Electronic keyboard

Abstract

The electronic keyboard (102) includes a housing (501) having a plurality of keys (201) and a cavity (203). The cavity houses a circuit board (503), a press layer (502), and at least one pressure sensor (504) disposed therein. Each pressure sensor is disposed between a lower portion (505) of the cavity and the circuit board, the press layer is movably connected to each key, and the circuit board is disposed between the press layer and the lower portion of the cavity. Each pressure sensor is connected to the circuit board, and the force-receiving surface (406) of each pressure sensor is aligned with the projection area (506) of the corresponding key.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] [CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS] This application claims priority to Chinese Utility Model Patent No. ZL2020 2 0132796.7, filed on January 20, 2020, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. [Background technology]

[0002] The present invention relates to an electronic keyboard and an electronic device equipped with an electronic keyboard. Electronic devices such as personal or desktop computers that utilize electronic keyboards to provide input to the electronic device are widely known and are highly utilized in both home and work environments. This type of electronic keyboard provides a command and data entry device used to operate electronic or other devices. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0003] In the prior art, a typical keyboard includes a keyboard substrate, a plurality of keys, and a circuit board. In operation, when a user presses a key, the circuit board can generate a corresponding electrical signal, which then completes a corresponding process on the corresponding electronic device. In these existing devices, a signal is only generated when a key is pressed, and the corresponding process is completed on the corresponding electronic device. This reduces user skills and makes the user's operation inconvenient. U.S. Patent No. 9,465,412 (Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC [US]), published on October 11, 2016, describes an input device layer in which a pressure-sensitive key assembly is disposed between a force concentration layer and a pad and support layer. The pressure-sensitive key assembly is disposed across the support layer. [Means for solving the problem]

[0004] [Brief description of the invention] According to a first aspect of the present invention, a housing (501) including a plurality of keys (201, 301); and a cavity (203). An electronic keyboard thatThe cavity accommodates a circuit board (302, 503, 703), a press layer (303, 502, 704), and at least one pressure sensor (304, 504, 803) disposed within the cavity; wherein the at least one pressure sensor is disposed between a lower portion (305, 505, 702) of the cavity and the circuit board; the press layer is movably connected to each of the plurality of keys, and the circuit board is disposed between the press layer and the lower portion; and the at least one pressure sensor is disposed between the The electronic keyboard further includes a support plate (307, 701) disposed between the lower portion of the cavity and the circuit board; the support plate includes at least one positioning slot (507, 801) on a first surface (802) facing the circuit board, the at least one positioning slot supporting one of the at least one pressure sensors disposed therein. the electronic keyboard is configured to transmit applied pressure to the pressure sensor and further includes at least one force concentrator (308, 804) disposed between the at least one pressure sensor and the circuit board. An electronic keyboard is provided. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0005] [Figure 1] FIG. 1 is a diagram showing an example of the configuration of an electronic device and a keyboard according to the present invention. [Figure 2] FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the keyboard of FIG. 1 according to the present invention. [Figure 3] FIG. 3 is a detailed partial view of the keyboard of FIG. [Figure 4] FIG. 4 is a diagram showing an example of a pressure sensor used in a keyboard according to the present invention. [Figure 5] FIG. 5 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a schematic configuration of a keyboard according to an embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 6] FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a longitudinal cross-sectional structure of the key and press layer provided by the embodiment of FIG. [Figure 7] FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a longitudinal cross-sectional structure of a keyboard according to another embodiment of the present invention. [Figure 8]FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the support plate and the circuit board of FIG. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0006] Embodiments of the present invention will now be described, by way of example only, with reference to the drawings. The detailed embodiments illustrate the best mode known to the inventors and support the invention as claimed. However, they are merely exemplary and should not be used to interpret or limit the scope of the claims. Their purpose is to provide instruction to those skilled in the art. Elements and processes distinguished by ordinal phrases such as "first" or "second" do not necessarily define any order or ranking.

[0007] [Detailed Description of the Invention] (Figure 1) FIG. 1 illustrates a typical electronic device 101 that includes a keyboard 102 according to one embodiment of the present invention. In embodiments, electronic device 101 may be a desktop computer, a notebook computer, or any other suitable type of electronic device capable of utilizing a keyboard. In an exemplary embodiment, the electronic device 101 is a personal computer as shown, and in one embodiment, a game application is configured to run on the personal computer. Thus, the keyboard provided by the present invention allows a user to control the relative movement of a virtual character in such a game by manipulating the keyboard 102 according to the present invention. For example, if a user wants to control a game character so that the in-game character runs at a high speed, the user can press a designated key, such as key 103, with a relatively high applied pressure or hard key press. Alternatively, if the user wants the game character to move more slowly, the user can lightly tap designated key 103 with a reduced applied pressure.

