Touchpad pressing module

Abstract

The touchpad pressing module includes a touchpad, a plurality of elastic elements, and a base plate. The touchpad is used to sense touch operations. The plurality of elastic elements are disposed below the touchpad, and each of the elastic elements has an inner positioning section, an outer fixing section, and an elastic section. The elastic section is connected between the inner positioning section and the outer fixing section. The base plate is disposed below the touchpad. In the stacking direction of the touchpad and the base plate, the inner positioning section is located within the orthographic projection of the touchpad, and the outer fixing section is located outside the orthographic projection of the touchpad.

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] This invention generally relates to an input device, and more specifically, to a touchpad pressing module. [Previous Technology]

[0002] Touchpads are widely used input devices in electronic devices (such as laptops) to sense the user's touch operations (such as pressing or moving) on ​​the surface, thereby controlling the operation of the electronic device. However, current touchpads are prone to wobbling or excessive differences in pressing distance during the user's pressing process due to the force transmission. [Summary of the Invention]

[0003] One objective of the present invention is to provide a touchpad pressing module, wherein the elastic element transmits excess force away from the trigger point in order to avoid deformation of the base plate and maintain a certain pressing stroke.

[0004] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a touch panel pressing module, wherein the distance between the force-bearing point and the fixing point of the spring is relatively short, making it easy to control the direction of force transmission and reduce the swaying during the lifting and lowering process of the touch panel.

[0005] Another objective of the present invention is to provide a touchpad pressing module, which reduces the tilt angle of the touchpad and improves the consistency of the pressing stroke between the center and the periphery of the touchpad by means of the design of the limiting structure and the limiting radius.

[0006] In one embodiment, the present invention provides a touch panel pressing module, which includes a touch panel, a plurality of elastic members and a base plate, wherein the touch panel is used to sense touch operation; the plurality of elastic members are disposed below the touch panel, each of the plurality of elastic members having an inner positioning section, an outer fixing section and an elastic section, the elastic section being connected between the inner positioning section and the outer fixing section; the base plate is disposed below the touch panel, wherein in the stacking direction of the touch panel and the base plate, the inner positioning section is located within the orthographic projection of the touch panel, and the outer fixing section is located outside the orthographic projection of the touch panel.

[0007] In one embodiment, the touch panel pressing module of the present invention further includes a housing, wherein the housing has a housing opening, the touch panel is disposed in the housing opening, and the base plate is fixed to the housing.

[0008] In one embodiment, the outer fixing segment is adjacent to or partially overlaps the fixing point of the base plate and the shell, and the outer fixing segment is fixed to the base plate or the shell.

[0009] In one embodiment, the housing has an inner periphery defining the housing opening, an outer fixed segment adjacent to the inner periphery, and the length of the elastic segment is less than 1 / 2, 1 / 3 or 1 / 4 of the length of the long side of the touch panel, or the length of the elastic segment is less than 1 / 2 of the length of the short side of the touch panel.

[0010] In one embodiment, the extension direction of the external fixed segment intersects with the extension direction of the elastic segment.

[0011] In one embodiment, the touch panel pressing module of the present invention further includes a plurality of limiting structures, wherein the plurality of limiting structures are respectively adjacent to the side of the elastic segment of the corresponding elastic member among the plurality of elastic members, and in the stacking direction, the plurality of limiting structures are located outside the orthographic projection of the touch panel.

[0012] In one embodiment, the plurality of limiting structures are each composed of a fixed interference member and a movable interference member. The fixed interference member is disposed on the base plate, and the movable interference member extends from below the touch panel to correspond to the fixed interference member.

[0013] In one embodiment, the touch panel pressing module of the present invention further includes a bracket, wherein the bracket is disposed between the touch panel and the base plate, and the movable interference member is disposed on the bracket or the touch panel.

[0014] In one embodiment, in one direction, the distance between the center and the edge of the touchpad is the touchpad radius, the distance between the limiting structure and the center of the touchpad is the limiting radius, and the limiting radius is greater than the touchpad radius.

[0015] In one embodiment, in the stacking direction, the plurality of limiting structures overlap with the housing and have a gap between them and the inner periphery.

[0016] In one embodiment, the touch panel includes a switch, and the base plate has a trigger portion corresponding to the switch.

[0017] In one embodiment, the touch panel pressing module of the present invention further includes a bracket, wherein the bracket is disposed between the touch panel and the base plate, and the upper surface of the inner positioning section abuts against the lower surface of the bracket.

