# US 12,771,347 B1 · System and method for orchestrating adaptive capacitive sensor groupings of a capacitive split contactless keyboard for an information handling system > Agents: this data is available as JSON from the patentgrep API and MCP server — see https://patentgrep.com/llms.txt - Number: US 12,771,347 B1 - Document ID: US12771347B1 - Status: Granted - Kind: B1 - Application number: 19/285,782 - Filed: 2025-07-30 - Granted: 2026-10-20 - Earliest claimed: 2025-07-30 - Assignees: Dell Products L.P. - Applicants: Dell Products LP - Inventors: Rachid M. Alameh; Brandon Joel Brocklesby; Jason Scott Morrison - Web page: https://patentgrep.com/patent/US12771347B1 ## CPC - H03K 17/9622: {using a plurality of detectors, e.g. keyboard} - G06F 3/017: {Gesture based interaction, e.g. based on a set of recognized hand gestures (interaction based on gestures traced on a digitiser G06F3/04883)} - G06F 3/0233: {Character input methods} - H03K: PULSE TECHNIQUE (measuring pulse characteristics G01R; modulating sinusoidal oscillations with pulses H03C; transmission of digital information H04L; discriminator circuits detecting phase difference between two signals by counting or integrating cycles of oscillation H03D3/04; automatic control, starting, synchronisation or stabilisation of generators of electronic oscillations or pulses where the type of generator is irrelevant or unspecified H03L; coding, decoding or code conversion, in general H03M) - G06F: ELECTRIC DIGITAL DATA PROCESSING (computer systems based on specific computational models G06N) ## Abstract A split keyboard structure of an information handling system may comprise a keyboard sensing hardware structure including capacitive pad sensors in a capacitive pads layer formed under a sealed input surface of the keyboard sensing hardware structure to detect capacitive changes from user interaction with a removable tactile input layer, and a host microprocessor to execute machine readable code instructions to identify user touch input based on a first detected capacitive change sensed simultaneously at a first subset of capacitive pad sensors operatively coupled to the host microprocessor in a first capacitive change sensing region and a second detected capacitive changed sensed simultaneously at a second subset of capacitive pad sensors in a second capacitive change sensing region to increase regions across the capacitive pads layer which touch inputs are sensed beyond that of individual keyboard keys to decrease processing time to detect user touch input. ## Claims ### Claim 1 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 with a user's finger or hand 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 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; and the host microprocessor to execute machine readable code instructions to instruct the capacitive sensor microprocessor to detected 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 with reduced latency relative to serially scanning the plurality of capacitive pad sensors in the capacitive pads layer. ### Claim 2 (depends on 1) The split keyboard structure of the information handling system of claim 1, wherein the user touch input includes the user drawing with a finger across a plurality of single keys of the keyboard of the removable tactile input layer. ### Claim 3 (depends on 1) The split keyboard structure of the information handling system of claim 1, wherein the user touch input includes the user drawing with a finger across a portion the removable tactile input layer installed on the sealed input surface of the keyboard chassis of the information handling system situated to either side of a touchpad. ### Claim 4 (depends on 1) The split keyboard structure of the information handling system of claim 1, wherein the user touch input includes the user drawing with a finger across a lid of a display chassis for the information handling system when the display chassis is in a closed position. ### Claim 5 (depends on 1) The split keyboard structure of the information handling system of claim 1, wherein the host microprocessor executes machine readable code instructions to instruct a plurality of capacitive sensor microprocessors to detected capacitive change sensed across plural capacitive change sensing regions and to detect the user touch input with reduced latency relative to serially scanning the plurality of capacitive pad sensors in the capacitive pads layer. ### Claim 6 (depends on 1) The split keyboard structure of the information handling system of claim 1 further comprising: the host microprocessor for receiving a user instruction via an operatively coupled hardware processor to increase sensitivity to user touch input when operating in touch input mode; and the host microprocessor to execute machine readable code instructions to decrease a number of capacitive pad sensors in each of the first plurality of capacitive pad sensors assigned to each of the plurality of capacitive change sensing regions to increase precision of sensed user touch input from each of the plurality of capacitive change sensing regions that are smaller across the capacitive pads layer. ### Claim 7 (depends on 1) The split keyboard structure of the information handling system of claim 1 further comprising: the host microprocessor for receiving a user instruction via an operatively coupled hardware processor to decrease latency for detecting user touch input when operating in touch input mode; and the host microprocessor to execute machine readable code instructions to increase a number of capacitive pad sensors in each of the first plurality of capacitive pad sensors assigned