JP2010224902A - Touch panel - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a touch panel for suppressing increase of an input load even on a spacer and suppressing an occurrence of erroneous input. <P>SOLUTION: The touch panel includes an upper substrate 2 provided with a first conductive film 6; a lower substrate 12 provided with a second conductive film 16 and disposed separately from the upper substrate 2 so that the second conductive film 16 faces the first conductive film 6; a dot spacer 10 disposed between the upper substrate 2 and the lower substrate 12; and an elastic layer 20 disposed at least either on the first conductive film 6 of the upper substrate 2 or under the second conductive film 16 of the lower substrate 12. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a touch panel, and more particularly to a resistive film type touch panel.

  Generally, a resistive touch panel is formed such that an upper layer and a lower layer each having a transparent conductive film face each other. In this type of touch panel, the touch panel is pressed with a finger or a pen, and the upper layer conductive film and the lower layer conductive film are brought into contact with each other, and the coordinates thereof are detected. A spacer is provided between the upper layer and the lower layer to maintain the clearance between the upper layer and the lower layer during non-operation and to play a role of adjusting the input load.

  Patent Document 1 discloses a technique for preventing the sticking phenomenon by changing the spacing of the spacers in each direction along the resistance film (conductive film). Patent Document 2 discloses a technique for reducing an operating load (input load) by using an elastic spacer.

JP 2006-277599 A JP 2005-339199 A

  The input load of the touch panel largely depends on the height of the spacer. The higher the height, the larger the input load. The lower the height, the smaller the input load. However, in the region on the spacer, the upper layer conductive film and the lower layer conductive film are difficult to contact with each other, so that the input load tends to increase. In addition, when a slide operation (for example, writing a character, dragging, etc.) is performed with a finger or the like on the touch panel, the input may be interrupted when crossing the spacer. In order to reduce the input load even on the spacer, the height of the spacer may be lowered. However, when the height is lowered, the conductive films may come into contact with each other even if they are not pressed due to the deflection of the conductive film, and there is a risk of erroneous input.

  In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a touch panel that can suppress an increase in input load even on a spacer and can suppress occurrence of erroneous input.

  The present invention provides an upper layer provided with a first conductive film and a second conductive film, and a lower layer provided apart from the upper layer so that the second conductive film faces the first conductive film. A spacer provided between the upper layer and the lower layer, and an elastic layer provided on at least one of the upper layer on the first conductive film and on the lower layer under the second conductive film And a touch panel. ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the rise of input load can be suppressed also on a spacer, and the touch panel which can suppress generation | occurrence | production of an incorrect input can be provided.

  In the above configuration, the elastic modulus of the elastic layer may be smaller than the elastic modulus of the spacer, the elastic modulus of the upper layer other than the elastic layer, and the elastic modulus of the lower layer other than the elastic layer. it can. According to this configuration, it is possible to provide a touch panel that can suppress an increase in input load even on the spacer and can suppress occurrence of erroneous input.

  In the above configuration, when the upper layer is pressed, the elastic layer provided on the upper layer covers the spacer or the lower portion so that the first conductive film and the second conductive film are in contact with each other The spacer provided in the layer can be configured to sink into the elastic layer. According to this configuration, it is possible to provide a touch panel that can suppress an increase in input load even on the spacer and can suppress occurrence of erroneous input.

  In the above-described configuration, the elastic layer is made of an acrylic, silicone, rubber, or urethane adhesive material, a transparent polymer gel adhesive material, and a gel adhesive sheet using a transparent polymer gel adhesive material. It can be set as the structure which consists of either.

  The said structure WHEREIN: It can be set as the structure which comprises the transparent film provided in at least one between the said 1st electrically conductive film and the said elastic layer, and between the said 2nd electrically conductive film and the said elastic layer. According to this configuration, even when the elastic layer is provided, the first conductive film and the second conductive film can be easily formed.

