User interface component and method for integrating a touch component into a user interface component

Abstract

The user interface assembly disclosed herein comprises: a support frame (1); a component for providing a switch function to the user interface assembly and to be received in a recess formed in the support frame (1); and a cover (5), the cover (5) being adapted to adhere to the upper surface of the support frame (1) and the upper surface of the component by means of a back adhesive (8) when the component is received in the recess, and to cover the upper surface of the support frame (1) and the upper surface of the component; wherein a transition zone (11, 24) is provided below the cover (5) and around the component, the transition zone extending at least from the side wall of the recess toward the component, so that the cover (5) can smoothly transition from the upper surface of the support frame (1) to the upper surface of the component. The present invention also discloses a method for integrating a touch component (3) into a user interface component, the touch component (3) having a top surface and a bottom surface, the user interface component having a support frame (1) and a recess for receiving the touch component (3), the method comprising: placing the top surface of the touch component (3) on a flat table (26); positioning the support frame (1) at a predetermined position relative to the touch component (3) so that at least a portion of the touch component (3) is located in the recess; and injecting a flowable adhesive (28) from the bottom of the support frame (1) into a gap between the portion of the touch component (3) and a corresponding portion of the recess so as to fix the touch component (3) to the support frame (1), such that the amount of the injected flowable adhesive can be adapted according to different volumes of the gap. According to the present invention, a flat design of the user interface component can be achieved in a low-cost manner.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a user interface component and a method for integrating a touch component into a user interface component. Background Art

[0002] Touchscreens and membrane switches are often incorporated into electrical systems as user input devices. They are often integrated with a supporting frame or enclosure to form the user interface assembly of the electrical system. For decorative applications or other applications requiring waterproofing or dustproofing, the outer surface of the user interface assembly needs to be seamless and flat.

[0003] Seamless design is typically achieved by adhesively laminating a flexible cover sheet or covering over the entire outer surface of the user interface assembly. Due to manufacturing tolerances in the thickness dimensions of the touchscreen and membrane switch, as well as tolerances in the corresponding dimensions of the support frame, achieving a visually flat appearance for the cover covering the touchscreen, membrane switch, and support frame presents challenges. More specifically, achieving a visually flat appearance for the cover arises from the dimensional mismatch (height difference) between the touchscreen and the corresponding recess on the support frame, as well as the dimensional mismatch between the membrane switch and the corresponding recess on the support frame.

[0004] Figure 1 A partial cross-sectional view of a portion of a user interface assembly according to the prior art is shown. Figure 1 As shown, the user interface component has a visually uneven appearance.

[0005] One method known to those skilled in the art is to control the tolerance of each component to a minimum level. However, strict tolerance control inevitably increases manufacturing costs.

[0006] Another known method for integrating the touchscreen and switch keys to provide a flat design is to etch the switch circuitry into the touchscreen's indium tin oxide (ITO) layer. This eliminates the need for a membrane switch layer, thus avoiding the unevenness caused by the dimensional mismatch between the membrane switch and the supporting frame. However, the specialized process of etching the custom switch circuitry into the touchscreen is very expensive compared to conventional membrane switches. Furthermore, the unevenness caused by the dimensional mismatch between the touchscreen and the supporting frame remains unresolved. Summary of the Invention

[0007] In view of the problems existing in the prior art, an object of the present invention is to provide a user interface component and a method for integrating a touch component into the user interface component.

[0008] To achieve this object, on the one hand, a user interface assembly is provided, comprising: a support frame; a component for providing a switch function to the user interface assembly and to be received in a recess formed in the support frame; and a cover for adhering to the upper surface of the support frame and the upper surface of the component by a back-side adhesive when the component is received in the recess, and covering the upper surface of the support frame and the upper surface of the component; wherein a transition zone is provided under the cover and around the component, and the transition zone extends at least from the side wall of the recess toward the component, so that the cover can smoothly transition from the upper surface of the support frame to the upper surface of the component.

[0009] According to an alternative embodiment, the transition zone is realized at least by forming an adhesive-free zone such that in the transition zone the cover cannot adhere to a portion of the upper surface of the support frame and / or a portion of the upper surface of the component.

[0010] According to an alternative embodiment, the transition zone is realized by at least a flexible portion of the top layer of the component extending outwards from the body of the component, wherein the thickness of the flexible portion is smaller than the thickness of the body.

