Buttonless Touchpad Flex Arm Mechanism for Haptic Feedback
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Solution Overview
Problem
Buttonless touchpads and forcepads lack haptic feedback and mechanical movement, making it difficult for users to perform a mechanical click, especially at the top portion, as existing designs often have mechanical buttons mounted at the bottom, restricting the usable area and failing to provide tactile feedback.
Innovation Solution
A system and method that enables the entire touchpad surface to mechanically move when sufficient force is applied, utilizing four flex arms to suspend the touchpad within a housing, allowing movement and haptic feedback without the need for mechanical buttons, and optionally incorporating a haptics motor and spring bias feature for enhanced movement.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Area of moving object
If mechanical buttons are mounted at the bottom of the touchpad, then a click function can be provided, but the usable area is restricted and the top portion cannot be used for clicking
Solution Approach 1:
The patent removes the traditional mechanical button structure from the touchpad design. Instead of having physical buttons mounted at specific locations, the entire touchpad surface is made mechanically movable through flex arms, extracting the clicking function from fixed mechanical components and distributing it across the entire surface area.
Solution Approach 2:
The touchpad surface is designed to serve multiple functions: it acts as both the sensing surface for touch detection and the mechanical element that provides click feedback. The entire surface can be pressed at any location to generate a click signal, making the device universal in terms of click location rather than requiring specific button positions.
2Ease of operation
If the touchpad surface is made mechanically movable, then haptic feedback and tactile sensation are provided, but the mechanical structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs flexible circuit board structures and thin film elements that can bend and deform elastically. The flex arms are constructed from flexible printed circuit boards with embedded conductive traces, allowing mechanical movement while maintaining electrical connectivity. This approach provides haptic feedback through the flexibility of thin films rather than rigid mechanical components.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces traditional mechanical button structures with a flexible circuit board system that uses elastic deformation to provide click feedback. Instead of rigid levers and springs, the system uses the inherent flexibility of PCB materials and conductive inks to create a lighter, more integrated mechanical response system.
3Ease of operation
If the entire touchpad surface is used for clicking, then user experience is improved, but the mechanical stability may be compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The touchpad is divided into multiple independent flex arms that can move separately. Each flex arm is a distinct mechanical element with its own degree of freedom, allowing localized deformation when pressed. This segmentation enables the entire surface to be clickable while maintaining overall structural stability, as each segment handles its own mechanical stress independently.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements a dynamic mechanical system where the flex arms can adapt their stiffness and movement characteristics based on the applied force. The system transitions from a static rigid structure to a dynamic flexible structure that responds to user input, allowing the mechanical properties to change with operational conditions while maintaining stability.
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
Enables haptic feedback and mechanical movement across the entire touchpad surface when pressed, improving user experience by allowing clicks at any location and providing tactile feedback, while maintaining flexibility and sensitivity.
Implementation Method 1
A first set of flex arms may be disposed at a first end of the touch sensor and a second set of flex arms may be disposed at a second end of the touch sensor
Implementation Method 2
optionally incorporating a haptics motor and spring bias feature for enhanced movement
Implementation Method 3
optionally incorporating a haptics motor and spring bias feature for enhanced movement
Data Source
AI summary
A system and method for enabling an entire touchpad surface to mechanically move if sufficient force is used to press on the touchpad to perform a mouse click function, such as a right click or a left click, when the touchpad is mechanically buttonless, such as a forcepad, in order to provide haptic feedback on a touchpad that otherwise has none.