JP2016194748A - Intermediate member for touch panel sensor, and method of electrically inspecting intermediate member for touch panel sensor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To improve a product yield of a touch panel sensor.SOLUTION: Intermediate members 61 to 65 for a touch panel sensor each comprise a substrate sheet 70 that includes a first inspection area Atand a second inspection area Atfor electrical inspection, and a conductive pattern 71 that is provided on the substrate sheet 70. The conductive pattern 71 includes a plurality of detection electrodes 73, first leader wirings 74 connected to the detection electrodes 73 and extending to the first inspection area At, and second leader wirings 75 connected to the detection electrodes 73 and extending to the second inspection area At.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 7

Description

  The present invention relates to an intermediate member for a touch panel sensor having an electrode, and more particularly, to an intermediate member for a touch panel sensor having an extraction wiring extending from a detection electrode to an inspection region. The present invention also relates to an electrical inspection method for an intermediate member for a touch panel sensor via an extraction wiring.

  Today, touch panel devices are widely used as input means. The touch panel device includes a touch panel sensor, a control circuit that detects a contact position on the touch panel sensor, and wiring that connects the touch panel sensor and the control circuit. In many cases, the touch panel device is a variety of devices in which an image display mechanism such as a liquid crystal display or a plasma display is incorporated (for example, a ticket machine, ATM, cash register, kiosk terminal, mobile phone, tablet terminal, game machine, etc. ) Is used together with an image display mechanism. In such a device, the touch panel sensor is disposed on the display surface of the image display mechanism, and thus the touch panel device enables a very direct input to the display device. An area of the touch panel sensor that faces the display area of the image display mechanism is transparent, and this area of the touch panel sensor constitutes an active area that can detect a contact position (approach position).

  The touch panel device can be classified into various types based on the principle of detecting a contact position (approach position) on the touch panel sensor. In recent years, a capacitively coupled touch panel device is often used for reasons such as being optically bright, having a design property, being easy in structure, and being functionally superior. In a capacitively coupled touch panel device, an external conductor (for example, a user's finger) whose position is to be detected contacts (approaches) the touch panel sensor via a dielectric, and a parasitic capacitance is newly generated. The position of the external conductor on the touch panel sensor is detected using this change in parasitic capacitance.

  The touch panel sensor usually has a base material and an electrode provided on the base material. The electrode has a detection electrode located in the active area and an extraction wiring located in the inactive area. In many touch panel sensors, since the detection electrode is disposed at a position facing the display area of the image display mechanism, the detection electrode is formed using a transparent conductive material such as ITO (indium tin oxide).

  As another touch panel sensor, a touch panel sensor in which a detection electrode is formed using a metal material is also known. In this touch panel sensor, the detection electrode is formed of a narrow conductive thin wire made of a metal material. For this reason, the transmittance in the active area can be sufficiently increased. Moreover, since the electrical conductivity of the metal material is high, the surface resistivity (unit: Ω / □) of the touch panel sensor can be sufficiently reduced even if the width of the conductive thin wire is narrowed.

  In the manufacturing process of such a touch panel sensor, an electrical test for verifying whether each touch panel sensor has a predetermined function is performed after forming a detection electrode, a lead wiring, and the like on the base material. In this electrical inspection, it is inspected whether or not the detection electrode exhibits a desired electrical function via the lead wiring. For example, in Patent Document 1, a plurality of transparent wiring sheets that will later constitute a touch panel sensor are formed on a long transparent insulating substrate, and each transparent wiring sheet has an inspection terminal portion used for electrical inspection. What is provided is shown.

JP 2014-26584 A

  By the way, with the recent miniaturization of each conductive pattern in the touch panel sensor for the purpose of improving the detection accuracy, etc., the lead wiring on the touch panel sensor has also been made finer. Disconnection may occur in the wiring. In the above-described electrical inspection, if the lead wiring is disconnected, the result of the electrical inspection becomes defective even if the detection electrode can function normally. The touch panel sensor whose electrical inspection result is defective is discarded as it is. This has led to a decrease in product yield.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and an object thereof is to improve the product yield of a touch panel sensor.

The intermediate member for a touch panel sensor according to the present invention is:
A substrate sheet having a first inspection region and a second inspection region for electrical inspection, and a conductive pattern provided on the substrate sheet,
The conductive pattern includes a plurality of detection electrodes, a first extraction wiring connected to each detection electrode and extending to the first inspection area, a second extraction wiring connected to each detection electrode and extending to the second inspection area, Have

The intermediate member for a touch panel sensor according to the present invention is:
A substrate sheet having a longitudinal direction and a short direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and a plurality of electrode regions arranged along the longitudinal direction, and a conductive pattern provided on the substrate sheet, Prepared,
The base sheet has one side edge and the other side edge facing each other in the lateral direction, and includes a first inspection region for electrical inspection including the one side edge, and the other side. A second inspection area for electrical inspection including an edge,
The conductive pattern includes a plurality of detection electrodes provided in each electrode region of the base sheet, a first lead wire connected to each detection electrode and extending to the first inspection region, and connected to each detection electrode. And a second lead wiring extending to the second inspection region.

In the intermediate member for a touch panel sensor according to the present invention,
The first lead wiring and the second lead wiring may be arranged in a pattern that is point-symmetric with each other when viewed from the normal direction to the sheet surface of the base sheet.

An electrical inspection method for an intermediate member for a touch panel sensor according to the present invention includes:
A substrate sheet having a first inspection region and a second inspection region for electrical inspection, and a conductive pattern provided on the substrate sheet, wherein the conductive pattern includes a plurality of detection electrodes; The intermediate member for a touch panel sensor, comprising: a first lead wire connected to each detection electrode and extending to the first inspection region; and a second lead wire connected to each detection electrode and extending to the second test region. A first inspection step of performing an electrical inspection via the first lead wiring in the first inspection region;

In the electrical inspection method for the intermediate member for a touch panel sensor according to the present invention,
A second inspection step of performing an electrical inspection via the second lead wiring in the second inspection region when the inspection result by the first inspection step is defective may be further included.

  According to the present invention, the product yield of the touch panel sensor can be improved.

FIG. 1 is a diagram for explaining an embodiment according to the present invention, and schematically shows a touch panel device together with an image display mechanism. FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the touch panel device of FIG. 1 together with an image display mechanism. Note that the cross section shown in FIG. 2 generally corresponds to the cross section along the line AA in FIG. FIG. 3 is a plan view showing a touch panel sensor of the touch panel device. FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged view of the touch panel sensor of FIG. 3 and is a view showing a conductive mesh of the touch panel sensor. FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of the touch panel sensor of FIG. FIG. 6 is a diagram for explaining an example of a method for manufacturing a touch panel sensor. FIG. 7 is a diagram for explaining an example of a method for manufacturing a touch panel sensor. FIG. 8 is a diagram for explaining an example of a method for manufacturing a touch panel sensor. FIG. 9 is a diagram for explaining a modification of the manufacturing method of the touch panel sensor. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining a modification of the manufacturing method of the touch panel sensor. FIG. 11 is a diagram for explaining a modification of the manufacturing method of the touch panel sensor. FIG. 12 is a diagram for explaining another modification of the manufacturing method of the touch panel sensor. 13 is a view showing a cross section taken along line BB in FIG.