[0018] In another embodiment, the present invention provides a touch panel pressing module, which includes a touch panel, a plurality of elastic members, a base plate and a plurality of limiting structures, wherein the touch panel is used to sense touch operation; the plurality of elastic members are disposed below the touch panel, each of the plurality of elastic members having an inner positioning section, an outer fixing section and an elastic section, the elastic section being connected between the inner positioning section and the outer fixing section; the base plate is disposed below the touch panel; the plurality of limiting structures are respectively adjacent to the outer fixing section of the corresponding elastic member among the plurality of elastic members, and in the stacking direction of the touch panel and the base plate, the plurality of limiting structures are located outside the orthographic projection of the touch panel.

[0019] In one embodiment, the plurality of limiting structures are each composed of a fixed interference member and a movable interference member. The fixed interference member is disposed on the base plate, and the movable interference member extends from below the touch panel and is used to interfere with the fixed interference member in the stacking direction.

[0020] In one embodiment, the touch panel pressing module of the present invention further includes a bracket, wherein the bracket is disposed between the touch panel and the base plate, the upper surface of the inner positioning section abuts against the lower surface of the bracket, and the movable interference member is disposed on the bracket.

[0021] In one embodiment, the inner positioning segment, the elastic segment and the outer fixing segment of the elastic member are arranged sequentially from top to bottom along the stacking direction.

[0022] In one embodiment, the plurality of limiting structures are arranged symmetrically around the center of the touch panel.

[0023] Compared to the prior art, the fixed section of the elastic element of the touchpad pressing module of the present invention is adjacent to or partially overlaps with the fixed point of the base plate, which can transmit the force to the fixed point of the base plate, avoid deformation of the base plate, and maintain a certain pressing stroke. Furthermore, the limiting radius of the limiting structure of the touchpad pressing module of the present invention is larger than the pressing radius of the force point, which effectively reduces the tilt angle of the touchpad and improves the consistency of the pressing stroke between the center and the periphery of the touchpad.

Implementation Method

[0025] This invention provides a touchpad pressing module that can be applied to any suitable electronic device requiring touch / press input / control, such as a laptop, tablet, etc., but is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the touchpad pressing module can be a standalone device and externally connected to a non-portable or portable electronic device. Thus, the user can operate the touchpad pressing module by sliding or pressing their finger to control the operation of the electronic device.

[0026] Referring to Figures 1 and 2, Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a touchpad pressing module according to an embodiment of the present invention, and Figure 2 is a plan view of a touchpad pressing module according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figures 1 and 2, the touchpad pressing module 1 includes a touchpad 10, a plurality of elastic members 20, and a base plate 30. The touchpad 10 is used to sense touch operations. The plurality of elastic members 20 are disposed below the touchpad 10, and each of the plurality of elastic members 20 has an inner positioning section 21, an outer fixing section 22, and an elastic section 23. The elastic section 23 is connected between the inner positioning section 21 and the outer fixing section 22. The base plate 30 is disposed below the touchpad 10. In the stacking direction (e.g., the Z-axis direction) of the touchpad 10 and the base plate 30, the inner positioning section 21 is located within the orthographic projection of the touchpad 10, and the outer fixing section 22 is located outside the orthographic projection of the touchpad 10. From another perspective, in the stacking direction (e.g., the Z-axis direction) of the touchpad 10 and the base plate 30, the inner positioning segment 21 overlaps with the touchpad 10, and the outer fixing segment 22 does not overlap with the touchpad 10, that is, the outer fixing segment 22 protrudes from the side of the touchpad 10.

[0027] Specifically, the touchpad 10 may be a plate extending along the XY plane, and the touchpad 10 includes a circuit board 11 and a touch surface (e.g., the surface of the cover plate 12). The circuit board 11 may be a general printed circuit board, a flexible printed circuit board, or a rigid-flex PCB. The circuit board 11 has touch circuitry and a switching circuit. The touch circuitry is used to sense touch operations, such as those performed by a hand or stylus on the touch surface, and may include a sensing unit and sensing circuitry (not shown). The switching circuitry includes a switch 111 and switching circuitry (not shown), used to trigger a press signal when a certain force is applied to the touch surface. The switch 111 of the touchpad 10 is disposed on the bottom surface of the circuit board 11, and is preferably located at or near the center C of the touchpad 10, but is not limited thereto. Depending on the application, the switch 111 may be located at any suitable position on the touchpad 10. In one embodiment, the switch 111 may be a push-button switch or a micro switch, and corresponding to the switch 111 of the touchpad 10, the base plate 30 preferably has a trigger portion 31. The trigger portion 31 is positioned corresponding to the switch 111 (i.e., the trigger point position of the touchpad 10), such that the switch 111 presses against the trigger portion 31 in response to a user's pressing operation on the touch surface to generate a pressing signal. In one embodiment, the trigger portion 31 may be a structure that protrudes upward from the central area of ​​the base plate 30 and is located directly below the switch 111, and there may be a gap or no gap between the trigger portion 31 and the switch 111. In one embodiment, the touchpad 10 includes a cover plate 12, and the touch surface may be the upper surface of the cover plate 12. For example, the cover plate 12 may be a glass plate or a polymer plate disposed on the circuit board 11 for user touch or pressing operation.

