EP2593850A1 - Keyboard, electronic device using the same and input method - Google Patents

Keyboard, electronic device using the same and input method

Info

Publication number
EP2593850A1
EP2593850A1 EP10854590.6A EP10854590A EP2593850A1 EP 2593850 A1 EP2593850 A1 EP 2593850A1 EP 10854590 A EP10854590 A EP 10854590A EP 2593850 A1 EP2593850 A1 EP 2593850A1
Authority
EP
European Patent Office
Prior art keywords
keyboard
touch panel
holographic film
light source
electronic device
Prior art date
Legal status (The legal status is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the status listed.)
Withdrawn
Application number
EP10854590.6A
Other languages
German (de)
French (fr)
Other versions
EP2593850A4 (en
Inventor
Shun-Ta Chien
Sheng-Pin Su
Current Assignee (The listed assignees may be inaccurate. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation or warranty as to the accuracy of the list.)
TPK Touch Solutions Inc
Original Assignee
TPK Touch Solutions Inc
Priority date (The priority date is an assumption and is not a legal conclusion. Google has not performed a legal analysis and makes no representation as to the accuracy of the date listed.)
Filing date
Publication date
Application filed by TPK Touch Solutions Inc filed Critical TPK Touch Solutions Inc
Publication of EP2593850A1 publication Critical patent/EP2593850A1/en
Publication of EP2593850A4 publication Critical patent/EP2593850A4/en
Withdrawn legal-status Critical Current

Links

Classifications

    • G—PHYSICS
    • G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
    • G03H—HOLOGRAPHIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS
    • G03H1/00—Holographic processes or apparatus using light, infrared or ultraviolet waves for obtaining holograms or for obtaining an image from them; Details peculiar thereto
    • G03H1/0005—Adaptation of holography to specific applications
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
    • G03H—HOLOGRAPHIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS
    • G03H1/00—Holographic processes or apparatus using light, infrared or ultraviolet waves for obtaining holograms or for obtaining an image from them; Details peculiar thereto
    • G03H1/26—Processes or apparatus specially adapted to produce multiple sub- holograms or to obtain images from them, e.g. multicolour technique
    • G03H1/2645—Multiplexing processes, e.g. aperture, shift, or wavefront multiplexing
    • G03H1/265—Angle multiplexing; Multichannel holograms
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F1/00—Details not covered by groups G06F3/00 - G06F13/00 and G06F21/00
    • G06F1/16—Constructional details or arrangements
    • G06F1/1613—Constructional details or arrangements for portable computers
    • G06F1/1633—Constructional details or arrangements of portable computers not specific to the type of enclosures covered by groups G06F1/1615 - G06F1/1626
    • G06F1/1662—Details related to the integrated keyboard
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
    • G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
    • G06F3/02—Input arrangements using manually operated switches, e.g. using keyboards or dials
    • G06F3/0202—Constructional details or processes of manufacture of the input device
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
    • G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
    • G06F3/03—Arrangements for converting the position or the displacement of a member into a coded form
    • G06F3/041—Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G06—COMPUTING; CALCULATING OR COUNTING
    • G06F—ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING
    • G06F3/00—Input arrangements for transferring data to be processed into a form capable of being handled by the computer; Output arrangements for transferring data from processing unit to output unit, e.g. interface arrangements
    • G06F3/01—Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer
    • G06F3/048—Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI]
    • G06F3/0487—Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI] using specific features provided by the input device, e.g. functions controlled by the rotation of a mouse with dual sensing arrangements, or of the nature of the input device, e.g. tap gestures based on pressure sensed by a digitiser
    • G06F3/0488—Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI] using specific features provided by the input device, e.g. functions controlled by the rotation of a mouse with dual sensing arrangements, or of the nature of the input device, e.g. tap gestures based on pressure sensed by a digitiser using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures
    • G06F3/04886—Interaction techniques based on graphical user interfaces [GUI] using specific features provided by the input device, e.g. functions controlled by the rotation of a mouse with dual sensing arrangements, or of the nature of the input device, e.g. tap gestures based on pressure sensed by a digitiser using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures by partitioning the display area of the touch-screen or the surface of the digitising tablet into independently controllable areas, e.g. virtual keyboards or menus
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
    • G03H—HOLOGRAPHIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS
    • G03H1/00—Holographic processes or apparatus using light, infrared or ultraviolet waves for obtaining holograms or for obtaining an image from them; Details peculiar thereto
    • G03H1/0005—Adaptation of holography to specific applications
    • G03H2001/0061—Adaptation of holography to specific applications in haptic applications when the observer interacts with the holobject
    • G—PHYSICS
    • G03—PHOTOGRAPHY; CINEMATOGRAPHY; ANALOGOUS TECHNIQUES USING WAVES OTHER THAN OPTICAL WAVES; ELECTROGRAPHY; HOLOGRAPHY
    • G03H—HOLOGRAPHIC PROCESSES OR APPARATUS
    • G03H1/00—Holographic processes or apparatus using light, infrared or ultraviolet waves for obtaining holograms or for obtaining an image from them; Details peculiar thereto
    • G03H1/22—Processes or apparatus for obtaining an optical image from holograms
    • G03H1/2202—Reconstruction geometries or arrangements
    • G03H2001/2223—Particular relationship between light source, hologram and observer
    • G03H2001/2234—Transmission reconstruction