  Hereinafter, an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. In the drawings attached to the present specification, for the sake of illustration and ease of understanding, the scale, the vertical / horizontal dimension ratio, and the like are appropriately changed and exaggerated from those of the actual product.

  In this specification, the terms “plate”, “sheet”, and “film” are not distinguished from each other only based on the difference in designation. For example, a “sheet” is a concept that includes a member that can be called a plate or a film. Therefore, a “base sheet” is a member that is called a “substrate” or a “base film”, and is only different in name. Cannot be distinguished.

  In addition, “sheet surface (plate surface, film surface)” means a target sheet-like member (plate-like) when the target sheet-like (plate-like, film-like) member is viewed as a whole and globally. It refers to the surface that coincides with the plane direction of the member or film-like member.

  Furthermore, as used in this specification, the shape and geometric conditions and the degree thereof are specified. For example, terms such as “parallel”, “orthogonal”, “identical”, length and angle values, etc. Without being bound by meaning, it should be interpreted including the extent to which similar functions can be expected.

  1 to 13 are diagrams for explaining an embodiment according to the present invention. 1 is a diagram schematically showing the touch panel device together with the image display device, FIG. 2 is a sectional view showing the touch panel device of FIG. 1 together with the image display device, and FIG. 3 is a plan view showing the touch panel sensor of the touch panel device. 4 is a plan view for explaining an example of the conductive mesh of the touch panel sensor of FIG. 3, and FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view showing an example of the touch panel sensor of FIG.

  The touch panel device 20 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is configured as a projected capacitive coupling method, and is configured to be able to detect the contact position of an external conductor (for example, a human finger) 5 to the touch panel device. Yes. In addition, when the detection sensitivity of the capacitively coupled touch panel device 20 is excellent, it is possible to detect which region of the touch panel device the external conductor is approaching just by approaching the external conductor. Can do. Along with such a phenomenon, the “contact position” used here is a concept including an approach position that is not actually in contact but can be detected.

<<< Image display mechanism >>>
As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the touch panel device 20 is used in combination with an image display mechanism (for example, a liquid crystal display device) 12 to constitute a display device 10. The illustrated image display mechanism 12 is configured as a flat panel display as an example, more specifically as a liquid crystal display device. The image display mechanism 12 includes a liquid crystal display panel 15 that forms the display surface 12a, a backlight 14 that illuminates the liquid crystal display panel 15 from the back, and a display control unit 13 that is connected to the liquid crystal display panel 15. Yes. The liquid crystal display panel 15 includes a display area A1 that can display an image, and a non-display area (also referred to as a frame area) A2 that is disposed outside the display area A1 so as to surround the display area A1. Yes. The display control unit 13 processes information related to the video to be displayed and drives the liquid crystal display panel 15 based on the video information. The liquid crystal display panel 15 displays a predetermined image on the display surface 12a according to a control signal from the display control unit 13. That is, the image display mechanism 12 plays a role as an output device that outputs information such as characters and drawings as video.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the liquid crystal display panel 15 includes a pair of polarizing plates 16 and 18 and a liquid crystal cell 17 disposed between the pair of polarizing plates 16 and 18. A functional layer 19 is provided on the light output side of the polarizing plate 18 disposed on the light output side. The functional layer 19 is a layer expected to exhibit a specific function, and forms the most light-emitting surface of the image display mechanism 12, that is, the display surface 12a. As an example, the functional layer 19 can be a low refractive index layer that functions as an antireflection layer (AR layer). Other examples of the functional layer 19 include an antiglare layer (AG layer) having an antiglare function, a hard coat layer (HC layer) having scratch resistance, instead of or in addition to the antireflection layer. ), One or more of an antistatic layer (AS layer) having an antistatic function, and the like.

  The polarizing plates 16 and 18 have a function of decomposing incident light into two orthogonal polarization components, transmitting the polarization component in one direction, and absorbing the polarization component in the other direction orthogonal to the one direction. It has a polarizer. In the following, in order to distinguish a pair of polarizing plates included in the liquid crystal display panel 15, regardless of the arrangement state of the liquid crystal display panel 15, the light incident side (backlight side) polarizing plate 16 is referred to as a lower polarizing plate, The light output side (observer side) polarizing plate 18 is referred to as an upper polarizing plate.

  The liquid crystal cell 17 has a pair of support plates and a liquid crystal disposed between the pair of support plates. In the liquid crystal cell 17, an electric field can be applied to each region where one pixel is formed. The alignment of the liquid crystal in the liquid crystal cell 17 to which an electric field is applied changes. As an example, the polarization component of a specific direction (direction parallel to the transmission axis) transmitted through the lower polarizing plate 16 disposed on the light incident side has a polarization direction of 90 when passing through the liquid crystal cell 17 to which an electric field is applied. Rotate and maintain the polarization direction when passing through the liquid crystal cell 17 to which no electric field is applied. For this reason, depending on whether or not an electric field is applied to the liquid crystal cell 17, the polarized light component in a specific direction transmitted through the lower polarizing plate 16 further passes through the upper polarizing plate 18 disposed on the light output side of the lower polarizing plate 16, or It is possible to control whether the light is absorbed and blocked by the upper polarizing plate 18.

  The backlight 14 includes a light source and irradiates light in a planar shape. As the backlight 14, a known surface light source device configured as an edge light type (side light type) or a direct type can be used. The light source may be a known light source such as a light emitting diode (LED), a cold cathode tube, an incandescent lamp, or an organic EL.

<<< Touch Panel Device >>>
In the example illustrated in FIG. 2, the touch panel device 20 includes a detection control unit 21 and a stacked body 22. The stacked body 22 of the touch panel device 20 includes a touch panel sensor 30 having a first electrode substrate 31 and a second electrode substrate 32. In the illustrated example, the laminated body 22 includes a cover layer 28, an adhesive layer 25, a first electrode substrate 31, an adhesive layer 24, and a second electrode in order from the viewer side, that is, the side opposite to the image display mechanism 12. The substrate 32 and the low refractive index layer 23 are included.

  The cover layer 28 is a light-transmitting layer that functions as a dielectric, and is formed of, for example, glass or a resin film. The cover layer 28 functions as an input surface (touch surface, contact surface) to the touch panel device 20. That is, information can be input to the touch panel device 20 from the outside by bringing the conductor (for example, a human finger) 5 into contact with the cover layer 28. The cover layer 28 forms the most observer side of the display device 10 and functions as a cover for protecting the touch panel device 20 and the image display mechanism 12 from the outside in the display device 10.

  The cover layer 28 is bonded to the first electrode substrate 31 through the adhesive layer 25. The first electrode substrate 31 is bonded to the second electrode substrate 32 via the adhesive layer 24. The adhesive layer 24 and the adhesive layer 25 function as a dielectric between the electrodes 41 and 42 of the electrode substrates 31 and 32 and the conductor (for example, human finger) 5 in contact with the cover layer 28. As the adhesive layer 24 and the adhesive layer 25, layers made of materials having various adhesive properties can be used. In the present specification, “adhesion (layer)” is used as a concept including adhesion (layer).

