JP2016184277A - Touch panel and information processing unit - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a touch panel allowing installation of a radio function at an inexpensive price, and also to provide a manufacturing method thereof and an information processing unit using the same.SOLUTION: A touch panel is used in an information processing unit that transmits or receives information by electromagnetic waves with outside, using a radio function. The touch panel includes, on a substrate, a crosswise direction wiring group including a plurality of conductive wires arranged in parallel in a crosswise direction, and a longitudinal direction wiring group including a plurality of conductive wires arranged in parallel in a longitudinal direction. The touch panel further includes, in a periphery, a dipole antenna 7 and a microstrip line 8 connecting the antenna.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a touch panel in which a horizontal wiring group and a vertical wiring group are provided on both surfaces of a transparent substrate in a matrix.

  In recent years, a product in which a touch panel having a wiring pattern or the like is provided in the image display unit of an image display device has been developed and provided to the market as a product. In an image display device provided with a touch panel, the device can be operated by touching the touch panel with a finger or a pen at a position on a pattern such as a figure or a character displayed on the screen. It has come to be used as a display device for information processing devices such as mobile devices. Furthermore, with the increase in the size of display devices, large touch panels have been developed.

  3A and 3B are explanatory diagrams showing an example of a conventional capacitive touch panel, where FIG. 3A is an explanatory diagram viewed from above, and FIG. 3B is a cross-sectional view of the AA ′ portion of FIG. It is explanatory drawing.

  The capacitive touch panel 100 has a configuration in which a plurality of conductive lines arranged in parallel in the horizontal direction and a plurality of conductive lines arranged in parallel in the vertical direction are provided on a glass substrate in a matrix. Each conductive line serves as an electrode that receives a change in capacitance between electric conduction or electric field when touched. In FIG. 3, the horizontal conductive lines are drive lines, and the vertical conductive lines are sensing lines. FIG. 4 is an explanatory view of the drive board 112 and the sensing board 111 as viewed from above. A drive substrate 112 (FIG. 4 (b)) provided with a drive line electrode 114 on a glass substrate, a sensing substrate 111 (FIG. 4 (a)) provided with a sensing line electrode 113 on a glass substrate, and the drive line electrode 114 and sensing An optical adhesive sheet OCA (Optically Clear Adhesive) 115 is laminated between the glass substrate of the substrate 111. The surface of the sensing substrate is covered with the windshield 117 through the OCA 115. The windshield 117 serves to form and protect the surface of the capacitive touch panel 100. A black frame 116 is provided on the back surface of the windshield 117 around the display portion. Each line electrode is grouped as a sensing electrode and a drive electrode in the black frame 116, and is electrically connected to the display device. Conventionally, the conductive wire is a transparent conductive wire using a transparent conductive film.

  As a configuration of an actual touch panel, such a drive substrate or a sensing substrate often has a configuration in which a pattern is formed on a film-like base material to form a touch panel sensor and is attached to a glass substrate. Moreover, as illustrated in FIG. 3C, a film-shaped substrate patterned is used as a substrate and used as a touch panel. In that case, a sensing line and a drive line are provided on the film surface, respectively, to serve as a sensing surface and a drive surface. In this case, a resin film may be used instead of the windshield. In recent years, touch panels using metal mesh have been developed and put into practical use. This is a replacement of a conventional ITO (indium-tin-oxide) panel used as a transparent conductive wire with a metal mesh made of a mesh-like metal. Metal mesh has a lower sheet resistance than ITO.

  As described above, in recent years, portable information processing apparatuses such as small notebook computers, tablets, and smartphones to which a touch panel is added have realized various operations and functions by touching the screen. Also, it is necessary to have a function as wireless communication for acquiring external information and transmitting information to the outside as a part of the function. For this purpose, a wireless transceiver and an antenna are mainly required for transmitting information held by the information processing apparatus to the outside and acquiring necessary information from the outside. The antenna also emits electromagnetic waves into the space and induces current from the electromagnetic waves in the space. Need to be placed.

