TWI847520B - Touch device - Google Patents

Abstract

The utility model discloses a touch device. The touch device comprises: a circuit board having an upper surface and a lower surface opposite to the upper surface; the cover plate is adhered to the upper surface; the pressure capacity module is arranged on the lower surface; the vibration motor is arranged on the lower surface; and the signal processor is electrically connected with the vibration motor and the pressure capacity module.

Description

Touch device

The present invention relates to the technical field of touch devices, and in particular to a pressure detection touch device.

Current touch devices (such as touch phones and touch keyboards) usually use pressure sensors to detect the pressure of human finger touches. The pressure detection structure of the touch device is installed on the middle frame of the touch device, including the cover, display element and pressure sensor. In the past, the old touch pad could not realize pressure sensing and touch feedback, which had a poor user experience and could not realize the development of some application terminals.

Therefore, it is necessary to develop solutions that can detect force value and provide tactile feedback.

One of the purposes of the present invention is to disclose a touch control device, which generates capacitance changes through a voltage-capacitance module to solve the technical problems of the above-mentioned background technology.

An embodiment of the present invention discloses a touch control device. The touch control device comprises: a circuit board, the upper surface of which comprises a touch detection electrode for detecting the touch position of a finger; a voltage capacitance module, which is disposed below the circuit board and is electrically connected to a signal processor and is used to deform under the pressure applied when the finger presses the touch control device to change the pressure sensing capacitance of the pressing area of the finger; and a vibration motor, which is mounted and fixed on the circuit board. The lower surface of the touch control device is electrically connected to the signal processor, and is used to respond to the pressure applied by the finger for vibration feedback; and the signal processor is fixed on the lower surface of the circuit board, and is used to receive the touch sensing signal and pressure sensing signal from the touch detection electrode and the pressure capacitance module and determine the touch position of the finger on the touch control device and the pressure applied by the finger.

In a possible implementation, there are multiple voltage-capacitor modules, each of which includes an upper electrode and a lower electrode, with an air gap between the upper electrode and the lower electrode, and the upper electrode or the lower electrode includes multiple elastic cantilevers.

In one possible implementation, the voltage-capacitor module includes an upper electrode and a lower electrode separated by a silicone pad.

In one possible implementation, the distance between the upper electrode and the lower electrode is between about 0.05 mm and about 0.3 mm.

In a possible implementation, the voltage-capacitance module further includes: a reinforcement frame, supporting the lower electrode; and a flexible printed circuit board, disposed on the reinforcement frame, and supporting the upper electrode.

In one possible implementation, the upper electrode is adhered to the lower surface of the circuit board by adhesive.

In one possible implementation, the upper electrode or the lower electrode includes a plurality of elastic cantilevers.

In a possible implementation, the upper electrode or the lower electrode includes a central region and a peripheral region, the central region and the peripheral region are partially hollowed out, and the central region and the peripheral region are connected via the cantilever.

In one possible implementation, the thickness of the cantilever and the thickness of the central area are thinner than the thickness of the peripheral area.

Another embodiment of the present invention discloses a touch device. The touch device includes: a circuit board having an upper surface and a lower surface opposite to the upper surface; a cover plate adhered to the upper surface; an upper electrode located in the circuit board; a lower electrode arranged corresponding to the upper electrode and partially joined to the circuit board; a support block supporting the lower electrode; a vibration motor arranged on the lower surface; and a signal processor arranged on the lower surface and electrically connected to the upper electrode and the lower electrode through the circuit board.

In one possible implementation, the upper electrode is a pad or solder joint in the circuit board.

In one possible implementation, the lower electrode has a horizontal portion and a vertical portion connected to the horizontal portion, and the vertical portion is bonded to the circuit board.

In one possible implementation, the upper electrode and the lower electrode form a voltage-capacitor module, and the support block supports the voltage-capacitor module via a silicone pad.

In one possible implementation, the touch device further includes a housing that supports the support block.

In one possible implementation, the support block is provided with screws or screw holes for locking the support block to the screw holes or screws on the shell.

In one possible implementation, the vibration motor or the signal processor is disposed between the circuit board and the housing.

