TWI506494B - Electronic device - Google Patents

Description

Electronic device

The present invention relates to an electronic device.

At present, electronic devices with touch functions such as mobile phones and tablet computers often have buttons provided below the display screen to implement an input function. In order to illuminate the button, a conventional method is to set the light source at the position of the corresponding button inside the electronic device, but in this way, the size of the electronic device is large, and it is difficult to be thin and light. Another method is to use a side-in type light source to cooperate with the light guide plate, and the light emitted by the light source is guided by the light guide plate to illuminate the button. However, the added light guide plate may increase the production cost, and the addition of the light guide plate may result in assembly. The working hours are extended and the assembly efficiency is lowered.

In view of the above, it is necessary to provide an electronic device including a housing, a touch component housed in the housing, a light source, and a display module. The housing includes a display area and a button area, and an image displayed by the display module can be presented to the user through the display area, and the button area is located on at least one side of the display area. The touch component includes a substrate and an electrode layer formed on the substrate, the electrode layer is configured to transmit a touch signal, and the substrate includes a first side of the substrate corresponding to the button region. The first side of the substrate is disposed corresponding to the light source, and at least part of the light emitted by the light source is conducted through the first side of the substrate and then emitted from the button area of the housing.

Compared with the prior art, the electronic device of the present invention can be placed side by side without setting a light guide plate. The light source is guided to illuminate the light on the electronic device, and has the effect of low cost and light weight.

1‧‧‧Electronic device

10‧‧‧shell

12‧‧‧Display area

14‧‧‧Key area

14a‧‧‧ button

20‧‧‧Touch components

22‧‧‧Substrate

221‧‧‧ first side of the substrate

222‧‧‧Microstructure

24‧‧‧electrode layer

26‧‧‧Reflective layer

28‧‧‧Second electrode layer

30‧‧‧Light source

40‧‧‧Display module

Figure 1 is an exploded view of the electronic device of the present invention.

2 is a schematic structural view of a touch element in the electronic device shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 3 is a schematic view showing the arrangement of microstructures on a transparent substrate in the present touch sensor.

4 is a schematic structural view of another embodiment of a touch element in the electronic device of FIG.

FIG. 5 is a schematic view showing another embodiment of arranging microstructures on a transparent substrate in the present touch sensor.

6 is a schematic structural view of another embodiment of an electrode arrangement on a touch element in the electronic device of FIG.

The embodiments of the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1 , an electronic device 1 according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a housing 10 , a touch element 20 received in the housing 10 , a light source 30 , and a display module 40 . The touch element 20 is disposed on the display module 40 , and the light source 30 is disposed at one end of the touch element 20 .

The housing 10 includes a display area 12 disposed corresponding to the display module 40 and a button area 14 disposed adjacent to the display area 12. A plurality of buttons 14a are disposed in the button area 14, and the display area 12 and the button 14a are capable of transmitting light.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the touch element 20 includes a substrate 22 and is formed on the substrate 22 . An electrode layer 24 on a side close to the display region 12 and a light reflecting layer 26 formed on the substrate 22 away from the button region 14. It can be understood that the substrate 22 is a transparent substrate, and light rays that are directed toward the substrate 22 along the front and side surfaces of the substrate 22 can pass through the substrate 22 . The electrode layer 24 is provided with a touch electrode, and the touch element 20 can perform touch signal transmission by the electrode layer 24 to implement a touch function. The light reflecting layer 26 is capable of reflecting light rays that are incident on the light reflecting layer 26.

The substrate 22 includes a first side 221 of the substrate corresponding to the button region 14. A plurality of microstructures 222 are disposed on the first side 221 of the substrate. In the present embodiment, the microstructure 222 is formed by a plurality of circular protrusions extending from the surface of the substrate 22 adjacent to the button region 14.

As shown in FIG. 3, the plurality of microstructures 222 are evenly arranged in an array. In the present embodiment, the plurality of microstructures 22a have the same shape and size.

