WO2021092753A1

WO2021092753A1 - Haptic feedback module, touch screen, keyboard, and electronic apparatus

Info

Publication number: WO2021092753A1
Application number: PCT/CN2019/117465
Authority: WO
Inventors: 胡盛棚; 于国华; 汪祥; 李艳强
Original assignee: 南昌欧菲显示科技有限公司
Priority date: 2019-11-12
Filing date: 2019-11-12
Publication date: 2021-05-20

Abstract

A haptic feedback module, comprising at least two layers of elastic control elements stacked in sequence; the elastic control elements each comprise a thin film insulating layer, a conductive electrode layer and an elastic layer laminated in sequence; the thin film insulating layer of one of the adjacent elastic control elements is adjacent to the elastic layer of the other elastic control element; the elastic layer comprises mutually independent columnar elastic bodies; the elastic layer is divided into at least one elastic control area provided with a plurality of columnar elastic bodies, and the density distribution of the columnar elastic bodies in each elastic control area is uneven. By dividing the elastic layer into multiple elastic control areas, and setting the density distribution of the columnar elastic bodies in the elastic control area to conform to a finger contact model, the finger can get a uniform reaction force at different contact positions, which improves uniform sensing of tactile feedback of the user.

Description

Tactile feedback module, touch screen, keyboard and electronic device

Technical field

This application relates to the field of touch technology, and in particular to a tactile feedback module, a touch screen, a keyboard, and an electronic device.

Background technique

The traditional keyboard is mainly a rubber membrane keyboard, which includes an elastic mechanism, a surface (key frame) and a key cap. The key cap and the key frame are used to protect the elastic mechanism. The contacts of the elastic mechanism are composed of three layers of plastic films overlapped together. Among them, the upper and lower layers of plastic films are respectively covered with film wires, and contacts are provided at the key contact positions of the upper and lower layers of plastic film respectively. ; The middle layer of plastic film does not contain wires, and a round hole is provided at the position of the button contact. The middle layer is used to insulate the upper and lower conductive films. Under normal circumstances, the upper and lower conductive films are separated by the middle layer and will not conduct. After the upper film is pressed, it will communicate with the lower film at the position of the opening to generate a button electrical signal.

Due to the limitation of the structure, the traditionally designed keyboard uses the keycap and elastic mechanism to cooperate with the finger force to achieve contact pressing and rebound feedback. Because the material itself is less elastic, the finger pressing reaction force fed back by the keycap is a mechanical force. It is blunt, unable to give feedback to the fingers a feeling of rebounding when pressed, and unable to give different touch and pressure feedback forces to the fingers according to different user environments or different key letters, which makes the user experience poor.

The material used in the traditional keyboard is generally rubber, and the key travel is limited by its own structure and basically cannot be changed. The traditional keyboard structure is an independent split design for a single button, which makes it difficult to seamlessly connect between the buttons. The gap between the buttons will increase with the extension of the use time. A lot of tiny granular dust accumulates under the action of electrostatic adsorption, which affects the appearance and reduces the user experience. effect.

Due to the material of the traditional keyboard, the thickness of the keyboard cannot be extremely compressed. Although technicians have been trying to reduce the thickness of the keyboard, it is difficult to make the thickness match that of the membrane keyboard.

Traditional keyboards are generally made of plastic material with a high surface hardness. It is difficult to make it conform to the arc of the finger to produce different vibrations at different contact points, so that the fingers can obtain basically the same reaction force at different contact positions, and the touch is uniform. Poor.

Summary of the invention

According to various embodiments of the present application, a tactile feedback module, a touch screen, a keyboard, and an electronic device are provided.

A tactile feedback module includes at least two layers of elastic force control elements stacked in sequence. The elastic force control element includes a thin film insulation layer, an elastic layer, and a thin film insulation layer and an elastic layer that are stacked in sequence. The conductive electrode layer, the thin film insulating layer of one elastic force control element among the adjacent elastic force control elements is adjacent to the elastic layer of the other elastic force control element, the elastic layer includes mutually independent columnar elastic bodies, and the elastic layer is divided At least one elastic force control area is provided with a plurality of columnar elastic bodies, and the sparse and dense distribution of the columnar elastic bodies in each elastic force control area is uneven.

