JP2010182093A - Image display device with touch panel - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To narrow a frame of an image display device with a touch panel using a substrate made of a film. <P>SOLUTION: When a touch panel 1 and a display panel 20 are arranged so as to be faced to each other, as for one pair of sides which do not have a circuit board 16 among two pairs of opposite sides forming one main surface of the touch panel 1, the section sticking out of the outer edge of a frame edge 22 of the display panel 20 is folded to the display panel 20 side so that the touch panel 1 and the display panel 20 can be adhered to each other. An air layer 40 or a sheet layer 41 is formed between the touch panel 1 and the display panel 20. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2010,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to an electrostatic capacity type image display device with a touch panel.

  The touch panel is classified into various types such as a capacitance type, a resistance film type, and an optical type according to an input method. Furthermore, the capacitive touch panel can be divided into a case where a transparent resin film is used as a substrate and a case where glass is used. A touch panel employing a film substrate is lightweight and thin.

  In addition, in order to provide wiring on the film substrate, when forming by an ink jet method or a printing method, the ink jet method or the printing method has a limit in fine processing technology, so the wiring cannot be thinned, and the frame width of the touch panel is reduced. It was difficult to narrow.

  In general, an ink jet method or a printing method is used to form a wiring on a film substrate. However, it is difficult to form a fine pattern by the ink jet method or the printing method. In recent years, with an increase in the screen size of a display panel, a touch panel bonded to the display panel tends to be increased in size. For large touch panels, it is necessary to increase the number of sensing electrodes arranged in the touch panel in order to maintain the same detection power (sensing resolution) as that of conventional touch panels. There is also a tendency for the number of wirings to be arranged on the board to increase. Accordingly, it has been difficult to reduce the frame width of the enlarged touch panel of the film substrate.

  Therefore, in recent years, it has been required to narrow the frame portion of a capacitive touch panel using a film substrate. The following is disclosed about the touch panel which narrowed the frame part. That is, a groove is provided in a portion of the frame where the wiring is formed, and the wiring material is not easily spread even when the wiring material is applied (see Patent Document 1).

JP 2008-77332 A

  However, the touch panel described above can narrow the frame portion, but when configuring an image display device with a touch panel, depending on the difference between the size of the sensing area of the touch panel and the size of the display area of the display panel, In some cases, the touch panel function cannot be exhibited in the vicinity of the outer edge of the display area of the display panel.

  Accordingly, the present invention has been made to solve the above-described problems, and an object of the present invention is to provide an image display device with a touch panel capable of narrowing the frame while exhibiting the touch panel function in the entire display area. And

  In order to achieve the above object, an image display device with a touch panel according to the present invention includes a film substrate having a substantially rectangular flat plate shape, a plurality of electrodes on the film substrate, and a sensing region that receives input from the outside, A circuit board that is provided on one side parallel to the width direction of the film substrate and receives an electrical signal from the electrode, having a first frame portion having wiring connected to the electrodes arranged so as to surround a sensing region And a touch panel having, a display area facing the film substrate and disposed at a position corresponding to the sensing area, and a second frame portion disposed so as to surround the display area, A display panel having a substantially rectangular flat plate shape with a length in the width direction shorter than that of the film substrate, and the first frame portion includes a pair of opposing sides not provided with the first circuit substrate. It is characterized by being folded back on the display panel side according to the width of the display panel.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the image display apparatus with a touch panel which can aim at narrowing a frame can be obtained, exhibiting a touch-panel function in the whole display area.

It is sectional drawing of the image display apparatus with a touch panel showing Example 1 of this invention. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS It is a disassembled perspective view of the image display apparatus before folding the frame part of a touch panel showing Example 1 of this invention. It is a figure which shows the II line cross section of the display panel of FIG. It is a top view of the touch panel used for Example 1 of this invention. It is a top view of the 1st film substrate used for Example 1 of this invention. It is a top view of the 2nd film substrate used for Example 1 of this invention. It is a perspective view of the touch panel used for Example 1 of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the image display apparatus with a touch panel showing Example 2 of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the image display apparatus with a touch panel showing Example 3 of this invention. It is sectional drawing of the image display apparatus with a touch panel showing Example 4 of this invention.

[Example 1]
Hereinafter, an image display device with a touch panel according to Embodiment 1 of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 1 is a cross-sectional view of an image display device with a touch panel, which represents Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the image display device with a touch panel used in Embodiment 1 of the present invention.

  The image display device with a touch panel includes a substantially rectangular flat plate-shaped touch panel 1, a substantially rectangular flat plate-shaped display panel 20 in which one main surface and one main surface of the touch panel 1 face each other, and an approximately main surface facing the other main surface of the touch panel 1. And a rectangular flat cover panel 30. There are various types of display panel 20 such as a liquid crystal display panel, a plasma display panel, an organic electroluminescence (EL) display panel, a field emission display panel, and the type is not particularly limited. An example in which a liquid crystal display panel is applied as the panel 20 will be described.

