CN210721412U

CN210721412U - Touch control type three-dimensional knob

Info

Publication number: CN210721412U
Application number: CN201921795178.4U
Authority: CN
Inventors: 白志强; 林孟癸; 黄鸿棋
Original assignee: Young Fast Optoelectronics Co Ltd
Current assignee: Young Fast Optoelectronics Co Ltd
Priority date: 2019-10-24
Filing date: 2019-10-24
Publication date: 2020-06-09
Anticipated expiration: 2029-10-24

Abstract

A touch type stereo knob comprises: the knob formwork is of a three-dimensional structure, and a curved-surface-shaped adjacent surface is arranged on the outer surface of the knob formwork; the ITO touch sensor is arranged on the outer surface of the knob formwork; an auxiliary conductive unit having extensibility, electrically connected on the touch sensor and forming an overlapping region, wherein the overlapping region includes the range of the adjacent surface, and the auxiliary conductive unit in the overlapping region has a conductive pattern corresponding to the touch sensor; the surface film coating layer has a three-dimensional configuration corresponding to the knob formwork, is closely covered on the touch sensor and the auxiliary conductive unit, and has an opaque shielding surface at the inner side of the surface film coating layer, and the shielding surface at least shields the overlapping area. Therefore, the utility model discloses a three-dimensional knob of touch-control formula is difficult for having the unusual condition of signal conduction at the surface bending position to reduction in production cost by a wide margin.

Description

Touch control type three-dimensional knob

Technical Field

The utility model relates to a touch knob especially relates to a touch-control type three-dimensional knob that is formed by the touch sensor preparation of metal oxide material.

Background

Touch knobs have been increasingly widely used as control knobs for central control devices, household appliances or electronic devices in vehicles; the current touch knob manufacturing method mainly uses an extensible transparent conductive film material (such as a carbon nanotube transparent conductive film) to manufacture a touch sensor, after a metal circuit is printed on the extensible transparent conductive film, a thermal forming process is performed on a planar touch sensor by In-Mold Decoration (IMD) technology to form a three-dimensional touch sensor, and then the three-dimensional touch sensor can be directly used or a mechanism for reinforcing In-Mold ejection is selected according to the characteristic requirements of a product. The conventional touch knob manufacturing method depends on the material extensibility of the transparent conductive film, however, compared with the common metal oxide transparent conductive film, the extensible transparent conductive film has a higher price and a smaller supply source of materials, resulting in many limitations, and the mass productivity of the extensible transparent conductive film is still not improved stably at present, and the extendable transparent conductive film cannot meet the expectations of stable production and delivery in the market temporarily. The transparent conductive film of metal oxide (such as ITO) which is cheap and has abundant material supply sources is not currently applied to the manufacture of three-dimensional touch knobs because the material has hard brittleness and poor ductility and is easily broken at the bent portion to cause a non-conductive phenomenon (blocking signal conduction).

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

The utility model provides a three-dimensional knob of modified touch-control formula mainly uses transparent metallic oxide conductive film to make touch sensor, sets up this touch sensor in three-dimensional type knob mould shell on the surface to being buckled or having the supplementary electrically conductive unit of ductility by tensile position electrical property overlap joint at this touch sensor, in order to ensure this touch sensor's signal conduction efficiency, reach the purpose that reduces material cost and promote the product yield in view of the above.

To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a touch control type three-dimensional knob, which comprises: the knob formwork is provided with a first surface, a second surface and an abutting surface, the first surface is positioned on the outer surface of the top of the knob formwork, the second surface is positioned on the outer surface of the peripheral side of the knob formwork, and the abutting surface is connected between the first surface and the second surface; a touch sensor made of a transparent metal oxide conductive film, a touch active area of the touch sensor being disposed on the first surface and the adjacent surface, and on at least a portion of the second surface; an auxiliary conductive element made of a malleable and low resistivity material, the auxiliary conductive element being electrically connected over the touch sensor and forming an overlap region, the overlap region including an extent over the abutting surface and an extent over at least a portion of the second surface, the auxiliary conductive element within the overlap region having a conductive pattern corresponding to the touch sensor; the surface film coating layer is made of an insulating transparent material, has a three-dimensional configuration corresponding to the knob formwork, is closely covered on the touch sensor and the auxiliary conductive unit, and has an opaque shielding surface at the inner side thereof, and the shielding surface at least shields the overlapping area.

