Waterproof silica gel key and preparation method thereof, underwater working device

Abstract

The embodiment of the application discloses a waterproof silica gel key and a preparation method thereof and underwater working equipment, the silica gel key is composed of a PC plastic part and a silica gel part, wherein the PC plastic part comprises a panel body, a key area is concavely arranged on the panel body, a plurality of key holes are arranged on the key area, and a waterproof groove is arranged around the key hole; the silica gel part comprises a key base corresponding to the key area and a key cap corresponding to the key hole, a straight wall corresponding to the outer periphery of the key hole is arranged on the key base, an R angle is arranged on the straight wall, and the edge of the key cap is connected with the R angle; and a waterproof strip corresponding to the waterproof groove is arranged on the bottom of the key base. The PC plastic part and the silica gel part are formed together to achieve a high waterproof effect, the service life is doubled, and the silica gel key can be widely applied to underwater working equipment.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of button manufacturing technology, and in particular to a waterproof silicone button, its preparation method, and underwater working equipment. Background Technology

[0002] Most existing silicone buttons rely on waterproof rings to achieve sealing and waterproofing between the button and the casing. Due to the soft nature of silicone buttons, it is difficult to seal them properly with the device's housing. This results in poor waterproofing, especially when used on underwater equipment. In pressurized water environments, the poor waterproofing is amplified, failing to protect the electronic components of the underwater equipment. Furthermore, these existing designs are complex to assemble, leading to low production efficiency. Summary of the Invention

[0003] The technical problem to be solved by the embodiments of the present invention is to provide a waterproof silicone button, a method for preparing the same, and an underwater working device, so as to improve the waterproof performance of the silicone button.

[0004] To address the aforementioned technical problems, this invention provides a waterproof silicone button, comprising a PC plastic component and a silicone component, wherein... PC plastic parts include a panel body, a button area is recessed on the panel body, a plurality of button holes are opened on the button area, and a waterproof groove is provided around the outer periphery of each button hole; The silicone component includes a key base that matches the key area and keycaps that correspond one-to-one with the key holes. The key base has straight walls that correspond one-to-one with the outer periphery of the key holes, and the straight walls have rounded corners. The edges of the keycaps are connected to the rounded corners. The bottom of the key base has a waterproof strip that corresponds to the waterproof groove. The PC plastic parts are made of plastic material, while the silicone parts are made of liquid silicone material. The silicone parts are connected to the button area of ​​the PC plastic parts by a waterproof strip.

[0005] Furthermore, a limiting groove is provided on the outer side of the corresponding straight wall on the button base.

[0006] Furthermore, a pressing part is protruding from the bottom of the keycap.

[0007] Furthermore, the keycaps are equipped with markings.

[0008] Accordingly, embodiments of the present invention also provide a method for preparing a waterproof silicone button, comprising: Step 1: Inject the PC plastic part into shape; Step 2: Apply a treatment agent to the surface of the waterproof groove of the PC plastic part; Step 3: Place the PC plastic part into the cavity of the silicone part mold, inject liquid silicone material, heat for a preset time and then form to obtain a waterproof silicone button; wherein, the silicone part mold consists of an upper mold and a lower mold, which form a cavity that matches the waterproof silicone button.

[0009] Furthermore, the temperature of the silicone liquid raw material during injection is 45℃-55℃, the upper mold heating temperature is 115℃-125℃, the lower mold heating temperature is 110℃-120℃, and the heating time is 190S-210S.

[0010] Furthermore, the treatment agent is an organosilicon surfactant.

[0011] Accordingly, this embodiment of the invention also provides an underwater working device, including a housing and the aforementioned waterproof silicone button. The panel body of the waterproof silicone button is provided with multiple screw holes, and the waterproof silicone button is sealed to the housing by screws.

