Non-contact button

Abstract

To provide a non-contact button.SOLUTION: A non-contact button includes a case, a circuit board, a signal transmission unit, a signal detection unit, and a signal blocking unit. The case has an opening. The circuit board is connected to the case and has a surface facing the opening. The signal transmission unit is electrically connected to the circuit board and fixed to the surface. The signal transmission unit is located in the case and transmits a signal toward the opening. The signal detection unit is electrically connected to the circuit board and fixed to the surface. The signal detection unit receives a signal reflected from the outside of the case. The signal blocking unit is installed between the signal transmission unit and the signal detection unit.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a touch device, and particularly to a non-contact button.

Background Art

[0002] Generally, a non-contact button can be provided with a light source, a lens group, and an image layer. The light rays emitted from the light source pass through the lens group and the image layer to form an image. The image floats above the non-contact button and displays the operation message of the non-contact button. Compared with a contact button, the non-contact button has advantages such as being less prone to wear and being easy to keep clean. However, the assembly process of the conventional non-contact button was too complicated, so it had drawbacks such as high cost and low yield.

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0003] An object of the present invention is to provide a non-contact button having the advantages of low cost and high yield.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0004] To achieve part or all of the above object or other objects, the non-contact button provided by the present invention includes a case, a circuit board, a signal transmission unit, a signal detection unit, and a signal blocking unit. The case has an opening. The circuit board is connected to the case and has a surface facing the opening. The signal transmission unit is electrically connected to the circuit board and fixed to the surface. The signal transmission unit is located within the case and transmits a signal toward the opening. The signal detection unit is electrically connected to the circuit board and fixed to the surface. The signal detection unit receives a signal reflected from outside the case. The signal blocking unit is installed between the signal transmission unit and the signal detection unit.

[0005] In one embodiment of the present invention, the case further has a reflection signal inlet, a conductive channel, and a reflection signal outlet. The reflection signal inlet, the conductive channel, and the reflection signal outlet communicate with each other, and the reflection signal inlet and the reflection signal outlet are located on opposite sides of the conductive channel. The reflection signal inlet, the conductive channel, and the reflection signal outlet allow a signal reflected from outside the case to pass through, and the reflection signal outlet transmits the signal to the signal detection unit.

[0006] In one embodiment of the present invention, the case further has, for example, a main body portion and a case frame portion. The main body portion is connected to the surface and has an accommodation space. The signal transmission unit is located within the accommodation space. The case frame portion is connected to the main body portion and faces the circuit board. The opening penetrates the case frame portion and communicates with the accommodation space. The reflection signal inlet, the conductive channel, and the reflection signal outlet penetrate the case frame portion, and the reflection signal inlet faces the opening.

[0007] In one embodiment of the present invention, the non-contact button further has a signal transmission portion. The signal transmission portion is installed in the conductive channel and has a signal inlet and a signal outlet. The signal inlet is close to the reflection signal inlet, and the signal outlet is close to the reflection signal outlet.

[0008] In one embodiment of the present invention, the signal transmission portion includes a light guide column. The signal inlet includes the light incident surface of the light guide column, and the signal outlet includes the light exit surface of the light guide column. The area of the light incident surface is smaller than the area of the light exit surface.

[0009] In one embodiment of the present invention, the light incident surface protrudes from the reflection signal inlet.

[0010] In one embodiment of the present invention, the light exit surface protrudes from the reflection signal outlet.

[0011] In one embodiment of the present invention, the non-contact button further includes, for example, a cylindrical body. The cylindrical body is fixed to the surface, and the signal detection unit is located within the cylindrical body. The cylindrical body has a first side wall and a second side wall. The first side wall and the second side wall are connected to each other and surround the signal detection unit. The first side wall is located between the signal transmission unit and the signal detection unit, and the signal blocking portion includes the first side wall.

[0012] In one embodiment of the present invention, the cylindrical body further has an inner surface, and the inner surface extends from the first side wall to the second side wall. The inner surface contains a light-reflective material.

