TWI847514B - Mouse silent button structure - Google Patents

Abstract

A mouse silent button structure includes a base shell, a button cover and a connecting rod. The button cover is disposed above the base shell and separated from the base shell by a certain distance. The button cover includes a trigger portion, a first pivotal portion and a second pivotal portion. The trigger portion extends into the base shell. The first pivot portion is pivotally connected to the base shell. The first pivotal portion is disposed between the second pivotal portion and the trigger portion. The connecting rod has a first end and a second end, and the first end is pivotally connected to the second pivot portion. When the button cover is pressed to drive the trigger portion moving down, a first movement trace of the first end partially overlaps with a second movement trace of the second pivotal portion.

Description

Mouse mute button structure

This disclosure relates to a computer peripheral product, and more particularly to a mouse button structure.

Among various computer peripherals, the mouse is an essential input device for operating a computer. The mouse can be used to move the cursor on the computer screen, click on images on the computer screen, or execute functions to effectively control the computer.

However, it is known that the mouse button will produce a loud noise when it is pressed due to the collision of components or the reciprocating operation of the switch. When the user operates it frequently, it will form a kind of noise, which will not only disturb others but also affect the user's operating experience.

Therefore, there is a need to provide an advanced mouse mute button structure to improve the problems faced by learning technology.

An embodiment of the present specification discloses a mouse mute key structure, including a bottom shell, a key cover and a connecting rod. The key cover is located above the bottom shell and is separated from the bottom shell by a distance. The key cover includes a trigger portion, a first pivot portion and a second pivot portion. The trigger portion extends toward the inside of the bottom shell. The first pivot portion is pivoted with the bottom shell. The first pivot portion is located between the second pivot portion and the trigger portion. The connecting rod has a first end and a second end, and the first end is pivoted with the second pivot portion. The second end is pivoted with the bottom shell. When the key cover is pressed to cause the trigger part to move downward, the first movement track of the first end partially overlaps with the second movement track of the second hinge part.

Another embodiment of the present specification discloses a mouse structure, which includes the aforementioned mouse mute key structure and a control circuit. The control circuit is disposed in the bottom shell and includes a trigger switch for emitting at least one electronic signal in response to the triggering of the triggering part.

According to the above, the embodiment of the present specification provides a mouse mute key structure, which forms a trigger part, a first pivot part and a second pivot part on the key cover of the mouse, and extends downward from the lower surface of the key cover into the bottom shell of the mouse. The trigger part abuts against the micro switch in the bottom shell of the mouse; the first pivot part is pivoted with the abutment shell; the second pivot part is pivoted with one end of the connecting rod in the bottom shell of the mouse; and the other end of the connecting rod is pivoted with the bottom shell of the mouse. In this way, the first pivot part, the second pivot part and the connecting rod can form a triangular rocker structure including two fixed pivot points and one movable pivot point in the bottom shell of the mouse. When the key cover is pressed and reciprocates, the movable pivot point swings on both sides (up and down) of the connecting axis of the two fixed pivot points. By adjusting the length of the triangular rocker structure, the movement of the key cover can be controlled within a specific range to prevent the key cover and the bottom shell from colliding and generating noise.

10: Mouse structure

10S: Storage space

100: Mouse mute button structure

101: Base

101a: Bottom of the bottom shell

102: bottom shell

102a: Upper surface of the bottom shell

102b: Perforation

102c: Perforation

102d: Perforation

102e: flange

102f: flange

103: Micro switch

103a: Reciprocating

104: Button cover

104a: Main body

104b: Triggering unit

104c: First joint

104d: Second joint

104d1: Short rod

104d2: Long rod

104d3: Connection point

104S: Bottom of the main body

105: Connecting rod

105a: First end

105b: Second end

106: Locking element

107: Triangular connecting rod structure

107a: Fixed pivot point

107b: Fixed pivot point

107c: Movable hinge

107d: Fixed axis

109: Axle hole

108: Axis

120: Control circuit

120a: Circuit board

120b: Active element and/or passive element

H: Distance

L1: First track

L2: Second track

P1: Bottom dead center

P2: Top dead center

M: Distance between the connection point and the second end of the connecting rod

