Miniaturized Touch Keyboard With Integrated Capacitive Touchpad
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional keyboards, especially in portable devices, require an external touchpad to control the cursor on a screen, occupying additional space and complicating operations.
Innovation Solution
A miniaturized touch keyboard structure with a touchpad integrated into the keyboard, positioned adjacent to a blank key, utilizing a capacitive touch device with a surface area of up to 2×2 cm², electrically connected to a control module for precise cursor control without an external mouse or touchpad.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If an independent touchpad is provided outside the keyboard module, then cursor control functionality is improved, but device space consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the touchpad functionality with the keyboard structure by positioning the touchpad at the location of a blank key within the keyboard module. This integration allows the touchpad to share the space occupied by the blank key, eliminating the need for a separate independent touchpad and thereby reducing overall device space consumption while maintaining cursor control functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The blank key position is utilized for dual purposes: it serves as both a structural element of the keyboard and as the housing location for the touchpad. This multi-functional use of the blank key area enables the system to provide both keyboard input and touchpad cursor control within the same spatial footprint, optimizing space utilization.
2Ease of operation
If the touchpad surface area is increased, then touch operation ease is improved, but keyboard space consumption increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by concentrating the touchpad functionality within a specific localized area (the blank key position) rather than distributing it across the entire keyboard. This localized approach allows the touchpad to have adequate surface area for comfortable operation within the constraints of the blank key space, optimizing the balance between operational ease and space consumption.
3Measurement precision
If a capacitive touch device is used, then touch sensitivity is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical touch sensing with a capacitive touch sensing system. The capacitive touchpad detects user interaction through capacitance changes rather than mechanical switches, providing smoother and more sensitive touch response. This substitution of the sensing mechanism enhances touch sensitivity while the integrated design helps manage overall device complexity.
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
Enables efficient and precise cursor control within a limited space, allowing users to operate the touchpad directly on the keyboard for controlling screen instructions with high sensitivity and speed, eliminating the need for external devices.
Implementation Method 1
the touchpad can be a capacitive device so that when a finger of a user touches the touchpad, the capacitance of the touchpad is varied and the control module detects the variation of the capacitance for conversion into coordinates to indicate position and displacement of the finger of the user
Data Source
AI summary
A miniaturized touch keyboard structure includes a keyboard and at least one touchpad. The keyboard includes a plurality of control keys and a blank key and the keyboard includes at least one control module arranged therein. The touchpad is directly arranged on the keyboard with one of control keys of the keyboard being converted into the touchpad. The touchpad is electrically connected to the control module. A relative position of the touchpad with respect to the blank key is such that the touchpad is located immediately leftward or rightward or both leftward and rightward of the blank key and the touchpad has a surface area that is smaller than or substantially equal to 2×2 cm2. Further, the touchpad has touch sensitivity and speed that are controlled by predetermined software.