CN110740207B

CN110740207B - Electronic equipment

Info

Publication number: CN110740207B
Application number: CN201910891670.XA
Authority: CN
Inventors: 喻俊峰; 杨朝亮; 汪晓永; 齐红涛
Original assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Current assignee: Huawei Technologies Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-09-20
Filing date: 2019-09-20
Publication date: 2021-03-05
Anticipated expiration: 2039-09-20
Also published as: CN110740207A; WO2021051985A1

Abstract

The application provides an electronic device, including: the key is assembled on a shell of the electronic equipment, and a first light emitting channel and a first light receiving channel which are communicated with the inside and the outside of the shell are arranged in the key; a first active optic disposed within the housing comprising a first emitter for emitting infrared light through the first emitting light channel to a user outside the housing and a first receiver for receiving infrared light reflected by the user through the first receiving light channel; and the processor is arranged in the shell, is electrically connected with the first emitter and the first receiver and is used for determining the time difference between the emission time and the receiving time of the infrared light. The electronic equipment provided by the application can realize diversification of key functions, further can enrich user's use experience, can reduce the quantity of setting up of button simultaneously, improves the competitiveness of products.

Description

Electronic equipment

Technical Field

The application relates to the technical field of terminals, in particular to an electronic device.

Background

Most electronic devices include physical keys so that a user can activate pressing of a physical key to implement a corresponding key function. For example, a user may adjust the volume by triggering a volume key disposed on a side of the electronic device, and control the on/off and power on/off of the display screen by triggering a power key. The current entity key has single function, a plurality of keys are usually required to be arranged for realizing different functions, the operation experience is monotonous, and the large-area middle frame part below the keys is not well developed with functions at present.

Disclosure of Invention

The application provides an electronic equipment can realize the diversification of button function, and then can richen user's use experience, can reduce the quantity that sets up of button simultaneously, improves the competitiveness of product.

In a first aspect, an electronic device is provided, including: the key is assembled on a shell of the electronic equipment, and a first light emitting channel and a first light receiving channel which are communicated with the inside and the outside of the shell are arranged in the key; a first active optical device disposed within the housing and including a first emitter for emitting infrared light to a user outside the housing through a first emitting optical channel and a first receiver for receiving infrared light reflected by the user through a first receiving optical channel; and the processor is arranged in the shell, is electrically connected with the first emitter and the first receiver and is used for determining the time difference between the emission time and the receiving time of the infrared light.

The application provides an be provided with first transmission light passageway and first receiving channel on electronic equipment's the button, thereby make the button can combine together with the inside initiative optical device of electronic equipment, make the button of this application except the traditional function that realizes the button, can also acquire user's operation gesture (for example whether the finger slides or clicks) etc. through the button, and then realized the diversification of button function, user's use experience has been enriched, the button quantity that electronic equipment needs to set up has been reduced, the competitiveness of the product is improved.

In one possible embodiment, the first active optical element is fixedly mounted on a bottom wall of the pushbutton facing the interior of the housing. Through the arrangement, on the one hand, the first emitter, the first receiver, the first emitting light channel and the first receiving light channel can be connected more stably and reliably, and the influence on the transmission of light rays due to relative displacement between the first emitter and the first receiver is prevented. On the other hand, the space inside the key can be fully utilized, and the reasonable layout among all devices in the electronic equipment is facilitated.

In one possible design, a detent is formed on the bottom wall, the first active optic being mounted in the detent. For example, the first active optical device may be fixed in the positioning groove by means of adhesion, so that reliable installation and fixation of the first active optical device may be achieved.

Alternatively, a plurality of limit baffles may be arranged on the bottom wall of the key, and the groove is defined by the plurality of limit baffles. In addition, the positioning groove may also be dug out on the bottom wall of the key, which is not limited in the present application.

In a possible design, a through hole is provided in the key, and the first light emitting channel and the first light receiving channel are light guide columns provided in the through hole.

In one possible design, the first active optical device is a time-of-flight TOF device.

