WO2023274244A1

WO2023274244A1 - Key module and electronic device

Info

Publication number: WO2023274244A1
Application number: PCT/CN2022/101999
Authority: WO
Inventors: 王强
Original assignee: 维沃移动通信有限公司
Priority date: 2021-07-02
Filing date: 2022-06-28
Publication date: 2023-01-05
Also published as: CN113555243A

Abstract

Disclosed in the present application are a key module and an electronic device. The key module comprises: a circuit board; a pressure-sensing layer, which is arranged on the circuit board, the pressure-sensing layer being electrically connected to the circuit board; a first reinforcing member and a second reinforcing member, which each are arranged on a side of the circuit board away from the pressure-sensing layer, an accommodation cavity being formed between the first reinforcing member and the second reinforcing member, and an orthographic projection of the accommodation cavity at least partially overlapping with an orthographic projection of the pressure-sensing layer in a direction perpendicular to the circuit board; and a third reinforcing member, one end of the third reinforcing member being connected to the first reinforcing member, the other end of the third reinforcing member being connected to the second reinforcing member, the third reinforcing member being located in the accommodation cavity, the rigidity of the third reinforcing member being less than that of the first reinforcing member, the rigidity of the third reinforcing member being less than that of the second reinforcing member, and/or a gap being formed between the third reinforcing member and the circuit board.

Description

Button module and electronic equipment

cross reference

The present invention claims the priority of the Chinese patent application submitted to the China Patent Office on July 02, 2021, with the application number 202110751135.1 and the title of the invention "button module and electronic equipment". The entire content of this application is incorporated by reference in the present invention middle.

technical field

The present application belongs to the field of button technology, and in particular relates to a button module and electronic equipment.

Background technique

Electronic equipment has become one of the indispensable electronic products in people's daily life. It not only plays an important role in daily communication, but also meets people's increasing entertainment needs. For example, the user can perform touch operations on the display screen of the electronic device, so as to complete various actions during the game.

In the current electronic equipment, a button module can be arranged under the display screen, and the button module can include a circuit board, a pressure-sensitive layer, a first reinforcing part and a second reinforcing part, and the pressure-sensitive layer is arranged on the circuit board. Both the first reinforcement and the second reinforcement are arranged on the side of the circuit board away from the pressure-sensitive layer, so as to improve the structural strength of the button module.

The above-mentioned first reinforcing piece and the second reinforcing piece are arranged separately, and there is a gap between them, and the pressure-sensitive layer is arranged corresponding to the gap, so that the pressure-sensitive layer has enough space for deformation. However, after a gap is reserved between the first reinforcing member and the second reinforcing member, the supporting effect of the two on the circuit board and the pressure-sensitive layer becomes poor, which causes the circuit board and the pressure-sensitive layer to be easily damaged due to circuit board reflexion and key presses. Cracks appear during the assembly, testing, and transfer of the module, which in turn leads to a decrease in the reliability of the button module.

Contents of the invention

The purpose of the embodiments of the present application is to provide a button module and electronic equipment, which can solve the problem of poor reliability of the button module.

In order to solve the above-mentioned technical problems, the application is implemented as follows:

In the first aspect, the embodiment of the present application provides a button module, which includes:

circuit board;

a pressure-sensing layer, the pressure-sensing layer is arranged on the circuit board, and the pressure-sensing layer is electrically connected to the circuit board;

The first reinforcing piece and the second reinforcing piece, both of the first reinforcing piece and the second reinforcing piece are arranged on the side of the circuit board away from the pressure-sensitive layer, and the first reinforcing piece There is an accommodation cavity between the member and the second reinforcing element, and in a direction perpendicular to the circuit board, the orthographic projection of the accommodation cavity at least partially coincides with the orthographic projection of the pressure-sensitive layer;

A third reinforcement, one end of the third reinforcement is connected to the first reinforcement, the other end of the third reinforcement is connected to the second reinforcement, and the third reinforcement The reinforcement is located in the accommodation cavity, the stiffness of the third reinforcement is less than that of the first reinforcement, and the stiffness of the third reinforcement is less than that of the second reinforcement; And/or, there is a gap between the third reinforcing piece and the circuit board.

