JP2018022363A - Three-dimensional capacitance sensor - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a three-dimensional capacitance sensor which allows a touch sensor manipulation surface to be irradiated at high intensity from inside a device.SOLUTION: A three-dimensional capacitance sensor 1 is configured to detect input in an X-Y plane direction and in a depth Z direction, and comprises an XY electrode body 40 for detecting input in the X-Y plane direction, a deformable body 30 including a sheet-like elastic body 32, and a Z electrode body 20 for detecting input in the depth Z direction arranged in the described order such that they all overlap with each other viewing from the depth Z direction. The sensor also includes a light guide sheet 70 disposed between the XY electrode body and the Z electrode body.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a capacitive three-dimensional sensor whose operation surface is illuminated from the inside.

  Capacitance sensors used as touch sensors are mainly used to detect changes in capacitance in two-dimensional directions (X direction and Y direction), but in recent years, in the three-dimensional direction (X direction) , Y direction, and Z direction) have been proposed (for example, Patent Document 1).

JP-A-2016-911149

  For the purpose of improving the visibility, operability, decorativeness, etc. of the operation surface of the touch sensor, it is required to arrange a light source such as an LED inside the sensor device and illuminate the operation surface from the inside to the outside. . However, when a light source is arranged at the bottom of the sensor device, there are three or more layers of electrode sheets or the like that sense the X, Y, and Z directions between the operation surface arranged above the light source. There is a problem that the luminance (light quantity) of light reaching the operation surface from the light source is lowered.

  It is an object of the present invention to provide a capacitive three-dimensional sensor that can illuminate the operation surface of a touch sensor with high brightness from the inside of the apparatus.

[1] An electrostatic capacity type three-dimensional sensor for detecting inputs in the plane XY direction and the depth Z direction, and an easily deformable body having an XY electrode body for detecting inputs in the plane XY direction and a sheet-like elastic body. And a Z electrode body for detecting an input in the depth Z direction so as to overlap in this order when viewed in the depth Z direction, and further, a light guide is provided between the XY electrode body and the Z electrode body. A capacitive three-dimensional sensor provided with a sheet.
[2] A light guide portion that includes a light source and has an end portion of the light guide sheet extended outward from the XY electrode body is disposed at a position facing the light emitting portion of the light source. ] The capacitance-type three-dimensional sensor of description.
[3] The capacitive three-dimensional sensor according to [1] or [2], wherein the light guide sheet is disposed between the XY electrode body and the easily deformable body.
[4] The capacitive three-dimensional sensor according to any one of [1] to [3], wherein the light guide sheet is disposed in close contact with the XY electrode body.
[5] The capacitive three-dimensional device according to any one of [1] to [4], further including a light source and a substrate that supports the light source, wherein the Z electrode body is integrated with the substrate. Sensor.
[6] A cover plate is provided on the opposite side of the XY electrode body from the light guide sheet, and the cover plate includes a transparent light transmitting portion that transmits light in a thickness direction thereof and an opaque light shielding portion. Any one of [1] to [5], wherein at least a part of the light emitted from the light guide sheet and transmitted through the XY electrode body is transmitted through the light transmitting portion and emitted to the outside. The capacitive three-dimensional sensor according to claim 1.

  According to the capacitance type three-dimensional sensor of the present invention, since the light guide sheet is disposed closer to the operation surface than the Z electrode body, the operation surface can be illuminated with higher brightness than in the past. Thereby, the visibility of the operation surface, operability, decorativeness, etc. can be improved.

It is an exploded view of the section of capacitance type three-dimensional sensor 1 of a first embodiment concerning the present invention. It is a top view of capacitance type three-dimensional sensor 1 of a first embodiment concerning the present invention. It is the top view which removed the cover plate 50 and the XY electrode body 40 from the top view of FIG. It is an exploded view of the section of capacitance type three-dimensional sensor 2 of a second embodiment concerning the present invention. It is an exploded view of the section of capacitance type three-dimensional sensor 3 of a third embodiment concerning the present invention. It is an exploded view of the section of capacitance type three-dimensional sensor 4 of a 4th embodiment concerning the present invention.