[0013] In one embodiment of the present invention, the signal blocking portion is, for example, an integral structure or a separate structure with a case.

[0014] In one embodiment of the present invention, the signal blocking portion is fixed to the surface, and the shape of the signal blocking portion is plate-shaped.

[0015] In one embodiment of the present invention, the signal transmitting portion includes, for example, an infrared signal transmitting portion, and the signal includes infrared rays. The signal detecting portion includes an infrared detecting portion.

[0016] In the non-contact button of the present invention, both the signal transmitting portion and the signal detecting portion are fixed to the same circuit board and electrically connected. Therefore, in one mounting process, the signal detecting portion can be fixed to the circuit board and electrically connected. As a result, not only can the process of applying an adhesive to fix the signal detecting portion and the process of electrically connecting the signal detecting portion to the circuit board with an electric wire be omitted, but also the process of soldering the electric wire can be omitted. Further, since the signal detecting portion is not electrically connected via an electric wire but is directly electrically connected to the circuit board, the problem of detection failure caused by pulling the electric wire of the non-contact button can also be prevented. Thereby, the non-contact button of the present invention can realize the advantages of low cost and high yield.

[0017] In order to more clearly understand the above-described or other objects, features, and advantages of the present invention, examples will be given below and described in detail as follows with reference to the accompanying drawings.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0018]

Figure 1

Figure 2

Figure 3

Figure 4

Figure 5

Figure 6

Figure 7

Figure 8

Figure 9

Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0019] Figure 1 is a cross-sectional view of a contactless button in one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 2 is a top view of the contactless button in Figure 1 with the case frame portion omitted. Referring to Figures 1 and 2, the contactless button 100 includes a case 110, a circuit board 120, a signal transmission part 130, a signal detection part 140, and a signal blocking part 150. The case 110 has an opening 111. The circuit board 120 is connected to the case 110 and has a surface S facing the opening 111. The signal transmission part 130 is electrically connected to the circuit board 120 and fixed to the surface S. The signal transmission part 130 is located inside the case 110 and transmits a signal T1 toward the opening 111. The signal detection part 140 is electrically connected to the circuit board 120 and fixed to the surface S. The signal detection part 140 receives the signal T1 reflected from outside the case 110. The signal blocking part 150 is installed between the signal transmission part 130 and the signal detection part 140.

[0020] The signal transmission unit 130 can transmit signal T1 and signal T2. The signal T1 is transmitted from the opening 111, reflected by an object outside the case 110, and then incident on the signal detection unit 140. For example, the signal T1 can form a touch area Z on the opening 111, and a user can bring a finger close to the touch area Z to reflect the signal T1 to the signal detection unit 140. On the other hand, the signal T2 remains inside the case 110 and is not transmitted from the opening 111. In this embodiment, the signal transmission unit 130 includes, for example, an infrared signal transmission unit, and the signals T1 and T2 include infrared rays, but other embodiments are not limited thereto.

[0021] The signal detection unit 140 can receive the signal T1 transmitted from the signal transmission unit 130, and after receiving the signal T1, generate a detection signal to drive other electronic components. For example, the signal detection unit 140 can transmit the detection signal to a light source to cause the light source to emit light. In one embodiment, the signal detection unit 140 can transmit the detection signal to a speaker to drive the speaker to produce sound. The light source and the speaker are electrically connected to the circuit board 120 and can receive the detection signal from the signal detection unit 140 via the circuit board 120. However, the present invention does not limit the types and specific details of the electronic components. In this embodiment, the signal detection unit 140 can include an infrared detection unit, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0022] FIG. 3 is a top view of the non-contact button of FIG. 2. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 3, the case 110 is fixed to the surface S of the circuit board 120 and houses the signal transmission unit 130. In this embodiment, the case 110 further includes a reflected signal inlet I, a conductive channel C, and a reflected signal outlet O. The reflected signal inlet I, the conductive channel C, and the reflected signal outlet O communicate with each other, and the reflected signal inlet I and the reflected signal outlet O are located on opposite sides of the conductive channel C. The reflected signal inlet I, the conductive channel C, and the reflected signal outlet O allow the signal T1 reflected from outside the case 110 to pass through, and the reflected signal outlet O transmits the signal T1 toward the signal detection unit 140. Specifically, the signal T1 reflected from outside the case 110 enters the signal detection unit 140 more intensively under the guidance of the reflected signal inlet I, the conductive channel C, and the reflected signal outlet O, thereby increasing the amount of the signal incident on the signal detection unit 140. In this way, the touch area Z can be positioned farther from the opening 111, and the user can trigger the signal detection unit 140 at a position farther from the opening 111, thereby improving the detection sensitivity of the signal detection unit 140.

