U.S. patent application number 16/217012 was filed with the patent office on 2020-04-30 for touchpad device.
The applicant listed for this patent is Chicony Electronics Co., Ltd.. Invention is credited to Chia-Hsin CHEN, Mitsuo HORIUCHI.
Application Number | 20200133334 16/217012 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 69189001 |
Filed Date | 2020-04-30 |
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United States Patent
Application |
20200133334 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
CHEN; Chia-Hsin ; et
al. |
April 30, 2020 |
TOUCHPAD DEVICE
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.
Inventors: |
CHEN; Chia-Hsin; (New Taipei
City, TW) ; HORIUCHI; Mitsuo; (New Taipei City,
TW) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Chicony Electronics Co., Ltd. |
New Taipei City |
|
TW |
|
|
Family ID: |
69189001 |
Appl. No.: |
16/217012 |
Filed: |
December 11, 2018 |
Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 3/03547 20130101;
G06F 1/1681 20130101; G06F 1/169 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G06F 1/16 20060101
G06F001/16; G06F 3/0354 20060101 G06F003/0354 |
Foreign Application Data
Date |
Code |
Application Number |
Oct 25, 2018 |
TW |
107137832 |
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.
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.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATION
[0001] This application claims priority to Taiwan Application
Serial Number 107137832, filed Oct. 25, 2018, which is herein
incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND
Technical Field
[0002] The present disclosure relates to a touchpad device.
Description of Related Art
[0003] With developments of technologies, touchpad devices have
been widely used in portable electronic products such as notebook
computers, tablet computers, and personal digital assistants. By
sensing movements of users' fingers, the touchpad devices can
synchronize corresponding movements of cursors. Therefore, the
touchpad devices can replace mice as the input and operation
devices.
[0004] In order to provide users the function of generating a click
command by pressing, a conventional touchpad device usually needs a
metal sheet to be fixed to a housing under a circuit board and
components (e.g., a stiffener, a balance bar, or the like) to be
disposed between the circuit board and the metal sheet in addition
to disposing a pivot to make the circuit board be able to rotate
relative to the housing, such that the overall structural strength
and the balance stability of the touchpad device can be improved.
However, in the current trend of all kinds of electronic devices
being designed to be thin, light, and short, the aforementioned
touchpad device itself or an electronic apparatus using the same is
not conducive to thinness.
[0005] Accordingly, how to provide a touchpad device to solve the
aforementioned problems becomes an important issue to be solved by
those in the industry.
SUMMARY
[0006] An aspect of the disclosure is to provide a touchpad device
that can efficiently solve the aforementioned problems.
[0007] According to an embodiment of the disclosure, 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.
[0008] In an embodiment of the disclosure, the main body has a
through hole. The elastic arm further includes a first extending
portion. The first extending portion is connected between an inner
edge of the through hole and the second fixing portion. A step is
formed between the first extending portion and the inner edge of
the through hole.
[0009] In an embodiment of the disclosure, the hinge structure
further includes a ground bump. The ground bump is disposed on the
main body and abuts against the circuit board.
[0010] In an embodiment of the disclosure, the hinge structure
further includes a cantilever and a ground bump. The cantilever
extends from an edge of the main body. The ground bump is disposed
on the cantilever and abuts against the circuit board.
[0011] In an embodiment of the disclosure, the touchpad device
further includes a stiffener attached to the bottom surface of the
circuit board.
[0012] In an embodiment of the disclosure, the hinge structure
further includes two clamping arms. The stiffener is clamped
between the clamping arms.
[0013] In an embodiment of the disclosure, the stiffener has a
retaining portion extending below an end of the elastic arm.
[0014] In an embodiment of the disclosure, the circuit board has a
first edge and a second edge opposite each other. The hinge
structure and the stiffener are respectively adjacent to the first
edge and the second edge.
[0015] In an embodiment of the disclosure, thicknesses of the
stiffener are reduced substantially from the first edge to two ends
of the second edge.
