Note: Descriptions are shown in the official language in which they were submitted.
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ELECTRONIC DEVICE INCLUDING TOUCH-SENSITIVE KEYBOARD AND
METHOD OF CONTROLLING SAME
Field of Technology
[0001] The present disclosure relates to electronic devices, including but not
limited to, portable electronic devices having touch-sensitive displays and
their
control.
Background
[0002] Electronic devices, including portable electronic devices, have gained
widespread use and may provide a variety of functions including, for example,
telephonic, electronic messaging and other personal information manager (PIM)
application functions. Portable electronic devices include, for example,
several
types of mobile stations such as simple cellular telephones, smart phones,
wireless
personal digital assistants (PDAs), and laptop computers with wireless 802.11
or
Bluetooth capabilities.
[0003] Portable electronic devices such as PDAs or smart telephones are
generally intended for handheld use and ease of portability. Smaller devices
are
generally desirable for portability. A touch-sensitive display, also known as
a
touchscreen display, is particularly useful on handheld devices, which are
small and
have limited space for user input and output. The information displayed on the
touch-sensitive displays may be modified depending on the functions and
operations being performed. With continued demand for decreased size of
portable
electronic devices, touch-sensitive displays continue to decrease in size.
Improvements in devices with touch-sensitive displays are desirable.
Summary
[0004] An electronic device includes a keyboard. The keyboard includes a
plurality of mechanical keys including a first key, and capacitive touch
sensors
including a first capacitive touch sensor and a second capacitive touch
sensor. The
keyboard is configured to detect a touch on the first key utilizing the first
capacitive
touch sensor and the second capacitive touch sensor, and to detect actuation
of the
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first key when the first capacitive touch sensor is electrically coupled to
the second
capacitive touch sensor. A method includes detecting, with a first capacitive
touch
sensor and a second capacitive touch sensor, a touch on a key of a keyboard of
an
electronic device, and when the first capacitive touch sensor is electrically
coupled
to the second capacitive touch sensor, detecting actuation of the key.
Brief Description of the Drawings
[0005] FIG. 1 is a block diagram of a portable electronic device in accordance
with the disclosure.
[0006] FIG. 2 is a front view of the portable electronic device in accordance
with
' the disclosure.
[0007] FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 are sectional side views of a key of the portable
electronic device accordance with the disclosure.
[0008] FIG. 5 is a flowchart illustrating a method of controlling the portable
electronic device in accordance with the disclosure.
[0009] FIG. 6 through FIG. 8 illustrate examples of touch detection on
mechanical keys of the portable electronic device in accordance with the
disclosure.
Detailed Description
[0010] The following describes an electronic device that includes a keyboard.
The
keyboard includes plurality of mechanical keys including a first key and
capacitive
touch sensors including a first capacitive touch sensor and a second
capacitive
touch sensor. The keyboard is configured to detect a touch on the first key
utilizing
the first capacitive touch sensor and the second capacitive touch sensor and
to
detect actuation of the first key when the first capacitive touch sensor is
electrically
coupled to the second capacitive touch sensor.
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[0011] For simplicity and clarity of illustration, reference numerals may be
repeated among the figures to indicate corresponding or analogous elements.
Numerous details are set forth to provide an understanding of the examples
described herein. The examples may be practiced without these details. In
other
instances, well-known methods, procedures, and components are not described in
detail to avoid obscuring the examples described. The description is not to be
considered as limited to the scope of the examples described herein.
[0012] The disclosure generally relates to an electronic device, such as a
portable
electronic device as described herein. Examples of electronic devices include
mobile, or handheld, wireless communication devices such as pagers, cellular
phones, cellular smart-phones, wireless organizers, personal digital
assistants,
wirelessly enabled notebook computers, tablet computers, mobile internet
devices,
electronic navigation devices, and so forth. The electronic device may be a
portable
electronic device without wireless communication capabilities, such as a
handheld
electronic game, digital photograph album, digital camera, media player, e-
book
reader, and so forth.
[0013] A block diagram of an example of a portable electronic device 100 is
shown in FIG. 1. The portable electronic device 100 includes multiple
components,
such as a processor 102, such as a microprocessor or discrete control
circuitry, that
controls the overall operation of the portable electronic device 100.
Communication
functions, including data and voice communications, are performed through a
communication subsystem 104. Data received by the portable electronic device
100 is decompressed and decrypted by a decoder 106. The communication
subsystem 104 receives messages from and sends messages to a wireless network
150. The wireless network 150 may be any type of wireless network, including,
but
not limited to, data wireless networks, voice wireless networks, and networks
that
support both voice and data communications. A power source 142, such as one or
more rechargeable batteries or a port to an external power supply, powers the
portable electronic device 100.
