Key, electronic equipment and key control method

Abstract

The invention discloses a key, electronic equipment and a key control method, the key comprises a shell, a piezoelectric sensor, a controller and a vibration feedback piece, and the shell is provided with a touch area; the plurality of piezoelectric sensors are arranged at intervals and are used for acquiring elastic wave information of a touch area and outputting detection information; the controller is electrically connected with the piezoelectric sensor and is used for analyzing and obtaining feedback information according to the detection information; wherein the feedback information comprises vibration information and instruction information; the vibration feedback piece is also electrically connected with the controller, so that the controller can control the vibration feedback piece to drive at least partial area in the touch area to vibrate according to the vibration information; due to the fact that the piezoelectric sensors are arranged, the piezoelectric sensors can accurately recognize elastic waves and output detection information, the controller analyzes the detection information to obtain feedback information, and the pressing position and the pressing weight of the finger, the sliding action of the finger and the like can be known according to instruction information.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of intelligent control technology, and in particular to a key, an electronic device and a key control method. Background Art

[0002] At present, common electronic devices on the market generally work by pressing a physical button. After the detection device detects that the button has been pressed, it transmits the relevant information to the controller, and the controller directly controls the vibration feedback device to vibrate. The user can know that the button has been pressed through the vibration feedback from the vibration feedback device. Since the traditional detector has a single detection item, it can generally only be used to detect whether the button is pressed, or to detect the force of pressing the button through a pressure sensor. Its detection items are relatively single, which leads to the type of user operations that can be detected by the detection device being relatively single.

[0003] In view of this, it is necessary to provide a new key, electronic device and key control method to solve or at least alleviate the above technical defects. Summary of the invention

[0004] The main purpose of the present invention is to provide a button, an electronic device and a button control method, aiming to solve the technical problem that the existing user actions that can be recognized by the detector are relatively single.

[0005] In order to achieve the above object, the present invention provides a key, the key comprising:

[0006] A housing, wherein the housing is provided with a touch area;

[0007] A piezoelectric sensor, wherein the number of the piezoelectric sensors is multiple and the multiple piezoelectric sensors are arranged at intervals, and are used to obtain elastic wave information of the touch area and output detection information;

[0008] A controller, the controller being electrically connected to the piezoelectric sensor, and the controller being used to obtain feedback information according to the detection information analysis; wherein the feedback information includes vibration information and instruction information;

[0009] A vibration feedback member is also electrically connected to the controller, so that the controller can control the vibration feedback member to drive at least a part of the touch area to vibrate according to the vibration information.

[0010] In one embodiment, the touch area includes an active touch part and a fixed touch part, and a plurality of piezoelectric sensors are arranged on the active touch part for acquiring first elastic wave information of the active touch part and outputting first detection information, and the controller is used to obtain the vibration information based on analysis of the first detection information.

[0011] In one embodiment, the controller can control the vibration feedback element to drive at least a partial area within the active touch portion to vibrate according to the vibration information.

[0012] In one embodiment, the controller is further capable of controlling the vibration intensity of the vibration feedback member according to the vibration information.

[0013] In one embodiment, the touch area includes an active touch part and a fixed touch part, and a plurality of piezoelectric sensors are arranged on the fixed touch part for acquiring second elastic wave information of the fixed touch part and outputting second detection information, and the controller is used to obtain the instruction information according to the analysis of the second detection information.

[0014] In one embodiment, the movable touch portion includes a button key and a mounting seat connected to each other, the button key and the vibration feedback member are respectively arranged on two sides of the mounting seat, and the fixed touch portion is provided with a through hole for exposing the button key.

[0015] In one embodiment, the button key includes a first button and a second button, the first button and the second button are arranged at intervals on the mounting base, the through hole includes a first sub-hole and a second sub-hole arranged at intervals, the first sub-hole corresponds to the first button, the second sub-hole corresponds to the second button, the length of the second button is greater than the length of the first button, the instruction information includes first pressing information and first sliding information, the piezoelectric sensor can detect the elastic wave of the first button and output the first pressing information, and the piezoelectric sensor can detect the elastic wave of the second button and output the first sliding information.

[0016] In one embodiment, one side of the fixed touch portion is a mounting surface, and the other side of the fixed touch portion is a touch surface, the mounting surface is provided with a receiving groove for accommodating the mounting seat, the bottom wall of the receiving groove is provided with the through hole, and a first gap is formed between the bottom wall of the receiving groove and the mounting seat, and the button also includes an annular seal arranged in the first gap, the annular seal extends along the circumference of the mounting seat, and one side of the annular seal is connected to the mounting seat, and the other side of the annular seal is connected to the bottom wall of the receiving groove.

[0017] In one embodiment, the button further includes a sealing member, which abuts against the mounting surface so that a second gap is formed between the sealing member and the mounting seat on a side facing away from the button key. The button further includes a sealing layer, which is arranged in the second gap, one side of the sealing layer is connected to the mounting seat, and the other side of the sealing layer is connected to the sealing member.

[0018] In one embodiment, the mounting seat includes a seat body and a positioning boss that are connected to each other, the button key and the positioning boss are relatively arranged on both sides of the seat body, the sealing member is provided with a limiting hole for the positioning boss to pass through, the positioning boss passes through the limiting hole and is connected to the vibration feedback member; the second gap is formed between the seat body and the sealing member, and the sealing layer extends along the circumference of the sealing member.

