An input device, an interactive system and a control method

Abstract

The application provides an input device, an interactive system and a control method; wherein the input device comprises an insulating shell, a plurality of conductive parts, a grounding part and a control module; the plurality of conductive parts are arranged at intervals in the insulating shell; the grounding part is arranged in the insulating shell; the grounding part is connected to each of the plurality of conductive parts through a plurality of electrically controlled switches; the control module is electrically connected to the plurality of electrically controlled switches; the control module is used to control at least one of the electrically controlled switches to be turned on, so that at least one of the conductive parts is electrically connected to the grounding part; wherein the conductive part electrically connected to the grounding part can be capacitively coupled to a capacitive touch surface of an electronic device. The scheme of the embodiment of the application not only shortens the time of inputting complex information, but also electrically connects the corresponding conductive part to the grounding part based on a control instruction, quickly adjusts the arrangement mode of the conductive part electrically connected to the grounding part, and effectively improves the user experience.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of input device technology, and in particular to an input device, an interactive system, and a control method. Background Technology

[0002] With the widespread adoption of touchscreens, most users have accepted their daily use. In daily use, users have become accustomed to performing basic touch operations such as clicking, swiping, and long-pressing on the touchscreen using their fingers, styluses, etc.

[0003] However, when users need to input more complex information (such as specific graphics or symbols), the time spent on touch operations is relatively long, which affects the user experience. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This application provides an input device, an interaction system, and a control method that can shorten the time for inputting complex information and effectively improve the user experience.

[0005] In a first aspect, this application provides an input device, comprising:

[0006] Insulating housing;

[0007] A plurality of conductive elements are provided and spaced apart from each other in the insulating housing.

[0008] A grounding element is disposed in the insulating housing, and the grounding element is connected to a plurality of conductive elements respectively through a plurality of electrically controlled switches; and

[0009] A control module is electrically connected to a plurality of the electrical control switches. The control module is used to control at least one of the electrical control switches to turn on, so that at least one of the conductive elements is electrically connected to the grounding element.

[0010] The conductive element electrically connected to the grounding element is capable of capacitive coupling with the capacitive touch-sensitive surface of the electronic device.

[0011] The solution provided in this application involves multiple electrically controlled switches connected to multiple conductive elements and a grounding element on an insulating housing. A control module is electrically connected to the multiple electrically controlled switches. By controlling the on / off state of the multiple electrically controlled switches through the control module, the multiple conductive elements electrically connected to the grounding element can be arranged in a preset pattern. In use, simply aligning the multiple conductive elements with and near or in contact with the capacitive touch-sensitive surface allows for capacitive coupling between the multiple conductive elements electrically connected to the grounding element and the capacitive touch-sensitive surface. This enables the electronic device to recognize the arrangement of the multiple conductive elements electrically connected to the grounding element, thereby quickly acquiring information. Therefore, the solution in this application can shorten the time for complex information input and effectively improve the user experience.

[0012] Furthermore, this application can also adjust the arrangement of conductive parts connected to the grounding component quickly by controlling the corresponding conductive parts to the grounding component according to the user's requirements for the number and arrangement of conductive parts connected to the grounding component, thereby further improving the user experience.

[0013] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some possible implementations, a plurality of the conductive elements are disposed on the first side of the insulating housing;

[0014] The grounding element is disposed on the second side of the insulating housing, wherein the second side is disposed opposite to the first side.

[0015] In combination with the first aspect and the above-described implementation, in some possible implementations, the grounding element protrudes from the second side of the insulating housing.

[0016] In combination with the first aspect and the above implementation methods, in some possible implementations, the control module includes:

[0017] Controller;

[0018] Multiple latches are electrically connected to the controller, and each latch is electrically connected to a corresponding electronic switch.

[0019] The latch is capable of maintaining the on / off state of the electronic control switch as it was before the controller lost power, even when the controller loses power.

[0020] In conjunction with the first aspect and the above-described implementations, in some possible implementations, the input device further includes:

[0021] The storage module is electrically connected to the control module and is used to provide the control commands to the control module.

[0022] In conjunction with the first aspect and the above-described implementations, in some possible implementations, the input device further includes:

[0023] A communication module, electrically connected to the control module and the storage module, is used to acquire the control commands and provide the control commands to the control module and / or the storage module.

[0024] In combination with the first aspect and the above-described implementations, in some possible implementations, the insulating housing has a receiving cavity, and the control module and the electronically controlled switch are disposed in the receiving cavity;

[0025] The insulating shell has multiple through holes in its shell wall, and each through hole corresponds to a conductive element, with the conductive element at least partially disposed in the through hole.

[0026] In combination with the first aspect and the above-described implementations, in some possible implementations, the outer surface of the insulating shell is provided with a skin layer, the skin layer covering a plurality of the through holes; and / or

[0027] The inner surface of the insulating housing is provided with a shock-absorbing layer; and / or

[0028] The outer surface of the insulating shell is provided with an anti-slip layer.

[0029] In combination with the first aspect and the above implementation, in some possible implementations, the first end of the conductive element is further away from the receiving cavity than the second end of the conductive element;

[0030] The end face of the first end of the conductive element is flush with the outer surface of the insulating shell, or the end face of the first end of the conductive element protrudes from the outer surface of the insulating shell.

[0031] In combination with the first aspect and the above-described implementation, in some possible implementations, the conductive element, the control module, and the electronically controlled switch are located outside the insulating housing and connected to the outer surface of the insulating housing.

[0032] In combination with the first aspect and the above-described implementations, in some possible implementations, the insulating housing has a receiving cavity;

[0033] The conductive element is at least partially disposed in the receiving cavity, and the distance between the conductive element and the outer surface of the insulating shell is greater than or equal to 0.1 mm and less than or equal to 2 mm.

[0034] Secondly, this application also provides an interactive system, including:

[0035] Electronic devices having capacitively sensitive touch surfaces; and

[0036] As described in any of the first aspects above, the input device includes a plurality of conductive elements electrically connected to the grounding element that can be capacitively coupled to the capacitive touch-sensitive surface.