[0012] The beneficial effects of this invention are as follows: This invention achieves a high waterproof effect by molding PC plastic parts and silicone parts together, and doubles the service life, making it widely applicable to underwater work equipment. Attached Figure Description

[0013] Figure 1 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the waterproof silicone button from one angle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0014] Figure 2 This is a three-dimensional structural view of the waterproof silicone button from another angle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0015] Figure 3 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the PC plastic part according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 4 This is a three-dimensional structural diagram of the silicone part from one angle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 5 This is a three-dimensional structural view of the silicone part from another angle according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 6 This is a front view of the waterproof silicone button according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] Figure 7 yes Figure 6 Cross-sectional view at point AA.

[0020] Figure 8 This is a flowchart of a method for preparing a waterproof silicone button according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Explanation of icon numbers PC plastic part 10, panel body 11, button area 12, button hole 13, waterproof groove 14, screw hole 15, locking post 16, silicone part 20, button base 21, keycap 22, straight wall 23, rounded corner 24, waterproof strip 25, limiting groove 26, pressing part 27, marking part 28. Detailed Implementation

[0022] It should be noted that, unless otherwise specified, the embodiments and features described in this application can be combined with each other. The present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0023] In this embodiment of the invention, directional indicators (such as up, down, left, right, front, back, etc.) are only used to explain the relative positional relationship and movement of each component in a specific posture (as shown in the figure). If the specific posture changes, the directional indicator will also change accordingly.

[0024] Furthermore, in this invention, descriptions involving "first," "second," etc., are for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature defined with "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of those features.

[0025] Please refer to Figures 1 to 7 The waterproof silicone button of this invention is composed of a PC plastic part and a silicone part, wherein, The PC plastic part includes a panel body with a recessed button area and multiple button holes. Each button hole has a surrounding waterproof groove. Preferably, the panel body has multiple screw holes for easy installation and sealing with screws; a locking post is provided on the back of the panel body for easy installation and sealing.

[0026] The silicone component includes a key base that matches the key area and keycaps that correspond one-to-one with the key holes. The key base has straight walls that correspond one-to-one with the outer perimeter of the key holes, and the straight walls have rounded corners (R-angles). The edge of the keycap connects to the rounded corner. A waterproof strip corresponding to the waterproof groove is provided at the bottom of the key base. Preferably, the radius of the rounded corner is 0.6mm, and the thickness of the straight wall is 0.21mm. This design of straight arms and rounded corners improves the pressing feel (improves key rebound performance) while significantly extending the key lifespan. Traditional key lifespan is 500,000 keystrokes, while the key lifespan of this invention can reach 1,500,000 keystrokes.

[0027] The PC plastic parts are made of plastic material, while the silicone parts are made of liquid silicone material. The silicone parts are connected to the button area of ​​the PC plastic parts via a waterproof strip. The waterproof strip is embedded in a waterproof groove to improve the sealing and adhesion strength between the PC plastic parts and the silicone parts.

[0028] In one implementation, a limiting groove is provided on the outer side of the button base corresponding to the straight wall. The limiting groove on the edge of the button in this invention is used to limit the button's movement during pressing, improving its pressing performance, lifespan, and feel; it is also more aesthetically pleasing. Preferably, the limiting groove is 0.16mm wide and 0.1mm deep.

[0029] In one implementation, the keycap has a protruding pressing part at its bottom. The pressing part facilitates pressing the electronic contact elements inside the underwater working device, shortening the pressing stroke. The distance between the bottom surface of the pressing part and the surface of the panel body ranges from 1mm to 2mm, preferably 1.46mm.

[0030] As one implementation method, the keycap is provided with an identification part, which is molded in one piece with the silicone part, which can save production steps and improve production efficiency.

[0031] Please refer to Figure 8 The method for preparing the waterproof silicone button according to the present invention includes steps 1 to 3.

[0032] Step 1: Inject the PC plastic part into shape.

[0033] Step 2: Apply a treatment agent to the surface of the waterproof groove of the PC plastic part. The treatment agent improves the polarity of the surface of the PC plastic material, so that the plastic material of the PC plastic part and the silicone material of the silicone part can be tightly bonded after thermoforming (normally, the plastic material and silicone material cannot be tightly bonded after thermoforming), achieving a complete seal.