In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides an electronic device, which includes the above-mentioned button module.

The embodiment of the present application adds a third reinforcing piece, the first reinforcing piece and the second reinforcing piece are connected through the third reinforcing piece, the stiffness of the third reinforcing piece is smaller than that of the first reinforcing piece, and the third reinforcing piece The stiffness of the reinforcement is smaller than that of the second reinforcement, and/or there is a gap between the third reinforcement and the circuit board, so that the third reinforcement does not affect the deformation of the pressure-sensitive layer, while the first reinforcement The structure formed by the reinforcement, the second reinforcement and the third reinforcement has a higher structural strength, thereby providing better support for the circuit board and the pressure-sensitive layer, so that the circuit board and the pressure-sensitive layer are not easy to be damaged by Cracks appear due to reflexion of the circuit board and assembly, testing, and transfer of the button module, thereby improving the reliability of the button module.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of a button module disclosed in the first embodiment of the present application;

Fig. 2 is a cross-sectional view of the button module disclosed in the first embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of the button module disclosed in the second embodiment of the present application;

4 is a cross-sectional view of the button module disclosed in the second embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of the button module disclosed in the third embodiment of the present application;

6 is a cross-sectional view of the button module disclosed in the third embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a partial structure of the button module disclosed in the fourth embodiment of the present application;

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of the button module disclosed in the fourth embodiment of the present application.

Explanation of reference signs:

110-circuit board, 120-pressure sensitive layer, 130-first reinforcement, 140-second reinforcement, 150-third reinforcement, 160-pad, 170-silver paste layer, 180-insulation protection layer, 190-adhesive layer, 101-accommodating cavity, 102-groove, 210-display screen.

detailed description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application. Apparently, the described embodiments are part of the embodiments of the present application, not all of them. Based on the embodiments in this application, all other embodiments obtained by persons of ordinary skill in the art without creative efforts fall within the protection scope of this application.

The terms "first", "second" and the like in the specification and claims of the present application are used to distinguish similar objects, and are not used to describe a specific sequence or sequence. It is to be understood that the data so used are interchangeable under appropriate circumstances such that the embodiments of the application can be practiced in sequences other than those illustrated or described herein. In addition, "and/or" in the specification and claims means at least one of the connected objects, and the character "/" generally means that the related objects are an "or" relationship.

The button module and the electronic device provided by the embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below through specific embodiments and application scenarios with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Referring to Fig. 1 to Fig. 2, the embodiment of the present application discloses a button module, and the button module can be a button under the display screen 210, or a game button, a volume button, etc. on the side of the electronic device. The button module may include a circuit board 110 , a pressure-sensitive layer 120 , a first reinforcement 130 , a second reinforcement 140 and a third reinforcement 150 .

The circuit board 110 can be connected with the main board or the sub-board of the electronic equipment, so as to realize the data connection between the key module and the main board or the sub-board. Optionally, the circuit board 110 may be a flexible circuit board, so that the key module is deformed when the user applies pressure to the display screen 210 . The pressure-sensitive layer 120 can sense the magnitude of the pressing force applied by the user. When the user applies a pressing force to the display screen 210, the pressure-sensitive layer 120 can be deformed, and the magnitude of the pressing force can be obtained by detecting the amount of deformation. The pressure-sensing layer 120 is disposed on the circuit board 110 , and the pressure-sensing layer 120 is electrically connected to the circuit board 110 , so as to realize the data connection between the pressure-sensing layer 120 and the circuit board 110 . Optionally, the pressure-sensitive layer 120 may be pressure-sensitive glue, which can be directly bonded to the circuit board 110 . In addition, a pad 160 may be provided on the circuit board 110 , and the pressure-sensing layer 120 may be connected to the pad 160 through the silver paste layer 170 , so as to realize the electrical connection between the pressure-sensing layer 120 and the circuit board 110 . The button module can also include an insulating protective layer 180 and an adhesive layer 190. The insulating protective layer 180 is arranged on the circuit board 110 and covers the pressure-sensitive layer 120, the pad 160 and the silver paste layer 170, thereby protecting the pressure-sensitive layer 120, solder The disk 160 and the silver paste layer 170 ; the adhesive layer 190 are respectively bonded to the display screen 210 and the circuit board 110 , and the adhesive layer 190 covers the insulating protection layer 180 , so as to realize the connection between the button module and the display screen 210 .