[0016] In an embodiment of the disclosure, the stiffener is
inwardly shrunk relative to two corners of the second edge of the
circuit board to form two unfilled corners.
[0017] In an embodiment of the disclosure, the touchpad device
further includes an edge frame attached to the bottom surface of
the circuit board and abutting against an edge of the circuit
board.
[0018] In an embodiment of the disclosure, a gap is formed between
the main body of the hinge structure and the edge frame. A part of
the gap is substantially S-shaped.
[0019] In an embodiment of the disclosure, the edge frame includes
a base and a sidewall connected to each other. The base is attached
to the bottom surface of the circuit board. The sidewall abuts
against the edge of the circuit board.
[0020] In an embodiment of the disclosure, the base has a plurality
of protrusions at a bottom surface thereof.
[0021] Accordingly, in the touchpad device of the present
disclosure, the main body of the hinge structure is attached to the
bottom surface of the circuit board, and the elastic arm of the
hinge structure downwardly extends and is fixed to the housing, so
that the circuit board can swing relative to the housing by actions
of the hinge structure. Because the circuit board and the housing
are only connected by the hinge structure, the thickness of the
whole touchpad device can be effectively reduced. Furthermore, by
attaching the stiffener to the bottom surface of the circuit board,
the support to the circuit board can be further increased. In
addition, by partially extending the stiffener below the elastic
arm of the hinge structure to retain the elastic arm, the touchpad
device can prevent from damage due to large deformation of the
hinge structure while falling down.
[0022] It is to be understood that both the foregoing general
description and the following detailed description are by examples,
and are intended to provide further explanation of the disclosure
as claimed.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0023] The disclosure can be more fully understood by reading the
following detailed description of the embodiment, with reference
made to the accompanying drawings as follows:
[0024] FIG. 1 is a perspective view of an electronic apparatus
according to some embodiments of the disclosure;
[0025] FIG. 2A is a perspective view of a touchpad device in FIG.
1;
[0026] FIG. 2B is an exploded view of the touchpad device in FIG.
2A;
[0027] FIG. 3 is a perspective view of a hinge structure and a
stiffener in FIG. 2B;
[0028] FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of the touchpad device in
FIG. 2A taken along line 4-4;
[0029] FIG. 5 is an exploded view of the hinge structure and the
stiffener in FIG. 3;
[0030] FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the hinge structure, a circuit
board, and the stiffener in FIG. 2B;
[0031] FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of the stiffener in FIG. 6
taken along line 7-7;
[0032] FIG. 8 is a partial top view of the hinge structure in FIG.
2B; and
[0033] FIG. 9 is a partial perspective view of an edge frame in
FIG. 2B.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0034] Reference will now be made in detail to the present
embodiments of the disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in
the accompanying drawings. Wherever possible, the same reference
numbers are used in the drawings and the description to refer to
the same or like parts. However, specific structural and functional
details disclosed herein are merely representative for purposes of
describing example embodiments, and thus may be embodied in many
alternate forms and should not be construed as limited to only
example embodiments set forth herein. Therefore, it should be
understood that there is no intent to limit example embodiments to
the particular forms disclosed, but on the contrary, example
embodiments are to cover all modifications, equivalents, and
alternatives falling within the scope of the disclosure.
[0035] Reference is made to FIG. 1. FIG. 1 is a perspective view of
an electronic apparatus 100 according to some embodiments of the
disclosure. As shown in FIG. 1, the electronic apparatus 100
includes a host 110, a display 120, and a touchpad device 200. The
touchpad device 200 is an input device disposed on the host 110,
but the disclosure is not limited in this regard. In practical
applications, the touchpad device 200 can be an electronic product
(e.g., a personal digital assistant, a keyboard with a touchpad,
and etc.) that uses a touchpad as the input or operation interface.
That is, concepts of the touchpad device 200 of the disclosure can
be used in any electronic product that uses a touchpad as the input
or operation interface. Structures and functions of some components
included in the touchpad device 200 and connection and action
relationships among these components are introduced in detail
below.
