Touchpad device

Abstract

A touchpad device comprises a substrate, a touch panel and a support plate. The substrate has a top surface. The touch panel is located above the top face of the base plate, the touch panel is provided with an inner surface facing the base plate, the inner surface is provided with an abutting portion, a pivoting side and a swinging side, the pivoting side is connected to one side of the base plate, the abutting portion is located between the pivoting side and the swinging side, so that the touch panel forms a movable plate, the movable plate is located between the abutting portion and the swinging side, and the movable plate is located between the pivoting side and the swinging side. A trigger switch is arranged on the swing side of the inner surface. The supporting plate is stacked between the base plate and the touch panel, the supporting plate abuts against the top face of the base plate and is adjacent to the swing side, the trigger switch abuts against the supporting plate, and the abutting portion of the touch panel is connected to one side of the supporting plate, so that the movable plate of the touch panel can swing relative to the supporting plate and the base plate with the abutting portion as the axis.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to an input device, in particular to a touch panel device. Background Art

[0002] A touch pad is an input device widely used in computers, and is used to sense the movement or pressure of a user's finger to control the movement of a cursor (eg, control the movement of a cursor or click actions).

[0003] The currently known touch panel structure has a touch panel and a substrate. The touch panel has a pivot side and is pivotally fixed on the substrate by the pivot side. When the part of the touch panel away from the pivot side is pressed, the touch panel can swing down relative to the substrate with the pivot side as the axis to generate a corresponding signal.

[0004] However, when the user is operating the touchpad, when the user presses the side or corner of the touchpad away from the pivot side, a larger force arm is generated due to the long distance between the side or corner and the pivot side. Therefore, the touchpad is prone to bending or deformation, resulting in excessive idle travel during the operation of the touchpad and affecting the operating feel. Summary of the invention

[0005] In view of the above, in one embodiment, a touch panel device is provided, including a substrate, a touch panel and a support plate. The substrate has a top surface. The touch panel is located above the top surface of the substrate, and the touch panel has an inner surface facing the substrate, the inner surface has an abutment portion and a pivot side and a swing side opposite to each other, the pivot side is connected to one side of the substrate, the abutment portion is located between the pivot side and the swing side, so that the touch panel forms a movable plate, the movable plate is between the abutment portion and the swing side, and a trigger switch is provided on the swing side of the inner surface. The support plate is stacked between the substrate and the touch panel, the support plate is supported on the top surface of the substrate and adjacent to the swing side, the trigger switch is abutted against the support plate, and the abutment portion of the touch panel is connected to one side of the support plate, so that the movable plate of the touch panel can swing relative to the support plate and the substrate with the abutment portion as the axis.

[0006] In summary, according to the touch pad device of the embodiment of the present invention, a contact portion is further provided between the pivotal side and the swinging side of the touch panel, so that the touch panel forms a movable plate between the contact portion and the swinging side. Whereby, when the user presses the corner, edge or area close to the swinging side, the movable plate can swing relative to the support plate and the substrate with the contact portion as the axis to trigger the trigger switch, thereby greatly shortening the force arm and effectively reducing the deformation of the touch panel, thereby reducing the empty stroke of pressing to provide a good pressing feel. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0007] Figure 1 is a three-dimensional diagram of an embodiment of a touch panel device of the present invention;

[0008] Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of a touch panel device of the present invention;

[0009] Figure 3 is a top view of an embodiment of a touch panel device of the present invention;

[0010] Figure 4 yes Figure 3 Sectional view along line segment 4-4;

[0011] Figure 5 yes Figure 4 A partial enlarged view of

[0012] Figure 6 yes Figure 3 Sectional view along line segment 6-6;

[0013] Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of another embodiment of the touch panel device of the present invention.

[0014]

Explanation of symbols

[0015] 1: Touchpad device

[0016] 10:Substrate

[0017] 101: First local section

[0018] 102: Second local section

[0019] 11: Top surface

[0020] 111: first pivot member

[0021] 12: First side

[0022] 13: Second side

[0023] 14: Sheet

[0024] 20: Touch panel

[0025] 201: Movable Plate

[0026] 21: Inner surface

[0027] 22:Butt part

[0028] 23: Pivot side

[0029] 231: Second pivot member

[0030] 24: Swing side

[0031] 25: Trigger switch

[0032] 26: First side

[0033] 27: Second side

[0034] 28: Touchpad

[0035] 29: Circuit Board

[0036] 30: Support plate

[0037] 31: First board

[0038] 32: Second board

[0039] 33: First folding plate

[0040] 34:Second folding plate

[0041] 40: First fixing member

[0042] 50: Second fixing member

[0043] 60: Reinforcement plate

[0044] 61,63: Long strip

[0045] 62: Side panel

[0046] 621:Through hole

[0047] 622: Elastic sheet

[0048] L1: Arrow

[0049] D1: First spacing

[0050] D2: Second spacing

[0051] A1, A2: force arm DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0052] It should be noted that in the following descriptions of various embodiments, the so-called "first" and "second" are used to describe different elements, and these elements are not limited by such predicates. The same reference numerals will be used to represent the same or similar elements in all drawings.