The first reinforcement 130 , the second reinforcement 140 and the third reinforcement 150 are all arranged on the side of the circuit board 110 away from the pressure-sensitive layer 120 , between the first reinforcement 130 and the second reinforcement 140 There is an accommodating cavity 101 , that is to say, the first reinforcing piece 130 and the second reinforcing piece 140 are not directly connected. In the direction perpendicular to the circuit board 110, the orthographic projection of the accommodating cavity 101 and the orthographic projection of the pressure-sensitive layer 120 at least partially coincide, that is, the accommodating cavity 101 and the pressure-sensitive layer 120 are arranged correspondingly, so that when the user presses the display screen 210, the pressure-sensitive Layer 120 can undergo relatively large deformations. Optionally, both the first reinforcing piece 130 and the second reinforcing piece 140 can be metal pieces, and both can be in direct contact with the circuit board 110 , so as to provide greater supporting force for the circuit board 110 .

One end of the third reinforcing member 150 is connected to the first reinforcing member 130, and the other end of the third reinforcing member 150 is connected to the second reinforcing member 140. The third reinforcing member 150 is located in the accommodation cavity 101, that is, the third The reinforcing member 150 is disposed corresponding to the pressure-sensitive layer 120 . The stiffness of the third reinforcing piece 150 is smaller than that of the first reinforcing piece 130, and the stiffness of the third reinforcing piece 150 is smaller than that of the second reinforcing piece 140, so that the third reinforcing piece 150 is more easily deformation; and/or, there is a gap between the third reinforcing member and the circuit board 110 , so that a space for deformation of the pressure-sensitive layer 120 is reserved between the third reinforcing member 150 and the circuit board 110 . Therefore, the supporting force of the third reinforcing member 150 on the circuit board 110 is smaller than that of the first reinforcing member 130 on the circuit board 110, and the supporting force of the third reinforcing member 150 on the circuit board 110 is smaller than that of the second reinforcing member. 140 supports the circuit board 110, in other words, the supporting effect brought by the third reinforcing piece 150 is worse than that of the first reinforcing piece 130 and the second reinforcing piece 140, so that the third reinforcing piece 150 does not limit Deformation of the pressure sensitive layer 120 . In an optional embodiment, the third reinforcing member 150 may be in contact with the circuit board 110, but its direct supporting force on the circuit board 110 is smaller than that of the first reinforcing member 130 and the second reinforcing member 140 on the circuit board 110. In another optional embodiment, the third reinforcing member 150 is not in contact with the circuit board 110, and at this moment, the direct supporting force of the third reinforcing member 150 on the circuit board 110 is basically 0, which is less than The direct supporting force of the first reinforcing piece 130 and the second reinforcing piece 140 on the circuit board 110 .

In addition, the circuit board 110, the pressure-sensing layer 120 and the insulating protection layer 180 can only be set in one group, but in order to improve the induction effect, the circuit board 110, the pressure-sensing layer 120 and the insulating protection layer 180 can be set in two groups, The two groups of circuit boards 110, pressure sensitive layer 120 and insulating protection layer 180 are respectively located on both sides of the first reinforcement 130, the second reinforcement 140 and the third reinforcement 150, wherein one group of circuit boards 110 is bonded to Bonding layer 190 is bonded. It should be noted that the number of the first reinforcing piece 130, the second reinforcing piece 140 and the third reinforcing piece 150 may be one, or at least two. The first reinforcing piece 130 and the second reinforcing piece 140 can be alternately set.

