A three-mode magnetic axis keyboard system

Abstract

The present invention relates to a three-mode magnetic axis keyboard system, comprising a plurality of keys and an MCU module, wherein the keys are arranged in m rows and n columns, m≧1, n≧1, each key comprises a chip, and each chip comprises at least a chip enable pin, a chip mode control pin, a chip magnetic signal sensing output pin and a chip signal interrupt pin; wherein the chip enable pins of the chips in the same column are connected together to an enable end of the MCU module; the chip magnetic signal sensing output pins of the chips in the same row are connected together to form an output end, and each of the output ends is connected to a sampling end of the MCU module; the chip mode control pins of all chips are connected together to the control end of the MCU module; the chip signal interrupt pins of all chips are connected together to the interrupt signal end of the MCU module, and are connected to a power supply through a pull-up resistor. The present invention can meet the demand for low power consumption.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of keyboard technology, and more specifically to a three-mode magnetic axis keyboard system. Background Art

[0002] The existing keyboards on the market are divided into single-mode, dual-mode and triple-mode. The difference between these three keyboards is that they can support several connection modes. Single-mode keyboards only support one connection mode, such as USB connection; dual-mode supports two connection modes, such as USB and Bluetooth connection; and triple-mode keyboards support three connection modes, such as USB, Bluetooth and 2.4G wireless connection.

[0003] The three-mode magnetic axis keyboard is very suitable for users who need to use it in different scenarios because of its flexible and diverse connection methods. Users can choose the most appropriate connection method according to the actual application scenario, thereby improving the user experience.

[0004] The current application solution of the three-mode magnetic axis keyboard on the market is that the MCU actively sends periodic polling signals to the chip and monitors whether the chip has data returned. Even if the keyboard has not been working for a long time, the MCU needs to continuously send polling signals, which is equivalent to the MCU being unable to be in a dormant state. The power consumption of the MCU is much greater than that of the chip. In this case, most of the power consumption of the entire system is contributed by the MCU. Even if the average power consumption of the chip is maximized, it is difficult to achieve low power consumption. Due to the excessively high dormant power consumption, users will have more concerns when choosing a keyboard.

[0005] Therefore, it is urgent to develop a three-mode magnetic axis keyboard application solution with low sleep power consumption. Summary of the invention

[0006] In view of the above-mentioned defects in the prior art, the present invention provides a three-mode magnetic axis keyboard system, which fundamentally solves the problem of excessive power consumption of the three-mode magnetic axis keyboard in sleep mode.

[0007] The present invention provides a three-mode magnetic axis keyboard system, comprising a plurality of keys and an MCU module, wherein the keys are arranged in m rows and n columns, m≧1, n≧1, each key comprises a chip, and each chip comprises at least a chip enable pin, a chip mode control pin, a chip magnetic signal sensing output pin and a chip signal interrupt pin; wherein the chip enable pins of chips in the same column are connected together to an enable end of the MCU module; the chip magnetic signal sensing output pins of chips in the same row are connected together to form an output end, and each of the output ends is connected to a sampling end of the MCU module; the chip signal interrupt pins of all chips are connected together to an interrupt signal end of the MCU module, and are connected to a power supply through a pull-up resistor; the MCU module can switch between a working mode and a sleep mode, and the chip mode control pins of all chips are connected together to a control end of the MCU module to drive the chip to switch synchronously when the MCU module mode is switched; the MCU module sends a polling signal to a chip in a linear mode through the enable end of the MCU module in the working mode, and receives a signal of the chip in a switch mode through the interrupt signal end in the sleep mode.

