CN113589963B

CN113589963B - Touch panel structure

Info

Publication number: CN113589963B
Application number: CN202010363597.1A
Authority: CN
Inventors: 王友史; 戴文杰; 凌正南; 刘志钧
Original assignee: Acer Inc
Current assignee: Acer Inc
Priority date: 2020-04-30
Filing date: 2020-04-30
Publication date: 2023-08-15
Anticipated expiration: 2040-04-30
Also published as: CN113589963A

Abstract

The invention provides a touch panel structure which comprises a touch module, a first bracket, a second bracket and a plurality of linkage rods. The first support is provided with a plurality of first pivoting parts, and the touch module is arranged on the first support. The second bracket is provided with a plurality of second pivoting parts. The linkage rods are pivoted between the first pivoting part and the second pivoting part, so that when the touch module is pressed, the touch module moves together with the first bracket. One part of each linkage rod pivots at the first pivoting part, and the other part of each linkage rod pivots and moves at the second pivoting part, so that the touch module and the first bracket move to the plane where the second bracket is located.

Description

Touch panel structure

Technical Field

The invention relates to a touch panel structure.

Background

The explosion of electronic devices brings great convenience to human life, so how to make the operation of the electronic devices more humanized is an important task. For example, electronic devices commonly used in daily life include notebook computers, mobile phones, satellite navigation devices, etc., and in order to operate these electronic devices efficiently, touch pads are widely used as input devices for operating these electronic devices.

In general, the pressing point of the user on the touch pad is not fixed, and different pressing points not only can make the pressing hand feel felt by the user different, but also can influence the motion stability of the touch pad. Therefore, how to improve the pressing hand feeling when a user operates the touch pad and to improve the motion stability of the touch pad. Meanwhile, in response to the light and thin electronic devices, how to maintain the pressing hand feeling in the design trend of light and thin body has become a research and development project actively put into related manufacturers.

Disclosure of Invention

The invention is directed to a touch pad structure having a state in which a full area is pressable.

According to an embodiment of the invention, a touch pad structure comprises a touch module, a first bracket, a second bracket and a plurality of linkage rods. The first support is provided with a plurality of first pivoting parts, and the touch module is arranged on the first support. The second bracket is provided with a plurality of second pivoting parts. The linkage rods are pivoted between the first pivoting part and the second pivoting part, so that when the touch module is pressed, the touch module moves together with the first bracket. One part of each linkage rod pivots at the first pivoting part, and the other part of each linkage rod pivots and moves at the second pivoting part, so that the touch module and the first bracket move to the plane where the second bracket is located.

Based on the above, the touch pad structure is configured on the first support through the touch module and is connected between the first support and the second support through the plurality of linkage rods, so that the connection portion of each linkage rod and the first support generates pivoting, the connection portion of each linkage rod and the second support generates pivoting and moving, and the first support can be caused to move to the plane where the second support is located when the touch module is pressed. In other words, no matter the user presses any place of the touch module, the touch module and the first support can smoothly move relative to the second support in the above manner according to the connection relation of the linkage rod.

Therefore, the touch panel structure can not be subjected to average stress due to the driving structure, and meanwhile, the thickness of the touch panel structure can be effectively reduced due to the simple mechanism formed by the first bracket, the second bracket and the linkage rod, so that the requirements of stable driving and light and thin structure are met.

Drawings

Fig. 1 is a top view of a touch pad structure according to an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 is an exploded view of the touch pad structure of fig. 1.

Fig. 3A is a partial cross-sectional view of the touch pad structure of fig. 1 along section line A-A.

Fig. 3B is a partial cross-sectional view of the touch pad structure of fig. 3A in another state.

Fig. 3C is a partial cross-sectional view of the touch pad structure of fig. 1 along section line B-B.

Detailed Description

Reference will now be made in detail to the exemplary embodiments of the present invention, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference numbers will be used throughout the drawings and the description to refer to the same or like parts.

