JP2005084517A - Electrooptic device and method for manufacturing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To easily and accurately form an icon part on a display panel of an information terminal equipped with an entry panel such as a touch panel. <P>SOLUTION: An electrooptic device is used for fabricating the information terminal such as a PDA and is constructed by arranging the entry panel such as the touch panel on an electrooptical panel such as a liquid crystal display panel. In the manufacturing steps, the icon part is first formed on a polarizing plate of the electrooptical panel with an inkjet printing and subsequently the transparent entry panel is attached thereto. The icon part is highly accurately formed on a desired position in a simpler manner and in a shorter period of time compared with the case of sticking an icon seal thereto by forming the icon part directly on the polarizing plate with the inkjet printing. Also, in addition to the icon part, a light shielding layer to define an outside region of a display region of the electrooptical panel and code information such as the serial number are printed. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2005,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to an electro-optical device such as a liquid crystal display device, and more particularly to an electro-optical device including an input panel such as a so-called touch panel on a display area.

  2. Description of the Related Art A portable information terminal (hereinafter simply referred to as “information terminal”) such as a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant) is provided with an input panel such as a touch panel on a display unit such as a liquid crystal display panel. When the user touches an area such as a selection button displayed on the display unit with the touch pen, the touch panel detects the coordinates of the contact point. Based on the correspondence between the position coordinates of the contact point and the option displayed at the position, the information terminal can recognize the selection, instruction, etc. input by the user.

  Some information terminals of this type include a sheet-like member on which frequently used options and instructions are printed. Such a sheet-like member is also called an icon sheet or the like, and is generally pasted on a display panel such as a liquid crystal display panel, and a transparent touch panel or the like is attached thereon. That is, the icon sheet is disposed between the display panel and the touch panel. An example of such an information terminal is described in Patent Document 1.

  However, when such an icon sheet is pasted on the display panel, misalignment is likely to occur. Also, if dust or a foreign object enters between the display panel and the icon sheet, the icon sheet cannot be applied correctly and flatly. Further, since each icon sheet itself is obtained by cutting a large sheet, burrs or the like are likely to occur around the icon sheet by cutting. Therefore, the operation for flatly pasting the icon sheet at the correct position on the display panel takes time, and therefore tends to increase the cost.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 11-212067

  This invention is made | formed in view of the above point, and makes it a subject to form an icon part easily and correctly on the display panel of an information terminal provided with input panels, such as a touch panel.

  In one aspect of the present invention, the electro-optical device is attached to the electro-optical panel so as to face the upper substrate, and an electro-optical panel in which an electro-optical material is sealed between the upper substrate and the lower substrate. A transparent input panel, and a polarizing plate is attached to the outer surface of the upper substrate, and an icon portion is provided on the polarizing plate by ink jet printing.

  The electro-optical device can be an information terminal such as a PDA, for example, and is configured by providing an input panel such as a touch panel on an electro-optical panel such as a liquid crystal display panel. A polarizing plate is attached to the outer surface, and an icon part is formed on the polarizing plate by ink jet printing. The icon portion is a portion on which icons corresponding to frequently used options and instructions are printed. By forming the icon part directly on the polarizing plate using ink jet printing, the icon part can be formed at a desired position with high accuracy in a shorter time compared to the case of attaching an icon sticker. Can do.

  A boundary line indicating the boundary of the display area of the electro-optical panel can be provided on the polarizing plate by inkjet printing. In addition, a light shielding layer can be provided on the outer side of the display area of the electro-optical panel by inkjet printing on the polarizing plate.

  In another aspect of the present invention, a method for manufacturing an electro-optical device includes: an electro-optical panel in which an electro-optical material is sealed between an upper substrate and a lower substrate; and a polarizing plate is attached to an outer surface of the upper substrate. On the other hand, it has a printing process which forms an icon part on the said polarizing plate by inkjet printing, and an assembly process which attaches a transparent input panel on the polarizing plate in which the said icon part was formed.

  The electro-optical device can be an information terminal such as a PDA, and is configured by providing an input panel such as a touch panel on an electro-optical panel such as a liquid crystal display panel. In the manufacturing process, first, an icon portion is formed by inkjet on a polarizing plate of an electro-optical panel, and then a transparent input panel is attached thereon. By forming the icon part directly on the polarizing plate by ink jet printing, it is possible to form the icon part at a desired position with high accuracy easily and in a short time compared to the case where an icon seal is attached.

