JP2004272641A - Touch pad and information processor - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce or eliminate a level difference around a portion operated as a touch pad, in application to a note-sized personal computer for example, in the touch pad and an information processor. <P>SOLUTION: In this touch pad, a sensor part 12 is held on an inner side face of a case 13, and the sensor part 12 detects finger's operation through the case 13. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2004,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a touchpad and an information processing device, and can be applied to, for example, a notebook computer. The present invention holds a sensor unit on the inner surface of a case and detects operation of a finger through the case by the sensor unit, thereby reducing a step around a part to be operated as a touch pad. , Can be lost.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Conventionally, in a notebook personal computer, a touch pad (track pad) is used as a pointing device instead of a mouse. For example, in Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2000-284900, such a touch pad is used by a user. A method for simplifying the input has been proposed.
[0003]
Among such touchpads, for example, in the case of an electrostatic touchpad, a user can detect a portion where the capacitance is locally changed by using a sensor unit having a plate shape formed in a substantially rectangular shape, and thereby, Is configured to detect the position at which the finger is touched, and further detect a change in this position. In an electrostatic touch pad, for example, a wiring pattern extending in the X direction is repeatedly formed at a predetermined pitch, an X electrode layer, a predetermined dielectric substrate, and a wiring pattern extending in the Y direction are repeatedly formed at a predetermined pitch. The sensor section is formed by laminating the Y electrode layers formed as described above, and a laminated structure including the X electrode layer, the Y electrode layer, and the dielectric substrate is formed by a flexible wiring board.
[0004]
Conventionally, in a notebook computer or the like, a sheet for formatting is attached to a sensor section of the flexible wiring board, and the sensor section is arranged so that a user can touch the sheet surface for formatting with a finger. I have.
[0005]
That is, FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a touch pad, and FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 3 taken along line BB to partially show a conventional configuration of such a touch panel of a notebook computer. In the notebook personal computer 1, a substantially rectangular opening 3 is formed in the case 2 for the touch pad portion. Further, in the notebook computer 1, a format sheet 5 is adhered to the surface of the sensor section 4, and the sensor section 4 is disposed at the opening 3 and fixed by a mounting bracket 6. This allows the notebook computer 1 to detect a finger operation by the user via the sensor unit 4.
[0006]
In a conventional notebook personal computer, a method of forming a concave portion in the case 2 and disposing the sensor section 4 in the concave portion instead of disposing the opening from the rear side is also adopted. In the case of this method, a cover for covering the surroundings of the sensor unit 4 is separately provided in the notebook personal computer.
[0007]
[Patent Document 1]
JP 2000-284900 A
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
By the way, the configuration shown in FIG. 4 has a problem in that a step that is as large as the thickness of the case is generated and a sense of operation discomfort is generated around a portion operated as a touch pad. On the other hand, in the case of such a step, it is desirable from the design point of view that the step should be as small as possible while leaving it as touchable with a finger, and in some cases, the step itself should be eliminated. Is desired.
[0009]
As one method for solving this problem, it is conceivable to attach the sheet 5 only to the portion of the opening 3, but in this case, the step can be reduced only by the sheet. In addition, since the gap between the case 2 and the sensor unit 4 cannot be eliminated by using the elasticity of the sheet, there is a problem that the configuration for preventing such a gap between the case 2 and the sensor unit 4 becomes complicated. is there. Further, the step can be reduced by reducing the thickness of the case 2 itself, but in this case, the strength of the case 2 is significantly deteriorated. Although the thickness of the case 2 may be reduced only in the portion of the sensor portion 4, a post or the like for screwing the bracket 6 is provided around the sensor portion 4. The strength of the mold deteriorates, and the configuration of the mold becomes complicated.
[0010]
On the other hand, in the method of disposing the sensor portion 4 in the concave portion formed in the case 2 instead of disposing the opening from the back side, such a step can be set relatively freely. The necessity of separately providing a blind cover for hiding the periphery of the sensor unit 4 causes a problem of complicating the configuration.
[0011]
The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and it is possible to reduce or eliminate a step around a part to be operated as a touch pad, thereby reducing the design. An object of the present invention is to propose a touchpad and an information processing device that can improve the degree of freedom.
[0012]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
In order to solve such a problem, the invention according to claim 1 is applied to a touch pad using a sensor unit, and an adhesive layer is formed on one surface of the sensor unit.
[0013]
Further, in the invention according to claim 4, the present invention is applied to an information processing apparatus in which a touch pad having a sensor unit for detecting a finger operation by a user is provided in a case, and the sensor unit of the touch pad is held on an inner surface of the case. The operation of the finger is detected by the sensor unit via the case.