In one possible design, the electronic device further includes a flexible circuit board disposed inside the housing, and the first transmitter and the first receiver are electrically connected to a main board of the electronic device through the flexible circuit board.

In one possible design, the first emitting light channel comprises an emitting light outlet facing the user, the first receiving light channel comprises a reflecting light inlet facing the user, the emitting light outlet and the reflecting light inlet being arranged adjacently.

In one possible design, the key is mounted on a first wall of the housing, the key comprises a bottom wall facing the inside of the housing and a side wall connected to the bottom wall, the emission light outlet and the reflection light inlet are located on the same side wall, and the infrared light emitted by the emission light outlet extends along the first wall and is parallel to the long side of the first wall.

In one possible embodiment, the side wall is further provided with at least one positioning projection for abutting against an inner side of the housing.

In a possible design, a second emitting light channel and a second receiving light channel which are communicated with the inside and the outside of the shell are further arranged in the key, the electronic equipment further comprises a second active optical device, the second active optical device comprises a second emitter and a second receiver, the second emitter is used for emitting infrared light to the outside of the shell through the second emitting light channel, the second receiver is used for receiving the infrared light reflected by the user through the second receiving light channel, and the second emitter and the second receiver are both electrically connected with the processor.

In one possible embodiment, the emission light outlets of the first emission light channel and the second emission light channel are located on two opposite side walls, respectively.

In one possible design, a contact is provided in the middle of the bottom wall, and the first active optical device and the second active optical device are fixed to the bottom wall and symmetrically provided on both sides of the contact.

In one possible design, the processor is a central processing unit CPU of the electronic device.

Alternatively, the processor may be a processor provided in addition to the processor for determining the time difference. Further, the processor may be integrated in the first active optical device, and after determining the time difference, the processor may send information of the time difference to a CPU on a main board of the electronic device 100 through the flexible circuit board.

In one possible design, the electronic device is any one of a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a watch, an electronic reader and a notebook computer.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a front view of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a key.

Fig. 3 is an assembly view of the key.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of transmission of infrared light.

Detailed Description

Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of the present application, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings, wherein like or similar reference numerals refer to the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar function throughout. The embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are illustrative and are only for the purpose of explaining the present application and are not to be construed as limiting the present application.

In the description of the present application, it is to be understood that the terms "first", "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implying any number of technical features indicated. Thus, features defined as "first", "second", may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the described features. In the description of the present application, "a plurality" means two or more unless specifically limited otherwise.

In the description of the present application, it is to be noted that, unless otherwise explicitly specified or limited, the terms "mounted" and "connected" are to be interpreted broadly, e.g., as being either fixedly connected, detachably connected, or integrally connected; may be mechanically connected, may be electrically connected or may be in communication with each other; either directly or indirectly through intervening media, either internally or in any other relationship. The specific meaning of the above terms in the present application can be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art as appropriate.

In the description of the present application, it is to be understood that the terms "upper", "lower", "side", "back", "inner", "outer", "right", "bottom", "top", and the like, indicate orientations or positional relationships based on installation, are used only for convenience in describing the present application and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element being referred to must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and thus, should not be construed as limiting the present application.

The embodiment of the present application provides an electronic device, which may be a device with physical keys, such as a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a watch, an electronic reader, and a notebook computer, but is not limited thereto.

Referring to fig. 1, fig. 1 is a front view of an electronic device 100 according to an embodiment of the disclosure. By way of example and not limitation, in fig. 1, the electronic device 100 is a mobile phone and includes a housing 10 and a display 20, and the display 20 is mounted on the housing 10, so that the electronic device 100 forms an enclosed whole. The electronic device 100 further includes electronic components (not shown) disposed inside the housing 10, including, but not limited to, a circuit board, a processor, a camera, a flash, a microphone, a battery, and the like.

The housing 10 may be a metal housing, such as a metal of magnesium alloy, stainless steel, etc. In addition, the housing may be a plastic housing, a glass housing, a ceramic housing, or the like, but is not limited thereto.