[0019] In one embodiment, the key further comprises a resonance plate, and the resonance plate is connected to the vibration feedback member.

[0020] In one embodiment, the button further includes a base, the shell is connected to the base, and the shell and the base enclose an installation space.

[0021] In addition, the present invention also provides an electronic device, which at least includes the above-mentioned key.

[0022] In one embodiment, the electronic device is a mobile phone, the touch area includes an active touch portion and a fixed touch portion, the active touch portion is provided as a side key of the mobile phone, and the fixed touch portion is provided as a housing of the mobile phone.

[0023] In addition, the present invention also provides a key control method, wherein the key comprises a housing, a controller, a vibration feedback member and a plurality of piezoelectric sensors, the housing is provided with a touch area, and the plurality of piezoelectric sensors are used to obtain elastic wave information of the touch area, and the key control method comprises:

[0024] Controlling the piezoelectric sensor to obtain the elastic wave information of the touch area in real time, and outputting detection information to the controller according to the elastic wave information;

[0025] Controlling the controller to analyze the detection information to obtain feedback information; wherein the feedback information includes vibration information and instruction information;

[0026] The controller controls the vibration feedback element according to the vibration information to drive the area in the touch area where the elastic wave information is generated to vibrate.

[0027] In one embodiment, the step of the controller controlling the vibration feedback element to drive the area generating the elastic wave information in the touch area to vibrate according to the vibration information includes:

[0028] The controller controls the vibration feedback member to drive the vibration intensity of the area within the touch area that generates the elastic wave information according to the vibration information.

[0029] In one embodiment, the step of the controller controlling the vibration feedback element to drive the vibration intensity of the area within the touch area to generate the elastic wave information according to the vibration information includes:

[0030] Determine whether the finger is in a pressing action or a sliding action according to the instruction information;

[0031] If the finger is in a pressing action, the controller controls the vibration intensity or vibration frequency of the vibration feedback element according to the vibration information;

[0032] If the finger is sliding, the controller controls the vibration feedback element to make a sound according to the vibration information.

[0033] In one embodiment, the touch area includes an active touch portion and a fixed touch portion, the elastic wave information includes first elastic wave information, a plurality of the piezoelectric sensors are used to obtain the first elastic wave information of the active touch portion, the detection information includes first detection information, the piezoelectric sensor outputs the first detection information according to the first elastic wave information, the controller analyzes the first detection information to obtain the vibration information: the controller controls the vibration feedback member to drive the area within the touch area generating the elastic wave information to vibrate according to the vibration information, the steps comprising:

[0034] The controller controls the vibration feedback element to drive the active touch part to vibrate according to the vibration information.

[0035] In the above technical solution of the present invention, when the user's finger touches the touch area, an elastic wave will be generated in the touch area. Since multiple piezoelectric sensors are provided, and the piezoelectric sensors can accurately identify the elastic wave generated in the touch area and output corresponding detection information, the controller then analyzes the detection information to obtain feedback information. The controller then controls the vibration feedback component to drive at least a part of the touch area to vibrate according to the vibration information in the feedback information. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0036] In order to more clearly illustrate the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the description of the prior art will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present invention. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained by using the structures shown in these drawings without paying any creative work.

[0037] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a key according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0038] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram of the structural decomposition of a key according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0039] Figure 3 This is a schematic structural diagram of a housing according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0040] Figure 4 This is a partial structural diagram of a key according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0041] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of a button assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0042] Figure 6 A schematic top view of a key according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0043] Figure 7 for Figure 6 Schematic cross-section at AA;

[0044] Figure 8 for Figure 7 A local enlarged schematic diagram at C;

[0045] Fig. 9 for Figure 6 Schematic cross-section at BB;

[0046] Fig.10 A schematic diagram of the structure of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0047] Fig.11 It is a flowchart of the first embodiment of the key control method of the present invention;

[0048] Fig.12 It is a flowchart of a second embodiment of the key control method of the present invention;

[0049] Fig.13 A schematic diagram of a flow chart of a third embodiment of a key control method of the present invention;

[0050] Fig.14 It is a flowchart of a fourth embodiment of the key control method of the present invention;

[0051] Fig.15 FIG. 5 is a flow chart of a fifth embodiment of a key control method according to the present invention.

[0052] Description of Figure Numbers:

[0053] 1 button 11 shell 111 Touch surface 112 Mounting surface 113 Receiving slot 114 Through Hole 1141 The first sub-hole 1142 The second sub-hole 115 Touch Area 1151 Active touch part 11511 Button Key 11512 First button 11513 Second button 11514 Mounting Block 11515 seat body 11516 Positioning boss 1152 Fixed touch part 12 Piezoelectric Sensors 14 Vibration feedback element 15 Resonance Board 161 First gap 162 Second gap 17 Seals 171 Limit hole 18 Ring seal 19 Sealing layer 20 Base 21 Installation space 3 Electronic devices

[0054] The realization of the purpose, functional features and advantages of the present invention will be further explained in conjunction with the implementation methods and with reference to the accompanying drawings. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0055] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only part of the embodiments of the present invention, not all of the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field without creative work are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0056] It should be noted that all directional indications (such as up, down, etc.) in the embodiments of the present invention are only used to explain the position of the user in a certain posture (such as the attached Figure 1 The relative position relationship, movement status, etc. between the various components under the specific posture are shown. If the specific posture changes, the directional indication will also change accordingly.

