CN105610424B

CN105610424B - Capacitive key structure of household appliance and household appliance

Info

Publication number: CN105610424B
Application number: CN201610128574.6A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 董卡卡; 程艳; 周平平
Original assignee: Midea Group Co Ltd; Guangdong Midea Kitchen Appliances Manufacturing Co Ltd
Current assignee: Midea Group Co Ltd; Guangdong Midea Kitchen Appliances Manufacturing Co Ltd
Priority date: 2016-03-07
Filing date: 2016-03-07
Publication date: 2020-10-30
Anticipated expiration: 2036-03-07
Also published as: CN105610424A

Abstract

The invention discloses a capacitive button structure of a household appliance, which comprises an elastic metal panel and a control substrate, wherein the control substrate is connected with the metal panel and forms an accommodating space together, the control substrate comprises a capacitor triggering part, a plurality of triggering electrodes and a plurality of conductive elastic pieces positioned in the accommodating space, the capacitor triggering part is insulated from the plurality of triggering electrodes, the plurality of conductive elastic pieces are arranged on the control substrate at intervals and are electrically connected with the capacitor triggering part, and each conductive elastic piece can be electrically connected with the corresponding triggering electrode under the pressing of the metal panel so that the triggering electrode is electrically connected with the capacitor triggering part. The capacitive key structure comprises the metal panel, and the metal panel can be used as an interface for manual operation, so that the strength of the capacitive key structure is improved, and the capacitive key structure is not easy to damage. The invention also discloses a household appliance, which comprises the capacitance type key structure of the household appliance.

Description

Capacitive key structure of household appliance and household appliance

Technical Field

The invention relates to a key structure, in particular to a capacitive key structure of a household appliance and the household appliance.

Background

At present, the key control function of the household appliance is mainly controlled by a mechanical knob and a capacitive key. Wherein the mechanical knob requires holes to be drilled in the panel and affects the overall appearance and performance of the user experience. The capacitive keys limit the placement of certain sizes of metal or conductive materials at the locations where the key areas are placed. The common capacitive keys are made of glass materials or plastics. Therefore, the capacitive key is low in structural mechanical strength and easy to damage.

Disclosure of Invention

The present invention is directed to solving, at least to some extent, the technical problems in the related art. Therefore, the invention provides a capacitive key structure of a household appliance and the household appliance.

The capacitive key structure of the household appliance of the embodiment of the invention comprises:

a resilient metal panel; and

the control substrate is connected with the metal panel and forms an accommodating space together, the control substrate comprises a capacitance trigger part and a plurality of trigger electrodes, and the capacitance trigger part is insulated from the plurality of trigger electrodes; and

the conductive elastic pieces are arranged on the control substrate at intervals and are electrically connected with the capacitor triggering portion, and each conductive elastic piece can be electrically connected with the corresponding trigger electrode under the pressing of the metal panel so that the trigger electrode is electrically connected with the capacitor triggering portion.

The capacitive key structure of the household appliance comprises the metal panel which can be used as an interface for manual operation, so that the strength of the capacitive key structure is improved, and the capacitive key structure is not easy to damage. Meanwhile, the plurality of conductive elastic pieces can be used as corresponding trigger keys, the trigger electrode can be used as one electrode of the capacitor, and the trigger electrode and the capacitor trigger part are electrically connected with a control circuit capable of triggering the relevant control circuit, so that the purpose of controlling the capacitive keys is achieved.

In some embodiments, the capacitive button structure of the household appliance includes an insulating connection portion connecting the metal panel and the control substrate.

In some embodiments, the metal panel includes a first surface, the control substrate includes a second surface opposite to the first surface, the capacitive button structure of the household appliance includes a plurality of connecting portions, the connecting portions are connected between the first surface and the second surface at intervals and partition the accommodating space into a plurality of accommodating chambers, the conductive elastic members are accommodated in the accommodating chambers, and the capacitive trigger portion and the trigger electrode are disposed on the second surface.

In some embodiments, the connecting portion includes a double-sided adhesive tape, and the first surface and the second surface are connected by the double-sided adhesive tape.