The embodiment of the present application adds a third reinforcing piece 150, the first reinforcing piece 130 and the second reinforcing piece 140 are connected through the third reinforcing piece 150, and the stiffness of the third reinforcing piece 150 is smaller than that of the first reinforcing piece 130 , and the stiffness of the third reinforcing piece 150 is less than that of the second reinforcing piece 140, and/or, there is a gap between the third reinforcing piece 150 and the circuit board 110, so that the third reinforcing piece 150 does not affect the deformation of the pressure-sensitive layer 120, and at the same time, the structure jointly formed by the first reinforcing member 130, the second reinforcing member 140 and the third reinforcing member 150 has a higher structural strength, so that the circuit board 110 and the pressure-sensitive layer 120 Better support is provided, so that the circuit board 110 and the pressure-sensitive layer 120 are not prone to cracks due to reflexion of the circuit board 110 and operations such as assembly, testing, and transfer of the key module, thereby improving the reliability of the key module. In addition, the third reinforcing piece 150 connects the first reinforcing piece 130 and the second reinforcing piece 140 as a whole, so that the process steps of the button module can be reduced, thereby reducing the processing cost of the button module.

The end of the first reinforcing piece 130 facing the second reinforcing piece 140 and the end of the second reinforcing piece 140 facing the first reinforcing piece 130 both have a right-angled side, and the right-angled side is in contact with the circuit board 110. When the button module is subjected to When an external force acts, the area where the circuit board 110 is in contact with the right-angled side is prone to stress concentration, which will easily cause cracks to occur on the circuit board 110 and the pressure-sensitive layer 120 , resulting in poor reliability of the key module. Based on this, optionally, the first reinforcing member 130 has a first supporting surface facing the circuit board 110 , the second reinforcing member 140 has a second supporting surface facing the circuit board 110 , and the third reinforcing member 150 has a supporting surface facing the circuit board 110 . The third supporting surface of the plate 110, the first supporting surface, the second supporting surface and the third supporting surface are in the same plane. After such arrangement, the right-angled side of the first reinforcing piece 130 towards the second reinforcing piece 140 and the right-angled side of the second reinforcing piece 140 facing the first reinforcing piece 130 are reinforced by the third reinforcement. The component 150 is complemented, so the right-angled edge basically does not have adverse effects on the circuit board 110 and the pressure-sensitive layer 120, thereby further improving the reliability of the button module.

In an optional embodiment, the side of the first reinforcement 130 facing the second reinforcement 140 includes a connected first region and a second region, and the side of the second reinforcement 140 facing the first reinforcement 130 It includes a connected third area and a fourth area, the first area is connected to the third area through the third reinforcing member 150, and there is a gap between the second area and the fourth area. That is to say, the accommodating cavity 101 between the first reinforcing piece 130 and the second reinforcing piece 140 can be partially provided with the third reinforcing piece 150, and the rest of the space forms a gap. 150 plays a reinforcing role. On the other hand, a larger deformation space can be reserved for the pressure-sensing layer 120 through the formed gap, so as to better balance the deformation requirements of the pressure-sensing layer 120 and the pressure-sensing layer 120. Reinforcement needs.

Further, the third reinforcing piece 150 may be a sheet metal piece, that is, the thickness of the third reinforcing piece 150 is relatively thin, so that the third reinforcing piece 150 can be deformed after being stressed, so when the button module is deformed , the third reinforcing member 150 deforms accordingly, so that the third reinforcing member 150 is not easy to limit the deformation of the pressure-sensitive layer 120 , so that the pressure-sensitive layer 120 can sense the magnitude of the pressing force more accurately. In addition, the width of the sheet metal piece can also be set smaller, so as to further improve the deformation capability of the third reinforcing piece 150 .

The manufacturing material of the above-mentioned third reinforcing member 150 can be the same as that of the first reinforcing member 130 and the second reinforcing member 140. In order to facilitate the processing of the button module, metal powder injection molding (Metal-powder Injection Molding, MIM) process to prepare the third reinforcing member 150 . Of course, other processes may also be used to process the third reinforcing member 150, which is not limited in this embodiment of the present application.

The number of the third reinforcing piece 150 can be one, or at least two. In order to improve the reinforcing effect of the third reinforcing piece 150, the number of the third reinforcing piece 150 can be set to at least two, each The three reinforcements 150 are arranged at intervals, and the intervals between the third reinforcements 150 can provide a larger space for the deformation of the pressure-sensing layer 120 , thereby ensuring the sensing accuracy of the pressure-sensing layer 120 . Further, the third reinforcing piece 150 may be a bar-shaped piece, and the arrangement direction of each third reinforcing piece 150 may be perpendicular to the extension direction of the third reinforcing piece 150, so as to facilitate the assembly of the button module.

