Elastic support structure for electronic device and electronic device

Abstract

This disclosure discloses an elastic support structure for an electronic device and the electronic device itself. The elastic support structure is connected to the touchpad of the electronic device to provide elastic support. The elastic support structure includes: a support plate, which is fixedly connected to the housing of the electronic device; and a spring portion, which is integrally formed with the support plate and disposed on the circumferential outer side of the support plate. The spring portion protrudes from the surface of the support plate and is elastically movable relative to the support plate to elastically support the touchpad. This embodiment of the disclosure, by having a support plate for connection to the housing and a spring portion protruding relative to the support plate and capable of elastic movement, and by making the spring portion integrally formed with the support plate, achieves elastic support of the touchpad by the spring portion with a simple structure, reducing production costs.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure generally relates to the field of electronic input device technology. More specifically, this disclosure relates to a flexible support structure for electronic devices and electronic devices. Background Technology

[0002] Touchpads are common control input components in electronic products such as laptops. However, the traditional rebound mechanism of touchpads currently suffers from a series of problems in structural design and manufacturing processes. In existing designs, the rebound mechanism consists of three or more parts assembled using riveting technology. This multi-part design directly leads to the need for multiple sets of molds during production, resulting in high and difficult-to-reduce mold costs. Simultaneously, the increased number of parts increases the production process, which not only lengthens the quality control process but also indirectly increases the difficulty of quality control management and introduces additional intangible costs. Furthermore, touchpads have high requirements for rebound performance, and in a process where multiple parts are processed separately, adjusting the rebound performance often faces significant challenges, making the overall adjustment process complex and further impacting production efficiency and product stability.

[0003] In view of this, there is an urgent need to provide a flexible support structure and electronic equipment for electronic devices in order to reduce manufacturing costs and improve product stability. Utility Model Content

[0004] In order to at least address one or more of the technical problems mentioned above, this disclosure proposes a flexible support structure for electronic devices and electronic devices in several aspects.

[0005] In a first aspect, this disclosure provides an elastic support structure for an electronic device, which is connected to a touchpad of the electronic device to provide elastic support for it. The elastic support structure includes: a support plate, which is fixedly connected to the housing of the electronic device; and a spring portion, which is integrally formed with the support plate and disposed on the circumferential outer side of the support plate, and the spring portion protrudes from the surface of the support plate and is capable of elastically moving relative to the support plate to elastically support the touchpad. In some embodiments, a transition section is further included, wherein the spring portion includes a first elastic arm spaced apart from the support plate, the transition section is connected to the first elastic arm and the support plate respectively, and the transition section is spaced apart from the support plate.

[0006] In some embodiments, the spring section includes two transition sections, and the spring section further includes a second elastic arm spaced apart from the support plate. The two transition sections are respectively used to connect the first elastic arm and the support plate and the second elastic arm and the support plate.

[0007] In some embodiments, an inclined connecting section extending obliquely along the thickness direction of the support plate is further provided between the transition section and the first elastic arm, so that the transition section and the first elastic arm form a step difference along the thickness direction of the support plate.

[0008] In some embodiments, the spring portion further includes a trigger portion, which is disposed at the distal end of the spring portion away from the connection portion between the spring portion and the support plate.

[0009] In some embodiments, the trigger portion includes a V-shaped reinforcing rib and a trigger protrusion disposed inside the reinforcing rib.

[0010] In some embodiments, the spring portion is formed in a U-shape.

[0011] In some embodiments, the support plate further includes an extended support portion that protrudes outward toward the circumferentially outward of the support plate and abuts against the housing of the electronic device.

[0012] In some embodiments, a connector is further included that is fixedly connected to the housing and the support plate. The connector includes an elastic grounding portion that elastically abuts against the support plate.

[0013] In a second aspect, this disclosure provides an electronic device including a resilient support structure for the electronic device as described in the first aspect and several embodiments.