In some embodiments, the conductive elastic element includes a body and a pin, the pin is connected to the capacitive trigger and the body, the body and the trigger electrode are disposed at an interval, and the body can be electrically connected to the trigger electrode under the pressing of the metal panel.

In some embodiments, the leads include a first lead and a second lead spaced apart from the first lead, the control substrate includes a fixing portion, the second lead is fixed on the fixing portion, and the first lead is connected to the capacitive trigger.

In some embodiments, the fixing portion includes a metal film, and the fixing portion is fixedly connected to the second pin through the metal film.

In some embodiments, the capacitive trigger includes a body member and a connector connected to the body member, wherein the connector connects the first pin and the body member.

In some embodiments, the trigger electrode is a metal thin film disposed on the control substrate.

The household appliance comprises the capacitance type key structure of any one of the household appliances.

The household appliance comprises the capacitive key structure of the household appliance, and the metal panel can be used as an interface for manual operation, so that the strength of the capacitive key structure is improved, the capacitive key structure is not easy to damage, and the user experience is enhanced.

In some embodiments, the household appliance comprises a support panel on which the capacitive key structure of the household appliance is arranged.

In some embodiments, the support panel is a dielectric material.

In some embodiments, the household appliance includes a plurality of connection electrodes, the support panel is disposed between a capacitive key structure of the household appliance and the plurality of connection electrodes, and each of the connection electrodes is disposed corresponding to each of the trigger electrodes.

In some embodiments, the connection electrode is connected to an elastic member, and the connection electrode is located between the elastic member and the support panel.

Additional aspects and advantages of the invention will be set forth in part in the description which follows and, in part, will be obvious from the description, or may be learned by practice of the invention.

Drawings

The above and/or additional aspects and advantages of the present invention will become apparent and readily appreciated from the following description of the embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings of which:

fig. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a capacitive button structure of a home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematic perspective view of a capacitive button structure of a home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a schematic perspective view of a control substrate of a capacitive button structure of a household appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a partial perspective view of a capacitive button structure of a home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a schematic perspective view of a conductive elastic member of a capacitive button structure of a home appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is another perspective view of the conductive elastic member of the capacitive button structure of the household appliance according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 7 is a partial schematic view of a household appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Detailed Description

The following further describes embodiments of the present invention with reference to the drawings. The same or similar reference numbers in the drawings identify the same or similar elements or elements having the same or similar functionality throughout.

In addition, the embodiments of the present invention described below with reference to the accompanying drawings are exemplary only for the purpose of explaining the embodiments of the present invention, and are not to be construed as limiting the present invention.

Referring to fig. 1, a capacitive button structure 100 of a household appliance according to an embodiment of the present invention includes an elastic metal panel 10 and a control substrate 20. The control board 20 is connected to the metal panel 10 and forms a receiving space 30 together. The control substrate 20 includes a capacitive trigger 21, a plurality of trigger electrodes 22, and a plurality of conductive elastic members 23 located in the receiving space 30. The capacitive touch panel 21 is insulated from the plurality of touch electrodes 22. The conductive elastic members 23 are disposed on the control substrate 20 at intervals and electrically connected to the capacitive triggering portion 21. Each conductive elastic member 23 can be electrically connected to the corresponding trigger electrode 22 under the pressing of the metal panel 10 so that the trigger electrode 22 is electrically connected to the capacitive trigger portion 21.

The capacitive button structure 100 of the home appliance according to the embodiment of the present invention includes a metal panel 10. The metal panel 10 can be used as an interface for manual operation, so that the strength of the capacitive button structure is improved, and the capacitive button structure is not easy to damage. Meanwhile, the plurality of conductive elastic members 23 may serve as corresponding trigger buttons, and the trigger electrode 22 may serve as one electrode of a capacitor. The trigger electrode 22 and the capacitance trigger part 21 are electrically connected to trigger a related control circuit, so as to achieve the purpose of capacitive key control.

