CN215954278U - Touch pad and electronic equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

The application provides a touch pad and an electronic device, which have better touch feedback performance. The touch pad includes a piezoelectric ceramic assembly, the piezoelectric ceramic assembly including: a piezoelectric ceramic array; and the substrate comprises a plurality of fixing areas and a flexible area positioned between the adjacent fixing areas, the fixing areas are respectively used for arranging a plurality of piezoelectric ceramics in the piezoelectric ceramic array, and the flexible area is used for connecting the adjacent fixing areas so as to ensure that the piezoelectric ceramics are jointly fixed on the substrate and absorb the vibration interference between the piezoelectric ceramics on the adjacent fixing areas.

Description

Touch pad and electronic equipment

Technical Field

The embodiment of the application relates to the field of touch control, and more particularly relates to a touch pad and an electronic device.

Background

The touch pad senses the position and movement of a user's finger through the touch sensor and controls the movement of a pointer on the display interface. The conventional touch pad detects a pressing action of a user through a physical key to execute functions such as confirming or calling a menu. However, the pressing operation by the user can be performed only in the area below 1/2 of the touch pad, and the pressing operation cannot be performed in any area of the entire panel.

The pressure touch pad replaces physical pressing through tactile feedback, so that operations such as confirming and calling out a menu are realized, and the problem that the traditional touch pad can only be pressed locally is solved. The pressure touch pad can adjust the response force and the vibration feedback intensity of the pressing action of the user according to the use habit of the user, and provides more convenient and comfortable operation experience for the user.

In order to continue the usage habit of the conventional touch pad for the user, the pressure touch pad generally uses the tactile feedback device to simulate the pressing and bouncing feel of the physical key, and the user experience is greatly dependent on the design of the tactile feedback device. Therefore, how to improve the performance of the haptic feedback device to improve the performance of the touch pad is a problem to be solved.

SUMMERY OF THE UTILITY MODEL

The embodiment of the application provides a touch pad and an electronic device, which have better touch feedback performance.

In a first aspect, a touch panel is provided, which includes a piezoelectric ceramic element for detecting a pressure and outputting a vibration corresponding to the pressure, the piezoelectric ceramic element including:

a piezoelectric ceramic array; and the number of the first and second groups,

the substrate comprises a plurality of fixing areas and a flexible area located between the adjacent fixing areas, the fixing areas are respectively used for arranging the piezoelectric ceramics in the piezoelectric ceramic array, and the flexible area is used for connecting the adjacent fixing areas so as to enable the piezoelectric ceramics to be fixed on the substrate together and absorb shock interference between the piezoelectric ceramics on the adjacent fixing areas.

In an embodiment of the present application, a piezoelectric ceramic element is disposed in a touch panel to implement a pressure feedback function of the touch panel, where the piezoelectric ceramic element includes a substrate and a piezoelectric ceramic array, the substrate includes a plurality of fixing regions and a flexible region located between adjacent fixing regions, and a plurality of piezoelectric ceramics in the piezoelectric ceramic array are disposed in the plurality of fixing regions, respectively. Because the adjacent fixed areas in the plurality of fixed areas are connected through the flexible area, the plurality of piezoelectric ceramics are jointly fixed on the substrate, and the flexible area absorbs coplanarity tolerance among the piezoelectric ceramics at different positions and vibration interference among the piezoelectric ceramics on the adjacent fixed areas, so that the performance of the touch panel is improved. Meanwhile, when the piezoelectric ceramic assembly bears pressure for a long time, the flexible area on the substrate can reduce the risk of microcrack generation caused by excessive deformation of the piezoelectric ceramic, and the service life of the touch panel is prolonged.

In one possible implementation, the flexible region is serpentine or S-shaped. Due to the long pressure and vibration transmission path of the serpentine area or the S-shaped area, the flexible area can better absorb coplanarity tolerance between the piezoelectric ceramics at different positions and vibration interference between the piezoelectric ceramics on the adjacent fixed areas.

In a possible implementation manner, the substrate further includes a mounting region located between the adjacent fixing regions, wherein two ends of the mounting region are respectively connected to the adjacent fixing regions through the two flexible regions, and a mounting member is disposed on the mounting region, and the mounting member is used for mounting the piezoelectric ceramic component on a housing for carrying the piezoelectric ceramic component.

In one possible implementation, the piezoelectric ceramic component further includes: and the Flexible Printed Circuit (FPC) is used for connecting electrodes with the same polarity of adjacent piezoelectric ceramics in each row of piezoelectric ceramics of the piezoelectric ceramic array.

In one possible implementation, the adjacent piezoelectric ceramics include a first piezoelectric ceramic and a second piezoelectric ceramic, and the first piezoelectric ceramic and the second piezoelectric ceramic are arranged side by side along the length direction of the first piezoelectric ceramic and the second piezoelectric ceramic. FPC includes first connection region and second connection region, wherein, follows length direction, first piezoceramics's first electrode is connected first connection region's first side, first piezoceramics's second electrode is connected first connection region's second side, second piezoceramics's first electrode is connected second connection region's second side, second piezoceramics's second electrode is connected second connection region's first side.

