Liftable Keyboard Using Pneumatic Pump and Vent Valve
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional keyboards have a fixed height, making them bulky and heavy, which hinders their miniaturization and portability.
Innovation Solution
A liftable keyboard design that uses vent valves and a pump to extract gas from elastomers, allowing key units to descend and maintain a low profile, reducing the overall thickness and enabling smaller, lighter, and more portable electronic devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If a conventional keyboard with fixed height is used, then the keyboard structure is simple and reliable, but the overall thickness and weight of the electronic device increase
Solution Approach 1:
The keyboard transitions from a static fixed-height structure to a dynamic adjustable-height structure. The elastomer components can be inflated to raise key height or deflated to lower keys, allowing the keyboard to adapt its profile based on usage requirements. This dynamic capability resolves the contradiction by enabling thin profile when needed while maintaining structural integrity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent uses elastomeric components that can be inflated or deflated to adjust key height. By introducing pneumatic control through inflation/deflation mechanisms, the keyboard achieves variable thickness without compromising structural reliability, directly addressing the contradiction between thinness and structural simplicity.
2Ease of operation
If the keyboard height is reduced for portability, then the device becomes more portable, but the key operation comfort may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The keyboard allows dynamic adjustment of key height through elastomer inflation/deflation. When portability is needed, the keyboard maintains a thin profile; when operation comfort is prioritized, key height can be increased. This dynamic adaptability resolves the contradiction by allowing optimization for different usage scenarios.
Solution Approach 2:
The physical parameter of key height is made variable through controlled inflation and deflation of elastomeric components. This parameter change enables the keyboard to switch between thin configuration for portability and elevated configuration for comfort, resolving the contradiction between these two requirements.
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 design effectively reduces the altitude of key units, resulting in a thinner, lighter, and more portable keyboard, enhancing the portability of electronic devices by automatically adjusting the keyboard's height based on the device's cover position.
Implementation Method 1
the pump is enabled to apply suction to the gas exhaust chambers of the vent valves such that a gas in the elastomer of each key unit is extracted
Implementation Method 2
the elastomer of each key unit is subjected to compressed deformation and the keycap of the corresponding key unit is moved downwardly
Data Source
AI summary
A liftable keyboard for a portable electronic device is provided. The portable electronic device includes a top cover and a base. The liftable keyboard includes a key unit, a membrane switch circuit layer, a vent valve and a pump. The key unit includes a keycap and an elastomer. The vent valve includes an inlet, an outlet and a gas exhaust chamber. The inlet and the outlet are in communication with a gas-inputting port and a gas-outputting port of the membrane switch circuit layer, respectively. The gas exhaust chamber is in communication with the pump. When a sensing element of the base senses that the top cover is close to the base, the pump is enabled to perform a gas-extracting action. The elastomer is subjected to compressed deformation and the keycap is moved downwardly. Consequently, an altitude of the key unit is reduced.