[0034] Step 3: Place the PC plastic part into the cavity of the silicone mold, inject liquid silicone material to fill the remaining space in the cavity, and then heat for a preset time to form (the molding principle of liquid silicone material is cold injection followed by heating), thus forming a waterproof silicone button by integrally molding the PC plastic part and the silicone part. The silicone mold consists of an upper mold and a lower mold, which together form a cavity that matches the waterproof silicone button.

[0035] In one embodiment, the temperature of the molten silicone material during injection is 45℃-55℃, the upper mold heating temperature is 115℃-125℃, the lower mold heating temperature is 110℃-120℃, and the heating time is 190S-210S. Preferably, the temperature of the molten silicone material during injection is 50℃, the upper mold heating temperature is 120℃, the lower mold heating temperature is 115℃, and the heating time is 200S.

[0036] In one embodiment, the treatment agent is an organosilicon activator, for example, the treatment agent can be the one produced by Dongguan Wobang Adhesive Co., Ltd.

[0037] The underwater working device of this invention includes a housing and a waterproof silicone button. The panel of the waterproof silicone button has multiple screw holes for easy installation and sealing via screws. The waterproof silicone button is sealed to the housing by screws, and the waterproof silicone button and the housing of the underwater working device are securely sealed together using screws and sealing rings, resulting in a good sealing effect. Compared with existing waterproof structures for silicone buttons, this significantly improves waterproof performance.

[0038] Although embodiments of the invention have been shown and described, it will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to these embodiments without departing from the principles and spirit of the invention, the scope of which is defined by the appended claims and their equivalents.

Claims

1. A method for preparing a waterproof silicone button, characterized in that, The waterproof silicone button is composed of PC plastic parts and silicone parts, wherein, PC plastic parts include a panel body, a button area is recessed on the panel body, a plurality of button holes are opened on the button area, and a waterproof groove is provided around the outer periphery of each button hole; The silicone component includes a key base that matches the key area and keycaps that correspond one-to-one with the key holes. The key base has straight walls that correspond one-to-one with the outer periphery of the key holes, and the straight walls have rounded corners. The edges of the keycaps are connected to the rounded corners. The bottom of the key base has a waterproof strip that corresponds to the waterproof groove. The bottom of the keycap has a protruding pressing part; The distance between the bottom surface of the pressing part and the ground of the panel body ranges from 1mm to 2mm; the thickness of the straight wall is 0.21mm; The PC plastic part is made of plastic material, and the silicone part is made of liquid silicone material. The silicone part is connected to the button area of ​​the PC plastic part by a waterproof strip; a limiting groove is provided on the outer side of the button base corresponding to the straight wall; the method includes: Step 1: Inject the PC plastic part into shape; Step 2: Apply a treatment agent to the surface of the waterproof groove of the PC plastic part; Step 3: Place the PC plastic part into the cavity of the silicone part mold, inject liquid silicone material, heat for a preset time and then form to obtain a waterproof silicone button; wherein, the silicone part mold consists of an upper mold and a lower mold, which form a cavity that matches the waterproof silicone button.

2. The method for preparing a waterproof silicone button as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The temperature of the silicone liquid raw material during injection is 45℃-55℃, the upper mold heating temperature is 115℃-125℃, the lower mold heating temperature is 110℃-120℃, and the heating time is 190S-210S.

3. The method for preparing a waterproof silicone button as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The treatment agent is an organosilicon surfactant.

4. The method for preparing a waterproof silicone button as described in claim 1, characterized in that, The keycaps have an identification section.

5. An underwater working device, comprising a housing, characterized in that, It also includes a waterproof silicone button prepared according to the method for preparing a waterproof silicone button according to any one of claims 1-4, wherein the panel body of the waterproof silicone button is provided with a plurality of screw holes, and the waterproof silicone button is sealed to the housing by screws.

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