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[0014] The processor 102 interacts with other components, such as a Random
Access Memory (RAM) 108, memory 110, a touch-sensitive display 118, a keyboard
140, an auxiliary input/output (I/O) subsystem 124, a data port 126, a speaker
128, a microphone 130, short-range communications 132 and other device
subsystems 134. Short-range communications include, for example, Bluetooth
communications, near-field communications (NFC), and other short or limited
range
communications. The touch-sensitive display 118 includes a display 112 and
touch
sensors 114 that are coupled to a controller 116 that is utilized to interact
with the
processor 102. Input via a graphical user interface may be provided via the
touch-
sensitive display 118. Information, such as text, characters, symbols, images,
icons, and other items that may be displayed or rendered on a portable
electronic
device, is displayed on the touch-sensitive display 118 via the processor 102.
The
keyboard 140 includes a first plurality of capacitive touch sensors 120 and a
second
plurality of capacitive touch sensors 122 that may be coupled to the
controller 116.
The controller 116 may be coupled to the keyboard 140 and the touch-sensitive
display 118. Alternatively, the first capacitive touch sensors 120 and the
second
capacitive touch sensors 122 may be coupled to a different controller than the
controller 116 for the touch-sensitive display 118. The first capacitive touch
sensors 120 and the second capacitive touch sensors 122 are utilized to detect
touches on mechanical keys of the keyboard 140 and to detect actuation of the
mechanical keys. Input may be provided via the keyboard 140. The processor 102
may also interact with an accelerometer 136 that may be utilized to detect
direction
of gravitational forces or gravity-induced reaction forces.
[0015] To identify a subscriber for network access, the portable electronic
device
100 may utilize a Subscriber Identity Module or a Removable User Identity
Module
(SIM/RUIM) card 138 for communication with a network, such as the wireless
network 150. Alternatively, user identification information may be programmed
into memory 110.
[0016] The portable electronic device 100 includes an operating system 146 and
software programs, applications, or components 148 that are executed by the
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processor 102 and are typically stored in a persistent, updatable store such
as the
memory 110. Additional .applications or programs may be loaded onto the
portable
electronic device 100 through the wireless network 150, the auxiliary I/O
subsystem 124, the data port 126, the short-range communications subsystem
132, or any other suitable subsystem 134.
[0017] A received signal such as a text message, an e-mail message, or web
page download is processed by the communication subsystem 104 and input to the
processor 102. The processor 102 processes the received signal for output to
the
display 112 and/or to the auxiliary I/O subsystem 124. A subscriber may
generate
data items, for example e-mail messages, which may be transmitted over the
wireless network 150 through the communication subsystem 104. For voice
communications, the overall operation of the portable electronic device 100 is
similar. The speaker 128 outputs audible information converted from electrical
signals, and the microphone 130 converts audible information into electrical
signals
for processing.
[0018] The touch-sensitive display 118 may be any suitable capacitive touch-
sensitive display, such as self-capacitance or mutual-capacitance. A
capacitive
touch-sensitive display includes one or more capacitive touch sensors 114. The
capacitive touch sensors may comprise any suitable material, such as indium
tin
oxide (ITO).
[0019] One or more touches, also known as touch contacts or touch events, may
be detected by the touch-sensitive display 118. The processor 102 may
determine
attributes of the touch, including a location of the touch. Touch location
data may
include data for an area of contact or data for a single point of contact,
such as a
point at or near a center of the area of contact. The location of a detected
touch
may include x and y components, e.g., horizontal and vertical components,
respectively, with respect to one's view of the touch-sensitive display 118. A
touch
may be detected from any suitable input member, such as a finger, thumb,
appendage, or other objects, for example, a stylus, pen, or other pointer,
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depending on the nature of the touch-sensitive display 118. Multiple
simultaneous
touches may be detected.
[0020] One or more gestures may also be detected by the touch-sensitive
display
118. A gesture, such as a swipe, also known as a flick, is a particular type
of touch
on a touch-sensitive display 118 and may begin at an origin point and continue
to
an end point, for example, a concluding end of the gesture. A gesture may be
identified by attributes of the gesture, including the origin point, the end
point, the
distance travelled, the duration, the velocity, and the direction, for
example. A
gesture may be long or short in distance and/or duration. Two points of the
gesture may be utilized to determine a direction of the gesture. A gesture may
also
include a hover. A hover may be a touch at a location that is generally
unchanged
over a period of time or is associated with the same selection item for a
period of
time.
