Pattern display type touch panel structure

Abstract

To reduce a manufacturing cost by reducing difficulty of drive control.SOLUTION: An embodiment of the present invention provides a graphic display type touch panel structure, comprising a printed circuit board (PCB) panel, wherein a touch component is disposed on a top surface of the PCB panel, an LED lamp is disposed on the top surface of the PCB panel, and two groups of the LED lamps are respectively disposed at a first end and a second end of the touch component and form a group of controllable light sources; The first end and the second end are opposite to each other. In one group of the controllable light sources, a light guide plate is arranged between two groups of the LEDs, the light guide plate is arranged on an upper side of the touch control assembly, the two groups of the LEDs have light emitting surfaces facing the light guide plate and perform normal light emission or side light emission, when a distance between two adjacent light guide plates is less than or equal to a preset light interference distance, a surface of the light guide plate facing the adjacent light guide plate is an inclined surface, and a film is mounted on an upper surface of the light guide plate.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

[Technical Field]

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of touch display devices, and in particular to a pattern display type touch panel structure. [Background technology]

[0002] Traditional large and small home appliances, smart home appliances, industrial control appliances, and 3C appliances, such as rice cookers, soup jars, oil fume suction appliances, disinfection cabinets, dishwashing cabinets, and microwave ovens, are equipped with corresponding displays / LED lamp sets and buttons or touch displays to realize the corresponding human-machine interaction control functions.

[0003] The LED lamp set, backlight panel, pattern film and button module constitute a conventional display interaction system. When using this system, all patterns are lit by the backlight panel and LED lamps, and function markers are realized by switching between different LED lamps to be constantly lit or flashing.

[0004] Display interaction systems made of resistive or capacitive touchscreens include: 1. A system that can only display patterns on a preset pattern film, which is widely used in low- to mid-range electrical appliances and is low-cost; 2. A display with a fixed resolution, which, when configured, can achieve the function of moving patterns and characters without the need for a preset pattern film, which is widely used in high-end electrical appliances and is high-cost.

[0005] The modules of both of these systems require deep mounting grooves. One drawback is that in bright environments, users are prone to misjudgment when determining the functional status based on the brightness of the screen. The other drawback is the high cost and complex drive control. Furthermore, both of these systems generally rely on SPI communication for data interaction, which places high demands on basic chip performance and requires a specific display driver chip. Summary of the Invention [Problem to be solved by the invention]

[0006] Therefore, there is an urgent need for a patterned touch panel structure that can solve one or more of the above problems. [Means for solving the problem]

[0007] In order to solve one or more problems existing in the prior art, the present invention provides a pattern display type touch panel structure. The technical solution adopted in the present invention to solve the above problems is as follows: A pattern display type touch panel structure, comprising: a PCB panel, a touch assembly is provided on a top surface of the PCB panel, the touch assembly is electrically connected to an internal circuit of the PCB panel, an LED lamp is provided on the top surface of the PCB panel, the LED lamp is electrically connected to the internal circuit of the PCB panel, the touch assembly is a capacitive touch module or a resistive touch module; The two sets of LED lamps are respectively provided at a first end and a second end of the touch assembly, and constitute a set of controllable light sources, the first end and the second end being opposite to each other; In one set of the controllable light source, a light guide plate is provided between two sets of the LED lamps, and the light guide plate is provided above the touch assembly, and the two sets of the LED lamps have light emitting surfaces facing the light guide plate and emit normal or lateral light; When the distance between two adjacent light guide plates is equal to or less than a predetermined optical interference distance, the surface of each light guide plate facing the adjacent light guide plate is an inclined surface, the width of the inclined surface gradually decreases along the direction of the touch assembly, and a film paper is attached to the upper surface of each light guide plate.

[0008] In some embodiments, a filler is provided between the film paper and the PCB panel, which may be a plastic holder or foam or other insulating material; For example, the filler is a plastic holder and limits and fixes the light guide plate.

