Touch device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10795505-B2
Application number	US-201816146622-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Sep 28, 2018
Priority date	Feb 9, 2018
Publication date	Oct 6, 2020
Grant date	Oct 6, 2020

Abstract

A touch device is provided, which includes an elastic material layer, a photosensitive layer and a touch layer disposed in sequence; wherein a key region is disposed in the touch layer; at least one deformable pad is disposed in the elastic material layer and each of the at least one deformable pad has a plurality of deformable blocks; some or all of the deformable blocks of the deformable pad are deformed so as to vary lights incident on the photosensitive layer in response to a corresponding position of the touch layer being subjected to a pressing operation; an electrical signal at a position of the photosensitive layer corresponding to the pressing operation changes in response to the photosensitive layer sensing a change in lights.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A touch device comprising:
an elastic material layer;
a photosensitive layer;
a touch layer, the elastic material layer, the photosensitive layer, and the touch layer being disposed in sequence, wherein a key region is disposed in the touch layer;
at least one deformable pad disposed in the elastic material layer, each of the at least one deformable pad having a plurality of deformable blocks with some or all of the deformable blocks of the deformable pad being deformed so as to vary lights incident on the photosensitive layer in response to a corresponding position of the touch layer being subjected to a pressing operation; and
an electrical signal at a position of the photosensitive layer corresponding to the pressing operation changes in response to the photosensitive layer sensing a change in lights;
wherein:
the deformable block comprises a slit and the slit becomes a through hole when being deformed such that intensity of light incident on the photosensitive layer through the through hole is changed, or
the deformable block comprises a through hole and part or all of the through hole is blocked when being deformed such that intensity of light incident on the photosensitive layer through the through hole is changed.

2. The touch device according to claim 1 , wherein the at least one deformable pad is disposed at a position in one-to-one correspondence with orthographic projections of keys in the key region on the elastic material layer and, in response to the pressing operation applied onto a key in the key region, some or all of the deformable blocks of the deformable pad disposed at a position of the orthographic projection of the key in the elastic material layer are deformed.

3. The touch device according to claim 1 , wherein the touch device further comprises a processor connected to the photosensitive layer with the processor being configured to detect the electrical signal in the photosensitive layer, determine the key being pressed according to the position at which the electrical signal changes, and control the key to implement a corresponding function.

4. The touch device according to claim 3 , wherein the photosensitive layer comprises at least one photosensitive element, the at least one photosensitive element being disposed at a position in one-to-one correspondence with orthographic projections of keys in the key region on the photosensitive layer, the processor being connected to each of the photosensitive elements and when each of the photosensitive elements senses changes among different intensity level of the light, the electrical signal of the photosensitive element creates a corresponding change in an electricity quantity level, the processor further being configured to control a key corresponding to the photosensitive element to implement a function corresponding to the electricity quantity level depending on the electricity quantity level at which an electrical signal of each of the photosensitive elements changes.

5. The touch device according to claim 4 , wherein, in response to the pressing operation of different pressure level applied onto a key in the key region, a corresponding number of the deformable blocks of the deformable pad disposed at a position of the orthographic projection of the key in the elastic material layer are deformed, and wherein the pressure level comprises a first pressure level and a second pressure level, and the function of the key comprises a first function and a second function;
the number of the deformable blocks in each of the deformable pads is in a first threshold range in response to the corresponding key being subjected to a pressing operation of the first pressure level, and the change in the corresponding electrical signal of the photosensitive element is in a range of a first electricity quantity level, the processor controls the key to implement the first function;
the number of the deformable blocks in each of the deformable pads is in a second threshold range in response to the corresponding key being subjected to a pressing operation of the second pressure level, and the change in the corresponding electrical signal of the photosensitive element is in a range of a second electricity quantity level, the processor controls the key to implement the second function.

6. The touch device according to claim 5 , wherein the first function is a digital function and the second function is a symbol function.

7. The touch device according to claim 4 , wherein, in response to the pressing operation of different pressure level applied onto a key in the key region, the deformable blocks of the deformable pad disposed at a position of the orthographic projection of the key in the elastic material layer are deformed by a corresponding deformation degree, and wherein the pressure level comprises a first pressure level and a second pressure level, and the function of the key comprises a first function and a second function;
the deformation degree of the deformable blocks in each of the deformable pads is in a first threshold range in response to the corresponding key being subjected to a pressing operation of the first pressure level, and the change in the corresponding electrical signal of the photosensitive element is in a range of a first electricity quantity level, the processor controls the key to implement the first function;
the deformation degree of the deformable blocks in each of the deformable pads is in a second threshold range in response to the corresponding key being subjected to a pressing operation of the second pressure level, and the change in the corresponding electrical signal of the photosensitive element is in a range of a second electricity quantity level, the processor controls the key to implement the second function.

8. The touch device according to claim 1 , wherein the deformable pad comprises n*m deformable blocks arrange in an array where both n and m are positive integers greater than or equal to 2.

9. The touch device according to claim 8 , wherein n is equal to m in one and the same deformable pad.

10. The touch device according to claim 8 , wherein n or m are the same in all of the deformable pads.

11. The touch device according to claim 1 , wherein the touch layer comprises a transparent substrate and a film layer on which the key region is disposed.

12. The touch device according to claim 1 , further comprising a light emitting layer disposed on a side of the elastic material layer away from the photosensitive layer, the light emitting layer being configured to emit light to the photosensitive layer of the touch device.

Assignees

• Boe Technology Group Co Ltd
• Hefei Xingsheng Optoelectronics Tech Co Ltd
• Hefei Xinsheng Optoelectronics Technology Co Ltd

Inventors

• Li Baoran
• Liu Yang
• Li Bisheng
• Fan Wenjin
• Xu Jiawei
• Xie Taofeng

Classifications

• G06F3/0202 Primary

  Constructional details or processes of manufacture of the input device · CPC title

• G06F3/03547

  Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface · CPC title

• G06F3/0421 Primary

  by interrupting or reflecting a light beam, e.g. optical touch-screen · CPC title

• G06F3/042 Primary

  by opto-electronic means · CPC title