TW202326384A - Knob device - Google Patents

Abstract

A knob device includes a rotary sensing surface, a knob cap, at least one first sensing electrode, at least one second sensing electrode and a processing circuit. The knob cap is pivoted at a rotational axis position on the rotary sensing surface. The first sensing electrode is configured on the rotary sensing surface and is configured below an electrode movement path of the knob cap. The second sensing electrode is configured on the knob cap. As the knob cap is rotated on the rotating sensing surface, the second sensing electrode is moved along the electrode movement path. The processing circuit determines a rotational state of the knob cap according to a capacitive characteristic between the first sensing electrode and the second sensing electrode, and determines a pressed state of the knob cap according to the capacitive characteristic and a sensing threshold.

Description

Knob device

The present invention relates to a knob device, and in particular to a knob device capable of sensing a rotation state and/or a pressing state according to a capacitance characteristic between sensing electrodes.

With the development of panel technology and the introduction of various electronic devices (such as 360-degree flip laptops, 2in1 tablets, and full-featured computers (All-In-One, AIO)), users can directly perform various tasks on electronic devices. . However, for some users, it is not enough to use the current common input devices, such as keyboard, mouse, active pen, touch panel and (or) drawing tablet, to carry out work, so some auxiliary devices are launched on the market. A working input device, such as a knob device, can provide functions such as turning to select and/or pressing to confirm. However, the existing knob devices on the market all use optical sensors. Optical sensors need to be equipped with structural elements such as light sources, light receivers, and (or) lenses, plus the space required for the light transmission path, so that the height of such elements is close to 10mm. Assuming that this kind of knob device is applied to equipment or notebook devices that need to consider the size of components (currently, the common thickness is between 20mm and 25mm), the thickness of the body will be greatly increased.

In view of this, the present invention proposes a knob device, which can sense the rotation state and/or the pressing state according to the capacitance characteristic between the sensing electrodes.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the knob device includes a rotating sensing surface, a knob cap, at least one first sensing electrode, at least one second sensing electrode, and a processing circuit. The knob cap is pivotally arranged at the position of the rotation axis on the rotation sensing surface. At least one first sensing electrode is disposed on the rotating sensing surface and disposed below the electrode moving path of the knob cap. At least one second sensing electrode is disposed on the knob cap. As the knob cap rotates on the rotating sensing surface, at least one second sensing electrode moves along the electrode moving path. The processing circuit is coupled to at least one first sensing electrode and at least one second sensing electrode. The processing circuit judges the rotation state of the knob cap according to the capacitance characteristic between the at least one first sensing electrode and the at least one second sensing electrode, and judges the pressing state of the knob cap according to the capacitance characteristic and the sensing threshold.

Based on the above, the knob device described in various embodiments of the present invention can be configured with one or more second sensing electrodes on the knob cap. As the knob cap is rotated on the rotating sensing surface, the second sensing electrode can move along the electrode moving path. One or more first sensing electrodes are arranged on the rotating sensing surface of the knob device according to the electrode moving path. The capacitance characteristic between the first sensing electrode and the second sensing electrode can change as the knob cap is rotated on the rotating sensing surface. In this way, the knob device can judge the rotation state of the knob cap through the processing circuit to sense the change of the capacitive characteristic, and can also judge the pressing state of the knob cap according to the capacitive characteristic and the sensing threshold.

In order to make the above-mentioned features and advantages of the present invention more comprehensible, the following specific embodiments are described in detail together with the accompanying drawings.