[0014] With the elastic support structure and electronic device provided above, the embodiments disclosed herein achieve elastic support of the touch panel by the spring portion to the touch panel with a simple structure by making the support structure have a support plate for connection with the housing and a spring portion that protrudes relative to the support plate and can move elastically, and making the spring portion integrally formed with the support plate, thereby reducing production costs and improving product stability. Attached Figure Description

[0015] The above and other objects, features, and advantages of exemplary embodiments of this disclosure will become readily apparent upon reading the following detailed description with reference to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, several embodiments of this disclosure are illustrated by way of example and not limitation, and like or corresponding reference numerals denote like or corresponding parts, wherein: Figure 1 An exemplary perspective view of an electronic device according to some embodiments of this disclosure is shown; Figure 2 An exemplary perspective view of a resilient support structure for an electronic device according to some embodiments of this disclosure is shown; Figure 3 An exemplary front view of a resilient support structure for an electronic device according to some embodiments of this disclosure is shown; Figure 4 It shows Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the cross section along line AA; Figure 5 An exemplary exploded view of a resilient support structure for an electronic device according to some embodiments of this disclosure is shown. Detailed Implementation

[0016] 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, not all of them. Based on the embodiments in this disclosure, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this disclosure.

[0017] It should be understood that the terms “comprising” and “including” used in this disclosure and claims indicate the presence of the described features, integrals, steps, operations, elements and / or components, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integrals, steps, operations, elements, components and / or collections thereof.

[0018] It should also be understood that the terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to limit the scope of this disclosure. As used in this disclosure and claims, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” are intended to include the plural forms unless the context clearly indicates otherwise. It should also be understood that the term “and / or” as used in this disclosure and claims refers to any combination and all possible combinations of one or more of the associated listed items, and includes such combinations.

[0019] As used in this specification and claims, the term "if" may be interpreted, depending on the context, as "when," "once," "in response to determination," or "in response to detection." Similarly, the phrase "if determined" or "if [described condition or event] is detected" may be interpreted, depending on the context, as "once determined," "in response to determination," "once [described condition or event] is detected," or "in response to detection of [described condition or event]."

[0020] This disclosure provides an elastic support structure for an electronic device. By having a support plate for connection with a housing and a spring portion that protrudes from the support plate and is elastically movable, and by integrally forming the spring portion with the support plate and disposing it on the circumferential outer side of the support plate, the elastic support of the touch panel by the spring portion can be achieved with a simple structure, thereby reducing production costs and improving product stability.

[0021] The specific embodiments disclosed herein will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0022] See Figures 1 to 3 , Figure 1 An exemplary perspective view of an electronic device according to some embodiments of this disclosure is shown. Figure 2 An exemplary perspective view of a resilient support structure for an electronic device according to some embodiments of this disclosure is shown. Figure 3 An exemplary front view of a resilient support structure for an electronic device according to some embodiments of this disclosure is shown.

[0023] In this embodiment, the elastic support structure 100 for the electronic device includes a support plate 10 and a spring piece 20. The support plate 10 is fixedly connected to the housing 80 of the electronic device. The spring piece 20 is integrally formed with the support plate 10 and is disposed on the circumferential outer side of the support plate 10. The spring piece 20 protrudes from the surface of the support plate 10 and can move elastically relative to the support plate 10 to elastically support the touch panel 90.

[0024] Specifically, the electronic device 200 is an electronic device such as a laptop computer that includes a touch-screen control device, and the touchpad 90 is an actuator in the touch-screen control device that is in direct contact with the operator. The touchpad 90 includes control elements such as a circuit board for receiving operation information. The housing 80 of the electronic device has an operation opening, and the touchpad 90 is snapped into the operation opening and is at least partially exposed through the operation opening.

[0025] The aforementioned elastic support structure 100 is disposed inside the housing 80 of the electronic device. It is connected to the housing 80 of the electronic device 200 on one side and to the touchpad 90 on the other side to provide elastic support for the touchpad 90, allowing it to rebound after being pressed. The support plate 10 is used to connect to the housing 80 of the electronic device, and the spring piece 20 is used to elastically abut against the touchpad 90. The two are integrally formed into an elastic support structure, which is generally made of elastic materials such as elastic stainless steel sheets.

[0026] The support plate 10 can directly abut against the housing 80 of the electronic device via its bottom surface, or be directly fixed to the housing 80 by means of bonding or threaded connection. The elastic support structure composed of the support plate 10 and the spring piece 20 can be formed as a whole by means of sheet metal bending or forming processing, so that a height difference is formed between the support plate 10 and the spring piece 20 in the thickness direction of the support plate 10 through the bending of the plate, and the spring piece 20 can elastically reciprocate relative to the support plate 10 in the thickness direction.