  The low refractive index layer 23 provided on the image display mechanism 12 side of the second electrode substrate 32 is a layer expected to function as an antireflection layer (AR layer). According to the low refractive index layer 23, it is possible to prevent light that forms an image from the image display mechanism 12 from being reflected on the surface of the touch panel device 20 on the image display mechanism 12 side and becoming stray light. Can do. Note that the low refractive index layer 23 can be replaced with an antireflection layer having a moth-eye structure including a large number of minute protrusions, or can be omitted. Furthermore, the laminate 22 of the touch panel device 20 can be bonded to the display surface 12a of the image display mechanism 12 via an adhesive layer or the like. In this case, the low refractive index layer 23 is not necessary.

  The laminated body 22 of the touch panel device 20 is not limited to the illustrated example, and may be provided with other functional layers expected to exhibit a specific function. In addition, one functional layer may exhibit two or more functions. For example, base materials 35 and 36 described later of the touch panel sensor 30 and other layers (each base material, A function may be imparted to the adhesive layer. Examples of functions that can be imparted to the laminate 22 of the touch panel device 20 include an anti-glare (AG) function, a hard coat (HC) function having scratch resistance, an antistatic (AS) function, an electromagnetic wave shielding function, and an anti-magnetic wave function. A dirty function can be exemplified.

  The detection control unit 21 of the touch panel device 20 is connected to the touch panel sensor 30 and processes information input via the cover layer 28. Specifically, the detection control unit 21 is configured to be able to specify the contact position of the conductor 5 with the cover layer 28 when the conductor (for example, a human finger) 5 is in contact with the cover layer 28. Circuit (detection circuit). Further, the detection control unit 21 is connected to the display control unit 13 of the image display mechanism 12 and can also transmit the processed input information to the display control unit 13. At this time, the display control unit 13 can create video information based on the input information and cause the image display mechanism 12 to display a video corresponding to the input information.

  Note that the terms “capacitive coupling” and “projection type” capacitive coupling have the same meaning as that used in the technical field of touch panels, and are used in this case. The “capacitive coupling” method is also referred to as “capacitance” method or “capacitance coupling” method in the technical field of touch panels. It is treated as a term synonymous with the “capacitive coupling” method. A typical capacitively coupled touch panel device includes an electrode (conductor layer). When an external conductor (for example, a human finger) comes into contact with the touch panel, the external conductor and the electrode of the touch panel device ( A capacitor (capacitance) is formed with the conductor layer. Based on the change in the electrical state accompanying the formation of the capacitor, the position coordinates of the position where the external conductor is in contact on the touch panel are specified (position detection).

<< Touch panel sensor >>
Next, the touch panel sensor 30 will be described in detail. As illustrated in FIG. 2, the stacked body 22 of the touch panel device 20 includes a first electrode substrate 31 (touch panel sensor 30) and a second electrode substrate 32 (touch panel sensor 30). The first electrode substrate 31 includes a first base material 35, and a first electrode 41 and a first extraction wiring 45 provided on the first base material 35. The second electrode substrate 32 includes a second base material 36, a second electrode 42 and a second extraction wiring 46 provided on the second base material 36.

<Base material>
The base materials 35 and 36 support the electrodes 41 and 42 and the extraction wirings 45 and 46, and function as a dielectric in the touch panel sensor 30. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 3, the base materials 35 and 36 include an active area Aa1 corresponding to a region where the touch position can be detected, and an inactive area Aa2 adjacent to the active area Aa1. As shown in FIG. 1, the active area Aa1 of the touch panel sensor 30 occupies an area facing the display area A1 of the image display mechanism 12. On the other hand, the non-active area Aa2 is formed in a frame shape so as to surround the rectangular active area Aa1 from the four sides. The inactive area Aa2 is formed in a region facing the non-display region A2 of the image display mechanism 12.

  The base materials 35 and 36 are transparent or translucent so that an image of the image display mechanism 12 can be observed through the active area Aa1. The base materials 35 and 36 preferably have a transmittance in the visible light region of 80% or more, and more preferably 84% or more. The light transmittance can be measured by JIS K 7361-1 (a test method for the total light transmittance of a plastic-transparent material).

  The base materials 35 and 36 are, for example, polyester resins such as polyethylene terephthalate and polyethylene naphthalate, acrylic resins such as polymethyl methacrylate, polyolefin resins such as polypropylene, cellulose resins such as triacetyl cellulose (cellulose triacetate), and polycarbonate resins. A material that can function as a dielectric, such as a resin sheet made of the above, an inorganic material made of glass, ceramics, or the like can be used. In addition, from the viewpoint of securing the electrodes 41 and 42 and the extraction wirings 45 and 46 and ensuring good light transmittance, the thickness of the base materials 35 and 36 is preferably 0.03 mm or more and 5 mm or less. it can.

<Electrode>
As shown in FIG. 3, the first electrode 41 includes a plurality of first detection electrodes 43 that are used for position detection and are arranged in the active area Aa1. In particular, in the illustrated example, the first electrode 41 includes a plurality of first detection electrodes 43 extending along the first direction (X) of the first base material 35 and arranged along the second direction (Y). Contains. The second electrode 42 includes a plurality of second detection electrodes 44 that are used for position detection and are disposed in the active area Aa1. In particular, in the illustrated example, the second electrode 42 extends along the second direction (Y) of the second substrate 36 and includes a plurality of second detection electrodes 44 arranged along the first direction (X). Contains. In the illustrated example, extension wiring portions 74 b and 75 b described later are connected to the detection electrodes 43 and 44. As an example, each of the detection electrodes 43 and 44 is formed by a conductive mesh 50 including a conductive thin wire 51 as described below. In FIG. A region where 44 is arranged is indicated by a simple rectangle.

  The detection electrodes 43 and 44 are provided to detect an electromagnetic change or a change in capacitance that occurs when the outer conductor 5 approaches the multilayer body 22. The detection electrodes 43 and 44 can be constituted by, for example, a conductive mesh 50 made of a thin conductive wire 51 made of a metal material with a predetermined line width and thickness. As the metal material, one or more of gold, silver, copper, platinum, aluminum, chromium, molybdenum, nickel, titanium, palladium, indium, and an alloy containing one or more of these metals can be used. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the detection electrodes 43 and 44 may be formed using a transparent conductive film such as ITO (indium tin oxide).

<Extraction wiring>
One or two extraction wirings 45 and 46 are provided for each of the detection electrodes 43 and 44 depending on the detection method of the contact position. Each extraction wiring 45, 46 is connected to a corresponding detection electrode 43, 44 to form a wiring. In the example shown in FIG. 3, the extraction wirings 45 and 46 extend from the corresponding detection electrodes 43 and 44 to the vicinity of the edges of the base materials 35 and 36 in the inactive area Aa2 of the base materials 35 and 36. . In the illustrated example, the extraction wirings 45 and 46 include terminal portions 47 and 48 that are connected to the detection control unit 21 via an external connection wiring (for example, a flexible printed circuit board) (not illustrated). In particular, the terminal portions 47 and 48 are formed in the vicinity of the edges of the base materials 35 and 36, that is, at the end opposite to the detection electrodes 43 and 44, of the extraction wirings 45 and 46 extending in the inactive area Aa 2. . Further, in the illustrated example, extension wiring portions 74 a and 75 a described later are connected to terminal portions 47 and 48 of the extraction wirings 45 and 46.