In this embodiment, the capacitive button structure 100 of the household appliance has elasticity and flexibility, and the capacitive button structure 100 of the household appliance can be easily deformed by a limited force. When the metal panel 10 is pressed, the metal panel 10 deforms, and accordingly the conductive elastic members 23 deform, so that the corresponding conductive elastic members 23 are electrically connected with the corresponding trigger electrodes 22, and the trigger electrodes 22 are electrically connected with the capacitor trigger part 21 to form an electrical loop, thereby triggering the related control circuit; when the metal panel 10 in the pressed state is released, the metal panel 10 is restored to the original state, so that the conductive elastic member 23 is deformed accordingly, and the conductive elastic member 23 is insulated from the trigger electrode 22, thereby disconnecting the corresponding control circuit.

Specifically, in the present embodiment, the metal panel 10 presses the respective conductive elastic members 23 by direct contact. When the metal surface 10 is pressed, the metal panel 10 is deformed and directly contacts with the corresponding conductive elastic member 23 to press the corresponding conductive elastic member 23, so that the corresponding conductive elastic member 23 is deformed, and the height of the conductive elastic member 23 is reduced, thereby electrically connecting with the corresponding conductive elastic member 23.

It is understood that in other embodiments, when the metal panel 10 is pressed, the metal panel 10 deforms, and the corresponding conductive elastic member 23 may be pressed in an indirect manner, for example, a corresponding insulating member having elasticity may be disposed between the metal panel 10 and the plurality of conductive elastic members 23, and the insulating member may be a colloid, so that the force applied to the metal panel 10 is transmitted from the insulating member to the corresponding conductive elastic member 23. Therefore, the manner in which the metal panel 10 presses the plurality of conductive elastic members 23 is not limited to the direct contact pressing manner in the present embodiment.

In the present embodiment, the distance between the metal panel 10 and the control substrate 20 may be set according to specific situations. In the present embodiment, the metal panel 10 may be a long metal strip. The material for preparing the metal strip is alloy.

Thus, the metal panel 10 is smooth and beautiful, has good key elasticity, good touch feeling, corrosion resistance and long service life.

It is understood that in other embodiments, the metal panel 10 may take other suitable shapes.

In the present embodiment, the thickness of the metal panel 10 may be set according to circumstances, and for example, may be set to 2 mm.

In the present embodiment, the number of the conductive elastic members 23 may be set according to circumstances.

In the present embodiment, each of the plurality of conductive elastic members 23 is a metal conductive elastic member.

Therefore, the metal conductive elastic piece has better electric connection performance and better deformation performance. In the present embodiment, the capacitive button structure 100 of the home appliance includes an insulating connection portion 40. The connection portion 40 connects the metal panel 10 and the control board 20.

Thus, the metal panel 10 is connected to the control substrate 20 in an insulating manner, so that the metal panel 10 is prevented from affecting the control substrate 20, and false triggering caused by the metal panel 10 is effectively avoided. In the present embodiment, the metal panel 10 includes a first surface 11. The control substrate 20 comprises a second surface 24 opposite the first surface 11. The capacitive key structure 100 of the home appliance includes a plurality of connection parts 40. The plurality of connecting portions 40 are connected between the first surface and the second surface 24 of the housing 11 at intervals and divide the housing space 30 into a plurality of accommodating chambers 31. The plurality of conductive elastic members 23 are accommodated in the plurality of accommodating chambers 31. The capacitive trigger 21 and the trigger electrode 22 are disposed on the second surface 24.

Therefore, the conductive elastic pieces 23 are correspondingly accommodated in the accommodating chambers 31, so that mutual influence among the conductive elastic pieces 23 can be effectively avoided, and false triggering is avoided.

In this embodiment, the conductive elastic members 23 having the same or similar functions may be disposed in the same accommodating chamber 31, so that when the corresponding portion of the metal panel 10 on the corresponding accommodating chamber 31 area is pressed, only the conductive elastic members 23 having the same or similar functions in the corresponding accommodating chamber 31 can be triggered, and the corresponding portions of the metal panel 10 on the other multiple accommodating chambers 31 area cannot be deformed enough to trigger the corresponding conductive elastic members 23 due to the limitation of the connecting portion 40.