[0036] Reference is made to FIGS. 2A to 4. FIG. 2A is a perspective
view of a touchpad device 200 in FIG. 1. FIG. 2B is an exploded
view of the touchpad device 200 in FIG. 2A. FIG. 3 is a perspective
view of a hinge structure 220 and a stiffener 240 in FIG. 2B. FIG.
4 is a cross-sectional view of the touchpad device 200 in FIG. 2A
taken along line 4-4. As shown in FIGS. 2A to 4, in the present
embodiment, the touchpad device 200 includes a hinge structure 220
and a circuit board 230 and is installed on a housing 210. In the
present embodiment, the housing 210 is a part of the chassis of the
host 110 (e.g., the C piece of a notebook computer), but the
disclosure is not limited in this regard. The housing 210 has an
opening 211 and a first fixing portion 212. The first fixing
portion 212 extends into the opening 211 from an inner edge of the
opening 211. The hinge structure 220 is located in the opening 211
and includes a main body 221 and an elastic arm 222. The main body
221 is located above the first fixing portion 212. The elastic arm
222 is connected to the main body 221 and includes a second fixing
portion 222b. The second fixing portion 222b is fixed to the first
fixing portion 212 of the housing 210. A bottom surface of the
circuit board 230 is attached to a top surface of the main body
221. The elastic arm 222 extends below the bottom surface of the
circuit board 230 relative to the main body 221. In other words, as
shown in FIG. 4, the main body 221 and the elastic arm 222 are not
coplanar and form a step therebetween. Preferably, the touchpad
device 200 further includes a cover layer 260. The cover layer 260
is disposed on a top surface of the circuit board 230 for touches
and operations of fingers of a user. In the present embodiment, the
cover layer 260 is a piece of polyester resin (Mylar) attached to
the circuit board 230, but the disclosure is not limited in this
regard.
[0037] With the foregoing structural configurations, when a user
presses the cover layer 260 on the circuit board 230, the hinge
structure 220 will be extruded and deformed by the downwardly
moving circuit board 230, so as to make the cover layer 260 and the
circuit board 230 move toward the first fixing portion 212 of the
housing 210. Because the touchpad device 200 of the present
embodiments can achieve the purpose of swinging the cover layer 260
and the circuit board 230 relative to the housing 210 only by the
hinge structure 220 connected between the circuit board 230 and the
housing 210, the thickness of the whole touchpad device 200 can be
effectively reduced. In the present embodiment, the hinge structure
220 can be a sheet metal structure made of a metal plate by, for
example, a stamping process, which is conducive to the thinness of
a product, but the disclosure is not limited in this regard.
[0038] As shown in FIGS. 2B to 4, in the present embodiment, the
main body 221 of the hinge structure 220 has a through hole 221a.
The elastic arm 222 of the hinge structure 220 is connected to an
inner edge of the through hole 221a and extends downwardly to the
first fixing portion 212 of the housing 210. Specifically, the
elastic arm 222 further includes a first extending portion 222a.
The first extending portion 222a is connected between the inner
edge of the through hole 221a and the second fixing portion 222b,
and the step is formed between the first extending portion 222a and
the inner edge of the through hole 221a.
[0039] As shown in FIG. 2B with reference to FIG. 8, in the present
embodiment, the hinge structure 220 has three sets of combination
of the through hole 221a and the elastic arm 222, in which a width
of the first extending portion 222a of the middle elastic arm 222
is smaller than widths of the first extending portions 222a of the
elastic arms 222 at two sides. As such, when one of the elastic
arms 222 at two sides fails, the middle elastic arm 222 can play
the role of auxiliary support. Even the elastic arms 222 at two
sides do not fail, the middle elastic arm 222 does not provide too
much support between the circuit board 230 and the housing 210
owing to the first extending portion 222a with the smaller width,
so the problem that the hinge structure 220 is not easily deformed
by pressing is avoided. In practical applications, the number of
the sets of combination of the through hole 221a and the elastic
arm 222 is not limited by the embodiments illustrated by FIG. 2B
and can be flexibly changed.