[0023] Continuing to refer to FIG. 1, the case 110 further includes, for example, a main body portion 112 (also shown in FIG. 2) and a case frame portion 113 (also shown in FIG. 3). The main body portion 112 is connected to the surface S and has an accommodation space A. The signal transmission unit 130 is located within the accommodation space A. The case frame portion 113 is connected to the main body portion 112 and faces the circuit board 120. The opening 111 penetrates the case frame portion 113 and communicates with the accommodation space A. The reflection signal inlet I, the conductive channel C, and the reflection signal outlet O penetrate the case frame portion 113, and the reflection signal inlet I faces the opening 111. Further, the reflection signal inlet I is located, for example, on the inner surface S1 (also shown in FIG. 3) of the case frame portion 113, and the reflection signal outlet O is located on the outer surface S2 (also shown in FIG. 3) of the case frame portion 113. The conductive channel C can penetrate the inner surface S1 and the outer surface S2. Also, the reflection signal outlet O generally faces the signal detection unit 140. Specifically, the reflection signal inlet I communicates with the opening 111, for example, and the signal T1 reflected from outside the case 110 passes through the opening 111 and is incident on the reflection signal inlet I, and is transmitted from the reflection signal outlet O to the signal detection unit 140 through the conductive channel C. Further, the main body portion 112 and the case frame portion 113 have a separate structure, and the case frame portion 113 is separable from the main body portion 112. As a result, the position of the reflection signal outlet O can be more easily adjusted with respect to the signal detection unit 140, and the flexibility of assembling the non-contact button 100 is improved.

[0024] Referring back to FIGS. 1 and 2, the signal blocking unit 150 can block the signal T2 in the case 110 from entering the signal detection unit 140. Specifically, the signal T2 transmitted from the signal transmission unit 130 is not transmitted from the opening 111 and remains in the case 110 and reciprocates and reflects. The signal blocking unit 150 can block the signal T2 from directly entering the signal detection unit 140 from within the case 110 in order to prevent the signal T2 in the case 110 from being erroneously detected by the signal detection unit 140. In this embodiment, the signal blocking unit 150 is fixed to the surface S, and the shape of the signal blocking unit 150 is plate-shaped. Specifically, the signal blocking unit 150 is connected to the main body unit 112. In one embodiment, however, the signal blocking unit 150 is located slightly away from the main body unit 112. Further, the present invention does not limit the height H of the signal blocking unit 150. For example, the signal blocking unit 150 of this embodiment is connected to the case frame portion 113. In another embodiment, however, the signal blocking unit 150 is located slightly away from the case frame portion 113. Also, the signal blocking unit 150 and the case 110 of this embodiment have a separate structure. For example, the signal blocking unit 150, the main body unit 112, and the case frame portion 113 can be removed separately. However, in one embodiment, the signal blocking unit 150 and the case 110 have an integrated structure. Further, the signal blocking unit 150 has an integrated structure with the main body unit 112 and a separate structure from the case frame portion 113. In another embodiment, the signal blocking unit 150 has an integrated structure with the case frame portion 113 and a separate structure from the main body unit 112, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0025] In this embodiment, the circuit board 120 can transmit power to the signal transmission unit 130 and the signal detection unit 140. The circuit board 120 includes, for example, a printed circuit board (PCB). The printed circuit board includes a single layer printed circuit board (Single Layer PCB), a double layer printed circuit board (Double Layer PCB), and a multi-layer printed circuit board (Multi Layer PCB), but the present invention is not limited thereto. In this embodiment, since the signal transmission unit 130 and the signal detection unit 140 are fixed to the same circuit board 120 and electrically connected, the assembly process of the signal detection unit 140 can be efficiently simplified.

