A device may include a display portion that includes a display housing and a display at least partially within the display housing. The device may also include a base portion pivotally coupled to the display portion and including a bottom case, a top case coupled to the bottom case and defining an array of raised key regions, and a sensing system below the top case and configured to detect an input applied to a raised key region of the array of raised key regions.

The invention relates to an apparatus for detecting a key press comprising a circuit substrate, a key module with a key cap and a movement mechanism, and a device for detecting the movement of the key cap, wherein the movement mechanism has at least one movement element wherein this device comprises an electrical resonance circuit with at least one capacitor and with a primary coil and comprises a secondary coil wherein the device for detecting the movement of the key cap comprises a measuring device for detecting and/or processing at least one physical variable of the electrical resonance circuit, which variable changes during the movement of the key cap, and outputs at least one electrical signal that is dependent on the change in the physical variable.

The invention relates to a device for detecting a key press of a keyboard, comprising a key module, a circuit substrate, a planar coil arranged on or in the circuit substrate, and at least one damping element, wherein the at least one damping element for damping the planar coil is movably arranged in the key module between a rest position and an actuation position, wherein the damping element executes a first actuating movement during the movement in the direction of the actuation position and executes a second actuating movement) during the movement towards the rest position, and wherein the device (10) outputs at least one electrical signal when carrying out the first actuating movement and/or the second actuating movement.

The invention also relates to a keyboard comprising one or more such devices and to a method for detecting a key press of a key module with such a device.

A key determination method for a metal key. The method comprises a step of determining whether values output by an electrical parameter converter on a metal key satisfy multiple levels of thresholds, and, a step of setting a press flag of the metal key according to multiple levels of thresholds; and after the metal key is released, determining whether a release flag is valid according to a press model, and if so, clearing the press flag that was previously set. Different press models and different thresholds are selected and configured by means of software, so that personalized choices are provided for respective metal keys, which effectively facilitates different operators in configuring a metal keyboard according to usage habits, thereby improving the operating efficiency. In addition, the setting of different thresholds effectively protects the operational details mean for the exclusive use of operators, thereby achieving the required confidentiality.

A force sensor including: a first part including a detection coil; a second part positioned opposite the first part and including: a ferromagnetic plate translationally movable relative to the first part to move towards the first part when a force is transferred to the sensor and to reduce reluctance of a magnetic circuit formed by the first and second parts in series with a variable gap; and an electronic detection circuit configured to generate a signal dependent on the reluctance of the magnetic circuit. The ferromagnetic plate is formed by an amorphous metal alloy.

A force sensor including: a first part including a detection coil; a second part positioned opposite the first part and including: a ferromagnetic plate translationally movable relative to the first part to move towards the first part when a force is transferred to the sensor and to reduce reluctance of a magnetic circuit formed by the first and second parts in series with a variable gap; and an electronic detection circuit configured to generate a signal dependent on the reluctance of the magnetic circuit. The ferromagnetic plate is formed by an amorphous metal alloy.

A method for detecting, by a force sensing circuit within an electronic device, a change in force applied to a surface of the electronic device. The method includes correlating the change in the force applied to the surface to a functional change of at least one setting of the electronic device. The method further includes identifying when a detected change is a first change of the change in force, which corresponds to a trigger that activates at least one of a plurality of sensing devices within the force sensing circuit to monitor for a subsequent change in the force. In response to detecting the subsequent change of the change in force, the method includes adjusting the at least one setting of the electronic device based on the subsequent change of the force.

A method of generating an operating signal of an electronic device includes: deriving a force measurement value based on a change in inductance of a touch sensing device disposed inside a housing of the electronic device and configured to change inductance by external pressure applied to a touch switching unit of the housing; accumulatively recording the force measurement value derived in the deriving of the force measurement value; setting a reference value based on the recorded force measurement value, in response to the force measurement value being accumulatively recorded until a unit condition is satisfied; and generating an operating signal based on a high and low relationship between the force measurement value derived from the change in inductance occurring after the setting of the reference value, and the set reference value.

A sensing system for a keyboard. Each key sensor comprises passive and active resonant circuits. The passive resonant circuit has a resonant frequency and the active resonant circuit excites the passive resonant circuit at the resonant frequency. A sensor driver drives the active resonant circuit with an RF drive signal, a multiplexing system multiplexes the drive signal such that simultaneously driven key sensors are separated by at least (k−1) keys, and a detector detects a level of RF signal from a driven key sensor for sensing a position and/or velocity of a key.

A sensing system for a keyboard. Each key sensor comprises passive and active resonant circuits. The passive resonant circuit has a resonant frequency and the active resonant circuit excites the passive resonant circuit at the resonant frequency. A sensor driver drives the active resonant circuit with an RF drive signal, a multiplexing system multiplexes the drive signal such that simultaneously driven key sensors are separated by at least (k−1) keys, and a detector detects a level of RF signal from a driven key sensor for sensing a position and/or velocity of a key.