When adjacent piezoelectric ceramics are fixed on the FPC along the length direction, the first electrodes with the same polarity of the adjacent piezoelectric ceramics are connected at the positions close to each other on the FPC, and the second electrodes with the same polarity are connected at the positions far away from each other on the FPC.

In one possible implementation, the first electrode of each piezoelectric ceramic is located on a first area and a second surface of the first surface of each piezoelectric ceramic, the first electrodes located on the first area and the second surface are connected through a conductive material penetrating through each piezoelectric ceramic,

the second electrode is located in a second area of the first surface of each piezoelectric ceramic, an insulating material is arranged between the first electrode located in the first area and the second electrode located in the second area, and the insulating material is used for separating the first electrode located in the first area and the second electrode located in the second area and connecting each piezoelectric ceramic and the FPC.

Generally, two electrodes of the piezoelectric ceramic are located on the upper and lower surfaces of the piezoelectric ceramic, respectively, and when the two electrodes of the piezoelectric ceramic are connected to the FPC, the two electrodes need to be led from the upper and lower surfaces of the piezoelectric ceramic to the FPC by using lead wires, respectively, so that the thickness of the piezoelectric ceramic assembly is increased. In the embodiment, the first electrode on the first surface of the piezoelectric ceramic is guided to the first area on the second surface through the conductive material, the second area on the second surface is the second electrode of the piezoelectric ceramic, and the first electrode in the first area and the second electrode in the second area are isolated from each other on the second surface through the insulating material, so that the two electrodes of the piezoelectric ceramic are both positioned on the second surface of the piezoelectric ceramic, the connection with the FPC is facilitated, and the thickness of the piezoelectric ceramic assembly is reduced.

In one possible implementation, the insulating material is epoxy-based low-temperature thermosetting adhesive. Therefore, the insulating material can be used for isolating two electrodes of the piezoelectric ceramic, and the adhesive force between the piezoelectric ceramic and the FPC is improved.

In one possible implementation, the piezoelectric ceramic component further includes: the transmission structure is arranged on the substrate and is respectively positioned on two sides of the substrate together with the piezoelectric ceramics, and the transmission structure is used for transmitting and inputting the pressure of the piezoelectric ceramics and the vibration generated by the piezoelectric ceramics.

In a possible implementation manner, the touch panel further includes a touch component, wherein the piezoelectric ceramic component is disposed below the touch component.

In one possible implementation, the touch component includes: a protective layer; the touch control functional layer is pasted on the lower surface of the protective layer and used for detecting touch information; and the limiting layer is adhered to the protective layer or the lower surface of the touch control functional layer and used for limiting the deformation of the touch control panel.

In a possible implementation manner, the touch function layer includes a touch electrode layer and a printed circuit board PCB, wherein the touch electrode layer and the PCB are adhered together, or the touch electrode layer is integrated on the PCB.

In one possible implementation, the PCB includes: the driving circuit is connected with the piezoelectric ceramics and used for detecting the pressure input into the piezoelectric ceramics and driving the piezoelectric ceramics to generate vibration; and the booster circuit comprises a voltage generating circuit and a charge pump circuit, wherein the voltage generating circuit is used for generating a first voltage, the charge pump circuit is connected between the voltage generating circuit and the driving circuit and is used for receiving the first voltage and outputting a second voltage to the driving circuit, and the second voltage is greater than the first voltage and is used for driving the piezoelectric ceramic to generate vibration.

Because the charge pump circuit can use lower input voltage to generate higher output voltage, the requirement of piezoelectric ceramics on high voltage during working can be met, the number of layers of the piezoelectric ceramics is reduced, and the cost is reduced.

In a second aspect, an electronic device is provided, which includes the first aspect or the touch pad in any possible implementation manner of the first aspect, where the touch pad includes a piezoelectric ceramic component and a touch component; and the shell is provided with a containing groove, the containing groove is provided with a first assembling surface, and the piezoelectric ceramic component is installed on the first assembling surface through an installing piece.

In a possible implementation manner, the housing further has a second mounting surface located in a peripheral area of the accommodating groove, and the touch control assembly is fixed on the second mounting surface through an adhesive layer.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a schematic diagram of a touch system according to an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 2 is a structural diagram of a piezoelectric ceramic component in one implementation of an embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 3 is a schematic view of a connection manner between the piezoelectric ceramic and the FPC according to the embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 4 is a schematic view of an electrode connection method of the piezoelectric ceramic according to the embodiment of the present application.

Fig. 5 is an exploded view of a touch pad having the piezoelectric ceramic element shown in fig. 2.

Fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the touch pad of fig. 5.

Fig. 7 is a schematic diagram of a driving circuit of the piezoelectric ceramic element.

FIG. 8 is a schematic diagram of a voltage generation circuit for a piezo ceramic assembly.

Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of a charge pump circuit for a piezo ceramic assembly.

