Touchpad module

Abstract

A touchpad module includes a support member, a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) and an elastic member. The support member has a plurality of strip-shaped gaps to define an elastic arm, in which the strip-shaped gaps form a symmetrical pattern, and the elastic arm has a central portion and a plurality of extension portions connected to the central portion. The printed circuit board assembly is located over the support member and includes a displacement sensing element adjacent to the elastic arm and facing the support member. The elastic member is disposed between the printed circuit board assembly and the central portion of ​​the elastic arm of the support member.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to a touchpad module, and more particularly to a touchpad module having a displacement sensing element. Prior Technology

[0002] Some electronic devices on the market are equipped with touchpad modules. Users can move the cursor on the screen of the electronic device by sliding their fingers on the touchpad module, or they can press the touchpad module to make the electronic device perform specific functions. In this way, users do not need to carry and install an additional mouse.

[0003] Generally speaking, the support of a touchpad module usually has a spring arm defined by a single U-shaped gap, and a sensing element for sensing the deformation of the spring arm is set on the spring arm. When the touchpad module is pressed, the spring arm will deform, and the sensing element for sensing the deformation of the spring arm can detect the signal. Summary of the Invention

[0004] This invention provides a touchpad module comprising a support member, a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA), and an elastic element. The support member has multiple strip-shaped gaps defining spring arms, wherein the strip-shaped gaps form a symmetrical pattern, and the spring arms have a central portion and multiple extensions connecting the central portion. The PCBA is located above the support member and includes a displacement sensing element, wherein the displacement sensing element is adjacent to the spring arms and faces the support member. The elastic element is disposed between the PCBA and the central portion of the spring arms of the support member.

[0005] In some embodiments of the invention, the strip-shaped gaps at least partially surround each other, and the extended portions at least partially surround the central portion.

[0006] In some embodiments of the present invention, the area of ​​the displacement sensing element is greater than or equal to the area of ​​the central portion of the spring arm.

[0007] In some embodiments of the invention, the support has two of these strip-shaped gaps to define the spring arm.

[0008] In some embodiments of the invention, the support has three or four of these strip-shaped gaps to define the spring arm.

[0009] In some embodiments of the present invention, the displacement sensing element is a capacitive sensing element.

[0010] In some embodiments of the present invention, the displacement sensing element is an inductive sensing element.

[0011] In some embodiments of the present invention, the touchpad module does not include a sensing element for sensing the deformation of the spring arm.

[0012] In some embodiments of the present invention, the touchpad module does not include a strain gauge.

[0013] In some embodiments of the present invention, the touchpad module does not include a piezoelectric sensing element. Simple Explanation of the Diagram

[0014] The invention will be best understood from the following description in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments. However, it should be understood that, according to industry practice, the various features are not necessarily drawn to scale. In fact, for clarity, the shapes of the various features may be appropriately adjusted, and the dimensions of the various features may be arbitrarily increased or decreased.

[0015] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the appearance of a touchpad module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0016] Figure 2 is a top-view perspective view of a touchpad module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0017] Figure 3 is a bottom perspective view of a touchpad module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0018] Figure 4 is a partial cross-sectional schematic diagram of a touchpad module according to an embodiment of the present invention.

[0019] Figures 5A to 5D are top views of the spring arm according to some embodiments of the present invention. Implementation

[0020] The advantages and features of the present invention, as well as the methods of achieving them, will be more readily understood through a more detailed description with reference to exemplary embodiments and accompanying drawings. However, the invention may be implemented in various forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments provided will, to those skilled in the art, enable the invention to be thoroughly and completely conveyed and its scope fully understood.

[0021] The spatial relative terms used in this article, such as "down" and "up," are for the convenience of describing the relative relationship between one element or feature and another in the diagram. The true meaning of these spatial relative terms includes other orientations. For example, when the diagram is rotated 180 degrees vertically, the relationship between one element and another may change from "down" to "up." The spatial relative descriptions used in this article should be interpreted in the same way.