  Therefore, since the radio module and the antenna are often arranged at a distant location, a transmission path for connecting the two is also required. In addition, a single mobile terminal often performs various communications such as Bluetooth (registered trademark) WiFi LTE 3G with different frequencies and communication methods, and often includes several antennas.

  For example, as a structure of a wireless part of a conventional portable terminal, there are many structures having a structure as shown in FIG.

  That is, the main body of the wireless module 2 exists inside the main body of the information processing apparatus 1. The module modulates and transmits signals when transmitting data, and demodulates signals when receiving data. In addition, when a function such as a LAN is provided, it is often provided with a function for data conversion corresponding to a communication protocol such as TCP / IP, and has various functions.

  An antenna 4 for transmission / reception is connected from the wireless module 2 via the coaxial cable 3. The antenna 4 is obtained by punching or bending metal and has various shapes. Information necessary as electromagnetic waves is radiated from the antenna 4 to the space, or a current is induced from the electromagnetic waves radiated to the space from other devices, and is transmitted to and received from external devices and public lines. The coaxial cable 3 has a function for connecting the wireless module 2 and the antenna 4 but needs to have a certain characteristic impedance.

  That is, it is necessary to match the impedance between the input and output of the wireless module 2 and the antenna 4 to efficiently output the power of the wireless module 2 to the antenna 4 or to efficiently transmit electromagnetic waves input from the outside to the wireless module 2. is there. When the matching is not achieved, the power output from the wireless module 2 to the antenna 4 is not transmitted to the antenna 4, but returns to the wireless module 2 as a reflected wave from the antenna input terminal from the transmission line, and is successfully in the air as an electromagnetic wave. It cannot be released. Therefore, a matched 50Ω small-diameter coaxial cable 3 is often used as the transmission line. Also, in recent years, information terminal equipment has been miniaturized, and the transmission line itself is often a very thin coaxial cable, which is often expensive.

Japanese Patent No. 5286228 JP 2011-002948 A Utility Model Registration No. 3171994 Utility Model Registration No. 3160091

  In this way, in a portable terminal having a conventional wireless module and antenna, in order to transmit power to the antenna through a transmission line having a certain characteristic impedance, an expensive coaxial cable is used from the wireless module to the antenna. It was transmitting power. In addition, since the antenna and the transmission line are separate parts, the cost of assembling and mounting them was also high.

  The present invention solves such a problem, and is used in an information processing apparatus that transmits and receives information by electromagnetic waves with the outside using a wireless function, and a touch panel that can be installed with a wireless function at low cost, and an information processing apparatus using the touch panel It is an issue to provide.

The present invention has been made in view of the problems, and the invention of claim 1
A touch panel having a horizontal wiring group consisting of a plurality of conductive lines arranged in parallel in the horizontal direction and a vertical wiring group consisting of a plurality of conductive lines arranged in parallel in the vertical direction on a substrate. ,
The touch panel is characterized in that an antenna and a microstrip line for connecting the antenna are provided on the outer periphery.

The invention of claim 2 of the present invention
For the substrate in which the conductive metal layers are formed on both the front and back surfaces of the translucent substrate, the lateral wiring group and the vertical wiring group constituting the capacitive touch panel are patterned on the front and back conductive metal layers, and the wiring 2. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein an antenna pattern and a microstrip line for connecting the antenna are patterned around the outside of the group area.

The invention of claim 3 of the present invention
For one of the two substrates in which the conductive metal layer is formed on one side of the translucent substrate, the lateral wiring group constituting the capacitive touch panel is patterned into the conductive metal layer, and the other substrate is patterned. Then, the vertical wiring group is patterned and patterned so that an antenna pattern and a microstrip line for connecting the antenna are formed by a combination of two substrates around the outside of the wiring group formed on both substrates. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the touch panel is a touch panel.

The invention of claim 4 of the present invention
An information processing apparatus having a wireless transceiver and a display unit, wherein the touch panel according to any one of claims 1 to 3 is used for the display unit, and a microstrip line is connected to the wireless transceiver. It is a device.

