Key for terminal and terminal equipment

Abstract

The utility model provides a key for a terminal and a terminal device, the key comprises a fingerprint module, a pressure-sensitive module and a flexible circuit board, the fingerprint module and the pressure-sensitive module are attached to the flexible circuit board through a surface mounting technology and are electrically connected with the flexible circuit board, the fingerprint module is arranged on the outer surface of the key, and the pressure-sensitive module is arranged on the outer surface of the key. The fingerprint conversion module is used for converting fingerprints contacted by keys into electric signals; the pressure sensing module is arranged in the key and is used for converting external force applied to the key into an electric signal; and the flexible circuit board is used for transmitting the electric signals converted by the fingerprint module and the pressure sensing module to a processing chip of the terminal. According to the embodiment of the invention, the key composed of the fingerprint module, the pressure-sensitive module and the flexible circuit board can replace a metal dome key installed on the terminal equipment, thereby reducing the space occupation of the key in the terminal equipment, and improving the reliability of the terminal equipment. The hand feeling of the key is improved, the use experience of a user on diversified functions of the key is met, and the waterproof and dustproof performance of the terminal equipment is improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present application relates to the technical field of electronic products, and in particular to keys and terminal devices used in terminals. Background Art

[0002] In some terminal devices, taking mobile phones as an example, the capacitive fingerprint-compatible power switch button set on the side of the mobile phone's middle frame is mainly realized through a pot design. The pot has a certain thickness and occupies a large space, which makes the button protrude on the side of the mobile phone's middle frame. Such a design is equivalent to breaking the smoothness of the lines on the side of the mobile phone's middle frame, so that the side of the mobile phone's middle frame does not form a plane, which can easily cause dust, water, etc. to enter the inside of the mobile phone through the gap between the button and the middle frame, affecting the waterproof and dustproof performance of the mobile phone.

[0003] Since the existing pot-shaped buttons have a pot piece set in the middle of the button, the user feels poor when pressing the button, and the effect of pressing the middle of the button with the same force may be different from that of pressing the side of the button. For example, when the user wants to turn on the mobile phone by pressing the button, pressing the middle part of the button with the same force can turn on the phone, but pressing the side of the button may not turn on the phone.

[0004] In addition, as users have more and more demands for diversified button functions, buttons with pot-shaped designs can only provide users with two states of controlling terminal devices, "on" and "off", which cannot meet users' usage experience of diversified button functions. Utility Model Content

[0005] The embodiments of the present application provide a key for a terminal and a terminal device to solve one or more of the above-mentioned technical problems.

[0006] In the first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a button for a terminal, wherein the button includes a fingerprint module, a pressure sensing module and a flexible circuit board; the fingerprint module and the pressure sensing module are attached to the flexible circuit board through a surface mounting process and are electrically connected to the flexible circuit board; the fingerprint module is arranged on the outer surface of the button, and is used to convert the fingerprint contacted by the button into an electrical signal; the pressure sensing module is arranged inside the button, and is used to convert the external force applied to the button into an electrical signal; the flexible circuit board is used to transmit the electrical signals converted by the fingerprint module and the pressure sensing module to the processing chip of the terminal.

[0007] In one embodiment, a connector is also provided on the flexible circuit board, the terminal includes a main board, and the processing chip is provided on the main board; the electrical signals converted by the fingerprint module and the pressure sensing module are sent to the processing chip through the connector; the processing chip is used to convert the received electrical signals into computer signals, and the terminal executes preset commands according to the computer signals.

[0008] In one embodiment, a motor is provided in the mainboard of the terminal, and the pressure sensing module is electrically connected to the motor via the connector; the electrical signal converted by the pressure sensing module is sent to the motor via the connector, causing the motor to vibrate.

[0009] In one embodiment, a piezoelectric motor is further disposed under the pressure sensing module; when the key is subjected to force, the pressure sensing module transmits the external force exerted on the key to the piezoelectric motor, causing the piezoelectric motor to vibrate.

[0010] In one embodiment, the fingerprint module and the pressure sensing module are respectively attached to both sides of the flexible circuit board through a surface mounting process, or the fingerprint module and the pressure sensing module are pre-packaged as one piece and then attached to one side of the flexible circuit board through a surface mounting process.

[0011] In one embodiment, a reinforcement plate is also bonded to the flexible circuit board, and the reinforcement plate is used to increase the strength coefficient of the flexible circuit board; when the fingerprint module and / or the pressure sensing module is bonded to the side of the flexible circuit board bonded with the reinforcement plate through a surface mounting process, the fingerprint module and / or the pressure sensing module is bonded to the reinforcement plate through a surface mounting process.

[0012] In one embodiment, the pressure sensing module includes at least one pressure sensing unit, and the pressure sensing unit includes multiple cantilever beams and multiple piezoresistors; the cantilever beam is placed on the piezoresistors, and when the key is subjected to force, the cantilever beam in the pressure sensing module is tilted due to the force, causing the piezoresistors to produce resistance changes and convert them into current.

[0013] In one embodiment, two ends of each cantilever beam are respectively placed on two varistors, and the contact area between each cantilever beam and the two varistors in contact with the cantilever beam is the same.

[0014] In one embodiment, the varistor includes a first varistor, a second varistor, a third varistor and a fourth varistor; the first varistor and the third varistor have a relative positional relationship, and the second varistor and the fourth varistor have a relative positional relationship; the first varistor and the second varistor are connected in series to form a first circuit, and the third varistor and the fourth varistor are connected in series to form a second circuit; the first circuit and the second circuit are connected in parallel.