The term "coupled (or connected)" used throughout the specification of this case (including the scope of claims) may refer to any direct or indirect means of connection. For example, if it is described in the text that a first device is coupled (or connected) to a second device, it should be interpreted that the first device can be directly connected to the second device, or the first device can be connected to the second device through other devices or certain A connection means indirectly connected to the second device. The terms "first" and "second" mentioned in the entire description of this case (including the scope of the patent application) are used to name elements (elements), or to distinguish different embodiments or ranges, and are not used to limit the number of elements The upper or lower limit of , nor is it used to limit the order of the elements. In addition, wherever possible, elements/components/steps using the same reference numerals in the drawings and embodiments represent the same or similar parts. Elements/components/steps using the same symbols or using the same terms in different embodiments can refer to related descriptions.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a circuit block of a knob device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 1 , the knob device 100 includes a rotation sensing surface 110 , a knob cap 120 , one or more first sensing electrodes 111 and one or more second sensing electrodes 121 . FIG. 1 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a knob device 100 . In some embodiments, the knob device 100 can be applied to any electronic device that requires an input operation, such as a computer, a laptop, a tablet computer or other devices. The user can rotate or move the knob cap 120 relative to the rotation sensing surface 111 by rotating the knob cap 120 in the clockwise direction DIR1 or the counterclockwise direction DIR2, and (or) pressing the knob cap 120 in the vertical direction DIR3. To perform input or adjustment operations on the above-mentioned equipment, machines, laptops or other devices.

According to practical applications, in some embodiments, the knob device 100 can be built in or externally connected to the electronic device. The first sensing electrode 111 and the second sensing electrode 121 are electrically connected to the processing circuit 200 . According to actual design, the processing circuit 200 may include an analog front end (AFE) circuit, a microprocessor and/or other processing elements. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 200 may be a next-level circuit external to the knob device 100 . In other embodiments, the processing circuit 200 may be an internal component of the knob device 100 . The processing circuit 200 can judge the capacitance characteristic between the first sensing electrode 111 and the second sensing electrode 121 . The processing circuit 200 can judge the rotation state of the knob cap 120 according to the change of the capacitance characteristic, and then provide the rotation state of the knob cap 120 to the system (not shown). In some embodiments, the processing circuit 200 can also judge the pressing state of the knob cap 120 according to the change of the capacitance characteristic between the first sensing electrode 111 and the second sensing electrode 121, and then provide the pressing state of the knob cap 120 to system.

According to design requirements, related functions of the processing circuit 200 can be implemented as hardware by using hardware description languages (such as Verilog HDL or VHDL) or other suitable programming languages. For example, the relevant functions of the processing circuit 200 can be implemented in one or more microcontrollers, microprocessors, application-specific integrated circuits (Application-specific integrated circuit, ASIC), digital signal processors (digital signal processor, DSP), Field Programmable Gate Array (Field Programmable Gate Array, FPGA) and/or various logic blocks, modules and circuits in other processing units. In terms of software and/or firmware, relevant functions of the processing circuit 200 may be implemented as programming codes. For example, it can be realized by using general programming languages (programming languages, such as C, C++ or assembly language) or other suitable programming languages. The programming code can be recorded/stored in "non-transitory computer readable medium", such as including read only memory (Read Only Memory, ROM), tape (tape), disk (disk), card (card), semiconductor memory, programmable logic circuit and/or storage device. A central processing unit (Central Processing Unit, CPU), microcontroller or microprocessor can read and execute the programming code from the non-transitory computer-readable medium, so as to achieve related functions.

FIG. 2 is a schematic flowchart of a sensing method for a knob device according to an embodiment of the invention. Please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 2 at the same time. In step S210, one or more first sensing electrodes 111 may be arranged on the rotating sensing surface 110, and arranged on the electrode movement path of the knob cap 120 (not shown in FIG. 1, refer to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 or below the electrode movement path EP shown in Figure 6). In step S220 , one or more second sensing electrodes 121 may be disposed on the lower surface of the knob cap 120 (or disposed in the knob cap 120 ). In step S230 , the knob cap 120 can be pivoted at the rotation axis position SP on the rotation sensing surface 110 through the rotation axis SF or other connecting elements or mechanisms. The knob cap 120 can rotate above the rotation sensing surface 110 based on the position SP of the rotating shaft. As the knob cap 120 is rotated on the rotating sensing surface 110, the second sensing electrode 121 can move along the electrode moving path. The number, type and distribution of the first sensing electrodes 111 and (or) the second sensing electrodes 121 can be set according to actual needs, and this embodiment is not limited thereto. In this embodiment, the rotating shaft SF may be disposed at the center of the rotation sensing surface 110 and/or the knob cap 120 , but this embodiment is not limited thereto.