1,2,3: Touch device

10,110: Circuit board

10a, 110a: upper surface of the circuit board

10b, 110b: bottom surface of circuit board

115,145,15,25,35,45: Adhesive

120,20: Cover plate

130,30: Pressure capacity module

131,31,311,312: Upper electrode

133,33: Lower electrode

133a,31h: horizontal part

133b: vertical part

135,32:Silicone pad

138,38: Adhesive layer

140,40: Support block

148,48:Screws

150: Shell

160,60: Vibration motor

170,70:Signal processor

30a: Upper surface of the pressure-capacitor module

30b: Bottom surface of the pressure-capacitor module

31a: hanging arm

31c: Recessed part

33b,33d: Supporting columns

33c: Torso

33p: protrusion

36: Flexible printed circuit board

37: Reinforcement frame

4: Contact panel

5: Elastic bracket

50: Shell

6: Linear motor

7: External force sensor

8: Flexible pad

F: External force

R1, R3: Central District

R2, R4: surrounding area

O1: hollowed out area

In order to more clearly explain the embodiments of the present invention or the technical solutions in the prior art, the drawings required for use in the embodiments or the prior art descriptions will be briefly introduced below. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments recorded in the present invention. For those with ordinary knowledge in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings. FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a touch control device of the prior art; FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional diagram of a touch control device provided according to the present invention; FIG. 3 is a schematic exploded three-dimensional diagram of the touch control device in FIG. 2; FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional diagram of the pressure-capacitance module in FIG. 2; FIG. 5 is a schematic three-dimensional diagram of the pressure-capacitance module in FIG. 4; FIG. 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a, 9b, 10a, 10b, 11a, 11b, 12a, 12b, 1 3a and 13b are schematic diagrams of different appearances of the upper and lower electrodes in FIG. 4 or FIG. 5 respectively; FIG. 14 is a schematic diagram of the principle of using the touch control device in FIG. 2 to press the pressure-capacitor module; FIG. 15 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of another touch control device provided according to the present invention; FIG. 16 is a decomposed three-dimensional schematic diagram of the touch control device in FIG. 15; FIG. 17 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the pressure-capacitor module in FIG. 15; and FIG. 18 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the pressure-capacitor module in FIG. 17.

The following disclosure provides a variety of implementations or examples that can be used to implement different features of the present invention. The specific examples of components and configurations described below are intended to simplify the present invention. As can be appreciated, these descriptions are merely illustrative and are not intended to limit the present invention. For example, in the following description, forming a first feature on or above a second feature may include certain embodiments in which the first and second features are directly in contact with each other; and may also include certain embodiments in which additional components are formed between the first and second features, so that the first and second features may not be in direct contact. In addition, the present invention may reuse component symbols and/or labels in multiple embodiments. This repetition is for the purpose of brevity and clarity and does not in itself represent a relationship between the different embodiments and/or configurations discussed.

Although the numerical ranges and parameters used to define the broader scope of the present invention are approximate, the relevant numerical values in the specific embodiments have been presented as accurately as possible. However, any numerical value inherently inevitably contains standard deviations due to individual testing methods. Here, "about" generally means that the actual value is within plus or minus 10%, 5%, 1% or 0.5% of a particular value or range. Alternatively, the word "about" means that the actual value falls within an acceptable standard error of the mean, depending on the consideration of a person with ordinary knowledge in the art to which the present invention belongs. It should be understood that, except for experimental examples or unless otherwise explicitly stated, all ranges, quantities, values and percentages used herein (for example, to describe material dosage, time duration, temperature, operating conditions, quantity ratios and the like) are modified by "approximately". Therefore, unless otherwise stated to the contrary, the numerical parameters disclosed in the specification and the accompanying patent application of the present invention are approximate values and can be changed as needed. At least these numerical parameters should be understood as the indicated significant digits and the values obtained by applying the general rounding method. Here, the numerical range is expressed from one end point to another end point or between two end points; unless otherwise stated, the numerical range described herein includes the end points.

Generally speaking, the main pressure detection on the market adopts the strain gauge solution. Figure 1 is a structural schematic diagram of a touch device of the prior art. Referring to Figure 1, the touch device 3 includes a touch panel 4, an elastic bracket 5, a linear motor 6, four external force sensors 7 and four flexible pads 8. The four external force sensors 7 are arranged on the elastic bracket 5, and the flexible pads 8 are located on opposite sides of the elastic bracket 5. This type of external force sensor 7 adopts the strain gauge solution.

The strain gauge solution uses strain gauges, and general strain gauges are resistive strain gauges. Resistive strain gauges are a type of sensor (i.e., external force sensor 7) that converts strain into resistance change. They use resistive sensitive materials attached to elastic brackets 5 for strain detection. The working principle of resistive strain gauges is based on the strain effect, which means that when a material is deformed by stress, its resistance value will also change accordingly.

However, the cost of resistive strain gauges is high, and generally speaking, the yield is low, the overall structure is complex, and even the volume or weight of the product increases, affecting the promotion of pressure sensing and touch feedback. Therefore, in order to solve the above problems, the present invention proposes a capacitance detection scheme, which uses the principle of displacement and area sensitivity between two electrodes to detect finger presses; realizes force detection, and feeds back capacitance changes to the signal processor through force detection. The signal processor receives the capacitance change information and sends a signal to the vibration motor, causing the vibration motor to vibrate, realizing the application of touch feedback, and realizing different pressure touch feedback effects according to the difference in pressure-capacitance signals combined with the application software solution.

FIG2 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of a touch device provided according to the present invention. Referring to FIG2, the touch device 1 includes a circuit board 10 for carrying a cover plate 20 and a plurality of voltage-capacitor modules 30. In some embodiments, the cover plate 20 is adhered to the circuit board 10 by adhesive 15, and the plurality of voltage-capacitor modules 30 are adhered to the circuit board 10 by adhesive 25, respectively.

The circuit board 10 is used to sense the touch signal applied to the cover plate 20, conduct or collect the signal. The upper surface of the circuit board 10 includes a touch detection electrode for detecting the touch position of the finger. The circuit board 10 can also be arranged with an electrical circuit or carry electronic components (such as resistors or capacitors). The circuit board 10 has an upper surface 10a and a lower surface 10b opposite to the upper surface 10a. In some embodiments, the circuit board 10 can be a flexible printed circuit board (FPC), a rigid printed circuit board (PCB) or other circuit boards.