In particular, the abutment surface is one of a curved surface, a spherically curved surface or an obtuse-angled surface.

In particular, the touch sensor is selected from a capacitive touch sensor, an electromagnetic touch sensor, an acoustic wave touch sensor, a vibration wave touch sensor, an optical touch sensor, and the like, but the scope of the implementation is not limited to the above types.

In particular, the material of the metal oxide conductive film of the touch sensor is selected from Indium Tin Oxide (ITO), Indium Zinc Oxide (IZO), zinc aluminum oxide (AZO), tin antimony oxide (ATO), and the like, but the scope of the implementation is not limited to the aforementioned materials.

In particular, the material used for the auxiliary conductive element is selected from conductive silver paste (conductive adhesive) or a metal thin layer containing gold, silver, copper, aluminum, molybdenum, nickel as a main component, and the like, but the scope of the implementation is not limited to the above materials.

In particular, the shielding surface is formed of a light-impermeable Insulating material selected from Insulating ink (Insulating ink), Photoresist (Photoresist), and the like, but the range of implementation is not limited to the above-mentioned materials;

in particular, the screen surface is further provided with a decorative pattern selected from a decorative pattern, an ICON (ICON) or a symbol mark, but the scope of the embodiment is not limited to the type of the pattern.

In particular, the knob mold casing is made of an insulating material with high light transmittance, and the insulating material with high light transmittance is selected from glass, polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), Polystyrene (PS), Polycarbonate (PC), polypropylene (PP), and the like, but the implementation range is not limited to the above materials.

In particular, a first surface of the knob formwork is a see-through area, and the first surface, the touch sensor and the surface film coating layer together form a see-through window.

Particularly, an operation information display component is arranged in the hollow cavity of the knob mould shell so as to feed back and display information of the operation state of the knob in real time through the perspective window.

In particular, the operation information display component is selected from a small Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), a Light Emitting Diode (LED), and the like, but the scope of the implementation is not limited to the above-mentioned components.

Other features and functions of the present invention will be apparent from the following detailed description, which is intended to be included in the present invention.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a perspective view of an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a side sectional view of the embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 3 is a schematic plan view of a touch sensor according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 4 is a schematic plan view of an auxiliary conductive unit according to an embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a schematic plan view of the auxiliary conductive unit superimposed on the touch sensor according to the embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a side sectional view of another embodiment of the present invention.

Symbolic illustration in the drawings:

10 knob mould shell; 11 a first surface; 12 a second surface; 13 an abutment surface; 15 a see-through window; 16 manipulating the information display component; 20 touch sensor; 21 a sensing electrode; 30 an auxiliary conductive unit; 40 coating layer on the surface; 41 a shielding surface; OL overlap region.

Detailed Description

Referring to fig. 1 to 5, a touch three-dimensional knob according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention mainly includes a knob mold shell 10, a touch sensor 20, an auxiliary conductive unit 30 and a surface coating layer 40.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the knob mold casing 10 is made of an insulating material and has a three-dimensional configuration, which has a first surface 11, a second surface 12 and an abutting surface 13, wherein the first surface 11 is located on the top outer surface of the knob mold casing 10, the second surface 12 is located on the peripheral outer surface of the knob mold casing 10, and the abutting surface 13 is connected between the first surface 11 and the second surface 12; wherein the abutment surface 13 is preferably a surface that does not include sharp angled configurations, such as a curved surface.