[0021] The touch-sensitive display 118 includes a display area in which
information may be displayed, and a non-display area extending around the
periphery of the display area. The display area generally corresponds to the
area of
the display 112. Information is not displayed in the non-display area by the
display,
which non-display area is utilized to accommodate, for example, electronic
traces or
electrical connections, adhesives or other sealants, and/or protective
coatings
around the edges of the display area. The non-display area may be referred to
as
an inactive area and is not part of the physical housing or frame of the
electronic
device. Typically, no pixels of the display are in the non-display area, thus
no
image can be displayed by the display 112 in the non-display area. Optionally,
a
secondary display, not part of the primary display 112, may be disposed under
the
non-display area. Touch sensors may be disposed in the non-display area, which
touch sensors may be extended from the touch sensors in the display area or
distinct or separate touch sensors from the touch sensors in the display area.
A
touch, including a gesture, may be associated with the display area, the non-
display
area, or both areas. The touch sensors may extend across substantially the
entire
non-display area or may be disposed in only part of the non-display area.
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[0022] A front view of a portable electronic device 100 is shown in FIG. 2.
Two
sets of touch sensors 114, also referred to as touch-sensing electrodes, are
illustrated in the example of FIG. 2. The touch sensors 114 are shown for the
purpose of illustration, but are not visible to the eye when viewing the
portable
electronic device 100 from the front.
[0023] The touch sensors 114 include drive electrodes that extend generally
vertically in the view illustrated in FIG. 2. The drive electrodes may be
disposed,
for example, on a substrate, on a cover, or on any other suitable layer of the
touch-
sensitive display 118. The touch sensors 114 also include sense electrodes
that
extend generally horizontally in the view illustrated in FIG. 2. The drive
electrodes
are spaced from the sense electrodes by an interlayer dielectric, or
insulator.
Alternatively, the drive electrodes may extend generally horizontally and the
sense
electrodes may extend generally vertically. The terms "vertically" and
"horizontally"
are utilized herein to refer to the orientation of the portable electronic
device 100 in
the figures and are not otherwise limiting.
[0024] The drive electrodes and the sense electrodes are coupled to the
controller 116 and are utilized for mutual-capacitance touch sensing. The
controller
116 is configured to drive the drive electrodes while sensing changes in
signals from
the sense electrodes.
[0025] The keyboard 140 includes the mechanical keys 202, the first plurality
of
capacitive touch sensors 120, and the second plurality of capacitive touch
sensors
122. Dome switches of the mechanical keys 202 comprise conductive discs 204
and conductive rings 206 disposed under key covers, also referred to as key
caps,
of the mechanical keys 202. Edges of mechanical keys 202 of the keyboard 140
are
shown in dashed lines in FIG. 2 to simplify the drawing and to clearly
illustrate the
capacitive touch sensors 120, 122. The first plurality of capacitive touch
sensors
120 and the second plurality of capacitive touch sensors 122 may be disposed
on a
substrate under the key caps of the mechanical keys 202. The first plurality
of
capacitive touch sensors 120 may extend generally horizontally. The conductive
discs 204 of the mechanical keys 202 in one row of the keyboard 140 are part
of
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one capacitive touch sensor 120. The second plurality of capacitive touch
sensors
122 may extend generally vertically. The conductive rings 206 of the
mechanical
keys 202 in a column of the keyboard 140 are part of one capacitive touch
sensor
122. The first plurality of capacitive touch sensors 120 are spaced from the
second
plurality of capacitive touch sensors 122 by a dielectric material or
insulator such
that the first capacitive touch sensors 120 and the second capacitive touch
sensors
122 are not electrically coupled when the mechanical keys are not depressed.
[0026] The first plurality of capacitive touch sensors 120 and the second
plurality
of capacitive touch sensors 122 are coupled to the controller 116 and are
utilized for
touch sensing. For example, the x location component may be determined by a
signal generated from a first capacitive touch sensor 120 of the first
plurality of
capacitive touch sensors 120, and the y location component may be determined
by
a signal generated from a second capacitive touch sensor 122 of the second
plurality of capacitive touch sensors 122.
[0027] The mechanical keys 202 may comprise any suitable material. For
example, the mechanical keys 202 may be plastic or rubber. The first plurality
of
capacitive touch sensors 120 and the second plurality of capacitive touch
sensors
122 are configured to detect a touch, for example, on or near a key cap of a
mechanical key 202 by detecting changes in signals when a touch occurs on the
mechanical key 202. Self-capacitance touch sensing may be utilized to detect
the
touch through the cover of the mechanical key 202. A touch on the touch-
sensitive
display 118 alters the current through the capacitive touch sensors 120, 122
that
are near the touch. The change in current through the capacitive touch sensors
120, 122 is detected by the touch controller 116. Alternatively, mutual-
capacitance
touch sensing may be utilized.
