User input device and electronic apparatus including the same

• US 8,581,866 B2
• Filed: 05/09/2011
• Issued: 11/12/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 05/11/2010
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lim, Seong-Taek, Mun, Gi-Tae, Park, Sung-Hyuk
• Primary Examiner(s): Wang, Quan-Zhen
• Assistant Examiner(s): DICKE, CHAD M
• Application Number:
  US13/103,221
• Publication Number:
  US 20110279374A1
• Time in Patent Office: 918 Days
• Field of Search: 3404071- 2, 434112-117
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/016 Input arrangements with force or tactile feedback as computer generated output to the user
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0202 Constructional details or processes of manufacture of the input device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes

Abstract

A user input device and electronic apparatus are provided. The user input device includes a first substrate on which first electrodes are formed; a second substrate disposed to be spaced apart from the first substrate, and on which second electrodes are formed; an electro-rheological fluid contained in a gap between the first substrate and the second substrate; and one or more lighting keypad units disposed on the second substrate. Each of the lighting keypad unit includes one or more key symbols which are different from one another. The electronic apparatus includes one or more user input devices.

Claims

1. A user input device of an electronic apparatus, the user input device comprising:

a first substrate on which a plurality of first electrodes are formed;

a second substrate that is spaced apart from the first substrate, and on which a plurality of second electrodes are formed,

wherein an array of driving electrode pairs is defined by the first electrodes and the second electrodes;

an electro-rheological fluid contained in a gap between the first substrate and the second substrate;

a plurality of lighting keypad units disposed on the second substrate, each lighting keypad unit of the plurality of lighting keypad units comprising at least one key symbol,

wherein the at least one key symbol of one of the plurality of lighting keypad units is different than the at least one key symbol of another one of the plurality of lighting keypad units, and

a control unit which cuts off a driving voltage which is applied to at least a first portion of the driving electrode pairs to drive the electro-rheological fluid from at least a second portion of the driving electrode pairs when the second substrate has a predetermined magnitude of displacement in response to a pressure applied thereto.

2. The user input device of claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of lighting keypad units is operated according to a type of a running application of the user input device, or a stage of the running application.

3. The user input device of claim 1, wherein the control unit adjusts at least one of a number of the driving electrode pairs among the array of driving electrode pairs to which the driving voltage is applied, and positions of the driving electrode pairs among the array of driving electrode pairs to which the driving voltage is applied.

4. The user input device of claim 3, wherein the control unit adjusts at least one of a number of driving electrode pairs from which the driving voltage is cut off among the driving electrode pairs to which the driving voltage is applied, positions of driving electrode pairs from which the driving voltage is cut off among the driving electrode pairs to which the driving voltage is applied, and a magnitude of the displacement of the second substrate at which the applied driving voltage is cut off.

5. The user input device of claim 4, wherein the number of the driving electrode pairs or the positions of the driving electrode pairs to or from which the driving voltage is applied or cut off are adjusted according to a type of an operating lighting keypad unit.

6. The user input device of claim 1, wherein each the plurality of lighting keypad units comprises:

a keypad comprising the at least one key symbol; and

a plurality of lighting layers disposed under the keypad,

wherein the plurality of lighting keypad units are formed such that the at least one key symbol of respective keypads do not overlap each other, and

the respective lighting layers emit light in positions corresponding to positions of the at least one key symbol in the keypad.

7. The user input device of claim 6, wherein each of the plurality of lighting layers comprises:

an electroluminescent sheet, or

one or more light sources and an optical waveguide film that is optically connected to the one or more light sources so that light emitted from one or more light sources passes through the optical waveguide film.

8. The user input device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of lighting keypad units comprise a plurality of integrated lighting keypad sheets, and each of the plurality of integrated lighting keypad sheets comprises the at least one key symbol.

9. The user input device of claim 8, wherein the at least one key symbol of one of the plurality of integrated lighting keypad sheets at least partially overlap the at least one key symbol of another of the plurality of integrated lighting keypad sheets.

19. An electronic apparatus comprising the user input device of claim 1.

20. The electronic apparatus of claim 19, further comprising a plurality of user input devices, wherein one of the plurality of user input devices is different from another one of the plurality of user input devices.

10. A user input device of an electronic apparatus, the user input device comprising:

an input device body comprising;

a first substrate;

a second substrate;

an electro-rheological (ER) fluid contained in a gap between the first substrate and the second substrate, and

an array of driving electrode pairs which is formed on the first substrate and the second substrate, and is configured to induce an electric field being locally in the gap when a driving voltage is applied across the driving electrode pairs;

a plurality of lighting keypad units disposed on the second substrate, each of the plurality of lighting keypad units comprising at least one key symbol, the at least one key symbol of one of the plurality of lighting keypad units being different than the at least one key symbol of another one of the plurality of lighting keypad units; and

a control unit which operates one of the plurality of lighting keypad units according to a type of a running application of the user input device or a stage of the running application, and controls to cut off the driving voltage from at least a portion of the driving electrode pairs when the second substrate has a predetermined magnitude of displacement in response to a pressure applied thereto.

11. The user input device of claim 10, wherein the control unit adjusts at least one of a number of the driving electrode pairs among the array of driving electrode pairs to which a driving voltage locally driving the ER fluid is applied, and positions of the driving electrode pairs among the array of driving electrode pairs to which a driving voltage locally driving the ER fluid is applied, or

the control unit adjusts at least one of a number of driving electrode pairs from which the driving voltage is cut off among the driving electrode pairs to which the driving voltage is applied, positions of driving electrode pairs from which the driving voltage is cut off among the driving electrode pairs to which the driving voltage is applied, and a magnitude of the displacement of the second substrate at which the applied driving voltage is cut off.

12. The user input device of claim 11, wherein the control unit adjusts the number of the driving electrode pairs or the positions of the driving electrode pairs to or from which the driving voltage is applied or cut off according to a type of the operating lighting keypad unit.

13. The user input device of claim 10, further comprising a sensor unit that determines whether an input to the lighting keypad unit occurs based on a change in a size of the gap between the first substrate and the second substrate.

14. The user input device of claim 13, wherein the sensing unit determines whether the input occurs by comparing the change in the size of the gap against a threshold gap size, and the threshold gap size is adjustable.

15. The user input device of claim 10, wherein each of the plurality of lighting keypad units comprises:

a keypad comprising the at least one key symbol of the lighting keypad unit; and

a plurality of lighting layers disposed under the keypad,

wherein the plurality of lighting keypad units are formed such that the at least one key symbol of respective keypads do not overlap each other, and

the respective lighting layers emit light in positions corresponding to positions of the at least one key symbol in the keypad.

16. The user input device of claim 15, wherein each of the plurality of lighting layers comprises:

an electroluminescent sheet, or

one or more light sources and an optical waveguide film that is optically connected to the one or more light sources so that light emitted from one or more light sources passes through the optical waveguide film.

17. The user input device of claim 10, wherein the plurality of lighting keypad units comprise a plurality of integrated lighting keypad sheets each of which comprises the at least one key symbol.

18. The user input device of claim 17, wherein integrated lighting keypad sheets of the plurality of integrated lighting keypad sheets that are not operated by the control unit are transparent, and

the at least one key symbol of one of the plurality of integrated lighting keypad sheets at least partially overlaps the at least one key symbol of another one of the plurality of integrated lighting keypad sheets.