JP2007140724A - Touch panel and method for manufacturing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a touch panel to be used for various electronic equipment which is excellent in visibility and cost performance. <P>SOLUTION: An opening 15A is installed in an almost frame-shaped spacer 15, and a tongue section 16A projecting outward is installed in a sheet 16 attached to the lower face of a lower substrate 2, and the opening 15A of the spacer 15 is covered with the tongue section 16A so that it is possible to easily manufacture this touch panel in such a status that there is not any air bubble hindering the visibility of a liquid crystal display element or the like in the case of manufacturing, and that it is possible to prevent the intrusion of peripheral dusts or moisture or the like into a gap between upper and lower substrates in a complete status. Thus, it is possible to obtain a touch panel which is satisfactory in visibility, and which is stable in operation and a method for manufacturing this touch panel. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a touch panel mainly used for operation of various electronic devices and a manufacturing method thereof.

  In recent years, as various electronic devices such as mobile phones and car navigation systems become more sophisticated and diversified, a light-transmissive touch panel is mounted on the front surface of a display element such as a liquid crystal display, and the display element on the back side is displayed through this touch panel. There is an increasing number of devices that switch each function of a device by pressing the touch panel with a finger or a pen while visually recognizing, and there is a demand for an inexpensive device that has excellent visibility.

  Such a conventional touch panel will be described with reference to FIGS.

  In addition, in order to make the structure easy to understand, the drawing shows an enlarged dimension in the thickness direction.

  FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional touch panel, in which 1 is a light transmissive and film-like upper substrate, 2 is a light transmissive lower substrate, and the lower surface of the upper substrate 1 is indium tin oxide or the like. The lower conductive layer 4 is formed on the upper surface of the lower substrate 2.

  A plurality of dot spacers (not shown) are formed on the upper surface of the lower conductive layer 4 by an insulating resin at predetermined intervals, and a pair of upper electrodes (not shown) are formed at both ends of the upper conductive layer 3. At both ends of the lower conductive layer 4, a pair of lower electrodes (not shown) perpendicular to the upper electrode are formed.

  Reference numeral 5 denotes a substantially frame-like spacer, and the outer periphery of the upper substrate 1 and the lower substrate 2 is bonded to each other by an adhesive layer (not shown) formed on the upper and lower surfaces of the spacer 5. The conductive layers 4 are opposed to each other with a predetermined gap.

  Further, 6 is a sheet having an adhesive layer 7 applied and formed on the upper and lower surfaces, and is adhered to the lower surface of the lower substrate 2 by the upper surface adhesive layer 7, and a release paper 8 is adhered to the lower surface of the adhesive layer 7. Is configured.

  The touch panel configured as described above is peeled off the release paper 8 and then attached to the front surface of the liquid crystal display element or the like by the adhesive layer 7 on the lower surface, and is attached to an electronic device, and has a pair of upper and lower electrodes. The electrodes are connected to the electronic circuit (not shown) of the device.

  In the above configuration, when the upper surface of the upper substrate 1 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, the upper substrate 1 bends and the upper conductive layer 3 at the pressed position is the lower conductive layer. Contact layer 4.

  A voltage is sequentially applied from the electronic circuit to the upper electrode and the lower electrode, and the electronic circuit detects the pressed portion by the voltage ratio between these electrodes, and the various functions of the device are switched. Has been.

  When manufacturing such a touch panel, as shown in the exploded sectional view of FIG. 6A, first, the upper substrate 1 and the lower substrate 2 are bonded together by the spacer 5, and then the lower substrate 2 is formed on the lower surface. Sheet 6 is affixed.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 6B, the sheet 6 is stuck by the roller 9 or the like, but the left side of the lower substrate 2 pressed by the roller 9 bends upward, thereby the upper substrate 1. And the air between the lower substrate 2 is compressed, and a downward bulge A is generated on the right side of the lower substrate 2.

  As a result, as shown in FIG. 6C, bonding is performed in a state where bubbles B are generated between the lower surface of the lower substrate 2 and the sheet 6, and such a touch panel is used as a liquid crystal display element or the like. When affixed, the bubbles B make it difficult to see the display of the liquid crystal display element on the back of the touch panel, and visibility is impaired.

  For this reason, when the sheet 6 is affixed to the lower surface of the lower substrate 2, it is necessary to adjust the pressure of the roller 9 so that the bulge A does not occur, or to move the roller 9 slowly so as not to generate the bubble B. And it took time and effort to produce.

As prior art document information related to the invention of this application, for example, Patent Document 1 is known.
JP 2005-274667 A

  However, in the conventional touch panel described above, when the sheet 6 is attached to the lower surface of the lower substrate 2, bubbles B that obstruct the visual recognition of the liquid crystal display element on the back surface are likely to be generated, or production takes time to prevent this. There was a problem of becoming expensive.

