Touch pad device

• US 20080174565A1
• Filed: 06/13/2007
• Published: 07/24/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 01/19/2007
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Inventec Appliances Corporation (Inventec Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Inventec Appliances Corporation (Inventec Corporation)
• Inventors: Ho, David, Young, Sea-Weng, Chang, Ching-Sung, Chen, Po-Cheng
• Application Number:
  US11/808,866
• Publication Number:
  US 20080174565A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface

Abstract

A touch pad device, constructed in an electronic apparatus, includes a touch module further having a touch pad and an FPCB and a plurality of metal domes located under the FPCB. The FPCB located under the touch pad further has a plurality of holes and a plurality of sensor elements, in which the holes are dispersed amid the sensor elements. Each of the metal domes represents a function key. By providing the plural holes surrounding the sensor elements, flexibility of the touch pad device can be enhanced and over deflection upon the touch module can be avoided, while pressing the function key.

Claims

1. A touch pad device for an electronic apparatus, comprising:

a touch module, further including a touch pad and a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) located under the touch pad, the touch pad providing an input interface for a user, the FPCB generating a cursor signal in response to a touch thereupon of the user, the FPCB having a plurality of through portions and a plurality of sensor elements, each of the through portions being located between adjacent two of the sensor elements; and

a plurality of metal domes, located under the FPCB, each of the metal domes representing a position of a respective function key.

2. The touch pad device according to claim 1, wherein said electronic apparatus is a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant, an MP3 player or an input device of a notebook computer.

3. The touch pad device according to claim 1, wherein said through portions has a diameter ranged between 0.6 mm and 2.0 mm.

4. The touch pad device according to claim 1, wherein said metal dome is located under one said respective sensor element surrounded by a number of said through portions.

5. The touch pad device according to claim 1, wherein said through portions are distributed around said metal domes.

6. The touch pad device according to claim 1, wherein said through portions are arranged in a predetermined matrix pattern.

7. A touch pad device, mounted inside an electronic apparatus, comprising a touch module and a plurality of metal domes, the touch module further including a touch pad and a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) further having a plurality of through portions and a plurality of sensor elements, each of the metal domes representing respective function keys located under the FPCB at a position corresponding to where one said sensor element is located, characterized on that:

each of the through portions is located between adjacent two of the sensor elements, and the touch pad device provides a reaction force against a touch by a user upon the corresponding function key.

8. The touch pad device according to claim 7, wherein said through portions are distributed around said metal domes.

9. The touch pad device according to claim 7, wherein said through portions are arranged in a predetermined matrix pattern.

10. The touch pad device according to claim 7, wherein said through portions has a diameter ranged between 0.6 mm and 2.0 mm.

11. The touch pad device according to claim 7, wherein said electronic apparatus is a mobile phone, a personal digital assistant, an MP3 player or an input device of a notebook computer.