Keypad with Integrated Touch Sensitive Apparatus

• US 20120050167A1
• Filed: 09/01/2010
• Published: 03/01/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 09/01/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Original Assignee: Google Technology Holdings LLC (Alphabet Inc.)
• Inventors: Krahenbuhl, John Henry, Ady, Roger, Slaby, Jiri
• Granted Patent: US 8,976,117 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/169
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0202 Constructional details or processes of manufacture of the input device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0227 Cooperation and interconnection of the input arrangement with other functional units of a computer G06F3/023 - G06F3/037 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display

Abstract

A touch sensitive keypad device (101) for an electronic device (100) includes one or more keys (106,107,108,109,110) situated in a keypad carrier (206). One or more conductive layers (115,116,117,118) span the keys. One or more transverse conductive layers (119,120,121,122,123,124) are integrated with a non-key component, such as the keypad carrier (205). A capacitance sensing circuit (126) detects changes in capacitance between the conductive layers and the transverse conductive layers to detect user input, thereby allowing a user (1990) to use a matrix (1902) of keys as a touch pad.

Claims

1. A touch sensitive apparatus for an electronic device, comprising:

one or more keys of a keypad situated on a keypad carrier and configured for movement within the keypad structure;

a conductive layer integrated with the one or more keys of the keypad device; and

a transverse conductive layer integrated with a non-key component;

wherein an electrical capacitance defined between the conductive layer and the transverse conductive layer is configured to change when a conductive object is proximately located with the conductive layer.

2. The touch sensitive apparatus of claim 1, wherein the conductive layer comprises an electrically conductive coating disposed one of:

above;

or

beneath;

the one or more keys.

3. The touch sensitive apparatus of claim 1, wherein the conductive layer comprises a conductive film molded into a body of the one or more keys.

4. The touch sensitive apparatus of claim 1, wherein the one or more keys are coupled together by a translucent, conductive adhesive.

5. The touch sensitive apparatus of claim 1, wherein the conductive layer comprises at least one of conductive paint disposed above the one or more keys, indium tin oxide disposed above the one or more keys, a metallic coating disposed above the one or more keys, a conductive polymer disposed above the one or more keys, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) disposed above the one or more keys, conductive paint disposed beneath the one or more keys, indium tin oxide disposed beneath the one or more keys, a metallic coating disposed beneath the one or more keys, a conductive polymer disposed beneath the one or more keys, poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) disposed beneath the one or more keys, or combinations thereof.

6. The touch sensitive apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an electromagnetic source coupled to the conductive layer, resulting in an electrical potential being defined between the conductive layer and the transverse conductive layer;

and

further comprising a capacitance detection circuit, operable with the conductive layer to detect the change in the electrical capacitance when the conductive object is proximately located with the conductive layer.

7. The touch sensitive apparatus of claim 1, wherein the non-key component comprises one or more of:

a substrate, a light guide, a flexible layer, a key carrier, or a housing.

8. The touch sensitive apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

an intermediate conductive layer;

wherein the electrical capacitance defined between the conductive layer and the transverse conductive layer is defined from the conductive layer to the intermediate conductive layer to the transverse conductive layer.

9. The touch sensitive apparatus of claim 1, wherein a body of each of the one or more keys is manufactured from conductive material.

10. The touch sensitive apparatus of claim 1, wherein the conductive layer comprises a plurality of conductive layer segments, each of the plurality of conductive layer segments being coupled to an adjacent conductive layer segment by a conductive bridge contact.

11. A keypad configured for touch sensitive apparatus, comprising:

a plurality of conductive strips, each conductive strip traversing a first plurality of keys of the keypad such that each key is disposed between the plurality of conductive strips and a keypad carrier;

a plurality of transverse conductive strips, each transverse conductive strip traversing a second plurality of keys such that at least one key is disposed between the each conductive strip and the each transverse conductive strip;

wherein the each conductive strip and the each transverse conductive strip define a trans-capacitance that changes when a conductive object is proximately located with the conductive strip.

12. The keypad of claim 11, wherein one or more keys of the keypad comprise a light guide co-molded within a body of the one or more keys.

13. The keypad of claim 11, wherein one or more keys of the keypad comprise a body manufactured from pellucid material.

14. The keypad of claim 11, wherein the plurality of conductive strips define a plurality of apertures corresponding to, and disposed atop, the each key of the first plurality of keys.

15. An electronic device having a touch sensitive keypad device, the touch sensitive keypad device comprising:

a matrix of keys with rows extending in a first direction and columns extending in a second direction transverse to the first direction;

a plurality of electrically conductive layers, each electrically conductive layer spanning a corresponding plurality of keys disposed along the first direction; and

a plurality of second electrically conductive layers, each second electrically conductive layer being disposed beneath another corresponding plurality of keys disposed along the second direction;

wherein the each electrically conductive layer and the each second electrically conductive layer define a capacitance there between that changes when a conductive object is proximately located with any of the plurality of electrically conductive layers.

16. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein one or more of the first direction or the second direction is non-linear.

17. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein each key of the matrix of keys has a non-rectangular actuation surface.

18. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the electronic device comprises a housing, wherein at least a portion of the housing is disposed between a first corresponding plurality of keys and a second corresponding plurality of keys.

19. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the plurality of second electrically conductive layers are disposed along one of a key carrier, a light guide configured to deliver light from a source disposed beneath the matrix of keys through one or more keys of the matrix of keys, a rigid substrate disposed beneath the matrix of keys, a flexible substrate disposed beneath the matrix of keys, a stiffener disposed along the key carrier, or combinations thereof.

20. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein the matrix of keys comprises a QWERTY keypad, further comprising a capacitance detection circuit configured to detect changes in the capacitance.