CN113643924B

CN113643924B - Keyboard composite electrode module and luminous touch keyboard

Info

Publication number: CN113643924B
Application number: CN202110388843.3A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 詹金龙; 游伟彦; 周柏岳
Original assignee: Chongqing Dafang Electronics Co ltd; Darfon Electronics Corp
Current assignee: Chongqing Dafang Electronics Co ltd; Darfon Electronics Corp
Priority date: 2020-05-11
Filing date: 2021-04-12
Publication date: 2024-06-11
Anticipated expiration: 2041-04-12
Also published as: TW202143006A; CN113641250A; CN113641249A; TWI820390B; TWI777468B; CN113641249B; TWI817539B; TW202143004A; TW202236332A; CN113643924A; CN113641250B; TW202143270A; TWI765468B

Abstract

The invention relates to a keyboard composite electrode module and a luminous touch keyboard. The keyboard composite electrode module is arranged between the bottom plate and the plurality of key caps so as to sense non-pressing movement on the plurality of key caps and provide light rays to be emitted from the key caps. The keyboard composite electrode module comprises a plurality of electrode matrixes and a light source circuit. The plurality of electrode matrixes are arranged continuously along the first direction and the second direction, and two adjacent electrode matrixes in the second direction are not aligned. The light source circuit comprises a plurality of light sources which are arranged in a plurality of electrode matrixes one by one, and the relative positions of each light source in the electrode matrixes are the same. The luminous touch keyboard and the keyboard composite electrode module thereof can ensure that each key projection area can cover the same electrode pattern comprising a light source even under the condition of integrating the light source circuit, thereby reducing the complexity of electrode layout design.

Description

Keyboard composite electrode module and luminous touch keyboard

Technical Field

The present invention relates to a keyboard combined electrode module and a light-emitting touch keyboard, and more particularly to a light-emitting touch keyboard with a keyboard combined electrode module, which integrates a touch sensing circuit and a light source circuit into a combined electrode module.

Background

The keyboard is mainly used for inputting text signals into the computer system. Through many years of evolution and integration, the key layout on the keyboard gradually forms international standard specifications.

On the other hand, the touch pad provides different operation options for a user, and inputs touch signals into the computer system in a single-point or multi-point touch manner. Currently, touch functions have been successfully incorporated into screens. However, attempts to integrate touch functions on physical keyboards without using touch pads have not always been able to achieve operationally, functionally and structurally satisfactory results, especially with the intent of integrating touch functions on lighted keyboards.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to provide a keyboard composite electrode module which is combined into a keyboard structure and is used for sensing non-pressing movement of an object on a key and providing light rays emitted from a keycap so as to facilitate operation of the keyboard in a dim environment.

According to an aspect of the present invention, the present invention provides a keyboard composite electrode module, comprising:

An electrode carrying structure;

The light source circuit is arranged on the electrode bearing structure and comprises a plurality of light sources; and

The touch sensing circuit is arranged on the electrode bearing structure and comprises:

the first electrodes are connected in series, extend along the first direction and are arranged at intervals in the second direction; to be used for

A plurality of second electrode serials extending along the second direction and arranged at intervals in the first direction, the plurality of second electrode serials being staggered with the plurality of first electrode serials,

A plurality of key projection areas are defined on the keyboard composite electrode module, each key projection area covers the same key surface electrode pattern, and the key surface electrode pattern comprises one of the light sources.

As an alternative solution, the plurality of first electrode serials and the plurality of second electrode serials are staggered to form a plurality of electrode matrixes arranged along the first direction and the second direction, two adjacent electrode matrixes in the second direction are not aligned, each electrode matrix corresponds to a key projection area, and in each key projection area, the corresponding positions of the light sources in the electrode matrixes are the same.

As an alternative solution, a key slot layout projection is defined on the plurality of electrode matrixes corresponding to each key projection area, the key slot layout projection surrounds the corresponding key projection area, and each key slot layout projection covers the same key slot electrode pattern.

As an optional technical solution, the light source circuit includes a plurality of light source lines for electrically connecting the plurality of light sources, the plurality of light source lines extending along the first direction and being arranged at intervals in the second direction, so that the plurality of light source lines are arranged at intervals in series with the plurality of first electrodes and are staggered in series with the plurality of second electrodes.

As an alternative technical solution, the electrode bearing structure includes a first substrate, the light source circuit, the plurality of first electrode serials and the plurality of second electrode serials are disposed on the same surface of the first substrate, and an insulating layer is disposed at a staggered overlapping position of the plurality of second electrode serials and the light source circuit and the plurality of first electrode serials, and the insulating layer is disposed between the plurality of second electrode serials and the light source circuit and between the plurality of second electrode serials and the plurality of first electrode serials.

As an optional technical solution, at the staggered overlapping position of the plurality of second electrode serials and the light source circuit and the plurality of first electrode serials, the light source circuit or the plurality of first electrode serials are located between the plurality of second electrode serials and the first substrate.

As an optional technical solution, the key surface electrode pattern further includes a first trigger conductive portion and a second trigger conductive portion, where the first trigger conductive portion extends from a first electrode series, the second trigger conductive portion extends from a second electrode series, and the first trigger conductive portion and the second trigger conductive portion are conducted by a conducting connection portion.

As an alternative technical solution, the electrode bearing structure further includes a second substrate disposed opposite to the first substrate and a spacer layer interposed between the first substrate and the second substrate, the key electrode pattern includes the conductive connection portion, the conductive connection portion is formed on the second substrate, the spacer layer has an opening, the first triggering conductive portion and the second triggering conductive portion are disposed at intervals corresponding to the opening and opposite to the conductive connection portion, and a portion of the keyboard composite electrode module corresponding to the first triggering conductive portion and the second triggering conductive portion can be pressed so that the conductive connection portion is electrically connected to the first triggering conductive portion and the second triggering conductive portion through the opening.

As an alternative technical solution, the conductive connection portion includes a contact surface, the first trigger conductive portion and the second trigger conductive portion include at least one contact line respectively, and the first trigger conductive portion and the second trigger conductive portion are electrically connected to each other by contacting the contact surface with the contact lines.

As an alternative solution, the electrode bearing structure includes a first substrate, a second substrate disposed opposite to the first substrate, and a spacer layer sandwiched between the first substrate and the second substrate, the plurality of first electrode serials and the light source circuit are formed on a first upper surface of the first substrate, and the plurality of second electrode serials are formed on a second lower surface of the second substrate.

As an optional technical solution, the key surface electrode pattern further includes a first trigger conductive portion and a second trigger conductive portion, where the first trigger conductive portion extends from a first electrode series, the second trigger conductive portion extends from a second electrode series, the spacer layer has an opening, the first trigger conductive portion and the second trigger conductive portion are disposed at a relative interval corresponding to the opening, and portions of the keyboard composite electrode module corresponding to the first trigger conductive portion and the second trigger conductive portion can be pressed so that the first trigger conductive portion and the second trigger conductive portion are close to each other through the opening.

As an alternative solution, the first triggering conductive part and the second triggering conductive part respectively include at least one contact line, and the first triggering conductive part and the second triggering conductive part are electrically connected with each other by the contact lines.

As an alternative technical scheme, the contact line is one of straight line, arc, ring, rectangle and zigzag or any combination thereof.

As an alternative solution, the electrode bearing structure includes a substrate, the light source circuit and the touch sensing circuit are respectively disposed on opposite surfaces of the substrate, and light provided by the plurality of light sources is transmitted from a position of the substrate where the plurality of first electrode serials and the plurality of second electrode serials are not disposed.

As an optional technical solution, the first electrode series includes a plurality of first main line segments and a plurality of first branch line segments, the plurality of first main line segments extend along the first direction and are connected in series in a straight line, and the plurality of first branch line segments are arranged at intervals in the first direction and protrude from the plurality of first main line segments along the second direction.

As an optional technical solution, the second electrode serial includes a plurality of second main line segments and a plurality of second branch line segments, the plurality of second main line segments extend along the second direction and are arranged at intervals and are staggered in the first direction to form two rows, and the plurality of second branch line segments are arranged at intervals along the second direction and are connected with adjacent second main line segments in the two rows along the first direction.

Alternatively, the key surface electrode patterns have the same layout of perforations.

According to another aspect of the present invention, the present invention further provides a keyboard composite electrode module, including:

A plurality of electrode matrices arranged in succession along a first direction and a second direction, two of the electrode matrices adjacent in the second direction being offset from each other along the first direction and not aligned along the second direction, and at least two of the electrode matrices not aligned along the second direction being identical to each other, each of the electrode matrices comprising:

A plurality of first electrode serial segments; and

The plurality of second electrode serial sections and the plurality of first electrode serial sections are staggered; and

The light source circuit comprises a plurality of light source circuits and a plurality of light sources, wherein the light sources are respectively and electrically connected with the corresponding light source circuits, and the light sources are arranged in the electrode matrixes one by one.

As an alternative solution, the relative position of each light source in the corresponding electrode matrix is the same.