In this way, the control of the different functions of the capacitive button structure 100 of the household appliance can be achieved by the metal panel 10.

It is understood that in other embodiments, the conductive elastic members 23 having the same or similar functions may be disposed in different accommodating chambers 31, and therefore, it should be noted that the manner in which the plurality of conductive elastic members 23 are disposed in the accommodating chambers 31 is not limited.

In this embodiment, the number of the accommodating chambers 31 may be set according to specific situations.

In this embodiment, the connection portion 40 may be a double-sided tape. The first surface 11 and the second surface 24 are connected by the double-sided adhesive tape.

In this way, the metal panel 10 and the control substrate 20 are fixedly connected by the double-sided adhesive tape, and the connection structure is simple and stable.

Referring to fig. 2 to 6, in the present embodiment, the conductive elastic element 23 includes a body 231 and a lead 232. The pin 232 connects the capacitive trigger part 21 and the body 231. The body 231 is spaced apart from and opposite the trigger electrode 22. The body 231 can be electrically connected to the trigger electrode 22 by pressing the metal panel 10.

Thus, when the metal panel 10 is pressed, the metal panel 10 deforms, and the body 231 deforms to be electrically connected to the trigger electrode 22.

Specifically, in the present embodiment, when the metal panel 10 is pressed, the metal panel 10 is deformed and directly contacts and presses the upper end portion of the body 231. The pressed body 231 is electrically connected to the trigger electrode 22 through the body bottom 231 a.

In this embodiment, the leads 232 include a first lead 232a and a second lead 232b spaced apart from the first lead 232 a. The control substrate 20 includes a fixing portion 25. The second lead 232a is fixed to the fixing portion 25. The first pin 232a is connected to the capacitive trigger 21.

In this way, the conductive elastic element 23 is fixedly disposed on the control substrate 20 by connecting the first pin 232a with the capacitive trigger portion 21 and connecting the second pin 232b with the fixing portion 25, so that the structure is stable.

In the present embodiment, the fixing portion 25 includes the metal film 251. The fixing portion 25 is fixedly connected to the second lead 232b through a metal film 251.

Specifically, in the present embodiment, the metal film 251 may be soldered to the second lead 232b, thus stably fixing the second lead 232b to the fixing portion 25. Meanwhile, since the metal film 251 is a conductive material, the electronegativity of the conductive elastic member 23 can be enhanced.

In this embodiment, each conductive elastic member 23 is provided with three second pins 232b, the three second pins 232b are fixedly disposed on the fixing portion 25 at intervals, and each second pin 232b is welded to the metal film 251. In this way, each conductive elastic member 23 can be stably fixed to the fixing portion 25. It is understood that in other embodiments, the number of the second pins 232b is not limited to only 3 in this embodiment.

In the present embodiment, the control substrate 20 includes a support structure 26. The capacitive trigger 21 is disposed on the support structure 26. The support structure 26 is made of a non-metallic material so as to facilitate molding.

In the present embodiment, the capacitive trigger 21 includes a main body 211 and a connector 212 connected to the main body 211. The connector 212 connects the first pin 232a and the body 211.

Thus, the capacitor triggering portion 21 is electrically connected to the first pin 232a through the connecting member 212, and when the conductive elastic member 23 is deformed by an acting force and electrically connected to the triggering electrode 22, the triggering electrode 22 is electrically connected to the connecting member 21 of the capacitor triggering portion 21, so as to cause a corresponding change in capacitance, and thus, sufficient voltage or current can be generated to trigger a related control circuit, thereby achieving the purpose of controlling the capacitive key. In this embodiment, the capacitive touch panel 21 may be a thin metal film. Thus, when the trigger electrode 22 is electrically connected to the capacitive trigger portion 21, it can form one end of the capacitor.

