CN111625116A - Touch module, module manufacturing process and electronic device - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention provides a touch module, which comprises a substrate, a touch layer, a Cu circuit, an insulating layer and a black frame, wherein the insulating layer comprises a transparent area and the black frame, and the black frame is positioned in an area, facing the Cu circuit, of the insulating layer so as to cover the Cu circuit and avoid the influence of the Cu circuit on the visual effect of a window area of the touch module. Compared with the prior art, the black frame is integrated on the insulating layer, so that the thickness of the touch module is reduced to a certain extent. The invention also provides a manufacturing process of the touch module and an electronic device with the touch module.

Description

Touch module, module manufacturing process and electronic device

Technical Field

The present invention relates to the field of touch electronics, and in particular, to a touch module, a module manufacturing process, and an electronic device.

Background

With the continuous progress of science and technology development, electronic devices such as mobile phones, tablet computers, smart watches and the like gradually become indispensable communication and entertainment tools in people's lives, and touch modules are indispensable components of each electronic device. The touch module comprises a window area and a non-window area, and in order to obtain a better display effect, a circle of black frame is usually used at the edge part of the non-window area, which is in contact with the window area, to shield the non-window area. Referring to fig. 1 and fig. 2, in the conventional touch module 100, a touch layer 140 and a Cu line 160 are formed on a substrate 120, an insulating layer 180 is coated on the touch layer 140 and the Cu line 160 to serve as a protective layer, and a black frame 190 is formed at a boundary between the Cu line 160 and the touch layer 140 on the insulating layer 180 to prevent the visual effect from being affected by Cu exposed in a window area after a glass cover (not shown) is attached.

Referring to fig. 3, the manufacturing process is as follows:

first, the touch layer 140 and the Cu traces 160 are formed on the substrate 120 by photolithography (i.e., exposure-development-etching) to form the desired touch electrode traces and Cu traces.

Then, an insulating layer 180 is coated on the entire surface of the touch layer 140 and the Cu line 160.

Then, a black frame 190 is covered on the whole surface of the insulating layer 80.

Finally, a circle of black frame 190 is formed on the Cu circuit 160 through a yellow light process, so that the black frame just covers the Cu circuit 160 to form the touch module 100, thereby avoiding the problem that the visual effect is affected by exposing Cu in a window area.

The problem is that the black frame 190 of the touch module 100 is formed on the insulating layer 180, the black frame 190 has a certain thickness, and a thicker OCA (optical Clear Adhesive) is required to be selected when a glass cover plate is attached to the black frame 190 to compensate for a height difference with other parts of the touch module caused by the thickness, so that the thickness of the whole touch module is increased after assembly.

Secondly, the manufacturing process of the conventional touch module 100 includes four main processes of forming the touch layer, forming the Cu line, manufacturing the insulating layer, and manufacturing the black frame, each of which requires a different photomask for exposure operation, and the process is complicated and the cost is high.

Disclosure of Invention

In order to solve at least one of the above problems, the present invention provides a novel touch module, a module manufacturing process, and an electronic device. The touch module manufactured by the manufacturing process can reduce the thickness of the whole machine to a certain extent and simplify the manufacturing process.

A touch module comprises a substrate having a carrying surface; the touch layer is formed on the bearing surface; the Cu circuit is formed on the bearing surface and surrounds the periphery of the touch layer; the insulating layer is formed on the surfaces of one sides, far away from the substrate, of the touch layer and the Cu circuit so as to cover the touch layer and the Cu circuit; the insulating layer comprises a transparent area and a black frame, and the black frame is formed on the insulating layer and is positioned in an area, opposite to the Cu circuit, of the insulating layer so as to cover the Cu circuit. The touch module black frame is formed in the insulating layer, and compared with the prior art, when the glass cover plate is attached, the thick OCA optical cement is not needed to additionally compensate the height difference caused by the black frame, so that the thickness of the whole machine can be reduced to a certain extent.

Furthermore, the insulating layer is made of a transparent dry film, and the transparent dry film is black after exposure and curing. The black frame can be obtained by directly exposing the insulating layer with a specific photomask, thereby saving materials and simplifying the manufacturing process.

