Touchpad module

Abstract

The present invention discloses a touchpad module, which includes a touch panel, an elastomer, and a noise reduction film. The touch panel has a bottom surface. The elastomer is disposed on the bottom surface of the touch panel. The noise reduction film covers the elastomer. The noise reduction film includes a fixing portion, an opening, and an elastic arm structure. The fixing portion is disposed on the bottom surface of the touch panel. The opening is located within the fixing portion. The elastic arm structure corresponds to the elastomer and extends from the fixing portion into the interior of the opening. The elastic arm structure includes a contact portion and a plurality of elastic arms. The plurality of elastic arms extend from the contact portion to the fixing portion.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a touchpad module. Background Art

[0002] Notebook computers often have a touchpad module, allowing users to operate the notebook computer by touching (pressing the touchpad with a finger or sliding on the touchpad), replacing the function of a mouse.

[0003] Generally, the main components of a touchpad module include a touch panel and a frame. One side of the touch panel is fixed to the frame or directly fixed to the housing of the notebook computer, and the unfixed other side is the movable end. In addition, the touchpad module has an elastomer, commonly a metal dome sheet (Dome Sheet). The elastomer is disposed on the bottom surface of the touch panel and is located at the middle position of the movable end. When the user presses the movable end, the touch panel can move up and down and trigger an input command.

[0004] Specifically, the user can press the touch panel so that the elastomer (metal dome sheet) abuts against the frame and triggers a pressing signal. However, after the elastomer (metal dome sheet) collapses and drops, it will produce an impact sound with the frame, and noise will also be generated when the elastomer rebounds and returns, resulting in a poor user experience, and there is a need for improvement. Summary of the Invention

[0005] In view of the above problems, the main object of the present invention is to provide a touchpad module, which solves the noise problem of the existing touch module through the design of covering the elastomer with a noise reduction film.

[0006] To achieve the above object, the present invention provides a touchpad module, which includes a touch panel, an elastomer, and a noise reduction film. The touch panel has a bottom surface. The elastomer is disposed on the bottom surface of the touch panel. The noise reduction film covers the elastomer. The noise reduction film includes a fixing portion, an opening, and a spring arm structure. The fixing portion is disposed on the bottom surface of the touch panel. The opening is located within the fixing portion. The spring arm structure extends from the fixing portion into the interior of the opening and corresponds to the elastomer. The spring arm structure includes an abutting portion and a plurality of spring arms, and the plurality of spring arms extend from the abutting portion to the fixing portion.

[0007] According to an embodiment of the present invention, each of the plurality of spring arms has at least one bending portion.

[0008] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of spring arms extend toward the fixing portion in a manner of surrounding the abutting portion.

[0009] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of spring arms are symmetrically disposed between the abutting portion and the fixing portion.

[0010] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the abutting portion is farther away from the touch panel than the fixing portion, so that the elastic arm structure forms a convex portion.

[0011] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the plurality of elastic arms respectively extend from the fixing portion in a direction away from the touch panel.

[0012] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the elastic body is accommodated in the convex portion.

[0013] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the touchpad module further includes a buffer. The buffer is disposed on one surface of the elastic arm structure.

[0014] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the buffer is disposed on the inner surface of the elastic arm structure and is located between the elastic arm structure and the elastic body.

[0015] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the outer diameter of the buffer is smaller than the outer diameter of the elastic body.

[0016] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the buffer is disposed on the outer surface of the elastic arm structure.

[0017] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the touchpad module further includes a frame. The frame is disposed below the touch panel, and the noise reduction film is located between the touch panel and the frame.

[0018] According to an embodiment of the present invention, the buffer is located between the outer surface of the elastic arm structure and the frame.

[0019] As described above, according to the touchpad module of the present invention, it includes a touch panel, an elastic body, and a noise reduction film. The elastic body is disposed on the bottom surface of the touch panel, and the noise reduction film covers the elastic body. Moreover, the noise reduction film includes an elastic arm structure, and the elastic arm structure includes an abutting portion and a plurality of elastic arms, and the elastic arms extend from the abutting portion to the fixing portion. Since the noise reduction film is located between the touch panel and the frame, the noise reduction film can absorb the impact force when the elastic body contacts the frame to reduce noise. Also, the elastic arm structure and its elastic arms can absorb the force of the elastic body's recovery, thereby reducing the noise when the elastic body rebounds. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0020] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a touchpad module according to an embodiment of the present invention;

[0021] Figure 2 is Figure 1 an exploded schematic diagram of the touchpad module shown;

[0022] Figure 3 is Figure 1 an enlarged schematic diagram of the touchpad module shown at the movable end;

