Metal-Case Keyboard and Touch Pad Integration with Boundary-Hiding Coating
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electronic devices with integrated touch pad regions and keyboards often have visible boundaries between the touch pad and peripheral regions, compromising the design's seamless appearance and requiring separate components for haptic feedback, which complicates the design and exposes boundaries.
Innovation Solution
An electronic device with a keyboard that integrates the touch pad region and peripheral region without boundaries, using a metal case with removed portions and a dielectric mold part covered by a coating layer, incorporating a haptic module for feedback, and employing light emitting elements for input confirmation.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If separate components are assembled for touch pad region to provide haptic feedback and electrostatic performance, then functional requirements are met, but visible boundaries are exposed and design simplicity is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the touch pad region and peripheral region into a single integrated component made of dielectric material, eliminating visible boundaries between separate parts. The haptic module is integrated within this unified structure, providing haptic feedback without requiring separate exposed components for the touch pad region.
2Shape
If glass is attached to large area of touch pad region and peripheral region to achieve seamless design, then boundary visibility is reduced, but boundary between upper keyboard region and component is still exposed
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a dielectric material that serves multiple functions simultaneously: it provides the structural base for both the touch pad region and peripheral region, enables electrostatic touch detection, and eliminates the need for separate glass attachments. This composite approach integrates multiple functions into a single material system.
3Strength
If metal case is used for peripheral region, then structural strength is provided, but boundary line with touch pad region becomes visible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent makes both the touch pad region and peripheral region homogeneous in material composition by using dielectric material throughout. This eliminates the visual boundary that would exist between different materials like metal and glass or plastic, creating a seamless appearance while maintaining structural integrity.
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
Achieves a seamless design by integrating touch pad and peripheral regions, providing haptic feedback through vibration and light emission, and ensuring user input confirmation without visible boundaries.
Implementation Method 1
a coating layer disposed on an upper area of the first region and an upper area of the second region to hide a boundary line between the first region and the second region
Implementation Method 2
a haptic module that provides haptic feedback in response to a touch input on the touch pad region
Implementation Method 3
employing light emitting elements for input confirmation
Data Source
AI summary
Discussed is an electronic device, the electronic device including a display configured to display an image; and a base part operably coupled to the display, and having a touch pad region for detecting a touch input, a keyboard region including a keyboard, and a peripheral region surrounding the touch pad region and the keyboard region, wherein the base part includes: a first region of a metal case and including the peripheral region; a second region of the metal case and corresponding to the touch pad region; and a coating layer disposed on an upper area of the first region and an upper area of the second region to cover a boundary between the first region and the second region, and wherein the coating layer is on both the touch pad region and the peripheral region.