According to another aspect of the present invention, a keyboard compound electrode module is provided, which includes a plurality of electrode matrices and a light source circuit, the plurality of electrode matrices are one-to-one corresponding to a plurality of key projection areas, the plurality of electrode matrices are arranged along a first direction and a second direction, at least two electrode matrices that are not aligned along the second direction are identical to each other, the electrode matrices include a plurality of electrodes arranged at the same electrode pitch interval, wherein the size of the electrodes in the second direction is a function of the key center distance, the electrode pitch, and the electrode row number covered by the key center distance, and the light source circuit includes a plurality of light sources, the plurality of light sources are one-to-one arranged in the plurality of electrode matrices, and the relative positions of each light source in the electrode matrices are identical.

Alternatively, at least two of the electrode matrices that are not aligned in the second direction have the same layout of perforations comprising at least one perforation within the electrode matrix.

According to another aspect of the present invention, there is also provided a light-emitting touch keyboard, including:

a bottom plate;

the plurality of key caps are arranged above the bottom plate;

The keyboard composite electrode module is arranged between the bottom plate and the plurality of key caps, senses non-pressing movement of an object on the plurality of key caps and provides light rays to be emitted from the plurality of key caps; and

The plurality of supporting mechanisms are correspondingly connected between the bottom plate and the plurality of key caps, so that the key caps can move up and down relative to the bottom plate and the keyboard composite electrode module through the corresponding supporting mechanisms.

As an optional technical scheme, the keyboard composite electrode module further comprises a switch circuit, the switch circuit comprises a plurality of key switches which are respectively arranged corresponding to the plurality of key caps, each key switch is formed by a first electrode serial and a second electrode serial, and the key switches can be conducted through a conducting connection part to generate a trigger signal.

As an optional technical scheme, the keyboard composite electrode module comprises the conducting connection part, the conducting connection part and the corresponding key switch are arranged at intervals oppositely, and when the key cap is pressed, the key cap drives the keyboard composite electrode module to deform so that the key switch is triggered by the conducting connection part.

As an optional technical scheme, the portable electronic device further comprises a plurality of elastic resetting pieces, wherein the plurality of elastic resetting pieces are arranged between the bottom plate and the plurality of key caps, and the conductive connecting parts are arranged on the corresponding elastic resetting pieces.

In summary, the light-emitting touch keyboard and the keyboard composite electrode module thereof integrate the touch sensing circuit and the light source circuit in the same electrode module, thereby not only improving the operability and functionality of the keyboard, but also being beneficial to the thinning of the keyboard. Furthermore, the luminous touch keyboard and the keyboard composite electrode module thereof can ensure that each key projection area can cover the same electrode pattern comprising a light source even under the condition of integrating the light source circuit, thereby reducing the complexity of electrode layout design, improving the regularity of electrode induction expression and further improving the touch operation accuracy of the touch keyboard. In addition, the single-layer integrated design of the touch sensing electrode serial (used for sensing non-pressing movement on the key to generate a touch signal), the trigger electrode (used for conducting the mechanical displacement contact of the key to generate a text signal) and the light source circuit (used for providing the luminous effect of light emitted from the key cap) on the keyboard composite electrode module is formed at the same time, so that the thickness of the circuit layer of the luminous touch keyboard is further effectively reduced, and the thin design of the luminous touch keyboard is facilitated.

The invention will now be described in more detail with reference to the drawings and specific examples, which are not intended to limit the invention thereto.

Drawings

Fig. 1A is an exploded view of a portion of a light-emitting touch keyboard according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 1B is a partial cross-sectional view of a light-emitting touch keyboard according to a first embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram of a portion of the electrode layout of the keyboard assembly of FIGS. 1A and 1B.

Fig. 2B is an enlarged view of electrode patterns corresponding to three adjacent key projection areas in fig. 2A.

Fig. 3A is an exploded view of the electrode pattern of fig. 2B split into a plurality of first electrode series.

Fig. 3B is an exploded view of the electrode pattern of fig. 2B split into a plurality of second electrode serials.

Fig. 3C is an exploded view of the electrode pattern of fig. 2B separated into light source circuits.

Fig. 3D is an exploded view of the electrode pattern of fig. 2B split into a light source circuit and a plurality of first electrode series.

Fig. 4 is a schematic diagram of a correspondence relationship between an electrode layout and a conductive connection portion corresponding to a single key in fig. 1B.

Fig. 5A is a schematic partial view of a keyboard assembly stacked on a substrate according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 5B is a schematic partial cross-sectional view of FIG. 5A showing an exemplary stacked configuration of the light source circuit, the first electrode series, and the second electrode series on the substrate.

Fig. 6 is a schematic diagram of a partial electrode layout of a keyboard composite electrode module according to a second embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 7A to 7C are exploded views of the keyboard composite electrode module shown in fig. 6, wherein fig. 7A shows that the touch sensing circuit and the light source circuit are disposed on a first substrate of the electrode bearing structure, fig. 7B shows that the spacer layer of the electrode bearing structure, and fig. 7C shows that the conductive connection portion is disposed on a second substrate of the electrode bearing structure.

Fig. 7D is a schematic diagram illustrating a correspondence relationship between an electrode layout and a conductive connection portion corresponding to a single key in fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a schematic diagram of a partial electrode layout of a keyboard composite electrode module according to a third embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 9A to 9C are exploded views of the keyboard composite electrode module of fig. 8, wherein fig. 9A shows that a first electrode serial of the touch sensing circuit and the light source circuit are disposed on a first substrate of the electrode bearing structure, fig. 9B shows that a spacer layer of the electrode bearing structure, and fig. 9C shows that a second electrode serial of the touch sensing circuit is disposed on a second substrate of the electrode bearing structure.

Fig. 10 is a schematic diagram of an electrode layout corresponding to a single key in fig. 8.

FIG. 11A is a schematic diagram of a portion of an electrode layout of a keyboard assembly according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 11B is an enlarged view of electrode patterns corresponding to three adjacent key projection areas in fig. 11A.

Fig. 12A is an exploded view of the electrode pattern of fig. 11B split into a plurality of first electrode serials.

Fig. 12B is an exploded view of the electrode pattern of fig. 11B split into a plurality of second electrode serials.

Fig. 12C is an exploded view of the electrode pattern of fig. 11B separated into light source circuits.

Fig. 12D is an exploded view of the electrode pattern of fig. 11B split into a light source circuit and a plurality of first electrode series.

Fig. 13 is a schematic diagram showing a correspondence relationship between an electrode layout and a conductive connection portion corresponding to a single key in fig. 11B.

Detailed Description

The invention relates to a touch sensing circuit, a light source circuit and a keyboard, which are reliably integrated to provide a luminous touch keyboard capable of sensing non-pressing movement of an object on a plurality of key caps and providing light rays emitted from the plurality of key caps. Ideally, for a keyboard with regular matrix arrangement of equal size, a pair of trigger electrodes is usually configured on the thin film circuit board corresponding to each key pressing trigger position. If the touch sensing circuit layer (having the X-Y axis electrodes arranged in a regular matrix) is laminated between the key members, when the key is pressed, the key can be pressed to contact and conduct the pair of trigger electrodes via, for example, a rubber elastic body, thereby generating Text signals (signals for inputting letters/numbers/symbols) to perform the corresponding key input function. When the user does not press the key, the touch sensing circuit layer can sense a capacitance sensing value generated by non-pressing movement (such as single-point or multi-point contact/click/continuous movement operation) of the user on the key surface, so as to generate a touch signal to execute a corresponding touch function. When the touch keyboard needs to have a light-emitting function, a light source can be provided for each key by the light source circuit to form the light-emitting touch keyboard, so that the touch sensing circuit, the light source circuit and the thin film circuit board structure are integrated, and the thin design of the light-emitting touch keyboard is facilitated.

However, for keyboards and keys which are not uniformly sized and orderly arranged in matrix, the international standard layout adopts a staggered arrangement design; for example, the 40 most frequently used text keys, i.e., double keys (square keys) or alphanumeric keys (alphanumeric keys), are typically keys for inputting english letters/numbers and a plurality of symbols. If the touch sensing circuit layers arranged in a regular matrix are directly overlapped on the keyboard structure, the X-Y axis electrode patterns corresponding to the projection range of each text key are basically different. In other words, the text keys with the same size but staggered arrangement correspond to different X-Y axis electrode matrix patterns. Because the character key distribution area is the area with the highest knocking input frequency on the keyboard and is the area with the highest opportunity to switch the touch function, different X-Y axis electrode matrix patterns can enable the touch event group of each character key area to present different capacitance sensing data groups.

Besides the limitation of different key sizes and staggered arrangement of keys, other factors cause poor touch sensing efficiency of the keyboard, and the invention finds out a plurality of problems. One is that the height of the touch object (such as the finger or the stylus in fig. 1B) is different when the touch object moves in the touch area (covering a plurality of keys and the gaps between them, such as the touch area 120 in fig. 1A), and the medium between the touch object and the touch electrode layer is different; for example, in fig. 1B, when the object O moves from the key surface to the key space, the object O is easy to slightly collapse into the key space (such as the key space layout 125), so that there are a difference in height and a difference in medium between the object O and the touch electrodes (such as the key space electrode patterns Mg1 and Mg2 and the key surface electrode patterns Mf1, mf2 and Mf3 on the keyboard electrode module 14 in each of the embodiments described below) respectively at the key surface and the key space, which results in a large variability of touch sensing data, and it is difficult to adjust the threshold (such as a certain specific capacitance value) of the touch signal by key. After all, the key space mainly comprises air medium (or additional keyboard frame), and the key surface comprises a plurality of key elements below to move the key up and down. Another problem is the openings in the touch electrodes, as the touch electrodes may need to be penetrated by the keyboard frame or key elements; especially, if the relative positions and the shapes and the sizes of the plurality of openings are inconsistent, the shapes/sizes of some touch electrodes are not complete and inconsistent, or the positions/numbers are inconsistent, so that variability of touch sensing data is high. Because of the complicated and difficult customized configuration of each local sensing area of each key, each text key is easy to be triggered by mistake or the problem that the breakpoint is not triggered at different positions, and the configuration of the light source circuit further influences the consistency of the shape/position of the touch electrode, which brings great challenges to the uniformity or regularization of the touch sensing of the luminous keyboard, and the invention is one of the technical problems that can be overcome by the following embodiments.