[0011] According to an alternative embodiment, the adhesive-free areas are formed by removing corresponding portions of the backing adhesive.

[0012] According to an alternative embodiment, the adhesive-backed portion is adhered to the flexible portion in the assembled state; and / or the component is formed by laminating several separate layers.

[0013] According to an alternative embodiment, the thickness of the thickest portion of the component may be equal to, greater than, or less than the depth of the recess.

[0014] According to an optional embodiment, the user interface assembly further includes a touch screen received within an additional recess formed in the support frame.

[0015] According to an alternative embodiment, the component is a rigid printed circuit board.

[0016] According to an alternative embodiment, the component is a membrane switch.

[0017] On the other hand, a method for integrating a touch component into a user interface component is provided, wherein the touch component has a top surface and a bottom surface, and the user interface component has a support frame and a recess for receiving the touch component, the method comprising: placing the top surface of the touch component on a flat table; positioning the support frame at a predetermined position relative to the touch component so that at least a portion of the touch component is located within the recess; and injecting a flowable adhesive into a gap between the portion of the touch component and a corresponding portion of the recess from the direction of the bottom of the support frame to secure the touch component to the support frame, such that the amount of the injected flowable adhesive can be adapted according to different volumes of the gap.

[0018] According to an alternative embodiment, the touch assembly integrates a touch screen and a cover covering and adhering to the touch screen.

[0019] According to an optional embodiment, positioning the support frame includes: placing and adhering a top surface of the support frame to a portion of the cover extending beyond the touch screen; and / or placing a weight on the back side of the touch screen before injecting the flowable adhesive.

[0020] According to an alternative embodiment, the flowable adhesive is injected into the gap via an injection port formed in the support frame.

[0021] According to an alternative embodiment, the injection port has a circular shape or a slot shape.

[0022] According to the invention, a flat design of a user interface component can be achieved in a cost-effective manner. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0023] The present invention and its advantages will be further understood by reading the following detailed description of some preferred exemplary embodiments with reference to the accompanying drawings, which include:

[0024] Figure 1 A partial cross-sectional view of a portion of a user interface assembly according to the prior art is shown.

[0025] Figure 2 An exploded cross-sectional view of a user interface component with a seamless design according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0026] Figure 3 A partial cross-sectional view of a portion of a user interface assembly is shown in an assembled state.

[0027] Figure 4 The figure schematically shows a tolerance range of the thickness of a membrane switch and a tolerance range of the depth of a first recess for receiving the membrane switch according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] Figure 5A partial cross-sectional view of a portion of a user interface assembly in an assembled state is shown according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0029] Figure 6 A cross-sectional view of a membrane switch according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0030] Figure 7 The partial cross-sectional view shows the Figure 5 Another case of the same idea.

[0031] Figure 8 The figure schematically shows a tolerance range of the thickness of a membrane switch and a tolerance range of the depth of a first recess for receiving the membrane switch according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0032] Figure 9 A method for integrating a touch component into a user interface component is shown.

[0033] Figure 10 One non-limiting example of a sprue having a slot shape is shown in bottom view.

[0034] Figure 11 Another non-limiting example of a sprue having a circular shape is shown in bottom view. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] Hereinafter, some exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings for a better understanding of the basic concept of the present invention.

[0036] Figure 2 An exploded cross-sectional view of a user interface component with a seamless design according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention is shown.

[0037] like Figure 2 As shown, the user interface assembly mainly includes a support frame 1, a component 2, and a touch assembly 3. It is understood that component 2 is generally, but not limited to, a device for providing a switch function to the user interface assembly. In the first embodiment, the device can be a flexible component such as a membrane switch or a hard device such as a printed circuit board. To simplify the following description, a membrane switch is used as an example in the first embodiment. The touch assembly 3 mainly includes a touch screen 4, a cover 5 that is larger than the touch screen 4, an optically transparent adhesive 6 disposed between the touch screen 4 and the cover 5 and used to adhere the cover 5 to the touch screen 4, a first back adhesive 7 disposed on the back side of the touch screen 4 and used to adhere the touch screen 4 to the support frame 1, and a second back adhesive 8 disposed on the back side of the cover 5 that extends beyond a portion of the touch screen 4 and is used to adhere the portion of the cover 5 to the support frame 1 and the membrane switch 2.

