Switch arrangement and a switch matrix structure for a keypad
AssigneeNokia Corporation
InventorsEsa Maatta, Jari Saukko, Henri Vaha-Ypya
Life of this patent
Estimating the term…
Abstract
The invention relates to a switch arrangement comprising photoconductor means to be illuminated. The switch arrangement also comprises conductor means which are intended to further transmit light escaping from the photoconductor means and directed to the conductor means by means of a local contact, wherein said conductor means and said photoconductor means are further, under the control of an external force, arranged to move in relation to each other and to cause the development, loss or change of said contact in such a way that a detectable change is caused in the light guided through it.
Claims31
A switch arrangement comprising photoconductor means to be illuminated, wherein the switch arrangement also comprises conductor means which are intended to further transmit light escaping from the photoconductor means and directed to the conductor means by means of a local contact, wherein said conductor means and said photoconductor means are further, under the control of an external force, arranged to move in relation to each other and to cause the development, loss or change of said contact in such a way that a detectable change is caused in the light guided through it.
A switch matrix structure for a keypad, wherein the structure comprises a matrix photoconductor formed of crossing rows and columns, wherein the photoconductor is arranged to transmit light along said rows and columns to sensor means, which light has been guided to said photoconductor by means of a local contact.
A method for activating a switch arrangement, comprising photoconductor means to be illuminated, comprising the steps of transmitting light escaping from the photoconductor means by conductor means, which light is guided to the conductor means via a local contact, and simultaneously inducing, by the effect of an external force, a detectable change in the guided light in such a way that said conductor means and said photoconductor means move in relation to each other and thereby cause said contact to be developed, lost or changed.
Dependencies are inferred from the claim text.