[0028] One or more touches on the keyboard 140 may be detected utilizing the
first plurality of capacitive touch sensors 120 and the second plurality of
capacitive
touch sensors 122. The controller 116 and/or the processor 102 may determine a
location of the touch and the associated key.
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[0029] One or more gestures on the keyboard 140 may also be detected utilizing
the first plurality of capacitive touch sensors 120 and the second plurality
of
capacitive touch sensors 122. A gesture may be identified by attributes of the
gesture, including the origin point, the end point, the distance travelled,
the
duration, the velocity, and the direction, for example. A gesture may be long
or
short in distance and/or duration. Two points of the gesture may be utilized
to
determine a direction of the gesture. A gesture on the keyboard 140 may also
include a hover on a key or keys of the keyboard 140.
[0030] A gesture that begins on the keyboard 140 and continues to the touch-
sensitive display 118 may also be detected. A gesture that begins on the touch-
sensitive display 118 and continues on the keyboard 140 may also be detected.
Such a gesture may be detected based on signals from the touch sensors 114 of
the touch-sensitive display 118 and signals from the first plurality of
capacitive
touch sensors 120 and the second plurality of capacitive touch sensors 122 of
the
keyboard 140. The gesture may be identified as a single gesture based on the
direction, the origin point, and the end point on both the keyboard 140 and
the
touch-sensitive display 118.
[0031] A sectional side view of a mechanical key 202 of the keyboard 140 is
shown in FIG. 3 and FIG. 4. In this example, a first capacitive touch sensor
120
includes a plurality of conductive discs 204 that are electrically coupled
together.
The conductive discs 204 are disposed under key caps of the mechanical keys
202
such that one conductive disc 204 is associated with one mechanical key 202.
The
second plurality of capacitive touch sensors 122 include conductive rings 206
that
are coupled together. The conductive rings 206 are centered relative to the
conductive discs 204 and are spaced from the conductive discs 204. The
conductive rings 206 are spaced from and electrically isolated from the
conductive
discs 204 such that the first plurality of capacitive touch sensors 120 and
the
second plurality of capacitive touch sensors 122 are not electrically coupled
when
no mechanical key is depressed or actuated, facilitating self-capacitance
touch
sensing. A touch on the touch-sensitive display 118 alters the current through
the
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capacitive touch sensors 120, 122 that are near the touch. The change in
current
through the capacitive touch sensors 120, 122 is detected by the touch
controller
116.
[0032] The mechanical key 202 includes a plunger 306 that is shaped to contact
a substrate 310 above an elastically deformable conductive dome 308 that acts
as a
switch to temporarily electrically couple the conductive disc 204 and the
conductive
ring 206 when the conductive dome 308 is depressed. The conductive domes 308
for the mechanical keys 202 are coupled to the substrate 310. The conductive
dome 308 for a mechanical key 202 is disposed above and spaced from the
conductive disc 204 and is in contact with the conductive ring 206 when a key
cap
312 of the key 202 is not depressed, as illustrated in FIG. 3. Thus, the
conductive
dome 308 is not in contact with the first capacitive touch sensor 120 when the
key
202 is not depressed.
[0033] When the key cap 312 of the key 202 is depressed, as illustrated in
FIG.
4, the plunger 306 moves downwardly and force is transferred through the
substrate 310 to the conductive dome 308 of the mechanical key 202. The
conductive dome 308 collapses and electrically couples the conductive disc 204
and
the conductive ring 206. The first capacitive touch sensor 120 is electrically
coupled
to the second capacitive touch sensor 122, for example, by an electrical short
circuit
or electrical short, when the mechanical key 202 is depressed. The electrical
coupling is detected by the controller 116, and the key 202 that is depressed
is
identified based on which first capacitive touch sensor 120 and which second
capacitive touch sensor 122 caused the electrical coupling.
[0034] The mechanical keys 202 may be, for example, physically biased, by the
elastically deformable conductive dome 308, into a position in which the
conductive
dome 308 of the mechanical keys 202 are spaced from and out of contact with
the
first capacitive touch sensors 120. A key 202 is depressed when sufficient
force is
applied to overcome the bias and cause the conductive dome 308 to collapse and
contact the first capacitive touch sensor 120.
