Securing a touch sensor assembly for a touch button

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10209550-B2
Application number	US-201715727737-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 9, 2017
Priority date	Oct 9, 2016
Publication date	Feb 19, 2019
Grant date	Feb 19, 2019

Abstract

A touch button structure for a mobile communications or other device, including a sensor slot with front-side and back-side slot walls formed in the device wall, an interior surface of a touch button area forming the front-side slot wall, and a sensor component inserted within the sensor slot. The sensor component includes a sense element operable to sense a touch-deflection of the front-side slot wall toward the sense element in response to a touch-press of the touch button, and front-side and back-side elastic insulating retention laminates affixed to the front/back-side of the sense element. The front/back-side elastic laminates being compressible for insertion of the sensor component into the sensor slot, and when inserted, are decompressible to contact respectively the front-side and back-side slot walls, and at least the front-side elastic laminate is compressible in response to a deflection of the front-side slot wall in the direction of the sense element.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. A structure for use in a device including at least one touch button for touch input, the device including a touch button area defined on a device wall to include an exterior touch button surface, the structure comprising:
a sensor slot with front-side and back-side slot walls formed in the device wall at the touch button area, an interior surface of the touch button area forming the front-side slot wall; and
a sensor component inserted within the sensor slot, spaced from the front-side and back-side slot walls, the sensor component including
a sense element operable to sense a touch-deflection of the front-slide slot wall toward the sense element in response to a touch-press of the touch button surface; and
front-side and back-side elastic retention laminates affixed respectively to a front-side and a back-side of the sense element,
the front-side and back-side elastic retention laminates being compressible for insertion of the sensor component into the sensor slot;
when the sensor component is inserted within the sensor slot, the front-side and back-side elastic retention laminates being decompressible to contact respectively the front-side and back-side slot walls.

2. The structure of claim 1 , wherein, when the sensor component is inserted within the sensor slot and the front-side and back-side elastic retention laminates are decompressed to contact respectively the front-side and back-side slot walls, then
the front-side and the back-side elastic retention laminates insulate the sense element from the front-side and back-side slot walls; and
at least the front-side elastic retention laminate is compressible in response to a touch press of the touch button surface that causes a deflection of the front-side slot wall in the direction of the sense element.

3. The structure of claim 1 , wherein the front-side and back-side elastic retention laminates are formed from one of memory foam and shock absorbing foam.

4. The structure of claim 1 , wherein the sense element comprises a flexible printed circuit board.

5. The structure of claim 1 , wherein the sense element includes one of: a sense inductor coil; a capacitive electrode, a pressure-sensitive resistive element.

6. The structure of claim 1 , wherein the device case is formed from one of a conductive material and a nonconductive material, such that the slot walls are respectively conductive and nonconductive.

7. The structure of claim 6 , wherein the slot walls are non-conductive, and the sensor component further comprises:
a conductive laminate affixed to the front-side elastic retention laminate.

8. The structure of claim 6 , wherein the slot walls are conductive, and further comprising
conductive shield to form, with at least the conductive slot walls, a Faraday box around the sense element.

9. The structure of claim 1 , wherein the device is a mobile communications device.

10. An assembly for use in a device including at least one touch button for touch input, the device including a touch button area defined on a device wall to include an exterior touch button surface, the device including a sensor slot with front-side and back-side slot walls formed in the device wall at the touch button area, an interior surface of the touch button area forming the front-side slot wall, the assembly comprising:
a sensor component, including
a sense element operable to sense a touch-deflection of the front-slide slot wall toward the sense element in response to a touch-press of the touch button surface; and
front-side and back-side elastic retention laminates affixed respectively to a front-side and a back-side of the sense element,
the front-side and back-side elastic retention laminates being compressible for insertion of the sensor component into the sensor slot;
when the sensor component is inserted within the sensor slot, the front-side and back-side elastic retention laminates being decompressible to contact respectively the front-side and back-side slot walls.

11. The assembly of claim 10 , wherein, when the sensor component is inserted within the sensor slot and the front-side and back-side elastic retention laminates are decompressed to contact respectively the front-side and back-side slot walls, then
the front-side and the back-side elastic retention laminates insulate the sense element from the front-side and back-side slot walls; and
at least the front-side elastic retention laminate is compressible in response to a touch press of the touch button surface that causes a deflection of the front-side slot wall in the direction of the sense element.

12. The assembly of claim 10 , wherein the front-side and back-side elastic retention laminates are formed from one of memory foam and shock absorbing foam.

13. The assembly of claim 10 , wherein the sense element comprises a flexible printed circuit board.

14. The assembly of claim 10 , wherein the sense element includes one of: a sense inductor coil; a capacitive electrode, a pressure-sensitive resistive element.

15. The assembly of claim 10 , wherein the device case is formed from one of a conductive material and a nonconductive material, such that the slot walls are respectively conductive and nonconductive.

16. The assembly of claim 15 , wherein the slot walls are non-conductive, and the sensor component further comprises:
a conductive laminate affixed to the front-side elastic retention laminate.

17. The assembly of claim 15 , wherein the slot walls are conductive, and further comprising
conductive shield to form, with at least the conductive slot walls, a Faraday box around the sense element.

18. A method of providing touch input to a device including at least one touch button area defined on a device wall to include an exterior touch button surface, the method comprising:
forming in the device wall at the touch button area a sensor slot with front-side and back-side slot walls, an interior surface of the touch button area forming the front-side slot wall;
providing a sense element operable to sense a touch-deflection of the front-slide slot wall toward the sense element in response to a touch-press of the touch button surface;
affixing to the sense element front-side and back-side elastic retention laminates affixed respectively to a front-side and a back-side of the sense element;
compressing the front-side and back-side elastic retention laminates;
inserting the sense elements with front-side and back-side elastic retention elements compressed into the sensor slot; and
allowing the front-side and back-side elastic retention laminates to decompress to contact respectively the front-side and back-side slot walls.

19. The method of claim 18 , wherein, when the sense element is inserted within the sensor slot and the front-side and back-side are decompressed to contact respectively the front-side and back-side slot walls, then further comprising
sensing a touch press of the touch button area that causes a deflection of the front-side slot wall in the direction of the sense element, that compresses at least the front-side elastic retention laminate.

20. The method of claim 18 , wherein the sense element includes one of: a sense inductor coil; a capacitive electrode, a pressure-sensitive resistive element.

Assignees

• Texas Instruments Inc

Inventors

• Liu Dongtai

Classifications

• G06F1/16

  Constructional details or arrangements · CPC title

• G06F1/1658

  related to the mounting of internal components, e.g. disc drive or any other functional module · CPC title

• H04M2250/22

  including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector · CPC title

• H04M1/026

  Details of the structure or mounting of specific components · CPC title

• G06F3/0412

  Digitisers structurally integrated in a display · CPC title