The invention of claim 5 of the present invention
5. The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the wiring passing through the microstrip line is such that impedance to the wireless receiver is matched with input impedance of the wireless receiver.

The touch panel of the present invention and the information processing apparatus using the same are configured as described above.
An antenna and a transmission line can be manufactured integrally with a touch panel wiring group on a film, and the cost can be reduced, and the number of mechanical connection parts can be reduced, and the reliability of the touch panel and information processing using the touch panel are improved. It can be a device.

It is explanatory drawing which looked at the example of embodiment of the touchscreen of this invention on the plane. It is explanatory drawing which looked at the example of the microstrip line which concerns on this embodiment in the cross section. It is explanatory drawing which showed an example of the conventional electrostatic capacitance type touch panel, (a) is explanatory drawing seen from upper direction, (b) is explanatory drawing which looked at AA 'part of Fig. (A) in the cross section. . It is explanatory drawing which looked at the drive board and sensing board | substrate of FIG. 3 on the upper surface. It is explanatory drawing which looked at the example of the conventional portable terminal in perspective.

  Hereinafter, modes for carrying out the present invention will be described.

  FIG. 1 is an explanatory view of an embodiment of a touch panel according to the present invention viewed in a plane. The touch panel 60 of the present embodiment includes a horizontal wiring group composed of a plurality of linear conductive lines arranged in parallel in the horizontal direction on the substrate 62 and a plurality of linear conductive patterns arranged in parallel in the vertical direction. It has a matrix portion 61 in which a vertical wiring group composed of lines is formed. An antenna 7 and a microstrip line 8 for connecting the antenna 7 are provided on the outer peripheral portion. In the figure, a dipole antenna is illustrated as an antenna.

  In this way, the transmission lines constituting the antenna 7 and the microstrip line 8 are integrated with the wiring that forms the touch panel on the substrate, and the antenna, the microstrip line, the vertical wiring group, the horizontal wiring group, And the matrix portion can be manufactured at the same time. For this reason, it is possible to install a wireless function at a low cost by using this, and it is possible to reduce a mechanical connection portion, and it is possible to provide a touch panel with improved reliability and an information processing apparatus using the touch panel.

  The embodiment will be described more specifically. The microstrip line 8 is formed up to the terminal portion (not shown) of the substrate. Further, a lead wire is wired from the matrix portion 61, and this is also formed up to the terminal portion of the substrate. A terminal portion of the microstrip line 8 is connected to a wireless module of the information processing apparatus, and a terminal portion of the wiring is connected to a display control unit of the information processing apparatus. At this time, the wiring passing through the microstrip line matches the impedance to the wireless module with the input impedance of the wireless module.

  FIG. 2 is an explanatory view of an example of the microstrip line according to the present embodiment as seen in cross section. FIG. 2A shows an example of a microstrip line corresponding to the case where the matrix portion of the touch panel has wiring groups formed on both sides of the substrate as shown in FIG. The microstrip line 81 is configured by sandwiching the film substrate 15 between the flat conductor 12 and the linear conductor 11.

  FIG. 2B shows an example in which the matrix part of the touch panel patterns the wirings on the two film substrates 13 and 14 and then separates the different films as shown in FIG. 3B. The microstrip line 82 has a configuration in which the flat substrate conductor 12 and the linear conductor 11 sandwich the film substrate 13 and is covered with the film substrate 14.

  Since the microstrip line according to the present invention is configured as described above, when the horizontal wiring group and the vertical wiring group are formed on the substrate, the antenna and the flat strip shape of the microstrip line are formed. A conductor and a linear conductor can be formed simultaneously.

The correspondence between the wiring group of the horizontal wiring group, the vertical wiring group, the flat conductor of the microstrip line, and the strip line conductor of the linear conductor may be any. That is, the horizontal wiring group and the flat conductor may be formed at the same time, the vertical wiring group and the linear conductor may be formed at the same time, or the horizontal wiring group and the linear conductor may be formed at the same time as the vertical wiring group. A flat conductor may be formed simultaneously. At the same time, an antenna pattern can be formed. Moreover, what is necessary is just to form the other wiring which concerns on a touchscreen simultaneously with a horizontal direction wiring group and a vertical direction wiring group as usual.