Please refer to fig. 1A and fig. 1B. The touch keyboard 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes a plurality of key structures 12 and a keyboard composite electrode module 14 (shown as a single component in fig. 1A and 1B for simplicity of illustration) integrated with the key structures 12. The key structure 12 includes a key cap 13, a bottom plate 15, an elastic restoring member 16 and a supporting structure 17 (not shown in fig. 1A to simplify the drawing). The key cap 13 is disposed above the bottom plate 15. An elastic restoring member 16 (e.g., a rubber knob) is provided between the key cap 13 and the bottom plate 15. The support structure 17 is connected between the key cap 13 and the base plate 15. Multiple key structures 12 share the same backplane 15. The keyboard composite electrode module 14 is disposed between the bottom plate 15 and the plurality of key caps 13. The key cap 13 can move up and down relative to the bottom plate 15 and the keyboard compound electrode module 14 through the corresponding supporting mechanism 17. The downward moving key cap 13 can press the elastic restoring member 16, and the elastic force of the pressed elastic restoring member 16 can drive the key cap 13 to move upward to return to the original position. The light-emitting touch keyboard 10 may define a virtual touch area 120 (only shown in fig. 1A) for a user to touch (including non-pressing movement) an object O such as a finger or a stylus, and the virtual touch area is located approximately in the middle of the touch keyboard 10 and covers a plurality of key structures 12 (or top areas of the key caps 13) and a plurality of key gap layouts 125 (only shown in fig. 1A) respectively, wherein each key gap layout 125 surrounds one key structure 12 (or key cap 13). Projection of the touch area 120 onto the keyboard assembly 14 (i.e., touch area projection 140, shown in fig. 1A in dashed lines), projection of the key cap 13 onto the keyboard assembly 14 (i.e., key projection area 18, shown in dashed lines in fig. 1A), projection of the key slot layout 125 onto the keyboard assembly 14 (i.e., key slot layout projection 143, shown in fig. 1A in a hatched area), and the key slot layout projection 143 surrounds the corresponding key projection area 18. The touch area projection 140 covers the plurality of key projection areas 18 and the corresponding key slot layout projections 143. The keyboard compound electrode module 14 can sense the non-pressing movement of the object O in the touch area 120 and provide light rays to be emitted from the plurality of key caps 13.

In addition, in the first embodiment, some portions of the plurality of key caps 13 are text keys (text keys), i.e. single-siz keys/square keys (square keys) or alphanumeric keys (alphanumeric keys), of equal size, which can generate text signals for inputting english alphabets/numbers and several symbols. The key caps 13 of the other parts surround the periphery of the square keys, such as small keys (small keys) of smaller size or multiple keys (multi-size keys) of larger size. Typically the front-most row of ESC/F1-F12 function keys are of small key size, while the space key/Enter/Shift/CapsLock/Ctrl is of multiple key size. In this embodiment, the key structures 12 (or the key caps 13) corresponding to the touch area 120 are all of the same geometric dimension (e.g. square keys) and are arranged in four rows, including the first row of key assemblies 121, the second row of key assemblies 122, the third row of key assemblies 123 and the fourth row of key assemblies 124, and the key structures 12 of two adjacent rows are not aligned (i.e. are arranged in a staggered manner) in the second direction W (e.g. in the width direction). The key projection areas 18 are also not aligned (i.e., are also offset) in the second direction W, as are the key slot layout projections 143.

Please refer to fig. 2A and fig. 2B. In fig. 2A, only the electrodes of the keyboard composite electrode module 14 are shown to simplify the drawing; in addition, fig. 2A and 2B also show the key projection region 18, so as to observe the electrode layout of the keyboard composite electrode module 14 and the relative position of the key projection region 18. The keyboard composite electrode module 14 includes a light source circuit 30 and a touch sensing circuit 40. The light source circuit 30 includes a plurality of light sources 31. The touch sensing circuit 40 includes a plurality of first electrode serials 20 (shown in thin solid lines) and a plurality of second electrode serials 22 (shown in thick solid lines). The plurality of first electrode serials 20 extend in a first direction L (e.g., a longitudinal direction) and are arranged at intervals in a second direction W (e.g., a width direction). The plurality of second electrode serials 22 extend along the second direction W and are arranged at intervals in the first direction L so as to be staggered with the plurality of first electrode serials 20. In the range of the touch area projection 140 corresponding to the touch area 120, each key projection area 18 covers the same key surface electrode patterns (e.g., mf1, mf2, mf 3), and each key surface electrode pattern (e.g., mf1, mf2, mf 3) includes one of the plurality of light sources 31. That is, in the keyboard complex electrode module 14, the plurality of light sources 31 are provided at positions corresponding to the plurality of key caps 13 one to one.

Specifically, the plurality of first electrode serials 20 and the plurality of second electrode serials 22 are staggered to form a plurality of electrode matrixes M arranged along the first direction L and the second direction W. That is, the plurality of electrode matrices M formed by the plurality of first electrode serials 20 and the plurality of second electrode serials 22 alternately arranged are continuously arranged along the first direction L and the second direction W. Each electrode matrix M has the same electrode layout (e.g., the number, shape, position, etc. of the first electrode serials/second electrode serials are correspondingly the same). Each electrode matrix M corresponds to one key projection region 18, and two electrode matrices (e.g., ma, mb) adjacent in the second direction W are not aligned. In other words, the plurality of electrode matrices M correspond one-to-one to the plurality of key projection areas 18. The electrode matrix M is also arranged in the same manner as the key projection region 18 located in the touch region projection 140, wherein two adjacent electrode matrices M in the second direction W are not aligned.

As shown in fig. 2B, three key projection areas 18, labeled 18a, 18B, and 18c, respectively, are also shown. For example, key projection area 18a corresponds to the second row of key combinations 122, while key projection areas 18b, 18c correspond to the first row of key combinations 121. The key projection areas 18a are located within a corresponding electrode matrix (labeled Ma), the key projection areas 18b (adjacent to the key projection areas 18a in the second direction W) are located within a corresponding electrode matrix (labeled Mb), and the key projection areas 18c (adjacent to the key projection areas 18b in the first direction L and adjacent to the key projection areas 18a in the second direction W) are located within a corresponding electrode matrix (labeled Mc). Referring to fig. 3A and 3B, schematic electrode layouts corresponding to the first electrode series 20 and the second electrode series 22 of the electrode matrix of fig. 2B are shown separately. For the electrode matrix Ma, it includes a plurality of first electrode serial sections 20a, 20b, 20c and a plurality of second electrode serial sections 22a, 22b, 22c, 22d, which are staggered with each other; in terms of the electrode matrix Mb, it includes a plurality of first electrode serial sections 20d, 20e, 20f and a plurality of second electrode serial sections 22e, 22f, 22g, 22h, which are staggered with each other; in terms of the electrode matrix Mc, it includes a plurality of first electrode serial sections 20g, 20h, 20i and a plurality of second electrode serial sections 22i, 22j, 22k, 22l, which are staggered with each other. The first electrode serial sections 20d, 20e, 20f are respectively connected with the first electrode serial sections 20g, 20h, 20i in series in the first direction L, the second electrode serial section 22a is connected with the second electrode serial section 22k in series in the second direction W, the second electrode serial section 22b is connected with the second electrode serial section 22L in series in the second direction W, the second electrode serial section 22c is connected with the second electrode serial section 22e in series in the second direction W, and the second electrode serial section 22d is connected with the second electrode serial section 22f in series in the second direction W.

As shown in fig. 2B, one key slot layout projection (represented by a hatched area) surrounds the corresponding key projection region 18a (or so-called around the corresponding electrode matrix Ma), and the other key slot layout projection (represented by a hatched area) surrounds the corresponding key projection region 18B (or so-called around the corresponding electrode matrix Mb). The two key slot layouts are projected to overlap adjacent electrode matrices Ma, mb (key projection areas 18a, 18 b). In the first embodiment, the arrangement of the plurality of first electrode serials 20 and the plurality of second electrode serials 22 is specifically designed, so that each key cap 13 (or key structure 12) can correspond to the same electrode layout, thereby improving the regularity of touch sensing data, reducing the breaking points of touch tracks, improving the sensitivity of touch sensing, and simplifying the design complexity of the touch electrodes.