Definitions

  • the present disclosure relates generally to data input devices, and more particularly to a keyboard combining touch sensing technology and the holographic technology, an electronic device using the keyboard, and an input method.
  • keyboards are the most popular and important input devices of computer equipments.
  • a keyboard includes a plurality of keys arranged in a certain arrangement, such as in the QWERT way. In operation, users can complete the input by pressing keys on the keyboard.
  • keyboards such as mechanical keyboards, membrane keyboards, conductive rubber keyboards, and capacitive keyboards.
  • the mechanical keyboard is popularly used in the early stage of the keyboard's development.
  • the working principle of keys of the mechanical keyboard belongs to the physical contact type.
  • Each key has built-in metal parts as a contact point.
  • the metal parts usually include two separate sectors: an elastic component and a metal contactor disposed face-to-face in a spacing, both of which are made of metal material, such as copper.
  • an elastic component When users strike a key, the two metal parts of the key contact each other, and enter a turn-on state and output a signal.
  • the two metal parts will separate and return to the turn-off state.
  • This mechanical keyboard is of the advantages of simple manufacturing process and easy maintenance, whereas it has defects of poor hand feeling, large noise, and rapid wearing.
  • the working principle of keys of the membrane keyboard and the conductive rubber keyboard also belongs to the physical contact type.
  • the structure of the keys is similar to that of aforesaid mechanical keyboard.
  • Each key has two vis-à-vis separate parts made of metal material, such as thin copper sheet. The key turns on when these two parts contact each other. Under this condition, the thin copper sheet would withstand pressure and wear. After some time, the thin copper sheet may be broken and lead to the failure of whole keyboard.
  • the capacitive keyboard is presented to solve aforementioned problems.
  • the working principle of keys of the capacitive keyboard belongs to the non-contact way. Each key includes two separate electrodes. When users strike a key, the distance of the two electrodes will be reduced, thus the capacitance of the electrodes changes accordingly. Due to the capacitance change, an instantaneous current is activated in the keyboard. If the instantaneous current is greater than a certain value, the capacitive keyboard outputs electric signals.
  • the capacitive keyboard works by using capacitance changes caused by the distance changes of the electrodes. As working in a non-contact way, the capacitive keyboard has a very small or even negligible wear rate.
  • the capacitive keyboard is of the advantages of low-noise and easy control, but the manufacturing process is relatively more complicated.
  • the keyboards mentioned above are usually called physical keyboards, which are made up of separate keys with gaps between them. It is difficult to clean the keyboards, since the dust fall into the gaps and accumulate in the gaps easily. After some time, the dust may lead to failure in the work of keyboard. Furthermore, it is required to mark symbols (such as letters or characters) on the keys of the physical keyboards in different languages for users from different countries, which would lead to inconvenience in switching among different languages. In this industry, laser engraving is a conventional method of marking symbols on the keys. However, once the letters or characters are engraved, it's hard to make alteration. When a mistake has been made, the whole keyboard has to be redone or scrapped.
  • writing pad becomes another popular input device and it is more convenient using writing pad to input information for some users than aforementioned keyboards.
  • it cannot work without a specific stylus.
  • the writing pad is always used together with aforementioned keyboards. In this case, these two separate devices will take more space in the workplace.
  • the object of the present disclosure is to provide a keyboard based on touch sensing technology and holography technology with the advantages of multi-function, convenience and portability.
  • the present disclosure relates, in one embodiment, to a keyboard.
  • the keyboard includes a holographic film having a holographic information of a keyboard arrangement recorded on a surface thereof; a virtual keyboard generated from the holographic film; and a touch panel adjoin the virtual keyboard.
  • the touch panel is configured to generate a touch signal corresponding to a position being touched on the touch panel.
  • the present disclosure relates, in another embodiment, to an electronic device.
  • the electronic device include a host, a keyboard, and a transmission device.
  • the keyboard includes a holographic film having holographic information of a keyboard arrangement recorded on a surface thereof; a virtual keyboard generated from the holographic film; and a touch panel adjoining the virtual keyboard.
  • the touch panel is configured to generate a touch signal corresponding to a position being touched on the touch panel; and the transmission device is configured to transmit the touch signal to the host.
  • the present disclosure relates, in another embodiment, to a method of data input.