In order to better understand the above and other aspects of this specification, the following is a detailed description of the embodiments with the accompanying drawings as follows: Figure 1A is a schematic diagram of a partially exploded cross-sectional structure of a mouse structure according to an embodiment of this specification; Figure 1B is a schematic diagram of a partially assembled cross-sectional structure of the mouse structure when it is not pressed according to Figure 1A; and Figure 1C is a schematic diagram of a partially assembled cross-sectional structure of the mouse structure when it is pressed according to Figure 1A.

This manual provides a mouse silent button structure that can reduce the noise generated by component collision or switch reciprocating operation when the mouse button is pressed. In order to make the above-mentioned embodiments and other purposes, features and advantages of this manual more clearly understandable, several preferred embodiments are specifically cited below, and detailed descriptions are provided in conjunction with the attached drawings.

However, it must be noted that these specific implementation cases and methods are not intended to limit the present invention. The present invention can still be implemented using other features, components, methods and parameters. The preferred embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical features of the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the patent application of the present invention. A person with ordinary knowledge in the technical field will be able to make equal modifications and changes based on the description of the following specification without departing from the spirit of the present invention. In different embodiments and drawings, the same components will be represented by the same component symbols.

Please refer to Figures 1A to 1C. Figure 1A is a schematic diagram of a partially exploded cross-sectional structure of a mouse structure 10 according to an embodiment of this specification. Figure 1B is a schematic diagram of a partially assembled cross-sectional structure of the mouse structure 10 when it is not pressed according to Figure 1A. Figure 1C is a schematic diagram of a partially assembled cross-sectional structure of the mouse structure 10 when it is pressed according to Figure 1A. The mouse structure 10 includes a mouse mute key structure 100 and a control circuit 120 electrically connected to the mouse mute key structure 100.

The mouse mute button structure 100 includes a base 101, a bottom shell 102, a micro switch 103, a button cover 104, and a connecting rod 105. In some embodiments of the present specification, the base 101 and the bottom shell 102 are half shell structures, which are correspondingly engaged with each other to define a receiving space 10S for receiving the control circuit 120, the micro switch 103, and the connecting rod 105.

The control circuit 120 is disposed in the accommodation space 10S defined by the base 101 and the bottom shell 102, and is fixed on the bottom surface 101a of the bottom shell 101 through a locking element (e.g., a screw or a latch groove) 106. The control circuit 120 is composed of a circuit substrate 120a and a plurality of active elements and/or passive elements 120b located on the circuit substrate 120a, and can be electrically connected to a host (not shown) through wires (not shown) or wireless transmission. The micro switch 103 is located above the circuit substrate 120a and is electrically in contact with the control circuit 120.

The key cover 104 is located above the upper surface 102a of the bottom shell 102 and is separated from the upper surface 102a of the bottom shell 102 by a distance H. In some embodiments of the present specification, the key cover 104 may be a half shell or an arc-shaped plate covering the upper surface 102a of the bottom shell 102. For example, in the present embodiment, the main body 104a of the key cover 104 may be an arc-shaped plate. And this arc-shaped plate has the same curvature radius as a portion of the upper surface 102a of the bottom shell 102. When the button cover 104 is not pressed, the main body 104a is substantially parallel to the upper surface 102a of the bottom shell 102, and they maintain a distance H from each other (as shown in FIG. 1B).

The key cover 104 also includes a trigger portion 104b, a first pivot portion 104c, and a second pivot portion 104d. In some embodiments of the present specification, the trigger portion 104a, the first pivot portion 104c, and the second pivot portion 104d can be a columnar or curved extension rod, and extend outward from the bottom surface 104S of the body portion 104a facing the upper surface 102a of the bottom shell 102, and pass through the bottom shell 102 into the accommodating space 10S.

