HK1192351A - Pressure sensitive key normalization - Google Patents

Description

Pressure sensitive key normalization

This application claims priority from the following U.S. provisional patent applications in accordance with 35 U.S. C. § 119(e), the entire disclosure of each of these applications being incorporated by reference in their entirety:

U.S. provisional patent application No. 61/606,321, filed 3/2/2012, attorney docket No. 336082.01 and entitled "Screen Edge";

U.S. provisional patent application No. 61/606,301, filed 3/2/2012, attorney docket No. 336083.01 and entitled "Input Device Functionality";

U.S. provisional patent application No. 61/606,313, filed 3/2/2012, attorney docket No. 336084.01 and entitled "Functional Hinge";

U.S. provisional patent application No. 61/606,333, filed 3, 2, 2012, attorney docket No. 336086.01 and entitled "use and Authentication";

U.S. provisional patent application No. 61/613,745, filed 3/21/2012, attorney docket No. 336086.02 and entitled "use and Authentication";

U.S. provisional patent application No. 61/606,336, filed 3/2/2012, attorney docket No. 336087.01 and entitled "Kickstand and Camera; and

U.S. Provisional patent application No. 61/607,451, filed 3/6/2012, attorney docket No. 336143.01 and entitled "Spanaway provision";

further, this application incorporates by reference in its entirety the following applications:

U.S. patent application No. __________, filed 5/14/2012, attorney docket No. 336554.01 and entitled "Flexible Hinge and Removable Attachment";

U.S. patent application No. __________, filed 5/14/2012, attorney docket No. 336563.01 and entitled "Input devices Layers and nestling.

Background

Mobile computing devices have evolved to add functionality that makes them available to users in mobile settings. For example, a user may interact with a mobile phone, tablet computer, or other mobile computing device to check email, surf the web, compose text, interact with an application, and so forth. However, conventional mobile computing devices often employ a virtual keyboard that is accessed using the touch screen functionality of the device. This is typically employed to maximize the amount of display area of the computing device.

However, the use of a virtual keyboard may be frustrating to users who wish to provide a significant amount of input (e.g., enter a significant amount of text in order to compose long emails, documents, etc.). Thus, conventional mobile computing devices are often perceived as having limited usefulness for such tasks, especially as compared to the ease with which a user may enter text using, for example, a conventional keyboard of a conventional desktop computer. However, the use of a conventional keyboard by a mobile computing device may reduce the mobility of the mobile computing device and thus may make the mobile computing device less suitable for its intended use in a mobile setting.

Disclosure of Invention

Pressure sensitive key technology is described. In one or more implementations, a pressure-sensitive key includes: a sensor substrate having one or more conductors; and a flexible contact layer spaced from the sensor substrate and configured to flex in response to application of pressure so as to contact the sensor substrate. The flexible contact layer has a first position configured to contact the sensor substrate with a force sensitive ink and a second position configured to contact the sensor substrate with the force sensitive ink such that the second position has increased conductivity compared to the first position.

In one or more implementations, a pressure-sensitive key includes: a flexible contact layer configured to flex in response to an application of pressure; and a sensor substrate spaced from the flexible contact layer and positioned for contact by the flexible contact layer in response to application of pressure. The sensor substrate has one or more conductors configured to be contacted by the flexible contact layer at first and second locations, the second location configured to have increased conductivity relative to the first location.

In one or more implementations, a keyboard includes a plurality of pressure-sensitive keys configured to initiate input for a computing device, each of the plurality of pressure-sensitive keys including a flexible contact layer separated from a sensor substrate by a spacer layer. The flexible contact layer is configured to flex in response to application of pressure so as to contact the sensor substrate to initiate an input associated with the pressure-sensitive key for the computing device. The sensor substrate has one or more conductors configured to be contacted by the flexible contact layer at corresponding first and second locations, the second locations of the flexible contact layer and the sensor substrate configured to have increased conductivity relative to the first locations of the flexible contact layer and the sensor substrate.

In one or more implementations, a device includes at least one pressure-sensitive key having a flexible contact layer separated from a sensor substrate by a spacing layer, the flexible contact layer configured to flex in response to pressure so as to contact the sensor substrate to initiate an input associated with the pressure-sensitive key for a computing device. At least one of the flexible contact layer or the sensor substrate is configured to at least partially normalize an output caused by pressure applied at a first location of the flexible contact layer with an output caused by pressure applied at a second location of the flexible contact layer that has less flexibility than the first location.

