TW201704951A - Touch panel - Google Patents

Abstract

A touch panel including a substrate, plural first electrodes, plural second electrodes, an insulating layer, plural first conductive wirings, and plural second conductive wirings is provided. The substrate has an active region and a peripheral region. The first electrodes and the second electrodes are disposed on the substrate and located in the active region. The insulating layer covers the active region, and the second electrodes are insulated to the first electrodes through the insulating layer. The insulating layer has plural first through holes. Each of the first through holes exposes a portion of one of the first electrodes respectively. The first conductive wirings are disposed on the insulating layer and extend into one of the first through holes respectively. The second conductive wirings are disposed on the substrate and located in the peripheral region. Each of the second conductive wirings is electrically connected to one of the second electrodes respectively.

Description

Touch panel

The present invention relates to a panel, and more particularly to a touch panel.

With the rapid development and application of information technology, wireless mobile communication and information appliances, the input devices of many information products replace the traditional keyboard or mouse with a touch panel to achieve the convenience of carrying, the volume is light and the operation is humanized. Based on the appeal of aesthetics and large display area, narrow border technology has become the development trend of information products. Therefore, how to reduce the peripheral area of the touch panel to meet the design requirements of the narrow bezel becomes a trend in the future.

The invention provides a touch panel having a narrow bezel.

A touch panel of the present invention includes a substrate, a plurality of first electrodes, a plurality of second electrodes, an insulating layer, a plurality of first wires, and a plurality of second wires. The substrate has an active area and a peripheral area connecting the active areas. The first electrode and the second electrode are disposed on the substrate and located in the active region, wherein the second electrode and the first electrode are staggered with each other. The insulating layer covers the active region, and the second electrode is electrically insulated from the first electrode through the insulating layer, wherein the insulating layer has a plurality of first through holes. Each of the first through holes exposes a portion of one of the first electrodes. The first wire is disposed on the insulating layer and extends into the peripheral region by the active region, wherein each of the first wires is filled into one of the first through holes and is in contact with the portion of the corresponding first electrode. The second wire is disposed on the substrate and located in the peripheral region, and each of the second wires is electrically connected to one of the second electrodes.

In an embodiment of the invention, each of the first electrodes includes a plurality of first electrode pads and a plurality of first connecting portions, and each of the first connecting portions is adjacent to the two first electrode pads in series in the first direction. Each of the second electrodes includes a plurality of second electrode pads and a plurality of second connecting portions, and each of the second connecting portions is adjacent to the two second electrode pads in series in the second direction. Each of the first through holes exposes a portion of one of the first electrode pads, and each of the first wires is filled into one of the first through holes to contact the corresponding first electrode pad.

In an embodiment of the invention, the first electrode pad is located between the insulating layer and the substrate, and a portion of the first wire traverses the at least one first electrode pad to extend into the peripheral region.

In an embodiment of the invention, the first electrode pad, the second electrode pad, and the second connecting portion are located between the insulating layer and the substrate. The first connection portion is disposed on the insulating layer. Each of the first connecting portions is adjacent to the two first electrode pads in series through the adjacent two first through holes.

In an embodiment of the invention, the insulating layer further has a plurality of second through holes. Each of the second through holes exposes a portion of one of the second electrodes. The first electrode pad, the first connection portion, and the second electrode pad are located between the insulating layer and the substrate. The second connection portion is disposed on the insulating layer. Each of the second connecting portions is adjacent to the two second electrode pads in series through the adjacent two second through holes.

In an embodiment of the invention, the first electrode, the insulating layer and the second electrode are sequentially stacked on the substrate.

In an embodiment of the invention, at least one first wire is disposed between the adjacent two second electrodes.

In an embodiment of the invention, the first wire and the second electrode are not staggered with each other.

In an embodiment of the invention, the extending direction of each of the first wires is parallel to the extending direction of each of the second electrodes.

In an embodiment of the invention, the first wire extends from the active region into the side or opposite side of the second wire in the peripheral region.

In an embodiment of the invention, the material of the first wire is a transparent conductive material.

In an embodiment of the invention, the touch panel further includes a plurality of third wires. The third wire is disposed on the substrate and located in the peripheral region, and each of the third wires is electrically connected to one of the first wires.

In an embodiment of the invention, the third wire is made of a metal or an alloy.

Based on the above, since the first wire can extend to the side or the opposite side of the second wire in the peripheral region via the active region, thereby helping to reduce the width of at least two sides of the peripheral region, the touch panel of the present invention can be Has a narrow border.