The cover plate 20 is used to provide the user with operations such as touch or press. In some embodiments, the cover plate 20 may be a glass material or a polyester material, such as a Mylar sheet containing polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

Each pressure-capacitor module 30 has an upper surface 30a and a lower surface 30b opposite to the upper surface 30a. In some embodiments, the number of pressure-capacitor modules 30 can be two, four, six, eight or more, depending on the area of the cover plate 20. Only two pressure-capacitor modules 30 are shown in FIG. 2. Each pressure-capacitor module 30 is symmetrically arranged on the lower surface 10b of the circuit board 10. In some other embodiments, the number of pressure-capacitor modules 30 can be an odd number. In some embodiments, the pressure-capacitor module 30 is attached to the support block 40 by adhesive 35.

The support block 40 is a carrier that provides physical support for the pressure-capacitive module 30. In some embodiments, the support block 40 is made of a polymer, such as an acrylic sheet. In some embodiments, a screw 48 (or a screw hole) is attached to the support block 40, and the screw 48 (or a screw hole) can be used to lock the support block 40 to the screw hole (or screw) on the housing 50. In some embodiments, the housing 50 can be made of metal or polymer. In some other embodiments, the support block 40 can be attached to the housing 50 by adhesive or glue.

The vibration motor 60 is used to respond to the pressure applied by the finger for vibration feedback. The vibration motor 60 is arranged between the circuit board 10 and the housing 50 and is surrounded by a plurality of voltage-capacitive modules 30. In some embodiments, the vibration motor 60 is adhered to the lower surface 10b of the circuit board 10 by adhesive 45. The vibration motor 60 is electrically connected to the circuit board 10. The vibration motor 60 has a vibrator that generates reciprocating vibrations, and the amplitude generated can be used to provide feedback of signal vibrations. In some embodiments, the vibration motor 60 can be a linear motor, an electromagnetic motor, or a piezoelectric ceramic motor.

In some embodiments, adhesives 15, 25, 35 and 45 may be optically clear adhesive (OCA), double-sided adhesive, or thermosetting adhesive. Specifically, adhesive 15 is used to adhere and fix the cover plate 20 to the upper surface 10a of the circuit board 10, adhesive 25 is used to adhere and fix the upper surface 30a of the pressure-capacitor module 30 to the lower surface 10b of the circuit board 10, adhesive 35 is used to adhere and fix the lower surface 30b of the pressure-capacitor module 30 to the support block 40, and adhesive 45 is used to adhere and fix the vibration motor 60 to the lower surface 10b of the circuit board 10.

The signal processor 70 is disposed on the lower surface 10b of the circuit board 10, between the circuit board 10 and the housing 50. The signal processor 70 is separated from the vibration motor 60 by a distance and is surrounded by a plurality of voltage-capacitor modules 30. In some embodiments, the signal processor 70 may be an integrated circuit (IC), which is electrically connected to the circuit board 10, thereby being electrically connected to the vibration motor 60, and being electrically connected to the voltage-capacitor electrodes in the voltage-capacitor modules 30. The signal processor 70 is used to receive the touch sensing signal and the pressure sensing signal from the touch detection electrode on the upper surface 10a of the circuit board 10 and the pressure capacitance module 30 and determine the touch position of the finger on the touch control device and the pressure applied by the finger. The signal processor 70 generates signals of different values or sizes according to the pressure, and transmits the signal to the vibration motor 60 through the circuit board 10, so that the vibration motor 60 vibrates.

FIG3 is an exploded three-dimensional schematic diagram of the touch device 1 in FIG2. Referring to FIG3, FIG3 shows four pressure-capacity modules 30 and two support blocks 40, wherein every two pressure-capacity modules 30 are supported by the same support block 40. Each support block 40 is attached with a plurality of screws 48 (or screw holes), and the bottom of the pressure-capacity module 30 can be locked to the support block 40 by the screws 48. The bottom of the pressure-capacity module 30 is reinforced by being fixed together with the support block 40. The shape and size of the support block 40 can be determined according to the overall structure or mechanical structure. The support block 40 structure shown in FIG2 or 3 is only schematic and not the only structure.

FIG4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the voltage-capacitor module 30 in FIG2 . Referring to FIG4 , in some embodiments, the voltage-capacitor module 30 includes an upper electrode 31, a lower electrode 33, and a silicone pad 32. The upper electrode 31 and the lower electrode 33 serve as voltage-capacitor electrodes, and the silicone pad 32 separates the upper electrode 31 and the lower electrode 33.

