TW202022577A - Portable electronic device and touch control module thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

A touch control module is provided, including a touch pad, a protection layer, a circuit board, and at least a fixing sheet. The protection layer is disposed on a top surface of the touch pad, and the circuit board is disposed on a bottom surface of the touch pad. Specifically, the circuit board includes polymer composite material, and the fixing sheet is fixed to the circuit board and protrudes from an edge of the circuit board.

Description

Portable electronic device and its touch control module

The invention relates to a touch control module. More specifically, the present invention relates to a touch module with a circuit board of polymer composites.

A touch pad is an input interface commonly found in notebook computers, in which a metal sheet is usually provided inside the touch pad as a supporting structure. In addition, the aforementioned metal sheet can often be used as a shielding member to solve problems such as Electro-Magnetic Interference (Electro-Magnetic Interference) and Electrostatic Discharge (ESD). Some applications of the aforementioned metal sheets can be found in the Republic of China Publication No. M285760, No. 422364 and the Republic of China Publication No. 200931302.

However, the traditional metal sheet not only has problems such as high cost and poor assembly accuracy, but also has considerable weight. Therefore, it often increases the manufacturing cost of the touch panel and is not conducive to achieving lightweight electronic products. In view of this, how to avoid the aforementioned problems caused by the metal sheets inside the traditional touch panel and promote the lightweight of electronic products has become an important issue.

In order to solve the above-mentioned conventional problems, an embodiment of the present invention provides a touch module, including a touch panel, a protective layer, a circuit board, and at least one locking piece, the protective layer is disposed on one of the aforementioned touch panels On the top surface, the circuit board is arranged on a bottom surface of the touch panel and contains a polymer composite material, wherein the lock piece is embedded in the circuit board.

In one embodiment, the lock piece has at least one hook, and the hook has a U-shaped structure and is embedded in the circuit board.

In one embodiment, the aforementioned locking piece has a zigzag structure.

In one embodiment, the aforementioned circuit board contains a thermosetting resin.

In one embodiment, the circuit board has an FR-4 substrate, and the lock plate is fixed to a bottom surface of the circuit board through surface adhesion technology.

In one embodiment, the aforementioned protective layer is made of glass, glass fiber or polyethylene terephthalate.

In one embodiment, the touch module further includes a stud and a screw, and the locking plate is in the shape of a flat plate, wherein the stud is locked on a bottom surface of the circuit board, and the screw passes through the The locking piece is locked on the aforementioned stud.

In one embodiment, the touch module further includes a strip-shaped flexible member, and the circuit board is formed with a groove, wherein the flexible member is embedded in the circuit board and crosses the groove.

In one embodiment, the flexible member has at least one hook, and the hook has a U-shaped structure and is embedded in the circuit board.

An embodiment of the present invention further provides a portable electronic device, including an input unit and a display unit pivotally connected to each other, wherein the input unit includes an upper casing, a lower casing, and the aforementioned touch module , Wherein the upper casing is connected to the lower casing, and the locking plate is connected to the circuit board and the upper casing.

The portable electronic device and its touch control module according to embodiments of the present invention will be described below. However, it can be easily understood that the embodiments of the present invention provide many suitable inventive concepts and can be implemented in a wide variety of specific backgrounds. The specific embodiments disclosed are only used to illustrate the use of the present invention in a specific way, and are not used to limit the scope of the present invention.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meanings commonly understood by the general artisans to whom the disclosure belongs. It is understandable that these terms, such as those defined in commonly used dictionaries, should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with the relevant technology and the background or context of this disclosure, and not in an idealized or overly formal way Interpretation, unless specifically defined here.

The foregoing and other technical contents, features and effects of the present invention will be clearly presented in the following detailed description with reference to one of the preferred embodiments of the drawings. Directional terms mentioned in the following embodiments, for example: up, down, left, right, front or back, etc., are only for directions referring to additional drawings. Therefore, the directional terminology is used to illustrate rather than limit the invention.

