Keyboard Button Linking Mechanism for Sway Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Buttons on keyboards, particularly those with a length greater than their width, tend to result in loose or sway operations when pressed due to the cap's design, leading to imprecise input.
Innovation Solution
A button design featuring a base with positioning holes, restricting members with engaging portions, and a linking member that rotates to limit cap movement, ensuring a secure and tight press by inserting engaging portions into positioning holes, thus preventing looseness or sway.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of moving object
If the cap has a length greater than its width (multiple button design), then the button can accommodate larger keys like Space, Enter, or Shift, but the user experiences loose and sway operation when pressing the button
Solution Approach 1:
The button is segmented into multiple functional components: base, restricting members, cap, and linking member. The restricting members with engaging portions are specifically designed to segment and control the movement of the cap, preventing sway while maintaining the large button size needed for keys like Space and Enter.
Solution Approach 2:
The linking member is designed to rotate dynamically when the cap is pressed, transforming the pressing force into rotational motion that drives the engaging portions into the positioning holes. This dynamic mechanism ensures tight operation while accommodating the larger button dimensions.
2Device complexity
If the cap is allowed to move freely during pressing, then the button structure remains simple, but the cap enters a loose or sway state leading to imprecise input
Solution Approach 1:
The restricting members are pre-positioned with engaging portions that are ready to engage with the positioning holes on the base. When the cap is pressed, this preliminary arrangement ensures that the engaging portions automatically drive into the positioning holes, preventing sway before it can occur and ensuring precise input without complex additional mechanisms.
3Ease of operation
If restricting members are added to limit cap movement, then pressing precision is improved, but the button structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The linking member serves multiple functions: it connects the cap to the base, transforms linear pressing motion into rotational motion, and drives the engaging portions into the positioning holes. This multi-functionality allows the button structure to achieve high pressing precision without adding excessive complexity, as one component performs multiple critical roles.
Data Source
AI summary
A button includes a base, a plurality of restricting members, a cap and a linking member. The base includes two positioning holes disposed on two sides of the base, respectively. Each of the restricting members includes an engaging portion, and the engaging portions are disposed corresponding to the positioning holes, respectively. The cap is disposed opposite to the base and connected with the restricting members. The linking member is disposed on the base, two ends of which are connected with the engaging portions, respectively. The engaging portions drive the linking member to rotate and are respectively inserted into the positioning holes when the cap moves toward a direction of the base. A keyboard device including the button is also disclosed.