  • the method includes: generating a virtual keyboard from a holographic film positioned on a side of a touch panel; detecting position information corresponding to a position being touched on the touch panel, and generating and outputting a touch signal corresponding to a key of the virtual keyboard based on the position information.
  • the keyboard according to the present disclosure combines the multiplex-holography technology with the touch panel, thus it can serve as a replacement of a writing tablet or a mouse.
  • the light beams are projected on the holographic film, such that the virtual keyboard emerges above the holographic film and is close to the touch panel.
  • the touch panel detects the touching or the gesture at the corresponding position. Therefore, the keyboard can provide both striking input and handwriting input.
  • Symbols of the keyboard arrangement in different language are recorded on holographic film by multiplex-holography technology instead of the conventional laser engraving, such that errors during the engraving can be avoided.
  • the reproduction of the holographic film is easy, quick, accurate, and of low cost.
  • FIG.1 is a schematic view of a keyboard in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure
  • FIG.2A is a sectional view of the keyboard of FIG.1 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure
  • FIG.2B is a sectional view of the keyboard of FIG.1 in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure.
  • FIG.3A is an enlarged view of a first embodiment of a detachable structure of the keyboard of FIG. 1;
  • FIG.3B is an enlarged view of a second embodiment of a detachable structure of the keyboard of FIG. 1;
  • FIG.4 is a schematic view of a first embodiment of an electronic device using the keyboard of FIG. 1;
  • FIG.5 is a schematic view of a second embodiment of an electronic device using the keyboard of FIG. 1;
  • FIG.6 is a flowchart of an embodiment of an input method according to the present disclosure.
  • FIG.7 is an enlarged view of the holographic film and the touch panel of the keyboard of FIG.1.
  • an embodiment of a keyboard 10 is based on a multiplex-holography technology.
  • a virtual keyboard 20 is projected above an upper surface 11 of the keyboard 10. Users can touch the keyboard 10 through the virtual keyboard 20.
  • the keyboard 10 can sense gesture inputs, such as a single touch action or successive touch actions, and can generate signals corresponding to these gesture inputs and output the signals.
  • the keyboard 10 can provide a striking input as well as handwriting input.
  • the keyboard 10 further includes a holographic film 30 having holographic information in a keyboard arrangement, a touch panel 40 for detecting touch signals, and light sources 50 for projecting light beams.
  • the holographic film 30 is shaped as substantially a plane and is attached to the upper surface of the touch panel 40.
  • the holographic film 30 is made of transparent insulation materials, such as glass, emulsion, photonic crystal, or plastic.
  • the holographic film 30 is formed by photographing using a transmission holography technology. During the process of photographing, light beams emitted from a laser source are separated into signal beams and reference beams by a spectroscope. The signal beams and the reference beams are projected on the same side of the holographic film according to the transmission holography technology. After being diffracted and interfered, light waves of the keyboard arrangement carrying the amplitude and phase information of key arrangement and symbols are recorded in the holographic film.
  • the light sources 50 are located under the holographic film 30.
  • the light sources 50 project light beams through the touch panel 40 and onto the holographic film 30.
  • the holographic film 30 and the light beams cooperatively generate the virtual keyboard 20.
  • the virtual keyboard 20 After reconstructing the amplitude and phase information of key arrangement and symbols recorded on the holographic film 30, the virtual keyboard 20 will emerge above the holographic film 30 vividly. Users can touch the touch panel 40 according to the keyboard arrangement of the virtual keyboard 20 for key-in or gesture input. It should be noted that , the size, shape, and relative position of the virtual keyboard 20 preferably match that of the holographic film 30.
  • the touch panel 40 is positioned close to the virtual keyboard 20, for detecting a position being touched on the touch panel 40 and generating touch signals correspondingly.
  • the size, shape, and relative position of the virtual keyboard 20 preferably well match that of the touch panel 40.
  • the holographic film 30 is disposed under the touch panel 40, and the light source 50 is located under the holographic film 30.
  • the light beams from the light source 50 project onto the holographic film 30 and then generate the virtual keyboard 20 above the touch panel 40.
  • the keyboard 10 in FIG. 2B is of the same working principles with the embodiment shown in FIG. 2A.
  • the keyboard 10 may further includes a frame 60 to support the components mentioned above.
  • the frame 60 includes a base plate 61 and a plurality of sidewalls 62 extending substantially perpendicular to edges of the base plate 61.
  • the base plate 61 and the sidewalls 62 corporately define a groove 63 having an open end and a closed end.
  • the touch panel 40 is mounted on the frame 60 positioned at the open end of the groove 63, and the light sources 50 are positioned at the closed end of the groove 63.
