TWI557600B - Electronic device - Google Patents

Description

Electronic device

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

Common electronic devices (such as mobile phones, smart phones, tablets, and notebooks) are equipped with buttons to allow users to enter commands. Common button types include physical buttons and touch buttons. The physical button is typically separated from the electronics housing in which it resides and can be moved relative to the electronics housing to provide a mechanical stroke to trigger the switching element to generate an electronic signal. In addition, the touch button includes a sensing line hidden under the outer casing of the electronic device and a button pattern disposed on the outer casing of the electronic device, so that the controller can determine whether the button pattern is in contact with an object (such as a user's finger) by using a sensing circuit. Close to generate an electronic signal.

It is worth noting that the touch button usually adopts a projected capacitive touch technology. Therefore, the portion of the electronic device casing located between the sensing line and the button pattern cannot be made of metal, so as not to affect the sensing function. However, metal cannot be used as the material of the electronic device casing, which causes limitations in the design of the electronic device casing.

The invention relates to an electronic device with a touch button.

The present invention provides an electronic device including a housing, a conductive body, and a touch module. The housing has a design surface and an opening extending to the design surface. An electrical conductor is disposed within the opening and exposed to the exterior of the design surface and is electrically insulated from the housing. The touch module is disposed in the housing and electrically connected to the electrical conductor to form a touch button.

Based on the above, in the present invention, an electrical conductor is bored on the housing to serve as an electrode for capacitive touch sensing.

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

100‧‧‧Electronic devices

110‧‧‧shell

110a‧‧‧ appearance

112‧‧‧ openings

114‧‧‧ convex

120‧‧‧display screen

130‧‧‧Electrical conductor

130a‧‧‧ surface

130b‧‧‧reflecting surface

131‧‧‧First conductive part

132‧‧‧Second conductive part

135‧‧‧Insulator

136‧‧‧Insulation

138‧‧‧Insulation

140‧‧‧Isolation

140a‧‧‧ surface

142‧‧‧Lighting Department

150‧‧‧ touch module

152‧‧‧ boards

152a‧‧‧First mat

152b‧‧‧second mat

160‧‧‧Electrical mat

170‧‧‧ Controller

180‧‧‧Lighting elements

L‧‧‧Light

V‧‧‧ touch buttons

1 is a front elevational view of an electronic device in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

2 is an exploded view of a portion of the components of the electronic device of FIG. 1.

3 is a cross-sectional view of the electronic device of FIG. 1 taken along line I-I.

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

FIG. 5 illustrates the principle of self-capacitive touch sensing technology.

FIG. 6 illustrates the principle of mutual capacitive touch sensing technology.

Referring to FIG. 1 , the electronic device 100 of the present embodiment is a smart phone, but is not limited thereto. Other electronic devices (such as a tablet computer and a notebook computer) that need to set a touch button can also be applied thereto. The electronic device 100 includes a housing 110 and a display screen 120 disposed on the housing 110. In addition, the electronic device 100 further has a plurality of touch buttons V below the display screen 120.

Referring to FIGS. 2 and 3 , the housing 110 has a design surface 110 a and a plurality of openings 112 . These openings 112 extend through the housing 100 to the design surface 110a. The electronic device 100 further includes a plurality of electrical conductors 130. The conductive bodies 130 are respectively disposed in the openings 112 and exposed to the outside of the design surface 110a to constitute the touch buttons V. In the present embodiment, the material of the housing 110 includes metal, particularly the portion of the housing 110 in Figures 2 and 3, to provide the desired appearance. Similarly, the material of the electrical conductor 130 includes metal and may include the same metal as the material of the housing 110 to present an overall appearance texture. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the material of the housing 110 may be other non-metal materials.

Referring to FIG. 1, the outline of the opening 112 at the design surface 110a can be conformed to the contour of the electrical conductor 130 at the design surface 110a. Therefore, the conductive body 130 and the corresponding opening 112 can form a desired pattern, such as a polygon or the like, to indicate a function corresponding to the touch button V, such as a next page or a home page. Referring to FIG. 3, the contour of a surface 130a of the electrical conductor 130 exposed to the exterior surface 110a may conform to the contour of the design surface 110a of the housing 110. The contour of the surface 130a of these electrical conductors 130 can be The contour of the design surface 110a of the housing 110 conforms to the contour of the design surface 110a of the housing 110, so that the surface 130a of the housing 110 and the surface 130a of the conductor 130 can have a flat surface, or can have a difference so that the touch can be felt when the finger is touched. The position of the control button V is not limited to this. The surface 130a of the electrical conductor 130 may also be slightly lower or slightly above the design surface 110a to meet the design requirements.

Referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3 , the electronic device 100 further includes a plurality of spacers 140 . Each spacer is located between the opening 112 and the electrical conductor 130 for isolating the electrical conductor 130 from the housing 110. When the housing 110 has electrical conductivity (for example, the material of the housing 110 includes metal), the spacer 130 may have insulation for electrically isolating the electrical conductor 130 from the housing 110. In the present embodiment, the spacer 140 extends into the opening 112 and is exposed outside the design surface 110a, and the contour of the surface 140a of the spacer 140 exposed to the outside of the design surface 110a conforms to the contour of the design surface 110a of the housing 110. The appearance surface 110a of the housing 110, the surface 130a of the electrical conductors 130, and the surface 140a of the spacer 140 may exhibit a uniform outer contour. However, the invention is not limited thereto. The surface 140a of the spacer 140 may also be slightly lower or slightly higher than the design surface 110a, so that the position of the touch button V can be felt when the finger is touched, which meets the design requirements.

Referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3 , the electronic device 100 further includes a touch module 150 . The touch module 150 is disposed in the housing 110 and electrically connected to the electrical conductor 130 . In this embodiment, the touch module 150 includes a circuit board 152. The circuit board 152 is disposed in the housing 110 and electrically connected to the electrical conductor 130. The electronic device 100 further includes a plurality of conductive pads 160 that are both electrically conductive and elastic. Each of the conductive pads 160 is disposed between the electrical conductor 130 and the circuit board 152 for electrically connecting the electrical conductor 130 and the circuit Board 152. Specifically, the circuit board 152 has a plurality of first pads 152a and a plurality of second pads 152b. The electrical conductor 130 can be electrically connected to the first pad 152a via the conductive pad 160, and the housing 110 is electrically conductive and electrically connected to the second pad 152b. The housing 110 has a plurality of convex portions 114, and each convex portion 114 abuts against a corresponding second pad 152b.

When self-capacitance touch sensing technology is used (as shown in FIG. 5), the electrical conductor 130 can be used as a single sensing electrode for signal input and output, and the housing 110 is located beside the electrical conductor 130. Need to be grounded. A sensing IC (eg, controller 170 of FIG. 3) can charge conductor 130 (ie, the sensing electrode), and then sense the IC sensing electrode to sense the electrical signal at which electrical conductor 130 is discharged. When the electrical conductor 130 is touched by the hand, the electrical signal changes due to the charge of the finger, so that the electrical conductor 130 can be detected to be touched.

In addition, when the touch sensing technology (shown in FIG. 6 ) of the mutual capacitance is used, the housing 110 and the electrical conductor 130 can serve as a driving electrode and a sensing electrode, respectively, wherein the driving electrode is sent as a driving The signal terminal, and the sensing electrode serves as the receiving signal terminal. When the finger approaches, the receiving signal end changes the signal due to the contact of the finger, and thus the finger is judged to be in contact. In the mutual touch sensing technology, the electrode usually needs to have an insulating layer on the surface. For example, the surface of the current touch button has a layer of glass for insulation purposes.

In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the surface 130a of the electrical conductor 130 exposed to the outside of the design surface 110a has an insulating layer 136, such as an insulating layer formed by the surface treatment of the surface 130a, so that the electrical conductor 130 does not Oxidation, and the insulating layer 136 does not affect the finger imparting electrical signals to the electrical conductor 130. In addition, the design surface 110a is also There may be an insulating layer 138. In general, capacitive (including self-capacitance and mutual-capacitance) electrode surfaces require an insulating layer, but self-contained electrode surfaces with or without an insulating layer can sense changes in charge, so self-contained electrodes The surface does not have to have an insulating layer (i.e., insulating layer 136 and insulating layer 138).

In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, when the mutual capacitive touch sensing technology (shown in FIG. 6) is adopted, the conductive pillar 130 can be divided into two pieces (ie, a first conductive portion 131 and A second conductive portion 132) is a driving electrode and a sensing electrode for respectively serving as a transmitting signal terminal and a receiving signal terminal. An insulator 135 is disposed between the first conductive portion 131 and the second conductive portion 132 of the electrical conductor 130 to separate the two. The first conductive portion 131 is electrically connected to the circuit board 152 via a conductive pad 160 , and the second conductive portion 132 is electrically connected to the circuit board 152 via another conductive pad 160 .

In addition, the electronic device 100 further includes a controller 170 disposed on the circuit board 152 and electrically connected to the first pad 152a and the second pad 152b via internal lines of the circuit board 152.