In this embodiment, the first sensing electrodes 111 and the second sensing electrodes 121 may be transmitting electrodes and receiving electrodes respectively, and vice versa. Then a parallel plate capacitance signal can be formed between the first sensing electrode 111 and the second sensing electrode 121, and as the knob cap 120 rotates or moves (presses) relative to the rotating sensing surface 110, the first sensing electrode 111 And the capacitance characteristic between the second sensing electrodes 121 will change. Then in step S240, in some embodiments, the processing circuit 200 shown in FIG. 1 may be coupled to the first sensing electrode 111 and the second sensing electrode 121, so as to sense The capacitance characteristic between the electrodes 121 is used to judge the rotation state of the knob cap 120 . According to practical applications, the rotation status may include, for example, a rotation direction (clockwise DIR1 or counterclockwise DIR2 ), rotational speed, rotation angle, and/or other rotation-related information.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a side section and installation position of a knob device 300 according to another embodiment of the present invention. The upper part of FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram of the knob cap 120 of the knob device 300 in a released state. The lower part of FIG. 3 shows a schematic diagram of the knob cap 120 of the knob device 300 in a pressed state. According to actual design, in some embodiments, the knob device 300 shown in FIG. 3 may be an implementation example of the knob device 100 shown in FIG. 1 . In this embodiment, taking the application of the knob device 300 to a notebook device as an example, the rotation sensing surface 110 and the knob cap 120 of the knob device 300 can be respectively arranged on the C-cover (C-cover) CC of the notebook device. on both sides. The rotating shaft SF passes through the through hole of the C cover CC, and the knob cap 120 is pivoted on the rotation sensing surface 110 through the rotating shaft SF. The user can perform input operations on the notebook device by rotating or pressing the knob cap 120 of the knob device 300 . The rotating sensing surface 110, the knob cap 120, the first sensing electrode 111 and the second sensing electrode 121 shown in FIG. and the relevant description of the second sensing electrode 121 are analogized, and will not be repeated here. In some embodiments, the rotation sensing surface 110 may include a circuit substrate, such as a printed circuit board (Printed circuit board, PCBA) or other types of circuit boards. In some embodiments, the first sensing electrode 111 can be coupled to the processing circuit (such as the processing circuit 200 in the example of FIG. 1 ) through the circuit substrate, and the second sensing electrode 121 can be connected to the electrical path through the rotating shaft SF. The circuit substrate is coupled to a processing circuit for judging the rotation state and/or the pressing state of the knob cap 120 .

The difference from the example in FIG. 1 is that the knob device 300 shown in FIG. 3 may further include a reset element 130 . The reset element 130 may be, for example, a spring or other types of reset elements. In this embodiment, the reset element 130 may be disposed in the rotating shaft SF (or disposed on the surface of the rotating shaft SF). After the user finishes pressing the knob cap 120 , the reset element 130 can provide the force required for the knob cap 120 to reset. For example, in this embodiment, the user can press the knob cap 120 along the vertical direction DIR3, and the schematic diagrams before and after pressing are shown in the upper half and the lower half of FIG. 3 respectively. Assume that before the knob cap 120 is pressed (as shown in the upper part of FIG. 3 ), the relative height between the rotation sensing surface 110 and the knob cap 120 is the first height D1. When the knob cap 120 is pressed (as shown in the lower part of FIG. 3 ), the relative height between the rotation sensing surface 110 and the knob cap 120 is reduced from the first height D1 to the second height D2. Then in this embodiment, after the user stops/cancels pressing the knob cap 120, the knob device 100 can restore the relative height of the knob cap 120 relative to the rotation sensing surface 110 from the second height D2 to the first height through the reset element 130. A height D1.