(Conductive mesh)
FIG. 4 shows electrodes 41 and 42 having a conductive mesh 50 as an example of the electrodes 41 and 42. FIG. 4 is an enlarged view of a part of the touch panel sensor 30 shown in FIG.

  In the example shown in FIG. 4, the first electrode 41 and the second electrode 42 each include a conductive mesh 50. In particular, in the illustrated example, each first detection electrode 43 of the first electrode 41 and each second detection electrode 44 of the second electrode 42 each include a conductive mesh 50. The conductive mesh 50 is a mesh-like material in which a large number of open regions 52 are defined by a large number of thin conductive wires 51. In particular, in the illustrated example, the conductive mesh 50 has a grid-like mesh formed by a large number of conductive thin wires 51, thereby defining a large number of rectangular opening regions 52.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the conductive mesh 50 includes a number of conductive connection elements 54 that extend between two branch points (confluence points) 54 and that define an open region 52. In particular, in the illustrated example, the conductive mesh 50 is configured as a collection of a number of connecting elements 54 that form branch points 53 at both ends. That is, the conductive mesh 50 is configured as a collection of a large number of connection elements 54 extending between the two branch points 53. An opening region 52 is defined by connecting the connection element 54 at the branch point 53. In other words, one opening region 52 is defined by being surrounded and partitioned by the connecting element 54.

  The conductive thin wire 51 of the conductive mesh 50 as described above is formed by, for example, gold, silver, copper, platinum, aluminum, chromium, molybdenum, nickel, titanium, vapor deposition, sputtering, foil transfer, coating, or the like. A metal film containing one or more of palladium, indium, and an alloy containing one or more of these metals is formed on the base materials 35 and 36, and the metal film is etched in a desired pattern. 35, 36 can be formed.

  Next, the cross-sectional shape of the conductive mesh 50 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 5 shows the touch panel sensor 30 in a cross section along the thickness direction of the touch panel sensor 30. Here, the thickness direction means a cross section along the normal direction to the sheet surface (film surface, plate surface, panel surface) of the touch panel sensor 30 having a sheet shape (film shape, plate shape, panel shape). . And in this Embodiment, the base materials 35 and 36 have a sheet-like shape which has a pair of main surface. Therefore, in the present embodiment, the cross section along the thickness direction coincides with the cross section along the normal direction to the surfaces of the base materials 35 and 36.

  As shown in FIG. 5, a conductive mesh 50 is formed on the base materials 35 and 36. The conductive mesh 50 includes a conductive metal layer 57 provided on the base materials 35 and 36 and a dark color layer 58 provided on the conductive metal layer 57. In other words, the dark color layer 58 covers the conductive metal layer 57 from the upper side, that is, from the side opposite to the base materials 35 and 36 in the cross section orthogonal to the longitudinal direction of the conductive fine wires 51 constituting the conductive mesh 50. .

  Here, the conductive metal layer 57 is a layer formed using a metal material having high conductivity, such as gold, silver, copper, platinum, aluminum, chromium, molybdenum, nickel, titanium, palladium, indium, and The layer is made of one or more alloys containing one or more of these metals. Note that the conductive metal layer 57 does not have to be a single layer, and may be configured as a plurality of layers made of different materials or the same material.

  The conductive metal layer 57 made of a metal material has excellent conductivity, but exhibits a relatively high reflectance. When external light is reflected by the conductive metal layer 57 that forms the conductive mesh 50 of the touch panel sensor 30, the image contrast of the image display mechanism 12 observed through the display area A3 of the touch panel device 20 decreases. End up. Therefore, the dark color layer 58 is disposed on the viewer side of the conductive metal layer 57. The dark color layer 58 can improve the contrast of the image and improve the visibility of the image displayed by the image display mechanism 12. Therefore, the dark color layer 58 is a layer having a lower reflectance than the conductive metal layer 57 and is preferably a dark color layer such as black. The dark color layer 58 can be formed not only on the upper surface of the conductive metal layer 57 but also on both side surfaces of the conductive metal layer 57. In this case, reflection of external light from the inclined direction can also be effectively suppressed.

  As the dark color layer 58, various known layers can be used. A part of the material forming the conductive metal layer 57 is darkened (blackened) to form a dark layer 58 made of a metal oxide or metal sulfide from the part of the conductive metal layer 57. May be. Further, a dark color layer 58 may be provided on the conductive metal layer 57 such as a coating film of a dark color material or a plating layer of nickel or chromium. The dark color layer 58 used here includes not only a darkened (blackened) layer but also a roughened layer.

  In the conductive mesh 50 having such a configuration, the width (maximum width) W of the conductive thin wires 51, that is, the width (maximum width) W along the sheet surfaces of the base materials 35 and 36 is, for example, 1 μm or more and 15 μm or less. Preferably, the height (thickness) H, that is, the height (thickness) H along the normal direction to the sheet surface of the base materials 35 and 36 is preferably 0.1 μm. The thickness is 3 μm or less. According to the conductive mesh 50 having such dimensions, since the conductive thin wire 51 is sufficiently thinned, the conductive mesh 50 including the conductive thin wire 51 can be made invisible very effectively. At the same time, the cross-sectional shape has a sufficient height, that is, the aspect ratio (H / W) of the cross-sectional shape of the conductive thin wire 51 is sufficiently large and has high conductivity.

  Next, an example of a method for manufacturing the touch panel sensor 30 will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a first intermediate member 61 as an example of an intermediate member for a touch panel sensor. FIG. 7 is an enlarged view of a part of the first intermediate member 61 of FIG. FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view showing a cross section taken along line BB of the first intermediate member 61 of FIG.

  In the example shown in FIGS. 6 to 10, the touch panel sensor 30 is manufactured by performing a first intermediate member manufacturing process, a second intermediate member manufacturing process, an electrical inspection process, and a final cutting process. The Below, each said process is demonstrated in order.

(First intermediate member manufacturing step)
First, the 1st intermediate member 61 (intermediate member for touchscreen sensors) shown in FIG. 6 is produced. The first intermediate member 61 can be produced, for example, by forming a conductive pattern 71 on a long base sheet 70 fed out from a roll using a known photolithography technique or the like.

<< first intermediate member (intermediate member for touch panel sensor) >>
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating the first intermediate member 61 as viewed from the normal direction to the sheet surface of the first intermediate member 61. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the first intermediate member 61 includes a long base sheet 70 and a plurality of conductive patterns 71 arranged on the base sheet 70 along the longitudinal direction thereof. And is formed in a long shape as a whole.

<Base material sheet>
In the example shown in FIG. 6, the base sheet 70 of the first intermediate member 61 has a long shape having a longitudinal direction and a short direction perpendicular to the long direction, and is opposed to each other in the short direction. One side edge 70a and the other side edge 70b. In the illustrated example, the longitudinal direction of the base sheet 70 is parallel to the first direction (X), and the short direction of the base sheet 70 is a second direction (Y) orthogonal to the first direction (X). They are parallel. In the illustrated example, the one side edge 70a and the other side edge 70b extend linearly along the longitudinal direction, and are parallel to each other. In addition, when the base material sheet 70 is supplied to a specific process in a state wound in a roll shape, or is wound up in a roll shape after a specific process, it is specified in a state wound in a roll shape, in particular. In the case of being supplied to the process and wound up into a roll after the process (so-called roll-to-roll method), the longitudinal direction of the base sheet 70 is the MD direction (Machine Direction: machine direction, flow direction, longitudinal direction). And the short direction of the base material sheet 70 matches the TD direction (Transverse Direction).

