CN106293283B

CN106293283B - Key triggering method and device and terminal

Info

Publication number: CN106293283B
Application number: CN201510303329.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 江忠胜; 杨坤; 陶钧
Original assignee: Xiaomi Inc
Current assignee: Xiaomi Inc
Priority date: 2015-06-05
Filing date: 2015-06-05
Publication date: 2020-02-07
Anticipated expiration: 2035-06-05
Also published as: CN106293283A

Abstract

The disclosure relates to a key triggering method, a key triggering device and a terminal, and belongs to the technical field of terminals. The method comprises the following steps: acquiring the capacitance change condition of each capacitive touch sensor in the touch screen; detecting whether side edge touch operation exists according to the capacitance change condition, wherein the side edge touch operation is touch operation acting on the outer side surface of a machine body middle frame of the terminal; when the side touch operation exists, acquiring characteristic information of the side touch operation; and when the characteristic information accords with the triggering condition of the virtual key, executing the control logic corresponding to the virtual key, wherein the virtual key is a non-entity key arranged on the outer side surface of the middle frame of the machine body. The method solves the problems of high key cost and short key service life of the prior art in a mode of arranging the solid keys; the virtual keys are used for replacing the entity keys, and the technical effects of reducing the key cost and prolonging the service life of the keys are achieved.

Description

Key triggering method and device and terminal

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to the field of terminal technologies, and in particular, to a key triggering method, an apparatus, and a terminal.

Background

Terminals such as mobile phones, tablet computers and the like are the most frequently used electronic devices in the daily life of users.

In the process of using the terminal, the user often performs operations including turning on/off, turning on/off the screen, turning on/off the sound, adjusting the volume, and the like. In order to facilitate the user to perform the above operations, a plurality of physical keys are usually disposed on an outer side surface of a middle frame of a terminal body. For example, a power key for implementing an on/off function and a screen-on/off function, a voice switch key for implementing an on/off voice function, and a volume adjustment key for implementing an adjustment volume function, etc.

Disclosure of Invention

The embodiment of the disclosure provides a key triggering method, a key triggering device and a terminal. The technical scheme is as follows:

according to a first aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a key triggering method is provided, which is applied to a terminal having a touch screen, where the touch screen is disposed on a front surface of a body of the terminal;

the method comprises the following steps:

acquiring a capacitance change condition of each capacitive touch sensor in the touch screen; the touch screen comprises n capacitive touch sensors, at least one capacitive touch sensor is arranged on the peripheral side edge of the touch screen in the n capacitive touch sensors, and n is a positive integer;

detecting whether side edge touch operation exists according to the capacitance change condition, wherein the side edge touch operation is touch operation acting on the outer side surface of a machine body middle frame of the terminal;

when the side touch operation exists, acquiring characteristic information of the side touch operation;

and when the characteristic information accords with the triggering condition of the virtual key, executing the control logic corresponding to the virtual key, wherein the virtual key is a non-entity key arranged on the outer side surface of the middle frame of the machine body.

Optionally, the detecting whether there is a side touch operation according to the capacitance change condition includes:

acquiring the distribution position of the capacitance type touch sensor with the changed capacitance according to the capacitance change condition;

and detecting whether the side touch operation exists according to the distribution position.

Optionally, the detecting whether the side touch operation exists according to the distribution position includes:

detecting whether the distribution positions are all located in a preset designated area; the preset designated area is a strip-shaped area which is located on the peripheral side edge of the touch screen and has a width smaller than a preset threshold value;

and if the distribution positions are all located in the preset designated area, determining that the side touch operation exists.

Optionally, the acquiring a capacitance change condition of each capacitive touch sensor in the touch screen includes:

for each capacitive touch sensor, acquiring a detection parameter corresponding to the capacitive touch sensor, wherein the detection parameter is any one of a current parameter, a voltage variation parameter and a charge-discharge time parameter;

and determining the capacitance change condition of the capacitive touch sensor according to the detection parameters.

Optionally, the obtaining feature information of the side touch operation includes:

and acquiring at least one item of characteristic information of the touch position, the touch track, the touch mode, the touch times, the touch area, the touch duration and the touch time interval of the side touch operation.

Optionally, the virtual key is a virtual button or a virtual slider.

According to a second aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, a key triggering device is provided, which is applied to a terminal having a touch screen, where the touch screen is disposed on a front surface of a body of the terminal;

the device comprises:

a capacitance acquisition module configured to acquire a capacitance change condition of each capacitive touch sensor in the touch screen; the touch screen comprises n capacitive touch sensors, at least one capacitive touch sensor is arranged on the peripheral side edge of the touch screen in the n capacitive touch sensors, and n is a positive integer;

the touch detection module is configured to detect whether side touch operation exists according to the capacitance change condition, wherein the side touch operation refers to touch operation acting on the outer side surface of a middle frame of the terminal body;

the characteristic acquisition module is configured to acquire characteristic information of the side touch operation when the side touch operation exists;

and the key triggering module is configured to execute the control logic corresponding to the virtual key when the characteristic information accords with the triggering condition of the virtual key, wherein the virtual key is a non-entity key arranged on the outer side surface of the middle frame of the machine body.