Fig. 1 is a top view of a touch pad structure according to an embodiment of the invention. Fig. 2 is an exploded view of the touch pad structure of fig. 1. Rectangular coordinates X-Y-Z are provided herein to facilitate component description. Referring to fig. 1 and fig. 2, in the present embodiment, the touch pad structure 100 includes a touch module 130, a first support 110, a second support 120, and a plurality of links 140. The first support 110 has a plurality of first pivoting portions 111, and the touch module 130 is disposed on the first support 110. The second bracket 120 has a plurality of second pivoting portions 121. Each linking rod 140 is pivoted between the first pivot portion 111 and the second pivot portion 121, so that when the touch module 130 is pressed, the touch module 130 moves together with the first support 110. A portion of each link 140 pivots at the first pivot 111, and another portion of each link 140 pivots and moves at the second pivot 121, so that the first bracket 110 and the touch module 130 thereon move toward the second bracket 120.

Here, the present embodiment only shows relevant features of the touch pad structure 100, which is applicable to a notebook computer, but is not limited thereto, that is, the touch pad structure 100 can be applied to any electronic device that needs to be operated by the touch pad.

Fig. 3A is a partial cross-sectional view of the touch pad structure of fig. 1 along section line A-A. Referring to fig. 1, fig. 2 and fig. 3A, in detail, the touch pad structure 100 further includes an upper cover 170 and a base 160, wherein the base 160 is formed by disposing a supporting plate 161 on a bottom plate 162, the second bracket 120 is disposed on the supporting plate 161, and after the assembly and the disposition of the first bracket 110, the linkage rod 140 and the touch module 130 are completed, the upper cover 170 is assembled to the base 160, and the touch module 130 is exposed from an opening 171 of the upper cover 170.

Furthermore, the first support 110 and the second support 120 are layered frames with the same central axis L1, as shown in fig. 3A when the touch module 130 is not pressed, and the front projection of the first support 110 on the plane P1 where the second support 120 is located is surrounded by the second support 120, where the plane P1 is parallel to the X-Y plane. That is, for the first bracket 110, the first pivot portion 111 is formed by winding a plurality of outer edges of the first bracket 110. The second bracket 120 is a hollow frame, and the second pivot portion 121 is formed by bending a plurality of inner edges of the hollow frame. In addition, each of the linking rods 140 has a first rod 141 and at least one second rod 142 extending from the first rod 141, wherein the first rod 141 is pivotally connected to the first pivot portion 111, and the second rod 142 is movably pivotally connected to the second pivot portion 121. Here, the second rod 142 extends from opposite ends of the first rod 141 and is bent to form a rectangular profile with a notch.

After the connection relationships between the linking rod 140 and the first support 110 and the second support 120 are established, the first support 110 can be in an up-down floating state relative to the second support 120, that is, move along the Z-axis, wherein the front projection of the first support 110 on the plane P1 where the second support 120 is located is not overlapped with the second support 120, so that when the touch module 130 is pressed, the touch module 130 and the first support 110 move together in parallel relative to the plane P1 where the second support 120 is located.

Fig. 3B is a partial cross-sectional view of the touch pad structure of fig. 3A in another state. Referring to fig. 3A and 3B, it can be clearly identified that the first support 110 and the touch module 130 thereon are transformed from fig. 3A to fig. 3B when pressed, that is, the first support 110 and the touch module 130 thereon are kept parallel to the X-Y plane when moving to the plane P1 of the second support 120. For the second support 120, the first support 110 or the touch module 130 may be considered as being moved equidistantly towards the second support 120, i.e. anywhere on the same plane (parallel to the X-Y plane) on the first support 110 or any pressed area on the same plane (parallel to the X-Y plane) on the touch module 130, which will maintain a fixed distance with respect to the plane P1 during the above movement.