[0015] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a terminal device, wherein the terminal device is provided with a key for a terminal as described in any one of the items above.

[0016] The above description is only an overview of the technical solution of the present application and is not intended to be limiting in any way. In addition to the illustrative aspects, implementation methods and features described above, in order to more clearly understand the technical means of the present application, by referring to the accompanying drawings and the detailed description of the following specification, it can be implemented in accordance with the contents of the specification, and in order to make the above and other purposes, features and advantages of the present application more obvious and easy to understand, the specific implementation methods of the present application are specifically cited below. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0017] In the accompanying drawings, unless otherwise specified, the same reference numerals throughout the multiple drawings represent the same or similar parts or elements. These drawings are not necessarily drawn to scale. It should be understood that these drawings only depict some embodiments according to the present application and should not be regarded as limiting the scope of the present application.

[0018] Figure 1 A simplified schematic diagram of a key structure for a terminal provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0019] Figure 2 A simplified schematic diagram of a mainboard structure of a terminal provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0020] Figure 3 A schematic structural diagram of components of a key for a terminal provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0021] Figure 4 A process flow chart showing a structure of a component in a key for a terminal provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0022] Figure 5 Another structural schematic diagram of components of a key for a terminal provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0023] Figure 6A process flow chart showing another structure of a component in a key for a terminal provided in an embodiment of the present application;

[0024] Figure 7 A schematic diagram showing the position structure of a cantilever beam and a varistor in a key for a terminal provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown;

[0025] Figure 8 A schematic diagram showing the principle of a varistor in a key of a terminal provided in an embodiment of the present application converting an external force applied to the key into an electrical signal;

[0026] Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of a process of opening a terminal device using a key for a terminal provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown; and

[0027] Fig.10 A block diagram of a portable electronic device for implementing an embodiment of the present application is shown.

[0028] Description of reference numerals:

[0029] Fingerprint module 110 ; pressure sensing module 120 ; flexible circuit board 130 ; connector 210 ; mainboard 220 ; processing chip 230 ; motor 240 ; reinforcement plate 310 ; pressure sensing unit 710 ; cantilever beam 720 ; piezoresistors 730 . DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0030] In the following, only some exemplary embodiments are briefly described. As those skilled in the art will appreciate, the described embodiments may be modified in various ways without departing from the concept or scope of the present application. Therefore, the drawings and descriptions are considered to be exemplary in nature and not restrictive.

[0031] To facilitate understanding of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application, the following describes the related technologies of the embodiments of the present application. The following related technologies can be combined with the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application as optional solutions, and they all belong to the protection scope of the embodiments of the present application.

[0032] In some cases, in some terminal devices, taking mobile phones as an example, the capacitive fingerprint compatible power switch button set on the side of the mobile phone middle frame is mainly realized by pot design, and the pot has a certain thickness and occupies a large space, so that the button is protruding on the side of the mobile phone middle frame. Such a design is equivalent to breaking the smoothness of the side lines of the mobile phone middle frame, so that the side of the mobile phone middle frame does not form a plane, which is easy to cause dust, water, etc. to enter the inside of the mobile phone through the gap between the button and the middle frame, affecting the waterproof and dustproof performance of the mobile phone. In actual use, the button designed with pot can only provide users with two states of controlling the terminal device, "on" and "off". For example, when the user presses the pot with a finger, if a fingerprint module is assembled above the pot, the pot is forced to trigger the power switch when the finger is pressed, and the fingerprint module performs fingerprint recognition, and then turns on and off. However, in the current market, users have higher and higher requirements for the use of diversified functions of buttons. For example, different applications can be opened when pressing the button with different strengths, but the button designed with pot cannot make a more detailed judgment on the strength of the user's pressing.

[0033] Therefore, the present application provides a key for a terminal and a terminal device, wherein the key includes a fingerprint module, a pressure sensing module and a flexible circuit board, wherein the fingerprint module and the pressure sensing module are attached to the flexible circuit board through a surface mounting process and are electrically connected to the flexible circuit board, wherein the fingerprint module is arranged on the outer surface of the key, and is used to convert the fingerprint contacted by the key into an electrical signal; the pressure sensing module is arranged inside the key, and is used to convert the external force received by the key into an electrical signal; the flexible circuit board is used to transmit the electrical signal converted by the fingerprint module and the pressure sensing module to the processing chip of the terminal. According to the embodiment of the present application, by using a key composed of a fingerprint module, a pressure sensing module and a flexible circuit board, the pot key installed on the terminal device can be replaced, the space occupied by the key in the terminal device can be reduced, the feel of the key can be improved, the user's experience of using the diversified functions of the key can be satisfied, and the waterproof and dustproof performance of the terminal device can be improved.