[0009] In some embodiments, when the spacing between two adjacent light guide plates is equal to or less than a predetermined light interference spacing, a barrier plate is provided between the two adjacent light guide plates to prevent light interference.

[0010] In some embodiments, when the spacing between two adjacent light guide plates is equal to or less than a predetermined optical interference spacing, a blocking layer or a reflective layer is provided on the surface of the light guide plate facing the adjacent light guide plate.

[0011] In some embodiments, the film paper is adhered / closely attached to the upper surface of the light guide plate, and is any one or a combination of a translucent film, a color film, and a fully transparent color film.

[0012] In some embodiments, the light guide plate is provided with a diffusion sheet to enhance light uniformity, and the capacitive touch module may be a conductive sheet, such as copper foil, aluminum foil, silver foil, or a conductive membrane made of conventional composite materials. [Effects of the Invention]

[0013] The technical advantages of the present invention are as follows: a capacitive or resistive touch module can be selected as needed to flexibly configure the touch assembly; a copper foil is provided on the capacitive touch module; when used, a user touches the touch pattern, which changes the electric field on the copper foil; the MCU detects the change in the electric field signal and performs a corresponding operation, such as turning on, off, or switching a function; each copper foil corresponds to a button, which ultimately enables the backlight of the touch pattern to light up or flash independently; this monitoring and control process does not require the provision of additional driving chips or driving circuits, which is simpler and less expensive than traditional screen driving.

[0014] Structurally, it can be made thinner than conventional screens. By setting the base color of the light guide plate and the color of the film paper (semi-transparent film), it is possible to hide all touch patterns (except for the marker letters corresponding to the copper foil positions) in the non-backlight state, and only light up the corresponding touch patterns in the backlight state, while the other touch patterns remain hidden, thereby improving the user's awareness of the touch patterns currently in use in a strong light environment.

[0015] In addition, by combining a barrier plate, a blocking layer or a reflective layer on the inclined surface, the optical interference between adjacent light guide plates can be further reduced, and the display effect and the hiding effect of the touch pattern can be improved. [Brief explanation of the drawings]

[0016] [Figure 1] 1 is an exploded schematic view of the present invention. [Figure 2] 1 is a schematic diagram of the light guide plate and PCB panel of the present invention. [Figure 3] A schematic diagram of the LED lamp and light guide plate of the present invention. [Figure 4] 1 is a schematic view of a barrier plate of the present invention when installed; FIG. [Figure 5] A schematic principle diagram of the LED lamp of the present invention. [Figure 6]FIG. 1 is a principle diagram of the first copper foil capacitive touch chip of the present invention. [Figure 7] FIG. 1 is a principle diagram of the second capacitive touch chip using copper foil according to the present invention. [Figure 8] This is a diagram illustrating the principle of the MCU of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0017] In order to make the above-mentioned objects, features, and advantages of the present invention more comprehensible, specific embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below in conjunction with the drawings. In the following description, many specific details will be described in order to fully understand the present invention. However, the present invention can be embodied in many other forms different from those described herein, and those skilled in the art can make similar improvements without violating the content of the present invention, so the present invention is not limited by the specific embodiments disclosed below.

[0018] As shown in Figures 1-3, the present invention discloses a pattern display type touch panel structure, which includes a PCB panel 1, a touch assembly 10 is provided on the top surface of the PCB panel 1, the touch assembly 10 is electrically connected to the internal circuit of the PCB panel 1, and an LED lamp 2 is provided on the top surface of the PCB panel 1, the LED lamp 2 is electrically connected to the internal circuit of the PCB panel 1; The touch assembly 10 may be a capacitive touch module or a resistive touch module. When a capacitive touch module is used, the touch assembly 10 may be a conductive sheet, such as a copper foil, an aluminum foil, a silver foil, or a conductive membrane made of a conventional composite material.

[0019] The touch assembly 10 is a copper foil, and as shown in Figures 1-3, the top surface of the PCB panel 1 is provided with copper foil (the copper foil is coated with a colored solder resist, such as liquid photo solder resist or other colored solder resist, which forms an insulating layer), and the copper foil is electrically connected to the internal circuit of the PCB panel 1.