  • holographic film 30 There are two methods to attach the holographic film 30 to the touch panel 40.
  • One is to use an adhesive material, such as optical clear adhesive (OCA), to bond the holographic film 30 to the touch panel 40 directly.
  • OCA optical clear adhesive
  • the other one is to use a mechanical structure, such as a detachable structure, to assemble the holographic film 30 to the touch panel 40. It should be noted that, the two methods could be used together in the keyboard 10, if necessary.
  • the aforementioned detachable structure could be snap-fitted connection or bolted connection, to firmly fix the holographic film 30 to the touch panel 40.
  • a snap-fitted structure 71 is mounted on the frame 60 to connect to one end of the holographic film 30 and the touch panel 40.
  • Another snap-fitted structure (not shown) is mounted on the frame 60 to connect to the other end of the holographic film 30 and the touch panel 40. It is symmetrically designed.
  • the snap-fitted structure 71 includes a sliding snap 73 and an elastic element 72. It is easy to change the keyboard 10 from one language to another by simply sliding the sliding snap 73 and replacing current holographic film 30 with a new one required. Referring to FIG.
  • a bolted structure 74 is mounted on the frame 60 to connect to one end of the holographic film 30 and the touch panel 40.
  • Another bolted structure (not shown) is mounted on the frame 60 to connect to the other end of the holographic film 30 and the touch panel 40. It is also symmetrically designed.
  • the bolted structure 74 includes a bolt 76 and a nut 75 engaging with the bolt 76 on an upper end thereof. A bottom end of the bolt 76 is fixed. It is easy to change the keyboard 10 from one language to another by simply removing the nut 75 and replacing current holographic film 30 with a new one required.
  • the touch panel 40 could be a transparent capacitive touch panel, or a resistive touch panel, or an infrared sensing touch panel, or an electromagnetic sensing touch panel, or an acoustic wave sensing touch panel.
  • the light sources 50 can project the light beams onto the holographic film 30 through the touch panel 40.
  • the touch panel 40 includes a sensing layer 41 (as shown in FIG.7) made of transparent conductive material.
  • the virtual keys on the virtual keyboard 20 according to the keyboard arrangement correspond to a plurality of sensing units of the sensing layer 41.
  • the sensing layer in the touch panel 40 detects the contact position being touched on the keyboard 10.
  • the light sources 50 may be Light-Emitting Diodes (LED) or Laser Diodes (LD) both emitting single color light.
  • the keyboard 10 may further includes an expender (not shown) disposed in front of the light source 50 for diffusing the light beams. The expender makes the light beams cover the whole surface of the holographic film 30.
  • the quantity and arrangement of the light sources 50 are designed based on practical requirements in terms of providing even and sufficient light beams. It is to be understood that, the light source 50 may be omitted.
  • the keyboard 10 can be used in electronic devices, such as desktop computers, laptops, and cell phones.
  • a first embodiment of an electronic device includes a host 90, the keyboard 10, and a transmission device 80 for transmitting signals to host 90.
  • the electronic device is a desktop computer.
  • the transmission device 80 is a transmission wire, such as a Universal Serial Bus (USB) wire or an RS-232 wire. It is to be understood that the transmission device 80 may also use wireless transmission technologies, such as Wireless Fidelity technology (WIFI), Radio Frequency Identification technology (RFID), Infrared technology (IR), or Bluetooth technology.
  • WIFI Wireless Fidelity technology
  • RFID Radio Frequency Identification technology
  • IR Infrared technology
  • a second embodiment of the electronic device 100 includes the keyboard 10 integrated into a host.
  • the electronic device 100 is a laptop.
  • the keyboard 10 in FIG. 5 used in the laptop 100 is of the same working principle and structure with the first applied embodiment in FIG.4 described before.
  • the keyboard 10 can be integrated into a tabletop or a wall to be adapted to different circumstances.
  • FIG. 6 an embodiment of an input method using the keyboard is illustrated.
  • step S101 a virtual keyboard is generated form the holographic film positioned on a side of a touch panel.
  • step S102 a position information corresponding to a position being touched on the touch panel is detected.
  • step S103 a touch signal corresponding to a key of the virtual keyboard is generated and outputted based on the position information.
  • the first thing is to record both the arrangement and the symbols in required language into the holographic film 30.
  • the users can see the virtual keyboard 20 emerging above the holographic film 30.
  • the arrangement and the characters of the virtual keyboard 20 are the same as that recorded in the holographic film 30 before.
  • the size and shape of the virtual keyboard 20 well matched with that of the touch panel 40.
  • the holographic film 30 is touched by the users at the corresponding symbols and positions on the virtual keyboard 20.
  • the touch panel 40 detects the position being touched or the gesture made to find out the touch information, to provide striking input and handwriting input accordingly.