As shown in fig. 2A and 2B, an arrangement pitch of the key projection regions 18 along the first direction L (for example, a center distance between the key projection regions 18B and 18c (or between two adjacent key caps 13 in the first direction L) is defined as a key center distance PL. Key projection areas 18 corresponding to the first row of key combinations 121 and the second row of key combinations 122 are arranged in a staggered manner with a key center distance PL of 1/2; key projection areas 18 corresponding to the second row of key combinations 122 and the third row of key combinations 123 are arranged in a staggered manner with a key center distance PL of 1/4; the key projection areas 18 corresponding to the third row key combination 123 and the fourth row key combination 124 are arranged with a key center distance PL of 1/2. For each electrode matrix M (e.g., electrode matrix Ma), it includes three first electrode serial segments 20 a-20 c and four second electrode serial segments 22 a-22 d. Thus, as shown in fig. 2B, taking the electrode matrix Ma and the electrode matrix Mb as examples, the electrode matrix Ma is shifted rightward by 1/2 of the key center distance PL in the first direction L with respect to the electrode matrix Mb, which is just a multiple (2 times in this example) of the arrangement pitch AL of the second electrode serials 22 in the first direction L, so that the second electrode serial sections 22c to 22d of the electrode matrix Ma can be aligned with the second electrode serial sections 22e to 22f of the electrode matrix Mb. The alignment result also occurs between the electrode matrixes M corresponding to the different rows of key combinations, which is not described in detail. In addition, the arrangement pitch (i.e., the key pitch PL) between the electrode matrix Mb and the electrode matrix Mc in the first direction L is a multiple (4 times in this example) of the arrangement pitch AL, so that the electrode matrix Mb and the electrode matrix Mc can correspond to the same second electrode serial 22 layout. The electrode layout corresponding result also occurs between other electrode matrixes M corresponding to the same row of key combinations, and is not described in detail. In the first embodiment, the arrangement pitch of the key projection regions 18 along the second direction W (for example, the center distance between the key projection regions 18a and 18b in the second direction W) is defined as the key pitch PW, which is 3 times the arrangement pitch AW of the first electrode serials 20 in the second direction W, so that the adjacent electrode matrixes M (for example, the electrode matrixes Ma and Mb) in the second direction W can correspond to the same layout of the first electrode serials 20. Therefore, in the first embodiment, the key surface electrode patterns of the electrode matrix M covered by each key projection region 18 are the same, for example, the key surface electrode patterns Mf1, mf2, mf3 covered by the key projection regions 18 a-18 c are the same (as shown in fig. 2B); each of the key gap layout projections 143 encompasses the same key gap electrode pattern, e.g., the key gap electrode patterns Mg1, mg2 encompassed by the key gap layout projections are identical (as shown in fig. 2B).

Specifically, the plurality of first electrode serials 20 and the plurality of second electrode serials 22 of the touch sensing circuit 40 may have a manhattan type electrode configuration (MANHATTAN ELECTRODE CONFIGURATION). As shown in fig. 3A, each of the first electrode serials 20 includes a plurality of first main line segments 20 'and a plurality of first branch line segments 20 "(in the figure, one first electrode serials is used to indicate the first main line segments 20' and the first branch line segments 20″, and other first electrode serials not indicated also have corresponding first main line segments and first branch line segments). The plurality of first main line segments 20' extend along the first direction L and are connected in series with each other in a straight line. The plurality of first branch road segments 20″ are arranged at intervals in the first direction L, and protrude from the plurality of first branch road segments 20' in the second direction W. For example, a plurality of electrode matrices (e.g. Mb, mc) arranged along the first direction L may be connected in series with each other by corresponding first main line segments 20', such as the first electrode serial segments 20 d-20 f are respectively connected in series with the first electrode serial segments 20 g-20 i in the first direction L by the first main line segments 20' thereof. The plurality of first branch road segments 20″ are arranged at intervals in the first direction L and protrude from the corresponding first main road segment 20' along the second direction W. In this embodiment, the plurality of first branch road segments 20″ protrude in the second direction W toward two sides with equal length about the corresponding first main road segment 20', but is not limited thereto. In other words, each of the first electrode serials 20 includes a serial trunk extending along the first direction L and being connected in series in a straight line, and a plurality of first branch line segments 20″ disposed at intervals on the serial trunk, so as to form a dendrite electrode.

As shown in fig. 3B, each second electrode series 22 includes a plurality of second main line segments 22' and a plurality of second branch line segments 22 "(represented by one second electrode series). The second main line segments 22' extend along the second direction W and are arranged at intervals, and are staggered in two rows (e.g., left row and right row) in the first direction L. The plurality of second branch road segments 22″ are arranged at intervals along the second direction W and extend along the first direction L to connect adjacent second main road segments 22' in two columns. For example, the electrode matrices (e.g. Ma, mb) arranged along the second direction W may be connected in series with each other by the corresponding second main line segment 22', such as the second electrode serial segment 22c and the second electrode serial segment 22e are connected in series in the first direction W by the corresponding first main line segment 22' and the plurality of second branch line segments 22″ in the two columns. In other words, each of the second electrode serials 22 includes a dendritic electrode form having a zigzag backbone, which is staggered along the first direction L by a plurality of second main line segments 22', and is connected at intervals by a plurality of second branch line segments 22 ".

Furthermore, referring to fig. 2B, 3A and 3B, the first branch line segments 20 "of the first electrode series 20 are disposed at substantially the same intervals in the first direction L, such that the first branch line segments 20" are disposed between two adjacent second main line segments 22', respectively. The second branch line segments 22 "of the plurality of second electrode serials 22 are disposed at substantially the same interval in the second direction W, such that the plurality of second branch line segments 22" are disposed between two adjacent first branch line segments 20', respectively. In other words, the plurality of second electrode serials 22 are interleaved with the first main line segments 20 'of the plurality of first electrode serials 20 only by a portion of the second main line segments 22'.

In addition, in the first embodiment, the arrangement of the plurality of first electrode serials 20 and the plurality of second electrode serials 22 is specifically designed so that each key cap 13 (or key structure 12) can correspond to the same electrode layout. Please refer to fig. 2A and fig. 2B. The plurality of first electrode serials 20 and the plurality of second electrode serials 22 are staggered to form a uniform electrode distribution. The arrangement pitch AL of the second electrode serials 22 in the first direction L is also equivalent to the arrangement pitch of the adjacent second branch line segments 22″ in the first direction L (i.e., the distance between two midpoints of the adjacent second branch line segments 22″). The arrangement pitch AW of the first electrode serials 20 in the second direction W is also equivalent to the arrangement pitch of the adjacent first branch road segments 20″ in the second direction W (i.e., the distance between two midpoints of the adjacent first branch road segments 20″, which in this embodiment is equivalent to the distance between the adjacent first main road segments 20'). In practice, the length (or profile) of each first branch road segment 20 "is basically the same, and the dimension SW of the first branch road segment 20" in the second direction W is a function of the key-center distance PW, the gap DW of the adjacent first branch road segments 20 "in the second direction W, and the number of first branch road segments 20" covered by the key-center distance PW in the second direction W; the dimension SL of the second leg link 22 "in the first direction L is a function of the bond-wire distance PL, the gap DL of adjacent second leg links 22" in the first direction L, and the number of second leg links 22 "covered by the bond-wire distance PL in the first direction L. For example:

SW＝(PW-DW*NW)/NW；

SL＝(PL-DL*NL)/NL；

where PW represents the key center distance PW in the second direction W of two adjacent key projection regions 18 (e.g., key projection regions 18a/18B or electrode matrix Ma/Mb in FIG. 2B), and PL is the key center distance in the first direction L of two adjacent key projection regions 18 (e.g., key projection regions 18B/18c or electrode matrix Mb/Mc in FIG. 2B). DW represents the gap DW in the second direction W between two adjacent first leg segments 20 "in the key projection region 18 (e.g., key projection region 18a/18B/18c in fig. 2B) or electrode matrix M (e.g., ma/Mb/Mc in fig. 2B), and DL represents the gap DL in the first direction L between two adjacent second leg segments 22" in the key projection region 18 (e.g., key projection region 18a/18B/18c in fig. 2B) or electrode matrix M (e.g., ma/Mb/Mc in fig. 2B). NW represents the number of electrode columns covered by the key pitch PW in the second direction W (corresponding to the number of first electrode serials 20 covered in the second direction W), and NL represents the number of electrode columns covered by the key pitch PL in the first direction L (corresponding to the number of second electrode serials 22 covered in the first direction L). SW represents the dimension of the first branch road segment 20 "in the second direction W, SL represents or the dimension of the second branch road segment 22" in the first direction L.

The row and column numbers (NW, NL) of the electrode matrix are the electrode row and column numbers covered by the key center distance (PW, PL), and since the adjacent two electrode matrices M/Ma/Mb/Mc are continuously arranged at a certain electrode distance and the electrode distances of the keyboard composite electrode module 14 are similar or the same, the electrode row and column numbers (NW, NL) are also equivalent to the corresponding electrode row and column numbers (line-row array) covered in the second direction W or the first direction L (i.e. single side) in the single key projection area 18/18a/18b/18c or the electrode matrix M/Ma/Mb/Mc (equivalent to the total electrode row or column number in the single key projection area 18/18a/18b/18c or the electrode matrix M/Ma/Mb/Mc). For the electrode matrix Ma/Mb/Mc of fig. 2B, the electrode matrix Ma/Mb/Mc covers 4 electrode rows and columns (i.e. 4 second electrode serials 22) in the first direction L, and3 electrode rows and columns (i.e. 3 first electrode serials 20) in the second direction W, which corresponds to 4 electrode rows and columns (nl=4) covered by the key pitch PL, and3 electrode rows and columns (nw=3) covered by PW. In other words, the length SW of the first branch line segment 20″ in the second direction W is equal to the key pitch PW minus the multiplier of the electrode row number NW and the electrode pitch DW, divided by the electrode row number NW. Similarly, the length SL of the second leg segment 22″ in the first direction L is equal to the bond wire distance PL minus the multiplier of the electrode column number NL and the electrode spacing DL divided by the electrode row number NL.

