Slim Touch Pad Structure With Integrated Light Guide Hollows
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional touch pads for electronic devices are structurally complex and costly to manufacture due to the need for separate boards and components like LED holders and diffusion sheets, making it difficult to achieve a slim design.
Innovation Solution
A touch pad with a simplified structure where components are mounted on a single board, incorporating a cover frame with light guide hollows and a transparent polycarbonate sheet, and using a double-sided adhesive tape for secure connection, which integrates LED illumination and touch sensors for function icons.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If separate boards and components (LED holder, diffusion sheet) are used in conventional touch pads, then the touch pad can provide complete functionality, but the structure becomes complicated and manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple separate components (LED holder, diffusion sheet, and board) into a single integrated board structure. The LED is mounted directly on the board, and the diffusion sheet is positioned adjacent to the LED on the same board, eliminating the need for separate LED holders and reducing the number of assembly steps.
Solution Approach 2:
The board is designed to serve multiple functions simultaneously: it supports the touch sensor, mounts the LED, positions the diffusion sheet, and provides structural support for the entire touch pad assembly. This multi-functional design replaces several specialized components with a single versatile board.
2Illumination intensity
If LED holder and diffusion sheet are placed between separate boards, then light diffusion is achieved, but the touch pad thickness increases and slim design becomes difficult
Solution Approach 1:
The patent repositions the diffusion sheet from being placed between separate boards (vertical stacking in multiple layers) to being positioned adjacent to the LED on the same board plane. This dimensional reorganization reduces the vertical thickness while maintaining the light diffusion function through lateral arrangement.
Solution Approach 2:
By integrating the LED mounting and diffusion sheet positioning into a single board structure, the patent eliminates the need for additional spacing and bonding layers that would increase thickness. The combined structure allows light diffusion to occur within a thinner profile.
3Reliability
If multiple separate components are used in conventional touch pads, then complete functionality is achieved, but manufacturing costs increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the LED holder function, diffusion sheet positioning, and board support into a single integrated board design. This reduction in component count directly lowers manufacturing costs while maintaining all necessary functions through the unified structure.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and eliminates unnecessary intermediate components (LED holder, separate board structures) from the conventional design, retaining only the essential functional elements integrated into a simplified board that provides complete functionality at lower cost.
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
This design results in a thinner, more cost-effective touch pad with improved external aesthetics, suitable for slim electronic devices like image forming apparatuses and portable terminals.
Implementation Method 1
a board, which is engaged with the cover frame and includes touch sensors and luminous elements to illuminate the function icons mounted thereon
Implementation Method 2
a diffusion silk film, which is printed on the function icon film, to diffuse light emitted from the luminous elements
Data Source
AI summary
A touch pad with a simple structure to enable an electronic device to be manufactured more slimly and with low manufacturing costs. The touch pad includes a cover having a plurality of function icons a cover frame to support the cover, the cover frame including a plurality of light guide hollows, and a board, which is engaged with the cover frame and includes touch sensors and luminous elements to illuminate the function icons mounted thereon, the touch sensors and luminous elements being respectively mounted at positions on the board corresponding to the plurality of function icons.