CN213844083U

CN213844083U - Touch pad assembly and electronic equipment

Info

Publication number: CN213844083U
Application number: CN202022818411.5U
Authority: CN
Inventors: B·李; R·高; 陈均庭
Original assignee: Synaptic
Current assignee: Synaptic
Priority date: 2020-11-30
Filing date: 2020-11-30
Publication date: 2021-07-30
Anticipated expiration: 2030-11-30
Also published as: TWM626418U

Abstract

The application provides a touch pad assembly and an electronic device. The touch pad assembly can be fixed in position and can accept pressing and clicking operations; characterized in that, the touch pad subassembly includes: a back plate; a touch panel; the circuit board is arranged between the back plate and the touch panel; and one or more vibrating pieces including a first vibrating portion and a second vibrating portion, attached to the circuit board by an attachment portion, and configured to generate vibration in response to an electrical signal, wherein the attachment portion is disposed between one side of the first vibrating portion and the circuit board, and the second vibrating portion is attached to the other side of the first vibrating portion. The touch pad component and the electronic equipment have the advantages of simplicity, reliability, easiness in implementation, convenience in use and the like, and can provide vibration feedback for the touch pad, so that the user experience is improved.

Description

Touch pad assembly and electronic equipment

Technical Field

The present application relates to the field of touchpad structures. More particularly, the present application relates to a touch pad assembly that is intended to provide an improved operational user experience. The application also relates to an electronic device comprising the touch pad assembly.

Background

Touch panels are widely used in electronic devices such as notebook computers. The touch pad can generate an input signal to realize mouse-like clicking by the touch operation and clicking of a finger on the touch pad by a user. By moving or pressing a certain position on the touch pad, a mouse-like selection function can be conveniently realized.

For example, a user may click on a touchpad using a finger. When a user's finger click is sensed, the touch pad may emit an indication signal, which may be substantially equivalent to a left click signal of the mouse. The existing touch pad does not usually generate a feedback signal for the operation of the user.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

It is an object of an aspect of the present application to provide a touch pad assembly, which aims to provide an improved click feedback function, thereby improving user experience. Another object of the present application is to provide an electronic device including the touch pad assembly.

The purpose of the application is realized by the following technical scheme:

a touch pad assembly capable of being fixed in place and accepting press and click operations; this touch pad subassembly includes:

a back plate;

a touch panel;

the circuit board is arranged between the back plate and the touch panel; and

one or more vibrating members including a first vibrating portion and a second vibrating portion, attached to the circuit board by the attachment portion, and configured to generate vibration in response to an electrical signal,

wherein the attachment portion is disposed between one side of the first vibration portion and the circuit board, and the second vibration portion is attached to the other side of the first vibration portion.

In the above touch panel assembly, optionally, the vibrating member is electrically connected to a power supply on the circuit board.

In the above touch panel assembly, optionally, the vibrating member is electrically connected to the power supply through a single flexible circuit board.

In the above touch panel assembly, optionally, the first vibrating portion is made of copper or stainless steel.

In the above touch panel assembly, optionally, the second vibration part is made of a piezoelectric ceramic.

In the above touch panel assembly, optionally, the vibrating member and the attachment portion are disposed between the circuit board and the back plate.

In the above touch panel assembly, optionally, the back plate is provided with protrusions at positions corresponding to the vibrating pieces, respectively, and the protrusions are attached to the second vibrating portions by adhesive bonding.

In the above touch panel assembly, optionally, a projection of the adhesive part on the first vibration part and a projection of the attachment part on the first vibration part are at least partially misaligned.

In the above touch panel assembly, optionally, the circuit board has a rectangular outline, and the four vibrating pieces are respectively positioned at respective corners of the rectangular outline of the circuit board.

In the above touch panel assembly, optionally, the attachment portion has an annular profile, and the first vibration portion and the second vibration portion have a circular profile, wherein the first vibration portion has a first diameter, the second vibration portion has a second diameter, and the first diameter is larger than the second diameter.

In the above touch panel assembly, optionally, the vibrating member includes a buzzer.

In the above touch panel assembly, optionally, the back plate includes a mounting structure, the mounting structure is disposed at an edge of the back plate and includes a through hole, and a buffer member is sleeved in the through hole.

An electronic device comprises the touch pad assembly.

Drawings

The present application will be described in further detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the drawings are designed solely for the purposes of illustrating embodiments and that, accordingly, should not be taken as limiting the scope of the present application. Furthermore, unless specifically stated otherwise, the drawings are intended to be conceptual in nature or configuration of the depicted objects and may contain exaggerated displays. The figures are also not necessarily drawn to scale.