  The said structure WHEREIN: The said spacer can be set as the structure which consists of resin. According to this configuration, insulation and clearance between the upper layer and the lower layer can be ensured.

  The said structure WHEREIN: The said spacer can be set as the structure provided on the surface facing the said 1st electrically conductive film of the said 2nd electrically conductive film.

  ADVANTAGE OF THE INVENTION According to this invention, the rise of input load can be suppressed also on a spacer, and the touch panel which can suppress generation | occurrence | production of an incorrect input can be provided.

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a touch panel according to a comparative example. FIG. 2A is a cross-sectional view illustrating a touch panel according to a comparative example during non-operation, and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view during operation. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the touch panel according to the first embodiment. FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view illustrating the touch panel according to the first embodiment when not operated, and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view when operated. FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional view illustrating the touch panel according to the second embodiment when not operated, and FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view when operated. FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional view illustrating the touch panel according to the third embodiment when not operated, and FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view when operated.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

  Prior to the description of the first embodiment, a comparative example will be described first. FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view illustrating a touch panel according to a comparative example.

  As shown in FIG. 1, an upper substrate (upper layer) 2 and a lower substrate (lower layer) 12 are provided to face each other. The upper substrate 2 is formed by a substrate 4 made of, for example, a PET (Polyethylene Terephthalate) film and a first conductive film 6. The lower substrate 12 is formed by a substrate 14 made of, for example, glass or the like and a second conductive film 16. The upper substrate 2 and the lower substrate 12 are separated from each other, and are attached by a sealing material 8 made of an insulator such as an epoxy resin provided in the peripheral portion. In other words, the first conductive film 6 is exposed on the lower surface of the upper substrate 2, and the second conductive film 16 is exposed on the upper surface of the lower substrate 12. The first conductive film 6 and the second conductive film 16 are opposed to each other.

  A plurality of dot spacers (spacers) 10 made of an insulator such as an acrylic resin are provided on the surface of the second conductive film 16 facing the first conductive film 6, that is, on the upper surface of the second conductive film 16. . The first conductive film 6 and the second conductive film 16 are made of a conductor such as ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) or an organic conductive polymer.

  Next, the touch panel during operation will be described. FIG. 2A is an enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating the touch panel during non-operation, and FIG. 2B is a cross-sectional view during operation.

  As shown in FIG. 2A, the distance L1 between the upper substrate 2 and the lower substrate 12 is, for example, 100 to 300 μm, the height H of the dot spacer 10 is, for example, 4 to 7 μm, and the distance L2 between the adjacent dot spacers 10. Is, for example, 1.3 to 3 mm.

  As shown in FIG. 2B, when the upper substrate 2 is pressed on the dot spacers 10, particularly just above the dot spacers 10, the first conductive film 6 may not contact the second conductive film 16. This is because a space is generated between the first conductive film 6 and the second conductive film 16 on both sides of the dot spacer 10 as indicated by a dotted circle in the drawing. In particular, when the dot spacer 10 is made of a hard material such as acrylic resin, the state shown in FIG. As already mentioned, this can cause an increase in input load. Next, Example 1 will be described. FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view illustrating the touch panel according to the first embodiment. The description of the same configuration as that in FIG. 1 is omitted.

  As shown in FIG. 3, a transparent film 18 made of, for example, PET and an elastic layer 20 made of, for example, an acrylic adhesive material are provided on the first conductive film 6 of the upper substrate 2. In other words, the transparent film 18 and the elastic layer 20 are provided between the substrate 4 and the first conductive film 6. A transparent film 18 is provided between the first conductive film 6 and the elastic layer 20.

  Next, the touch panel during operation will be described. FIG. 4A is an enlarged cross-sectional view illustrating the touch panel according to the first embodiment, and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view at the time of operation.

  As shown to Fig.4 (a), thickness T1 of the transparent film 18 is 25-100 micrometers, for example, and thickness T2 of the elastic layer 20 is 10-100 micrometers, for example. The elastic modulus of the elastic layer 20 is smaller than the elastic modulus of the dot spacer 10 and the elastic modulus of the upper substrate 2 excluding the elastic layer 20 (that is, the substrate 4, the first conductive film 6, and the transparent film 18).