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  • Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Theoretical Computer Science (AREA)
  • Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Physics & Mathematics (AREA)
  • General Engineering & Computer Science (AREA)
  • Human Computer Interaction (AREA)
  • Computer Hardware Design (AREA)
  • Input From Keyboards Or The Like (AREA)

Abstract

A keyboard includes a holographic film having holographic information of a keyboard arrangement recorded on a surface thereof; a virtual keyboard generated from the holographic film; and a touch panel adjoining the holographic film, configured to detect information corresponding to a position being touched thereon. The keyboard is of the advantages of multifunction, convenience and portability. An electronic device using the keyboard and an input method are also disclosed.

Description

    KEYBOARD, ELECTRONIC DEVICE USING THE SAME AND INPUT METHOD KEYBOARD, ELECTRONIC DEVICE USING THE SAME AND INPUT METHOD
  • FIELD OF THE INVENTION
  • The present disclosure relates generally to data input devices, and more particularly to a keyboard combining touch sensing technology and the holographic technology, an electronic device using the keyboard, and an input method.
  • BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
  • Nowadays, keyboards are the most popular and important input devices of computer equipments. Generally, a keyboard includes a plurality of keys arranged in a certain arrangement, such as in the QWERT way. In operation, users can complete the input by pressing keys on the keyboard. There are many kinds of keyboards, such as mechanical keyboards, membrane keyboards, conductive rubber keyboards, and capacitive keyboards. Regarding the working principles for switching the keys of the keyboards, there are physical contact type and non-contact type.
  • As is well known, the mechanical keyboard is popularly used in the early stage of the keyboard's development. The working principle of keys of the mechanical keyboard belongs to the physical contact type. Each key has built-in metal parts as a contact point. The metal parts usually include two separate sectors: an elastic component and a metal contactor disposed face-to-face in a spacing, both of which are made of metal material, such as copper. When users strike a key, the two metal parts of the key contact each other, and enter a turn-on state and output a signal. On the contrary, when users let go of the key, the two metal parts will separate and return to the turn-off state. This mechanical keyboard is of the advantages of simple manufacturing process and easy maintenance, whereas it has defects of poor hand feeling, large noise, and rapid wearing. Most of the low-cost mechanical keyboards use copper spring as the elastic component. However, the copper spring easily breaks, causing elastic failure. The working principle of keys of the membrane keyboard and the conductive rubber keyboard also belongs to the physical contact type. The structure of the keys is similar to that of aforesaid mechanical keyboard. Each key has two vis-à-vis separate parts made of metal material, such as thin copper sheet. The key turns on when these two parts contact each other. Under this condition, the thin copper sheet would withstand pressure and wear. After some time, the thin copper sheet may be broken and lead to the failure of whole keyboard.
  • Thus, the capacitive keyboard is presented to solve aforementioned problems. The working principle of keys of the capacitive keyboard belongs to the non-contact way. Each key includes two separate electrodes. When users strike a key, the distance of the two electrodes will be reduced, thus the capacitance of the electrodes changes accordingly. Due to the capacitance change, an instantaneous current is activated in the keyboard. If the instantaneous current is greater than a certain value, the capacitive keyboard outputs electric signals. The capacitive keyboard works by using capacitance changes caused by the distance changes of the electrodes. As working in a non-contact way, the capacitive keyboard has a very small or even negligible wear rate. The capacitive keyboard is of the advantages of low-noise and easy control, but the manufacturing process is relatively more complicated.
  • The keyboards mentioned above are usually called physical keyboards, which are made up of separate keys with gaps between them. It is difficult to clean the keyboards, since the dust fall into the gaps and accumulate in the gaps easily. After some time, the dust may lead to failure in the work of keyboard. Furthermore, it is required to mark symbols (such as letters or characters) on the keys of the physical keyboards in different languages for users from different countries, which would lead to inconvenience in switching among different languages. In this industry, laser engraving is a conventional method of marking symbols on the keys. However, once the letters or characters are engraved, it's hard to make alteration. When a mistake has been made, the whole keyboard has to be redone or scrapped.
  • In recent years, writing pad becomes another popular input device and it is more convenient using writing pad to input information for some users than aforementioned keyboards. However, it cannot work without a specific stylus. Furthermore, the writing pad is always used together with aforementioned keyboards. In this case, these two separate devices will take more space in the workplace.
  • With the development of electronic technology, more and more customers are in the pursuit of portability, convenience and multi-function of electronic equipments. There is a need of new input device to overcome the shortcomings of physical keyboards and writing pads. Thus, an input device which integrates the keyboard with writing pad and computer mouse is desirable.
  • SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
  • Therefore, the present disclosure addresses the above problems and other problems associated with the related art. The object of the present disclosure is to provide a keyboard based on touch sensing technology and holography technology with the advantages of multi-function, convenience and portability.
  • The present disclosure relates, in one embodiment, to a keyboard. The keyboard includes a holographic film having a holographic information of a keyboard arrangement recorded on a surface thereof; a virtual keyboard generated from the holographic film; and a touch panel adjoin the virtual keyboard. The touch panel is configured to generate a touch signal corresponding to a position being touched on the touch panel.