[0008] (Figure 2) 2 shows a cross-sectional view of a keyboard 102 according to the present invention. The keyboard 102 includes, for example, a plurality of keys 201 arranged to allow a user to input information into the electronic device 101. Keyboard 102 further comprises a cavity 203 that houses a circuit board, a press layer, and at least one pressure sensor, in a manner further described in Figure 3. Figure 3 shows a portion of keyboard 102 that falls within area 203.

[0009] (Figure 3) In this illustrated example, the keyboard 102 includes keys 301 , a circuit board 302 , a press layer 303 , and a pressure sensor 304 . In an embodiment, the pressure sensor 304 is disposed between the lower portion 305 of the cavity 203 and the circuit board 302. The press layer 303 is movably connected to the key 301, and the circuit board 302 is disposed between the press layer 303 and the lower portion 305. In an embodiment, the pressure sensor 304 is electrically connected to the circuit board 302 such that the force-receiving surface of the pressure sensor 304 is aligned with the projection area 306 of the key 301 . In an embodiment, the keyboard 102 further includes a support plate 307 disposed between the lower portion 305 and the circuit board 302 . As will be further described with respect to FIG. 8, keyboard 102 further includes a force concentrator 308 bonded to circuit board 302 and positioned between circuit board 302 and a lower portion 305 of keyboard cavity 203 .

[0010] (Figure 4) As shown in Figure 4, any of the pressure sensors described herein, such as pressure sensor 304, can be substantially similar to pressure sensor 401 shown in Figure 4. In an embodiment, pressure sensor 401 is a thin-film pressure sensor. In an embodiment, pressure sensor 401 comprises a first conductive layer 402, a second conductive layer 403, and an intermediate layer 404. Intermediate layer 404 is disposed between conductive layer 402 and conductive layer 403. In use, when intermediate layer 404 contacts the two conductive layers 402 and 403, intermediate layer 404, conductive layer 402, and conductive layer 403 form electrical connections and pathways between the layers. In an embodiment, an applied force, such as force 405 applied on a force receiving surface 406 of pressure sensor 401, may cause the layers to contact each other.

[0011] Furthermore, if the pressure detected between the layers is different, the contact area between the intermediate layer and the two conductive layers will also be different, which means that the resistance generated will also be different. Therefore, different pressures will result in different resistances. Thus, when a key, such as key 301 on keyboard 102, is pressed and pressure is transmitted through pressing layer 303, circuit board 302, and force concentrator 308, middle layer 404 of pressure sensor 401 is squeezed by the two conductive layers to complete an electrical circuit, which creates a corresponding resistance, and thus the applied pressure can be detected. In one embodiment, the number of keys 103 on keyboard 102 is greater than or equal to the number of pressure sensors 401 on keyboard 102 . In an embodiment of the present invention, referring to the example of FIG. 3, one pressure sensor 304 is provided within the projection area 306 of each key 301 of the plurality of keys 201 .

[0012] (Figure 5) FIG. 5 shows a schematic diagram of a longitudinal section of a keyboard 102 provided according to an embodiment of the present invention. The keyboard 102 includes a plurality of keys 201, a housing 501, a press layer 502, a circuit board 503, and at least one pressure sensor 504. The intermediate layer 404 is disposed between the conductive layer 402 and the conductive layer 403. In an embodiment, the housing 501 includes a circuit board 503, a press layer 502, and a cavity 203 configured to house at least one pressure sensor 504. Thus, in an embodiment, the circuit board 503, the press layer 502, and the at least one pressure sensor 504 are all disposed within the cavity 203.

[0013] At least one pressure sensor 504 is disposed between a lower portion 505 of the cavity 203 and the circuit board 503. Each pressure sensor 504 is attached to a press layer 502 disposed on one side of the circuit board 503, and a plurality of keys 201 are movably disposed on the press layer 502. Furthermore, each pressure sensor 504 is connected to a circuit board 503 , and the force-receiving surface 406 of each pressure sensor 504 is aligned with the projection area 506 of the corresponding key 201 .

