Patent ID: 12189884

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

A plurality of embodiments of the present disclosure will be disclosed below with the referencing drawings. For the purpose of clear illustration, many details in practice will be described together with the following descriptions. However, these detailed descriptions in practice are for illustration only and shall not be interpreted to limit the scope, applicability, or configuration of the present disclosure in any way. That is, in some embodiments of the present disclosure, these details in practice are not necessarily required. Furthermore, to simplify the drawings, some structures and components of the prior art shown in the drawings will be illustrated schematically.

Please refer toFIG.1, which is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of an embodiment of the electronic device100of the present disclosure. In the embodiment illustrated inFIG.1, the electronic device100comprises a host computer110, a monitor120, and a touchpad assembly200. The touchpad assembly200is disposed in the host computer110and is exposed through the opening111aof the casing part111(also known as a cover) of the host computer110. The touchpad assembly200can be an input device that is disposed in the host computer110of the present disclosure. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Furthermore, the rectangular area of the touchpad assembly200is demarcated by the length and width thereof, wherein the distance between both ends can be adjusted to be wider in response to different machine types (that is, a longer touchpad assembly200); however, the dimension thereof is not limited to that illustrated inFIG.1. In practical implementations, the touchpad assembly200can also be an electronic device (for example, personal digital assistant, keyboard that includes touchpad, etc.) using the touchpad as an input method or operation interface. In other words, the concept of the touchpad assembly200of the present disclosure applies to any electronic device using a touchpad as an input method or operation interface. Detailed descriptions of the structures and functions of some elements of the touchpad assembly200, and the connections and associated operations among these elements are provided in the following paragraphs.

Please refer toFIG.2A,FIG.2B, andFIG.3.FIG.2Ais a sectional view of the touchpad assembly200described inFIG.1, wherein the touchpad assembly200is in a state without being pressed.FIG.2Bis another sectional view of the touchpad assembly200described inFIG.2A, wherein the touchpad assembly200is in a state of being pressed.FIG.3is a bottom view of the touchpad assembly200of an embodiment of the present disclosure. In the embodiments shown inFIG.2AtoFIG.3, the touchpad assembly200comprises a cover plate210, a touch printed circuit board220, and a force-supporting component230. The touch printed circuit board220comprises a first region Z1, and a second region Z2that surrounds the first region Z1, wherein a first surface220aand a second surface220bface toward and away from the cover plate210respectively. The force-supporting component230is disposed between the cover plate210and the first surface220ato support the cover plate210to remain above the touch printed circuit board220. The touch printed circuit board220is set to detect the user's touch on the side surface of the cover plate210that faces away from the touch printed circuit board220and generates touch input signals correspondingly.

In some embodiments, Young's modulus of the force-supporting component230is in a range of 500 kPa to 2000 MPa. The force-supporting component230has Young's modulus in the aforementioned range and meets the industrial load-bearing specification of 350 grams to 750 grams.

In the embodiment, as shown inFIG.2AandFIG.2B, the touchpad assembly200further comprises a plurality of vibration isolators240and a plurality of strain gauges250. The vibration isolators240are disposed on the second surface220bof the touch printed circuit board220and are located in the second region Z2. The touchpad assembly200is mounted onto an inner surface111bof the casing part111, which faces toward the touch printed circuit board220, through the vibration isolators240. The strain gauges250are disposed on the touch printed circuit board220. In other words, the vibration isolators240can lift the touch printed circuit board220upward, forming a space between the second surface220bof the touch printed circuit board220and the inner surface111bof the casing part111; the space is a solution for the touch printed circuit board220to cope with and accommodate the downward deformation of the cover plate210caused by pressing. The strain gauges250, disposed on the touch printed circuit board220, then generate force-sensing signals in response to the deformation of the touch printed circuit board220.