In some embodiments, the upper electrode 31 and the lower electrode 33 are made of conductive materials such as copper, silver, gold, aluminum, iron, cobalt, nickel, titanium, tungsten or alloys thereof. In some embodiments, the silicone pad 32 is made of an insulator material, such as an insulator material containing polysiloxane. In some embodiments, the distance H1 between the upper electrode 31 and the lower electrode 33 is in the range of about 0.05 millimeters (mm) to about 0.3 millimeters. Within this distance range, when the distance between the upper electrode 31 and the lower electrode 33 changes, it is sufficient to produce a sufficiently large capacitance change. In some cases, when the distance between the upper electrode 31 and the lower electrode 33 is too small, a sufficient distance change between the two electrodes cannot be generated, and the resulting capacitance change will not be obvious. In some cases, when the distance between the upper electrode 31 and the lower electrode 33 is too large, the voltage-capacitor module 30 will be too thick, increasing the volume of the touch device 1. In this embodiment, the distance H1 between the upper electrode 31 and the lower electrode 33 is approximately equal to the thickness of the silicone pad 32. In some embodiments, the silicone pad 32 can be replaced by air.

In some embodiments, the lower electrode 33 and the flexible printed circuit board (FPC) 36 are respectively arranged on the reinforcement frame 37, and the lower electrode 33 does not contact the flexible printed circuit board 36. The flexible printed circuit board 36 and the reinforcement frame 37 do not belong to the voltage capacitor module, but belong to an independent component respectively. The reinforcement frame 37 can be made of an insulator material as a carrier that provides physical support for the lower electrode 33 and the flexible printed circuit board 36. The lower electrode 33 is arranged at the center of the reinforcement frame 37, and the flexible printed circuit board 36 is arranged around the reinforcement frame 37 and partially covers the reinforcement frame 37. In some embodiments, the cantilever 31a of the upper electrode 31 is adhered to the flexible printed circuit board 36 located around the reinforcement frame 37 through the adhesive layer 38. In such an embodiment, the upper electrode 31 can be supported by the reinforcement frame 37 through the flexible printed circuit board 36 and the adhesive layer 38, and at the same time, the upper electrode 31 is also supported by the reinforcement frame 37 through the silicone pad 32 and the lower electrode 33. The flexible printed circuit board 36 transmits electrical signals between the signal processor 70 and the upper electrode 31 and the lower electrode 33 of the voltage-capacitor module 30, which facilitates the pressure detection of the voltage-capacitor module 30.

In the cross-sectional schematic diagram of the voltage-capacitor module 30 in FIG4 , the upper electrode 31 and its cantilever 31a are in the shape of a letter "U", and the space in the center of the upper electrode 31 and the lower electrode 33 sandwich the silicone pad 32. In some embodiments, the silicone pad 32 does not need to fill the entire space in the center of the upper electrode 31, but can be kept at a distance from the flexible printed circuit board 36 and the adhesive layer 38 respectively. In some embodiments, the upper surface 30a of the voltage-capacitor module 30 refers to the surface of the upper electrode 31 facing away from the silicone pad 32. In some embodiments, the lower surface 30b of the voltage-capacitor module 30 is the surface of the reinforcement frame 37 facing away from the silicone pad 32.

」字狀的懸臂31a自上電極31延伸出來。在一些實施例中，上電極31具有圓盤狀的結構，而下電極33為平面結構。在這樣的實施例中，矽膠墊32可以設置在上電極31和下電極33之間的空間。為了支撐矽膠墊32，下電極33的面積至少大於或等於矽膠墊32的面積。上電極31、下電極33與電路板10電性連接，以便將由壓容模組30測得的電容變化通過電路板10將電訊號傳遞給電路板10上的其他元件，例如振動馬達60或訊號處理器70(如圖2所示)。 FIG5 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the voltage-capacitor module 30 in FIG4 . Referring to FIG5 , the cover plate 20 is disposed on the circuit board 10, and the voltage-capacitor module 30 is disposed on the surface of the circuit board 10 on the side facing away from the cover plate 20. The circuit board 10 is located between the cover plate 20 and the voltage-capacitor module 30. In some embodiments, the voltage-capacitor module 30 is completely covered by the circuit board 10 and is adhered to the circuit board 10 by adhesive 25 (as shown in FIG2 ). In some embodiments, the upper electrode 31 and the lower electrode 33 in the voltage-capacitor module 30 are electrically connected to the circuit board 10, and the appearance of the upper electrode 31 and the lower electrode 33 is shown in FIGS. 6a , 6b , 7a , 7b , 8a , 8b , 9a and 9b . The upper electrode 31 shown in FIG. 5 is based on the upper electrode 31 in FIG. 6a and FIG. 6b. As can be seen from FIG. 5, part of the “

A "-shaped cantilever 31a extends from the upper electrode 31. In some embodiments, the upper electrode 31 has a disc-shaped structure, and the lower electrode 33 is a planar structure. In such an embodiment, the silicone pad 32 can be disposed in the space between the upper electrode 31 and the lower electrode 33. In order to support the silicone pad 32, the area of the lower electrode 33 is at least greater than or equal to the area of the silicone pad 32. The upper electrode 31 and the lower electrode 33 are electrically connected to the circuit board 10 so that the capacitance change measured by the voltage-capacitance module 30 can be transmitted through the circuit board 10 to other components on the circuit board 10, such as the vibration motor 60 or the signal processor 70 (as shown in FIG. 2 ).

Figures 6a, 6b, 7a, 7b, 8a, 8b, 9a and 9b are schematic diagrams of different appearances of the upper electrode 31 and the lower electrode 33 in Figure 4 or Figure 5. The upper electrode 31 and the lower electrode 33 with different appearances can be formed by die stamping, laser cutting or metal etching according to the requirements of different images.