The above described features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description.

1A is a top plan view of a touch panel in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention. 1B to 1D are schematic cross-sectional views of the cross-sectional lines A-A', B-B', and C-C' in Fig. 1A, respectively. Referring to FIGS. 1A to 1D , the touch panel 100 includes a substrate 110 , a plurality of first electrodes 120 , a plurality of second electrodes 130 , an insulating layer 140 , a plurality of first wires 150 , and a plurality of second wires 160 .

The substrate 110 is adapted to carry the first electrode 120, the second electrode 130, the insulating layer 140, the first wire 150, and the second wire 160. In the present embodiment, the substrate 110 is used as a cover plate, for example, wherein the first electrode 120, the second electrode 130, the insulating layer 140, the first conductive line 150, and the second conductive line 160 are disposed on the inner surface S1 of the substrate 110, and the substrate 110 The outer surface S2 is a touch operation surface. That is, a touch object such as a finger or a stylus touches the outer surface S2 or performs a floating operation above the outer surface S2.

The substrate 110 may be a rigid substrate having high mechanical strength to protect (eg, scratch resistant) the covered components. When the touch panel 100 has a requirement for use in combination with the display panel, the material of the substrate 110 is a transparent material to prevent the substrate 110 from shielding the display beam from the display panel. The transparent material generally refers to a material having a high transmittance, and is not used to define a material having a transmittance of 100%. For example, the substrate 110 may be a light-transmitting tempered glass substrate, but is not limited thereto.

The substrate 110 has an active area A1 and a peripheral area A2 that connects the active area A1. The first electrode 120 and the second electrode 130 are disposed on the substrate 110 and located in the active area A1. In the embodiment of the present invention, the description that any of the film layers (such as the first electrode 120 and the second electrode) is disposed on the substrate 110 may include a case where the film layer is directly or indirectly disposed on the substrate 110. That is, the film layer may be in direct contact with the substrate 110, or other film layers (such as an optical matching layer) may be present therebetween.

The second electrode 130 and the first electrode 120 are staggered with each other. FIG. 1A illustrates one embodiment of the second electrode 130 and the first electrode 120, but the shape of each of the second electrode 130 and the first electrode 120 and the relative arrangement relationship therebetween are not limited to those illustrated in FIG. 1A. . As shown in FIG. 1A , each of the first electrodes 120 includes a plurality of first electrode pads 122 and a plurality of first connecting portions 124 . Each of the first connecting portions 124 is adjacent to the two first electrode pads 122 in series in the first direction D1. In addition, each of the second electrodes 130 includes a plurality of second electrode pads 132 and a plurality of second connecting portions 134, wherein each of the second connecting portions 134 is adjacent to the two second electrode pads 132 in series in the second direction D2, and each second The connecting portion 134 is interlaced with one of the first connecting portions 124. The second direction D2 and the first direction D1 intersect each other, and are, for example, perpendicular to each other, but are not limited thereto.

In this embodiment, the first electrode pads 122 located at opposite ends of each of the first electrodes 120 and the second electrode pads 132 adjacent to the peripheral area A2 are respectively extended from the active area A1 into the peripheral area A2 to enhance the touch panel 100. The sensing linearity at the edge of the active area A1, but the invention is not limited thereto.

In addition, the first electrode 120 and the second electrode 130 may be made of a light-transmitting conductive material, so that the touch panel 100 has a desired light transmittance. The light-transmitting conductive material may include a metal oxide such as indium tin oxide, indium zinc oxide, aluminum tin oxide, aluminum zinc oxide or indium antimony zinc oxide, but is not limited thereto.

The insulating layer 140 covers the active region A1 , and the second electrode 130 is electrically insulated from the first electrode 120 through the insulating layer 140 . As shown in FIG. 1A to FIG. 1C , the first connecting portion 124 and the second connecting portion 134 are respectively located on opposite sides of the insulating layer 140 to prevent the first connecting portion 124 and the second connecting portion 134 from being short-circuited by contact. In this embodiment, the first electrode pad 122, the second electrode pad 132, and the second connecting portion 134 are located between the insulating layer 140 and the substrate 110, and the first connecting portion 124 is disposed on the insulating layer 140, but the present invention does not Limited to this. In another embodiment, the first electrode pad 122, the first connection portion 124, and the second electrode pad 132 may be located between the insulating layer 140 and the substrate 110, and the second connection portion 134 is disposed on the insulating layer 140.

