System and method for capacitive split contactless keyboard stack with capacitive encoding to identify among a plurality of removable tactile input layers

An information handling system executing machine readable code instructions to detect user keyboard input and touch input at a split keyboard structure of the information handling system comprising:

• a hardware processor, a data storage device, and a power management unit (PMU) to provide power to the hardware processor and data storage device formed into a base chassis of the information handling system;
• a keyboard sensing hardware structure formed under a sealed input surface of the base chassis of the information handling system including a plurality of capacitive pad sensors in a capacitive pads layer formed under the sealed input surface, a grounding layer, and an active shielding layer between the capacitive pad sensors and the grounding layer;
• the capacitive pads layer formed under a sealed input surface operably coupled to a capacitive sensor microprocessor to detect capacitive changes from user interaction with one of a plurality of removable tactile input layers installed above the sealed input surface;
• and
• the capacitive sensor microprocessor to execute machine readable code instructions of a dynamic key mapping engine to detect, via one or more of the capacitive pad sensors, which of the plurality of removable tactile input layers is operatively coupled to the sealed input surface via detection of at least one set of conductive material portions formed into the removable tactile layers, wherein the conductive material portions are formed under plural keyboard keys of each of the plurality of removable tactile input layers and wherein the capacitive sensor microprocessor, via the capacitive pad sensors, measures a capacitance at each of the capacitive pad sensors to determine a capacitance encoding to determine which of the plurality of removable tactile input layers is installed onto the sealed input surface of the base chassis.

An information handling system including a split keyboard structure to detect user keyboard input, touch input, and touchless gesture input at the information handling system comprising:

• a hardware processor, a data storage device, and a power management unit (PMU) to provide power to the hardware processor and data storage device formed into a base chassis of the information handling system;
• a keyboard sensing hardware structure formed under a sealed input surface that is a top surface of the base chassis housing for the information handling system including a plurality of capacitive pad sensors in a capacitive pads layer formed under the sealed input surface, a grounding layer, and an active shielding layer between the capacitive pad sensors and the grounding layer, wherein the capacitive pads layer formed under a sealed input surface is operably coupled to a capacitive sensor microprocessor to detect capacitive changes from user interaction with one of a plurality of removable tactile input layers above the sealed input surface;
• and
• the capacitive sensor microprocessor to execute machine readable code instructions of a dynamic key mapping engine to detect, via the capacitive pad sensors, that a first removable tactile input layer among the plurality of removable tactile input layers is operatively coupled to the sealed input surface via cumulative capacitance of a first keyboard key layout of the first removable tactile input layer with the capacitive sensor microprocessor, via the capacitive pad sensors, measuring the cumulative capacitance to determine a capacitive encoding level for the first keyboard layout of a first set of keyboard keys that is unique relative to the remaining keyboard layouts of other removable tactile input layers of the plurality of tactile input layers installable onto the sealed input surface,
• wherein the capacitive sensor microprocessor accesses a tactile input layer capacitance look-up table to, with the cumulative capacitance of the first keyboard layout, identify that the first removable tactile input layer among the plurality of removable tactile input layers is operatively coupled to the sealed input surface.