JP2004334359A - Transparent touch panel - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To reduce a length of at least one side of a peripheral edge part other than an input area part to reduce a size or to provide a pocket size for a portable personal computer, a cellular phone, a personal digital assistant or the like. <P>SOLUTION: A transparent conductive film provided with a transparent conductive layer on a surface of a transparent film is bent to oppose the transparent conductive layer to form the bent two faces into a movable side face and a fixed side face, (a) transparent base(s) is(are) layered on (a) surface(s) not opposed with the transparent conductive layers of the movable side face and/or the fixed side face, and a width of a pressure sensitive adhesive double-coated tape for fixing the movable side face and the fixed side face is reduced in a bent portion to constitute a resistance film type touch panel. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

[0001]
TECHNICAL FIELD OF THE INVENTION
The present invention relates to a transparent touch panel of a resistive film type used for a portable personal computer, a mobile phone, a portable information terminal, and the like, and further relates to a technique of expanding an input area of the transparent touch panel.
[0002]
[Prior art]
Transparent touch panels can be broadly classified into digital and analog types, but analog types capable of character input are becoming mainstream. The analog type transparent touch panel has a transparent conductive film on the surface, and the movable side on the touch side and the fixed side on the non-touch side, which have electrodes at both ends facing each other. It is arranged so as to be laminated. The movable side surface and the fixed side surface are fixed to the periphery between the substrates with a double-sided adhesive tape or the like.
[0003]
FIG. 10 is an exploded view of an example of a conventional resistive transparent touch panel. As shown in FIG. 10, the transparent touch panel is configured by laminating a movable side surface 110 and a fixed side surface 130 via a spacer 140 made of a double-sided adhesive tape. The thickness of the double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive tape is usually about 100 μm. The movable side surface 110 receives an input from an operator using a finger or an input pen on the transparent touch panel. Reference numeral 120 denotes a connector unit connected to internal electrodes.
[0004]
The spacer 140 is formed in a continuous frame shape except for the portion where the connector portion 120 is mounted and the cutout portion 141 of the corner on the opposite side, and the movable side surface 110 and the fixed side surface 130 are attached at the peripheral edge thereof. Is done. In the cutout 141, since no spacer member is interposed, a gap is formed between the movable side surface 110 and the fixed side surface 130, which acts as an internal air vent hole. When the air vent hole is not required, the cutout 141 need not be provided.
[0005]
In the gap between the movable side surface 110 and the fixed side surface 130 inside the spacer 140, dot-shaped spacers 160 are provided at predetermined intervals, and the main surface of the movable side surface 110 on the side facing the fixed side surface 130 is provided. , A transparent conductive film 111 is formed on substantially the entire surface. Further, electrodes 112 are provided on two opposing sides of the transparent conductive film 111. A pair of electrode ends 114, 114 for connecting to the pair of connection electrodes 122, 122 on the connector 120 is formed in the remaining area of the main surface facing the connector 120. The electrode ends 114, 114 and the electrodes 112, 112 provided on the two sides of the resistance film 111 are connected to each other by routing circuits 113, 113.
[0006]
The transparent conductive film 131 is provided on substantially the entire surface of the fixed side surface 130 on the main surface on the side facing the movable side surface 110. Electrodes 132, 132 are formed on two opposing sides of the transparent conductive film 131, in the direction orthogonal to the opposing direction of the electrodes 112, 112 formed on the transparent conductive film 111 on the movable side surface 110. Have been. In the remaining area of the main surface, similarly to the movable side surface 110, a pair of electrode ends 134, 134 connected to the pair of connection electrodes 123, 123 on the connector section 120 side are formed. , 134 and electrodes 132, 132 provided on two sides of the transparent conductive film 131 are formed.
[0007]
In the connector section 120, connection electrodes 122, 122, 123, and 123 connected to the electrode ends 114, 114, 134, and 134 of the movable side face 110 and the fixed side face 130 are formed on upper and lower surfaces to be exposed. In a state where the transparent touch panel is assembled, the movable side surface connection electrodes 122, 122 are fixed to the movable side surface electrode ends 114, 114, and the fixed side surface connection electrodes 123, 123 are fixed to the fixed side surface electrode ends 134, 134, respectively, by thermocompression or the like. It is connected.