In one or more implementations, an input device includes a plurality of pressure-sensitive keys configured to initiate respective inputs of a computing device. Each of the plurality of pressure sensitive keys is formed by a flexible contact layer spaced from the sensor substrate by a spacer layer. The first pressure-sensitive key is configured to have a greater pressure sensitivity than the second pressure-sensitive key by configuration corresponding to at least one of the flexible contact layer or the sensor substrate.

In one or more implementations, a keyboard includes a plurality of pressure-sensitive keys configured to initiate input for a computing device, each of the plurality of pressure-sensitive keys including a flexible contact layer separated from a sensor substrate by a spacer layer. The flexible contact layer is configured to flex in response to pressure so as to contact the sensor substrate to initiate an input associated with a pressure-sensitive key for the computing device. At least one of the flexible contact layer or the sensor substrate is configured to at least partially normalize an output caused by pressure applied at a first location of the flexible contact layer with an output caused by pressure applied at a second location of the flexible contact layer that is located closer to an edge of the spacer layer than the first location.

This summary is provided to introduce a selection of concepts in a simplified form that are further described below in the detailed description. This summary is not intended to identify key features or essential features of the claimed subject matter, nor is it intended to be used as an aid in determining the scope of the claimed subject matter.

Drawings

The detailed description refers to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, the left-most digit(s) of a reference number identifies the drawing in which the reference number first appears. The use of the same reference numbers in different instances in the description and the figures may indicate similar or identical items. The entities represented in the figures may indicate one or more entities and thus may refer interchangeably to a single or multiple forms of an entity in discussion.

FIG. 1 is an illustration of an environment in an example implementation that is operable to employ techniques described herein.

FIG. 2 depicts an example implementation of the input device of FIG. 1 as showing the flexible hinge in more detail.

Fig. 3 depicts an example implementation showing a perspective view of the connection portion of fig. 2 including a mechanical coupling protrusion and a plurality of communication contacts.

FIG. 4 depicts an example of a cross-sectional view of a pressure sensitive key of a keyboard of the input device of FIG. 2.

FIG. 5 depicts an example of the pressure sensitive key of FIG. 4 as applying pressure at a first location of the flexible contact layer to cause contact with a corresponding first location of the sensor substrate.

FIG. 6 depicts an example of the pressure sensitive key of FIG. 4 as applying pressure at a second location of the flexible contact layer to cause contact with a corresponding second location of the sensor substrate.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example of a flexible contact layer of a single pressure sensitive key configured to normalize the output produced at multiple positions of the switch.

FIG. 8 depicts an example of the pressure sensitive key of FIG. 4 including multiple sensors that detect pressure at different locations.

FIG. 9 depicts an example of a conductor of a sensor substrate of a pressure sensitive key configured to normalize signals generated at different locations of the pressure sensitive key.

Fig. 10 illustrates an example system including various components of an example device, which may be implemented as any type of computing device as described with reference to fig. 1-9 to implement embodiments of the techniques described herein.

Detailed Description

SUMMARY

Pressure sensitive keys may be used as part of an input device to support a relatively thin form factor, e.g., less than approximately 3.5 millimeters. However, pressure sensitive keys may not provide a degree of feedback common to conventional mechanical keyboards and thus may result in missed hits and partial hits to intended keys of the keyboard. Furthermore, conventional configurations of pressure sensitive keys often result in different sensitivities due to the flexibility of the biased material, e.g., a greater bias is typically observed at the center region of the key as opposed to the edges of the key. Thus, conventional pressure sensitive keys may result in an inconsistent user experience for devices employing these keys.

Pressure sensitive key technology is described. In one or more implementations, the pressure sensitive keys are configured to provide a normalized output, e.g., to offset differences in flexibility at different locations of the pressure sensitive keys. For example, the sensitivity at the edges of the keys may be increased compared to the sensitivity at the center of the keys to account for differences in key flexibility at these locations.

The sensitivity can be adjusted in a variety of ways. For example, the sensitivity may be adjusted by increasing the amount of force sensitive ink at the edge of the flexible contact layer as opposed to the center of the flexible contact layer. In another example, the amount of conductors available for contact in the sensor substrate may be increased. This may be performed in various ways, e.g. by an arrangement of gaps, amount of conductive material, surface area, etc. at the edges of the sensor substrate, which are contacted by the flexible contact layer, opposite at the center of the sensor substrate.

The sensitivity can also be adjusted for different keys. For example, keys that are more likely to receive a lighter amount of pressure (e.g., keys at the bottom row, positioned near the edge of the keyboard, etc.) may be configured to have increased sensitivity as compared to keys that are more likely to receive a higher amount of pressure (e.g., such as keys in a reference (home) row). In this way, normalization can also be performed between keys of the keyboard and at the keys themselves. Further discussion of these and other features may be found in the following sections.