Optionally, the touch detection module includes:

the position acquisition submodule is configured to acquire the distribution position of the capacitance type touch sensor with the changed capacitance according to the capacitance change condition;

and the touch detection submodule is configured to detect whether the side touch operation exists according to the distribution position.

Optionally, the touch detection sub-module includes:

the position detection submodule is configured to detect whether the distribution positions are all located in a preset specified area; the preset designated area is a strip-shaped area which is located on the peripheral side edge of the touch screen and has a width smaller than a preset threshold value;

the determining submodule is configured to determine that the side touch operation exists when all the distribution positions are located in the preset designated area.

Optionally, the capacitance obtaining module includes:

the parameter acquisition sub-module is configured to acquire detection parameters corresponding to the capacitive touch sensors for each capacitive touch sensor, wherein the detection parameters are any one of current parameters, voltage variation parameters and charging and discharging time parameters;

a capacitance determination sub-module configured to determine a capacitance change condition of the capacitive touch sensor from the detection parameter.

Optionally, the feature obtaining module is configured to obtain at least one feature information of a touch position, a touch trajectory, a touch manner, touch times, a touch area, a touch duration, and a touch time interval of the side touch operation.

Optionally, the virtual key is a virtual button or a virtual slider.

According to a fourth aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a terminal, including: the device comprises a machine body, a touch screen, a touch IC and a processor;

the touch screen is arranged on the front surface of the machine body;

the touch screen comprises n capacitive touch sensors, at least one capacitive touch sensor is arranged on the peripheral side edge of the touch screen in the n capacitive touch sensors, and n is a positive integer;

the touch IC is electrically connected with each capacitive touch sensor respectively;

the processor is electrically connected with the touch IC;

the outer side surface of the machine body middle frame is provided with a virtual key.

Optionally, the virtual key is a virtual button or a virtual slider.

Optionally, the touch screen further comprises: an outer transparent protective layer, an inner transparent display layer and a shielding layer;

the n capacitive touch sensors are arranged between the outer transparent protection layer and the inner transparent display layer;

the shielding layer is made of a conductive transparent material and is arranged between the n capacitive touch sensors and the inner side transparent display layer.

According to a third aspect of the embodiments of the present disclosure, there is provided a key triggering device, which is applied to a terminal having a touch screen, where the touch screen is disposed on a front surface of a body of the terminal;

the device comprises:

a processor;

a memory for storing executable instructions of the processor;

wherein the processor is configured to:

The technical scheme provided by the embodiment of the disclosure can have the following beneficial effects:

arranging a virtual key on the outer side surface of a middle frame of a machine body of the terminal, and executing a control logic corresponding to the virtual key when detecting a side touch operation for triggering the virtual key; the problems that in the related art, the key cost is high and the service life of the key is short due to the adoption of a mode of arranging the entity key are solved; the virtual keys are used for replacing the entity keys, and the technical effects of reducing the key cost and prolonging the service life of the keys are achieved.

It is to be understood that both the foregoing general description and the following detailed description are exemplary and explanatory only and are not restrictive of the disclosure.

Drawings

The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification, illustrate embodiments consistent with the present disclosure and together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure.

FIG. 1A is a block diagram illustrating a terminal according to an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 1B is a schematic of a planer surface of a touch screen of the terminal shown in FIG. 1A;

FIG. 2 is a flow diagram illustrating a key activation method in accordance with an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 3A is a flow chart illustrating a method of key activation according to another exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 3B is a schematic diagram illustrating a distribution of capacitive touch sensors having a change in capacitance in accordance with another exemplary embodiment;

3C-3F are schematic diagrams of the distribution of preset designated areas, shown according to another exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 3G is a schematic diagram illustrating a distribution of virtual keys in accordance with another exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a key activation device in accordance with an exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a key activation device in accordance with another exemplary embodiment;

FIG. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an apparatus in accordance with an example embodiment.

Detailed Description

Reference will now be made in detail to the exemplary embodiments, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. When the following description refers to the accompanying drawings, like numbers in different drawings represent the same or similar elements unless otherwise indicated. The implementations described in the exemplary embodiments below are not intended to represent all implementations consistent with the present disclosure. Rather, they are merely examples of apparatus and methods consistent with certain aspects of the present disclosure, as detailed in the appended claims.

Fig. 1A is a schematic diagram illustrating a structure of a terminal according to an exemplary embodiment. The terminal is typically a handheld electronic device such as a cell phone, a tablet, a multimedia player or an e-book reader. As shown in fig. 1A, the terminal includes: a body 120 and a touch screen 140.

The body 120 has a generally hexahedral shape, and partial edges or corners of the hexahedron are formed with arc-shaped chamfers. The body 120 includes a middle frame 122.