[0057] In addition, in the present invention, the descriptions such as "first", "second", etc. are only used for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying their relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of the indicated technical features. Therefore, the features defined as "first" or "second" can explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features.

[0058] Furthermore, the technical solutions between the various embodiments of the present invention can be combined with each other, but this must be based on the fact that they can be implemented by ordinary technicians in the field. When the combination of technical solutions is contradictory or cannot be implemented, it should be deemed that such combination of technical solutions does not exist and is not within the scope of protection required by the present invention.

[0059] The present invention provides a key 1. In one embodiment, referring to Figure 1 to Figure 3 As shown, the button 1 includes a shell 11, a piezoelectric sensor 12, a controller (not shown) and a vibration feedback member 14, the shell 11 is provided with a touch area 115; there are multiple piezoelectric sensors 12, and the multiple piezoelectric sensors 12 are arranged at intervals, for obtaining elastic wave information of the touch area 115 and outputting detection information; the controller is electrically connected to the piezoelectric sensor 12, and the controller is used to obtain feedback information based on the detection information analysis; wherein the feedback information includes vibration information and instruction information; the vibration feedback member 14 is also electrically connected to the controller, so that the controller can control the vibration feedback member 14 to drive at least a part of the touch area 115 to vibrate according to the vibration information.

[0060] Among them, when the user's finger contacts the touch area 115, the touch area 115 will generate elastic waves. Since multiple piezoelectric sensors 12 are provided, the generated elastic waves are transmitted through the solid and act on the piezoelectric sensor 12. Under the positive piezoelectric action, the piezoelectric sensor 12 is prompted to generate an electrical signal, that is, the electrical signal is detection information. The controller captures the voltage signal generated by the piezoelectric sensor 12. Since different pressing actions will generate elastic wave pressures of different modes, different elastic waves are transmitted to the piezoelectric sensors 12 at different positions. The acted piezoelectric sensors 12 generate electrical signals of different waveforms at different time periods. The controller obtains feedback information by identifying and calculating these electrical signals. According to the instruction information in the feedback information, the position and strength of the user's finger pressing can be known, thereby sensing the user's specific action. Through this sensing method, different degrees of pressing actions such as light pressing, heavy pressing or long pressing can be identified, thereby realizing the perception of different instructions; the controller then controls the vibration feedback member 14 to drive at least part of the area within the touch area 115 to vibrate according to the vibration information in the feedback information. In addition, the piezoelectric sensor 12 can sense the position of the finger and the speed of movement of the finger in real time according to the changes in elastic waves at different positions when the finger is pressed at different positions / speeds. That is, the controller can obtain feedback information by identifying and calculating the electrical signal output by the piezoelectric sensor 12. According to the instruction information in the feedback information, it can also be obtained whether the user's finger is sliding or stopped. If the user's finger is sliding, relevant information such as the sliding stroke and sliding speed can also be obtained, so that the user's actions that can be recognized are richer. It should be noted that the feedback information can be applied to the control of the electronic device 3, and different feedback information can correspond to different operating instructions of the electronic device 3. For example, if the user's finger is sliding, the sliding stroke of the finger and the sliding speed and other related information can be known according to the instruction information. This information is graded to correspond to one or several operating instructions of the electronic device 3, and a multi-level sliding function is realized to meet the user's control of the electronic device 3; for example: the sliding speed is graded, slow sliding and fast sliding can correspond to different operating instructions, that is, the user can trigger different operating instructions through fast sliding and slow sliding of the finger, thereby realizing different control of the device; similarly, the sliding stroke can also be graded, and each stroke has a corresponding operating instruction, which can also realize different control of the device. It should also be noted that the piezoelectric sensor 12 can be a sensing piezoelectric ceramic sensor with a small triggering force and a wide triggering range. It can achieve a sensing range from 10gf to 5000gf and can be triggered under a very small triggering force; therefore, the button 1 can not only recognize the user's actions in the touch area 115, but also drive at least part of the touch area 115 to vibrate through the vibration feedback member 14 to provide vibration feedback to the user's fingers that are moving in the touch area 115.

[0061] In one embodiment, the touch area 115 includes an active touch portion 1151 and a fixed touch portion 1152. A plurality of piezoelectric sensors 12 are provided on the active touch portion 1151 to obtain the first elastic wave information of the active touch portion 1151 and output the first detection information. The controller is used to analyze and obtain vibration information based on the first detection information. The detection information includes the first detection information. When the user touches the active touch portion 1151, the elastic wave generated by the user's finger is detected by the piezoelectric sensor 12. This part of information is the first elastic wave information. The piezoelectric sensor 12 collects the first elastic wave information and outputs the first detection information to the controller. The controller analyzes and obtains vibration information based on the first detection information. It should be noted that the controller can also analyze and obtain instruction information based on the first detection information.

[0062] In one embodiment, the controller can control the vibration feedback member 14 to vibrate at least a portion of the active touch portion 1151 according to the vibration information. Considering the privacy requirements of customers, the vibration feedback member 14 does not vibrate the entire active touch portion 1151 but only vibrates a portion of the active touch portion 1151. It should be noted that the portion of the active touch portion 1151 is generally the area where elastic waves are generated.