Pressing the knob cap 120 by the user will cause a change in the relative height between the knob cap 120 and the rotating sensing surface 110 , thereby resulting in a change in the capacitance between the first sensing electrode 111 and the second sensing electrode 121 . For example, in some embodiments, when the relative distance between the first sensing electrode 111 and the second sensing electrode 121 is smaller, the resulting capacitance is larger. Therefore, in some embodiments, according to the capacitance characteristics between the first sensing electrode 111 and the second sensing electrode 121 and the preset (or dynamically adjusted) The sensing threshold is used to judge the pressing state of the knob cap 120 . For example, when the processing circuit 200 determines that the capacitance value between the first sensing electrode 111 and the second sensing electrode 121 exceeds the sensing threshold, it can determine that the pressing state of the knob cap 120 is pressed (ON), and vice versa. Not pressed (OFF).

FIG. 4 is a top perspective view illustrating the knob device 100 shown in FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Based on the actual design, in some embodiments, the knob device 300 shown in FIG. 3 can also be analogized with reference to the related description of the knob device shown in FIG. 4 . Please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 4 at the same time. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 , the second sensing electrode 121 arranged on the knob cap 120 may include a transmitting electrode Tx, and the first sensing electrode 111 arranged on the rotating sensing surface 110 may include a plurality of receiving electrodes ( For example, the receiving electrodes Rx1 , Rx4 , Rx7 , Rx10 , Rx13 , Rx16 , Rx19 , Rx22 , Rx23 and Rx24 shown in FIG. 4 ). The number, shape and distribution of the transmitting electrodes Tx and (or) receiving electrodes Rx1 - Rx24 are just an example, and are not limited in this embodiment.

In this embodiment, the transmitting electrode Tx can be used to transmit a driving signal, and the transmitting electrode Tx can be rotated above the rotating sensing surface 110 with the knob cap 120 and move along the electrode moving path EP. In this embodiment, the receiving electrodes Rx1 - Rx24 may be evenly distributed below the electrode moving path EP with the rotation axis position SP as the center. Based on the rotation of the transmitting electrode Tx, each of the receiving electrodes Rx1-Rx24 can be used to sense the driving signal sent by the transmitting electrode Tx to generate a sensing result. In this embodiment, a plurality of sensing results generated by the receiving electrodes Rx1 - Rx24 can be used to determine the current position of the transmitting electrode Tx.

For example, in some embodiments, the processing circuit 200 illustrated in FIG. 1 may be coupled to the transmitting electrode Tx and the receiving electrodes Rx1 - Rx24 . The processing circuit 200 can determine the current position of the transmitting electrode Tx according to a plurality of sensing results of the receiving electrodes Rx1 - Rx24 . For example, in some embodiments, the processing circuit 200 may select a maximum intensity sensing result from multiple sensing results in the receiving electrodes Rx1-Rx24, and use the The position of one receiving electrode serves as the current position of the transmitting electrode Tx. Taking the operation scenario shown in FIG. 4 as an example, the transmitting electrode Tx is located above the receiving electrode Rx23, so the sensing result of the receiving electrode Rx23 is stronger than the sensing results of other receiving electrodes Rx1-Rx22 and Rx24. The processing circuit 200 can use the position of the receiving electrode Rx23 with the maximum intensity sensing result as the current position of the transmitting electrode Tx, and then report the current position of the transmitting electrode Tx (the rotation state of the knob cap 120 ) to the system (not shown).