」字狀的懸臂31a連接。在本實施例中，由上視觀之，中央區R1和周圍區R2均為圓形。在一 些實施例中，懸臂31a和中央區R1是電極較薄的部分。中央區R1的厚度相較於周圍區R2的厚度薄，使得電極呈現一種中間具有凹部的結構。在一些實施例中，中央區R1是當外力F按壓蓋板20時，電極的主要受力區域。懸臂31a具有彈性或柔性，可以使得相同大小的外力F按壓蓋板20的情況下，讓上電極31、下電極33的位移改變量更大，因而產生更明顯的電容變化△C。此外，懸臂31a本身具有彈性，當承受外力F時可部分地彎曲，允許更多的受力變形量，從而增加感應敏感度。在一些實施例中，周圍區R2可以做為黏貼至電路板10上。 6a and 6b, in some embodiments, the upper electrode 31 and the lower electrode 33 are circular electrodes, and the electrodes include a central region R1 and a peripheral region R2, the peripheral region R2 surrounds the central region R1, and there is a hollow region O1 between the central region R1 and the peripheral region R2, and the central region R1 and the peripheral region R2 are connected by a plurality of "

""-shaped cantilever 31a is connected. In the present embodiment, the central region R1 and the peripheral region R2 are both circular when viewed from above. In some embodiments, the cantilever 31a and the central region R1 are the thinner parts of the electrode. The thickness of the central region R1 is thinner than that of the surrounding region R2, so that the electrode presents a structure with a concave portion in the middle. In some embodiments, the central region R1 is the main force-bearing area of the electrode when the external force F presses the cover plate 20. The cantilever 31a is elastic or flexible, so that when the external force F of the same magnitude presses the cover plate 20, the displacement change of the upper electrode 31 and the lower electrode 33 can be larger, thereby producing a more obvious capacitance change △C. In addition, the cantilever 31a itself is elastic and can be partially bent when subjected to an external force F, allowing for more force deformation, thereby increasing the sensing sensitivity. In some embodiments, the surrounding area R2 can be pasted onto the circuit board 10.

Referring to Figures 7a and 7b, the electrodes shown in Figures 7a and 7b are similar to the electrodes shown in Figures 6a and 6b. The difference is that in this embodiment, when viewed from above, the central region R1 is circular, and the peripheral region R2 is square.

」字狀的懸臂31a可以有不等長的長度分配。 Referring to Figures 8a and 8b, the electrodes shown in Figures 8a and 8b are similar to the electrodes shown in Figures 7a and 7b. The difference is that in this embodiment, when viewed from above, the central region R1 can be formed by rotating the central region R1 of Figures 7a and 7b. In addition,

The ""-shaped cantilever 31a can have unequal lengths.

Referring to Figures 9a and 9b, the upper electrode 31 and the lower electrode 33 shown in Figures 9a and 9b are parallel structures. The upper electrode 31 and the lower electrode 33 are separated by a supporting column 33b.

Referring to Figures 10a and 10b, Figure 10a shows a top view of the lower electrode 33 according to an embodiment, and the lower electrode 33 presents a "王"-shaped appearance. Figure 10b shows a vertical view of the upper electrode 31 according to this embodiment, and the upper electrode 31 presents a "王"-shaped appearance corresponding to the lower electrode 33. In some embodiments, the "王"-shaped appearance is a concave portion of the upper electrode 31 or the lower electrode 33.

Referring to Figures 11a and 11b, Figure 11a shows a side view of a lower electrode 33 according to an embodiment, and the lower electrode 33 may have a horizontal portion 31h and a protrusion 33p connected to the horizontal portion 31h, so that the lower electrode 33 presents a "T"-shaped appearance. Figure 11b shows a top view of an upper electrode 31 according to this embodiment. In some embodiments, the upper electrode 31 has a horizontal portion 31h and a concave portion 31c in the horizontal portion 31h corresponding to the lower electrode 33. In some embodiments, the protrusion 33p of the lower electrode 33 may be combined with the concave portion 31c of the upper electrode 31.

Referring to Figures 12a and 12b, in some embodiments, the upper electrode 31 and the lower electrode 33 are disc-shaped electrodes, and the electrodes include a central region R3 and a peripheral region R4, and the peripheral region R4 surrounds the central region R3 and is connected to the central region R3. In some embodiments, the central region R3 has a disc-shaped appearance with one side concave and the other side protruding relative to the peripheral region R4.

Referring to FIGS. 13a and 13b , in some embodiments, the lower electrode 33 is an “S”-shaped electrode, two large upper electrodes 311 may be in a straight line and located on two “S”-shaped trunks 33c of the lower electrode 33, and a plurality of small upper electrodes 312 may be located between the two trunks 33c. The plurality of upper electrodes 311 and 312 may be used to measure a plurality of capacitances and obtain their average values. In some embodiments, the distance between the upper electrode 312 and the lower electrode 33 is the same as the distance between the upper electrode 311 and the lower electrode 33. In some other embodiments, the distance between the upper electrode 312 and the lower electrode 33 can be changed. For example, a support column 33d can be provided between the lower electrode 33 and the upper electrode 312 to simultaneously obtain the capacitance between parallel electrodes at different distances.

