1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a keyswitch and a keyboard, and more particularly, to a keyswitch with a force feedback function, a keyboard with the force feedback function and a related force feedback method.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Height of the keyboard is decreased with a trend of the thin-typed keyboard, and the conventional mechanical keyboard with large stroke does not conform to the thin-typed design. The existing thin-typed keyboard uses the touch keyswitch or the small-stroke keyswitch to decrease structural thickness of the keyboard. The small-stroke keyswitch and the touch keyswitch cannot provide force feedback during operation, and the user is difficult to ensure whether pressing manipulation is completed or not. Another conventional keyboard with the force feedback function includes a vibrator to transmit the vibratile wave to the corresponding keyswitch. The structural thickness of the keyboard equals a height amount of the keyswitch and the vibrator, and does not conform to the trend of the thin-typed keyboard.
The present invention provides a keyswitch with a force feedback function, a keyboard with the force feedback function and a related force feedback method for solving above drawbacks.
According to the claimed invention, a force feedback method applied to a keyswitch includes step of (a) triggering a vibration source to output a pressing vibration to the keyswitch when the keyswitch is changed from a released status to a pressed status, the pressing vibration continues for a sustain period, and the sustain period is smaller than or equal to a predetermined period. The force feedback method further includes step of (b) detecting a status of the keyswitch in response to an expiration of the predetermined period. Step (a) is executed when the keyswitch is already released; step (c) is executed when the keyswitch is still pressed. The force feedback method further includes step of (c) outputting a releasing vibration to the keyswitch by the vibration source when the keyswitch is changed from the pressed status to the released status.
According to the claimed invention, a keyswitch with a force feedback function includes a vibration source, a switch circuit and a controller. The vibration source is coupled to the keyswitch. The switch circuit is selectively switched ON or OFF according to a status of the keyswitch. The controller is electrically coupled to the switch circuit and the vibration source. The switch circuit is switched ON to trigger the controller to output a first driving signal to the vibration source, the first driving signal drives the vibration source to output a pressing vibration to the keyswitch. The first driving signal continues for a sustain period, and the sustain period is smaller than or equal to a predetermined period. When the switch circuit is already switched OFF before expiration of the predetermined period, the controller does not output any driving signal to the vibration source in response to the switch circuit switched from ON to OFF. When the switch circuit is still switched ON at the expiration of the predetermined period, the controller detects whether the switch circuit is switched from ON to OFF. The controller further outputs a second driving signal to the vibration source in response to the switch circuit switched from ON to OFF, the second driving signal drives the vibration source to output a releasing vibration to the keyswitch.
According to the claimed invention, a force feedback method applied to a keyswitch includes step of (a) outputting a pressing vibration to the keyswitch by a vibration source, and triggering a time-counter to increase a cumulative pressing time, when the keyswitch is changed from a release status to a pressed status. The force feedback method further includes step of (b) triggering the time-counter to stop increase of the cumulative pressing time when the keyswitch is changed from the pressed status to the released status. When the cumulative pressing time is smaller than a predetermined period, reset the cumulative pressing time and go to step (a). When the cumulative pressing time is greater than or equal to the predetermined period, reset the cumulative pressing time and go to step (c). The force feedback method further includes step of (c) outputting a releasing vibration to the keyswitch by the vibration source and go to step (a).
According to the claimed invention, a keyboard with a force feedback function includes a vibration source, a switch circuit, a controller and a time-counter. The vibration source is connected to the keyswitch. The switch circuit is selectively switched ON or OFF according to a status of the keyswitch. The controller is electrically coupled to the switch circuit and the vibration source. The time-counter is electrically coupled to the controller. The controller is triggered to output a first driving signal to the vibration source and the time-counter is triggered to increase a cumulative pressing time when the switch circuit is switched from OFF to ON. The first driving signal drives the vibration source to output a pressing vibration to the keyswitch. The time-counter is triggered to stop increase of the cumulative pressing time when the switch circuit is switched from ON to OFF. Further, when the cumulative pressing time is smaller than a predetermined period, the controller does not output any driving signal to the vibration source in response to the switch circuit switched OFF from ON. When the cumulative pressing time is greater than or equal to the predetermined period, the controller outputs a second driving signal to the vibration source, and the second driving signal drives the vibration source to output a releasing vibration to the keyswitch.