  As shown in FIG. 4B, according to the first embodiment, when the upper substrate 2 is pressed on the dot spacer 10, the first conductive film 6 and the second conductive film 16 are in contact with each other. This is because the elastic layer 20 absorbs the unevenness of the dot spacer 10. In other words, the elastic layer 20 covers the dot spacer 10 so that the first conductive film 6 and the second conductive film 16 are in contact with each other.

  According to the first embodiment, since the elastic layer 20 is provided, an increase in input load can be suppressed even on the dot spacer 10. Further, since it is not necessary to reduce the height of the dot spacer 10 in order to suppress an increase in input load, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of erroneous input. Furthermore, even if the dot spacer 10 is traversed during the slide operation, the possibility of interruption is reduced.

  In addition, it is preferable that the operation load of a touch panel shall be 0.1 N or more, for example. This is for suppressing malfunction of the touch panel caused by the contact between the first conductive film 6 and the second conductive film 16 even though the pressure is not pressed.

  When the thickness T2 of the elastic layer 20 is too thin, the effect of absorbing the unevenness of the dot spacers 10 is reduced, so that T2 is preferably 10 μm or more. On the other hand, when T2 is too thick, there is a possibility that the permeability may be lowered and a problem may occur in the visibility of a display or the like on which a touch panel is installed. For this reason, T2 is preferably 100 μm or less. In order to ensure transparency, the substrates 4 and 14, the first conductive film 6 and the second conductive film 16, the dot spacer 10, and the elastic layer 20 are preferably transparent.

  The transparent film 18 may not be provided, and the first conductive film 6 may be provided directly on the lower surface of the elastic layer 20. However, it is difficult to form the first conductive film 6 made of, for example, ITO on the acrylic adhesive material that forms the elastic layer 20. Therefore, in order to facilitate the process, it is preferable to provide the transparent film 18 under the elastic layer 20 and form the first conductive film 6 on the lower surface thereof. The transparent film 18 can be formed of, for example, PC (Polycarbonate), PEN (Polyethylene Naphthalate), or the like, in addition to PET.

Moreover, since it becomes difficult to provide the 1st electrically conductive film 6, when thickness T1 of the transparent film 18 is too thin, T1 has preferable 25 micrometers or more.
When T1 is too thick, the rigidity of the transparent film 18 may cancel the uneven absorption effect by the elastic layer 20. For this reason, T1 is preferably 100 μm or less.

  In addition to the acrylic adhesive, the elastic layer 20 is, for example, a silicone adhesive, a rubber adhesive, a urethane adhesive, a transparent polymer gel adhesive, and a gel adhesive using a transparent polymer gel adhesive. You may form from a sheet | seat.

  The dot spacer 10 may be received by an insulator other than acrylic resin. In particular, when the dot spacers 10 are made of a resin, it is preferable because insulation and clearance between the upper substrate 2 and the lower substrate 12 can be ensured. The dot spacer 10 only needs to be provided between the upper substrate 2 and the lower substrate 12. Generally, the lower substrate 12 made of glass or the like is harder than the upper substrate 2 and the dot spacers 10 can be easily provided. Therefore, the lower substrate 12 is preferably provided on the lower substrate 12. A spacer other than the dot spacer may be used.

  Next, Example 2 will be described. FIG. 5A is a cross-sectional view illustrating the touch panel according to the second embodiment when not operated, and FIG. 5B is a cross-sectional view when operated. In addition, description is abbreviate | omitted about the structure similar to the structure mentioned above.

  As shown in FIG. 5A, in Example 2, the elastic layer 20 is provided below the second conductive film 16 of the lower substrate 12. That is, the transparent film 18 and the elastic layer 20 are provided under the second conductive film 16. In other words, the transparent film 18 and the elastic layer 20 are provided between the substrate 14 and the second conductive film 16. A transparent film 18 is provided between the second conductive film 16 and the elastic layer 20.