In some embodiments, if multiple receiving electrodes Rx1-Rx24 have the same maximum intensity sensing result, the processing circuit 200 may select one of the receiving electrodes Rx1-Rx24 according to the previous position of the transmitting electrode Tx or other methods. The position of one of them is used as the current position of the transmitting electrode Tx. In this way, the processing circuit 200 can determine the rotation state of the knob cap 120 according to the change of the current position of the transmitting electrode Tx. For example, in the operation scenario shown in FIG. 4 , when the processing circuit 200 determines that the position of the transmitting electrode Tx has moved from the position of the receiving electrode Rx19 (the previous position) to the position of the receiving electrode Rx23 (the current position), the processing circuit 200 may It is determined that the rotation direction of the knob cap 120 is the clockwise direction DIR1, the rotation angle is 60 degrees, and other rotation states. Considering the time it takes for the position of the transmitting electrode Tx to move from the position of the receiving electrode Rx19 to the position of the receiving electrode Rx23 , the processing circuit 200 can also calculate the rotation state such as the rotational speed of the knob cap 120 .

In addition, in some embodiments, the processing circuit 200 can also determine the pressing state of the knob cap 120 according to a plurality of sensing results of the receiving electrodes Rx1 - Rx24 . For example, when the processing circuit 200 determines the maximum intensity result among the sensing results of the receiving electrodes Rx1 - Rx24 , it may further determine whether the maximum intensity result exceeds the sensing threshold. For example, when the processing circuit 200 determines that the maximum intensity result exceeds the sensing threshold, it may determine that the pressing state of the knob cap 120 is pressed, otherwise it is not pressed.

FIG. 5 is a schematic top perspective view illustrating the knob device 100 shown in FIG. 1 according to another embodiment of the present invention. Based on the actual design, in some embodiments, the knob device 300 shown in FIG. 3 can also be analogized with reference to the related description of the knob device shown in FIG. 5 . Please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 5 at the same time. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the second sensing electrode 121 arranged on the knob cap 120 may include a receiving electrode Rx, and the first sensing electrode 111 arranged on the rotating sensing surface 110 may include a plurality of emitting electrodes ( For example, the transmitting electrodes Tx1, Tx4, Tx7, Tx10, Tx13, Tx16, Tx19, Tx22, Tx23 and Tx24 shown in Figure 5. The number, shape and distribution of the transmitting electrodes Tx1 to Tx24 and (or) the receiving electrodes Rx are just one It is an example, and this embodiment is not limited.

In this embodiment, the transmitting electrodes Tx1 - Tx24 can be used to transmit driving signals, and the transmitting electrodes Tx1 - Tx24 can be evenly distributed below the electrode moving path EP centered on the rotation axis position SP. The receiving electrode Rx can rotate above the rotating sensing surface 110 with the knob cap 120 and move along the electrode moving path EP to sense the driving signal from any one of the transmitting electrodes Tx1 - Tx24 and generate a sensing result. In this embodiment, the sensing result generated by the receiving electrode Rx can be used to determine the current position of the receiving electrode Rx.

For example, in some embodiments, the processing circuit 200 illustrated in FIG. 1 may be coupled to the transmitting electrodes Tx1 - Tx24 and the receiving electrode Rx. The processing circuit 200 can sequentially transmit a driving signal through one of the transmitting electrodes Tx1 - Tx24 at different time points, and determine the current position of the receiving electrode Rx according to the time point of the driving signal sensed by the receiving electrode Rx. Taking the operation scenario shown in FIG. 5 as an example, the receiving electrode Rx is located above the transmitting electrode Tx23, so the receiving electrode Rx can sense the driving signal from the transmitting electrode Tx23 at the time point corresponding to the transmitting electrode Tx23. The processing circuit 200 can judge "the current position of the receiving electrode Rx is near the transmitting electrode Tx23" according to the time point when the receiving electrode Rx senses the driving signal, and then report the current position of the receiving electrode Rx (rotation state of the knob cap 120) to system (not shown).

In this way, the processing circuit 200 can determine the rotation state of the knob cap 120 according to the change of the current position of the receiving electrode Rx. For example, in the operation scenario shown in FIG. 5 , when the processing circuit 200 determines that the position of the receiving electrode Rx has moved from the position of the transmitting electrode Tx19 (the previous position) to the position of the transmitting electrode Tx23 (the current position), the processing circuit 200 may determine that The rotation direction of the knob cap 120 is the clockwise direction DIR1, the rotation angle is 60 degrees and the rotation state such as the rotation speed.