[0026] For example, in the well-known technology, the signal detection unit could be electrically connected on the same circuit board as the signal transmission unit through at least processes such as mounting and soldering of wires. Furthermore, both the power and the signal of the signal detection unit need to be transmitted via wires, and in the subsequent assembly process, the wires are easily pulled and contact failures are likely to occur. Moreover, the conventional non-contact button has the problem that the assembly process is complicated and detection failures are likely to occur. Also, in the well-known technology, in order to fix and protect the wires, further processes such as applying adhesives or winding tapes were required, but this not only made the assembly process of the non-contact button even more complicated, but also the problem of wire contact failures could not be completely solved. In contrast, in this embodiment, since the signal detection unit 140 is assembled on the same circuit board 120 in a single mounting process, materials such as the wires become unnecessary. Therefore, the assembly process of the non-contact button 100 omits processes such as soldering of the wires and fixing with adhesives or tapes, and the problem of detection failures of the signal detection unit 140 due to wires can also be solved.

[0027] Compared with the well-known technology, in the non-contact button 100 of this embodiment, since both the signal transmission unit 130 and the signal detection unit 140 are fixed on the same circuit board 120 and electrically connected, the signal detection unit 140 can be fixed on the circuit board 120 and electrically connected in a single mounting process. Therefore, not only can the process of applying an adhesive for fixing the signal detection unit 140 to the circuit board 120 be omitted, but also the wires for electrically connecting the signal detection unit 140 and the circuit board 120 can be omitted, and furthermore, the process of soldering the wires can be omitted. Also, since the signal detection unit 140 is not electrically connected to the circuit board 120 via wires but is directly electrically connected to the circuit board 120, the problem that the wires are pulled and detection failures of the non-contact button 100 occur can also be solved. As described above, the non-contact button 100 of this embodiment can achieve the advantages of low cost and high yield.

[0028] Figure 4 is a cross-sectional view of a non-contact button in another embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 is a top view of the non-contact button in Figure 4. The structure and advantages of the non-contact button 100a in this embodiment are similar to those of the embodiment in Figure 1, but only the differences will be described below. Referring to Figures 4 and 5, the non-contact button 100a further includes, for example, a cylindrical body 160. The cylindrical body 160 is fixed to the surface S, and the signal detection unit 140 is located inside the cylindrical body 160. Specifically, when the signal T1 enters the cylindrical body 160, it reflects multiple times inside the cylindrical body 160, enters the signal detection unit 140, and the amount of the signal received by the signal detection unit 140 increases, enabling the touch area Z to be located at a position farther from the opening 111.

[0029] It should be noted that the cylindrical body 160 also functions as a signal blocking unit 150. Specifically, the cylindrical body 160 has a first side wall 161 and a second side wall 162. The first side wall 161 and the second side wall 162 are connected to each other and surround the signal detection unit 140. The first side wall 161 is located between the signal transmission unit 130 and the signal detection unit 140, and the signal blocking unit 150 can include the first side wall 161. That is, the first side wall 161 can block the signal T2 in the case 110 from entering the signal detection unit 140 to prevent the signal T2 in the case 110 from being erroneously detected by the signal detection unit 140. Therefore, the first side wall 161 can function as the signal blocking unit 150. Also, the first side wall 161 and the second side wall 162 are, for example, an integral structure, but in one embodiment, the first side wall 161 and the second side wall 162 are a separate structure. In this embodiment, the shape of the cylindrical body 160 is, for example, cylindrical, and the first side wall 161 and the second side wall 162 are, for example, arcuate side walls respectively. However, in other embodiments, the shape of the cylindrical body 160 is square cylindrical or polygonal cylindrical, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0030] Furthermore, the cylindrical body 160 of this embodiment has an inner surface S3, and the inner surface S3 extends from the first side wall 161 to the second side wall 162. The inner surface S3 contains a light-reflecting material, which can further increase the amount of signal received by the signal detection unit 140. For example, the light-reflecting material includes a metal or a white material, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Also, the opening 163 of the cylindrical body 160 is close to the reflection signal outlet O, and more signal T1 is transmitted into the cylindrical body 160.

