JP2003262850A - Optical touch panel apparatus - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide an optical touch panel apparatus the use range of which can be expanded to various kinds of uses by minimizing the thickness of the apparatus. <P>SOLUTION: Infrared light-emitting diodes 35 and 37 with their light-emitting parts facing through holes 25b and 25d and infrared light-receiving photodiodes 39 and 41 with their light-receiving parts facing through holes 25a and 25c are each fitted and fixed to the lower face side of a printed board. The infrared light-emitting diodes 35 and the infrared light-receiving photodiodes 39 function as the sensor part of the optical touch panel apparatus by outputting a prescribed electric signal by allowing the photodiodes 39 to receive infrared rays which is emitted from the diode 35 and reflected by a detecting object (the finger tip of a user touching to a protective acrylic plate 13). <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2003,JPO

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a transmissive LCD panel, a detection section having an infrared light emitting element and an infrared light receiving element, and a circuit board having a transmissive LCD panel and a control circuit for controlling the detection section. The present invention relates to an improvement of an optical touch panel device including: In the following, as an optical touch panel device, a remote controller (remote control) for controlling a water heater having a panel display on the operation unit
Will be described as an example.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, in an optical touch panel device, an operation switch, an LED and the like are provided on the surface of a circuit board for the purpose of improving the effective efficiency of a circuit component including a light receiving element and reducing the installation space. The light receiving element is attached to the back of the circuit board, and the operation switch and LED
While forming an opening in the part of the circuit board excluding the
A device having a structure in which the light receiving surface of a light receiving element is exposed through an opening has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1).

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2002-118269.

[0003]

However, in the optical touch panel device having the above structure, as described above,
The ED is arranged not only on the surface of the circuit board on the side where the housing is arranged, but also because the light receiving surface of the light receiving element is exposed from the opening of the circuit board. Because I have to take clearance between
Due to this clearance, the device cannot be made thinner. Therefore, the above-mentioned conventional optical touch panel device cannot be applied to a place where the installation space is limited, and there is a problem that the application is limited.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide an optical touch panel device which can be used in a wide variety of applications by making the device as thin as possible.

[0005]

An optical touch panel device according to the present invention has a transmissive LCD panel, an infrared light emitting element and an infrared light receiving element, and an infrared light emitting element projecting operation and an infrared light receiving element receiving operation. And a circuit board on which a control circuit for controlling the transmissive LCD panel and the detection means is mounted, the transmissive LCD panel and the circuit board comprising: The infrared light emitting elements and the infrared light receiving elements are arranged in multiple layers, and are mounted on the surface of the circuit board opposite to the transmissive LCD panel side.

According to the above structure, the infrared light emitting element and the infrared light receiving element are mounted on the surface of the circuit board opposite to the transmissive LCD panel side. It is possible to reduce the thickness of the device as compared with the configuration in which the infrared light emitting element and the infrared light receiving element are arranged on the surface of the transmissive LCD panel side.

In a preferred embodiment according to the present invention, the circuit board has a plurality of through holes, and the infrared light emitting element passes through any one of the through holes.
In the state where the light emitting surface is directed so as to emit infrared light to the D panel side, the infrared light receiving element is
Each of them is mounted with its light-receiving surface oriented so as to receive infrared light incident from the D panel side.

According to the above construction, the infrared light emitted from the light emitting surface of the infrared light emitting element is guided in the predetermined direction by the through hole in which the infrared light emitting element is arranged and advances to the transmissive LCD panel side. Further, the infrared light entering from the transmissive LCD panel side into the through hole in which the infrared light receiving element is arranged is guided to the light receiving surface of the infrared light receiving element by the through hole and enters the infrared light receiving element. Therefore, an attempt is made to make a guide mechanism for guiding the infrared light emitted from the infrared light emitting element in a predetermined direction, or an infrared light receiving element, on a portion of the surface of the circuit board on the transmissive LCD panel side corresponding to each of the through holes. Since it is not necessary to provide a guide mechanism for guiding the infrared light to the light receiving surface of the infrared light receiving element, a clearance between the circuit board and the transmissive LCD panel or the like can be eliminated, so that the thickness of the optical touch panel device can be reduced. Can be significantly thinned.