A touch screen, including the tactile feedback module according to any one of the embodiments of the present application, is used to generate columnar elastic bodies in the elastic layer under the action of electric field force when the touch screen senses a touch pressure Vibration feedback.

A keyboard includes the tactile feedback module according to any one of the embodiments of the present application, the tactile feedback module is used for keys, and is used for when the keys sense a touch pressure, in the elastic layer The columnar elastic body generates vibration feedback under the action of the electric field force.

An electronic device includes the tactile feedback module according to any one of the embodiments of the present application.

The above-mentioned tactile feedback module utilizes the advantages that the columnar elastic body can easily deform elastically under force and generate vibration under the action of electric field force. Through the tactile feedback module, the elastic layer is divided into multiple elastic control regions , And set the density distribution of the columnar elastic body in the elastic force control area to conform to the finger contact model, so that the finger can obtain uniform reaction force at different contact positions, and improve the uniformity of the user's tactile feedback. At the same time, the tactile feedback vibration effect of the cylindrical elastic body in different elastic control areas can be controlled according to the different needs of different application scenarios. Since the thickness of the tactile feedback module is mainly derived from the thickness of the elastic layer, the overall thickness of the tactile feedback module is effectively reduced.

The details of one or more embodiments of the present application are set forth in the following drawings and description. Other features, purposes and advantages of this application will become apparent from the description, drawings and claims.

Description of the drawings

In order to more clearly describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the following will briefly introduce the drawings that need to be used in the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present application. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the drawings of other embodiments can also be obtained based on these drawings without creative work.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of an elastic force control element in a tactile feedback module in an embodiment of the application.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a tactile feedback module in an embodiment of the application.

FIG. 3 is a schematic structural diagram of a tactile feedback module in another embodiment of the application.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of driving signals of a tactile feedback module in an embodiment of the application.

5a-5c are schematic diagrams of the dynamic changes of the columnar elastic body under the action of the driving signal in FIG. 4.

Fig. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a keyboard in an embodiment of the application.

FIG. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic device in an embodiment of the application.

Detailed ways

In order to facilitate the understanding of the application, the application will be described in a more comprehensive manner with reference to the relevant drawings. The preferred embodiments of the application are shown in the accompanying drawings. However, this application can be implemented in many different forms and is not limited to the embodiments described herein. On the contrary, the purpose of providing these embodiments is to make the understanding of the disclosure of this application more thorough and comprehensive.

Unless otherwise defined, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by those skilled in the technical field of this application. The terminology used in the specification of the application herein is only for the purpose of describing specific embodiments, and is not intended to limit the application. The term "and/or" as used herein includes any and all combinations of one or more related listed items.

When describing the positional relationship, unless otherwise specified, when an element such as a layer, film or substrate is referred to as being "on" another film layer, it can be directly on the other film layer or an intermediate film layer may also be present. Furthermore, when a layer is referred to as being "under" another layer, it can be directly below, or there may be one or more intermediate layers. It is also understood that when a layer is referred to as being "between" two layers, it can be the only layer between the two layers, or one or more intervening layers may also be present. The "upper" and "lower" mentioned in this application refer to the degree of proximity of the product to the user during the application process. The side relatively close to the user is referred to as "up", and the side relatively far away from the user is referred to as "down". ". For example, the lower surface of the thin-film insulating layer refers to the side of the thin-film insulating layer away from the user.

In the case of using the "including", "having", and "including" described in this article, unless clearly defined terms are used, such as "only", "consisting of", etc., another component may be added . Unless mentioned to the contrary, terms in the singular form may include the plural form and cannot be understood as the number of which is one.

In the description of this application, it should be noted that the terms "installation", "connection", and "connection" should be interpreted broadly unless otherwise clearly specified and limited. For example, it can be a fixed connection or a detachable connection. , Or integrally connected; it can be a direct connection, or an indirect connection through an intermediate medium, or a connection between two components. For those of ordinary skill in the art, the specific meanings of the above-mentioned terms in this application can be understood under specific circumstances.

