Optical switch keyboard adjustment method and optical switch keyboard using the same

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-11315746-B2
Application number	US-202017097105-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 13, 2020
Priority date	Dec 31, 2019
Publication date	Apr 26, 2022
Grant date	Apr 26, 2022

Abstract

A method for adjusting an optical switch keyboard and an optical switch keyboard using the adjusting method are provided. The optical switch keyboard has a number of key units. The method includes the following steps. A scan signal is applied to one of a number of scan lines by a control unit at a first scan time point. A light is emitted by a light source according to the scan signal. A light emitted by the light source is detected by a detecting element to generate a detecting electric signal. The detecting electric signal is read by the control unit to obtain a first read signal voltage. When the first read signal voltage is outside the voltage range of the pressed state of the key unit, the period of the scan signal is increased by a first predetermined amount by the control unit to obtain an adjusted scan signal.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A method for adjusting an optical switch keyboard having a key unit, comprising:
applying a scan signal to one of a plurality of scan lines by a control unit at a first scan time point;
emitting a light by a light source according to the scan signal;
detecting the light by a detecting element to generate a detecting electric signal;
reading the detecting electric signal by the control unit to obtain a first read signal voltage;
wherein when the first read signal voltage is outside a voltage range of the pressed state of the key unit, the control unit increases the period of the scan signal by a first predetermined amount to obtain an adjusted scan signal.

2. The method according to claim 1 , wherein when the first read signal voltage is outside the voltage range of the pressed state, the first predetermined amount is a predetermined percentage of the period of the scan signal being unadjusted.

3. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises: after the adjusted scan signal is obtained, according to the adjusted scan signal, performing the step of emitting the light by the light source according to the scan signal again.

4. The method according to claim 1 , wherein when the first read signal voltage is outside the voltage range of the pressed state, the control unit makes the optical switch keyboard activate a correction mode, and when the first read signal voltage is inside the voltage range of the pressed state, the control unit makes the optical switch keyboard terminate the correction mode.

5. The method according to claim 4 , wherein the method further comprises: when the first read signal voltage is inside the voltage range of the pressed state and the optical switch keyboard terminates the correction mode, the control unit records the period of the adjusted scan signal.

6. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises: when the control unit does not increase the period of the scan signal, reading the detecting electric signal by the control unit at a time point being the first scan time point plus a delay period to obtain the first read signal voltage, and after the control unit increases the period of the scan signal, increasing the length of the delay period by a second predetermined amount by the control unit to obtain an adjusted delay period, and performing again (1) the step of emitting the light by the light source according to the scan signal, and (2) the step of reading the detecting electric signal by the control unit at a time point being the first scan time point plus the adjusted delay period.

7. The method according to claim 1 , wherein the method further comprises: when the control unit does not increase the period of the scan signal, reading the detecting electric signal by the control unit at a time point being the first scan time point plus a delay period to obtain a first read signal voltage, and after the control unit increases the period of the scan signal, performing again (1) the step of emitting the light by the light source according to the scan signal, and (2) reading the detecting electric signal at least twice by the control unit at a time point being the first scan time point plus a multiple of a real number of the length of the delay period to obtain at least the first read signal voltage and a second read signal voltage.

8. The method according to claim 7 , wherein when the first read signal voltage and the second read signal voltage both are outside the voltage range of the pressed state, the optical switch keyboard activates the correction mode, and when at least one of the first read signal voltage and the second read signal voltage is inside the voltage range of the pressed state, the optical switch keyboard terminates the correction mode.

9. A method for adjusting an optical switch keyboard having a key unit,
wherein the method comprises:
applying a scan signal to one of a plurality of scan lines by a control unit at a first scan time point;
emitting a light by a light source according to the scan signal;
detecting the light by a detecting element to generate a detecting electric signal;
reading the detecting electric signal by the control unit at a time point being the first scan time point plus a delay period to obtain a first read signal voltage;
wherein when the first read signal voltage is outside a voltage range of the pressed state of the key unit, the control unit increases the length of the delay period by a second predetermined amount to obtain an adjusted delay period.

10. The method according to claim 9 , wherein when the first read signal voltage is outside the voltage range of the pressed state, the second predetermined amount is a predetermined percentage of the length of the delay period being unadjusted.

11. The method according to claim 9 , wherein the method further comprises: after the adjusted delay period is obtained, according to the adjusted delay period, performing again the step of emitting the light by the light source according to the scan signal and the step of reading the detecting electric signal by the control unit at a time point being the first scan time point plus the adjusted delay period.

12. The method according to claim 9 , wherein when the first read signal voltage is outside the voltage range of the pressed state, the control unit makes the optical switch keyboard activate a correction mode, and when the first read signal voltage is inside the voltage range of the pressed state, the control unit makes the optical switch keyboard terminate the correction mode.

13. The method according to claim 12 , wherein the method further comprises: when the first read signal voltage is inside the voltage range of the pressed state and the optical switch keyboard terminates the correction mode, recording the length of the adjusted delay period by the control unit.

14. An optical switch keyboard, comprising:
a plurality of scan lines;
a control unit, coupled to the plurality of scan lines, wherein the control unit applies a scan signal to one of the scan lines;
a plurality of key units, wherein any one of the key units comprises:
a light source, configured to emit a light according to the scan signal; and
a detecting element, wherein when the detecting element detects the light, the detecting element generates a detecting electric signal, and the control unit reads the detecting electric signal to obtain a first read signal voltage;

wherein when the first read signal voltage is outside a voltage range of the pressed state of one of the key units, the control unit increases the period of the scan signal by a first predetermined amount to obtain an adjusted scan signal.

15. The optical switch keyboard according to claim 14 , wherein when the first read signal voltage is outside the voltage range of the pressed state, the first predetermined amount is a predetermined percentage of the period of the scan signal being unadjusted.

16. The optical switch keyboard according to claim 14 , wherein after the adjusted scan signal is obtained, the light source emits the light according to the scan signal again.

17. The optical switch keyboard according to claim 14 , wherein when the first read signal voltage is outside the voltage range of the pressed state, the control unit makes the optical switch keyboard activate a correction mode, and when the first read signal voltage is inside the voltage range of the pressed state, the control unit makes the optical switch keyboard terminate the correction mode.

18. The optical switch

Assignees

• Darfon Electronics Corp

Inventors

• Lee Chien-Hsin

Classifications

• H03K2217/94102

  characterised by the type of activation · CPC title

• H03K17/969 Primary

  having a plurality of control members, e.g. keyboard · CPC title

• H03K17/7955

  using phototransistors · CPC title

• H03K17/943

  using a plurality of optical emitters or detectors, e.g. keyboard · CPC title

• H01H13/023

  Light-emitting indicators (for multi-layer switches H01H13/83) · CPC title