[0037] Thirdly, this application also provides a control method applied to the control module of the input device described in any of the first aspects above, the control method comprising:

[0038] In response to the detected first instruction, determine the first address information included in the first instruction;

[0039] Based on the first address information, the first switch that needs to be turned on among multiple electronically controlled switches is determined, and the first switch is turned on, so that the conductive component associated with the first switch is electrically connected to the grounding component.

[0040] In conjunction with the third aspect, in some possible implementations, after the first switch is turned on, the control method further includes:

[0041] Detect the on-time of the first switch;

[0042] When a second instruction is detected during a period when the connection duration is greater than or equal to a preset duration, the second switch corresponding to the second address information included in the second instruction is determined.

[0043] In response to the second instruction, the first switch is turned off and the second switch is turned on.

[0044] Additional aspects and advantages of this application will be set forth in part in the description which follows, and in part will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of this application. Attached Figure Description

[0045] Various other advantages and benefits will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the detailed description of the embodiments described below. The accompanying drawings are for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the scope of this application. Furthermore, the same reference numerals denote the same parts throughout the drawings. In the drawings:

[0046] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of an input device provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0047] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a circuit structure for an input device;

[0048] Figure 3 yes Figure 1 Another circuit diagram of the input device;

[0049] Figure 4 yes Figure 1 Another circuit diagram of the input device;

[0050] Figure 5 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of a conductive component of an input device mounted on the wall of an insulating housing.

[0051] Figure 6 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of another conductive component of the input device being mounted on the wall of the insulating housing;

[0052] Figure 7 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of another type of conductive component of the input device being mounted on the wall of an insulating housing;

[0053] Figure 8 yes Figure 1 A schematic diagram of another type of conductive component of the input device being mounted on the wall of an insulating housing;

[0054] Figure 9 This is a flowchart illustrating a control method provided in an embodiment of this application;

[0055] Figure 10 This is a flowchart illustrating another control method provided in an embodiment of this application.

[0056] The annotations in the attached figures are explained as follows:

[0057] 100—Input device;

[0058] 1—Insulating housing;

[0059] 2—Conductive component; 24—Wire;

[0060] 3—Grounding component;

[0061] 4—Electrical control switch;

[0062] 5—Control module; 51—Controller; 52—Latch;

[0063] 6—Storage module;

[0064] 7—Communication module;

[0065] VCC — Power supply module. Detailed Implementation

[0066] The embodiments of the technical solution of this application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. These embodiments are only used to more clearly illustrate the technical solution of this application and are therefore merely examples, and should not be used to limit the scope of protection of this application.

[0067] Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this application pertains; the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the application; the terms “comprising” and “having”, and any variations thereof, in the specification, claims, and foregoing description of the drawings are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion.

[0068] In the description of the embodiments of this application, the technical terms "center," "longitudinal," "lateral," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "clockwise," "counterclockwise," "axial," "radial," and "circumferential" indicate the orientation or positional relationship based on the orientation or positional relationship shown in the accompanying drawings. They are only for the convenience of describing the embodiments of this application and simplifying the description, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, or be constructed and operated in a specific orientation. Therefore, they should not be construed as limitations on the embodiments of this application.

[0069] In the description of the embodiments of this application, unless otherwise expressly specified and limited, technical terms such as "installation," "connection," "joining," and "fixing" should be interpreted broadly. For example, they can refer to a fixed connection, a detachable connection, or an integral part; they can refer to a mechanical connection or an electrical connection; they can refer to a direct connection or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium; they can refer to the internal communication of two components or the interaction between two components. For those skilled in the art, the specific meaning of the above terms in the embodiments of this application can be understood according to the specific circumstances.

[0070] In the description of the embodiments of this application, technical terms such as "first" and "second" are used only to distinguish different objects and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number, specific order, or primary and secondary relationship of the indicated technical features. In the description of the embodiments of this application, the term "multiple" refers to two or more; similarly, "multiple sets" refers to two or more sets, and "multiple pieces" refers to two or more pieces.

[0071] In the description of the embodiments in this application, the term "and / or" is merely a description of the relationship between related objects, indicating that three relationships can exist. For example, A and / or B can represent: A existing alone, A and B existing simultaneously, and B existing alone. Additionally, the character " / " in this document generally indicates that the preceding and following related objects have an "or" relationship.

[0072] With the widespread adoption of touchscreens, most users have accepted their daily use. In daily use, users have become accustomed to performing basic touch operations such as clicking, swiping, and long-pressing on the touchscreen using their fingers, styluses, etc.

[0073] However, when users need to input more complex information (such as specific graphics or symbols), the time spent on touch operations is relatively long, which affects the user experience.

[0074] To address the aforementioned technical problems, embodiments of this application provide an input device, an interaction system, and a control method. The input device, interaction system, and control method provided in the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0075] This application proposes an interactive system; please refer to [reference needed]. Figure 1 The interactive system includes an electronic device (not shown) and an input device 100. An electronic device is a device that uses various electronic components and circuits to implement its functions. The electronic devices in this application include not only consumer electronic devices, such as mobile phones, tablets, laptops, desktop computers, smartwatches, and smart home devices (such as smart speakers, smart light bulbs, and smart door locks), but also automotive electronic devices (such as in-vehicle displays), educational electronic devices (such as electronic dictionaries and learning machines), and medical electronic devices.

[0076] Electronic devices have capacitive touch-sensitive surfaces. Capacitive touch-sensitive surfaces can quickly respond to finger touch operations, support multi-touch, and can recognize multiple touch points simultaneously.