As shown in FIG. 6, a plurality of electrode regions Ae are arranged on the base sheet 71 along the longitudinal direction thereof. In the illustrated example, the electrode area Ae is an area surrounded by the contour line L _2, in the substrate sheet 71 (first intermediate member 61) is a region where the electrode 72 will be described later, is arranged. In the illustrated example, the electrode region Ae is formed in a rectangular shape. In particular, in the illustrated example, the electrode regions Ae are parallel to each other and a pair of sides extending along the longitudinal direction (first direction (X)), respectively, parallel to each other, and short direction ( It is formed in a substantially rectangular shape surrounded by a pair of sides extending along the second direction (Y).

The base sheet 70 is provided with a first inspection region At _{1 including} one side edge 70 a of the base sheet 70. Further, the second inspection region At ₂ is provided including the other side edge 70 b of the base sheet 70. The inspection areas At ₁ and At ₂ are both areas where an electrical inspection of the conductive pattern 71 can be performed. For this reason, in the inspection areas At ₁ and At ₂ , a later-described lead wiring 74 of the conductive pattern 71 is provided. , 75 are arranged.

  The base sheet 70 is transparent or translucent so that the visibility through the touch panel sensor 30 can be sufficiently secured. The substrate sheet 70 preferably has a transmittance in the visible light region of 80% or more, and more preferably 84% or more.

  Examples of the base sheet 70 include polyester resins such as polyethylene terephthalate and polyethylene naphthalate, acrylic resins such as polymethyl methacrylate, polyolefin resins such as polypropylene, cellulose resins such as triacetyl cellulose (cellulose triacetate), polycarbonate resins, and the like. A material that can function as a dielectric, such as a resin sheet made of glass, an inorganic material made of glass, ceramics, or the like, can be used. In addition, from the viewpoint of securing the conductive pattern 71 and ensuring good light transmission, the thickness of the base sheet 70 can be set to 0.03 mm or more and 5 mm or less.

<Conductive pattern>
As shown in FIG. 6, a plurality of conductive patterns 71 are arranged along the longitudinal direction (first direction (X)) of the base sheet 70. In the example shown in FIG. 6, the conductive pattern 71 includes an electrode 72 including a plurality of detection electrodes 73 arranged in the electrode region Ae, a first lead wire 74 connected to each detection electrode 73, and each detection. And a second lead wire 75 connected to the electrode 73. In particular, in the illustrated example, the electrode 72 extends in the electrode region Ae along the short direction (second direction (Y)) of the base sheet 70 and along the longitudinal direction (first direction (X)). A plurality of detection electrodes 73 are arranged. Each detection electrode 73 is formed by the conductive mesh 50 composed of the conductive thin wire 51 described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5 as an example, but in FIGS. 6 to 13, the illustration is simplified. For the sake of simplicity, a region or a cross section in which each detection electrode 73 is arranged is indicated by a simple rectangle.

The first lead wiring 74 and the second lead wiring 75 are provided corresponding to each of the detection electrodes 73. In the example shown in FIG. 6, each first lead wire 74 extends from the corresponding detection electrode 73 to the first inspection region At ₁ , and each second lead wire 75 extends from the corresponding detection electrode 73 to the second inspection region. It extends to At _2. In the illustrated example, the first lead-out wiring 74 includes a first terminal portion 76 that can be connected to the detection control unit 21 via an external connection wiring (for example, a flexible printed circuit board) (not shown) later. Further, the second lead wiring 75 includes a terminal portion 77 that can be connected to the detection control unit 21 via an external connection wiring later.

In the illustrated example, the first lead-out wiring 74 includes a first inspection electrode 78 disposed in the first inspection region At ₁ . The second lead wire 75 includes a second testing electrode 79 arranged in the second inspection area At _2. In particular, the inspection electrodes 78 and 79 are formed at the ends of the lead-out wirings 74 and 75 opposite to the detection electrodes 73. The inspection electrodes 78 and 79 are used to contact terminals on the inspection apparatus side used for electrical inspection of the conductive pattern 71. Therefore, the inspection electrodes 78 and 79 are formed wider than other portions of the lead wirings 74 and 75. 6, 7, 9, 10, and 12, the inspection electrodes 78 and 79 have a substantially square shape. However, the inspection electrodes 78 are not limited to this, and the inspection electrodes 78 may be rectangular or triangular. Other shapes such as a circle, an ellipse, and an oval may be used.

  Further, as shown in FIG. 6, the first lead-out wiring 74 and the second lead-out wiring 75 are arranged in a pattern that is point-symmetric with each other when viewed from the normal direction to the sheet surface of the base sheet 70. Has been. In particular, in the illustrated example, the conductive patterns 71 are arranged in a pattern that is point-symmetric with each other when viewed from the normal direction to the sheet surface of the base sheet 70.

(Second intermediate member manufacturing step)
A first intermediate member 61 cut by the cutting lines L _1, to produce a plurality of first intermediate member 61 and the second intermediate member 62 (intermediate member for a touch panel sensor). In the example shown in FIG. 6, between two adjacent cut lines L _1, 1 one conductive pattern 71 is disposed. Therefore, by cutting the first intermediate member 61 in the cutting line L _1, the second intermediate member 62 having one electrically conductive pattern 71 it is more produced. The second intermediate member 62 shown in FIG. 7, the second intermediate member 62 described with reference to FIGS. 9 and 10, and the fifth intermediate member 65 described with reference to FIG. About the part which can be comprised similarly to the 1st intermediate member 61, the code | symbol same as the code | symbol used with respect to the corresponding part in the above-mentioned 1st intermediate member 61 will be used, and the overlapping description is abbreviate | omitted.

(Electrical inspection process)
First, an electrical inspection is performed on the second intermediate member 62 via the first lead wires 74 in the first inspection region At _{1 of} the second intermediate member 62 (first inspection step). Specifically, an inspection probe of an inspection apparatus (not shown) is brought into contact with each first lead wiring 74 in the first inspection region At ₁ , particularly the first inspection electrode 78, and an electrical inspection such as a capacitance inspection is performed. I do. In the capacitance inspection, for example, a second detection member sheet (not shown) is stacked on the second intermediate member 62, and the second conductor when the outer conductor approaches each detection electrode 73 of the second intermediate member 62. This can be done by measuring the change in capacitance between each detection electrode 73 of the intermediate member 62 and each inspection detection electrode of the inspection detection electrode sheet. Examples of the inspection electrode sheet for inspection include a substrate on which a plurality of inspection detection electrodes extending in the first direction (X) and arranged in the second direction (Y) are formed. it can.