The touch screen 140 is disposed on the front surface of the body 120. The touch screen 140 is a capacitive touch screen. Referring collectively to FIG. 1B, FIG. 1B shows a schematic planform view of touch screen 140. The touch screen 140 includes n capacitive touch sensors 142, n being a positive integer. Each capacitive touch sensor 142 may be made of ITO conductive glass. The ITO (Indium-Tin Oxide) conductive glass is prepared by plating a layer of ITO film on a soda-lime-based or silicon-boron-based substrate glass by various methods such as sputtering, evaporation and the like. As shown in fig. 1B, in order to implement the key triggering method provided by the embodiment of the present disclosure, at least one capacitive touch sensor 142 is disposed on the peripheral side edge of the touch screen 140 among the n capacitive touch sensors 142.

Alternatively, the n capacitive touch sensors 142 may be uniformly distributed in an array form throughout the touch screen 140, as in a common capacitive touch screen.

Optionally, the touch screen 140 may be of a frame design or a frameless design, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present disclosure.

In addition, as shown in fig. 1B, the terminal further includes: a touch IC (Integrated Circuit) 144 and a processor (not shown).

The touch IC144 is electrically connected to each of the capacitive touch sensors 142; the processor is electrically connected to the touch IC 144.

In addition, as shown in fig. 1A, at least one virtual key 124 is further disposed on the outer side surface of the middle frame 122. The concept of the virtual key 124 corresponds to the concept of a physical key, and the virtual key 124 is a non-physical key. Alternatively, the virtual key 124 may be a virtual button or a virtual slider.

It should be noted that, for convenience of illustration and understanding, each virtual key 124 is identified in a graphic form in fig. 1A. However, in practical applications, the virtual keys 124 may be graphically identified on the outer side of the middle frame 122 to facilitate the user to understand the locations of the virtual keys 124; alternatively, the virtual key 124 may not be identified on the outer side of the middle frame 122, which is not limited by the embodiment of the present disclosure.

Optionally, the touch screen 140 further comprises: an outer transparent protective layer, an inner transparent display layer and a shielding layer (not shown in the figure). The n capacitive touch sensors 142 are disposed between the outer transparent protection layer and the inner transparent display layer. The shielding layer is made of a conductive transparent material, and is disposed between the n capacitive touch sensors 142 and the inner transparent display layer. The shielding layer is used to shield noise interference (i.e., electromagnetic interference) caused by the transparent display layer from the lower inner side, thereby improving the signal-to-noise ratio of the touch screen 140. Alternatively, the shielding layer may be a piece of integral conductive transparent material disposed below the n capacitive touch sensors 142; alternatively, the shielding layer may include n shielding layer blocks, and one shielding layer block is correspondingly disposed below each of the n capacitive touch sensors 142.

In summary, in the terminal provided in this embodiment, the virtual key is disposed on the outer side surface of the middle frame of the terminal body, and the capacitive touch sensor disposed on the peripheral edge of the touch screen is used to detect the side touch operation for triggering the virtual key, so as to execute the control logic corresponding to the virtual key; the problems that in the related art, the key cost is high and the service life of the key is short due to the adoption of a mode of arranging the entity key are solved; the virtual keys are used for replacing the entity keys, and the technical effects of reducing the key cost and prolonging the service life of the keys are achieved.

In addition, according to the terminal provided by this embodiment, the shielding layer is further disposed between the capacitive touch sensor and the inner side transparent display layer, so that noise interference caused by the inner side transparent display layer below is shielded by the shielding layer, the signal-to-noise ratio of the touch screen is effectively improved, the detection precision of the touch screen on touch operation is ensured, and the false triggering probability is reduced.

FIG. 2 is a flow chart illustrating a key activation method according to an exemplary embodiment. The present embodiment is exemplified by applying the key triggering method to the terminal shown in fig. 1A. The key triggering method can comprise the following steps:

in step 202, a capacitance change condition of each capacitive touch sensor in the touch screen is acquired.

The touch screen comprises n capacitive touch sensors, at least one capacitive touch sensor is arranged on the edge of the periphery of the touch screen in the n capacitive touch sensors, and n is a positive integer.

In step 204, whether a side touch operation exists is detected according to the capacitance change condition, wherein the side touch operation refers to a touch operation acting on the outer side surface of the body middle frame of the terminal.

In step 206, when there is a side touch operation, feature information of the side touch operation is acquired.

In step 208, when the characteristic information meets the triggering condition of the virtual key, the control logic corresponding to the virtual key is executed, where the virtual key is a non-physical key disposed on the outer side of the middle frame of the body.

In summary, in the key triggering method provided in this embodiment, the virtual key is arranged on the outer side surface of the middle frame of the terminal body, and when the side touch operation for triggering the virtual key is detected, the control logic corresponding to the virtual key is executed; the problems that in the related art, the key cost is high and the service life of the key is short due to the adoption of a mode of arranging the entity key are solved; the virtual keys are used for replacing the entity keys, and the technical effects of reducing the key cost and prolonging the service life of the keys are achieved.

FIG. 3A is a flow chart illustrating a key activation method according to another exemplary embodiment. The present embodiment is exemplified by applying the key triggering method to the terminal shown in fig. 1A. The key triggering method can comprise the following steps:

in step 301, a capacitance change condition of each capacitive touch sensor in the touch screen is acquired.