  The configuration of the display panel 20 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 3 is a partially enlarged view of a cross section taken along the line II of the display panel 20 of FIG.

  The display panel 20 includes a pair of opposed, substantially rectangular glass substrates, an array substrate 23 and a counter substrate 24, and a liquid crystal layer 25 held between the array substrate 23 and the counter substrate 24. Further, the display panel 20 includes a circuit board 28 at one end thereof as shown in FIG. The array substrate 23 and the counter substrate 24 are bonded to each other with a resin sealant 26 with a gap having a predetermined thickness, and liquid crystal is sealed in the gap.

  A substantially rectangular display region 21 for displaying an image is formed inside the display panel 20 surrounded by the sealant 26. A frame portion (second frame portion) 22 of the display panel 20 is formed around the display area 21 on the array substrate 23. The circuit board 28 is disposed on one side of the frame portion 22. In addition, a polarizing plate 27 is provided in each of the display areas 21 on the other main surface with respect to one main surface holding the liquid crystal layer 25 of the array substrate 23 and the counter substrate 24.

  FIG. 4A is a plan view of the touch panel 1 used in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. FIG. 4B is a plan view of the first film substrate 10 constituting the touch panel 1. FIG. 4C is a plan view of the second film substrate 11 constituting the touch panel 1.

  The touch panel 1 receives a pair of first film substrate 10 and second film substrate 11 made of a transparent resin and having a substantially rectangular shape, and electrical signals from the first film substrate 10 and the second film substrate 11. And a circuit board (first circuit board) 16. A plurality of diamond-type electrodes 13 and 14 are spread on the first film substrate 10 and the second film substrate 11, and a wiring formed by a conductive material such as silver extending from each of the electrodes 13 and 14. 15 is provided. The circuit board 16 is provided on one side of the touch panel 1 corresponding to one side on which the circuit board 28 (see FIG. 2) of the display panel 20 facing the touch panel 1 is provided. The circuit board 16 is formed of a flexible printed board. The wiring 15 connects the electrodes 13 and 14 to the circuit board 16.

  A substantially rectangular area (a range indicated by a dotted line in FIGS. 4B and 4C) provided with the electrodes 13 and 14 on one main surface of the touch panel 1 is defined as a sensing area 17. Further, a region including the wiring 15 around the sensing region 17 on the film substrates 10 and 11 is defined as a frame portion (first frame portion) 18.

  On the first film substrate 10, diamond-type X-direction electrodes 13 are arranged in parallel with the side on which the circuit board 16 is provided, and each X-direction electrode 13 is connected to the circuit board 16 by wiring 15. Has been.

  On the other hand, diamond-shaped Y-direction electrodes 14 are arranged on the second film substrate 11 in a direction perpendicular to the X-direction electrodes 13, and each Y-direction electrode 14 is connected to the circuit board 16 by wiring 15. ing. The X-direction electrode 13 and the Y-direction electrode 14 are arranged so as to be spread without gap when the first film substrate 10 and the second film substrate 11 are overlapped.

  The first film substrate 10 and the second film substrate 11 are bonded together so that the X direction electrode 13 and the Y direction electrode 14 face each other. The circuit board 16 is arranged so that a part of the circuit board 16 is sandwiched between the first film substrate 10 and the second film substrate 11.

  The touch panel 1 is a capacitive touch panel. When the sensing area 17 is touched by a finger or the like from the outside of the cover panel 30, the touch panel 1 is positioned by the X direction electrode 13 and the Y direction electrode 14 provided in the sensing area 17. Is detected, and an information signal of the detected position is sent to the circuit board 16.

  The wiring 15 of the touch panel 1 in the first embodiment is formed by an inkjet method with a short manufacturing time. The ink jet method is a method of forming a pattern by ejecting fine particles of ink from a nozzle.

  On the other hand, the wiring of the display panel 20 is formed by a fine processing technique using photolithography. The microfabrication technology using photolithography is that a photosensitive resin is applied onto a conductive film previously formed by sputtering, a resist is formed by exposure and development through a partially transparent mask, and etching is performed. Thus, a desired pattern is formed. Since the photolithography method has higher wiring processing accuracy than the processing technique using the inkjet method, the wiring width of the frame portion 22 of the display panel 20 is narrower than the wiring width of the frame portion 18 of the touch panel 1. Further, the touch panel in the first embodiment is of a type having a large number of wirings, and the frame portion 22 of the display panel 20 is wider than the frame portion 18 of the touch panel.