The display screen 20 may be a Light Emitting Diode (LED) display screen, a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD) display screen, or an organic light-emitting diode (OLED) display screen, but is not limited thereto. The display 20 may also be a flexible display having foldable properties, i.e. the electronic device 100 may also be a foldable electronic device, which may be a foldable cell phone, for example.

In addition, in other embodiments, the electronic device 100 may not include the display screen 20, which is not limited in this application.

As shown in fig. 1, the electronic device 100 of the present application further includes a key 30, and the key 30 is mounted on the housing 10. Specifically, a mounting hole may be opened at a predetermined position of a sidewall of the case 10, and the key 30 may pass through the mounting hole in an inside-to-outside direction of the electronic apparatus 100 to be fitted to the case 10. Alternatively, the keys 30 may be power keys or volume keys or other function keys.

It should be understood that, in other embodiments, the key 30 may be installed at other positions of the casing 10, for example, taking fig. 1 as an example, the key 30 may also be installed on a side wall of the casing 10 in other directions (for example, above), or on a back casing of the casing 10 relative to the display screen 20, and the application is not limited thereto.

In addition, the keys 30 shown in fig. 1 are bar-shaped keys, and in other embodiments, the keys 30 may be arranged in other shapes, such as a circle, as required, which is not limited in this application.

Optionally, the key 30 may be a plastic key or a metal key, which is not limited in this application.

The electronic device 100 provided by the application comprises the keys 30, the keys 30 can also realize other functions (such as volume adjustment) besides the corresponding key functions (such as startup and shutdown) of the keys 30, so that the diversity of the functions of the keys 30 can be realized, the operation experience of a user is enriched, the number of the keys is reduced, and the product competitiveness of the electronic device 100 is improved.

Fig. 2 is a schematic structural view of the key 30, and fig. 3 is a schematic assembly view of the key 30. As shown in fig. 1 to 3, an electronic device 100 of the present application includes:

a key 30, the key 30 being mounted on the housing 10 of the electronic device 100, the key 30 having a first light emitting channel 31 and a first light receiving channel 32 communicating the inside and the outside of the housing 10;

the first active optical device 40, disposed inside the housing 10, includes a first emitter 41 and a first receiver 42, the first emitter 41 is used for emitting infrared light to a user outside the housing 10 through the first emitting light channel 31, and the first receiver 42 is used for receiving the infrared light reflected by the user through the first receiving light channel 32.

And a processor (not shown) disposed in the housing 10 and electrically connected to the first emitter 41 and the first receiver 42 for determining a time difference between the emission time and the reception time of the infrared light.

As shown in fig. 1 and 3, the key 30 of the present embodiment is assembled on the side wall of the housing 10, the mounting hole 11 may be first opened on the side wall of the housing 10, the size and shape of the mounting hole 11 are adapted to the external shape of the key 30, and the key 30 may pass through the mounting hole 11 along the direction from the inside to the outside of the housing 10 to be assembled on the housing 10.

As shown in fig. 1 to 3, the key 30 of the present embodiment has a long bar-shaped structure having a bottom wall facing the inside of the housing 10, a side wall connected to the bottom wall, and a top wall facing the outside of the housing 10 to face a user and connected to the side wall. Further, the side wall may have a plurality of the side walls connected in series in different directions.

In order to limit the key 30 to prevent the key 30 from completely passing through the mounting hole 11 and falling off the housing 10 in the using process, at least one positioning protrusion 34 may be disposed on a side wall of the key 30, and the positioning protrusion 34 is used for abutting against an inner side surface of the housing 10, so that when the key 30 is displaced towards the outside of the housing 10 due to the elastic force, the housing 10 can limit the key 30 by the positioning protrusion 34 to prevent the key 30 from falling off. Alternatively, the positioning protrusions 34 may be provided in plural and distributed on different side walls.

