Thin Keyboard Keys With Piezo Haptic Click Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Thin, non-actuating keyboards lack haptic feedback, leading to uncertainty for typists about keystroke registration, which slows down typing speed as they rely on visual feedback instead of tactile sensations.
Innovation Solution
Incorporating a piezoelectric actuator in each key switch that deforms in response to electrical current, providing localized tactile feedback mimicking the sensation of a mechanical key click, without the need for a local controller.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If thin keyboards with non-actuating keys are used, then keyboard thickness is reduced and portability is improved, but haptic feedback is lost and typing speed decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies mechanical vibration by causing the flexible substrate to vibrate locally at the pressed key position. This vibration generates haptic feedback that mimics the tactile sensation of a mechanical key click, allowing typists to receive tactile confirmation without requiring mechanically movable keys, thus maintaining thin keyboard profile while improving typing speed
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the physical state of the flexible substrate by inducing controlled vibrations through electrical signals from the piezoelectric actuator. This parameter change (from static to dynamic vibration) enables haptic feedback generation without mechanical key movement, resolving the contradiction between thin design and tactile feedback
2Productivity
If mechanically movable keys are used, then haptic feedback is provided and typing speed is maintained, but keyboard thickness increases and portability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces the mechanical key actuation system with an electrical field-based system using piezoelectric actuators integrated into the flexible substrate. This substitution eliminates the need for thick mechanical key structures while providing equivalent haptic feedback through controlled substrate vibration, thus reducing keyboard thickness while maintaining typing speed
3Length of moving object
If non-actuating keys are used, then keyboard thickness is reduced, but tactile feedback is lost and visual feedback must be used instead
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses mechanical vibration of the flexible substrate to generate tactile feedback at the pressed key location. The vibration creates a localized tactile sensation that provides haptic confirmation of key press, enabling tactile feedback without mechanically actuating keys, thus maintaining thin keyboard design while improving ease of operation
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 quick and accurate haptic feedback, enhancing typing speed and accuracy by simulating the tactile sensation of actuating a mechanical key, thus improving user experience on thin keyboards.
Implementation Method 1
Incorporating a piezoelectric actuator in each key switch that deforms in response to electrical current, providing localized tactile feedback mimicking the sensation of a mechanical key click
Data Source
AI summary
In some examples, techniques are provided for quick haptic feedback, without the use of a controller, which is local to individual, non-actuating keys, such as keys of a thin keyboard or keypad. The haptic feedback may be in the form of a simulated “key-click” feedback for an individual key that is pressed by a user such that the finger used to press the key feels the tactile sensation. The haptic feedback mimics the tactile sensation of a mechanical key (e.g., buckling spring, pop-dome key switch) to give a user the perception that they have actuated a mechanically movable key.