Notebook Computer Having Keyboard Decoding in Palmrest

• US 20080174458A1
• Filed: 01/23/2007
• Published: 07/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Dell Products LP (Dell Technologies Inc.)
• Inventors: Mundt, Kevin, Sultenfuss, Andrew Thomas, Ozias, Orin M.
• Granted Patent: US 7,952,562 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 341/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1616 with folding flat displays, e.g. laptop computers or notebooks having a clamshell configuration, with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1658 related to the mounting of internal components, e.g. disc drive or any other functional module
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1662 Details related to the integrated keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033

Abstract

A portable information handling system, user interface components thereof, and methods of user control interface and assembly are disclosed. In one embodiment a keyboard assembly, including a large plurality of contacts for a keyboard matrix, connects directly to a palmrest assembly. The palmrest assembly includes a keyboard controller, which decodes keystrokes and then passes the decoded keystrokes to, e.g., an I/O controller on the motherboard of the portable information handling system. This results in greatly improved layout and usage of the motherboard routing spaces, improved reliability, and simplified assembly.

Claims

1. A portable information handling system comprising:

a housing;

a motherboard located within the housing;

a palmrest assembly coupled to the housing and comprising a keyboard controller;

a keyboard assembly coupled to the palmrest assembly such that the keyboard controller receives keystroke signals from the keyboard assembly; and

a first bus coupling the keyboard controller to the motherboard through the palmrest assembly, the keyboard controller transmitting decoded keystrokes to the motherboard over the bus.

2. The portable information handling system of claim 1, wherein the palmrest assembly comprises a touchpad module.

3. The portable information handling system of claim 2, wherein the touchpad module comprises a touchpad matrix, a plurality of touchpad buttons, and a circuit board, wherein the touchpad matrix, touchpad buttons, and keyboard controller are coupled to the circuit board.

4. The portable information handling system of claim 3, further comprising:

a touchpad controller coupled to the circuit board and electrically coupled to the touchpad matrix and touchpad buttons through the circuit board.

5. The portable information handling system of claim 4, further comprising:

a second bus coupling the touchpad controller to the motherboard, the first and second buses assembled in a common wire assembly for connection to the motherboard.

6. The portable information handling system of claim 4, wherein the keyboard assembly comprises a point stick assembly, the point stick assembly coupled through the keyboard assembly to the palmrest assembly such that the touchpad controller receives point stick signals from the point stick assembly.

7. The portable information handling system of claim 4, wherein the keyboard assembly comprises a plurality of point stick buttons, the point stick buttons coupled through the keyboard assembly to the palmrest assembly such that at least one of the touchpad controller and the keyboard controller receives point stick button signals from the point stick buttons.

8. The portable information handling system of claim 7, wherein the point stick buttons share at least one signal line to the palmrest assembly with at least one key on the keyboard assembly.

9. The portable information handling system of claim 1, further comprising:

an ancillary button assembly coupled to palmrest assembly such that the keyboard controller receives button press signals from the ancillary button assembly.

10. The portable information handling system of claim 9, wherein the ancillary button assembly shares at least one signal line to the keyboard controller on the palmrest assembly with the keyboard assembly.

11. The portable information handling system of claim 9, wherein the coupling to the ancillary button assembly comprises at least one loopback connection to the keyboard controller.

12. The portable information handling system of claim 1, wherein the motherboard comprises an input/output (I/O) controller, and wherein the coupling from the palmrest assembly to the motherboard comprises at least one loopback connection to the I/O controller.

13. The portable information handling system of claim 1, wherein the coupling between the keyboard assembly and the palmrest assembly comprises a connector tab on the keyboard assembly and a socket for receiving the connector tab on the palmrest assembly, the socket operative to receive the keyboard assembly connector tab while the palmrest assembly is assembled to the housing.

14. The portable information handling system of claim 13, wherein the keyboard assembly is mounted to the housing, and wherein the socket articulates with respect to the palmrest assembly to receive the keyboard assembly connector tab prior to the keyboard assembly being mounted to the housing.

15. A method of inputting keystroke information to a portable information handling system, the method comprising:

translating user keystrokes on a keyboard assembly into electrical signals;

transmitting the electrical signals through a connector from the keyboard assembly to a palmrest assembly comprising a keyboard controller;

decoding the electrical signals in the keyboard controller into decoded keystrokes; and

transmitting the decoded keystrokes over a first serial bus to a motherboard located in the portable information handling system.

16. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

translating user ancillary button presses on an ancillary button assembly to electrical signals;

transmitting the electrical signals through a connection from the ancillary button assembly to the palm rest assembly;

decoding the electrical signals from the ancillary button assembly in the keyboard controller into decoded button press information; and

transmitting the decoded button press information over the serial bus to the motherboard.

17. The method of claim 16, wherein the electrical signals from the keyboard assembly and ancillary button assembly share at least some common connections in the palmrest assembly to the keyboard controller.

18. The method of claim 15, further comprising:

translating user inputs to a point stick affixed to the keyboard assembly into electrical signals;

transmitting the point stick electrical signals through the keyboard assembly to palmrest assembly connector;

decoding the point stick electrical signals in a touchpad controller on the palmrest assembly into decoded point stick information; and

transmitting the decoded point stick information over a second serial bus to the motherboard.

19. The method of claim 18, wherein the first and second serial buses share a common multiconductor cable coupling the palmrest assembly to the motherboard.

20. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

translating user button presses on a plurality of point stick buttons affixed to the keyboard assembly into point stick button electrical signals;

transmitting the point stick button electrical signals through the keyboard assembly to palmrest assembly connector;

decoding the point stick button electrical signals in one of the keyboard controller and touchpad controller into decoded point stick button information; and

transmitting the decoded point stick information over one of the first and second serial buses to the motherboard.