As the value and use of information continues to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems. An information handling system generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, information handling systems may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in information handling systems allow for information handling systems to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, information handling systems may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Many information handling systems use keyboards to obtain user input. Some prior keyboard solutions have provided pressure sensitive keys. The most common technique to provide pressure sensitive keys is to use variable resistance sensing techniques to provide an indication of the pressure applied by a user to a key. Variable capacitance sensing has also been utilized in some prior art products such as console gamepad controllers.
Haptics of conventional keyboards rely on the collapse of a rubber dome to provide the physical “click” sensation felt during the make connection. This is what keyboard users are accustomed to feeling using conventional standard keyboards while touch typing. Conventional variable pressure sensitive keyboards have also employed a standard rubber dome style key mechanism that incorporates the conventional touch type of haptics. Once a user provides enough finger force to provide the “make connection” (or collapse of the rubber dome) the finger is bottomed out against the back surface of the keyboard housing. At this point, as the user provides additional finger pressure, the circuitry reacts accordingly by auto-typing at a speed corresponding to the amount of force applied.
A full size USB peripheral keyboard has been developed that employs the use of a standard rubber dome style key mechanism. This keyboard incorporates the touch typing haptics provided by conventional rubber dome keyboard solutions. Once a user provides enough finger force to provide the “make connection” or collapse of the rubber dome, the bottom-side of the rubber dome is pressed against the back surface of the keyboard housing. At this point, as the user provides additional finger pressure, the circuitry reacts accordingly by auto-typing at a variable speed corresponding to the amount of force applied.
Force feedback game controllers on the market today incorporate feedback via piezo motors that have an off-center weight attached to the spindle. When the piezo motor is spinning, this offset weight produces a vibration that shakes the entire game controller device. Touch screens, such as found on some conventional cellphones and smartphones, employ the use of piezo transducers to vibrate the entire screen of the device to provide the user feedback as to when they are touching. Haptics controllers are available that provide the ability to store multiple vibration waveforms and allow a user to select and output any one waveform at a time.