  • The present disclosure relates, in another embodiment, to an electronic device. The electronic device include a host, a keyboard, and a transmission device. The keyboard includes a holographic film having holographic information of a keyboard arrangement recorded on a surface thereof; a virtual keyboard generated from the holographic film; and a touch panel adjoining the virtual keyboard. The touch panel is configured to generate a touch signal corresponding to a position being touched on the touch panel; and the transmission device is configured to transmit the touch signal to the host.
  • The present disclosure relates, in another embodiment, to a method of data input. The method includes: generating a virtual keyboard from a holographic film positioned on a side of a touch panel; detecting position information corresponding to a position being touched on the touch panel, and generating and outputting a touch signal corresponding to a key of the virtual keyboard based on the position information.
  • The keyboard according to the present disclosure combines the multiplex-holography technology with the touch panel, thus it can serve as a replacement of a writing tablet or a mouse. The light beams are projected on the holographic film, such that the virtual keyboard emerges above the holographic film and is close to the touch panel. When users touch the touch panel, the touch panel detects the touching or the gesture at the corresponding position. Therefore, the keyboard can provide both striking input and handwriting input.
  • Symbols of the keyboard arrangement in different language are recorded on holographic film by multiplex-holography technology instead of the conventional laser engraving, such that errors during the engraving can be avoided. In addition, the reproduction of the holographic film is easy, quick, accurate, and of low cost.
  • BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
  • The components in the drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale, the emphasis instead being placed upon clearly illustrating the principles of the present disclosure. Moreover, in the drawings, like reference numerals designate corresponding parts throughout several views, and all the views are schematic.
  • FIG.1 is a schematic view of a keyboard in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
  • FIG.2A is a sectional view of the keyboard of FIG.1 in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure;
  • FIG.2B is a sectional view of the keyboard of FIG.1 in accordance with another embodiment of the present disclosure;
  • FIG.3A is an enlarged view of a first embodiment of a detachable structure of the keyboard of FIG. 1;
  • FIG.3B is an enlarged view of a second embodiment of a detachable structure of the keyboard of FIG. 1;
  • FIG.4 is a schematic view of a first embodiment of an electronic device using the keyboard of FIG. 1;
  • FIG.5 is a schematic view of a second embodiment of an electronic device using the keyboard of FIG. 1;
  • FIG.6 is a flowchart of an embodiment of an input method according to the present disclosure; and
  • FIG.7 is an enlarged view of the holographic film and the touch panel of the keyboard of FIG.1.
  • DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS
  • The disclosure is illustrated by way of example and not by way of limitation in the figures of the accompanying drawings in which like references indicate similar elements. It should be noted that references to 'an' or 'one' embodiment in this disclosure are not necessarily to the same embodiment, and such references mean at least one.
  • Referring to FIG. 1, an embodiment of a keyboard 10 according to the present disclosure is based on a multiplex-holography technology. A virtual keyboard 20 is projected above an upper surface 11 of the keyboard 10. Users can touch the keyboard 10 through the virtual keyboard 20. The keyboard 10 can sense gesture inputs, such as a single touch action or successive touch actions, and can generate signals corresponding to these gesture inputs and output the signals. Thus, the keyboard 10 can provide a striking input as well as handwriting input.
  • Referring to FIG. 2A, the keyboard 10 further includes a holographic film 30 having holographic information in a keyboard arrangement, a touch panel 40 for detecting touch signals, and light sources 50 for projecting light beams. The holographic film 30 is shaped as substantially a plane and is attached to the upper surface of the touch panel 40.
  • The holographic film 30 is made of transparent insulation materials, such as glass, emulsion, photonic crystal, or plastic. The holographic film 30 is formed by photographing using a transmission holography technology. During the process of photographing, light beams emitted from a laser source are separated into signal beams and reference beams by a spectroscope. The signal beams and the reference beams are projected on the same side of the holographic film according to the transmission holography technology. After being diffracted and interfered, light waves of the keyboard arrangement carrying the amplitude and phase information of key arrangement and symbols are recorded in the holographic film.
  • The light sources 50 are located under the holographic film 30. The light sources 50 project light beams through the touch panel 40 and onto the holographic film 30. The holographic film 30 and the light beams cooperatively generate the virtual keyboard 20. After reconstructing the amplitude and phase information of key arrangement and symbols recorded on the holographic film 30, the virtual keyboard 20 will emerge above the holographic film 30 vividly. Users can touch the touch panel 40 according to the keyboard arrangement of the virtual keyboard 20 for key-in or gesture input. It should be noted that , the size, shape, and relative position of the virtual keyboard 20 preferably match that of the holographic film 30.
  • The touch panel 40 is positioned close to the virtual keyboard 20, for detecting a position being touched on the touch panel 40 and generating touch signals correspondingly. Thus, the size, shape, and relative position of the virtual keyboard 20 preferably well match that of the touch panel 40.
  • Referring to FIG. 2B, in an alternative embodiment, the holographic film 30 is disposed under the touch panel 40, and the light source 50 is located under the holographic film 30. The light beams from the light source 50 project onto the holographic film 30 and then generate the virtual keyboard 20 above the touch panel 40. The keyboard 10 in FIG. 2B is of the same working principles with the embodiment shown in FIG. 2A.