Detailed Description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The touch panel usually utilizes the piezoelectric effect of piezoelectric ceramics to simulate the pressing and bouncing hand feeling of physical keys. When a user presses the touch pad, piezoelectric ceramics in the touch pad deform, a current signal is generated based on the positive piezoelectric effect of the piezoelectric ceramics, and the pressing force of the user is detected based on the current signal; after the pressing force is detected, a signal is output to the piezoelectric ceramic, and based on the inverse piezoelectric effect of the piezoelectric ceramic, the piezoelectric ceramic generates an electric field in the polarization direction of the piezoelectric ceramic, so that mechanical deformation is generated, and the vibration effect is achieved.

Here, the positive piezoelectric effect and the negative piezoelectric effect are collectively referred to as a piezoelectric effect. When some substances exert pressure or tension along a certain direction, along with the generation of deformation, charges with opposite signs are generated on two opposite surfaces of the substances, and when external force is removed and the deformation disappears, the substances return to an uncharged state again, and the phenomenon is called positive piezoelectric effect; on the contrary, applying an electric field in the polarization direction of these substances will cause mechanical deformation, and when the electric field is removed, the deformation will disappear, which is called inverse piezoelectric effect. The substance with piezoelectric effect is called piezoelectric material, and piezoelectric ceramics is one kind of piezoelectric material.

Two or more piezoelectric ceramics are commonly used in touch pads, and these piezoelectric ceramics are disposed at different positions of the touch pad to achieve tactile feedback at each position. However, coplanarity between piezoelectric ceramics at different positions is poor, and a large coplanarity tolerance causes a low assembly yield of the touch panel, and if any piezoelectric ceramic is not assembled in place, consistency of pressing and vibration feedback is poor, thereby affecting user experience.

The embodiment of the application provides a touch pad, and through setting up the flexible zone between the piezoceramics of different positions, absorb coplanarity tolerance and the vibrations interference between the adjacent piezoceramics between each piezoceramics, obviously improved the performance of touch pad, improved user experience.

Fig. 1 is a schematic view of a touch pad 10 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. The touch panel 10 includes a touch element 100 and a piezoelectric ceramic element 200. The touch assembly 100 includes a touch electrode layer and a touch chip, and the touch chip is configured to collect a signal output by the touch electrode layer and detect a touch operation of a user according to the signal. The piezoelectric ceramic assembly 200 is used for detecting a pressing force when a user presses the touch pad, and generating corresponding vibration according to the pressing force to feed back a pressing operation of the user. The touch pad 10 can be wired to a main controller of an electronic device, such as a CPU, via I2C for information interaction.

Fig. 2 is a schematic view of a piezoceramic assembly 200 according to an embodiment of the present application. As shown in fig. 2, the piezo ceramic assembly 200 includes a piezo ceramic array composed of a plurality of piezo ceramics 210, and a substrate 220 for fixing the plurality of piezo ceramics 210.

Piezoelectric ceramic 210 may also be referred to as a piezoelectric ceramic stack or a piezoelectric ceramic sheet, etc. Fig. 2 shows two rows of piezoelectric ceramics in the X direction, where each row is provided with four piezoelectric ceramics 210. It should be understood that the piezoelectric ceramic assembly 200 shown in fig. 2 is only an example, and the number, shape, and positional relationship of the piezoelectric ceramics 210 in the piezoelectric ceramic assembly 200 are not limited in the embodiments of the present application.

As shown in fig. 2, the substrate 220 includes a plurality of fixing regions 221, and a flexible region 222 located between adjacent fixing regions 221 therein. Wherein, the plurality of fixing regions 221 are respectively used for disposing the plurality of piezoelectric ceramics 210 in the piezoelectric ceramic array. The flexible region 222 is used to connect adjacent fixing regions 221, so that a plurality of piezoelectric ceramics 210 are commonly fixed to the substrate 220, and is used to absorb shock interference between the piezoelectric ceramics 210 on the adjacent fixing regions 221.

The substrate 220 may be a metal substrate, such as a stainless steel substrate. As can be seen from fig. 2, the plurality of fastening regions 221 and the flexible region 222 between adjacent fastening regions 221 are an integral body, which together form the substrate 220. That is, the fixed region 221 is integrally formed with the flexible region 222. Each of the piezoelectric ceramics 210 may be fixed to one of the fixing regions 221, and the area of the piezoelectric ceramics 210 may be smaller than or equal to the area of the fixing region 221. As shown in fig. 2, the piezoelectric ceramic 210 may be attached to the lower surface of the fixing region 221 by an adhesive layer.

Because the plurality of piezoelectric ceramics 210 in the piezoelectric ceramic array are respectively arranged in the plurality of fixing regions 221 of the substrate 220, and adjacent fixing regions 221 in the plurality of fixing regions 221 are connected through the flexible region 222, the plurality of piezoelectric ceramics 210 can be jointly fixed on the substrate 220, and the flexible region 222 absorbs coplanarity tolerance between the piezoelectric ceramics 210 at different positions and vibration interference between the piezoelectric ceramics 210 on the adjacent fixing regions 221, so that the pressure feedback performance of the touch panel is improved. Meanwhile, when the touch pad is subjected to a pressure for a long time, the flexible region 222 can also reduce the risk of microcracks caused by excessive deformation of the piezoelectric ceramic 210, and improve the service life of the touch pad.

