General purpose input board for a touch actuation

• US 7,158,054 B2
• Filed: 09/21/2004
• Issued: 01/02/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 09/21/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Nokia Technologies Oy (Nokia Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Nokia Corporation
• Inventors: Pihlaja, Pekka
• Primary Examiner(s): WONG, ALBERT KANG
• Application Number:
  US10/946,909
• Publication Number:
  US 20060060644A1
• Time in Patent Office: 833 Days
• Field of Search: 341/20, 341/22, 345/173, 345/174, 345/168, 178/102, 200/42.02
• US Class Current: 341/22
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0202 Constructional details or processes of manufacture of the input device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0205 Lever arrangements for operating keyboard cursor control keys in a joystick-like manner
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 13/702 with contacts carried by or formed from layers in a multilayer structure, e.g. membrane switches
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2203/008 Wires
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2221/002 integral with membrane
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2221/012 Joy stick type
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2231/022 Telephone handset
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2239/012 Decoding impedances

Abstract

This invention describes a method for a touch actuation in an electronic device using a general purpose input board. The input board comprises of a grating of conductors running in one direction (y-lines). Between these conductors there are contacts connected to a grating running in the perpendicular direction a layer below (x-lines). The grating layers are separated by an insulating layer. The input board can be manufactured using a wide variety of technologies, e.g., printable resistive, conductive and insulating materials. Various known methods can be used to read the position of any conductive actuator touching the input board. The input board can be used as a configurable UI board under a keymat. The input devices on the keymat can be a key, a joystick, a touchpad top membrane, etc. and their configurations and positions can be freely varied on switchcovers. In addition, the actuators can be made force-sensitive by detecting a contact surface area.

Claims

1. A method, comprising:

moving an actuator, by applying a manipulation signal to an actuator, to make a physical contact with a general purpose input board; and

generating an actuator identity signal for providing a predetermined command, wherein said actuator identity signal is indicative of at least one of;

a) a location of said actuator on a surface of said general purpose input board and b) a force imposed by said actuator on said general purpose input board, and wherein said general purpose input board contains on the surface of said general purpose input board N conducting lines parallel to each other and electrically isolated from each other, and contains beneath the surface of said general purpose input board K further conducting lines parallel to each other and electrically isolated from each other and from said N conducting lines, said K further conducting lines being perpendicular to said N conducting lines, and wherein each of said K further conducting lines has N−

1 contacts extending to the surface of said general purpose input board having one such contact of said N−

1 contacts between any two of said N parallel conducting lines, wherein N and K are integers of at least a value of two.

2. The method of claim 1, wherein said manipulation signal is applied.

3. The method of claim 1, wherein said actuator and said general purpose input board are parts of an electronic device.

4. The method of claim 3, wherein said electronic device is a wireless portable device, a mobile communication device or a mobile phone.

5. The method of claim 3, wherein said manipulation signal is applied by a user of said electronic device by a way of a mechanical touch using a stylus or a finger.

6. The method of claim 3, wherein said manipulation signal and said actuator identity signal are for providing a predetermined command to said electronic device.

7. The method of claim 1, wherein said actuator is made of a flexible conductive material and attached to an insulating cover, and said manipulation signal is applied to said flexible conducting material of said actuator through said insulating cover.

8. The method of claim 1, wherein said N conducting lines are equally spaced, said K conducting lines are equally spaced and said N−

1 contacts are also equally spaced, wherein each of said N−

1 contacts has an equal distance to said any two adjacent parallel conducting lines out of said N conducting lines.

9. The method of claim 1, wherein said actuator is made of a conductive material and said actuator, when in the physical contact with said general purpose input board, is configured to provide an electrical short between one or more conductive lines out of said N conductive lines to one or more further conductive lines out of said K further conductive lines.

10. The method of claim 9, wherein said location on the surface of said general purpose input board in a direction parallel to said N conducting lines is determined by applying a different bias voltage to each of said K further conducting lines and by monitoring a voltage generated in any of the N conducting lines as a result of making said physical contact.

11. The method of claim 9, wherein said location on the surface of said general purpose input board in a further direction perpendicular to said N conducting lines is determined by applying a different bias voltage to each of said N further conducting lines and monitoring a voltage generated in any of the K further conducting lines as a result of making said physical contact.

12. The method of claim 1, wherein said actuator is made of a conductive material and an electrically insulating membrane or a keymat is laid over said surface of said general purpose input board, and said actuator, when in the physical contact with said general purpose input board, is configured to provide a capacitive connection between one or more conductive lines out of said N conductive lines with one or more further conductive lines out of said K further conductive lines.

13. The method of claim 1, wherein said actuation is provided using a resistive method, a capacitive method, a digital switch method, an optical detection method or an inductive method.

14. An electronic device, comprising:

an actuator, responsive to a manipulation signal for communicating a predetermined command to said electronic device; and

a general purpose input board, responsive to a physical contact with said actuator, for generating an actuator identity signal used for providing said predetermined command,

wherein said actuator identity signal is indicative of at least one of;

a) a location of said actuator on a surface of said general purpose input board and b) a force imposed by said actuator on said general purpose input board, and wherein said general purpose input board contains on the surface of said general purpose input board N conducting lines parallel to each other and electrically isolated from each other, and contains beneath the surface of said general purpose input board K further conducting lines parallel to each other and electrically isolated from each other and from said N conducting lines, said K further conducting lines being perpendicular to said N conducting lines, and wherein each of said K further conducting lines has N−

1 contacts extending to the surface of said general purpose input board having one such contact of said N−

1 contacts between any two of said N parallel conducting lines, wherein N and K are integers of at least a value of two.

15. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein said electronic device is for wireless communications.

16. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the manipulation signal is applied by a way of a mechanical touch using a stylus or a finger.

17. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein said actuator is made of a flexible conductive material and attached to an insulating cover, and said manipulation signal is applied to said flexible conducting material of said actuator through said insulating cover.

18. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein said N conducting lines are equally spaced, said K conducting lines are equally spaced and said N−

1 contacts are also equally spaced, wherein each of said N−

1 contacts has an equal distance to said any two adjacent parallel conducting lines out of said N conducting lines.

19. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein said actuator is made of a conductive material and said actuator, when in the physical contact with said general purpose input board, is configured to provide an electrical short between one or more conductive lines out of said N conductive lines to one or more further conductive lines out of said K further conductive lines.

20. The electronic device of claim 19, wherein said location on the surface of said general purpose input board in a direction parallel to said N conducting lines is determined by applying a different bias voltage to each of said K further conducting lines and by monitoring a voltage generated in any of the N conducting lines as a result of making said physical contact.

21. The electronic device of claim 19, wherein said location on the surface of said general purpose input board in a direction perpendicular to said N conducting lines is determined by applying a different bias voltage to each of said N further conducting lines and monitoring a voltage generated in any of the K further conducting lines as a result of making said physical contact.

22. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein said actuator is made of a conductive material and an electrically insulating membrane or a keymat is laid over said surface of said general purpose input board, and said actuator, when in the physical contact with said general purpose input board, is configured to provide a capacitive connection between one or more conductive lines out of said N conductive lines with one or more further conductive lines out of said K further conductive lines.

23. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein said actuation is provided using a resistive method, a capacitive method, a digital switch method, an optical detection method or an inductive method.

24. A general purpose input board, comprising:

N conducting lines on the surface of said general purpose input board, said N conducting lines being parallel to each other and electrically isolated from each other;

K further conducting lines beneath the surface of said general purpose input board, said K further conducting lines being parallel to each other and electrically isolated from each other and from said N conducting lines, said K further conducting lines being perpendicular to said N conducting lines, and each of said K further conducting lines has N−

1 contacts extending to the surface of said general purpose input board having one such contact of said N−

1 contacts between any two of said N parallel conducting lines, wherein N and K are integers of at least a value of two; and

a controller, for generating a drive signal for N and K conducting lines and for generating said actuator identity signal,

wherein said actuator identity signal is indicative of at least one of;

a) a location of an actuator on a surface of said general purpose input board and b) a force imposed by said actuator on said general purpose input board.

25. The general purpose input board of claim 24, wherein said N conducting lines are equally spaced, said K conducting lines are equally spaced and said N−

1 contacts are also equally spaced, wherein each of said N−

1 contacts has an equal distance to said any two adjacent parallel conducting lines out of said N conducting lines.

26. The general purpose input board of claim 24, wherein said actuator is made of a conductive material and said actuator, when in the physical contact with said general purpose input board, is configured to provide an electrical short between one or more conductive lines out of said N conductive lines to one or more further conductive lines out of said K further conductive lines.

27. The general purpose input board of claim 26, wherein said location on the surface of said general purpose input board in a direction parallel to said N conducting lines is determined by applying a different bias voltage to each of said K further conducting lines and by monitoring a voltage generated in any of the N conducting lines as a result of making said physical contact.

28. The general purpose input board of claim 26, wherein said location on the surface of said general purpose input board in a further direction perpendicular to said N conducting lines is determined by applying a different bias voltage to each of said N further conducting lines and monitoring a voltage generated in any of the K further conducting lines as a result of making said physical contact.

29. The general purpose input board of claim 24, wherein said actuator is made of a conductive material and an electrically insulating membrane or a keymat is laid over said surface of said general purpose input board, and said actuator, when in the physical contact with said general purpose input board, is configured to provide a capacitive connection between one or more conductive lines out of said N conductive lines with one or more further conductive lines out of said K further conductive lines.

30. An electronic device, comprising:

means for actuating, responsive to a manipulation signal for communicating a predetermined command to said electronic device; and

means for inputting, responsive to a physical contact with said means for actuating, for generating an actuator identity signal used for providing said predetermined command,

wherein said actuator identity signal is indicative of at least one of;

a) a location of said actuator on a surface of said means for inputting and b) a force imposed by said actuator on said means for inputting, and wherein said means for inputting contains on the surface N conducting lines parallel to each other and electrically isolated from each other, and contains beneath the surface of said means for inputting K further conducting lines parallel to each other and electrically isolated from each other and from said N conducting lines, said K further conducting lines being perpendicular to said N conducting lines, and wherein each of said K further conducting lines has N−

1 contacts extending to the surface of said means for inputting having one such contact of said N−

1 contacts between any two of said N parallel conducting lines, wherein N and K are integers of at least a value of two.

31. The electronic device of claim 30, wherein said means for inputting is a general purpose input board.