[0008] Furthermore, the MCU module and the chip are configured as follows:

[0009] After the three-mode magnetic axis keyboard is powered on, the MCU module enters the working mode, the control end of the MCU module sends a low-level signal, all chips are in linear mode, and the chip signal interrupt pin is in high impedance state; in the working mode, the MCU module sends a polling signal through the enable end of the MCU module according to the preset N polling cycles, and the sampling end of the MCU module collects the output end, and detects whether a key is pressed according to the collected output voltage value; if a key is detected to be pressed within the preset N polling cycles, the MCU module will continue to send polling signals, the MCU module maintains the working mode, and the chip maintains the linear mode;

[0010] If the MCU module does not detect a key being pressed again for N consecutive polling cycles after the last time it detected that a key was pressed, the control end of the MCU module sends a high-level signal, all chips enter the switch mode, the interrupt signal end of the MCU module turns on interrupt detection, and the MCU module enters the sleep mode;

[0011] When the MCU module is in sleep mode, if any key is pressed, the chip signal interrupt pin of the chip corresponding to the key outputs a low level, the interrupt signal end of the MCU module receives the low level signal, the MCU module is awakened, the control end of the MCU module sends a low level signal, all chips switch to linear mode, and the MCU module enters working mode;

[0012] The above process is repeated until the three-mode magnetic axis keyboard is powered off.

[0013] Furthermore, the chip is a Hall chip.

[0014] Furthermore, the chip enable pins of the chips in the same column are connected together to a selection switch, one moving contact of each selection switch is connected to an external OSC module, and the other moving contact is connected to an enable terminal of the MCU module.

[0015] Furthermore, the chip enable pins of the chips in the same column are connected together to a selection switch, one moving contact of each selection switch is connected to the OSC unit of the MCU module, and the other moving contact is connected to an enable terminal of the MCU module.

[0016] Furthermore, the chip is a packaged chip including a TMR chip and a Hall chip.

[0017] Furthermore, the power pins of the TMR chips in the same column are connected together to the drain of a PMOS tube, the source of the PMOS tube is connected to the power supply, and the gate of the PMOS tube is connected to a control terminal of the MCU module.

[0018] Furthermore, the chip enable pin of the Hall chip is connected to the MCU module, and the MCU module outputs a high level to the chip enable pin of the Hall chip.

[0019] Furthermore, the chip enable pin of the Hall chip is connected to an external OSC module.

[0020] Furthermore, the chip enable pin of the Hall chip is connected to the OSC unit of the MCU module.

[0021] The present invention replaces the original active wake-up with MCU passive wake-up. After the keyboard system is powered on, if no key is pressed within the active polling cycle, the MCU enters the sleep mode, and the chip is configured as the switch mode. The power consumption at this time comes from the average switch power consumption of the chip and the total power consumption of the detection unit used for interrupt detection by the MCU. The sleep power consumption can be reduced to the level of hundreds of microamperes, which is much smaller than the sleep power consumption of about 80mA in the existing market, thereby meeting the demand for low power consumption. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0022] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of a three-mode magnetic axis keyboard according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0023] Figure 2 It is a signal schematic diagram of the MCU module entering the sleep mode from the working mode after the three-mode magnetic axis keyboard of the first embodiment of the present invention is powered on, and the chip entering the switch mode from the linear mode after power-on.

[0024] Figure 3 It is a signal schematic diagram that the MCU module maintains the working mode and the chip maintains the linear mode after the three-mode magnetic axis keyboard is powered on according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0025] Figure 4 It is a signal schematic diagram of the MCU module of the three-mode magnetic axis keyboard entering the sleep mode from the working mode and the chip switching from the linear mode to the switch mode according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0026] Figure 5 It is a signal schematic diagram of the MCU module of the three-mode magnetic axis keyboard entering the working mode from the sleep mode and the chip switching from the switching mode to the linear mode according to the first embodiment of the present invention.

[0027] Figure 6 It is a schematic diagram of the structure of a three-mode magnetic axis keyboard according to the second embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 7 It is a structural schematic diagram of a three-mode magnetic axis keyboard according to the third embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 8 It is a structural schematic diagram of a three-mode magnetic axis keyboard according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] The preferred embodiments of the present invention are given below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and described in detail.

[0031] A three-mode magnetic axis keyboard system of the present invention comprises a plurality of keys and an MCU module, wherein the keys are arranged in an analog matrix into m rows and n columns, m≧1, n≧1, each key comprises a chip, and each chip comprises at least a chip enable pin, a chip mode control pin, a chip magnetic signal sensing output pin and a chip signal interrupt pin, wherein the chip enable pins of chips in the same column are connected together to the MCU module, the chip magnetic signal sensing output pins of chips in the same row are connected together to the MCU module, the chip mode control pins of all chips are connected together to the MCU module, and the chip signal interrupt pins of all chips are connected together to the MCU module and to a power supply through a pull-up resistor.