In the present embodiment, the light source 30 may be an element having a light-emitting capability such as a Light Emitting Diode (LED) or a Cold Cathode Fluorescent Lamp (CCFL). Preferably, the light source 30 is disposed adjacent to the first side 221 of the substrate. The display module 40 may be a liquid crystal display panel having a backlight or an organic light emitting diode display panel, and is not limited thereto.

The microstructure 222 utilizes the principle of total reflection of light in the transparent substrate 22 to astigmatize and refract light, so that the light emitted from the light source 30 enters the substrate 22, and the microstructure 222 changes the direction of propagation. The plurality of microstructures 222 are ejected. Therefore, the button region 14 of the housing 10 is disposed corresponding to the microstructure 222 of the touch element 20, and the light is extracted from the microstructure 222 to illuminate the button 14a.

As shown in FIG. 4, in another embodiment, the microstructure 222 may also be formed by a plurality of circular pits formed on the substrate 22 near the surface of the button region 14. The pit-shaped microstructures 222 can also pass light entering the substrate 22 through the microstructures 222. It can be understood that in other embodiments, the microstructure 222 can also be formed by combining a plurality of protrusions extending from the substrate 22 with a plurality of dimples formed on the substrate 22. .

As shown in FIG. 5 , in other embodiments, the microstructures 222 may also be arranged in other manners as needed. For example, the plurality of microstructures 222 may be sized from one end of the light source 30 to away from the light source 30 . One end is gradually reduced to make the derived light more uniform.

It can be understood that the shape of the microstructure 222 is not limited to a circular shape. In other embodiments, it may be a triangle, a rectangle, or the like, as long as the embodiment capable of guiding the light entering the substrate 22 is guided. Within the scope of creation protection. It is to be understood that, as shown in FIG. 6 , in other embodiments, the touch element 20 further includes a second electrode layer 28 away from the side of the electrode layer 24, wherein the touch element 20 is The second electrode layer 28 cooperates with the electrode layer 24 to implement a touch function.

In summary, the creation meets the requirements of the invention patent, and the patent application is filed according to law. However, the above description is only a preferred embodiment of the present invention, and the scope of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and those skilled in the art will be equivalently modified or changed according to the spirit of the present invention. It should be covered by the following patent application.

10‧‧‧shell

12‧‧‧Display area

14‧‧‧Key area

20‧‧‧Touch components

22‧‧‧Substrate

221‧‧‧ first side of the substrate

222‧‧‧Microstructure

24‧‧‧ Conductive layer

26‧‧‧Reflective layer

30‧‧‧Light source

40‧‧‧Display module

Claims (9)

An electronic device including a light-emitting button area includes a housing, a touch component housed in the housing, a light source, and a display module. The housing includes a display area and a button area, and the image displayed by the display module can pass The display area is presented to the user, the button area is located on at least one side of the display area, the touch element includes a substrate and an electrode layer formed on the substrate, and the electrode layer is used for transmitting a touch signal. The substrate is configured to carry the electrode layer and conduct light emitted by the light source, the substrate includes a first side of the substrate corresponding to the button region, and the light source is disposed corresponding to the first side of the substrate, and the light source emits at least A portion of the light is transmitted through the first side of the substrate and exits from the button region of the housing. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the light-emitting surface on the first side of the substrate has a plurality of microstructures. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the touch element further comprises a light reflecting layer formed on a side of the first side of the substrate away from the button area. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the microstructure comprises a circular dimple recessed into the substrate. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the microstructure comprises a circular protrusion extending from the substrate. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the plurality of microstructures are evenly arranged in an array, and the plurality of microstructures have the same shape and size. The electronic device of claim 2, wherein the plurality of microstructures are gradually reduced in size from one end adjacent to the light source to the other end remote from the light source. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the light source is disposed at an end of the touch element adjacent to a button area on the housing. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the touch element further comprises a second electrode layer away from the side of the electrode layer, wherein the touch element comprises the second electrode layer and the electrode layer Cooperate with the transmission of touch signals to achieve touch function.