In addition, in the description of this application, unless otherwise stated, “multiple”, “multiple groups”, “multiple roots”, “mutually”, “stacked”, “stacked”, “mutually”, “mutually”, "Several" means two or more.

In an embodiment of the present application, a tactile feedback module includes at least two layers of elastic force control elements stacked in sequence, and the elastic force control element includes a thin film insulating layer, an elastic layer, and an elastic layer that are sequentially stacked. The thin film insulating layer and the conductive electrode layer between the elastic layer, the thin film insulating layer of one elastic force control element in the adjacent elastic force control elements is adjacent to the elastic layer of the other elastic force control element, and the elastic layers include mutually independent The columnar elastic body is divided into at least one elasticity control area provided with a columnar elastic body on the elastic layer, and the sparse and dense distribution of the columnar elastic body in each elasticity control area is uneven.

In the tactile feedback module in the above-mentioned embodiment, the advantage that the columnar elastic body can easily deform and vibrate under the action of the electric field force is used. In the tactile feedback module, the elastic layer is divided into Multiple elastic force control areas are created, and the density distribution of the columnar elastic body in the elastic force control area is set to conform to the finger contact model, so that the fingers can obtain uniform reaction force at different contact positions, and the uniformity of the user's tactile feedback is improved. At the same time, the tactile feedback vibration effect of the cylindrical elastic body in different elastic control areas can be controlled according to the different needs of different application scenarios. Since the thickness of the tactile feedback module is mainly derived from the thickness of the elastic layer, the overall thickness of the tactile feedback module is effectively reduced.

Specifically, in the tactile feedback module in the foregoing embodiment, a capacitive sensor is formed between adjacent conductive electrode layers, which can sense the pressure signal applied to it. The capacitive sensor includes an upper conductive electrode layer, a lower conductive electrode layer, and an elastic layer located between the upper conductive electrode layer and the lower conductive electrode layer. The elastic layer includes a plurality of columnar elastic bodies, and the density distribution of the columnar elastic bodies conforms to the finger Contact the model. When the finger touches the capacitive sensor, the columnar elastic body is compressed, and the distance between the upper conductive electrode layer and the lower conductive electrode layer becomes smaller. When the columnar elastic body deforms the most, the gap between the upper conductive electrode layer and the lower conductive electrode layer The adsorption force is also the largest. The compressed cylindrical elastic body receives the largest electric field force. The compressed cylindrical elastic body rebounds to an uncompressed deformation state, and vibrates under the action of the electric field force. The feeling that is fed back to the hand is tactile feedback . Because the finger has an arc-shaped surface, when the finger presses on the product, different positions of the finger will get different tactile sensations. In the capacitance sensor, the electric field force F=(U2*K*εr*S1)/(d2*Y*S2), where U is the driving voltage applied to both ends of the product, K is the electrostatic force constant, and εr is the capacitance sensor S1 is the effective area of the electric field, d is the distance between the upper conductive electrode layer and the lower conductive electrode layer, Y is the elastic modulus of the columnar elastomer, and S2 is the cross-sectional area of the columnar elastomer, so The density distribution of the columnar elastic body in the elastic force control area is designed to conform to the form of the finger contact model, so that when the finger actually touches the product, the tactile feedback vibration sensation obtained at different contact positions is more uniform.

Further, in a tactile feedback module provided in an embodiment of the present application, the columnar elastic bodies in the same elastic force control element are arranged in an array, and the shape of the columnar elastic bodies in the elastic layer is presented by the dense and dense distribution of the columnar elastic bodies. It reflects the density distribution law of the columnar elastic body in the elastic layer. By observing the density distribution of the columnar elastic body in the elastic layer, not only the density distribution of the columnar elastic body can be seen, but also the distribution law of the columnar elastic body in different regions in the elastic layer can be understood. The columnar elastic bodies in the same elastic force control element are arranged in an array, which is convenient for setting the sparse and densely distributed shape of the columnar elastic bodies in the elastic force control area to conform to the shape of the finger contact surface, so as to meet the user's demand for uniformity of tactile feedback effects.