[0063] In one embodiment, the controller can also control the vibration intensity of the vibration feedback member 14 according to the vibration information. By setting the vibration feedback member 14, after the controller recognizes the vibration information, the controller outputs an electrical signal to the vibration feedback member 14 while implementing the function control instruction, applies voltage to the vibration feedback member 14, and the vibration feedback member 14 generates vibration or sounds under the action of the reverse piezoelectric effect, thereby providing feedback to the user's operation, so that the button 1 has a feedback function. It should be noted that the controller can know from the instruction information whether the user's finger is lightly pressed, pressed hard, long pressed or sliding, etc. Different instruction information has corresponding vibration information, so that the controller can determine the vibration information corresponding to the instruction information according to different instruction information, and then control the vibration intensity of the vibration feedback member 14 or sound to provide feedback to the user according to the vibration information. For example, if it is lightly pressed, the controller controls the vibration feedback member 14 to vibrate lightly, if it is pressed hard, the controller controls the vibration feedback member 14 to vibrate heavily, if it is long pressed, the controller controls the vibration feedback member 14 to vibrate at a high frequency or a low frequency, and if it is sliding, the controller controls the vibration feedback member 14 to make a sound. It should be noted that the vibration feedback element 14 can be a feedback piezoelectric ceramic, which has high feedback timeliness, fast feedback start and stop speed, and real vibration feeling. It should also be noted that the piezoelectric sensor 12 has a passive sensing function. Only when the user touches the touch area 115, the piezoelectric sensor 12 will sense the elastic wave generated by it. The passive sensing power consumption of the piezoelectric sensor 12 is low. If the button 1 is applied to the electronic device 3, it can also effectively reduce the power consumption of the electronic device 3. For example, if it is applied to a mobile phone, it can effectively save the power of the mobile phone.

[0064] It should be noted that the vibration feedback member 14 is connected to the active touch portion 1151, so the vibration generated by the vibration feedback member 14 mainly drives the active touch portion 1151 to vibrate, that is, if the button 1 is applied to a mobile phone, the active touch portion 1151 is equivalent to the side button of the mobile phone, and the fixed touch portion 1152 is equivalent to the shell 11 of the mobile phone. Since the vibration feedback member 14 mainly drives the active touch portion 1151 to vibrate and does not drive the entire mobile phone to vibrate, the user's privacy and usage experience are effectively improved; furthermore, the controller will control the vibration feedback member 14 to vibrate only when it receives the first detection information and obtains feedback information based on the analysis of the first detection information, that is, only when the user's finger acts on the active touch portion 1151 and performs corresponding actions, the vibration feedback member 14 will drive the active touch portion 1151 to vibrate to give feedback to the user. This local vibration is easier to be perceived by the user, so the feedback effect is also better.

[0065] In one embodiment, the touch area 115 includes an active touch portion 1151 and a fixed touch portion 1152. A plurality of piezoelectric sensors 12 are provided on the fixed touch portion 1152 to obtain the second elastic wave information of the fixed touch portion 1152 and output the second detection information. The controller is used to analyze and obtain the instruction information according to the second detection information. Among them, the detection information also includes the second detection information. When the user touches the fixed touch portion 1152, the elastic wave generated by the user's finger is detected by the piezoelectric sensor 12. This part of information is the second elastic wave information. The piezoelectric sensor 12 collects the second elastic wave information and outputs the second detection information to the controller. The controller analyzes and obtains the instruction information according to the second detection information. According to the instruction information, it can be known whether the user's finger is lightly pressed, pressed hard, long pressed or slid on the fixed touch portion 1152, and different operations can be realized by relying on the second detection information.

[0066] Furthermore, in one embodiment, the key 1 further includes a resonance plate 15, and the resonance plate 15 is connected to the vibration feedback member 14. By providing the resonance plate 15, when the vibration feedback member 14 vibrates, the resonance plate 15 will be driven to vibrate together. At a certain frequency, the vibration feedback member 14 and the resonance plate 15 will resonate to achieve the maximum vibration effect, and the vibration is transmitted to the active touch portion 1151, so that the active touch portion 1151 vibrates together, and the active touch portion 1151 transmits the vibration to the fingertip, and the fingertip feels the vibration feedback effect.

[0067] Reference Figure 2 to Figure 5 As shown, in one embodiment, the active touch portion 1151 includes a button key 11511 and a mounting seat 11514, the button key 11511 and the vibration feedback member 14 are respectively arranged on both sides of the mounting seat 11514, the mounting seat 11514 is connected to the mounting surface 112, and the mounting surface 112 is provided with a through hole 114 for the button key 11511 to extend into, and the piezoelectric sensor 12 can detect the elastic wave of the button key 11511 and output the first detection information. By providing the through hole 114 for the button key 11511 to extend into, the overall volume of the key 1 is effectively reduced. It should be noted that the button key 11511 can be arranged to protrude from the touch surface 111, or the button key 11511 can be arranged flush with the touch surface 111.