Further, the black frame completely covers the inner ring edge of the Cu line. The visual effect of the window area is influenced by the edge of the inner ring of the Cu circuit, and the problem can be avoided by covering the edge part of the inner ring of the Cu circuit by the black frame.

Furthermore, the section of the black frame is of a 'r' type. The cross-sectional shape can well meet the above requirements.

Further, the normal projection of the Cu circuit on the touch module completely falls into the normal projection of the black frame on the touch module. The black frame completely covers the Cu circuit, so that the influence of the Cu circuit on a window area can be well avoided.

Further, the normal projection of the Cu circuit on the touch module coincides with the normal projection of the black frame on the touch module. The black frame does not completely cover the Cu wiring, but covers an inner ring edge portion of the Cu wiring, which can solve the above-described problems.

Further, the section of the black frame is n-shaped, and the black frame completely covers the edges of the inner ring and the outer ring of the Cu circuit. The black frame completely covers the Cu line.

Furthermore, the touch module is provided with a binding area, and the insulating layer forms a window in the binding area to expose the Cu pin. The bonding region needs to be bonded to, for example, a Flexible Printed Circuit (FPC), so that a Cu pin of the bonding region cannot be insulated, and the insulating layer needs to be windowed.

Further, a touch module manufacturing process is provided, which includes the steps of S1, forming a touch layer and a Cu circuit on a substrate by a yellow light process; s2, correspondingly stamping the insulating film on the touch layer and the Cu circuit, and forming a window in the binding area; s3, the insulating film is exposed to light using a mask and UV cured, and a transparent insulating layer and a black frame are formed at the same time. Through the steps, the touch module can be obtained.

Further, the step S2 specifically includes: s21, stamping the whole surface of the insulating film on the touch layer and the Cu circuit obtained in the step S1; and S22, windowing the insulating film at the bonding area formed by the Cu circuit to expose Cupin in the bonding area.

The invention also provides an electronic device, which comprises a body and the touch module, wherein the touch module is assembled on the body. Therefore, the thickness of the whole electronic device can be reduced to a certain extent, and part of raw material cost can be saved. The electronic device can be a mobile phone and a tablet computer.

Drawings

In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solution in the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings used in the description of the embodiments will be briefly introduced below.

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a touch module in the prior art;

FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the touch module along AA' of FIG. 1;

FIG. 3 is a schematic structural flow chart illustrating the touch module shown in FIG. 1;

FIG. 4 is a schematic structural diagram of a touch module according to the present invention;

FIG. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line BB' of the first embodiment of the touch module shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 6 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line BB' of the second embodiment of the touch module shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line BB' of the third embodiment of the touch module shown in FIG. 4;

FIG. 8 is an enlarged view of the structure of section I of FIG. 4;

fig. 9 is a schematic structural flow chart of the touch module shown in fig. 4.

Detailed Description

In order to make the aforementioned objects, features and advantages of the present invention comprehensible, embodiments accompanied with figures are described in detail below. In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth in order to provide a thorough understanding of the present invention. This invention may, however, be embodied in many different forms and should not be construed as limited to the embodiments set forth herein.

It will be understood that when an element is referred to as being "disposed on" another element, it can be directly on the other element or intervening elements may also be present. As used herein, the terms "left", "right", "upper", "lower", and the like are for illustrative purposes only and do not represent the only embodiments.

Unless defined otherwise, all technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. The terminology used in the description of the invention herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention.

Referring to fig. 4 to 8, the present invention provides a novel touch module 200, which includes a substrate 220, a touch layer 240, a Cu trace 260, an insulating layer 280, and a black frame 290.

The substrate 220 has a carrying surface, the touch layer 240 and the Cu trace 260 are located on the carrying surface, and the insulating layer 280 is formed on a side surface of the touch layer 240 and the Cu trace 260 away from the substrate 220 to cover the touch layer 240 and the Cu trace 260, so as to perform an insulating protection function on the touch trace and the Cu trace. The insulating layer 280 includes a transparent region (not shown) and the black frame 290, and the black frame 290 is located at a position opposite to the Cu trace 260 in the insulating layer 280 to cover the Cu trace 260, so as to prevent the Cu trace 260 from affecting the visual effect of the window region of the touch module 200.