It should be further mentioned that, for the second bracket 120, each second pivot portion 121 has a notch 121a, which is away from the first bracket 110, the first rod 141 of each link lever 140 pivots at the first pivot portion 111, and the second rod 142 simultaneously pivots and moves in the second pivot portion 121, wherein the moving direction is parallel to the plane P1 of the second bracket 120. As shown in fig. 3B, when the touch module 130 is pressed, the notch 121a of the second pivot portion 121 provides a margin for the second rod 142 to move toward the positive Y-axis direction, so that the first support 110 and the touch module 130 can be smoothly lowered along the Z-axis. Meanwhile, the supporting plate 161 of the present embodiment has a plurality of hollow portions 161a and a fastening opening 161b, wherein the fastening opening 161b corresponds to the fastening portion 122 of the second bracket 120, so that the second bracket 120 can be assembled onto the supporting plate 161 smoothly. Each hollow portion 161a is located on the moving path of the first pivot portion 111 (and the first rod 141), so that when the touch module 130 is pressed, a portion of the first pivot portion 111 moves into the hollow portion 161a. That is, in addition to the movement travel of the first rod 141 and the first pivot 111 along the Z axis, the hollowed portion 161a of the support plate 161 can further provide a margin for the first pivot 111 to move along the Z axis.

On the other hand, referring to fig. 2 again, in the present embodiment, the first pivot portion 111, the second pivot portion 121 and the link 140 of the first bracket 110 and the second bracket 120 are symmetrical with respect to the central axis L1, that is, as shown in fig. 2, the first pivot portion 111 is located at four outer side edges of the first bracket 110, the second pivot portion 121 is located at four inner side edges of the second bracket 120, and similarly, the link 140 is located between the first bracket 110 and the second bracket 120 and surrounds four outer sides of the first bracket 110. Accordingly, these components travel a mechanism that provides for the first support 110 (and the touch module 130 thereon) to distribute pressure to produce a smooth movement.

Fig. 3C is a partial cross-sectional view of the touch pad structure of fig. 1 along section line B-B. Please refer to fig. 2 and fig. 3C together and compare fig. 3A and fig. 3B respectively. In this embodiment, the touch pad structure 100 further includes a plurality of elastic members 150, each of which has a dome (dome) structure, and each of the elastic members 150 is disposed between the supporting plate 161 and the touch module 130, so that when the touch module 130 is pressed, as shown in fig. 3B, the first support 110 moves to a plane P1 where the second support 120 is located, and each of the elastic members 150 deforms to accumulate elastic force. Then, when the user releases the force required for pressing (i.e. the touch module 130 is not pressed) in the state of fig. 3B, the elastic force of the elastic members 150 drives the first support 110 to move away from the plane P1 where the second support 120 is located, so that the first support 110 and the touch module 130 are reset to the state shown in fig. 3A.

In the present embodiment, the touch module 130 includes a glass layer 131, a circuit board 132 and an adhesive layer 133 stacked on each other, wherein the glass layer 131 and the circuit board 132 are further combined with the first support 110 through the adhesive layer 133 after being assembled. Furthermore, as shown in fig. 3C, the circuit board 132 has a pad 132a, and the elastic member 150 has a trigger portion 151, so that when the touch module 130 is pressed, the trigger portion 151 abuts against and is electrically conductive to the pad 132a, thereby forming a trigger signal. The five elastic members 150 with the same structure are arranged on average according to the shape of the touch pad structure 100, so that the number of the elastic members 150 or the triggering positions thereof can be adjusted appropriately according to various requirements. On the other hand, for the touch pad module 100, the elastic member 150 at the center is located at the same position as the triggering mechanism (the pad 132a, the triggering portion 151), and the remaining four elastic members 150 are used for providing the overall mechanism balance, and at the same time, can also be used for keeping the gap of the touch module 130 in the structural appearance at the opening 171 of the upper cover 170.