<< first embodiment >>
A first embodiment of a capacitance type three-dimensional sensor (hereinafter abbreviated as “three-dimensional sensor”) of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.
In all of the following drawings, the ratios of the thicknesses and dimensions of the constituent elements do not necessarily match the actual ratios, and are appropriately adjusted to make the drawings easy to see.
FIG. 1 is a sectional view of the three-dimensional sensor 1 of the first embodiment, and FIG. 2 is a plan view thereof. 2 is a cross-sectional view taken along line GG in FIG. 2.
In FIG. 1, the right-hand direction of the paper surface is the X direction, the downward direction of the paper surface is the Z direction, and the front direction of the paper surface perpendicular to the X direction and the Z direction is the Y direction.
In FIG. 2, the right-hand direction of the paper surface is the X direction, the downward direction of the paper surface is the Y direction, and the depth direction of the paper surface perpendicular to the X direction and the Y direction is the Z direction.

  A three-dimensional sensor 1 shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is a capacitive three-dimensional sensor that detects a plane XY direction and a depth Z direction, and has a cover having an operation surface provided with a translucent portion 51 through which light passes. A plate 50, a sheet-like XY electrode body 40 for detecting input in the plane XY direction, an easily deformable body 30 having a sheet-like elastic body 32, and a sheet-like Z electrode for detecting input in the depth Z direction And a body 20.

  The support member 11 is arranged such that the cover plate 50, the XY electrode body 40, the easily deformable body 30, and the Z electrode body 20 overlap in this order when the three-dimensional sensor 1 is viewed in the depth Z direction (the sensor thickness direction). Are stacked on the front surface 11a. A light source 60 such as an LED is installed on the front surface 11a of the support member 11 in the vicinity of the laminate.

  In this specification, the cover plate 50 side is referred to as “front side” or “front side (front side)”, and the support member 11 side is referred to as “back side” or “back side”.

  The light guide sheet 70 is made of a transparent member. The end of the light guide sheet 70 on the side close to the light source 60 has a portion (light guiding portion) 70a that extends outward from the XY electrode body 40 (away from the XY electrode body). The light guiding portion 70 a is extended toward the light source 60 installed on the front surface 11 a of the support member 11, and its side surface (end surface) 70 b is disposed to face the light emitting portion of the light source 60. With this arrangement, the light emitted from the light source 60 easily enters the light guide sheet 70 from the end face 70b, and further propagates to the main body of the light guide sheet 70 through the light guiding portion 70a. The incident light guided in this manner is emitted from the front surface of the light guide sheet 70 toward the cover plate 50.

  The light guide sheet 70 is provided between the XY electrode body 40 and the easily deformable body 30 between the XY electrode body 40 and the Z electrode body 20. According to this arrangement, the easily deformable body 30 and the Z electrode body 20 are not interposed between the cover plate 50 and the light guide sheet 70, and the cover is covered from the front surface of the light guide sheet 70 by the easily deformable body 30 and the Z electrode body 20. The light emitted toward the plate 50 is not blocked.

  Furthermore, the light guide sheet 70 in the present embodiment is disposed in close contact with the back surface of the first base sheet 41 of the XY electrode body 40. According to this arrangement, since the light emitted from the front surface of the light guide sheet 70 enters the back surface of the first base sheet 41 without interposing an air layer, the air layer of the first base sheet 41 is interposed. Is less susceptible to interfacial reflections.