Through the aforementioned structural configuration, the touch printed circuit board220itself has the function of a strain gauge arm, and the design thereof does not need an additional elastic component (such as a metal frame) that is used in the prior art. Due to the aforementioned design, the touchpad assembly200of the embodiment has advantages including but not limited to fewer elements, simple assembly processes, low overall costs, and generally less thickness.

In some embodiments, as shown inFIG.2AtoFIG.3, the first region Z1of the touch printed circuit board220is defined by the orthographic projection P (the area with boundaries represented by striped lines inFIG.2AtoFIG.3) of the force-supporting component230on the touch printed circuit board220. In other words, the second region Z2of the touch printed circuit board220corresponds to the region where the touch printed circuit board220does not overlap with the orthographic projection P of the force-supporting component230.

In some embodiments, as shown inFIG.2AtoFIG.3, each of the strain gauges250extends from the second region Z2to the first region Z1of the touch printed circuit board220. The vibration isolators240are located between the strain gauges250and the outer edge of the touch printed circuit board220separately. In other words, the strain gauges250are disposed on the second surface220b. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

For example, as shown inFIG.2A, the edge E1of the force-supporting component230and the edge E2of the adjacent touch printed circuit board220are located on the same side of the force-supporting component230and the touch printed circuit board220. The orthographic projection of the edge E1of the force-supporting component230on the second surface220boverlaps with one of the strain gauges250inFIG.2A. One of the vibration isolators240on the left side ofFIG.2Ais located between one of the strain gauges250and the edge E2of the touch printed circuit board220.

One thing to be noted is that, since the force-supporting component230is disposed on the first surface220aof the touch printed circuit board220and located in the first region Z1, the first region Z1of the touch printed circuit board220is not easily deformed when the cover plate210is pressed. In contrast, the location of the touch printed circuit board220, which has the largest deformation scale when the cover plate210is pressed, is at the intersection of the first region Z1and the second region Z2. Therefore, the strain gauges250that extend from the second region Z2to the first region Z1can sense and detect the strain of the touch printed circuit board220better.

In other embodiments, the strain gauges250can also be disposed on the first surface220aof the touch printed circuit board220and located close to the intersection of the first region Z1and the second region Z2.

In some embodiments, the thickness T1of the touch printed circuit board220is in a range of 0.5 mm to 1.0 mm. One thing to be pointed out is that the touch printed circuit board220may become too thin in thickness and may no longer provide sufficient support when the thickness T1thereof is smaller than 0.5 mm, and in such cases, the deformation thereof can be relatively too large in scale and becomes permanent. Nevertheless, when the thickness T1is larger than 1.0 mm, the touch printed circuit board220is too thick, causing insufficient scale of deformation of the cover plate210and resulting in the low sensitivity of detecting force.

In some embodiments, the cover plate210, the touch printed circuit board220, and the force-supporting component230of the present disclosure are at least part of the capacitive touchpad. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

In some embodiments, the distance D1between the cover plate210and the first surface220aof the touch printed circuit board220is in a range of 0.1 mm to 0.3 mm. When the distance D1is smaller than 0.1 mm, the cover plate210can easily be in contact with the deformed touch printed circuit board220, which is caused by pressing (for example, the outer edge of the cover plate210). When the distance D1is larger than 0.3 mm, the sensitivity of detecting strain becomes low.

In some embodiments, the distance D2between the edge E1of the force-supporting component230and the edge E2of the adjacent touch printed circuit board220is in a range of 2.0 mm to 4.0 mm. Based on the test records, when the distance D2is within the aforementioned range, all strain gauges250can effectively detect strain of the touch printed circuit board220.

In the embodiment, as shown inFIG.2AandFIG.2B, the touchpad assembly200further comprises a vibration element260. The vibration element260is disposed on the second surface220band located in the first region Z1of the touch printed circuit board220. When the strain gauges250generate force sensing signals, the touchpad assembly200can generate vibration through the vibration element260, in order to generate the haptic feedback effect.