[0022] As described in the prior art, a typical touchpad module support usually has a spring arm defined by a single U-shaped gap, and a sensing element for sensing the deformation of the spring arm is disposed on the spring arm. When the touchpad module is pressed, the spring arm deforms, and the sensing element for sensing the deformation of the spring arm can detect the signal. However, the commonly used sensing elements for sensing the deformation of the spring arm (such as strain gauges or piezoelectric sensing elements) are expensive. The inventors have discovered that if other sensing elements, such as displacement sensing elements, are used to replace the sensing elements for sensing the deformation of the spring arm, since the spring arm defined by this single U-shaped gap has only a single fulcrum, when the touchpad module is pressed, the spring arm tilts and deforms downward from this single fulcrum. This behavior affects the sensing effect of the displacement sensing element, resulting in poor displacement sensing accuracy. Accordingly, the present invention provides a touchpad module comprising a support member, a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) with a displacement sensing element, and an elastic member. The support member has multiple strip-shaped gaps defining spring arms, these gaps forming a symmetrical pattern. Each spring arm has a central portion and multiple extensions connecting to the central portion. In other words, the spring arm has multiple fulcrums (located between the central portion and the extensions). Thus, when the touchpad module is pressed, the spring arms can deform downwards in a nearly symmetrical manner, which facilitates accurate sensing of displacement by the displacement sensing element (i.e., the change in distance between the PCBA and the support member when the touchpad module is not pressed and after pressing), giving the touchpad module better displacement sensing accuracy. Various embodiments of the touchpad module of the present invention will be described in detail below.

[0023] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the appearance of a touchpad module according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a top perspective view of a touchpad module according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 is a bottom perspective view of a touchpad module according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 is a partial cross-sectional view of a touchpad module according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figures 1 to 4, the touchpad module includes a support member 110, a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) 120, and an elastic member 130.

[0024] As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the support member 110 has multiple strip-shaped gaps 110g to define the spring arm 111. These strip-shaped gaps 110g form a symmetrical pattern. In this text, "symmetry" includes perfect symmetry and near-symmetry, which means that the pattern completely or approximately overlaps with the original pattern after a certain operation (such as reflection, rotation, etc.).

[0025] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the support member 110 has two strip-shaped gaps 110g to define the spring arm 111, thus the spring arm 111 has two fulcrums. These strip-shaped gaps 110g constitute a rotationally symmetric pattern. "Rotationally symmetric" means that the pattern completely or approximately coincides with the original pattern after being rotated by a certain angle.

[0026] As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the spring arm 111 has a central portion 111c and a plurality of extension portions 111e connected to the central portion 111c. The extension portions 111e are separate from each other. In some embodiments, the strip-shaped gaps 110g at least partially surround each other, and the extension portions 111e at least partially surround the central portion 111c.

[0027] Figures 5A to 5D are top views of spring arms according to some embodiments of the present invention. In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 5A to 5D, the strip-shaped gaps 110g form a symmetrical pattern. In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 5A and 5B, the support member 110 has two strip-shaped gaps 110g to define the spring arm 111, thus the spring arm 111 has two fulcrums. In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 5C and 5D, the support member 110 has four strip-shaped gaps 110g to define the spring arm 111, thus the spring arm 111 has four fulcrums. However, the present invention is not limited to the foregoing embodiments. In other embodiments, the support member may have three or more strip-shaped gaps to define the spring arm; in other words, the spring arm may have three or more fulcrums. Furthermore, the strip-shaped gaps 110g may have different or the same width at different positions. The strip-shaped gaps 110g may have the same shape or different shapes.

[0028] In some embodiments, as shown in Figures 2 and 4, the support 110 has a protrusion 112 adjacent to the spring arm 111. In some embodiments, the protrusion 112 is formed by an embossing process or other suitable process.

[0029] As shown in Figures 2 to 4, the assembly circuit board 120 is located above the support member 110 and includes a displacement sensing element 121, which detects the amount of displacement generated when the touchpad module is pressed and converts it into an electronic signal for subsequent processing. As shown in Figure 4, the displacement sensing element 121 is adjacent to the spring arm 111 and faces the support member 110. In some embodiments, the displacement sensing element 121 faces the protrusion 112 of the support member 110.