In another embodiment different from the above, the tip portion of the light emitting surface of the infrared light emitting element and the tip portion of the infrared light receiving element are arranged so as not to project from the corresponding through holes of the through holes. It is implemented.

According to the above structure, the tip of the light emitting surface of the infrared light emitting element and the tip of the infrared light receiving element do not project from the corresponding through holes, so that the same as in the preferred embodiment. The circuit board and transmissive LCD
Since there is no need to take a clearance with the panel,
It is possible to significantly reduce the thickness of the optical touch panel device.

[0011]

BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION Embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the drawings.

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an example of an operating section of a remote controller for controlling a water heater to which an optical touch panel device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

As shown in FIG. 1, the operation section of the remote controller has rectangular areas (hereinafter referred to as "touch panels") 1, 3, 5, 7, which are LCD touch panel sensors.
And 9. The hardware configuration of the touch panel 1 and the hardware configurations of the touch panels 3 to 9 are basically the same. The hardware configuration of the touch panels 1 to 9 will be described in detail with reference to FIG.

In this embodiment, on the touch panel 1 side, five different switch displays are displayed at one time. In the example shown in FIG. 1, a hot water supply temperature setting switch 1a, a bath temperature setting switch 1b, a bath hot water amount setting switch 1c, a bathtub washing switch 1d, and a display screen changeover switch 1e are displayed on the touch panel 1 side, and each of them is currently displayed. Hot water set temperature,
The bath setting temperature, bath setting hot water volume, bathtub cleaning, and screen switching status are displayed. Of course, other than the example shown in FIG. 1, various switch displays are possible on the touch panel 1. The size of the display area of each switch displayed on the touch panel 1 side can be enlarged / reduced freely for each switch, and thus the number of switches displayed can also be changed. As such, the number is not limited to five. Further, the five different types of switches that are simultaneously displayed on the touch panel 1 side have their respective switch functions enabled when they are displayed, so that RGB, which is a light emitting element for a backlight provided on the touch panel 1, is activated. The (red / green / blue) light emitting diodes (described in FIG. 2) are activated at the time when the display is started, and emit light of a predetermined color (for example, blue light) while the switch functions are effective. Continue to irradiate.

On the other hand, on the touch panel 3 to 9 side, four switch displays of different types are individually displayed. In the example shown in FIG. 1, the touch panel 3 has an on / off switch, the touch panel 5 has a hot water heat retention switch, the touch panel 7 has a heat retention switch, and the touch panel 9 has a call switch. . Of course,
In the touch panels 3 to 9 as well, as in the touch panel 1, various switch displays other than the example shown in FIG. 1 are possible. Here, the touch panel 1 and the touch panels 3 to 9 have a substantially flat operation surface as a whole in a frame made of a synthetic resin material such as an acrylic plate (for protection) that covers the operation surface of the remote controller. It is fitted so as to form a rough surface. However, it is also possible to arrange each of the touch panels 3 to 9 partitioned into four touch panels via the frame body as one touch panel on the surface of the operation unit, like the touch panel 1.

In this embodiment, the operation switching switch (3),
When the function of the hot water heat retention switch (5) is valid, the functions of the heat retention switch (7) and the call switch (9) to be shunned are disabled. Therefore, the RGB light-emitting diodes for the backlight provided on the touch panel 3 and the touch panel 5, respectively (described in FIG. 2).
However, when the display is started, that is, when each of the switch functions is activated, the switch is activated to emit light of a predetermined color (for example, green light). RG for backlight provided
The B light emitting diode does not start at the above point. That is, on the touch panels 3 to 9 side, unlike the touch panel 1 side, the functions of the switches being displayed on the respective touch panels (3 to 9) are not all valid at the same time. As a means for informing the above, only the RGB light emitting diodes for the backlight of the touch panel having an effective switch function are driven.