[0014]
According to the configuration of the first aspect, the sensor unit is applied to the touch pad using the sensor unit, and an adhesive layer is formed on one surface of the sensor unit. The operation of the finger can be detected by the sensor unit via the sensor unit, and the sensor unit can be attached to the case to prevent air bubbles and the like from entering between the case and the sensor unit. Operation can be reliably detected. However, in this case, by detecting the operation of the finger through the case by the sensor unit, it is possible to create various steps on the front side of the case and eliminate the steps.
[0015]
Thus, according to the configuration of the fourth aspect, it is possible to reduce or eliminate the step around the part to be operated as the touch pad.
[0016]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the drawings as appropriate.
[0017]
(1) Configuration of First Embodiment FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a configuration of a touch pad of a notebook personal computer according to an embodiment of the present invention, as viewed from the inside of the notebook personal computer. In the notebook computer 11, the sensor unit 12 constituting the touchpad is arranged on the inner surface of the case 13.
[0018]
That is, the sensor portion 12 has a laminated structure of an X electrode layer, a dielectric substrate, and a Y electrode layer formed by repeating a wiring pattern extending in the Y direction at a predetermined pitch by repeating a wiring pattern extending in the X direction at a predetermined pitch. It is made of a substrate, whereby the whole is made into a rectangular shape by a flexible plate shape. In the sensor unit 12, a region where the wiring patterns created on the X electrode layer and the Y electrode layer intersect in a matrix is set as an effective operation region AR for receiving a finger operation by a user, and around the effective operation region AR. The wiring patterns of the X electrode layer and the Y electrode layer are drawn out from the formed region and connected to the substrate 14. The sensor unit 12 is provided with a drive circuit for outputting a drive signal to one of the wiring patterns of the X electrode layer and the Y electrode layer on the substrate 14, and the sensor circuit 12 detects a signal from the other wiring pattern. There is provided a detection circuit for detecting a portion where the capacitance is changed by a driving signal, an interface for outputting a detection result by this detection, and the like.
[0019]
The sensor section 12 is formed by connecting the board 14 and the sensor section 12 by a flexible wiring board 15 having a predetermined length, whereby the board 14 is folded at the flexible wiring board 15 so that the board 15 It has been made possible to arrange.
[0020]
As a result, the sensor unit 12 is formed with a flat surface on both sides, and on the surface on the case 13 side, an adhesive layer 17 is formed at least in the effective operation area AR. Air bubbles and the like are mixed in the gap between them, so that the distance from the surface of the case 13 does not locally change, thereby preventing the detection accuracy from deteriorating.
[0021]
In this embodiment, the adhesive layer 17 is made of a double-sided tape, so that the adhesive layer can be easily formed. Also, a weakly adhesive tape is applied to this double-sided tape, so that, for example, when a component mounted on the substrate 14 breaks down, the sensor unit 12 can be easily removed from the case 13, and the maintainability is accordingly reduced. Has been made to be able to improve.
[0022]
As a result of various studies, in this embodiment, the base material is a polyester film, one surface has strong adhesiveness (180-degree direction adhesive force of 2.93 [N / cm]) by an acrylic adhesive, and the other surface has Using a double-sided tape (Sumitomo 3M Co., Ltd., 9415PC) having low adhesiveness (adhesive force in the 180-degree direction of 0.13 [N / cm]) by an acrylic adhesive, and using the sensor unit 12 side as a strong adhesive side. The adhesive layer 17 was formed by attaching a double-sided tape to the sensor unit 12. In the case of adhesive strength, about 0.5 [N / cm] is too strong, so that 0.3 [N / cm] or less and 0.05 [N / cm] or more ensure sufficient strength for practical use. In addition, the maintainability can be improved.
[0023]
In addition, the sensor section 12 has a shield surface 18 formed on the other surface side, whereby the potential on the multiple surface side is kept constant, thereby preventing the detection accuracy from being deteriorated. In this embodiment, the shield surface 18 is formed by sticking an aluminum sheet material so as to protrude from the effective operation area AR and cover almost the entire surface of the sensor unit 12, thereby easily forming the shield surface 18. It has been made to be. Further, in this sheet material, aluminum is formed so as to be exposed on the outer surface, so that the sheet material can be reliably connected to the ground of the substrate 15 via the bracket 16.