[0034] The technical solution of the present application and how the technical solution of the present application solves the above-mentioned technical problems are described in detail below with specific embodiments. The several specific embodiments listed can be combined with each other, and the same or similar concepts or processes may not be repeated in some embodiments. The embodiments of the present application will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0035] Figure 1A simplified schematic diagram of the composition structure of a key for a terminal provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown. The key for the terminal includes a fingerprint module 110, a pressure sensing module 120 and a flexible printed circuit (FPC) 130, wherein the fingerprint module 110 and the pressure sensing module 120 are attached to the flexible printed circuit 130 through a surface mounting process and are electrically connected to the flexible printed circuit 130, the fingerprint module 110 is arranged on the outer surface of the key, and is used to convert the fingerprint contacted by the key into an electrical signal, the pressure sensing module 120 is arranged inside the key, and is used to convert the external force applied to the key into an electrical signal, and the flexible printed circuit 130 is used to transmit the electrical signals converted by the fingerprint module 110 and the pressure sensing module 120 to the processing chip 230 of the terminal ( Figure 2 In addition, the pressure sensing module 120 may further include at least one pressure sensing unit 710 ( Figure 1 Not shown, Figures 3 to 6 ), for example Figure 1 The figure shows a pressure sensing module 120 including three pressure sensing units. Since each pressure sensing unit is composed of a plurality of piezoresistors and cantilever beams, the pressure sensing module including multiple pressure sensing units can sense the external force exerted on the key more sensitively and accurately, and can distinguish the force exerted by the user on the key more finely (for example, pressure>200g or pressure>500g, etc.).

[0036] In one possible implementation, a connector 210 (e.g., BTB: Board-to-board Connectors) is also provided on the flexible circuit board 130, and the terminal involved in the embodiment of the present application may include a mainboard 220, and a processing chip 230 may be provided on the mainboard 220; the electrical signals converted by the fingerprint module 110 and the pressure sensing module 120 may be sent to the processing chip 230 through the connector 210; the processing chip 230 may be used to convert the received electrical signals into computer signals, and then, the terminal may execute preset commands according to the computer signals.

[0037] Exemplarily, a motor 240 is provided in the mainboard 220 of the terminal, and the pressure sensing module 120 can be electrically connected to the motor 240 through the connector 210; the electrical signal converted by the pressure sensing module 120 can be sent to the motor 240 through the connector 210, so that the motor 240 vibrates, thereby driving the entire terminal body to vibrate. Thus, when the user presses a button on the terminal, the pressure sensing module 120 can identify the force of the user pressing the button, and convert the force into an electrical signal and send it to the motor, so that the terminal device can produce a vibration effect in response to the user pressing the button.

[0038] Figure 2FIG. 1 is a simplified schematic diagram of a mainboard structure of a terminal provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 2 As shown, the main board 220 can be set in a mobile phone. Figure 2 The structure of the outer ring of the motherboard 220 shown in FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of the middle frame of the mobile phone. The motherboard 220 may be provided with a processing chip 230 and a motor 240. The key for the terminal provided in the embodiment of the present application may be installed on the motherboard ( Figure 2 What is shown is a top view of the button, not a cross-sectional view, so the hierarchical structure of the fingerprint module 110, the pressure sensing module 120 and the flexible circuit board 130 cannot be seen. The hierarchical structure can be referred to Figure 3 The pressure sensing module 120 in the button can be electrically connected to the motor 240 through the connector 210, and the electrical signals converted by the fingerprint module 110 and the pressure sensing module 120 in the button can be sent to the processing chip 230 through the connector 210. The motor 240 can be a whole machine motor, which can achieve the effect of whole machine vibration when vibrating. By using the whole machine motor to vibrate the mobile phone, the user can feel the vibration when holding the terminal device.

[0039] In another possible implementation, a piezoelectric motor may be further provided under the pressure sensing module 120; when the key is subjected to force, the pressure sensing module 120 may transmit the external force exerted on the key to the piezoelectric motor, causing the piezoelectric motor to vibrate. In this way, the piezoelectric motor is provided under the pressure sensing module 120, and the external force exerted on the key may be transmitted to the motor without using an electrical signal through the motherboard of the terminal device. The piezoelectric motor may directly respond to the external force exerted on the key and generate corresponding vibrations. For this piezoelectric motor installed under the pressure sensing module 120, when the key is subjected to force due to finger pressing, the piezoelectric motor may utilize the piezoelectric body to vibrate under the action of voltage, drive the internal moving parts to rotate or move linearly, and drive the strain gauge to vibrate through the piezoelectric effect to generate vibration.

[0040] In one embodiment, the fingerprint module 110 and the pressure sensing module 120 can be respectively bonded to the two sides of the flexible circuit board 130 through a surface mounting process, or the fingerprint module 110 and the pressure sensing module 130 can also be pre-packaged as an integral whole and then bonded to one side of the flexible circuit board 130 through a surface mounting process.

[0041] In one embodiment, a stiffener 310 is also attached to the flexible circuit board 130, and the stiffener 310 can be used to increase the strength coefficient of the flexible circuit board 130; when the fingerprint module 110 and / or the pressure sensing module 120 are attached to the side of the flexible circuit board 130 attached with the stiffener 310 through the surface mounting process, the fingerprint module 110 and / or the pressure sensing module 130 are attached to the stiffener 310 through the surface mounting process. Among them, the stiffener 310 (stiffener) can solve the flexibility of the flexible circuit board 130, improve the strength of the plug-in part, and facilitate the overall assembly of the product. Generally, steel sheets or FR4 (a code for a flame resistant material grade) and other materials are used, which mainly play a supporting and structural emphasis role. On the one hand, it ensures that the strength of the module is not easily damaged by stress, and on the other hand, it provides a certain strength to stabilize the strength coefficient of the pressure sense, and the pressure sense strength is uniform to better improve the pressure sense experience. The reinforcing plate 310 can be made of various materials such as stainless steel reinforcing plate, aluminum foil reinforcing plate, polyester reinforcing plate, polyimide reinforcing plate, glass fiber reinforcing plate, polytetrafluoroethylene reinforcing plate and / or polycarbonate reinforcing plate, and can also be a reinforcing plate made by various methods such as a thermo-pressed reinforcing plate, a pressure-sensitive reinforcing plate and / or a heat-sensitive reinforcing plate. In addition to using surface mounting technology, it can also be connected to the flexible circuit board 130 by gluing, and the present application does not impose any limitations on this.

