Capacitive Keyboard with Position Sensing Mechanism
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional keyboards face challenges in reducing size and thickness due to mechanical scissor mechanisms that require increased vertical travel to prevent keycap bending, which limits the compactness of electronic devices like smartphones and laptops.
Innovation Solution
The design incorporates a support mechanism with rigid materials and a scissor mechanism that translates vertical force into lateral motion, allowing for reduced keycap tilt and vertical travel distance, along with a capacitive sensing member for detecting keycap position, force, and finger location without mechanical actuation, and an illumination panel positioned above the feature plate for efficient light distribution.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If a mechanical scissor mechanism is used to translate keycap vertically, then the keycap can be actuated with sufficient travel distance, but the keyboard thickness and device enclosure height increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the traditional mechanical scissor mechanism with a magnetic field-based sensing system. Instead of requiring physical keycap travel through mechanical linkages, the system uses capacitive sensors to detect keypresses through minimal or no mechanical movement, eliminating the need for thick mechanical translation mechanisms while maintaining adequate key actuation feedback
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the operating parameters from mechanical displacement to magnetic field interaction. By using capacitive sensing that detects changes in capacitance caused by finger proximity or keypress, the system achieves sufficient detection range and key actuation without requiring the keycap to travel the same physical distance as traditional mechanical keyboards, thereby reducing overall keyboard thickness
2Length of moving object
If the keycap vertical travel range is reduced for compactness, then the device size decreases, but the mechanical scissor mechanism may cause keycap bending
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical scissor mechanism that physically constrains keycap movement with a magnetic field-based detection system. This eliminates the mechanical linkages that could cause keycap bending while maintaining stable keycap positioning through minimal mechanical structure, using magnetic field interaction to detect presses without requiring extensive mechanical travel paths
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a magnetic field as an intermediary between the user's finger and the sensing system. Instead of direct mechanical contact through scissor mechanisms, the magnetic field mediates the detection process, allowing keypress detection with minimal keycap movement and reduced mechanical complexity, thereby preventing keycap bending issues
3Ease of operation
If mechanical layers and scissor mechanisms are added for key translation, then key actuation is achieved, but the overall device interior space is consumed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the sensing function directly into existing keyboard components such as the keycap or substrate. By integrating capacitive sensors into the keycap structure or underlying layers, the system eliminates separate mechanical translation mechanisms and scissor linkages, reducing overall device volume while maintaining full key actuation capability through the integrated sensing approach
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces bulky mechanical translation systems with a compact magnetic field-based sensing architecture. This substitution eliminates multiple mechanical layers including scissor mechanisms, pivot points, and translation linkages, significantly reducing the volume required for key actuation while preserving full typing functionality through non-contact or minimal-contact sensing
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This solution enables a thinner keyboard profile, improved light efficiency, and the ability to detect user inputs without mechanical movement, enhancing compactness and usability in electronic devices.
Implementation Method 1
The sensing member may be a capacitive sensor. The sensing member may interact with a component of the input device to detect changes in capacitance.
Data Source
AI summary
An input device configured to communicate with a computing device includes at least one keycap, a support mechanism operably connected to the keycap and configured to move the keycap from a first position to a second position, a feature plate operably connected to the support mechanism, and a sensing member. The sensing member is configured to detect at least one of a change of position of the at least one keycap, a speed of the at least one keycap, an amount of force applied to the at least one keycap, or a location of a finger. The sensing member may be a capacitive sensor. In some embodiments, the input device may not include the support mechanism and the sensing member may be configured to detect the location of a finger regardless whether or not the keycap moves.