TWI421730B - Compound button - Google Patents

Description

Compound button

The present invention relates to a composite button, and more particularly to a composite button that incorporates more than one key sensing method.

Using buttons to control a variety of computers, communications, and home appliances has become a part of human life. A wide variety of button systems are available for different usage and control needs.

The conventional button device usually has two main modules, one of which is a button module, which is composed of a plurality of (or single) buttons, each button can be pressed by a user to generate a coded signal, representing a predetermined code, and One is a transmission module for transmitting the code or other signals generated by the button to the host to operate or control the host. The transmission module can be a wired transmission module, and is connected to a communication interface of the host through a cable, a cable, a signal line, or the like. The wireless communication module can also transmit signals to the wireless communication interface of the host through a wireless communication medium such as infrared, radio or microwave, or to a receiver connected to the communication interface of the host. The above manner is the current state of the conventional button device and is known in the art.

However, in the conventional button device, since all the control signals are generated by the buttons, as the control function increases, the number of buttons must be increased. As a result, the area of the control panel of the button controller is greatly increased, or the area of the button is relatively reduced. The former will make the device unreasonably bulky and costly. The latter is not conducive to operation and control, and is not an ideal solution.

One way to solve the excessive operation and control of the keys is to use a multi-level button design. For example, by grouping 4 buttons, you can save 3/4 of the number of buttons. For example, if the original 4n buttons are used, each of the 4 buttons can be combined into one button, so that only n buttons can be used, but 4n signals are generated by pressing twice, but the premise is that n must be greater than or Equal to 4. However, in this design, the user must press twice to generate a signal. Depending on the combination of the buttons, the user may have to understand, recite the combination, and recognize the position without the button, in order to press in order to generate the correct signal, which is inconvenient to use. This type of shortcoming is more pronounced in multiple levels (more than two presses).

In addition, even if the number of buttons on the button device is small, finding an appropriate button position is one of the causes of user confusion. Especially in the conventional button device, "transfer" or "emission" is also operated by a button. If the user cannot find "transfer" or "emission" within the time limit and presses it down, the signal or code that has been pressed before the selection is not transmitted to the host. The action must be repeated. Furthermore, even if the "transfer" or "emission" button is made very obvious, it is not convenient for the user to press the button to transmit a signal.

Therefore, it is currently necessary to provide a novel button device that uses a composite button, and the user can operate the button in different ways.

At the same time, a composite button is required to receive the user's operation through different key operation modes to reduce the number of required keys.

At the same time, there must be a convenient button device that can be operated through different operation modes to improve the usability.

It is an object of the present invention to provide a novel button device having a composite input mode in which a user can operate in a different manner.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a composite button that can be operated in different modes of operation while reducing the number of buttons required.

It is also an object of the present invention to provide a button that can be input in different modes of operation, thereby improving the operational convenience of the button device.

The composite button according to the present invention has a body for providing a receiving space, and a button set including at least one button and a corresponding encoder for generating a predetermined input signal according to a pressing action of the specific button; And an output module for picking up the signal generated by the button group and outputting the signal; wherein the button group further comprises a motion sensor for sensing the motion of the sensor itself, and outputting a specific Signal.

In an embodiment of the invention, the button group may include only one button, and may also include a plurality of buttons. In a more practical example, the majority of the keys include numeric keys from 0-9. In other examples of the invention, the composite button further includes a display device, particularly a liquid crystal display device, that can display an input signal representative of a button that has been pressed and activated. The encoder of the present invention can include a combination function to combine the pressing action of the button with the motion sensed by the motion sensor to output a corresponding signal. In another example of the present invention, the function of the encoder includes a motion that is sensed by the motion sensor, combined into an "output signal" command, and the button group includes a signal register for storing the predetermined The number of this input signal. The output module can output an input signal in the register after receiving the "output signal" command.

In some embodiments of the invention, the combination of the button and the sensing action of the motion sensor includes a combination of its sequence. In other examples of the invention, the combination includes the simultaneous pressing of a button and a combination of inductive actions.