[0020] Specifically, as shown in Figures 1-3, two sets of the LED lamps 2 are respectively arranged at the first end and the second end of the touch assembly 10 to form a set of controllable light sources, the first end and the second end are opposite each other, and each set of the LED lamps may have multiple LED lamp beads.

[0021] 3, within one set of the controllable light source, a light guide plate 3 is provided between two sets of the LED lamps 2, and the light guide plate 3 is closely attached to the upper side of the touch assembly 10. The two sets of the LED lamps 2 have light-emitting surfaces 20 facing the light guide plate 3, and may use lateral light, direct light, or both lateral light and direct light. In the case of a direct light structure, a part of the light guide plate 3 covers the LED lamps.

[0022] However, the LED lamp may be made of a single-color lamp bead or a multi-color lamp bead to form a single-color light source or a multi-color light source, and the resistive touch module is a conventional resistive button module.

[0023] When the spacing between two adjacent light guide plates 3 is equal to or less than a predetermined optical interference spacing, the surface of each light guide plate 3 facing the adjacent light guide plate 3 is an inclined surface 30, and the width of the inclined surface 30 gradually decreases along the direction of the touch assembly 10.

[0024] In particular, the surface of each light guide plate 3 facing the adjacent light guide plate 3 may be vertical, in which case optical interference is prevented by the barrier plate 6. A diffusion sheet may be attached to the light guide plate to improve the uniformity of light.

[0025] A film paper 5 is attached to the upper surface of the light guide plate 3 by adhesive or adhesive contact. The film paper 5 can be divided into three types. The first type is a color film. For example, a touch pattern is printed on the film paper 5. The touch pattern can transmit light, and the controllable light source illuminates the touch pattern to change the brightness of the pattern, thereby realizing pattern selection. The second type is a translucent film. For example, a touch pattern layer is formed on the film paper 5. In the non-illuminated state, the entire pattern layer is the same color (black), and the pattern is invisible. In the illuminating state, the pattern is displayed in the color of the light source, which is different from the color of the pattern layer. The third type is a fully transparent color film, which has a higher light transmittance than general color films. The above three types of film papers can be used in combination as needed.

[0026] However, the optical interference distance is the minimum distance at which significant optical interference occurs between two adjacent light guide plates 3 in a backlight state, and this distance is correlated with the brightness of the LED lamp 2, the shape, size, thickness, and material type of the light guide plate 3, etc. Therefore, the optical interference distance needs to be set according to the actual situation. When the distance between two adjacent light guide plates 3 is greater than the optical interference distance, the optical interference between them can be ignored.

[0027] When two adjacent light guide plates 3 are closely arranged, the inclined surfaces 30 are provided on the sides of the light guide plates 3, so that the cross section of the light guide plates 3 becomes an inverted trapezoid, which can effectively reduce the optical interference between the adjacent light guide plates 3 and further enhance the display effect and the hiding effect of the touch pattern.

[0028] It should be noted that when the touch assembly 10 is a copper foil, a user can change the electric field on the copper foil by touching the touch pattern (the position of the touch pattern corresponds to the position of the copper foil) or the corresponding marker (the position of the marker corresponds to the position of the copper foil), and the MCU (microcontroller unit) will perform the corresponding operation by obtaining the change of the electric field signal, such as turning on and off a function, and finally realize the backlight of the touch pattern to light up or flash alone.

[0029] In addition, the light guide plate 3 guides the light from the LED lamp 2 to the touch pattern to realize backlighting. By setting the base color of the light guide plate 3 (i.e., the color of the touch assembly 10 below the light guide plate 3 and the color of the PCB panel 1) and the color of the film paper 5, the touch pattern can be made non-backlit and integrated with the non-light-transmitting part of the film paper 5 to realize hiding.

[0030] In strong light, the base color of the light guide plate 3 is close to the color of the non-light-transmitting part of the film paper 5, so the technical solution of the present application can achieve good hiding effect.