[0028] The elastic member 20 provides a restoring force to the touchpad 10, allowing the touchpad 10 to move under force, such as tilting, swinging, and moving up and down. As shown in FIG1, the inner positioning segment 21, the elastic segment 23, and the outer fixing segment 22 of the elastic member 20 are arranged sequentially from top to bottom along the stacking direction (e.g., the Z-axis direction). In one embodiment, the inner positioning segment 21 and the outer fixing segment 22 are preferably arranged parallel to the touch surface of the touchpad 10, and the elastic segment 23 extends obliquely relative to the stacking direction to connect between the inner positioning segment 21 and the outer fixing segment 22, so that the elastic member 20 has a stepped cross-section. The inner positioning segment 21 is preferably positioned below the touchpad 10, and the outer fixing segment 22 can be fixed to the base plate 30 and / or the housing 60 (described in detail later), so that when the touchpad 10 is pressed, the elastic segment 23 connected between the inner positioning segment 21 and the outer fixing segment 22 can deform relative to the inner positioning segment 21 and the outer fixing segment 22. For example, as shown in Figure 1, the inner positioning segment 21 can abut against or connect to the lower surface of the circuit board 11, while the outer fixing segment 22 can be fixed to the base plate 30. The circuit board 11 and the base plate 30 form an accommodating space, and the elastic segment 23 of the elastic member 20 can be accommodated between the circuit board 11 and the base plate 30, but is not limited thereto. The elastic segment 23 can also partially or largely protrude downward from the base plate 30 when subjected to force or not.

[0029] Since the touchpad 10 is usually subjected to excessive force, in addition to the switch 111 of the trigger circuit board 11, there is excess force that needs to be transmitted to other locations for release. As shown in Figure 2, the plurality of elastic elements 20 preferably extend to the four corners of the touchpad 10 respectively, so that the force transmission is away from the trigger part 31, and the excess force is absorbed by the elastic elements 20 and converted into stored restoring force. For example, the plurality of elastic elements 20 can individually or jointly provide an upward support force of about 10 grams to 50 grams, used for (1) providing basic tactile resistance when the user presses; (2) absorbing excess force when pressing and storing it as restoring force; (3) after pressing, using the restoring force to push the touchpad 10 back to the unpressed position. For example, four elastic elements 20 can be respectively set to the four corners of the touchpad 10, so that each elastic element 20 extends from the corner of the touchpad 10 to the corresponding corner of the base plate 30 along, for example, the X-axis direction, but is not limited thereto. Furthermore, the extending direction of the outer fixing segment 22 preferably intersects with the extending direction of the elastic segment 23. For example, the outer fixing segment 22 and the elastic segment 23 can be configured in a T-shape or an L-shape, so that the outer fixing segment 22 has a component perpendicular to the elastic segment 23, making it easier to control the direction of force transmission and reducing the swaying during the lifting and lowering of the touch panel 10. The number, shape, and position of the elastic elements 20 can vary according to the actual application and are not limited to the embodiment. For example, the outer fixing segments 22 of two adjacent elastic elements 20 can be connected to each other to form a U-shaped elastic element 20 (as shown in Figure 3).

[0030] The distance between the force-bearing point (e.g., inner positioning segment 21) and the fixing point (e.g., outer fixing segment 22) of the elastic element 20 around the touchpad 10 is preferably short enough to avoid insufficient pressing force to trigger the switch 111 when the elastic segment 23 of the elastic element 20 is too long, requiring an increased pressing stroke or increased pressing force to trigger it. In one embodiment, the length of the elastic segment 23 is preferably less than 1 / 2, 1 / 3, or 1 / 4 of the length of the long side of the touchpad 10, or the length of the elastic segment 23 is preferably less than 1 / 2 of the length of the short side of the touchpad 10. For example, as shown in FIG2, the length of the elastic segment 23 may be less than 1 / 2, 1 / 3, or 1 / 4 of the length of the long side of the touchpad 10 along the X-axis, or the length of the elastic segment 23 may be less than 1 / 2 of the length of the short side of the touchpad 10 along the Y-axis.

