CN110609587A

CN110609587A - Touch control module

Info

Publication number: CN110609587A
Application number: CN201810622310.5A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 黄大受
Original assignee: Primax Electronics Ltd
Current assignee: Primax Electronics Ltd
Priority date: 2018-06-15
Filing date: 2018-06-15
Publication date: 2019-12-24
Anticipated expiration: 2038-06-15
Also published as: CN110609587B

Abstract

The invention provides a touch module which comprises a frame body, a touch pad component and a hinge structure. The touch pad assembly is located above the frame body, and the hinge structure is located between the frame body and the touch pad assembly and comprises an elastic sheet and a supporting element. One end of the elastic sheet is connected with the touch pad component, and the supporting element is arranged on the frame body and connected with the elastic sheet. Because the elastic sheet can make the touch control panel component swing towards a fixed direction, when the touch control panel component is touched and pressed, one end of the elastic sheet swings to drive the touch control panel component to stably swing. Therefore, the touch module can stably operate.

Description

Touch control module

Technical Field

The present disclosure relates to input devices, and particularly to a touch module disposed on a computer.

Background

Conventional computer peripheral input devices include mouse devices, keyboard devices, and trackball devices. With the progress of the times, touch modules are provided in the market, so that users can directly use fingers to operate the touch modules, and computer systems can be operated. The touch module is widely used, and the early notebook computer has included a touch module which can control the movement of a cursor or click an image of a user interface, and the notebook computer can be operated without using a mouse. The touch module has the advantage that the touch module can be operated by a user in an intuitive mode, so that various instructions can be executed conveniently.

Please refer to fig. 1, which is a schematic structural diagram of a conventional notebook computer and a touch module. The conventional touch module 1 is disposed in the computer housing 21 of the notebook computer 2 and partially exposed to allow a user's finger to operate the notebook computer 2 in a touch manner. For example: the user can touch the touch module 1 by a finger and slide on the conventional touch module 1 to move the cursor 23 on the screen 22 of the notebook computer 2. Alternatively, the notebook computer 2 can execute the key function by pressing the conventional touch module 1. Therefore, the conventional touch module 1 can replace the function of a mouse, so that a user does not need to carry and install the mouse additionally, which is inconvenient.

The internal structure of the conventional touch module is described next. Referring to fig. 1 and fig. 2, fig. 2 is a schematic side sectional view of a structure of a conventional touch module. The conventional touch module 1 is disposed in the computer housing 21 and partially exposed, and includes a frame 11, a touch pad assembly 12, a metal supporting block 13 and a sponge 14. The frame 11 is disposed on the computer casing 21 and has a protrusion 111. The sponge 14 is disposed on one side of the frame 11 with an adhesive, and the metal supporting block 13 is also disposed on the sponge 14 with the adhesive. The touch pad assembly 12 is located above the frame 11 and one end of the touch pad assembly 12 is connected to the metal supporting block 13 through an adhesive, and the touch pad assembly 12 includes a cover plate 121, a circuit board 122 and a key switch 123. One end of the circuit board 122 is connected to the metal supporting block 13, and the key switch 123 is disposed on the lower surface of the circuit board and located at the other end of the circuit board 122. The cover plate 121 is disposed on the circuit board 122 and exposed outside the computer casing 21.

Referring to fig. 1, fig. 2 and fig. 3, fig. 3 is a schematic side sectional view of a structure of a conventional touch module being pressed. When the user touches the touch pad assembly 1 with a finger, the other end of the touch pad assembly 1 (i.e., the end where the key switch 123 is located) swings downward relative to the computer casing 21 with the metal support block 13 and the sponge 14 as the fulcrum. Wherein, according to the pressing down of the touch pad assembly 1, the sponge 14 is compressed by the force, so that the touch pad assembly 1 swings downwards. In the process of the touch pad assembly 1 swinging downward, the key switch 123 on the circuit board 122 contacts the protrusion 111 on the frame 11 and is triggered to generate a corresponding key signal to the notebook computer 2, so that the notebook computer 2 can perform an instruction corresponding to the key signal. When the user's finger no longer touches the touch pad assembly 1, the touch pad assembly 1 swings upward to return to the position before being touched according to the internal elastic force of the key switch 123 and the elastic restoring force of the sponge. Through the above operation, the conventional touch module 1 can provide a key function to replace a mouse.