As described above, the touch screen is disposed on the front surface of the body of the terminal. The touch screen is a capacitive touch screen, the touch screen comprises n capacitive touch sensors, and n is a positive integer. Among the n capacitive touch sensors, there is at least one capacitive touch sensor disposed at a peripheral side edge of the touch screen. For example, when the touch screen has a rectangular structure, one or more capacitive touch sensors may be disposed at an edge of one side of the touch screen, or a plurality of capacitive touch sensors may be disposed at edges of a plurality of sides of the touch screen. In practical applications, the number and distribution positions of the capacitive touch sensors may be determined according to practical requirements, and the embodiments of the present disclosure do not limit this. For example, one or more capacitive touch sensors may be disposed at the edge of the touch screen closest to the virtual key to be set according to the position of the virtual key to be set actually. Of course, in one possible implementation, existing touch screen configurations, which typically have a plurality of capacitive touch sensors uniformly distributed in an array across the touch screen, can be used directly without hardware modifications. Alternatively, in order to improve detection sensitivity, the capacitive touch sensor may be placed as close to the edge of the touch screen as possible.

Each capacitive touch sensor is electrically connected with the touch IC through a lead. And the terminal acquires the capacitance change condition of each capacitive touch sensor through the touch IC. Alternatively, in order to improve the detection sensitivity, a self-capacitance detection method may be adopted.

It should be noted that, since the capacitance value cannot be directly measured, the touch IC cannot determine the capacitance change condition by directly measuring the capacitance value of each capacitive touch sensor. In the process of charging and discharging the capacitor, a certain equality relationship exists among the capacitance value, the current value, the voltage variation and the charging and discharging time. Therefore, any two factors of the control current value, the voltage variation and the charging and discharging time are constant, and the variation condition of the capacitance value can be determined according to the variation condition of the other remaining factors. Therefore, step 301 may include the following two substeps:

firstly, for each capacitive touch sensor, acquiring detection parameters corresponding to the capacitive touch sensor;

secondly, the capacitance change condition of the capacitive touch sensor is determined according to the detection parameters.

Wherein, the detection parameter is any one of a current parameter, a voltage variation parameter and a charge-discharge time parameter. The equation relationship among the capacitance value, the current value, the voltage variation and the charging and discharging time can be used for determining that the capacitance value and the current value are in positive correlation, the capacitance value and the voltage variation are in negative correlation, and the capacitance value and the charging and discharging time are in positive correlation. Therefore, for example, when the charging and discharging time is selected as the detection parameter, when the capacitance change condition of a certain capacitive touch sensor is collected, two factors, namely a current value and a voltage change, of the capacitive touch sensor in the charging and discharging process are controlled to be constant every time, the charging and discharging time in the charging and discharging process is collected every time, and the change condition of the capacitance value of the capacitive touch sensor can be determined according to the collected change condition of each charging and discharging time. When the charging and discharging time is changed, the capacitance value of the capacitance type touch sensor is changed. Because the capacitance value is in positive correlation with the charge-discharge time, when the charge-discharge time is increased, the capacitance value of the capacitive touch sensor is increased; conversely, when the charge/discharge time is reduced, it is indicated that the capacitance value of the capacitive touch sensor is reduced.

In step 302, the distribution position of the capacitive touch sensor with changed capacitance is obtained according to the capacitance change condition.

After the terminal acquires the capacitance change condition of each capacitive touch sensor in the touch screen, the distribution position of the capacitive touch sensor with the changed capacitance in the touch screen is acquired according to the capacitance change condition.

Reference is made in conjunction with fig. 3B, which schematically shows two different distribution positions. A plurality of capacitive touch sensors 32 arranged in an array are distributed in the touch screen 31. In the left diagram of fig. 3B, the capacitive touch sensor with a capacitance change is located at the top right most edge position of the touch screen 31 (marked by oblique lines in the diagram). In the right-hand diagram of fig. 3B, the capacitive touch sensor with a capacitance change is located in a larger area of the upper right-hand corner of the touch screen 31 (indicated by oblique lines in the diagram).

In step 303, whether a side touch operation exists is detected according to the distribution position.

And the terminal detects whether side touch operation exists according to the distribution position. The side touch operation refers to a touch operation acting on the outer side surface of the middle frame of the terminal body. That is, the terminal detects whether the action position of the touch operation is located on the outer side surface of the middle frame of the body or on the upper surface of the touch screen according to the distribution position.

In one possible implementation, step 303 may include the following two substeps:

firstly, detecting whether distribution positions are all located in a preset designated area;

secondly, if the distribution positions are all located in the preset designated area, determining that the side touch operation exists.