[0031] In use, the position of the touch pattern may correspond to the position of the touch assembly 10, and a single touch assembly 10 corresponds to a single control button, and further controls the lighting or flashing of each touch pattern independently. A character marker may be printed below the touch pattern, and the user can determine the position of the touch pattern by this marker, and touch above the character marker, that is, touch the touch pattern. In this case, the MCU detects the corresponding signal and performs the corresponding lighting or flashing operation.

[0032] 1, a filler 4 is provided between the film paper 5 and the PCB panel 1, and the filler 4 is a plastic holder, foam, or other insulating material. If the filler 4 is a plastic holder, it limits and fixes the light guide plate 3, and if it is foam, it provides a buffering function.

[0033] Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4, two adjacent light guide plates 3 are spaced apart, and when the spacing between the two adjacent light guide plates 3 is equal to or less than a predetermined light interference spacing distance, a barrier plate 6 is provided between the two adjacent light guide plates 3 to prevent light interference.

[0034] Furthermore, when the distance between two adjacent light guide plates 3 is equal to or less than a predetermined light interference distance, a blocking layer or a reflective layer is provided on the surface of each light guide plate 3 facing the adjacent light guide plate 3. This structure is often used when two light guide plates 3 are closely arranged. The blocking layer or the reflective layer may be a border made of a non-light-transmitting / light-reflecting material, or may be a coating layer formed by applying a non-light-transmitting / light-reflecting paint. By combining this structure with the slope 30, a better light interference prevention effect can be achieved and the impact of light interference on the hiding effect of the touch pattern can be reduced.

[0035] As shown in Figure 5, the common anodes of the LED lamps of the multiple sets are electrically connected to the +12V power supply terminal, and the cathodes of the LED lamps of each set are electrically connected to an on-off control circuit (consisting of a MOS transistor and a resistor), the gate of the MOS transistor is electrically connected to the MCU, the source is grounded, and the drain is connected to the output cathode of the LED lamp of a single set. For example, MOS transistors Q1 and Q2 control two sets of opposing LED lamps in a single set of the controllable light source, and similarly, Q3, Q10, Q4, Q5, Q6, Q7, Q8, Q9, and Q11 can also be MOS transistors controlling indicator LED lamps, and each set of the LED lamps is provided with 8 or 4 LED lamp beads.

[0036] As shown in Figure 6, U2 is a capacitive touch chip used to convert the electric field change signal of the copper foil into a readable signal for the MCU. Its pins include F1-F6 (corresponding to the copper foil) and KEY1-KEY6 (electrically connected to the MCU terminal). The high-level / low-level signals output by KEY1-KEY6 correspond to the trigger control of the MOS transistors Q1-Q6 in Figure 5. Since there are multiple sets of LED lamps, two capacitive touch chips are provided. The other has the same principle diagram as chip U2, but with different pin numbers, including pins F7-F11. Pins KEY7-KEY11 correspond to chip U3 in Figure 7.

[0037] As shown in Figure 8, U4 is an MCU, and its two sets of pins are electrically connected to the capacitive touch chips (U2, U3) in Figures 6 and 7 and the gates of the MOS transistors Q1-Q11 in Figure 5, respectively, to realize circuit control.

[0038] As can be seen, in this application, the method used for circuit control is simpler than the traditional spi communication method.

[0039] As described above, a capacitive or resistive touch module can be selected as needed to flexibly configure the touch assembly. The capacitive touch module is provided with a copper foil. When used, when a user touches the touch pattern, the electric field on the copper foil changes, and the MCU detects the change in the electric field signal and performs corresponding operations, such as turning on, off, and switching a function. Each copper foil corresponds to a button, and finally, the backlight of the touch pattern can be turned on or flashed independently. This monitoring and control process does not require the installation of additional driving chips or driving circuits, which is simpler and less expensive than traditional screen driving.

