Electronic device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-12339179-B2
Application number	US-202418790428-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jul 31, 2024
Priority date	Feb 10, 2022
Publication date	Jun 24, 2025
Grant date	Jun 24, 2025

Abstract

An electronic device that includes: an operation panel having an upper main surface and a lower main surface; a buffer member that has an upper main surface and a lower main surface, and is fixed to the lower main surface of the operation panel; a plate-shaped member that has an upper main surface and a lower main surface, and is fixed to the lower main surface of the buffer member; and a sensor that is fixed to the lower main surface of the plate-shaped member and detects deformation of the operation panel. A value of a product of a Young's modulus of the plate-shaped member and a cube of a thickness of the plate-shaped member is 1.6×10 −3 N·m to 1.6 N·m.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An electronic device comprising:
an operation panel having an upper main surface and a lower main surface that are arranged in a vertical direction such that a part of a body of a user or an operation member is capable of contacting the upper main surface of the operation panel;
a buffer member that has an upper main surface and a lower main surface that are arranged in the vertical direction, and is fixed to the lower main surface of the operation panel;
a plate-shaped member that has an upper main surface and a lower main surface that are arranged in the vertical direction, and is fixed to the lower main surface of the buffer member; and
a sensor that is fixed to the lower main surface of the plate-shaped member and detects deformation of the operation panel, wherein
a value of a product of a Young's modulus of the plate-shaped member and a cube of a thickness of the plate-shaped member is 1.6×10 −3 N·m to 1.6 N·m.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the buffer member has a Young's modulus of 300 kPa or less.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the sensor includes:
a piezoelectric film having an upper main surface and a lower main surface that are arranged in the vertical direction;
an upper electrode on the upper main surface of the piezoelectric film; and
a lower electrode on the lower main surface of the piezoelectric film.

4. The electronic device according to claim 3 , wherein the piezoelectric film is constructed such that a polarity of an electric charge generated by the piezoelectric film when the piezoelectric film is stretched in a right-left direction is different from a polarity of an electric charge generated by the piezoelectric film when the piezoelectric film is stretched in a front-rear direction.

5. The electronic device according to claim 3 , wherein
the sensor includes a substrate having an upper main surface and a lower main surface that are arranged in the vertical direction, and an adhesive layer fixing the piezoelectric film to the substrate.

6. The electronic device according to claim 5 , wherein the adhesive layer has a Young's modulus of 0.9 MPa or more.

7. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the plate-shaped member in the vertical direction is 0.02 mm to 0.2 mm.

8. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the thickness of the plate-shaped member in the vertical direction is 0.05 mm to 0.1 mm.

9. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein the plate-shaped member has a Young's modulus of 1 GPa or more.

10. The electronic device according to claim 1 , further comprising a display panel that has an upper main surface and a lower main surface that are arranged in the vertical direction, and is fixed to the lower main surface of the operation panel, and wherein the buffer member is fixed to the lower main surface of the display panel.

11. The electronic device according to claim 1 , wherein each of the operation panel, the buffer member, and the plate-shaped member has a rectangular shape having two long sides extending in a front-rear direction and two short sides extending in a right-left direction as viewed in the vertical direction.

12. The electronic device according to claim 11 , wherein the sensor is located at a center of the plate-shaped member in the front-rear direction as viewed in the vertical direction.

13. The electronic device according to claim 12 , wherein the sensor has a longitudinal direction extending in the right-left direction.

Assignees

• Murata Manufacturing Co

Inventors

• Kitada Hiroaki
• Kano Hidekazu

Classifications

• G06F3/01

  Input arrangements or combined input and output arrangements for interaction between user and computer (G06F3/16 takes precedence) · CPC title

• H10N30/302

  Sensors · CPC title

• G06F3/041

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

• H10N30/30

  with mechanical input and electrical output, e.g. functioning as generators or sensors · CPC title

• G01L1/16 Primary

  using properties of piezoelectric devices · CPC title