[0038] The cover 5 is typically a flexible polyester film having a thickness in the range of 0.1 mm to 0.3 mm, for example 0.13 mm, 0.18 mm or 0.25 mm.

[0039] from Figure 2 As can also be seen in the figure, a first recess 9 is formed in the support frame 1 for receiving the membrane switch 2, and a second recess 10 is also formed in the support frame 1 for receiving the touch screen 4. The thickness of the membrane switch 2 is shown as Dm, while the depth of the first recess 9 is shown as Dfm. The distance between the bottom of the first backing adhesive 7 and the bottom of the second backing adhesive 8 is shown as Dt, while the depth of the second recess 10 is shown as Dft. Ideally, Dm and Dt should be nominally equal to Dfm and Dft, respectively, to achieve a completely flat appearance on the outer surface of the cover 5.

[0040] However, during the manufacturing process, these dimensions Dm, Dfm, Dt, and Dft have corresponding tolerances. As known to those skilled in the art, the tolerances for Dm, Dfm, or Dft can be + / - 0.1 mm, + / - 0.15 mm, or + / - 0.2 mm, and the tolerances for Dt can be + / - 0.15 mm, + / - 0.2 mm, + / - 0.25 mm, + / - 0.3 mm, or + / - 0.4 mm. If these dimensions are not properly matched, the cover 5 may have a visually uneven appearance, particularly at the sidewalls defining the first and second recesses 9, 10.

[0041] In order to obtain a visually flat appearance of the cover 5 at the membrane switch 2, as Figure 2 As shown, an adhesive-free transition area 11 is provided above the membrane switch 2 near the side wall of the first recess 9 , preferably along the entire side wall of the first recess 9 .

[0042] Figure 3 A partial cross-sectional view of a portion of a user interface assembly is shown in an assembled state. Figure 3 As shown, the adhesive-free transition zone 11 is embodied as a cutout, preferably as an annular cutout along the entire side wall of the first recess 9 .

[0043] Preferably, the periphery of the adhesive-free transition region 11 is aligned with the sidewalls of the first recess 9. According to another optional embodiment of the present invention, the adhesive-free transition region 11 is formed across the sidewalls of the first recess 9 and extends outward beyond the first recess 9. The width of the adhesive-free transition region 11 can be selected based on the desired flatness on the outer surface of the cover 5. The width of the adhesive-free transition region 11 can be set to 3 mm, 3.5 mm, 4 mm, 4.5 mm, or other non-limiting values.

[0044] for Figure 3 The embodiment shown can preferably be as follows Figure 4As shown, a tolerance zone 12 for the thickness Dm of the membrane switch 2 and a tolerance zone 13 for the depth Dfm of the first recess 9 are selected, wherein the thickness Dm of the membrane switch 2 and the depth Dfm of the first recess 9 have the same nominal value 14, and the tolerance zone 13 for the depth Dfm is higher than the tolerance zone 12 for the thickness Dm, which means that the depth Dfm of the first recess 9 is at least equal to the thickness Dm of the membrane switch 2. By setting such a tolerance zone, the following can be achieved: Figure 3 During assembly, the membrane switch 2 is first placed and adhered to the first recess 9 via the bottom adhesive layer (not shown separately) of the membrane switch 2. The cover 5 with the second backing adhesive 8 is then adhered to the support frame 1 and the membrane switch 2. The adhesive-free transition area 11 allows the cover 5 to smoothly transition from the support frame 1 to the membrane switch 2, thereby making any unevenness of the cover 5 less visually noticeable.

[0045] Because the second back adhesive 8 has a certain thickness, the membrane switch 2 and the first recess 9 can also be set using other tolerance zones, as long as the tolerance zone setting can ensure that the thickness of the membrane switch 2 is at most equal to the sum of the depth of the first recess 9 and the thickness of the second back adhesive 8.

[0046] Figure 5 A partial cross-sectional view of a portion of a user interface assembly in an assembled state is shown according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

[0047] In the second embodiment, it is best to Figure 5 The flexible member is assembled as shown to perform the switch function. The membrane switch 21 is formed so that the flexible portion 22 extends outward from the top of the body 23 of the membrane switch 21 and is flush with the top. The thickness of the flexible portion 22 is less than the thickness of the body 23. The flexible portion 22 preferably extends along the entire periphery of the body 23 to form a ring, as shown in the cross-sectional view of the membrane switch 21. Figure 6 In this embodiment, the flexible portion 22 may form a transition region 24 , and the corresponding portion of the touch assembly has a backing adhesive 25 .