In summary, in the above embodiment of the invention, the touch pad structure is disposed on the first support and connected between the first support and the second support through the plurality of links, so that the portion of each link connected to the first support pivots, and the portion of each link connected to the second support pivots and moves, so that the first support moves to the plane of the second support when the touch pad is pressed. In other words, no matter the user presses any place of the touch module, the touch module and the first support can smoothly move relative to the second support in the above manner according to the connection relation of the linkage rod.

Furthermore, the first support and the second support are structurally linked only through the linkage rod in the thickness direction of the touch panel structure (i.e. along the Z axis in the above embodiment), so that a structure (the first support is inside and the second support is outside) with the same central axis and staggered inside and outside is formed, and the thickness of the touch panel structure and the electronic device using the same can be effectively reduced. Meanwhile, the touch panel structure is added without using a scissors pin mechanism in the prior art, so that the appearance requirement of thinning can be further improved. The thinning is not only the touch pad structure itself, but also the body of the related electronic device using the touch pad structure.

Finally, it should be noted that: the above embodiments are only for illustrating the technical solution of the present invention, and not for limiting the same; although the invention has been described in detail with reference to the foregoing embodiments, it will be understood by those of ordinary skill in the art that: the technical scheme described in the foregoing embodiments can be modified or some or all of the technical features thereof can be replaced by equivalents; such modifications and substitutions do not depart from the spirit of the invention.

Claims

1. A touch pad structure, comprising:

a touch control module;

the touch module is arranged on the first bracket;

the second bracket is provided with a plurality of second pivoting parts; and

a plurality of linkage rods, each of which is pivoted between the first pivoting part and the second pivoting part so that when the touch module is pressed, the touch module moves together with the first bracket, one part of each of the linkage rods pivots at the first pivoting part, the other part of each of the linkage rods pivots and moves at the second pivoting part, and the touch module and the first bracket move to the plane where the second bracket is located,

the touch panel structure further comprises a support plate, the second support is arranged on the support plate, the support plate is provided with a plurality of hollowed-out parts, and each hollowed-out part is located on the moving path of the first pivoting part, so that when the touch module is pressed, part of the first pivoting part moves into the hollowed-out part.

2. The touch pad structure of claim 1, wherein the first support and the second support are concentric layered frames, and an orthographic projection of the first support on a plane where the second support is located is surrounded by the second support.

3. The touch pad structure of claim 1, wherein the plurality of first pivoting portions are formed by winding a plurality of outer edges of the first support.

4. The touch pad structure according to claim 1, wherein the second support is a hollow frame, and the plurality of second pivoting portions are formed by bending a plurality of inner edges of the hollow frame.

5. The touch pad structure according to claim 4, wherein each of the second pivoting portions has a notch facing away from the first support, and a moving direction of the other portion of each of the linking rods in the corresponding second pivoting portion is parallel to a plane in which the second support is located.

6. The touch pad structure according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of links has a first lever body and at least one second lever body extending from the first lever body, wherein the first lever body is pivotally connected to the first pivot portion, and the second lever body is movably pivotally connected to the second pivot portion.

7. The touch pad structure according to claim 1, further comprising a plurality of elastic members, wherein each elastic member is disposed between the support plate and the touch module, when the touch module is pressed, the first support moves to a plane where the second support is located, and each elastic member deforms to accumulate elastic force, and when the touch module is not pressed, the elastic force of the plurality of elastic members drives the first support to move away from the plane where the second support is located, so that the touch module is reset.

8. The touch pad structure according to claim 1, wherein the first support is in an up-down floating state relative to the second support through the plurality of linkage rods, and an orthographic projection of the first support on a plane where the second support is located is not overlapped on the second support, so that when the touch module is pressed, the touch module and the first support are moved closer in parallel relative to the plane where the second support is located.

9. The touch pad structure according to claim 1, wherein the first support and the second support are concentric layered frames, and the plurality of first pivoting portions, the plurality of second pivoting portions and the plurality of linking rods are symmetrical with respect to the central axis.