Touch panel assembly and electronic equipment

Abstract

The utility model provides a touch panel assembly and electronic equipment. The touch panel assembly comprises a touch panel, a capacitive sensing unit, a spacer, a conductor bracket and a feedback unit, the spacer is attached between the touchpad and the conductor bracket, and the capacitive sensing unit is arranged on the back surface of the touchpad; wherein the touch panel is used for receiving a pressing operation of an operator; the distance piece is used for changing the relative distance between the touch panel and the conductor support through elastic deformation of the distance piece when an operator presses the touch panel, and therefore the capacitance value in the capacitance sensing unit is triggered to change. And the feedback unit is used for vibrating when the capacitance change value in the capacitance sensing unit reaches a trigger value so as to provide tactile feedback for an operator. According to the touch panel assembly, touch feedback can be achieved without an additional induction processing unit, and the hardware cost is reduced.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to the field of touchpads, and more particularly to a touchpad assembly and an electronic device. Background Technology

[0002] Current touchpads typically use piezoresistors. When a user presses the touchpad, the resistance of the piezoresistor changes. When the change reaches a preset threshold, it triggers a motor to vibrate, providing force feedback to the user. However, this structure usually requires an additional sensing and processing unit to detect pressure, resulting in relatively high hardware costs. Utility Model Content

[0003] This disclosure provides a touchpad assembly and an electronic device to at least solve the above-mentioned technical problems existing in the prior art.

[0004] According to a first aspect of this disclosure, a touchpad assembly is provided, the touchpad assembly comprising: a touchpad, a capacitive sensing unit, a spacer, a conductor support, and a feedback unit; the spacer is attached between the touchpad and the conductor support, and the capacitive sensing unit is disposed on the back side of the touchpad; wherein...

[0005] The touchpad is used to receive the operator's pressing operation;

[0006] The spacer is used to change the relative distance between the touchpad and the conductor support through its own elastic deformation when the operator presses the touchpad, thereby triggering a change in the capacitance value in the capacitive sensing unit.

[0007] The feedback unit is used to vibrate when the capacitance change value in the capacitance sensing unit reaches the trigger value, so as to provide tactile feedback to the operator.

[0008] In one embodiment, the number of spacers is four, which are respectively attached to the four corners of the rectangular touch panel.

[0009] In one embodiment, the spacer is a rubber pad.

[0010] In one possible implementation, the feedback unit is a motor.

[0011] In one embodiment, the capacitive sensing unit includes a plurality of capacitive sensors arranged in an array on the back of the touchpad.

[0012] In one embodiment, the front of the touchpad is covered with a transparent material layer to protect the touchpad.

[0013] In one embodiment, the conductor support is made of metal.

[0014] In one embodiment, the shape and size of the conductor support are matched to the touchpad.

[0015] The touchpad assembly and electronic device disclosed herein include an elastically deformable spacer between the touchpad and the conductor support. When an operator presses the touchpad, the elastic deformation of the spacer changes the relative distance between the touchpad and the conductor, thereby triggering a change in the capacitance value of the touchpad assembly's own capacitive sensing unit. When this change reaches a trigger value, tactile feedback is provided to the operator through a feedback unit. The touchpad assembly of this disclosure detects the operator's pressing action through its own capacitive sensing unit, eliminating the need for a separate pressure sensing processing unit and reducing hardware costs.

[0016] It should be understood that the description in this section is not intended to identify key or essential features of the embodiments of this disclosure, nor is it intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. Other features of this disclosure will become readily apparent from the following description. Attached Figure Description

[0017] The above and other objects, features, and advantages of this disclosure will become readily apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments, taken in conjunction with the accompanying drawings. Several embodiments of this disclosure are illustrated in the drawings by way of example and not limitation, in which:

[0018] In the accompanying drawings, the same or corresponding reference numerals indicate the same or corresponding parts.

[0019] Figure 1 This illustration shows the structural composition of a touchpad assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 1 ;

[0020] Figure 2 This illustration shows the structural composition of a touchpad assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2 .