[0068] Furthermore, in one embodiment, the button key 11511 includes a first button 11512 and a second button 11513, and the first button 11512 and the second button 11513 are spaced apart on the mounting base 11514, and the through hole 114 includes a first sub-hole 1141 and a second sub-hole 1142 spaced apart, the first sub-hole 1141 is arranged corresponding to the first button 11512, and the second sub-hole 1142 is arranged corresponding to the second button 11513, the length of the second button 11513 is greater than the length of the first button 11512, the first detection information includes pressing information and sliding information, the piezoelectric sensor 12 can detect the elastic wave of the first button 11512 and output pressing information, and the piezoelectric sensor 12 can detect the elastic wave of the second button 11513 and output sliding information. Among them, the length of the first button 11512 is smaller than the second button 11513, that is, the appearance makes the two buttons easy to distinguish, and the user can easily distinguish the first button 11512 from the second button 11513 through touch perception. Since the first button 11512 is shorter, the first button 11512 is generally used for pressing operations, that is, if the user needs to trigger different operation instructions by pressing, the user can press the first button 11512, and the piezoelectric sensor 12 detects that the first button 11512 is pressed and outputs pressing information, and the controller then analyzes the pressing information to obtain the corresponding second pressure information; since the second button 11513 is longer, the second button 11513 is generally used for sliding operations, that is, if the user needs to trigger different operation instructions by sliding, the user can slide his finger on the second button 11513, and the piezoelectric sensor 12 detects that the second button 11513 is pressed and outputs sliding information, and the controller then analyzes the sliding information to obtain the corresponding second pressure information. It should be noted that the first button 11512 and the second button 11513 may be metal buttons.

[0069] Further, in one embodiment, one side of the fixed touch portion 1152 is the mounting surface 112, and the other side of the fixed touch portion 1152 is the touch surface 111. The mounting surface 112 is provided with a receiving groove 113 for accommodating the mounting seat 11514. The bottom wall of the receiving groove 113 is provided with a through hole 114. A first gap 161 is formed between the bottom wall of the receiving groove 113 and the mounting seat 11514. The key 1 also includes an annular seal 18 disposed in the first gap 161, and the annular seal 18 extends along the circumference of the mounting seat 11514. By disposing the annular seal 18 in the first gap 161, the sealing performance of the key 1 is enhanced, and water on one side of the touch surface 111 is prevented from entering the side where the mounting surface 112 is located through the gap between the button key 11511 and the housing 11, thereby affecting the normal operation of the piezoelectric sensor 12. It should be noted that the annular seal 18 fills the first gap 161 , and the annular seal 18 is a flexible annular seal 18 , which can be formed by injecting soft sealing glue into the first gap 161 .

[0070] In one embodiment, the button key 11511 includes a first button 11512 and a second button 11513, and the first button 11512 and the second button 11513 are spaced apart on the mounting seat 11514. The through hole 114 includes a first sub-hole 1141 and a second sub-hole 1142. The first sub-hole 1141 is used for the first button 11512 to pass through, and the second sub-hole 1142 is used for the second button 11513 to pass through. The inner wall of the first sub-hole 1141 is fitted with the side wall of the first button 11512, and the inner wall of the second sub-hole 1142 is fitted with the side wall of the second button 11513. The side wall of the mounting seat 11514 is fitted with the groove wall of the accommodating groove 113. Among them, the inner wall of the first sub-hole 1141 is fitted with the side wall of the first button 11512, thereby effectively preventing dust or water on one side of the touch surface 111 from moving to the side where the mounting surface 112 is located through the gap between the first button 11512 and the first sub-hole 1141; similarly, the inner wall of the second sub-hole 1142 is fitted with the side wall of the second button 11513, thereby effectively preventing dust or water on one side of the touch surface 111 from moving to the side where the mounting surface 112 is located through the gap between the second button 11513 and the second sub-hole 1142, so that the piezoelectric sensor 12 has a good working environment.

[0071] In one embodiment, the key 1 further includes a seal 17, which is in contact with the mounting surface 112, so that the seal 17 and the mounting seat 11514 form a second gap 162 on the side away from the button key 11511. The key 1 further includes a sealing layer 19, which is arranged in the second gap 162, one side of the sealing layer 19 is connected to the mounting seat 11514, and the other side of the sealing layer 19 is connected to the seal 17. By providing the sealing layer 19 and the seal 17, the sealing effect of the key 1 is further enhanced, and the water on the side of the touch surface 111 is prevented from moving to the side where the mounting surface 112 is located, thereby providing effective protection for the piezoelectric sensor 12, the controller and the vibration feedback member 14. It should be noted that since the key 1 has good sealing performance, the use of the key 1 will not be affected by water and oil, so the material of the housing 11 is not limited.

[0072] like Figure 2 to Figure 9 As shown, in one embodiment, the mounting seat 11514 includes a seat body 11515 and a positioning boss 11516 connected to each other, the button key 11511 and the positioning boss 11516 are arranged on both sides of the seat body 11515, and the sealing member 17 is provided with a limiting hole 171 for the positioning boss 11516 to pass through, and the positioning boss 11516 passes through the limiting hole 171 and is connected to the vibration feedback member 14; a second gap 162 is formed between the seat body 11515 and the sealing member 17, and the sealing layer 19 extends along the circumference of the sealing member 17. The limiting hole 171 is provided to limit the positioning boss 11516 located therein, thereby limiting the movement of the button key 11511 relative to the sealing member 17. It should be noted that the sealing member 17 is a hard sealing member, thereby effectively ensuring the limiting of the button key 11511, wherein the hard sealing member can be a sealing steel ring. It should be noted that the sealing layer 19 is also a flexible sealing layer 19. An annular seal 18 and a sealing layer 19 are respectively formed in the first gap 161 and the second gap 162 by injecting soft sealing glue. The annular seal 18 is used to seal the first gap 161, and the sealing layer 19 is used to seal the second gap 162. Since the height of the first gap 161 is generally 10μm-1000μm, and the first gap 161 and the second gap 162 are respectively located on the upper and lower sides of the seat body 11515, the button key 11511 can vibrate up and down under the action of the vibration feedback component 14, and its vibration displacement is 10μm-1000μm.