  The present invention solves such a conventional problem, and an object thereof is to provide a touch panel that is easy to manufacture, has excellent visibility, and is inexpensive.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has the following configuration.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, an opening is provided in a substantially frame-like spacer formed on the outer periphery between the upper substrate and the lower substrate, and the outer substrate protrudes outward from the sheet attached to the lower surface of the lower substrate. A tongue piece is provided, and the opening of the spacer is covered with this tongue piece to constitute a touch panel.When a sheet is attached to the lower surface of the lower substrate, air enters and exits from the opening of the spacer. There is no swelling of the substrate, it is possible to prevent the generation of bubbles that hinder the visual recognition of liquid crystal display elements, etc., and in the completed state, since the opening of the spacer is covered with the tongue piece of the sheet, It has an effect that a touch panel capable of stable operation can be obtained by preventing moisture and the like from entering between the upper and lower substrates.

  According to the second aspect of the present invention, the sheet is attached to the upper surface of the upper substrate or the lower surface of the lower substrate, and then the tongue portion of the sheet is bent to cover the opening of the spacer to produce the touch panel according to the first aspect. Thus, the touch panel is easy to manufacture, has excellent visibility, and can realize an inexpensive touch panel.

  As described above, according to the present invention, an advantageous effect that an inexpensive touch panel with excellent visibility can be realized.

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

  In addition, in order to make the structure easy to understand, the drawing shows an enlarged dimension in the thickness direction.

  Further, the same reference numerals are given to the same components as those described in the background art section, and the detailed description will be simplified.

(Embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a touch panel according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view thereof, in which 1 is an optically transparent film-like upper substrate such as polyethylene terephthalate or polycarbonate, 2 is Similarly, a light-transmissive lower substrate, a light-transmissive upper conductive layer 3 such as indium tin oxide or tin oxide on the lower surface of the upper substrate 1, and a lower conductive layer 4 also formed on the upper surface of the lower substrate 2 are sputtered. Etc., respectively.

  A plurality of dot spacers (not shown) are formed on the upper surface of the lower conductive layer 4 by an insulating resin such as epoxy or silicon at predetermined intervals, and a pair of silver, carbon, or the like is formed at both ends of the upper conductive layer 3. A pair of lower electrodes (not shown) perpendicular to the upper electrode are formed at both ends of the lower conductive layer 4.

  Reference numeral 15 denotes a spacer such as a non-woven fabric or a polyester film having a substantially frame shape. An adhesive layer (not shown) such as acrylic or rubber applied and formed on the upper and lower surfaces of the spacer 15 allows the upper substrate 1 and the lower substrate 2 to be separated. The outer periphery is bonded, and the upper conductive layer 3 and the lower conductive layer 4 face each other with a predetermined gap.

  Further, 16 is a light-transmitting film-like sheet such as polyethylene terephthalate or polycarbonate, and the sheet 16 is affixed to the lower surface of the lower substrate 2 by a strong adhesive layer 17A such as acrylic coated on the upper surface. A release paper 18 such as paper or a polyester film is attached to the weak adhesive layer 17B such as silicon rubber coated and formed on the lower surface.

  The spacer 15 is provided with a partially cut opening 15A, and the sheet 16 is provided with an outwardly protruding tongue piece 16A. The tongue piece 16A is bent upward so that the opening of the spacer 15 is provided. While covering the portion 15A, the tongue piece portion 16A is further bent, and the end portion is adhered to the upper surface of the upper substrate 1 by the adhesive layer 17A having a strong adhesiveness to constitute a touch panel.

  When manufacturing such a touch panel, as shown in the exploded sectional view of FIG. 3A, first, the upper substrate 1 and the lower substrate 2 are bonded together by the spacer 15, and then the lower substrate 2 is formed on the lower surface. A sheet 16 is pasted.

  At this time, as shown in FIG. 3B, the sheet 16 is stuck by the roller 9 or the like, and the left side of the lower substrate 2 pressed by the roller 9 bends upward. Although the air between the lower substrates 2 is compressed, the spacer 15 is provided with an opening 15A, and air enters and exits from the opening 15A, so that the lower substrate 2 does not bulge downward.

  That is, even when the roller 9 is pressed relatively strongly or moved to a certain extent, when the touch panel is attached to the liquid crystal display element or the like between the lower surface of the lower substrate 2 and the sheet 16, bubbles or the like that hinder visual recognition are generated. The sheet 16 and the lower substrate 2 can be bonded together in a state where it does not occur.

  Then, as shown in FIG. 3C, the tongue piece 16A of the sheet 16 is bent upward to cover the opening 15A of the spacer 15, and the tip of the tongue piece 16A is further bent. This is attached to the upper surface of the upper substrate 1 to complete the touch panel as shown in FIG.

