Thin Thermoplastic Keyboard Membrane for Waterproof Tactile Keys
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional keyboard membranes are thick, lack wear resistance, and fail to provide effective waterproof and dustproof protection, leading to poor tactile feedback and increased risk of invalid keystrokes.
Innovation Solution
A thin, thermoplastic wear-resistant keyboard membrane with a concave-convex structure, comprising a polycarbonate polyurethane surface layer and a thermoplastic polyurethane inner layer, which is molded to fit the key module and provides a waterproof and dustproof seal.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a conventional thick membrane is used for keyboard protection, then waterproof and dustproof functions are provided, but the tactile impression is poor and keystroke accuracy deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies a thin film membrane (0.03-0.1mm thick) instead of conventional thick membranes. The membrane is made flexible through specific material selection (thermoplastic wear-resistant molding membrane) and construction (multiple layers including release layer, colored layer, and transparent layer), enabling it to provide waterproof protection while maintaining good tactile feedback and keystroke accuracy.
2Reliability
If a thick membrane is used to cover keys, then protection is provided, but the membrane cannot be well shaped at intersection angles and bending positions, causing cracking and poor molding
Solution Approach 1:
The thin film structure (0.03-0.1mm thickness) inherently provides better flexibility and formability compared to thick membranes. The multi-layer construction with release layer and specific material composition enables the membrane to be molded into complex shapes with good surface quality at intersection angles and bending positions without cracking.
Solution Approach 2:
The membrane is constructed as a composite material system comprising multiple layers: release layer (0.01-0.05mm), colored layer (0.01-0.03mm), and transparent layer (0.01-0.05mm), with total thickness 0.03-0.1mm. This composite structure combines the advantages of each layer to achieve both protection function and excellent molding precision.
3Reliability
If a thick membrane is used, then coverage is provided, but adjacent concave-convex parts are pulled against one another requiring hard tapping, resulting in poor handfeel and invalid keystrokes
Solution Approach 1:
The thin film membrane (0.03-0.1mm) provides sufficient coverage while maintaining high flexibility. This flexibility prevents the membrane from being pulled taut between adjacent keys, allowing soft tapping with excellent handfeel and ensuring accurate keystroke registration without invalid inputs.
4Ease of manufacture
If the surface layer of the membrane is not wear-resistant, then manufacturing is easier, but the surface is unstable, easy to get dirty and sticky, affecting tactile impression
Solution Approach 1:
The membrane uses a composite material structure where the transparent layer (0.01-0.05mm) serves as the wear-resistant surface layer. This layer is specifically designed to provide excellent wear resistance, dirt resistance, and non-stick properties while maintaining good tactile impression. The combination of materials in the composite structure achieves both ease of manufacture and superior surface stability.
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 membrane is lightweight, thin, and soft, offering excellent elasticity and wear resistance, ensuring accurate keystrokes and maintaining usability even when exposed to water or dust.
Implementation Method 1
a thin sheet molded object thermoformed by a thermoplastic wear-resistant molding membrane
Data Source
AI summary
A keyboard membrane, which is a thin sheet molded object thermoformed by a thermoplastic wear-resistant molding membrane, comprising a plurality of concave-convex parts, the concave-convex part comprises a plurality of upwardly protruding pressing parts, each of the pressing parts has a top wall and a peripheral wall extending downward from a periphery of the top wall; the keyboard membrane is disposed on a key module with keys; each of the pressing parts is connected with one of the keys of the key module; a periphery of the keyboard membrane has a peripheral edge extending outward from the pressing part, and the peripheral edge wraps the key module to form a waterproof and dustproof keyboard.