其中C為電容大小，ε為介質電容率，A為電極面積，d為兩平行電極之間的距離，可知當電極面積A一定時，電容大小C與兩平行電極之間的距離d成反比關係。 FIG14 is a schematic diagram showing the principle of using the touch device 1 of FIG2 to press the voltage-capacitance module 30. According to the capacitance formula:

Where C is the capacitance, ε is the dielectric constant, A is the electrode area, and d is the distance between the two parallel electrodes. It can be seen that when the electrode area A is constant, the capacitance C is inversely proportional to the distance d between the two parallel electrodes.

Referring to FIG. 14 , in some embodiments, when the user's finger or other object presses on the cover 20, the cover 20 is squeezed by the external force F. Under the external force F, the cover 20, the circuit board 10, and the adhesives 15 and 25 in the touch device 1 are all forced to move downward and squeeze the pressure-capacitance module 30.

Referring to FIG. 4 again, when the voltage-capacitor module 30 is squeezed, the upper electrode 31 is forced to move downward to squeeze the silicone pad 32. At this time, since the lower electrode 33 on the reinforcement frame 37 is still fixed, the distance between the upper electrode 31 and the lower electrode 33 will change by ΔH1. In some embodiments, the cantilever 31a of the upper electrode 31 is elastic and can withstand the micro deformation of the upper electrode 31 caused by the compression of the voltage-capacitor module 30. In some embodiments, when the upper electrode 31 is forced to move downward, the flexible printed circuit board 36 can also be elastically compressed due to its elasticity to jointly bear the extrusion of the silicone pad 32.

According to the capacitance formula, when there is a distance change △H1, that is, the distance d between the two parallel electrodes in the formula changes, the capacitance C between the two electrodes will change accordingly.

That is, the external force F causes the distance between the upper and lower electrodes to change △H1, which in turn produces a capacitance change △C. In some embodiments, a greater external force F will produce a greater distance change △H1, which in turn produces a greater capacitance change △C.

In some embodiments, the upper electrode 31 and the lower electrode 33 may not have a silicone pad 32. There may be an air gap between the upper electrode 31 and the lower electrode 33. In such an embodiment, the capacitance C is calculated based on the dielectric constant of air (approximately 1.00054).

In some embodiments, when the signal processor 70 receives a capacitance change ΔC from the voltage-capacitor module 30 through the circuit board 10, a signal corresponding to the value of the capacitance change ΔC is generated through the algorithm built into the signal processor 70, and the signal is transmitted to the vibration motor 60 through the circuit board 10. After receiving the signal, the vibration motor 60 generates a vibration with an amplitude corresponding to the signal size.

In some embodiments, different capacitance changes △C will generate signals of different values or sizes, causing the vibration motor 60 to generate vibrations of different amplitudes, and the user's fingers will feel vibrations of different amplitudes, thereby achieving different pressure touch feedback effects.

In some embodiments, when the external force F is pressed at different positions of the cover plate 20, multiple voltage-capacitor modules 30 near the pressed position will generate a capacitance change △C. The signal processor 70 can simultaneously process the capacitance change △C generated by multiple voltage-capacitor modules 30 and send corresponding signals to vibrate the vibration motor 60 to identify the pressed position on the cover plate 20.

FIG15 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of another touch device provided according to the present invention. Referring to FIG15 , the structure of the touch device 2 is basically similar to that of the touch device 1 of FIG2 , and the same or similar components are represented by the same or similar component symbols. The difference between the touch device 2 and the touch device 1 is that the voltage-capacitance module of the touch device 1 is an independent electronic component, while the voltage-capacitance module of the touch device 2 is integrated on the circuit board.

The touch device 2 includes a circuit board 110 for carrying a cover 120 and a plurality of voltage-capacitor modules 130. In some embodiments, the cover 120 is adhered to the circuit board 110 by adhesive 115, and the plurality of voltage-capacitor modules 130 are respectively attached to the surface of the circuit board 110 on the side opposite to the cover 120, and the voltage-capacitor modules 130 are electrically connected to the circuit board 110. The circuit board 110 is used to sense the touch signal applied to the cover 120, conduct or collect the signal, and the circuit board 110 may also be arranged with an electrical circuit or carry electronic components (such as resistors or capacitors). The circuit board 110 has an upper surface 110a and a lower surface 110b opposite to the upper surface 110a. In some embodiments, the circuit board 110 may be a flexible printed circuit board, a rigid printed circuit board, or other circuit boards.

The cover plate 120 is used to provide the user with operations such as touch or press. In some embodiments, the cover plate 120 may be a glass material or a polyester material, such as a Mylar sheet containing polyethylene terephthalate.

In some embodiments, the number of the voltage-capacitor modules 130 may be two, four, six, eight or more, depending on the size of the cover plate 120. Only two voltage-capacitor modules 130 are shown in FIG. 15. In some other embodiments, the number of the voltage-capacitor modules 130 may be an odd number. Each voltage-capacitor module 130 includes an upper electrode 131 and a lower electrode 133 as voltage-capacitor electrodes. It should be noted that in this embodiment, the upper electrode 131 is a pad or solder joint in the circuit board 110, and the lower electrode 133 is a "ㄇ"-shaped conductor.