In the present embodiment, the trigger electrode 22 is a thin metal film provided on the control substrate 20. Thus, the metal film has good electrical connection performance. The home appliance 200 of the embodiment of the present invention includes the capacitive button structure 100 of the home appliance described above.

Referring to fig. 7, the household appliance 200 according to the embodiment of the present invention includes the capacitive button structure 100 of the household appliance. The metal panel 10 can be used as an interface for manual operation, so that the strength of the capacitive key structure is improved, the capacitive key structure is not easy to damage, and the user experience is further enhanced.

In the present embodiment, the home appliance 200 includes a support panel 210. The capacitive key structure 100 of the home appliance 200 is disposed on the support panel 210.

As such, the capacitive key structure 100 of the household appliance 200 forms one end of a capacitor.

In this embodiment, the support panel 210 is a dielectric material, and may be a microcrystalline panel. The microcrystal panel has a larger comparative area, is a good dielectric material, has stable performance, is beneficial to capacitor storage and has long service life.

It is understood that in other embodiments, the supporting panel 210 may be made of other suitable dielectric materials, and therefore, it should be noted that the supporting panel is not limited to the microcrystalline panel in this embodiment.

In the present embodiment, the household appliance 200 includes a plurality of connection electrodes 220. The support panel 210 is disposed between the capacitive button structure 100 of the home appliance and the plurality of connection electrodes 220. Each connecting electrode 220 is provided corresponding to each trigger electrode 22.

In this manner, each connection electrode 220 forms a capacitance with each correspondingly disposed trigger electrode 22.

In the present embodiment, the supporting panel 210 is connected to the connecting electrode 220, and when the metal panel 10 of the capacitive button structure 100 of the household appliance 200 is pressed, the supporting panel 210 is pressed to contact the connecting electrode 220 along with the transmission of the force, so as to transmit the electrons gathered by the trigger electrode 22 to the connecting electrode 220, and thus the connecting electrode 220 can trigger a corresponding control circuit, thereby achieving the purpose of capacitive button control.

In this embodiment, when the corresponding portion of the metal panel 10 of the capacitive button structure 100 of the household appliance 200 is pressed, the trigger electrode 22 of the corresponding portion is correspondingly triggered, and an electrical connection loop is formed, so that a sufficient capacitance change can be caused between the connection electrode 220 and the capacitor formed by the trigger electrode 22, and a sufficient voltage or current can be generated to trigger the related control circuit, thereby achieving the purpose that the corresponding connection electrode 220 can trigger the corresponding function.

In this embodiment, the connection electrode 220 is connected to the elastic member 230. The connection electrode 220 is positioned between the elastic member 230 and the support panel 210. Thus, when the metal panel 10 of the capacitive button structure 100 of the household appliance 200 is pressed, the elastic member 230 is buffered by the force and compressed and deformed along with the transmission of the force; when the capacitive button structure 100 of the home appliance of the pressed home appliance 200 is released, the elastic member 230 is restored to be deformed such that the connection electrode 220 is restored to the original position. Thus, one-time key control is completed.

In the description of the present invention, it is to be understood that the terms "central," "longitudinal," "lateral," "length," "width," "thickness," "upper," "lower," "front," "rear," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "top," "bottom," "inner," "outer," "clockwise," "counterclockwise," "axial," "radial," "circumferential," and the like are used in the orientations and positional relationships indicated in the drawings for convenience in describing the invention and to simplify the description, and are not intended to indicate or imply that the referenced devices or elements must have a particular orientation, be constructed and operated in a particular orientation, and are therefore not to be considered limiting of the invention.

Furthermore, the terms "first", "second" and "first" are used for descriptive purposes only and are not to be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of that feature. In the description of the present invention, "a plurality" means two or more unless specifically defined otherwise.

In the present invention, unless otherwise expressly stated or limited, the terms "mounted," "connected," "secured," and the like are to be construed broadly and can, for example, be fixedly connected, detachably connected, or integrally formed; can be mechanically or electrically connected; either directly or indirectly through intervening media, either internally or in any other relationship. The specific meanings of the above terms in the present invention can be understood by those skilled in the art according to specific situations.