[0032] The specific structure and working principle of the three-mode magnetic axis keyboard of the present invention are explained below through several embodiments.

[0033] Embodiment 1

[0034] In this embodiment, the chip is a Hall chip. Figure 1As shown, this embodiment shows 6 buttons arranged in 2 rows and 3 columns, and the corresponding chips are numbered 1 to 6. Each chip includes a chip enable pin EN, a chip mode control pin CTRL, a chip magnetic signal sensing output pin OUT and a chip signal interrupt pin OD_INT.

[0035] Among them, the EN pin of chip No. 1 is connected to the EN pin of chip No. 4, and together they are connected to the first enable terminal EN1 of the MCU module; the EN pin of chip No. 2 is connected to the EN pin of chip No. 5, and together they are connected to the second enable terminal EN2 of the MCU module; the EN pin of chip No. 3 is connected to the EN pin of chip No. 6, and together they are connected to the third enable terminal EN3 of the MCU module.

[0036] The OUT pin of chip No. 1, the OUT pin of chip No. 2 and the OUT pin of chip No. 3 are connected together to form a first output terminal OUT1, which is connected to the first sampling terminal ADC_CH1 of the MCU module; the OUT pin of chip No. 4, the OUT pin of chip No. 5 and the OUT pin of chip No. 6 are connected together to form a second output terminal OUT2, which is connected to the second sampling terminal ADC_CH2 of the MCU module.

[0037] At the same time, the CTRL pins of the six chips are connected to the control terminal MCU_CTRL of the MCU module, the OD_INT pins of the six chips are connected to the interrupt signal terminal MCU_OD_INT of the MCU module, and the OD_INT pins of the six chips are connected to the power supply VCC through the pull-up resistor Rup. It should be understood that in addition to the above four pins, each linear Hall chip also includes other pins, such as chip power pins, chip ground pins, etc. This embodiment only shows key pins, and the functions and connection methods of other pins are consistent with the prior art, so they are not repeated.

[0038] The EN and CTRL pins of the above chip are input pins. The MCU module controls the level of the EN and CTRL pins by sending low-level or high-level signals to the EN and CTRL pins, thereby controlling the chip mode type. The corresponding relationship between the level of the two pins and the chip mode type is shown in the following table: EN foot CTRL foot Chip mode type High level Low level Linear-Sleep Mode High level High level Switch-Sleep Mode Low level Low level Linear-working mode Low level High level Switch-Working Mode

[0039] According to the above table, the chip can be defined as linear mode when the CTRL pin is at a low level, and the chip can be defined as switching mode when the CTRL pin is at a high level.

[0040] The OUT pin and OD_INT pin of the above chip are output pins. The output voltage value of the OUT pin is transmitted to the first output terminal OUT1 or the second output terminal OUT2, and is collected by the sampling terminal of the MCU module, and detects whether a key is pressed based on the collected output voltage value; for example, the output voltage values ​​of chip No. 1, chip No. 2 and chip No. 3 are all transmitted to the first output terminal OUT1, and the first sampling terminal ADC_CH1 of the MCU module collects several output voltage values ​​of the first output terminal OUT1. Since the chip is in linear mode by default, the default state of the OD_INT pin is high impedance.

[0041] Among them, whether a key is pressed can be detected based on the collected output voltage value. It can be determined by whether the absolute value of the output voltage value reaches the preset threshold, or by whether the relative value of the output voltage value reaches the preset threshold. When the MCU module detects that a key is pressed, the specific key that is pressed can be located by the signal type of the enable terminals EN1, EN2, and EN3 and the number of the output voltage value that reaches the preset threshold. Figure 2 As shown, when the absolute value reaches the preset threshold as the judgment rule, if V15 is detected to be greater than the preset threshold, it is considered that the key in the first row and second column is pressed; if V21 is detected to be greater than the preset threshold, it is considered that the key in the second row and first column is pressed. When the relative value reaches the preset threshold as the judgment rule, if the difference between V14 and V11 is greater than the preset threshold, it is considered that the key in the first row and first column is pressed; if the difference between V29 and V26 is greater than the preset threshold, it is considered that the key in the second row and third column is pressed.