[0008]
By the way, in recent portable devices such as personal computers, mobile phones, and personal digital assistants, the non-display portion of the peripheral portion of a display device such as a liquid crystal becomes narrower. It has been required to be narrow.
[0009]
As a countermeasure, there is a method of providing a routing circuit on a flexible connection member. (For example, refer to Patent Document 1.) In some cases, electrodes and routing circuits are thinned. (For example, see Patent Document 2.)
[0010]
[Patent Document 1]
JP 2000-299033 A (Claim 1)
[Patent Document 2]
Japanese Patent Application Laid-Open No. 2001-216090 (Claim 1)
[0011]
[Problems to be solved by the invention]
However, there is a strong demand for miniaturization of transparent touch panels. Particularly in portable information devices, there is a growing demand for transparent touch panels that have a small peripheral edge other than the input area of the transparent touch panel even if it is only one side. Was. Therefore, an object of the present invention is to provide a transparent touch panel in which the peripheral portion other than the inputtable area is reduced even on one side in order to reduce the size and pocket size of portable personal computers, mobile phones, portable information terminals, and the like. .
[0012]
[Means for Solving the Problems]
The transparent touch panel according to the invention of claim 1 is a transparent conductive film having a transparent conductive layer provided on the surface of a transparent film, and the transparent conductive layer is bent so that the transparent conductive layer faces each other. In the resistive touch panel described above, a transparent base is laminated on a surface of the movable side that does not face the fixed side.
[0013]
The transparent touch panel according to the invention of claim 2 is a transparent conductive film provided with a transparent conductive layer on the surface of the transparent film, and the transparent conductive layer is bent so that the transparent conductive layer faces each other. In the above-described resistive touch panel, a transparent substrate is laminated on a surface of the fixed side surface that does not face the movable side surface.
[0014]
The transparent touch panel according to the invention of claim 3 is a transparent conductive film having a transparent conductive layer provided on the surface of a transparent film, and the transparent conductive layer is bent so that the transparent conductive layer faces each other. In the above-described resistive touch panel, a transparent substrate is laminated on surfaces of the fixed side surface and the movable side surface that do not face each other.
[0015]
A transparent touch panel according to a fourth aspect of the present invention is the transparent touch panel according to the third aspect, wherein the transparent base on the fixed side surface and the movable side surface are made of the same material.
[0016]
A transparent touch panel according to a fifth aspect of the present invention is the transparent touch panel according to any one of the first to fourth aspects, wherein only the periphery of the surface where the transparent conductive layer of the movable side surface and the fixed side surface face each other except the bent side is used. Is attached with an adhesive.
[0017]
BEST MODE FOR CARRYING OUT THE INVENTION
Embodiments of the present invention will be described below.
4. Transparent conductive film FIG. 4 is a schematic view of the transparent conductive film 30. The transparent conductive film 30 includes a transparent film 31 and a transparent conductive film 32. The transparent film 31 used in the present invention is a transparent polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polyether sulfone (PES), polycarbonate (PC), polypropylene (PP), polyamide (PA), or the like. A plastic film or a laminate thereof is used. The thickness is usually 2 to 200 μm, but in the case of a thickness exceeding 50 μm, a part of the bent portion is subjected to punching cut or slit processing for bending.
[0018]
Next, a method for forming the transparent conductive film 32 is a general method for forming a transparent conductive film on a film substrate, such as a sputtering method, a vacuum deposition method, a PVD method such as an ion plating method, or a CVD method. There are a coating method and a printing method. The material for forming the transparent conductive film is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include indium-tin composite oxide (ITO), tin oxide, copper, aluminum, nickel, and chromium. May be formed. Before forming the transparent conductive film, an undercoat layer for improving transparency, adhesion, and the like may be provided.
[0019]
Conductive film pattern and electrode FIG. 5 shows a transparent conductive film having a movable side surface and a fixed side surface. The left side is the movable side, and the right side is the fixed side. The conductive film can be bent at the bending portion 40 so as to face the transparent touch panel.
[0020]
In FIG. 5, first, the transparent conductive film is patterned, and the movable side conductive film pattern 12 and the fixed side conductive film pattern 22 are provided. Of course, the directions of both orthogonal patterns are not limited, and may be left-right reversed.