[0073] In one embodiment, the button 1 further includes a base 20, the housing 11 is connected to the base 20, and the housing 11 and the base 20 enclose an installation space 21, and the piezoelectric sensor 12 and part of the main body of the active touch portion 1151 are both arranged in the installation space 21. The housing 11 and the base 20 enclose the installation space 21, thereby effectively protecting the components located in the installation space 21, and also preventing the entry of external dust or water vapor to a certain extent. It should be noted that the housing 11 and the base 20 can be sealed to enhance the sealing performance of the button 1.

[0074] Furthermore, in one embodiment, a plurality of piezoelectric sensors 12 form a sensor group, and a plurality of piezoelectric sensors 12 in the sensor group are arranged at intervals along the extension direction of the mounting surface 112. The number of sensor groups is at least two, and at least two sensor groups are arranged at intervals along a direction perpendicular to the extension direction of the mounting surface 112. By providing at least two sensor groups, and each sensor group includes a plurality of piezoelectric sensors 12 arranged at intervals, the detection accuracy of the key 1 is effectively improved.

[0075] In addition, the present invention also provides an electronic device 3, referring to Fig.10 As shown, the electronic device 3 at least includes the above-mentioned key 1. Since the electronic device 3 adopts all the technical solutions of all the above-mentioned embodiments, it at least has all the beneficial effects brought by the technical solutions of the above-mentioned embodiments, which will not be described one by one here.

[0076] Reference Fig.10 As shown, in one embodiment, the electronic device 3 is a mobile phone, and the touch area 115 includes an active touch portion 1151 and a fixed touch portion 1152, wherein the active touch portion 1151 is set as a side key of the mobile phone, and the fixed touch portion 1152 is set as the housing 11 of the mobile phone. That is, the first button 11512 and the second button 11513 of this solution can be used to replace the side keys on the mobile phone. It should be noted that the electronic device 3 can also be a tablet computer and a game controller, and the first button 11512 and the second button 11513 can replace the side keys of the tablet computer or the keys of the game controller.

[0077] In addition, the present invention also provides a key control method, the key comprises a housing, a controller, a vibration feedback member and a plurality of piezoelectric sensors, the housing is provided with a touch area, the plurality of piezoelectric sensors are used to obtain elastic wave information of the touch area, and the Fig.11 , Fig.11 This is a flow chart of a first embodiment of a key control method of the present invention, wherein the key control method comprises:

[0078] S100, controlling the piezoelectric sensor to acquire the elastic wave information of the touch area in real time, and outputting detection information to the controller according to the elastic wave information;

[0079] When the user's finger touches the touch area, the shell will generate elastic waves. Since multiple piezoelectric sensors are provided, the generated elastic waves are transmitted through the solid to act on the piezoelectric sensors, that is, the piezoelectric sensors can obtain elastic wave information in real time; under the positive piezoelectric effect, the piezoelectric sensor is prompted to generate an electrical signal, that is, the electrical signal is detection information, and the controller captures the voltage signal generated by the piezoelectric sensor. Different pressing actions will generate different modes of elastic wave pressure, and different elastic waves are transmitted to piezoelectric sensors at different positions. The acted piezoelectric sensors generate electrical signals of different waveforms at different time periods.

[0080] S200, controlling the controller to analyze the detection information to obtain feedback information; wherein the feedback information includes vibration information and instruction information;

[0081] The controller obtains feedback information by identifying and calculating the electrical signals of different waveforms generated by the piezoelectric sensor in different time periods. According to the command information in the feedback information, the position and strength of the user's finger pressing can be known, thereby sensing the user's specific actions. Through this sensing method, different degrees of pressing actions such as light pressing, heavy pressing or long pressing can be identified, thereby realizing the perception of different commands.

[0082] S300: The controller controls the vibration feedback element according to the vibration information to drive the area in the touch area where the elastic wave information is generated to vibrate.

[0083] By setting a vibration feedback element, the controller can output an electrical signal to the vibration feedback element according to the vibration information while implementing the function control instruction, and apply voltage to the vibration feedback element, so that the vibration feedback element generates vibration or sound under the action of the reverse piezoelectric effect, thereby providing feedback to the user's operation, so that the key has a feedback function. Considering the user's privacy protection, the vibration feedback element will only drive the area in the touch area that generates elastic wave information to vibrate, and will not drive the entire touch area to vibrate together.

[0084] When the user's finger acts on the touch area, the shell will generate elastic waves. Since multiple piezoelectric sensors are provided, and the piezoelectric sensors can accurately identify the elastic waves and output corresponding detection information, the controller then analyzes the detection information to obtain feedback information. According to the instruction information in the feedback information, the finger's pressing position, pressing intensity, and finger sliding movement, etc. can be obtained, thereby enriching the user actions that can be identified; according to the vibration information in the feedback information, the controller controls the vibration feedback part to vibrate according to the vibration information, thereby driving the area generating elastic wave information in the touch area to vibrate through the vibration feedback part, thereby giving feedback to the user.