In some embodiments, the vibration element260can be a horizontal vibration motor that has a higher uniformity of the plane vibration than that of a vertical vibration motor. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the vibration frequency of the vibration element260is in a range of 150 Hz to 190 Hz to generate the haptic feedback effect on users' sense of comfortableness.

In the embodiment, as shown inFIG.2AandFIG.2B, the thickness T2of the vibration element260is smaller than the thickness T3of the vibration isolators240. The vibration element260hereby will not be in contact with the inner surface111bof the casing part111.

In some embodiments, Young's modulus of the vibration isolators240is in a range of 150 kPa to 800 kPa. The vibration isolates240having a Young's modulus in the aforementioned range can effectively reduce the vibration noise and effectively release the vibration stress in the horizontal direction.

In the embodiment, as shown inFIG.2AandFIG.2B, the force-supporting component230has a stacked-layer structure. The stacked-layer structure comprises two pressure-sensitive adhesive (PSA) layers231,232and a plastic layer233that is located between the PSA layers231,232. The PSA layers231and232are in contact with the cover plate210and the first surface220aof the touch printed circuit board220respectively. In some embodiments, materials of the plastic layer233include, but are not limited to, polyethylene terephthalate (PET). However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

In other embodiments, the force-supporting component230can have a single-layer structure, and the materials of the force-supporting component230include silicone. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

In the embodiment, as shown inFIG.3, the second region Z2of the touch printed circuit board220has a circular shape. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

Please refer toFIG.4,FIG.5, andFIG.6.FIG.4toFIG.6illustrate the bottom views of the touchpad assembly200in different embodiments of the present disclosure respectively. As shown inFIG.4toFIG.6, the second region Z2of the touch printed circuit board220comprises a plurality of separate subregions. More specifically, as shown inFIG.4, the second region Z2has six subregions that are located at four different corners, as well as the centers of the upper and lower edges of the touch printed circuit board220separately. As illustrated inFIG.5, the second region Z2has two subregions that are located on the upper and lower edges of the touch printed circuit board220separately. As illustrated inFIG.6, the second region Z2has two subregions that are located on the left and right edges of the touch printed circuit board220separately. Through designing the distribution locations of the subregions of the second region Z2, locations of the deformed regions of the touch printed circuit board220can be controlled effectively when the cover plate210is pressed.

Please refer toFIG.7, which is a partial sectional view of an electronic device100of another embodiment of the present disclosure. In the embodiment, as shown inFIG.7, the electronic device100comprises a casing part111and a touchpad assembly200that is exposed through the opening111aof the casing part111, wherein the touchpad assembly200comprises elements that are identical or similar to those of the embodiment illustrated inFIG.2A. Therefore, relevant explanations can be acquired by referencing the aforementioned descriptions and will not be repeated here. The difference between this embodiment and the other embodiment shown inFIG.2Ais that the casing part111of this embodiment has a recessed groove111b1. The recessed groove111b1is formed by the recess of the inner surface111band has a space for accommodating a part of the vibration element260. When the touchpad assembly200is pressed, the vibration element260will not hit the inner surface111b. Therefore, not only can the gap between the touch printed circuit board220and the inner surface111bbe reduced, thereby decreasing the volume of the electronic device100, but also the embodiment can use a larger size of vibration element260(that is, being freed from the restriction that the thickness T2of the vibration element260must be smaller than the thickness T3of the vibration isolators240, as shown inFIG.2A) to enhance the effect of force feedback.