[0040] As shown in FIGS. 2B and 3, in the present embodiment, the
hinge structure 220 further includes a plurality of ground bumps
223a. The ground bumps 223a are discretely disposed on the main
body of the main body 221 and abut against the circuit board 230.
In addition, the hinge structure 220 further includes plurality
sets of combination of a cantilever 224 and a ground bump 223b. The
cantilever 224 extends from an edge of the main body 221. The
ground bump 223b is disposed on a top surface of the cantilever 224
and abuts against the circuit board 230. In the present embodiment,
the cantilever 224 is also connected to the inner edge of the
through hole 221a of the main body 221. In some embodiments, the
cantilever 224 and the ground bump 223b are coplanar, so as to
ensure that the ground bump 223b on the cantilever 224 can exactly
abut against the bottom surface of the circuit board 230.
Therefore, when the electro-static Discharge (ESD) phenomenon
caused by the electrostatic charge carried by the user's finger is
transferred to the touchpad device 200, the external static
electricity is easy to penetrate and destroy the circuit board 230,
and the configuration of the ground bumps 223a and the ground bumps
223b can lead the static electricity to ground and avoid the damage
of the circuit board 230.
[0041] In some embodiments, the elastic arm 222 and the cantilevers
224 within the inner edge of the same through hole 221a have
different extending directions. In some embodiments, the extending
directions of the elastic arm 222 and the cantilevers 224 within
the inner edge of the same through hole 221a are substantially
perpendicular to each other, but the disclosure is not limited in
this regard. In practical applications, the number of the
cantilevers 224 within the inner edge of the same through hole 221a
is not limited by the embodiments as illustrated by FIG. 3 and can
be flexibly changed.
[0042] In some embodiments, the main body 221 of the hinge
structure 220 further has hollow portions 221b1, 221b2. The hollow
portions 221b1, 221b2 can give way to electronic parts on the
circuit board 230 (e.g., electrical connectors or antennas).
[0043] In practical applications, the main body 221 (including the
through hole 221a, the hollow portions 221b1, 221b2, and the ground
bumps 223a thereon) of the hinge structure 220, the elastic arm
222, and the cantilever 224 (including the ground bump 223b
thereon) can be made from a sheet metal by, for example, a stamping
process, but the disclosure is not limited in this regard.
[0044] As shown in FIGS. 2B and 4, in the present embodiment, the
first fixing portion 212 is fixed below the second fixing portion
222b. The touchpad device 200 further includes a fastening member
270. The fastening member 270 fastens the first fixing portion 212
of the housing 210 from the bottom to the second fixing portion
222b of the elastic arm 222. In practical applications, the first
fixing portion 212 of the housing 210 and the second fixing portion
222b of the elastic arm 222 can also be fixed in other ways, such
as welding, riveting, or the like.
[0045] As shown in FIGS. 2B and 3, in the present embodiment, the
touchpad device 200 further includes a stiffener 240 attached to
the bottom surface of the circuit board 230 (for example, adhering
by glue). By attaching the stiffener 240 to the bottom surface of
the circuit board 230, the support to the circuit board 230 can be
further increased. In addition, the hinge structure 220 further
includes two clamping arms 225. The stiffener 240 is clamped
between the clamping arms 225. As such, the two clamping arms 225
can assist the assembler in assembling the stiffener 240 to an edge
of the hinge structure 220 and strengthen the fixing strength
between the hinge structure 220 and the stiffener 240.
[0046] In some embodiments, the hinge structure 220 and the
stiffener 240 can form a unitary piece.
