Keycap Jig Engagement Portion for Painting Stability
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional keycap engagement structures with painting jigs suffer from deformation after repeated use, leading to insecure mounting to the keyboard base plate and affecting binding strength, especially when handling keycaps of various dimensions.
Innovation Solution
The keycap design incorporates a jig engagement portion on its connectors, allowing for removably fixing to a painting jig, which maintains the connection structure's integrity and accommodates keycaps of different dimensions by using adaptable engaging hooks.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If the painting jig is directly fixed to the connecting structures (pivoting holes) on the bottom surface of the keycap, then the keycap can be securely fixed to the painting jig for painting operations, but repeated plugging and unplugging processes cause deformation of the connection structures, leading to insecure mounting to the base plate and affecting binding strength
Solution Approach 1:
The invention divides the engagement system into two separate components: the pivoting holes remain on the keycap for base plate mounting, while a separate engagement structure is added to the painting jig that interfaces with these holes. This segmentation allows the painting jig to be attached without directly fixing to or deforming the original connecting structures, thus preserving their dimensional stability while enabling reliable painting operations.
2Productivity
If the painting jig uses engagement structures that are directly engaged in the pivoting holes of the keycaps, then the keycaps can be fixed to the painting jig, but the engagement structures undergo dimensional changes after repeated use, affecting the quality test of the keyboard
Solution Approach 1:
The invention introduces an intermediary engagement structure on the painting jig that mediates between the painting operations and the keycap's pivoting holes. This intermediary structure absorbs the dimensional changes and wear from repeated plugging and unplugging, preventing direct transmission of deformation to the keycap's connection structures, thereby maintaining manufacturing precision while enabling efficient painting operations.
3Device complexity
If the keycap uses a single connection structure for both painting jig engagement and base plate mounting, then the structure is simple, but the same structure cannot accommodate both functions without deformation, especially for keycaps of various dimensions
Solution Approach 1:
The invention creates a universal engagement system where the pivoting holes on the keycap serve dual purposes: they maintain their original function for base plate mounting while also serving as interfaces for the painting jig's engagement structure. This multi-functionality allows the same connection structures to accommodate both painting operations and keyboard assembly without deformation, and the system can adapt to keycaps of various dimensions through the standardized engagement interface.
Data Source
AI summary
A keyboard apparatus includes a base plate, a plurality of lifting mechanisms mounted to the base plate, and a plurality of keycaps. The keycaps are correspondingly mounted to the lifting mechanisms and are movable up and down relative to the base plate to form a pressing stroke. Each of the keycaps has a pressing surface, an assembly surface opposite to the pressing surface, and a plurality of connectors. The connectors are disposed on the assembly surface to be connected to the lifting mechanism, and a jig engagement portion protrudes from one side of at least one of the connectors. When the keycap is to be painted, the keycap is removably fixed to a painting jig by the jig engagement portion.