Keyswitch Linkage Bar Recessed Base Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
The development of thin-sized keyboards is hindered by internal mechanisms such as plunger, rubber dome, and linkage bar, which occupy internal volume and constrain the height of key switches, making it challenging to achieve a thin design.
Innovation Solution
A key switch design featuring a linkage bar connected to a key cap and an edge plate with a recess portion on the base, allowing the linkage bar to be slidably latched and caved in, reducing the overall height by utilizing a step between the holding surface and the base, thus enabling a thinner profile.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If traditional mechanisms (plunger, rubber dome, linkage bar) are disposed inside the keyboard, then the keyboard can achieve reliable key switching functionality, but the internal volume is occupied and the height of the key switch is constrained, making thin design difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The linkage bar is designed with a recessed portion that extends downward into the base, utilizing the vertical dimension to reduce the overall height requirement. By moving the linkage bar's mounting point downward into the base thickness, the key switch can achieve a thinner profile while maintaining the necessary mechanical leverage and switching functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The linkage bar is nested within the base structure through the recessed portion, where the linkage bar's mounting end is received within a recess formed in the base. This nesting arrangement allows the linkage bar to be integrated into the base's internal volume, reducing the external height of the key switch assembly.
2Length of stationary object
If the height of the key switch is reduced to achieve thin design, then the keyboard becomes thinner and more compact, but the internal volume available for mechanisms is reduced, constraining the design of functional components
Solution Approach 1:
The recessed portion in the base utilizes the thickness dimension of the base rather than the height dimension of the key switch. By digging downward into the base, the design creates mounting volume without increasing the external height of the key switch, effectively separating the volume requirements from the height constraints.
Solution Approach 2:
The base is segmented with a recessed portion that creates a dedicated mounting zone for the linkage bar. This segmentation separates the functional mounting volume from the external dimensions, allowing the key switch to maintain a thin profile while providing sufficient internal volume for mechanical components through the recessed architecture.
Data Source
AI summary
A key switch disposed on a base of a keyboard includes a key cap, a linkage bar, an edge plate and a recess portion. The key cap is disposed above the base. The linkage bar connects the key cap and the base. The edge plate is connected to the base. A slot is formed on the edge plate, and an end of the linkage bar is slidably latched in the slot. The recess portion is formed on the base and adjacent to the slot. A step is between a holding surface of the recess portion and a top surface of the base. The end of the linkage bar is caved in the recess portion and held on the holding surface of the recess portion when the end of the linkage bar is slidably latched in the slot.