[0042] like Figure 3 As shown, after the three-mode magnetic axis keyboard is powered on, the MCU module enters the working mode, and its control terminal MCU_CTRL sends a low-level signal, and the CTRL pins of all chips are at a low level, that is, all chips are in linear mode, and the OD_INT pin is in the default high-impedance state. In the working mode, the MCU module sends an EN polling signal according to the preset N polling cycles. In one EN polling cycle, the enable terminals EN1, EN2, and EN3 of the MCU module send low-level signals in sequence to make the EN pins of the corresponding chips at a low level. At the same time, the first sampling terminal ADC_CH1 of the MCU module collects the output voltage value of the first output terminal OUT1, and the second sampling terminal ADC_CH2 of the MCU module collects the output voltage value of the second output terminal OUT2, and detects whether a key is pressed based on the collected output voltage value. If a key is detected to be pressed within the preset N polling cycles, the MCU module will continue to send the EN polling signal, the MCU module remains in the working mode, and the chip remains in the linear mode.

[0043] like Figure 4As shown in the figure, if the MCU module does not detect a key being pressed again for N consecutive polling cycles after the last time it detected that a key was pressed, the control terminal MCU_CTRL of the MCU module sends a high-level signal to make the CTRL pins of all chips at a high level, and all chips enter the switching mode. The interrupt signal terminal of the MCU module turns on interrupt detection, that is, detects the signal at its MCU_OD_INT terminal, and the MCU module enters sleep mode.

[0044] When the MCU module is in sleep mode, except for the unit used to detect the MCU_OD_INT terminal signal, the other units are in sleep state, and the sleep power consumption of the MCU module can be controlled within hundreds of microamperes; when the MCU module is in sleep mode, all chips are configured in switch mode, and the average power consumption of the chip in switch mode is at the microampere level.

[0045] like Figure 5 As shown in the figure, when the MCU module is in sleep mode, if any key is pressed, the OD_INT pin of the chip corresponding to the key outputs a low level, and the MCU module detects that the MCU_OD_INT terminal receives a low level signal, and the MCU module is awakened. At this time, the control terminal MCU_CTRL of the MCU module sends a low level signal, and all chips switch to linear mode. At the same time, the MCU module clears the low level signal of its MCU_OD_INT terminal and enters the working mode. The above process is repeated until the three-mode magnetic axis keyboard is powered off.

[0046] Embodiment 2

[0047] This embodiment adds an external low-power OSC (oscillator) module based on the first embodiment to reduce the power consumption during sleep mode. Figure 6 As shown, the EN pin of chip No. 1 in the same column is connected to the EN pin of chip No. 4, and connected together to the first selection switch, and the two moving contacts of the first selection switch are respectively connected to the first enable terminal EN1 of the OSC module and the MCU module; the EN pin of chip No. 2 is connected to the EN pin of chip No. 5, and connected together to the second selection switch, and the two moving contacts of the second selection switch are respectively connected to the second enable terminal EN2 of the OSC module and the MCU module; the EN pin of chip No. 3 is connected to the EN pin of chip No. 6, and connected together to the third selection switch, and the two moving contacts of the third selection switch are respectively connected to the third enable terminal EN3 of the OSC module and the MCU module.

[0048] The OSC module continuously outputs logic high and low levels at a specific frequency. The working time and sleep time of the chip can be determined by controlling the frequency and duty cycle (i.e. the ratio of high and low levels) of the OSC module. When all chips are in switching mode, the EN pin of the chip is switched to the moving contact connected to the OSC module through the selection switch, so that the output signal of the OSC module is simultaneously connected to the enable end of all chips. In this way, the power consumption of one OSC module can be reduced inside each chip.

[0049] The working process and principle of the three-mode magnetic axis keyboard of this embodiment are the same as those of the first embodiment, and will not be described again here.