[0077] See Figure 1 and Figure 2 The input device 100 includes an insulating housing 1, conductive elements 2, a grounding element 3, and a control module 5. Multiple conductive elements 2 are spaced apart within the insulating housing 1. The grounding element 3 is located within the insulating housing 1 and is connected to multiple conductive elements 2 via multiple electrically controlled switches 4. The control module 5 is electrically connected to the multiple electrically controlled switches 4 and is used to control at least one electrically controlled switch 4 to be turned on, thereby electrically connecting at least one conductive element 2 to the grounding element 3. The conductive element 2 electrically connected to the grounding element 3 can capacitively couple with the capacitive touch-sensitive surface of the electronic device. The input device 100 can take various forms, such as a Rubik's Cube or a stamp.

[0078] The insulating shell 1 is a shell structure with excellent electrical insulation properties, used to isolate live conductors. The insulating shell 1 is typically made of plastic, ceramic, or composite materials. Designers can choose suitable insulating materials to manufacture the insulating shell 1 based on factors such as cost, weight, mechanical strength, and durability; this application does not specifically limit this choice. The insulating shell 1 provides a mounting base for the grounding component 3 and multiple conductive components 2. The insulating shell 1 can have various shapes, such as a cylindrical, elliptical cylinder, tetrahedral, hexahedral, or other polyhedral structures, or other irregular shapes; this application does not specifically limit these shapes.

[0079] Conductive component 2 is a structural component capable of conducting current. Conductive component 2 is made of materials with good conductivity, such as metals or conductive composite materials. For example, conductive component 2 can be made of copper (metal), conductive rubber (composite material), conductive plastic (composite material), carbon fiber (carbon-based material), or cadmium-copper alloy (alloy material). The shape of conductive component 2 can be columnar, stepped, etc. There can be multiple conductive components 2; for example, the number of conductive components 2 can be... Figure 1The 16 conductive elements 2 mentioned above can be selected by the designer according to actual needs; this application does not impose a specific limitation on this. Multiple conductive elements 2 are spaced apart on the insulating housing 1; multiple conductive elements 2 can be arranged in a linear array, such as... Figure 1 As shown, the conductive elements 2 can also be arranged in a ring array, a rectangular array, or a path array along a specified path. Designers can flexibly set the number and arrangement of the conductive elements 2 according to actual needs, and this application embodiment does not impose specific limitations on this.

[0080] Grounding component 3 is a structural component used to achieve an electrical connection between conductive component 2 and the earth. Grounding component 3 is made of a metal material with good conductivity, such as copper rod, copper alloy, stainless steel, or new composite materials such as carbon fiber. Grounding component 3 is installed in the insulating housing 1. When the user uses the input device 100, grounding component 3 can come into contact with the human body and be grounded through the human body.

[0081] Grounding component 3 is connected to multiple conductive components 2 via multiple electrically controlled switches 4. Each conductive component 2 is connected to one end of one of the multiple electrically controlled switches 4, and one end of each electrically controlled switch 4 is connected to grounding component 3. When the electrically controlled switch 4 is closed, the conductive component 2 is connected to the grounding component 3, allowing grounding through the human body. The electrically controlled switch 4 is a device that uses electrical signals to control the on / off state of a circuit. There are various types of electrically controlled switches 4, including semiconductor switches and relays. A relay is an electrically controlled switch 4 based on electromagnetic induction, which uses the magnetic field generated by an electromagnetic coil to drive the mechanical contacts to close or open. Semiconductor switches include bipolar junction transistors (BJTs), metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistors (MOSFETs), and insulated-gate bipolar transistors (IGBTs). BJTs control the on / off state of the collector and emitter by controlling the base current. MOSFETs control the conduction state between the drain and source through the gate voltage. In this design, NMOS turns on when the gate voltage is above the threshold, while PMOS turns on when the gate voltage is below the threshold. IGBT combines the features of MOSFET and BJT, controlling the switching between the collector and emitter via the base current.

[0082] The control module 5 is electrically connected to multiple electronic switches 4 and is used to control at least one electronic switch 4 to be turned on, so that at least one conductive element 2 can be electrically connected to the grounding element 3; wherein, the conductive element 2 electrically connected to the grounding element 3 can be capacitively coupled to the capacitive touch-sensitive surface.

[0083] For example, for four conductive elements 2 arranged in a row, the four conductive elements 2 are connected to the grounding element 3 in sequence through four electronically controlled switches 4.

[0084] When control module 5 controls the first and fourth electronic switches 4 to close, and the second and third electronic switches 4 to open, the first and fourth conductive elements 2 are electrically connected to the grounding element 3, enabling capacitive coupling with the capacitive touch-sensitive surface. If the electronic device identifies the conductive element 2 that is capacitively coupled to the capacitive touch-sensitive surface and records it as 1, and records the other conductive elements 2 as 0, then the arrangement is 1001.

[0085] When control module 5 controls the first, second, and third electronic switches 4 to close and the fourth electronic switch 4 to open, the first, second, and third conductive elements 2 are electrically connected to the grounding element 3, enabling capacitive coupling with the capacitive touch-sensitive surface. If the electronic device identifies the conductive element 2 that is capacitively coupled to the capacitive touch-sensitive surface and records it as 1, and records the other conductive elements 2 as 0, then the arrangement is 1110. It can be seen that control module 5 can quickly adjust the number and position of the conductive elements 2 electrically connected to the grounding element 3.

[0086] The solution provided in this application involves multiple electrically controlled switches 4 connected to multiple conductive elements 2 and a grounding element 3 on an insulating housing 1. A control module 5 is electrically connected to the multiple electrically controlled switches 4. By controlling the on / off state of the multiple electrically controlled switches 4 through the control module 5, the multiple conductive elements 2 electrically connected to the grounding element 3 can be arranged in a preset pattern. In use, simply applying the multiple conductive elements 2 to the capacitive touch-sensitive surface—that is, facing the capacitive touch-sensitive surface and being close to or in contact with it—for example, when the distance between the conductive elements 2 and the capacitive touch-sensitive surface is less than or equal to 3mm and greater than or equal to 0mm, the multiple conductive elements 2 electrically connected to the grounding element 3 can be capacitively coupled to the capacitive touch-sensitive surface. This enables the electronic device to recognize the arrangement of the multiple conductive elements 2 electrically connected to the grounding element 3, thereby quickly acquiring information. Therefore, the solution of this application can shorten the time for complex information input and effectively improve the user experience.