The adjacent fixing regions 221 are connected by the flexible region 222, and it is understood that the flexible region 222 belongs to a part of the substrate 200, and is used for forming flexible connection between the adjacent fixing regions 221, namely, a connection mode which allows a certain range of displacement of the connection position in some directions. When the flexible connection is formed between the adjacent fixing regions 221 through the flexible region 222, not only is the constraint generated between the adjacent fixing regions 221 reduced, the coplanarity tolerance between the piezoelectric ceramics 210 on the adjacent fixing regions 221 is reduced, but also a certain displacement amount is generated between the adjacent fixing regions 221, thereby absorbing the shock interference between the piezoelectric ceramics 210 on the adjacent fixing regions 221.

In one implementation, the flexible region 222 may be serpentine or S-shaped. The serpentine or S-shaped regions provide a longer path for pressure and vibration transmission, so that the flexure region 222 can better absorb coplanarity tolerances between the piezoceramics 210 at different locations, and vibration interference between adjacent piezoceramics 210.

In one implementation, as shown in fig. 2, the substrate 220 further includes a mounting region 225 located between the adjacent fixing regions 221, the mounting region 225 is a region where the mounting member 223 is located, and two ends of the mounting region 225 are respectively connected to the adjacent fixing regions 221 through two flexible regions 222. The mounting member 223 is used to mount the piezo ceramic assembly on the housing 400 for carrying the piezo ceramic assembly 200. By way of example, the mounting member 223 shown in fig. 2 is a nut and thus may be used in conjunction with a screw 224 to mount the piezo ceramic assembly on the housing 400 for carrying the piezo ceramic assembly 200.

Taking fig. 2 as an example, adjacent fixing regions 221 are connected by two flexible regions 222, and there is also a mounting region 225 between the two flexible regions 222, each flexible region 222 being connected to the fixing region 221 on one side and to the mounting region 225 on the other side.

Specifically, two opposing S-shapes form a flexible region 222, each S-shape having one end connected to the fastening region 221 and the other end connected to the mounting region 225. In practical applications, the fixing region 221, the flexible region 222, and the mounting region 225 are all part of the substrate 220, and the substrate 220 having the fixing region 221, the flexible region 222, and the mounting region 225 can be directly fabricated and formed on a complete material.

Of course, the mounting region 225 may be provided in other regions with the substrate 220, not in the region between the adjacent fixing regions 211. For example, when the area of the fixing region 221 is larger than the area of the piezoelectric ceramics 210 attached therebelow, the region of the fixing region 221 not covered with the piezoelectric ceramics 210 may be used as the mounting region 225 and the nut 223 may be provided. For another example, an arm extending in the Y direction may be provided on the substrate 220 to connect two adjacent rows of the piezoelectric ceramics 210 as the mounting region 225. For another example, the mounting region 225 may not be provided, and the piezoelectric ceramic assembly 200 may be adhered to the housing 400 by other means, such as gluing. The embodiment of the present application does not limit the position and number of the mounting regions 225.

In one implementation, piezoceramic assembly 200 further includes an FPC230 for connecting like polarity electrodes of adjacent piezoceramic's 210 in each row of piezoceramic array. That is, one FPC230 is disposed between every two adjacent piezoelectric ceramics 210. Hereinafter, the connection relationship between FPC230 and piezoelectric ceramic 210 will be described by taking first piezoelectric ceramic 2110 and second piezoelectric ceramic 2120 provided adjacently as an example.

FPC230 may include first connection region 231 and second connection region 232 for connecting first piezoelectric ceramic 2110 and second piezoelectric ceramic 2120, respectively. For example, as shown in fig. 2, an FPC230 is provided between the first piezoelectric ceramic 2110 and the second piezoelectric ceramic 2120, the FPC230 including a first connection region 231 and a second connection region 232, the first connection region 231 and the second connection region 232 being used to connect the first piezoelectric ceramic 2110 and the second piezoelectric ceramic 2120, respectively. That is, the first connection region 231 of the FPC230 is used to connect the first electrode and the second electrode of the first piezoelectric ceramics 2110, and the second connection region 232 is used to connect the first electrode and the second electrode of the second piezoelectric ceramics 2120.

Wherein, optionally, FPC230 may also be configured to include a serpentine, S-shaped, or other curved region to further reduce the coplanarity tolerance between the two piezoceramics 210 that it connects and to absorb shock interference between the two piezoceramics 210.

In one implementation, when two adjacent piezoelectric ceramics 210 are arranged side by side along their length direction (i.e., X direction), for example, as shown in fig. 2, for a first piezoelectric ceramic 2110 and a second piezoelectric ceramic 2120, along their length direction, a first electrode of first piezoelectric ceramic 2110 is connected to a first side of first connection region 231, a second electrode of first piezoelectric ceramic 2110 is connected to a second side of first connection region 231, a first electrode of second piezoelectric ceramic 2120 is connected to a second side of second connection region 232, and a second electrode of second piezoelectric ceramic 2120 is connected to a first side of second connection region 232.