As shown in FIG. 2, the operation surface T formed by the front surface of the cover plate 50 has a light shielding portion 52 made opaque by solid printing, and the printing is removed with the light shielding portion 52 as a background to be transparent. A rectangular and cross-shaped light-transmitting portion 51 is formed. At least a part of the light emitted from the front surface of the light guide sheet 70 and transmitted through the XY electrode body 40 is transmitted through the light transmitting portion 51 and emitted to the outside.
The rectangular translucent part 51 corresponds to an input area in which a finger, a stylus pen or the like is brought into contact. Since the outside of the input area is surrounded by a casing frame of a device on which the three-dimensional sensor 1 is mounted, the light source 60 is hidden by the casing frame when viewed from above.

The light source 60 is not particularly limited as long as it is a light emitter capable of making light incident on the side surface 70b of the light guide sheet 70, and examples thereof include a light emitting diode (LED) and a cold cathode tube.
The light source 60 is provided on the front surface 11 a of the support member 11 and is supported by a substrate constituting the support member 11.

[Laminated structure of 3D sensor]
The support member 11 and the Z electrode body 20 are bonded together via an adhesive layer 81 made of an adhesive. The Z electrode body 20 and the easily deformable body 30 are bonded together through an adhesive layer 82 made of an adhesive. The easily deformable body 30 and the XY electrode body 40 are bonded together via a light guide sheet 70. The XY electrode body 40 and the cover plate 50 are bonded together through an adhesive layer 84 made of an adhesive.
Hereinafter, the details of each component will be described in order from the support member 11 side.

[Support member]
The support member 11 of the three-dimensional sensor 1 includes a substrate and a shield layer (not shown) formed on the surface thereof. The constituent material of a board | substrate is not specifically limited, For example, a paper epoxy board | substrate, a glass epoxy board | substrate, a paper phenol board | substrate etc. are mentioned. The shield layer is a metal layer and is made of, for example, copper, aluminum, silver, or the like. The shield layer has no pattern and is a solid metal layer. Moreover, although it is preferable that a shield layer has light reflectivity, it does not need to have light reflectivity. As the support member 11 including the substrate and the shield layer, for example, a printed circuit board can be used. Further, as exemplified in the third embodiment and the fourth embodiment to be described later, when adopting a configuration in which the substrate of the support member 11 and the Z electrode body are integrated, Z is used instead of the shield layer. A conductive film of an electrode body can be formed.
The thickness of the support member 11 is preferably a thickness that can structurally support the light source 60 and the electrode body installed on the surface thereof, and can be, for example, about 0.1 to 10 mm.
The shape of the support member 11 is not limited to a plate shape, and any shape can be adopted as long as the shape can support other constituent members.

[Z electrode body]
The Z electrode body 20 is an electrode body that detects an input in the Z direction. The third base sheet 21, the patterned conductive film 22 formed on the front surface thereof, the third base sheet 21 and the conductive film 22. It is an electrode sheet which has the insulating film 23 which coat | covers the front surface of this.

  In this specification, “conductive” of the conductive film means that the electric resistance value is less than 1 MΩ, preferably less than 0.1 MΩ, and “insulation” of the insulating film means that the electric resistance value is 1 MΩ or more, Preferably, it means 10 MΩ or more.

As a constituent material of the 3rd base material sheet 21, a plastic film, a glass plate, etc. are mentioned, for example. As the resin constituting the plastic film, polyethylene terephthalate, polycarbonate, polyimide, triacetyl cellulose, cyclic polyolefin, acrylic resin, or the like can be used. Among these, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) or polycarbonate is preferable because of its high heat resistance and dimensional stability and low cost.
As thickness of the 3rd base material sheet 21, 10-100 micrometers is mentioned, for example.
The third base sheet 21 may be transparent or opaque.

Examples of the conductive film 22 include a film formed of a conductive paste containing gold particles, silver particles, copper particles, nickel particles, aluminum particles, chromium particles, tin-doped indium oxide, and the like; a conductive polymer such as polythiophene. Films containing metal nanowires such as gold and silver; Films containing conductive carbon materials such as carbon nanofibers, carbon nanobuds, carbon black, carbon nanotubes, graphene; Gold, silver, tin-doped indium oxide, etc. A metal vapor deposition film etc. are mentioned.
The surface of the conductive film 22 may be subjected to various surface treatments such as plasma treatment, ultraviolet irradiation treatment, corona treatment, and excimer light treatment. When the surface treatment is performed on the conductive film 22, the adhesion with the insulating film 23 is improved, and the contact resistance is lowered.
As thickness of the electrically conductive film 22, about 0.01 micrometer-25 micrometers are mentioned, for example.