  That is, by providing the opening 15A in the substantially frame-shaped spacer 15 that bonds the upper substrate 1 and the lower substrate 2, when the sheet 16 is attached to the lower surface of the lower substrate 2, air is made to enter and exit from the opening 15A. In addition, the lower substrate 2 can be bonded in a state where there is no bulge and there are no bubbles, and after the sheet 16 is pasted, by covering the opening 15A with the tongue piece 16A, surrounding dust or Intrusion between the upper substrate 1 and the lower substrate 2 such as moisture is prevented, and a stable operation can be performed.

  In the above description, the adhesive layer 17B and the release paper 18 on the lower surface of the sheet 16 are described as having no tongue pieces protruding outward by half-cut processing or the like. Alternatively, the tongue piece portion may be provided.

  The touch panel configured as described above is peeled off the release paper 18, and then attached to the front surface of the liquid crystal display element or the like by the weakly adhesive layer 17B on the lower surface, and is attached to the electronic device. The upper electrode and the lower electrode are connected to an electronic circuit (not shown) of the device.

  In the above configuration, when the upper surface of the upper substrate 1 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, the upper substrate 1 bends and the upper conductive layer 3 at the pressed position is the lower conductive layer. Contact layer 4.

  A voltage is sequentially applied from the electronic circuit to the upper electrode and the lower electrode, and the electronic circuit detects the pressed portion by the voltage ratio between these electrodes, and the various functions of the device are switched. Has been.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, the opening 15A is provided in the spacer 15 having a substantially frame shape, and the tongue piece portion 16A that protrudes outward is provided on the sheet 16 attached to the lower surface of the lower substrate 2. By covering the opening 15A of the spacer 15 with the single portion 16A, it can be easily manufactured without bubbles or the like that obstruct the visual recognition of the liquid crystal display element or the like at the time of manufacture. It is possible to obtain a touch panel that prevents intrusion between the upper and lower substrates such as the like, has good visibility and can be stably operated, and a method for manufacturing the touch panel.

  In addition, as described above, the adhesive layer 17A on the upper surface of the sheet 16 is made strong adhesive and the adhesive layer 17B on the lower surface is made weakly adhesive, so that when the touch panel is attached to a liquid crystal display element, etc. Even when the lower substrate 2 occurs, since the lower substrate 2 side is strongly adhesive and the liquid crystal display element side is weakly adhesive, the touch panel can be once peeled off from the liquid crystal display element and re-attached easily. .

  In the above description, the structure in which the sheet 16 is attached to the lower surface of the lower substrate 2 has been described. However, as shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 4, the adhesive layer 17A is applied and formed on the lower surface to protect the operation surface. The present invention can also be implemented by affixing the sheet 16 to the upper surface of the upper substrate 1 and bending the tongue piece 16A downward to cover the opening 15A of the spacer 15.

  Further, a so-called linearly polarized light type, in which a polarizing plate in which triacetyl cellulose or the like is laminated on the upper surface of the upper substrate 1 is attached to the upper and lower surfaces of polyvinyl alcohol that has been adsorbed with iodine or a dye and stretched or oriented, or the upper substrate 1 The present invention also applies to a so-called circularly polarized light type, in which a quarter-wave retardation plate having a birefringence stretched by a polycarbonate or cycloolefin polymer film is attached to the lower substrate 2 and the lower substrate 2. Can be implemented.

  That is, in these cases, when a phase difference plate is attached to the lower surface of the lower substrate 2, this is used as the sheet 16 of the present invention, the tongue piece portion 16A protruding outward is bent upward, and the spacer 15 When the retardation plate is pasted on the upper surface of the upper substrate 1, this is used as the sheet 16 of the present invention, and the tongue piece 16A is bent downward to cover the opening 15A. That's fine.

  The touch panel and the manufacturing method thereof according to the present invention have an advantageous effect that they can be easily manufactured, can be provided with excellent visibility, and are inexpensive, and are useful for operating various electronic devices.

Sectional drawing of the touchscreen by one embodiment of this invention Exploded perspective view Exploded sectional view Sectional view according to another embodiment Cross-sectional view of a conventional touch panel Exploded sectional view

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Upper substrate 2 Lower substrate 3 Upper conductive layer 4 Lower conductive layer 15 Spacer 15A Opening part 16 Sheet | seat 16A Tongue piece part 17A, 17B Adhesive layer 18 Release paper

Claims (2)

Formed on the outer periphery between the upper substrate and the lower substrate, the upper substrate having the upper conductive layer formed on the lower surface, the lower substrate formed on the upper surface and facing the upper conductive layer with a predetermined gap therebetween A substantially frame-shaped spacer and a sheet affixed to the upper surface of the upper substrate or the lower surface of the lower substrate. The spacer has an opening and a tongue piece that protrudes outwardly. A touch panel in which the opening of the spacer is covered with one part. The touch panel manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein after the sheet is attached to the upper surface of the upper substrate or the lower surface of the lower substrate, the tongue portion of the sheet is bent to cover the opening of the spacer.

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