The support block 140 is a carrier that provides physical support for the pressure-capacitance module 130. In some embodiments, the support block 140 is made of metal or polymer, such as an iron sheet or an acrylic sheet. In some embodiments, the support block 140 supports the pressure-capacitance module 130 through a silicone pad 135, and the silicone pad 135 is disposed between the support block 140 and the pressure-capacitance module 130. In some embodiments, the silicone pad 135 is made of an insulating material, such as an insulating material containing polysiloxane. In some other embodiments, the support block 140 can be attached to the housing 150 by adhesive or glue.

In some embodiments, the support block 140 is provided with screws 148 (or screw holes) that can be used to lock the support block 140 to a screw hole (or screw) on a shell 150. In some embodiments, the shell 150 can be made of metal or polymer. In other embodiments, the support block 140 can be attached to the shell 150 by adhesive or glue.

The vibration motor 160 is disposed between the circuit board 110 and the housing 150 and is surrounded by a plurality of voltage-capacitor modules 130. In some embodiments, the vibration motor 160 is adhered to the lower surface 110b of the circuit board 110 by means of adhesive 145. The vibration motor 160 is electrically connected to the circuit board 110. The vibration motor 160 has a vibrator that generates reciprocating vibrations, and the amplitude generated can be used to provide feedback of the signal vibration. In some embodiments, the vibration motor 160 can be a linear motor, an electromagnetic motor, or a piezoelectric ceramic motor.

The signal processor 170 is disposed on the lower surface 110b of the circuit board 110, between the circuit board 110 and the housing 150. The signal processor 170 is separated from the vibration motor 160 by a distance and is surrounded by one or more voltage-capacitor modules 130. In some embodiments, the signal processor 170 may be an integrated circuit, which is electrically connected to the circuit board 110, thereby electrically connected to the vibration motor 160, and electrically connected to the upper electrode 131 and the lower electrode 133 in the voltage-capacitor module 130. The signal processor 170 generates signals of different values or sizes, and transmits the signals to the vibration motor 160 through the circuit board 110, so that the vibration motor 160 vibrates.

FIG16 is an exploded three-dimensional schematic diagram of the touch device 2 in FIG15. Referring to FIG16, FIG16 shows four pressure-capacitance modules 130 and two support blocks 140, wherein every two pressure-capacitance modules 130 are supported by the same support block 140. The support block 140 supports the pressure-capacitance module 130 through the silicone pad 135. The shape and size of the support block 140 can be determined according to the overall structure or mechanical structure. The support block 140 structure shown in FIG15 or FIG12 is only schematic and is not the only structure. In some embodiments, the upper electrode 131 and the lower electrode 133 in the voltage-capacitor module 130 are electrically connected to the circuit board 110 so that the capacitance change measured by the voltage-capacitor module 130 can transmit an electrical signal to other components on the circuit board 110, such as the vibration motor 160 or the signal processor 170 (as shown in FIG. 15 ).

FIG. 17 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the voltage-capacitor module 130 in FIG. 15 . Referring to FIG. 17 , in some embodiments, before forming the voltage-capacitor module 130, the area to be used as the upper electrode and the area to be attached to or connected to the lower electrode are separately designed on the circuit board 110, and the two areas are staggered from each other. In some embodiments, the “ㄇ”-shaped lower electrode 133 includes a horizontal portion 133a and a vertical portion 133b connected to the horizontal portion 133a. When assembling the lower electrode 133 to the circuit board 110 to form the voltage-capacitor module 130, in some embodiments, the vertical portion 133b can be adhered to the lower surface 110b of the circuit board 110 through an adhesive layer 138 (e.g., conductive glue or conductive foam), as shown in FIG. 16 . In other embodiments, the circuit board 110 and the vertical portion 133b may be joined by spot soldering solder paste or conductive silver paste on one side of the circuit board 110 or the vertical portion 133b. In some embodiments, the connection between the circuit board 110 and the lower electrode 133 may be pasted with a large area of conductive glue, or a small area of conductive glue combined with a non-conductive glue (such as a primer) to increase the adhesive force. After attaching the lower electrode 133 to the circuit board 110, the vertical portion 133b of the lower electrode 133 and the upper electrode 131 in the circuit board 110 are staggered from each other. In some embodiments, there is an air gap between the upper electrode 131 and the lower electrode 133.

FIG18 is a three-dimensional schematic diagram of the voltage-capacitor module 130 in FIG17. Referring to FIG18, the cover plate 120 is disposed on the circuit board 110, and the upper electrode 131 in the circuit board 110 and the lower electrode 133 attached to the circuit board 110 form the voltage-capacitor module 130. The voltage-capacitor module 130 is disposed on the surface of the circuit board 110 facing away from the cover plate 120. The silicone pad 135 is disposed between the support block 140 and the voltage-capacitor module 130. Each support block 140 is provided with a plurality of screws 148 (or screw holes), and the screws 148 (or screw holes) can be used to lock the support block 140 to a housing 150 (as shown in FIG. 11 ).