[0031] FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a non-contact button in another embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 7 is a perspective view of the signal transmission part of FIG. 6. The structure and advantages of the non-contact button 100b of this embodiment are similar to those of the embodiment of FIG. 1, but only the differences will be described below. Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, the non-contact button 100b can further include a signal transmission part 170. The signal transmission part 170 is installed in the conductive channel C and has a signal inlet 171 and a signal outlet 172. The signal inlet 171 is close to the reflection signal inlet I, and the signal outlet 172 is close to the reflection signal outlet O. Thereby, the signal transmission part 170 guides the signal T1 to be transmitted to the signal detection unit 140 more intensively, increasing the amount of signal received by the signal detection unit 140 and enabling the touch area Z to be located farther from the opening 111. For example, the signal transmission part 170 includes a light guide column R. The light incident surface IS of the light guide column R is included in the signal inlet 171, and the light exit surface OS of the light guide column R is included in the signal outlet 172. The area of the light incident surface IS is smaller than the area of the light exit surface OS, so that the signal T1 is transmitted to the signal detection unit 140 more intensively. Specifically, the signals T1 and T2 of this embodiment include infrared rays, and the light guide column R can concentrate the infrared rays on the signal detection unit 140. Furthermore, the light exit surface OS protrudes from the reflection signal outlet O, whereby the light guide column R can more easily transmit signals toward the signal detection unit 140, further increasing the amount of signal received by the signal detection unit 140.

[0032] Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of a non-contact button in another embodiment of the present invention. The structure and advantages of the non-contact button 100c of this embodiment are similar to those of the embodiment in FIG. 6, but only the differences will be described below. Referring to FIG. 8, the light incident surface IS protrudes, for example, from the reflection signal inlet I, increasing the amount of signal entering the light guide column R and further increasing the amount of signal received by the signal detection unit 140. In one embodiment, it can be understood that the light incident surface IS protrudes from the reflection signal inlet I and the light exit surface OS protrudes from the reflection signal outlet O. That is, both the light incident surface IS and the light exit surface OS protrude from the case 110. In another embodiment, the light incident surface IS does not protrude from the reflection signal inlet I and the light exit surface OS does not protrude from the reflection signal outlet O. That is, the light guide column R is completely located within the conductive channel C.

[0033] Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view of a non-contact button in another embodiment of the present invention. Also, the light guide columns R in FIGS. 6 and 8 are both installed in the embodiment of FIG. 1, but other embodiments are not limited thereto. For example, referring to the non-contact button 100d in FIG. 9, the light guide column R is installed in the embodiment of FIG. 4. Specifically, the light exit surface OS protrudes from the reflection signal outlet O, whereby the light exit surface OS can be closer to the opening 163 of the cylinder 160 and the amount of signal entering the cylinder 160 can be increased. Since other features of the light guide column R are similar to those of the embodiments in FIGS. 6 and 8, related descriptions are omitted here.

[0034] To summarize the above, in the contactless button of the present invention, since both the signal transmission unit and the signal detection unit are fixed to the same circuit board and electrically connected, the signal detection unit can be fixed to the circuit board and electrically connected in a single mounting process. As a result, not only can the process of applying an adhesive to fix the signal detection unit and the process of electrically connecting the signal detection unit to the circuit board with an electric wire be omitted, but also the process of soldering the electric wire can be omitted. Further, since the signal detection unit is directly electrically connected to the circuit board instead of being electrically connected via an electric wire, the problem of detection failure caused by pulling the electric wire of the contactless button can be prevented. Thereby, the contactless button of the present invention can realize the advantages of low cost and high yield.