[0087] Furthermore, this application can also adjust the arrangement of the conductive parts 2 electrically connected to the grounding part 3 by controlling the corresponding conductive parts 2 to the grounding part 3 according to the user's requirements for the number and arrangement of the conductive parts 2 electrically connected to the grounding part 3, thereby further improving the user experience.

[0088] See Figure 1Considering that the conductive element 2 electrically connected to the grounding element 3 needs to contact or be close to the capacitive touch-sensitive surface to achieve capacitive coupling with the capacitive touch-sensitive surface, in some embodiments, multiple conductive elements 2 are disposed on a first side of the insulating housing 1; the grounding element 3 is disposed on a second side of the insulating housing 1, wherein the second side is disposed opposite to the first side. Thus, when the conductive element 2 electrically connected to the grounding element 3 contacts or is close to the capacitive touch-sensitive surface, interference between the grounding element 3 and the capacitive touch-sensitive surface can be prevented, thereby avoiding affecting the user's operation input device 100.

[0089] Understandably, the grounding element 3 can be exposed on the surface of the insulating housing 1, or it can be covered by a cover that is movably connected to the insulating housing 1. The cover can protect the grounding element 3, and the user only needs to remove the cover when in use.

[0090] Furthermore, to improve the user's convenience in using the input device 100, please continue to see... Figure 1 In some embodiments, the grounding element 3 may protrude from the second side of the insulating housing 1. In this way, the grounding element 3 can serve as a grip for the user's hand to hold the input device 100, further improving the stability and convenience of the user's operation of the input device 100.

[0091] See Figure 3 In some embodiments, the control module 5 includes a controller 51 and a plurality of latches 52. The plurality of latches 52 are electrically connected to the controller 51, and the plurality of latches 52 are electrically connected to a plurality of electronic switches 4 in a one-to-one correspondence. The latches 52 are able to maintain the on / off state of the electronic switches 4 before the controller 51 was powered off when the controller 51 is powered off.

[0092] The controller 51 can acquire control commands and send control signals to multiple latches 52 based on these commands. The latches 52 then generate switching signals to control the electronic switch 4 based on these control signals. When a control signal is valid, the latches 52 latch the control signal to their output and maintain this state until the next control signal arrives. Therefore, after the controller 51 controls the on / off state of the electronic switch 4, the controller 51 can enter a low-power mode and no longer send control signals to the latches 52. In this mode, the latches 52 can keep the electronic switch 4 either on or off.

[0093] For example, such as Figure 3As shown, the electronic switch 4 uses NMOS transistors. The controller 51 sends a control command to the latch 52 to turn on the first, second, and last NMOS transistors from left to right. Based on this control signal, the latch 52 generates a high-level signal to turn on the first, second, and last NMOS transistors. The first, second, and last NMOS transistors are turned on, and the first, second, and last conductive elements are electrically connected to the ground element 3. After the controller 51 turns on the first, second, and last NMOS transistors, the controller 51 can enter a low-power mode and no longer send control signals to the latch 52. At this time, the latch 52 can maintain the high-level signal controlling the turn on of the first, second, and last NMOS transistors.

[0094] It should be noted that even if the controller 51 loses power due to a malfunction or other reasons, the latch 52 will continue to maintain the on / off state of each electronic switch 4. When the power supply to the controller 51 is restored, the controller 51 will read the state information stored in the latch 52 to ensure that the conductive parts 2 on the input device 100 can be seamlessly restored to the working state before the controller 51 lost power.

[0095] The solution provided in this application embodiment can not only effectively improve the working reliability and robustness of the input device 100 and ensure stable operation when the power is exhausted, but also reduce the working time of the controller 51, thereby effectively extending the battery life of the input device 100.

[0096] See Figure 4 In some embodiments, the input device 100 may further include a storage module 6, which is electrically connected to the control module 5 and is used to provide control commands to the control module 5.

[0097] The storage module 6 can be a USB flash drive, SD card, external hard drive, flash memory, etc. The storage module 6 can pre-store the coding pattern, arrangement rules, or other information of the conductive component 2. This information can be sent to the control module 5 via control commands, so that the control module 5 can control the on / off state of the electric switch 4 based on this information.

[0098] This embodiment of the application, by setting up a storage module 6, allows users to conveniently control the on / off state of the conductive component 2 and the grounding component 3, realize complex arrangement of the conductive component 2 electrically connected to the grounding component 3 and quickly adjust the arrangement, further improving the user experience.

[0099] See Figure 4In some embodiments, the input device 100 may further include a communication module 7, which is electrically connected to the control module 5 and the storage module 6, for communicating with external electronic devices to obtain control commands and provide control commands to the control module 5 and / or the storage module 6.

[0100] The communication module 7 can be a wired communication module or can transmit data via radio waves. Wireless communication modules may include cellular communication modules (such as 2G / 3G / 4G / 5G modules), Wi-Fi modules, Bluetooth modules, ZigBee modules, etc. The communication module 7 can easily obtain control commands by communicating with other external electronic devices or cloud platforms. These control commands can be directly sent to the control module 5 to control the electric switch 4, or they can be stored in the storage module 6 and then sent to the control module 5 according to user needs.

[0101] By setting up a communication module 7 in this embodiment, the controller 51 can interact with other external electronic devices or cloud platforms, further facilitating the user's control over the on / off state of the conductive component 2 and the grounding component 3.

[0102] In addition, see Figures 2 to 4 The input device 100 also includes a power supply module VCC, which may include a battery. The battery capacity can be determined based on factors such as the size of the input device 100 and its standby time. For smaller input devices 100, the battery can be a micro battery such as a button cell (e.g., CR2032). Many types and specifications of micro batteries are available, and designers can choose flexibly according to actual needs; this application does not impose specific limitations on this. Furthermore, the input device 100 may also include a solar panel, which can utilize natural light to charge the battery, further extending its usage time.