to each of the plurality of capacitive change sensing regions to further decrease processing time to detect user touch input across a wider area of the capacitive pads layer. ### Claim 8 (depends on 1) The split keyboard structure of the information handling system of claim 1 further comprising: 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, 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. ### Claim 9 (depends on 8) The method of claim 8 further comprising: executing machine readable code instructions, via the host microprocessor, to instruct the capacitive sensing microprocessor to serially scan the capacitive pad sensors based on identification of the keypress input measurement mode detecting keypress inputs from the detected change in capacitance at a third capacitance level; and orchestrating, via the host microprocessor executing machine readable code instructions, ungrouping of the plurality of capacitive pad sensors from the plurality of capacitive change sensing regions to assignment to single keys of a keyboard for the removable tactile input layer. ### Claim 10 (depends on 1) The split keyboard structure of the information handling system of claim 1 further comprising: the host microprocessor to execute machine readable code instructions to serially scan the capacitive pad sensors based on identification of the keypress input measurement mode detecting keypress inputs from the detected change in capacitance. ### Claim 11 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. ### Claim 12 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the host microprocessor executing machine readable code instructions instructs a plurality of capacitive sensor microprocessors to detected capacitive change sensed across plural capacitive change sensing regions and to detect the user touch input or the user touchless gesture input with reduced latency relative to serially scanning the plurality of capacitive pad sensors in the capacitive pads layer. ### Claim 13 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11, wherein the removable tactile input layer includes mechanical keyboard keys and the removable tactile input layer is removably coupled to the sealed input surface via an interference fit or magnetic coupling to provide for removal of the removable tactile input layer from the sealed input surface of the keyboard sensing hardware structure. ### Claim 14 (depends on 11) The method of claim 11 further comprising: receiving input, via the plurality of capacitive sensor microprocessors executing machine readable code instructions of a plurality of capacitive sensor drivers operatively coupled to one or more of the plurality of capacitive pad sensors, for the first capacitive change level for the touch input, for a second capacitive change level for the touchless gesture input, and a third capacitive change level for a user keyboard keypress input. ### Claim 15 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. ### Claim 16 (depends on 15) The split keyboard structure of the information handling system of claim 15, wherein the host microprocessor executes machine readable code instructions to instruct a plurality of capacitive sensor microprocessors to detected capacitive change sensed across plural capacitive change sensing regions and to detect the user touch input or the user touchless gesture input with reduced latency relative to serially scanning the plurality of capacitive pad sensors in the capacitive pads layer. ### Claim 17 (depends on 15) The split keyboard structure of the information handling system of claim 15 further comprising: the host microprocessor to execute machine readable code instructions to serially scan the capacitive pad sensors based on identification of the keypress input measurement mode detecting keypress inputs from the detected change in capacitance at a third capacitance level. ### Claim 18 (depends on 15) The split keyboard structure of the information handling system of claim 15 further comprising: the host microprocessor for receiving a user instruction via an operatively coupled hardware processor to increase sensitivity to user touch input when operating in touch input mode; and the host microprocessor to execute machine readable code instructions to decrease a number of capacitive pad sensors in each of the first plurality of capacitive pad sensors assigned to each of the plurality of capacitive change sensing regions to increase precision of sensed user touch input from each of the plurality of capacitive change sensing regions that are smaller across the capacitive pads layer. ### Claim 19 (depends on 15) The split keyboard structure of the information handling system of claim 15 further comprising: the host microprocessor for receiving a user instruction via an operatively coupled hardware processor to increase capacitive field distance for detecting user touchless gesture input when operating in the touchless gesture input mode; and the host microprocessor to execute machine readable code instructions to increase a number of capacitive pad sensors in each of the second plurality of capacitive pad sensors assigned to each of the plurality of capacitive change sensing regions to further to detect user touchless gesture input with more capacitive pad sensors across a wider area of the capacitive pads layer. ### Claim 20 (depends on 15) The split keyboard structure of the information handling system of claim 15, wherein the user touchless gesture input includes the user gesturing with a hand above the surface of the removable tactile input layer when a chassis for the information handling system is in an open position.