[0027] Therefore, compared with existing support structures that are formed as separate parts, the support structure disclosed herein requires fewer parts and molds to produce, and the overall process is shorter. Furthermore, the height of the spring piece 20 is easily adjustable, making quality control easier and reducing the material and manufacturing costs required for processing the support structure. Moreover, compared to existing structures that fix the spring piece to the support plate through welding or other methods, the support plate 10 and the spring piece 20 are integrally formed, resulting in higher structural strength at the connection between the spring piece 20 and the support plate 10. This reduces the probability of connection failure or loosening during use, making the support of the spring piece 20 more stable and reliable. Positioning the spring piece 20 on the circumferential outer side of the support plate 10 allows its dimensions to match the dimensions of the touch panel 90, making the overall dimensions of the elastic support structure 100 similar to, or even smaller than, the dimensions of the touch panel 90. This results in a more compact overall structure of the elastic support structure, which is beneficial for equipment miniaturization and reduces material costs. See you again Figures 2 to 4 , Figure 4 It shows Figure 3 A cross-sectional schematic diagram along line AA. In this embodiment, the spring piece 20 includes a first elastic arm 21 spaced apart from the support plate 10. The elastic support structure also includes a transition section 40 connected to both the first elastic arm 21 and the support plate 10, with the transition section 40 at least partially spaced apart from the support plate 10. The support plate 10 is generally rectangular, and a first gap 51 is formed between one side of the support plate 10 and the first elastic arm 21, with the extension direction of the first gap 51 parallel to the extension direction of the first elastic arm 21. One end of the first elastic arm 21 is connected to the support plate 10 and protrudes relative to the support plate 10 along its thickness direction. The other end of the first elastic arm 21 extends away from its connection point with the support plate 10 and abuts against the touch panel 90.

[0028] One end of the transition section 40 is connected to the edge of the support plate 10, and the other end extends along the extension direction of the first elastic arm 21, partially spaced from the support plate 10. By providing this transition section 40 spaced from the support plate 10, when the spring piece 20 is subjected to downward operating pressure, the transition section 40 can undergo elastic deformation independently of the support plate 10, thereby converting part of the pressure into its own elastic deformation, reducing the probability of the support plate 10 warping or tilting due to the pressure acting directly on it, thus improving the stability of the support structure.

[0029] In this embodiment, the spring piece 20 further includes a second elastic arm 22 spaced apart from the support plate 10. The support plate 10 includes two transition sections 40, which are respectively connected to the first elastic arm 21 and the second elastic arm 22. The second elastic arm 22 may be disposed on the side opposite to the first elastic arm 21 relative to the support plate 10, and similar to the first elastic arm 21, a second gap 52 parallel to its extending direction is formed between the second elastic arm 22 and the support plate 10. Both transition sections 40 are at least partially separated from the support plate 10, thereby further increasing the maximum elastic force that the spring piece 20 can provide and reducing the deformation or deflection of the support plate 10 caused by operating pressure.

[0030] The first elastic arm 21 and the second elastic arm 22 are each provided with an inclined connecting section 201 between themselves and the transition section 40. The two inclined connecting sections 201 extend inclinedly towards the touch panel 90 along the thickness direction of the support plate 10. With the help of the inclined connecting sections 201, the first elastic arm 21 and the second elastic arm 22 form a step difference with the support plate 10 along the thickness direction, thereby making the height transition between the first elastic arm 21 and the second elastic arm 22 and the transition section 40 smoother. During operation, the force transmission can be evenly distributed across the entire inclined connecting section 201. Furthermore, by providing the inclined connecting sections 201, the elastic support structure is also more suitable for one-piece molding.

[0031] Further or optionally, in this embodiment, the spring portion 20 is formed in a U-shape. Specifically, as described above, the spring portion 20 may include a first elastic arm 21 and a second elastic arm 22, which may be respectively disposed on both sides of the support plate 10, and a first gap 51 and a second gap 52 are respectively provided between the first elastic arm 21 and the second elastic arm 22 and the support plate 10. On this basis, the other ends of the first elastic arm 21 and the second elastic arm 22 away from their connection with the support plate 10 can be connected to each other, and the part where the two are connected to each other forms a third elastic arm 23. A third gap 53 is also provided between the third elastic arm 23 and the support plate 10, so that the first elastic arm 21, the second elastic arm 22 and the third elastic arm 23 as a whole constitute a "U" shape. By setting the spring piece 20 to a "U" shape, the pressure acting on the spring piece 20 will be transmitted more evenly to the two connecting parts of it and the support plate 10 through the integral spring piece 20 structure, reducing the probability of the spring piece 20 bearing excessive pressure locally, and making the elastic support of the spring piece 20 for the touch panel 90 more stable.