The preset designated area is a strip-shaped area which is located on the peripheral side edge of the touch screen and has a width smaller than a preset threshold value. In practical applications, the size and distribution position of the preset designated area may be preset according to the position of the virtual key that needs to be set actually. The preset designated area is located at the edge position of the touch screen closest to the virtual key to be set, and the width of the preset designated area is smaller than a preset threshold value. Fig. 3C to 3F are schematic diagrams illustrating several possible distributions of the preset designated area 33 (the bar-shaped area shown by the dotted line in the figure) in the touch screen 31. For example, if the virtual key is provided only at the top of the right side edge of the frame in the body of the terminal, the preset designation area 33 may be set as shown in fig. 3C. For another example, if a plurality of virtual keys are distributed and arranged on the right side of the middle frame of the terminal body, or one or more virtual keys with a larger trigger area are arranged on the right side of the middle frame of the terminal body, the preset designated area 33 may be set as shown in fig. 3D. For another example, if a plurality of virtual keys are disposed on the right side of the body middle frame of the terminal, and virtual keys are disposed on the right side of the upper side of the body middle frame, the preset designation area 33 may be set as shown in fig. 3E. For another example, if virtual keys are disposed on each side of the frame in the terminal body, the preset designation area 33 may be set as shown in fig. 3F. It should be noted that fig. 3C to 3F are only exemplary and explanatory and are not intended to limit the present disclosure.

Since the side touch operation applied to the outer side surface of the body middle frame usually only causes a change in capacitance of the capacitive touch sensor located at the peripheral side edge of the touch screen, according to this characteristic, by reasonably setting a preset designated area at the peripheral side edge of the touch screen, it is possible to accurately distinguish whether the application position of the touch operation is located on the outer side surface of the body middle frame or on the upper surface of the touch screen. In this embodiment, when the distribution positions of the capacitive touch sensors with changed capacitance are all located in the preset designated area, the terminal determines that the action position of the touch operation is located on the outer side surface of the middle frame of the body, that is, determines that the touch operation is a side touch operation; on the contrary, when the distribution positions of the capacitive touch sensors with the changed capacitance are not all located in the preset designated area, the terminal determines that the action position of the touch operation is located on the upper surface of the touch screen, that is, determines that the touch operation is not a side touch operation.

As shown in fig. 3G, a distribution diagram of a virtual key is exemplarily shown. It is assumed that a virtual key 36 and a virtual key 37 are provided on the right side of the frame 35 in the body of the terminal. The virtual button 36 is a virtual button, and the virtual button 37 is a virtual slider. Accordingly, referring to fig. 3B in combination, a preset designation region 33 (a bar-shaped region shown by a dotted line in the figure) may be provided at a position corresponding to the above-described virtual key 36 and virtual key 37 at the right edge of the touch screen 31. When the distribution position of the capacitive touch sensors in which the capacitance is changed is illustrated as the left side of fig. 3B, the terminal determines that a side touch operation exists. When the distribution position of the capacitive touch sensor in which the capacitance is changed is as illustrated in the right side of fig. 3B, the terminal determines that there is no side touch operation, and the right side of fig. 3B illustrates a case when the user performs a click or slide touch operation at the upper right corner position of the upper surface of the touch screen in general.

In step 304, when there is a side touch operation, feature information of the side touch operation is acquired.

And when the side touch operation exists, the terminal acquires the characteristic information of the side touch operation. The characteristic information is used for reflecting the characteristics of the side touch operation. Optionally, the terminal obtains at least one item of feature information of a touch position, a touch track, a touch mode, touch times, a touch area, touch duration and a touch time interval of the side touch operation. The terminal can acquire the characteristic information according to the capacitance change condition of each capacitive touch sensor.

For example, the terminal may determine the position of the capacitive touch sensor with the changed capacitance according to the capacitance change condition of each capacitive touch sensor, and further determine the touch position or the touch trajectory. For another example, when only the capacitance of one or a plurality of capacitive touch sensors at a certain position is detected to be changed, the terminal may determine that the touch manner is clicking; when the fact that the capacitances of the adjacent capacitive touch sensors sequentially change in the time domain is detected, the terminal can determine that the touch mode is sliding, and can determine the sliding direction according to the changing sequence.

In step 305, when the feature information matches the trigger condition of the virtual key, the control logic corresponding to the virtual key is executed.

The virtual key is a non-solid key arranged on the outer side surface of the middle frame of the machine body. The virtual key may be a virtual button or a virtual slider. And when the characteristic information of the side touch operation accords with the triggering condition of the virtual key, the terminal executes the control logic corresponding to the virtual key.

For example, as shown in fig. 3G, it is assumed that the virtual key 36 is a power key for implementing an on/off function and a screen-on/off function, and the virtual key 37 is a volume adjustment key for implementing an adjustment volume function. When the terminal detects the click touch operation acting on the outer side surface of the body middle frame 35 and located at the virtual key 36, the terminal executes corresponding control logic by combining the current running state and the characteristic information of the click touch operation. For example, if the current operating condition is the power-on state and the touch duration of the click touch operation exceeds the preset duration, the power-off operation is executed. Or if the current running state is the bright screen state and the touch duration of the click touch operation is less than the preset duration, executing the screen-off operation, and the like. When the terminal detects a sliding touch operation applied to the outer side surface of the body middle frame 35 and located at the virtual key 37, the terminal turns up/down the volume according to the sliding direction.

In practical application, a plurality of virtual keys can be arranged on the outer side surface of the middle frame of the terminal body according to actual requirements, and a trigger condition and a control logic are correspondingly arranged for each virtual key, so that different control functions are realized, and the embodiment does not limit the functions.