Referring to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3, in the embodiment, the electronic device 100 further includes a plurality of light-emitting elements 180, which may be disposed in the housing 110 and on the circuit board 152 for emitting light L, as shown in FIG. Show. Therefore, when the spacer 140 has light transmissivity, the spacer 140 can guide the light L emitted from the light emitting element 180 to the periphery of the electric conductor 130 at the design surface 110a. Specifically, the spacer 140 has a light exit portion 142 that surrounds the periphery of the conductor 130 and the light L is emitted through the light exit portion 142.

Therefore, when the opening 112 is at the design surface 110a, the contour can be conformed to the conductive When the body 130 is contoured at the design surface 110a such that the electrical conductor 130 and the corresponding opening 112 can form a desired pattern, the spacer 140 extending between the opening 112 and the electrical conductor 130 can also form a desired pattern, such as A polygon or the like to indicate the function corresponding to the touch button V, such as return or home page. Further, the electric conductor 130 has a plurality of reflecting surfaces 130b, as shown in FIG. 3, for guiding the light emitted from the light emitting element 180 to the periphery of the electric conductor 130 at the design surface 110a.

In summary, in the present invention, an electrical conductor is bored on the housing as a touch button. A spacer is disposed between the housing and the electrical conductor to isolate the electrical conductor from the housing. It can be applied to the case where the conductive or metal portion of the casing constitutes the appearance surface, and electrical isolation can be achieved by providing a spacer between the casing and the conductor. The electrical conductor itself can be used as a single sensing electrode for self-capacitive touch sensing, or the housing and the electrical conductor can be used as a pair of sensing electrodes for mutual capacitive touch sensing. The material of the spacer can be made of a light transmissive material, so that the light generated by the light emitting element can be guided to the periphery of the electric conductor at the opening to provide illumination.

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.

110‧‧‧shell

110a‧‧‧ appearance

112‧‧‧ openings

114‧‧‧ convex

130‧‧‧Electrical conductor

130a‧‧‧ surface

130b‧‧‧reflecting surface

136‧‧‧Insulation

138‧‧‧Insulation

140a‧‧‧ surface

142‧‧‧Lighting Department

150‧‧‧ touch module

152‧‧‧ boards

160‧‧‧Electrical mat

170‧‧‧ Controller

180‧‧‧Lighting elements

V‧‧‧ touch buttons

L‧‧‧Light

Claims (13)

An electronic device includes: a housing having a design surface and an opening extending to the design surface; an electrical conductor disposed in the opening and exposed outside the design surface and electrically insulated from the housing The material of the housing comprises a metal and is electrically conductive, and the material of the conductor comprises a metal; a touch module is disposed in the housing and electrically connected to the conductor to form a touch button; And a spacer between the opening and the electrical conductor for electrically isolating the electrical conductor from the housing. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein a surface of the conductive body exposed to the outside of the design surface may have a difference from the design surface, so that the position of the touch button can be felt when the finger is touched. . The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the contour of the opening at the design surface conforms to a contour of the electrical conductor at the design surface. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the spacer extends into the opening and is exposed outside the design surface, and the spacer is exposed to a surface outside the design surface and the appearance surface is There is a difference so that the position of the touch button can be felt when the finger is touched. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising: a light-emitting element disposed in the housing for generating light, wherein the spacer has a light transmissive property for generating the light-emitting element Light is directed to the conductor Around the design surface. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the electrical conductor has at least one reflective surface for directing light generated by the illuminating element to the periphery of the electrical conductor at the design surface. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the touch module further comprises: a circuit board disposed in the housing and electrically connected to the electrical conductor. The electronic device of claim 7, further comprising: a conductive pad disposed between the electrical conductor and the circuit board for electrically connecting the electrical conductor to the circuit board. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein the circuit board has a first pad and a second pad, the electrical conductor is electrically connected to the first pad, and the housing is electrically conductive Electrically connected to the second pad. The electronic device of claim 7, further comprising: a controller disposed on the circuit board and electrically connected to the first pad and the second pad. The electronic device of claim 7, further comprising: a light-emitting element disposed in the housing and on the circuit board for generating light, wherein the spacer is permeable to light The light generated by the light-emitting element is directed to the periphery of the conductor at the design surface. The electronic device of claim 11, wherein the electrical conductor has a reflective surface for guiding light generated by the illuminating element to the electrical conductor The perimeter of the design surface. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising: an insulator separating the electrical conductor into a first conductive portion and a second conductive portion, wherein the first conductive portion is a transmitting signal end, and the first The second conductive portion is a receiving signal end.