Rotatable Keyboard Segments for Ergonomic Input
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional input controls for computing devices are not customizable or ergonomically adaptable to individual users' biomechanical differences, leading to inconvenient usage and potential strain due to unnatural postures.
Innovation Solution
A fully adjustable and customizable input control housing with rotatable segments that can be configured to fit various user preferences and modes of use, allowing for 360-degree rotation and separation to accommodate different ergonomic needs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Device complexity
If input control configuration is fixed to simplify device structure, then device complexity is reduced, but adaptability to different user needs and usage modes deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The input control housing is divided into multiple independently rotatable segments, each capable of being positioned at different angles and orientations. This segmentation allows each segment to be customized for different usage scenarios while maintaining a relatively simple overall device structure when segments are in default positions.
Solution Approach 2:
The input control segments are designed to be dynamically adjustable through rotation mechanisms, allowing users to change the configuration from fixed to movable states. This enables the device to adapt between a simple fixed configuration and a customized dynamic configuration based on user needs.
2Ease of manufacture
If input control position is fixed to simplify manufacturing, then ease of manufacture is improved, but ergonomic adaptability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The keyboard is segmented into multiple independently adjustable portions, each manufactured as a separate module with standardized rotation mechanisms. This modular segmentation maintains manufacturing simplicity through standardization while enabling ergonomic customization in use.
Solution Approach 2:
The input control segments can change their positional parameters (angle, orientation, distance) through rotation mechanisms, allowing the same manufactured component to achieve multiple ergonomic configurations without requiring complex custom manufacturing for each scenario.
3Adaptability or versatility
If input control segments are rotatable to improve ergonomics, then adaptability is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The rotation mechanism is segmented into discrete, standardized components that can be independently manufactured and assembled. This segmentation of the mechanism itself reduces overall complexity by allowing modular replacement and simplification of individual rotation joints.
Solution Approach 2:
The rotation mechanism uses simple dynamic joints rather than complex locked-position systems, allowing segments to be easily repositioned without requiring complex locking or actuation mechanisms, thereby reducing overall device complexity while maintaining adaptability.
Data Source
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AI summary
Example implementations relate to a rotatable keyboard. For example, an input control housing of a computing device according to the present disclosure may include a first segment including a first portion of keyboard keys, the first segment connected to a display housing via a first connection. The input control housing may include a second segment, physically separate from the first segment, including a second portion of the keyboard keys, the second segment connected to the display housing via a second connection. The first portion of keyboard keys may be rotatable three hundred and sixty degrees on a face of the first segment, and the second portion of the keyboard may be rotatable three hundred and sixty degrees on a face of the second segment.