It will be readily appreciated that conventional keys are generally opaque and light cannot be transmitted through them. As shown in fig. 2, the present application provides a key 30 having a first light emitting passage 31 and a first light receiving passage 32 communicating the inside and the outside of the housing 10. The first emitting light channel 31 and the first receiving light channel 32 can transmit light to realize communication of light inside and outside the housing 10, light inside the housing 10 can be transmitted to the outside of the housing 10 through the first emitting light channel 31, and light outside the housing 10 can be transmitted to the inside of the housing 10 through the first receiving light channel 32.

Alternatively, a through hole capable of connecting the inside and the outside of the housing 10 may be provided in the key 30, and a light guide member such as a transparent light guide column may be provided in the through hole to form the first emission light channel 31 and the first reception light channel 32. That is, the first emitting light channel 31 and the first receiving light channel 32 may be light guide members such as light guide columns disposed in the through holes, and light may be transmitted in the light guide columns to communicate light inside and outside the housing 10.

In order to facilitate the pressing operation, as shown in fig. 2, a contact 37 is disposed in the middle of the bottom wall of the key 30, a flexible printed circuit board (FPC) 50 is further disposed in the housing 10 of the electronic device 100, the FPC 50 may be electrically connected to a main board of the electronic device 100, a press switch 51 is disposed at a corresponding position of the FPC 50, the contact 37 abuts against the press switch 37, and a user may press the key 30 to turn on or off the press switch 51, so as to implement the key function corresponding to the key 30, such as turning on or off the display 20.

As shown in fig. 2 and 3, the electronic device 100 of the present application further includes a first active optical device 40 disposed inside the housing 10, where the first active optical device 40 includes a first emitter 41 and a first receiver 42. Wherein the first emitter 41 is used for emitting infrared light and is connected with the first emission light channel 31, and can emit infrared light to the user outside the housing 10 through the first emission light channel 31. The first receiver 42 is used for receiving infrared light and is connected to the first receiving light channel 32, and can receive infrared light reflected by a user through the first receiving light channel 32.

As shown in fig. 2, the first emission light channel 31 comprises an emission light outlet facing the user and the first receiving light channel 32 comprises a reflected light inlet facing the user, i.e. the emission light outlet and the reflected light inlet face the outside of the housing 10. In the embodiment of the present application, the emitted light outlet and the reflected light inlet are disposed adjacent to each other, so that the receiving efficiency of the reflected light by the first receiver 42 can be ensured. For example, the emitted light exit and the reflected light entry may be provided on the same side wall of the key 30 or on the top wall of the key 30 at the same time.

In the embodiment of the present application, the key 30 is mounted on the first wall surface of the casing 10 (i.e. the right side wall surface of the casing 10 in fig. 1 and 3), the emitted light outlet and the reflected light inlet are located on the same side wall of the key 30, and the infrared light emitted from the emitted light outlet extends along the first wall surface and is parallel to the long side of the first wall surface, so as to facilitate the use of the user.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of transmission of infrared light. As shown in fig. 4, after the infrared light emitted from the first emitter 41 is emitted, the infrared light is transmitted to the top end of the electronic device 100 along the first wall, and after the infrared light touches the finger of the user, the infrared light is reflected, and the reflected infrared light finally enters the first receiver 42 through the reflected light entrance.

The electronic device 100 of the present application further includes a processor disposed within the housing 10 and electrically connected to the first transmitter 41 and the first receiver 42 for determining a time difference between the transmission time and the reception time of the infrared light. The electronic device 100 may determine the time when the first emitter 41 emits the infrared light and the time when the first receiver 42 receives the reflected infrared light, respectively, and then determine the time difference therebetween, from which the electronic device 100 may obtain an operation gesture (e.g., whether the finger is sliding or clicking) of the user, and the like.

Optionally, in this embodiment of the application, the processor may be a Central Processing Unit (CPU) of the electronic device 100. The first emitter 41 and the first receiver 42 may be electrically connected to a main board of the electronic device through the flexible circuit board 50, respectively, the first emitter 41 and the first receiver 42 may be communicatively connected to a CPU on the main board, and the CPU may determine a time when the first emitter 41 emits infrared light and a time when the first receiver 42 receives reflected infrared light, respectively, and then determine a time difference therebetween.