As the pattern shape of the conductive film 22, a known pattern that can detect input in the Z direction is applied. For example, as described in Patent Document 1, a pattern in which rectangular or linear conductive portions are arranged at an arbitrary pitch is used. Is mentioned.
Wirings such as routing wirings and external connection terminals for outputting signals detected by the pattern of the conductive film 22 to the outside are also formed on the third base material sheet 21.

The insulating film 23 is a film made of an insulating resin and can improve the adhesion to the adhesive layer 82 and the easily deformable body 30 and prevent the conductive film 22 and the wiring from being oxidized.
Examples of the insulating resin include a thermosetting resin, a visible light curable resin, an electron beam curable resin, and an ultraviolet curable resin. Of these, ultraviolet curable resins are preferred from the viewpoint of low thermal shrinkage during curing.
As thickness of the insulating film 23, about 0.5-50 micrometers is mentioned, for example.

[Easily deformable body]
The easily deformable body 30 is a sheet that can be elastically deformed when a part of the operation surface T of the cover plate 50 is pressed (compressed) to the support member 11 side. And a sheet-like elastic body 32 provided on the front surface.

As the base material sheet 31 for elastic bodies, the sheet | seat similar to the 3rd base material sheet 21 of the Z electrode body 20 can be applied, for example. The base material sheet 31 for an elastic body and the third base material sheet 21 may be the same as or different from each other with respect to the material and thickness thereof.
As thickness of the base material sheet 31 for elastic bodies, 10-100 micrometers is mentioned, for example.

The elastic body 32 is a sheet made of an elastic material, and has a large number of protruding elastic spacers 32a on the surface thereof. Each elastic spacer 32a is provided such that its top surface faces the XY electrode body 40 side (front surface side). Further, the plurality of elastic spacers 32 a are arranged uniformly distributed over the entire front surface of the elastic body 32. Therefore, when the front surface of the elastic body 32 is viewed in plan, a dot pattern (polka dot pattern) in which the top surface of the elastic spacer 32a is uniformly distributed on one surface can be seen.
Examples of the shape of the top surface of the elastic spacer 32a include a circle, an ellipse, a rectangle, and other polygons.

  The Shore A hardness when the thickness of the elastic body 32 is measured as 1 cm is preferably 85 or less. If the Shore A hardness is 85 or less, it can be easily elastically deformed when pressed. However, if it is excessively soft, recovery after elastic deformation is delayed, so the Shore A hardness is preferably 10 or more.

In the three-dimensional sensor 1, when the operation surface T of the cover plate 50 is not pressed, the distance between the XY electrode body 40 and the Z electrode body 20 is supported by the easily deformable body 30 and the light guide sheet 70 and easily deformed. The body 30 and the light guide sheet 70 are kept apart from each other in thickness.
On the other hand, when the operation surface T of the cover plate 50 is pressed toward the support member 11, the elastic body 32, particularly the elastic spacer 32 a is deformed so as to be crushed at the pressed position, and the XY electrode body 40 and the Z electrode body 20 are deformed. The separation distance from is partially reduced. Thereby, the input (position change) in the Z direction is detected as a change in the capacitance of the Z electrode body 20.

  Examples of the elastic material constituting the elastic body 32 include thermosetting elastomers such as urethane rubber, isoprene rubber, ethylene propylene rubber, natural rubber, ethylene propylene diene rubber, styrene butadiene rubber, and silicone rubber; urethane, ester, and styrene , Olefin-based, butadiene-based or fluorine-based thermoplastic elastomers; or composites thereof. As a constituent material of the elastic body 32, a silicone rubber having a small dimensional change with repeated pressing, that is, a small compression set is preferable.

