Touch panel assembly and electronic equipment

Abstract

The utility model provides a touchpad assembly and electronic equipment. The touchpad assembly can be fixed in place and receive pressing and clicking operations, and comprises a touch panel; a circuit board, one side of which faces the touch panel and is attached to the touch panel, and the other side of which faces away from the touch panel and includes a vibrator; a bracket positioned at the other side of the circuit board and including: a body extending along an outer contour of the touch panel; a through hole extending through the body; a plurality of first arms extending from the body into the through hole and including a first connection portion; an inner frame positioned inside the through hole and extending around a periphery of the vibrator, where the inner frame is attached to the circuit board; and a plurality of third arms coupled between the inner frame and the body; wherein the first connection portions of the respective first arms are attached to the circuit board at symmetrical positions around the vibrator. The touchpad assembly and the electronic equipment have the advantages of being simple, reliable, easy to implement, convenient to use and the like.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This application relates to the field of touchpad structures. More specifically, this application relates to a touchpad assembly designed to provide an improved force feedback experience. This application also relates to an electronic device that includes the aforementioned touchpad assembly. Background Technology

[0002] Touchpads are widely used in electronic devices such as laptops. When a user moves or clicks their finger on the touchpad, the touchpad senses and receives the input signal through a suitable structure, achieving functions similar to mouse movement and clicking. Furthermore, by moving or pressing a location on the touchpad, functions similar to mouse selection can be easily achieved. When a finger moves or presses, certain components in the touchpad deform under pressure. This deformation can trigger microswitches, thereby sensing the finger's action. Touchpads can provide force feedback, such as generating vibrations when the user clicks. Utility Model Content

[0003] One objective of this application is to provide a touchpad assembly that offers an improved force feedback experience. Another objective of this application is to provide an electronic device that includes the aforementioned touchpad assembly.

[0004] The objective of this application is achieved through the following technical solution:

[0005] A touchpad assembly capable of being fixed in place and receiving press and click operations; the touchpad assembly includes:

[0006] Touch panel;

[0007] A circuit board, one side of which faces and is attached to the touch panel, and the other side of which faces away from the touch panel and includes a vibrator; a bracket, positioned on the other side of the circuit board, and including:

[0008] The main body extends along the outer contour of the touch panel;

[0009] A through-hole that extends through the body;

[0010] Multiple first arms, each extending from the body into the through hole, and including a first connecting portion;

[0011] An inner frame, positioned inside a through-hole and extending around the vibrator, is attached to a circuit board; and multiple third arms, which connect the inner frame to the body.

[0012] The first connecting part of each first arm is attached to the circuit board at a symmetrical position around the vibrator.

[0013] In the aforementioned touchpad assembly, optionally, one or more first arms are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the vibrator, and each first arm is constructed to be parallel to the others.

[0014] In the above-mentioned touch panel assembly, optionally, the touch panel has a rectangular outer contour and two relatively long first edges and two relatively short second edges; the vibrator is positioned close to the center of the outer contour of the touch panel, the vibrator is arranged parallel to the second edges, and two first arms are arranged between the vibrator and the two second edges respectively.

[0015] In this embodiment, one end of each first arm extends from the body at the center of the rectangular outline near the touch panel, extending parallel to the first edge toward the second edge, and each first connecting portion is positioned near a corner of the outer outline of the touch panel.

[0016] Optionally, in the aforementioned touchpad assembly, the bracket further includes:

[0017] Multiple second arms, one end of which extends from the main body and includes a second connecting portion;

[0018] The second connecting part is attached to the circuit board near the outer contour of the touch panel.

[0019] In the aforementioned touchpad assembly, optionally, the number of first arms and second arms is equal, and each second arm is arranged close to each first arm to form multiple arm combinations; wherein each arm combination includes a single first arm and a single second arm, and in each arm combination, the first arm and the second arm are arranged parallel to each other and extend in opposite directions.

[0020] In the above-described touchpad assembly, optionally, one or more third arms are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the vibrator; wherein the third arms extend along the axis of symmetry of the outer contour of the touchpad, or are spaced apart from the axis of symmetry of the outer contour of the touchpad parallel to it; and wherein the third arms are spaced apart from the first arm and / or the second arm parallel to it.

[0021] In the above-described touchpad assembly, optionally, both the touch panel and the inner frame have rectangular outer contours, and the first arm extends along the extension line of one edge of the rectangular outer contour of the inner frame, and the first connecting portion is positioned away from the inner frame, and the second connecting portion of the second arm is arranged close to the extension line of the other edge of the rectangular outer contour of the inner frame.