When the inspection result in the first inspection process is “good”, the process proceeds to the next inspection area separation process. On the other hand, if the inspection result in the first inspection step is “defective”, then the second intermediate wiring 62 is connected to the second lead wire 75 in the second inspection region At ₂ through the second lead wiring 75. The intermediate member 62 is electrically inspected (second inspection step). Specifically, an inspection probe of an inspection device (not shown) is brought into contact with each second extraction wiring 75 in the second inspection region At ₂ , particularly the second inspection electrode 79, and an electrical inspection such as a capacitance inspection is performed. I do. The capacitance inspection is performed in the same manner as the first inspection step. Here, in the example shown in FIG. 7, the first lead-out wiring 74 and the second lead-out wiring 75 of the second intermediate member 62 are viewed from the normal direction to the sheet surface of the base sheet 70. They are arranged in a point-symmetric pattern. Therefore, after the first inspection step, the inspection device used in the first inspection step is used only by rotating the second intermediate member 62 by 180 ° in a plane parallel to the sheet surface of the second intermediate member 62. Thus, the second inspection process can be performed. That is, the first inspection process and the second inspection process can be performed with one inspection apparatus.

  If the inspection result in the second inspection process is “good”, the process proceeds to the next inspection area separation process. On the other hand, if the inspection result in the second inspection process is also “defective”, the process proceeds to other processes such as discarding the second intermediate member 62 and pattern inspection using an optical inspection apparatus.

Incidentally, an electrical inspection (first inspection step, the second inspection step) is not limited to performing the first intermediate member 61 from the prepared second intermediate member 62 is cut in the cutting lines L ₁ perform electrical inspection for the first intermediate member 61, then, it may be prepared second intermediate member 62 is cut at each cutting line L _1. Alternatively, the first intermediate member 61 may be electrically inspected, and then the next inspection region separating step may be performed without producing the second intermediate member 62.

(Final cutting process)
After completion of the electrical inspection, the second intermediate member 62 is cut along the contour line L ₂ or L ₃ . If the inspection result in the first inspection process is “good”, the second intermediate member 62 is formed from the electrode 72 and the detection electrode 73 to the first terminal portion 76 of the first lead wires 74. portion is cut in the contour line L ₂ including. On the other hand, when the inspection result in the first inspection step is “bad” and the inspection result in the second inspection step is “good”, the second intermediate member 62 is connected to the electrode 72 and each second lead wire 75. portion forming from sensing electrode 73 to the second terminal portion 77 of the, cutting the contour line L ₃ containing. Thereby, the touch panel sensor 30 is manufactured from the second intermediate member 62.

The produced touch panel sensor 30 is shown in FIG. From the base material sheet 70 of the intermediate members 61 and 62, the electrode 72 (detection electrode 73), and the lead wires 74 and 75 (terminal portions 76 and 77), the base materials 35 and 36 of the touch panel sensor 30 (electrode substrates 31 and 32), respectively. Electrodes 41 and 42 (detection electrodes 43 and 44) and lead wires 45 and 46 (terminal portions 47 and 48) are formed. In the intermediate members 61 and 62, the end of the extraction wiring 75 opposite to the detection electrode 73 (in the example shown in FIG. 7, the end of the terminal portions 76 and 77 on the inspection electrodes 78 and 79 side) and When the contour lines L ₂ and L ₃ are separated from each other, that is, when there is a gap G between the end of the extraction wiring 75 opposite to the detection electrode 73 and the contour lines L ₂ and L ₃ , The touch panel sensor 30 produced by cutting along the contour lines L ₂ and L ₃ has end portions on the opposite side to the detection electrodes 43 and 44 of the extraction wirings 45 and 46 (in the example shown in FIG. 48 between the side edges 35a and 36a of the base members 35 and 36 and the side edges 35a and 36a of the base members 35 and 36, the lead wires 74 and 75 of the intermediate members 61 and 62, respectively. It has extension wiring parts 74a and 75a consisting of a part. Further, in the example shown in FIG. 8, between the detection electrodes 43, 44 and the side edges 35 b, 36 b of the base materials 35, 36, from a part of the lead wires 74, 75 of the intermediate members 61, 62. Extension wiring portions 74b and 75b.

The intermediate member 61 according to the present embodiment as described above has a base sheet 70 having a longitudinal direction and a short direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and a plurality of electrode regions Ae arranged along the longitudinal direction, A conductive pattern 71 provided on the material sheet 70. The base sheet 70 has one side edge 70a and the other side edge 70b facing each other in the short-side direction, and the one side edge 70a. The first inspection region At ₁ for electrical inspection including the second inspection region At ₂ for electrical inspection including the other side edge 70b, the conductive pattern 71 is a base sheet a plurality of sensing electrodes 73 provided to each electrode area Ae of 70, the first lead-out lines 74 extending in a first inspection region At ₁ is connected to the sensing electrodes 73, the second inspection region is connected to the sensing electrodes 73 A second lead wire 75 extending to At ₂ ing.

Further, the intermediate members 61 and 62 according to the present embodiment are provided on the base sheet 70 having the first inspection area At ₁ and the second inspection area At ₂ for electrical inspection, and the base sheet 70. The conductive pattern 71 includes a plurality of detection electrodes 73, a first lead wire 74 that is connected to each detection electrode 73 and extends to the first inspection region At ₁ , and is connected to each detection electrode 73. And a second lead wire 75 extending to the second inspection region At ₂ .

In addition, the electrical inspection method for the touch panel sensor intermediate members 61 and 62 according to the present embodiment includes a base sheet 70 having a first inspection region At ₁ and a second inspection region At ₂ for electrical inspection, includes a conductive pattern 71 provided on the timber seat 70, the conductive pattern 71 includes a plurality of the sensing electrodes 73, first lead wire extends into the first inspection area At ₁ is connected to the sensing electrodes 73 74 And a second lead wire 75 connected to each detection electrode 73 and extending to the second test region At _2. The first lead wire 74 in the first test region At ₁ of the touch panel sensor intermediate members 61 and 62. A first inspection step of performing an electrical inspection via

According to the intermediate members 61 and 62 and the electrical inspection method for the intermediate members 61 and 62, the touch panel sensor intermediate members 61 and 62 are connected to the detection electrodes 73 and extend to the first inspection region At ₁ . Since the first lead wiring 74 and the second lead wiring 75 connected to each detection electrode 73 and extending to the second inspection region At ₂ are provided, either the first lead wiring 74 or the second lead wiring 75 is interposed. Even in this case, the intermediate members 61 and 62 can be electrically inspected. Thereby, even if the result of the electrical inspection through one of the first lead-out wiring 74 and the second lead-out wiring 75 is “defective”, the other through the first lead-out wiring 74 and the second lead-out wiring 75. If the result of the electrical inspection is “good”, it is determined that the one of the first lead wiring 74 and the second lead wiring 75 has a defect such as a disconnection, and each detection electrode 73 has no defect. Can do. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the number of intermediate members 61 and 62 that are discarded when the inspection result by the electrical inspection is “defective”, and it is possible to improve the product yield.

  Various modifications can be made to the above-described embodiment. Hereinafter, modified examples will be described with reference to the drawings as appropriate. In the following description and the drawings used in the following description, the same reference numerals as those used for the corresponding parts in the above embodiment are used for the parts that can be configured in the same manner as the above embodiment, A duplicate description is omitted.

  With reference to FIGS. 9-11, the modification of the manufacturing method of the touch panel sensor 30 is demonstrated. In the example shown in FIGS. 9 to 11, the touch panel sensor 30 is manufactured by performing a third intermediate member manufacturing process, a fourth intermediate member manufacturing process, an electrical inspection process, and a final cutting process. The

(Third intermediate member manufacturing step)
First, the third intermediate member 63 (intermediate member for touch panel sensor) shown in FIG. 9 is produced.