  • When the keyboard 10 serves as an independent device, it may further includes a frame 60 to support the components mentioned above. The frame 60 includes a base plate 61 and a plurality of sidewalls 62 extending substantially perpendicular to edges of the base plate 61. The base plate 61 and the sidewalls 62 corporately define a groove 63 having an open end and a closed end. The touch panel 40 is mounted on the frame 60 positioned at the open end of the groove 63, and the light sources 50 are positioned at the closed end of the groove 63.
  • There are two methods to attach the holographic film 30 to the touch panel 40. One is to use an adhesive material, such as optical clear adhesive (OCA), to bond the holographic film 30 to the touch panel 40 directly. The other one is to use a mechanical structure, such as a detachable structure, to assemble the holographic film 30 to the touch panel 40. It should be noted that, the two methods could be used together in the keyboard 10, if necessary.
  • The aforementioned detachable structure could be snap-fitted connection or bolted connection, to firmly fix the holographic film 30 to the touch panel 40. Referring to FIG 3A, a snap-fitted structure 71 is mounted on the frame 60 to connect to one end of the holographic film 30 and the touch panel 40. Another snap-fitted structure (not shown) is mounted on the frame 60 to connect to the other end of the holographic film 30 and the touch panel 40. It is symmetrically designed. The snap-fitted structure 71 includes a sliding snap 73 and an elastic element 72. It is easy to change the keyboard 10 from one language to another by simply sliding the sliding snap 73 and replacing current holographic film 30 with a new one required. Referring to FIG. 3B, a bolted structure 74 is mounted on the frame 60 to connect to one end of the holographic film 30 and the touch panel 40. Another bolted structure (not shown) is mounted on the frame 60 to connect to the other end of the holographic film 30 and the touch panel 40. It is also symmetrically designed. The bolted structure 74 includes a bolt 76 and a nut 75 engaging with the bolt 76 on an upper end thereof. A bottom end of the bolt 76 is fixed. It is easy to change the keyboard 10 from one language to another by simply removing the nut 75 and replacing current holographic film 30 with a new one required.
  • The touch panel 40 could be a transparent capacitive touch panel, or a resistive touch panel, or an infrared sensing touch panel, or an electromagnetic sensing touch panel, or an acoustic wave sensing touch panel.
  • The light sources 50 can project the light beams onto the holographic film 30 through the touch panel 40. The touch panel 40 includes a sensing layer 41 (as shown in FIG.7) made of transparent conductive material. The virtual keys on the virtual keyboard 20 according to the keyboard arrangement correspond to a plurality of sensing units of the sensing layer 41. The sensing layer in the touch panel 40 detects the contact position being touched on the keyboard 10.
  • The light sources 50 may be Light-Emitting Diodes (LED) or Laser Diodes (LD) both emitting single color light. The keyboard 10 may further includes an expender (not shown) disposed in front of the light source 50 for diffusing the light beams. The expender makes the light beams cover the whole surface of the holographic film 30. The quantity and arrangement of the light sources 50 are designed based on practical requirements in terms of providing even and sufficient light beams. It is to be understood that, the light source 50 may be omitted.
  • The keyboard 10 can be used in electronic devices, such as desktop computers, laptops, and cell phones. Referring to FIG. 4, a first embodiment of an electronic device includes a host 90, the keyboard 10, and a transmission device 80 for transmitting signals to host 90. In this embodiment, the electronic device is a desktop computer. The transmission device 80 is a transmission wire, such as a Universal Serial Bus (USB) wire or an RS-232 wire. It is to be understood that the transmission device 80 may also use wireless transmission technologies, such as Wireless Fidelity technology (WIFI), Radio Frequency Identification technology (RFID), Infrared technology (IR), or Bluetooth technology.
  • Referring to FIG. 5, a second embodiment of the electronic device 100 includes the keyboard 10 integrated into a host. In this embodiment, the electronic device 100 is a laptop. The keyboard 10 in FIG. 5 used in the laptop 100 is of the same working principle and structure with the first applied embodiment in FIG.4 described before.
  • Furthermore, the keyboard 10 can be integrated into a tabletop or a wall to be adapted to different circumstances.
  • Referring to FIG. 6, an embodiment of an input method using the keyboard is illustrated.
  • In step S101, a virtual keyboard is generated form the holographic film positioned on a side of a touch panel.
  • In step S102, a position information corresponding to a position being touched on the touch panel is detected.
  • In step S103, a touch signal corresponding to a key of the virtual keyboard is generated and outputted based on the position information.
  • W hen using the keyboard 10, the first thing is to record both the arrangement and the symbols in required language into the holographic film 30. When the light source 50 is powered on, the users can see the virtual keyboard 20 emerging above the holographic film 30. The arrangement and the characters of the virtual keyboard 20 are the same as that recorded in the holographic film 30 before. The size and shape of the virtual keyboard 20 well matched with that of the touch panel 40. The holographic film 30 is touched by the users at the corresponding symbols and positions on the virtual keyboard 20. The touch panel 40 detects the position being touched or the gesture made to find out the touch information, to provide striking input and handwriting input accordingly.
  • Although embodiments of the present disclosure have been fully described with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be noted that various changes and modifications will become apparent to those skilled in the art. Such changes and modifications are to be understood as being included within the scope of embodiments of this invention as defined by the appended claim.

