Keyboard Base Plate Raised Structure Hook Penetration
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional keyboard devices face issues with structural strength and weight due to the use of metallic materials, and the in-mold injection process to strengthen hooks increases costs, while aluminum plates have insufficient strength after bending.
Innovation Solution
A keyboard device with a raised structure on the base plate, featuring a top wall, lateral wall, and perforation, where the connecting member's hooks penetrate through the perforation for enhanced pull-out resistance, reducing the risk of damage and allowing for a simplified stamping process that lowers costs and reduces thickness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Strength
If a metallic material with higher strength is used as the base plate, then the structural strength is improved, but the overall weight is largely increased
Solution Approach 1:
The base plate is segmented into a light-weight main body (aluminum plate) and localized reinforced regions (raised structures with hooks). This segmentation allows the base plate to achieve both light weight and sufficient strength by concentrating material only where needed for structural support.
Solution Approach 2:
The base plate employs a composite structure combining aluminum material with strategically positioned raised reinforcement structures. This composite approach integrates the advantages of light weight (aluminum) with localized strength enhancement (raised structures), resolving the contradiction between weight and strength.
2Ease of manufacture
If the aluminum plate is subjected to a bending process to create hooks, then the connecting structure is formed, but the strength of the hooks is insufficient and they are readily broken
Solution Approach 1:
The raised structures with hooks are pre-formed on the aluminum base plate through stamping before assembly. This preliminary action creates reinforced hook structures that maintain sufficient strength while enabling efficient manufacturing through the stamping process.
Solution Approach 2:
The hook structures are transformed from simple bent aluminum pieces to raised reinforcement structures with increased material volume and optimized geometry. This parameter change (increasing height, adding reinforcement walls) significantly improves hook strength while maintaining compatibility with stamping manufacturing.
3Strength
If the in-mold injection process is used to produce hooks on the aluminum base plate, then the strength of the hooks is increased, but the fabricating cost is largely increased
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the expensive in-mold injection process with a simpler, cheaper stamping process to create the raised hook structures. While in-mold injection provides excellent strength, the stamping process achieves sufficient hook strength at a fraction of the cost, making it economically viable for mass production.
Solution Approach 2:
The manufacturing approach changes from in-mold injection (complex, expensive) to stamping (simple, cheap). The raised structure geometry is optimized to achieve adequate strength through stamping, accepting slightly reduced strength compared to injection while gaining significant cost advantages.
4Device complexity
If upwardly-bent hooks are equipped on the aluminum base plate, then the connecting structure is formed, but the hooks have insufficient strength and are readily broken
Solution Approach 1:
The hooks are pre-formed as raised reinforcement structures on the base plate through stamping, creating robust connecting elements before assembly. This preliminary formation ensures sufficient strength while maintaining structural simplicity.
Solution Approach 2:
The hooks transition from simple planar bent pieces to three-dimensional raised structures with vertical walls and reinforced geometry. This dimensional change (from 2D bent hooks to 3D raised structures) dramatically improves strength while keeping the overall design simple and manufacturable.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The raised structure enhances the keyboard's structural strength, reduces fabricating costs, and minimizes the device's outer thickness without compromising durability during frequent use.
Implementation Method 1
the keycap is moved upwardly relative to the base plate in response to an elastic force of the elastic element
Data Source
AI summary
A keyboard device includes plural key structures. Each key structure includes a base plate, a keycap, a connecting member and at least one raised structure. The keycap is located over the base plate. The connecting member is arranged between the base plate and the keycap. The keycap is movable upwardly or downwardly relative to the base plate through the connecting member. The connecting member includes at least one first hook part. The raised structure is installed on the base plate. The first hook part is connected with the raised structure. The raised structure includes a top wall, a lateral wall and a perforation. The lateral wall is connected between the top wall and the base plate. The perforation is formed in the lateral wall. The first hook part is penetrated through the perforation and contacted with the top wall.