TW201437874A - Touching module and electronic apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

A touching module, adapted for an electronic apparatus and including a cover, a touch sensor layer, a flexible printed circuit (FPC), a light-emitting element and a light guide film is provided. The cover has at least one light-transparent icon. The touch sensor layer and the FPC are disposed under the cover, and the FPC is connected to the touch sensor layer electrically. The light-emitting element is mounted on the FPC, wherein the FPC is located between the cover and the light-emitting element. The light guide film is disposed under the cover, wherein touch sensor layer is located between the cover and the light-emitting element. Light emitted by the light-emitting element is transmitted to the light-transparent icon through the light guide film. Besides, an electronic apparatus is also provided.

Description

Touch module and electronic device

The present invention relates to a touch module and an electronic device, and more particularly to a touch module and an electronic device having a virtual button.

An electronic device with a touch function (for example, a smart phone or a tablet) can form a virtual button by setting an icon (Icon) next to the display area and setting a touch panel behind it. Therefore, when the user touches the icon, the corresponding area of the touch panel can be driven to generate the touch signal. In order to make the icon easy to recognize, a light-emitting element (such as an LED) may be disposed on an additional rigid circuit board (PCB) or a flexible circuit board (FPC), and the light generated by the light-emitting element is guided to the icon by the light guiding element. However, due to the increasing screen size and speaker volume, there is no additional space inside the electronic device for the hard circuit board or the flexible circuit board to set the light-emitting elements.

The invention provides a touch module with a small volume.

The invention provides an electronic device, wherein the touch module has a small volume.

The touch module of the present invention is applicable to an electronic device, including a cover, a touch sensing layer, a flexible circuit board, a light emitting component, and a light guide. The cover has at least one light transmissive icon. The touch sensing layer is disposed under the cover. The flexible circuit board is disposed under the cover and electrically connected to the touch sensing layer. The light emitting element is mounted on a flexible circuit board, wherein the flexible circuit board is located between the cover body and the light emitting element. The light guide sheet is disposed under the cover body, wherein the touch sensing layer is located between the cover body and the light guide sheet. Light generated by the light emitting element is transmitted to the light permeable icon via the light guide sheet.

The electronic device of the present invention includes the above touch module and a casing. The housing has a housing opening, wherein the cover of the touch module is disposed on the housing and covers the housing opening of the housing to form an accommodation space with the housing. The touch sensing layer, the flexible circuit board, the light emitting component, and the light guiding sheet of the touch module are located in the accommodating space.

Based on the above, the present invention can be mounted on a flexible circuit board electrically connected to the touch sensing layer, so that the touch module can be used without an additional rigid circuit board or a flexible circuit board. The light emitting element can be driven. In this way, the volume of the touch module can be reduced, and the size of the electronic device can be further reduced.

The above described features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description.

70‧‧‧Light

100‧‧‧Electronic devices

110‧‧‧shell

111‧‧‧Shell opening

120‧‧‧ motherboard

130‧‧‧Display module

200, 300‧‧‧ touch module

210‧‧‧ Cover

211‧‧‧ first area

212‧‧‧Second area

213‧‧‧Lightable icon

220‧‧‧ touch sensing layer

230‧‧‧Soft circuit board

232‧‧‧Bending

240‧‧‧Lighting elements

250‧‧‧Light guide

251, 253‧‧ ‧ short side

252, 254‧‧ long

260‧‧ ‧ shading film

AA‧‧‧ display area

BA‧‧‧ joint area

EP‧‧‧Electrical Endpoints

EM‧‧‧Electrically conductive adhesive material

S‧‧‧ accommodating space

1 is a cross-sectional view of an electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

2A is a front elevational view of a touch module of the embodiment of FIG. 1.

2B is a rear view of the touch module of FIG. 2A.

2C is a cross-sectional view of the touch module of FIG. 2A along line A-A.

2D is a cross-sectional view of the touch module of FIG. 2A along line B-B.

3 is a rear view of a touch module according to another embodiment of the present invention.

1 is a cross-sectional view of an electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 1 , in the embodiment, the electronic device 100 includes a touch module 200 suitable for the electronic device 100 and a housing 110 . For example, in the embodiment, the electronic device 100 can be an electronic device with a touch function, such as a mobile phone or a tablet computer. Specifically, in the embodiment, the touch module 200 includes a cover 210, a touch sensing layer 220, a flexible circuit board 230, a light emitting component 240, and a light guide sheet 250. In this embodiment, the material of the cover 210 includes, for example, glass or plastic, and the light-emitting element 240 is, for example, a light-emitting diode (LED) or other suitable light-emitting element. On the other hand, the housing 110 has a housing opening 111. The cover 210 of the touch module 200 is disposed on the housing 110 and covers the housing opening 111 of the housing 110 to substantially form the housing 110. A housing space S in which the housing 110 is not limited to being composed of a single or multiple portions. The touch sensing layer 220, the flexible circuit board 230, the light emitting element 240, and the light guide sheet 250 of the touch module 200 are located in the accommodating space S. The structure design of the touch module 200 will be further explained below with reference to FIG. 2A to FIG. 2D.