[0032] Furthermore, in this embodiment, the spring piece 20 is at least partially disposed on the circumferential outer side of the support plate 10. For example... Figure 2As shown, the first elastic arm 21, the second elastic arm 22, and the third elastic arm 23 are respectively disposed on the circumferential outer side of the support plate 10, and are spaced apart from the support plate 10 by means of the first gap 51, the second gap 52, and the third gap 53, so that the spring piece 20 partially surrounds the support plate 10 from three sides. Thus, the spring piece 20 can abut against the touch panel 90 on the three sides of the outer periphery of the support plate 10, thereby increasing the contact area and range with the touch panel 90, and improving the stability of the elastic support force during pressing. At the same time, since the support plate 10 is partially surrounded by the spring piece 20, when the spring piece 20 is pressed, the pressure can act on its connection with the edge of the support plate 10, thereby transmitting the pressure more directly and evenly to a wider area of ​​the support plate 10. This helps the support plate 10 to be supported more flatly and stably on the inner bottom surface of the housing 80, reducing local stress concentration and preventing deformation of the support plate 10 or the bottom surface of the housing 80.

[0033] Those skilled in the art will understand that, although the above description shows a scheme in which the first elastic arm 21, the second elastic arm 22, and the third elastic arm 23 are connected to form a "U" shape, and the spring portion 20 at least partially surrounds the support plate 10, this disclosure does not limit the specific structure of the spring portion 20. For example, in some embodiments not shown, the first elastic arm 21, the second elastic arm 22, and / or the third elastic arm 23 can be formed independently of each other, that is, their ends away from the connection with the support plate 10 are not connected to each other, thereby abutting the touch panel 90 at two independent positions. In some other embodiments, more independent elastic arms or more raised "U"-shaped structures can be provided to independently support the touch panel 90 at more positions, thereby increasing the support elasticity and reducing the impact of failure of a single elastic arm or "U"-shaped structure.

[0034] In this embodiment, the spring portion 20 further includes a trigger portion 24, which is disposed at the distal end of the spring portion 20 away from the connection between the spring portion 20 and the support plate 10. The trigger portion 24 corresponds to the press / click position of the touchpad 90. Its upper side abuts against the touchpad 90, and its lower side can be used to abut against control elements such as microswitches, so as to open and close the corresponding control elements by movement. By disposing the trigger portion 24 at the distal end of the spring portion 20 away from the connection between the spring portion 20 and the support plate 10, the trigger portion 24 can achieve a larger travel distance and a lower minimum driving force, reducing the pressing force required to trigger the click and allowing the user to receive clear click feedback, thereby optimizing the user experience.

[0035] Further or optionally, the trigger portion 24 includes a reinforcing rib 242 formed in a "V" shape and a trigger protrusion 241 disposed inside the reinforcing rib 242. During use, the touchpad 90 is often subjected to the greatest operating pressure in the click area. In the trigger portion 24 corresponding to the click area, the "V"-shaped reinforcing rib 242 can be used to improve the structural strength of the trigger portion 24 and reduce the probability of the trigger portion 24 deforming due to excessive operating pressure. At the same time, the trigger protrusion 241 is used to directly contact control elements such as microswitches. Disposing it inside the "V"-shaped trigger portion 24 can enhance the structural strength of the surrounding area and reduce the probability of click operation failure due to the deflection or deformation of the trigger protrusion 241.

[0036] See you again Figure 2 The support plate 10 also includes an extended support portion 13, which protrudes outward from the circumference of the support plate 10 and abuts against the housing 80 of the electronic device. In this embodiment, the support plate 10 is provided with two extended support portions 13, which extend away from the side where the support plate 10 is connected to the spring piece 20. This extends the support arm of the support plate 10 relative to its connection with the spring piece 20, increasing the maximum support force of the support plate 10 and increasing the support area of ​​the support plate 10 and the bottom surface of the housing 80, thereby improving the stability of the support structure. Those skilled in the art will understand that in some embodiments not shown, more or fewer extended support portions 13 may be provided to meet different support force requirements.