[0022] In the aforementioned touchpad assembly, optionally, the bracket is a one-piece molded component and is made from one of the following materials by stamping and / or cutting processes: stainless steel, aluminum-magnesium alloy, tin-plated steel sheet, galvanized steel sheet, or a combination thereof.

[0023] In the aforementioned touchpad assembly, the attachment connection between the bracket and the circuit board may optionally be achieved by one of the following: adhesive, double-sided tape, epoxy resin, or a combination thereof.

[0024] Optionally, in the aforementioned touchpad assembly, the bracket further includes:

[0025] One or more mounting portions are arranged around the outer periphery of the bracket and extend beyond the outer contour of the touch panel and / or circuit board to mount the touch panel assembly by snap-fit, bolt connection and / or screw connection.

[0026] In the aforementioned touchpad assembly, optionally, the vibrator is a linear motor, the body of which extends around the vibrator, and the vibrator is positioned within a through hole.

[0027] An electronic device, optionally, includes:

[0028] The housing includes an opening; and

[0029] The aforementioned touchpad assembly is installed inside the housing, and the touch panel is positioned at the opening. Attached Figure Description

[0030] The present application will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that these drawings are for illustrative purposes only and should not be construed as limiting the scope of the present application. Furthermore, unless specifically indicated, the drawings are intended only to conceptually represent the composition or structure of the described objects and may contain exaggerated representations. The drawings are also not necessarily drawn to scale.

[0031] Figure 1 This is a perspective view of one embodiment of the touchpad assembly according to this application.

[0032] Figure 2 yes Figure 1 Another perspective view of the embodiment shown. Detailed Implementation

[0033] The embodiments of this application will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Those skilled in the art will appreciate that these descriptions are merely descriptive and exemplary and should not be construed as limiting the scope of protection of this application.

[0034] First, it should be noted that the directional terms such as top, bottom, upward, and downward mentioned in this article are defined relative to the directions shown in the various accompanying figures. These directions are relative concepts and will therefore vary depending on their location and state. Therefore, these or other directional terms should not be construed as restrictive.

[0035] Furthermore, it should be noted that any single technical feature described or implied in the embodiments herein, or any single technical feature shown or implied in the accompanying drawings, can be further combined to obtain other embodiments not directly mentioned herein.

[0036] It should be noted that in different figures, the same reference numerals denote the same or substantially the same components.

[0037] Figure 1 and Figure 2 Various aspects of one embodiment of the touchpad assembly 10 of this application are illustrated. The touchpad assembly 10 may include: a touch panel 100, a circuit board 200, and a bracket 300, etc.

[0038] The touch panel 100 can be a surface that can be touched and pressed by a user's fingers, and can be a monolithic structure. In one embodiment, the touch panel 100 can be made of glass or metal. In one embodiment, the touch panel 100 can have a generally rectangular or rounded rectangular outer contour, and has a relatively long first edge 101 and a relatively short second edge 102. In one embodiment, the first edge 101 and the second edge 102 can correspond to the long side and the short side of the rectangle.

[0039] The circuit board 200 may be a plate-like structure, with one side facing the touch panel 100 and the other side facing away from the touch panel 100. One side of the circuit board 200 may be attached to the touch panel 100, and the other side of the circuit board 200 may include a vibrator 210. In one embodiment, the circuit board 200 may have a generally similar outer contour to the touch panel 100, such as a rectangular or rounded rectangular outer contour. In one embodiment, the vibrator 210 may be located at the center of the outer contour of the touch panel 100, for example, at the intersection of the diagonals of the rectangular contour. The vibrator 210 may be generally parallel to the second edge 102 of the touch panel 100. In one embodiment, the vibrator 210 may be a linear motor. The connection between the touch panel 100 and the circuit board 200 may be achieved by one of the following: adhesive, double-sided tape, epoxy resin, or a combination thereof. In one embodiment, the vibrator 210 may have a generally rectangular shape.

[0040] The bracket 300 can be positioned on the other side of the circuit board 200, or the circuit board 200 can be positioned between the touch panel 100 and the bracket 300. The bracket 300 may include: a body 310, a through hole 320, a plurality of first arms 330, a plurality of second arms 340, an inner frame 350, a plurality of third arms 360, and one or more mounting portions 370, etc. In one embodiment, the bracket 300 may include at least: a body 310, a through hole 320, a plurality of first arms 330, etc. In another embodiment, the bracket 300 may include at least: a body 310, a through hole 320, a plurality of first arms 330, an inner frame 350, and a plurality of third arms 360, etc.