FIG. 6 is a top perspective view illustrating the knob device 100 shown in FIG. 1 according to still another embodiment of the present invention. Based on the actual design, in some embodiments, the knob device 300 shown in FIG. 3 can also be analogized with reference to the relevant description of the knob device shown in FIG. 6 . Please refer to Figure 1 and Figure 6 at the same time. In the embodiment shown in FIG. 6 , the first sensing electrode 111 disposed on the rotating sensing surface 110 may include a first emitter electrode Tx61 and (or) a second emitter electrode Tx62, and the first emitter electrode Tx62 disposed on the knob cap 120 The two sensing electrodes 121 may include a plurality of receiving electrodes (such as receiving electrodes Rx61 , Rx62 , Rx63 , Rx64 , Rx65 , Rx66 , Rx67 and Rx68 shown in FIG. 6 ) with different lengths. In some embodiments, the receiving electrodes Rx61 - Rx68 can be sequentially arranged on the knob cap 120 along the clockwise direction DIR1 or the counterclockwise direction DIR2 according to the electrode lengths of the receiving electrodes Rx61 - Rx68 . The quantity, shape and distribution of the first transmitting electrode Tx61 , the second transmitting electrode Tx62 and (or) the receiving electrodes Rx61 - Rx68 are just an example, and the present embodiment is not limited thereto.

In some embodiments, the first emitter electrode Tx61 may emit a first driving signal, and the second emitter electrode Tx62 may emit a second driving signal at a different time. The receiving electrodes Rx61 - Rx68 may be coupled to each other and radially distributed on the lower surface of the knob cap 120 with the rotation axis position SP as the center and across the electrode movement path EP of the knob cap 120 . Based on the rotation of the knob cap 120 , each of the receiving electrodes Rx61 - Rx68 can be used to sense the first driving signal sent by the first transmitting electrode Tx61 to generate a first sensing result. In this embodiment, based on the fact that the receiving electrodes Rx61-Rx68 can rotate on the rotating sensing surface 110 with the knob cap 120, the maximum overlapping areas between the receiving electrodes Rx61-Rx68 and the first transmitting electrode Tx61 are different from each other. The first sensing results generated by the receiving electrodes Rx61 - Rx68 can be used to determine the current position of the receiving electrodes Rx61 - Rx68 relative to the first transmitting electrode Tx61 .

For example, in some embodiments, the processing circuit 200 illustrated in FIG. 1 may be coupled to the first transmitting electrode Tx61 and the receiving electrodes Rx61 - Rx68 . The processing circuit 200 can determine which one of the receiving electrodes Rx61-Rx68 overlaps the first transmitting electrode Tx61 according to the signal strength of the first sensing result generated by the receiving electrodes Rx61-Rx68, and then determine whether the receiving electrodes Rx61-Rx68 are relative to the first transmitting electrode Tx61. The current position of the transmitter electrode Tx61. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 200 may store a signal strength lookup table to determine the current position of the receiving electrodes Rx61 - Rx68 relative to the first transmitting electrode Tx61 through the table lookup method. In this way, the processing circuit 200 can determine the rotation state of the knob cap 120 according to the change of the current position of the receiving electrodes Rx61 - Rx68 relative to the first transmitting electrode Tx61 .

In some embodiments, the second emitter electrode Tx62 can be used to emit the second driving signal. In this embodiment, the second transmitting electrode Tx62 can be arranged on the rotating sensing surface 110 in a ring around the rotation axis position SP, and in the vertical projection of the rotating sensing surface 110, the receiving electrodes Rx61-Rx68 all straddle the second transmitting electrode Tx62. The receiving electrodes Rx61 - Rx68 can be used to sense the second driving signal sent by the second transmitting electrode Tx62 to generate a second sensing result. Then in this embodiment, when the knob cap 120 is rotated on the rotating sensing surface 110 , the overlapping areas between the receiving electrodes Rx61 - Rx68 and the second transmitting electrode Tx62 are all the same. The second sensing results generated by the receiving electrodes Rx61 - Rx68 can be used to determine the pressing state of the knob cap 120 .

