1. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a keyboard, and more particularly, to a keyboard that can generate a tactile feedback signal that simulates a physical keyswitch.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Keyboard has been significantly reduced in height with the trend of thin keyboard's development. The structure of the traditional mechanical buttons with a larger stroke has been difficult to be applied to such keyboard and therefore most thin keyboards use keyswitches with small stroke or touch button design. However, whether it is a small stroke keyswitch or a touch keyswitch, it is difficult for a user to sense the feedback when pressing the keyswitch, which makes the user having difficulty knowing whether or not the pressing operation of the keyswitch is completed, which results in some trouble in operation. Additionally, keyboards are provided nowadays equipped with vibrator in order to provide the user the tactile feedback. However, such type of vibrator is designed to provide only limited monotonous vibration feedback and is incapable of providing a clear sense of the key pressing. Also, the vibrator is an additional component, which adds thickness to the original keyswitch structure, contrary to the thin keyboard trend.
In view of the above mentioned problem, one of the objectives of the invention aims at providing a method of generating a feedback signal on a keyboard with keyswitches without tactile feedback and applying such method on keyboards such as a piezoelectric keyboard, giving that thin keyboards may not only excel in its thin size but also provide tactile feedback equivalent as a mechanical keyboard or a membrane keyboard.
According to an embodiment of the invention, a keyboard is provided, which includes a keyswitch and a processor. The keyswitch includes a piezoelectric actuator. The processor stores a first vibration feedback signal and outputs the first vibration feedback signal to the piezoelectric actuator for generating vibration when the keyswitch is during the course change from a released status to a pressed status. The first vibration feedback signal is generated based on a periodic signal, and the frequency of the periodic signal is between 100˜500 Hz which is within a sensitive physiological tactile vibration frequency range, so that the first vibration feedback signal is detected by a user's fingertip.
Another embodiment of the invention provides a keyboard having tactile feedback. The keyboard includes a keyswitch, an actuator positioned near the keyswitch, and a processor. The processor stores a press feedback signal and outputs the press feedback signal to drive the actuator to generate a press vibration transmitted to the keyswitch when the keyswitch is during the course change from a released status to a pressed status. The press feedback signal includes a first interval waveform having a first maximal amplitude toward a first direction, a second interval waveform having a second maximal amplitude toward a second direction that is opposite to the first direction, and a third interval waveform having a third maximal amplitude toward the first direction. The second maximal amplitude is larger than the first maximal amplitude and the third maximal amplitude is larger than the second maximal amplitude.
Another embodiment of the invention provides a keyboard having tactile feedback. The keyboard includes a keyswitch, an actuator positioned near the keyswitch, and a processor. The processor stores a press feedback signal and outputs the press feedback signal to drive the actuator to generate a press vibration transmitted to the keyswitch when the keyswitch is during the course change from a released status to a pressed status, wherein the press feedback signal is generated from an operational combination of a press model waveform and a periodic signal whose frequency is between 100˜500 Hz. The press model waveform includes a first interval waveform having a fixed first predetermined amplitude, a second interval waveform having a fixed second predetermined amplitude, and a third interval waveform having a fixed third predetermined amplitude. The second predetermined amplitude is larger than the first predetermined amplitude and the third predetermined amplitude is smaller than the first predetermined amplitude.
Another embodiment of the invention provides a keyboard having tactile feedback. The keyboard includes a keyswitch, an actuator positioned near the keyswitch, and a processor. The processor stores a press feedback signal and outputs the press feedback signal to drive the actuator to generate a press vibration transmitted to the keyswitch when the keyswitch is during the course change from a released status to a pressed status, wherein the press feedback signal is generated from an operational combination of a press model waveform and a periodic signal whose frequency is between 100˜500 Hz. The press model waveform includes a first interval waveform having a first maximal amplitude, a second interval waveform having a second maximal amplitude, and a third interval waveform having a third maximal amplitude. The second maximal amplitude is larger than the first maximal amplitude and the third maximal amplitude is larger than the second maximal amplitude.
The keyboard having tactile feedback provided in the embodiments of the invention is capable of providing a tactile feedback equivalent to a mechanical keyswitch or a membrane keyswitch for a thin keyboard with small stroke keyswitches or touch keyswitches. Both light and thin dimension and good operation experience may be provided on the keyboard.
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.
Please refer to
Step 110: choosing a physical keyboard to be simulated, which comes with elastic pieces with tactile feedback;
Step 130: pressing and then releasing a keyswitch with tactile feedback on the physical keyboard;
Step 150: measuring an acceleration value of a keycap of the keyswitch during the course change between a pressed status and a released status;
Step 170: generating a vibration feedback signal based on an acceleration change with time and a periodic signal;
Step 190: outputting the vibration feedback signal to a keyswitch without tactile feedback when pressing the keyswitch without tactile feedback.