[0042] Figure 3 A structural schematic diagram of components of a key for a terminal provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown. Figure 3 As shown in FIG. 1 , when setting buttons in the mobile phone frame, the fingerprint module 110 and the pressure sensing module 120 can be pre-packaged as an integrated whole and then attached to one side of the flexible circuit board 130 through a surface mounting process. Figure 3 As shown, after the fingerprint module 110 and the pressure sensing module 120 are pre-packaged as one piece, they can be attached to one side (top) of the flexible circuit board 130 through a surface mounting process (STM, SurfaceMount Technology), wherein the side of the pressure sensing module 120 after the integrated packaging can be attached to the flexible circuit board 130 and set on the inner side of the middle frame of the terminal device such as a mobile phone, and the side of the fingerprint module 110 can be set on the outer surface of the middle frame of the terminal device such as a mobile phone, so that the user can contact the fingerprint module 110 when pressing a button using the mobile phone. The other side (bottom) of the flexible circuit board 130 can be attached with a reinforcement plate 310, and the reinforcement plate 310 can be used to increase the strength coefficient of the flexible circuit board 130. At the same time, the flexible circuit board 130 can also be connected to the connector (such as BTB) 210, and electrically connected to the motor 240 in the terminal device motherboard. Among them, the pressure sensing module 120 can also include multiple pressure sensing units 710. When a finger presses a button, as shown Figure 3As shown, the fingerprint module 110 can respond to the user's finger pressing to identify the fingerprint or convert the pressing pressure into an electrical signal and transmit it to the processing unit of the terminal device through the flexible circuit board 310 and the connector 210; similarly, the pressure sensing module 120 can also respond to the user's finger pressing to convert the pressure into an electrical signal and transmit it to the processing unit of the terminal device through the flexible circuit board 310 and the connector 210, so that the terminal device can determine the next action based on the received fingerprint and pressure, such as opening an application, turning on or off the computer, etc. Furthermore, the electrical signal converted from the pressure can also be transmitted to the motor 240, causing the motor to vibrate.

[0043] Figure 4 A process flow chart of a structure of a component of a key for a terminal provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown. Figure 4 It can be seen that, when the fingerprint module 110 and the pressure sensing module 120 are pre-packaged as an integrated whole and then attached to one side of the flexible circuit board 130 through the surface mounting process, the entire process flow of making the buttons for the terminal provided by this application is: first, the fingerprint module 110 and the pressure sensing module 120 are pre-packaged as an integrated whole, for example, they can be connected and packaged through the surface mounting process (SMT), and then the integrated packaged module (for example, it can be an integrated packaged chip) is connected with the flexible circuit board 310 and the reinforcement plate 310 through the surface mounting process (SMT) to form a new module, and finally the entire module is assembled into the terminal device. When the device is assembled in the terminal device, for example, when assembled into the middle frame of the mobile phone, the entire module can be fixed and assembled with the middle frame of the mobile phone by gluing, or other processes can be used, and this application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0044] Figure 5 Another structural schematic diagram of components of a key for a terminal provided in an embodiment of the present application is shown. Figure 5 As shown in FIG. 1 , when a button is set in the middle frame of a mobile phone, the fingerprint module 110 and the pressure sensing module 120 can be attached to both sides of the flexible circuit board 130 by surface mounting technology. Figure 3As shown, taking the installation of the button for the terminal provided by the present application on the side of the mobile phone middle frame as an example, the fingerprint module 110 and the pressure sensing module 120 can be respectively attached to the upper and lower sides of the flexible circuit board 130 through the surface mounting process, wherein the fingerprint module 110 can be located on the upper side of the flexible circuit board 130, that is, the outer surface of the mobile phone middle frame, so that the user can contact the fingerprint module 110 when pressing the button; the pressure sensing module 120 can be located below the flexible circuit board 130, for example, when the flexible circuit board 130 is attached with a reinforcing plate 310, the pressure sensing module 130 can be attached to the reinforcing plate 310 through the surface mounting process, that is, the reinforcing plate 310 is located below the flexible circuit board 130, and the pressure sensing module 130 is located below the reinforcing plate 310. At the same time, the flexible circuit board 130 can also be connected to the connector (such as BTB) 210 and electrically connected to the motor 240 in the terminal device motherboard. Among them, the pressure sensing module 120 can also include multiple pressure sensing units 710. For the signal transmission method, response method, etc. of each component, please refer to the exemplary explanations in the above embodiments.