  As shown in FIG. 5B, according to the second embodiment, as in the first embodiment, when the upper substrate 2 is pressed on the dot spacer 10, the first conductive film 6 and the second conductive film 16 are in contact with each other. To do. This is because the dot spacer 10 sinks into the elastic layer 20 so that the first conductive film 6 and the second conductive film 16 are in contact with each other. Therefore, according to the second embodiment, it is possible to suppress an increase in input load and suppress an erroneous input.

  Next, Example 3 will be described. FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional view illustrating the touch panel according to the third embodiment when not operated, and FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view when operated.

  As shown in FIG. 6A, in Example 3, the elastic layer 20 and the transparent film are on the first conductive film 6 of the upper substrate 2, and the elastic layer 22 is on the second conductive film 16 of the lower substrate 12. Is provided. Transparent films 18 are provided between the elastic layer 20 and the first conductive film 6 and between the elastic layer 22 and the second conductive film 16, respectively.

  As shown in FIG. 6B, according to the third embodiment, as in the first and second embodiments, when the upper substrate 2 is pressed on the dot spacer 10, the first conductive film 6 and the second conductive film 16 Touch. This is because the elastic layer 20 covers the dot spacer 10 and the dot spacer 10 sinks into the elastic layer 22 so that the first conductive film 6 and the second conductive film 16 are in contact with each other. That is, each of the elastic layers 20 and 22 provided on each of the upper substrate 2 and the lower substrate 12 absorbs the unevenness of the dot spacer 10.

  Further, in Example 3, the thickness T2 of the elastic layer 20 and the thickness T3 of the elastic layer 22 are made thinner than T2 in Examples 1 and 2 (see FIG. 4), and the two elastic layers By combining the thicknesses, it is possible to obtain the same thickness as in the first and second embodiments. Thereby, the transparency can be ensured and the effect of absorbing irregularities can be obtained.

  As described in the first to third embodiments, the elastic layer 20 may be provided on at least one of the first conductive film 6 of the upper substrate 2 and the second conductive film 16 of the lower substrate 12.

  Although the embodiments of the present invention have been described in detail above, the present invention is not limited to such specific embodiments, and various modifications and changes can be made within the scope of the gist of the present invention described in the claims. It can be changed.

Upper substrate 2
Substrate 4, 14
First conductive film 6
Sealing material 8
Dot spacer 10
Lower substrate 12
Second conductive film 16
Transparent film 18
Elastic layer 20, 22

Claims (7)

An upper layer comprising a first conductive film;
A lower layer provided with a second conductive film, the second conductive film being spaced apart from the upper layer so as to face the first conductive film;
A spacer provided between the upper layer and the lower layer;
An elastic layer provided on at least one of the upper conductive layer on the first conductive film and the lower layer on the lower conductive film.   The elastic modulus of the elastic layer is smaller than the elastic modulus of the spacer, the elastic modulus of the upper layer other than the elastic layer, and the elastic modulus of the lower layer other than the elastic layer. Touch panel.   The elastic layer provided on the upper layer covers the spacer or is provided on the lower layer so that the first conductive film and the second conductive film are in contact with each other when the upper layer is pressed. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the spacer sinks into the elastic layer.   The elastic layer is made of any one of acrylic, silicon, rubber, and urethane adhesives, a transparent polymer gel adhesive, and a gel adhesive sheet using a transparent polymer gel adhesive. The touch panel according to any one of claims 1 to 3, wherein:   The transparent film provided in at least one between the said 1st electrically conductive film and the said elastic layer and between the said 2nd electrically conductive film and the said elastic layer is comprised, The any one of Claim 1 to 4 characterized by the above-mentioned. The touch panel according to one item.   The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the spacer is made of resin.   The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the spacer is provided on a surface of the second conductive film facing the first conductive film.

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