1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a haptic feedback keyboard structure, and more particularly, to a haptic feedback keyboard structure capable of generating haptic feedback.
2. Description of the Prior Art
An input device is in widespread use as the development and research of various electronic devices. There are common input devices such as a keyboard, a touch pad and a mouse. For example, the keyboard includes a plurality of keyswitches. Each keyswitch corresponds to a specific character or symbol so as to input a signal corresponding to the character or symbol to the electronic devices as the keyswitch is pressed. A conventional keyswitch includes a keycap, a scissor structure, a resilient supporting component (e.g., a rubber sheet) and a base plate. The scissor structure and the resilient supporting component are disposed between the base plate and the keycap for supporting the keycap and driving the keycap to move relative to the base plate, so that the keycap moves up and down due to the operation of a user.
However, a conventional scissor structure is made of plastic material. Two brackets of the scissor structure are molded and then assembled manually, so as to make the two brackets capable of pivoting relative to each other. The manufacture of the conventional scissor structure has drawbacks of high cost of the mold, time consuming assembly of the brackets, being easily broken of the brackets caused by a small shaft utilized in pivotally connection, and insufficient strength of plastic material, which means a thickness of the plastic must be increased to improve the strength, and the increased thickness affects an overall height of the key structure so as not to contribute to thinning design.
In addition, a thinning keyboard with the thinner overall thickness causes a limitation of pressing movement of the keyswitches, so that the user may not obviously feel the keyswitches being pressed. It is an important issue to increase haptic feedback in response of the pressing keyswitches when using the keyboard.
The present invention is to provide a haptic feedback keyboard structure capable of generating haptic feedback as a keycap of the haptic feedback keyboard structure is pressed so as to increase haptic sensation in response of operation, to solve the above drawbacks.
According to the disclosure, a haptic feedback keyboard structure includes a base plate, a keyboard frame, a haptic feedback device, a touch sensor and a plurality of touch units. The keyboard frame is disposed on the base plate. The haptic feedback device is disposed between the base plate and the keyboard frame, and the haptic feedback device includes a vibrating plate. The touch sensor is disposed under the keyboard frame for triggering the vibrating plate to vibrate. The plurality of touch units is respectively connected to the keyboard frame and adjacent to the touch sensor. When either one of the plurality of touch units is pressed, the touch sensor triggers the vibrating plate to transmit a vibrating force to the pressed touch unit.
According to the disclosure, a haptic feedback keyboard structure includes a base plate, a keyboard frame, a plurality of touch units, a haptic feedback device, and a plurality of switching units. The keyboard frame is disposed on the base plate. Each of the plurality of touch units includes a keycap and a resilient connecting component disposed between the keycap and the keyboard frame, so that the keycap capable to move up and down relative to the keyboard frame. The haptic feedback device is disposed between the base plate and the keyboard frame, and the haptic feedback device extended across and under the plurality of touch units. Each of the plurality of switching units is disposed between one of the plurality of keycaps and the haptic feedback device. When one of the plurality of touch units is pressed to move the corresponding keycap downward to contact against the corresponding switching unit, so that the corresponding switching unit contacts against the haptic feedback device. The haptic feedback device is triggered and transmits a vibrating force to the pressed keycap through the contacted switching unit, and the resilient connecting component reduce the vibrating force further transmitting from the pressed keycap to the keyboard frame. Meanwhile the other of the plurality of touch units is not pressed so that the corresponding switching units do not move downward to contact against the haptic feedback device, and the unpressed touch units do not receive the vibrating force to substantially remain motionless.
The haptic feedback keyboard structure of the present invention generates haptic feedback so as to provide the haptic sensation in response of the operation when the keycap is pressed. In addition, the haptic feedback keyboard structure of the present invention includes thinner touch units so as to reduce a total thickness of the haptic feedback keyboard structure. Comparing with the conventional scissor structure, the thinner touch units with smaller pressing movement of the present invention can keep tactile sensation by the vibrating force generated by the haptic feedback device. Besides, the keycap, the resilient connecting component and the keyboard frame can be formed integrally to reduce components and simplify the assembly process so as to decrease the cost in molding. Therefore, the integral haptic feedback keyboard structure of the present invention has less weight and reduced thickness.
These and other objectives of the present invention will no doubt become obvious to those of ordinary skill in the art after reading the following detailed description of the preferred embodiment that is illustrated in the various figures and drawings.
In the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which is shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. In this regard, directional terminology, such as “top,” “bottom,” “front,” “back,” etc., is used with reference to the orientation of the Figure(s) being described. The components of the present invention can be positioned in a number of different orientations. As such, the directional terminology is used for purposes of illustration and is in no way limiting. Accordingly, the drawings and descriptions will be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive.
Please refer to
As shown in
There are two touch units 140 shown in
According to the embodiment, the haptic feedback keyboard structure 100 includes a plurality of bosses 122 for supporting the keyboard frame 120 on the base plate 110. Thus, the keyboard frame 120 can be disposed on the base plate 110 stably, and a gap is formed between the keyboard frame 120 and the base plate 110 by the bosses 122. In addition, the vibrating plate 134 is disposed between the keyboard frame 120 and the base plate 110, so that each of the plurality of the touch units 140 is adjacent to a side of the vibrating plate 134 without contacting to the vibrating plate 134 as not being pressed. As shown in
The coordination of the bosses 122 and the holes 135 is according to an embodiment, and the present invention is not limited to this. For example, positions of the bosses 122 can be changed. The bosses 122 can be disposed around the keyboard frame 120, instead of being disposed on a central section of the keyboard frame 120, and the bosses 122 do not have to pass through the vibrating plate 134 so that it is unnecessary to dispose the holes 135 for the bosses 122. Furthermore, a shape and a number of the vibrating plate 134 can be adjusted. The vibrating plate 134 can be shaped of annularity or grid, or can be separated into pieces of vibrating plates, so as to dodge the bosses 122, so that it is unnecessary to dispose the holes 135 for the bosses 122.