[0045] Figure 6 A process flow chart showing another structure of a component in a key for a terminal provided in an embodiment of the present application. Figure 6 It can be seen that when the fingerprint module 110 and the pressure sensing module 120 are respectively attached to the two sides of the flexible circuit board 130 through the surface mounting process, the entire process flow of making the buttons for the terminal provided by this application is: first, the fingerprint module 110 is connected to the flexible circuit board 130 and the reinforcement plate 310, for example, it can be attached through the surface mounting process (SMT) to form a new fingerprint module, and then the new fingerprint module and the pressure sensing module 120 are attached through the surface mounting process (SMT) to form a new module, and finally the entire module is assembled into the terminal device. Taking the assembly to the side of the middle frame of the terminal device as an example, after the module is assembled, it can be fixed to the middle frame of the terminal device by gluing, or other processes can be used. This application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0046] In a possible implementation, the pressure sensing module 120 may include at least one pressure sensing unit 710, and the pressure sensing unit 710 may include a plurality of cantilever beams 720 and a plurality of piezoresistors 730; wherein the cantilever beams 720 are placed on the piezoresistors 730, and when a key is subjected to force, the cantilever beams 720 in the pressure sensing module 120 are tilted by the force, causing the piezoresistors 730 to produce resistance changes and convert them into current. In actual applications, based on the position and force of the key pressed by the user, the cantilever beams 720 will undergo different deformations, and the resistance changes of the piezoresistors 730 corresponding to the different deformations of the cantilever beams 720 are also different. Therefore, external forces of different strengths can be converted into electrical signals through the resistance changes of the piezoresistors 730, so as to provide different pressure feedback to the terminal device.

[0047] In some embodiments, two ends of each cantilever beam 720 are respectively placed on two piezoresistors 730 , and the contact area between each cantilever beam 720 and the two piezoresistors 730 in contact with the cantilever beam is the same.

[0048] Figure 7 FIG. 1 shows a schematic diagram of the position structure of a cantilever beam and a varistor in a key for a terminal provided in an embodiment of the present application, such as Figure 7 As shown, Figure 7 The two ends of the two cantilever beams 720 are placed on the two piezoresistors 730, respectively. The two ends of one cantilever beam are placed on the second piezoresistors and the fourth piezoresistors, respectively, and have the same contact area with the second piezoresistors and the fourth piezoresistors; the two ends of the other cantilever beam are placed on the first piezoresistors and the third piezoresistors, respectively, and have the same contact area with the first piezoresistors and the third piezoresistors. Since the contact area of ​​one cantilever beam and the two piezoresistors is the same, the position structure of the cantilever beam and the piezoresistors is symmetrical. Such a design can ensure that when the cantilever beam 720 is deformed, the same resistance can be generated regardless of whether the user presses the position to the left or the right, so that the pressure feedback to the terminal device matches the actual pressure value.

[0049] Exemplarily, the varistor 730 may include a first varistor, a second varistor, a third varistor, and a fourth varistor; wherein the first varistor and the third varistor have a relative position relationship, and the second varistor and the fourth varistor have a relative position relationship; the first varistor and the second varistor are connected in series to form a first circuit, and the third varistor and the fourth varistor are connected in series to form a second circuit; the first circuit and the second circuit are connected in parallel. Figure 7 The positional relationship of the first varistor, the second varistor, the third varistor and the fourth varistor is as follows. The reason for such a design is that the pressing force can be expressed by the micro-shape of the pressing according to the Wheatstone bridge principle.

[0050] Figure 8 The schematic diagram shows the principle of a varistor in a key of a terminal provided in an embodiment of the present application converting the external force on the key into an electrical signal. The schematic diagram shows the Wheatstone bridge principle. Figure 8 As shown, the circuit connection method of the first varistor (R1), the second varistor (R2), the third varistor (R3) and the fourth varistor (R4) is the same as Figure 7The first circuit is connected in parallel with the second circuit. When subjected to external force, the first circuit is connected in series with the second circuit to generate current v1, and the third circuit is connected in series with the fourth circuit to generate current v2. The power supply voltage (Vcc) of the circuit is supplied from the second circuit (R2) and the fourth circuit (R4). Figure 7 The current flows through the second varistor (R2) to the first varistor (R1), and then flows through the fourth varistor (R4) to the third varistor (R3) in two parallel circuits, and then reaches the neutral line (GND). In this process, the pressure can be calculated based on the resistance value generated by each varistor after the current flows through the four varistors 730, combined with the current value. The specific calculation formula is as follows:

[0051]

[0052] As mentioned above, since the keys composed of fingerprint modules, pressure sensing modules and flexible circuit boards in the embodiment of the present application replace the pot keys installed on the terminal device, the space occupied by the keys in the terminal device is reduced, and the feel of the keys can be improved; at the same time, since the pressure sensing module 120 uses a plurality of pressure sensing units 710 composed of cantilever beams 720 and piezoresistors 730, by using the Wheatstone bridge principle, the size of the external pressure (such as the pressure of the user's finger) on the key can be more accurately judged. Furthermore, based on different pressure sizes, the terminal device can be set to open different applications or perform different work contents according to the size of the pressure. It is also possible to provide users with more segmented application scenarios based on the combination of pressure, fingerprint judgment, pressing time, Ma Da vibration, etc., thereby better satisfying the user's experience of using the diversified functions of the keys and improving the waterproof and dustproof performance of the terminal device.

[0053] Fig. 9 A schematic diagram of a process for opening a terminal device using a key for a terminal in the present application is shown in an embodiment of the present application. Fig. 9 The following lists several possible processes for opening applications by terminal devices using the buttons provided by this solution. Of course, the functions that can be realized by terminal devices using the buttons provided by this solution are not limited to Fig. 9 This application does not impose any limitation on this.