[0085] Reference Fig.12 , Fig.12 This is a flow chart of the second embodiment of the key control method of the present invention, and the step S300 includes:

[0086] S310: The controller controls the vibration feedback element to drive the vibration intensity of the area within the touch area that generates the elastic wave information according to the vibration information.

[0087] By setting a vibration feedback component, after the controller recognizes the vibration information, the controller outputs an electrical signal to the vibration feedback component while implementing the function control instruction, applies voltage to the vibration feedback component, and the vibration feedback component generates vibration or sounds under the action of the reverse piezoelectric effect, thereby providing feedback to the user's operation, so that the key has a feedback function. It should be noted that the controller can know from the instruction information whether the user's finger is performing different operations such as light pressing, heavy pressing, long pressing or sliding, and different instruction information has corresponding vibration information, so that the controller can determine the vibration information corresponding to the instruction information according to different instruction information, and then control the vibration intensity of the vibration feedback component or sound to provide feedback to the user according to the vibration information. For example, if it is a light press, the controller controls the vibration feedback component to vibrate lightly, if it is a heavy press, the controller controls the vibration feedback component to vibrate heavily, if it is a long press, the controller controls the vibration feedback component to vibrate at a high frequency or a low frequency, and if it is a slide, the controller controls the vibration feedback component to sound.

[0088] Reference Fig.13 , Fig.13 This is a flow chart of the third embodiment of the key control method of the present invention, referring to Fig.14 , Fig.14 This is a flow chart of a fourth embodiment of the key control method of the present invention, wherein the step S310 includes:

[0089] S311, determining whether the finger is in a pressing action or a sliding action according to the instruction information;

[0090] S312, if the finger is in a pressing action, the controller controls the vibration intensity or vibration frequency of the vibration feedback element according to the vibration information;

[0091] S312', if the finger is sliding, the controller controls the vibration feedback element to make a sound according to the vibration information.

[0092] Among them, the controller can know whether the user's finger is performing a pressing action or a sliding action based on the instruction information. Furthermore, if it is a pressing action, the pressing strength of the finger can be determined. For example, if it is a light press, the controller controls the vibration feedback part to vibrate lightly; if it is a heavy press, the controller controls the vibration feedback part to vibrate heavily; if it is a long press, the controller controls the vibration feedback part to vibrate at a high frequency or a low frequency; if it is a sliding, the controller controls the vibration feedback part to make a sound, so that different operations of the user can obtain corresponding feedback, thereby improving the user experience.

[0093] In one embodiment, the touch area includes an active touch portion and a fixed touch portion, the elastic wave information includes first elastic wave information, a plurality of the piezoelectric sensors are used to obtain the first elastic wave information of the active touch portion, the detection information includes first detection information, the piezoelectric sensor outputs the first detection information according to the first elastic wave information, and the controller analyzes the first detection information to obtain the vibration information: refer to Fig.15 , Fig.15 This is a flow chart of the third embodiment of the key control method of the present invention, and the step S300 includes:

[0094] S320: The controller controls the vibration feedback element to drive the active touch part to vibrate according to the vibration information.

[0095] The vibration feedback member is connected to the active touch part, so the vibration generated by the vibration feedback member mainly drives the active touch part to vibrate, that is, if the button is applied to a mobile phone, the active touch part is equivalent to the side button of the mobile phone, and the fixed touch part is equivalent to the shell of the mobile phone. Since the vibration feedback member mainly drives the active touch part to vibrate and does not drive the entire mobile phone to vibrate, the user's privacy and usage experience are effectively improved; furthermore, the controller will control the vibration feedback member to vibrate only when it receives the first detection information and obtains feedback information based on the analysis of the first detection information, that is, only when the user's finger acts on the active touch part and performs corresponding actions, the vibration feedback member will drive the active touch part to vibrate to give feedback to the user. This local vibration is easier to be perceived by the user, so the feedback effect is also better.

[0096] The above are only preferred embodiments of the present invention, and are not intended to limit the patent scope of the present invention. All equivalent structural changes made using the contents of the present invention's specification and drawings, or directly / indirectly applied in other related technical fields, are included in the patent protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A key, characterized in that: include: A housing, wherein the housing is provided with a touch area; A piezoelectric sensor, wherein the number of the piezoelectric sensors is multiple and the multiple piezoelectric sensors are arranged at intervals, and are used to obtain elastic wave information of the touch area and output detection information; A controller, the controller being electrically connected to the piezoelectric sensor, and the controller being used to obtain feedback information according to the detection information analysis; wherein the feedback information includes vibration information and instruction information; A vibration feedback member is also electrically connected to the controller, so that the controller can control the vibration feedback member to drive at least a part of the touch area to vibrate according to the vibration information.

2. The key according to claim 1, characterized in that: The touch area includes an active touch part and a fixed touch part. A plurality of piezoelectric sensors are arranged on the active touch part for acquiring first elastic wave information of the active touch part and outputting first detection information. The controller is used for analyzing the vibration information according to the first detection information.