2A is a front elevational view of a touch module of the embodiment of FIG. 1. 2B is a rear view of the touch module of the embodiment of FIG. 2A. Figure 2C is the view of Figure 2A A schematic cross-sectional view of the touch module along line A-A. 2D is a cross-sectional view of the touch module of FIG. 2A along line B-B. Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2A to FIG. 2D , in the embodiment, the cover 210 of the touch module 200 has a first area 211 , a second area 212 , and at least one light transmissive icon 213 . The light transmissive icon 213 is located on the second area 212. In addition, as shown in FIG. 2C , the touch sensing layer 220 is disposed under the cover 210 , and the flexible circuit board 230 is disposed under the cover 210 , and the flexible circuit board 230 is electrically connected to the touch sensing layer 220 . In addition, as shown in FIG. 2B, the second area 212 of the cover 210 includes a plurality of bonding areas BA (Bonding Area), and the touch sensing layer 220 and the flexible circuit board 230 are provided with lines in the bonding areas to enable touch. The control sensing layer 220 and the flexible circuit board 230 are electrically connected to each other.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 2C, in the present embodiment, the light-emitting element 240 is mounted on the flexible circuit board 230, and the flexible circuit board 230 is located between the cover 210 and the light-emitting element 240. In more detail, in the present embodiment, the flexible circuit board 230 has at least one bare conductive end point EP. The conductive end point EP has a conductive adhesive material EM, and the light emitting element 240 is fixed on the flexible circuit board 230 by the conductive adhesive material EM. In the present embodiment, the conductive adhesive material is, for example, solder. Since the light-emitting element 240 is only used to provide light that is easily identifiable by the light-permeable icon 213, it requires less power, and thus can be mounted on the flexible circuit board 230 without causing the flexible circuit board 230 to overheat and be damaged.

In addition, the light guide sheet 250 is also disposed under the cover 210 , and the touch sensing layer 220 is located between the cover 210 and the light guide sheet 250 . In this embodiment, the light-emitting element 240 is adjacent to the edge of the light guide sheet 250, and the light 70 generated by the light-emitting element 240 can be The light guide sheet 250 is entered from the edge of the light guide sheet 250. Further, as shown in FIG. 2C , in the embodiment, the touch module 200 further includes a light shielding sheet 260 covering the light guiding sheet 250 and the light emitting element 240 . In the present embodiment, the light shielding sheet 260 is, for example, a polyester resin (Mylar) film having a light blocking effect. In more detail, in the present embodiment, the light shielding sheet 260 can cover the light guiding sheet 250 and the light emitting element 240 while covering the gap between the light guiding sheet 250 and the light emitting element 240. In this way, it is possible to reduce the possibility that part of the light generated by the light-emitting element 240 is lost through the gap between the light guide sheet 250 and the light-emitting element 240 or other areas that may leak light, thereby improving the light utilization efficiency.

In more detail, as shown in FIG. 2B, in the embodiment, the light guide sheet 250 has a rectangular sheet shape and has two opposite short sides 251, 253 and two opposite long sides 252, 254, and the light emitting element 240 is disposed at The edges of one of the short sides 251, 253 of the light guide sheet 250 are adjacent. Thus, as shown in FIGS. 2B and 2C, the light 70 generated by the light-emitting element 240 will enter the light guide sheet 250 from one of the short sides 251, 253, and can be transmitted to the light-transmittable icon 213 via the light guide sheet 250. The opaque icon 213 is easily identifiable. For example, in the present embodiment, the light 70 generated by the light-emitting element 240 enters the light guide sheet 250 via the short side 251. On the other hand, referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2D again, in the embodiment, the electronic device 100 further includes a motherboard 120 and a display module 130. As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2D , the motherboard 120 is disposed in the accommodating space S and electrically connected to the flexible circuit board 230 . In more detail, as shown in FIG. 2B and FIG. 2D , in the embodiment, the flexible circuit board 230 has a bent portion 232 , and the bent portion 232 spans the display module 130 to be connected to the motherboard 120 . The display module 130 is also disposed in the accommodating space S and electrically connected to the motherboard 120. in particular, In this embodiment, the light guide sheet 250 is located between the display module 130 and the touch sensing layer 220. In addition, as shown in FIG. 2D, the display module 130 has a display area AA, and the display area AA corresponds to the first area 211 of the cover 210. More specifically, in the embodiment, the display module 130 can provide an image and transmit it to the first area 211 of the cover 210 via the display area AA to provide an external image.