[0054] like Fig. 9As shown, taking the terminal device as a mobile phone as an example, when the user starts to press the button on the mobile phone, the pressure sensing module 120 and the fingerprint module 110 in the button can respond to the user's finger pressure to perform pressure triggering + fingerprint unlocking. If the fingerprint unlocking fails and meets the requirements of pressure sensing 1 and vibration duration 1 at the same time, application one can be opened directly without turning on the phone first and then opening application one. For example, when application one is a flashlight, pressure sensing 1 = 200g force and vibration duration = 1s can be set. That is to say, when fingerprint unlocking fails + pressure sensing 1>200g force + vibration duration>1s, although the conditions for fingerprint unlocking to open the phone are not met, the flashlight can be turned on directly without turning on the phone. Of course, application one can also be recording, video recording, etc. If the fingerprint unlocking is successful and meets the requirements of pressure sense 2 and vibration duration 2 at the same time, you can open the phone (screen unlock) and open application 2 without pressing twice. For example, if application 2 is a short video APP, you can set pressure sense 2 = 500g force and vibration duration = 500ms. When fingerprint unlocking is successful + pressure sense 1> 500g force + vibration duration > 500ms, you can open the phone and open the specified short video APP at the same time without the user having to perform additional operations. Similarly, if the fingerprint unlocking is successful and meets the requirements of pressure sense 3 and vibration duration 3 at the same time, you can open the phone (screen unlock) and open application 3. Similarly, for example, application 3 can be a chat APP, you can set pressure sense 3 = 500g force and vibration duration = 600ms. When fingerprint unlocking is successful + pressure sense 1> 500g force + vibration duration > 600ms, you can open the phone and open the specified chat APP at the same time without the user having to perform additional operations. The above-mentioned application 1, application 2, application 3, as well as conditions such as pressure sensitivity and vibration duration can be designed by the user or set before the terminal device leaves the factory, and this application does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0055] According to the second aspect of the embodiment of the present application, the embodiment of the present application further provides a terminal device 1000, which is provided with a button for a terminal as described in any one of the first aspect of the embodiment of the present application. Wherein, the button includes a fingerprint module, a pressure sensing module and a flexible circuit board; the fingerprint module and the pressure sensing module are attached to the flexible circuit board through a surface mounting process and are electrically connected to the flexible circuit board; the fingerprint module is arranged on the outer surface of the button, and is used to convert the fingerprint contacted by the button into an electrical signal; the pressure sensing module is arranged inside the button, and is used to convert the external force applied to the button into an electrical signal; the flexible circuit board is used to transmit the electrical signals converted by the fingerprint module and the pressure sensing module to the processing chip of the terminal.

[0056] The terminal device 1000 involved in this application may also be referred to as a portable electronic device, terminal, user equipment (UE), mobile station (MS), electronic device (MT), etc., and is a device that provides voice and / or data connectivity to users. For example, the terminal device 1000 may be a handheld device, a vehicle-mounted device, etc. with a wireless connection function. At present, examples of the terminal device 1000 may be: a smart phone (MobilePhone), a pocket computer (PocketPersonalComputer, PPC), a handheld computer, a personal digital assistant (PersonalDigitalAssistant, PDA), a laptop, a tablet computer, a wearable device, or a vehicle-mounted device, etc. In addition, when it is a vehicle-to-everything (V2X) communication system, the terminal device 1000 may also be a vehicle-mounted device. It should be understood that the embodiments of the present application do not limit the specific technology and specific device form adopted by the terminal device 1000.

[0057] It is understandable that the terminal device 1000 provided in the embodiment of the present application includes a hardware structure and / or software module corresponding to each function in order to realize the above functions. In combination with the units and algorithm steps of each example disclosed in the embodiment of the present application, the embodiment of the present application can be implemented in the form of hardware or a combination of hardware and computer software. Whether a function is executed in the form of hardware or computer software driving hardware depends on the specific application and design constraints of the technical solution. Those skilled in the art can use different methods to implement the described functions for each specific application, but such implementation should not be considered to exceed the scope of the technical solution of the embodiment of the present application.

[0058] Regarding the device in the above embodiment, the specific manner in which each module performs operations has been described in detail in the embodiment of the method, and will not be elaborated here.

[0059] Fig.10 A block diagram of a terminal device for implementing an embodiment of the present application is shown. For example, the terminal device 1000 may be a mobile phone, a computer, a digital broadcast terminal, a messaging device, a game console, a tablet device, a medical device, a fitness device, a personal digital assistant, etc.

[0060] Reference Fig.10 The terminal device 1000 may include one or more of the following components: a processing component 1002 , a memory 1004 , a power component 1006 , a multimedia component 1008 , an audio component 1010 , an input / output (I / O) interface 1012 , a sensor component 1014 , and a communication component 1016 .

[0061] The processing component 1002 generally controls the overall operation of the terminal device 1000, such as operations associated with display, phone calls, data communications, camera operations, and recording operations. The processing component 1002 may include one or more processors 1018 to execute instructions to complete all or part of the steps of the above-mentioned method. In addition, the processing component 1002 may include one or more modules to facilitate the interaction between the processing component 1002 and other components. For example, the processing component 1002 may include a multimedia module to facilitate the interaction between the multimedia component 1008 and the processing component 1002.

