Pressure sensitive key normalization
View Patent ↗Pressure sensitive key techniques are described. In one or more implementations, a device includes at least one pressure sensitive key having a flexible contact layer spaced apart from a sensor substrate by a spacer layer, the flexible contact layer configured to flex responsive to pressure to contact the sensor substrate to initiate an input, for a computing device, associated with the pressure sensitive key. At least one of the flexible contact layer or the sensor substrate are 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 that has lesser flexibility than the first location.
1. A device comprising at least one pressure sensitive key comprising a flexible contact layer spaced apart from a sensor substrate by a spacer layer, the flexible contact layer configured to flex in response to an application of pressure to contact the sensor substrate to initiate an input, for a computing device, associated with the pressure sensitive key, at least one of the flexible contact layer or the sensor substrate are 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 by using conductors of the sensor substrate at a second location of the sensor substrate that have a larger surface area along a plane of the sensor substrate larger than conductors at a first location of the sensor substrate that corresponds to the first location of the flexible contact layer.
2. A device as described in claim 1 , wherein the second location on the flexible contact layer is positioned closer to an edge of the spacer layer than the first location of the flexible contact layer.
3. A device as described in claim 1 , wherein the flexible contact layer is configured to normalize the outputs by including a greater amount of pressure sensitive ink at the second location in comparison with the first location.
4. A device as described in claim 1 , wherein the sensor substrate is configured to normalize the outputs by including:
a first sensor at a first location of the sensor substrate that corresponds to the first location of the flexible contact layer; and
a second sensor at a second location of the sensor substrate that corresponds to the second location of the flexible contact layer.
5. A device as described in claim 1 , wherein the sensor substrate is configured to normalize the outputs by spacing conductors of the sensor substrate closer together at a second location of the sensor substrate that corresponds to the second location of the flexible contact layer than at a first location of the sensor substrate that corresponds to the first location of the flexible contact layer.
6. A keyboard comprising a plurality of pressure sensitive keys configured to initiate inputs of a computing device, each of the plurality of pressure sensitive keys comprising a flexible contact layer spaced apart from a sensor substrate by a spacer layer, the flexible contact layer configured to flex in response to an application of pressure 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 are 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 through use of a greater amount of pressure sensitive ink at the second location in comparison with the first location of the flexible contact layer, the second location positioned closer to an edge of the spacer layer than the first location.
7. A keyboard as described in claim 6 , wherein the flexible contact layer is configured to normalize the outputs by decreasing resistance at the second location in comparison with the first location.
8. A keyboard as described in claim 6 , wherein the sensor substrate includes:
a first sensor at a first location of the sensor substrate that corresponds to the first location of the flexible contact layer; and
a second sensor at a second location of the sensor substrate that corresponds to the second location of the flexible contact layer.
9. A keyboard as described in claim 6 , wherein conductors of the sensor substrate are spaced closer together at a second location of the sensor substrate that corresponds to the second location of the flexible contact layer than at a first location of the sensor substrate that corresponds to the first location of the flexible contact layer.
10. A keyboard as described in claim 6 , wherein conductors of the sensor substrate are larger at a second location of the sensor substrate that corresponds to the second location of the flexible contact layer than conductors at a first location of the sensor substrate that corresponds to the first location of the flexible contact layer.
11. A keyboard as described in claim 6 , wherein the flexible contact layer is configured to flex more at the first location in response to an amount of pressure than at a second location in response to application of the amount of pressure.
12. A device comprising:
at least one pressure sensitive key comprising:
a sensor substrate; and
a flexible contact layer spaced apart from the sensor substrate by a spacer layer, the flexible contact layer configured to flex in response to an application of pressure to contact the sensor substrate to initiate an input associated with the pressure sensitive key, the flexible contact layer and the sensor substrate configured to at least partially normalize an output resulting from pressure applied at different locations of the flexible contact layer that have different flexibilities by spacing conductors of the sensor substrate closer together at one location than another location of the substrate.
13. A device as described in claim 12 , wherein at least one of the locations is positioned closer to an edge of the spacer layer than another one of the locations of the flexible contact layer.
14. A device as described in claim 12 , wherein the flexible contact layer is configured to normalize the outputs by decreasing resistance at one of the locations in comparison with another one of the locations.
15. A device as described in claim 12 , wherein the flexible contact layer is configured to normalize the outputs by including a greater amount of pressure sensitive ink at one of the locations in comparison with another one of the locations.
16. A device as described in claim 12 , wherein the sensor substrate is configured to normalize the outputs by using conductors of the sensor substrate that have a larger surface area at one location than another location of the substrate.
17. A device comprising at least one pressure sensitive key comprising a flexible contact layer spaced apart from a sensor substrate by a spacer layer, the flexible contact layer configured to flex in response to an application of pressure to contact the sensor substrate to initiate an input, for a computing device, associated with the pressure sensitive key, at least one of the flexible contact layer or the sensor substrate are 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 by including a first sensor at a first location of the sensor substrate that corresponds to the first location of the flexible contact layer; and a second sensor at a second location of the sensor substrate that corresponds to the second location of the flexible contact layer and by decreasing resistance at the second location in comparison with the first location.
18. A device as described in claim 17 , wherein the second location on the flexible contact layer is positioned closer to an edge of the spacer layer than the first location of the flexible contact layer.
19. A device as described in claim 17 , wherein the flexible contact layer is also configured to normalize the outputs by including a greater amount of pressure sensitive ink at the second location in comparison with the first location.
20. A device as described in claim 17 , wherein the sensor substrate is also configured to normalize the outputs by spacing conductors of the sensor substrate closer together at a second location of the sensor substrate that corresponds to the second location of the flexible contact layer than at a first location of the sensor substrate that corresponds to the first location of the flexible contact layer.
21. A device as described in claim 17 , wherein the sensor substrate is also configured to normalize the outputs by using conductors of the sensor substrate at a second location of the sensor substrate that are larger than conductors at a first location of the sensor substrate that corresponds to the first location of the flexible contact layer.