[0021] The labels in the diagram are as follows: 1. Touch panel; 2. Spacer; 3. Conductor support; 4. Capacitive sensing unit; 5. Feedback unit. Detailed Implementation

[0022] To make the objectives, features, and advantages of this disclosure more apparent and understandable, the technical solutions in the embodiments of this disclosure will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of this disclosure, and not all of them. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of this disclosure without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0023] According to a first aspect of the embodiments of this disclosure, a touchpad assembly is provided, such as... Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the touchpad assembly includes: a touchpad 1, a capacitive sensing unit 4, a spacer 2, a conductor support 3, and a feedback unit 5; the spacer 2 is attached between the touchpad 1 and the conductor support 3, and the capacitive sensing unit 4 is disposed on the back of the touchpad 1; wherein, the touchpad 1 is used to receive the operator's pressing operation; the spacer 2 is used to change the relative distance between the touchpad 1 and the conductor support 3 through its own elastic deformation when the operator presses the touchpad 1, thereby triggering a change in the capacitance value in the capacitive sensing unit 4; the feedback unit 5 is used to vibrate when the capacitance change value in the capacitive sensing unit 4 reaches the trigger value, so as to provide tactile feedback to the operator.

[0024] Touchpad 1 serves as the user interface for this component, with its front side receiving the user's pressing actions. Spacer 2, an object with elastic deformation properties, is attached between touchpad 1 and conductor support 3. When the user presses touchpad 1, spacer 2 experiences downward pressure and deforms accordingly. This deformation of spacer 2 directly causes a change in the relative distance between touchpad 1 and conductor support 3.

[0025] As the spacer 2 is compressed, the distance between the touchpad 1 and the conductor support 3 decreases. Since the capacitive sensing unit 4 is located on the back of the touchpad 1, when the relative distance between the touchpad 1 and the conductor support 3 decreases due to the deformation of the spacer 2, the distance between the conductor support 3 and the capacitive sensing unit 4 also shortens accordingly. When the distance between them shortens, the free electrons on the conductor support 3 redistribute, causing a change in the capacitance value of the capacitive sensing unit 4. The amount of capacitance change varies depending on the degree of deformation of the spacer 2 (i.e., the magnitude of the change in the distance between the touchpad 1 and the conductor). When the distance decreases, the electric field lines pass through the electrolytic medium between them more densely, resulting in an increase in capacitance.

[0026] A trigger value is set based on a preset force, indicating a change in capacitance. When the actual change in capacitance reaches or exceeds this trigger value, the touchpad's IC (Integrated Circuit) control unit controls the feedback unit 5 to vibrate, thus providing tactile feedback to the operator.

[0027] In this embodiment, the touchpad assembly utilizes the capacitive sensing unit 4 of the touchpad assembly to detect the operator's pressing action. Haptic feedback is achieved through the chip control unit of the touchpad assembly. This eliminates the need for an additional pressure sensing unit, reducing hardware costs and saving internal space in the touchpad assembly.

[0028] In one embodiment of this disclosure, such as Figure 2As shown, the number of spacers 2 can be set to four. They are respectively attached to the four corners of the rectangular touchpad 1. This ensures that when the operator presses any area of ​​the touchpad 1, the relative distance between the touchpad 1 and the conductor support 3 can be effectively reduced through the deformation of the spacers 2, thereby triggering a change in the capacitance value in the capacitive sensing unit 4, and realizing a precise press detection and feedback mechanism.

[0029] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the spacer 2 is made of a material with elastic deformation to meet the requirements of varying spacing between the touchpad 1 and the conductor support 3. For example, materials include, but are not limited to, elastic plastics, silicone, and sponge. In one possible embodiment, rubber is preferably used as the material for the spacer 2. The rubber pad has good elasticity and wear resistance, ensuring stable deformation during prolonged use, thereby effectively transmitting the operator's pressing action to the capacitive sensing unit 4 and achieving touch feedback.

[0030] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the feedback unit 5 is a motor. The motor can generate vibrations of different frequencies and amplitudes according to a control signal, thereby transmitting different tactile feedback to the user. In one embodiment, the vibration amplitude of the feedback unit 5 can be controlled by the change in capacitance. For example, a larger change in capacitance indicates a greater pressure applied by the operator, and the vibration of the feedback unit can be increased to provide the operator with more obvious tactile feedback.

