed among the sectional boards at intervals;
a guiding outer cylinder, received in the receiving housing and movably arranged in the pressing direction, the guiding outer cylinder protruding beyond the opening and abutting against a bottom surface of the keycap; wherein the guiding outer cylinder has a main cylinder part, a plurality of positioning bumps protruding outward from a bottom of the main cylinder part, and a plurality of lodging recesses arranged among the positioning bumps at intervals; the guiding outer cylinder having a downward hollow receiving space;
a rotating inner cylinder, received in the hollow receiving space of the guiding outer cylinder, the rotating inner cylinder having an inner cylinder part, and a plurality of sliding bumps protruding outward from a bottom of the inner cylinder part;
an elastic element, disposed underneath the rotating inner cylinder, so as to provide the rotating inner cylinder with an elastic force toward the keycap;
wherein the keycap is not pressed, the sliding bumps are respectively arranged on the bottom ends of the positioning bumps, and in the sectional cutouts;
wherein the keycap is pressed, the positioning bumps move away from the sectional cutouts in the pressing direction, and the sliding bumps are respectively slid on bottom ends of the positioning bumps into the lodging recesses;
wherein the keycap is released, and the sliding bumps are slid on bottom surfaces of the sectional boards to bottom ends of the positioning bumps.

2. The key structure with mechanical switch as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the receiving housing has an upper housing and a lower housing, the upper housing having an outer edge portion engaged with the lower housing, the sectional boards being parallel to and being arranged in the outer edge portion.

3. The key structure with mechanical switch as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the outer edge portion is formed with a plurality of wedding holes, an outer surface of the lower housing is formed with a plurality of hooking bumps, and the hooking bumps are correspondingly wedged into the wedding holes.

4. The key structure with mechanical switch as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the lower housing is formed with a plurality of yielding holes, the positions of the yielding holes corresponding to the positioning bumps of the guiding outer cylinder respectively.

5. The key structure with mechanical switch as claimed in claim 2 , wherein each of the sectional boards is formed with a guiding rib parallel to the pressing direction on an inner surface thereof, and the guiding outer cylinder is formed with a plurality of guiding slots on an outer surface thereof for receiving the guiding ribs correspondingly.

6. The key structure with mechanical switch as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the positioning bump of the guiding outer cylinder has a lower slope formed on a bottom end thereof, and the lower slope is oblique relative to the pressing direction; wherein the sliding bump of the rotating inner cylinder has an upper slope formed on a top end thereof, and the upper slope is oblique relative to the pressing direction, the upper slope being abutted against the lower slope.

7. The key structure with mechanical switch as claimed in claim 6 , wherein the guiding outer cylinder has an extending slope, and the extending slope is extended from the lower slope to the lodging recess.

8. The key structure with mechanical switch as claimed in claim 7 , wherein each of the sectional boards has a first side, a second side and an oblique bottom side connected between the first side and the second side, and wherein the first side is shorter than the second side.

9. The key structure with mechanical switch as claimed in claim 8 , wherein when the keycap is released, the oblique bottom side of the sectional board, the lower slope of the positioning bump, and the extending slope of the guiding outer cylinder are substantially arranged on one cambered surface.

10. The key structure with mechanical switch as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the rotating inner cylinder is hollow and receives a triggering module therein, and the receiving housing formed with a through hole on a bottom thereof; wherein in a released state of the keycap, the triggering module does not protrude beyond the through hole, and in a pressed state of the keycap, a part of the triggering module protrudes beyond the through hole.

11. The key structure with mechanical switch as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the triggering module has an accommodating casing, a spring received in the accommodating casing, and a triggering portion movably received in the accommodating casing and abutted against the spring, a part of the triggering portion protruding beyond the bottom surface of the accommodating casing.

12. A mechanical switch, comprising:
a receiving housing, having a plurality of sectional boards arranged in an annular manner and a plurality of sectional cutouts formed among the sectional boards at intervals;
a guiding outer cylinder, received in the receiving housing and movably arranged in a pressing direction; wherein the guiding outer cylinder has a main cylinder part, a plurality of positioning bumps protruding outward from a bottom of the main cylinder part, and a plurality of lodging recesses arranged among the positioning bumps at intervals, the guiding outer cylinder having a downward hollow receiving space;
a rotating inner cylinder, received in the hollow receiving space of the guiding outer cylinder, the rotating inner cylinder having an inner cylinder part, and a plurality of sliding bumps protruding outward from a bottom of the inner cylinder part;
an elastic element, disposed underneath the rotating inner cylinder, so as to provide the rotating inner cylinder with an elastic force toward the guiding outer cylinder;
wherein the guiding outer cylinder is not pressed, the sliding bumps are respectively arranged on the bottom ends of the positioning bumps, and in the sectional cutouts;
wherein the guiding outer cylinder is pressed, the positioning bumps move away from the sectional cutouts in the pressing direction, and the sliding bumps are respectively slid on bottom ends of the positioning bumps into the lodging recesses;
wherein when the guiding outer cylinder is released, the sliding bumps are slid on bottom surfaces of the sectional boards to bottom ends of the positioning bumps.

13. The mechanical switch as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the receiving housing has an upper housing and a lower housing, the upper housing having an outer edge portion engaged with the lower housing, and the sectional boards are parallel to and arranged in the outer edge portion.

14. The mechanical switch as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the outer edge portion is formed with a plurality of wedding holes, an outer surface of the lower housing is formed with a plurality of hooking bumps, the hooking bumps being correspondingly wedged into the wedding holes.

15. The mechanical switch as claimed in claim 13 , wherein the lower housing is formed with a plurality of yielding holes, the positions of the yielding holes corresponding to the posit

Assignees

• Lite On Electronics Guangzhou
• Lite On Technology Corp

Inventors

• Chen Chun-Lin
• Lin Ko-Hsiang
• Su Chih-Wen

Classifications

• H01H13/7065 Primary

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

• H01H2235/01

  Spiral spring · CPC title

• H01H13/10

  Bases; Stationary contacts mounted thereon · CPC title

• H01H13/04

  Cases; Covers · CPC title

• H01H13/14 Primary

  Operating parts, e.g. push-button · CPC title