As shown in fig. 2 to 5, the touch sensor 20 is a transparent touch sensor made of an Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) film, in the present embodiment, the touch sensor 20 is a capacitive touch sensor, and since the structure of the capacitive touch sensor is well known, the description is not repeated herein, and fig. 3 and 5 only schematically depict the pattern of the sensing electrode 21 in the touch active region, and the rest of the components (such as the signal wires of the touch sensor) are omitted; the touch active area of the touch sensor 20 is disposed on the first surface 11 and the adjacent surface 13 of the knob mold case 10, and at least a portion of the second surface 12.

The auxiliary conductive element 30 is made of a low resistivity ductile material, such as copper foil or silver paste, as shown in fig. 2, 4 and 5, the auxiliary conductive element 30 is electrically disposed on the touch sensor 20 and forms an overlapping area OL, the overlapping area OL includes an area on the abutting surface 13 and an area on at least a portion of the second surface 12, and the auxiliary conductive element 30 in the overlapping area OL has a conductive pattern corresponding to the sensing electrode 21 of the touch sensor 20.

As shown in fig. 1 and 2, the surface coating layer 40 is made of an insulating transparent material, such as polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), Polystyrene (PS), Polycarbonate (PC), polypropylene (PP), etc., and has a three-dimensional configuration corresponding to the knob mold 10, and is closely covered on the touch sensor 20 and the auxiliary conductive unit 30, and the inner side of the surface coating layer 40 has a light-tight shielding surface 41, the shielding surface 41 is formed by insulating ink or Photoresist (photo resist), and the shielding surface 41 at least shields the overlapping area OL, preferably, the range of the abutting surface 13 and the second surface 12; various decorative patterns may be selectively provided on the shielding surface 41, for example: decorative patterns, ICONs (ICON) or symbol marks, etc.; the shielding surface 41 is used to shield the circuit patterns of the auxiliary conductive unit 30 and the like visible to the naked eye in the overlapping area OL, so as to achieve the effect of enhancing the aesthetic appearance or function indication.

As is known, since ITO material has hard brittleness and poor ductility, the ITO conductive film is easily broken at a bent or stretched portion, resulting in non-conductivity or poor conductivity; in the present embodiment, when the touch sensor 20 made of ITO material is disposed on the first surface 11, the adjacent surface 13 and the second surface 12 of the knob mold shell 10, wherein the ITO conductive film disposed on the adjacent surface 13 and the second surface 12 will be bent or stretched, so that the poor conduction may occur at these parts, the present invention overcomes this deficiency by disposing the auxiliary conductive unit 30 on the adjacent surface 13 and the second surface 12; since the auxiliary conductive unit 30 is made of a material with low resistivity and ductility, such as copper foil or silver paste, the auxiliary conductive unit 30 is disposed on the bent or stretched portion without breaking or non-conducting, and the auxiliary conductive unit 30 is electrically connected to the touch sensor 20, so as to assist in maintaining the conductive function of the touch sensor 20 at the bent or stretched portion and ensure the normal operation of the touch sensor 20.

The knob mold shell 10 is assembled on a control base of an electronic device or an electrical device, and the knob mold shell 10 and the control base are combined and fixed into a whole (not shown); when in use, although the body of the integral touch three-dimensional knob is not really rotated (because it is fixed on the manipulation base), the user's finger rotates and slides on the outer surface of the touch three-dimensional knob to input a touch signal to the touch sensor 20, and the touch signal can be translated into a manipulation signal corresponding to the rotating knob by the signal processing circuit, and then the electronic device or the electrical device can be manipulated; in addition, the first surface 11 of the touch three-dimensional knob is a flat touch surface, and a user can input various information through the touch surface, for example: a click, gesture or handwriting input, etc.