The insulating layer 140 has a plurality of first through holes T1. Each of the first through holes T1 exposes a portion of one of the first electrodes 120. As shown in FIG. 1A and FIG. 1C , each of the first through holes T1 respectively exposes a portion of one of the first electrode pads 122 , and each of the first connecting portions 124 is adjacent to the first two through holes T1 . Electrode pad 122.

The first wire 150 is disposed on the insulating layer 140, wherein each of the first wires 150 is respectively filled in one of the first through holes T1, and each of the first wires 150 and the corresponding portion of the first electrode 120 (such as the first The electrode pads 122 are in contact with each other such that each of the first wires 150 is electrically connected to one of the first electrodes 120. Further, the first wire 150 extends from the active area A1 into the peripheral area A2. As shown in FIG. 1A, the first conductive line 150 extends into the peripheral area A2, for example, from the same side of the active area A1, wherein a portion of the first conductive line 150 traverses at least one of the first electrode pads 122 to extend into the peripheral area A2. Each of the first wires 150 is disposed between the adjacent two second electrodes 130, for example. That is, at least one first wire 150 is disposed between the adjacent two second electrodes 130, wherein the extending direction of each of the first wires 150 is parallel to, for example, the extending direction of each of the second electrodes 130 (ie, the second direction D2), but Not limited to this. Moreover, the first wire 150 and the second electrode 130 are not staggered with each other to avoid negatively affecting the discrimination of the touch point.

As shown in FIG. 1A and FIG. 1D, in order to prevent short-circuiting of the first conductive line 150 extending into the peripheral area A2 and the second electrode pad 132 extending into the peripheral area A2 by contact, the insulating layer 140 further corresponds to the side of the first conductive line 150. The second electrode pad 132 extending into the peripheral area A2 is covered. In addition, in order to prevent the user from seeing the first wire 150 located in the active area A1, the visual effect of the touch panel 100 is adversely affected. The material of the first wire 150 is made of a transparent conductive material, for example, the first electrode 120 is used. And the material of the second electrode 130, but not limited thereto.

The second wire 160 is disposed on the substrate 110 and located in the peripheral region A2, and each of the second wires 160 is electrically connected to one of the second electrodes 130. As shown in FIGS. 1A and 1B, the second wires 160 are respectively connected to the second electrode pads 132 extending into the peripheral region A2, for example.

By extending the first conductive line 150 to the opposite side of the second conductive line 160 in the peripheral area A2 via the active area A1, both sides of the peripheral area A2 where the wires (including the first conductive line 150 and the second conductive line 160) are not disposed can be reduced. The width of the touch panel 100 can have a narrow border.

According to different design requirements, the touch panel 100 can further configure other film layers. For example, the touch panel 100 may further include a plurality of third wires 170. The third wire 170 is disposed on the substrate 110 and located in the peripheral area A2, and each of the third wires 170 is electrically connected to one of the first wires 150. The material of the third wire 170 may be metal or alloy to enhance the ability to transmit signals, but is not limited thereto.

The touch panel 100 may further include a decorative layer 180. The decorative layer 180 is disposed on the substrate 110, wherein the decorative layer 180 exposes the active area A1 and covers the peripheral area A2 to shield the lines that are not to be seen in the peripheral area A2. As shown in FIG. 1B to FIG. 1D , the decorative layer 180 can be directly disposed on the inner surface S1 of the substrate 110 , and the decorative layer 180 is located between the second electrode pad 132 and the substrate 110 , between the first electrode pad 122 and the substrate 110 . Between the first wire 150 and the substrate 110, between the second wire 160 and the substrate 110, and between the third wire 170 and the substrate 110.

Other embodiments of the touch panel of the present invention are described below with reference to FIG. 2 to FIG. 6 . However, the implementation of the touch panel of the present invention is not limited thereto. 2 is a top plan view of a touch panel in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a top plan view of a touch panel in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention. 4A is a top plan view of a touch panel in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the present invention. 4B and 4C are schematic cross-sectional views of the cross-sectional lines A-A' and B-B' in Fig. 4A, respectively. FIG. 5A is a top plan view of a touch panel according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. 5B and 5C are schematic cross-sectional views of the cross-sectional lines A-A' and B-B' in Fig. 5A, respectively. FIG. 6 is a top plan view of a touch panel in accordance with a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

Referring to FIG. 2 , the touch panel 200 is similar to the touch panel 100 of FIGS. 1A to 1D , and similar or identical elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the relative arrangement and function are omitted. The main difference between the touch panel 200 and the touch panel 100 is that the first wire 150 extends from the active area A1 into the side of the second wire 160 in the peripheral area A2. By extending the first conductive line 150 to the side of the second conductive line 160 in the peripheral area A2 via the active area A1, the peripheral area A2 can be reduced without wires (including the first conductive line 150, the second conductive line 160, and the third conductive line 170). The width of the three sides is such that the touch panel 200 can have a narrow bezel.