  In the printing process, a boundary line indicating a boundary of the display area of the electro-optical panel can be printed on the polarizing plate by inkjet printing, or an outer area of the display area of the electro-optical panel is defined. A light shielding layer can be formed. In the printing process, code information can be printed on the polarizing plate by ink jet printing. Furthermore, in the printing process, the code information can be printed on a portion other than the polarizing plate by inkjet printing.

  Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  FIG. 1 schematically shows the structure of an information terminal according to an embodiment of the present invention. 2 is a plan view seen from above the information terminal 100, and FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line X-X 'in FIG.

  The information terminal 100 according to the present embodiment is a PDA that uses a liquid crystal display panel as a display panel, and is roughly composed of a liquid crystal module 20 and a touch panel unit 30. The liquid crystal module 20 includes the liquid crystal display panel 10 and the backlight unit 16.

  The liquid crystal display panel 10 is configured by enclosing a liquid crystal 13 between a pair of transparent substrates 11 and 12 such as glass. A polarizing plate 14 is attached to the outer surface of the upper substrate 11, and a polarizing plate 15 is also attached to the outer surface of the lower substrate 12. A backlight unit 16 for transmissive display is attached below the lower substrate 12. The backlight unit 16 includes, for example, a plurality of LEDs as light sources, and a light guide plate that scatters light emitted from the LEDs and guides the light in the direction of the liquid crystal layer 13 (upward in FIG. 3).

  An icon portion 18 is formed on the upper polarizing plate 14. The icon part 18 includes a plurality of icons corresponding to options and instructions necessary for the operation of the information terminal 100, and is formed on the polarizing plate 14 by inkjet printing in the present invention.

  In addition, an FPC (Flexible Printed Circuit) 17 for inputting / outputting display data, a control signal for display control, and the like is connected to the lower transparent substrate 12.

  On the other hand, the touch panel unit 30 includes a touch panel 31 formed by forming a transparent electrode or the like on a transparent resin, and an FPC 32 attached to an end portion thereof.

  Thus, in the present invention, an icon sheet prepared in advance is not pasted on the polarizing plate 14, but the icon portion 18 is printed directly on the polarizing plate 14 by inkjet printing. Thereby, the icon part 18 can be accurately formed at a predetermined position on the polarizing plate 14. If color ink or the like is used for ink jet printing, various illustrations and icons can be provided.

  Moreover, the icon part 18 can be formed thinly compared with an icon sheet etc. by utilizing inkjet printing. In the method of pasting the icon sheet on the polarizing plate 14, the icon sheet itself needs to be formed to a certain thickness from the viewpoint of workability of pasting. On the other hand, if ink jet printing is used, the icon part 18 can be formed quite thin. As can be seen from FIG. 3, the icon portion 18 is partially interposed between the flat polarizing plate 14 and the flat touch panel 30, so that the two can be adhered to each other as much as possible. Thin is desirable. In this regard, according to inkjet printing, it is easy to form the icon portion 18 thin.

  FIG. 4 shows a plan view of another example of the information terminal. As shown in FIG. 4, the information terminal 100 a has an icon portion 18 formed by inkjet printing in the same manner as the information terminal 100 described above, and a boundary line 21 is provided at the boundary portion of the display area of the liquid crystal display panel 10. It has been. This boundary line 21 can be formed by the same inkjet printing in the same process as forming the icon part 18 on the polarizing plate 14. In addition to having a function as a kind of design, the boundary line 21 may be formed on the outer periphery of the display area with, for example, black ink, and may have a function of sharpening the display in the periphery of the display area.

  Further, in the information terminal 100a, serial number, manufacturing number, lot number and other code information 22 are printed on the polarizing plate. The printing of the code information 22 can also be performed in the same process as the ink jet printing of the icon portion 18.

  FIG. 5 shows a plan view of still another example of the information terminal. In the information terminal 100b, the icon part 18 is formed by ink jet printing as in the information terminal 100. In addition, the light shielding layer 23 is provided on the polarizing plate 14 and outside the display area of the liquid crystal display panel 10. Is formed. This light shielding layer 23 can also be formed by inkjet printing using, for example, black ink in the same process as forming the icon portion 18 on the polarizing plate 14. The light shielding layer 23 serves to shield the illumination light emitted from the backlight unit 16 in the outer region of the display region of the liquid crystal display panel 10. This eliminates the need to attach a light-shielding seal or the like to the liquid crystal module for the same purpose.

  In the information terminal 100b, the code information 24 is printed on the FPC 23 on the liquid crystal module 20 side. This can also be performed in the same process as the ink jet printing of the icon portion 18. Specifically, the code information 24 may be printed by moving the ink jet printing nozzle to a predetermined position on the FPC 17 before and after the light shielding layer 23 and the icon portion 18 are ink jet printed on the polarizing plate 14.

