Keyboard module and display system

• US 9,454,238 B2
• Filed: 09/14/2012
• Issued: 09/27/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 11/17/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PixArt Imaging Incorporated
• Original Assignee: PixArt Imaging Incorporated
• Inventors: Gu, Ren-Hau, Kao, Ming-Tsan, Huang, Sen-Huang
• Primary Examiner(s): Leiby, Christopher E
• Application Number:
  US13/617,372
• Publication Number:
  US 20130127722A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,474 Days
• Field of Search: 345168-172
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/02 Input arrangements using manually operated switches, e.g. using keyboards or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/021 Arrangements integrating additional peripherals in a keyboard, e.g. card or barcode reader, optical scanner
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/042 by opto-electronic means

Abstract

There is provided a keyboard module including a plurality of keyboard keys, an optical finger mouse and a transmission interface. The keyboard keys are configured to trigger a digital signal. The optical finger mouse is configured to detect a physiological characteristic and a displacement. The transmission interface is configured to send the digital signal, the physiological characteristic and the displacement to a display device. There is further provided a display system.

Claims

1. A keyboard module configured to detect and output a physiological characteristic of a user and a digital signal, the keyboard module comprising:

a plurality of keyboard keys;

a first light source configured to provide light of a first wavelength to a finger of the user;

a second light source configured to provide light of a second wavelength to the finger, wherein the second wavelength is different from the first wavelength;

a light control unit configured to control on-states of the first light source and the second light source;

at least one image sensor configured to receive reflected light from the finger at a sampling frequency to generate a plurality of first image frames corresponding to the on-states of the first light source and a plurality of second image frames corresponding to the on-states of the second light source; and

a processing unit configured to

alternatively compare a brightness value of one of the first image frames with at least one brightness threshold and compare a brightness value of one of the second image frames with the at least one brightness threshold to identify a contact status of the finger with the keyboard module before the contact status is identified as a touch state,

divide each of the first image frames into a first part and a second part and calculate an average brightness of each of the first part and the second part, wherein the second part is other than the first part,

analyze the average brightness of each of the first part and the second part of the first image frames to obtain a first intensity variation,

divide each of the second image frames into a third part and a fourth part and calculate an average brightness of each of the third part and the fourth part, wherein the fourth part is other than the third part,

analyze the average brightness of each of the third part and the fourth part of the second image frames to obtain a second intensity variation,

calculate the physiological characteristic according to the first intensity variation and the second intensity variation,

calculate a finger displacement of the finger with respect to the keyboard module according to one of the first image frames and one of the second image frames consecutively captured by the image sensor, and

generate the digital signal according to an operating state of the keyboard keys,

wherein the processing unit is configured to identify whether the finger displacement exceeds a displacement threshold, and when the finger displacement exceeds the displacement threshold, the calculated physiological characteristic is abandoned.

2. The keyboard module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processing unit is further configured to calculate a heart rate of the user according to a comparison result of comparing at least one pulse threshold with at least one of the first intensity variation and the second intensity variation.

3. The keyboard module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the physiological characteristic comprises a blood oxygenation and a heart rate.

4. The keyboard module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processing unit is further configured to calculate another finger displacement according to two of the first image frames and according to two of the second image frames.

5. The keyboard module as claimed in claim 1, wherein

the light control unit is configured to alternatively enable the on-states of the first light source and the second light source such that the image sensor receives the reflected light associated with the first light source and the second light source alternatively.

6. The keyboard module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first light source, the second light source, the light control unit, the at least one image sensor and the processing unit are packaged as a control chip to output the physiological characteristic and the digital signal processed by at least one of an encoding process, a sequential process and a compressing process.

7. The keyboard module as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a touch member for the finger to operate thereon, wherein the touch member is one of the keyboard keys or separated from the keyboard keys.

8. The keyboard module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the processing unit is configured to calculate the physiological characteristic and the finger displacement after identifying that the contact status is the touch state.

9. A keyboard module for being operated by a user, the keyboard module comprising:

a plurality of keyboard keys configured to trigger a digital signal;

an optical finger mouse configured to detect a physiological characteristic of the user and a finger displacement of a finger of the user with respect to the optical finger mouse, the optical finger mouse comprising;

a first light source configured to provide light of a first wavelength to the finger;

a second light source configured to provide light of a second wavelength to the finger, wherein the second wavelength is different from the first wavelength;

at least one image sensor configured to receive reflected light from the finger to generate a plurality of first image frames corresponding to on-states of the first light source and a plurality of second image frames corresponding to on-states of the second light source; and

a processing unit configured to

alternatively compare a brightness value of one of the first image frames with at least one brightness threshold and compare a brightness value of one of the second image frames with the at least one brightness threshold to identify a contact status of the finger with the optical finger mouse before the contact status is identified as a touch state,

divide each of the first image frames into a first part and a second part and calculate an average brightness of each of the first part and the second part, wherein the second part is other than the first part,

analyze the average brightness of each of the first part and the second part of the first image frames to obtain a first intensity variation,

divide each of the second image frames into a third part and a fourth part and calculate an average brightness of each of the third part and the fourth part, wherein the fourth part is other than the third part,

analyze the average brightness of each of the third part and the fourth part of the second image frames to obtain a second intensity variation,

calculate the physiological characteristic according to the first intensity variation and the second intensity variation, and

calculate the finger displacement with respect to the optical finger mouse according to one of the first image frames and one of the second image frames consecutively captured by the image sensor;

a communication unit configured to perform at least one of an encoding process, a sequential process and a compressing process on the digital signal, the physiological characteristic and the finger displacement; and

a transmission interface configured to output the processed digital signal, the processed physiological characteristic and the processed finger displacement,

wherein the processing unit is configured to identify whether the finger displacement exceeds a displacement threshold, and when the finger displacement exceeds the displacement threshold, the calculated physiological characteristic is not processed by the communication unit or the processed physiological characteristic is not outputted by the transmission interface.

10. The keyboard module as claimed in claim 9, wherein the optical finger mouse further comprises:

a light control unit configured to control the on-states of the first light source and the second light source.

11. The keyboard module as claimed in claim 9, wherein the processing unit is further configured to calculate a heart rate of the user according to a comparison result of comparing at least one pulse threshold with at least one of the first intensity variation and the second intensity variation.

12. The keyboard module as claimed in claim 9, wherein the processing unit is configured to calculate the physiological characteristic and the finger displacement after identifying that the contact status is the touch state.

13. A display system, comprising:

a display device configured to display images; and

a keyboard module configured to output a digital signal and a physiological characteristic of a user to the display device to control the display device to update the images being displayed according to the digital signal and to display the physiological characteristic, the keyboard module comprising;

a first light source configured to provide light of a first wavelength to a finger of the user;

a second light source configured to provide light of a second wavelength to the finger, wherein the second wavelength is different from the first wavelength;

at least one image sensor configured to receive reflected light from the finger to generate a plurality of first image frames corresponding to on-states of the first light source and a plurality of second image frames corresponding to on-states of the second light source; and

a processing unit configured to

alternatively compare a brightness value of one of the first image frames with at least one brightness threshold and compare a brightness value of one of the second image frames with the at least one brightness threshold to identify a contact status of the finger with the keyboard module before the contact status is identified as a touch state,

divide each of the first image frames into a first part and a second part and calculate an average brightness of each of the first part and the second part, wherein the second part is other than the first part,

analyze the average brightness of each of the first part and the second part of the first image frames to obtain a first intensity variation,

divide each of the second image frames into a third part and a fourth part and calculate an average brightness of each of the third part and the fourth part, wherein the fourth part is other than the third part,

analyze the average brightness of each of the third part and the fourth part of the second image frames to obtain a second intensity variation,

calculate the physiological characteristic according to the first intensity variation and the second intensity variation, and

calculate a finger displacement of the finger with respect to the keyboard module according to one of the first image frames and one of the second image frames consecutively captured by the image sensor,

wherein the processing unit is configured to identify whether the finger displacement exceeds a displacement threshold, and when the finger displacement exceeds the displacement threshold, the calculated physiological characteristic is not outputted by the keyboard module.

14. The display system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the display device is configured to generate a warning state when the physiological characteristic exceeds a predetermined value.

15. The display system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the keyboard module further comprises:

a light control unit configured to control the on-states of the first light source and the second light source;

wherein

the processing unit is further configured to generate the digital signal according to an operating state of a plurality of keyboard keys of the keyboard module.

16. The display system as claimed in claim 13, wherein

the processing unit is further configured to calculate another finger displacement according to two of the first image frames and according to two of the second image frames;

and

the keyboard module is configured to output the another finger displacement to the display device to accordingly control a cursor displayed by the display device.

17. The display system as claimed in claim 13, wherein the processing unit is further configured to calculate a heart rate of the user according to a comparison result of comparing at least one pulse threshold with at least one of the first intensity variation and the second intensity variation.