Touch Sensor Assembly With Soldered Mounting for Precise Alignment
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Solution Overview
Problem
Touch sensors in household appliances face challenges in maintaining accurate positioning and operational reliability, particularly with piezo-type sensors that are sensitive to misalignment, leading to reduced sensitivity and increased risk of damage during installation.
Innovation Solution
A touch sensor assembly with a sensor mounting portion on an insulating substrate, featuring a copper coating film and a protective top layer, where a soldering spot is formed using solder cream to securely fix the touch sensor on the PCB, ensuring correct alignment and stability, and allowing for automated installation processes.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a touch sensor is installed on a sensor PCB, then the touch sensor can detect user inputs, but the touch sensor may be misaligned or damaged during installation, reducing sensitivity and operational reliability
Solution Approach 1:
The soldering spots are pre-formed on the sensor mounting portion before the touch sensor is installed. This preliminary preparation ensures that when the touch sensor is placed and heated, it aligns precisely with the pre-positioned soldering spots, eliminating misalignment issues and ensuring accurate positioning without requiring high-precision manual placement.
Solution Approach 2:
The soldering spots act as an intermediary element between the touch sensor and the sensor PCB. Instead of directly fixing the touch sensor to the PCB, the soldering spots serve as a mediating layer that secures the touch sensor in the correct position while allowing for automated installation through heating, thus resolving the contradiction between reliability and manufacturing precision.
2Productivity
If automated installation processes are used to increase productivity, then manufacturing efficiency improves, but the risk of damaging sensitive piezo-type sensors increases
Solution Approach 1:
The installation process utilizes controlled heating as the primary parameter change to activate the soldering spots. By changing the temperature parameter in a controlled manner during automated installation, the touch sensor is securely fixed without requiring excessive mechanical force or complex handling that could damage sensitive piezo-type sensors, thus enabling automated installation while protecting the sensor.
Solution Approach 2:
The traditional mechanical fixing method is replaced with a thermal-based soldering process. Instead of using mechanical clamps, adhesives, or complex mechanical assembly tools that could damage the sensor, the invention uses heated soldering spots to secure the touch sensor, allowing automated installation through temperature control while minimizing mechanical stress and damage risk to the sensitive piezo-type sensor.
3Ease of manufacture
If conventional fixing methods are used, then installation is simple, but the touch sensor may shift position, reducing touch recognition rate
Solution Approach 1:
The soldering spots are pre-formed at the exact positions where the touch sensor needs to be mounted. This preliminary positioning action ensures that when the touch sensor is installed and heated, it automatically aligns with the pre-marked spots, preventing any position shift and maintaining accurate touch recognition while keeping the installation process simple and automated.
Solution Approach 2:
The soldering spots serve as an intermediary that bridges the simplicity of automated installation with the precision required for accurate touch recognition. The pre-positioned soldering spots guide the touch sensor to the correct location during automated heating, ensuring both ease of manufacture and measurement precision without requiring complex alignment procedures.
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 enhances the recognition rate of touch inputs, maintains sensitivity, and improves operational reliability by securely fixing the touch sensor without damage, while reducing manufacturing costs and increasing productivity through automated processes.
Implementation Method 1
a soldering spot provided at the sensor mounting portion, wherein a touch sensor is stably fixed to the sensor mounting portion by the soldering spot
Implementation Method 2
a copper coating film coated on the insulating substrate
Implementation Method 3
a top layer (a protective layer) printed on the copper coating film, wherein the copper coating film is protected by the top layer
Data Source
AI summary
A touch sensor assembly may include a sensor mounting portion formed at a insulating substrate, and a soldering spot provided at the sensor mounting portion, wherein a touch sensor is stably fixed to the sensor mounting portion by the soldering spot. In addition, the touch sensor assembly according to an embodiment of the present disclosure includes a copper coating film coated on a insulating substrate, and a top layer printed on the copper coating film, wherein the copper coating film is protected by the top layer.