TOUCH-SENSITIVE KEYPAD CONTROL DEVICE

• US 20150199023A1
• Filed: 01/12/2015
• Published: 07/16/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/10/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Decentralized Motion Intelligence Company
• Original Assignee: Touchplus information Corp.
• Inventors: HU, SHIH-HSIEN, WEI, YI-FENG, CHUANG, YAO-CHIH
• Granted Patent: US 10,804,897 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0213 Arrangements providing an integrated pointing device in a keyboard, e.g. trackball, mini-joystick for pointing devices integrated in a laptop computer G06F1/169; joysticks G05G9/047; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/962 Capacitive touch switches
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/96054 Double function: touch detection combined with detection of a movable element

Abstract

A touch-sensitive keypad control device for use with a controlled device is provided. The touch-sensitive keypad control device includes: a housing, a touch control device disposed in the housing, and a keypad device uncovered from the housing and disposed above the touch control device. The touch control device generates a first command for controlling the controlled device in response to a gesture of a user relative to the keypad device, and the keypad device generates a second command for controlling the controlled device in response to a level change of the keypad device relative to the housing in response to a pressing operation of a user.

Claims

1. A touch-sensitive keypad control device for use with a controlled device, comprising:

a housing;

a touch control device having a touch-sensitive surface uncovered from the housing, wherein the touch control device generates a first command for controlling the controlled device in response to a first gesture of a user relative to the touch-sensitive surface; and

a keypad device integrated with the touch control device and movable relative to the touch-sensitive surface, wherein the keypad device generates a second command for controlling the controlled device in response to the movement of the keypad device enabled by a user;

wherein the touch control device further generates a third command for controlling the controlled device in response to a second gesture of a user relative to the keypad device.

2. The touch-sensitive keypad control device according to claim 1, being a remote controller, wherein the keypad device includes a plurality of push buttons each independently movable to trigger the generation of the second command in response to a pressing operation of a user.

3. The touch-sensitive keypad control device according to claim 1, wherein the keypad device is disposed on a specified range of the touch-sensitive surface, the first gesture is a sliding operation outside the specified range, and the second gesture is a sliding operation in the specified range.

4. The touch-sensitive keypad control device according to claim 1, wherein the first gesture is a vertical movement within a specified range or a holding-still action for a specified duration above the keypad device, and the second gesture is a sliding operation on or over the keypad device.

5. The touch-sensitive keypad control device according to claim 1, wherein the touch control device includes a one-dimensional touch sensing unit formed with a plurality of separate sensing electrodes and accommodated in the housing.

6. The touch-sensitive keypad control device according to claim 5, wherein at least one of the sensing electrodes includes an outer ring member, a central member, and a bridge member being the only connection between the outer ring member and the central member.

7. The touch-sensitive keypad control device according to claim 6, wherein the keypad device includes at least one cover and a flexible dome structure which is deformable so as to be movable toward the central member in response to a pressing operation of a user on the cover.

8. The touch-sensitive keypad control device according to claim 5, wherein the sensing electrodes and a first common electrode are separately formed on a first surface of a substrate, and a second common electrode is formed on a second surface of the substrate opposite to the first surface and electrically coupled to the first common electrode via a through hole between the first and second surfaces, wherein at least one of the sensing electrodes includes an outer ring member, which has a first part covered by an insulating paint layer, a second part uncovered by the insulating paint layer and an inner space where the first common electrode is disposed, and a flexible dome member, which is electrically coupled to the second part of the outer ring member.

9. The touch-sensitive keypad control device according to claim 8, wherein the keypad device includes at least one cover overlying the flexible dome member, and the flexible dome member is deformable so as to be movable toward the first common electrode in response to a pressing operation of a user on the cover.

10. The touch-sensitive keypad control device according to claim 5, wherein the touch control device further includes a waterproof insulating layer overlying the one-dimensional touch sensing unit.

11. A touch-sensitive keypad control device for use with a controlled device, comprising:

a housing;

a touch control device disposed in the housing; and

a keypad device uncovered from the housing and disposed above the touch control device,

wherein the touch control device generates a first command for controlling the controlled device in response to a gesture of a user relative to the keypad device, and the keypad device generates a second command for controlling the controlled device in response to a level change of the keypad device relative to the housing in response to a pressing operation of a user.

12. The touch-sensitive keypad control device according to claim 11, being a remote controller, wherein the keypad device includes a plurality of push buttons each independently having the level change so as to trigger the generation of the second command in response to a pressing operation of a user.

13. The touch-sensitive keypad control device according to claim 11, wherein the gesture is a sliding operation on or over the keypad device.

14. The touch-sensitive keypad control device according to claim 11, wherein the gesture is a vertical movement within a specified range or a holding-still action for a specified duration above the keypad device.

15. The touch-sensitive keypad control device according to claim 11, wherein the touch control device includes a one-dimensional touch sensing unit formed with a plurality of separate sensing electrodes and accommodated in the housing.

16. The touch-sensitive keypad control device according to claim 15, wherein at least one of the sensing electrodes includes an outer ring member, a central member, and a bridge member being the only connection between the outer ring member and the central member.

17. The touch-sensitive keypad control device according to claim 16, wherein the keypad device includes at least one cover and a flexible dome structure which is deformable so as to be movable toward the central member in response to a pressing operation of a user on the cover.

18. The touch-sensitive keypad control device according to claim 15, wherein the sensing electrodes and a first common electrode are separately formed on a first surface of a substrate, and a second common electrode is formed on a second surface of the substrate opposite to the first surface and electrically coupled to the first common electrode via a through hole between the first and second surfaces, wherein at least one of the sensing electrodes includes an outer ring member, which has a first part covered by an insulating paint layer, a second part uncovered by the insulating paint layer and an inner space where the first common electrode is disposed, and a flexible dome member, which is electrically coupled to the second part of the outer ring member.

19. The touch-sensitive keypad control device according to claim 18, wherein the keypad device includes at least one cover overlying the flexible dome member, and the flexible dome member is deformable so as to be movable toward the first common electrode in response to a pressing operation of a user on the cover.

20. The touch-sensitive keypad control device according to claim 15, wherein the touch control device further includes a waterproof insulating layer overlying the one-dimensional touch sensing unit.