For example, in some embodiments, the processing circuit 200 illustrated in FIG. 1 may be coupled to the first transmitting electrode Tx61 , the second transmitting electrode Tx62 and the receiving electrodes Rx61 - Rx68 . The processing circuit 200 can determine the pressing state of the knob cap 120 according to the second sensing results of the receiving electrodes Rx61 - Rx68 and the sensing threshold. For example, when the processing circuit 200 determines that the signal strength of the second sensing result exceeds the sensing threshold, it can determine that the pressing state of the knob cap 120 is pressed, otherwise it is not pressed. In some embodiments, the processing circuit 200 can provide the first driving signal and the second driving signal to the first emitter electrode Tx61 and the second emitter electrode Tx62 during different periods, so as to determine the rotation state and the press state of the knob cap 120 respectively.

To sum up, in the knob devices 100 , 300 and sensing methods thereof described in various embodiments of the present invention, one or more second sensing electrodes 121 can be configured on the knob cap 120 . As the knob cap 120 is rotated on the rotating sensing surface 110 , the second sensing electrode 121 can move along the electrode moving path EP. The first sensing electrode 111 is disposed on the rotation sensing surface 110 of the knob device 100 , 300 according to the electrode moving path EP. The capacitance characteristic between the first sensing electrode 111 and the second sensing electrode 121 can change as the knob cap 120 is rotated on the rotating sensing surface 110 . In this way, the knob devices 100 and 300 can judge the rotation state of the knob cap 120 by sensing the change of the capacitive characteristic by the processing circuit 200 , and can also judge the pressing state of the knob cap 120 according to the capacitive characteristic and the sensing threshold. In addition, since the capacitive sensing electrodes are small in size, low in complexity, and easy to implement, the knob devices 100 and 300 are also suitable for use in devices that need to consider the size of components (such as notebooks and other devices).

Although the present invention has been disclosed above with the embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Anyone with ordinary knowledge in the technical field may make some changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention should be defined by the scope of the appended patent application.

100, 300: knob device 110: rotating sensing surface 111: the first sensing electrode 120: Knob cap 121: the second sensing electrode 130: reset element 200: processing circuit CC:C cover D1, D2: relative height DIR1, DIR2, DIR3: direction EP: electrode moving path Rx, Rx1～Rx24, Rx61～Rx68: receiving electrodes S210～S240: Steps SF: Shaft SP: Spindle position Tx, Tx1～Tx24, Tx61, Tx62: Transmitting electrodes

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a circuit block of a knob device according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 2 is a flowchart of a sensing method of a knob device according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a side section and installation position of a knob device according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4 is a schematic top perspective view illustrating the knob device shown in FIG. 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 5 is a schematic top perspective view illustrating the knob device shown in FIG. 1 according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6 is a schematic top perspective view illustrating the knob device shown in FIG. 1 according to yet another embodiment of the present invention.

100: Knob device

110: rotating sensing surface

111: the first sensing electrode

120: Knob cap

121: the second sensing electrode

200: processing circuit

DIR1, DIR2, DIR3: direction

SF: Shaft

SP: Spindle position

Claims (13)

