Electronic device having multi-functional human interface

• US 10,635,187 B2
• Filed: 06/23/2017
• Issued: 04/28/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Mokibo Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Innopresso, Inc.
• Inventors: Cho, Eunhyung
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang, Kent W
• Assistant Examiner(s): Au, Scott
• Application Number:
  US15/574,156
• Publication Number:
  US 20180232061A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,040 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0213 Arrangements providing an integrated pointing device in a keyboard, e.g. trackball, mini-joystick for pointing devices integrated in a laptop computer G06F1/169; joysticks G05G9/047; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0219 Special purpose keyboards
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0354 with detection of 2D relative movements between the device, or an operating part thereof, and a plane or surface, e.g. 2D mice, trackballs, pens or pucks
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/038 Control and interface arrangements therefor, e.g. drivers or device-embedded control circuitry
• CPC Class Codes: Y02D 10/00 Energy efficient computing, e.g. low power processors, power management or thermal management

Abstract

A multi-functional human interface device includes a control unit and a first multi-functional input button. The first multi-functional input button includes a cover unit configured to receive a touch input of a user'"'"'s finger, an electrode unit including a transmitter and a receiver to form an electric field, an elastic unit configured to move from a first height to a second height when a first pressure is applied from the cover unit and configured to move back to the first height when the first pressure from the cover unit is released, and a switch unit configured to generate an electric signal representing an input of a predetermined letter.

Claims

1. An electronic device having a multi-functional human interface, the electronic device comprising:

first to fifth multi-functional input buttons; and

a circuit layer configured to deliver a signal received from the input buttons to a control unit, wherein;

each of the multi-functional input buttons comprises;

a cover unit whose height changes in response to physical pressure from a user;

an electrode unit composed of a transmitter unit and a receiver unit and configured to receive an input of information regarding a pointer location of the user;

an electrical connection member connected with the electrode unit; and

a switch configured to generate a text input signal in response to the physical pressure from the user;

and wherein;

the transmitter unit has first and second transmitters having different driver signal occurrence timings;

the receiver unit has at least first and second receivers having different scan timings;

a height of the electrode unit changes in response to moving of the cover unit such that a relative position between the electrode unit and the circuit layer changes due to the physical pressure from the user;

the electrical connection member is electrically connected with the electrode unit and the circuit layer even when the electrode unit and the circuit layer change in relative position with respect to each other as the height of the electrode unit changes due to the physical pressure from the user; and

the first transmitters of the first to third multi-functional input buttons have a first driver signal occurrence timing, the second transmitters of the first to third multi-functional input buttons have a second driver signal occurrence timing, and the first driver signal occurrence timing is different from the second driver signal occurrence timing.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein:

the first receiver of the fourth multi-functional input button has the same scan timing as the second receiver of the second multi-functional input button; and

the second receiver of the fourth multi-functional input button has the same scan timing as the first receiver of the first multi-functional input button.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the second transmitter of the fourth multi-functional input button has a third driver signal occurrence timing, the first transmitter of the fifth multi-functional input button has a fourth driver signal occurrence timing, and the third driver signal occurrence timing, the first driver signal occurrence timing, the second driver signal occurrence timing, and the fourth driver signal occurrence timing are in sequence.

4. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein:

the first receiver of the fifth multi-functional input button has the same scan timing as the second receiver of the first multi-functional input button; and

the second receiver of the fifth multi-functional input button has the same scan timing as the first receiver of the third multi-functional input button.

5. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the circuit layer, the electrode unit of the first multi-functional input button, and the electrical connection member of the first multi-functional input button are formed as a single flexible printed circuit board (FPCB).

6. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the electrode units of the first to fifth multi-functional input buttons, the electrical connection members of the first to fifth multi-functional input buttons, and the circuit layer are formed as a single flexible printed circuit board (FPCB).

7. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the electrical connection member has a first lead connected with the electrode unit and a second lead connected with the circuit layer, and the first lead and the second lead change in relative position with respect to each other but maintain electrical connection therebetween when a pressure signal is applied by the user.

8. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the electrical connection member has a first lead connected with the electrode unit and a second lead connected with the circuit layer, the first lead and the second lead change in relative position with respect to each other when a pressure signal is applied by the user, and the first lead and the second lead are separated a certain distance or more from each other to transmit electrical signals by using an electromagnetic induction phenomenon.

9. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein:

the first receiver of the fourth multi-functional input button has the same scan timing as the first receiver of the first multi-functional input button; and

the second receiver of the fourth multi-functional input button has the same scan timing as the second receiver of the first multi-functional input button and the first receiver of the fifth multi-functional input button.

10. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the electrical connection member has a first lead connected with the electrode unit and a second lead connected with the circuit layer, relative positions of the first lead and the second lead with respect to each other are changed when a pressure signal is applied by the user, and the first lead and the second lead are separated a certain distance or more from each other to transmit electrical signals by using high frequency signals.

11. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the electrical connection member is formed of an elastic material to electrically connect the electrode unit with the circuit layer;

when the electrode unit is moved by a pressure signal from the user, a force occurs in a direction opposite to the pressure signal from the user; and

when the pressure signal from the user is removed, the electrode unit is returned to a position before the movement.

12. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein:

the first transmitter of the fourth multi-functional input button has the same driver signal occurrence timing as the first transmitter of the first multi-functional input button; and

the second transmitter of the fourth multi-functional input button has the same driver signal occurrence timing as the second transmitter of the first multi-functional input button and the first transmitter of the fifth multi-functional input button.

13. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a first control unit configured to process the pointer location information and the text input signal received from each of the multi-functional input buttons and transmit the pointer location information and the text input signal to a second control unit.

14. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the circuit layer comprises a driver signal generation unit configured to deliver a driver signal to the transmitters of the first to fifth multi-functional input buttons and a scan signal reception unit configured to receive a scan signal from the receivers of the first to fifth multi-functional input buttons.

15. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first to fifth multi-functional input buttons include a plurality of electrical connection members, the first multi-functional input button is connected with the electrical connection members of the second to fifth multi-functional input buttons, the second multi-functional input button is connected with the electrical connection members of the first and fourth multi-functional input buttons, the third multi-functional input button is connected with the electrical connection member of the first multi-functional input button, the fourth multi-functional input button is connected with the electrical connection members of the first and second multi-functional input buttons, and the fifth multi-functional input button is connected with the electrical connection members of the first and third multi-functional input buttons.

16. An electronic device having a multi-functional human interface, the electronic device comprising:

first to fifth multi-functional input buttons; and

a circuit layer configured to deliver a signal received from the input buttons to a control unit, wherein;

each of the multi-functional input buttons comprises;

a cover unit whose height changes in response to physical pressure from a user;

an electrode unit composed of a transmitter unit and a receiver unit and configured to receive an input of information regarding a pointer location of the user;

an electrical connection member connected with the electrode unit; and

a switch configured to generate a text input signal in response to the physical pressure from the user;

and wherein;

the transmitter unit has first and second transmitters having different driver signal occurrence timings;

the receiver unit has at least first and second receivers having different scan timings;

a height of the electrode unit changes in response to moving of the cover unit such that a relative position between the electrode unit and the circuit layer changes due to the physical pressure from the user;

the electrical connection member is electrically connected with the electrode unit and the circuit layer even when the electrode unit and the circuit layer change in relative position with respect to each other as the height of the electrode unit changes due to the physical pressure from the user; and

the first receivers of the first to third multi-functional input buttons have a first scan timing, the second receivers of the first to third multi-functional input buttons have a second scan timing, and the first scan timing is different from the second scan timing.

17. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein the second receiver of the fourth multi-functional input button has a third scan timing, the first receiver of the fifth multi-functional input button has a fourth scan timing, and the third scan timing, the first scan timing, the second scan timing, and the fourth scan timing are in sequence.

18. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein:

the first transmitter of the fourth multi-functional input button has the same driver signal occurrence timing as the second transmitter of the second multi-functional input button; and

the second transmitter of the fourth multi-functional input button has the same driver signal occurrence timing as the first transmitter of the first multi-functional input button.

19. The electronic device of claim 18, wherein the first transmitter of the third multi-functional input button has the same driver signal occurrence timing as the second transmitter of the fifth multi-functional input button.