For example, in this embodiment, the trigger portion 104b is a columnar extension rod, extending outward from the bottom surface 104S of the body portion 104a, and passing through the through hole 102b penetrating the upper surface 102a of the bottom shell 102 to enter the accommodating space 10S, and its terminal end contacts the reciprocating member 103a of the micro switch 103. The first hinge portion 104c is also a columnar extension rod, extending outward from the bottom surface 104S of the body portion 104a, passing through the through hole 102c penetrating the upper surface 102a of the bottom shell 102, entering the accommodating space 10S, and its terminal end hinges with a flange (or rib) 102e of the bottom shell 102 protruding in the accommodating space 10S.

The second pivoting portion 104d is an extension rod with a curved rod structure, which includes a short rod portion 104d1 and a long rod portion 104d2 connected to each other. The short rod portion 104d1 extends downward from the connection point 104d3 of the bottom surface 104S of the main body 104a, passes through the through hole 102d penetrating the bottom shell 102, and enters the accommodating space 10S. Among them, one end of the long rod portion 104d2 is connected to the short rod 104d1, and the other end is turned at an angle and extends in a direction close to (located in the accommodating space 10S) the connecting rod 105, and pivots with the connecting rod 105.

Specifically, the first pivoting portion 104c is located between the second pivoting portion 104d and the triggering portion 104a; the second pivoting portion 104d is located between the first pivoting portion 104c and the connecting rod 105. The connecting rod 105 has a first end 105a and a second end 105b, the first end 105a is pivoted to the second pivoting portion 104d; the second end 105b is pivoted to another flange (or rib) 102f of the bottom shell 102 protruding from the accommodating space 10S. The sum of the lengths of the second hinge portion 104 (short rod portion 104d1 and long rod portion 104d2) and the connecting rod 105 is substantially greater than the distance M between the connection point 104d3 and the second end 105b of the connecting rod 105.

By means of the first pivot part 104c, the second pivot part 104d and the connecting rod 105, a triangular rocker structure 107 including two fixed pivot points 107a and 107b and a movable pivot point 107c can be formed in the accommodation space 10S. The connection line of the two fixed pivot points 107a and 107b forms a fixed axis 107d. The first end 105a of the connecting rod 105 swings around the fixed axis 107d, so that the movable pivot point 107c swings on both sides (up and down) of the fixed axis 107d.

In this embodiment, the hinge between the first hinge part 104c and the flange (or rib) 102e of the bottom shell 102 can be used as the fixed hinge 107a of the triangular connecting rod structure 107; the hinge between the second end 105b of the connecting rod 105 and the flange (or rib) 102f of the bottom shell 102 can be used as the fixed hinge 107b of the triangular connecting rod structure 107; the hinge between the first end 105a of the connecting rod 105 and the second hinge part 104d can be used as the movable hinge 107c of the triangular connecting rod structure 107.

When the key cover 104 is not pressed, the reciprocating member 103a of the micro switch 103 is in an untriggered state and abuts against the triggering portion 104a of the key cover 104, so that the main body 104a of the key cover 104 and the upper surface 102a of the bottom shell 102 are substantially parallel and separated by a distance H (as shown in FIG. 1B). At this time, the movable pivot point 107c of the triangular connecting rod structure 107 is located at the bottom dead point P1 below the fixed axis 107d.

When the key cover 104 is subjected to a downward pressure, the end of the key cover 104 corresponding to the trigger portion 104a forces the trigger portion 104a to push the reciprocating member 103a of the micro switch 103 downward, thereby triggering the control circuit 120 and outputting an electronic signal. At the same time, the second pivot portion 104d of the key cover 104 moves upward along the second track L2, and pulls the first end 105a of the connecting rod 105 to move upward along the first track L1, thereby also driving the movable pivot point 107c of the triangular rocker structure 107 to move upward. The second track L2 of the second hinge 104d and the first track L1 of the first end 105a of the connecting rod 105 partially overlap each other (as shown in Figure 1C). When the movable hinge 107c of the triangular connecting rod structure 107 is pushed upward to the upper dead point P2 (common to the first track L1 and the second track L2), the end of the key cover 104 corresponding to the triggering part 104a is pulled by the triangular connecting rod structure 107 and no longer moves downward.