Fig. 1 is an exploded view of a trackpad assembly according to one embodiment of the present application at a first step in assembly.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the embodiment of fig. 1 at a second step in assembly.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a backplate according to one embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 4 is a perspective view of the embodiment of fig. 1 at a third step in assembly.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the embodiment of fig. 1-4 after assembly.

Fig. 6 is another perspective view of the embodiment of fig. 1-4 after assembly.

FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the embodiment of fig. 7 in operation.

Detailed Description

Embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that the descriptions are illustrative only, exemplary, and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the application.

First, it should be noted that the terms top, bottom, upward, downward, and the like as used herein are defined with respect to the orientation in the drawings. These orientations are relative concepts and will therefore vary depending on the position and state in which they are located. These and other directional terms are not to be construed in a limiting sense.

Furthermore, it should also be noted that for any single technical feature described or implicit in the embodiments herein or shown or implicit in the drawings, these technical features (or their equivalents) can be continuously combined to obtain other embodiments not directly mentioned herein.

It should be noted that in different drawings, the same reference numerals indicate the same or substantially the same components.

Fig. 1-4 illustrate various components of one embodiment of a trackpad assembly according to the present application. According to one embodiment, a touch pad assembly includes at least: a back plate 110, a touch panel 120, a circuit board 130, a vibrator 140, and an attachment portion 150. In one embodiment, the circuit board 130 is disposed between the touch panel 120 and the back plate 110, and the vibrating member 140 and the attachment portion 150 are disposed between the circuit board 130 and the back plate 110.

Fig. 1 is an exploded view of a trackpad assembly according to one embodiment of the present application at a first step in assembly. As shown, the touch panel 120 is attached to a circuit board 130. The touch panel 120 may be made of glass, metal, or plastic, and configured to have a substantially rectangular outline. The circuit board 130 may also be configured to have a generally rectangular profile, and the circuit board 130 has a power supply 131 disposed thereon. The power transmission line arranged on the circuit board 130 is represented in fig. 1 by a straight line 131. It will be readily appreciated that the power source 131 may have other forms or shapes. The circuit board 130 may be attached to the touch panel 120 in the direction indicated by the arrow a2, and an adhesive may be used to connect between the touch panel 120 and the circuit board 130.

One or more vibrating members 140 may be attached to the circuit board 130 by an attachment portion 150. Each of the vibration members 140 is configured to be selectively energized, and in the case of the energization, the vibration member 140 will generate vibration. In the illustrated embodiment, four vibrating pieces 140 are positioned at respective corners of the rectangular outline of the circuit board 130.

In one embodiment, the vibration member 140 includes a first vibration part 141 and a second vibration part 142. The first and second vibrating

portions

141 and 142 may be respectively configured in a circular sheet-like shape, and connected together. In one embodiment, the first vibration part 141 is made of metal, such as copper or stainless steel. The second vibrating portion 142 is made of piezoelectric ceramics. In one embodiment, the first and second vibrating

portions

141 and 142 have a circular profile, wherein the first vibrating portion 141 has a first diameter, the second vibrating portion 142 has a second diameter, and the first diameter is greater than the second diameter.

In the illustrated embodiment, the attachment portion 150 is disposed between one side of the first vibration portion 141 and the circuit board 130, and the second vibration portion 142 is attached to the other side of the first vibration portion 141. The attachment portion 150 may be any suitable adhesive structure. For example, the attachment portion 150 may be a double-sided glued component, or the attachment portion 150 may be comprised of a separately applied glue. In the illustrated embodiment, the attachment portion 150 is configured to have a ring shape. As will be shown in more detail below, at least a part of the projection of the attachment part 150 having the ring shape in the vertical direction is not coincident with the projection of the second vibration part 142 in the vertical direction, and the attachment part 150 having the ring shape also improves the adhesion between the vibration member 140 and the circuit board 130, thereby providing the circuit board 130 with good force sensing performance while obtaining stable elastic performance of the vibration member 140. In one embodiment, the attachment portion 150 may be attached to the first vibration portion 141 and the circuit board 130 by thermal bonding attachment.

In one embodiment, the vibrating member may be a buzzer piece or a buzzer diaphragm (buzzer film). Such a vibrating member design does not require the use of a dedicated actuator. Such a vibrating member design reduces manufacturing costs compared to solutions that use Linear Resonance Actuators (LRA) or dedicated Piezoelectric (PIEZO) modules to generate vibrations. In another embodiment, the vibrating member may include a first vibrating portion and a second vibrating portion that are separately manufactured, and the first vibrating portion and the second vibrating portion may be combined together to form the vibrating member.