In this manner, the light-emitting component 240 of the touch module 200 is mounted on the flexible circuit board 230 electrically connected to the touch-sensing layer 220, and the flexible circuit board 230 can pass through the electronic device 100 by the bent portion 232. Other internal components, such as a chassis (not shown) or a display module 130, are bent to a desired position, so the touch module 200 can be driven without an additional rigid circuit board or a flexible circuit board. Light emitting element 240. As a result, the touch module 200 can have the advantage of a small volume, and the electronic device 100 can be reduced in size or have more space for other components.

It should be noted that, in the embodiment, the light 70 generated by the light-emitting element 240 is exemplified by entering the light guide sheet 250 from one of the short sides 251 and 253, but the invention is not limited thereto. In another illustrated embodiment, the light 70 generated by the light-emitting element 240 can also be designed to enter the light guide sheet 250 via one of the long sides 252, 254. The following will be further described in conjunction with FIG. 3.

FIG. 3 is a rear view of a touch module 200 according to another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 3 , the touch module 300 of the present embodiment is similar to the touch module 200 of FIG. 2B , and the difference between the two is as follows. As shown in FIG. 3, in the embodiment, the light-emitting elements 240 of the touch module 300 are disposed adjacent to the length of the light guide sheet 250. The edge of one of the edges 252, 254. As such, the light 70 generated by the illuminating element 240 will enter the light guide sheet 250 from one of the long sides 252, 254, making the permeable icon 213 easy to recognize. For example, in the present embodiment, the light 70 generated by the light-emitting element 240 enters the light guide sheet 250 via the long side 254.

In this embodiment, the touch module 300 and the touch module 200 have the same structural design that the light-emitting component 240 is mounted on the flexible circuit board 230 electrically connected to the touch sensing layer 220. It also has similar functions and advantages as the touch module 200, and will not be described herein.

In summary, the embodiment of the present invention can install the light-emitting component of the touch module on the flexible circuit board electrically connected to the touch sensing layer, so that the touch module can be used without additional circuit board or softness. The circuit board can drive the light-emitting elements. In this way, the touch module can have the advantage of a small volume, and the size of the electronic device can be reduced or more space can be placed on other components.

Although the present invention has been disclosed in the above embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention, and any one of ordinary skill in the art can make some changes and refinements without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The scope of the invention is defined by the scope of the appended claims.

70‧‧‧Light

100‧‧‧Electronic devices

110‧‧‧shell

111‧‧‧Shell opening

120‧‧‧ motherboard

130‧‧‧Display module

200‧‧‧ touch module

210‧‧‧ Cover

211‧‧‧ first area

212‧‧‧Second area

213‧‧‧Lightable icon

220‧‧‧ touch sensing layer

230‧‧‧Soft circuit board

240‧‧‧Lighting elements

250‧‧‧Light guide

260‧‧ ‧ shading film

EP‧‧‧Electrical Endpoints

EM‧‧‧Electrically conductive adhesive material

S‧‧‧ accommodating space

Claims (10)

A touch module is applicable to an electronic device, comprising: a cover having at least one light transmissive icon; a touch sensing layer disposed under the cover; and a flexible circuit board disposed under the cover And electrically connected to the touch sensing layer; a light emitting element mounted on the flexible circuit board, wherein the flexible circuit board is located between the cover body and the light emitting element; and a light guide sheet disposed on the cover Below the body, the touch sensing layer is located between the cover and the light guide, and light generated by the light emitting element is transmitted to the light transmissive icon via the light guide. The touch module of claim 1, wherein the cover has a first area and a second area, and the light transmissive icon is located on the second area. The touch module of claim 1, wherein the light-emitting element is adjacent to an edge of the light guide sheet, and light generated by the light-emitting element enters the light guide sheet from an edge of the light guide sheet. The touch module of claim 1, wherein the light guide sheet has a rectangular sheet shape and has two opposite short sides and two opposite long sides, and the light generated by the light emitting element is from the short sides. One or one of the long sides enters the light guide. The touch module of claim 1, wherein the cover material comprises glass. The touch module of claim 1, wherein the electronic device The utility model comprises a motherboard and a display module, the flexible circuit board has a bent portion, and the bent portion is connected to the motherboard across the display module. The touch module of claim 1, wherein the flexible circuit board has at least one exposed conductive end point. The touch module of claim 7, wherein the conductive end point has a conductive adhesive material, the light emitting element is fixed on the flexible circuit board by the conductive adhesive material, and the conductive adhesive material is solder. The touch module of claim 1, further comprising: a light shielding sheet covering the light guiding sheet and the light emitting element. An electronic device comprising: the touch module of claim 1; and a housing having a housing opening, wherein the cover of the touch module is disposed on the housing The housing opening of the housing is configured to form an accommodation space with the housing, and the touch sensing layer, the flexible circuit board, the light emitting component, and the light guiding sheet of the touch module are located Included in the space.