[0103] To ensure battery safety during charging, prevent overcharging and over-discharging, and optimize energy acquisition and storage efficiency, the input device 100 may also include a charging management integrated circuit. The charging management integrated circuit is electrically connected to the solar panel and the battery to manage the electrical energy acquired by the battery from the solar panel and to charge the battery.

[0104] The following combination Figures 5 to 8 The specific connection method between the insulating shell 1 and the conductive component 2 will be described in detail.

[0105] In some embodiments, the insulating housing 1 has a receiving cavity, in which the control module 5 and the electric control switch 4 are disposed; the shell wall of the insulating housing 1 has a plurality of through holes, each through hole corresponding to a conductive element 2, and the conductive element 2 is at least partially disposed in the through hole. The conductive element 2 can be electrically connected to the electric control switch 4 via a wire 24.

[0106] In this embodiment, the conductive element 2 is disposed on the insulating housing 1 through a through hole, which ensures a tight connection between the conductive element 2 and the insulating housing 1, improving the overall structural stability of the input device 100. Furthermore, by using a through hole to install the conductive element 2, complex bonding and snap-fit ​​processes are avoided, simplifying the assembly steps of the conductive element 2, reducing assembly difficulty, improving assembly efficiency, and ultimately reducing production costs.

[0107] In some embodiments, the outer surface of the insulating shell 1 is provided with a skin layer, which covers multiple through holes. The skin layer may partially or completely cover the insulating shell 1. The skin layer may be made of insulating materials such as rubber, plastic, or textiles. Designers can flexibly choose suitable materials as the skin layer according to actual needs, and this application does not impose specific limitations on this. The skin layer is used to cover the through holes, which serves two purposes: firstly, it prevents foreign objects such as dust and insects from entering the interior of the insulating shell through the through holes; secondly, it protects the conductive components and prevents excessive wear on them.

[0108] In some embodiments, a shock-absorbing layer is provided on the inner surface of the insulating housing 1. The shock-absorbing layer may be made of materials such as rubber. In this way, the impact can be reduced when the input device 100 is flipped or dropped, thereby improving the service life of the input device 100.

[0109] In some embodiments, the outer surface of the insulating housing 1 is provided with an anti-slip layer. This anti-slip layer can be a frosted layer or a rubber coating on the outer surface of the insulating housing 1. This prevents the input device 100 from slipping due to the user's wet hands or other reasons when using the device.

[0110] In some embodiments, the first end of the conductive element 2 is further away from the receiving cavity than the second end of the conductive element 2. Figures 5 to 8 Regarding the conductive element 2 provided on the insulating shell 1 in the middle part, the first end of the conductive element 2 is the lower end of the conductive element 2, and the second end of the conductive element 2 is the upper end of the conductive element 2. The lower end of the conductive element 2 is farther away from the receiving cavity than the upper end of the conductive element 2.

[0111] See Figure 5 The end face of the first end of the conductive element 2 can be flush with the outer surface of the insulating housing 1. This makes the input device 100 look neater and more aesthetically pleasing, thereby enhancing the overall feel and sophistication of the input device 100, and improving the visual effect and user experience of the input device 100.

[0112] In addition, see Figure 6The end face of the first end of the conductive element 2 can also protrude from the outer surface of the insulating housing 1. The designer can determine the protrusion height of the first end face of the conductive element 2 based on factors such as the structural strength, wear rate, and processing precision of the conductive element 2; this embodiment does not impose a specific limitation on this. Thus, when the input device 100 acts on the capacitive touch-sensitive surface, the end face of the first end of the conductive element 2 can be closer to or in closer contact with the capacitive touch-sensitive surface, thereby improving the reliability of the capacitive coupling between the conductive element 2 and the capacitive touch-sensitive surface and ensuring the accuracy of the electronic device in recognizing the arrangement of multiple conductive elements 2.

[0113] It should be noted that, in addition to being disposed in the insulating housing 1 through the through hole described above, the conductive component 2 can also be disposed in the insulating housing 1 in other ways.

[0114] See Figure 8 In some embodiments, the conductive element 2 can be directly disposed on the outer surface of the insulating housing 1. Exemplarily, the conductive element 2, the control module 5, and the electronic switch 4 are located on the outside of the insulating housing 1 and connected to the outer surface of the insulating housing 1. The conductive element 2, the control module 5, and the electronic switch 4 can be directly disposed on the surface of the insulating housing 1 using methods such as bonding, welding, or snap-fitting.

[0115] In this embodiment, the conductive element 2 is directly provided on the outer surface of the insulating shell 1, which can eliminate the step of machining through holes on the insulating shell 1, and has the advantages of simple processing and low cost.

[0116] In other embodiments, the conductive element 2 may also be disposed entirely inside the insulating housing 1. For example, see... Figure 7 The insulating housing 1 has a receiving cavity (not shown in the figure); the conductive element 2 is at least partially disposed in the receiving cavity, and the distance d1 between the conductive element 2 and the outer surface of the insulating housing 1 is greater than or equal to 0.1 mm and less than or equal to 2 mm. For example, d1 can be 0.1 mm, 0.2 mm, 0.5 mm, 0.6 mm, 0.8 mm, 1 mm, 1.2 mm, 1.4 mm, 1.6 mm, 1.8 mm, 2 mm, etc.

[0117] The distance between the conductive element 2 and the outer surface of the insulating shell 1 can be directly controlled by controlling the thickness of the insulating shell 1, or it can be... Figure 7As shown, a blind hole is provided on the inner wall of the insulating housing 1, and the depth of the blind hole is indirectly controlled. For the insulating housing 1 with the blind hole, the thickness of the insulating housing 1 can be relatively thick, for example, 30-65mm. For example, the thickness of the insulating housing 1 can be directly set to 0.15mm, or a blind hole can be opened on the inner wall of a thicker insulating housing 1, so that the distance between the bottom wall of the blind hole and the outer surface of the insulating housing 1 is 0.15mm. In this case, the distance between the conductive element 2 and the outer surface of the insulating housing 1 is very small. When the user holds the input device 100 and acts on the capacitive touch surface, even if there is an insulating housing 1 between the conductive element 2 and the capacitive touch surface, it will not affect the capacitive coupling between the conductive element 2, which is electrically connected to the grounding element 3, and the capacitive touch surface.