[0048] According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, membrane switch 21 can be formed by laminating several separate layers. For example, the layers, from top to bottom, may include a top graphics layer, an electrostatic discharge (ESD) layer, a spacer layer, one or more circuit layers, and a bottom adhesive layer. According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the top layer of membrane switch 21 is a flexible polyester layer with or without ESD shielding capabilities. Therefore, the top layer can be intentionally extended to form a transition zone. In other words, a portion of the top layer serves as the flexible portion 22.

[0049] The flexible portion 22 may extend to the side wall of the first recess 9 or be spaced apart from the side wall by a distance. Figure 5 As shown, the width of the transition region 24 is measured from the sidewall to the body 23. The width of the transition region 24 may preferably be set to 3 mm, 3.5 mm, 4 mm, 4.5 mm or other non-limiting values.

[0050] In this case, if Figure 5 As shown, the thickness of the membrane switch 21 is smaller than the depth of the first recess 9 .

[0051] Figure 7 The partial cross-sectional view shows the Figure 5 Another case of the same concept. But in Figure 7 In the illustrated case, the thickness of the membrane switch 21 is greater than the depth of the first recess 9 .

[0052] In either case, the backing adhesive 25 can remain continuously in the transition region 24 and can adhere to the top layer of the membrane switch 21 without the need for a Figure 3 Due to the flexibility of the top layer of the membrane switch 21 in the transition area 24 and also due to the absence of a bottom adhesive layer in the transition area 24 of the membrane switch 21, the cover 5 can smoothly transition from the support frame 1 to the membrane switch 21, thus making the unevenness of the cover 5 visually difficult to detect.

[0053] It is understood that the flexible portion 22 may even be omitted so that the backing adhesive 25 extends across the gap formed between the sidewall of the first recess and the membrane switch.

[0054] For Figure 5 and Figure 7 The situation shown, such as Figure 8 As shown, the tolerance zone 13 of the depth of the first recess and the tolerance zone 12 of the thickness of the membrane switch may preferably be arranged symmetrically with respect to the nominal value 14 .

[0055] The embodiments described above are based on the same technical concept: for example, by forming a cavity under the cover to create a transition zone, which extends at least to the side wall of the first recess so that the cover can smoothly transition from the support frame to the membrane switch without abrupt changes at the side wall.

[0056] Of course, this technical concept can also be applied to the transition at the side wall of the second recess.

[0057] However, the touch assembly 3 is typically provided as a pre-assembled structure, making it difficult to apply the above technical concept. In this case, a method for integrating the touch assembly 3 into a user interface assembly is provided, which can achieve a flat appearance on the outer surface of the cover 5. The method uses a thickness-adjustable bonding technique to achieve the flat appearance.

[0058] Specifically, if Figure 9 As shown, first, the touch component 3 (with the second back adhesive 8 on its cover 5) is placed upside down on the platform 26. Then, the support frame 1 is aligned, placed and adhered to the cover 5 of the touch component 3 via the second back adhesive 8. At this time, due to the flexibility of the cover 5, the touch screen 4 can still move up and down in the second recess of the support frame 1. The assembly process is continued by placing a weight body 27 on the back side of the touch screen 4. At this moment, under the pressure of the weight body 27, the cover 5 of the touch component 3 is flatly attached to the platform 26. Then, the flowable adhesive 28 is injected into the gap between the back side of the touch screen 4 and the bottom of the second recess through any type of adhesive injection tool 30 via the injection port 29 formed in the support frame 1.

[0059] In this case, the depth of the second recess should be greater than the distance between the back side of the touch screen 4 and the bottom of the second back adhesive 8 .

[0060] It can be understood that although the membrane switch and the first recess are not Figure 9 , but they can also be incorporated into user interface components.

[0061] Figure 10 One non-limiting example of a sprue 29 having a slot shape is shown. Figure 11 Another non-limiting example of a sprue 29 having a circular shape is shown. As will be appreciated by those skilled in the art, the sprue may have any suitable shape.