Specifically, the FPC230 makes electrical connection with the electrodes of the piezoelectric ceramics 210 through the conductive material. As shown in fig. 2, the conductive material 233A on the first connection region 231 of the FPC230 is used to connect the first electrode of the first piezoelectric ceramic 2110 with the FPC230, the conductive material 233A on the second connection region 232 is used to connect the first electrode of the second piezoelectric ceramic 2120 with the FPC230, the conductive material 233B in the first connection region 231 is used to connect the second electrode of the first piezoelectric ceramic 2110 with the FPC230, and the conductive material 233B in the second connection region 232 is used to connect the second electrode of the second piezoelectric ceramic 2120 with the FPC 230.

The first electrode is a positive electrode and the second electrode is a negative electrode, or the first electrode is a negative electrode and the second electrode is a positive electrode. The positive electrode and the negative electrode of the piezoelectric ceramic 210 are generally located on different surfaces of the piezoelectric ceramic 210, and when the positive electrode and the negative electrode are respectively connected to the FPC230, the positive electrode and the negative electrode on different surfaces are guided to the same surface in the embodiment of the present application, so that the connection between the piezoelectric ceramic 210 and the FPC230 is technically easier to achieve. The specific structure of the piezoelectric ceramic 210 can be referred to the description of fig. 4 later.

As can be seen from fig. 2, the first electrode of the first piezoelectric ceramic 2110 and the first electrode of the second piezoelectric ceramic 2120 are connected to the inner side of the first connection region 231 and the inner side of the second connection region 232, respectively, by the conductive material 233A; the second electrode of the first piezoelectric ceramic 2110 and the second electrode of the second piezoelectric ceramic 2120 are connected to the outside of the first connection region 231 and the outside of the second connection region 232, respectively, via the conductive material 233B. Here, as shown in fig. 2, the inner side of the first connection region 231 is a side close to the second connection region 232, the outer side of the first connection region 231 is a side far from the second connection region 232, the inner side of the second connection region 232 is a side close to the first connection region 231, and the outer side of the second connection region 232 is a side far from the first connection region 231.

As shown in (a) of fig. 3, taking adjacent first piezoelectric ceramic 2110 and second piezoelectric ceramic 2120 as an example, based on a conventional arrangement, in order to make conduction between first electrodes a of first piezoelectric ceramic 2110 and second piezoelectric ceramic 2120 and conduction between second electrodes B of first piezoelectric ceramic 2110 and second piezoelectric ceramic 2120, the length of FPC230 in the X direction should be at least greater than L1; however, in the connection of the present application as shown in fig. 3 (B), in order to make the conduction between the first electrodes a of the first piezoelectric ceramic 2110 and the second piezoelectric ceramic 2120 and the conduction between the second electrodes B of the first piezoelectric ceramic 2110 and the second piezoelectric ceramic 2120 under the condition that the pitches between the first piezoelectric ceramic 2110 and the second piezoelectric ceramic 2120 are equal, the length of the FPC230 in the X direction should be at least greater than L2, and L1 is significantly smaller than L2. Therefore, when the adjacent piezoelectric ceramics are fixed on the FPC230 along the length direction thereof, i.e., the X direction, the first electrodes of the same polarity of the adjacent piezoelectric ceramics are connected at positions close to each other on the FPC230, and the second electrodes of the same polarity are connected at positions away from each other on the FPC230, and by this arrangement, the area of the FPC230, particularly the area along the X direction, can be reduced, thereby reducing the cost and saving the space.

As shown in fig. 2, the FPC230 also has an adhesive area 234 and pins 235 and the like thereon. The pins 235 serve as an interface of the FPC230, and are used to lead out wiring between the FPC230 and other circuits, such as the PCB 533. The adhesive glue on the adhesive area 234 can play a role of pre-fixing in the connection process of the FPC230 and the PCB 533, so as to ensure that the pins 235 of the FPC230 can be aligned with the corresponding welding points on the PCB 533 for facilitating welding.

Fig. 4 is a schematic view of an electrode of a piezoelectric ceramic 210 according to an embodiment of the present application. It is assumed that the first surface and the second surface are the lower surface and the upper surface of the piezoelectric ceramic 210 shown in fig. 4, respectively. The first electrode A of the piezoceramic 210 is located at the first area 2101 and the second surface of the first surface of the piezoceramic 210, and the first electrode A located at the first area 2101 and the second surface are connected by the electrically conductive material 2104 that extends through the piezoceramic 210. The second electrode B is located in a second region 2102 of the first surface of the piezoelectric ceramic 210, and an insulating material 2103 is provided between the first electrode a located in the first region 2101 and the second electrode B located in the second region 2102, the insulating material 2103 being used to space the first electrode a and the second electrode B and connect the piezoelectric ceramic 210 and the FPC 230.

The Conductive material 223A and the Conductive material 223B are, for example, a Conductive silver paste or an Anisotropic Conductive Film (ACF).

The insulating material 2103 may be, for example, an epoxy-based low temperature thermosetting adhesive. Since the adhesion of the conductive material 223A and the conductive material 223B is weak, the insulating material 2103 may be used to separate the electrode a and the electrode B of the piezoelectric ceramic 210, and may also improve the adhesion of the piezoelectric ceramic 210 and the FPC230 to make up for the lack of the adhesion of the conductive material 233A and the conductive material 233B. Generally, the insulative material 2103 and the conductive material 2104 may be cured together. The via material 233A and the via material 233B are soldered on the FPC230 through a solder joint 2342 and a solder joint 2341, respectively.