In the present invention, unless otherwise expressly stated or limited, the first feature "on" or "under" the second feature may be directly contacting the first and second features or indirectly contacting the first and second features through an intermediate. Also, a first feature "on," "over," and "above" a second feature may be directly or diagonally above the second feature, or may simply indicate that the first feature is at a higher level than the second feature. A first feature being "under," "below," and "beneath" a second feature may be directly under or obliquely under the first feature, or may simply mean that the first feature is at a lesser elevation than the second feature.

In the description herein, references to the description of the term "one embodiment," "some embodiments," "an example," "a specific example," or "some examples," etc., mean that a particular feature, structure, material, or characteristic described in connection with the embodiment or example is included in at least one embodiment or example of the invention. In this specification, the schematic representations of the terms used above are not necessarily intended to refer to the same embodiment or example. Furthermore, the particular features, structures, materials, or characteristics described may be combined in any suitable manner in any one or more embodiments or examples. Furthermore, various embodiments or examples and features of different embodiments or examples described in this specification can be combined and combined by one skilled in the art without contradiction.

Although embodiments of the present invention have been shown and described above, it is understood that the above embodiments are exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the present invention, and that variations, modifications, substitutions and alterations can be made to the above embodiments by those of ordinary skill in the art within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A capacitive button structure of a home appliance, comprising:

a resilient metal panel; and

the conductive elastic pieces are arranged on the control substrate at intervals and are electrically connected with the capacitor triggering part, and each conductive elastic piece can be electrically connected with the corresponding trigger electrode under the pressing of the metal panel so that the trigger electrode is electrically connected with the capacitor triggering part;

the conductive elastic piece comprises a body and pins, the pins are connected with the capacitor triggering part and the body, the body and the triggering electrode are arranged at intervals oppositely, the body can be electrically connected with the triggering electrode under the pressing of the metal panel, the body comprises a body bottom, the body bottom is convex towards one side of the triggering electrode, and the body bottom is electrically connected with the triggering electrode when the metal panel is pressed down;

the capacitance type key structure of the household appliance comprises an insulated connecting part, and the connecting part is connected with the metal panel and the control substrate; the metal panel comprises a first surface, and the control substrate comprises a second surface opposite to the first surface; the connecting parts are connected between the first surface and the second surface at intervals and divide the accommodating space into a plurality of accommodating chambers; the plurality of conductive elastic pieces are accommodated in the plurality of accommodating cavities; the capacitance trigger part and the trigger electrode are arranged on a second surface;

the pins comprise a first pin and a second pin spaced from the first pin; the control substrate comprises a fixing part, and the second pin is fixed on the fixing part;

the first pin is connected with the capacitance trigger part.

2. The capacitive button structure of the home appliance of claim 1, wherein the connection part comprises a double-sided tape, and the first surface and the second surface are connected by the double-sided tape.

3. The capacitive button structure of the home appliance according to claim 1, wherein the fixing portion comprises a metal film, and the fixing portion is fixedly connected to the second pin through the metal film.

4. The capacitive button structure of the home appliance according to claim 1, wherein the capacitive trigger part comprises a body member and a connecting member connected to the body member;

the connecting piece is connected with the first pin and the main body piece.

5. The capacitive button structure of the home appliance of claim 1, wherein the trigger electrode is a metal thin film disposed on the control substrate.

6. A household appliance, characterized in that it comprises a capacitive button structure of a household appliance according to any one of claims 1 to 5.

7. The household appliance according to claim 6, comprising a support panel on which the capacitive key structure of the household appliance is provided.

8. The household appliance of claim 7, wherein the support panel is a dielectric material.

9. The household appliance according to claim 7, comprising a plurality of connection electrodes, wherein the support panel is arranged between a capacitive key structure of the household appliance and the plurality of connection electrodes, each of the connection electrodes being arranged in correspondence with each of the trigger electrodes.

10. The household appliance according to claim 9, wherein the connection electrode is connected to an elastic member, the connection electrode being located between the elastic member and the support panel.