[0014] It should be noted that the lower portion 505 of the housing 501 has a constant thickness and includes at least one alignment slot 507 disposed within the lower portion 505 facing the circuit board 503. The location of each alignment slot 507 corresponds to the projected area of ​​a corresponding key. Each alignment slot 507 is utilized to position a respective pressure sensor 504. In an embodiment, the cross-sectional area of ​​each alignment slot 507 is slightly larger than the cross-sectional area of ​​the corresponding pressure sensor 504. The depth of each alignment slot 507 and the thickness of the corresponding pressure sensor 504 may be substantially similar. In an embodiment of the present invention, when a user presses one of the plurality of keys 201, the press layer 502 is pressed into contact with the circuit board 503, so that the circuit board 503 receives a signal corresponding to the pressure applied by the user.

[0015] The magnitude of the pressure generated by the user's pressing can also be transmitted to the corresponding pressure sensor via the press layer 502 and the circuit board 503. In this way, each pressure sensor 504 can detect a pressure signal and transmit the pressure signal to the circuit board 503. The circuit board 503 can then transmit a touch signal to an electronic device, such as the electronic device 101 in FIG. 1. The electronic device is configured to receive the input signal and the pressure signal so that the electronic device can perform corresponding processing according to the touch signal and the pressure signal. By disposing the pressure sensor 504 between the lower part 505 of the cavity 203 and the circuit board 503, the pressure sensor 504 can be electrically connected to the circuit board 503, and a corresponding pressure signal can be generated according to the pressure applied by the user pressing the key. In this way, the corresponding processing is completed on the corresponding electronic device, which improves the user experience and facilitates the user operation.

[0016] (Figure 6) 6 shows a schematic diagram of a longitudinal cross-sectional structure of the key 201 and press layer 502 provided by the embodiment of the present invention in FIG. 5. As shown, the press layer 502 is provided with a plurality of grooves 601. Each groove 601 is provided with a key 201 that is movable within the respective groove 601. In one embodiment, the number of grooves 601 and the number of keys 201 are substantially similar, and the areas in which the grooves 601 are located overlap and fall within the projected areas of the corresponding keys 201 .

[0017] In an embodiment, each key 201 includes a connecting portion 602, the connecting portion 602 being located on a side of the key 201 closest to the press layer 502. The cross-sectional area of ​​each connecting portion 602 is slightly smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​the corresponding groove 601. In one embodiment, the cross-sectional areas of the connecting portion 602 and the corresponding groove 601 are substantially similar. Additionally, in embodiments, the connection between each groove 601 and press layer 502 is a detachable connection. In certain embodiments, the detachable connection is a snap connection. In an embodiment, the press layer 502 comprises an elastic material.

[0018] (Figure 7) FIG. 7 shows a schematic diagram of a longitudinal cross-sectional structure of a keyboard according to an alternative embodiment of the present invention. As shown, the keyboard 102 includes a support plate 701 disposed between a lower portion 702 of the keyboard 102 and a circuit board 703. The support plate 701 has at least one arrangement slot disposed on a first surface facing the circuit board 703. Each arrangement slot is provided with a pressure sensor. In an embodiment, the support plate 701 has a thickness, and the cross-sectional areas of the support plate 701, the circuit board 703, and the press layer 704 are substantially similar. Furthermore, the cross-sectional shapes of the support plate 701, the circuit board 703, and the press layer 704 are also substantially similar.

[0019] (Figure 8) FIG. 8 shows a vertical cross-sectional structural view of the support plate 701 and the circuit board 703 according to the embodiment of FIG. 7, the support plate 701 is provided with at least one arrangement slot 801 on a first surface 802 of the support plate 701 facing the circuit board 703. A pressure sensor 803 is provided in each arrangement slot 801. In one embodiment, the cross-sectional shape of each alignment slot 801 may be square, circular, or any other suitable geometric shape, and is not particularly limited in embodiments of the present invention.

[0020] In a specific embodiment, the support plate 701 is provided with three alignment slots 801. Correspondingly, a pressure sensor 802 is disposed in each alignment slot 801. In one embodiment, the projection area of ​​each key 201 of the keyboard 102 is aligned with the corresponding alignment slot 801. Thus, in this exemplary embodiment, the projection area of ​​the first key fits with the first alignment slot, the projection area of ​​the second key fits with the second alignment slot, and the projection area of ​​the third key fits with the third alignment slot. 8, keyboard 102 further includes at least one force concentrator 804. In an embodiment, each placement slot 801 is provided with a force concentrator 804, and each force concentrator 804 is disposed between each pressure sensor 803 and the circuit board. In one embodiment, force concentrator 804 is coupled to circuit board 703.