The third reinforcing piece 150 can be set as a rigid piece, and can also be set as a flexible piece. Optionally, as shown in FIGS. Filling at least a part of the receiving cavity 101 , the third reinforcing member 150 can be deformed when the pressure-sensitive layer 120 is under pressure. That is, the third reinforcing piece 150 can be made of flexible materials such as rubber, and optionally, the third reinforcing piece 150 can be connected with the first reinforcing piece 130 and the second reinforcing piece 140 through integral injection molding. The flexible material here has strong fluidity and high viscosity in a molten state, has good stress transferability after solidification, and has a good bonding effect with the first reinforcing member 130 and the second reinforcing member 140 . The flexible reinforcement not only has a certain supporting effect, but also can deform when the user presses the display screen 210 , so that the pressure-sensitive layer 120 can deform along with the display screen 210 . Compared with the solution of locally setting rigid parts in the accommodation cavity 101, the parameters of the flexible reinforcing part here are easier to control, so that the structure of the third reinforcing part 150 can be designed more conveniently according to the actual situation, so as to better balance the pressure sensitivity The deformation requirements of the layer 120 and the reinforcement requirements of the circuit board 110 and the pressure-sensitive layer 120 .

Optionally, when the third reinforcing piece 150 is a flexible reinforcing piece, the third reinforcing piece 150 may be recessed relative to the first reinforcing piece 130 and the second reinforcing piece 140. In other embodiments, the third reinforcing piece The outer surface of the reinforcing member 150 is flush with the outer surface of the first reinforcing member 130 , and the outer surface of the third reinforcing member 150 is flush with the outer surface of the second reinforcing member 140 . In other words, from the appearance, the shape of the first reinforcing piece 130 and the second reinforcing piece 140 is the same as that of the third reinforcing piece 150, and the external dimensions of the first reinforcing piece 130 and the second reinforcing piece 140 are It is equal to the external dimensions of the third reinforcing piece 150. On the one hand, this design can make the third reinforcing piece 150 fill up the accommodation cavity 101 between the first reinforcing piece 130 and the second reinforcing piece 140, thereby preventing the accommodating Stress concentration occurs at the cavity 101, which finally achieves the effect of improving the reliability of the button module; on the other hand, the structural parameters of the first reinforcement 130, the second reinforcement 140 and the third reinforcement 150 are more consistent, So as to facilitate the processing of the three.

Further, the above-mentioned third reinforcing member 150 can be set as a solid member, so as to improve its supporting effect; the third reinforcing member 150 can also be set as a hollow member, so as to make it easier to deform, so as to facilitate the pressure-sensitive layer 120 to sense .

Optionally, as shown in FIGS. 5 to 8, the first reinforcement 130, the second reinforcement 140 and the third reinforcement 150 together form a groove 102, and the opening side of the groove 102 faces the circuit board. 110 , the groove 102 here can provide space for the deformation of the pressure-sensitive layer 120 , so that the pressure-sensitive layer 120 can accurately sense the magnitude of the pressing force. Optionally, the groove 102 can be formed by chemical etching, computerized numerical control (Computerized Numerical Control, CNC) processing, etc., and the parameters such as the width and depth of the groove 102 can be selected according to actual needs, which is not limited in the embodiment of the present application .

In an optional embodiment, the side of the first reinforcement 130 away from the circuit board 110 , the side of the second reinforcement 140 away from the circuit board 110 , and the side of the third reinforcement 150 away from the circuit board 110 are flush, That is, the third reinforcing member 150 is connected to the side of the first reinforcing member 130 and the second reinforcing member 140 away from the circuit board 110. This arrangement makes the space in the groove 102 larger, thus making it easier for the pressure-sensitive layer to 120 deformations. In another optional embodiment, grooves 102 are formed on opposite sides of the third reinforcing piece 150, that is, the third reinforcing piece 150 is connected to the first reinforcing piece 130 and the second reinforcing piece 140. In the middle area, this arrangement makes the third reinforcing member 150 closer to the circuit board 110 , so as to better support the circuit board 110 and the pressure-sensing layer 120 .