Generally, two electrodes of the piezoelectric ceramic are respectively located on the upper and lower surfaces of the piezoelectric ceramic, and when the two electrodes of the piezoelectric ceramic are connected to the FPC, the two electrodes need to be respectively led onto the FPC from the upper and lower surfaces of the piezoelectric ceramic by using lead wires, so that the thickness of the piezoelectric ceramic assembly is large. In the embodiment of the present application, the first electrode a on the first surface of the piezoelectric ceramic 210 is guided to the first area 2101 on the second surface through the conductive material 2104, the second area 2102 on the second surface is the second electrode B of the piezoelectric ceramic 210, and the first electrode a of the first area 2101 and the second electrode B of the second area 2102 are isolated on the second surface by the insulating material 2103, so that both electrodes of the piezoelectric ceramic 210 are located on the second surface of the piezoelectric ceramic 210, which facilitates the connection with the FPC230, and reduces the thickness of the piezoelectric ceramic assembly 200.

In one implementation, as shown in fig. 2, the piezoelectric ceramic assembly 200 further includes a transmission structure 240, and the transmission structure 240 is disposed on the fixing region 221 of the substrate 220 and located on two sides of the substrate 220 with the piezoelectric ceramic 210. The transmission structure 240 may be, for example, a double-sided adhesive plastic, a metal gasket, or an incompressible double-sided adhesive material, and is used for transmitting the pressure input to the piezoelectric ceramic 210 and transmitting the vibration generated by the piezoelectric ceramic 210.

When the touch assembly 100 is pressed, the transmission structure 240 can transmit the pressing force to the fixing region 221 of the substrate 220, the deformation of the fixing region 221 drives the piezoelectric ceramic 210 attached to the back surface of the fixing region to elastically deform, and the piezoelectric ceramic 210 deforms to generate an electrical signal for pressure detection. Then, the piezoelectric ceramic 210 receives the alternating current and generates an electric field in the polarization direction thereof, thereby causing a mechanical deformation, which is transmitted to the touch device 100 through the transmission structure 240, so as to drive the touch device 100 to generate a vibration.

It should be understood that the piezoelectric ceramic element 200 according to the embodiment of the present application can be applied to any scenario requiring pressure feedback, and is particularly applicable to a large-sized touch pad 10. Specifically, by setting the number of rows of piezoelectric ceramics in the piezoelectric ceramic array and the number of piezoelectric ceramics in each row, a piezoelectric ceramic assembly 200 of a larger area can be realized. For example, as shown in fig. 5, in the case of a notebook computer, the housing 400 covers the area under the keyboard, i.e. the entire "chin area", so that the recess, i.e. the first mounting surface 401, on the housing 400 has a larger area to accommodate the piezoelectric ceramic element 200 with a larger area. The piezoelectric ceramics are arranged in an array manner and uniformly distributed on the lower surface of the touch pad 10 in the functional region 501, so that the large-sized touch pad 10 can realize a pressure feedback function in the whole area, and a vibration effect is improved.

Fig. 5 and 6 show a touch pad 10 in a possible implementation of an embodiment of the present application. Fig. 5 shows a touch panel 10 having the piezoelectric ceramic device 200 of fig. 2, and fig. 6 is a cross-sectional view of the touch panel 10 of fig. 5 along the X-direction. The specific structure of the piezoelectric ceramic assembly 200 shown in fig. 5 and fig. 6 can refer to fig. 2 and the corresponding description, and no reference and repeated explanation are made here.

The touch panel 10 includes a touch element 100 and a piezoelectric ceramic element 200. As shown in fig. 5 and 6, the piezoelectric ceramic element 200 is disposed below the touch element 100. The touch assembly 100 includes a protection layer 510, a touch function layer 530 and a limiting layer 540.

The touch function layer 530 is fixed to the lower surface of the protective layer 510 by the adhesive layer 520, and detects touch information input by a user. Specifically, the touch function layer 530 may be adhered to a lower surface of a functional Area 501, i.e., an Active Area (AA Area), of the protective layer 510, where the functional Area 501 is a touch Area of a user. The touch function layer 530 includes, for example, a touch electrode layer 531 and a PCB 533, wherein the touch electrode layer 531 and the PCB 533 may be connected together by an adhesive layer 532 as shown in fig. 6, or the touch electrode layer 531 may be directly integrated on the PCB 533.

The touch layer electrode layer 531 may be provided with a capacitance detection array made of copper, silver, or ITO material, for example, and when a finger of a user touches the touch pad 10, the capacitance detection array may convert a capacitance signal into a voltage signal and transmit the voltage signal to the control unit of the touch pad 10, so that the control unit may determine the touch operation of the user according to the voltage signal.

Electronic components and circuits can be mounted on the PCB 533 for transmitting and processing signals such as touch signals in the touch device 100, pressure and vibration in the piezoelectric ceramic device 200, and the like, so as to implement the function of the touch pad 10. The FPC230 of the piezoelectric ceramic element 200, a control circuit of the piezoelectric ceramic element 200, such as a driving circuit and a boosting circuit, the touch electrode layer 531 of the touch element 100, and the touch chip of the touch element 100, may be connected to or integrated with the PCB 533.