Please refer toFIG.8, which is a partial sectional view of an electronic device100of another embodiment of the present disclosure. In the embodiment shown inFIG.8, the electronic device100comprises a casing part111and the touchpad assembly200exposed through the opening111aof the casing part111, wherein the touchpad assembly200comprises elements that are identical or similar to those of the embodiment illustrated inFIG.2A. Therefore, relevant explanations can be acquired by referencing the aforementioned descriptions and will not be repeated here. The difference between this embodiment and the other embodiment shown inFIG.2Ais that the electronic device100of this embodiment further comprises a support frame112. The support frame112is disposed in the host computer110(please referenceFIG.1) and mounted to the casing part111. In some embodiments, the support frame112is mounted onto the casing part111through screw fastening. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto. The touchpad assembly200is mounted onto the surface of the support frame112, which faces toward the touch printed circuit board220, through the vibration isolators240. Specifically, the support frame112has a through-hole112a. The through-hole112ais configured for accommodating a part of the vibration element260. When the touchpad assembly200is pressed, the vibration element260will not hit the support frame112. Therefore, not only can the gap between the touch printed circuit board220and the surface of the support frame112that faces the touch printed circuit board220be reduced, thereby decreasing the volume of the electronic device100, but also the embodiment can use a larger size of vibration element260(that is, being freed from the restriction that the thickness T2of the vibration element260must be smaller than the thickness T3of the vibration isolator240as shown inFIG.2A) to enhance the effect of force feedback.

In some embodiments, materials of the support frame112include metals. However, the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

Please refer toFIG.9, which is a top view of the touchpad assembly200described inFIG.1. As shown inFIG.9, the force detection sensitivity of the touchpad assembly200can be tested by pressing the region A1located in the center and the region A2located at the edge. For example, in reference toFIG.2AandFIG.9, in embodiment 1, where the distance D2between the edge E1of the force-supporting component230and the edge E2of the adjacent touch printed circuit board220is 3.0 mm, the values of sensitivity signals, generated by applying the same amount of force to the regions A1and A2separately, are 3264 and 2500 respectively. In embodiment 2, where the distance D2is 4.0 mm, the values of sensitivity signals generated by applying the same amount of force to the regions A1and A2separately are 3140 and 2392 respectively. In embodiment 3 where the distance D2is 5.0 mm, the values of sensitivity signals generated by applying the same amount of force to the regions A1and A2separately are 3180 and 1708 respectively. Based on these data, the values of sensitivity signals corresponding to the regions A1and A2of embodiments 1 and 2 respectively are relatively close to one another. Therefore, the force detection sensitivity of the touchpad assembly200is better.

For example, the following is a physical property table for different materials provided by Taica Corporation.

NPMNo.αGELβGELθ-7θ-5θ-6θ-5GELYYoung's28.9150.737.5119.5670.31432.6269.5modulus(kPa)

Based on the above table, it is shown that materials of models βGEL, θ-6, and NP GEL have a Young's modulus in a range of 150 kPa to 800 kPa, and therefore can be chosen as the materials for producing the vibration isolators240to effectively reduce the vibration noise and release the vibration stress in the horizontal direction.

With the aforementioned descriptions of embodiments of the present disclosure, it is apparent that the touchpad assembly of the present disclosure has vibration isolators disposed on the second surface of the touch printed circuit board that faces away from the cover plate, and the vibration isolators can be the support points for the touchpad assembly to be mounted on an external component (the casing part of an electronic device, for example). The vibration isolators can lift the touch printed circuit board upward, forming a space between the second surface of the touch printed circuit board and the external component, which enables the touch printed circuit board to cope with and accommodate the downward deformation of the cover plate caused by pressing. The strain gauges, which are disposed on the touch printed circuit board, then generate force-sensing signals in response to the deformation of the touch printed circuit board. Therefore, the touch printed circuit board itself has the function of a strain gauge arm and the design thereof does not need an additional elastic component used in the prior art. Due to the aforementioned design, the touchpad assembly of the present disclosure has advantages including, but not limited to, fewer elements, simple assembly processes, low overall costs, and generally less thickness.

The aforementioned embodiments are chosen to describe the present disclosure and are not intended to limit the scope of the present disclosure in any way. Alternative embodiments will become apparent to those skilled in the art to which the present disclosure pertains without departing from its spirit and scope. The scope of the present disclosure is defined by the appended claims rather than the foregoing descriptions and the exemplary embodiments described therein.