[0023] Figure 4 is Figure 3Schematic cross-sectional view of the touchpad module shown along line A-A;

[0024] Figure 5A is Figure 2 Top view of the noise reduction film shown;

[0025] Figure 5B is Figure 5A Side view of the noise reduction film shown;

[0026] Figure 5C is Figure 2 Bottom view of the noise reduction film covering the elastomer shown;

[0027] Figure 6A Top view of the noise reduction film of another embodiment of the present invention;

[0028] Figure 6B Top view of the noise reduction film of yet another embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 6C Top view of the noise reduction film of yet another embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 7A Enlarged schematic view of the touchpad module of another embodiment of the present invention at the movable end;

[0031] Figure 7B is Figure 7A Schematic cross-sectional view of the touchpad module shown along line A-A.

[0032] Explanation of reference numerals

[0033] Touchpad module 1

[0034] Touch pressure panel 10

[0035] Fixed end 101

[0036] Movable end 102

[0037] Bottom surface 103

[0038] Touch pressure plate 11

[0039] Circuit board 12

[0040] Elastomer 20

[0041] Noise reduction films 30, 30a, 30b, 30c

[0042] Fixing part 31

[0043] Opening 32

[0044] Elastic arm structures 33, 33a, 33b, 33c

[0045] Contact portions 331, 331a, 331b, 331c

[0046] Elastic arms 332, 332a, 332b, 331c

[0047] Bending portions 333, 333a, 333b, 333c

[0048] Frame 40

[0049] Buffer bodies 50, 50c A - A line Detailed implementation manners

[0050] To better understand the technical content of the present invention, the following provides preferred specific embodiments for illustration.

[0051] Figure 1 It is a schematic diagram of a touchpad module according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 For Figure 1 the exploded schematic diagram of the touchpad module shown in Figure 3 For Figure 1 the enlarged schematic diagram of the touchpad module shown in at the movable end Figure 4 For Figure 3 the sectional schematic diagram of the touchpad module shown in along the A - A line, please refer to Figure 1 , Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 4 shown. The touchpad module 1 of this embodiment can be applied to an electronic device, which can be, for example but not limited to, a notebook computer. The touchpad module 1 can be disposed on the housing of the electronic device for the user to operate the notebook computer in a touch manner and replace the function of a mouse. The touchpad module 1 of this embodiment includes a touch panel 10, an elastomer 20, a noise reduction film 30, and a frame 40. Preferably, the touch panel 10 includes a touch plate 11 and a circuit board 12. The touch plate 11 is an element for the user to perform touch operations, and its material can be, for example but not limited to, glass or Mylar. The circuit board 12 is disposed below the touch plate 11. In other embodiments, the touch plate 11 and the circuit board 12 can also be combined into a single plate body, and the present invention is not limited thereto. It should be noted that Figure 3 the touch panel 10 shown in is represented by a dashed line.

[0052] The frame 40 is disposed below the touch panel 10 and below the circuit board 12. Specifically, the touch plate 11 and the circuit board 12 are disposed above the frame 40 and are disposed on the housing of the electronic device through the frame 40, but the present invention is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the frame 40 can also be part of the housing of the electronic device. In addition, the touch panel 10 has opposite fixed ends 101 and movable ends 102. As shown in Figure 1As shown, one side of the touch panel 10 is fixed to the frame 40, so that one side of the touch panel 10 is the fixed end 101, and the opposite side is the movable end 102.

[0053] As Figure 2 and Figure 4 shown, the touch panel 10 has a bottom surface 103, which herein refers to the bottom surface of the circuit board 12. The elastomer 20 is disposed on the bottom surface 103 of the touch panel 10 and is located at the movable end 102. After the user presses the touch panel 10, the elastomer 20 can provide a restoring force to return the touch panel 10 to its original position. In this embodiment, the elastomer 20 is a metal dome sheet. In other embodiments, the elastomer 20 can also be a spring, and the present invention is not limited thereto. When the user presses the area adjacent to the movable end 102, the touch panel 10 can move up and down and trigger an input command. However, noise will be generated when the touch panel 10 is pressed and causes the elastomer 20 to collapse and drop and subsequent rebound actions. Also, an impact sound will be generated when the elastomer 20 contacts the frame 40. In this embodiment, a noise reduction film 30 is provided to achieve the effect of reducing noise. In this embodiment, the noise reduction film 30 is disposed on the bottom surface 103 of the touch panel 10 to cover the elastomer 20.