[0037] See Figure 5 , Figure 5An exemplary exploded view of an elastic support structure for an electronic device according to some embodiments of this disclosure is shown. In this embodiment, the elastic support structure further includes a connector 30, which is a relay support for connecting the housing 80 of the electronic device and the support plate 10. The connector 30 may be generally plate-shaped, with one portion fixedly connected to the support plate 10 by riveting or welding, and another portion also connected to the housing 80 of the electronic device by riveting or welding. The connector 30 also includes an elastic grounding portion 33, which elastically abuts against the support plate 10. The connector 30 may be made of a material such as elastic stainless steel sheet, and includes an upper connecting portion 31 for connecting to the housing 80 of the electronic device and a lower connecting portion 32 for connecting to the support plate 10. The lower connecting portion 32 has a downwardly arched, elastic grounding portion 33 on its edge. This arc-shaped elastic grounding portion 33 is used for electrical connection with the metal part of the electronic device's housing. The distal end of the elastic grounding portion 33 is also elastically supported on the bottom of the support plate 10, thereby maintaining a stable connection between it and the metal part of the housing 80 and / or the support plate 10 through elastic abutment, reducing the possibility of poor grounding contact. Those skilled in the art will understand that, in some embodiments not shown, the connector 30 may be integrally formed with the support plate 10 to further reduce processing steps and lower production costs.

[0038] Some embodiments of the elastic support structure for electronic devices disclosed herein have a support plate for connection with the housing and a spring portion that protrudes relative to the support plate and is elastically movable. The support plate and the spring portion are integrally formed, which eliminates the need to manufacture multiple sub-components separately and perform assembly processing, significantly saving material and processing and assembly costs, while improving the stability of the process and the finished product.

[0039] See you again Figure 1 This disclosure also includes an electronic device comprising a housing, a touchpad snapped onto the housing and partially exposed therefrom, and a resilient support structure for the electronic device according to the foregoing embodiments. The support structure is disposed inside the housing to provide resilient support for the touchpad.

[0040] While numerous embodiments of this disclosure have been shown and described herein, it will be apparent to those skilled in the art that such embodiments are provided by way of example only. Many modifications, alterations, and alternatives will occur to those skilled in the art without departing from the spirit and intent of this disclosure. It should be understood that various alternatives to the embodiments of this disclosure described herein may be employed in the practice of this disclosure. The appended claims are intended to define the scope of this disclosure and therefore cover equivalents or alternatives within the scope of these claims.

Claims

1. A flexible support structure for an electronic device, which is connected to a touchpad (90) of the electronic device to elastically support the same, characterized by, The elastic support structure includes: A support plate (10) is fixedly connected to the housing (80) of the electronic device; The spring piece (20) is integrally formed with the support plate (10) and is disposed on the circumferential outer side of the support plate (10). The spring piece (20) protrudes from the plate surface of the support plate (10) and can move elastically relative to the support plate (10) to elastically support the touch panel (90).

2. The elastic support structure according to claim 1, wherein It also includes a transition section (40), wherein the spring piece (20) includes a first elastic arm (21) spaced apart from the support plate (10), the transition section (40) is connected to the first elastic arm (21) and the support plate (10) respectively, and the transition section (40) is spaced apart from the support plate (10).

3. The elastic support structure of claim 2, wherein, It includes two transition sections (40), and the spring piece (20) also includes a second elastic arm (22) spaced apart from the support plate (10). The two transition sections (40) are respectively used to connect the first elastic arm (21) and the support plate (10) and the second elastic arm (22) and the support plate (10).

4. The elastic support structure according to claim 3, wherein An inclined connecting section (201) extending obliquely along the thickness direction of the support plate (10) is provided between the transition section (40) and the first elastic arm (21), so that the transition section (40) and the first elastic arm (21) form a step difference along the thickness direction of the support plate (10).

5. The elastic support structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The spring section (20) further includes a trigger section (24), which is located at the far end of the spring section (20) away from the connection between the spring section (20) and the support plate (10).

6. The elastic support structure of claim 5, wherein, The trigger part (24) includes a V-shaped reinforcing rib (242) and a trigger protrusion (241) disposed inside the reinforcing rib (242).

7. The elastic support structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein The spring section (20) is formed in a U-shape.

8. The elastic support structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4, characterized in that, The support plate (10) also includes an extension support (13) that protrudes outward toward the support plate (10) and abuts against the housing (80) of the electronic device.

9. The elastic support structure according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein, It also includes a connector (30) fixedly connected to the housing (80) and the support plate (10), the connector (30) including an elastic grounding part (33), the elastic grounding part (33) elastically abutting against the support plate (10).

10. An electronic device, comprising: Includes an elastic support structure for electronic devices according to any one of claims 1 to 9.

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