  FIG. 5 is a perspective view of a touch panel used in Embodiment 1 of the present invention. In the first embodiment, the sensing area 17 of the touch panel 1 is equal to or larger than the display area 21 of the display panel 20. That is, in Example 1, the touch panel function can be exhibited in the entire display area 21 by overlapping the sensing area 17 over the entire display area 21.

  The touch panel 1 in Example 1 is formed using a film substrate, and the wiring 15 is formed by an ink jet method. On the other hand, the wiring of the display panel 20 is formed by a photolithography method. Since the accuracy of the photolithography method is higher than that of the ink jet method, the wiring 15 of the touch panel is thicker than the wiring of the display panel 20.

  From this, if the sensing area 17 of the touch panel 1 and the display area 21 of the display panel 20 are the same in size, the frame part 18 of the touch panel 1 becomes wider than the frame part 22 of the display panel 20. In other words, when the touch panel 1 and the display panel 20 are arranged to face each other, the outer edge portion 18X of the frame portion 18 of the touch panel 1 protrudes from the outer edge portion of the frame portion 22 of the display panel 20.

  In the present invention, in order to make the frame of the touch panel 1 as thin as the display panel 20, the frame portion 18 of the touch panel 1 is folded to the display panel 20 side as shown in FIG. That is, when the sensing area 17 of the touch panel 1 and the display area 21 of the display panel 20 are opposed to each other, one pair of the two opposing sides that form one main surface of the touch panel 1 is not provided with the circuit board 16. For the frame portion 18 having the sides (that is, a set of sides adjacent to the side on which the circuit board 16 is disposed), the outer edge portion 18X of the frame portion 18 that protrudes from the outer edge portion of the frame portion 22 of the display panel 20 is displayed. It is folded back to the panel 20 side. That is, in FIG. 2, the broken line indicates a folding line that folds back the touch panel 1. This folding line is generally set in accordance with the width of the display panel 20. About the frame portion 18 having a pair of opposite sides of the touch panel 1, an outer edge portion (that is, a portion outside the broken line of the touch panel 1) 18 </ b> X protruding from the outer edge portion of the frame portion 22 of the display panel 20 It is folded back. The state of the cross section of the image display device with a touch panel when the frame 18 of the touch panel 1 is folded is as shown in FIG. That is, the outer edge portion 18 </ b> X is disposed between the display panel 20 and the film substrates 10 and 11 outside the sensing region 17.

  As described above, according to the first embodiment, a touch panel using a film substrate that can be reduced in thickness and weight is applied, and it is possible to narrow the frame while demonstrating the touch panel function in the entire display area. .

  Further, when the touch panel 1 with the frame portion 18 folded in this manner is bonded to the display panel 20, a gap corresponding to the thickness of the pair of folded frame portions 18 is formed between the sensing region 17 of the touch panel 1 and the display panel 20. It is formed between the display areas 21. That is, an air layer 40 is formed between the sensing area 17 and the display area 21. When the liquid crystal panel is employed as the display panel 20, the air layer 40 is pooled, that is, generated by the liquid crystal panel, that is, the pressure on the cover panel for input is transmitted to the touch panel or the display panel. Has an advantage of preventing deformation of the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer.

[Example 2]
FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of an image display device with a touch panel according to Embodiment 2 of the present invention. Since Example 2 is the same as 1st execution except the direction which bends the frame part 18 of the touch panel 1, the same code | symbol is attached | subjected to the same part and the detailed description of the part is abbreviate | omitted.

  In the second embodiment, the frame portion 18 of the touch panel 1 is folded not to the display panel 20 side but to the cover panel 30 side. That is, the outer edge portion 18 </ b> X of the touch panel 1 is disposed between the cover panel 30 and the film substrates 10 and 11 outside the sensing region 17. As a result, an air layer 40 is formed between the cover panel 30 and the sensing region 17 of the touch panel 1.

  By folding the frame portion 18 of the touch panel 1 in this way, the width of the touch panel 1 and the display panel 20 can be made the same while the size of the sensing area 17 is equal to the size of the display area 21 of the display panel 20. Therefore, the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained.

  Moreover, since the air layer 40 is formed between the touch panel 1 and the cover panel 30 by folding the frame portion 18, pooling can be prevented when a liquid crystal panel is used as the display panel 20.

[Example 3]
FIG. 7 is a cross-sectional view of an image display device with a touch panel according to Embodiment 3 of the present invention. Example 3 differs from Example 1 in that a sheet layer is provided instead of an air layer. Since the configuration other than the sheet layer is the same as that of the first embodiment, the same portions are denoted by the same reference numerals, and detailed description thereof is omitted.