[0062] The memory 1004 is configured to store various types of data to support operations on the terminal device 1000. Examples of such data include instructions for any application or method operating on the terminal device 1000, contact data, phone book data, messages, pictures, videos, etc. The memory 1004 can be implemented by any type of volatile or non-volatile storage device or a combination thereof, such as static random access memory (SRAM), electrically erasable programmable read-only memory (EEPROM), erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM), programmable read-only memory (PROM), read-only memory (ROM), magnetic memory, flash memory, magnetic disk or optical disk.

[0063] The power component 1006 provides power to various components of the terminal device 1000. The power component 1006 may include a power management system, one or more power supplies, and other components associated with generating, managing, and distributing power to the terminal device 1000.

[0064] The multimedia component 1008 includes a screen that provides an output interface between the terminal device 1000 and the user. In some embodiments, the screen may include a liquid crystal display (LCD) and a touch panel (TP). If the screen includes a touch panel, the screen may be implemented as a touch screen to receive input signals from the user. The touch panel includes one or more touch sensors to sense touch, slide, and gestures on the touch panel. The touch sensor may not only sense the boundaries of the touch or slide action, but also detect the duration and pressure associated with the touch or slide operation. In some embodiments, the multimedia component 1008 includes a front camera and / or a rear camera. When the terminal device 1000 is in an operating mode, such as a shooting mode or a video mode, the front camera and / or the rear camera may receive external multimedia data. Each front camera and the rear camera may be a fixed optical lens system or have a focal length and optical zoom capability.

[0065] The audio component 1010 is configured to output and / or input audio signals. For example, the audio component 1010 includes a microphone (MIC), and when the terminal device 1000 is in an operation mode, such as a call mode, a recording mode, and a speech recognition mode, the microphone is configured to receive an external audio signal. The received audio signal can be further stored in the memory 1004 or sent via the communication component 1016. In some embodiments, the audio component 1010 also includes a speaker for outputting audio signals.

[0066] The input / output device (I / O device) interface 1012 provides an interface between the processing component 1002 and the peripheral interface module, which may be a keyboard, a click wheel, buttons, etc. These buttons may include but are not limited to: a home button, a volume button, a start button, and a lock button.

[0067] The sensor assembly 1014 includes one or more sensors for providing various aspects of status assessment for the terminal device 1000. For example, the sensor assembly 1014 can detect the open / closed state of the terminal device 1000, the relative positioning of the components, such as the display and keypad of the terminal device 1000, and the sensor assembly 1014 can also detect the position change of the terminal device 1000 or a component of the terminal device 1000, the presence or absence of contact between the user and the terminal device 1000, the orientation or acceleration / deceleration of the terminal device 1000, and the temperature change of the terminal device 1000. The sensor assembly 1014 may include a proximity sensor configured to detect the presence of a nearby object without any physical contact. The sensor assembly 1014 may also include an optical sensor, such as a CMOS or CCD image sensor, for use in imaging applications. In some embodiments, the sensor assembly 1014 may also include an acceleration sensor, a gyroscope sensor, a magnetic sensor, a pressure sensor, or a temperature sensor.

[0068] The communication component 1016 is configured to facilitate wired or wireless communication between the terminal device 1000 and other devices. The terminal device 1000 can access a wireless network based on a communication standard, such as WiFi, 2G or 3G, or a combination thereof. In an exemplary embodiment, the communication component 1016 receives a broadcast signal or broadcast-related information from an external broadcast management system via a broadcast channel. In an exemplary embodiment, the communication component 1016 also includes a near field communication (NFC) module to facilitate short-range communication. For example, the NFC module can be implemented based on radio frequency identification (RFID) technology, infrared data association (IrDA) technology, ultra-wideband (UWB) technology, Bluetooth (BT) technology and other technologies.

[0069] In an exemplary embodiment, the terminal device 1000 can be implemented by one or more application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), digital signal processors (DSPs), digital signal processing devices (DSPDs), programmable logic devices (PLDs), field programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), controllers, microcontrollers, microprocessors or other electronic components to perform the above method.

[0070] In an exemplary embodiment, a non-transitory computer-readable storage medium including instructions is also provided, such as a memory 1004 including instructions, and the instructions can be executed by a processor 1018 of the terminal device 1000 to complete the above method. For example, the non-transitory computer-readable storage medium can be a ROM, a random access memory (RAM), a CD-ROM, a magnetic tape, a floppy disk, an optical data storage device, etc.

[0071] In the description of this specification, the description with reference to the terms "one embodiment", "some embodiments", "example", "specific example", or "some examples" means that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment or example are included in at least one embodiment or example of the present application. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described may be combined in any one or more embodiments or examples in a suitable manner. In addition, those skilled in the art may combine and combine different embodiments or examples described in this specification and the features of different embodiments or examples, unless they are contradictory.

[0072] In addition, the terms "first" and "second" are used only for descriptive purposes and cannot be understood as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly indicating the number of indicated technical features. The terms "first", "second", etc. are used to describe various information, but these information should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish information of the same type from each other and do not indicate a specific order or degree of importance. In fact, the expressions "first", "second", etc. can be used interchangeably. For example, without departing from the scope of the present application, the first information can also be referred to as the second information, and similarly, the second information can also be referred to as the first information. Thus, the features defined as "first" and "second" can explicitly or implicitly include at least one of the features. In the description of the present application, the meaning of "multiple" is two or more, unless otherwise clearly and specifically defined. It is understood that "multiple" in the present application refers to two or more, and other quantifiers are similar. "And / or" describes the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that there can be three relationships, for example, A and / or B can represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. The character " / " generally indicates that the associated objects before and after are in an "or" relationship. The singular forms “a”, “an”, “said” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms as well, unless the context clearly indicates otherwise.