[0021] In an embodiment of the present invention, when a user presses key 201, press layer 704 contacts circuit board 703. The applied pressure acts on circuit board 703 before transmitting through circuit board 703 and acting on force concentrator 804. Force concentrator 804 transmits the applied pressure to pressure sensor 803 so that pressure sensor 803 can detect the applied pressure. In one embodiment, the cross-sectional area of ​​force concentrator 804 and the cross-sectional area of ​​pressure sensor 803 are substantially similar. In another embodiment, the cross-sectional area of ​​force concentrator 804 is larger than the cross-sectional area of ​​pressure sensor 803 and smaller than the cross-sectional area of ​​placement slot 801. It should be understood that in further embodiments, any suitable variation in cross-sectional area or size may be utilized to suit a particular application.

[0022] Alternatively, force concentrator 804 comprises a polyester resin material, such as PET (polyethylene terephthalate), however, it should be understood that force concentrator 804 may comprise other alternative materials that facilitate concentrating pressure. In one embodiment, the overall thickness of each pressure sensor 803 and its corresponding force concentrator 804 together is substantially similar to the depth of the placement slot 801. If the thickness of the placement slot 801 is represented as a and the pressure sensor 803 and force concentrator 804 together are represented as b, the difference between a and b can be determined to be within a preset size range. Therefore, the present invention provides an improvement over the prior art for at least the following reasons: First, in the recorded prior art, signals generated from the keyboard are only generated when a key on the keyboard is actually pressed and are only further processed by the connected electronics, which requires additional processing, which increases inconvenience and reduces user skill.

[0023] By disposing the pressure sensor between the bottom of the keyboard-accommodating cavity and the circuit board, the pressure sensor is electrically connected to the circuit board, which means that a corresponding pressure signal can be generated according to the pressure applied by the user pressing the corresponding key, thereby completing a corresponding process on the corresponding electronic device. In this way, the keyboard of the present invention not only fulfills the functions of existing keyboards, but also provides a force-sensing element, thereby adding the flexibility of pressure input. Therefore, the pressure-sensitive keyboard allows users to interact more in-depth with electronic devices and enhances the simulation of real-world environments, thereby improving user skills.

Claims

1. An electronic keyboard including: a plurality of keys (201, 301); and a housing (501) including a cavity (203); the cavity accommodating a circuit board (302, 503, 703), a press layer (303, 502, 704), and at least one pressure sensor (304, 504, 803) disposed within the cavity; the at least one pressure sensor is disposed between the lower portion of the cavity (305, 505, 702) and the circuit board; the press layer is movably connected to each of the plurality of keys, and the circuit board is disposed between the press layer and the lower portion; and the at least one pressure sensor is connected to the circuit board, and a force receiving surface (406) of the at least one pressure sensor is aligned with a corresponding one of the projection areas (306) of the plurality of keys; The electronic keyboard further includes a support plate (307, 701) disposed between the lower portion of the cavity and the circuit board; the support plate includes at least one placement slot (507, 801) on a first surface (802) facing the circuit board, the at least one placement slot including one of the at least one pressure sensor disposed therein; The electronic keyboard further includes at least one force concentrator (308, 804) configured to transmit applied pressure to the pressure sensor and disposed between the at least one pressure sensor and the circuit board. An electronic keyboard (102).

2. 2. The electronic keyboard of claim 1, wherein a plurality of grooves (601) are provided in the press layer.

3. 3. The electronic keyboard according to claim 2, wherein each of said plurality of keys is movably received in a corresponding one of said plurality of grooves.

4. 2. The electronic keyboard of claim 1, wherein each of said force concentrators is disposed in a corresponding one of said at least one locating slots.

5. 5. An electronic keyboard according to claim 1, wherein the at least one pressure sensor has a first thickness, the force concentrator has a second thickness, and the sum (b) of the first thickness and the second thickness is substantially similar to the depth (a) of the placement slot.

6. 6. An electronic keyboard according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein the force concentrator comprises a polyester resin material.

7. 7. An electronic keyboard according to claim 1, wherein said at least one pressure sensor is a thin film pressure sensor.

8. 8. The electronic keyboard according to claim 1, wherein the number of said plurality of keys is equal to or greater than the number of said at least one pressure sensor.

9. 9. The electronic keyboard according to claim 1, wherein the press layer comprises an elastic material.

10. An electronic device comprising an electronic keyboard (101) according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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