In application, the output module can be a wired output module or a wireless output module. In the case of a wired output module, one or more hosts can be connected for operation or control. The connection method can be wire, cable, cable, and the like. The communication interface can be a conventional USB, PCMCIA, SATA, PCI, etc., or any non-public standard communication interface. In the case of a wireless module, it can be transmitted via, for example, infrared, microwave, radio or other wireless communication medium. The communication protocol can be any open standard communication protocol or a non-public standard communication protocol. In the above example, the output module further includes an interface controller to convert the outputted signal into a desired format, and a transmitter for transmitting the output signal.

With the above composite button device, the user can press the action of the button and shake, and the action of the swinging button can be matched to generate the required input signal (output signal). The user can also only shake or wave the composite button even if the composite button outputs the input signal (output signal).

The invention provides a novel composite button, which can accept two or more combinations of button actions of a user, encodes them, and becomes a specific signal, which is transmitted to the host. The button action includes a displacement action of the composite button body. The composite button combines the pressing action of the button with the displacement action of the button body to become a meaningful control signal. The structure, system, operation and function of the composite button of the present invention will be described below based on the drawings.

The first figure shows a system diagram of the composite button of the present invention. As shown in the figure, the composite button of the present invention has a body 10, a button group 20, and an output module 30. The body 10 can be made of plastic, metal, alloy or other such as wood, paper, ceramic or composite material, has a certain shape, and provides a receiving space 10a. The button set 20 includes at least one or more buttons 21-24, one or more motion sensors 25, and an encoder 26. The buttons 21-24 can be any commercially available button, such as a mechanical button, an inductive button, or other type of button. Input devices that do not have a button type, such as a rocker, can also be applied to the present invention. The motion sensor 25 can be any sensor that senses motion or displacement, such as an accelerometer, a gyroscope, and the like. Both the buttons 21-24 and the motion sensor 25 can use commercially available components, and the structure, operation principle, and even signal acquisition are all conventional techniques, and need not be described herein. The encoder 26 is connected to each of the buttons 21-24 and the motion sensor 25, and is provided with a register 27, which can be sensed by the action sensor 25 according to the buttons 21-24 pressed by the user, and The individual occurrence sequences are temporarily stored in the register 27 and, when their contents conform to the predetermined combination, a predetermined set of input signals are generated.

There is no limit to the number of buttons included in the button group 20. In general, the fewer the number of buttons, the better. However, it does not result in the need to press a set of signals to press too many times. In general applications, the button set preferably includes a number of numeric keys, or even all ten numeric keys. However, in other applications, it is sometimes not necessary to include a numeric key. Sometimes you can include several text symbols (such as Roman letters), and sometimes only simple symbol keys. But the more common application is the combination of the above number keys, text symbol keys and pure symbol keys. As for how to combine and how to arrange, depending on the convenience of the application and the manufacturing requirements, there is no technical limitation.

The output module 30 is connected to the button group 20 , and both of them are received in the receiving space 10 a of the body 10 . However, if all or part of the output module 30 and the button group 20 are exposed to the housing space 10a of the body 10, it is not necessary. The output module 30 includes a transmitter 31 for picking up a signal generated by the button group and temporarily stored in the register 27 when receiving an "output" command sent by the button group 20, and the group is Signal output. The output module 30 can also include an interface controller 32 to convert the output signals into a desired format for facilitating transmission over a suitable communication interface.

The output module 30 can be a wired output module or a wireless output module. In the case of a wired output module, one or more hosts can be connected for operation or control. The connection method can be wire, cable, cable, and the like. The communication interface can be a conventional USB, PCMCIA, SATA, PCI, etc., or any non-public standard communication interface. In the case of a wireless module, it can be transmitted via, for example, infrared, microwave, radio or other wireless communication medium. Its statute may be any open standard communication protocol or a non-public standard communication protocol. The configuration, operational principles, and applicable communication interfaces or communication protocols of the transmitter 31 and the interface controller 32 can be achieved using commercially available components or techniques.