[0054] Figure 5A is Figure 2 a top view of the noise reduction film shown, Figure 5B is Figure 5A a side view of the noise reduction film shown, Figure 5C is Figure 2 a top view of the combination of the noise reduction film and the elastomer shown, please refer to Figure 5A , Figure 5B and Figure 5C shown. Specifically, the noise reduction film 30 includes a fixing portion 31, an opening 32, and a spring arm structure 33. The opening 32 is located within the fixing portion 31, and the spring arm structure 33 extends from the fixing portion 31 into the interior of the opening 32. In other words, the structure located outside the opening 32 is the fixing portion 31, and the structure located inside the opening 32 is the spring arm structure 33.

[0055] Regarding the assembly of the noise reduction film 30 to the touch panel 10, after the opening 32 is aligned with the elastomer 20, the fixing portion 31 can be disposed on the bottom surface 103 of the touch panel 10, so that the noise reduction film 30 covers the elastomer 20, and the spring arm structure 33 is also aligned with the elastomer 20, as Figure 4 shown. Preferably, the fixing portion 31 can be disposed on the bottom surface 103 of the touch panel 10 by pasting. Preferably, the opening 32 can be located at the central position of the noise reduction film 30, so that the fixing portion 31 has sufficient area to be pasted to the touch panel 10.

[0056] As Figure 5AAs shown, the elastic arm structure 33 of this embodiment includes an abutting portion 331 and a plurality of elastic arms 332. The elastic arms 332 extend from the abutting portion 331 to the fixing portion 31. Preferably, the abutting portion 331 can correspond to the geometric center of the elastic body 20 (please refer to Figure 2 as shown), and can be connected to the elastic body 20. The abutting portion 331 of this embodiment is adhered to the geometric center of the elastic body 20. Since the noise reduction film 30 is located between the touch panel 10 and the frame 40, the noise reduction film 30 can absorb the impact force when the elastic body 20 contacts the frame 40 to reduce noise. Also, the elastic arm structure 33 corresponds to the elastic body 20, so that the elastic arm structure 33 and its elastic arms 332 can absorb the force returned by the elastic body 20. Specifically, during the process of pressing the touch panel 10, the elastic body 20 moves toward the elastic arm structure 33 and presses against the elastic arm structure 33. When the elastic arm structure 33 is pressed, the elastic arms 332 will deform and generate an elastic force. Therefore, the force returned by the elastic body 20 can be absorbed through the structure of the elastic arms 332, and the noise generated when the elastic body 20 rebounds can be reduced thereby.

[0057] Also, the arrangement of the abutting portion 331 corresponding to the geometric center of the elastic body 20 can produce a stable pressing effect on the elastic body 20. Specifically, when pressing the touch panel 10, even if the force application does not correspond to the elastic body 20, the elastic arm structure 33 can still balance the elastic body 20 moving downward to avoid the situation that the pressing panel 10 generates left and right yaw. In this embodiment, the abutting portion 331 is a cross structure to facilitate corresponding to the geometric center of the elastic body 20. In other embodiments, the abutting portion 331 can also be other structures, as long as it is convenient to correspond to the geometric center of the elastic body 20, and the present invention is not limited.

[0058] Preferably, the elastic arm 332 has at least one bending portion 333. In this embodiment, the elastic arm 332 takes three bending portions 333 as an example, making the whole of the elastic arm 332 present a wavy shape. The wavy bending portion 333 can improve the strength of the elastic arm structure 33. When an external force is applied, that is, when the elastic arm structure 33 is pressed by the elastic body 20, the wavy bending portion 333 helps to reduce the stress concentration. In addition, the design of the wavy bending portion 333 hardly affects the pressing curve when the touchpad module 1 is pressed. Specifically, the bending portion 333 is connected to the abutting portion 331, and the abutting portion 331 is attached to the elastic body 20. Therefore, when the elastic body 20 is pressed, the bending portion 333 can be slightly deformed, and thus the touch feeling of the elastic body 20 is not affected. In other words, the feeling when the user presses the touchpad module 1 is similar to the feeling when pressing a touchpad module without the noise reduction film 30. It should be further noted that if the diaphragm of the touchpad module is closed and has no opening, and directly covers the elastic body (metal elastic sheet), when the elastic body of the touchpad module is pressed down, it will be pulled by the diaphragm (without opening) and affect the hand feeling. However, the opening 32 design of the noise reduction film 30 in this embodiment can achieve the effects of noise reduction and no influence on the hand feeling.

[0059] In other embodiments, the elastic arm 332 can also be a straight line, and the whole of the elastic arm structure 33 is radially arranged in the opening 32. Preferably, it can be radially arranged at the diagonal of the opening 32. The present invention is not limited thereto.