[0031] In one embodiment, the touchpad pressing module 1 may further include a housing 60, wherein the housing 60 has a housing opening 61 and an inner periphery 62 defining the housing opening 61. The touchpad 10 is disposed in the housing opening 61, and the outer periphery of the touchpad 10 is surrounded by the inner periphery 62. From another viewpoint, when the touchpad 10 is disposed in the housing opening 61, the sidewall of the touchpad 10 and the sidewall of the housing opening 61 are preferably opposite to each other. Specifically, the housing 60 may be implemented as a device housing of an electronic device, such as the keyboard housing of a laptop computer. The size and shape of the housing opening 61 preferably correspond to the touchpad 10, such that when the touchpad 10 is disposed in the housing 60, the touch surface (e.g., cover plate 12) can be exposed from the housing opening 61 for user operation. For example, the housing opening 61 is a rectangular opening, and the inner periphery 62 is a sidewall surrounding the housing opening 61.

[0032] Preferably, the base plate 30 is fixed to the housing 60 by a fastener 70, such that the fixing segment 22 of the elastic member 20 is adjacent to or partially overlaps the fixing point of the base plate 30 and the housing 60. For example, the fastener 70 may be a bolt, a protrusion, etc., to lock into the corresponding holes (e.g., 35, 65) of the base plate 30 and the housing 60, but is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the fastener 70 may be a thermoplastic material, which, after being inserted into the corresponding holes of the base plate 30 and the housing 60, achieves a fixing effect through thermoplasticizing and curing. In one embodiment, the fixing segment 22 of the elastic member 20 may be sandwiched between the base plate 30 and the housing 60, so that it is fixed to the housing 60 together with the base plate 30 by the same fastener 70, but is not limited thereto. In another embodiment, the fixing segment 22 of the elastic member 20 and the base plate 30 may be fixed to the housing 60 separately by different fasteners 70. In other words, the outer fixing segment 22 of the elastic member 20 may not be fixed to the base plate 30, but rather to the housing 60. Specifically, since the corner of the touchpad 10 is the furthest point from the center C of the touchpad 10, when force is applied at this point, most of the excess force must be transferred / absorbed to the outer fixing segment 22 of the elastic member 20 in the shortest time / shortest distance to avoid directing excess force to the trigger portion 31 of the base plate 30. Therefore, the outer fixing segment 22 of the elastic member 20 is preferably adjacent to the inner periphery 62 of the housing 60 and close to the corner of the touchpad 10. In cases where the rigidity near the inner periphery 62 of the housing 60 is less than the rigidity of the base plate 30, the outer fixing segment 22 of the elastic member 20 is preferably fixed to the base plate 30 and adjacent to or partially overlaps the fixing point between the base plate 30 and the housing 60. Therefore, when the touchpad 10 is pressed, the elastic element 20 can transfer the excess force to the fixing point of the base plate 30 (i.e., the fixing point between the base plate 30 and the housing 60), thus preventing deformation of the base plate 30 and maintaining a certain pressing stroke. In cases where the rigidity near the inner periphery 62 of the housing 60 is greater than the rigidity of the base plate 30, the fixing section 22 of the elastic element 20 can be directly fixed to the housing 60 and located near the inner periphery 62. In this way, the elastic element 20 can transfer the excess force to the housing 60, thus also preventing deformation of the base plate 30 and maintaining a certain pressing stroke.

[0033] In one embodiment, as shown in Figures 1 and 2, the touchpad pressing module 1 further includes a plurality of limiting structures 40, wherein the plurality of limiting structures 40 are respectively adjacent to the side of the elastic segment 23 of the corresponding elastic member 20 among the plurality of elastic members 20. In the stacking direction (e.g., the Z-axis direction), the plurality of limiting structures 40 are preferably located outside the orthographic projection of the touchpad 10. From another viewpoint, in the stacking direction, the plurality of limiting structures 40 do not overlap with the touchpad 10, and the plurality of limiting structures 40 preferably overlap with the housing 60 and have a gap G between them and the inner periphery 62. Specifically, as shown in Figure 1, in one direction (e.g., the X-axis direction), the distance between the center C of the touchpad 10 and the edge of the touchpad 10 is the touchpad radius R1; the distance between the center C of the touchpad 10 and the inner periphery 62 of the housing 60 is the opening radius R2; and the distance between the limiting structure 40 and the center C of the touchpad 10 is the limiting radius R3. Preferably, the limiting radius R3 is larger than the opening radius R2, and the opening radius R2 is preferably slightly larger than the touchpad radius R1. The difference between the limiting radius R3 and the opening radius R2 is the gap G. In one embodiment, the gap G is preferably from 0.5 mm to 10 mm, but is not limited thereto. In cases where the limiting radius R3 is too short (e.g., R3 is smaller than the touchpad radius R1), or the limiting structure 40 overlaps with the touchpad 10 in the stacking direction, or the limiting structure 40 is located within or overlaps with the housing opening 61), the trigger stroke is too long when the opposite side is pressed, resulting in a large difference in the pressing stroke between the center and the periphery of the touchpad 10, and an excessively large tilt angle of the touchpad 10. Therefore, by increasing the limiting radius R3 (e.g., R3 > touchpad radius R1), this invention can reduce the tilt angle of the touchpad 10, allowing the periphery of the touchpad 10 to achieve an ultra-short pressing stroke, resulting in a small difference in the pressing stroke between the center and the periphery of the touchpad 10 and high consistency.