The icons, character information, etc. of the various switches described above are displayed on the touch panels 1 to 9 in a freely changeable manner, for example, by activating an application program installed in a microcomputer (not shown) in the remote controller. It

FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing an embodiment of the operating portion of the water heater control remote controller shown in FIG.

As shown in FIG. 2, the operation portion of the remote controller has a casing 11, a protective acrylic plate 13, and an LC.
The D layer 15, the diffusion sheet 17, the light guide plate 19, the reflection sheet 21, the backlight holder 23, the printed board 25, the piezo element 27, and the microphone (microphone).
29, a speaker 31, an RGB light emitting diode 33
And a plurality of infrared light emitting diodes 35 and 37, and a plurality of infrared light receiving photodiodes 39 and 41.

The casing 11 has a substantially U-shaped cross section as viewed from the front side in FIG. 2, and is located below the inner space of the casing 11 at a predetermined distance from the bottom surface of the casing 11. The printed circuit board 25 is arranged so as to be substantially parallel to the bottom surface of the casing 11. The printed circuit board 25 has a plurality of light emitting portions (infrared light emitting diodes (35, 37)) and a plurality of light receiving portions (infrared light receiving photodiodes (39, 41)) at appropriate positions. 4 through holes 25)
a, 25b, 25c, 25d. The printed circuit board 25 is fixed to a predetermined position in the casing 11 by being screwed to a rib (not shown) provided on the inner wall surface of the casing 11, for example.

The RGB light emitting diode 33 functions as a light emitting element for a backlight, and is a printed circuit board 2.
5 is attached and fixed to an appropriate place on the upper surface of the light guide plate 19
Light of a predetermined color (either red, green, or blue) is emitted toward.

The backlight holder 23 includes the LCD layer 1
5, diffusion sheet 17, light guide plate 19, and reflection sheet 21
2 is a member for holding and fixing the reflection sheet 21, the light guide plate 19, the diffusion sheet 17, and the LCD layer 15 in this order from the bottom to the top in FIG. The backlight holder 23 is formed to have a substantially U-shaped cross section as viewed from the front side of FIG. 2, and the through holes 23a corresponding to the through holes 25a, 25b, 25c, 25d of the printed circuit board 25, respectively. , 23b, 23c, 23d. The positions of the through holes 23a, 23b, 23c, 23d are
The through holes 25a, 25b, 25c, and 25d are positioned so as to coincide with the positions of the through holes 25a, 25b, 25c, and 25d, respectively, and are mounted and fixed on the upper surface side of the printed circuit board 25.

The reflection sheet 21 is for reflecting the light emitted from the RGB light emitting diodes 33 for the backlight, which is incident from the side of the diffusion sheet 17 through the light guide plate 19, to the side of the diffusion sheet 17 through the light guide plate 19. Through holes 23a, 23b, 23c of the backlight holder 23,
23d and through holes 25a, 25 (of the printed circuit board 25)
b, 25c, 25d respectively corresponding to the through holes 21a, 21
b, 21c, 21d. Then, the through hole 21a,
The positions of 21b, 21c, and 21d correspond to the through holes 23a and 23.
They are positioned so as to match the positions of b, 23c, and 23d, respectively, and are placed and fixed on the bottom surface of the backlight holder 23.

Here, the through holes 25a to 25d and the through hole 2
The diameters of 3a to 23d and the through holes 21a to 21d are the outer diameter of the light emitting portion of the infrared light emitting diode (35, 37) and the infrared light receiving photodiode (39, 41).
It is set to be considerably smaller than the outer diameter of the light receiving part. As a result, the infrared light emitted from the infrared light emitting diode (35, 37) is transmitted through the through hole 25 on the infrared light emitting diode side.
b, 25d, through holes 23b, 23d, and through hole 21.
b, 21d are sequentially emitted while being reflected, and through holes 21a, 21c on the infrared receiving photodiode side,
The infrared ray receiving photodiodes (3) are sequentially reflected while reflecting inside the through holes 23a and 23c and the through holes 25a and 25c.
Since it is incident on 9 and 41), it is possible to secure a sufficient amount of light to fulfill the function as an optical touch panel. In addition, by providing a cylindrical body (not shown) in the through holes 25a and 25c, the light receiving portion of the infrared light receiving photodiode (39, 41) is covered with the cylindrical body (not shown), and the red light incident from an oblique direction is received. A configuration that blocks external light, or a configuration that inserts a lens into the through holes 25a and 25c to give directivity to narrow the light receiving range of the infrared light receiving photodiodes (39, 41) can be conceived. .