[0041] The body 310 may constitute the main part of the bracket 300 and may extend along the outer contour of the touch panel 100. In one embodiment, the outer contour of the body 310 may correspond substantially to the outer contour of the touch panel 100 and / or the circuit board 200. In one embodiment, the body 310 may extend around the vibrator 210. In one embodiment, a plurality of second arms 340 and one or more mounting portions 370 may be located at the outer contour of the body 310.

[0042] The through-hole 320 can be located inside the body 310 and can extend through the body 310. In the illustrated embodiment, the circuit board 200 and the vibrator 210 are visible through the through-hole 320. In one embodiment, the vibrator 210 can be positioned within the through-hole 320, or in other words, the vibrator 210 is accessible through the through-hole 320. In one embodiment, a plurality of first arms 330, an inner frame 350, and a plurality of third arms 360 can be located within the through-hole 320. The outer contour of the through-hole 320 can correspond to the inner contour of the body 310. The outer contour of the through-hole 320 can have an irregular shape, such as... Figure 1 As shown in the image.

[0043] Multiple first arms 330 may extend from the body 310, for example, from the inner contour of the body 310, and extend into the interior of the through-hole 320. In one embodiment, the first arms 330 may extend in a straight line, and a first connecting portion 331 may be formed on the first arm 330. Figure 1 In the illustrated embodiment, the first connecting portion 331 may be elongated, and the width of the extension between the first connecting portion 331 and the body 310 may be smaller than the width of the first connecting portion 331. The width dimension mentioned above refers to the dimension in the direction perpendicular to the extension direction of the first arm 330. The first connecting portion 331 may be attached to the circuit board 200, and the attachment connection may be achieved by one of the following: adhesive, double-sided adhesive, epoxy resin, or a combination thereof. In one embodiment, the attachment connection between the first connecting portion 331 and the circuit board 200 is cured by ultraviolet light.

[0044] Furthermore, the first arm 330 may extend substantially parallel to the first edge 101 of the rectangular outline of the touch panel 100. In one embodiment, the support 300 may include four first arms 330. Each first arm 330 originates from a point near the center of the rectangular outline of the touch panel 100 and is symmetrically arranged on both sides of the axis of symmetry of the rectangular outline of the touch panel 100. Figure 1 In the illustrated embodiment, each first arm 330 extends toward the second edge 102. Two first arms 330 may be arranged on each side of the vibrator 210, and the four first arms 330 may form a symmetrical shape on both sides of the vibrator 210. The first arms 330 may be parallel to each other and extend in a direction away from the vibrator 210. In one embodiment, the first connecting portion 331 of the first arm 330 may be attached to the circuit board 200 at a symmetrical position around the vibrator 210. The first connecting portion 331 of each first connecting arm 330 may be positioned near the corners of the rectangular outline of the touch panel 100.

[0045] Multiple second arms 340 may be arranged along the outer contour of the body 310. In one embodiment, one end of the second arm 340 may extend from the body 310 and include a second connecting portion 341. The second connecting portion 341 may be attached to the circuit board 200 near the outer contour of the touch panel 100. The attachment may be achieved by one of the following: adhesive, double-sided adhesive, epoxy resin, or a combination thereof. The second arm 340 may have a structure similar to that of the first arm 330, for example, having a wider second connecting portion 341 and a narrower extension. In the illustrated embodiment, the second arm 340 may extend generally parallel to the first edge 101 of the rectangular outer contour of the touch panel 100, and each second arm 340 may be arranged adjacent to a particular first arm 330. Hereinafter, such adjacently arranged first arms 330 and second arms 340 are referred to as an arm combination. For example, Figure 1 The first arm 330 and the second arm 340, located in the lower left corner of the diagram, can be referred to as an arm assembly. This is easily understood. Figure 1 The embodiment includes four arm assemblies, located at the lower left, upper left, upper right, and lower right positions of the rectangular outline of the touch panel 100. In each arm assembly, the first arm 330 and the second arm 340 can be arranged to be substantially parallel to each other and extend in opposite directions. Furthermore, the first connecting portion 331 and the second connecting portion 341 can be spaced apart. In fact, in Figure 1In one embodiment, the first connecting portions 331 of the two first arms 330 on the left are located near the second edge 102 on the left, and the line connecting the first connecting portions 331 of the two first arms 330 can be parallel to the second edge 102. Similarly, the line connecting the second connecting portions 341 of the two second arms 340 on the left can also be parallel to the second edge 102 and spaced parallel to the line connecting the first connecting portions 331 of the two first arms 330. In one embodiment, the number of first arms 330 and second arms 340 can be equal.