In the example illustrated in FIG. 9, the electrode 72 of the conductive pattern 71 provided on the base sheet 70 is along the longitudinal direction (first direction (X)) of the base sheet 70 in the electrode region Ae. It includes a plurality of detection electrodes 73 extending along the short direction (second direction (Y)). Each lead-out wiring 74 and 75 extends from the corresponding detection electrode 73 to the inspection areas At ₁ and At ₂ .

  Further, as shown in FIG. 9, the first lead-out wiring 74 and the second lead-out wiring 75 are arranged in a pattern that is point-symmetric with each other when viewed from the normal direction to the sheet surface of the base sheet 70. Has been. In particular, in the illustrated example, the conductive patterns 71 are arranged in a pattern that is point-symmetric with each other when viewed from the normal direction to the sheet surface of the base sheet 70.

(Fourth intermediate member manufacturing step)
A third intermediate member 63 cut by the cutting lines L _1, to produce a plurality of third intermediate member 63 fourth intermediate member 64 (intermediate member for a touch panel sensor). FIG. 10 shows the fourth intermediate member 64.

(Electrical inspection process)
The fourth intermediate member 64 is electrically inspected via the lead wires 74 and 75 in the inspection area At of the fourth intermediate member 64. This electrical inspection is performed in the same manner as the electrical inspection for the second intermediate member 62 described above. Here, the capacitance test as an example of the electrical test is performed by, for example, laminating a test electrode sheet (not shown) on the fourth intermediate member 64, and the outer conductor being the fourth intermediate member 64. By measuring the change in capacitance between each detection electrode 73 of the fourth intermediate member 64 and each detection detection electrode of the inspection detection electrode sheet when approaching each detection electrode 73 of ,It can be carried out. Examples of the inspection electrode sheet for inspection include a substrate on which a plurality of inspection detection electrodes extending in the second direction (Y) and arranged in the first direction (X) are formed. it can.

Incidentally, an electrical inspection is not limited to performing the third of the intermediate member 63 from the prepared fourth intermediate member 64 is cut at each cutting line L _1, an electrical inspection for the third intermediate member 63 was carried out, then, it may be prepared fourth intermediate member 64 is cut at each cutting line L _1. Alternatively, the third intermediate member 63 may be electrically inspected, and then the next inspection region separation step may be performed without producing the fourth intermediate member 64.

(Final cutting process)
After completion of the electrical inspection, the fourth intermediate member 64 is cut along the contour line L ₂ or L ₃ . When the inspection result in the first inspection process is “good”, the fourth intermediate member 64 is formed from the detection electrode 73 to the first terminal portion 76 among the electrodes 72 and the first lead wires 74. portion is cut in the contour line L ₂ including. On the other hand, when the inspection result of the first inspection process is “bad” and the inspection result of the second inspection process is “good”, the fourth intermediate member 64 is connected to the electrode 72 and each second lead wiring 75. portion forming from sensing electrode 73 to the second terminal portion 77 of the, cutting the contour line L ₃ containing. Thereby, the touch panel sensor 30 is manufactured from the fourth intermediate member 64.

  The produced touch panel sensor 30 is shown in FIG. From the base material sheet 70 of the intermediate members 63 and 64, the electrode 72 (detection electrode 73), and the lead wires 74 and 75 (terminal portions 76 and 77), the base materials 35 and 36 of the touch panel sensor 30 (electrode substrates 31 and 32), respectively. Electrodes 41 and 42 (detection electrodes 43 and 44), extraction wirings 45 and 46 (terminal portions 47 and 48), and extension wiring portions 74b and 75b are formed.

Also by such a modified example of the intermediate members 63 and 64 and the electrical inspection method of the intermediate members 63 and 64, the touch panel sensor intermediate members 63 and 64 are connected to the respective detection electrodes 73, and the first inspection region At _1. 1 and the second lead wire 75 connected to each of the detection electrodes 73 and extending to the second inspection region At ₂ , whichever one of the first lead wire 74 and the second lead wire 75 The intermediate members 63 and 64 can be electrically inspected even through the above. Thereby, even if the result of the electrical inspection through one of the first lead-out wiring 74 and the second lead-out wiring 75 is “defective”, the other through the first lead-out wiring 74 and the second lead-out wiring 75. If the result of the electrical inspection is “good”, it is determined that the one of the first lead wiring 74 and the second lead wiring 75 has a defect such as a disconnection, and each detection electrode 73 has no defect. Can do. Therefore, it is possible to reduce the number of intermediate members 63 and 64 that are discarded when the inspection result by the electrical inspection is “defective”, and it is possible to improve the product yield.

  12 and 13 show a fifth intermediate member 65 (intermediate member for a touch panel sensor) as another modification. The fifth intermediate member 65 shown in FIGS. 12 and 13 is laminated on the long base sheet 70, the conductive pattern 71 provided on the base sheet 70, and the conductive pattern 71. Protective film 80.

  FIG. 13 shows a cross section taken along line BB of the fifth intermediate member 65 of FIG. In the example shown in FIG. 13, the protective film 80 is laminated on the conductive pattern 71. The protective film 80 prevents other members from coming into contact with the conductive pattern 71 formed on the base sheet 70 to cause scratches or disconnections, and foreign matters such as dust adhere to the conductive pattern 71. It has the function to prevent. Therefore, it is preferable that the protective film 80 is provided so as to cover at least the electrode 72 of the conductive pattern 71 and the portions of the lead wires 74 and 75 that form the detection electrodes 73 to the terminal portions 76 and 77. . In FIG. 13, the protective film 80 is illustrated so as to be in contact with only the conductive pattern 71. However, when a flexible film is used as the protective film 80, the protective film 80 is formed of the conductive pattern 71. The substrate sheet 70 is often in contact with the surroundings.

  In the example shown in FIG. 12, the protective film 80 has a long shape having a longitudinal direction and a short direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and one side edge 80a and the other facing each other in the short direction. Side edge 80b. In the illustrated example, the one side edge 80a and the other side edge 80b extend linearly along the longitudinal direction, and are parallel to each other. When the protective film 80 is supplied to a specific process in a state wound in a roll shape, or is wound in a roll shape after a specific process, in particular, the specific film is wound in a state wound in a roll shape. When supplied and wound into a roll after the process (so-called roll-to-roll method), the longitudinal direction of the protective film 80 coincides with the MD direction (Machine Direction: machine direction, flow direction, longitudinal direction) The short side direction of the protective film 80 coincides with the TD direction (Transverse Direction). In the illustrated example, the longitudinal direction of the protective film 80 is parallel to the first direction (X), and the short direction of the protective film 80 is the second direction (Y) orthogonal to the first direction (X). They are parallel. Therefore, the longitudinal direction of the protective film 80 and the longitudinal direction of the base sheet 70 are parallel, and the short direction of the protective film 80 and the lateral direction of the base sheet 70 are parallel.

