INPUT DEVICE

• US 20110216005A1
• Filed: 04/29/2010
• Published: 09/08/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 03/04/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sentelic Holding Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Sentelic Corporation
• Inventors: Kuo, Chi-Cheng, Lai, Ying-Ju, Shen, Chung-Yi, Lin, Jao-Ching
• Granted Patent: US 8,466,888 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/168
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/02 Input arrangements using manually operated switches, e.g. using keyboards or dials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0485 Scrolling or panning
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04883 for inputting data by handwriting, e.g. gesture or text
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04886 by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus

Abstract

An input device includes a contact sensing surface having at least one key region and a controller. The controller includes: a position-detecting unit configured to detect the position on the contact sensing surface contacted by an object, a memory unit configured to store at least one functional data each corresponding to a key function, a key-triggering unit configured to read out the functional data in the memory unit and activate the corresponding key function without a sliding into the key region, a key function setting unit configured to change the functional data based on the direction and distance of the object sliding within the key region. With this arrangement, the key function setting unit can reduce the number of the keys regions virtually provided on the contact sensing surface, thereby providing an intuitive operation of key functions for a user.

Claims

1. An input device, including:

a contact sensing surface is configured to accept at least one object contact, wherein the contact sensing surface has at least one key region;

a controller electrically connected to the contact sensing surface, wherein the controller comprises;

a position-detecting unit configured to detect a position on the contact sensing surface contacted by the object;

a memory unit configured to store at least one functional data corresponding to a key function;

a key-triggering unit configured to read the functional data stored in the memory unit and activate the corresponding key function when the object contacts the key region of the contact sensing surface without a sliding into the key region; and

a key function setting unit configured to change the functional data based on a direction and a distance of the object sliding within the key region when the key-triggering unit activates the corresponding key function.

2. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the controller further comprises an original data restoring unit configured to generate a restoring signal to restore the functional data in the memory unit as a preset original data.

3. The input device according to claim 2, wherein the original data restoring unit detects a leaving period after the object leaves the contact sensing surface and generates the restoring signal when the leaving period is larger than a reference period.

4. The input device according to claim 2, wherein the original data restoring unit receives an external control signal generated by an external control unit and generates the restoring signal after receiving the external control signal.

5. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the key function setting unit changes the functional data in the memory unit as representing a key function of scrolling up or paging up when the direction of object sliding is substantially upward and the distance of object sliding is larger than a first distance.

6. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the key function setting unit changes the functional data in the memory unit as representing a key function of scrolling down or paging down when the direction of object sliding substantially downward and the distance of object sliding is larger than a first distance.

7. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the key function setting unit changes the functional data in the memory unit as representing a key function of scrolling left or paging left when the direction of object sliding is substantially leftward and the distance of object sliding is larger than a second distance.

8. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the key function setting unit changes the functional data in the memory unit as representing a key function of scrolling right or paging right when the direction of object sliding is substantially rightward and the distance of object sliding is larger than a second distance.

9. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the key function setting unit changes the functional data in the memory unit as representing a key function of zooming out or zooming in a window when the direction of object sliding is substantially to down-left, down-right, up-left or up-right corner of the key region and the distance of object sliding is larger than a third distance.

10. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the key function setting unit changes the functional data in the memory unit as representing a key function of rotating a window when the direction of object sliding is substantially counter-clockwise or clockwise and the distance of object sliding is larger than a fourth distance.

11. The input device according to claim 1, wherein the contact sensing surface has a first key region and a second key region, the memory unit stores therein a first functional data and a second functional data, the key-triggering unit reads out the first functional data stored in the memory unit to activate a first key function when the object contacts the first key region of the contact sensing surface without a sliding into the first key region, and the key-triggering unit reads out the second functional data stored in the memory unit to activate a second key function when the object contacts the second key region of the contact sensing surface without a sliding into the second key region.