The composite button may further include a display device 40 coupled to the button group 20. The display device 40 can be any known display device, such as a liquid crystal display device, and can be applied to the present invention. Display device 40 typically includes a display 41 and a set of controllers 42 for displaying input signals represented by pressed, activated keys, sensing actions, and the like. The display 41 can be disposed on the outer periphery of the body 10 as a cover of the body to make the body 10 visually integral. However, the display device 40 is not an essential component of the present invention. In most applications, display functionality is not required.

The encoder 26 of the present invention can provide one or more combined functions to combine the pressing action of the buttons 21-24 with the motion sensed by the motion sensor 25 to output a corresponding signal. In an example of the present invention, the function of the encoder 26 includes a motion that is sensed by the motion sensor 25, and is decoded into an "output signal" command, so that the output module 30 outputs the register 27. Input signal inside.

With the above composite button device, the user can press the action of the button and shake, and the action of the swinging button can be matched to generate the required input signal (output signal). The user can also output the input signal (output signal) by simply shaking or waving the composite button.

The operation of the composite button of the present invention will now be described by way of example to illustrate an exemplary method of combining the input signals by the encoder 26.

Embodiment 1: The swaying motion induced by the motion sensor 25 is used as an instruction of the "output signal".

In the present example, the encoder 26 is activated by the motion sensor 25 to move the composite button body 10 as an "output signal" command, and directly transmits the command to the output module. 30. After receiving the command, the output module 30 captures the signal temporarily stored in the register 27, and after being converted into a predetermined format signal by the interface controller 32, it is sent by the transmitter 31. The sent signal is sent to the host 50 via the wired channel 51 or the wireless channel 52 for operation or control.

In this design, the user can first press the button 21-24 to input a group of codes, such as 0123, temporarily store in the register 27, then shake the composite button body 10, and send the group code to the host. .

Second embodiment: The shaking motion sensed by the motion sensor 25 is combined with the pressing action of the buttons 21-24 to form a set of codes.

In the present example, the encoder 26 is operated by the motion sensor 25 to shake the composite button body 10 as a push button action. For example, when the buttons 21-24 are used for sharing numbers and symbols, the user's action of shaking the composite button body 10 can be defined as a command for switching between "numeric keys" and "symbol keys". In order to achieve the purpose of reducing the number of buttons.

For example, when the button 21-24 is initially set to the digital mode, after the user presses a number of buttons to input a number, the composite button is shaken, changed to a symbol mode, and then the button is pressed to input a symbol. At this time, the encoder is about to receive the button pressing action received after the shaking motion sensed by the motion sensor 25, and is interpreted as a symbol input. When the composite button body 10 is shaken again, the encoder is about to receive the button press action received after the re-shake action sensed by the motion sensor 25, and is interpreted as a digital input. In this way, the digital key and the symbol key can be shared, but the purpose of the additional switching key is not required.

Embodiment 3: The different actions sensed by the motion sensor 25 are used as codes.

In the present example, the encoder 26 is a different key motion caused by the user's different shaking motions sensed by the motion sensor 25. For example, when the user swings the composite button body 10 in one direction, it is interpreted as a control action for increasing the volume. When the user swings the composite button body 10 in the opposite direction, it is interpreted as a control action for reducing the volume.

In this example, after the user's waving action reaches a certain amount, the encoder 26 issues an "input signal" command, and after receiving the command, the output module 30 retrieves the register 27 The temporarily increased or decreased volume signal is sent by the transmitter 31 after being converted into a predetermined format signal by the interface controller 32. The sent signal is sent to the host 50 via the wired channel 51 or the wireless channel 52 for operation or control.

Under this design, if the composite button is a television, stereo or video player, the button set 20 only needs to use a single power button. It can also be controlled by the user's shaking and waving action due to the required channel control or the control of the program segment.

Embodiment 4: Control of combining a button with an inductive action.