[0053] Figure 1 is a three-dimensional diagram of an embodiment of a touch panel device of the present invention, Figure 2 is an exploded perspective view of an embodiment of a touch panel device of the present invention, Figure 3 is a top view of an embodiment of a touch panel device of the present invention, Figure 4 for Figure 3 The cross-sectional view along line segment 4-4. Figure 1As shown, the touchpad device 1 (such as a Touchpad or Trackpad) of the embodiment of the present invention can be applied to computer products. The user can operate the touchpad device 1 by sliding or pressing the finger to control the displacement of the cursor or generate a corresponding control signal. For example, the touchpad device 1 can be installed in a notebook computer or a portable computer (such as a tablet computer), or the touchpad device 1 can also be an independent device and connected to an electronic product, which is not limited.

[0054] like Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, the touch panel device 1 includes a substrate 10, a touch panel 20 and a support plate 30. The substrate 10 can be a hard plate made of metal (such as iron, aluminum or alloy, etc.) or plastic. The substrate 10 has a top surface 11. The top surface 11 has a first side 12 and a second side 13 opposite to each other. The touch panel 20 and the support plate 30 are both disposed above the top surface 11 of the substrate 10. It should be noted that Figure 3 In the figure, the touch panel 20 is presented in a perspective manner so that the positions of the components (such as the substrate 10 and the support plate 30 , etc.) covered by the touch panel 20 can be clearly seen.

[0055] like Figures 2 to 4 As shown, in this embodiment, the touch panel 20 includes a touch panel 28 and a circuit board 29 stacked on each other, and the circuit board 29 is closer to the substrate 10 than the touch panel 28. In this embodiment, the touch panel 28 and the circuit board 29 are integrated into the same board body. For example, the surfaces of the touch panel 28 and the circuit board 29 adjacent to each other can be combined into the same board body by means of adhesive, chemical adhesive (such as light-curing adhesive) or physical adhesive (such as thermosetting adhesive or thermoplastic adhesive).

[0056] In some embodiments, the touch panel 28 may be a plate made of glass or mylar for users to touch or press, and the circuit board 29 may be a membrane, a printed circuit board (PCB), a flexible circuit board (FPCB), a rigid-flex PCB, and other circuit boards, and the circuit board 29 may process the user's finger movements on the touch panel 28 to generate functions such as scrolling, zooming in, zooming out, or opening a window. Alternatively, the circuit board 29 may also generate functions such as selection or displaying a menu in response to the user's finger pressing and clicking on the touch panel 28.

[0057] like Figures 2 to 4As shown, the touch panel 20 has an inner surface 21 facing the substrate 10, where the inner surface 21 is the bottom surface of the circuit board 29, and the inner surface 21 has an abutting portion 22, a pivoting side 23 and a swinging side 24, wherein the pivoting side 23 and the swinging side 24 are two opposite sides of the inner surface 21, and the pivoting side 23 is disposed on one side of the substrate 10. In this embodiment, the pivoting side 23 of the touch panel 20 is fixed to the first side 12 of the top surface 11 of the substrate 10 by a first fixing member 40, wherein the first fixing member 40 can be a long strip block or plate, and the material of the first fixing member 40 can be metal, plastic, rubber, silicone or sponge, so that the touch panel 20 and the substrate 10 are kept at a distance, and when the touch panel 20 is pressed, the touch panel 20 can swing relative to the substrate 10 with the pivoting side 23 as the axis.

[0058] In some embodiments, the first fixing member 40 can be fixed between the touch panel 20 and the substrate 10 by bonding, spot welding, hot melting or locking. For example, the two surfaces of the first fixing member 40 that contact the touch panel 20 and the substrate 10 can be respectively provided with adhesive so that the touch panel 20, the first fixing member 40 and the substrate 10 are bonded and fixed to each other.