In the following discussion, an example environment is first described that may employ the techniques described herein. Example processes are then described, which can be executed in the example environment as well as other environments. Thus, execution of the example process is not limited to the example environment, and the example environment is not limited to execution of the example process.

Example Environment

FIG. 1 is an illustration of an environment 100 in an example implementation that is operable to employ techniques described herein. The illustrated environment 100 includes an example of a computing device 102 physically and communicatively coupled to an input device 104 via a flexible hinge 106. The computing device 102 may be configured in a variety of ways. For example, the computing device 102 may be configured for mobile use, such as a mobile phone, a tablet computer as shown, and so on. Thus, the computing device 102 may range from a full resource device with sufficient memory and processor resources to a low resource device with limited memory and/or processing resources. The computing device 102 may also involve software that causes the computing device 102 to perform one or more operations.

Computing device 102 is illustrated, for example, as including input/output module 108. Input/output module 108 represents functionality related to processing input to computing device 102 and rendering output of computing device 102. A wide variety of different inputs may be processed by the input/output module 108, such as inputs relating to functions corresponding to keys of the input device 104, keys of a virtual keyboard displayed by the display device 110 to identify gestures and cause operations corresponding to gestures that may be recognized through touch screen functionality of the input device 104 and/or the display device 110, and so forth, to be performed. Thus, the input/output module 108 may support a wide variety of different input techniques by recognizing and utilizing divisions between input types including key presses, gestures, and the like.

In the example shown, the input device 104 is configured as a keyboard with a QWERTY key arrangement, although other key arrangements are also contemplated. In addition, other unconventional configurations are also contemplated, such as game controllers, configurations that mimic musical instruments, and so forth. Thus, the input device 104 and the keys of the input device 104 combination may take on a wide variety of different configurations to support a wide variety of different functions.

As previously described, the input device 104 is physically and communicatively coupled to the computing device 102 in this example through the use of a flexible hinge 106. The flexible hinge 106 is flexible in that the rotational movement supported by the hinge is achieved by flexing (e.g., bending) of the material forming the hinge, as opposed to mechanical rotation supported by a pin (although this embodiment is also contemplated). Further, the flexible rotation may be configured to support motion in one direction (e.g., vertically in the figure), but to limit motion in other directions, such as lateral motion of the input device 104 relative to the computing device 102. This may be used to support consistent alignment of the input device 104 with respect to the computing device 102, e.g., aligning sensors used to change power states, application states, etc.

The flexible hinge 106 may be formed, for example, using one or more fabric layers and include conductors formed as flexible traces to communicatively couple the input device 104 to the computing device 102 and vice versa. The communication may be used, for example, to communicate the results of a key press to the computing device 102, receive power from the computing device, perform authentication, provide supplemental power to the computing device 102, and so forth. The flexible hinge 106 may be configured in a variety of ways, further discussion of which may be found in the following figures.

Fig. 2 depicts an example implementation 200 of the input device 104 of fig. 1 as showing the flexible hinge 106 in more detail. In this example, a connection portion 202 of the input device is shown that is configured to provide communication and physical connection between the input device 104 and the computing device 102. In this example, the connection portion 202 has a height and cross-section configured to be received in a channel within a housing of the computing device 102, although this arrangement may be reversed without departing from the spirit and scope thereof.

The connecting portion 202 is flexibly connected to a portion of the input device 104 including the keys by using the flexible hinge 106. Thus, when the connection portion 202 is physically connected to the computing device, the combination of the connection portion 202 and the flexible hinge 106 supports movement of the input device 104 relative to the computing device 102, which is similar to a hinge of a book.

For example, the rotational movement may be supported by the flexible hinge 106 such that the input device 104 may be placed against the display device 110 of the computing device 102 and thereby act as a cover. The input device 104 may also be rotated to be positioned against the back of the computing device 102, such as against a rear housing of the computing device 102 that is positioned opposite the display device 110 on the computing device 102.

Naturally, a wide variety of other orientations are supported. For example, the computing device 102 and the input device 104 may take an arrangement such that both lie flat against a surface as shown in fig. 1. In another example, a typing arrangement may be supported in which the input device 104 lies flat against a surface and the computing device 102 is disposed at an angle to allow viewing of the display device 110, such as by using a stand disposed on a rear surface of the computing device 102, for example. Other examples are also conceivable, such as tripod arrangements, conference arrangements, presentation arrangements, etc.