The first three steps of the method 100, Steps 110˜150, aim at collecting data of acceleration of the keycap from a real pressing and then releasing a single keyswitch with tactile feedback. In Step 110, a membrane switch keyboard or a mechanical keyboard is chose as a physical keyboard to be simulated. Such keyswitch comes with elastic piece with tactile feedback such as a rubber dome, a metal dome, or any type of elastic piece with tactile feedback during deformation. As the keyswitch is pressed by a user, the restoring force provided by the elastic piece presents a tactile feedback. Please refer to
Next in Step 130, press and release one of the keyswitches with tactile feedback on the physical keyboard. The Step 130 can be carried out by using a mechanical device that uses press force close to a human finger to simulate the action of pressing and releasing the keyswitch by the human finger. In Step 150, when the mechanical device presses and then releases the keyswitch, an acceleration value of the keycap is measured from the press stage and the release stage. For example, a laser interferometer may be used to record the displacement or the velocity of the keycap at various times when the keycap is pressed and then released. The measured velocity data is differentiated (or the displacement data is twice differentiated) to output a relation between the acceleration and time, or the acceleration change with time. The acceleration change of the keyswitch measured and operated in Step 150 stands for the change of a combination of (a) the pressing force downward by the user's finger and (b) the rebound force of the click sense elastic piece, when the keyswitch with tactile feedback is pressed and released.
As the R receptors (Ruffini ending) in the human fingertip have physiological sensitive tactile vibration frequencies between 100˜500 Hz, which is within a sensitive physiological tactile vibration frequency range, these frequency result will be included in consideration when designing the tactile feedback signal of the keyswitches. As described in step 170, the measured acceleration value according to Step 150 indicates an acceleration change with time, and such acceleration change is further modulated with a periodic signal to generate a vibration feedback signal. The vibration feedback signal will be transmitted to the keyswitch without tactile feedback when such keyswitch, a piezoelectric keyswitch for example, is physically pressed. User who uses his/her fingertip to press such keyswitch without tactile feedback can experience a sense of physical feedback force close to what a mechanical keyswitch or a membrane keyswitch may provide, as shown in step 190.
Please refer to
As earlier described, Step 170 of
Please refer to
More specifically, in the embodiment as shown in
The second vibration feedback signal 18 includes a fourth interval waveform 14, a fifth interval waveform 15, and a sixth interval waveform 16. The fourth interval waveform 14 includes a fourth maximal amplitude 141 toward the first direction L1, the fifth interval waveform 15 includes a fifth maximal amplitude 151 toward the second direction L2, and the fourth maximal amplitude 141 is larger than the fifth maximal amplitude 151. The sixth interval waveform 16 includes a sixth maximal amplitude 161 toward the first direction L1, and the fifth maximal amplitude 151 is larger than the sixth maximal amplitude 161.
The internal storage space of the processor 4 may be less consumed via storing in the processor 4 only the first vibration feedback signal 17, including the first interval waveform 11, the second interval waveform 12, and the third interval waveform 13, whereas the second vibration feedback signal 18 in the first embodiment, including the fourth interval waveform 14, the fifth interval waveform 15, and the sixth interval waveform 16, is abandoned and not stored in the processor 4. In such way, when the user presses the keyswitch 2, in the pressing stage, the processor 4 outputs the first vibration feedback signal 17 to the actuator 3 to generate a press vibration transmitted to the keyswitch 2 when the keyswitch 2 is during the course change from the released status to the pressed status. In the releasing stage, the processor 4 outputs the first vibration feedback signal 17 again to the actuator 3 to drive the actuator 3 to generate the press vibration again for the keyswitch 2 when the keyswitch 2 is during the course change from the pressed status to the released status. The processor 4 may just output the first vibration feedback signal 17 to the actuator 3 in the pressing stage and not output any signal in the releasing stage.
Please refer to
Please refer to
Ratio of the first section C1: h1=a1/a=0.77/2.03=0.38;
Ratio of the second section C2: h2=a2/a=1.74/2.03=0.86;
Ratio of the third section C3: h3=0; (finger is pressing the keycap down to the bottommost position with acceleration 0)
Ratio of the fourth section C4: h4=a4/a=2.03/2.03=1;
Ratio of the fifth section C5: h5=a5/a=0.9/2.03=0.45;
Ratio of the sixth section C6: h6=0; (finger is releasing the keycap up to the topmost position with acceleration 0).