According to this embodiment, the touch sensor 170 can be a thin film switch or a capacitive touch panel. As shown in
As shown in
In addition, the resilient connecting component 144 on the left side reduces the vibrating force F transmitted from the pressed keycap 142 on the left side to the keyboard frame 120. A touch unit 140′ on a right side is not pressed, and a corresponding keycap 142′ on the right side and a switching unit 172′ on the right side do not move downward so as not to contact against the haptic feedback device 130. The unpressed touch unit 140′ on the right side does not receive the vibrating force F to remain motionless.
In addition, each keycap 142 responses the press by the user to move up and down through the resilient component 144, and the keycap 142 vibrates during the process of being pressed downward and contacting with the vibrating plate 134, so as to increase the haptic feedback.
The keycap 142 and the resilient connecting component 144 can be formed integrally. The keycap 142 and the resilient connecting component 144 can be made of the same material or different materials. For example, the keycap 142 and the resilient connecting component 144 can be made of rubber, or the keycap 142 is made of plastic and the resilient connecting component 144 is made of rubber. As the keycap 142 and the resilient connecting component 144 are made of the same material, such as rubber, a rubber forming the keycap 142 can be harder than a rubber forming the resilient connecting component 144. The keycap 142 is made of hard rubber so as to enhance flatness and the pressure resistance of a contacting surface. Meanwhile, the resilient connecting component 144 is made of soft rubber so as to enhance deformation of the resilient connecting component 144 to prevent elastic fatigue or damage for increasing a service life of the resilient connecting component 144.
The keycap 142 and the resilient connecting component 144 can be preferably formed with the keyboard frame 120 integrally by an insert molding manner, so as to form a thin keyboard structure. The keyboard is formed integrally to reduce components of the feedback keyboard structure 100 and simplify the assembly process so as to decrease the cost in molding. In addition, the integral feedback keyboard structure 100 has less weight and reduced thickness.
The keyboard frame 120 includes a plurality of partition portions 123 for respectively containing the plurality of keycaps 124, and each of the partition portions 123 has a shape corresponding to a shape of the contained keycap 124. As shown in
Please refer to
In addition, the feedback keyboard structure 110 further includes a vibration damper 150 disposed between the vibrating plate 134 and the base plate 110 for preventing the base plate 110 from contacting the vibrating plate 134 so as to generate vibration. For example, please refer to
The haptic feedback device 130 generates haptic feedback in response of the operation of the user through the vibrating plate 134 capable of transmitting the vibrating force F to the pressed touch unit 140. The haptic feedback device 130 includes the actuator 132 to generate the vibrating force F for haptic feedback. The actuator 132 is connected to the vibrating plate 134 so as to transmit the vibrating force F to the pressed touch unit 140 through the vibrating plate 134. Please refer to
The actuator 132 can be a vibrating motor, a piezoelectric actuator, an eletroactive polymer (EAP), or magnetorheological fluid (MR Fluid). The actuator 132 can provide the vibrating force F in a vertical direction, a horizontal direction or an all direction. Preferably, the actuator 132 provides the vibrating force F with directions including the vertical direction. Vibration frequency, vibration amplitude and vibration direction of the vibration of the actuator 132 are not limited, and it can be adjusted according to the pressing movement of the keycap 142 and/or the distance between the vibrating plate 134 and the keyboard frame 120.
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As shown in
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The backlight module 360 is disposed between the vibrating plate 334 and the keyboard frame 320 as the above-mentioned description, but the present invention is not limited to this. The vibrating plane 334 can be combined with the backlight module 360. Please refer to
Please refer to
In addition, the vibrating plate 334 includes a first light penetrating portion 335, and each touch unit 340 includes the second light penetrating portion 343 so that the light L travels through the vibrating plate 334 and the touch unit 340. The first light penetrating portion 335 and the second light penetrating portion 343 can be respectively a through hole or made of transparent material. The light L is transmitted under the first light penetrating portion 335 through the light guide plate 364 and then travels upwards to a lower side of the keycap 342 through the first light penetrating portion 335. And then, the light L emits out through the transparent keycap 342 or the second light penetrating portion 343 of the keycap 342, as shown in
In contrast with the prior art, the haptic feedback keyboard structure of the present invention generates haptic feedback so as to provide the haptic sensation in response of the operation when the keycap is pressed. In addition, the haptic feedback keyboard structure of the present invention includes thinner touch units so as to reduce a total thickness of the haptic feedback keyboard structure. Comparing with the conventional scissor structure, the thinner touch units with smaller pressing movement of the present invention can keep tactile sensation by the vibrating force generated by the haptic feedback device. Besides, the keycap, the resilient connecting component and the keyboard frame can be formed integrally to reduce components and simplify the assembly process so as to decrease the cost in molding. Therefore, the integral haptic feedback keyboard structure of the present invention has less weight and reduced thickness.
Those skilled in the art will readily observe that numerous modifications and alterations of the device and method may be made while retaining the teachings of the invention. Accordingly, the above disclosure should be construed as limited only by the metes and bounds of the appended claims.
Number | Date | Country | Kind |
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102104653 | Feb 2013 | TW | national |