[0034] In one embodiment, the plurality of limiting structures 40 preferably each comprises a fixed interference member 41 and a movable interference member 42, and in the stacking direction (e.g., the Z-axis direction), the fixed interference member 41 and the movable interference member 42 at least partially overlap, such that when the touch panel 10 moves relative to the base plate 30, the fixed interference member 41 and the movable interference member 42 can interfere to produce a limiting effect. In one embodiment, the fixed interference member 41 is disposed on the base plate 30, and the movable interference member 42 extends from below the touch panel 10 to correspond to the fixed interference member 41 and to interfere with the fixed interference member 41 in the stacking direction. For example, as shown in FIG1, the fixed interference member 41 and the movable interference member 42 can be implemented as a pair of hooks, wherein the fixed interference member 41 can be bent from the base plate 30 toward the touch panel 10 (e.g., upward), and the movable interference member 42 can be extended downward from the circuit board 11 of the touch panel 10, protruding from the side edge of the touch panel 10 to be located below the corresponding fixed interference member 41. As shown in Figure 2, the multiple limiting structures 40 are preferably symmetrically arranged around the center C of the touchpad 10. When pressing around the touchpad 10, the force point is on the opposite side of the trigger point (i.e., the position of the switch 111 and the trigger part 31) of the limiting structure 40 (i.e., the contact point between the fixed interference member 41 and the movable interference member 42), and the limiting radius R3 of the limiting structure 40 is greater than the pressing radius of the force point (e.g., the touchpad radius R1), which can reduce the tilt angle of the touchpad 10 and reduce the pressing stroke around the touchpad 10.

[0035] Please refer to Figure 3, which is an exploded view of a touchpad pressing module according to another embodiment of the present invention. The differences between this embodiment and the previous embodiments will be described below. Similar or identical details (e.g., details of the touchpad 10, elastic element 20, and base plate 30) can be found in the relevant descriptions of the previous embodiments. As shown in Figure 3, in this embodiment, the touchpad pressing module 1 further includes a support 50. The support 50 is disposed between the touchpad 10 and the base plate 30 to enhance the structural strength of the touchpad 10. Furthermore, unlike the previous embodiment where the movable interference element 42 is disposed on the circuit board 11 of the touchpad 10, in this embodiment, the movable interference element 42 is disposed on the support 50.

[0036] Specifically, please refer to Figures 3 to 5, where Figures 4 and 5 are respectively an exploded view of the bracket 50 and the elastic member 20 according to an embodiment of the present invention and a bottom plan view after assembly. As shown in Figures 3 to 5, in this embodiment, the elastic member 20 is implemented as a U-shaped elastic member, wherein the outer fixing section 22 extends along the Y-axis direction, and two elastic sections 23 are disposed at opposite ends of the outer fixing section 22 along the Y-axis direction, and each of the two elastic sections 23 extends upward along the X-axis direction to connect to the corresponding inner positioning section 21. The elastic member 20 has a plurality of coupling holes 25. The plurality of coupling holes 25 are spaced apart along the Y-axis direction on the outer fixing section 22 for locking or positioning with the base plate 30 and / or the housing 60. The elastic section 23 may be provided with a slot 230 to enhance the elasticity or deformability of the elastic section 23. In this embodiment, the long axis of the slot 230 extends along the long axis direction of the elastic section 23 (e.g., the X-axis direction), but is not limited thereto. In another embodiment, one or more slots 230 may be locally disposed along the short axis direction (e.g., the Y-axis direction) of the elastic segment 23, such that the elastic segment 23 is a serpentine elastic arm with Z-shape or multiple bends. The upper surface 210 of the positioning segment 21 within the elastic member 20 is used to abut against the lower surface (e.g., 57) of the bracket 50.

[0037] Preferably, the bracket 50 has a shape and size corresponding to the touchpad 10, such that the movable interference member 42 disposed on the bracket 50 can protrude from the side edge of the touchpad 10 from all four sides. In this embodiment, the movable interference member 42 is implemented as a stepped hook bent downward from the plate surface of the bracket 50. Furthermore, the four corners of the bracket 50 are recessed inward relative to the movable interference member 42, such that the lower surface 57 of the recessed corners is a contact surface for abutting against the upper surface 210 of the inner positioning section 21 of the elastic member 20. As shown in FIG5, when the upper surface 210 of the inner positioning section 21 of the elastic member 20 is in contact with the lower surface 57 of the four corners of the bracket 50, the elastic section 23 is located in the recessed area next to the movable interference member 42, and the outer fixing section 22 is located on the outer side of the bracket 50. In addition, the bracket 50 has a switch hole 55 to allow the switch 111 to pass through to correspond to the trigger part 31 of the base plate 30.