The light guide plate 19 guides light of a predetermined color (either red, green, or blue) emitted from the RGB light emitting diode 33 for the backlight toward the diffusion sheet 17 and enters it from the diffusion sheet 17 side. It guides the above-mentioned light toward the reflection sheet 21, and is placed and fixed in a state of being in close contact with the upper surface of the reflection sheet 21. In addition, the portion of the light guide plate 19 immediately above the through-holes 21a to 21d is processed so that infrared light is focused on the portion (only the light is simply transmitted, and the light diffusion processing is not performed). Has been applied. This is an infrared light emitting diode (35, 3
7) just above (that is, the portions corresponding to the through holes 21b and 21d) and the infrared light receiving photodiodes (39 and 41)
This is to prevent infrared rays from diffusing in the area directly above (i.e., the portions corresponding to the through holes 21a and 21c).

The diffusing sheet 17 is for diffusing the light emitted from the RGB light emitting diodes 33 for the backlight which is incident through the light guide plate 19 substantially uniformly inside the casing 11, and is in close contact with the upper surface of the light guide plate 19. It is placed and fixed in the state. A part of the emitted light diffused by the diffusion sheet 17 is emitted to the outside of the casing 11 through the LCD layer 15 and the protective acrylic plate 13, and the remaining emitted light is incident on the reflection sheet 21 through the light guide plate 19. Then, the light is reflected by the reflection sheet 21, again enters the diffusion sheet 17 through the light guide plate 19, and a part thereof is emitted to the outside of the casing 11. Through this process, the entire LCD layer 15 is illuminated with the light emitted from the RGB light emitting diodes 33.

The diffusion sheet 17 has through holes 25a to 25d.
Infrared light-emitting diodes (3
5, 37) and the light receiving portions of the plurality of infrared light receiving photodiodes (39, 41), the through holes 23a-2.
3d, the through holes 21a to 21d, the LCD layer 15, and the protective acrylic plate 13 also function as a shielding member for preventing see-through from the outside. The diffusion sheet 17 is made of a material having a high infrared transmittance.

The LCD layer 15 is provided, for example, with a plurality of rod-shaped members (not shown) extending upward from an edge projecting upward of the backlight holder 23, as shown in FIG.
As shown in FIG. 5, the backlight holder 23 holds and fixes it in a state of being positioned at a position facing the opening formed in the upper portion of the casing 11. The upper surface of the diffusion sheet 17 and the lower surface of the LCD layer 15 face each other with a predetermined gap. The LCD layer 15 is made of a material having a high infrared transmittance. For the LCD layer 15, for example, a full dot LCD is used.

The protective acrylic plate 13 is provided to prevent the surface of the LCD layer 15 from being damaged.
It is attached and fixed to the casing 11 with the opening of the casing 11 completely closed. The protective acrylic plate 13 has a characteristic of high infrared transmittance. The lower surface of the protective acrylic plate 13 and the upper surface of the LCD layer 15 are opposed to each other with a predetermined gap.

The piezo element 27 converts, for example, a minute vibration caused by the user's fingertip touching the protective acrylic plate 13 into an electric signal and outputs the electric signal to the above-mentioned microcomputer (inside the remote controller) (not shown). The protective acrylic plate 13 is attached and fixed to an appropriate place on the lower surface thereof. The microphone 29 is used when the user gives a command to the microcomputer by voice,
It is used when having a conversation with a user who is taking a bath, and is attached and fixed to a portion near the opening in the casing 11. Under the control of the microcomputer, the speaker 31 is used for transmitting various information to the user by voice, transmitting voice from the user while bathing, and the like.
Similarly, it is attached and fixed to a portion near the opening in the casing 11.