[0047] Reference is made to FIG. 5. FIG. 5 is an exploded view of
the hinge structure 220 and the stiffener 240 in FIG. 3. As shown
in FIGS. 3 to 5, in the present embodiment, the second fixing
portion 222b is connected between the first extending portion 222a
and a second extending portion 222c, and the second extending
portion 222c extends obliquely downward. The stiffener 240 has a
retaining portion 241. The retaining portion 241 is located at an
edge of the stiffener 240 and extends below an end (i.e., the
second extending portion 222c) of the elastic arm 222. Therefore,
as shown in FIG. 4, the second extending portion 222c of the
elastic arm 222 is retained between the circuit board 230 and the
retaining portion 241 of the stiffener 240. With the structural
configurations, the touchpad device 200 can prevent from damage due
to large deformation of the hinge structure 220 while falling
down.
[0048] Reference is made to FIG. 6. FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the
hinge structure 220, the circuit board 230, and the stiffener 240
in FIG. 2B. As shown in FIG. 6, in the present embodiment, the
circuit board 230 has a first edge 231a (i.e., the upper edge in
FIG. 6) and a second edge (i.e., the lower edge in FIG. 6) opposite
to each other. The hinge structure 220 and the stiffener 240 are
respectively adjacent to the first edge 231a and the second edge
231b. An area of the stiffener 240 covering the bottom surface of
the circuit board 230 is greater than an area of hinge structure
220 covering the bottom surface of the circuit board 230. A
distance from the elastic arm 222 of the hinge structure 220 to the
first edge 231a is smaller than that to the second edge 231b. With
the structural configurations, when the user presses the cover
layer 260 on the circuit board 230, the portion of the circuit
board 230 adjacent to the second edge 231b will swing down more
than the portion of the circuit board 230 adjacent to the first
edge 231a.
[0049] As shown in FIG. 6, the circuit board 230 further has two
corners 231c, 231d respectively located at two ends of the second
edge 231b. The corners 231c, 231d outwardly extend from an outer
edge of the stiffener 240. On the other hands, the stiffener 240 is
inwardly shrunk relative to the two corners 231c, 231d of the
circuit board 230 to form two unfilled corners 242a, 242b. In
addition, as shown in FIG. 2B, the housing 210 further has a
stopper portion 214. The stopper portion 214 extends into the
opening 211 from the inner edge of the opening 211 and extends
below a central portion of the circuit board 230 adjacent to the
first edge 231a. The stiffener 240 further has a notch 243. The
notch 243 is aligned up and down with the stopper portion 214.
Therefore, the circuit board 230 that swings downward can abut
against the stopper portion 214. With the structural
configurations, even if downwardly swing amplitudes of the corners
231c, 231d of the circuit board 230 are large, the stiffener 240
can still avoid colliding with the objects below (because the
stiffener 240 has the unfilled corners 242a, 242b inwardly shrunk
relative to the corners 231c, 231d). As such, the circuit board 230
has enough pressing stroke, so as to provide a better pressing
feeling to the user and is conducive to the thinness of the
touchpad device 200.
[0050] Reference is made to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional
view of the stiffener 240 in FIG. 6 taken along line 7-7. As shown
in FIGS. 6 and 7, in the present embodiment, to further avoid the
possibility that the stiffener 240 collides with the objects below,
thicknesses of the stiffener 240 are reduced substantially from the
first edge 231a to two ends of the second edge 231b. In other
words, the stiffener 240 is thicker at a location corresponding to
the center of the first edge 231a and gradually thins toward both
ends of the second edge 231b. Because the top surface of the
stiffener 240 is attached to the bottom surface of the circuit
board 230, the bottom surface of the stiffener 240 is a
three-dimensional surface with high and low undulations. Therefore,
the stiffener 240 is thinner at locations corresponding to the two
ends of the second edge 231b and two sides of the circuit board
230. As such, the circuit board 230 has enough pressing stroke, so
as to provide a better pressing feeling to the user and is
conducive to the thinness of the touchpad device 200.
[0051] As shown in FIG. 7, in the present embodiment, the bottom
surface of the stiffener 240 forms a plurality of step structures
(similar to the appearance of a terrace), thereby producing
thickness variations, but the disclosure is not limited in this
regard. In practical applications, the bottom surface of the
stiffener 240 can be a smooth three-dimensional surface.