Fig. 2 is a perspective view of the embodiment of fig. 1 at a second step in assembly. As shown in the drawing, four vibrating pieces 140 are respectively mounted at the corners of the rectangular outline of the circuit board 130, and the respective vibrating pieces 140 are electrically connected to the power source 131 on the circuit board 130. In one embodiment, the vibrating member 140 is electrically connected to the power source 131 through a single flexible circuit board 143. In one embodiment, the flexible circuit board 143 provides electrical connection from the power source 131 to both sides of the second vibration part 142. In another embodiment, the flexible circuit board 143 provides electrical connection from the power source 131 to the first and second vibrating

portions

141 and 142. In one embodiment, the flexible circuit board 143 may be attached to the vibrator 140 and the power source 131 by a HOT-melt tin soldering or impulse HOT-press soldering (HOT BAR) process in order to minimize the thickness of the entire touchpad assembly.

FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a backplate according to one embodiment of the present application, and FIG. 4 is a perspective view of the embodiment of FIG. 1 at a third step in assembly. As shown, the back plate 110 includes mounting structures. The mounting structure may be disposed, for example, at an edge of the back plate 110 and include a through hole 113, and a buffer 114 may be sleeved in the through hole 113. The buffer 114 is made of rubber, for example. For example, a buffer 114 made of rubber may be provided in the threaded region of the through-hole 113. Such a configuration is such that the vibration feedback described in detail below is not transmitted to other components not shown through the through-hole 113, but is transmitted only to the hand of the operator operating on the touch panel 120. In the illustrated embodiment, two mounting structures are provided at both sides of the back plate 110, respectively. The mounting structure may be arranged at other suitable positions or more mounting structures according to actual needs.

The back plate 110 is provided with protrusions 111 at positions corresponding to the vibrating pieces 140, respectively, and the protrusions 111 are provided at a side of the back plate 110 facing the circuit board 130, and thus are schematically drawn with dotted lines. The protrusion 111 is attached to the second vibration part 142 by the glue part 112. The glue joint 112 may be a double-sided glued part or may be constituted by a separately applied glue. As shown, the back plate 110 is attached to the vibrating piece 140 in the direction indicated by the arrow a3 such that the vibrating piece 140 and the attachment portion 150 are disposed between the circuit board 130 and the back plate 110.

Fig. 5 is a perspective view of the embodiment of fig. 1-4 after assembly, and fig. 6 is another perspective view of the embodiment of fig. 1-4 after assembly. Fig. 5 and 6 show the trackpad assembly 100 after assembly. As shown, when the back plate 110 is assembled in place, the mounting structures are located on the exterior of the touch panel 120, which allows the touch pad assembly 100 to be mounted in place by the respective mounting structures.

Fig. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view according to an embodiment of the present application, and fig. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the embodiment shown in fig. 7 in operation. As shown in the figure, the touch panel 120, the circuit board 130, the attachment portion 150, the first vibration portion 141, the second vibration portion 142, the glue portion 112, the protrusion portion 111, and the back plate 110 are assembled together in order from top to bottom.

Fig. 7 shows a cross-section of the trackpad assembly 100 in a resting state. According to an embodiment of the present application, a projection of the glue part 112 on the first vibration part 141 in the vertical direction and a projection of the attachment part 150 on the first vibration part 141 in the vertical direction are at least partially misaligned. In the illustrated embodiment, the projection of the adhesive joint 112 on the first vibrating portion 141 in the vertical direction is completely misaligned with the projection of the attachment 150 on the first vibrating portion 141 in the vertical direction. Such a configuration facilitates the vibration of the vibration member 140. The annular shape of the attachment portion 150 is intended to provide the above-described projective relationship. Meanwhile, the annular shape of the attachment portion 150 can provide the first vibration portion 141 with attachment in the entire circumferential direction thereof, thereby obtaining a stable attachment area and stronger attachment force. The stable attachment area can secure the elastic performance of the attachment portion 150, thereby obtaining stable force sensing performance. The stronger adhesion may enhance the stability of the touch pad assembly 100 and obtain stronger tactile feedback.

Fig. 8 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the trackpad assembly 100 in operation. As shown in the figure, the second vibration part 142 is continuously and cyclically deformed when being electrified, and the first vibration part 141 is driven to continuously and cyclically deform, so that vibration with a certain intensity is generated. In one embodiment, the power source 131 provides an alternating current with a specific frequency to generate a continuous cyclic deformation of the second vibration part 142. Fig. 8 schematically shows a shape in which the first vibrating portion 141 is bent. On one hand, the motion or vibration of the vibrating member 140 is transmitted to the circuit board 130 through the attachment portion 150, and finally transmitted to the touch panel 120 connected to the circuit board 130, and will be sensed by the user. On the other hand, the motion or vibration of the vibrating piece 140 is also transmitted to the back plate 110 through the glue part 112 and the protrusion part 111, and is absorbed by the buffer 114 located at the through hole 113, so as not to be transmitted to other components connected to the back plate 110 through the through hole 113.

