JP2006065610A - Touch panel with protection sheet and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a touch panel with a protection sheet which can be easily peeled off and a method for manufacturing the touch panel with the protection sheet. <P>SOLUTION: The protection sheet 10 obtained by sticking a lower sheet 21 with width (b) to the center part of an upper sheet 11 with width (a) which has an adhesive layer 13 on the whole lower surface so that the adhesive layer 13 are exposed from both ends of the upper sheet 11 is stuck to both ends of the upper surface of the touch panel 1 to constitute the touch panel with the protection sheet. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2006,JPO&NCIPI

Description

  The present invention relates to a touch panel with a protective sheet mainly used for input operations of various electronic devices and a method for manufacturing the same.

  In recent years, as various electronic devices such as mobile phones and mobile terminals have become highly functional and diversified, a light-transmitting touch panel is attached to the front surface of a display element such as a liquid crystal, and the display element on the back side is passed through this touch panel. Increasingly, the functions of the devices are switched by pressing the touch panel with a finger or a pen while visually recognizing the display.

  In order to prevent dust and fingerprints from adhering to the upper surface of such a touch panel (hereinafter referred to as the operation surface) during the manufacturing process or distribution, a protective sheet is usually attached. Yes.

  Such a conventional touch panel with a protective sheet will be described with reference to FIG.

  FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional touch panel with a protective sheet. In FIG. 3, reference numeral 1 denotes a touch panel. The touch panel 1 includes an upper substrate 31 such as glass having a light-transmissive upper conductive layer 31a formed on the lower surface. The lower conductive layer 32a, which is opposite to the upper conductive layer 31a with a predetermined gap and is similarly light transmissive, is formed of a lower substrate 32 such as glass.

  In addition, a plurality of dot spacers (not shown) are formed at a predetermined interval on the upper surface of the lower conductive layer 32a by an insulating resin, and a pair of upper electrodes (not shown) are formed at both ends of the upper conductive layer 31a. At both ends of the lower conductive layer 32a, a pair of lower electrodes (not shown) perpendicular to the upper electrode are formed.

  Further, 33 is a frame-shaped outer frame portion, and the outer periphery of the upper substrate 31 and the lower substrate 32 is bonded to each other by an adhesive layer (not shown) applied and formed on the upper and lower surfaces of the outer frame portion 33. 31a and the lower conductive layer 32a face each other with a predetermined gap therebetween, and an operation region w is formed inside the outer frame portion 33 to constitute the touch panel 1.

  On the other hand, 61 is a protective sheet, and this protective sheet 61 is formed by applying an adhesive layer 63 on the front surface of the lower surface of a film 62 made of a material such as flexible ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA).

  And the protective sheet 61 is affixed on the whole operation surface of the upper surface of the said touch panel 1, and the touch panel with a protective sheet is comprised.

  Note that the protective sheet 61 for preventing dust, fingerprints, and the like from adhering to the operation surface of the touch panel 1 during the manufacturing process or distribution, the liquid crystal display element is used for the touch panel 1 in an electronic device such as a mobile phone. It is peeled off and used when it is integrated with the like.

  The touch panel 1 from which the protective sheet 61 is peeled in this way is placed on the front surface of a liquid crystal display element or the like and attached to an electronic device, and a pair of upper and lower electrodes are connected to an electronic circuit (not shown) of the device. ).

  In the above configuration, when the operation area of the upper substrate 31 is pressed with a finger or a pen while visually recognizing the display of the liquid crystal display element on the back surface of the touch panel 1, the pressing portion of the upper substrate 31 bends, and the upper conductive layer at that location. 31a contacts the lower conductive layer 32a.

  Then, a voltage is sequentially applied from the electronic circuit to the upper electrode and the lower electrode, and the electronic circuit detects the pressed position based on the voltage ratio between the respective electrodes, and various functions of the device are switched by this detection. It was a thing.

As prior art document information related to the invention of this application, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2 are known.
JP 2000-305064 A JP 2002-296558 A

  However, in the conventional touch panel with a protective sheet, when the protective sheet 61 is peeled off, the adhesive layer 63 is stuck on the entire operation surface of the touch panel 1, so that there is a problem that it is difficult to peel off.

  This invention solves such a conventional subject, and it aims at providing the touchscreen with a protective sheet in which peeling of a protective sheet is easy, and its manufacturing method.

