Securing a touch sensor assembly for a touch button within a device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10216234-B2
Application number	US-201715632297-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jun 23, 2017
Priority date	Jun 23, 2016
Publication date	Feb 26, 2019
Grant date	Feb 26, 2019

Abstract

An apparatus to secure a touch sensor assembly for a device touch button (such as for a mobile communications device). A touch sensor slot IS integral with the device at the touch button area. A touch sensor assembly includes a touch flex sensor, and at least three alternating front-side and back-side flexible spacer elements attached to the touch flex sensor. The touch flex sensor can be secured within the touch sensor slot, and spaced from the front-side and back-side slot walls by respectively the front-side and back-side spacer elements. An elastic insulator material is introduced into the touch sensor slot surrounding the touch flex sensor. The sensor slot can be formed in a device wall, or formed by a touch sensor slot structure attached to the device at the touch button area, with an interior surface of the device forming a front-side wall of the touch sensor slot.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An apparatus for use in a device with at least one touch button defined on a touch button area of the device, the apparatus comprising:
a touch sensor assembly including
a touch flex sensor, and
at least three alternating front-side and back-side spacer elements attached to the touch flex sensor, the spacer elements being flexible;

a touch sensor slot integral with the device at the touch button area, including front-side and back-side slot walls, to position the touch sensor assembly relative to the touch button area;
the touch flex sensor secured within the touch sensor slot, and spaced from the front-side and back-side slot walls by respectively the front-side and back-side spacer elements contacting respectively the front-side and back-side slot walls; and
an elastic insulator material introduced into the touch sensor slot surrounding the touch flex sensor.

2. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the touch sensor slot is one of:
a slot formed in the device at the touch button area; or
a touch sensor slot structure attached to the device at the touch button area, with an interior surface of the device at the touch button area forming a front-side wall of the touch sensor slot.

3. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the touch flex sensor is a flexible sensor substrate component.

4. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein touch sensing is based on one of inductive and capacitive sensing.

5. The apparatus of claim 4 , wherein touch sensing is based on inductive sensing, and the touch flex sensor comprises a flexible sensor substrate component that includes a sense inductor coil.

6. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the elastic insulator material is silicone rubber.

7. The apparatus of claim 1 , wherein the device is a mobile communication device, and the at least one touch button is defined on a side-wall of the device.

8. An apparatus for use in a device with at least one touch button defined on a touch button area of the device, the device including a touch sensor slot integral with the device case at an interior-side of the touch button area, the apparatus comprising:
a touch sensor assembly including
a touch flex sensor, and
at least three alternating front-side and back-side spacer elements attached to the touch flex sensor, the spacer elements being flexible;

the touch sensor assembly configured for positioning within the touch sensor slot, the spacer elements to secure the touch sensor assembly within the touch sensor slot, by the front-side and back-side spacer elements contacting respectively a front-side and a back-side slot wall of the touch sensor slot, the touch flex sensor spaced from the front-side and back-side slot walls by the spacer elements.

9. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the touch sensor slot is one of:
a slot formed in the device at the touch button area; or
a touch sensor slot structure attached to the device at the touch button area, with an interior surface of the device at the touch button area forming a front-side wall of the touch sensor slot.

10. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the touch flex sensor is a flexible sensor substrate component.

11. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein touch sensing is based on one of inductive and capacitive sensing.

12. The apparatus of claim 11 , wherein touch sensing is based on inductive sensing, and the touch flex sensor comprises a flexible sensor substrate component that includes a sense inductor coil.

13. The apparatus of claim 8 , wherein the device is a mobile communication device, and the at least one touch button is defined on a side-wall of the device.

14. A device with at least one touch button defined on a touch button area of the device, comprising:
a device case;
a touch sensor assembly including
a touch flex sensor, and
at least three alternating front-side and back-side spacer elements attached to the touch flex sensor, the spacer elements being flexible;

a touch sensor slot integral with the device case at the touch button area, including front-side and back-side slot walls, to position the touch sensor assembly relative to the touch button area;
the touch flex sensor secured within the touch sensor slot, and spaced from the front-side and back-side slot walls by respectively the front-side and back-side spacer elements contacting respectively the front-side and back-side slot walls; and
an elastic insulator material introduced into the touch sensor slot surrounding the touch flex sensor.

15. The device of claim 14 , wherein the touch sensor slot is one of:
a slot formed in the device at the touch button area; or
a touch sensor slot structure attached to the device at the touch button area, with an interior surface of the device at the touch button area forming a front-side wall of the touch sensor slot.

16. The device of claim 14 , wherein the touch flex sensor is a flexible sensor substrate component.

17. The device of claim 14 , wherein touch sensing is based on one of inductive and capacitive sensing.

18. The device of claim 17 , wherein touch sensing is based on inductive sensing, and the touch flex sensor comprises a flexible sensor substrate component that includes a sense inductor coil.

19. The device of claim 14 , wherein the elastic insulator material is silicone rubber.

20. The device of claim 14 , wherein the device is a mobile communication device, and the at least one touch button is defined on a side-wall of the device.

Assignees

• Texas Instruments Inc

Inventors

• Liu Dongtai

Classifications

• G06F1/1692 Primary

  the I/O peripheral being a secondary touch screen used as control interface, e.g. virtual buttons or sliders · CPC title

• G06F3/046

  by electromagnetic means · CPC title

• G06F2203/04102

  Flexible digitiser, i.e. constructional details for allowing the whole digitising part of a device to be flexed or rolled like a sheet of paper · CPC title

• G06F1/1658

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

• G06F3/041

  Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means · CPC title