In this example, the connection portion 202 is illustrated as including magnetic coupling devices 204, 206, mechanical coupling protrusions 208, 210, and a plurality of communication contacts 212. The magnetic coupling devices 204, 206 are configured to magnetically couple to complementary magnetic coupling devices of the computing device 102 through the use of one or more magnets. In this manner, the input device 104 may be physically secured to the computing device 102 by using magnetic attraction forces.

The connection portion 202 also includes mechanical coupling protrusions 208, 210 to form a mechanical physical connection between the input device 104 and the computing device 102. The mechanical coupling protrusions 208, 210 are shown in more detail in the following figures.

Fig. 3 depicts an example implementation 300 showing a perspective view of the connection portion 202 of fig. 2 including the mechanical coupling protrusions 208, 210 and the plurality of communication contacts 212. As shown, the mechanical coupling protrusions 208, 210 are configured to extend away from the surface of the connecting portion 202, which in this case is perpendicular, although other angles are also contemplated.

The mechanical coupling protrusions 208, 210 are configured to be received within complementary cavities within the channels of the computing device 102. When so received, the mechanical coupling protrusions 208, 210 promote a mechanical binding between the devices when a force is applied that is not aligned with an axis defined to correspond to the height of the protrusions and the depth of the cavity.

For example, when a force is applied that does coincide with the previously described longitudinal axis that follows the height of the protrusion and the depth of the cavity, the user merely overcomes the force applied by the magnet to separate the input device 104 from the computing device 102. However, at other angles, the mechanical coupling protrusions 208, 210 are configured to mechanically bind within the cavity, thereby creating a force that resists removal of the input device 104 from the computing device 102 in addition to the magnetic force of the magnetic coupling devices 204, 206. In this manner, the mechanical coupling protrusions 208, 210 may bias the removal of the input device 104 from the computing device 102 so as to mimic tearing pages from a book and limit other attempts to detach the device.

The connection portion 202 is also illustrated as including a plurality of communication contacts 212. The plurality of communication contacts 212 are configured to contact respective communication contacts of the computing device 102 to form a communicative coupling between the devices. The communication contacts 212 may be configured in a variety of ways, such as by being formed using a plurality of spring-loaded pins that are configured to provide consistent communication contact between the input device 104 and the computing device 102. Thus, the communication contact may be configured to remain during a slight jostling movement of the device. A wide variety of other examples are also contemplated, including placing pins on the computing device 102 and contacts on the input device 104.

Fig. 4 depicts an example of a cross-sectional view of a pressure sensitive key 400 of the keyboard of the input device 104 of fig. 2. In this example, pressure sensitive key 400 is illustrated as being formed using a flexible contact layer 402 (e.g., mylar) that is separated from sensor substrate 404 using spacer layers 406, 408, which may be formed as another mylar layer formed on sensor substrate 404, and so on. In this example, the flexible contact layer 402 does not contact the sensor substrate 404 without applying pressure to the flexible contact layer 402.

In this example, the flexible contact layer 402 includes a force sensitive ink 410 disposed on a surface of the flexible contact layer 402, which is configured to contact the sensor substrate 404. The force sensitive ink 410 is configured such that the amount of resistance of the ink varies directly in relation to the amount of pressure applied. The force sensitive ink 410 may, for example, be configured with a relatively rough surface that compresses against the sensor substrate 404 upon application of pressure to the flexible contact layer 402. The greater the amount of pressure, the more the force sensitive ink 410 compresses, thereby increasing the conductivity of the force sensitive ink 410 and decreasing the resistance of the force sensitive ink 410. Other conductors may also be disposed on the flexible contact layer 402 without departing from the spirit and scope thereof, including other types of pressure-sensitive and non-pressure-sensitive conductors.

The sensor substrate 404 includes one or more conductors 412 disposed thereon that are configured to be contacted by the force sensitive ink 410 of the flexible contact layer 402. When touched, an analog signal may be generated for processing by the input device 104 and/or the computing device 102, e.g., to identify whether the signal is likely intended by a user to provide input for the computing device 102. A wide variety of different types of conductors 412 may be disposed on sensor substrate 404, e.g., formed from a wide variety of conductive materials (e.g., silver, copper), disposed in a wide variety of different configurations as further described with respect to fig. 9, and so forth.

Fig. 5 depicts an example 500 of the pressure sensitive key 400 of fig. 4 as applying pressure at a first location of the flexible contact layer 402 to cause contact of the force sensitive ink 410 with a corresponding first location of the sensor substrate 404. Pressure is illustrated using the arrows in fig. 5 and may be applied in a variety of ways, such as by a finger of a user's hand, a stylus, a pen, and so forth. In this example, the first position at which pressure is applied as indicated by the arrow is generally near a central region of the flexible contact layer 402, which is disposed between the spacer layers 406, 408. Due to this location, the flexible contact layer 402 may generally be considered flexible and thus responsive to pressure.