  The microstrip line created on the film has characteristics if the width of the linear conductor (upper wiring) is sufficiently narrow relative to the width of the flat conductor (lower wiring) and the thickness of the base film as an insulating layer is constant. The impedance takes a constant value. For example, when a material having a line width of 0.2 mm, a PET thickness of 0.1 mm, and a dielectric constant of about 4 is used, the characteristic impedance is about 50Ω, which is almost the same as that of the wireless module, and easy to match.

  As the antenna, for example, when a dipole antenna is used at a frequency of 2.4 GHz band for WiFi, the total length of the antenna is about ½ wavelength, and the total length is about 6 cm, which can be mounted on a notebook PC. . If another type of antenna, such as a loop antenna, is used, the size can be further reduced if a slight decrease in efficiency is allowed.

  In addition, the capacitive touch panel sensor is also made of a two-layer metal pattern configuration (such as the metal mesh described above (in the background art)), and the antenna can be created in the same process, so it has excellent cost performance. In this case, it is preferable that one metal pattern is equivalent to a flat conductor by arranging, for example, a plurality of metal wires.

  In the embodiment of the present invention, the capacitance type touch panel is exemplified. However, any touch panel having a matrix portion composed of a vertical wiring group and a horizontal wiring group can be applied. For example, a resistive film type touch panel can be applied. In this type of touch panel, a wiring group of a horizontal wiring group and a vertical wiring group is provided on one side of a substrate, and an insulating layer is formed at an intersection. The correspondence between the wiring group of the horizontal wiring group, the vertical wiring group, the flat conductor of the microstrip line, and the strip line conductor of the linear conductor may be any. In this case, as an example of the manufacturing method, when an insulating layer is formed after providing one wiring group and a flat conductor, an insulating layer is also formed on the microstrip line, and then the other wiring group and line are formed. The present invention can be implemented by providing and manufacturing a conductor.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Information processing apparatus 2 ... Wireless module 3 ... Coaxial cable 4 ... Antenna 7 ... Dipole antenna 8 ... Microstrip line 81 ... Microstrip line 82 ... Microstrip Line 11 ... Linear conductor 12 ... Flat conductor 13 ... Film substrate 14 ... Film substrate 15 ... Film substrate 60 ... Touch panel 61 ... Matrix part 62 ... Substrate 100 ... Capacitive touch panel 111 ... Sensing line substrate 112 ... Drive line substrate 113 ... Sensing line electrode 114 ... Drive line electrode 115 ... OCA
116 ... black frame 117 ... windshield

Claims (5)

A touch panel having a horizontal wiring group consisting of a plurality of conductive lines arranged in parallel in the horizontal direction and a vertical wiring group consisting of a plurality of conductive lines arranged in parallel in the vertical direction on a substrate. ,
A touch panel provided with an antenna and a microstrip line connecting the antenna on an outer periphery.   For the substrate in which the conductive metal layers are formed on both the front and back surfaces of the translucent substrate, the lateral wiring group and the vertical wiring group constituting the capacitive touch panel are patterned on the front and back conductive metal layers, and the wiring The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein an antenna pattern and a microstrip line connecting the antenna are patterned around the outside of the group area.   For one of the two substrates in which the conductive metal layer is formed on one side of the translucent substrate, the lateral wiring group constituting the capacitive touch panel is patterned into the conductive metal layer, and the other substrate is patterned. Then, the vertical wiring group is patterned and patterned so that an antenna pattern and a microstrip line for connecting the antenna are formed by a combination of two substrates around the outside of the wiring group formed on both substrates. The touch panel as set forth in claim 1, wherein:   An information processing apparatus having a wireless transceiver and a display unit, wherein the touch panel according to any one of claims 1 to 3 is used for the display unit, and a microstrip line is connected to the wireless transceiver. apparatus.   The information processing apparatus according to claim 4, wherein the wiring passing through the microstrip line matches the impedance to the wireless receiver with the input impedance of the wireless receiver.

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