In the conventional touch module 1, since the touch pad assembly 1 is fixed on the metal supporting block 13, and the soft sponge 14 is disposed below the metal supporting block 13, although the sponge 14 is pressed down to be in a compressed state, so as to facilitate the touch pad assembly 1 to swing, in actual operation, the sponge 14 is compressed irregularly in various directions, which causes unstable swing of the touch pad assembly 1, thereby affecting the touch feeling of the conventional touch module 1.

Therefore, a touch module capable of operating stably is needed.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention aims to provide a touch module capable of stably operating.

In a preferred embodiment, the present invention provides a touch module disposed on a computer casing, the touch module including a frame, a touch pad assembly and a hinge structure. The touch pad assembly is located above the frame body, partially exposed outside the computer case, and used for being pressed to swing relative to the computer case and generating a corresponding key signal when contacting with the frame body. The hinge structure is located between the frame body and the touch pad assembly and used for deforming according to the swinging of the touch pad assembly. The hinge structure comprises an elastic sheet and a supporting element, wherein one end of the elastic sheet is connected with the touch pad component. The supporting element is arranged on the frame body, connected to the elastic sheet and used for supporting the elastic sheet; when the touch control panel assembly is pressed, one end of the elastic sheet swings to drive the touch control panel assembly to swing.

In a preferred embodiment, the elastic piece includes a body, at least one extending arm and at least one hollow structure, and the body is disposed on the supporting element. The at least one extension arm is formed by extending the body outwards and is connected with the touch pad component for swinging to drive the touch pad component to swing. The at least one hollow structure corresponds to one extension arm and is positioned between the corresponding extension arm and the body so as to assist the at least one extension arm to swing.

In a preferred embodiment, when the touch pad assembly is pressed, the supporting element supports the body so that the body does not swing, the at least one extending arm swings relative to the body according to the elasticity of the elastic sheet and the at least one hollow structure, and drives the touch pad assembly to swing relative to the computer case so that the touch pad assembly contacts with the frame.

In short, the touch module of the present invention employs a hinge structure including an elastic sheet instead of a sponge which is irregularly deformed, so that the hinge structure does not irregularly swing when the touch panel assembly is pressed. In addition, the elastic piece is provided with a hollow structure, the elastic piece can enable the plurality of extension arms to only swing in a fixed direction, and the swinging direction of the elastic piece is perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the hollow structure. Therefore, the elastic sheet can provide a fixed swing direction of the touch pad assembly.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic view of an appearance structure of a conventional keyboard.

Fig. 2 is a schematic side sectional view of a conventional touch module.

Fig. 3 is a schematic side sectional view of a conventional touch module.

Fig. 4 is a schematic side sectional view of a touch module according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 5 is an exploded view of a touch module according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 6 is an exploded view of another view angle of the touch module in an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 7 is a schematic side sectional view of a structure of a touch module according to a preferred embodiment of the invention.

The reference numbers are as follows:

1. 3 touch control module

2 notebook computer

4. 21 computer case

11. 31 frame body

12. 32 touch pad assembly

13 Metal supporting block

14 sponge

22 Screen

23 Cursor

33 hinge structure

34 first adhesive

35 second adhesive

36 third adhesive

37 fourth adhesive

38 fixing element

41 Upper casing

42 lower case

111. 312 projection

121 cover plate

122 circuit board

123 push-button switch

311 frame body

313 locating hole

331 elastic sheet

332 support element

3311 body

3312 extension arm

3313 hollow structure

Detailed Description

In view of the problems caused by the prior art, the present invention provides a touch module capable of solving the problems of the prior art. Referring to fig. 4, fig. 5 and fig. 6, fig. 4 is a schematic side sectional view of a touch module according to a preferred embodiment of the invention, fig. 5 is an exploded schematic view of the touch module according to the preferred embodiment of the invention, and fig. 6 is an exploded schematic view of the touch module according to the preferred embodiment of the invention from another viewing angle. The touch module 3 is disposed on the computer case 4 and partially exposed outside the computer case 4, the touch module 3 includes a frame 31, a touch pad assembly 32 and a hinge structure 33, and the computer case 4 includes an upper case 41 and a lower case 42. The touch pad assembly 32 is located above the frame 31 and partially exposed outside the upper case 41, and can be pressed to swing relative to the computer case 4, so as to generate a corresponding key signal when the touch pad assembly 32 contacts the frame 31.