  Next, a method for manufacturing the above information terminal will be described. FIG. 6A is a flowchart of an example of a method for manufacturing the information terminals 100 to 100b.

  In FIG. 6A, first, the liquid crystal display panel 10 is manufactured (step S1). In this step, various liquid crystal display panels can be manufactured by a known manufacturing method. In general, an electrode structure is formed on one or both of the upper and lower transparent substrates 11 and 12, a color filter layer is formed on the transparent substrate 11 or 12, and an alignment film is formed on the transparent substrates 11 and 12. Then, the transparent substrates 11 and 12 are bonded together, and liquid crystal is sealed inside.

  Next, the icon part 18 is formed by the inkjet printing on the polarizing plate 14 of the manufactured liquid crystal display panel 10 (process S2). At this time, as described above, in addition to the icon portion 18, the boundary line 21, the light shielding layer 23, the code information 22, and the like may be simultaneously formed on the polarizing plate 14. At the same time, the code information 24 may be printed on the FPC 17.

  Next, the backlight unit 16 is attached to the liquid crystal display panel 10 to manufacture the liquid crystal module 20 (step S3), and the touch panel unit 30 is attached to the polarizing plate 14 of the liquid crystal module 20 (step S4). Thus, the information terminal is manufactured.

  FIG. 6B is a flowchart of another example of the manufacturing method of the information terminals 100 to 100b. This example is different from the example of FIG. 6A in that the order of attaching the backlight unit 16 to the liquid crystal panel 10 and the step of inkjet printing the icon portion 18 on the polarizing plate 14 are switched. . That is, first, the liquid crystal display panel 10 is manufactured (step S11), and then the backlight unit 16 is attached to the liquid crystal display panel 10 to manufacture the liquid crystal module 20 (step S12). Then, the icon part 18 and, if necessary, the boundary line 21 and the light shielding layer 23 are formed on the polarizing plate 14 by ink jet printing (step S13), and finally the touch panel unit 30 is attached to the liquid crystal module 20. Thus, the information terminal is completed.

  Thus, the process of inkjet printing the icon part 18 etc. on the polarizing plate 14 should just be performed before the process of bonding the liquid crystal display panel 10 and the touch panel unit 30 together.

It is a disassembled perspective view which shows schematic structure of the information terminal to which this invention is applied. It is a top view of the information terminal shown in FIG. It is sectional drawing of the information terminal shown in FIG. It is a top view of the other example of the information terminal to which this invention is applied. It is a top view of the further another example of the information terminal to which this invention is applied. It is a flowchart which shows the manufacturing method of the information terminal of this invention.

Explanation of symbols

10 liquid crystal display panel, 11, 12 transparent substrate, 14, 15 polarizing plate,
16 backlight unit, 17, 32 FPC, 18 icon part,
20 LCD module, 30 touch panel unit

Claims (8)

An electro-optical panel in which an electro-optical material is sealed between the upper substrate and the lower substrate;
A transparent input panel attached to the electro-optical panel so as to face the upper substrate,
A polarizing plate is attached to an outer surface of the upper substrate, and an icon unit is provided on the polarizing plate by ink jet printing.   The electro-optical device according to claim 1, wherein a boundary line indicating a boundary of a display area of the electro-optical panel is provided on the polarizing plate by ink jet printing.   The electro-optical device according to claim 1, wherein a light shielding layer is provided on an outer region of the display region of the electro-optical panel by inkjet printing on the polarizing plate. Printing that forms an icon part on the polarizing plate by inkjet printing on an electro-optical panel in which an electro-optical material is sealed between the upper substrate and the lower substrate, and a polarizing plate is attached to the outer surface of the upper substrate. Process,
An assembling step of attaching a transparent input panel on the polarizing plate on which the icon portion is formed.   5. The method of manufacturing an electro-optical device according to claim 4, wherein in the printing step, a boundary line indicating a boundary of a display region of the electro-optical panel is printed on the polarizing plate by inkjet printing.   5. The method of manufacturing an electro-optical device according to claim 4, wherein in the printing step, a light shielding layer that defines an outer region of a display region of the electro-optical panel is formed on the polarizing plate by inkjet printing. .   The method of manufacturing an electro-optical device according to claim 4, wherein the printing step prints code information on the polarizing plate by ink jet printing. 8. The method of manufacturing an electro-optical device according to claim 4, wherein in the printing step, code information is printed on a portion other than the polarizing plate by inkjet printing.

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