[0030] It should be noted that since the spring arm 111 of the present invention has multiple fulcrums, when the touch panel module is pressed, the spring arm 111 can deform downward in an almost symmetrical manner, which is beneficial for the displacement sensing element 121 to accurately sense the displacement (i.e., the change in the distance between the assembly circuit board 120 and the support member 110 when the touch panel module is not pressed and after it is pressed). Therefore, the touch panel module of the present invention has better displacement sensing accuracy.

[0031] On the other hand, since the assembly circuit board 120 of the touchpad module of the present invention includes a displacement sensing element 121, the touchpad module may not include a sensing element for sensing the deformation of the spring arm 111; the touchpad module may not include a strain gauge; and / or the touchpad module may not include a piezoelectric sensing element. Therefore, compared with touchpad modules that include strain gauges or piezoelectric sensing elements, the touchpad module of the present invention has a lower cost.

[0032] In some embodiments, the displacement sensing element 121 is a capacitive sensing element, an inductive sensing element, or other sensing element that can be used to detect displacement. In some embodiments, the displacement sensing element 121 is a capacitive sensing electrode. In some embodiments, the assembly circuit board 120 further includes an active shielding layer 122 adjacent to the displacement sensing element 121 to reduce external signal interference and improve the displacement sensing accuracy of the displacement sensing element 121. In some embodiments, as shown in FIG3, the active shielding layer 122 surrounds the displacement sensing element 121. However, the present invention is not limited to the foregoing embodiments; in other embodiments, the active shielding layer may be disposed in other locations.

[0033] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG3, the area of ​​the displacement sensing element 121 is greater than or equal to the area of ​​the central portion 111c of the spring arm 111. In some embodiments, the number of displacement sensing elements 121 is greater than the number of spring arms 111. It should be noted that the present invention is not limited to the foregoing embodiments. In practical applications, the shape, area, placement position, and number of the spring arms and displacement sensing elements can be appropriately adjusted according to actual needs.

[0034] The elastic element 130 is disposed between the assembly circuit board 120 and the central portion 111c of the spring arm 111 of the support member 110. In some embodiments, the length and width of the elastic element 130 are less than or equal to the length and width of the central portion 111c of the spring arm 111, respectively.

[0035] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG1, the touchpad module further includes a cover plate 140 that covers the assembled circuit board 120 as shown in FIG2 to 4 to protect the assembled circuit board 120. In some embodiments, the cover plate 140 is made of glass or other suitable materials.

[0036] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of the present invention and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the invention. Any simple equivalent changes and modifications made in accordance with the claims and description of the invention are still within the scope of the patent. Furthermore, no embodiment or claim of the present invention needs to achieve all the objectives, advantages, or features disclosed in the invention. In addition, the abstract and headings are merely for assisting in patent document searches and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

[0037] 110: Support component 110g: Strip-shaped pores 111: Spinning Arm 111c: Central section 111e: Extension 112:convex part 120: Assemble circuit boards 121: Displacement sensing element 122: Active shielding layer 130: Elastic component 140: Cover plate

Claims

1. A touchpad module, comprising: A support member having a plurality of non-communicating strip-shaped gaps near a corner or edge of the support member to define a spring arm near that corner or edge of the support member, wherein the strip-shaped gaps form a symmetrical pattern, and the spring arm has a central portion and a plurality of extensions connecting the central portion; a printed circuit board assembly (PCBA) located above the support member and including a displacement sensing element, wherein the displacement sensing element is adjacent to the spring arm and faces the support member; And an elastic element disposed between the assembly circuit board and the central portion of the spring arm of the support member.

2. The touchpad module as described in claim 1, wherein the strip-shaped gaps at least partially surround each other, and the extended portions at least partially surround the central portion.

3. The touchpad module as described in claim 1, wherein an area of ​​the displacement sensing element is greater than or equal to an area of ​​the central portion of the spring arm.

4. The touchpad module as described in claim 1, wherein the displacement sensing element is a capacitive sensing element.

5. The touchpad module as described in claim 1, wherein the displacement sensing element is an inductive sensing element.

6. The touchpad module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the touchpad module does not include a sensing element for sensing the deformation of the spring arm.

7. The touchpad module as described in claim 1, wherein the touchpad module does not include a strain gauge.

8. The touchpad module as claimed in claim 1, wherein the touchpad module does not include a piezoelectric sensing element.

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