For each of the above and following embodiments of the present invention, a fixed electrode gap (DL/DW) and a fixed electrode size (SW/SL) are assumed. The second direction W is defined by the formula for the second direction W, and the size of any electrode in the second direction W is a function of the key center distance PW/electrode spacing DW/of the key projection region 18 and the number of electrode rows NW in each electrode matrix Ma/Mb (or covered by the key center distance PW). Similarly, the above formula can also be applied to the first direction L, i.e., the dimension of any electrode in the first direction L, as a function of the key center distance PL/electrode spacing DL/of the key projection region 18 and the electrode row number NL in each electrode matrix Ma/Mb (or covered by the key center distance PL). In summary, for electrodes of the same shape dimensions (e.g., rectangular side length or diamond diagonal length), the dimensions in the second direction W/the dimensions in the first direction L can be analogized according to the above formula.

As shown in fig. 2B and 3C, the light source circuit 30 includes a plurality of light source lines 32 for electrically connecting the plurality of light sources 31. The light source lines 32 extend along the first direction L and are spaced apart from each other in the second direction W, such that the light source lines 32 are spaced apart from the first electrode serials 20 and are staggered with the second electrode serials 22. In each key projection region 18, the corresponding positions of the light sources 31 in the electrode matrix M are the same, and the corresponding arrangements of the light source lines 32 in the electrode matrix M are also the same. For example, the plurality of second electrode serials 22 are interleaved with the plurality of light source lines 32 only by a portion of the second main line segments 22'. The pairs of light source lines 32 extend in a first direction L through the adjacently disposed electrode matrices (e.g., mb, mc) and have electrical contacts extending opposite each other. The light source 31 (e.g., LED) may be electrically connected to the pair of light source lines 32 by electrically connecting electrical contacts via surface mount technology. Thus, each key projection region covers the same key surface electrode pattern (e.g., mf1, mf2, mf 3) formed by portions of the plurality of first electrode serials 20, portions of the plurality of second electrode serials 22, portions of the paired light source lines 32, and one light source 31.

It should be noted that the configuration of the plurality of first electrode series 20 and the plurality of second electrode series 22 in the touch sensing circuit 40 may be slightly changed due to the arrangement of the light source circuit 30. For example, the plurality of light source lines 32 extend along the first direction L and are disposed at intervals in the second direction W (i.e. the paired light source lines 32 are disposed between two adjacent first electrode serials 20 in the second direction W), so that the first branch line sections 20″ of the first electrode serials 20 adjacent to the light source lines 32 slightly vary corresponding to the routing of the light source lines 32 and the positions of the light sources 31, for example, the length is shortened to form a avoiding space for disposing the light source circuits 30. Since the relative positions of the light sources 31 in the corresponding electrode matrix M/Ma/Mb/Mc are the same, the key surface electrode patterns (for example, mf1/Mf2/Mf 3) covered by each key projection area 18 are the same even if the light sources 31 are included, so that each key cap 13 (or key structure 12) can correspond to the same electrode layout, thereby improving the regularity of touch sensing data, reducing the breaking points of touch tracks, improving the sensitivity of touch sensing, and simplifying the design complexity of the touch electrodes.

In addition, referring to fig. 3D, the light source circuits 32 and the first electrode serials 20 in the light source circuit 30 extend along the first direction L and are disposed at intervals in the second direction W, so that the light source circuit 30 and the first electrode serials 20 can be integrated into the same electrode design, but not limited thereto. Depending on the design of the actual light source circuit, the light source circuits 32 in the light source circuit 30 may extend along the second direction W and be spaced apart from the first direction L, so as to be integrated with the plurality of second electrode serials 22 into the same electrode design, or the light source circuit, the plurality of first electrode serials 20 and the plurality of second electrode serials 22 may be respectively designed as different electrode layers.

In addition, in the first embodiment, the keyboard composite electrode module 14 is located between the bottom plate 15 and the keycap 13, so the keyboard composite electrode module 14 has a plurality of through holes 141 (see fig. 2B) to provide a space for the connection structure between the support structure 17 and the bottom plate 15. The perforation 141 is located directly under the key cap 13 and affects the key face electrode pattern. As shown in fig. 3A/3B/3C, the key surface electrode pattern Mf1 of the key projection region 18a has a perforation layout 141a (or defined by the perforation 141 of the corresponding key projection region 18 a), the key surface electrode pattern Mf2 of the key projection region 18B has a perforation layout 141B (or defined by the perforation 141 of the corresponding key projection region 18B), and the key surface electrode pattern Mf3 of the key projection region 18C has a perforation layout 141C (or defined by the perforation 141 of the corresponding key projection region 18C), and the perforation layouts 141a, 141B, 141C are the same. That is, the number of perforations of the key surface electrode pattern corresponding to each key projection region 18 is the same and the relative positions thereof are also the same.

Referring to fig. 2B/3A/3C, the key surface electrode patterns (e.g., mf1, mf2, mf 3) further include first trigger conductive portions 202 and second trigger conductive portions 222, wherein the first trigger conductive portions 202 are formed by extending from one of the first electrode serials 20, and the second trigger conductive portions 222 are formed by extending from one of the second electrode serials 22. For example, in the electrode matrix M (Ma/Mb/Mc) corresponding to the key projection region 18, the first trigger conductive portion 202 is formed by the first electrode serials 20 adjacent to the center of the key projection region 18, and the second trigger conductive portion 222 is formed by the second electrode serials 22 adjacent to the center of the key projection region 18, such that the first trigger conductive portion 202 and the second trigger conductive portion 222 are opposite to each other without intersecting. In other words, in the light-emitting touch keyboard 10, the switch circuit 50 may include a plurality of key switches 52 composed of a plurality of pairs of the first trigger conductive portions 202 and the second trigger conductive portions 222, and the plurality of key switches 52 are disposed in one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of key caps 13.

As shown in fig. 4, the first trigger conductive portion 202 and the second trigger conductive portion 222 can be conducted by the conductive connection portion 19. In an embodiment, the conductive connection portion 19 may be a conductive portion disposed on any member of the key 12, for example, a conductive portion disposed on a downward protruding portion of the elastic restoring member 16. In other words, the first triggering conductive portion 202 and the second triggering conductive portion 222 form a key switch 52, and the key cap 13 can be pressed downward to trigger the corresponding key switch 52, for example, the conductive portion as the conductive connecting portion 19 is pressed and deformed by the elastic reset member 16 to simultaneously contact the first triggering conductive portion 202 and the second triggering conductive portion 222 downward, so that the key switch 52 is triggered to generate a trigger signal (e.g. a text signal), and thus a corresponding key input function is performed. In this embodiment, the conductive connection portion 19 includes a contact surface (e.g. the conductive material is substantially completely disposed on the bottom surface of the protruding portion of the elastic reset element 16), and the first trigger conductive portion 202 and the second trigger conductive portion 222 respectively include at least one contact line, so that the first trigger conductive portion 202 and the second trigger conductive portion 222 are electrically connected to each other by the contact surface and the contact lines, thereby generating the trigger signal. In one embodiment, the contact line may be, for example, one of a straight line, an arc, a ring, a rectangle, and a zigzag, or any combination thereof.

As shown in fig. 5A and 5B, in the first embodiment, the keyboard composite electrode module 14 uses an electrode carrying structure of a single substrate to carry the light source circuit 30 and the touch sensing circuit 40. For example, the electrode carrying structure includes a first substrate 142'. The light source circuit 30, the plurality of first electrode serials 20 and the plurality of second electrode serials 22 are disposed on the same surface of the first substrate 142' (e.g. the first upper surface 142a facing the key cap 13), and insulating layers 144 are disposed between the plurality of second electrode serials 22 and the light source circuit 30 and between the plurality of second electrode serials 22 and the plurality of first electrode serials 20 at the staggered overlapping positions of the plurality of second electrode serials 22 and the light source circuit 30 and the plurality of first electrode serials 20. For example, the light source circuit 30 (i.e. the light source lines 32) and the first electrode serials 20 may be formed on the first upper surface 142a of the first substrate 142 'at the same time by using a printing technique, for example, an electrode layout as shown in fig. 3D, wherein the projection of the light source circuit 30 and the first electrode serials 20 on the first substrate 142' do not coincide. Then, a mesh-like insulating layer may be formed on the light source lines 32 and the first electrode serials 20 (i.e. the first main line segments 20') at the intersections with the second electrode serials 22 by printing technology. Next, the plurality of second electrode serials 22 may be formed on the first upper surface 142a of the first substrate 142 'by using a printing technique, for example, as shown in fig. 3B, such that the light source circuit 30 (or the plurality of first electrode serials 20) is located between the plurality of second electrode serials 22 and the first substrate 142' at a position where the plurality of second electrode serials 22 are overlapped with the light source circuit 30 and the plurality of first electrode serials 20 in a staggered manner. In other words, the second main line segment 22 'is stacked on the light source line 32 (or the first main line segment 20') via the insulating layer 144 instead of being directly formed on the first upper surface 142a where the plurality of second electrode serials 22 are stacked alternately with the light source circuit 30 (or the first electrode serials 20), and the plurality of second electrode serials 221 may be directly formed on the first upper surface 142a where the plurality of second electrode serials 22 are not stacked alternately with the light source circuit 30 (or the first electrode serials 20). In this structure, a protection layer (not shown in the figure) can be further covered on the light source circuits 32 (without electrical contacts), the first electrode series 20 and the second electrode series 22, and the light source 31 can be electrically connected to the electrical contacts of the corresponding light source circuits 32 by surface mounting technology to form a three-in-one single-layer composite electrode module structure with three circuits, i.e. the light source circuit 30, the touch sensing circuit 40, the switch circuit 50, etc., formed on a substrate.