A knob device, comprising: a rotating sensing surface; a knob cap pivotally arranged at a rotating shaft position on the rotating sensing surface; At least one first sensing electrode is disposed on the rotating sensing surface and below an electrode moving path of the knob cap; At least one second sensing electrode is arranged on the knob cap, wherein as the knob cap rotates on the rotating sensing surface, the at least one second sensing electrode moves along the electrode moving path; and A processing circuit, coupled to the at least one first sensing electrode and the at least one second sensing electrode, wherein the processing circuit is based on the at least one first sensing electrode and the at least one second sensing electrode A capacitance characteristic judges a rotation state of the knob cap, and judges a pressing state of the knob cap according to the capacitance characteristic and a sensing threshold. The knob device as described in claim 1, further comprising: A reset element, wherein after the knob cap is pressed from a first height relative to the rotation sensing surface to a second height relative to the rotation sensing surface, the reset element makes the knob cap relative to the rotation sensing surface The rotation sensing surface returns to the first height from the second height, wherein the reset element is a spring. The knob device as described in claim 1, wherein the at least one second sensing electrode includes a transmitting electrode for transmitting a driving signal, the at least one first sensing electrode includes a plurality of receiving electrodes, the The receiving electrodes are evenly distributed below the moving path of the electrodes centered on the rotating shaft position and arranged on the rotating sensing surface, and each of the receiving electrodes is used to sense the driving signal to generate a sensing result, wherein The processing circuit judges a current position of the transmitting electrode according to the sensing results, and the processing circuit judges the rotation state of the knob cap according to the change of the current position, wherein the rotation state includes a rotation direction, a rotational speed and at least one of a rotation angle. The knob device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the processing circuit selects a maximum intensity sensing result from the sensing results, and the position of a receiving electrode corresponding to the maximum intensity sensing result among the receiving electrodes as the current position of the emitter electrode. The knob device according to claim 1, wherein the at least one first sensing electrode includes a plurality of emitting electrodes, and the emitting electrodes are uniformly distributed below the electrode moving path around the rotation axis position and arranged on the rotation sensor On the measuring surface, the at least one second sensing electrode includes a receiving electrode, and the receiving electrode is used for sensing a driving signal transmitted by any one of the transmitting electrodes to generate a sensing result. The knob device as described in claim 5, wherein the processing circuit sequentially transmits a driving signal through one of the transmitting electrodes, and the processing circuit judges the receiving electrode according to a time point when the receiving electrode senses the driving signal and the processing circuit judges the rotation state of the knob cap according to the change of the current position, wherein the rotation state includes at least one of a rotation direction, a rotational speed and a rotation angle. The knob device as claimed in item 1, wherein the at least one first sensing electrode comprises a first transmitting electrode, the first transmitting electrode is used to transmit a first driving signal, and the at least one second sensing electrode comprises a mutual A plurality of receiving electrodes with unequal lengths, these receiving electrodes are coupled to each other and radially distributed on the lower surface of the knob cap with the rotation axis position as the center and cross the electrode moving path, as the knob cap rotates, the receiving electrodes The maximum overlapping areas between the electrodes and the first transmitting electrodes are different from each other, and each of the receiving electrodes is used for sensing the first driving signal to generate a first sensing result. The knob device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the receiving electrodes are sequentially arranged on the knob cap in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction according to the electrode lengths of the receiving electrodes. The knob device as described in claim 7, wherein the processing circuit judges a current position of the receiving electrodes relative to the transmitting electrode according to a signal strength of the first sensing result, and the processing circuit judges a change in the current position according to the current position The rotation state of the knob cap is judged, wherein the rotation state includes at least one of a rotation direction, a rotation speed and a rotation angle. The knob device as described in claim 7, wherein the at least one first sensing electrode further includes a second emitting electrode, and the second emitting electrode is arranged on the rotating sensing surface in a ring around the rotation axis position, on the In a vertical projection of the rotating sensing surface, the receiving electrodes span the second emitting electrodes, the second emitting electrodes are used to emit a second driving signal, and the receiving electrodes are used to sense the second driving signal to generate a Second sensing result. The knob device as claimed in claim 10, wherein the processing circuit judges the pressing state of the knob cap according to the second sensing result and the sensing threshold. The knob device as claimed in claim 11, wherein the processing circuit provides the first driving signal and the second driving signal to the first emitting electrode and the second emitting electrode respectively in different periods to determine the rotation of the knob cap state and the pressed state. The knob device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the knob device is disposed on a cover C of an electrical device.

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