The hinge structure 33 is located between the frame 31 and the touch pad assembly 32, and can be locally deformed according to the swing of the touch pad assembly 32. The hinge structure 33 includes an elastic sheet 331 and a supporting element 332, wherein one end of the elastic sheet 331 is connected to the touch pad assembly 32. The supporting element 332 is disposed on the frame 31 and connected to the elastic sheet 331, and functions to support the elastic sheet 331 thereon. When the user touches the touch pad assembly 32 with his finger, one end of the elastic piece 331 swings to drive the touch pad assembly 32 to swing relative to the computer case 4.

The structure of each element of the hinge structure 33 will be described next. The elastic piece 331 includes a body 3311, a plurality of extension arms 3312 and a plurality of hollow-out structures 3313, wherein the body 3311 is disposed on the supporting component 332. The extension arms 3312 are respectively formed by extending the body 3311 outward, and are respectively connected to the touch pad assembly 32, and can swing to deform the elastic sheet 331 so as to drive the touch pad assembly 32 to swing. One hollow-out structure 3313 corresponds to one extension arm 3312, and the hollow-out structure 3313 is located between the corresponding extension arm 3312 and the body 3311, that is, the hollow-out structure 3313 is formed by a plurality of holes, so that the extension arm 3312 is easily stressed and bent. Thus, when the elastic pieces 3313 are pressed, the hollow-out structures 3313 may assist the corresponding extension arms 3312 to swing.

In the hinge structure 33, the body 3311 is connected to the supporting member 332 by a first adhesive 34, and the extension arms 3312 are connected to the touch pad assembly 32 by a plurality of second adhesives 35. On the other hand, the supporting member 332 is disposed on the frame 31 by the third adhesive 36. In the preferred embodiment, the body 3311 and the plurality of extension arms 3312 are integrally formed with the elastic plate 331, and the body 3311 and the plurality of extension arms 3312 are made of a metal material. The supporting member 332 is also made of a metal material. In addition, the first adhesive 34, the second adhesive 35, and the third adhesive 36 are all pressure sensitive adhesives.

Referring to fig. 5 and 6 again, the touch pad assembly 32 includes a cover plate 321, a circuit board 322 and a key switch 323. The cover 321 is exposed outside the upper housing 41, and the circuit board 322 is located below the cover 321 and connected to the cover 321. The key switch 323 is disposed on the lower surface of the circuit board 322 and electrically connected to the circuit board 322. When the cover 321 is pressed by a user, the cover 321, the circuit board 322 and the key switch 323 swing relative to the computer case 4, so that the key switch 323 contacts with the frame 31 to generate a corresponding key signal. In the touch pad assembly 32, the circuit board 322 is connected to the cover 321 by a fourth adhesive 37. In the preferred embodiment, the fourth adhesive 37 is a pressure sensitive adhesive.

On the other hand, the frame 31 includes a frame body 311, a protrusion 312 and a plurality of positioning holes 313, and the protrusion 312 is disposed on the frame body 311 and located below the key switches 323 of the touch pad assembly 32. The positioning holes 313 are disposed around the frame body 311 for the fixing elements 38 to pass through to fix the frame 31 on the lower case 42 of the computer case 4. In the preferred embodiment, the fixing element 38 is a screw, and the protrusion 312 is integrally formed with the frame body 311, which is only for illustration and not limited thereto. In another preferred embodiment, the protruding portion can also be disposed on the frame body by various combination methods such as adhesion, embedding, and assembly.

The operation of the touch module 3 of the present invention will be described. Referring to fig. 4, fig. 5, fig. 6 and fig. 7, fig. 7 is a schematic side sectional view of a structure of a touch module according to a preferred embodiment of the invention. When the user touches the cover 321 of the touch pad assembly 32 with a finger, the cover 321, the circuit board 322 and the key switch 323 swing downward relative to the computer housing 4 with the supporting element 332 as a fulcrum. In addition, according to the arrangement of the plurality of extension arms 3312 and the plurality of hollow-out structures 3313, the plurality of extension arms 3312 can swing relative to the body 3331 along a direction perpendicular to the plurality of hollow-out structures 3313, that is, the elastic piece 331 is deformed in a fixed direction. In the process of swinging the touch pad assembly 32 downward, the key switch 323 on the lower surface of the circuit board 322 is pressed by the protrusion 312 on the frame 31 to generate a corresponding key signal. When the user's finger no longer touches the cover 321, the touch pad assembly 32 can swing upward to return to the position before being touched according to the internal elastic force of the key switch 323 and the metal elastic force of the elastic sheet 331.