Patterning is performed by forming a desired pattern mask on the conductive film surface of the transparent conductive film, then etching with an acid solution to peel off only unnecessary portions of the conductive film, and then removing the conductive film with a stripping agent such as an alkaline solution. The pattern mask is removed by dissolution or the like. There is also a method of cutting the conductive film surface with a laser.
[0021]
Next, electrodes 13, 14, 23 and 24 are formed on both ends of the transparent conductive film with conductive ink. As the conductive ink, a conductive printable paste such as silver, carbon ink, or copper ink is used, and silver and carbon may be mixed or overcoated. The electrode width is generally 0.2 mm to several mm, and the thickness is generally several μm to several tens μm. Thereafter, an insulating ink may be applied to a necessary portion of the transparent conductive film or the electrode as a measure to ensure insulation or prevent migration. As the insulating ink, acrylic resin, urethane resin, epoxy resin, silicon resin, or the like is used. The routing circuits 15, 16, 25, 26 are usually formed simultaneously.
[0022]
Although not shown, dot-shaped spacers are provided on and around the fixed side conductive film pattern 22. The bent portion 40 may be marked or slit for bending.
[0023]
FIG. 5 illustrates the movable side and the fixed side of one touch panel with the periphery of the film cut. Usually, the movable side and the fixed side of a plurality of touch panels are formed into one transparent conductive film, and are punched out. Individual.
[0024]
Transparent substrate bonding <br/> next bonding the transparent conductive film and the transparent substrate. Generally, the entire surface is bonded with an acrylic transparent adhesive. FIG. 1 shows an example in which a transparent substrate 11 is provided on a movable side surface 10 of a transparent conductive film 30. Although the transparent conductive film 30 is bent in FIG. 1, the bonding between the transparent conductive film 30 and the transparent substrate 11 may be performed before bending.
[0025]
The transparent substrate 11 used in the present invention is a transparent polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polyether sulfone (PES), polyether ether ketone (PEEK), polycarbonate (PC), polypropylene ( PP), polyamide (PA), polyacryl (PAC), plastic film such as norbornene-based thermoplastic transparent resin, or a laminate thereof, a polarizing plate, a retardation plate, a hard coat film, a fine uneven film, or the like is used. Can be By bonding, elasticity, durability, and visibility at the time of input can be improved. The transparent touch panel having the configuration shown in FIG. 1 is also integrated with a liquid crystal by bonding the transparent touch panel on a liquid crystal electrode substrate.
[0026]
FIG. 2 shows an example in which a transparent substrate 21 is provided on the fixed side surface 20 of the transparent conductive film 30. As the transparent substrate 21, a glass substrate, an acrylic resin substrate, or the like is used in addition to the material of the transparent substrate 11.
[0027]
FIG. 3 shows an example in which the transparent base 11 is provided on the movable side surface 10 of the transparent conductive film 30 and the transparent base 21 is provided on the fixed side surface 20.
[0028]
In the configuration shown in FIG. 3, when the transparent base 11 and the transparent base 21 are made of the same material, they may be manufactured as follows. As shown in FIG. 6, a material having a configuration including the transparent conductive film 30, the adhesive layer 42, and the transparent substrate 43 is prepared. Next, a movable side surface and a fixed side surface are formed on the transparent conductive film 30 as shown in FIG. Then, as shown in FIG. 7, a slit 41 is formed in the transparent substrate 43 corresponding to the portion 40 of the transparent conductive film 30 to be bent, and the transparent substrate 43 is divided. The depth and width of the slit are determined by the material and thickness of the transparent substrate 43 and the transparent conductive film 30, and a slit may be formed in a part of the thickness of the transparent conductive film 30.
[0029]
A bonding <br/> then the movable side fixed side and movable side and the stationary side, folded at the site folded, bonded only substantially peripheral portion using an adhesive or a pressure-sensitive adhesive or a double-sided adhesive tape or the like. The double-sided adhesive tape has a core material film sandwiched between the upper and lower surfaces, and the core material is plastic such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polyethylene (PE), polypropylene (PP), polyethersulfone (PES). A film is used. As the adhesive, acrylic, silicone, urethane, or a mixture thereof is used.
[0030]
8 and 9 show the shape of the double-sided adhesive tape 44. FIG. Since the movable side surface and the fixed side surface are connected at the bent portion 40, the double-sided adhesive tape of the bent portion is narrower than the other side as shown in FIG. 8, and the double-sided adhesive tape of the bent portion is omitted as shown in FIG. You may.