Further, in a tactile feedback module provided in an embodiment of the present application, each elastic force control area corresponds to a finger contact area, and the distribution density of the columnar elastic body in the middle of the elastic force control area corresponds to the elastic force The distribution density of the columnar elastic body around the control area is different. In accordance with the finger contact model, the reaction force obtained by different fingers when pressing the button is uniform, the uniformity of tactile feedback is improved, and the actual needs of finger touch are met. Preferably, the area of each elastic force control area matches the area of a finger contact area, so that when the user touches different elastic force control areas on the tactile feedback module with a finger, a uniform tactile feedback vibration feeling can be obtained, and The positions of different elastic control areas can be distinguished by touch and pressure. For example, when an elastic control area is used for a key, the positions of different keys can be distinguished by finger touch.

Further, in a tactile feedback module provided in an embodiment of the present application, the shape formed by the distribution of the columnar elastic bodies in the elastic force control area is at least one of an ellipse, a square, a circle, and a diamond. . In this embodiment, the thin-film insulating layer is preferably made of a flexible material, so that the tactile feedback module is flexible. The thickness of the elastic layer is 20-100um, so that the columnar elastic body in the elastic layer can meet the demand of the tactile feedback module for its vibration effect, and meet the demand of reducing the overall thickness of the tactile feedback module. The number of layers of the elastic control element is 2-40 layers, so that the vibration effect of the elastic layer in the tactile feedback module can meet the requirements of the tactile feedback module for its vibration effect, and meet the overall requirements of the tactile feedback module Need for thickness reduction.

Further, in a tactile feedback module provided in an embodiment of the present application, the orthographic projections of the columnar elastic bodies in the adjacent elastic layers on the plane of the conductive electrode layer overlap, so that the columnar elastic bodies in the adjacent elastic layers overlap The body has a point of direct force transmission along the direction perpendicular to the horizontal plane, so that the vibrations of the columnar elastic bodies in adjacent elastic layers can be superimposed on each other, so as to improve the tactile feedback effect of the tactile feedback module.

Further, in a tactile feedback module provided in an embodiment of the present application, the adjacent elastic force control elements are overlapped and connected; the conductive electrode layers in the same elastic force control element are respectively insulated from the thin film The layer and the elastic laminate are joined together. In this embodiment, the connection between the conductive electrode layer and the elastic layer may be adhesive bonding, preferably double-sided adhesive and/or water-based adhesive. Adjacent elasticity control elements can be glued with glue, preferably double-sided glue and/or water glue. The fixedly connected product structure design can avoid the separation of product components during the vibration process of the product and shorten the product service life, and the fixed structure can also enhance the vibration feeling. The conductive electrode layer and the user contact surface use non-conductive materials to provide insulation and protection, and at the same time, it can be separated from the outside air to avoid electrode oxidation and can play a role in waterproofing and avoiding.

Further, in the tactile feedback module in the above embodiment, the conductive electrode layer is made of transparent conductive materials, such as ITO, ZnO, carbon nanotubes, graphene, etc.; it can also be made of non-transparent conductive materials. It is necessary to control the size of the conductive material to realize that the human eyes are not affected by these conductive electrode layers when observing the display content of the product using the tactile feedback module. The aforementioned conductive material may be selected from at least one of conductive materials such as silver paste, carbon paste, nano silver wire, PEDOT, carbon nanotube, and graphene conductive materials.

Further, in the tactile feedback module in the foregoing embodiment, the conductive electrode layer may include a conductive electrode or an electrode array. Among the adjacent conductive electrode layers, the electrode array of the upper conductive electrode layer and the electrode array of the lower conductive electrode layer can consist of multiple independent strip electrodes, or multiple chains connected with multiple electrode blocks, or independent of each other. The block electrode is constructed. The orthographic projection of the electrode array of the upper conductive electrode layer and the electrode array of the lower conductive electrode layer in the plane of the elastic layer has a certain area of intersection, thereby forming a number of capacitive sensors.