The control circuit of the piezo-ceramic element 200 includes, for example, a driver circuit 340 and a booster circuit 350.

Fig. 7 shows a driving circuit 340, where the driving circuit 340 is connected to the piezoelectric ceramic 210 and is used for detecting the pressure input to the piezoelectric ceramic 210 and driving the piezoelectric ceramic 210 to generate vibration. As shown in fig. 7, the PD1 may output a high level or a low level, wherein when the PD1 is at the high level, the switches Q1 and Q2 are turned on, a high voltage signal VH is applied to the piezoelectric ceramic 210, VH may be equal to 105V to 420V, for example, and the piezoelectric ceramic 210 vibrates according to the inverse piezoelectric effect; when the PD1 is at a low level, the switches Q1 and Q2 are turned off, if the piezoelectric ceramic 210 is under pressure, a potential difference is generated between two poles of the piezoelectric ceramic 210 according to a positive piezoelectric effect, and after the resistors R3 and R6 divide the voltage, the AD interface detects the voltage signal PF1, and detects the pressure borne by the piezoelectric ceramic 210 according to the voltage signal PF 1.

When the touch panel 10 has a plurality of piezoelectric ceramics 210 therein, accordingly, a plurality of driving circuits 340 corresponding to the plurality of piezoelectric ceramics 210 may be provided, each driving circuit 340 being configured to detect a pressure input to a corresponding piezoelectric ceramic 210 and to drive the corresponding piezoelectric ceramic 210 to generate a vibration.

The booster circuit 350 includes a voltage generation circuit 351 and a charge pump circuit 352. The voltage generating circuit 351 is used for generating a first voltage, and the charge pump circuit 352 is connected between the voltage generating circuit 351 and the driving circuit 340, and is used for receiving the first voltage and outputting a second voltage to the driving circuit 340, wherein the second voltage is greater than the first voltage, and the second voltage is used for driving the piezoelectric ceramic 210 to generate vibration.

As shown in fig. 8, the voltage generating circuit 351 may adopt a BOOST topology, for example, wherein GATE is a high-frequency Pulse Width Modulation (PWM) signal outputted by the voltage generating circuit 351, and is used for controlling the transistor Q3 to be turned on and off, so as to BOOST the input voltage VIN to VOUT by using the inductor L1. VIN is typically 3.3V to 5V, for example, and VOUT may be equal to 105V, for example.

As shown in fig. 9, the charge pump circuit 352 is connected between the voltage generation circuit 351 and the drive circuit 340, and the VH power supply in the drive circuit 340 shown in fig. 7 is connected to the output terminal thereof, so as to supply the second voltage, which is a large voltage capable of vibrating the piezoelectric ceramic 210, to the drive circuit 340. Specifically, the charge pump circuit 352 is configured to receive a first voltage, i.e., VOUT, and output the second voltage to the driving circuit 340, which may be, for example, 210V, 315V, 420V, etc.

The limiting layer 540 may be, for example, a single-sided adhesive-backed film, and is attached to the lower surface of the protection layer 510, the touch electrode layer 331, or the PCB 531, especially the lower surface of the long-side area, for limiting the deformation of the touch panel 10.

Returning to fig. 6, the piezo ceramic assembly 200 may be secured to the first mounting surface 401 of the housing 400 by the mounting member 223, for example, the piezo ceramic assembly 200 may be secured to the first mounting surface 401 of the housing 400 by the engagement of the nut 223 and the screw 224.

Further, as an alternative implementation manner, as shown in fig. 5, the protective layer 510 may be adhered to the second mounting surface 402 of the casing 400 by an adhesive layer 550, and the adhesive layer 550 may also buffer the pressing force on the touch pad 10 in addition to being used for fixing the touch assembly 100 and the casing 400.

The above-mentioned Adhesive layer 520, Adhesive layer 532, Adhesive layer 550, Adhesive layer 234, etc. are, for example, a grid double-sided tape, an Optically Clear Adhesive (OCA) or glue, so as to reduce the air gap between the adhered components and ensure the transmission quality of signals.

The embodiment of the present application also provides an electronic device, which includes the touch pad 10 in the various embodiments of the present application.

By way of example and not limitation, the electronic device in the embodiments of the present application may be a portable or mobile computing device such as a terminal device, a mobile phone, a tablet computer and its accessory keyboard, a notebook computer, a desktop computer, a game device, an in-vehicle electronic device or a wearable smart device, and other electronic devices such as an electronic database, an automobile, and an Automated Teller Machine (ATM). This wearable smart machine includes that the function is complete, the size is big, can not rely on the smart mobile phone to realize complete or partial functional equipment, for example smart watch or smart glasses etc to and include only be concentrated on a certain kind of application function and need with other equipment like the equipment that the smart mobile phone cooperation was used, for example all kinds of intelligent bracelet, intelligent ornament etc. that carry out the physical sign monitoring.