When the stress of pressing the key cover 104 is removed, the reciprocating member 103a of the micro switch 103 can push the end of the key cover 104 corresponding to the triggering portion 104b to move upward by the restoring stress accumulated when pressed, and at the same time drive the second pivoting portion 104d of the key cover 104 to move downward along the second track L2, and push the second end 105b of the connecting rod 105 to move downward along the first track L1 until the movable pivot point 107c of the triangular rocker structure 107 moves downward to the position when it is not pressed (i.e., the bottom dead point P1).

By adjusting the individual lengths of the first pivot part 104c, the second pivot part 104d and the connecting rod 105 in the triangular rocker structure 107, the displacement of the key cover 104 when pressed can be controlled within a specific range to prevent the key cover 104 from colliding with the upper surface 102a of the bottom shell 102 and generating noise.

In some embodiments of the present specification, the connecting rod 105 and the second hinge portion 104d can be hinged to a hinge structure in which the shaft hole 109 and the hinge 108 are tightly fitted and interfered with each other, so as to further delay the movement of the key cover 104. For example, in one embodiment, the terminal end of the second hinge portion 104d is provided with a hinge 108 which is inserted into the shaft hole 109 at the second end 105b of the connecting rod 105. The inner diameter of the shaft hole 109 is substantially slightly smaller than the outer diameter of the hinge 108. When the key cover 104 is pressed to movably trigger the micro switch 103, in addition to controlling the displacement range of the key cover 104 by the traction of the triangular connecting rod structure 107, the circular shaft hole 109 and the pivot 108 can be tightly fitted together to prevent the pivot 108 from rotating smoothly in the shaft hole 109 due to mutual interference and squeezing, thereby blocking the speed of the key cover 104 corresponding to the triggering part 104a moving downward, forming a sense of segmentation when the key cover 104 is pressed, so as to provide the key cover 104 with a greater pressing resistance.

However, it is worth noting that the design of the shaft hole 109 and the pivot 108 is not limited to this; the hole wall of the shaft hole 109 and the pivot 108 can also be designed to have a larger gap, so that the pivot 108 does not interfere with, or reduces the interference with, the wall of the shaft hole 109 when the force is applied, so as to selectively provide the key cover 104 with a lower pressing resistance. For example, in some other embodiments of the present specification, the pivot 108 can be disposed at the second end 105b of the connecting rod 105; the shaft hole 109 can be disposed at the end of the second pivot portion 104d. In this embodiment, the shaft hole 109 can be a long hole whose lateral dimension is substantially slightly larger than the outer diameter of the pivot 108 (but not limited thereto), which can provide the pivot 108 with a certain degree of freedom, allowing the pivot 108 to slide with a sufficient gap between the shaft holes 109 (as shown in FIG. 1B). Therefore, when the key cover 104 is pressed to movably trigger the micro switch 103, it can avoid excessive segmentation, thereby affecting the user's feel of pressing the key cover 104.

In some embodiments of the present specification, the micro switch 103 can be replaced by other structures. For example, in some embodiments, a sensing switch, such as a light switch (such as a pair of light emitters and light sensors), or a magnetic induction switch (such as a Hall effect sensor (not shown)) can be set on the circuit substrate 120a (such as a printed circuit board). As for the light switch, the triggering portion 104b of the key cover 104 can move and block the light path between the light emitter and the light sensor when the key is pressed, thereby triggering the generation of a light sensing signal. As for the magnetic switch, the triggering part 104b of the key cover 104 can be provided with a magnetic material so that when the triggering part 104b moves, the magnetic flux can be changed, triggering the Hall effect sensor to generate a magnetic induction signal. At the same time, an elastic member (not shown) can be installed in conjunction with the aforementioned induction switch to provide the key cover 104 with a restoring stress.

