TOUCH TYPE INPUT APPARATUS

• US 20170205942A1
• Filed: 01/09/2017
• Published: 07/20/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2016
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: BOLY Media Holdings Company Limited
• Original Assignee: BOLY Media Holdings Company Limited
• Inventors: HU, Xiaoping
• Application Number:
  US15/402,073
• Publication Number:
  US 20170205942A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/26 Power supply means, e.g. regulation thereof for memories G11C
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/3262 Power saving in digitizer or tablet
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04809 Textured surface identifying touch areas, e.g. overlay structure for a virtual keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0231 Cordless keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/042 by opto-electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0421 by interrupting or reflecting a light beam, e.g. optical touch-screen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04817 using icons graphical or visual programming using iconic symbols G06F8/34
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

A touch type input apparatus may include a touch panel (110) and a substrate (120). The touch panel may be transparent. The substrate may be located beneath the touch panel and formed as a photoelectric conversion device. The substrate may be used to supply electricity to the input apparatus or external equipment. The touch panel may include at least one key area (111). The input signal generated by the touch operation of the user in each key area may be the key signal corresponding to the key area, and the icon (130) which is used to represent the key area may be arranged on the surface of the touch panel or the substrate. Because the photoelectric conversion device is used as the substrate of the transparent touch panel, on one hand, the occupancy of the input interface on the display interface is avoided; on the other hand, the input apparatus can be self-powered and even supply electricity to other equipments, and thereby the power source issue of the input apparatus is cleverly solved.

Claims

1. A touch type input apparatus, comprising:

a touch panel which is transparent and used to generate an input signal in response to a touch operation of an user; and

a substrate which is located beneath the touch panel, wherein the substrate is formed as a photoelectric conversion device and is able to convert light energy irradiated onto its own surface into electrical energy, and the substrate is used to supply electricity to the input apparatus or an external equipment;

wherein the touch panel comprises at least one key area, and an input signal generated by a touch operation of the user in each key area is a key signal corresponding to the key area; and

an icon which is used to represent the key area is arranged on a surface of the touch panel or the substrate.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

there are a plurality of key areas, and at least a part of the key areas are arranged according to set rules to form a keyboard.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the touch panel further comprises at least one sliding area, and an input signal generated by a touch operation of the user in the sliding area is a movement signal corresponding to movement generated by the touch operation.

4. The apparatus of claim 3, wherein:

there is one sliding area which is arranged at the left or right side of the input apparatus;

or, there are two sliding areas which are arranged at the left side and the right side of the input apparatus, respectively.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising an energy storage device which is electrically connected with the substrate and used to store electrical energy generated by the substrate.

6. The apparatus of claim 5, wherein:

the energy storage device is rechargeable battery or super capacitor.

7. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a control circuit which is used to switch the input apparatus between a working state and an idle state, wherein in the working state, the touch panel is able to generate the input signal, and in the idle state, the touch pad is in a power saving mode.

8. The apparatus of claim 7, wherein:

the control circuit is further used to automatically perform the switching between the working state and the idle state, wherein when a time period during which the touch panel does not detect any touch operation exceeds a pre-set time, the input apparatus is switched into the idle state, and when the touch panel detects touch operation at any location thereof, the input apparatus is switched into the working state;

or

the control circuit is further used to perform the switching between the working state and the idle state based on a switching signal generated by a switch set by the user with touch.

9. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a voice recognition device which is used to select one of a plurality of key signals corresponding to a single touch operation or select one of a plurality of current possible inputs based on sound signal inputted.

10. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein:

the input apparatus is wholly formed as at least two parts which are connected with each other by sliding or pivoting.