[0031] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the capacitive sensing unit 4 is composed of multiple capacitive sensors. These sensors are arranged in an array on the back of the touchpad, enabling the touchpad 1 to accurately recognize various user operations on its surface.

[0032] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the front of the touchpad 1 is covered with a transparent material layer to protect it. The transparent material layer is made of a transparent, wear-resistant, and corrosion-resistant material. The touchpad 1 is subject to contact and friction from fingers, styluses, or other objects, making it susceptible to wear and scratches, which can affect its lifespan and appearance. This embodiment provides a transparent material layer on the touchpad surface to protect it and extend its lifespan.

[0033] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the conductor support 3 is a metal support. The metal material is both conductive, enabling it to work with the capacitive sensing unit 4 to monitor the operator's pressing action, and possesses excellent strength and stability, ensuring that it will not deform under pressure.

[0034] In one embodiment of this disclosure, the shape and size of the conductor support 3 are matched to the touchpad 1. The identical size of the conductor support 3 and the touchpad 1 ensures that the spacer 2 can be more evenly attached between them, thereby improving detection accuracy.

[0035] According to a second aspect of the present disclosure, an electronic device is provided, which includes the touch component described in any of the above embodiments. Specifically, the electronic device can be any device equipped with a touchpad component, such as a tablet computer, a laptop computer, a smart wearable device, or a smartphone.

[0036] It should be understood that the various forms of processes shown above can be used to rearrange, add, or delete steps. For example, the steps described in this disclosure can be executed in parallel, sequentially, or in different orders, as long as the desired result of the technical solution of this disclosure can be achieved, and this is not limited herein.

[0037] Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Thus, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include at least one of that feature. In the description of this disclosure, "a plurality of" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified.

[0038] The above description is merely a specific embodiment of this disclosure, but the scope of protection of this disclosure is not limited thereto. Any variations or substitutions that can be easily conceived by those skilled in the art within the scope of the technology disclosed in this disclosure should be included within the scope of protection of this disclosure. Therefore, the scope of protection of this disclosure should be determined by the scope of the claims.

Claims

1. A touchpad assembly, comprising: The touchpad assembly comprises a touchpad (1), a capacitive sensing unit (4), a spacer (2), a conductor support (3) and a feedback unit (5); the spacer (2) is attached between the touchpad (1) and the conductor support (3), and the capacitive sensing unit (4) is arranged on the back of the touchpad (1); wherein, The touchpad (1) is configured to receive a pressing operation of an operator. The spacer (2) is configured to change the relative distance between the touchpad (1) and the conductor support (3) by elastic deformation when the operator presses the touchpad (1), so as to trigger a change in the capacitance value in the capacitive sensing unit (4). The feedback unit (5) is configured to vibrate when the capacitance change value in the capacitive sensing unit (4) reaches a trigger value, so as to provide tactile feedback to the operator.

2. The touchpad assembly of claim 1, wherein, The number of the spacers (2) is four, and each of the spacers (2) is attached to a corner position of the rectangular touchpad (1).

3. The touchpad assembly of claim 1 or 2, wherein, The spacer (2) is a rubber pad.

4. The touchpad assembly of claim 1, wherein, The feedback unit (5) is a motor.

5. The touchpad assembly of claim 1, wherein, The capacitive sensing unit (4) comprises a plurality of capacitive sensors arranged in an array on the back of the touchpad (1).

6. The touchpad assembly of claim 1, wherein, The front of the touchpad (1) is covered with a transparent material layer for protecting the touchpad (1).

7. The touchpad assembly of claim 1, wherein, The conductor support (3) is a metal support.

8. The touchpad assembly of claim 1 or 7, wherein, The shape and size of the conductor support (3) match those of the touchpad (1).

9. An electronic device, comprising: The electronic device comprises the touchpad assembly according to any one of claims 1-8.

10. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein, The electronic device is at least one of a tablet computer, a notebook computer, a smart wearable device and a smart phone.

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