First, please refer to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a portable electronic device 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Fig. 1, the portable electronic device 100 of this embodiment is, for example, a notebook computer, which mainly includes a display unit 10, an input unit 20, and at least one pivot H; for example, the aforementioned display unit 10 can be a liquid crystal display and has a display screen 11 that can be pivotally connected to the input unit 20 through a pivot H, so that the display unit 10 can rotate relative to the input unit 20.

It can be seen from Figure 1 that the aforementioned input unit 20 has an upper casing 21 and a lower casing 22 that are connected to each other. A touch module 30 and a keyboard module k are provided on the top side of the upper casing 21. When operating the portable electronic device 100, the user can input data through the aforementioned touch module 30 and keyboard module k, or control the cursor on the display screen 11; in addition, when the user ends the operation and wants to close the portable In the case of the electronic device 100, the display unit 10 and the input unit 20 can be stacked to facilitate storage.

Next, please refer to Figures 2 to 6. Figure 2 shows an exploded view of the touch module 30 in Figure 1, Figure 3 shows an enlarged view of the flexible member 34 in Figure 2, and Figure 4 Shows an enlarged view of the lock plate 35 in Figure 2, and Figures 5 and 6 respectively show a three-dimensional view of the touch module 30 in Figure 1 after being combined with different viewing angles.

As shown in Figures 2 to 6, the touch module 30 of this embodiment mainly includes a protective layer 31, a touch pad 32, a circuit board 33, a long flexible member 34, and at least one lock The sheet 35, in which the protective layer 31 covers the top surface of the touch panel 32, and the circuit board 33 is fixed on the bottom surface of the touch panel 32.

It should be understood that the aforementioned flexible member 34 and the lock piece 35 are mainly used to connect the aforementioned circuit board 33 and the upper casing 21 of the input unit 20. In this embodiment, the aforementioned flexible member 34 and the lock piece 35 may be made of metal material, so that the ground circuit inside the circuit board 33 can be electrically connected to the input unit through the flexible piece 34 or the lock piece 35 20的上壳21。 20的上壳21.

The aforementioned protective layer 31 can be made of glass or carbon fiber with high structural strength, but it can also be made of polyethylene terephthalate (PET) with insulating properties. For example, the protective layer 31 may be a Mylar film produced by DuPont to protect and electrically isolate the touch panel 32 below it.

In addition, in order to achieve the lighter weight of the touch module 30, the circuit board 33 in this embodiment adopts a printed circuit board (PCB) made of polymer composites. It is composed of a high-strength substrate (such as FR-4 substrate) and a metal circuit formed inside it. For example, the aforementioned circuit board 33 may contain materials such as copper foil, glass fiber, and thermosetting resin, where the aforementioned thermosetting resin is, for example, epoxy.

It can be seen from Figures 2 and 6, that a groove 331 is formed on one side of the circuit board 33, wherein the flexible member 34 spans the groove 331, and the U-shaped hooks 341 are located at both ends of the groove 331. Embedded and fixed in the two slits 332 on the circuit board 33; in addition, at least one locking hole 342 is formed on the aforementioned flexible member 34, which can be inserted through the aforementioned locking hole by a screw or other locking member during assembly 342, thereby fixing the flexible member 34 to the upper housing 21 of the input unit 20.

It should be understood that because the aforementioned flexible member 34 has a deformable characteristic, when the user presses downward (-Z axis direction) with a finger and applies a pressure to the aforementioned protective layer 31, the protective layer 31, touch The board 32 and the circuit board 33 will sink together relative to the upper housing 21 of the input unit 20, and a disc-shaped elastic body (not shown) located below the circuit board 33 will contact the flexible member 341, The aforementioned elastic body is, for example, a metal dome.

Then, when the user releases the aforementioned pressure, the aforementioned elastic body and flexible member 34 can provide an elastic restoring force, so that the protective layer 31, the touch panel 32 and the circuit board 33 return to their original initial positions, thereby facilitating use The user executes a click action through the touch module 30, and can provide the user with a good tactile feeling.

