Sinkable Keyboard Mechanism for Portability and Keycap Protection
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Solution Overview
Problem
Portable keyboards, such as those on laptops and tablets, face issues with keycap abrasion and accidental pressing when folded, as the protruded keycaps can be easily damaged or activated during closure.
Innovation Solution
A sinkable keyboard device design featuring a substrate, keycaps, a slide plate, and a driving member with a motor, where the keycaps are guided to sink into the substrate using a sliding mechanism, preventing protrusion and reducing wear.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Volume of moving object
If the keyboard is folded to close for portability, then the device volume is reduced and portability is improved, but the keycaps are easily abraded or accidentally pressed causing reliability deterioration
Solution Approach 1:
The keyboard device transitions from a static structure to a dynamic one where the slide plate can move relative to the substrate. The driving motor enables the slide plate to shift position, allowing keycaps to be either protruded for typing or retracted for protection during folding, thus resolving the contradiction between portability and keycap durability
Solution Approach 2:
Before the keyboard is folded for portability, the driving motor automatically retracts the keycaps by moving the slide plate, providing preliminary protection against abrasion and accidental pressing. This preliminary action ensures keycap durability is maintained even when the device is folded
2Ease of operation
If the keycaps are protruded from the cover plate surface for typing operation, then typing ease is improved, but the keycaps are exposed to abrasion and accidental pressing causing reliability deterioration
Solution Approach 1:
The keyboard implements a dynamic adjustment mechanism where the slide plate can change position based on operational needs. During typing, keycaps are protruded for ease of operation; during storage or folding, they are retracted for protection, thus balancing typing ease with keycap durability
Solution Approach 2:
The system applies preliminary protective action by retracting keycaps before situations that could cause damage (such as folding or storage). The driving motor automatically positions the slide plate to protect keycaps from abrasion and accidental pressing, preventing harm before it occurs
3Reliability
If a sliding mechanism is added to enable keycap sinking, then keycap protection is improved, but the device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The keyboard is divided into separate functional modules: a stationary substrate, a movable slide plate containing the keycaps, and a driving motor. This segmentation allows the protection mechanism to be isolated to specific components rather than requiring complex integration throughout the entire device, thus managing overall complexity while providing effective keycap protection
Data Source
AI summary
A sinkable keyboard device includes a substrate, keycaps, a slide plate, and a driving member. The keycaps are above the substrate and capable of lifting and sinking. Each keycap is provided with a first guide member. The slide plate is below and in parallel with the substrate. The slide plate includes a long side and a short side connected to the long side. The slide plate is provided with second guide members respectively corresponding to the first guide members. The driving member is on the short side of the slide plate. The driving member includes a driving motor. The driving motor drives the slide plate to slide relative to the substrate along the long side to make the second guide members respectively against the first guide members to drive the keycaps to relatively sink.