Illuminated Touch Sensing Structure for Pressure Buttons
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Solution Overview
Problem
Piezoresistive touch sensing structures suffer from the non-transparent nature of the piezoresistive material layer, which obscures light-emitting elements and affects the visibility of icons on buttons, leading to user experience issues due to mistouches and accidental presses.
Innovation Solution
A touch sensing structure design with a light-shielding layer and reflective layers that position the light-emitting element and pressure-sensitive element in a way that prevents light shielding, allowing for improved illumination and accurate pressure detection by using a transparent substrate, decoration layer, and strategically placing reflective layers to enhance illumination brightness and user experience.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a piezoresistive material layer is used for touch sensing, then pressure detection function is achieved, but light transmission is blocked causing icon visibility degradation
Solution Approach 1:
The touch sensing structure is segmented into distinct functional layers: a transparent substrate layer for light transmission, a piezoresistive material layer for pressure detection, and a light-shielding layer with light-emitting elements for illumination. This segmentation allows each layer to perform its function without interfering with others, resolving the contradiction between pressure detection and light transmission.
Solution Approach 2:
A transparent substrate layer is introduced as an intermediary between the light source and the piezoresistive material layer. This substrate allows light to pass through while providing structural support, enabling both icon visibility and pressure detection to function simultaneously without direct interference between components.
2Ease of manufacture
If the light-emitting element is placed behind the piezoresistive material layer, then structural integration is simplified, but light output is obscured reducing illumination brightness
Solution Approach 1:
The conventional arrangement is inverted: instead of placing the light-emitting element behind the piezoresistive material layer, the light-emitting element is positioned in front of it. This inversion allows light to be emitted directly toward the icon without being blocked by the non-transparent piezoresistive material, significantly improving illumination brightness while maintaining structural integration.
3Measurement precision
If the piezoresistive material layer is made thicker for better pressure sensitivity, then pressure detection precision improves, but light blocking increases worsening icon visibility
Solution Approach 1:
The structure is segmented into a transparent substrate layer and a piezoresistive material layer positioned behind it. This segmentation allows the piezoresistive material layer to be made thicker for improved pressure detection precision without compromising icon visibility, as the transparent substrate ensures light transmission is not blocked by the thicker piezoresistive layer.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively prevents light shielding, enhances illumination brightness, and reduces mistouches by ensuring the light-emitting element does not obscure the pressure-sensitive element, providing a clearer and more accurate user interface for touch sensing devices.
Implementation Method 1
a light-emitting element 152, a pressure-sensitive element 18
Implementation Method 2
a first reflective layer 131 and a second reflective layer 132
Implementation Method 3
Piezoresistive materials can be used in touch sensing structures such as buttons
Data Source
AI summary
A touch sensing structure with improved illumination includes a first substrate, a decoration layer, a light-shielding layer, a light-emitting element, a pressure-sensitive element, a first reflective layer, and a second reflective layer. The pressure-sensitive element is farther away than the light-emitting element from the first substrate. The decoration layer shows a function icon. The light-emitting element emits light to illuminate the function icon. When the first substrate is pressed, the touch sensing structure determines a magnitude of the pressing force by detecting a change in the resistance or voltage value of the pressure-sensitive element. If the pressing force reaches a specific value, the function identified by the function icon is executed, otherwise no function is executed.