Further, in the tactile feedback module in the above embodiment, the thin-film insulation layer may be composed of an independent transparent film, and the film may be made of polyimide (PI) or polyethylene terephthalate (Polyethylene Terephalate). , PET), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN) and other materials.

Further, in the tactile feedback module in the foregoing embodiment, the material used for the elastic layer may be silicone rubber, acrylate elastomer, polyurethane elastomer, nitrile rubber, vinylidene fluorinated trifluoroethylene and their corresponding At least one of organic-inorganic or organic-organic composite materials and the like. The elastic layer is optically transparent in a macroscopic view, allowing light to pass through, and on the premise of not obstructing the content display, "transparent" can be understood as "transparent" and "substantially transparent" in this application.

In one embodiment of the present application, a touch screen device is provided, which includes any of the tactile feedback modules provided in the embodiments of the present application, for when the touch screen senses a touch, the columnar elasticity in the elastic layer The body vibrates under the action of the electric field force, so that the vibration is fed back to the user who touches the touch screen.

In an embodiment of the present application, a keyboard is provided, which includes any of the tactile feedback modules described in the embodiments of the present application, and the tactile feedback module is used for keys and is used for sensing touch on the keys. In the meantime, the columnar elastic body in the elastic layer generates vibration under the action of the electric field force, so that the vibration is fed back to the user who touches the button.

Specifically, a tactile feedback module can be used as a key in the keyboard, and different keys can be applied with different driving voltages, so that different vibration feedback effects can be obtained when different keys are touched.

Hereinafter, some embodiments and working principles of the present application will be further described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

As shown in FIG. 1, in the structural diagram of the elastic force control element in the tactile feedback module provided in an embodiment of the present application, the elastic force control element includes a thin-film insulating layer 11, an elastic layer 12, and a conductive electrode layer 13, and the conductive electrode layer 13 Located between the thin film insulating layer 11 and the elastic layer 12, the conductive electrode layer 13 includes a conductive electrode, the conductive electrode pulls out the electrode terminal 14, the elastic layer 12 includes mutually independent columnar elastic bodies 121, and the elastic layer 12 is divided into a device There is an elastic force control area of a columnar elastic body, and the density distribution of the columnar elastic body 121 in the elastic force control area conforms to the finger contact model, and a tactile feedback is formed by superimposing and connecting at least two elastic force control elements as shown in FIG. 1 The module makes the reaction force obtained by touching different parts of the contact surface of the tactile feedback module by a finger consistent, improves the uniformity of tactile feedback, and meets the actual needs of finger touch.

Further, in the tactile feedback module in the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the density distribution of the columnar elastic bodies 121 in the middle 122 of an elastic force control region is different from the density distribution of the columnar elastic bodies 121 at the periphery 123 of the region. Since the finger contact surface is arcuate, the distribution density of the columnar elastic body in the elastic force control area conforms to the shape of the finger contact surface. When the tactile feedback module made by superimposing the elastic control element is used as a button, a uniform tactile feedback effect can be obtained in the finger contact area. It is also possible to apply different driving voltages to different keys, so that the user can easily perceive the specific position of the keys through the tactile feedback effect of the keyboard, and at the same time, different keys can be distinguished according to the tactile feedback effect of different keys.