After the calculation above, the press model waveform (C1˜C3) and the release model waveform (C4˜C6) as shown in
The press model waveform and the release model waveform are further operated and combined with the periodic signal H. Specifically, the interval waveform of each section is established from the periodic signal H multiplied by the ratio of each section. It can be seen from the lower half of
The waveform 20 in the third embodiment is an operational combination of the acceleration change A and the fingertip sensitive periodic signal H, with the principle of simulation:
(1) dividing the course of pressing the keyswitch into three time sections: (a) the deformation stage of the rubber dome with tactile feedback before it buckles; (b) the deformation stage after the rubber dome buckles; (c) the keycap keeps being pressed down to the bottommost position;
(2) dividing the course of releasing the keyswitch into three time sections: (a) the deformation of the buckled rubber dome with tactile feedback; (b) the deformation stage after the buckling of the rubber dome with tactile feedback vanishes; (c) the keycap keeps being released to the topmost position;
(3) Under the condition of same frequency, the amplitude of the vibration of the actuator 3 is proportional to the sectional maximal acceleration absolute value of the time section.
In such way, simulation of the magnitude of the feedback force in each time section accomplished by changing the amplitude of the waveform in each time section applying on the actuator 3.
The internal storage space of the processor 4 may be less consumed via storing in the processor 4 only the press model waveform, including the first section C1, the second section C2, and the third section C3. In other words, when the user presses the keyswitch 2, in the pressing stage, the processor 4 outputs a press feedback signal (=21+22+23) to the actuator 3 to generate a press vibration transmitted to the keyswitch 2 when the keyswitch 2 is during the course change from the released status to the pressed status. In the releasing stage, the processor 4 outputs the press feedback signal again to the actuator 3 to drive the actuator 3 to generate the press vibration again for the keyswitch 2 when the keyswitch 2 is during the course change from the pressed status to the released status. Users may experience same vibration feedback either in the pressing stage or in the releasing stage. Besides, the processor 4 may just output the press feedback signal to the actuator 3 in the pressing stage and not output any signal in the releasing stage.
Please refer to
The first vibration feedback signal includes a first interval waveform 41, a second interval waveform 42, and a third interval waveform 43. The first interval waveform 41 has a first maximal amplitude 411, the second interval waveform 42 has a second maximal amplitude 421, and the third interval waveform 43 has a third maximal amplitude 431. The second maximal amplitude 421 is larger than the first maximal amplitude 411 and the third maximal amplitude 431 is larger than the second maximal amplitude 421.
The second vibration feedback signal includes a fourth interval waveform 44, a fifth interval waveform 45, and a sixth interval waveform 46. The fourth interval waveform 44 has a fourth maximal amplitude 441, the fifth interval waveform 45 has a fifth maximal amplitude 451, and the sixth interval waveform. 46 has a sixth maximal amplitude 461. The fifth maximal amplitude 451 is smaller than the fourth maximal amplitude 441 and the sixth maximal amplitude 461 is smaller than the fifth maximal amplitude 451.
In the waveform 40 of the fifth embodiment, the first maximal amplitude 411, the third maximal amplitude 431, the fourth maximal amplitude 441, and the sixth maximal amplitude 461 are toward a first direction L1, and the second maximal amplitude 421 and the fifth maximal amplitude 451 are toward a second direction L2 opposite to the first direction L1.
Please refer to
Please refer to
Similarly, the internal storage space of the processor 4 may be less consumed via storing in the processor 4 only the first vibration feedback signal in the fifth, sixth, seventh embodiments, including the first three interval waveforms, whereas the second vibration feedback signal in the fifth, sixth, seventh embodiments, including the last three interval waveforms, are abandoned and not stored in the processor 4. In such way, when the user presses the keyswitch 2, in the pressing stage, the processor 4 outputs the first vibration feedback signal, for the first time, to the actuator 3. In the releasing stage, the processor 4 outputs the first vibration feedback signal, for the second time, to the actuator 3. Besides, the processor 4 may just output the first vibration feedback signal to the actuator 3 in the pressing stage and not output any signal in the releasing stage.
From each embodiment described above, the keyboard capable of generating a feedback signal makes use of acceleration change of pressing behavior and releasing behavior of a physical keyswitch during pressing and releasing stages to establish the press model waveform and the release model waveform. The fingertip sensitive physiological tactile vibration frequency is further incorporated to develop a variety of operational combinations so as to provide an effect of real simulation of tactile feedback when pressing the keyswitch without tactile feedback.
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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102127485 | Jul 2013 | TW | national |