System and method for orchestrating adaptive capacitive sensor groupings of a capacitive split contactless keyboard for an information handling system

A method of orchestrating capacitive pad sensing across a plurality of capacitive pad sensors for a keyboard sensing hardware structure for a split keyboard structure based on a detected usage input mode comprising:

• detecting capacitive changes from user input interaction with a removable tactile input layer installed onto a sealed input surface of a keyboard chassis including a plurality of capacitive pad sensors in a capacitive pads layer, a grounding layer, and an active shielding layer between the plurality of capacitive pad sensors and the grounding layer formed under the sealed input surface of the keyboard chassis;
• dynamically orchestrating, via a host microprocessor executing machine readable code instructions, grouping and ungrouping of the plurality of capacitive pad sensors into a plurality of capacitive change sensing regions or to single key capacitive pad sensors of the keyboard, and timing of capacitive change detection across the plurality of capacitive change sensing regions or single key capacitive pad sensors based on a determined usage input mode, including a key press measurement input mode, a touch input mode, and a touchless gesture input mode;
• assigning and simultaneously sensing, via the host microprocessor executing machine readable code instructions, a user touch input at a first subset of capacitive pad sensors in a first capacitive change sensing region operatively coupled to at least one of a plurality of capacitive sensor microprocessors while operating in the touch input mode based on identification of the touch input mode from the detected change in capacitance at a first capacitance level;
• and
• assigning and simultaneously sensing, via a host microprocessor executing machine readable code instructions, a user touchless gesture input at a second subset of capacitive pad sensors in a second capacitive change sensing region that is larger than the first capacitive change sensing region and is operatively coupled to at least one of the plurality of capacitive sensor microprocessors while operating in the touchless gesture input mode based on identification of the touchless gesture input mode from the detected change in capacitance at a second capacitance level.

A split keyboard structure of an information handling system having a keyboard sensing hardware structure formed under a sealed input surface of a keyboard chassis 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;
• the keyboard sensing hardware structure, including a plurality of capacitive pad sensors in a capacitive pads layer, a grounding layer, and an active shielding layer between the plurality of capacitive pad sensors and the grounding layer formed under a sealed input surface of the keyboard chassis, to detect capacitive changes from user interaction with a removable tactile input layer including a keyboard installed onto the sealed input surface;
• a host microprocessor to execute machine readable code instructions of a regional capacitive pad gesture sensing orchestration system to receive a detected change in capacitance associated with a user input at a capacitive pad sensor operatively coupled to the host microprocessor via a capacitive sensor microprocessor to determine whether the detected change in capacitance meets a keypress input measurement mode level, a touch input mode level, or a touchless gesture input mode level;
• the host microprocessor to execute machine readable code instructions to assign first subsets of a first plurality of capacitive pad sensors to each of a plurality of capacitive change sensing regions based on identification of the touch input mode from the detected change in capacitance at a first capacitance level;
• the host microprocessor to execute machine readable code instructions to assign subsets of a second plurality of capacitive pad sensors to each of the plurality of capacitive change sensing regions based on identification of the touchless gesture input mode from the detected change in capacitance at a second capacitance level, wherein the second plurality of capacitive pad sensors assigned to each of the plurality of capacitive change sensing regions in the touchless gesture input mode is greater than the first plurality of capacitive pad sensors assigned to each of the plurality of capacitive change sensing regions in the touch input mode;
• and
• the host microprocessor to execute machine readable code instructions to instruct the capacitive sensor microprocessor to detect capacitive change sensed simultaneously at a first subset of capacitive pad sensors in a first capacitive change sensing region and to detect a second detected capacitive change sensed simultaneously at a second subset of capacitive pad sensors in a second capacitive change sensing region to identify user touch input or a touchless gesture input with reduced latency relative to serially scanning the plurality of capacitive pad sensors in the capacitive pads layer.