[0062] Of course, the thickness adjustable bonding technology can also be used to integrate the membrane switch into the user interface assembly, for example by forming at least one injection port extending to the bottom of the first recess. In this case, the bottom adhesive layer of the membrane switch can be omitted.

[0063] Although certain embodiments have been described, these embodiments have been presented by way of example only and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. The appended claims and their equivalents are intended to cover all modifications, substitutions, and changes that fall within the scope and spirit of the invention.

Claims

1. A user interface component comprising: Support frame (1); a component for providing a switch function to the user interface assembly and being received in a recess formed in the support frame (1) and adhered to the recess by a bottom adhesive layer; as well as a cover (5) for adhering to the upper surface of the support frame (1) and the upper surface of the component by a backing adhesive (8) when the component is received in the recess, and for covering the upper surface of the support frame (1) and the upper surface of the component; A transition zone (11, 24) is provided below the cover (5) and around the component, and the transition zone extends at least from the side wall of the recess toward the component, so that the cover (5) can smoothly transition from the upper surface of the support frame (1) to the upper surface of the component, thereby making the unevenness of the cover (5) at the transition zone visually difficult to detect, wherein the unevenness is caused by manufacturing tolerances of the recess and / or the component.

2. The user interface component of claim 1 , wherein: The transition zone (11) is realized at least by forming an adhesive-free zone so that the covering (5) cannot adhere to a portion of the upper surface of the support frame (1) and / or a portion of the upper surface of the component in the transition zone.

3. The user interface component of claim 1 , wherein: The transition zone (24) is realized by a flexible portion (22) of at least the top layer of the component extending outwardly from the body (23) of the component, wherein the thickness of the flexible portion (22) is less than the thickness of the body (23).

4. The user interface component of claim 2, wherein: Adhesive-free areas are formed by removing corresponding portions of the backside adhesive (8).

5. The user interface component of claim 3, wherein: In the assembled state, the backing adhesive (8) is adhered to the flexible portion (22); and / or The component is formed by laminating several individual layers.

6. The user interface component according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The thickness of the thickest portion of the component is equal to, greater than, or less than the depth of the recess.

7. The user interface component according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein: The user interface assembly further comprises a touch screen (4) which is received in an additional recess (10) formed in the support frame (1).

8. The user interface component of claim 6, wherein: The user interface assembly further comprises a touch screen (4) which is received in an additional recess (10) formed in the support frame (1).

9. The user interface component according to any one of claims 1, 2, and 4, wherein: The component is a rigid printed circuit board.

10. The user interface component according to any one of claims 1 to 5 and 8, wherein: The component is a membrane switch (2, 21).

11. The user interface component of claim 6, wherein: The component is a membrane switch (2, 21).

12. The user interface component of claim 7, wherein: The component is a membrane switch (2, 21).

13. A method for integrating a touch component (3) into a user interface component according to any one of claims 1 to 12, the touch component (3) having a top surface and a bottom surface, the user interface component having a support frame (1) and a recess for receiving the touch component (3), the method comprising: placing the top surface of the touch assembly (3) on a flat table (26); Positioning the support frame (1) at a predetermined position relative to the touch component (3) so that at least a portion of the touch component (3) is located within the recess; as well as A flowable adhesive (28) is injected into the gap between the portion of the touch component (3) and the corresponding portion of the recess from the direction of the bottom of the support frame (1) to fix the touch component (3) to the support frame (1), so that the amount of the injected flowable adhesive can be adapted according to the different volumes of the gap.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein: The touch assembly (3) integrates a touch screen (4) and a cover (5) covering and adhering to the touch screen (4).

15. The method according to claim 13 or 14, wherein: Positioning the support frame (1) comprises: placing and adhering the top surface of the support frame (1) to the portion of the cover (5) that extends beyond the touch screen (4); and / or Before injecting the flowable adhesive (28), the weight (27) is placed on the back side of the touch screen (4).

16. The method according to any one of claims 13-14, wherein: A flowable adhesive (28) is injected into the gap via an injection port (29) formed in the support frame (1).

17. The method of claim 15, wherein: A flowable adhesive (28) is injected into the gap via an injection port (29) formed in the support frame (1).

18. The method of claim 16, wherein: The injection port (29) has a circular shape or a groove shape.

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