In the present embodiment, the first wire 150 and the second wire 160 on the same side of the peripheral area A2 have a demand for crossing. Specifically, each of the first wires 150 needs to traverse a portion of the second wires 160. Therefore, the side edges of the insulating layer 140A adjacent to the wires (including the first wires 150, the second wires 160, and the third wires 170) may further extend toward the outer edge of the peripheral region A2 to cover the second wires 160 being crossed by the first wires 150. The more part. In this way, short circuiting of the second wire 160 and the first wire 150 due to contact can be avoided.

Referring to FIG. 3 , the touch panel 300 is similar to the touch panel 200 of FIG. 2 , and similar or identical elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the relative arrangement relationship and function are not described herein. The main difference between the touch panel 300 and the touch panel 200 is the change in the number of the first electrodes 120. When the number of the first electrodes 120 is greater than or equal to the number of the second electrodes 130, the number of intervals between the second electrodes 130 may be smaller than the number of the first electrodes 120, so that the adjacent two second electrodes 130 may be disposed between One or more (eg, two) first wires 150.

Referring to FIG. 4 , the touch panel 400 is similar to the touch panel 100 of FIGS. 1A to 1D , and similar or identical elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the relative arrangement relationship and function are not described herein. The main difference between the touch panel 400 and the touch panel 100 is that the first electrode pad 122, the first connecting portion 124, and the second electrode pad 132 of the touch panel 400 are located between the insulating layer 140 and the substrate 110, and the second connection The portion 134 is disposed on the insulating layer 140B. In addition, the insulating layer 140B further has a plurality of second through holes T2. Each of the second through holes T2 exposes a portion of the second electrode 130 (such as the second electrode pad 132), and each of the second connecting portions 134 is adjacent to the two adjacent second through holes T2. .

It should be noted that the orthographic projection of each of the first wires 150A on the substrate 110 may not be a straight line. Specifically, each of the first wires 150A extends from the active region A1 to the peripheral region A2, and may be meandered corresponding to the edge of the first electrode pad 122 below. That is, the orthographic projection of each of the first wires 150A on the substrate 110 may also be a meander line. In other embodiments, the orthographic projection of each of the first wires 150A on the substrate 110 may vary depending on the requirements, and is not limited to those illustrated in FIG.

Referring to FIG. 5 , the touch panel 500 is similar to the touch panel 400 of FIGS. 4A to 4C , and similar or identical elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the relative arrangement relationship and the effect thereof are not described herein. The main difference between the touch panel 500 and the touch panel 400 is that the first electrode 120, the insulating layer 140C, and the second electrode 130 of the touch panel 500 are sequentially stacked on the substrate 110. Since the second electrode pad 132 and the second connection portion 134 are both disposed on the insulating layer 140C and can be directly connected in series, the insulating layer 140C can omit the arrangement of the second through holes T2.

Referring to FIG. 6 , the touch panel 600 is similar to the touch panel 500 of FIG. 5 , and similar or identical elements are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the relative arrangement relationship and function are not described herein. The main difference between the touch panel 600 and the touch panel 500 is that the first electrode 120 and the second electrode 130 of the touch panel 600 are strip electrodes, respectively.

In summary, since the first wire can extend to the side or the opposite side of the second wire in the peripheral region via the active region, it helps to reduce the width of at least two sides of the peripheral region, so the touch of the present invention The panel can have a narrow border.

Although the present invention has been disclosed in the above embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention, and any one of ordinary skill in the art can make some changes and refinements without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The scope of the invention is defined by the scope of the appended claims.