This flexibility allows a relatively large area of the flexible contact layer 402, and thus the force sensitive ink 410, to contact the conductors 412 of the sensor substrate 404. Thus, a relatively strong signal can be generated. Furthermore, since the flexibility of the flexible contact layer 402 is relatively high at this location, a relatively large amount of the force may be transmitted through the flexible contact layer 402, thereby applying the pressure to the force sensitive ink 410. As previously described, this increase in pressure may result in a corresponding increase in the conductivity of the force sensitive ink and a decrease in the resistance of the ink. Thus, a relatively higher amount of flexibility of the flexible contact layer at the first location may result in a relatively stronger signal than other locations of the flexible contact layer 402 located closer to the edge of the key, an example of which is described with respect to the following figures.

FIG. 6 depicts an example 600 of the pressure sensitive key 400 of FIG. 4 as applying pressure at a second location of the flexible contact layer 402 to cause contact with a corresponding second location of the sensor substrate 404. In this example, the second position of FIG. 6, where pressure is applied, is located closer to the edge of the pressure sensitive key (e.g., closer to the edge of the spacer layer 406) than the first position of FIG. 5. Due to this position, the flexible contact layer 402 has a reduced flexibility and thus less response to pressure when compared to the first position.

This reduced flexibility may result in a reduction in the area of the flexible contact layer 402, and thus the conductor 412 of the force sensitive ink 410, that contacts the sensor substrate 404. Thus, the signal generated at the second location may be weaker than the signal generated at the first location of fig. 5.

Furthermore, because the flexibility of the flexible contact layer 402 is relatively low at this location, a relatively low amount of the force may be transmitted through the flexible contact layer 402, thereby reducing the amount of pressure transmitted to the force sensitive ink 410. As previously described, this reduction in pressure may result in a corresponding reduction in the conductivity of the force sensitive ink and an increase in the resistance of the ink as compared to the first position of fig. 5. Thus, the reduced flexibility of the flexible contact layer 402 at the second location may result in a relatively weaker signal generation than at the first location. Furthermore, the situation may be exacerbated by partial hits, where a smaller portion of the user's finger is able to apply pressure at the second position of fig. 6 than at the first position of fig. 5.

However, as previously described, techniques may be employed to normalize the outputs produced by the switches at the first and second positions. As further described with respect to the following figures, this may be performed in a variety of ways, for example, by the configuration of the flexible contact layer 402 as described with respect to fig. 7, using a plurality of sensors as described with respect to fig. 8, the configuration of the sensor substrate 404 as described with respect to fig. 9, and combinations thereof.

FIG. 7 illustrates an example 700 of a flexible contact layer of a single pressure sensitive key configured to normalize the output produced at multiple positions of the switch. In this example, a view of the "bottom" or "underside" of flexible contact layer 402 of FIG. 4 configured to contact conductors 412 of sensor substrate 404 is shown.

The flexible contact layer 402 is illustrated as having first and second sensing regions 702, 704. In this example, the first sensing region 702 generally corresponds to the first position in FIG. 5 where pressure is applied, and the second sensing region 704 generally corresponds to the second position in FIG. 6 where pressure is applied.

As previously described, flexing of the flexible contact layer 402 due to changes in distance from the edge of the switch may cause a relatively strong signal to be generated as the distance from the edge of the key increases. Thus, in this example, the first and second sensing regions 702, 704 are configured to normalize signals 706 generated at different locations. This can be done in a variety of ways, for example by having a higher conductivity and a smaller resistance at the second sensing region 704 compared to the first sensing region 702.

Differences in conductivity and/or resistance can be achieved using a variety of techniques. For example, one or more initial layers of force sensitive ink may be applied to the flexible contact layer 402 covering the first and second sensing regions 704, 702, e.g., by using a screen, printing process, or other process by which ink may be disposed against a surface. One or more additional layers may then be applied to the second sensing region 704 instead of the first sensing region 702.

This results in a greater amount (e.g., thickness) of force sensitive ink for a given area in the second sensing region 704 than in the first sensing region 702, which results in a corresponding increase in conductivity and decrease in resistance. Thus, this technique may be used to at least partially offset the difference in flexibility of the flexible contact layer 404 at different locations. In this example, the increased height of the force sensitive ink at the second sensing region 704 may also act to reduce the amount of deflection involved in making contact with the conductor 412 of the sensor substrate 404, which may also help normalize the signal.