[0038] Please refer to Figures 3, 6, and 7. Figures 6 and 7 are exploded and assembled schematic diagrams of the limiting structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figures 3, 6, and 7, corresponding to the downwardly bent movable interference member 42 of the bracket 50, the base plate 30 has an upwardly bent fixed interference member 41, such that the fixed interference member 41 protrudes above the movable interference member 42 and overlaps in the Z-axis direction. In addition, the base plate 30 has an upper surface 320 for fitting with the lower surface 220 of the outer fixed section 22 of the elastic member 20, and a coupling hole 35 corresponding to the coupling hole 25 of the outer fixed section 22. As shown in Figure 7, when the bracket 50, elastic member 20 and base plate 30 are positioned relative to each other, the upper surface 210 of the inner positioning section 21 is attached to the lower surface 57 of the four corners of the bracket 50, the elastic section 23 is located in the retracted area next to the movable interference member 42, the lower surface 220 of the outer fixing section 22 is attached to the upper surface 320 of the base plate 30 and is located on the outside of the bracket 50, the coupling hole 25 of the outer fixing section 22 and the coupling hole 35 of the base plate 30 are aligned and connected to each other for positioning or locking, and the movable interference member 42 of the bracket 50 and the fixed interference member 41 of the base plate 30 form a limiting structure 40.

[0039] Similar to the aforementioned embodiments, in this embodiment, the fixed segment 22 outside the elastic element 20 is located outside the orthogonal projection of the touchpad 10 in the Z-axis direction and can be fixed to the base plate 30 and / or the housing 60. This effectively transmits the force to the base plate 30 or the housing 60 to avoid deformation of the base plate and maintain a certain pressing stroke. In addition, when pressing the touchpad 10 around its perimeter, the force-bearing point and the fixed point of the elastic element 20 are short (i.e., the elastic segment 23 has a sufficiently short length), making it easy to control the direction of force transmission and reducing the swaying of the touchpad 10 during its lifting and lowering process. The design of the limiting structure 40 / limiting radius R3 can reduce the tilt angle of the touchpad 10, allowing the touchpad 10 to achieve an ultra-short pressing stroke around its perimeter, resulting in a small difference and high consistency in the pressing stroke between the center and perimeter of the touchpad 10.

[0040] Please refer to Figure 8, which is an exploded view of a touchpad pressing module according to another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in Figure 8, in this embodiment, the cover plate 12 can be bonded to the circuit board 11 by the first adhesive layer 13 to form the touchpad 10. The length and width of the first adhesive layer 13 and the circuit board 11 can be slightly smaller than the cover plate 12. The lower surface (e.g., 57) of the bracket 50 and the upper surface (e.g., 210) of the inner positioning section 21 of the elastic member 20 can be formed to abut or connect with each other by welding or bonding, and then the bracket 50 is bonded to the touchpad 10 by the second adhesive layer 15. Since the elastic section 23 is inclinedly connected between the inner positioning section 21 and the outer fixing section 22 along the stacking direction, the touchpad 10 can be suspended and supported by the elastic member 20, maintaining the flatness of the touchpad 10 and controlling the shaking of the touchpad 10 relative to the XY plane. Next, the base plate 30 is assembled onto the bracket 50 and the elastic member 20 to form the touchpad pressing module 1. For example, the touchpad 10, which is suspended and supported by the bracket 50 and the elastic member 20, can be placed on the base plate 30 and pressed against the base plate 30, causing the elastic segment 23 of the elastic member 20 to deform. Then, the touchpad 10, which is suspended and supported by the bracket 50 and the elastic member 20, is moved laterally (e.g., left or right), so that the movable interference member 42 of the bracket 50 hooks under the fixed interference member 41 of the base plate 30. After that, the entire touchpad pressing module 1 is placed into the fixture, and the cover plate 12 and the base plate 30 are positioned. Then, the lower surface (e.g., 220) of the fixed segment 22 of the elastic member 20 is welded or glued to the corresponding upper surface (e.g., 320) of the base plate 30. Subsequently, as shown in Figures 9 and 10, the touchpad pressing module 1 is combined with the housing 60 to fix it to the housing 60, so that the cover plate 12 is exposed from the housing opening 61 of the housing 60. Specifically, the touchpad pressing module can be any of the touchpad pressing modules in the embodiments of Figures 1 to 3, and the housing 60 has a coupling hole 65 to correspond to the coupling holes 25 / 35 of the touchpad pressing module. For example, the coupling hole 65 is preferably provided on the lower surface of the housing 60, adjacent to the housing opening 61 or located near the inner periphery 62, and the touchpad pressing module can be locked to the housing 60 from bottom to top by the aforementioned fastener (e.g., 70). In addition, the housing 60 and the base plate 30 can have corresponding positioning mechanisms, such as protrusions 67 and holes 37, which can be aligned / positioned before being locked by the fastener to facilitate assembly.