Specifically, in the tactile feedback module in the foregoing embodiment, the shape of the density distribution of the columnar elastic bodies 121 in the elastic layer 12 reflects the density distribution law of the columnar elastic bodies 121 in the elastic layer 12. By observing the density distribution of the columnar elastic body 121 in the elastic layer 12, not only the density distribution of the columnar elastic body 121 can be seen, but also the distribution law of the columnar elastic body 121 in different regions in the elastic layer 12 can be understood. As shown in FIG. 1, the density distribution of the columnar elastic bodies 121 in the elastic layer 12 presents a rectangle. In this embodiment, the distribution density of the columnar elastic bodies 121 in the middle of the elastic layer can be set to be smaller than the distribution density of the columnar elastic bodies 121 around the elastic layer. , To conform to the curved surface of the finger contact surface. In some other embodiments of the present application, the distribution shape of the columnar elastomer in the elastic layer can be at least one of an ellipse, square, circle, or diamond shape, and the density distribution law of the columnar elastomer can be used according to the specific application of the product. Set according to the different needs of the scene. For example, if the application is applied to a computer membrane keyboard, the density distribution of the columnar elastomer can be designed to be rectangular; if the application is applied to an electronic watch, the density distribution of the columnar elastomer can be designed to be round or oval; if the application is When applied to smart wearable products, the density distribution of the columnar elastic body can be designed into a diamond shape or other shapes.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the tactile feedback module in an embodiment of the application, including an elastic force control element 10 constituting a laminated structure. The structure of the elastic force control element 10 is shown in FIG. 1, that is, it includes a thin-film insulating layer 11 and an elastic layer. 12 and the conductive electrode layer 13, the conductive electrode layer 13 is located between the thin film insulating layer 11 and the elastic layer 12, the conductive electrode in the conductive electrode layer 13 pulls out the electrode terminal 14, and the elastic layer 12 includes mutually independent columnar elastic bodies 121, The density distribution of the columnar elastic body 121 conforms to the finger contact model, so that the reaction force obtained by different fingers when pressing the button is uniform, the uniformity of the tactile feedback is improved, and the actual demand for finger touch is met. The thickness of the elastic layer 12 is 20 um-100 um, so that the columnar elastic body 121 in the elastic layer 12 can meet the demand of the tactile feedback module for its vibration effect, and meet the demand of reducing the overall thickness of the tactile feedback module. The number of layers of the elastic control element is 2-40 layers, so that the vibration effect of the elastic layer in the tactile feedback module can meet the needs of the tactile feedback module for its vibration effect, and meet the overall thickness reduction of the tactile feedback module Small demand.

In the tactile feedback module in the above embodiment, by taking advantage of the elastic body that can easily deform and vibrate under force, the elastic layer is divided into a plurality of elastic force control regions in the tactile feedback module , And set the density distribution of the columnar elastic body in the elastic force control area to conform to the finger contact model, so that the finger can obtain uniform reaction force at different contact positions, and improve the uniformity of the user's tactile feedback. At the same time, the tactile feedback effect of the cylindrical elastic body in different elastic control areas can be controlled according to the different needs of different application scenarios. The structural design of laminated elastic control elements effectively reduces the thickness of the product.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the structure of the tactile feedback module in an embodiment of the application, and the conductive electrode layer is respectively connected to the elastic layer and the thin film insulating layer. The connection between the conductive electrode layer and the elastic layer may be adhesive bonding, preferably double-sided adhesive and/or water-based adhesive. Adjacent elastic control elements 10 cover the contact connection to form a fixed integrated structure. Adjacent elasticity control elements can be glued with glue, preferably double-sided glue and/or water glue. The fixed integrated structure design can avoid the separation of product components during the vibration process of the product and reduce the service life of the product, and the fixed structure can also enhance the vibration feeling. The contact surface between the electrode and the user is made of non-conductive materials to provide insulation and protection. At the same time, it can be separated from the outside air to avoid electrode oxidation and can play a role in waterproofing.

FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of driving signals of a tactile feedback module in an embodiment of the application. The electrode lead-out ends that extend from both sides of the tactile feedback module shown in Figure 3 can be used as the positive and negative electrode input ends respectively to input the test signal shown in Figure 4, and the drive signal shown in Figure 4 is unipolar. Triangular wave periodic signal, the frequency can be about 20Hz-200Hz, this frequency is the frequency that simulates the use of traditional keyboards, such as mechanical keyboards. In Figure 4, the input signal is divided into four different control sampling points in one cycle, and the different control sampling points are used to briefly describe the working form of the tactile feedback module under different driving voltages. The sampling time of the sampling point is recorded as T1. , T2, T3 and T4.

5a, 5b and 5c are schematic diagrams of the dynamic change of the columnar elastic body under the action of the driving signal as shown in FIG. 4. Fig. 5a shows the initial state of the columnar elastic body; Fig. 5b shows that when the electric field force is the largest, the columnar elastic body is subjected to the maximum electric field force and produces the greatest elastic deformation; Fig. 5c shows that the electric field force is gradually reduced, and the columnar elastic body relies on Its own rebounding force slowly rebounds to its original state. The working principle of the tactile feedback module in the embodiment of the present application will be briefly described below in conjunction with FIG. 5a, FIG. 5b and FIG. 5c.