[0060] Preferably, the elastic arm 332 is symmetrically arranged between the abutting portion 331 and the fixing portion 31. In this embodiment, both the fixing portion 31 and the opening 32 are quadrilateral, and the elastic arm structure 33 has two elastic arms 332. Also, the two elastic arms 332 respectively extend from the opposite two sides of the abutting portion 331 towards the fixing portion 31, and extend to the same side of the opening 32 (such as Figure 5A the bottom side of the opening 32 shown). In other embodiments, the opening 32 can also be other shapes, such as circular, oval or other polygons, etc. Also, the elastic arm 332 can also be other numbers or shapes, and only needs to be symmetrically arranged inside the opening 32. In addition, the present invention does not limit the number and the bending configuration of the bending portion 333.

[0061] Preferably, please refer to Figure 4 and Figure 5BAs shown, the abutting portion 331 is farther from the touch panel 10 than the fixing portion 31, causing the elastic arm structure 33 to form a convex portion. Specifically, the fixing portion 31 is attached to the bottom surface 103 of the touch panel 10, and the elastic arms 332 extend from the fixing portion 31 in a direction away from the touch panel 10, causing the entire elastic arm structure 33 to protrude in a direction away from the touch panel 10. Through the foregoing structure, the elastomer 20 can be accommodated within the convex portion (i.e., the elastic arm structure 33). Among them, the noise reduction film 30 can be made of a plastic material, such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET for short), or polycarbonate (PC), etc.; it can also be made of a soft material, such as sponge or rubber, etc. Moreover, the noise reduction film 30 can be formed into the foregoing convex portion configuration by stamping or thermocompression molding.

[0062] Figure 6A Please refer to the top view of the noise reduction film 30a according to another embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6A As shown. In this embodiment, the noise reduction film 30a also includes a fixing portion 31, an opening 32, and an elastic arm structure 33a. The structures of the fixing portion 31 and the opening 32 are the same as those in the foregoing embodiment, so the same reference numerals are used for them. Moreover, the elastic arm structure 33a includes an abutting portion 331a and elastic arms 332a. Among them, each elastic arm 332a has seven bending portions 333a, and the two elastic arms 332a on both sides have a total of fourteen bending portions 333a. In other words, each elastic arm 332a extends from the abutting portion 331a toward the fixing portion 31 and is bent seven times before connecting to the fixing portion 31. Moreover, the two elastic arms 332a extend from the opposite sides of the abutting portion 331a toward the fixing portion 31 and extend to the opposite short sides of the opening 32 (such as Figure 6A the left and right sides of the opening 32 shown).

[0063] Figure 6B Please refer to the top view of the noise reduction film 30b according to still another embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6B As shown. In this embodiment, each elastic arm 332b of the elastic arm structure 33b has five bending portions 333b, and the two elastic arms 332a on both sides have a total of ten bending portions 333b. Moreover, each elastic arm 332b extends from the abutting portion 331b toward the fixing portion 31 and is bent five times before connecting to the fixing portion 31. Moreover, the two elastic arms 332b extend from the opposite sides of the abutting portion 331b toward the fixing portion 31 and extend to the opposite long sides of the opening 32 (such as Figure 6B the upper and lower sides of the opening 32 shown). In other words, the present invention does not limit the number of the bending portions 333b and their positions connecting to the fixing portion 31.

[0064] Figure 6CPlease refer to the top view of the noise reduction film 30c according to another embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6C As shown. In this embodiment, the elastic arms 332c extend towards the fixing portion 31 in a manner of surrounding and abutting against the abutting portion 331c. The elastic arms 332c of this embodiment have seven bending portions 333c ( Figure 6C only some of the bending portions 333c are labeled), that is, the elastic arms 332c extend from the abutting portion 331c and bend around the abutting portion 331c seven times, and then are connected to the fixing portion 31. Also, the two elastic arms 332c of this embodiment respectively extend from the opposite two sides of the abutting portion 331c towards the fixing portion 31, and extend to the opposite two short sides of the opening 32 (such as Figure 6B the left and right sides of the opening 32 shown). In other embodiments, the elastic arms 332c may also extend from the abutting portion 331c and bend around the abutting portion 331c, and then be connected to the opposite two long sides of the fixing portion 31 (that is, the upper and lower sides of the opening 32), and the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0065] Please refer to Figure 2 , Figure 3 , Figure 4 and Figure 5C As shown. Preferably, the touchpad module 1 further includes a buffer body 50. The buffer body 50 is disposed on one surface of the elastic arm structure 33. In this embodiment, the buffer body 50 is disposed on the outer surface of the elastic arm structure 33 and is located between the outer surface of the elastic arm structure 33 and the frame 40. Among them, the buffer body 50 is made of a soft material to absorb the impact force between the elastic body 20 and the frame 40 and achieve a better effect of reducing noise.