In the above embodiment, the electrode carrying structure 142 of the single substrate of the keyboard composite electrode module 14 carries the light source circuit 30 and the touch sensing circuit 40, but not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the keyboard composite electrode module 14 can bear the light source circuit 30, the touch sensing circuit 40, the switch circuit 50, etc. by the electrode bearing structure of the multi-layer substrate. Furthermore, the conductive connection portion for triggering the switch (e.g. the key switch 52) may be integrated with the keyboard composite electrode module instead of being disposed on the key member (e.g. the conductive portion of the elastic reset element 16). As shown in fig. 6 and 7A-7D, the electrode-carrying structure includes a first substrate 142', a second substrate 146', and a spacer layer 144'. The second substrate 146' is disposed opposite the first substrate 142', and the spacer layer 144' is sandwiched between the first substrate 142' and the second substrate 146 '. As shown in fig. 7A, the light source circuit 50, the plurality of first electrode serials 20 (including the first trigger conductive portions 202) and the plurality of second electrode serials 22 (including the second trigger conductive portions 222) are disposed on the same surface (e.g., the first upper surface 142A) of the first substrate 142', and the configuration and the structure details of the light source circuit 50, the plurality of first electrode serials 20 and the plurality of second electrode serials 22 are referred to the related description of the foregoing embodiments (e.g., fig. 2A-5B) and are not repeated herein.

As shown in fig. 7B, the spacer layer 144' has a plurality of openings 144c, which are disposed in one-to-one correspondence with the plurality of key switches 52 of the switch circuit 50. For example, each opening 144c is a through hole penetrating from the upper surface 144a to the lower surface 144b of the spacer layer 144', so that the first trigger conductive portion 202 and the second trigger conductive portion 222 formed on the first substrate 142' and constituting the key switch 52 can be exposed through the opening 146 c. The spacer layer 144' also has a plurality of through holes 144d corresponding to the plurality of light sources 31 for penetrating the corresponding light sources 31. In addition, the spacer layer 144' may have a plurality of through holes 141' corresponding to the connection structure between the support structure 17 and the bottom plate 15, that is, the positions of the plurality of through holes 141' of the spacer layer 144' correspond to the plurality of through holes 141 of the first substrate 142 '.

As shown in fig. 7C, a plurality of conductive connection portions 146C are formed on the second substrate 146'. Specifically, the second substrate 146' has a second upper surface 146a and a second lower surface 146b, wherein the second upper surface 146a is a surface facing away from the first substrate 142', and the second lower surface 146b is a surface facing the first substrate 142 '. The conductive connection portions 146c are formed on the second lower surface 146b of the second substrate 146' and are disposed at intervals opposite to the key switch 52 (i.e. the first triggering conductive portion 202 and the second triggering conductive portion 222) through the corresponding openings 144 c. The second substrate 146' has a plurality of through holes 146d corresponding to the plurality of light sources 31 for the corresponding light sources 31 to penetrate. In addition, the second substrate 146' may be provided with a plurality of through holes 141 "corresponding to the connection structure between the support structure 17 and the bottom plate 15, that is, the positions of the plurality of through holes 141" of the second substrate 146' correspond to the plurality of through holes 141' of the spacer layer 144' and the plurality of through holes 141 of the first substrate 142 '. It should be noted that the layout of the conductive connection portion 146C shown in fig. 7C is a perspective view through the second upper surface 146 a. As shown in fig. 7D, when the first substrate 142', the spacer layer 144', and the second substrate 146' are sequentially stacked from bottom to top, the planes of fig. 7A, 7B, and 7C can be sequentially stacked from bottom to top, so that the key surface electrode pattern covered by each key projection 18 can have a configuration similar to that of fig. 4, in which the first trigger conductive portion 202 and the second trigger conductive portion 222 are disposed at opposite intervals with respect to the opening 144C and the conductive connection portion 146C. The keyboard compound electrode module 14 can be pressed against the first trigger conductive portion 202 and the second trigger conductive portion 222, so that the conductive connection portion 146c is electrically connected to the first trigger conductive portion 202 and the second trigger conductive portion 222 through the opening 144 c. That is, when the key 13 is pressed, the key 13 moves toward the bottom plate 15 through the support of the support structure 17, and presses the second substrate 146 'of the keyboard assembly electrode module 14 through the elastic reset member 16, so that the second substrate 146' is partially deformed downward, and the conductive connection portion 146c contacts the first trigger conductive portion 202 and the second trigger conductive portion 222 through the opening 144c, thereby generating a trigger signal.

Furthermore, when the first substrate 142', the spacer layer 144' and the second substrate 146' are sequentially stacked from bottom to top, the plurality of through holes 141 of the second substrate 146', the plurality of through holes 141' of the spacer layer 144' and the plurality of through holes 141 of the first substrate 142' are aligned and communicated with each other, so as to provide a space required for the connection structure between the support structure 17 and the bottom plate 15. The plurality of through holes 144d of the spacer layer 144' and the plurality of through holes 146d of the second substrate 146' are in alignment communication with each other to allow the plurality of light sources 31 disposed on the first substrate 142' to sequentially pass through the through holes 144d and 146d from the lower surface 144b of the spacer layer 144' and be exposed from the second upper surface 146a of the second substrate 146 '. Thereby, the light provided by the light source 31 can be emitted from the corresponding keycap 13.

In the foregoing embodiments, the light source circuit 30, the touch sensing circuit 40 and the switch circuit 50 are all formed on the same surface of the same substrate, but not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the light source circuit 30, the touch sensing circuit 40 and the switch circuit 50 included in the keyboard composite electrode module 14 may be formed on the same or different substrates. As shown in fig. 8 and 9A-9C, the electrode-carrying structure includes a first substrate 142', a second substrate 146', and a spacer layer 144'. The second substrate 146' is disposed opposite the first substrate 142', and the spacer layer 144' is sandwiched between the first substrate 142' and the second substrate 144'. As shown in fig. 9A-9C, the light source circuit 50 and the plurality of first electrode serials 20 (including the first trigger conductive portions 202) are disposed on the same surface (e.g., the first upper surface 142 a) of the first substrate 142', and the plurality of second electrode serials 22 (including the second trigger conductive portions 222) are formed on the second lower surface 146b of the second substrate 146'. In this embodiment, the configuration and structural details of the light source circuit 50, the plurality of first electrode serials 20 and the plurality of second electrode serials 22 can be referred to the description related to the previous embodiment (e.g. fig. 2A-5B), and the difference is only that the shapes of the first trigger conductive portion 202 and the second trigger conductive portion 222 are different (e.g. in the form of straight line contact lines). In this embodiment, the spacer layer 144' has similar structural details to fig. 7B, and the layout of the plurality of second electrode serials 22 (including the second trigger conductive portions 222) depicted in fig. 9C is a perspective view through the second upper surface 146 a.

As shown in fig. 10, when the first substrate 142', the spacer layer 144', and the second substrate 146' are sequentially stacked from bottom to top, in the key electrode pattern corresponding to each key projection region 18, the first trigger conductive portion 202 and the second trigger conductive portion 222 are disposed at opposite intervals with respect to the opening 144c, and the portion of the keyboard compound electrode module 14 corresponding to the first trigger conductive portion 202 and the second trigger conductive portion 222 can be pressed, so that the first trigger conductive portion 202 and the second trigger conductive portion 222 are close to each other through the opening 144 c. That is, when the key 13 is pressed, the key 13 moves toward the bottom plate 15 through the support of the support structure 17, and presses the second substrate 146 'of the keyboard assembly electrode module 14 through the elastic reset member 16, so that the second substrate 146' is partially deformed downward, and the second trigger conductive portion 222 contacts the first trigger conductive portion 202 through the opening 144c, thereby generating a trigger signal. In addition, reference is made to the description of the foregoing embodiments regarding the arrangement of the light source 31 and the connection structure between the support structure 17 and the bottom plate 15 in the electrode bearing structure.