[0035] As described above, the present invention has been disclosed using examples, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Those skilled in the art can make some modifications without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention shall be limited by the appended claims.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0036] 100, 100a, 100b, 100c, 100d: Contactless button 110: Case 111: Opening 112: Main body part 113: Case frame part 120: Circuit board 130: Signal transmission unit 140: Signal detection unit 150: Signal blocking unit 160: Cylindrical body 161: First side wall 162: Second side wall 163: Opening 170: Signal transmission part 171: Signal inlet 172: Signal outlet A: Accommodation space C: Conductive channel H: Height I: Reflection signal inlet IS: Light incident surface O: Reflection signal outlet OS: Light output surface R: Light guide column S: Surface S1: Inner surface S2: Outer surface S3: Inner face T1,T2: Signal Z: Touch area

Claims

1. A case having an opening; a circuit board connected to the case and having a surface facing the opening; a signal transmitting unit that is electrically connected to the circuit board, is fixed to the surface, is located within the case, and transmits a signal to the opening; a signal detection unit electrically connected to the circuit board and fixed to the surface, the signal detection unit receiving the signal reflected from the outside of the case; A contactless button comprising: a signal blocking unit disposed between the signal transmitting unit and the signal detecting unit.

2. The contactless button of claim 1, wherein the case further comprises a reflected signal inlet, a conductive channel, and a reflected signal outlet, the reflected signal inlet, the conductive channel, and the reflected signal outlet being connected to each other, and the reflected signal inlet and the reflected signal outlet being located on opposite sides of the conductive channel, the reflected signal inlet, the conductive channel, and the reflected signal outlet passing the signal reflected from outside the case, and the reflected signal outlet outputting the signal toward the signal detection unit.

3. The non-contact button of claim 2, characterized in that the case further comprises a main body and a case frame, the main body being connected to the surface and having an accommodation space, the signal transmitting unit being located within the accommodation space, the case frame being connected to the main body and facing the circuit board, the opening penetrating the case frame and communicating with the accommodation space, the reflected signal inlet, the conductive channel and the reflected signal outlet penetrating the case frame, and the reflected signal inlet facing the opening.

4. 3. The contactless button according to claim 2, further comprising a signal transmission portion disposed on the conductive channel and having a signal inlet and a signal outlet, the signal inlet being close to the reflected signal inlet and the signal outlet being close to the reflected signal outlet.

5. The non-contact button of claim 4, wherein the signal transmission portion comprises a light guiding rod, the signal inlet comprises a light incident surface of the light guiding rod, and the signal outlet comprises a light exit surface of the light guiding rod, and the area of ​​the light incident surface is smaller than the area of ​​the light exit surface.

6. 6. A contactless button as claimed in claim 5, wherein said light entrance surface protrudes from said reflected signal entrance.

7. 6. The non-contact button according to claim 5, wherein said light exit surface protrudes from said reflected signal outlet.

8. The contactless button of claim 1, further comprising a cylindrical body fixed to the surface, the signal detection portion being located within the cylindrical body, the cylindrical body having a first side wall and a second side wall, the first side wall and the second side wall being connected to each other and surrounding the signal detection portion, the first side wall being located between the signal transmission portion and the signal detection portion, and the signal blocking portion comprising the first side wall.

9. 9. The contactless button of claim 8, wherein said barrel further comprises an interior surface, said interior surface extending from said first side wall to said second side wall, said interior surface comprising a light reflective material.

10. 2. The non-contact button according to claim 1, wherein the signal blocking portion is either integral with or separate from the case.

11. 2. The non-contact button according to claim 1, wherein the signal blocking portion is fixed to the surface and has a plate-like shape.

12. 2. The non-contact button according to claim 1, wherein the signal transmitting section includes an infrared signal transmitting section, the signal includes infrared rays, and the signal detecting section includes an infrared detecting section.

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