  In order to achieve the above object, a touch panel with a protective sheet and a manufacturing method thereof according to the present invention have the following configurations.

  The invention according to claim 1 of the present invention is such that a protective sheet having an adhesive layer exposed only at both ends of the upper sheet is attached to the operation surface of the touch panel, compared to a protective sheet having an adhesive layer on the entire surface of one side. In addition, since the pressure-sensitive adhesive portion can be made small by making the pressure-sensitive adhesive portion only at both ends, the touch panel with a protective sheet that can be easily peeled can be obtained.

  The invention according to claim 2 is to produce the touch panel with the protective sheet according to claim 1 by pasting the belt-like upper and lower sheets together to form a protective sheet and then pasting and cutting the protective sheet on both ends of the touch panel. Since this manufacturing method does not use manpower in a series of manufacturing steps, it has an effect that dust, fingerprints, and the like can be prevented from adhering to the operation surface of the touch panel.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to obtain a touch panel with a protective sheet that can easily peel off the protective sheet and prevent dust and fingerprints from adhering to the operation surface of the touch panel and a method for manufacturing the touch panel. Effects can be obtained.

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

  In addition, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the part of the structure same as the structure demonstrated in the term of the prior art, and detailed description is simplified.

  FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a touch panel with a protective sheet according to an embodiment of the present invention, in which 1 is a touch panel, and this touch panel 1 has a light-transmitting upper conductive layer 31a such as indium tin oxide on its lower surface. A light-transmissive upper substrate 31 such as glass or film on which is formed and a light-transmissive lower conductive layer 32a facing the upper conductive layer 31a with a predetermined gap therebetween are formed on the upper surface. And a lower substrate 32.

  In addition, a plurality of dot spacers (not shown) are formed at a predetermined interval on the upper surface of the lower conductive layer 32a by an insulating resin, and a pair of upper electrodes (not shown) are formed at both ends of the upper conductive layer 31a. At both ends of the lower conductive layer 32a, a pair of lower electrodes (not shown) perpendicular to the upper electrode are formed.

  Further, 33 is a frame-shaped outer frame portion, and the outer periphery of the upper substrate 31 and the lower substrate 32 is bonded to each other by an adhesive layer (not shown) applied and formed on the upper and lower surfaces of the outer frame portion 33. 31a and the lower conductive layer 32a face each other with a predetermined gap therebetween, and an operation region w is formed inside the outer frame portion 33 to constitute the touch panel 1.

  On the other hand, 11 is an upper sheet, and an adhesive layer 13 is provided on the entire lower surface of a film having a width a made of a material such as flexible ethylene vinyl acetate (EVA).

  Reference numeral 21 denotes a lower sheet made of a film having a width b. The lower sheet 21 having a width smaller than that of the upper sheet 11 is bonded to the central portion of the adhesive layer 13 of the upper sheet 11. The protective sheet 10 is configured by exposing the adhesive part 13 a of the adhesive layer 13.

  In addition, this protective sheet 10 is configured such that the adhesive portions 13a at both ends thereof are stuck on the outer frame portion 33 outside the operation area w of the touch panel 1 to form a touch panel with a protective sheet.

  Such a protective sheet 10 is for preventing dust and fingerprints from adhering to the operation surface of the touch panel 1 during the manufacturing process or distribution, and is used for liquid crystal display on electronic devices such as mobile phones. When being integrated with an element or the like, it is peeled off from the touch panel 1 and used.

  And when this protective sheet 10 is peeled from the touch panel 1, since there is no adhesion part 13a in the operation area | region w of the touch panel 1, it is comprised so that it can peel easily.

  In addition, the touch panel 1 from which the protective sheet 10 has been peeled in this way is placed on the front surface of a liquid crystal display element or the like and attached to an electronic device, and a pair of upper and lower electrodes are connected to an electronic circuit (not shown) of the device. ).

  In the above configuration, when the operation region of the upper substrate 31 is pressed with a finger or a pen while visually recognizing the display of the liquid crystal display element on the back of the touch panel 1, the pressing portion of the upper substrate 31 bends, and the upper conductive layer at that location. 31a contacts the lower conductive layer 32a.