[0046] The inner frame 350 may be located inside the through-hole 320 and spaced apart from the body 310. In one embodiment, the inner frame 350 may extend around the vibrator 210 and may be attached to the circuit board 200. The attachment may be achieved using adhesive, double-sided tape, epoxy resin, or a combination thereof. In one embodiment, the inner frame 350 may be annular or rectangular. In one embodiment, the outer contour of the inner frame 350 and the outer contour of the touch panel 100 may have similar shapes, such as both being rectangular. In one embodiment, a plurality of first arms 330 may extend along an extension of one edge of the rectangular contour of the inner frame 350, and the first arms 330 may extend from the body 310 near the rectangular contour of the inner frame 350 and extend in a direction away from the inner frame 350, such that a first connection 331 is positioned away from the inner frame 350. In one embodiment, a second connection 341 of a second arm 340 may be positioned near an extension of another edge of the rectangular contour of the frame 350. In one embodiment, the edges of the rectangular outline of the inner frame 350 and their extensions can divide the outer outline of the touch panel 100 into nine parts that are approximately equal in size, each part having approximately equal area. By adopting the technical solution of this application, when a user's finger clicks and moves on the touch panel 100, the displacement of each part on the touch panel 100 in the plane of the touch panel 100 is minimized through the coordinated action of the first arm 330, the second arm 340, the third arm 360, and the inner frame 350.

[0047] Multiple third arms 360 can be connected between the inner frame 350 and the body 310. In one embodiment, the third arms 360 can be arranged symmetrically on both sides of the vibrator 210 to form an axisymmetric arrangement. In one embodiment, the third arms 360 can extend along an axis of symmetry of the rectangular outline of the touch panel 100, or as... Figure 1As shown, the horizontal axes of symmetry A2-A2 of the rectangular outline of the touch panel 100 are spaced parallel to each other to allow space for electrical components on the circuit board 200. In one embodiment, each third arm 360 may be spaced parallel to each first arm 330 and / or each second arm 340. The above axes of symmetry are... Figure 1 It is shown schematically with a dashed line.

[0048] In addition, such as Figure 1 As shown, the plurality of first arms 330, the plurality of second arms 340, the inner frame 350, and the plurality of third arms 360 may be symmetrically arranged on both sides of the vertical axis of symmetry A1-A1 of the rectangular outer contour of the touch panel 100. Simultaneously, the plurality of first arms 330, the plurality of second arms 340, and the inner frame 350 may also be symmetrically arranged on both sides of the horizontal axis of symmetry A2-A2 of the rectangular outer contour of the touch panel 100.

[0049] There may be one or more mounting portions 370, which are arranged around the outer contour or periphery of the bracket 300. The mounting portion 370 may be a mounting hole or a half-hole structure, and extends beyond the outer contour of the touch panel 100 and / or the circuit board 200. In one embodiment, the mounting portion 370 may mount the touch panel assembly 10 by means of snap-fit, bolt connection and / or screw connection.

[0050] The bracket 300 may be a one-piece molded component, for example, made from one of the following materials by stamping and / or cutting processes: stainless steel, aluminum-magnesium alloy, tin-plated steel sheet, galvanized steel sheet, or combinations thereof. In one embodiment, the bracket 300 may be plate-shaped.

[0051] This application also relates to an electronic device including a housing and a touchpad assembly 10 described above. The housing may include an opening, and the touchpad assembly 10 may be mounted inside the housing. For example, a bracket 300 may be attached to other components that can be attached to the housing or the interior of the housing, such that the touchpad 100 is positioned at the opening in the housing. In one embodiment, the electronic device may be a laptop computer. In one embodiment, the housing may be a C-shell of a laptop computer.

[0052] The touchpad assembly and electronic device of this application have the advantages of being simple, reliable, easy to implement, and convenient to use, and can provide an improved touch operation and force feedback experience.

[0053] This specification discloses the present application with reference to the accompanying drawings, and also enables those skilled in the art to implement the application, including making and using any device or system, selecting suitable materials, and using any combination method. The scope of this application is defined by the claimed technical solution, but includes other instances that would occur to those skilled in the art. Such other instances shall be considered to fall within the scope of protection defined by the claimed technical solution, provided that they include structural elements that are not different from the literal language of the claimed technical solution, or that they include equivalent structural elements that are not substantially different from the literal language of the claimed technical solution.