The protrusion 111 and the back plate 110 in fig. 7 and 8 are drawn with different hatching. However, the protrusion 111 and the back plate 110 may be constructed as one body, and may be made of the same material. In another embodiment, the protrusion 111 and the back plate 110 may be manufactured separately and then assembled together.

In use, when a user operates the touch panel 120 with a finger, the vibrating member 140 may be powered on to generate a vibration of a certain intensity and transmit the vibration to the touch panel 120 when the pressure applied by the user on the touch panel 120 reaches a certain threshold or the finger performs a predetermined gesture operation, so that the user feels the vibration feedback through the finger. The vibration feedback may be made, for example, in the event that the user makes a click operation, a selection operation, or any other suitable operation. By varying the current intensity, frequency and duration of the current applied, the vibrating member 140 may vary the magnitude, frequency and duration of the vibration feedback, thereby providing different feedback to the user depending on the actual situation.

The application also provides an electronic device which comprises the touch pad component. For example, the electronic device may be a notebook computer, and the touch pad assembly according to the present application may be mounted at a C-plane of the notebook computer. In one embodiment, the touch pad assembly may be mounted from the inside of the notebook computer toward the C-side, e.g., secured to the C-side of the notebook computer by bolts passing through the mounting portions, which makes only the touch panel 120 visible outside the notebook computer.

The touch pad component and the electronic equipment have the advantages of simplicity, reliability, easiness in implementation, convenience in use and the like, and can provide vibration feedback which can be sensed by a user for the touch pad, so that the user experience is improved.

This written description discloses the application with reference to the drawings, and also enables one skilled in the art to practice the application, including making and using any devices or systems, selecting appropriate materials, and using any incorporated methods. The scope of the present application is defined by the claims and encompasses other examples that occur to those skilled in the art. Such other examples are to be considered within the scope of protection defined by the claims of this application, provided that they include structural elements that do not differ from the literal language of the claims, or that they include equivalent structural elements with insubstantial differences from the literal language of the claims.

Claims

1. A touch pad assembly (100) capable of being secured in place and subjected to press and click operations; characterized in that the touch pad assembly (100) comprises:

a back plate (110);

a touch panel (120);

a circuit board (130) disposed between the backplate (110) and the touch panel (120); and

one or more vibrating members (140), the vibrating members (140) including a first vibrating portion (141) and a second vibrating portion (142), attached to the circuit board (130) by an attachment portion (150), and configured to generate vibration in response to an electrical signal,

wherein the attachment part (150) is disposed between one side of the first vibration part (141) and the circuit board (130), and the second vibration part (142) is attached to the other side of the first vibration part (141).

2. The trackpad assembly of claim 1, wherein the vibrating member (140) is electrically connected to a power source (131) on the circuit board (130).

3. The trackpad assembly of claim 2, wherein the vibrating member (140) is electrically connected to the power source (131) by a single flexible circuit board (143).

4. The trackpad assembly of claim 1, wherein the first vibrating portion (141) is made of copper or stainless steel.

5. The touch pad assembly of claim 1, wherein the second vibrating portion (142) is made of a piezoelectric ceramic.

6. The trackpad assembly of claim 5, wherein the vibrating member (140) and the attachment portion (150) are disposed between the circuit board (130) and the back plate (110).

7. The touch panel assembly according to claim 6, wherein the back plate (110) is provided with protrusions (111) at positions corresponding to the vibrating pieces (140), respectively, and the protrusions (111) are attached to the second vibrating portion (142) by adhesive portions (112).

8. Touch pad assembly according to claim 7, wherein the projection of the glue portion (112) on the first vibrating portion (141) is at least partially non-coincident with the projection of the attachment portion (150) on the first vibrating portion (141).

9. The touch pad assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the circuit board (130) has a rectangular outline, and four vibrating pieces (140) are respectively positioned at respective corners of the rectangular outline of the circuit board (130).

10. The trackpad assembly of any one of claims 2 to 8, wherein the attachment portion (150) has an annular profile, the first vibrating portion (141) and the second vibrating portion (142) have a circular profile, wherein the first vibrating portion (141) has a first diameter, the second vibrating portion (142) has a second diameter, and the first diameter is greater than the second diameter.

11. Touch pad assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the vibrating element (140) comprises a buzzer.

12. Touch pad assembly according to any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the back plate (110) comprises a mounting structure arranged at an edge of the back plate (110) and comprising a through hole (113), wherein a buffer (114) is nested in the through hole (113).

13. An electronic device comprising the touch pad assembly according to any one of claims 1-12.