Referring to FIG. 15 , in some embodiments, the touch device 2 can implement the principle of pressing the voltage-capacitive module 130 similar to the touch device 1 in FIG. 10 . When the user's finger or other objects press on the cover 120, a capacitance change occurs between the upper electrode 131 and the lower electrode 133. The signal processor 170 generates a signal according to the capacitance change and transmits the signal to the vibration motor 160. After receiving the signal, the vibration motor 160 generates a vibration corresponding to the amplitude of the capacitance change.

The present invention provides a touch device with low cost, high performance and simple structure. The touch device of the present invention adopts pressure capacitance detection, which does not require the use of strain gauges compared to the existing technology and is relatively low in cost. In addition, the touch device provided by the present invention has high sensitivity and a thin overall thickness, which can accurately realize touch pressure detection and realize touch feedback.

The above description briefly presents the features of certain embodiments of the present invention, so that those with ordinary knowledge in the art to which the present invention belongs can more comprehensively understand the various aspects of the content of the present invention. Those with ordinary knowledge in the art to which the present invention belongs should understand that they can easily use the content of the present invention as a basis to design or change other processes and structures to achieve the same purpose and/or achieve the same advantages as the implementation method described here. Those with ordinary knowledge in the art to which the present invention belongs should understand that these equivalent implementation methods still belong to the spirit and scope of the content of the present invention, and they can be variously changed, replaced and modified without violating the spirit and scope of the content of the present invention.

10: Circuit board

10a: Upper surface of the circuit board

10b: Bottom surface of the circuit board

15,25,35,45: Adhesive

20: Cover plate

30: Pressure capacity module

30a: Upper surface of the pressure-capacitor module

30b: Bottom surface of the pressure-capacitor module

40: Support block

48: Screws

50: Shell

60: Vibration motor

70:Signal processor

Claims (12)

A touch device, comprising: a circuit board, the upper surface of which comprises a touch detection electrode for detecting the touch position of a finger; a pressure-capacitance module, which is arranged below the circuit board and is electrically connected to a signal processor, and is used to deform under the pressure applied by the finger when pressing the touch device, so as to change a pressure-sensing capacitor in the pressing area of the finger, wherein the pressure-capacitance module comprises an upper electrode and a lower electrode, and the pressure-sensing capacitor is associated with the pressure sensing capacitor. The distance between the upper electrode and the lower electrode; a vibration motor, mounted and fixed on the lower surface of the circuit board and electrically connected to the signal processor, for vibrating and feeding back the pressure applied by the finger; and the signal processor, mounted and fixed on the lower surface of the circuit board, for receiving a touch sensing signal and a pressure sensing signal from the touch detection electrode and the pressure capacitance module and determining the touch position of the finger on the touch device and the pressure applied by the finger. A touch control device as described in claim 1, wherein the number of the voltage-capacitive modules is multiple, there is an air gap between the upper electrode and the lower electrode, the upper electrode is located in the circuit board, and the lower electrode includes multiple elastic cantilevers. A touch device as described in claim 1, wherein the upper electrode and the lower electrode are separated by a silicone pad, the upper electrode is located in the circuit board, and the lower electrode includes a plurality of elastic cantilevers. A touch control device as described in claim 2 or 3, wherein the distance between the upper electrode and the lower electrode is between about 0.05 mm and about 0.3 mm. The touch control device as described in claim 2 or 3, wherein the voltage-capacitive module further comprises: A reinforcement frame supporting the lower electrode. A touch control device as described in claim 2, wherein the upper electrode or the lower electrode comprises a central area and a peripheral area, the central area and the peripheral area are partially hollowed out, and the central area and the peripheral area are connected via the cantilever. A touch device as described in claim 6, wherein the thickness of the cantilever and the thickness of the central area are thinner than the thickness of the peripheral area. A touch device, comprising: a circuit board having an upper surface and a lower surface opposite to the upper surface, the upper surface comprising a touch detection electrode for detecting a touch position of a finger; a cover plate adhered to the upper surface; an upper electrode located in the circuit board; a lower electrode arranged corresponding to the upper electrode and partially joined to the circuit board, wherein the upper electrode and the lower electrode form a voltage-capacitance module, the voltage-capacitance module is used to deform under the pressure applied by the finger when pressing the touch device, so as to change the pressure of the finger. A pressure sensing capacitor in the pressure area; a support block for supporting the lower electrode; a vibration motor, arranged on the lower surface and electrically connected to a signal processor, for vibrating feedback in response to the pressure applied by the finger; and the signal processor, arranged on the lower surface and electrically connected to the upper electrode and the lower electrode through the circuit board, for receiving a touch sensing signal and a pressure sensing signal from the touch detection electrode and the pressure capacitance module and determining the touch position of the finger on the touch device and the pressure applied by the finger. A touch control device as described in claim 8, wherein the upper electrode is a pad or solder joint in the circuit board. A touch control device as described in claim 8, wherein the lower electrode has a horizontal portion and a vertical portion connected to the horizontal portion, and the vertical portion is connected to the circuit board. A touch control device as described in claim 8, wherein the support block supports the pressure-capacitive module via a silicone pad. A touch device as described in claim 8, wherein the touch device further comprises a shell to support the support block; the support block is provided with screws or screw holes for locking the support block to the screw holes or screws on the shell.