The black box 290 completely covers at least an inner ring edge portion of the Cu line 260. The inner ring portion of the Cu trace 260 may affect the visual effect of the window area (not shown) of the touch module 200, and the inner ring portion of the Cu trace 260 is covered by the opaque property of the black frame 290, so as to avoid the above problem.

The black frame 290 has the same shape as the Cu line 260, and the cross section of the black frame 290 may be a 'Γ' type or a 'Π' type.

Referring to fig. 5, in the first embodiment of the present invention, the black frame 290 is of a "r" type, the inner ring edge of the Cu trace 260 is completely wrapped by the black frame 290, and the normal projection of the Cu trace 260 in the touch module 200 completely falls into the normal projection of the black frame 290 in the touch module 200, so that the black frame 290 completely covers the Cu trace 260, and the Cu trace 260 can be prevented from affecting the visual effect of the window area of the touch module 200.

Referring to fig. 6, in a second embodiment of the present invention, the black frame 290 is of a type of "r", the inner ring edge of the Cu trace 260 is completely wrapped by the black frame 290, and a normal projection of the Cu trace 260 on the touch module 200 is partially overlapped with a normal projection of the black frame 290 on the touch module 200. Since the influence of the Cu trace 260 on the window area of the touch module 200 is mainly the inner ring edge portion of the Cu trace 260 close to the touch layer 240, the black frame 290 only needs to cover the portion of the Cu trace 260, and may not completely cover the Cu trace 260, and a corresponding effect can be achieved.

Referring to fig. 7, in a third embodiment of the present invention, the black frame 290 is "Π", and the inner and outer annular edges of the Cu lines 260 are completely wrapped by the black frame 290, that is, the Cu lines 260 are completely wrapped by the black frame 290. As can be seen from the above, the present solution can also well solve the problem that the Cu line 260 affects the visual effect of the window area of the touch module 200.

The insulating layer 280 may be made of a transparent dry film, which has the characteristics of transparency and blackening after being cured by exposure. Therefore, the insulating layer 280 can be transparent in the window area of the touch module 200 when exposed by using a corresponding mask, without affecting the visual effect, but the black frame 290 is formed in the area corresponding to the Cu line 260, so that the black frame 290 can cover the Cu, thereby making the black frame and the insulating layer of the existing design into the same layer, reducing the thickness of the module, and saving the cost of raw materials.

Referring to fig. 4 and 8, the Cu trace 260 forms a bonding region 250 on one side of the touch module 200, and the bonding region 250 is used for bonding with an FPC (not shown). Since it is required to be electrically connected to the FPC, the bonding region 50' does not need to be insulated, i.e., does not need to cover the insulating layer 280. Therefore, the insulating layer 280 forms a window 282 in a corresponding region of the bonding region 250 to expose the Cu pin of the bonding region 50'.

The substrate 220 may be PET (Polyethylene terephthalate) or COP (Cyclo Olefin Polymer), both of which are commonly used substrates for manufacturing touch modules, and are light, thin and flexible.

Of course, the substrate 220 of the present invention is not limited to the two materials listed above, and it should be understood that any substrate material that can satisfy a certain flexibility and is light and thin can be used as the substrate of the present invention.

The invention also provides a manufacturing process of the touch module, which comprises the following steps:

s1, forming a touch layer and a Cu circuit on the substrate through a yellow light process;

s2, correspondingly coating the insulating film on the touch layer and the Cu circuit, and forming a window in the binding area;

s3, the insulating film is exposed to light using a mask and UV cured, and a transparent insulating layer and a black frame are formed at the same time.

Wherein, step S2 may be further subdivided into the following steps:

s21, coating the whole surface of the insulating film on the touch layer and the Cu circuit obtained in the step S1;

and S22, windowing the insulating film at the bonding area formed by the Cu circuit and exposing the Cu pin of the bonding area.

Referring to FIG. 9, the following steps are further described with reference to the accompanying drawings:

first, the touch layer 240 and the Cu trace 260 are formed on the substrate 220 by a photolithography process to form the desired touch trace and Cu trace.