[0052] As shown in FIGS. 2B and 6, in the present embodiment, the
housing 210 further has a slot 213. The slot 213 is located at the
inner wall of the opening 211. The stiffener 240 has a protruding
portion 244. The protruding portion 244 extends from an edge of the
stiffener 240 and partially inserts into the slot 213.
Specifically, the slot 213 is connected to the bottom surface of
the housing 210 and spaced apart from the top surface of the
housing 210. With the structural configurations, the cover layer
260 can be prevented from rising up (because the path in which the
protruding portion 244 moves upward is blocked by the housing
210).
[0053] Reference is made to FIG. 8. FIG. 8 is a partial top view of
the hinge structure 220 in FIG. 2B. As shown in FIG. 8 with
reference to FIG. 4, in the present embodiment, the touchpad device
200 further includes an edge frame 250. The edge frame 250 includes
a base 251 and a sidewall 252 connected to each other. The base 251
is attached to the bottom surface of the circuit board 230. The
sidewall 252 abuts against the edge of the circuit board 230. In
addition, the sidewall 252 further abuts against an edge of the
cover layer 260. By the sidewall 252 of the edge frame 250 for the
circuit board 230 and the cover layer 260 to abut against, not only
the edges of the circuit board 230 and the cover layer 260 can be
decorated, but the assembler can be assisted to quickly carry out
the alignments of the circuit board 230 and the cover layer
260.
[0054] As shown in FIG. 8, a gap G is formed between the main body
221 of the hinge structure 220 and the edge frame 250. At least a
part of the gap G is substantially S-shaped (by forming convex and
concave portions on the hinge structure 220 and the edge frame 250
respectively). Moreover, the gap G may be zigzag in shape of
reciprocating bending. With the structural configurations, the
adhesive area of the bottom surface of the circuit board 230 can be
evenly distributed to the hinge structure 220 and the base 251 of
the edge frame 250, so that the base 251 that covers less area can
be prevented from easily separated from the circuit board 230,
thereby increasing the strength and durability of product.
[0055] In some embodiments, the hinge structure 220 and the edge
frame 250 form a unitary piece.
[0056] Reference is made to FIG. 9. FIG. 9 is a partial perspective
view of the edge frame 250 in FIG. 2B. As shown in FIG. 9, in the
present embodiment, the base 251 has a plurality of protrusions
251a at the bottom surface thereof. The protrusions 251a can
increase the whole thickness of the base 251, so as to increase the
structural strength. In addition, in some embodiments in which the
material of the edge frame 250 includes plastic, the formation of
the protrusions 251a also prevents the material shrinkage of the
base 251 due to its too thin thickness during the injection molding
process.
[0057] According to the foregoing recitations of the embodiments of
the disclosure, it can be seen that in the touchpad device of the
present disclosure, the main body of the hinge structure is
attached to the bottom surface of the circuit board, and the
elastic arm of the hinge structure downwardly extends and is fixed
to the housing, so that the circuit board can swing relative to the
housing by actions of the hinge structure. Because the circuit
board and the housing are only connected by the hinge structure,
the thickness of the whole touchpad device can be effectively
reduced. Furthermore, by attaching the stiffener to the bottom
surface of the circuit board, the support to the circuit board can
be further increased. In addition, by partially extending the
stiffener below the elastic arm of the hinge structure to retain
the elastic arm, the touchpad device can prevent from damage due to
large deformation of the hinge structure while falling down.
[0058] Although the present disclosure has been described in
considerable detail with reference to certain embodiments thereof,
other embodiments are possible. Therefore, the spirit and scope of
the appended claims should not be limited to the description of the
embodiments contained herein.
[0059] It will be apparent to those skilled in the art that various
modifications and variations can be made to the structure of the
present disclosure without departing from the scope or spirit of
the disclosure. In view of the foregoing, it is intended that the
present disclosure cover modifications and variations of this
disclosure provided they fall within the scope of the following
claims.
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