[0024]
The case 13 has a flat inner surface at a portion where the sensor unit 12 is disposed corresponding to the configuration of the sensor unit 12, and thereby the sensor unit 12 is disposed to locally float the sensor unit 12. Is to be prevented. The case 13 is made of a resin material of ABS (Aikyl Benzene Sulfonate) because the detection mechanism of the sensor unit 12 is of an electrostatic type. In this way, the detection can be performed by the sensor unit 12.
[0025]
Further, the case 13 is provided with screw posts 20 at four places around the portion where the sensor section 12 is arranged, and a bracket 16 is screwed through the post 20, and the sensor section 12 is fixed by the bracket 16. Is pressed against the case 13 and held.
[0026]
That is, the bracket 16 is formed by bending a metal plate material, and a surface corresponding to the sensor unit 12 is formed by a flat surface. On this surface, round holes are formed at a predetermined pitch, thereby forming the sensor unit 12. Is securely pressed against the case 13 to reduce the weight and to secure a sufficient strength. The bracket 16 is provided with a screw hole 22 for screwing the board 14.
[0027]
In addition, the case 13 has a projection 23 extending in the shape of a wall formed on the periphery of the part where the sensor part 12 is arranged, on the near side, and on one side, and the projection 23 has an end face adjacent to the sensor part 12. The sensor unit 12 can be positioned by contact. The case 13 is provided with knobs 24 and 25 of a click operation element on the front side of the projection 23 on the front side of the case 13.
[0028]
Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a cross section of the case 13 is taken along the line AA, and a concave portion 26 is formed in a portion corresponding to the effective operation area AR on the front surface side, and a seal 27 is attached to the concave portion 26. It has been made. Thus, in this embodiment, the area operable as the touch pad can be identified by the seal 27 using a color different from that of the case 13. Further, even when the user repeatedly rubs the area operable as the touch pad with his / her finger, in this part, deterioration due to abrasion hardly occurs and no change is caused. As a result, the seal 27 forms an identification display indicating the operation unit of the touch pad.
[0029]
In this embodiment, the seal 27 is made of a transparent base material, a painted surface, and an adhesive layer, and the lower surface side of the transparent device is set to the painted surface, whereby the user repeatedly operates the touch pad with his / her finger. Even when a possible area is rubbed, no change such as deterioration due to wear is caused in this part.
[0030]
In this embodiment, in the state where the seal 27 is stuck in this manner, the step formed around the concave portion 26 is made much smaller than in the past, and the design is accordingly reduced. It has been made to be excellent. In this embodiment, the seal 27 is formed with a thickness of 0.3 [mm], and the case 13 is formed with a thickness of 0.7 [mm] at the concave portion 26, so that the sensor section 12 has The operation of the finger is detected at an interval of about 1 [mm]. In practice, even if the operation is performed at such a distance, the operation of the finger can be performed with sufficient accuracy. It was confirmed that it could be detected.
[0031]
(2) The operation of attaching the touch pad to the notebook computer at the operation destination of the embodiment will be described. In the above configuration, in this embodiment, a sensor in which an adhesive layer 17 made of a double-sided tape is formed on the side surface of the case 13 By bringing the part 12 and bringing the end face of the sensor part 12 into contact with the projection 23 of the case 13 and pressing it against the case 13, the sensor part 12 is held on the case 13 by the adhesive layer 17. After that, the sensor part 12 is attached to the case 13 by screwing the bracket 16 with screws.
[0032]
As a result, in the notebook computer 11, the operation of the finger is detected by the sensor unit 12 through the case 13, so that the step around the part to be operated as a touch pad is reduced accordingly. It can be lost.
[0033]
That is, the sensor section 12 detects the position where the user touches the finger by the change in the capacitance that changes when the finger is brought close to the sensor section 12, so that the finger is reliably detected even if the case 13 is sandwiched in this way. can do. Accordingly, the shape of the front side can be variously set without being restricted by the structure inside the case at all, thereby making it possible to reduce or eliminate the step. .
[0034]
Next, the operation of the touch pad by the user will be described. In holding the sensor unit 12 as described above, the finger of the sensor unit 12 is brought into close contact with the case by the adhesive layer 17 with the adhesive layer 17. When the contact is made with the case surface, the distance to the finger can be kept constant at each part, so that the deterioration of the detection accuracy can be effectively avoided.
[0035]
On the other side, the shield surface is a shield surface. By grounding this shield surface to the ground of the substrate 14 via the bracket 16, the potential can be kept constant on the opposite side of the sensor unit 12. Thus, it is possible to effectively avoid a decrease in detection accuracy in such a capacitive touch pad.