[0118] In this embodiment, by placing the conductive element 2 inside the insulating housing 1, it is possible not only to avoid wear of the conductive element 2 when using the input device 100, thus effectively improving the service life of the conductive element 2, but also to prevent foreign objects such as dust and moisture from entering the interior of the input device 100, thereby improving the operational reliability of the input device 100.

[0119] See Figure 9 , Figure 9 This is a flowchart illustrating a control method provided in an embodiment of this application. This control method can be executed by the control module of the input device in the above embodiments. Figure 9 As shown, the control method may include the following steps:

[0120] S101, in response to the detected first instruction, determine the first address information included in the first instruction.

[0121] When using the input device of this application, the user can issue the first command through the control buttons on the input device, external devices (such as mouse, keyboard, voice device, etc.).

[0122] Taking a control button as an example, if a microcontroller (MCU) is used as the control module, and the microcontroller's internal memory stores a first instruction associated with the control button, then when the user presses the control button, the microcontroller's internal memory can issue the first instruction. This first instruction controls the electronic switch and includes first address information, which points to the electronic switch that needs to be activated among the multiple electronic switches on the input device.

[0123] S102, based on the first address information, determine the first switch that needs to be turned on among multiple electrical control switches, and turn on the first switch so that the conductive part associated with the first switch is electrically connected to the grounding part.

[0124] The first address information includes at least one switch address, such as switch addresses 1-3. When the first address information includes switch addresses 1-3, after the control module obtains the first address information from the first instruction, the control module can determine the electrical control switch associated with switch address 1, the electrical control switch associated with switch address 2, and the electrical control switch associated with switch address 3 from among multiple electrical control switches. That is, the electrical control switches associated with switch addresses 1, 2, and 3 are all first switches, and the control module turns on the electrical control switches associated with each of switch addresses 1-3, thereby enabling the conductive components associated with each of the electrical control switches associated with switch addresses 1-3 to achieve electrical connection with the grounding component. When the conductive component electrically connected to the grounding component acts on the capacitive touch-sensitive surface, capacitive coupling can occur with the capacitive touch-sensitive surface, thereby enabling the electronic device to identify the conductive component electrically connected to the grounding component, allowing the electronic device to quickly obtain information.

[0125] For example, the input device includes nine conductive elements arranged in a 3x3 matrix. When the electronic switch associated with switch address 1 is turned on, the conductive elements in the first row and first column are electrically connected to the grounding element. When the electronic switch associated with switch address 2 is turned on, the conductive elements in the first row and third column are electrically connected to the grounding element. When the electronic switch associated with switch address 3 is turned on, the conductive elements in the second row and second column are electrically connected to the grounding element. When the input device is applied to a capacitive touch-sensitive surface, the electronic device can identify these conductive elements electrically connected to the grounding element. If the conductive elements electrically connected to the grounding element are marked as 1, and the conductive elements not electrically connected to the grounding element are marked as 0, then the electronic device can quickly obtain the coding information of the conductive elements electrically connected to the grounding element and the conductive elements not electrically connected to the grounding element, i.e., "101010000", and then obtain the information corresponding to "101010000".

[0126] The solution provided in this application embodiment involves a control module controlling a first switch to turn on based on a first command, which enables the conductive component associated with the first switch to be electrically connected to a grounding component. When using the input device, simply applying the input device to the capacitive touch-sensitive surface allows the conductive component in the input device electrically connected to the grounding component to capacitively couple with the capacitive touch-sensitive surface, enabling the electronic device to recognize multiple conductive components electrically connected to the grounding component, thereby allowing the electronic device to quickly acquire information. Therefore, the solution in this application embodiment can shorten the time for complex information input and effectively improve the user's interaction experience with the electronic device.

[0127] Furthermore, this application can also, based on the user's requirements for the number and arrangement of conductive components, electrically connect specific conductive components to grounding components according to a first instruction, quickly adjust the arrangement of conductive components electrically connected to grounding components, and further improve the user experience.

[0128] In some embodiments, this application also provides another control method that enables an input device to transmit electronic files (such as text files, graphic files, sound files, etc.) to an electronic device.

[0129] Before introducing the control method, it should be noted that when a user needs to transfer electronic files to an electronic device via an input device, they can send control commands for transferring electronic files to the control module through control buttons on the input device, external devices (such as mice, keyboards, and voice devices). After receiving the control command, the control module can first split the electronic file stored in its internal memory or an external memory electrically connected to the control module into multiple sub-files. Then, for each sub-file, it generates an instruction including address information (such as a first instruction, a second instruction, etc.). For example, if the electronic file is split into three sub-files, namely sub-files 1-3, sub-file 1 corresponds to the first instruction, sub-file 2 corresponds to the second instruction, and sub-file 3 corresponds to the third instruction. Subsequently, based on the instructions including address information generated for different sub-files, the control module can, through the control method of this embodiment, realize the on / off switching of the electronic switch, causing multiple capacitive couplings between the conductive components of the input device and the electronic device. Ultimately, the electronic device obtains multiple sub-files corresponding to these multiple capacitive couplings, and based on these multiple sub-files, obtains a complete electronic file.

[0130] The control method provided in the embodiments of this application will be described in detail below.

[0131] like Figure 10 As shown, the control method may include the following steps:

[0132] S201, in response to the detected first instruction, determine the first address information included in the first instruction.

[0133] S202, based on the first address information, determine the first switch that needs to be turned on among multiple electrical control switches, and turn on the first switch so that the conductive part associated with the first switch is electrically connected to the grounding part.