100, 200, 300, 400, 500, 600‧‧‧ touch panels
110‧‧‧Substrate
120‧‧‧first electrode
122‧‧‧First electrode pad
124‧‧‧First connection
130‧‧‧second electrode
132‧‧‧Second electrode pad
134‧‧‧Second connection
140, 140A, 140B, 140C‧‧‧ insulation
150‧‧‧First wire
160‧‧‧second wire
170‧‧‧ Third wire
180‧‧‧Decorative layer
A1‧‧‧active area
A2‧‧‧ surrounding area
D1‧‧‧ first direction
D2‧‧‧ second direction
S1‧‧‧ inner surface
S2‧‧‧ outer surface
T1‧‧‧ first through hole
T2‧‧‧ second through hole
A-A', B-B', C-C'‧‧‧ cut line

1A is a top plan view of a touch panel in accordance with a first embodiment of the present invention. 1B to 1D are schematic cross-sectional views of the cross-sectional lines A-A', B-B', and C-C' in Fig. 1A, respectively. 2 is a top plan view of a touch panel in accordance with a second embodiment of the present invention. 3 is a top plan view of a touch panel in accordance with a third embodiment of the present invention. 4A is a top plan view of a touch panel in accordance with a fourth embodiment of the present invention. 4B and 4C are schematic cross-sectional views of the cross-sectional lines A-A' and B-B' in Fig. 4A, respectively. FIG. 5A is a top plan view of a touch panel according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention. 5B and 5C are schematic cross-sectional views of the cross-sectional lines A-A' and B-B' in Fig. 5A, respectively. FIG. 6 is a top plan view of a touch panel in accordance with a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

100‧‧‧ touch panel

110‧‧‧Substrate

120‧‧‧first electrode

122‧‧‧First electrode pad

124‧‧‧First connection

130‧‧‧second electrode

132‧‧‧Second electrode pad

134‧‧‧Second connection

140‧‧‧Insulation

150‧‧‧First wire

160‧‧‧second wire

170‧‧‧ Third wire

180‧‧‧Decorative layer

A1‧‧‧active area

A2‧‧‧ surrounding area

D1‧‧‧ first direction

D2‧‧‧ second direction

T1‧‧‧ first through hole

A-A’, B-B’, C-C’‧‧‧

Claims (13)

A touch panel includes: a substrate having an active area and a peripheral area connecting the active area; a plurality of first electrodes and a plurality of second electrodes disposed on the substrate and located in the active area, wherein the The second electrode and the first electrodes are staggered with each other; an insulating layer covering the active region, and the second electrodes are electrically insulated from the first electrodes through the insulating layer, wherein the insulating layer has a plurality of a first hole, each of the first through holes exposing a portion of one of the first electrodes; a plurality of first wires disposed on the insulating layer and extending into the peripheral region by the active region, wherein each of the first wires Filling in one of the first through holes and contacting the portion of the corresponding first electrode; and a plurality of second wires disposed on the substrate and located in the peripheral region, and each of the second wires respectively A second electrode is electrically connected. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein each of the first electrodes comprises a plurality of first electrode pads and a plurality of first connecting portions, and each of the first connecting portions is adjacent to each other in a first direction Two first electrode pads, each of the second electrodes includes a plurality of second electrode pads and a plurality of second connecting portions, and each of the second connecting portions is adjacent to the two second electrode pads in a second direction. The uniform holes respectively expose a portion of one of the first electrode pads, and each of the first wires is filled into one of the first through holes to contact the corresponding first electrode pad. The touch panel of claim 2, wherein the first electrode pads are located between the insulating layer and the substrate, and a portion of the first wires traverse at least one first electrode pad to extend into In the surrounding area. The touch panel of claim 2, wherein the first electrode pads, the second electrode pads, and the second connecting portions are located between the insulating layer and the substrate, the first connections The portion is disposed on the insulating layer, and each of the first connecting portions is adjacent to the two first electrode pads in series by the adjacent two first through holes. The touch panel of claim 2, wherein the insulating layer further has a plurality of second through holes, each of the second through holes respectively exposing a portion of one of the second electrodes, the first electrode pads, The first connecting portion and the second electrode pads are located between the insulating layer and the substrate, the second connecting portions are disposed on the insulating layer, and each of the second connecting portions is transmitted through the adjacent two second portions The holes are adjacent to the two second electrode pads in series. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the first electrode, the insulating layer and the second electrodes are sequentially stacked on the substrate. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein at least one first wire is disposed between two adjacent second electrodes. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the first wires and the second electrodes are not staggered with each other. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the extending direction of each of the first wires is parallel to the extending direction of each of the second electrodes. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the first wires extend from the active region into a side or opposite side of the second wires in the peripheral region. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the first wires are made of a transparent conductive material. The touch panel of claim 1, further comprising: a plurality of third wires disposed on the substrate and located in the peripheral region, and each of the third wires is electrically connected to one of the first wires . The touch panel of claim 12, wherein the third wires are made of a metal or an alloy.