Touchpad device

• US 10,649,501 B1
• Filed: 12/11/2018
• Issued: 05/12/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 10/25/2018
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Chicony Electronics Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Chicony Electronics Company Limited
• Inventors: Chen, Chia-Hsin, Horiuchi, Mitsuo
• Primary Examiner(s): Davis, Tony O
• Application Number:
  US16/217,012
• Publication Number:
  US 20200133334A1
• Time in Patent Office: 518 Days
• Field of Search: 345157, 345170-178
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1681 Details related solely to hinges hinge details related to the transmission of signals or power are classified in G06F1/1683
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/169 the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface

Abstract

A touchpad device is used to connect a first fixing portion of a housing. The touchpad device includes a hinge structure and a circuit board. The hinge structure includes a main body and an elastic arm. The main body is located above the first fixing portion. The elastic arm is connected to the main body and includes a second fixing portion. The second fixing portion is fixed to the first fixing portion of the housing. A bottom surface of the circuit board is attached to a top surface of the main body.

Claims

1. A touchpad device used to connect a first fixing portion of a housing, the touchpad device comprising:

a hinge structure, comprising;

a main body located above the first fixing portion; and

an elastic arm connected to the main body and comprising a second fixing portion, the second fixing portion being fixed to the first fixing portion of the housing; and

a circuit board, wherein a bottom surface of the circuit board is attached to a top surface of the main body, so that the circuit board can swing relative to the housing by actions of the hinge structure.

2. The touchpad device of claim 1, wherein the main body has a through hole, the elastic arm further comprises a first extending portion connected between an inner edge of the through hole and the second fixing portion, and a step is formed between the first extending portion and the inner edge of the through hole.

3. The touchpad device of claim 1, wherein the hinge structure further comprises a ground bump disposed on the main body and abutting against the circuit board.

4. The touchpad device of claim 1, wherein the hinge structure further comprises:

a cantilever extending from an edge of the main body; and

a ground bump disposed on the cantilever and abutting against the circuit board.

5. The touchpad device of claim 1, further comprising a stiffener attached to the bottom surface of the circuit board.

6. The touchpad device of claim 5, wherein the hinge structure further comprises two clamping arms, and the stiffener is clamped between the clamping arms.

7. The touchpad device of claim 5, wherein the stiffener has a retaining portion extending below an end of the elastic arm.

8. The touchpad device of claim 5, wherein the circuit board has a first edge and a second edge opposite each other, and the hinge structure and the stiffener are respectively adjacent to the first edge and the second edge.

9. The touchpad device of claim 8, wherein thicknesses of the stiffener are reduced substantially from the first edge to two ends of the second edge.

10. The touchpad device of claim 8, wherein the stiffener is inwardly shrunk relative to two corners of the second edge of the circuit board to form two unfilled corners.

11. The touchpad device of claim 1, further comprising an edge frame attached to the bottom surface of the circuit board and abutting against an edge of the circuit board.

12. The touchpad device of claim 11, wherein a gap is formed between the main body of the hinge structure and the edge frame, and a part of the gap is substantially S-shaped.

13. The touchpad device of claim 11, wherein the edge frame comprises a base and a sidewall connected to each other, the base is attached to the bottom surface of the circuit board, and the sidewall abuts against the edge of the circuit board.

14. The touchpad device of claim 13, wherein the base has a plurality of protrusions at a bottom surface thereof.