Patent Application
20050263377
1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to an electronic device, and in particular to an electronic device provided with a keyboard capable of vibrating or emitting sound.
2. Description of the Related Art
A key structure of a conventional keyboard is depicted in
In such a structure, each key must be provided with a key cap, a truss and an elastic member. Thus, the operational procedure is relatively complicated. In addition, because a keyboard is provided with so many keys, it is possible for some of the keys to be poorly assembled. Thus, elimination of the key cap and other members can reduce cost and increase yield.
An embodiment of a keyboard of the invention comprises a first circuit board comprising a plurality of first conductors corresponding to key positions of the keyboard, a second circuit board corresponding to the first circuit board and comprising a plurality of second conductors opposite to the first conductors, an isolation layer disposed between the first and second circuit boards and comprising a plurality of through holes within which the first conductors contact the corresponding second conductors, and a vibration module connected to the second circuit board, wherein when the first circuit board is pressed to make the first conductor contact the second conductor, the vibration module vibrates the first and second circuit boards.
The vibration module comprises at least one vibrator connected to the second circuit board for vibrating the second circuit board.
The vibration module further comprises a wave generator connected to the second circuit board, a digital/analog converter connected to the wave generator and a power amplifier connected to the digital/analog converter and the vibrator. When the first conductor contacts the second conductor, a touch signal is sent to the wave generator from the second circuit board and processed by the digital/analog converter and the power amplifier to produce an appropriate current for vibrating the second circuit board.
The vibrator comprises a vibrating element connected to the second circuit board, a coil surrounding the vibrating element and a magnetic circuit disposed in the vibrating element and corresponding to the coil, wherein a current flows in the coil to actuate the vibrating element.
Thereby, when a user presses a key which can be a pattern printed on the first circuit board, the vibration of the first circuit board provides physical feedback.
A detailed description is given in the following embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings.
Embodiments of the invention can be more fully understood by reading the subsequent detailed description and examples with references made to the accompanying drawings, wherein:
Referring to
Because the keyboard of the invention does not use key caps as in a conventional keyboard, a key pattern indicating key positions can be printed on the first circuit board 100 for easy manipulation. A plurality of first conductors 120 corresponding to each key position of the keyboard is disposed on the first circuit board 100. A plurality of second conductors 140 corresponding to the first conductors 120 is disposed on the second circuit board 200. The second conductors 140 oppose the first conductors 120. A plurality of through holes 310 corresponding to the first and second conductors 120, 140 is defined on the isolation layer 300. When a user presses a key, the first conductor 120 contacts the second conductor 140 via the through hole 310, as shown in
The vibration of the vibrator 700 is described in detail with reference to
The vibrator 700 is modified from a moving coil speaker. The vibrator 700 of this embodiment is depicted in
The wave generator 400 can create various wave forms according to different vibration modes provided for the vibrator 700. In addition, the keyboard can be provided with a plurality of vibrators 700 corresponding to respective key positions, thereby providing various levels of physical feedback.
Although the previously described embodiment is directed to a keyboard, the key structure of the invention can also be applied to functional keys of a notebook computer or a personal digital assistant (PDA), which is provided with only one first conductor and one second conductor.
The keyboard of the invention can also be applied to a notebook computer, a PDA or a mobile communication device.
In the invention, since vibration is provided for the circuit boards of the keyboard by a vibrator connected to the circuit boards, even without key caps, a key pattern indicting key positions can be printed on the circuit board. Thereby, assembly time and cost can be reduced and product yield can be increased.
While the invention has been described by way of example and in terms of the preferred embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. To the contrary, it is intended to cover various modifications and similar arrangements (as would be apparent to those skilled in the art). Therefore, the scope of the appended claims should be accorded the broadest interpretation so as to encompass all such modifications and similar arrangements.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| TW93115490 | May 2004 | TW | national |
