US 12,306,672 B2
Portable information handling system keyboard membrane having liquid detection
Jace W. Files, Round Rock, TX (US); Chiu-Jung Tsen, Zhubei (TW); and John Trevor Morrison, Round Rock, TX (US)
Assigned to Dell Products L.P., Round Rock, TX (US)
Filed by Dell Products L.P., Round Rock, TX (US)
Filed on Dec. 14, 2022, as Appl. No. 18/081,075.
Prior Publication US 2024/0201744 A1, Jun. 20, 2024
Int. Cl. G06F 1/16 (2006.01)
CPC G06F 1/1656 (2013.01) [G06F 1/1662 (2013.01); G06F 1/1681 (2013.01)] 10 Claims
OG exemplary drawing
 
1. An information handling system comprising:
a housing having first and second housing portions rotationally coupled by a hinge;
a processor disposed in the first housing portion and operable to execute instructions that process information;
a memory disposed in the first housing portion and interfaced with the processor, the memory storing the instructions and information;
a keyboard assembly having plural keys at an upper surface of the first housing portion configured to accept end user key press inputs, the plural keys disposed over a keyboard membrane having key input sensors configured to detect the key press inputs, the keyboard membrane having plural liquid detection circuits separate from the key input sensors and exposed at an upper surface of the keyboard membrane, the plural liquid detection circuits configured to detect liquid spilled on the keyboard membrane upper surface;
a printed circuit board formed in the keyboard membrane; and
a key matrix controller interfaced with the key input sensors to determine key presses;
a connector interface formed in the keyboard membrane;
a connector coupled to the first housing portion; and
a communications hub coupled to the printed circuit board and interfacing the key matrix connector with the connector interface;
a non-transitory memory coupled to the keyboard membrane printed circuit board and configured to store information;
a processing resource coupled to the keyboard membrane printed circuit board and interfaced with the liquid detection circuits and the non-transitory memory, the processing resource monitoring the liquid detection circuits for indications of liquid presence at the keyboard membrane and storing the indication of liquid presence in the non-transitory memory.