3. The key according to claim 2, characterized in that: The controller can control the vibration feedback element to drive at least a partial area within the active touch portion to vibrate according to the vibration information.

4. The key according to claim 3, characterized in that: The controller can also control the vibration intensity of the vibration feedback member according to the vibration information.

5. The key according to claim 1, characterized in that: The touch area includes an active touch part and a fixed touch part. A plurality of piezoelectric sensors are arranged on the fixed touch part for acquiring second elastic wave information of the fixed touch part and outputting second detection information. The controller is used for analyzing the second detection information to obtain the instruction information.

6. The key according to any one of claims 2 to 5, characterized in that: The movable touch part comprises a button key and a mounting seat connected to each other, the button key and the vibration feedback member are respectively arranged on two sides of the mounting seat opposite to each other, and the fixed touch part is provided with a through hole for exposing the button key.

7. The key according to claim 6, characterized in that: The button key includes a first button and a second button, the first button and the second button are arranged at intervals on the mounting base, the through hole includes a first sub-hole and a second sub-hole arranged at intervals, the first sub-hole corresponds to the first button, the second sub-hole corresponds to the second button, the length of the second button is greater than the length of the first button, the instruction information includes first pressing information and first sliding information, the piezoelectric sensor can detect the elastic wave of the first button and output the first pressing information, and the piezoelectric sensor can detect the elastic wave of the second button and output the first sliding information.

8. The key according to claim 6, characterized in that: One side of the fixed touch portion is a mounting surface, and the other side of the fixed touch portion is a touch surface. The mounting surface is provided with a receiving groove for accommodating the mounting seat, and the bottom wall of the receiving groove is provided with the through hole. A first gap is formed between the bottom wall of the receiving groove and the mounting seat, and the key also includes an annular seal arranged in the first gap, the annular seal extends along the circumference of the mounting seat, and one side of the annular seal is connected to the mounting seat, and the other side of the annular seal is connected to the bottom wall of the receiving groove.

9. The key according to claim 6, characterized in that: The button also includes a sealing member, which abuts against the mounting surface so that a second gap is formed between the sealing member and the mounting seat on a side facing away from the button key. The button also includes a sealing layer, which is arranged in the second gap, one side of the sealing layer is connected to the mounting seat, and the other side of the sealing layer is connected to the sealing member.

10. The key according to claim 9, characterized in that: The mounting seat includes a seat body and a positioning boss that are connected to each other, the button key and the positioning boss are relatively arranged on both sides of the seat body, the sealing component is provided with a limiting hole for the positioning boss to pass through, the positioning boss passes through the limiting hole and is connected to the vibration feedback component; the second gap is formed between the seat body and the sealing component, and the sealing layer extends along the circumference of the sealing component.

11. The key according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The key further comprises a resonance plate, and the resonance plate is connected to the vibration feedback member.

12. The key according to any one of claims 1 to 5, characterized in that: The button also includes a base, the shell is connected to the base, and the shell and the base enclose an installation space.

13. An electronic device, characterized in that: The electronic device comprises at least the key as described in any one of claims 1 to 12.

14. The electronic device according to claim 13, characterized in that: The electronic device is a mobile phone, the touch area includes an active touch portion and a fixed touch portion, the active touch portion is arranged as a side key of the mobile phone, and the fixed touch portion is arranged as a shell of the mobile phone.

15. A key control method, wherein the key comprises a housing, a controller, a vibration feedback member and a plurality of piezoelectric sensors, wherein the housing is provided with a touch area, and the plurality of piezoelectric sensors are used to obtain elastic wave information of the touch area, characterized in that: The key control method comprises: Controlling the piezoelectric sensor to obtain the elastic wave information of the touch area in real time, and outputting detection information to the controller according to the elastic wave information; Controlling the controller to analyze the detection information to obtain feedback information; wherein the feedback information includes vibration information and instruction information; The controller controls the vibration feedback element according to the vibration information to drive the area in the touch area where the elastic wave information is generated to vibrate.

16. The key control method according to claim 15, characterized in that: The step of the controller controlling the vibration feedback element to drive the area generating the elastic wave information in the touch area to vibrate according to the vibration information comprises: The controller controls the vibration feedback member to drive the vibration intensity of the area within the touch area that generates the elastic wave information according to the vibration information.

17. The key control method according to claim 16, characterized in that: The step of the controller controlling the vibration feedback element to drive the vibration intensity of the area within the touch area to generate the elastic wave information according to the vibration information comprises: Determine whether the finger is in a pressing action or a sliding action according to the instruction information; If the finger is in a pressing action, the controller controls the vibration intensity or vibration frequency of the vibration feedback element according to the vibration information; If the finger is sliding, the controller controls the vibration feedback element to make a sound according to the vibration information.

18. The key control method according to any one of claims 15 to 17, characterized in that: The touch area includes an active touch portion and a fixed touch portion, the elastic wave information includes first elastic wave information, a plurality of piezoelectric sensors are used to obtain the first elastic wave information of the active touch portion, the detection information includes first detection information, the piezoelectric sensor outputs the first detection information according to the first elastic wave information, the controller analyzes the first detection information to obtain the vibration information: the controller controls the vibration feedback member to drive the area generating the elastic wave information within the touch area to vibrate according to the vibration information, the steps comprising: The controller controls the vibration feedback element to drive the active touch part to vibrate according to the vibration information.

Images