It should be added that, in order to improve the signal-to-noise ratio of the touch screen and shield noise interference (i.e., electromagnetic interference) caused by the inner transparent display layer from the inner side of the touch screen, a shielding layer may be disposed on a side of the capacitive touch sensor close to the inner transparent display layer. The shielding layer may be made of a conductive transparent material. Optionally, the shielding layer may be an integral conductive transparent material disposed below the n capacitive touch sensors; alternatively, the shielding layer may include n shielding layer blocks, and one shielding layer block is correspondingly disposed below each of the n capacitive touch sensors.

It should be noted that several possible ways to improve the false touch prevention performance can be adopted. In a first possible way, the virtual keys are arranged in a position that is not reached by the user when the user normally holds the terminal, for example, the virtual keys are arranged on the upper side of the body middle frame, or the virtual keys are arranged on the upper half of the left/right side of the body middle frame. In a second possible manner, strict trigger conditions are set for the virtual keys, for example, touch tracks, touch times, touch duration or touch time intervals and the like are set more precisely, so as to filter out side touch operations generated when a user normally holds the terminal.

In addition, according to the key triggering method provided by this embodiment, the distribution positions of the capacitive touch sensors with changed capacitance are obtained, and the side touch operation is detected according to the distribution positions, so that the discrimination and the distinction of the action positions of the touch operation are realized, and the control accuracy is improved.

The following are embodiments of the disclosed apparatus that may be used to perform embodiments of the disclosed methods. For details not disclosed in the embodiments of the apparatus of the present disclosure, refer to the embodiments of the method of the present disclosure.

FIG. 4 is a block diagram illustrating a key activation device according to an exemplary embodiment. The key triggering device can be applied to the terminal shown in fig. 1A. The key triggering device may include: a capacitance acquisition module 410, a touch detection module 420, a feature acquisition module 430, and a key trigger module 440.

A capacitance acquisition module 410 configured to acquire a capacitance change condition of each capacitive touch sensor in the touch screen; the touch screen comprises n capacitive touch sensors, at least one capacitive touch sensor is arranged on the peripheral side edge of the touch screen in the n capacitive touch sensors, and n is a positive integer.

And the touch detection module 420 is configured to detect whether a side touch operation exists according to the capacitance change condition, wherein the side touch operation is a touch operation acting on an outer side surface of a middle frame of the terminal body.

A feature obtaining module 430 configured to obtain feature information of the side touch operation when the side touch operation exists.

The key triggering module 440 is configured to execute a control logic corresponding to a virtual key when the characteristic information meets a triggering condition of the virtual key, where the virtual key is a non-physical key disposed on an outer side surface of the middle frame of the body.

In summary, in the key triggering device provided in this embodiment, the virtual key is disposed on the outer side surface of the middle frame of the terminal body, and when the side touch operation for triggering the virtual key is detected, the control logic corresponding to the virtual key is executed; the problems that in the related art, the key cost is high and the service life of the key is short due to the adoption of a mode of arranging the entity key are solved; the virtual keys are used for replacing the entity keys, and the technical effects of reducing the key cost and prolonging the service life of the keys are achieved.

FIG. 5 is a block diagram illustrating a key activation device according to another exemplary embodiment. The key triggering device can be applied to the terminal shown in fig. 1A. The key triggering device may include: a capacitance acquisition module 410, a touch detection module 420, a feature acquisition module 430, and a key trigger module 440.

Optionally, the touch detection module 420 includes: a position acquisition submodule 420a and a touch detection submodule 420 b.

The position obtaining sub-module 420a is configured to obtain a distribution position of the capacitive touch sensor with a changed capacitance according to the capacitance change condition.

The touch detection sub-module 420b is configured to detect whether the side touch operation exists according to the distribution position.

Optionally, the touch detection sub-module 420b includes: a position detection sub-module 420b1 and a determination sub-module 420b 2.

The position detection submodule 420b1 is configured to detect whether all the distribution positions are located in a preset designated area; the preset designated area is a strip-shaped area which is located on the peripheral side edge of the touch screen and is smaller than a preset threshold value in width.

The determining sub-module 420b2 is configured to determine that the side touch operation exists when all the distribution positions are located in the preset designated area.

Optionally, the capacitance obtaining module 410 includes: a parameter acquisition sub-module 410a and a capacitance determination sub-module 410 b.

The parameter acquisition sub-module 410a is configured to acquire, for each capacitive touch sensor, a detection parameter corresponding to the capacitive touch sensor, where the detection parameter is any one of a current parameter, a voltage variation parameter, and a charge-discharge time parameter.

A capacitance determination sub-module 410b configured to determine a capacitance change condition of the capacitive touch sensor according to the detection parameter.

Optionally, the feature obtaining module 430 is configured to obtain at least one feature information of a touch position, a touch trajectory, a touch manner, touch times, a touch area, a touch duration, and a touch time interval of the side touch operation.

Optionally, the virtual key is a virtual button or a virtual slider.