[0059] like Figures 2 to 4 As shown, the contact portion 22 of the inner surface 21 of the touch panel 20 is located between the pivot side 23 and the swing side 24. In this embodiment, the contact portion 22 is a partial surface of the inner surface 21 (eg Figure 2 In the embodiment of the present invention, the touch panel 20 forms a movable plate 201 between the abutting portion 22 and the swinging side 24 through the abutting portion 22. That is, the movable plate 201 is a local block of the touch panel 20, and the movable plate 201 is between the abutting portion 22 and the swinging side 24.

[0060] like Figures 2 to 4 As shown, the support plate 30 can be a high-rigidity plate made of a metal material (such as iron, aluminum or alloy, etc.), so that the support plate 30 is not easily deformed when subjected to force, and the support plate 30 is stacked between the substrate 10 and the touch panel 20. In this embodiment, the support plate 30 is disposed on the top surface 11 of the substrate 10. For example, the support plate 30 can be directly supported on the top surface 11 of the substrate 10, or the support plate 30 can also be supported on other components (such as Figure 4 As shown, the support plate 30 is supported by a piece 14 on the top surface 11 and indirectly supported by the substrate 10, that is, the support plate 30 and the substrate 10 are not assembled and fixed to each other. The support plate 30 is adjacent to the swing side 24 and is located below the movable plate 201. The abutment portion 22 of the touch panel 20 is disposed on one side of the support plate 30, so that the movable plate 201 of the touch panel 20 can swing relative to the substrate 10 with the abutment portion 22 as the axis when a force is applied.

[0061] In addition, a trigger switch 25 is provided at the center of the swinging side 24 of the inner surface 21 of the touch panel 20. For example, the trigger switch 25 can be a button switch, a micro switch or an elastic member. For example, the elastic member can be an elastic body such as a rubber dome, a metal dome, a plastic dome, a spring or a spring. The trigger switch 25 abuts against the support plate 30 (here, the trigger switch 25 abuts against the side of the support plate 30 away from the abutting portion 22), so that the touch panel 20 is located at a height position and maintains a distance from the substrate 10.

[0062] Please refer to Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, when the user presses the corner, edge or area of ​​the touch panel 20 close to the swing side 24 (such as Figure 5 As shown by the arrow L1, here the edge near the swing side 24 is pressed, the movable plate 201 of the touch panel 20 will swing relative to the support plate 30 and the substrate 10 with the contact portion 22 as the axis, so that the trigger switch 25 descends and presses the support plate 30 to generate a signal, thereby greatly shortening the force arm and effectively reducing the deformation of the touch panel 20. When the movable plate 201 of the touch panel 20 is released, the movable plate 201 can rise and return to the above height position through the elastic force accumulated by the trigger switch 25.

[0063] Specifically, since the conventional touch panel 20 is not provided with the abutting portion 22 and the supporting plate 30, when the user presses the corner, edge or area of ​​the touch panel 20 close to the swing side 24, the force arm A1 will be too large (eg Figure 4 As shown in FIG. 1 , the force arm A1 is the distance from the pressing position to the pivot side 23 ) and thus causes the touch panel 20 to bend or deform significantly, thereby causing the trigger switch 25 to sense unsmoothly or even fail. Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, in the embodiment of the present invention, by providing the abutting portion 22 and the supporting plate 30, when the user presses the corner, edge or area of ​​the touch panel 20 close to the swing side 24, the force arm A2 will be greatly reduced (eg Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the force arm A2 is the distance from the pressing position to the abutting portion 22 , and the force arm A2 is smaller than the force arm A1 , thereby effectively reducing the deformation of the touch panel 20 , thereby reducing the idle stroke of pressing to provide a good pressing feel.

[0064] For example Figures 2 to 5As shown, there is a first distance D1 between the abutting portion 22 of the touch panel 20 and the swing side 24, and a second distance D2 between the abutting portion 22 and the pivot side 23. When the first distance D1 is smaller, the aforementioned force arm A2 will be smaller. For example, in this embodiment, the first distance D1 is smaller than the second distance D2 and the second distance D2 is more than twice the first distance D1, so that when the corner, edge or area of ​​the touch panel 20 close to the swing side 24 is pressed, the deformation of the touch panel 20 can be further reduced.

[0065] like Figures 2 to 5 As shown, in this embodiment, the abutting portion 22 of the touch panel 20 is fixed to one side of the support plate 30 by a second fixing member 50, wherein the second fixing member 50 can be a long block or plate, and the material of the second fixing member 50 can be metal, plastic, rubber, silicone or sponge, so that when the movable plate 201 of the touch panel 20 is pressed, the movable plate 201 can swing relative to the support plate 30 with the abutting portion 22 as the axis.