In this embodiment, the infrared light emitting diode (3
5 and 37), those light emitting parts are provided with through holes 25.
b, 25d, and the infrared light receiving photodiodes (39, 41), respectively, with their light receiving portions facing the through holes 25a, 25c, respectively. Is fixed to the side. The infrared light emitting diodes (35, 37) and the infrared light receiving photodiodes (39, 41) are such that the infrared light emitted from the infrared light emitting diodes (35, 37) touches a detection target (for example, the protective acrylic plate 13). The infrared light receiving photodiodes (39, 41) receive infrared light reflected by a user's fingertip, etc.) and output a predetermined electric signal, thereby serving as a sensor unit of the optical touch panel device. Function.

Further, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG.
The infrared light emitting diodes (35, 37) and the infrared light receiving photodiodes (39, 41) can detect the contact even when an object (for example, a user's fingertip) touches any position on the surface of the same panel. As such, they are arranged in a matrix. Detecting the contact position of the object on the surface of the same panel by arranging the infrared light emitting diodes (35, 37) and the infrared light receiving photodiodes (39, 41) in a matrix in the above-described mode. You can Therefore, it is not necessary to provide the infrared light emitting diodes (35, 37) and the infrared light receiving photodiodes (39, 41) by the number corresponding to the number of switches set in the same panel as in the conventional case, so that the infrared light emission is performed. The number of diodes (35, 37) and infrared light receiving photodiodes (39, 41) can be significantly reduced, and physical restrictions when arranging the above-mentioned respective parts can be reduced.

FIG. 4 is a plan view showing an image of the operation part of the remote controller for controlling a water heater having the configuration shown in FIG. 1 when the inside is seen through from the surface direction in FIG.

In FIG. 4, a region 51 corresponds to the LCD layer 15 described in FIG. 2 and is composed of one LCD, and regions 53, 55, 57, 59 and 61 are all shown in the figure. 2 corresponds to the light guide plate (for backlight) described with reference numeral 19. Further, the region 63 is shown in FIG.
In the touch panel (optical touch panel) described with reference numeral 1, the areas 65, 67, 69, 71 correspond to the touch panels 3, 5, 7, 9 described in FIG. 1, respectively. Although not shown, the areas 63 and 6 described above are also provided.
5, 67, 69, and 71 are respectively shown in FIG.
Each of the RGB light emitting diodes 33 shown by is 5 in total.
The RGB light emitting diodes 33 are individually arranged, and light of a desired color is emitted from each of the RGB light emitting diodes 33 as a backlight into an area (touch panel) corresponding to each of the RGB light emitting diodes 33. Note that each of the areas 63, 65, 67, 69, and 7
In FIG. 1, an infrared light emitting diode indicated by reference numeral 35 (37) and an infrared light receiving photodiode indicated by reference numeral 39 (41) in FIG. 2 are arranged in pairs as indicated by reference numerals 73 and 75, respectively. There is. The infrared light emitting diodes and the infrared light receiving photodiodes may be arranged in a matrix.

According to the above configuration, the infrared light emitting diode 35 (37) and the infrared light receiving photodiode 39
Since (41) is arranged on the lower surface side of the printed circuit board 25, the front surface side of the operation portion can be formed substantially flat. Therefore, it becomes possible to make it difficult for water and dust to collect, and it becomes possible to facilitate cleaning,
In addition, it is possible to increase the degree of freedom in designing the surface of the operation unit.

FIG. 5 is a comparative view of a cross-sectional structure of an optical touch panel device according to an embodiment of the present invention and a cross-sectional structure of a conventional optical touch panel device. Figure 5 (a)
FIG. 5 shows a sectional structure of an optical touch panel device according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5B shows a sectional structure of a conventional optical touch panel device.