Differences in conductivity and/or resistance at the first and second sensing regions 702, 704 can be achieved in a variety of other ways. For example, a first force sensitive ink may be applied at the first sensing region 702, and a second force sensitive ink having a higher conductivity and/or resistance may be applied at the second sensing region 704. Furthermore, although the arrangement of the first and second sensing regions 702, 704 is shown in fig. 7 as "nested", a wide variety of other arrangements may be employed, for example to further increase the sensitivity at the corners of the switch, to employ more than two sensing regions with different pressure sensitivities, to use a conductivity gradient, etc. Other examples are also contemplated, such as supporting the use of multiple sensors for a single key, an example of which is described with respect to the following figures.

FIG. 8 depicts an example 800 of the pressure sensitive key of FIG. 4 including multiple sensors that detect pressure at different locations. As previously described, missed hits and compliance limitations may cause performance degradation at the edges of pressure sensitive keys.

Thus, in this example, the first sensor 802 and the second sensor 804 are employed to provide corresponding first and second sensor signals 806, 808, respectively. Further, the second sensor 804 is configured to have increased sensitivity (e.g., higher conductivity and/or lower resistance) as compared to the first sensor 802. This can be achieved in a variety of ways, for example by different conductors and conductor configurations that act as sensors as part of the sensor substrate 404. Other configurations of the sensor substrate 404 may also be formed to normalize the 404 signals generated by the pressure sensitive keys at different locations of the keys, an example of which is described with respect to the discussion of the following figures.

FIG. 9 depicts an example of a conductor 412 of sensor substrate 404 configured to normalize signals generated at different locations of a pressure sensitive key. In this example, the conductors 412 of the sensor substrate 404 are configured in first and second portions 902, 904 of interdigitated tracking fingers. In this example, the surface area, the amount of conductors, and the gap between the conductors are used to adjust the sensitivity at different locations of the sensor substrate 404.

For example, pressure may be applied to the first location 906, which may cause a relatively larger area of the force sensitive ink 410 of the flexible contact layer 402 to contact the conductor as compared to the second location 908 of the sensor substrate 404. As shown in the illustrated example, the amount of conductor contacted at the first location 906 is normalized by the amount of conductor contacted at the second location 906 using the gap spacing and conductor size. In this manner, by using smaller conductors (e.g., thinner fingers) and larger gaps at the center of the keys as opposed to the edges of the keys, the particular performance characteristics for the keys can be adjusted to suit typical user input scenarios. Furthermore, these techniques for configuring sensor substrate 404 may be combined with the techniques described for configuring flexible contact layer 402 to further facilitate normalization and a desired user input context.

Returning again to FIG. 2, these techniques may also be utilized to normalize and support a desired configuration of different keys, such as normalizing a signal generated by a first key of a keyboard of the input device 104 with a signal generated by a second key of the keyboard. As shown in the QWERTY arrangement of fig. 3 (although the same applies to other arrangements), the user is more likely to apply greater typing pressure to the reference row of keys located at the center of the device than to the keys located closer to the edges of the input device 104. This may include an initiation to use the fingernails of the user's hand to reach the numbers, different strengths of different fingers (index and little), etc. for shift key rows and increased distances.

Thus, the techniques described above may also be applied to normalize signals between these keys, for example, to increase the sensitivity of numeric keys relative to reference row keys, to increase the sensitivity of "little finger" keys (e.g., the letter "a" and the semicolon keys) relative to index finger keys (e.g., the letters "f", "g", "h", and "j"), and so forth. A wide variety of other examples involving sensitivity changes are also contemplated, for example to make keys with smaller surface area (e.g., delete button in the figure), more sensitive than larger keys such as shift keys, space bars, etc.

Example systems and devices

Fig. 10 illustrates, generally at 1000, an example system including an example computing device 1002, representative of one or more computing systems and/or devices that can implement the various techniques described herein. The computing device 1002 may, for example, be configured to assume a mobile configuration using a housing formed and sized to be grasped and carried by one or more hands of a user, the illustrated examples of which include mobile phones, mobile gaming and music devices, and tablet computers, although other examples are also contemplated.

The example computing device 1002 as shown includes a processing system 1004, one or more computer-readable media 1006, and one or more I/O interfaces 1008 that are communicatively coupled to each other. Although not shown, the computing device 1002 may further include a system bus or other data and command transfer system that couples the various components to one another. The system bus may include any one or combination of different bus structures, such as a memory bus or memory controller, a peripheral bus, a universal serial bus, and/or a processor or local bus that utilizes any of a variety of bus architectures. A wide variety of other examples, such as control and data lines, are also contemplated.