In the above control method, the combination of the pressing of the button and the sensing action of the motion sensor includes a combination of its sequence. However, in the present example, the combination includes a combination of simultaneously pressing a button and inducing an action.

For example, when the user presses a single button or presses a plurality of buttons at the same time and shakes the composite button body, the encoder 26 interprets the action of the composite button body 10 as an "output signal" command. The instruction is transmitted directly to the output module 30. After receiving the command, the output module 30 captures the signal temporarily stored in the register 27, and after being converted into a predetermined format signal by the interface controller 32, it is sent by the transmitter 31.

In addition to the above control methods, it is not difficult for a person skilled in the art to perform other control methods and combinations thereof, which are within the scope of the present invention. It is no longer cited here.

In the above motion sensing, the so-called "swaying", "swaying", "swinging", etc., are described in natural language for convenience of explanation. As for the definition of the relevant action, it can be defined according to the azimuth change, the change direction, the change speed, the displacement direction, the displacement amount, the displacement speed or a combination thereof sensed by the motion sensor 25 at the time of application. The sensing of the azimuth change, the change direction, the change speed, the displacement direction, the displacement amount, and the displacement speed are also well-known technologies in this industry. The details are not to be described.

In summary, the composite button of the present invention has indeed proposed a brand new button operation and control mechanism. And unveiled an unprecedented button structure. The composite button of the invention can achieve the purpose of reducing the number of buttons and improving the convenience of use of the button device. Meet the requirements of the invention patent.

The above description aims to disclose the structure, principle, operation, function and effect of the composite button of the present invention. The description is merely illustrative of several preferred embodiments of the invention. The person skilled in the art can not understand the concept and spirit of the present invention by reading this patent specification, and various changes and extensions are made without departing from the scope of the invention. However, applications such as these are within the scope of the invention.

10. . . Ontology

20. . . Button set

30. . . Output module

10a. . . Containing space

21-24. . . button

25. . . Motion sensor

26. . . Encoder

27. . . Register

30. . . Output module

31. . . Transmitter

32. . . Interface controller

40. . . Display device

41. . . monitor

42. . . Controller

50. . . Host

51. . . Wired channel

52. . . Wireless channel

The first figure shows a system diagram of the composite button of the present invention.

10. . . Ontology

20. . . Button set

30. . . Output module

10a. . . Containing space

21-24. . . button

25. . . Motion sensor

26. . . Encoder

27. . . Register

30. . . Output module

31. . . Transmitter

32. . . Interface controller

40. . . Display device

41. . . monitor

42. . . Controller

50. . . Host

51. . . Wired channel

52. . . Wireless channel

Claims (9)

A composite button includes: a body to provide a receiving space; a button set including at least one button and a corresponding encoder for generating a predetermined input signal according to a pressing action of a specific button, and a signal temporarily a buffer for storing a predetermined number of the input signals; and an output module for picking up a predetermined number of signals stored in the signal register and outputting the signal; wherein the button set further comprises a The motion sensor senses the swaying action of the sensor itself, and causes the output module to output a predetermined number of signals stored by the signal register. The composite button of claim 1, wherein the composite button further comprises a display device for displaying an input signal represented by the pressed and activated button. The composite button of claim 2, wherein the display device is a liquid crystal display device. The composite button of claim 1, wherein the encoder provides a combination function to combine the pressing action of the button with the swaying motion sensed by the motion sensor to output a corresponding operation signal. For example, the composite button described in claim 4, wherein the combination of the button and the sensing action of the motion sensor includes a combination of its sequence. The composite button according to claim 4, wherein the combination of the button and the sensing action of the motion sensor comprises combining the button and the sensing action at the same time. The composite button of claim 1, wherein the output module is a wired input Out of the module. The composite button of claim 1, wherein the output module is a wireless output module. The composite button of claim 1, wherein the output module further comprises an interface controller for converting the outputted signal into a desired format, and a transmitter for transmitting the output signal.