[0040] Structurally, it can be made thinner than conventional screens. By setting the base color of the light guide plate and the color of the film paper (semi-transparent film), it is possible to hide all touch patterns (except for the marker letters corresponding to the copper foil positions) in the non-backlight state, and only light up the corresponding touch patterns in the backlight state, while the other touch patterns remain hidden, thereby improving the user's awareness of the touch patterns currently in use in a strong light environment.

[0041] In addition, by combining a barrier plate, a blocking layer or a reflective layer on the inclined surface, the optical interference between adjacent light guide plates can be further reduced, and the display effect and the hiding effect of the touch pattern can be improved.

[0042] In describing the present invention, the terms "center," "upper," "lower," "left," "right," "vertical," "horizontal," "inner," "outer," and the like, which indicate orientations or positional relationships, are based on the orientations or positional relationships shown in the drawings and are used solely to facilitate and simplify the description of the present invention. They do not indicate or imply that the devices or elements referred to must have a particular orientation, be configured, or operate in a particular orientation, and should not be understood as limitations of the present invention. Furthermore, the terms "first" and "second" are used solely for descriptive purposes and are not to be understood as indicating or implying relative importance. Here, the terms "first position" and "second position" refer to two different positions.

[0043] The above examples only represent one or more embodiments of the present invention, and although the description is more specific and detailed, it cannot be understood as a restriction on the patentability of the present invention. It should be noted that those skilled in the art of the present invention may make some modifications and improvements without departing from the concept of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present invention should be regulated by the appended claims. [Explanation of symbols]

[0044] 1 PCB panel 10 Touch Assembly 2 LED lamps 20 Light-emitting surface 3 Light guide plate 30 Slope 4. Filler 5 Film Paper 6 Barrier Plate

Claims

1. A pattern display type touch panel structure, comprising: a PCB panel, a touch assembly provided on a top surface of the PCB panel, the touch assembly being electrically connected to an internal circuit of the PCB panel; a LED lamp provided on a top surface of the PCB panel, the LED lamp being electrically connected to an internal circuit of the PCB panel; the touch assembly being a capacitive touch module or a resistive touch module; The two sets of LED lamps are respectively provided at a first end and a second end of the touch assembly, and constitute a set of controllable light sources, the first end and the second end being opposite to each other; In one set of the controllable light source, a light guide plate is provided between two sets of the LED lamps, and the two sets of the LED lamps have light emitting surfaces facing the light guide plate and emit normal or lateral light; a surface of each light guide plate facing the adjacent light guide plate is inclined, the width of the inclined surface gradually decreases along the touch assembly direction, and a film paper is attached to the upper surface of each light guide plate when the distance between the adjacent light guide plates is equal to or less than a predetermined optical interference distance.

2. The pattern display type touch panel structure according to claim 1, wherein a filler, which is a plastic holder or a foam, is provided between the film paper and the PCB panel.

3. 3. The pattern display type touch panel structure according to claim 2, wherein the filler is a plastic holder and serves to restrict and fix the light guide plate.

4. 2. The pattern display type touch panel structure according to claim 1, wherein when the distance between two adjacent light guide plates is equal to or less than a predetermined light interference distance, a barrier plate is provided between the two adjacent light guide plates to prevent light interference.

5. 2. The pattern display type touch panel structure according to claim 1, wherein when the distance between two adjacent light guide plates is equal to or less than a predetermined optical interference distance, a blocking layer or a reflective layer is provided on the surface of the light guide plate facing the adjacent light guide plate.

6. 2. The pattern display type touch panel structure according to claim 1, wherein the film paper is attached to the upper surface of the light guide plate and is any one or a combination of a translucent film, a color film, and a fully transparent color film.

7. 2. The pattern display type touch panel structure according to claim 1, wherein a diffusion sheet is attached to the light guide plate.

8. The pattern display type touch panel structure according to claim 1 , wherein the capacitive touch module is a conductive sheet.

9. The pattern display type touch panel structure according to claim 1 , wherein the capacitive touch module is made of copper foil.

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