[0134] In this embodiment, steps S201-S202 can be the same as steps S101-S102 in the above embodiments, and will not be described again here.

[0135] S203, detect the on-time of the first switch.

[0136] S204, when a second instruction is detected during a period of time when the connection duration is greater than or equal to a preset duration, the second switch corresponding to the second address information included in the second instruction is determined.

[0137] S205, in response to the second instruction, the first switch is closed and the second switch is turned on, so that the conductive part associated with the second switch is electrically connected to the grounding part.

[0138] It should be noted that the capacitive touch-sensitive surface detects conductive parts electrically connected to the ground by periodically generating drive signals and receiving charge measurements from electrodes. Assuming the control module activates the first switch for a duration shorter than the interval between two detections by the capacitive touch-sensitive surface, if the capacitive touch-sensitive surface is not performing a detection when the control module activates the first switch based on the first command (e.g., the capacitive touch-sensitive surface is in a state where the first detection has finished and the second detection has not yet started, meaning the first switch is activated precisely within the time period when the capacitive touch-sensitive surface stops detecting), then the capacitive touch-sensitive surface may not detect the conductive parts electrically connected to the ground associated with the first switch, thus causing the electronic device to miss the sub-files sent by the input device corresponding to the first switch.

[0139] Therefore, to prevent information omission, this application embodiment sets a requirement for the on-time of the first switch, ensuring it reaches at least a preset duration, i.e., the on-time is greater than or equal to the preset duration. This ensures the on-time of the first switch matches the interval between two detections by the capacitive touch surface, thus preventing the omission of sub-files when the on-time of the first switch reaches the preset duration. The specific value of the preset duration can be determined based on the interval between two detections by the capacitive touch surface. The preset duration can be set to a reasonable value greater than the interval between two detections by the capacitive touch surface. For example, when the interval between two detections by the capacitive touch surface is 5ms, the preset duration can be set to 6ms. In this case, the on-time of the first switch can be greater than or equal to the preset duration of 6ms, i.e., 6ms, 8ms, 10ms, etc.

[0140] The second instruction is also a control instruction for the electronically controlled switch. The second instruction includes second address information, which points to the second switch among the multiple electronically controlled switches of the input device that needs to be turned on. When the second instruction is detected during a period of time with an on-time greater than or equal to a preset time, the control module can determine the second switch corresponding to the second address information included in the second instruction, and in response to the second instruction, close the first switch and turn on the second switch, so that the conductive part associated with the second switch is electrically connected to the grounding part.

[0141] The second address information includes at least one switch address, such as switch addresses 2-5. When the second address information includes switch addresses 2-5, after the control module obtains the second address information from the second instruction, the control module can determine from multiple electronically controlled switches that the electronically controlled switches associated with switch address 2, 3, 4, and 5 are all the second switches. It then closes the first switch and turns on the second switch, that is, it turns on the electronically controlled switches associated with each of switch addresses 2-5, thereby enabling the conductive components associated with each of the electronically controlled switches associated with switch addresses 2-5 to achieve electrical connection with the grounding component. When the conductive component electrically connected to the grounding component acts on the capacitive touch-sensitive surface, it can achieve capacitive coupling with the capacitive touch-sensitive surface, thereby enabling the electronic device to identify the conductive component electrically connected to the grounding component, allowing the electronic device to quickly obtain information.

[0142] For example, the input device includes nine conductive elements arranged in a 3x3 matrix. When the electronic switch associated with switch address 2 is turned on, the conductive elements in the first row and second column are electrically connected to the grounding element. When the electronic switch associated with switch address 3 is turned on, the conductive elements in the first row and third column are electrically connected to the grounding element. When the electronic switch associated with switch address 4 is turned on, the conductive elements in the second row and first column are electrically connected to the grounding element. When the electronic switch associated with switch address 5 is turned on, the conductive elements in the second row and second column are electrically connected to the grounding element. When the input device is applied to the capacitive touch-sensitive surface, the electronic device can identify these conductive elements electrically connected to the grounding element. If the conductive elements electrically connected to the grounding element are marked as 1, and the conductive elements not electrically connected to the grounding element are marked as 0, then the electronic device can quickly obtain the coding information of the conductive elements electrically connected to the grounding element and the conductive elements not electrically connected to the grounding element, i.e., "011110000", and then obtain the information corresponding to "011110000".

[0143] There are several ways in which the control module responds to the second instruction by closing the first switch and turning on the second switch. In one possible implementation, the control module, responding to the second instruction, may close all the first switches before turning on all the second switches. In another possible implementation, the control module, responding to the second instruction, may first identify the duplicate switches among the second and first switches, then close all the switches in the first switch except for the duplicate switches, and turn on all the switches in the second switch except for the duplicate switches, thereby closing the first switch and turning on the second switch. The second address information included in the second instruction may be different from or the same as the first address information included in the first instruction; this embodiment does not specifically limit this.

[0144] Understandably, after the control module responds to the second instruction by closing the first switch and turning on the second switch, it can continue to detect the on-time of the second switch in the same manner as the first instruction. If a third instruction follows the second instruction, and the control module detects the third instruction within a time period with an on-time greater than or equal to a preset duration, then the control module can determine the third switch corresponding to the third address information included in the third instruction, and respond to the third instruction by closing the second switch and turning on the third switch, thereby electrically connecting the conductive component associated with the third switch to the grounding component.

[0145] Similarly, if a fourth instruction follows the third instruction, a fifth instruction follows the fourth instruction, and so on, up to an Nth instruction following the (N-1)th instruction, then all instructions can be executed according to the control method described above, where a second instruction follows the first instruction. This will not be elaborated further here. Here, N is a positive integer greater than 1.

[0146] If the control module does not detect any new instructions after the Nth instruction, it can be determined that the electronic document transmission from the electronic document input device to the electronic device is complete, and the electronic device has received the complete electronic document.