According to the above, the embodiment of the present specification provides a mouse mute key structure, which forms a trigger part, a first pivot part and a second pivot part on the key cover of the mouse, and extends downward from the lower surface of the key cover into the bottom shell of the mouse. The trigger part abuts against the micro switch in the bottom shell of the mouse; the first pivot part is pivoted with the abutment shell; the second pivot part is pivoted with one end of the connecting rod in the bottom shell of the mouse; and the other end of the connecting rod is pivoted with the bottom shell of the mouse. In this way, the first pivot part, the second pivot part and the connecting rod together form a triangular rocker structure including two fixed pivot points and one movable pivot point in the bottom shell of the mouse. When the key cover is pressed and reciprocates, the movable pivot point swings on both sides (up and down) of the connecting axis of the two fixed pivot points. By adjusting the length of the triangular rocker structure, the movement of the key cover can be controlled within a specific range to prevent the key cover and the bottom shell from colliding and generating noise.

Although the present invention has been disclosed as above with preferred embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Anyone with common knowledge in the technical field can make some changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention shall be subject to the scope of the patent application attached hereto.

10: Mouse structure

101a: Bottom of the bottom shell

102: bottom shell

102a: Upper surface of the bottom shell

102b: Perforation

102e: flange

102f: flange

103: Micro switch

103a: Reciprocating

104: Button cover

104a: Main body

104b: Triggering unit

104c: First joint

104d: Second joint

104d1: Short rod

104d2: Long rod

104d3: Connection point

104S: Bottom of the main body

105: Connecting rod

105a: First end

105b: Second end

106: Locking element

107: Triangular connecting rod structure

107a: Fixed pivot point

107b: Fixed pivot point

107c: Movable pivot point

107d: Fixed axis

120: Control circuit

H: Distance

L1: First track

L2: Second track

P1: Bottom dead center

Claims (9)

A mouse mute key structure includes: a bottom shell; a key cover located above the bottom shell and separated from the bottom shell by a distance, including: a trigger portion extending toward the inside of the bottom shell; a first pivot portion pivotally connected to the bottom shell; and a second pivot portion, wherein the first pivot portion is located between the second pivot portion and the trigger portion, wherein the second pivot portion is a A first extension rod extends outward from a connection point of the key cover; and a connecting rod has a first end and a second end, the first end is pivoted to the second pivot part; the second end is pivoted to the bottom shell; when the key cover is pressed to make the trigger part move downward, a first movement track of the first end partially overlaps with a second movement track of the second pivot part. The mouse mute button structure as described in claim 1, wherein the first extension rod has a first length; the connecting rod has a second length; and the sum of the first length and the second length is substantially greater than a distance between the connection point and the second end. The mouse mute key structure as described in claim 1, wherein one of the first end and the second pivot portion has a pivot; the other of the first end and the second pivot portion has an axis hole connected to the pivot. The mouse mute key structure as described in claim 3, wherein the shaft hole and the pivot are tightly coupled to provide the key cover with a greater pressing resistance. The mouse silent key structure as described in claim 3, wherein the shaft hole and the pivot both have a larger gap to provide the key cover with a lower pressing resistance. The mouse mute button structure as described in claim 3, wherein the axis hole is a long hole to provide the pivot with a degree of freedom. The mouse mute button structure as described in claim 1, wherein the first motion trajectory and the second motion trajectory have a common top dead center and a common bottom dead center. The mouse mute button structure as described in claim 1, wherein the first pivoting portion includes a second extension rod extending downward from a bottom surface of the button cover and pivoted to the bottom shell. A mouse structure, comprising: a mouse mute key structure as described in any one of claims 1 to 8; and a control circuit disposed in the bottom shell and including a trigger switch for emitting at least one electronic signal in response to the triggering of the triggering portion.

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