[0031]
After finishing the double-sided bonding, the other side excluding the bent portion may be punched out to obtain the final dimensions. Since the drawings are drawn so that the configuration is easy to understand, the drawings are not drawn to scale but are partially enlarged or reduced.
[0032]
Next, an embodiment of the present invention will be described below.
(Example 1)
An ITO film having a surface resistance of 350Ω / □ was formed on a 38 μm-thick polyethylene terephthalate (PET) by sputtering, and a movable side surface and a fixed side surface were formed as shown in FIG. Two 100 μm-thick polyethylene terephthalate (PET) sheets were bonded to the surface of the film having no ITO film so as to be in contact with the bent portion. Next, using a double-sided adhesive tape having a thickness of 60 μm in a shape shown in FIG. 9, the movable side surface and the fixed side surface were bonded to each other to produce a transparent touch panel having the configuration shown in FIG.
[0033]
The prepared transparent touch panel was input using a normal input pen (made of polyacetal, pen point R = 0.8 mm), but it operated normally.
[0034]
【The invention's effect】
As described above, the transparent touch panel according to the present invention is a transparent conductive film provided with a transparent conductive layer on the surface of the transparent film, the transparent conductive layer is bent so that the transparent conductive layer is opposed to each other, and the two folded surfaces are a movable side and a fixed side. Therefore, the width of the double-sided adhesive tape that holds the movable side surface and the fixed side surface is reduced at the bent portion, and an effect that the area other than the input enabled area can be narrowed is obtained.
[Brief description of the drawings]
FIG. 1 shows a first embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 shows a second embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 3 shows a third embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 4 is an explanatory view of a transparent conductive film of the present invention.
FIG. 5 is an explanatory view of a conductive film pattern and the like of the present invention.
FIG. 6 is an explanatory view of a transparent conductive film with a transparent substrate of the present invention.
FIG. 7 is an explanatory view of a transparent substrate slitting process of the present invention.
FIG. 8 shows an example of sticking a double-sided adhesive tape of the present invention.
FIG. 9 shows another example of the double-sided adhesive bonding of the present invention.
FIG. 10 is an explanatory view of a conventional transparent touch panel.
[Explanation of symbols]
Reference Signs List 10 movable side surface 11 movable side transparent substrate 12 movable side conductive film pattern 13, 14, 23, 24 electrode 15, 16, 25, 26 routing circuit 20 fixed side surface 21 fixed side transparent substrate 22 fixed side conductive film pattern 30 transparent Conductive film 31 Transparent film 32 Transparent conductive film 40 Bending portion 41 Slit 42 Adhesive layer 43 Transparent substrate 44 Double-sided adhesive tape 45 Conductive film removal area (non-conductive area)
REFERENCE SIGNS LIST 100 Transparent touch panel 110 Movable side surface 111, 131 Transparent conductive film 112, 132 Electrode 113, 133 Routing circuit 120 Connector portion 130 Fixed side surface 140 Spacer made of double-sided adhesive tape 160 Dot-shaped spacer

Claims (5)

A transparent conductive film provided with a transparent conductive layer on the surface of the transparent film, bent so that the transparent conductive layer faces,
In a resistive touch panel with two bent surfaces as a movable side and a fixed side,
A transparent touch panel, wherein a transparent substrate is laminated on a surface of the movable side that does not face the fixed side. A transparent conductive film provided with a transparent conductive layer on the surface of the transparent film, bent so that the transparent conductive layer faces,
In a resistive touch panel with two bent surfaces as a movable side and a fixed side,
A transparent touch panel, wherein a transparent substrate is laminated on a surface of the fixed side surface not facing the movable side surface. A transparent conductive film provided with a transparent conductive layer on the surface of the transparent film, bent so that the transparent conductive layer faces,
In a resistive touch panel with two bent surfaces as a movable side and a fixed side,
A transparent touch panel, wherein a transparent substrate is laminated on surfaces of the fixed side surface and the movable side surface that do not face each other. 4. The transparent touch panel according to claim 3, wherein the transparent base on the fixed side and the movable side are made of the same material. 5. On the surface where the transparent conductive layer of the movable side and the fixed side oppose each other,
The transparent touch panel according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein only the periphery other than the bent side is adhered with an adhesive.

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