It should be particularly noted that, since the circuit board 33 in this embodiment is manufactured by processing a composite material substrate (such as an FR-4 substrate), this is not only beneficial for fixing at least one hook on the flexible member 34 341 is firmly embedded in the slit 332 on the circuit board 33, and can directly improve the assembly accuracy and combination between the flexible part 34 and the circuit board 33 through automated manufacturing processes such as Surface-mount technology (SMT) Strength, which can greatly reduce assembly costs, improve assembly efficiency and increase product yield. Furthermore, since the density of the composite material substrate is lower than that of the traditional metal sheet and the weight is lighter, this embodiment also has a significant effect of promoting the lightweight of electronic products.

Please refer to Figures 2, 4, and 6 together. The lock plate 35 in this embodiment is roughly in a zigzag structure, which mainly includes a first section P1, a second section P2, and a third section. P3 (Figure 4), and the third stage P3 connects the first stage P1 and the second stage P2. As can be seen from Figure 4, a U-shaped hook 351 is formed on both sides of the first section P1, and at least one locking hole 352 is formed on the second section P2, protruding from the circuit On one edge of the board 33, the hooks 351 can be inserted into the slits 333 on the circuit board 33 (Figure 2) during assembly, and the locking holes 352 can be inserted through the locking members such as screws, so that the locking plate 35 The second section P2 is connected to the upper case 21 of the input unit 20.

As mentioned above, since the circuit board 33 in this embodiment is made of a composite material substrate (such as an FR-4 substrate), it is not only beneficial to embed at least one hook 351 on the lock plate 35 firmly into the circuit Inside the board 33, it can also improve the assembly accuracy and bonding strength between the lock plate 35 and the circuit board 33 through automated processes such as surface-mount technology (SMT), which can greatly reduce assembly costs and improve assembly efficiency And improve the yield of products.

Please refer to Figure 7 again. Figure 7 shows a cross-sectional view along the line A1-A2 in Figure 6. As shown in Figure 7, since the hook 351 in this embodiment is flat and has a U-shaped structure, it can be inserted into the slit 333 on the circuit board 33 during assembly. The width of the hook 351 is It may be equal to or slightly larger than the width of the slit 333. For example, before assembling, solder paste can be applied to a local area of the bottom side surface 330 of the circuit board 33 in advance, and then the hooks 351 can be inserted into the slits 333 on the bottom side of the circuit board 33, and then surface mount technology (Surface- Automated manufacturing processes such as mount technology, SMT) electrically connect the lock plate 35 and the wires (not shown) in the circuit board 33.

As mentioned above, this embodiment mainly replaces the traditional metal sheet with the circuit board 33 containing polymer composite material. As a result, not only the overall weight can be lighter than the traditional touch module, but it can also be manufactured through a single process. (Such as surface adhesion technology) and quickly fix the flexible member 34 and the lock plate 35 on the circuit board 33 together, so it can greatly increase the production efficiency and reduce the manufacturing cost, and it can also increase the flexible member. 34. The bonding strength between the lock plate 35 and the circuit board 33 can effectively improve the reliability of the touch module 30 and the product yield.

Please refer to FIG. 8 again. FIG. 8 shows a cross-sectional view of the lock plate 35 fixed to the bottom surface 330 of the circuit board 33 according to another embodiment of the present invention. It should be particularly noted that, in order to prevent the aforementioned Z-shaped lock plate 35 from affecting the assembly accuracy between the circuit board 33 and the upper housing 21 due to assembly tolerances during the assembly process, the present embodiment is modified A flat plate-shaped lock piece 35' is used to replace the aforementioned Z-shaped lock piece 35, and the aforementioned hook 351 is not required to be formed on the lock piece 35', and the lock piece 35' will protrude from an edge of the circuit board 33.

