Input device configuration having capacitive and pressure sensors

• US 9,684,382 B2
• Filed: 09/22/2013
• Issued: 06/20/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 06/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Cox, Brian R., Marshall, James C., Shaw, Timothy C., Picciotto, Carl E., Fitz-Coy, Aric A.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lee, Nicholas
• Assistant Examiner(s): HONG, RICHARD J
• Application Number:
  US14/033,510
• Publication Number:
  US 20140022177A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,367 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1632 External expansion units, e.g. docking stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1669 Detachable keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04106 Multi-sensing digitiser, i.e. digitiser using at least two different sensing technologies simultaneously or alternatively, e.g. for detecting pen and finger, for saving power or for improving position detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0202 Constructional details or processes of manufacture of the input device
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/023 Arrangements for converting discrete items of information into a coded form, e.g. arrangements for interpreting keyboard generated codes as alphanumeric codes, operand codes or instruction codes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04144 using an array of force sensing means position sensing using the local deformation of sensor cells G06F3/0447
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive 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
• 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 2203/02 Interspersed fingers
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2205/004 fixed to substrate
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2209/006 Force isolators
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2211/03 Ridges on layers
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2219/036 Light emitting elements
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2219/062 Light conductor
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2221/05 Force concentrator; Actuating dimple
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2223/003 Membrane embracing all keys
• CPC Class Codes: H01H 2231/002 Calculator, computer
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/962 Capacitive touch switches
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/960755 Constructional details of capacitive touch and proximity switches
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/960785 : with illumination

Abstract

Input device configurations are described. In one or more implementations, an input device includes a sensor substrate having one or more conductors and a flexible contact layer spaced apart from the sensor substrate. The flexible contact layer is configured to flex to contact the sensor substrate to initiate an input of a computing device. The flexible contact layer includes a force concentrator pad that is configured to cause pressure to be channeled through the force concentrator pad to cause the flexible contact layer to contact the sensor substrate to initiate the input. In one or more implementations, an input device includes a capacitive sensor assembly arranged in an array that is configured to detect a location of an object that is proximal to a respective capacitive sensor of the capacitive sensor assembly and a pressure sensitive sensor assembly including a plurality of pressure sensitive sensor nodes that are configured to detect an amount of pressure applied by the object against a respective pressure sensitive sensor node of the pressure sensitive sensor assembly.

Claims

1. An input device comprising:

a capacitive sensor assembly arranged on a sensor substrate, the capacitive sensor assembly configured to detect a contact of an object that is proximal to a respective capacitive sensor of the capacitive sensor assembly and, responsive to the detection, cause functionality of the input device that is not related to the capacitive sensor assembly to be placed in an operational state, the functionality being in a non-operational state prior to the detection of the contact; and

a pressure sensitive sensor assembly arranged on the sensor substrate, the pressure sensitive sensor assembly configured to detect varying amounts of pressure applied to respective pressure sensitive sensor nodes of the pressure sensitive sensor assembly.

2. An input device as described in claim 1, wherein the sensor substrate is part of the pressure sensitive sensor assembly.

3. An input device as described in claim 1, wherein the pressure sensitive sensor nodes are associated with keys of a keyboard and the capacitive sensor assembly is associated with a palm rest of the input device.

4. An input device as described in claim 1, wherein a location and the varying amounts of pressure are configured to be communicated as an input to a computing device.

5. An input device as described in claim 4, wherein the input is usable to detect a gesture by the computing device.

6. An input device as described in claim 1, wherein the pressure sensitive sensor assembly includes:

a sensor substrate having one or more conductors;

a flexible contact layer spaced apart from the sensor substrate that is configured to flex to contact the sensor substrate to initiate a corresponding input.

7. An input device as described in claim 6, wherein the sensor substrate includes:

one or more conductors that when contacted by the flexible contact layer initiate the corresponding input; and

conductors used to form the capacitive sensor assembly.

8. An input device as described in claim 1, wherein the detection of the object as proximal is configured to place the pressure sensitive sensor assembly in the operational state.

9. An input device as described in claim 1, wherein the plurality of pressure sensitive sensor nodes are formed using a force sensitive ink.

10. A method comprising:

causing functionality of an input device that is not related to one or more capacitive sensors of the input device to be placed in a non-operational state, the input device configured to communicate one or more inputs to a computing device;

detecting that an object is located proximal to one or more of the capacitive sensors; and

responsive to the detection, causing the functionality of the input device that is not related to the capacitive sensors to be placed in an operational state while still detecting the object as proximal to the one or more capacitive sensors.

11. A method as described in claim 10, wherein the functionality includes placing a pressure sensitive sensor assembly of the input device in the operational state such that one or more pressure sensitive sensor nodes of the pressure sensitive sensor assembly are configured to detect an amount of pressure applied by the object or another object to respective areas of the input device and provide the detected amount of pressure as a respective said input to the computing device.

12. A method as described in claim 11, wherein the pressure sensitive sensor nodes are interspersed throughout the capacitive sensors.

13. A method as described in claim 11, wherein the pressure sensitive sensor nodes and the capacitive sensors are disposed on separate non-overlapping portions of a sensor substrate of the pressure sensitive sensor assembly.

14. A method as described in claim 11, wherein the capacitive sensors are part of a capacitive sensor assembly that is disposed over the pressure sensitive assembly as layers that are proximal to each other.

15. A method as described in claim 10, wherein the functionality includes placing a backlight of the input device in the operational state to illuminate one or more indications of inputs of the input device.

16. A method as described in claim 10, wherein the input device includes a keyboard.

17. A system comprising:

a capacitive sensor array embedded on a sensor substrate configured to detect proximity of an object; and

a plurality of pressure sensitive sensor nodes configured to be;

embedded as nodes interspersed within the capacitive sensor array;

placed in a non-operational state prior to a detection of the object by the capacitive sensor array; and

placed in an operational state responsive to the detection of the object by the capacitive sensor array.

18. A system as described in claim 17, wherein the plurality of pressure sensitive sensor nodes are configured to detect pressure using a force sensitive ink.

19. A system as described in claim 17, wherein responsive to the detection of the object by the capacitive sensor array, enabling the pressure sensitive sensor nodes to perform detections of varying amounts of applied pressure.

20. A system as described in claim 17, wherein the pressure sensitive sensor nodes are placed in an inoperative state when the capacitive sensor array no longer detects the object.