[0050] Embodiment 3

[0051] Based on the first and second embodiments, this embodiment replaces the external low-power OSC module with a long-period OSC unit provided by the MCU module to reduce the number of electronic components, thereby achieving low power consumption and reducing costs.

[0052] like Figure 7 As shown, the EN pin of chip No. 1 is connected to the EN pin of chip No. 4, and connected together to the first selection switch, and the two moving contacts of the first selection switch are respectively connected to the first enable terminal EN1 of the MCU module and the OSC unit of the MCU module; the EN pin of chip No. 2 is connected to the EN pin of chip No. 5, and connected together to the second selection switch, and the two moving contacts of the second selection switch are respectively connected to the second enable terminal EN2 of the MCU module and the OSC unit of the MCU module; the EN pin of chip No. 3 is connected to the EN pin of chip No. 6, and connected together to the third selection switch, and the two moving contacts of the third selection switch are respectively connected to the third enable terminal EN3 of the MCU module and the OSC unit of the MCU module.

[0053] The working process and principle of the three-mode magnetic axis keyboard of this embodiment are the same as those of the first and second embodiments, and will not be described in detail here.

[0054] Embodiment 4

[0055] In this embodiment, the chip uses a sealed chip including a TMR chip and a Hall chip. The power consumption and signal-to-noise ratio of a chip using TMR material as the magnetic sensing element are better than those of a chip using Hall as the magnetic sensing element. Therefore, a TMR chip can be used to replace the linear mode of the original Hall chip to sense magnetic field changes; the Hall chip only retains its switch mode to wake up the MCU.

[0056] like Figure 8As shown, this embodiment illustrates 4 buttons, arranged in 2 rows and 2 columns, and the corresponding chips are numbered 7 to 10. Each chip includes a chip enable pin VDD pin, a chip mode control pin CTRL pin, a chip magnetic signal sensing output pin OUT pin and a chip signal interrupt pin OD_INT pin. That is to say, the difference between this embodiment and the first embodiment is that the power pin VDD pin of the TMR chip replaces the EN pin of the Hall chip, and the output pin OUT pin of the TMR chip replaces the OUT pin of the Hall chip.

[0057] In this embodiment, the VDD pin of the TMR chip in chip No. 7 and the VDD pin of the TMR chip in chip No. 9 are connected to the drain of the first PMOS tube, the source of the first PMOS tube is connected to the power supply VCC, and the gate of the first PMOS tube is connected to the first control terminal Control_1 of the MCU module; the VDD pin of the TMR chip in chip No. 8 and the VDD pin of the TMR chip in chip No. 10 are connected to the drain of the second PMOS tube, the source of the second PMOS tube is connected to the power supply VCC, and the gate of the second PMOS tube is connected to the second control terminal Control_2 of the MCU module. The chip enable pin of the Hall chip in the packaged chip is connected to the MCU module, and the MCU module outputs a high level to the chip enable pin of the Hall chip.

[0058] Except for the above pins, the connection method of the remaining pins is the same as that of the first embodiment, and the working process and principle of the three-mode magnetic axis keyboard of this embodiment are also the same as those of the first embodiment, which will not be repeated here.

[0059] Embodiment 5

[0060] This embodiment is a combination of the solutions of Embodiment 4 and Embodiment 2, that is, the chip adopts a sealed chip including a TMR chip and a Hall chip, and an external low-power OSC module is added, and the overall sleep power consumption is reduced by connecting the chip enable pin of the Hall chip to the external OSC module.

[0061] Embodiment 6

[0062] This embodiment is a combination of the solutions of Embodiment 4 and Embodiment 3, that is, the chip adopts a sealed chip including a TMR chip and a Hall chip, and the OSC unit built into the MCU module is used to replace the OSC module built into the original chip, and the overall sleep power consumption is reduced by connecting the chip enable pin of the Hall chip with the OSC unit of the MCU module.

[0063] The above is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. The above embodiments of the present invention can also be changed in various ways. For example, the CTRL pin of the Hall chip in Embodiments 4 to 6 can also be directly pulled up to the power supply voltage. That is, all simple, equivalent changes and modifications made according to the claims and the contents of the specification of the present invention fall within the scope of protection of the claims of the present invention. The contents not described in detail in the present invention are all conventional technical contents.