[0041] The operation of the touchpad pressing module of the present invention will be described below with reference to Figures 11 and 12, wherein Figures 11 and 12 are schematic diagrams of the touchpad pressing module of an embodiment of the present invention in the unpressed and pressed states, respectively. As shown in Figure 11, the trigger portion 31 in the central region of the base plate 30 is located directly below the switch 111 of the circuit board 11. When the center of the touchpad 10 is subjected to force, it can descend horizontally relatively stably. Ideally, the lowest point of the touchpad 10 is the contact height between the apex of the trigger portion 31 of the base plate 30 and the switch 111. However, since the switch 111 usually includes a metal dome, the touchpad 10 does not actually stop as soon as the switch 111 of the circuit board 11 contacts the trigger portion 31 of the base plate 30. Instead, the metal dome of the switch 111 will further collapse and contact a pair of electrodes of the switching circuit, so the touchpad 10 will actually descend slightly further.

[0042] As shown in Figure 12, when the edge or corner of the touchpad 10 is pressed, the touchpad 10 will tilt downwards, and the opposite edge of the force-bearing edge or the opposite angle of the force-bearing corner of the touchpad 10 will tilt upwards accordingly. The touchpad pressing module of the present invention is provided with a plurality of limiting structures 40 on the outer side of the touchpad 10 and located next to the elastic segment 23 of the elastic member 20. When the touchpad 10 is pressed, the limiting structure 40 is located on the opposite side of the force-bearing point relative to the trigger point (i.e., the position of the switch 111 and the trigger part 31), and the plurality of limiting structures 40 are symmetrically arranged with respect to the center C of the touchpad 10, and are located near the corner near the inner periphery 62 of the housing 60 and near the outer fixing segment 22 of the elastic member 20. Therefore, by increasing the design of the limiting structure / limiting radius R3, the tilt angle of the touchpad 10 can be reduced, the pressing stroke around the touchpad 10 can be reduced, and the pressing stroke around the touchpad 10 can achieve an ultra-short pressing stroke, so that the difference between the pressing stroke in the center and around the touchpad 10 is small and the consistency is high.

[0043] Please refer to Figures 13A to 13C, which are planar schematic diagrams of touchpad pressing modules according to different embodiments of the present invention. As shown in Figure 13A, the elastic member 20A may have an L-shaped shape. As shown in Figure 13B, the elastic member 20B may have a shape similar to an S-shape, wherein the elastic segment 23B of the elastic member 20B has a first extension 23a and a second extension 23b, and the length of the first extension 23a is greater than the length of the second extension 23b. For example, the first extension 23a extends along the Y-axis to connect the inner positioning segment 21 and the second extension 23b, and the second extension 23b extends along the X-axis to connect the outer fixing segment 22. As shown in Figure 13C, the elastic member 20C may have a shape similar to a C-shape, wherein the elastic segment 23C of the elastic member 20C has a first extension 23a and a second extension 23b, and the lengths of the first extension 23a and the second extension 23b are approximately the same. For example, the first extension 23a extends along the Y-axis to connect the inner positioning section 21 and the second extension 23b, and the second extension 23b extends along the X-axis to connect the outer fixing section 22. Depending on the application, the shape of the elastic member 20 can be changed to improve the deformability of the elastic section 23 or to improve the floating support of the touchpad 10.

[0044] The embodiments described above are merely illustrative and not intended to be limiting. Those skilled in the art will recognize that other modifications may be made to the illustrative embodiments described herein without departing from the spirit of the invention. Therefore, the scope of the invention also covers such modifications and is limited only by the scope of the appended claims. [Simplified Explanation of the Diagram]

[0024] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a touchpad pressing module according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a plan view of a touchpad pressing module according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 is an exploded view of a touchpad pressing module according to another embodiment of the present invention. Figures 4 and 5 are respectively an exploded view of the bracket and elastic element and a bottom plan view after assembly according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figures 6 and 7 are respectively an exploded view and an assembled view of the limiting structure according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 8 is an exploded view of a touchpad pressing module according to yet another embodiment of the present invention. Figures 9 and 10 are respectively top and bottom views of the touchpad pressing module and the housing according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figures 11 and 12 are respectively schematic diagrams of the touchpad pressing module in the unpressed and pressed states according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figures 13A to 13C are plan views of touchpad pressing modules according to different embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A touchpad pressing module, comprising: a touchpad for sensing touch operations; a plurality of elastic members disposed below the touchpad, each of the plurality of elastic members having an inner positioning section, an outer fixing section and an elastic section, the elastic section being connected between the inner positioning section and the outer fixing section; and a base plate disposed below the touchpad, wherein in the stacking direction of the touchpad and the base plate, the inner positioning section is located within the orthographic projection of the touchpad, and the outer fixing section is located outside the orthographic projection of the touchpad.