In addition, in other embodiments, the processor may be a processor specially configured to determine the time difference, and further, the processor may be integrated in the first active optical device 40, and after determining the time difference, the processor may send information of the time difference to a CPU on a motherboard of the electronic device 100 through the flexible circuit board 50.

Alternatively, in the embodiment of the present application, the first active optical device 40 may be a time of flight (TOF) device, the first transmitter 31 may be an infrared light transmitting module of the TOF device, and the first receiver 32 may be an infrared light receiving module of the TOF device.

At this time, the first transmitter 31 continuously transmits light pulses to (the finger of) the user through the first transmission light channel 31, the first receiver 32 receives the light pulses reflected back by the user, and the processor can determine the time difference between the transmission and reception of each light pulse (which is the "time of flight" of the light). Further, the processor may acquire an operation gesture (e.g., whether to slide or click) of the user from a time difference of transmission and reception of the plurality of light pulses.

For example, the key 30 may be a power key, and the processor may obtain that the operation gesture of the user is sliding according to the time difference between the sending and receiving of the multiple light pulses, where the key 30 may also implement functions related to a volume key in the technology, such as volume adjustment, camera zooming, picture zooming, and the like of the electronic device 100.

For another example, the key 30 may be a volume key, and the processor may obtain that the operation gesture of the user is a click according to the time difference between the sending and receiving of the multiple light pulses, at this time, the key 30 may also implement a function related to a power key in the technology, for example, implementing on/off of the electronic device 100, turning on or off a screen, and the like.

For another example, the processor may obtain the depth image information of the user according to a time difference between transmission and reception of the plurality of light pulses, which is not limited in this application.

According to the embodiment of the application, the first transmitting channel 31 and the first receiving channel 32 are arranged on the key 30 of the electronic device 100, so that the key 30 can be combined with an active optical device inside the electronic device 100, the key 30 of the application can obtain an operation gesture (for example, whether a finger slides or clicks) of a user through the key 30 besides a traditional function of the key, further diversification of key functions is realized, user experience is enriched, the number of keys required to be arranged by the electronic device 100 is reduced, and product competitiveness is improved.

The electronic device 100 provided by the present application will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in fig. 2, the first active optic 40 is fixedly mounted on the bottom wall of the key 30 facing the inside of the housing 10, that is, the first emitter 41 and the first receiver 42 may be fixed on the bottom wall of the key 30. Through the above arrangement, on the one hand, the connection between the first emitter 41 and the first receiver 42 and the connection between the first emitting light channel 31 and the first receiving light channel 32 can be more stable and reliable, and the influence on the transmission of light due to the relative displacement between the two can be prevented. On the other hand, the space inside the key 30 can be fully utilized, which is beneficial to the reasonable layout of the devices inside the electronic device 100.

Further, in order to achieve reliable mounting and fixing of the first active optical device 40, a positioning groove 33 may be disposed on the bottom wall of the key 30, and the first active optical device 40 may be mounted in the positioning groove 33. For example, the first active optic 40 may be adhesively secured within the positioning slot 33.

As shown in fig. 2, a plurality of limit stops may be disposed on the bottom wall of the key 30, and the groove 33 may be defined by the plurality of limit stops. In addition, in other embodiments, the positioning groove 33 may be dug out on the bottom wall of the key 30, which is not limited in the present application.

As shown in fig. 2, in the embodiment of the present application, a second emitting light channel 35 and a second receiving light channel 36 communicating the inside and the outside of the housing 10 are further disposed in the key 30, the electronic device 100 further includes a second active optical device 60, the second active optical device 60 includes a second emitter 61 and a second receiver 62, the second emitter 61 is connected to the second emitting light channel 35, the second receiver 62 is connected to the second receiving light channel 36, the second emitter 61 is configured to emit infrared light to the outside of the housing 10 through the second emitting light channel 35, the second receiver 62 is configured to receive infrared light reflected by a user through the second receiving light channel 36, and both the second emitter 61 and the second receiver 62 are electrically connected to the processor.