In addition, the key triggering device provided in this embodiment further obtains the distribution position of the capacitive touch sensor with the changed capacitance, and detects the side touch operation according to the distribution position, so that the discrimination and the distinction of the action position of the touch operation are realized, and the control precision is improved.

With regard to the apparatus in the above-described embodiment, the specific manner in which each module performs the operation has been described in detail in the embodiment related to the method, and will not be elaborated here.

An exemplary embodiment of the present disclosure further provides a key triggering device, which can implement the key triggering method provided by the present disclosure. The device is applied to a terminal with a touch screen, and the touch screen is arranged on the front face of a machine body of the terminal. The device includes: a processor and a memory for storing executable instructions of the processor.

Wherein the processor is configured to:

In one possible embodiment, the processor is configured to:

In one possible embodiment, the virtual key is a virtual button or a virtual slider.

Fig. 6 is a block diagram illustrating an apparatus 600 according to an example embodiment. For example, the apparatus 600 may be a mobile phone, a computer, a digital broadcast terminal, a messaging device, a game console, a tablet device, a medical device, an exercise device, a personal digital assistant, and the like. The device 600 has a touch screen, and the touch screen is disposed on the front surface of the device 600.

Referring to fig. 6, apparatus 600 may include one or more of the following components: processing component 602, memory 604, power component 606, multimedia component 608, audio component 610, input/output (I/O) interface 612, sensor component 614, and communication component 616.

The processing component 602 generally controls overall operation of the device 600, such as operations associated with display, telephone calls, data communications, camera operations, and recording operations. The processing component 602 may include one or more processors 620 to execute instructions to perform all or a portion of the steps of the methods described above. Further, the processing component 602 can include one or more modules that facilitate interaction between the processing component 602 and other components. For example, the processing component 602 can include a multimedia module to facilitate interaction between the multimedia component 608 and the processing component 602.

The memory 604 is configured to store various types of data to support operations at the apparatus 600. Examples of such data include instructions for any application or method operating on device 600, contact data, phonebook data, messages, pictures, videos, and so forth. The memory 604 may be implemented by any type or combination of volatile or non-volatile memory devices such as Static Random Access Memory (SRAM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), read-only memory (ROM), magnetic memory, flash memory, magnetic or optical disks.

Power supply component 606 provides power to the various components of device 600. The power components 606 may include a power management system, one or more power supplies, and other components associated with generating, managing, and distributing power for the apparatus 600.

The multimedia component 608 includes a screen that provides an output interface between the device 600 and a user. In some embodiments, the screen may include a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) and a Touch Panel (TP). If the screen includes a touch panel, the screen may be implemented as a touch screen to receive an input signal from a user. The touch panel includes one or more touch sensors to sense touch, slide, and gestures on the touch panel. The touch sensor may not only sense the boundary of a touch or slide action, but also detect the duration and pressure associated with the touch or slide operation. In some embodiments, the multimedia component 608 includes a front facing camera and/or a rear facing camera. The front camera and/or the rear camera may receive external multimedia data when the device 600 is in an operating mode, such as a shooting mode or a video mode. Each front camera and rear camera may be a fixed optical lens system or have a focal length and optical zoom capability.

The audio component 610 is configured to output and/or input audio signals. For example, audio component 610 includes a Microphone (MIC) configured to receive external audio signals when apparatus 600 is in an operational mode, such as a call mode, a recording mode, and a voice recognition mode. The received audio signal may further be stored in the memory 604 or transmitted via the communication component 616. In some embodiments, audio component 610 further includes a speaker for outputting audio signals.

The I/O interface 612 provides an interface between the processing component 602 and peripheral interface modules, which may be keyboards, click wheels, buttons, etc. These buttons may include, but are not limited to: a home button, a volume button, a start button, and a lock button.

The sensor component 614 includes one or more sensors for providing status assessment of various aspects of the apparatus 600. For example, the sensor component 614 may detect an open/closed state of the device 600, the relative positioning of components, such as a display and keypad of the device 600, the sensor component 614 may also detect a change in position of the device 600 or a component of the device 600, the presence or absence of user contact with the device 600, orientation or acceleration/deceleration of the device 600, and a change in temperature of the device 600. The sensor assembly 614 may include a proximity sensor configured to detect the presence of a nearby object without any physical contact. The sensor assembly 614 may also include a light sensor, such as a CMOS or CCD image sensor, for use in imaging applications. In some embodiments, the sensor assembly 614 may also include an acceleration sensor, a gyroscope sensor, a magnetic sensor, a pressure sensor, or a temperature sensor.

The communication component 616 is configured to facilitate communications between the apparatus 600 and other devices in a wired or wireless manner. The apparatus 600 may access a wireless network based on a communication standard, such as WiFi, 2G or 3G, or a combination thereof. In an exemplary embodiment, the communication component 616 receives broadcast signals or broadcast related information from an external broadcast management system via a broadcast channel. In an exemplary embodiment, the communication component 616 further includes a Near Field Communication (NFC) module to facilitate short-range communications. For example, the NFC module may be implemented based on Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) technology, infrared data association (IrDA) technology, Ultra Wideband (UWB) technology, Bluetooth (BT) technology, and other technologies.