As shown in FIG. 5A, in the optical touch panel device according to one embodiment of the present invention, the LCD layer 15, the light guide plate 19 (for the backlight), etc. of the printed circuit board 25 are in a multi-layered structure. On the surface opposite to the surface that is placed in
Infrared light emitting diodes (35, 37) and infrared light receiving photodiodes (39, 41) are arranged together with various control circuit elements 42, 44. Then, the infrared light emitting diode (35, 37) and the infrared light receiving photodiode (39, 41) are the infrared light emitting diode (3
Infrared light emitted from the infrared ray receiving photodiode (39, 41) penetrates through the printed circuit board 25.
In order to prevent the incidence of light on the inner peripheral surface of the through-hole 46, the through-grooves 46, which are metal-plated on the inner peripheral surface thereof, are arranged at intervals.

Further, infrared light emitting diodes (35, 3
Through hole (25b, 2
5d) and an infrared receiving photodiode (39, 4)
Through holes (25a, 2a, 2a, 2b) facing the front end surface of the light receiving part of 1)
Metal plating is applied to the inner peripheral surface of 5c).
Thereby, the infrared light emitted from the infrared light emitting diode (35, 37) and the infrared light receiving photodiode (3
It is not necessary to install a guide tube for guiding the infrared light that is going to be incident on the printed circuit board 25 on the LCD layer 15 side.

On the other hand, as shown in FIG. 5B, in the conventional optical touch panel device, the infrared light emitting diode (1
01, 103), and an infrared receiving photodiode (1
05, 107) is the LCD layer 1 of the printed circuit board 109.
11 and the guide cylinders 115, 1 having the above-described functions on the surface on the side where the light guide plate 113 for the backlight is arranged.
It is arranged with 17, 119 and 121. The various control circuit elements 123 and 125 are mounted on the printed circuit board 10.
9 LCD layers 111 etc. are arranged on the surface opposite to the surface on which the layers are arranged.

As described above, in the optical touch panel device according to the embodiment of the present invention, unlike the conventional optical touch panel device, the surface of the printed circuit board 25 on which the LCD layers 15 and the like are arranged in a multi-layered structure is provided. Since the infrared light emitting diodes (35, 37) and the infrared light receiving photodiodes (39, 41) are arranged on the opposite surface, and a guide cylinder for guiding the infrared light in a predetermined direction is not required, As is apparent by comparing and contrasting FIG. 5A and FIG. 5B, the optical touch panel device according to the embodiment of the present invention is thicker than the conventional optical touch panel device. Can be significantly thinned.

FIG. 6 shows an infrared light emitting diode (3) formed on a printed circuit board 25 according to an embodiment of the present invention.
5, 37) and a plurality of through holes (25) facing the light receiving portions of the infrared receiving photodiodes (39, 41), respectively.
a, 25b, 25c, 25d) is an explanatory diagram showing a state of reflection of infrared light.

As described above, each through hole (25a, 25a
(b, 25c, 25d), the inner peripheral surface of the through hole (25b, 25d) of the infrared light emitted from the infrared light emitting diode (35, 37) because the inner peripheral surface of the infrared light emitting diode (35, 37) is plated with metal. The infrared light reflected on the through holes (25b, 2
5d), which is emitted in a predetermined direction outside and is reflected from the infrared light incident on the through holes (25a, 25c) from the outside by hitting the inner peripheral surface of the through holes (25a, 25c). Will be guided to the light receiving portion of the infrared light receiving photodiode (39, 41) together with the infrared light that travels straight through the through holes (25a, 25c).

As described above, according to the embodiment of the present invention, the surface of the printed circuit board 25 on which the LCD layer 15, the light guide plate 19 (for backlight) and the like are arranged in multiple layers. Infrared light emitting diode (35,
37), and infrared light receiving photodiodes (39, 4)
1) is arranged and a guide tube for guiding the infrared light emitted from the infrared light emitting element in a predetermined direction and a guide tube for guiding the infrared light which is about to enter the infrared light receiving element to the light receiving surface of the infrared light receiving element. Since the circuit board and the transparent LCD panel side surface do not need to be provided in the portions corresponding to the through holes, the circuit board and the transparent L
Since it is not necessary to take a clearance with a CD panel or the like, it is possible to significantly reduce the thickness of the device.