In the T1-T2 state process: at T1, the columnar elastomer is shown in Figure 5a, and it has not deformed to its original state; at T1-T2, the electric field force is gradually increasing, and the electrostatic adsorption between adjacent conductive electrode layers Gradually increase, a gradually increasing electric field force is generated on the columnar elastic body; at T2, the electric field force is the largest, and the adsorption force between adjacent conductive electrode layers is also the largest. At this time, the deformation of the columnar elastic body is also the largest, as shown in Figure 5b. Shown.

During the T2-T3 state: from T2 to T3, the electric field force gradually decreases, and the adsorption force between adjacent conductive electrode layers also gradually decreases. The columnar elastic body slowly rebounds according to its own rebound force; When the driving signal is at time T3, the columnar elastic body rebounds to the original state, as shown in Figure 5c.

During the T3-T4 state process: T3 to T4, the driving input signal is basically 0, and there is basically no electric field force between adjacent conductive electrode layers, so there is no electrostatic adsorption force, and the columnar elastic body maintains its original state.

The driving signal includes a periodically changing signal shown between T1-T4. The frequency of the driving signal shown in FIG. 4 is preferably 50 Hz. In some embodiments, the frequency of the input signal may be 20 Hz-200 Hz, or According to different user needs, input driving signals of different frequencies. For example, if users want to experience a stronger vibration, they can increase the signal frequency. The input signal changes periodically, and the columnar elastic body changes periodically from 0 to the maximum deformation. The feeling that is fed back to the user's hand is tactile feedback.

FIG. 6 is a schematic structural diagram of a keyboard provided in an embodiment of the application, and one of the keys may adopt the tactile feedback module as shown in FIG. 3. Because the finger contact surface is arc-shaped, when the finger touches the upper surface of the keyboard keys, the tactile feedback generated by the different contact positions of the finger contact surface is different, so that the density distribution of the cylindrical elastic body on the entire surface of the elastic layer is designed to conform to The finger contact model, for example, may have different distribution densities of the columnar elastic bodies in the middle and the periphery of the elastic layer, so that the tactile feedback vibration sensation fed back by the tactile feedback module to the finger contact surface is relatively uniform, and the user experience is better. As shown in the keyboard shown in Figure 6, each letter or key is pulled out the corresponding electrode terminal, and different driving signals are input respectively, so that each key can be used to input different driving according to the user's experience requirements. Voltage to obtain different tactile feedback. For example, if you want to improve the user's touch feedback effect on the "Enter" key, you can increase the frequency and/or amplitude of the driving voltage signal applied to the tactile feedback module 20 in the key , So that when the user touches the "Enter" key, they can feel a stronger tactile feedback effect.

FIG. 7 is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic device in an embodiment of the application. A touch screen is provided on the touch screen. The touch screen adopts a tactile feedback module as described in the embodiment of the present application, and the elastic layer of the tactile feedback module is divided A plurality of elastic force control areas are formed, each elastic force control area corresponds to a finger contact surface, and the area of each elastic force control area matches the area of the finger contact surface. One elastic force control area 30 is used for one button. Different drive signals can be input through the electrode lead-out ends of different elastic control areas, so that each button can be used according to the user's experience requirements to input different drive signals to obtain different tactile feedback vibrations.

In the tactile feedback module in the above embodiment, the conductive electrode layer can be made on a transparent substrate by sputtering, evaporation, printing, etc., such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), poly Polycarbonate (PC), glass and other transparent film materials. The electrode pattern of the conductive electrode layer can be obtained by etching of indium tin oxide conductive film (ITO film), screen printing conductive paste on PET, or by using a metal wire mesh (Metal wire mesh) process.

In addition, in the tactile feedback module in the above embodiment, the conductive electrode layer can also be directly fabricated on the surface of the thin film insulating layer, that is, the conductive layer can be plated/sputtered on the thin film insulating layer first, and then the electrode of the capacitance sensor can be fabricated. pattern.