As shown in Figure 8, when assembling, a threaded pillar (S1) can be locked on the bottom surface 330 of the circuit board 33, and then the screw S2 can be used to pass through the plate-shaped locking piece 35' to lock the lock The piece 35' is locked on the top side of the stud S1, so that the lock piece 35' can be maintained at a single height to ensure its flatness.

Finally, please refer to FIG. 9, which shows an exploded view of the touch module 40 according to another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 9, the touch module 40 of this embodiment is mainly used to replace the touch module 30 in Figures 1 and 2, which mainly includes a protective layer 41, a touch pad 42, and a circuit. The board 43 and at least one locking piece 45.

It should be understood that the protective layer 41, the touch pad 42, the circuit board 43, and the lock plate 45 in this embodiment can be the same as the protective layer 31, the touch pad 32, the circuit board 33, and the lock plate 35 shown in FIG. The same material is used, but the touch module 40 in this embodiment is not provided with a flexible member 34 as shown in FIG. 2, and the circuit board 43 in this embodiment is not formed as shown in FIG.的notch 331.

It can be seen from FIG. 9 that the protective layer 41 covers the top surface of the touch panel 42, and the circuit board 43 is connected to the bottom surface of the touch panel 42. For example, the aforementioned protective layer 41 can be made of glass or carbon fiber with high structural strength, but it can also contain polyethylene terephthalate (PET) with insulating properties. In this embodiment, the aforementioned protective layer 31 uses Mylar film produced by DuPont to protect and electrically isolate the touch panel 42 below it.

On the other hand, the aforementioned circuit board 43 can be a printed circuit board (PCB), and it contains a high-strength substrate (such as an FR-4 substrate) made of composite materials. For example, the aforementioned circuit board 43 may contain materials such as copper foil, glass fiber, and thermosetting resin, where the aforementioned thermosetting resin is, for example, epoxy.

Since the circuit board 43 in this embodiment is made of a composite material substrate (for example, FR-4 substrate), it is advantageous for the hooks 451 on both sides of the lock plate 45 to be firmly embedded in the circuit board 43. At the same time, it can also help to effectively improve the assembly accuracy and bonding strength between the lock plate 45 and the circuit board 43 through automated processes such as Surface-mount technology (SMT), which can greatly reduce assembly costs and improve assembly efficiency. And improve the yield of products. Moreover, since the density of the composite material substrate is lower than that of the traditional metal sheet and the weight is lighter, it also has a significant effect of promoting the lightweight of electronic products.

Although the embodiments of the present invention and its advantages have been disclosed as above, it should be understood that any person with ordinary knowledge in the technical field can make changes, substitutions and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. In addition, the scope of protection of the present invention is not limited to the manufacturing processes, machines, manufacturing, material composition, devices, methods and steps in the specific embodiments described in the specification. Anyone with ordinary knowledge in the technical field can disclose the content from the present invention. It is understood that the current or future developed processes, machines, manufacturing, material composition, devices, methods, and steps can be used according to the present invention as long as they can perform substantially the same functions or obtain substantially the same results in the embodiments described herein. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention includes the above-mentioned manufacturing process, machine, manufacturing, material composition, device, method and step. In addition, each patent application scope constitutes an individual embodiment, and the protection scope of the present invention also includes each patent application scope and a combination of embodiments.

Although the present invention is disclosed in the foregoing several preferred embodiments, they are not intended to limit the present invention. Those with ordinary knowledge in the technical field to which the present invention pertains can make changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention shall be subject to those defined by the attached patent application scope. In addition, the scope of each patent application constitutes an independent embodiment, and the combination of the scope of various patent applications and the embodiments falls within the scope of the present invention.