Claims

1. A touchpad assembly capable of being fixed in place and receiving press and click operations; characterized in that, The touchpad assembly (10) includes: Touch panel (100); A circuit board (200) has one side facing the touch panel (100) and attached to the touch panel (100), and the other side facing away from the touch panel (100) and includes a vibrator (210); A bracket (300), positioned on the other side of the circuit board (200), and comprising: The body (310) extends along the outer contour of the touch panel (100); A through hole (320) extends through the body (310); A plurality of first arms (330) extend from the body (310) into the through hole (320) and include a first connecting portion (331); An inner frame (350) is positioned inside the through hole (320) and extends around the vibrator (210), wherein the inner frame (350) is attached to the circuit board (200); and Multiple third arms (360) are connected between the inner frame (350) and the body (310); The first connecting portion (331) of each of the first arms (330) is attached to the circuit board (200) at a symmetrical position around the vibrator (210).

2. The touchpad assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, One or more first arms (330) are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the vibrator (210), and each first arm (330) is constructed to be parallel to each other.

3. The touchpad assembly according to claim 2, characterized in that, The touch panel (100) has a rectangular outer contour and two relatively long first edges (101) and two relatively short second edges (102); the vibrator (210) is positioned near the center of the outer contour of the touch panel (100), the vibrator (210) is arranged parallel to the second edges (102), and two first arms (330) are arranged between the vibrator (210) and the two second edges (102); One end of each first arm (330) extends from the body (310) at a position near the center of the rectangular outline of the touch panel (100), extending parallel to the first edge (101) toward the second edge (102), and each first connecting portion (331) is positioned near a corner of the outer outline of the touch panel (100).

4. The touchpad assembly according to claim 1, characterized in that, The support (300) also includes: Multiple second arms (340), one end of each second arm (340) extending from the body (310) and including a second connecting portion (341); The second connecting part (341) is attached to the circuit board (200) at a position close to the outer contour of the touch panel (100).

5. The touchpad assembly according to claim 4, characterized in that, The number of the first arm (330) and the second arm (340) is equal, and each second arm (340) is arranged close to each first arm (330) to form a plurality of arm combinations; wherein each arm combination includes a single first arm (330) and a single second arm (340), and in each arm combination, the first arm (330) and the second arm (340) are arranged parallel to each other and extend in opposite directions.

6. The touchpad assembly according to claim 4, characterized in that, One or more third arms (360) are symmetrically arranged on both sides of the vibrator (210); wherein the third arms (360) extend along the axis of symmetry of the outer contour of the touch panel (100), or are spaced apart parallel to the axis of symmetry of the outer contour of the touch panel (100); and wherein the third arms (360) are spaced apart parallel to the first arm (330) and / or the second arm (340).

7. The touchpad assembly according to claim 4, characterized in that, Both the touch panel (100) and the inner frame (350) have rectangular outer contours, and the first arm (330) extends along the extension of one edge of the rectangular outer contour of the inner frame (350), and the first connecting portion (331) is positioned away from the inner frame (350), and the second connecting portion (341) of the second arm (340) is arranged close to the extension of the other edge of the rectangular outer contour of the inner frame (350).

8. The touchpad assembly according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, The bracket (300) is a one-piece molded component and is made from one of the following materials by stamping and / or cutting processes: stainless steel, aluminum-magnesium alloy, tin-plated steel sheet, galvanized steel sheet, or a combination thereof.

9. The touchpad assembly according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, The attachment connection between the bracket (300) and the circuit board (200) is achieved by one of the following: glue, double-sided tape, epoxy resin, or a combination thereof.

10. The touchpad assembly according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, The support (300) also includes: One or more mounting portions (370) are arranged around the outer periphery of the bracket (300) and extend beyond the outer contour of the touch panel (100) and / or the circuit board (200) to mount the touch panel assembly (10) by snap-fit, bolt connection and / or screw connection.

11. The touchpad assembly according to any one of claims 1-7, characterized in that, The vibrator (210) is a linear motor, the body (310) extends around the vibrator (210), and the vibrator (210) is positioned within the through hole (320).

12. An electronic device, characterized in that, include: The housing includes an opening; and The touchpad assembly (10) according to any one of claims 1-11 is disposed within the housing, and the touch panel (100) is positioned at the opening.

Images