Claims (26)

1. A keyboard, comprising:
a holographic film having a holographic information of a keyboard arrangement recorded on a surface thereof;
a virtual keyboard generated from the holographic film; and
a touch panel adjoining the virtual keyboard, configured to generate a touch signal corresponding to a position being touched thereon.
2. The keyboard according to claim 1, further comprising a light source positioned on a side of the holographic film configured to project light beams to make the holographic film generate the virtual keyboard.
3. The keyboard according to claim 1, wherein a size and a position of the virtual keyboard match that of the touch panel.
4. The keyboard according to claim 2, wherein the touch panel is attached to a surface of the holographic film facing the light source; the light beams emitted from the light source pass through the touch panel and project onto the holographic film, and the virtual keyboard is formed on a side of the holographic film away from the light source.
5. The keyboard according to claim 4, wherein the holographic film is bonded to the touch panel.
6. The keyboard according to claim 4, further comprising a detachable structure, wherein the holographic film is attached to the touch panel via the detachable structure.
7. The keyboard according to claim 6, wherein the detachable structure is a snap-fitted connection or a bolted connection.
8. The keyboard according to claim 2, wherein the holographic film is attached to a surface of the touch panel facing the light source; the light beams emitted from the light source project onto the holographic film, and the virtual keyboard is formed above a side the touch panel away form the light source.
9. The keyboard according to claim 1, wherein the holographic film is shaped as substantially a plane.
10. The keyboard according to claim 1, wherein the holographic film is made of transparent insulation material.
11. The keyboard according to claim 10, wherein the transparent insulated material is selected from the group consisting of glass, emulsion, photonic crystal and plastic.
12. The keyboard according to claim 1, wherein the holographic film is formed by photographing using a transmission holography technology.
13. The keyboard according to claim 2, wherein the light source is a light emitting diode or a laser diode.
14. The keyboard according to claim 2, further comprising an expender disposed on the light source to diffuse the light beams.
15. The keyboard according to claim 1, wherein the touch panel is selected from the group consisting of resistive touch panel, capacitive touch panel, infrared sensing touch panel, electromagnetic sensing touch panel, and acoustic wave sensing touch panel.
16. The keyboard according to claim 1, wherein the touch panel comprises a sensing layer to detect the contact position being touched.
17. The keyboard according to claim 1, wherein the touch panel is made of transparent material.
18. The keyboard according to claim 2, further comprising a frame defining a groove; the touch panel is mounted on the frame positioned at an open end of the groove, and the light source is positioned at a closed end of the groove.
19. An electronic device, comprising:
a host;
a keyboard, comprising:
a holographic film having a holographic information of a keyboard arrangement recorded on a surface thereof;
a virtual keyboard generated from the holographic film;
a touch panel adjoining the virtual keyboard, configured to generate a touch signal corresponding to a position being touched thereon; and
a transmission device configured to transmit the touch signal to the host.
20. The electronic device according to claim 19, further comprising a light source positioned on a side of the holographic film configured to project light beams to make the holographic film generate the virtual keyboard.
21. The electronic device according to claim 19, wherein the transmission device is a transmission wire.
22. The electronic device according to claim 19, wherein the transmission device uses wireless transmission technology, which is selected from the group consisting of Wireless Fidelity technology (WIFI), Radio Frequency Identification technology (RFID), Infrared technology (IR), and Bluetooth technology.
23. The electronic device according to claim 19, wherein the keyboard is integrated into the host.
24. The electronic device according to claim 22, wherein the electronic device is a laptop or a cell phone.
25. The electronic device according to claim 19, wherein the keyboard is integrated into a tabletop or a wall.
26. An input method, comprising:
generating a virtual keyboard from a holographic film positioned on a side of a touch panel;
detecting position information corresponding to a position being touched on the touch panel; and
generating and outputting a touch signal corresponding to a key of the virtual keyboard based on the position information.
EP10854590.6A 2010-07-16 2010-08-17 Keyboard, electronic device using the same and input method Withdrawn EP2593850A4 (en)

Applications Claiming Priority (2)

Application Number Priority Date Filing Date Title
CN2010102362297A CN102339131A (en) 2010-07-16 2010-07-16 Keyboard, electronic device using same and inputting method
PCT/CN2010/076045 WO2012006798A1 (en) 2010-07-16 2010-08-17 Keyboard, electronic device using the same and input method

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EP2593850A1 true EP2593850A1 (en) 2013-05-22
EP2593850A4 EP2593850A4 (en) 2016-04-06

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JP (1) JP5628423B2 (en)
KR (1) KR101473465B1 (en)
CN (1) CN102339131A (en)
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WO (1) WO2012006798A1 (en)

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TW201428569A (en) * 2013-01-10 2014-07-16 Sipix Technology Inc Display system having electrophoretic touch panel
CN104932707B (en) * 2014-03-18 2020-04-24 联想(北京)有限公司 Keyboard switching method and electronic equipment
CN107807710A (en) * 2016-09-08 2018-03-16 宏碁股份有限公司 Portable electron device
US10164631B2 (en) * 2016-11-09 2018-12-25 Ford Global Technologies, Llc Holographic proximity switch

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JPH08511365A (en) * 1993-04-28 1996-11-26 マクフェターズ，アール．，ダグラス Holographic operator interface
JPH07306740A (en) * 1994-05-10 1995-11-21 Nec Corp Keyboard cover
JPH10187332A (en) * 1996-12-24 1998-07-14 Dainippon Printing Co Ltd Hologram input keyboard
JP2002041240A (en) * 2000-07-28 2002-02-08 Dainippon Printing Co Ltd Input display panel and information device having the same
JP4475769B2 (en) * 2000-08-04 2010-06-09 大日本印刷株式会社 Laminated body having input display body and information device having the same
EP2581248B1 (en) * 2003-03-31 2016-11-02 Apple Inc. Reconfigurable vehicle instrument panels
US8212768B2 (en) * 2007-10-31 2012-07-03 Fimed Properties Ag Limited Liability Company Digital, data, and multimedia user interface with a keyboard
CN201716683U (en) * 2010-07-16 2011-01-19 宸鸿光电科技股份有限公司 Keyboard and electronic apparatus using keyboard

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EP2593850A4 (en) 2016-04-06
CN102339131A (en) 2012-02-01
DE202010018592U1 (en) 2018-03-19
JP2013531858A (en) 2013-08-08
KR20130032360A (en) 2013-04-01
WO2012006798A1 (en) 2012-01-19
KR101473465B1 (en) 2014-12-16
JP5628423B2 (en) 2014-11-19

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