That is, the electronic device 100 of the present application may be provided with a plurality of active optical devices, and each of them realizes the transmission of light through the key 30. The second transmitting light channel 35, the second receiving light channel 36, the second emitter 61, the second receiver 62, etc. can be understood according to the first transmitting light channel 31, the first receiving light channel 32, the first emitter 41, and the first receiver 42, which will not be described in detail herein.

Further, the light emitting outlets of the first light emitting channel 31 and the second light emitting channel 35 are respectively located on two opposite side walls, so that the first light emitting channel 31 and the second light emitting channel 35 can emit infrared light in different directions, and the user can use the light emitting device conveniently.

As shown in fig. 2, both the first active optic 40 and the second active optic 60 may be secured to the bottom wall of the key 30. At this time, in order to improve the stability of the pressing operation of the key 30, the first active optical device 40 and the second active optical device 60 may be symmetrically disposed on both sides of the contact 37, and may be respectively fixed in the positioning grooves 33 on both sides.

The above description is only for the specific embodiments of the present application, but the scope of the present application is not limited thereto, and any person skilled in the art can easily conceive of the changes or substitutions within the technical scope of the present application, and shall be covered by the scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. An electronic device, comprising:

the key is assembled on a shell of the electronic equipment, and a first light emitting channel and a first light receiving channel which are communicated with the inside and the outside of the shell are arranged in the key;

a first active optic disposed within the housing comprising a first emitter for emitting infrared light through the first emitting light channel to a user outside the housing and a first receiver for receiving infrared light reflected by the user through the first receiving light channel;

a processor disposed within the housing, electrically connected to the first emitter and the first receiver, for determining a time difference between an emission time and a reception time of the infrared light;

the first emitting light channel comprises an emitting light outlet facing the user, the first receiving light channel comprises a reflecting light inlet facing the user, the emitting light outlet and the reflecting light inlet being disposed adjacent;

the key is arranged on the first wall surface of the shell and comprises a bottom wall facing the inside of the shell and a plurality of side walls connected with the bottom wall, the emitted light outlet and the reflected light inlet are located on the same side wall, and infrared light emitted by the emitted light outlet extends along the first wall surface and is parallel to the long edge of the first wall surface.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the first active optic is fixedly mounted to a bottom wall of the key facing the interior of the housing.

3. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the bottom wall has a detent formed therein, the first active optic being mounted in the detent.

4. The electronic device of any of claims 1-3, wherein a through hole is disposed within the key, and the first light emitting channel and the first light receiving channel are light guiding posts disposed within the through hole.

5. The electronic device of any of claims 1-3, wherein the first active optical device is a time-of-flight TOF device.

6. The electronic device of any of claims 1-3, further comprising a flexible circuit board disposed inside the housing, the first transmitter and the first receiver being electrically connected to a motherboard of the electronic device through the flexible circuit board.

7. The electronic device according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein at least one positioning protrusion is further disposed on the side wall, and the positioning protrusion is configured to abut against an inner side surface of the housing.

8. The electronic device according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein a second emitting light channel and a second receiving light channel are disposed inside the key and communicate with the inside and the outside of the housing, the electronic device further comprising a second active optical device, the second active optical device comprising a second emitter and a second receiver, the second emitter being configured to emit infrared light to the outside of the housing through the second emitting light channel, the second receiver being configured to receive infrared light reflected by the user through the second receiving light channel, and the second emitter and the second receiver being electrically connected to the processor.

9. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the emission light outlets of the first and second emission light channels are located on the two opposing sidewalls, respectively.

10. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein a contact is disposed in a middle portion of the bottom wall, and the first active optic and the second active optic are fixed to the bottom wall and symmetrically disposed on both sides of the contact.

11. The electronic device according to any of claims 1-3, wherein the processor is a Central Processing Unit (CPU) of the electronic device.

12. The electronic device according to any one of claims 1-3, wherein the electronic device is any one of a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a watch, an e-reader, and a notebook computer.