The keyswitch and the keyboard with the force feedback function and the force feedback method of the present invention utilize the switch circuit to detect whether the keyswitch is pressed. The controller can transmit the pressing vibration to the keyswitch when the keyswitch is just pressed, so the user can feel the vibration feedback from the keyswitch. The controller further can determine whether the releasing vibration is outputted to the keyswitch according to the sustain period of the pressing vibration or the first driving signal when the keyswitch is released. As the click speed of the keyswitch is fast, the keyswitch provides the pressing vibration without other feedback; as the click speed of the keyswitch is slow, the keyswitch provides the pressing vibration and the releasing vibration respectively during the pressing and releasing procedures, so that the user can feel two-stage vibrations to simulate perceptibly force feedback of the real mechanical 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
Please refer to
As shown in
In step 306, the keyswitch 12 is changed from the pressed status to the released status to make the switch circuit 16 switched OFF before expiration of the predetermined period, which means the cumulative pressing time of the keyswitch 12 is smaller than the predetermined period, and an external force applied to the keyswitch is removed before the pressing vibration is vanished or within a short time after the pressing vibration is vanished. When the switch circuit 16 is already switched OFF before expiration of the predetermined period, the controller 18 does not output any driving signal to the vibration source 14 in response to the switch circuit 16 switched from ON to OFF, and the keyswitch 12 does not actuate the second-stage vibration feedback (the feedback during release of the keyswitch 12). After, step 302 is executed to detect the next operational status of the keyswitch 12.
On the other hand, when the keyswitch 12 is still pressed to make the switch circuit 16 still ON at the moment of expiration of the predetermined period, the step 308 is executed to detect whether the switch circuit 16 is switched from ON to OFF so as to determine whether the keyswitch 12 is changed to the released status. When the controller 18 detects that the keyswitch 12 is not released, the external force applied to the keyswitch 12 is not removed, the controller 18 keeps status detection of the keyswitch 12, and the keyswitch 12 continuously outputs the corresponding character signal. When the controller 18 detects that the switch circuit 16 is switched off, the user's finger may touch the corresponding keyswitch 12 yet and starts to be removed from the corresponding keyswitch 12. In the meantime, step 310 is executed that the controller 18 outputs a second driving signal to the vibration source 14 in response to the switch circuit 16 switched from ON to OFF, the second driving signal drives the vibration source 14 to output a releasing vibration to the corresponding keyswitch 12, and the keyswitch 12 is sensibly vibrated by feedback of the releasing vibration when the user's finger leaves from the keyswitch 12. Step 302 is further executed after the controller 18 outputs the second driving signal, so as to proceed with next operational detection of the keyswitch 12.
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Step 606 is executed and the controller 18 utilizes the switch circuit 16 to determine whether the keyswitch 12 is changed to the released status. The keyswitch 12 is not released when the switch circuit 16 is situated at the on status, and the controller 18 keeps detection of the keyswitch 12. Further, the keyswitch 12 is changed to the released status when the switch circuit 16 is switched from ON to OFF, step 608 is executed and the controller 18 triggers the time-counter 20 to stop increase of the cumulative pressing time. Then, step 610 is executed to compare the cumulative pressing time with the predetermined period. When the cumulative pressing time is smaller than the predetermined period, reset the cumulative pressing time, the click speed of the keyswitch 12 is fast, the keyswitch 12 does not generate feedback of the releasing vibration, step 602 is executed and the controller 18 determines whether the keyswitch 12 is changed to the pressed status. When the cumulative pressing time is greater than or equal to the predetermined period, reset the cumulative pressing time, step 612 is executed to output the second driving signal to the vibration source 14 by the controller 18. The second driving signal drives the vibration source 14 to output the releasing vibration to the keyswitch 12, and the keyswitch 12 is sensibly vibrated by the vibration feedback. After that, step 602 is executed to proceed with the next operational detection of the keyswitch 12.
It should be mentioned that an execution period of the vibration source 14 for outputting the pressing vibration or the releasing vibration is substantially between 10-200 milliseconds, and more particularly, to be preferably constrained between 25-35 milliseconds. The pressing vibration and the releasing vibration respectively can be a sine wave, a square wave or a wave with any form. The wave with any form represents an arithmetic sum of a non-periodic wave and a periodic wave with a frequency lower than 500 Hz by multiplication, addition or subtraction. Any vibratile wave capable of applying the vibration feedback to the keyswitch is suitable to the pressing vibration and the releasing vibration of the present invention, and a detailed description is omitted herein for simplicity.
In conclusion, the keyswitch and the keyboard with the force feedback function and the force feedback method of the present invention utilize the switch circuit to detect whether the keyswitch is changed to the pressed status. The controller can transmit the pressing vibration to the keyswitch when the keyswitch is just pressed, so the user can feel the vibration feedback from the keyswitch. The controller further can determine whether the releasing vibration is outputted to the keyswitch according to the sustain period of the pressing vibration or the first driving signal when the keyswitch is changed to the released status. As the click speed of the keyswitch is fast, the keyswitch provides the pressing vibration without other feedback; as the click speed of the keyswitch is slow, the keyswitch provides the pressing vibration and the releasing vibration respectively during the pressing and releasing procedures, so that the user can feel two-stage vibrations to simulate perceptibly force feedback of the real mechanical keyboard.
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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102126541 | Jul 2013 | TW | national |