[0036]
In contrast to the configuration inside the case, in which the step can be reduced or eliminated in this way, a recess 26 is formed in a region corresponding to the effective operation area AR on the outside of the case, and a bottom portion thereof is formed. A seal 27 is arranged on the touch pad, so that the touch pad portion can be visually checked to improve the usability, and the touch pad portion can also be checked by the sense of the finger to improve the usability. ing.
[0037]
(3) Effects of the Embodiment According to the configuration described above, the sensor unit is held on the inner side surface of the case, and the operation of the finger is detected by the sensor unit via the case. Regarding the surrounding steps, the steps can be reduced or eliminated. As a result, when the steps are eliminated in this manner, the operation surface of the touch pad can be made indistinguishable from the appearance. In addition, since the steps can be reduced or eliminated in this way, the degree of freedom in design can be significantly increased as compared with the related art. In addition, the operation feeling with a finger can be freely set, and for example, an extremely small step that can be recognized by touching with a finger can also be used. Further, it is possible to contribute to a reduction in thickness, size, and weight of the entire device.
[0038]
Further, by forming the adhesive layer on one side of the sensor section, the sensor section can be held in close contact with the case, and a decrease in detection accuracy can be prevented accordingly.
[0039]
In addition, since this adhesive layer is formed by attaching a weakly adhesive double-sided tape, maintainability can be improved.
[0040]
Further, by forming the shield surface on the side surface of the sensor unit opposite to the case side surface, it is possible to prevent the detection accuracy from deteriorating in the detection by the capacitance.
[0041]
In addition, by attaching a sticker indicating the operation unit of the touch pad to a portion of the case facing the sensor unit, it is possible to prevent this portion from being changed by repeated operations.
[0042]
(4) Other Embodiments In the above-described embodiment, the case where the sensor unit is attached to the case with a weakly adhesive double-sided tape has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and it is difficult to replace the sensor unit. In such a case, a strong adhesive double-sided tape may be attached to the case, or an adhesive may be used instead of the double-sided tape.
[0043]
Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the seal is attached to the case surface has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the sticker may be omitted, and only the step may be provided. The case itself may be painted, the portion of the touch pad may have the same color as the other portions of the case, and the seal may be replaceable by the user. In the case where the seal can be replaced in this way, the enjoyment of using the notebook personal computer can be further improved by changing the design according to the user's taste and orientation like a mouse pad.
[0044]
Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the step is formed on the case surface side has been described, but the present invention is not limited to this, and the step may be omitted.
[0045]
Further, in the above-described embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to the touch pad based on the capacitance method has been described. Can be applied. In this case, the touch pad may be an accessory product housed in an independent housing and connected to the main body via a connector or the like.
[0046]
In the above-described embodiment, the case where the present invention is applied to a notebook personal computer has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and is widely applied to various information processing apparatuses such as a PDA (Personal Digital Assistants) and a mobile phone. can do.
[0047]
【The invention's effect】
According to the present invention as described above, the sensor unit is held on the inner side surface of the case, and the operation of the finger is detected by the sensor unit via the case. This step can be reduced or eliminated.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 is an exploded perspective view showing a part of a notebook computer according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 1 cut along line AA.
FIG. 3 is a perspective view showing a conventional notebook computer.
FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of FIG. 3 taken along line BB.
[Explanation of symbols]
1, 11: Notebook PC, 2, 13: Case, 3: Opening, 4, 12: Sensor part, 5: Sheet, 6, 16: Bracket, 14: Substrate, 17: Adhesive layer , 18 ... shield surface, 26 ... recess, 27 ... seal

Claims (7)

In a touchpad using a sensor unit with a plate shape,
A touch pad, wherein an adhesive layer is formed on one surface of the sensor unit. The touchpad according to claim 1, wherein a shield surface is formed on the other surface of the sensor unit. The touch pad according to claim 1, wherein the adhesive layer is formed by attaching a weakly adhesive double-sided tape. In an information processing apparatus provided with a touch pad having a sensor unit for detecting a finger operation by a user in a case,
Holding the sensor unit of the touch pad on the inner surface of the case,
An information processing apparatus, wherein the operation of the finger is detected by the sensor unit via the case. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the sensor unit is held by the case via an adhesive layer. The information processing apparatus according to claim 5, wherein the sensor unit has a shield surface formed on a surface opposite to a surface on which the adhesive layer is interposed. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein an identification display indicating an operation unit of the touch pad is formed on a surface of the case corresponding to a portion where the sensor unit is arranged.

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