[0073] It will be understood that the terms “center”, “longitudinal”, “lateral”, “front”, “back”, “up”, “down”, “left”, “right”, “vertical”, “horizontal”, “top”, “bottom”, “inside”, “outside”, etc., indicating orientations or positional relationships are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the accompanying drawings, and are only for the convenience of describing the present embodiment and simplifying the description, and do not indicate or imply that the device or element referred to must have a specific orientation, be constructed and operated in a specific orientation.

[0074] It can be understood that, unless otherwise specified, “connection” includes a direct connection without other components between the two, and also includes an indirect connection with other components between the two.

[0075] It is to be understood that, although the operations are described in a specific order in the drawings in the embodiments of the present application, it should not be understood as requiring the operations to be performed in the specific order or serial order shown, or requiring the execution of all the operations shown to obtain the desired results. In certain environments, multitasking and parallel processing may be advantageous.

[0076] Those skilled in the art will readily appreciate other embodiments of the present application after considering the description and practicing the contents disclosed herein. The present application is intended to cover any modification, use or adaptation of the present application, which follows the general principles of the present application and includes common knowledge or customary techniques in the art that are not disclosed in the present application. The description and embodiments are only considered as exemplary, and the true scope and spirit of the present application are indicated by the following scope of rights.

[0077] It will be understood that the present application is not limited to the exact construction that has been described above and shown in the drawings, and that various modifications and changes may be made without departing from the scope thereof.

[0078] The above is only an exemplary embodiment of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited thereto. Any technician familiar with the technical field can easily think of various changes or substitutions within the technical scope recorded in the present application, which should be included in the protection scope of the present application. Therefore, the protection scope of the present application shall be based on the protection scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A key for a terminal, characterized in that: The button includes a fingerprint module, a pressure sensing module and a flexible circuit board; The fingerprint module and the pressure sensing module are attached to the flexible circuit board through a surface mounting process and are electrically connected to the flexible circuit board; The fingerprint module is arranged on the outer surface of the button and is used to convert the fingerprint contacted by the button into an electrical signal; The pressure sensing module is arranged inside the key and is used to convert the external force exerted on the key into an electrical signal; The flexible circuit board is used to transmit the electrical signals converted by the fingerprint module and the pressure sensing module to the processing chip of the terminal.

2. The key for a terminal according to claim 1, wherein: The flexible circuit board is also provided with a connector, the terminal includes a main board, and the main board is provided with a processing chip; The electrical signals converted by the fingerprint module and the pressure sensing module are sent to the processing chip through the connector; The processing chip is used to convert the received electrical signal into a computer signal, and the terminal executes a preset command according to the computer signal.

3. The key for a terminal according to claim 2, wherein: A motor is provided in the mainboard of the terminal, and the pressure sensing module is electrically connected to the motor through the connector; The electrical signal converted by the pressure sensing module is sent to the motor through the connector, causing the motor to vibrate.

4. The key for a terminal according to claim 1, wherein: A piezoelectric motor is also provided below the pressure sensing module; When the key is subjected to force, the pressure sensing module transmits the external force exerted on the key to the piezoelectric motor, causing the piezoelectric motor to vibrate.

5. The key for a terminal according to claim 1, wherein: The fingerprint module and the pressure sensing module are respectively attached to both sides of the flexible circuit board through a surface mounting process, or the fingerprint module and the pressure sensing module are pre-packaged as one piece and then attached to one side of the flexible circuit board through a surface mounting process.

6. The key for a terminal according to claim 1, wherein: A reinforcing plate is also attached to the flexible circuit board, and the reinforcing plate is used to increase the strength coefficient of the flexible circuit board; When the fingerprint module and / or the pressure sensing module are attached to the side of the flexible circuit board to which the reinforcing plate is attached by the surface mounting process, the fingerprint module and / or the pressure sensing module are attached to the reinforcing plate by the surface mounting process.

7. The key for a terminal according to claim 1, wherein: The pressure sensing module includes at least one pressure sensing unit, and the pressure sensing unit includes a plurality of cantilever beams and a plurality of piezoresistors; The cantilever beam is placed on the piezoresistor. When the key is subjected to force, the cantilever beam in the pressure sensing module is tilted by the force, causing the piezoresistor to produce a resistance change and convert it into current.

8. The key for a terminal according to claim 7, wherein: Two ends of each cantilever beam are respectively placed on two varistors, and the contact area between each cantilever beam and the two varistors in contact with the cantilever beam is the same.

9. The key for a terminal according to claim 7, wherein: The varistor includes a first varistor, a second varistor, a third varistor and a fourth varistor; The first varistor and the third varistor have a relative position relationship, and the second varistor and the fourth varistor have a relative position relationship; The first varistor and the second varistor are connected in series to form a first circuit, and the third varistor and the fourth varistor are connected in series to form a second circuit; The first circuit is connected in parallel with the second circuit.

10. A terminal device, wherein: The terminal device is provided with a key for a terminal as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 9.

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