Processing system 1004 represents functionality to perform one or more operations using hardware. Thus, the processing system 1004 is illustrated as including hardware elements 1010 that may be configured as processors, functional blocks, and so forth. This may include implementation in hardware as an application specific integrated circuit or other logic device formed using one or more semiconductors. The hardware elements 1010 are not limited by the materials from which they are formed or in which the processing mechanism is employed. For example, a processor may include semiconductors and/or transistors (e.g., electronic Integrated Circuits (ICs)). In such a scenario, the processor-executable instructions may be electronically-executable instructions.

The computer-readable storage medium 1006 is illustrated as including memory/storage 1012. Memory/storage 1012 represents memory/storage capacity associated with one or more computer-readable media. Memory/storage component 1012 may include volatile media (such as Random Access Memory (RAM)) and/or nonvolatile media (such as Read Only Memory (ROM), flash memory, optical disks, magnetic disks, and so forth). Memory/storage component 1012 may include fixed media (e.g., RAM, ROM, a fixed hard drive, etc.) as well as removable media (e.g., flash memory, a removable hard drive, an optical disk, and so forth). The computer-readable media 1006 may be configured in a variety of other ways as described further below.

Input/output interface 1008 represents functionality to allow a user to enter commands and information to computing device 1002 using a variety of different input/output devices, and to also allow information to be presented to the user and/or other components or devices. Examples of input devices include a keyboard, a cursor control device (e.g., a mouse), a microphone, a scanner, touch functionality (e.g., capacitive or other sensors configured to detect physical touches), a camera (e.g., which may employ visible wavelengths or non-visible wavelengths such as infrared frequencies to recognize motion as a gesture that does not involve touch), and so forth. Examples of output devices include a display device (e.g., a monitor or projector), speakers, a printer, a network card, a haptic response device, and so forth. Thus, the computing device 1002 may be configured in a variety of ways to support user interaction.

The computing device 1002 is further illustrated as being communicatively and physically coupled to an input device 1014, which may be physically and communicatively removed from the computing device 1002. In this manner, a wide variety of different input devices may be coupled to computing device 1002 having a wide variety of configurations that support a wide variety of functions. In this example, the input device 1014 includes one or more keys 1016, which may be configured as pressure sensitive keys, mechanical switch keys, or the like.

The input device 1014 is further illustrated as including one or more modules 1018 that may be configured to support a wide variety of functionality. The one or more modules 1018, for example, may be configured to process analog and/or digital signals received from the keys 1016 to determine whether a keystroke is expected, to determine whether an input indicates landing pressure, to support authentication of the input device 1014 for operation with the computing device 1002, and so forth.

Various techniques may be described herein in the general context of software, hardware elements, or program modules. Generally, such modules include routines, programs, objects, elements, components, data structures, and so forth, which perform particular tasks or implement particular abstract data types. As used herein, the terms "module," "functionality," and "component" generally represent software, firmware, hardware, or a combination thereof. The features of the techniques described herein are platform-independent, meaning that the techniques may be implemented on a variety of commercial computing platforms having a variety of processors.

An implementation of the described modules and techniques may be stored on or transmitted across some form of computer readable media. Computer readable media can include a variety of media that can be accessed by computing device 1002. By way of example, and not limitation, computer-readable media may comprise "computer-readable storage media" and "computer-readable signal media".

A "computer-readable storage medium" may refer to media and/or devices that allow for the permanent and/or non-transitory storage of information, in contrast to mere signal transmission, carrier waves, or signals per se. Accordingly, computer-readable storage media refers to non-signal bearing media. Computer-readable storage media include hardware such as volatile and nonvolatile, removable and non-removable media and/or storage devices implemented in a method or technology suitable for storage of information such as computer-readable instructions, data structures, program modules, logic elements/circuits, or other data. Examples of computer readable storage media may include, but are not limited to, RAM, ROM, EEPROM, flash memory or other memory technology, CD-ROM, Digital Versatile Disks (DVD) or other optical storage, hard disks, magnetic tape, magnetic disk storage or other magnetic storage devices, or other storage devices, tangible media, or articles of manufacture suitable for storing the desired information and accessible by a computer.

"computer-readable signal medium" may refer to a signal-bearing medium configured to transmit instructions to hardware of computing device 1002, e.g., via a network. Signal media typically embodies computer readable instructions, data structures, program modules or other data in a modulated data signal such as a carrier wave, data signal or other transport mechanism. Signal media also include any information delivery media. The term "modulated data signal" means a signal that has one or more of its characteristics set or changed in such a manner as to encode information in the signal. By way of example, and not limitation, communication media includes wired media such as a wired network or direct-wired connection, and wireless media such as acoustic, RF, infrared and other wireless media.