In the foregoing embodiments, the configuration of the touch sensing circuit is described in the form of a dendritic electrode, but the invention is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, each electrode series of the touch sensing circuit may have a different electrode form, such as a rectangle, a diamond, etc. Referring to fig. 11A and 11B, in this embodiment, the keyboard touch electrode module includes a plurality of first electrode serials 20 (shown in thin solid lines) and a plurality of second electrode serials 22 (shown in thick solid lines). Each first electrode series 20 comprises a plurality of first electrodes 24 connected in series, and each second electrode series 22 comprises a plurality of second electrodes 26 connected in series. The plurality of first electrode serials 20 extend linearly parallel to the first direction L and are arranged at intervals in parallel in the second direction W; i.e. the first electrodes 24 in each first electrode series 20 are connected in a straight line. The plurality of second electrode serials 22 extend linearly parallel to the second direction W and are arranged at intervals in parallel in the first direction L; i.e. the second electrodes 26 in each second electrode series 22 are connected in a straight line. The plurality of first electrode serials 20 are staggered with the plurality of second electrode serials 22 and form an even distribution of electrodes. The plurality of first electrode serials 20 and the plurality of second electrode serials 22 form a plurality of identical electrode matrixes M, and are continuously arranged along the first direction L and the second direction W. Each electrode matrix M has the same electrode layout (including the number, relative positions, etc. of the first electrodes 24 and the second electrodes 26). The plurality of electrode matrices M corresponds one-to-one to the plurality of key projection areas 18. The electrode matrix M is also arranged in the same manner as the key projection region 18 located in the touch region projection 140, wherein two adjacent electrode matrices M in the second direction W are not aligned.

Similar to the configuration of fig. 2B, fig. 11B also shows three key projection areas, respectively designated as 18 a-18 c and their corresponding electrode matrices Ma-Mc, and the configuration of the plurality of first electrode serials 20 (including the first trigger conductive portions 202) and the configuration of the plurality of second electrode serials 22 (including the second trigger conductive portions 222) can be referred to fig. 12A and 12B, respectively. In each electrode matrix, the arrangement relation of the plurality of first electrode serial sections (e.g., 20a to 20c, 20d to 20f, 20g to 20 i) and the plurality of second electrode serial sections (e.g., 22a to 22d, 22e to 22h, 22i to 22 l) can be referred to the description of the first embodiment. That is, each key projection region 18 covers the same key face electrode pattern of the corresponding electrode matrix M, e.g., the key projection regions 18 a-18 c cover the same key face electrode patterns Mf1, mf2, mf 3; each key gap layout projection covers the same key gap electrode pattern, for example, the key gap electrode patterns Mg1 and Mg2 covered by the key gap layout projection are the same; the layout of the vias of each key electrode pattern is also the same, e.g., the via layouts 141a, 141b, 141c are the same.

In this embodiment, the arrangement distance AL of the second electrode serials 22 in the first direction L is also equal to the arrangement distance of the adjacent first electrodes 24 in the first direction L. The arrangement pitch AW of the first electrode serials 20 in the second direction W also corresponds to the arrangement pitch of the adjacent second electrodes 26 in the width direction W. In practice, the contour of each first electrode 24 is basically the same, and the dimension SW of the first electrode 24 (or the second electrode 26) in the second direction W is a function of the bond-wire distance PW, the gap DW between adjacent first electrodes 24 (or the second electrodes 26) in the second direction W, and the number of first electrodes 24 (or the second electrodes 26) covered by the bond-wire distance PW; the dimension SL of the first electrode 24 (or the second electrode 26) in the first direction L is a function of the bond-line distance PL, the gap DL of the first electrode 24 (or the second electrode 26) adjacent in the longitudinal direction L, and the number of the first electrodes 24 (or the second electrodes 26) covered by the bond-line distance PL. That is, in this embodiment, the function of the dimensions of the first electrode 24 (or the second electrode 26) can be expressed by the above formula, i.e., w= [ P- (d×n) ]/N, where P represents the Key pitch (Key pitch) of two adjacent Key projection areas 18 (or two electrode matrices Ma/Mb in fig. 11B) in the first direction W (the distance component PW of one electrode matrix center to the other electrode matrix center in the first direction W or the distance component or PL in the second direction L), D represents the electrode gap DW between two adjacent electrodes (two first electrodes 24 or two second electrodes 26, or the electrode gaps DL between the first electrodes 24 and the second electrodes 26) in the second direction W in the Key projection areas 18/the electrode matrix Ma/Mb, N represents the electrode row NW covered by the Key pitch P in the second direction W or the electrode column number covered by the Key pitch P in the first direction NL in the first direction L, and D represents the electrode column number of rows covered by the Key pitch P in the first direction NL in the second direction W. In other words, the side length W of the first electrode 24 in the second direction W is equal to the key pitch P minus the multiplier of the electrode row number N and the electrode pitch D, and divided by the electrode row number N. For the electrode matrix Ma/Mb/Mc of fig. 11B, the electrode matrix Ma/Mb/Mc has a number of electrode rows and columns of 4 covered in the first direction L, and a number of electrode rows and columns of 3 covered in the second direction W, corresponding to 4 electrode rows and columns (nl=4) covered by the key pitch PL, and 3 electrode rows and columns (nw=3) covered by PW. In summary, for a first electrode 24/second electrode 26 of the same shape (e.g., rectangular/diamond) size (e.g., rectangular side length or diamond diagonal length), the size of the first electrode 24 in the second direction W/the size in the first direction L, the size of the second electrode 26 in the second direction W/the size in the first direction L can be analogized according to the above formula.

In this embodiment, the straight connection of the electrodes refers to the relative positions of two electrodes connected to each other in a longitudinal or transverse direction, and the central connecting line of the two electrodes connected directly is straight and parallel to the longitudinal second direction W or the transverse first direction L. In this embodiment, the first electrode 24 and the second electrode 26 are diamond-shaped, so that the area utilization rate of the electrode distribution can be increased, and the degree of mutual interleaving between the first electrode 24 and the second electrode 26 can be increased, which is helpful for improving the sensing accuracy of the touch position.

Furthermore, the first electrode 24 and the second electrode 26 are preferably hollow diamond-shaped, corresponding to the arrangement of the light source circuit 30, i.e. the first electrode 24 surrounds the first electrode light-transmitting portion 24a, and the second electrode 26 surrounds the second electrode light-transmitting portion 26a. The plurality of light sources 31 of the light source circuit 50 are preferably disposed in the first electrode transparent portion 24a or the second electrode transparent portion 26a, but not limited thereto. In other embodiments (not shown), the first electrode 24 and the second electrode 26 may have a solid diamond shape, and only the corresponding electrode (e.g. the second electrode 26) corresponding to the light source 31 is designed to have a hollow diamond shape or an electrode design with a notch, so as to form a region (e.g. the second electrode transparent portion 26 a) for disposing the light source 31. For example, as shown in fig. 12C and 12D, the light source circuits 32 of the light source circuit 30 may extend along the first direction L and be disposed between the corresponding adjacent first electrode serials 20 at intervals in the second direction W, and the light source 31 may be disposed at a position in the second electrode transparent portion 26a surrounded by one of the second electrodes 26. Thereby, the light emitted by the light source 31 can be emitted from the corresponding key cap 13.

In an embodiment, the plurality of first electrode serials 20 shown in fig. 12A and the plurality of light source lines 32 shown in fig. 12C may be integrated into the same layer circuit design as shown in fig. 12D, and the combination of the plurality of first electrode serials 20 and the light source lines 32 shown in fig. 12D and the plurality of second electrode serials 22 shown in fig. 12B may be integrated on the same surface of the same substrate in a manner similar to that shown in fig. 5A and triggered by the conductive portion of the key member outside the keyboard composite electrode module as the conductive connection portion; or (2) can be integrated on the same surface of the same substrate (e.g., the first substrate 142 ') in a manner similar to that shown in fig. 7A-7C and triggered through the opening 144C of the spacer layer 144' by the conductive connection portion (e.g., the conductive connection portion 146C) disposed on the second substrate 146 '. In other words, in the schematic diagram of the correspondence between the electrode layout corresponding to the single key and the conductive connection portion as shown in fig. 13, when the keyboard complex electrode module is formed in the configuration (1), the conductive connection portion (for example, the conductive connection portion 19) is the conductive portion provided on the key member 16, and when the keyboard complex electrode module is formed in the configuration (2), the conductive connection portion (for example, the conductive connection portion 146 c) is formed on the other substrate (for example, the second substrate 146'). In addition, by changing the designs of the first trigger conductive portion 202 and the second trigger conductive portion 222, the combination of the plurality of first electrode serials 20 and the light source line 32 like that shown in fig. 12D and the plurality of second electrode serials 22 like that shown in fig. 12B can be respectively disposed on different substrates of the electrode bearing structure in a manner (3) like that shown in fig. 9A to 9C, and triggered by contacting each other through the opening 144C of the spacer layer 144', the details of the above configurations (1), (2) and (3) will be described with reference to the related descriptions of the foregoing embodiments, and will not be repeated herein.

Furthermore, in the above embodiment, the first electrode serials 20 and the light source circuits 30 may be integrated into a circuit design formed on the same surface of the same substrate or on different surfaces of different substrates, but not limited thereto. In other embodiments (not shown), the touch sensing circuit 40 (i.e. the plurality of first electrode serials 20 and the plurality of second electrode serials 22) and the light source circuit 30 are disposed on opposite surfaces of a substrate, respectively. For example, the touch sensing circuit 40 (e.g. the first electrode series 20 and the second electrode series 22) is disposed on the upper surface of the substrate, and the light source circuit 30 is disposed on the lower surface of the substrate, and the light provided by the light source 31 is transmitted through the electrode transparent portion (e.g. 24a, 26a or the portion of the substrate where no electrode is disposed) and emitted toward the key cap 13 by the hollow electrode design.