The embodiment of the present application also discloses an electronic device, which includes the button module described in any of the above embodiments. The electronic devices disclosed in the embodiments of the present application may be smart phones, tablet computers, e-book readers, wearable devices (such as smart watches), electronic game consoles and other electronic devices, and the embodiments of the present application do not specifically limit the types of electronic devices.

The embodiments of the present application have been described above in conjunction with the accompanying drawings, but the present application is not limited to the above-mentioned specific implementations. The above-mentioned specific implementations are only illustrative and not restrictive. Those of ordinary skill in the art will Under the inspiration of this application, without departing from the purpose of this application and the scope of protection of the claims, many forms can also be made, all of which belong to the protection of this application.

Claims

A button module, comprising:

circuit board (110);

a pressure-sensing layer (120), the pressure-sensing layer (120) is arranged on the circuit board (110), and the pressure-sensing layer (120) is electrically connected to the circuit board (110);

The first reinforcing piece (130) and the second reinforcing piece (140), the first reinforcing piece (130) and the second reinforcing piece (140) are both arranged on the circuit board (110) away from On one side of the pressure-sensitive layer (120), there is an accommodating cavity (101) between the first reinforcement (130) and the second reinforcement (140), perpendicular to the circuit board ( 110), the orthographic projection of the accommodation cavity (101) and the orthographic projection of the pressure-sensitive layer (120) at least partially coincide;

A third reinforcement (150), one end of the third reinforcement (150) is connected to the first reinforcement (130), and the other end of the third reinforcement (150) is connected to the The second reinforcement (140) is connected, the third reinforcement (150) is located in the accommodation cavity (101), and the stiffness of the third reinforcement (150) is smaller than that of the first reinforcement (130), and the stiffness of the third reinforcement (150) is less than the stiffness of the second reinforcement (140); and/or, the third reinforcement (150) and the There are gaps between the circuit boards (110).
The button module according to claim 1, wherein, the first reinforcing member (130) has a first support surface facing the circuit board (110), and the second reinforcing member (140) has a supporting surface facing The second supporting surface of the circuit board (110), the third reinforcing member (150) has a third supporting surface facing the circuit board (110), the first supporting surface, the second supporting surface The surface is flush with the third supporting surface.
The button module according to claim 1, wherein, the side of the first reinforcement (130) facing the second reinforcement (140) includes a connected first area and a second area, and the first The side of the second reinforcing piece (140) facing the first reinforcing piece (130) includes a connected third area and a fourth area, and the first area is connected to the said third reinforcing piece (150) The third area is connected, and there is a gap between the second area and the fourth area.
The button module according to claim 3, wherein, the third reinforcing piece (150) is a sheet metal piece.
The button module according to claim 3, wherein the number of the third reinforcing pieces (150) is at least two, and each of the third reinforcing pieces (150) is arranged at intervals.
The button module according to claim 1, wherein the third reinforcement (150) is a flexible reinforcement, and the third reinforcement (150) fills at least a part of the accommodation cavity (101) , when the pressure-sensitive layer (120) is under pressure, the third reinforcing member (150) can be deformed.
The button module according to claim 6, wherein the outer surface of the third reinforcement (150) is flush with the outer surface of the first reinforcement (130), and the third reinforcement The outer surface of the member (150) is flush with the outer surface of the second reinforcing member (140).
The button module according to claim 1, wherein the first reinforcing piece (130), the second reinforcing piece (140) and the third reinforcing piece (150) together form a groove (102), the opening side of the groove (102) faces the circuit board (110).
The button module according to claim 8, wherein the first reinforcement (130) faces away from the circuit board (110), and the second reinforcement (140) faces away from the circuit board ( 110) and the side of the third reinforcement (150) away from the circuit board (110) are flush; or,

The grooves (102) are formed on opposite sides of the third reinforcing piece (150).
An electronic device, comprising the button module according to any one of claims 1-9.