This application uses the advantages of elastic bodies that can easily deform and vibrate under force. In the tactile feedback module, the density distribution of the columnar elastic bodies in the elastic layer is designed to conform to the shape of the finger contact model, so that The fingers obtain uniform reaction force at different contact positions, which improves the uniformity of the user's tactile feedback. The structural design of laminated elastic control elements effectively reduces the thickness of the product.

The membrane keyboard using the tactile feedback module described in the embodiments of the present application overturns the structural design of the traditional key-type keyboard, and has many advantages such as thin thickness, bendable, no key gap, beautiful appearance, and good tactile feedback effect.

In some embodiments of the present application, the electronic device provided may be a smart watch, a mobile phone camera, a tablet computer camera, a smart wearable device, and so on. The electronic device using the membrane keyboard described in the embodiment of the present application has a better tactile feedback effect.

The technical features of the above-mentioned embodiments can be combined arbitrarily. In order to make the description concise, all possible combinations of the various technical features in the above-mentioned embodiments are not described. However, as long as there is no contradiction in the combination of these technical features, All should be considered as the scope of this specification.

The above-mentioned embodiments only express several implementation manners of the present application, and their description is relatively specific and detailed, but they should not be understood as a limitation on the scope of the patent application. It should be pointed out that for those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the concept of this application, several modifications and improvements can be made, and these all fall within the protection scope of this application. Therefore, the scope of protection of the patent of this application shall be subject to the appended claims.

Claims

A tactile feedback module includes at least two layers of elastic force control elements stacked in sequence, wherein each of the elastic force control elements includes a thin film insulating layer and an elastic layer stacked in sequence, and is located between the thin film insulating layer and the The conductive electrode layer between the elastic layers, the thin film insulating layer of one elastic force control element among the adjacent elastic force control elements is adjacent to the elastic layer of the other elastic force control element, and the elastic layer includes mutually independent columnar elastic bodies, The elastic layer is divided into at least one elastic force control area provided with a plurality of columnar elastic bodies, and the density and density of the columnar elastic bodies are unevenly distributed in each elastic force control area.
The tactile feedback module according to claim 1, wherein each elastic force control area corresponds to a finger contact area, and the distribution density of the columnar elastic body in the middle of the elastic force control area is similar to the columnar elasticity around the elastic force control area. The distribution density of the elastomer is different.
The tactile feedback module of claim 2, wherein the area of each elastic force control area matches the area of a finger contact area.
The tactile feedback module according to claim 3, wherein the shape formed by the distribution of the columnar elastic bodies in the elastic force control area is at least one of an ellipse, a square, a circle, and a diamond.
The tactile feedback module according to claim 1, wherein the thin-film insulating layer is made of a flexible material.
The tactile feedback module according to claim 1, wherein the thickness of the elastic layer is 20um-100um.
The tactile feedback module according to claim 1, wherein the number of layers of the elastic control element is 2 to 40 layers.
The tactile feedback module according to any one of claims 1-7, wherein the orthographic projections of the columnar elastic bodies in the adjacent elastic layers on the plane of the conductive electrode layer overlap.
The tactile feedback module according to any one of claims 1-7, wherein the elastic force control areas are arranged in an array.
The tactile feedback module according to any one of claims 1-7, wherein the adjacent elastic force control elements are overlapped and connected; the conductive electrode layer in the same elastic force control element is connected to the thin film respectively. The insulating layer is connected to the elastic laminate.
A touch screen, characterized by comprising the tactile feedback module according to any one of claims 1-10, which is used for the effect of the columnar elastic body on the electric field force when the touch screen is sensed by the touch screen. Vibration feedback is generated below.
A keyboard, comprising the tactile feedback module according to any one of claims 1-10, wherein the tactile feedback module is used for keys, and is used for when the keys sense a touch pressure, The columnar elastic body generates vibration feedback under the action of the electric field force.
An electronic device, characterized by comprising the tactile feedback module according to any one of claims 1-10.