Claims

1. A three-mode magnetic axis keyboard system, characterized in that: The invention comprises a plurality of buttons and an MCU module, wherein the buttons are arranged in m rows and n columns, m≧1, n≧1, each button comprises a chip, and each chip comprises at least a chip enable pin, a chip mode control pin, a chip magnetic signal sensing output pin and a chip signal interrupt pin; wherein the chip enable pins of the chips in the same column are connected together to an enable end of the MCU module; the chip magnetic signal sensing output pins of the chips in the same row are connected together to form an output end, and each of the output ends is connected to a sampling end of the MCU module; the chip signal interrupt pins of all chips are connected together to the interrupt signal end of the MCU module, and are connected to a power supply through a pull-up resistor; the MCU module can be switched between a working mode and a sleeping mode, and the chip mode control pins of all chips are connected together to the control end of the MCU module to drive the chip to switch synchronously when the MCU module mode is switched; the MCU module sends a polling signal to a chip in a linear mode through the enable end of the MCU module in the working mode, and receives a signal of the chip in a switching mode through the interrupt signal end in the sleeping mode.

2. A three-mode magnetic axis keyboard system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The MCU module and the chip are configured as follows: After the three-mode magnetic axis keyboard is powered on, the MCU module enters the working mode, the control end of the MCU module sends a low-level signal, all chips are in linear mode, and the chip signal interrupt pin is in high impedance state; in the working mode, the MCU module sends a polling signal through the enable end of the MCU module according to the preset N polling cycles, and the sampling end of the MCU module collects the output end, and detects whether a key is pressed according to the collected output voltage value; if a key is detected to be pressed within the preset N polling cycles, the MCU module will continue to send polling signals, the MCU module maintains the working mode, and the chip maintains the linear mode; If the MCU module does not detect a key being pressed again for N consecutive polling cycles after the last time it detected that a key was pressed, the control end of the MCU module sends a high-level signal, all chips enter the switch mode, the interrupt signal end of the MCU module turns on interrupt detection, and the MCU module enters the sleep mode; When the MCU module is in sleep mode, if any key is pressed, the chip signal interrupt pin of the chip corresponding to the key outputs a low level, the interrupt signal end of the MCU module receives the low level signal, the MCU module is awakened, the control end of the MCU module sends a low level signal, all chips switch to linear mode, and the MCU module enters working mode; The above process is repeated until the three-mode magnetic axis keyboard is powered off.

3. A three-mode magnetic axis keyboard system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The chip is a Hall chip.

4. A three-mode magnetic axis keyboard system according to claim 3, characterized in that: The chip enable pins of the chips in the same column are connected together to a selection switch, one moving contact of each selection switch is connected to an external OSC module, and the other moving contact is connected to an enable terminal of the MCU module.

5. A three-mode magnetic axis keyboard system according to claim 3, characterized in that: The chip enable pins of the chips in the same column are connected together to a selection switch, one moving contact of each selection switch is connected to the OSC unit of the MCU module, and the other moving contact is connected to an enable terminal of the MCU module.

6. A three-mode magnetic axis keyboard system according to claim 1, characterized in that: The chip is a sealed chip including a TMR chip and a Hall chip.

7. A three-mode magnetic axis keyboard system according to claim 6, characterized in that: The power pins of the TMR chips in the same column are connected together to the drain of a PMOS tube, the source of the PMOS tube is connected to the power supply, and the gate of the PMOS tube is connected to a control terminal of the MCU module.

8. A three-mode magnetic axis keyboard system according to claim 6, characterized in that: The chip enable pin of the Hall chip is connected to the MCU module, and the MCU module outputs a high level to the chip enable pin of the Hall chip.

9. A three-mode magnetic axis keyboard system according to claim 6, characterized in that: The chip enable pin of the Hall chip is connected to an external OSC module.

10. A three-mode magnetic axis keyboard system according to claim 6, characterized in that: The chip enable pin of the Hall chip is connected to the OSC unit of the MCU module.

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