In an exemplary embodiment, the apparatus 600 may be implemented by one or more Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Digital Signal Processors (DSPs), Digital Signal Processing Devices (DSPDs), Programmable Logic Devices (PLDs), Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), controllers, micro-controllers, microprocessors or other electronic components for performing the above-described methods.

In an exemplary embodiment, a non-transitory computer readable storage medium comprising instructions, such as the memory 604 comprising instructions, executable by the processor 620 of the apparatus 600 to perform the above-described method is also provided. For example, the non-transitory computer readable storage medium may be a ROM, a Random Access Memory (RAM), a CD-ROM, a magnetic tape, a floppy disk, an optical data storage device, and the like.

A non-transitory computer readable storage medium having instructions therein that, when executed by a processor of device 600, enable device 600 to perform the key triggering method described above.

Other embodiments of the disclosure will be apparent to those skilled in the art from consideration of the specification and practice of the disclosure disclosed herein. This application is intended to cover any variations, uses, or adaptations of the disclosure following, in general, the principles of the disclosure and including such departures from the present disclosure as come within known or customary practice within the art to which the disclosure pertains. It is intended that the specification and examples be considered as exemplary only, with a true scope and spirit of the disclosure being indicated by the following claims.

It will be understood that the present disclosure is not limited to the precise arrangements described above and shown in the drawings and that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope thereof. The scope of the present disclosure is limited only by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A key triggering method is characterized in that the key triggering method is applied to a terminal with a touch screen, wherein the touch screen is arranged on the front surface of a machine body of the terminal;

the method comprises the following steps:

acquiring a capacitance change condition of each capacitive touch sensor in the touch screen; the touch screen comprises n capacitive touch sensors distributed in an array form, at least one capacitive touch sensor exists in the n capacitive touch sensors and is arranged at the edge position, closest to the virtual key, in the peripheral side edge of the touch screen, and n is a positive integer;

when the characteristic information accords with the triggering condition of the virtual key, the control logic corresponding to the virtual key is executed, the virtual key is a non-solid key arranged on the outer side surface of the middle frame of the machine body,

the detecting whether there is a side touch operation according to the capacitance change condition includes:

2. The method of claim 1, wherein the detecting whether the side touch operation exists according to the distribution position comprises:

3. The method of any of claims 1-2, wherein the obtaining a change in capacitance condition of each capacitive touch sensor in the touch screen comprises:

4. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the obtaining of the feature information of the side touch operation includes:

5. The method according to any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the virtual key is a virtual button or a virtual slider.

6. A key triggering device is characterized in that the key triggering device is applied to a terminal with a touch screen, wherein the touch screen is arranged on the front side of a machine body of the terminal;

the device comprises:

a capacitance acquisition module configured to acquire a capacitance change condition of each capacitive touch sensor in the touch screen; the touch screen comprises n capacitive touch sensors distributed in an array form, at least one capacitive touch sensor exists in the n capacitive touch sensors and is arranged at the edge position, closest to the virtual key, in the peripheral side edge of the touch screen, and n is a positive integer;

a key triggering module configured to execute a control logic corresponding to a virtual key when the characteristic information conforms to a triggering condition of the virtual key, the virtual key being a non-physical key disposed on an outer side surface of the middle frame of the body,

the touch detection module includes:

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the touch detection submodule comprises:

8. The apparatus of any one of claims 6 to 7, wherein the capacitance obtaining module comprises:

9. The apparatus according to any one of claims 6 to 7,

the characteristic obtaining module is configured to obtain at least one item of characteristic information of the touch position, the touch track, the touch mode, the touch times, the touch area, the touch duration and the touch time interval of the side touch operation.

10. The device of any one of claims 6 to 7, wherein the virtual key is a virtual button or a virtual slider.

11. A terminal, characterized in that the terminal comprises: the device comprises a machine body, a touch screen, a touch IC and a processor;

the touch screen is arranged on the front surface of the machine body;

the touch screen comprises n capacitive touch sensors distributed in an array form, at least one capacitive touch sensor exists in the n capacitive touch sensors and is arranged at the edge position, closest to the virtual key, in the peripheral side edge of the touch screen, and n is a positive integer;

the processor is electrically connected with the touch IC;

the outer side surface of the machine body middle frame is provided with a virtual key,

the processor is configured to acquire the distribution position of the capacitive touch sensor with the changed capacitance according to the capacitance change condition, and detect whether the side touch operation exists according to the distribution position,

the detecting whether the side touch operation exists according to the distribution position includes:

12. The terminal according to claim 11, wherein the virtual key is a virtual button or a virtual slider bar.

13. The terminal according to claim 11 or 12, wherein the touch screen further comprises: an outer transparent protective layer, an inner transparent display layer and a shielding layer;

14. A key triggering device is characterized in that the key triggering device is applied to a terminal with a touch screen, wherein the touch screen is arranged on the front side of a machine body of the terminal;

the device comprises:

a processor;

a memory for storing executable instructions of the processor;

wherein the processor is configured to: