Electronic device including mechanical keyboard having touch sensors for detecting touches and actuation of mechanical keys

• US 9,465,446 B2
• Filed: 03/14/2013
• Issued: 10/11/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/14/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Malikie Innovations Limited (Key Patent Innovations Limited)
• Original Assignee: Blackberry Limited
• Inventors: Kaiser, Devin Jay, Dolson, John Edward, Singh, Amit Pal
• Primary Examiner(s): Yodichkas, Aneeta
• Assistant Examiner(s): KIYABU, KARIN A
• Application Number:
  US13/826,192
• Publication Number:
  US 20140267043A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,307 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0489 using dedicated keyboard keys or combinations thereof

Abstract

An electronic device includes a keyboard. The keyboard includes a plurality of mechanical keys including a first key, and capacitive touch sensors including a first capacitive touch sensor and a second capacitive touch sensor. The keyboard is configured to detect a touch on the first key utilizing the first capacitive touch sensor and the second capacitive touch sensor, and to detect actuation of the first key when the first capacitive touch sensor is electrically coupled to the second capacitive touch sensor.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a touch-sensitive display comprising a plurality of display touch sensors coupled to a touch-sensitive display controller and utilized to detect touches on the touch-sensitive display by mutual-capacitance touch sensing;

a mechanical keyboard comprising a plurality of mechanical keys, each associated with a pair of capacitive keyboard touch sensors such that a first key of the mechanical keyboard is associated with a first capacitive keyboard touch sensor, and a second capacitive keyboard touch sensor, the pair of capacitive keyboard touch sensors including the first capacitive keyboard touch sensor and the second capacitive keyboard touch sensor coupled to the touch-sensitive display controller and configured to;

detect a touch on the first key of the mechanical keyboard utilizing the first capacitive keyboard touch sensor and the second capacitive keyboard touch sensor by self-capacitance touch sensing in which an x-location component of the touch is determined by a signal generated from the first capacitive keyboard touch sensor and a y-location component of the touch is determined by a signal generated from the second capacitive keyboard touch sensor;

detect actuation of the first key of the mechanical keyboard when the first capacitive keyboard touch sensor is electrically coupled to the second capacitive keyboard touch sensor;

wherein the touch-sensitive display controller is utilized to detect touches on both the touch-sensitive display utilizing mutual-capacitance touch sensing and the mechanical keyboard utilizing self-capacitance touch sensing, and is configured to;

detect a gesture that begins on one of the touch-sensitive display and the mechanical keyboard and continues to another of the touch-sensitive display and the mechanical keyboard such that the touch-sensitive display controller detects the gesture detected on both the touch-sensitive display and the mechanical keyboard; and

identify the gesture on both the touch-sensitive display and the mechanical keyboard as a single gesture.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, further comprising a third capacitive keyboard touch sensor and a fourth capacitive keyboard touch sensor that are utilized to detect touches on a second key and detect actuation of the second key based on electrical coupling of the third capacitive keyboard touch sensor and the fourth capacitive keyboard touch sensor.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein the touch-sensitive display and the first capacitive keyboard touch sensor and the second capacitive keyboard touch sensor are configured to detect that the gesture that begins on the touch-sensitive display and continues from the touch-sensitive display to the mechanical keyboard.

4. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of capacitive keyboard touch sensors are configured to detect a keyboard gesture on the mechanical keyboard.

5. A method comprising:

detecting, utilizing a touch-sensitive display controller and a plurality of display touch sensors, a touch on a touch-sensitive display of an electronic device by mutual-capacitance touch sensing;

detecting, utilizing the touch-sensitive display controller, a first capacitive keyboard touch sensor, and a second capacitive keyboard touch sensor, a touch on a mechanical key of a mechanical keyboard of the electronic device by self-capacitance touch sensing in which an x-location component of the touch is determined by a signal generated from the first capacitive keyboard touch sensor and a y-location component of the touch is determined by a signal generated from the second capacitive keyboard touch sensor;

when the first capacitive keyboard touch sensor is electrically coupled to the second capacitive keyboard touch sensor, detecting actuation of the mechanical key; and

utilizing the touch-sensitive display controller to;

detect touches on both the touch-sensitive display utilizing mutual-capacitance touch sensing and the mechanical keyboard utilizing self-capacitance touch sensing, and

in response to detecting a gesture that begins on one of the touch-sensitive display and the mechanical keyboard and continues to another of the touch-sensitive display and the mechanical keyboard such that the gesture is detected on both the touch-sensitive display and the mechanical keyboard, identify the gesture detected on both the touch-sensitive display and the mechanical keyboard as a single gesture.

6. The method according to claim 5, comprising detecting a keyboard gesture on the mechanical keyboard utilizing a plurality of capacitive keyboard touch sensors including the first capacitive keyboard touch sensor and the second capacitive keyboard touch sensor.

7. The method according to claim 5, comprising detecting that the gesture is one gesture that is detected along a path on both the mechanical keyboard and the touch-sensitive display of the electronic device.

8. A non-transitory computer-readable medium having computer-readable code stored thereon, the computer-readable code executable by at least one processor of an electronic device to cause the electronic device to perform the method of claim 5.

9. An electronic device comprising:

a touch-sensitive display comprising a plurality of display touch sensors coupled to a touch-sensitive display controller for detecting touches on the touch-sensitive display by mutual-capacitance touch sensing;

a mechanical keyboard comprising a first plurality of capacitive keyboard touch sensors and a second plurality of capacitive keyboard touch sensors that are coupled to the touch-sensitive display controller and configured to;

detect a touch on the mechanical keyboard by self-capacitance touch sensing in which an x-location component of the touch is determined by a signal generated from one of the first plurality of capacitive keyboard touch sensors and a y-location component of the touch is determined by a signal generated from one of the second plurality of capacitive keyboard touch sensors;

detect actuation of a mechanical key of the mechanical keyboard when a first keyboard touch sensor of the first plurality of capacitive keyboard touch sensors is electrically coupled to a second keyboard touch sensor of the second plurality of capacitive keyboard touch sensors;

wherein the touch-sensitive display controller is utilized to detect touches on both the touch-sensitive display utilizing mutual-capacitance touch sensing and the mechanical keyboard utilizing self-capacitance touch sensing, and is configured to;

detect a gesture that begins on one of the touch-sensitive display and the mechanical keyboard and continues to another of the touch-sensitive display and the mechanical keyboard such that the touch-sensitive display controller detects the gesture on both the touch-sensitive display and the mechanical keyboard; and

identify the gesture detected on both the touch-sensitive display and the mechanical keyboard as a single gesture.

10. The electronic device according to claim 9, wherein a third keyboard touch sensor of the first plurality of capacitive keyboard touch sensors and a fourth keyboard touch sensor of the second plurality of capacitive keyboard touch sensors are associated with a second mechanical key of the mechanical keyboard to detect touches on the second mechanical key and to detect actuation of the second mechanical key when the third keyboard touch sensor is electrically coupled to the fourth keyboard touch sensor.

11. The electronic device according to claim 9, wherein the touch-sensitive display and the first plurality of capacitive keyboard touch sensors and the second plurality of capacitive keyboard touch sensors are configured to detect that the gesture is one gesture that extends along a path on both the touch-sensitive display and the mechanical keyboard.

12. The electronic device according to claim 9, wherein the first plurality of capacitive keyboard touch sensors and the second plurality of capacitive keyboard touch sensors are utilized to detect touches by self-capacitance touch sensing.

13. The electronic device according to claim 9, wherein the first plurality of capacitive keyboard touch sensors and the second plurality of capacitive keyboard touch sensors of the keyboard are configured to detect a keyboard gesture on the mechanical keyboard.