Capacitive keyboard with non-locking reduced keying ambiguity
DCFirst Claim
1. An apparatus for supplying a unique key output from an operating key board comprising a plurality of keys when a user is proximate two or more keys thereof, the apparatus comprising:
- a respective sensor uniquely associated with each of the two or more keys, each of the sensors connected to supply a respective output signal representative of the user'"'"'s coupling thereto to a controller;
the controller operable to iteratively compare all of the two or more output signals supplied thereto to respective threshold values and to each other, to initially select as the key for supplying the unique key output that one of the two or more keys having a maximum value of all the signal outputs that exceed their respective thresholds, and, on subsequent iterations, to bias the iterated comparison in favor of the previously selected key.
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Litigations
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Accused Products
Abstract
Keyboards, keypads and other data entry devices can suffer from a keying ambiguity problem. In a small keyboard, for example, a user'"'"'s finger is likely to overlap from a desired key to onto adjacent ones. An iterative method of removing keying ambiguity from a keyboard comprising an array of capacitive keys involves measuring a signal strength associated with each key in the array, comparing the measured signal strengths to find a maximum, determining that the key having the maximum signal strength is the unique user-selected key, and maintaining that selection until either the initially selected key'"'"'s signal strength drops below some threshold level or a second key'"'"'s signal strength exceeds the first key'"'"'s signal strength.
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Citations
40 Claims
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1. An apparatus for supplying a unique key output from an operating key board comprising a plurality of keys when a user is proximate two or more keys thereof, the apparatus comprising:
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a respective sensor uniquely associated with each of the two or more keys, each of the sensors connected to supply a respective output signal representative of the user'"'"'s coupling thereto to a controller; the controller operable to iteratively compare all of the two or more output signals supplied thereto to respective threshold values and to each other, to initially select as the key for supplying the unique key output that one of the two or more keys having a maximum value of all the signal outputs that exceed their respective thresholds, and, on subsequent iterations, to bias the iterated comparison in favor of the previously selected key. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6)
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7. A method of providing a unique output representative of a key uniquely selected by a user from a plurality of keys in which each key is operable to provide a respective detected signal having a respective signal strength responsive to a presence of at least a portion of the user, the method comprising the sequentially executed steps of:
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(a) measuring the respective detected signal strength associated with each key in the plurality thereof; (b) comparing each of the measured signal strengths with a respective selected threshold value to form a subset of keys having associated signals greater than the respective threshold values; (c) determining that no key has been selected if the subset is empty, and otherwise determining that the key that is in the subset and that is associated with a maximum signal strength is the current uniquely selected key; (d) subsequent to determining a uniquely selected key, modifying step (c) to bias subsequent determinations in favor of the uniquely selected key and then repeating steps (a), (b) and the modified step (c). - View Dependent Claims (8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15)
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16. A method of providing a unique output representative of a key selected by a user from a plurality of keys operable to provide respective detected signals having respective signal strengths responsive to a presence of at least a portion of the user, the method comprising the steps of:
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(a) measuring, at a first instant, the respective detected signal strength associated with each key in the plurality thereof, and retaining for further consideration at the first instant respective retained values representative of only those signal strengths exceeding respective threshold values; (b) selecting, as the initial user-selected key, that key having the maximum of all the values retained at the first instant; (c) measuring, at a second instant, later than the first instant, the respective detected signal strength associated with each key in the plurality thereof, and retaining for further consideration at the second instant respective retained values representative only of those signal strengths exceeding respective threshold values; (d) comparing, in a fashion biased in favor of the initial user-selected key, the values retained for further consideration at the second instant to select the user-selected key at the second instant. - View Dependent Claims (17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24)
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25. A device comprising:
a controller operable to receive sensor values from a plurality of keys and bias a determination of a selected key as a function of a previously selected key. - View Dependent Claims (26, 27, 28, 29, 30, 31, 32)
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33. A device comprising:
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a plurality of keys for selection by a user; a sensor to provide sensor values responsive to selection of the keys; and a controller coupled to the sensor to receive the sensor values from the plurality of keys and bias a determination of an active key as a function of a current active key. - View Dependent Claims (34, 35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40)
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Specification