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[0035] A flowchart illustrating a method of controlling the electronic device
is
shown in FIG. 5. The method may be carried out by software executed, for
example, by the controller 116 and/or the processor 102. Coding of software
for
carrying out such a method is within the scope of a person of ordinary skill
in the
art given the present description. The method may contain additional or fewer
processes than shown and/or described, and may be performed in a different
order.
Computer-readable code executable by at least one processor of the portable
electronic device to perform the method may be stored in a computer-readable
storage medium device or apparatus, which may be a non-transitory or tangible
storage medium, device, or apparatus.
[0036] When a touch on a mechanical key 202 or keys is detected 502 without
depressing a mechanical key 202, the process continues at 504. The first
plurality
of capacitive touch sensors 120 and the second plurality of capacitive touch
sensors
122 detect a touch by capacitive touch sensing. When actuation of a mechanical
key is detected 504, an associated function is performed 506. Actuation of a
mechanical key is detected by detecting electrical coupling of a first
capacitive touch
sensor 120 and a second capacitive touch sensor 122 that are both associated
with
the same mechanical key. The function associated with actuation of a
mechanical
key of a keyboard may be, for example, input of a character or function. When
actuation of a mechanical key is not detected 504, the process continues at
508.
When a gesture is detected 508,. the gesture is identified and an associated
function
is performed 510. The gesture may be associated with more than one key 202 or
may be a gesture performed on a single key 202, such as a tap, double tap, or
hover, e.g., a touch sustained for a period of time at or near a single
location.
[0037] Examples of touch detection on mechanical keys of the electronic device
100 are illustrated in FIG. 6 through FIG. 8. In the example of FIG. 6, a
touch,
illustrated by the circle 602, is detected on a mechanical key 202 of the
keyboard
140. In this example, the location of the touch is associated with the letter
F. A
first capacitive touch sensor 120 is electrically coupled to a second
capacitive touch
sensor 122 when the key is depressed and actuation of the mechanical key 202
of
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the keyboard 140 is detected. The location of the mechanical key 202 that is
actuated is identified and the associate character, the letter F, is entered
on the
touch-sensitive display 118.
[0038] In the example of FIG. 7, a touch is first detected at the location
illustrated by the circle 702. Actuation of a mechanical key 202 is not
detected. In
this example, the touch is a gesture that follows the path illustrated by the
arrow
704 on the mechanical keys 202 of the keyboard 140. The gesture is
successively
detected on the keys along the path of the gesture and the gesture is
identified.
The associated function performed may be, for example, moving a cursor to the
left.
[0039] In the example of FIG. 8, a gesture is detected on the touch-sensitive
display 118 and on the keyboard 140. The gesture begins on the touch-sensitive
display 118 at the location illustrated by the circle 802 and follows the path
illustrated by the arrow 804. The gesture continues on the keyboard 140. The
gesture is identified and the associated function is performed. The associated
function may, for example, a shift lock function. The touch-sensitive display
118
and the touch sensors 120, 122 are configured to detect a touch that extends
between the touch-sensitive display 118 and the touch sensors 120, 122. One (a
single) gesture may be detected by both the touch-sensitive display 118 and
the
touch sensors 120, 122 of the keyboard. The continuation of a gesture from
touch-
sensitive display 118 to the touch sensors 120, 122 of the keyboard and from
the
touch sensors 120, 122 of the keyboard to the touch-sensitive display 118 is
detectable.
[0040] An electronic device includes a keyboard comprising a first plurality
of first
touch sensors and a second plurality of touch sensors and configured to detect
a
touch on the keyboard by self-capacitance touch sensing and detect actuation
of a
mechanical key of the keyboard when a first touch sensor of the first
plurality of
touch sensors is electrically coupled to a second touch sensor of the second
plurality
of touch sensors.
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[0041] Touch sensors of the keyboard detect a touch that is spaced from the
touch-sensors by a key cap. Self-capacitance or mutual-capacitance touch
sensing
may be utilized. The same sensors that are utilized to detect a touch on a key
are
also utilized to detect actuation of a key when the sensors are electrically
coupled.
Thus, a touch on a key that does not depress a key is detectable and separate
or
additional electrical elements are not needed to detect actuation of the key.
[0042] The present disclosure may be embodied in other specific forms without
departing from its spirit or essential characteristics. The described
embodiments
are to be considered in all respects only as illustrative and not restrictive.
The
scope of the disclosure is, therefore, indicated by the appended claims rather
than
by the foregoing description. All changes that come within the meaning and
range
of equivalency of the claims are to be embraced within their scope.
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