[0066] Preferably, the outer diameter of the buffer body 50 is smaller than the outer diameter of the elastic body 20, that is, the outer diameter of the elastic body 20 is greater than the outer diameter of the buffer body 50. Therefore, when the buffer body 50 is located at the center of the elastic body 20, the buffer body 50 will not overlap with the edge of the elastic body 20. The foregoing size limitation can avoid blocking the actuation of the elastic body 20 from collapsing and descending. Specifically, if the outer diameter of the buffer body 50 is greater than the outer diameter of the elastic body 20, the buffer body 50 will cover the elastic body 20. When the elastic body 20 collapses and descends due to the pressing force, the edge of the elastic body 20 will be blocked by the buffer body 50 and cause the situation of hemming.

[0067] Figure 7A Please refer to the enlarged schematic view of the movable end of the touchpad module 1c according to another embodiment of the present invention. Figure 7B is Figure 7A the cross-sectional schematic view of the touchpad module 1c shown in Figure 7A and Figure 7BAs shown. The difference between the touchpad module 1c in this embodiment and the touchpad module 1 in the foregoing embodiment lies in the setting position of the buffer body 50c. Therefore, other components use their original component symbols. In this embodiment, the buffer body 50c is disposed on the inner surface of the elastic arm structure 33 and is located between the elastic arm structure 33 and the elastic body 20. The setting of the buffer body 50c can achieve the effect of absorbing the impact force between the elastic body 20 and the frame 40 and reducing noise.

[0068] In summary, according to the touchpad module of the present invention, it includes a touch panel, an elastic body, and a noise reduction film. The elastic body is disposed on the bottom surface of the touch panel, and the noise reduction film covers the elastic body. Further, the noise reduction film includes an elastic arm structure, and the elastic arm structure includes an abutting portion and a plurality of elastic arms, and the elastic arms extend from the abutting portion to the fixing portion. Since the noise reduction film is located between the touch panel and the frame, the noise reduction film can absorb the impact force when the elastic body contacts the frame to reduce noise. Further, the elastic arm structure and its elastic arms can absorb the force of the elastic body's recovery, thereby reducing the noise when the elastic body rebounds.

[0069] It should be noted that the above-mentioned numerous embodiments are for illustrative purposes. The scope of the rights claimed by the present invention should be subject to what is described in the claims, rather than being limited to the above embodiments.

Claims

1. A touchpad module, characterized in that, Comprising: A touch panel having a bottom surface; An elastomer disposed on the bottom surface of the touch panel; And A noise reduction film covering the elastomer, the noise reduction film comprising: A fixing portion disposed on the bottom surface of the touch panel; An opening located within the fixing portion; and A resilient arm structure corresponding to the elastomer and extending from the fixing portion into the interior of the opening, the resilient arm structure including a contact portion and a plurality of resilient arms, the plurality of resilient arms extending from the contact portion to the fixing portion, and the contact portion being correspondingly connected to the center of the elastomer; Wherein, the contact portion is farther from the touch panel than the fixing portion, such that the resilient arm structure forms a convex portion.

2. The touchpad module according to claim 1, wherein Each of the plurality of resilient arms has at least one bent portion.

3. The touchpad module according to claim 1, wherein The plurality of resilient arms extend towards the fixing portion in a manner surrounding the contact portion.

4. The touchpad module according to claim 1, wherein The plurality of resilient arms are symmetrically disposed between the contact portion and the fixing portion.

5. The touchpad module according to claim 1, wherein The plurality of resilient arms respectively extend from the fixing portion in a direction away from the touch panel.

6. The touchpad module according to claim 1, wherein The elastomer is received within the convex portion.

7. The touchpad module according to claim 1, wherein Further comprising: A buffer body disposed on one surface of the resilient arm structure.

8. The touchpad module according to claim 7, wherein The buffer body is disposed on the inner surface of the resilient arm structure and is located between the resilient arm structure and the elastomer.

9. The touchpad module according to claim 7, wherein The outer diameter of the buffer body is smaller than the outer diameter of the elastomer.

10. The touchpad module according to claim 7, wherein, The buffer body is disposed on the outer surface of the resilient arm structure.

11. The touchpad module according to claim 10, wherein, Further comprising: A frame disposed below the touch panel, and the noise reduction film is located between the touch panel and the frame.

12. The touchpad module according to claim 11, wherein, The buffer body is located between the outer surface of the resilient arm structure and the frame.

Images