  Then, a voltage is sequentially applied from the electronic circuit to the upper electrode and the lower electrode, and the electronic circuit detects the pressed position based on the voltage ratio between the respective electrodes, and various functions of the device are switched by this detection. .

  Next, the manufacturing method of the above touchscreen with a protective sheet is demonstrated using the perspective view of FIG.

  In the figure, the touch panel 1 without a protective sheet is first transported in the direction of arrow S1 by a conveyer (not shown) from a front position, and when it reaches a predetermined position, it is sandwiched by a holding device 51 that moves up and down. Is done.

  On the left side of the touch panel 1, a belt-like upper sheet 41 having a width a having an adhesive layer 43 on the entire lower surface, and a belt-like lower sheet 42 having a width b on the lower side thereof are arranged. A continuous band-shaped protective sheet 40 is formed by being bonded by the bonding device 52.

  The width a of the upper sheet 41 is set to be approximately the vertical dimension of the touch panel 1, and the width b of the lower sheet 42 is set to be slightly larger than the vertical dimension of the operation area w of the touch panel 1.

  Next, the protective sheet 40 is sucked by the hollow cylindrical transport device 53 and transported in the right direction indicated by the arrow S <b> 2, and the leading end 40 b is moved to the position of the right end 1 b of the touch panel 1.

  Further, the protective sheet 40 transported to a predetermined position by the transport device 53 is pasted to the touch panel 1 by the pasting device 54. The pasting device 54 is also used as the transport device 53, for example, suction during transport. Can be stuck by pressing and moving on the adhesive portion 43a of the protective sheet 40 with the hollow cylindrical tip.

  Thus, although the protection sheet 40 is affixed on the upper surface of the touch panel 1, only the adhesion part 43a of the both ends of the protection sheet 40 is the outside of the operation area w of the touch panel 1 (namely, outer frame part 33). It is pasted.

  And the protection sheet 40 affixed on the touch panel 1 is cut | disconnected (cutting process) by the cutting devices 55, such as a rotation tooth | gear and a cutter, and the touch panel with a protection sheet is completed.

  Thereafter, the touch panel with the protective sheet is released from being held by the holding device 51 and is conveyed in the direction of the arrow S3 in front by a conveyor (not shown), and the touch panel with the protective sheet is continuously manufactured through these series of operations. .

  Thus, according to this Embodiment, since the protective sheet is affixed only to the both ends of a touch panel, compared with the touch panel with a protective sheet affixed on the whole upper surface, the touch panel with a protective sheet which can be peeled easily, and its manufacturing method Can be obtained.

  In addition, according to this invention, since there is no adhesive remaining adhesive of the adhesion part in the operation area w of a touch panel after protection sheet peeling, when a touch panel is pressed with a finger, a strange feeling is not felt.

  Furthermore, when manufacturing a touch panel with a protective sheet, no manual labor is used in a series of manufacturing processes, so that dust, fingerprints, and the like can be prevented from adhering to the operation surface of the touch panel.

  The touch panel with a protective sheet and the method for producing the same according to the present invention can easily peel off the protective sheet and are useful for touch panels and the like.

Sectional drawing of the touchscreen with a protection sheet by one embodiment of this invention Perspective view showing the manufacturing method Sectional view of a conventional touch panel with a protective sheet

Explanation of symbols

1 Touch panel 10 Protective sheet 40 Protective sheet 11, 41 Upper sheet 13, 43 Adhesive layer 13a, 43a Adhesive part 21, 42 Lower sheet

Claims (2)

An upper substrate having an upper conductive layer formed on the lower surface, a touch panel comprising a lower substrate having an upper conductive layer formed on the upper surface and facing the upper conductive layer with a predetermined gap therebetween, and an adhesive layer on the entire lower surface of the upper sheet A touch panel with a protective sheet comprising a protective sheet having a lower sheet bonded to the center, and a protective sheet having the adhesive layer exposed on both ends of the upper sheet is bonded to both ends of the upper surface of the touch panel. Claim that after sticking the strip-shaped lower sheet on the lower surface of the strip-shaped upper sheet having the adhesive layer formed on the entire lower surface, the adhesive layer exposed at both ends of the upper sheet is pasted to both ends of the upper surface of the touch panel, and the edge of the protective sheet is cut The manufacturing method of the touchscreen with a protection sheet of claim | item 1.

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