It should be noted that, without conflict, the embodiments and/or technical features in the embodiments described in the present application may be arbitrarily combined with each other, and the technical solutions obtained after the combination also fall within the protection scope of the present application.

It should be understood that the specific examples in the embodiments of the present application are for the purpose of promoting a better understanding of the embodiments of the present application, and are not intended to limit the scope of the embodiments of the present application, and that various modifications and variations can be made by those skilled in the art based on the above embodiments and fall within the scope of the present application.

The above description is only for the specific embodiments of the present application, but the scope of the present application is not limited thereto, and any person skilled in the art can easily conceive of the changes or substitutions within the technical scope of the present application, and shall be covered by the scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application shall be subject to the protection scope of the claims.

Claims (13)

1. A touch panel comprising a piezoelectric ceramic assembly, the piezoelectric ceramic assembly comprising:

a piezoelectric ceramic array; and the number of the first and second groups,

the substrate comprises a plurality of fixing areas and a flexible area located between the adjacent fixing areas, the fixing areas are respectively used for arranging the piezoelectric ceramics in the piezoelectric ceramic array, and the flexible area is used for connecting the adjacent fixing areas so as to enable the piezoelectric ceramics to be fixed on the substrate together and absorb shock interference between the piezoelectric ceramics on the adjacent fixing areas.

2. The trackpad of claim 1, wherein the flexible region is serpentine or S-shaped.

3. The touch panel according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the substrate further comprises a mounting region located between the adjacent fixing regions, wherein two ends of the mounting region are respectively connected to the adjacent fixing regions through the two flexible regions, and a mounting member is disposed on the mounting region, and the mounting member is used for mounting the piezoelectric ceramic component on a housing for carrying the piezoelectric ceramic component.

4. The touch panel according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the piezoelectric ceramic assembly further comprises a flexible circuit board FPC for connecting electrodes of the same polarity of adjacent piezoelectric ceramics in each row of piezoelectric ceramics of the piezoelectric ceramic array.

5. The touch pad of claim 4, wherein the adjacent piezoelectric ceramics comprise a first piezoelectric ceramic and a second piezoelectric ceramic, the first piezoelectric ceramic and the second piezoelectric ceramic being arranged side by side along a length direction thereof,

FPC includes first connection region and second connection region, wherein, follows length direction, first piezoceramics's first electrode is connected first connection region's first side, first piezoceramics's second electrode is connected first connection region's second side, second piezoceramics's first electrode is connected second connection region's second side, second piezoceramics's second electrode is connected second connection region's first side.

6. The touch panel according to claim 1 or 2,

the first electrode of each piezoelectric ceramic is positioned on the first area and the second surface of the first surface of each piezoelectric ceramic, the first electrodes positioned on the first area and the second surface are connected through a conductive material penetrating through each piezoelectric ceramic,

the second electrode of each piezoelectric ceramic is located in a second area of the first surface of each piezoelectric ceramic, an insulating material is arranged between the first electrode located in the first area and the second electrode located in the second area, and the insulating material is used for separating the first electrode located in the first area and the second electrode located in the second area and connecting each piezoelectric ceramic and the FPC.

7. The touch pad of claim 1 or 2, wherein the piezoelectric ceramic assembly further comprises:

the transmission structure is arranged on the substrate and is respectively positioned on two sides of the substrate together with the piezoelectric ceramics, and the transmission structure is used for transmitting and inputting the pressure of the piezoelectric ceramics and the vibration generated by the piezoelectric ceramics.

8. The touch pad of claim 1 or 2, further comprising a touch element, wherein the piezoceramic element is disposed below the touch element.

9. The trackpad of claim 8, wherein the touch assembly comprises:

a protective layer;

the touch control functional layer is pasted on the lower surface of the protective layer and used for detecting touch information; and the number of the first and second groups,

and the limiting layer is adhered to the protective layer or the lower surface of the touch control functional layer and is used for limiting the deformation of the touch control panel.

10. The touch panel of claim 9, wherein the touch functional layer comprises a touch electrode layer and a Printed Circuit Board (PCB), and wherein the touch electrode layer is adhered to the PCB or integrated on the PCB.

11. The trackpad of claim 10, wherein the PCB comprises:

the driving circuit is connected with the piezoelectric ceramics and used for detecting the pressure input into the piezoelectric ceramics and driving the piezoelectric ceramics to generate vibration; and the number of the first and second groups,

the booster circuit comprises a voltage generation circuit and a charge pump circuit, wherein the voltage generation circuit is used for generating a first voltage, the charge pump circuit is connected between the voltage generation circuit and the drive circuit and is used for receiving the first voltage and outputting a second voltage to the drive circuit, and the second voltage is greater than the first voltage and is used for driving the piezoelectric ceramic to generate vibration.

12. An electronic device, comprising:

the touch panel of any one of claims 1 to 11, comprising a piezoelectric ceramic element and a touch element; and the number of the first and second groups,

the casing, the casing has the holding tank, the holding tank has first assembly surface, the piezoceramics subassembly passes through the installed part, installs first assembly surface.

13. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein the housing further has a second mounting surface located in a peripheral area of the receiving groove, and the touch sensing element is fixed to the second mounting surface by an adhesive layer.

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