The preferred embodiment of the present invention has been described above, but this is an example for explaining the present invention.
It is not intended to limit the scope of the invention to this embodiment only. The present invention can be implemented in various other forms.

[0045]

As described above, according to the present invention,
By reducing the thickness of the device as much as possible, it is possible to provide an optical touch panel device which can be used in a wide variety of applications.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a plan view showing an example of a remote controller operation unit for controlling a water heater, to which an optical touch panel device according to an embodiment of the present invention is applied.

FIG. 2 is a cross-sectional view showing an embodiment of an operation unit of the water heater control remote controller shown in FIG.

FIG. 3 is a top view showing an embodiment of an operation unit of the water heater control remote controller shown in FIG.

4 is a plan view showing an image when the inside of the remote controller is seen through from the surface direction of FIG. 3 of the operation unit of the remote controller for controlling a water heater having the configuration shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is a comparative view of a cross-sectional structure of an optical touch panel device according to an embodiment of the present invention and a cross-sectional structure of a conventional optical touch panel device.

FIG. 6 shows a state of reflection of infrared light in a plurality of through holes respectively formed by a light emitting portion of an infrared light emitting diode and a light receiving portion of an infrared light receiving photodiode formed on a printed circuit board according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

[Explanation of symbols]

1, 3, 5, 7, 9 Optical Touch Panel (Touch Panel) 11 Casing 13 Protective Acrylic Plate 15 LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) Layer 17 Diffusion Sheet 19 Light Guide Plate 21 Reflective Sheet 23 Backlight Holder 25 Printed Circuit Board 27 Piezo Element 29 Microphone 31 Speaker 33 RGB light emitting diode 35, 37 Infrared light emitting diode 39, 41 Infrared light receiving photodiode

   ─────────────────────────────────────────────────── ─── Continued front page    (72) Inventor Shinji Hashii             43-1, Uozakihama-cho, Higashinada-ku, Kobe-shi, Hyogo             Inside this Yupro Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Kiyotaka Nakano             43-1, Uozakihama-cho, Higashinada-ku, Kobe-shi, Hyogo             Inside this Yupro Co., Ltd. (72) Inventor Masayuki Kawamura             43-1, Uozakihama-cho, Higashinada-ku, Kobe-shi, Hyogo             Inside this Yupro Co., Ltd. F term (reference) 2H089 HA18 QA11 QA16 TA07 TA18                 5B087 AA06 CC02 CC12 CC26 CC33                 5G055 AA08 AB03 AC01 AD12 AG02                       AG08

Claims (3)

[Claims] 1. A detection unit having a transmissive LCD panel, an infrared light emitting element and an infrared light receiving element, and detecting approach of a part of a human body by the projecting operation of the infrared light emitting element and the light receiving operation of the infrared light receiving element. And a circuit board on which a control circuit for controlling the transmissive LCD panel and the detecting means is mounted, the transmissive LCD panel and the circuit board are arranged in multiple layers, and the infrared light emitting element is provided. And an optical touch panel device in which the infrared light receiving element is mounted on a surface of the circuit board opposite to the transmissive LCD panel side. 2. The optical touch panel device according to claim 1, wherein the circuit board has a plurality of through holes, and the infrared light emitting element is directed to the transmissive LCD panel side through any one of the through holes. In a state where the light emitting surface is oriented to emit infrared light, in the state where the light receiving surface is oriented such that the infrared light receiving element receives infrared light incident from the transmissive LCD panel side. , Optical touch panel devices installed respectively. 3. The optical touch panel device according to claim 1, wherein the tip of the light emitting surface of the infrared light emitting element and the tip of the infrared light receiving element do not protrude from the corresponding through holes. The optical touch panel device thus mounted.