  In Example 3, instead of the air layer 40 formed in Example 1, a transparent sheet layer 41 having the same size as the air layer 40 is provided. That is, the sheet layer 41 is provided between the touch panel 1 and the display panel 20 and between the set of outer edge portions 18 </ b> X of the frame portion 18 of the touch panel 1. That is, a sheet layer 41 having the same thickness as the thickness of the frame portion 18 of the folded touch panel 1, in other words, the sum of the thicknesses of the two film substrates 10 and 11 is provided between the touch panel 2 and the display panel 20. A sheet layer 41 is formed.

  By folding the frame portion 18 of the touch panel 1 in this way, the width of the touch panel 1 and the display panel 20 can be made the same while the size of the sensing area 17 is equal to the size of the display area 21 of the display panel 20. Therefore, the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained.

  Further, by providing the sheet layer 41, it is possible to prevent the irregular reflection of light that occurs in the air layer 40 in the first embodiment, so that the efficiency of light passing through the display panel 20 is increased, and the luminance of the display panel 20 is increased. Can do. Further, when a material having a high elastic modulus is used as the sheet of the sheet layer 41, it is possible to prevent the pressure from being transmitted from the touch panel to the display panel rather than the air layer, which contributes to the prevention of pooling.

[Example 4]
FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of an image display device with a touch panel according to Embodiment 4 of the present invention. In the fourth embodiment, the configurations of the touch panel 1 and the display panel 20 are the same as those in the first embodiment, and thus the description of the same parts is omitted.

  In Example 4, a transparent sheet layer 41 is provided instead of the air layer 40 formed in Example 2. That is, the sheet layer 41 is provided between the cover panel 30 and the touch panel 1 and between a set of sides of the frame portion 18 of the touch panel 1 that is folded. That is, the sheet layer 41 is formed by providing a sheet having the same thickness as the thickness of the frame portion 18 of the folded touch panel 1, in other words, the sum of the two film substrates 10 and 11 between the cover panel 30 and the touch panel 1. To do.

  By folding the frame portion 18 of the touch panel 1 in this way, the width of the touch panel 1 and the display panel 20 can be made the same while the size of the sensing area 17 is equal to the size of the display area 21 of the display panel 20. Therefore, the same effect as in the first embodiment can be obtained.

  Further, in this case as well, the use of a sheet made of a transparent material having a high elastic modulus in the same manner as in Example 3 prevents multiple reflections compared to the case where the air layer 40 is provided. Can be prevented.

  In the first to fourth embodiments, the frame portion 18 of the touch panel 1 is folded once. However, the present invention is not limited to this example, and the frame portion of the touch panel 1 is not limited to the frame portion 22 of the display panel 20. 18 may be folded several times.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Touch panel 10 1st film substrate 11 2nd film substrate 13 X direction electrode 14 Y direction electrode 15 Wiring 16 Circuit board 17 Sensing area | region 18 Frame part 20 of a touch panel Display panel 21 Display area 22 Frame part 23 of a display panel Array substrate 24 counter substrate 25 liquid crystal layer 26 sealing material 27 polarizing plate 28 circuit board 30 of display panel cover panel 40 air layer 41 sheet layer

Claims (3)

A film substrate having a substantially rectangular plate shape, a plurality of electrodes on the film substrate, a sensing region that receives an input from the outside, and a wiring connected to the electrodes arranged so as to surround the sensing region A touch panel having a first frame portion and a circuit board that is provided on one side parallel to the width direction of the film substrate and receives an electrical signal from the electrode;
A display area facing the film substrate and disposed at a position corresponding to the sensing area, and a second frame portion disposed so as to surround the display area, and having a width direction greater than that of the film substrate A substantially rectangular flat panel display panel having a short length of
The touch panel characterized in that the first frame portion has a pair of opposing sides, which are not provided with the first circuit board, folded back toward the display panel in accordance with the width of the display panel. Attached image display device. A film substrate having a substantially rectangular plate shape, a plurality of electrodes on the film substrate, a sensing region that receives an input from the outside, and a wiring connected to the electrodes arranged so as to surround the sensing region A touch panel having a first frame portion and a circuit board that is provided on one side parallel to the width direction of the film substrate and receives an electrical signal from the electrode;
A display area facing the film substrate and disposed at a position corresponding to the sensing area, and a second frame portion disposed so as to surround the display area, and having a width direction greater than that of the film substrate A substantially rectangular flat panel display panel having a short length of
The first frame portion is provided with a touch panel, wherein a pair of opposing sides that are not provided with the first circuit board are folded back toward the touch panel according to the width of the display panel. Image display device.   The light-transmitting sheet layer is provided at least in a region corresponding to the sensing region between a pair of folded sides of the first frame portion. The image display device with a touch panel according to any one of the above.

Images