As previously described, the hardware elements 1010 and the computer-readable medium 1006 represent modules, programmable device logic, and/or fixed device logic implemented in hardware, which in some embodiments may be employed to implement at least some aspects of the techniques described herein, such as to execute one or more instructions. The hardware may include integrated circuits or components of systems on a chip, Application Specific Integrated Circuits (ASICs), Field Programmable Gate Arrays (FPGAs), Complex Programmable Logic Devices (CPLDs), and other implementations of silicon or other hardware. In this context, the hardware may operate as a processing device that performs program tasks defined by instructions and/or logic contained by the hardware, as well as hardware utilized to store instructions for execution (e.g., the computer-readable storage media previously described).

Combinations of the above may also be employed to implement the various techniques described herein. Thus, software, hardware, or executable modules may be implemented as one or more instructions and/or logic embodied on some form of computer-readable storage medium and/or by one or more hardware elements 1010. Computing device 1002 may be configured to implement particular instructions and/or functions corresponding to software and/or hardware modules. Accordingly, a module implementation as software executable by the computing device 1002 may be implemented at least partially in hardware, for example, using computer-readable storage media and/or hardware elements 1010 of the processing system 1004. The instructions and/or functions may be executable/operable by one or more articles of manufacture (e.g., one or more computing devices 1002 and/or processing systems 1004) to implement the techniques, modules, and examples described herein.

Conclusion

Although example implementations have been described in language specific to structural features and/or methodological acts, it is to be understood that the implementations defined in the appended claims are not necessarily limited to the specific features or acts described. Rather, the specific features and acts are disclosed as example forms of implementing the claimed features.

Claims (9)

1. A device (104) comprising at least one pressure-sensitive key (400) comprising a flexible contact layer (402) separated from a sensor substrate (404) by a spacer layer (406), the flexible contact layer configured to flex in response to application of pressure so as to contact the sensor substrate to initiate an input associated with the pressure-sensitive key for a computing device, at least one of the flexible contact layer or the sensor substrate configured to at least partially normalize an output resulting from pressure applied at a first location of the flexible contact layer with an output resulting from pressure applied at a second location of the flexible contact layer, the second location having less flexibility than the first location.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the second location on the flexible contact layer is located closer to an edge of the spacer layer than the first location of the flexible contact layer.

3. The device of claim 1, wherein the flexible contact layer is configured to normalize the output by reducing a resistance at the second location compared to the first location.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the flexible contact layer is configured to normalize the output by including a greater amount of pressure sensitive ink at the second location than at the first location.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensor substrate is configured to normalize the output by:

including a first sensor at a first location of the sensor substrate corresponding to a first location of the flexible contact layer; and

a second sensor is included at a second location of the sensor substrate corresponding to the second location of the flexible contact layer.

6. The device of claim 1, wherein the sensor substrate is configured to normalize the output by spacing conductors that are closer to each other of the sensor substrate at a second location of the sensor substrate corresponding to a second location of the flexible contact layer than at the first location of the sensor substrate corresponding to the first location of the flexible contact layer.

7. The device of claim 1, wherein the sensor substrate is configured to normalize the output by using a larger conductor of the sensor substrate at a second location of the sensor substrate than at a first location of the sensor substrate corresponding to the first location of the flexible contact layer.

8. A system comprising a plurality of pressure-sensitive keys (400) configured to initiate respective inputs of a computing device (102), each of the plurality of pressure-sensitive keys being formed by a flexible contact layer (402) separated from a sensor substrate (404) by a spacer layer (406), a first of the pressure-sensitive keys being configured to have greater pressure sensitivity than a second of the pressure-sensitive keys by a configuration corresponding to at least one of the flexible contact layer or to the sensor substrate.

9. A keyboard (104) comprising a plurality of pressure-sensitive keys (400) configured to initiate input to a computing device (102), each of the plurality of pressure-sensitive keys comprising a flexible contact layer (402) separated from a sensor substrate (404) by a spacer layer (406), the flexible contact layer configured to flex in response to application of pressure so as to contact the sensor substrate to initiate input associated with the pressure-sensitive key for the computing device, at least one of the flexible contact layer or the sensor substrate configured to at least partially normalize output resulting from pressure applied at a first location of the flexible contact layer with output resulting from pressure applied at a second location of the flexible contact layer, the second location located closer to an edge of the spacer layer than the first location.