It should be noted that, according to the arrangement of the plurality of extension arms 3312 and the plurality of hollow-out structures 3313, when the elastic sheet 331 receives the downward pressing force, the plurality of extension arms 3312 are easy to swing relative to the body 3331, and the swinging direction of the plurality of extension arms 3312 is perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the hollow-out structures 3313, wherein the arrangement direction of the hollow-out structures 3313 is the arrangement direction of the plurality of broken holes. In other words, the elastic sheet 331 can provide a fixed swing direction for the touch pad assembly 32, so that the touch pad assembly 32 can swing stably.

According to the above, the touch module of the invention adopts the hinge structure including the elastic sheet instead of the sponge which can generate irregular deformation, so that the hinge structure can not generate irregular shaking when the touch panel assembly is pressed. In addition, the elastic piece is provided with a hollow structure, the elastic piece can enable the plurality of extension arms to only swing in a fixed direction, and the swinging direction of the elastic piece is perpendicular to the arrangement direction of the hollow structure. Therefore, the elastic sheet can provide a fixed swing direction of the touch pad assembly. In summary, the touch pad assembly of the touch module of the present invention can stably swing to solve the problems of the prior art.

The above-mentioned embodiments are merely preferred embodiments of the present invention, which are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention, and therefore, all equivalent changes and modifications that do not depart from the spirit of the present invention are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. A touch module is arranged on a computer casing, and comprises:

a frame body;

a touch pad assembly located above the frame and partially exposed outside the computer case for being pressed to swing relative to the computer case and generating a corresponding key signal when contacting the frame; and

a hinge structure located between the frame and the touch pad assembly for deforming according to the swing of the touch pad assembly, the hinge structure comprising:

one end of the elastic sheet is connected with the touch pad component; and

a supporting element arranged on the frame body and connected with the elastic sheet for supporting the elastic sheet; when the touch control panel assembly is pressed, one end of the elastic sheet swings to drive the touch control panel assembly to swing.

2. The touch module of claim 1, wherein the elastic sheet comprises:

a body disposed on the supporting element;

at least one extending arm formed by extending the body outwards and connected to the touch pad assembly for swinging to drive the touch pad assembly to swing; and

the at least one hollow structure corresponds to one extension arm and is positioned between the corresponding extension arm and the body so as to assist the at least one extension arm to swing.

3. The touch module of claim 2, wherein the body and the at least one extension arm are integrally formed with the elastic sheet, and the body and the at least one extension arm are made of a metal material.

4. The touch module of claim 2, wherein when the touch pad assembly is pressed, the supporting element supports the body such that the body does not swing, the at least one extending arm swings relative to the body according to the elasticity of the elastic piece and the at least one hollow structure, and drives the touch pad assembly to swing relative to the computer casing such that the touch pad assembly contacts the frame.

5. The touch module of claim 2, wherein the body is attached to the support member with a first adhesive and the at least one extension arm is attached to the touch pad assembly with at least a second adhesive.

6. The touch module of claim 2, wherein the supporting element is disposed on the frame by a third adhesive.

7. The touch module of claim 1, wherein the touch pad assembly comprises:

a cover plate exposed outside the computer case;

the circuit board is positioned below the cover plate and connected to the cover plate; and

the key switch is arranged on the lower surface of the circuit board and is electrically connected with the circuit board; when the cover plate is pressed, the cover plate, the circuit board and the key switch swing relative to the computer casing, so that the key switch is contacted with the frame body to generate the corresponding key signal.

8. The touch module of claim 7, wherein the circuit board is attached to the cover plate with a fourth adhesive.

9. The touch module of claim 7, wherein the frame comprises:

a frame body; and

the protruding part is arranged on the frame body and is positioned below the key switch; when the cover plate is pressed, the cover plate, the circuit board and the key switch swing relative to the computer casing, so that the key switch is pressed by the protruding part to generate the key signal.

10. The touch module of claim 9, wherein the frame further comprises a plurality of positioning holes disposed around the frame body for allowing a plurality of fixing elements to pass through to fix the frame on the computer casing.