[0066] In some embodiments, the second fixing member 50 can be fixed between the touch panel 20 and the support plate 30 by bonding, spot welding, hot melting or locking. For example, the two surfaces of the second fixing member 50 in contact with the touch panel 20 and the support plate 30 can be respectively provided with adhesive so that the touch panel 20, the second fixing member 50 and the support plate 30 are bonded and fixed to each other.

[0067] like Figure 2 and Figure 3 As shown, in the present embodiment, the inner surface 21 of the touch panel 20 has a first side 26 and a second side 27 opposite to each other, and the first side 26 and the second side 27 are connected between the pivot side 23 and the swing side 24, that is, the pivot side 23, the swing side 24, the first side 26 and the second side 27 are connected to each other to form the outer periphery of the inner surface 21, the support plate 30 is a rectangular plate body, and the two ends of the second fixing member 50 and the two ends of the support plate 30 are respectively adjacent to the first side 26 and the second side 27, so the length of the second fixing member 50 and the length of the support plate 30 can be closer to the length of the touch panel 20, so that the movable plate 201 of the touch panel 20 can obtain a better fixing and supporting effect and can be more stable when actuated.

[0068] like Figures 2 to 5As shown, in this embodiment, the support plate 30 includes a first plate 31, a second plate 32 and a first folding plate 33, the first plate 31 is spaced apart from the base plate 10, the abutting portion 22 is directly or indirectly supported on the first plate 31, the second plate 32 is directly or indirectly supported on the top surface 11 of the base plate 10, the first folding plate 33 is integrally connected between the first plate 31 and the second plate 32, and the trigger switch 25 is supported on the second plate 32. Thus, by bending the support plate 30 from a sheet metal part, the overall structural strength can be improved to prevent the support plate 30 from being deformed due to stress.

[0069] For example Figure 5 As shown, in this embodiment, the support plate 30 further includes a second folding plate 34, and the first folding plate 33 and the second folding plate 34 are respectively connected to two opposite sides of the second plate 32. Thus, by bending the support plate 30 at a plurality of different positions, the overall structural strength can be further improved, so that the movable plate 201 of the touch panel 20 can provide a good pressing feel when being pressed.

[0070] like Figures 2 to 5 As shown, the touch panel device 1 further includes a reinforcing plate 60 , which is fixed to the inner surface 21 and adjacent to the swing side 24 to increase the rigidity of the movable plate 201 of the touch panel 20 , thereby further reducing the deformation of the movable plate 201 when under pressure.

[0071] like Figures 2 to 5 As shown, in this embodiment, the reinforcing plate 60 includes two long plate bodies 61, 63 and two side plates 62. The reinforcing plate 60 is correspondingly located above the supporting plate 30 and fixed to the inner surface 21, and the long plate body 61 and the long plate body 63 are arranged at intervals from each other. The two side plates 62 are connected to the opposite ends of the long plate body 61, and the long plate body 61, the two side plates 62 and the other long plate body 63 are surrounded to form a frame. The supporting plate 30 is located between the two side plates 62 and in the frame. In this way, the reinforcing plate 60 can be prevented from occupying the setting space of the supporting plate 30, and the reinforcing plate 60 can improve the structural strength of the movable plate 201.

[0072] like Figure 2 , Figure 3 and Figure 6 As shown, in the present embodiment, each side plate 62 of the reinforcing plate 60 has a through hole 621, and an elastic sheet 622 is provided in the through hole 621. One end of the elastic sheet 622 is connected to the hole wall of the through hole 621, and the other end of the elastic sheet 622 is pressed against the top surface 11 of the substrate 10. Thus, when the movable plate 201 of the touch panel 20 is pressed and actuated, the actuation stability of the movable plate 201 can be further improved through the buffering of the elastic sheet 622.

[0073] For example Figure 4As shown, in this embodiment, the substrate 10 includes a first partial plate 101 and a second partial plate 102, the first partial plate 101 is adjacent to the pivot side 23, the second partial plate 102 is adjacent to the swing side 24, the support plate 30 and the reinforcing plate 60 are stacked between the second partial plate 102 and the touch panel 20, and the distance between the second partial plate 102 and the touch panel 20 is greater than the distance between the first partial plate 101 and the touch panel 20. Thus, by making the distance between the second partial plate 102 adjacent to the swing side 24 of the substrate 10 and the touch panel 20 larger, the support plate 30 and the reinforcing plate 60 have enough installation space to improve the convenience of assembly.