In the example shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, the protective film 80 is laminated on the conductive pattern 71 except for the first inspection region At ₁ and the second inspection region At ₂ of the fifth intermediate member 65. Yes. Specifically, the width W ₈₀ along the short direction of the protective film 80 is formed narrower than the width W ₇₀ along the short direction of the base sheet 70 of the fifth intermediate member 65. The one side edge 80a of the base sheet 70 and the one side edge 70a of the base sheet 70 are separated from each other along the short direction, and the other side edge 80b of the protective film 80 and the other side edge 70b of the base sheet 70 are formed. The protective film 80 is laminated on the conductive pattern 71 so as to be separated along the short direction. Accordingly, the first inspection region At _{1 of} the fifth intermediate member 65 is exposed from the protective film 80 between the one side edge 80a of the protective film 80 and the one side edge 70a of the base sheet 70. . In other words, the first inspection region At ₁ of the fifth intermediate member 65 is sandwiched between one side edge 80a of the protective film 80 and one side edge 70a of the base sheet 70 along the short-side direction. It is defined as an area. Further, the second inspection region At _{2 of} the fifth intermediate member 65 is exposed from the protective film 80 between the other side edge 80 b of the protective film 80 and the other side edge 70 b of the base sheet 70. In other words, the second inspection region At ₂ of the fifth intermediate member 65 is sandwiched between the other side edge 80b of the protective film 80 and the other side edge 70b of the base sheet 70 along the short direction. It is defined as an area.

  Such a fifth intermediate member 65 is formed by, for example, continuously applying the protective film 80 along the MD direction on the long first intermediate member 61 or the third intermediate member 63 drawn out from the roll. It can produce by laminating | stacking.

According to the fifth intermediate member 65 described above, since the inspection areas At ₁ and At _{2 of} the fifth intermediate member 65 are exposed from the protective film 80, the protective film 80 is attached before the electrical inspection. It is possible to prevent an additional process such as a process of peeling or a process of re-covering the inspection areas At ₁ and At ₂ with the protective film 80 after the electrical inspection, and an increase in tact time can be prevented. Become. Moreover, it is not necessary to provide a peeling device or a re-lamination device for the protective film 80, and the device can be prevented from becoming complicated and large. Thereby, an increase in manufacturing cost can be avoided. Further, since the protective film 80 is not peeled off during the electrical inspection, foreign matters such as dust adhere to the place where the protective film 80 on the conductive pattern 71 is peeled off, and the protective film 80 is re-laminated. At this time, it is possible to prevent foreign matter from being sandwiched between the base sheet 70 or the conductive pattern 71 and the protective film 80.

  As another modification, the touch panel sensor 30 manufactured by the touch panel sensor 30 manufacturing method using the above-described intermediate members 61 and 62 is used as the first electrode substrate 31, and the above-described intermediate member is used as the second electrode substrate 32. You may use the touch panel sensor 30 manufactured by the manufacturing method of the touch panel sensor 30 using 63,64. In this case, the MD direction of the first base material 35 of the first electrode substrate 31 and the MD direction of the second base material 36 of the second electrode substrate 32 can be matched. In this case, even if the base material sheet 70 of the intermediate members 61 to 64 has optical anisotropy in the sheet surface due to stretching or the like in the manufacturing process, the first base of the first electrode substrate 31 is used. The optical characteristics of the material 35 and the second base material 36 of the second electrode substrate 32 can be matched.

  However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and as the first electrode substrate 31 and the second electrode substrate 32, the touch panel sensor 30 manufactured by the manufacturing method of the touch panel sensor 30 using the above-described intermediate members 61 and 62 may be used. Further, as the first electrode substrate 31 and the second electrode substrate 32, the touch panel sensor 30 manufactured by the manufacturing method of the touch panel sensor 30 using the above-described intermediate members 63 and 64 may be used.

  As yet another modification, in the above-described embodiment, the conductive mesh 50 has a regular mesh pattern in a lattice arrangement. However, the present invention is not limited to this. It may have an irregular mesh pattern, or may have an irregular mesh pattern. For example, a regular mesh pattern such as a honeycomb shape or an irregular mesh pattern such as a Voronoi mesh may be used.

  In addition, although the some modification with respect to embodiment mentioned above was demonstrated above, naturally, it is also possible to apply combining several modifications suitably.

20 touch panel device 30 touch panel sensor 31 first electrode substrate 32 second electrode substrate 35 first base material 36 second base material 41 first electrode 42 second electrode 43 first detection electrode 44 second detection electrode 45 first extraction wiring 46 Second extraction wiring 47 Terminal portion 48 Terminal portion 50 Conductive mesh 51 Conductive thin wire 52 Opening region 53 Branch point 54 Connection element 57 Conductive metal layer 58 Dark color layer 61 First intermediate member (intermediate member for touch panel sensor)
62 2nd intermediate member (intermediate member for touch panel sensors)
63 Third intermediate member (intermediate member for touch panel sensor)
64 Fourth intermediate member (intermediate member for touch panel sensor)
65 5th intermediate member (intermediate member for touch panel sensors)
70 Substrate sheet 70a One side edge 70b The other side edge 71 Conductive pattern 72 Electrode 73 Detection electrode 74 First extraction wiring 75 Second extraction wiring 76 First terminal portion 77 Second terminal portion 78 First inspection electrode 79 Second inspection electrode 80 Protective film Ae Electrode region At ₁ First inspection region At ₂ Second inspection region

Claims (5)

A substrate sheet having a first inspection region and a second inspection region for electrical inspection, and a conductive pattern provided on the substrate sheet,
The conductive pattern includes a plurality of detection electrodes, a first extraction wiring connected to each detection electrode and extending to the first inspection area, a second extraction wiring connected to each detection electrode and extending to the second inspection area, An intermediate member for a touch panel sensor. A substrate sheet having a longitudinal direction and a short direction perpendicular to the longitudinal direction, and a plurality of electrode regions arranged along the longitudinal direction, and a conductive pattern provided on the substrate sheet, Prepared,
The base sheet has one side edge and the other side edge facing each other in the lateral direction, and includes a first inspection region for electrical inspection including the one side edge, and the other side. A second inspection area for electrical inspection including an edge,
The conductive pattern includes a plurality of detection electrodes provided in each electrode region of the base sheet, a first lead wire connected to each detection electrode and extending to the first inspection region, and connected to each detection electrode. An intermediate member for a touch panel sensor, comprising: a second lead wiring extending to the second inspection region.   The said 1st extraction wiring and the said 2nd extraction wiring are arrange | positioned by the pattern which makes a point symmetry mutually seeing from the normal line direction to the sheet | seat surface of the said base material sheet. Intermediate member for touch panel sensor.   A substrate sheet having a first inspection region and a second inspection region for electrical inspection, and a conductive pattern provided on the substrate sheet, wherein the conductive pattern includes a plurality of detection electrodes; The intermediate member for a touch panel sensor, comprising: a first lead wire connected to each detection electrode and extending to the first inspection region; and a second lead wire connected to each detection electrode and extending to the second test region. An electrical inspection method for an intermediate member for a touch panel sensor, comprising a first inspection step of performing an electrical inspection through the first lead wiring in a first inspection region.   5. The method according to claim 4, further comprising a second inspection step of performing an electrical inspection through the second lead wiring in the second inspection region when the inspection result by the first inspection step is defective. Electrical inspection method for intermediate member for touch panel sensor.

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