As can be seen from the above embodiments, the keyboard composite electrode module of the present invention includes a plurality of electrode matrixes M and a light source circuit 50. The plurality of electrode matrices M are arranged in succession along a first direction L and a second direction W, two electrode matrices (e.g., ma, mb) adjacent in the second direction W being offset from each other in the first direction L and not aligned along the second direction W, and at least two electrode matrices (e.g., ma, mb) not aligned in the second direction W being identical to each other. Each electrode matrix M includes a plurality of first electrode serial sections (e.g., 20a to 20c, 20d to 20f, 20g to 20 i) and a plurality of second electrode serial sections (e.g., 22a to 22d, 22e to 22h, 22i to 22 l) arranged alternately with each other. The light source circuit 30 includes a plurality of light source lines 32 and a plurality of light sources 31, wherein the light sources 31 are electrically connected to the corresponding light source lines 32, the light sources 31 are disposed in the electrode matrixes M one to one, and the relative positions of the light sources 31 in the corresponding electrode matrixes M are the same. Therefore, even if the light source circuit (and the switch circuit) is integrated, the light-emitting touch keyboard and the keyboard composite electrode module thereof can enable each key projection area to cover the same electrode pattern comprising the light source, so that the complexity of electrode layout design can be reduced, the regularity of electrode induction expression is improved, and the touch operation accuracy of the touch keyboard is further improved. In one embodiment, the touch keyboard 10 may control or sense the electrical state of the keyboard electrode assembly 14 through the control module. The control module can comprise a keyboard processing unit and an induction processing unit. The keyboard processing unit is electrically connected to the switch circuit (e.g., the first trigger conductive portion and the second trigger conductive portion) of the keyboard composite electrode module 14, so as to sense the state of the key switch. The sensing processing unit is electrically connected to the touch sensing circuit of the keyboard composite electrode module 14 to sense the capacitance value of the electrode. The control module outputs a sensing result via the connection interface, for example, outputs an alphanumeric input corresponding to the key structure or a touch position in the touch area 120.

The foregoing description is only of the preferred embodiments of the invention, and all changes and modifications that come within the meaning and range of equivalency of the claims are therefore intended to be embraced therein.

Claims

1. A keyboard composite electrode module, comprising:

An electrode carrying structure;

The first electrodes are connected in series, extend along the first direction and are arranged at intervals in the second direction; and

Defining a plurality of key projection areas on the keyboard composite electrode module, wherein each key projection area covers the same key surface electrode pattern, and the key surface electrode pattern comprises one of the light sources;

the electrode bearing structure comprises a first substrate, the light source circuit, the plurality of first electrode serials and the plurality of second electrode serials are arranged on the same surface of the first substrate, and an insulating layer is arranged at the staggered superposition position of the plurality of second electrode serials, the light source circuit and the plurality of first electrode serials, and the insulating layer is arranged between the plurality of second electrode serials and the light source circuit and between the plurality of second electrode serials and the plurality of first electrode serials.

2. The keyboard assembly of claim 1, wherein the plurality of first electrode serials and the plurality of second electrode serials are staggered to form a plurality of electrode matrices aligned along the first direction and the second direction, two adjacent electrode matrices are not aligned in the second direction, each of the electrode matrices corresponds to a key projection area, and in each of the key projection areas, the corresponding positions of the light sources in the electrode matrices are the same.

3. The keyboard assembly of claim 2, wherein a key slot layout projection is defined on the plurality of electrode matrices corresponding to each key projection area, the key slot layout projection surrounding the corresponding key projection area, each key slot layout projection covering the same key slot electrode pattern.

4. The keyboard compound electrode module of claim 1, wherein the light source circuit comprises a plurality of light source lines for electrically connecting the plurality of light sources, the plurality of light source lines extending along the first direction and being spaced apart in the second direction such that the plurality of light source lines are spaced apart from the plurality of first electrodes in series and are interleaved with the plurality of second electrodes in series.

5. The keyboard compound electrode module of claim 1, wherein the light source circuit or the plurality of first electrode serials are located between the plurality of second electrode serials and the first substrate at a position where the plurality of second electrode serials are alternately overlapped with the light source circuit and the plurality of first electrode serials.

6. The keyboard assembly of claim 1, wherein the key top electrode pattern further comprises a first trigger conductive portion and a second trigger conductive portion, wherein the first trigger conductive portion extends from a first electrode series, the second trigger conductive portion extends from a second electrode series, and the first trigger conductive portion and the second trigger conductive portion are electrically connected by an electrically conductive connection portion.

7. The keyboard compound electrode module of claim 6, wherein the electrode bearing structure further comprises a second substrate disposed opposite to the first substrate and a spacer layer interposed between the first substrate and the second substrate, the key electrode pattern comprises the conductive connection portion, and the conductive connection portion is formed on the second substrate, the spacer layer has an opening, the first trigger conductive portion and the second trigger conductive portion are disposed at opposite intervals with respect to the opening, and portions of the keyboard compound electrode module corresponding to the first trigger conductive portion and the second trigger conductive portion can be pressed to electrically connect the conductive connection portion to the first trigger conductive portion and the second trigger conductive portion via the opening.

8. The keyboard assembly of claim 6, wherein the conductive connection portion comprises a contact surface, the first trigger conductive portion and the second trigger conductive portion comprise at least one contact line, respectively, and the first trigger conductive portion and the second trigger conductive portion are electrically connected to each other by the contact surface contacting the contact lines.

9. The keyboard composite electrode module of claim 1, wherein the first electrode comprises a plurality of first main line segments and a plurality of first branch line segments in series, the plurality of first main line segments extending along the first direction and being connected in series with each other in a straight line, the plurality of first branch line segments being arranged at intervals in the first direction and protruding from the plurality of first main line segments along the second direction.

10. The keyboard composite electrode module of claim 1, wherein the second electrode comprises a plurality of second main line segments and a plurality of second branch line segments in series, the plurality of second main line segments extend along the second direction and are arranged at intervals and are staggered in the first direction into two columns, and the plurality of second branch line segments are arranged at intervals along the second direction and are connected with adjacent second main line segments in the two columns along the first direction.

11. The keyboard assembly of claim 1, wherein the key top electrode patterns have the same layout of perforations.

12. A keyboard composite electrode module, comprising:

The touch sensing circuit comprises a plurality of electrode matrixes, a plurality of touch sensing circuits and a plurality of touch sensing circuits, wherein the electrode matrixes are formed by staggered arrangement of a plurality of first electrode series and a plurality of second electrode series, the first electrode series extend along a first direction and are arranged at intervals in a second direction, and the second electrode series extend along the second direction and are arranged at intervals in the first direction; the plurality of electrode matrices are arranged continuously along a first direction and a second direction, two adjacent electrode matrices along the second direction are offset away from each other along the first direction and not aligned along the second direction, and at least two electrode matrices not aligned along the second direction are identical to each other, each electrode matrix comprises:

A plurality of first electrode serial segments; and

The light source circuit comprises a plurality of light source circuits and a plurality of light sources, the light sources are respectively and electrically connected with the corresponding light source circuits, and the light sources are arranged in the electrode matrixes one by one;

Defining a plurality of key projection areas on the keyboard composite electrode module, wherein each key projection area covers the same key surface electrode pattern, and the key surface electrode pattern comprises one of the light sources; the keyboard composite electrode module further comprises an electrode bearing structure, wherein the electrode bearing structure comprises a first substrate, the light source circuit, the plurality of first electrode serials and the plurality of second electrode serials are arranged on the same surface of the first substrate, an insulating layer is arranged at the staggered overlapping position of the plurality of second electrode serials and the light source circuit and the plurality of first electrode serials, and the insulating layer is arranged between the plurality of second electrode serials and the light source circuit and between the plurality of second electrode serials and the plurality of first electrode serials.

13. The keyboard assembly of claim 12, wherein the relative positions of each of the light sources in the corresponding electrode matrix are the same.

14. The keyboard assembly of claim 12, wherein at least two of the electrode matrices that are not aligned in the second direction have the same layout of perforations including at least one perforation within the electrode matrix.

15. A light-emitting touch keypad, comprising:

a bottom plate;

the plurality of key caps are arranged above the bottom plate;

The keyboard compound electrode module of any one of claim 1 and claim 12, wherein the keyboard compound electrode module is arranged between the bottom plate and the plurality of key caps, and the keyboard compound electrode module senses non-pressing movement of an object on the plurality of key caps and provides light rays to be emitted from the plurality of key caps; and

16. The light-emitting touch keyboard of claim 15, wherein the keyboard composite electrode module further comprises a switch circuit, the switch circuit comprises a plurality of key switches respectively corresponding to the plurality of key caps, each key switch is formed by a first electrode series and a second electrode series, and the key switches can be conducted by a conducting connection part to generate the trigger signal.

17. The luminous touch keyboard of claim 16, wherein the keyboard composite electrode module comprises the conducting connection part, the conducting connection part is arranged opposite to the corresponding key switch at intervals, and when the key cap is pressed, the key cap drives the keyboard composite electrode module to deform so that the key switch is triggered by the conducting connection part.

18. The illuminated touch pad of claim 16, further comprising a plurality of elastic restoring members disposed between the bottom plate and the plurality of key caps, wherein the conductive connection portion is disposed on the corresponding elastic restoring member.