2. The touchpad pressing module as claimed in claim 1 further includes a housing, wherein the housing has a housing opening, the touchpad is disposed in the housing opening, and the base plate is fixed to the housing.

3. The touchpad pressing module as described in claim 2, wherein the outer fixing segment is adjacent to or partially overlaps the fixing point of the base plate and the housing, and the outer fixing segment is fixed to the base plate or the housing.

4. The touchpad pressing module as claimed in claim 2, wherein the housing has an inner periphery defining the opening of the housing, the outer fixed segment is adjacent to the inner periphery, and the length of the elastic segment is less than 1 / 2, 1 / 3 or 1 / 4 of the length of the long side of the touchpad, or the length of the elastic segment is less than 1 / 2 of the length of the short side of the touchpad.

5. The touchpad pressing module as described in claim 1, wherein the extending direction of the outer fixed segment intersects the extending direction of the elastic segment.

6. The touchpad pressing module as described in claim 1 further includes a plurality of limiting structures, wherein the plurality of limiting structures are respectively adjacent to the side of the elastic segment of the corresponding elastic member among the plurality of elastic members, and in the stacking direction, the plurality of limiting structures are located outside the orthographic projection of the touchpad.

7. The touchpad pressing module as described in claim 6, wherein each of the plurality of limiting structures is composed of a fixed interference member and a movable interference member, the fixed interference member being disposed on the base plate, and the movable interference member extending from below the touchpad to correspond to the fixed interference member.

8. The touchpad pressing module as described in claim 7 further includes a bracket, wherein the bracket is disposed between the touchpad and the base plate, and the movable interference member is disposed on the bracket or the touchpad.

9. The touchpad pressing module as claimed in claim 6, wherein in one direction, the distance between the center and the edge of the touchpad is the touchpad radius, the distance between the limiting structure and the center of the touchpad is the limiting radius, and the limiting radius is greater than the touchpad radius.

10. The touchpad pressing module as claimed in claim 6 further includes a housing, wherein the housing has a housing opening and an inner periphery defining the housing opening, the touchpad is disposed in the housing opening, and in the stacking direction, the plurality of limiting structures overlap with the housing and have a gap between them and the inner periphery.

11. The touchpad pressing module as described in claim 1, wherein the touchpad includes a switch and the base plate has a trigger portion disposed corresponding to the switch.

12. The touchpad pressing module as claimed in claim 1 further includes a bracket, wherein the bracket is disposed between the touchpad and the base plate, and the upper surface of the inner positioning section abuts against the lower surface of the bracket.

13. A touchpad pressing module, comprising: a touchpad for sensing touch operations; a plurality of elastic members disposed below the touchpad, each of the plurality of elastic members having an inner positioning section, an outer fixing section and an elastic section, the elastic section being connected between the inner positioning section and the outer fixing section; a base plate disposed below the touchpad; and a plurality of limiting structures respectively adjacent to the outer fixing section of the corresponding elastic member among the plurality of elastic members, and in the stacking direction of the touchpad and the base plate, the plurality of limiting structures being located outside the orthographic projection of the touchpad.

14. The touchpad pressing module as described in claim 13, wherein each of the plurality of limiting structures comprises a fixed interference member and a movable interference member, the fixed interference member being disposed on the base plate, and the movable interference member extending from below the touchpad and used to interfere with the fixed interference member in the stacking direction.

15. The touchpad pressing module as claimed in claim 14 further includes a bracket disposed between the touchpad and the base plate, wherein the upper surface of the inner positioning section abuts against the lower surface of the bracket, and the movable interference member is disposed on the bracket.

16. The touchpad pressing module as claimed in claim 13 further includes a housing, wherein the housing has a housing opening, the touchpad is disposed in the housing opening, and the outer fixing segment is fixed to the base plate or the housing.

17. The touchpad pressing module as described in claim 1 or 13, wherein the inner positioning segment, the elastic segment, and the outer fixing segment of the elastic member are arranged sequentially from top to bottom along the stacking direction.

18. The touchpad pressing module as described in claim 6 or 13, wherein the plurality of limiting structures are arranged symmetrically about the center of the touchpad.

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