[0074] In some embodiments, the pivot side 23 of the touch panel 20 and the substrate 10 as well as the abutting portion 22 and the support plate 30 may be connected to each other by other means. Figure 7 As shown, in this embodiment, the first side 12 of the top surface 11 of the substrate 10 is integrally provided with a first pivot member 111, and the pivot side 23 of the touch panel 20 is integrally provided with a second pivot member 231. The first pivot member 111 is assembled with the second pivot member 231, and the first fixing member 40 can be omitted. In addition, in this embodiment, the first pivot member 111 and the second pivot member 231 are elastic arms and are hooked with each other. However, the above embodiment is only an example, and the first pivot member 111 and the second pivot member 231 can also be other assembly structures, or the first pivot member 111 and the second pivot member 231 can also be assembled and fixed to each other by other methods such as adhesion, spot welding, hot melting or locking.

[0075] Although the technical contents of the present invention have been disclosed as above in the preferred embodiments, they are not used to limit the present invention. Any slight changes and modifications made by anyone familiar with this technology without departing from the spirit of the present invention should be included in the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention shall be based on the scope defined by the attached claims.

Claims

1. A touch panel device, characterized in that: include: a substrate having a top surface; A touch panel is located above the top surface of the substrate, the touch panel has an inner surface facing the substrate, the inner surface has an abutment portion and a pivot side and a swing side opposite to each other, the pivot side is connected to one side of the substrate, the abutment portion is located between the pivot side and the swing side, so that the touch panel forms a movable plate, the movable plate is between the abutment portion and the swing side, and a trigger switch is provided on the swing side of the inner surface; as well as A support plate is stacked between the substrate and the touch panel, the support plate is supported by the top surface of the substrate and is adjacent to the swinging side, the trigger switch is against the support plate, and the abutting portion of the touch panel is connected to one side of the support plate, so that the movable plate of the touch panel can swing relative to the support plate and the substrate with the abutting portion as the axis.

2. The touch panel device according to claim 1, wherein: A first distance between the abutting portion and the swinging side is smaller than a second distance between the abutting portion and the pivoting side.

3. The touch panel device according to claim 2, wherein: The second spacing is more than twice the first spacing.

4. The touch panel device according to claim 1, wherein: The pivot side is fixed to the substrate by a first fixing member, so that the touch panel can swing relative to the substrate with the pivot side as an axis.

5. The touch panel device according to claim 1, wherein: A first pivoting member is disposed on the top surface of the substrate, a second pivoting member is disposed on the pivoting side of the touch panel, and the first pivoting member is assembled to the second pivoting member.

6. The touch panel device according to claim 1, wherein: The abutting portion is fixed to one side of the supporting plate by a second fixing member, so that the movable plate of the touch panel can swing relative to the supporting plate with the abutting portion as an axis.

7. The touch panel device according to claim 6, wherein: The inner surface of the touch panel has a first side and a second side opposite to each other, the first side and the second side are connected between the pivot side and the swing side, and the two ends of the second fixing member and the two ends of the support plate are respectively adjacent to the first side and the second side.

8. The touch panel device according to claim 1, wherein: The support plate includes a first plate, a second plate and a first folding plate. The first plate maintains a distance from the base plate, the abutting portion is connected to the first plate, the second plate rests on the top surface of the base plate, the first folding plate is integrally connected between the first plate and the second plate, and the trigger switch rests on the second plate.

9. The touch panel device according to claim 8, wherein: The supporting plate includes a second folding plate. The first folding plate and the second folding plate are respectively and integrally connected to two opposite sides of the second plate.

10. The touch panel device according to claim 1, wherein: Also included is a reinforcing plate, which is fixed to the inner surface and adjacent to the swing side.

11. The touch panel device according to claim 10, wherein: The reinforcing plate comprises a long plate body and two side plates, the two side plates are connected to two opposite ends of the long plate body, and the supporting plate is located between the two side plates.

12. The touch panel device according to claim 11, wherein: The reinforcing plate comprises another long plate body, the other long plate body is fixed to the swing side, the long plate body, the two side plates and the other long plate body are connected to each other and surround to form a frame body.

13. The touch panel device according to claim 11, wherein: Each of the side plates has a through hole, in which an elastic sheet is arranged, one end of the elastic sheet is connected to the hole wall of the through hole, and the other end of the elastic sheet abuts against the top surface of the base plate.

14. The touch panel device according to claim 1, wherein: The substrate includes a first partial plate and a second partial plate, the first partial plate is adjacent to the pivot side, the second partial plate is adjacent to the swing side, the support plate is stacked between the second partial plate and the touch panel, and the distance between the second partial plate and the touch panel is greater than the distance between the first partial plate and the touch panel.

Images