Then, an insulating layer 280 is coated on the entire surface of the touch layer 240 and the Cu line 260, and then the insulating layer 280 of the bonding region 50 'is subjected to hollow windowing by a yellow light process (windowing is not shown in fig. 9, please refer to the windowing 282 in fig. 8), so that the Cu pin of the bonding region 50' is exposed, so as to facilitate electrical connection, i.e., bonding, between the touch module 200 and the FPC.

Finally, the module processed as above is exposed by a photomask, and the insulating layer 280 is cured by UV light irradiation. The region of the mask corresponding to the Cu line 260 is transparent, and the other regions are opaque. The insulating layer 280 is a special dry film having a characteristic of becoming black by curing after exposure to light.

Through the above process steps, the touch module 200 can be manufactured, and compared with the prior art, the manufacturing process provided by the invention simplifies the manufacturing process.

It should be noted that the insulating layer 280 provided by the present invention is a special dry film, and the black frame 290 formed by curing and blackening after exposure is only one embodiment provided by the present invention. In fact, any material that can achieve transparency and that can be treated in a certain manner to make the insulating layer 280 blackened or otherwise changed in opacity can be used as the insulating layer material of the present invention. The manner of forming the black frame 290 is not limited to the exposure mentioned in the present invention, and other manners such as heating, etc. should be considered as falling within the scope of the present invention as long as the embodiments capable of achieving the above requirements can be easily conceived without inventive labor.

The invention further provides an electronic device, which comprises a body and any one of the touch modules 200, wherein the touch module is assembled on the body. Therefore, the thickness of the electronic device can be reduced to a certain extent, and the cost of raw materials can be reduced. The electronic device may be a mobile phone, a tablet computer, etc., and the touch module 200 shown in this patent is considered to fall within the scope of the invention as long as it uses the touch module.

The technical features of the embodiments described above may be arbitrarily combined, and for the sake of brevity, all possible combinations of the technical features in the embodiments described above are not described, but should be considered as being within the scope of the present specification as long as there is no contradiction between the combinations of the technical features.

The above description is only for the purpose of illustrating the preferred embodiments of the present invention and is not to be construed as limiting the invention, and any modifications, equivalents and improvements made within the spirit and principle of the present invention are intended to be included within the scope of the present invention. Therefore, the protection scope of the present patent shall be subject to the appended claims.

Claims (10)

1. A touch module comprises

The substrate is provided with a bearing surface;

the touch layer is formed on the bearing surface;

the Cu circuit is formed on the bearing surface and surrounds the periphery of the touch layer;

the insulating layer is formed on the surfaces of one sides, far away from the substrate, of the touch layer and the Cu circuit so as to cover the touch layer and the Cu circuit;

the method is characterized in that: the insulating layer comprises a transparent area and a black frame, and the black frame is formed on the insulating layer and is positioned in an area, opposite to the Cu circuit, of the insulating layer so as to cover the Cu circuit.

2. The touch module of claim 1, wherein: the insulating layer is made of a transparent dry film, and the transparent dry film is black after being exposed and cured.

3. The touch module of claim 1, wherein: the black frame completely covers the inner ring edge of the Cu line.

4. The touch module of claim 1, wherein: the section of the black frame is of a 'Gamma' type.

5. The touch module of claim 4, wherein: and the normal projection of the Cu circuit on the touch module completely falls into the normal projection of the black frame on the touch module.

6. The touch module of claim 4, wherein: and the normal projection of the Cu circuit on the touch module is partially overlapped with the normal projection of the black frame on the touch module.

7. The touch module of claim 1, wherein: the section of the black frame is n-shaped, and the black frame completely covers the edges of the inner ring and the outer ring of the Cu circuit.

8. The touch module of claim 1, wherein: the touch module is provided with a binding area, and the insulating layer forms a window in the binding area.

9. A touch module manufacturing process is characterized by comprising the following steps:

s1, forming a touch layer and a Cu circuit on the substrate through a yellow light process;

s2, correspondingly stamping the insulating film on the touch layer and the Cu circuit, and forming a window in the binding area;

s3, the insulating film is exposed to light using a mask and UV cured, and a transparent insulating layer and a black frame are formed at the same time.

10. An electronic device, characterized in that: the electronic device comprises a body and the touch module as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 8, wherein the touch module is assembled on the body.

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