[0147] The solution provided in this application, by setting an appropriate preset duration, ensures that the capacitive touch-sensitive surface always detects the conductive component electrically connected to the grounding component in the input device when the on-time of the electronic control switch is greater than or equal to the preset duration, thus preventing the electronic device from missing electronic files sent by the input device. Therefore, the solution in this application ensures that the electronic device receives complete electronic files when transmitting them from the input device, effectively improving the reliability of electronic file transmission.

[0148] The methods in the above embodiments can be implemented entirely or partially by software, hardware, firmware, or any combination thereof. When implemented in software, they can be implemented entirely or partially in the form of a computer program product. The computer program product includes one or more computer instructions. When the computer program instructions are loaded and executed on a computer, all or part of the processes or functions described in the embodiments of this application are generated. The computer can be a general-purpose computer, a special-purpose computer, a computer network, or other programmable device. The computer instructions can be stored in a computer-readable storage medium or transmitted from one computer-readable storage medium to another. For example, the computer instructions can be transmitted from one website, computer, server, or data center to another website, computer, server, or data center via wired (e.g., coaxial cable, fiber optic, digital subscriber line (DSL)) or wireless (e.g., infrared, wireless, microwave, etc.) means. The computer-readable storage medium can be any available medium that a computer can access or a data storage device such as a server or data center that integrates one or more available media. The available medium can be a magnetic medium (e.g., floppy disk, hard disk, magnetic tape), an optical medium (e.g., DVD), or a semiconductor medium (e.g., solid state disk (SSD)).

[0149] The above embodiments are merely illustrative of the technical solutions of this application and are not intended to limit it. Although this application has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some or all of the technical features therein. These modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of this application, and they should all be covered within the scope of the claims and specification of this application. In particular, as long as there is no structural conflict, the various technical features mentioned in the embodiments can be combined in any way. This application is not limited to the specific embodiments disclosed herein, but includes all technical solutions falling within the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An input device (100), characterized in that, include: Insulating housing (1); Conductive element (2), wherein there are multiple conductive elements and they are spaced apart on the insulating shell (1); A grounding component (3) is disposed on the insulating housing (1), and the grounding component (3) is connected to a plurality of conductive components (2) one by one through a plurality of electronically controlled switches (4); as well as The control module (5) is electrically connected to a plurality of the electric control switches (4). The control module (5) is used to control at least one of the electric control switches (4) to turn on so that at least one of the conductive parts (2) is electrically connected to the grounding part (3). The conductive element (2) that is electrically connected to the grounding element (3) is capable of capacitive coupling with the capacitive touch-sensitive surface of the electronic device.

2. The input device (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that, A plurality of the conductive elements (2) are disposed on the first side of the insulating housing (1); The grounding element (3) is disposed on the second side of the insulating housing (1), wherein the second side is disposed opposite to the first side.

3. The input device (100) according to claim 2, characterized in that, The grounding element (3) protrudes from the second side of the insulating housing (1).

4. The input device (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The control module (5) includes: Controller (51); Multiple latches (52) are electrically connected to the controller (51), and multiple latches (52) are electrically connected to multiple electrical switches (4) in a one-to-one correspondence; The latch (52) is able to maintain the on / off state of the electronic switch (4) before the power failure of the controller (51) when the controller (51) is powered off.

5. The input device (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The input device (100) further includes: The storage module (6) is electrically connected to the control module (5) and is used to provide the control commands to the control module (5).

6. The input device (100) according to claim 5, characterized in that, The input device (100) further includes: The communication module (7) is electrically connected to the control module (5) and the storage module (6) and is used to acquire the control command and provide the control command to the control module (5) and / or the storage module (6).

7. The input device (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The insulating housing (1) has a receiving cavity, and the control module (5) and the electronic control switch (4) are disposed in the receiving cavity; The insulating shell (1) has a plurality of through holes in its shell wall, and each through hole is provided with a conductive element (2), and the conductive element (2) is at least partially disposed in the through hole.

8. The input device (100) according to claim 7, characterized in that, The outer surface of the insulating housing (1) is provided with a skin layer, the skin layer covering a plurality of the through holes; and / or The inner surface of the insulating housing (1) is provided with a shock-absorbing layer; and / or The outer surface of the insulating shell (1) is provided with an anti-slip layer.

9. The input device (100) according to claim 8, characterized in that, The first end of the conductive element (2) is further away from the receiving cavity than the second end of the conductive element (2); The end face of the first end of the conductive element (2) is flush with the outer surface of the insulating shell (1), or the end face of the first end of the conductive element (2) protrudes from the outer surface of the insulating shell (1).

10. The input device (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The conductive element (2), the control module (5), and the electronic switch (4) are located outside the insulating housing (1) and are connected to the outer surface of the insulating housing (1).

11. The input device (100) according to claim 1, characterized in that, The insulating housing (1) has a receiving cavity; The conductive element (2) is at least partially disposed in the receiving cavity, and the distance between the conductive element (2) and the outer surface of the insulating shell (1) is greater than or equal to 0.1 mm and less than or equal to 2 mm.

12. An interactive system, characterized in that, include: Electronic devices with capacitively sensitive touch surfaces; as well as In any one of the following claims, the input device (100) may include a plurality of conductive elements (2) electrically connected to the grounding element (3) that may be capacitively coupled to the capacitive touch-sensitive surface.

13. A control method applied to the control module of the input device according to any one of claims 1-11, characterized in that, The control method includes: In response to the detected first instruction, determine the first address information included in the first instruction; Based on the first address information, the first switch that needs to be turned on among multiple electronically controlled switches is determined, and the first switch is turned on, so that the conductive component associated with the first switch is electrically connected to the grounding component.

14. The control method according to claim 13, characterized in that, After the first switch is turned on, the control method further includes: Detect the on-time of the first switch; When a second instruction is detected during a period when the connection duration is greater than or equal to a preset duration, the second switch corresponding to the second address information included in the second instruction is determined. In response to the second instruction, the first switch is turned off and the second switch is turned on.

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