As shown in fig. 6, in another embodiment, the knob mold housing 10 is made of an insulating material with high light transmittance, such as a transparent insulating material like glass, polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), Polystyrene (PS), Polycarbonate (PC), polypropylene (PP), etc., so that a see-through area is formed on the first surface 11 of the knob mold housing 10, and the touch sensor 20 and the surface coating layer 40 disposed at the first surface 11 are both transparent thin layers, so as to form a see-through window 15 in the first surface 11 area, and accordingly, a manipulation information display component 16, such as a Liquid Crystal Display (LCD), a Light Emitting Diode (LED), etc., can be disposed in the hollow cavity of the knob mold housing 10, so as to feedback and display the information of the knob manipulation state through the see-through window 15 in real time.

While the present invention has been fully described in connection with the specific embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be understood that the foregoing embodiments are merely illustrative of further embodiments of the invention, which are not to be construed as limiting the present invention, and that various changes and modifications may be apparent to those skilled in the art; and such changes and modifications are to be understood as included within the scope of the present invention as defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A touch three-dimensional knob, comprising:

the knob formwork is made of an insulating material and has a three-dimensional structure, the knob formwork is provided with a first surface, a second surface and an abutting surface, the first surface is positioned on the outer surface of the top of the knob formwork, the second surface is positioned on the outer surface of the peripheral side of the knob formwork, and the abutting surface is connected between the first surface and the second surface;

a touch sensor made of a transparent metal oxide conductive film, a touch active area of the touch sensor being disposed on the first surface and the abutting surface, and on at least a portion of the second surface;

an auxiliary conductive element made of a material having ductility and low resistivity, the auxiliary conductive element being electrically connected to the touch sensor and forming an overlapping region including an extent of the abutting surface and an extent of the second surface over at least a portion thereof, the auxiliary conductive element within the overlapping region having a conductive pattern corresponding to the touch sensor; and

the surface film coating layer is made of an insulating transparent material, has a three-dimensional configuration corresponding to the knob formwork, is closely covered on the touch sensor and the auxiliary conductive unit, and has a light-tight shielding surface at the inner side thereof, and the shielding surface at least shields the overlapping area.

2. The touch-controlled volume knob according to claim 1, wherein the abutting surface is one of a curved surface, a spherical curved surface or an obtuse-angled surface.

3. The touch-sensitive volume knob according to claim 1, wherein the touch sensor is selected from one of a capacitive touch sensor, an electromagnetic touch sensor, an acoustic touch sensor, a vibrating touch sensor, or an optical touch sensor.

4. The touch-controlled volume knob according to claim 1, wherein the touch sensor is made of a material selected from the group consisting of indium tin oxide, indium zinc oxide, zinc aluminum oxide, and tin antimony oxide.

5. The touch-controlled three-dimensional knob according to claim 1, wherein the auxiliary conductive unit is made of a material selected from conductive silver paste or a metal thin layer mainly composed of one of gold, silver, copper, aluminum, molybdenum and nickel.

6. The touch-controlled volume knob according to claim 1, wherein the shielding surface is made of a light-impermeable insulating material selected from insulating ink or photoresist.

7. The touch-controlled three-dimensional knob according to claim 6, wherein a decorative pattern is further disposed on the shielding surface, and the decorative pattern is selected from one of a decorative pattern, an icon or a symbol mark.

8. The touch-controlled three-dimensional knob according to claim 1, wherein the knob mold casing is made of an insulating material with high light transmittance, and the insulating material with high light transmittance is selected from one of glass, polymethyl methacrylate, polystyrene, polycarbonate and polypropylene.

9. The touch-controlled three-dimensional knob according to claim 8, wherein the first surface of the knob mold casing is a see-through area, and the first surface, the touch sensor and the surface coating layer together form a see-through window.

10. The touch-control type three-dimensional knob according to claim 9, wherein a manipulation information display module is further disposed in the hollow chamber of the knob mold casing so as to display the information of the manipulation state of the knob through the see-through window in a real-time feedback manner.

11. The touch-sensitive volume knob according to claim 10, wherein the operation information display device is selected from a small-sized liquid crystal display or a light emitting diode.