100: Portable electronic device 10: Display unit 11: display screen 20: Input unit 21: Upper shell 22: Lower shell 30: Touch module 31: protective layer 32: Touchpad 33: circuit board 330: bottom side surface 331: groove 332: Slit 333: slit 34: Flexible parts 341: Card Hook 342: Lock Hole 35: lock piece 35’: Lock plate 351: Card Hook 352: lock hole 41: protective layer 42: Touchpad 43: circuit board 45: lock piece 451: card hook H: pivot k: keyboard module P1: The first section P2: The second section P3: The third paragraph S1: Stud S2: Screw

FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of a portable electronic device 100 according to an embodiment of the invention. Figure 2 shows an exploded view of the touch module 30 in Figure 1. Fig. 3 shows an enlarged view of the flexible member 34 in Fig. 2. Fig. 4 shows an enlarged view of the lock piece 35 in Fig. 2. Figures 5 and 6 respectively show three-dimensional views of the touch module 30 in Figure 1 at different viewing angles after being combined. Fig. 7 shows a cross-sectional view along the line A1-A2 in Fig. 6. FIG. 8 shows a cross-sectional view of a lock plate 35 fixed to the bottom surface 330 of the circuit board 33 according to another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 9 shows an exploded view of a touch module 40 according to another embodiment of the present invention.

30: Touch module

31: protective layer

32: Touchpad

33: circuit board

330: bottom side surface

331: groove

332: Slit

333: slit

34: Flexible parts

341: Card Hook

342: Lock Hole

35: lock piece

351: Card Hook

352: lock hole

Claims (18)

A touch module includes: a touch panel; a protective layer arranged on a top surface of the touch panel; a circuit board arranged on a bottom surface of the touch panel and containing a polymer composite material; and at least A lock piece is fixed on the circuit board and protrudes from an edge of the circuit board. According to the touch module described in the first item of the patent application, the lock piece has at least one hook, and the hook has a U-shaped structure and is embedded in the circuit board. In the touch module described in the first item of the patent application, the lock piece has a zigzag structure. According to the first item of the scope of patent application, the touch control module, wherein the circuit board contains thermosetting resin. In the touch module described in claim 1, wherein the circuit board includes an FR-4 substrate, and the lock plate is fixed to a bottom surface of the circuit board through surface adhesion technology. According to the first item of the patent application, the protective layer is made of glass, glass fiber or polyethylene terephthalate. The touch module according to claim 1, wherein the touch module further includes a stud and a screw, and the locking piece is in the shape of a flat plate, and the stud is locked to one of the circuit boards The bottom side surface, and the screw passes through the lock piece and is locked on the stud. As for the touch module described in claim 1, wherein the touch module further includes a long flexible member, and the circuit board is formed with a groove, wherein the flexible member is embedded in the Inside the circuit board and across the groove. As for the touch module described in item 8 of the scope of patent application, the flexible member has at least one hook, and the hook has a U-shaped structure and is embedded in the circuit board. A portable electronic device includes: an input unit, including an upper casing, a lower casing, and a touch module as described in the first item of the scope of patent application, wherein the upper casing is connected to the lower casing, And the lock piece is connected to the circuit board and the upper casing; and a display unit is pivotally connected to the input unit. For the portable electronic device described in claim 10, the lock piece has at least one hook, and the hook has a U-shaped structure and is embedded in the circuit board. In the portable electronic device described in item 10 of the scope of patent application, the lock piece has a zigzag structure. The portable electronic device described in item 10 of the scope of patent application, wherein the circuit board contains a thermosetting resin. In the portable electronic device described in claim 10, the circuit board includes an FR-4 substrate, and the lock plate is fixed to a bottom surface of the circuit board through surface adhesion technology. For the portable electronic device described in item 10 of the scope of patent application, wherein the protective layer is made of glass, glass fiber or polyethylene terephthalate. For the portable electronic device described in claim 10, the touch module further includes a stud and a screw, and the lock piece is in the shape of a flat plate, wherein the stud is locked on the circuit board A bottom side surface, and the screw passes through the lock piece and is locked on the stud. For the portable electronic device described in claim 10, the touch module further includes a long flexible member, and the circuit board is formed with a groove, wherein the flexible member is embedded The circuit board is inside and across the groove. For the portable electronic device described in claim 17, wherein the flexible member has at least one hook, and the hook has a U-shaped structure and is embedded in the circuit board.

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