  The height of the elastic spacer 32a is preferably 30 μm or more and 150 μm or less, and more preferably 40 μm or more and 100 μm or less. If the height of the elastic spacer 32a is not less than the above lower limit value, the XY electrode body 40 can be more easily bent when the operation surface T of the cover plate 50 is pressed, and a sufficient amount of displacement can be secured. The holding power when not pressed is increased.

Examples of the arrangement of the plurality of elastic spacers 32a on the surface of the elastic body 32 include a 60-degree zigzag pattern, a square zigzag pattern, a parallel pattern, and a grid pattern.
The pitch between the adjacent elastic spacers is preferably from 0.1 mm to 2.0 mm, and more preferably from 0.1 mm to 1.0 mm. If the pitch between adjacent elastic spacers is equal to or greater than the lower limit value, the XY electrode body 40 can be bent more easily when the operation surface T of the cover plate 50 is pressed.

[Light guide sheet]
The light guide sheet 70 is made of a sheet-like transparent material. In the present embodiment, a transparent sheet made of silicone rubber constitutes the light guide sheet 70.

Silicone rubber and silicone resin are particularly preferable as the material of the light guide sheet 70 because they have high transparency and a refractive index close to that of air, and thus have high light incidence and emission efficiency.
As other transparent materials, for example, transparent plastic, glass, urethane rubber can be used. As the transparent plastic, polyethylene terephthalate, polycarbonate, polyimide, triacetyl cellulose, cyclic polyolefin, acrylic resin and the like can be used. Among these, polycarbonate, acrylic resin, or cyclic polyolefin is preferable because of excellent optical characteristics.
The light guide sheet 70 may be formed of the same material as the easily deformable body 32, or may be a material different from the easily deformable body 32. When the same material is used, attenuation of light due to light refraction difference at the interface between the light guide sheet 70 and the easily deformable body 32 can be reduced. Also, the member cost is reduced.

  The thickness of the light guide sheet 70 is preferably as thick as possible from the viewpoint of increasing the amount of light emitted, but is preferably as thin as possible to transmit the pressing force input in the Z direction to the easily deformable body 30. Considering these conflicting conditions, the thickness of the light guide sheet 70 is preferably, for example, 10 μm or more and 1000 μm or less, more preferably 100 μm or more and 500 μm or less, and further preferably 200 μm or more and 400 μm or less.

On the back surface of the light guide sheet 70, a dot-like scattered transmission pattern formed by screen printing using a paint that scatters light, and a clear layer (transparent layer) and a white solid layer (white color) on the pattern And a solid coating layer of paint) may be sequentially stacked.
On the back surface of the light guide sheet 70, a clear layer (transparent layer) and a white solid layer (solid coating layer of white paint) are sequentially stacked at a place other than the elastic spacer 32a of the easily deformable body 30 being in close contact. Also good. In this case, the elastic spacer 32a in close contact with the back surface of the light guide sheet 70 can function as a pattern that scatters light on the back surface.

  FIG. 3 is a plan view of the light guide sheet 70 with the cover plate 50 and the XY electrodes 40 removed from the three-dimensional sensor 1 of FIG. The light guide sheet 70 is disposed so as to overlap the entire back surface of the cover plate 50. The light guiding portion 70 a of the light guide sheet 70 is an end portion that extends toward the light source 60 with respect to the main body 70 c near the center of the light guide sheet 70. The light guiding portion 70a of the light guide sheet 70 is disposed not only between the light source 60 and the main body 70c but also between the plurality of light sources 60 arranged in the Y direction, and surrounds the three directions of each light source 60. Yes. With this arrangement, the side surface 70 b of the light guiding portion 70 a is disposed so as to face the light emitting portion of each light source 60 so as to surround the three directions of each light source 60.

[XY electrode body]
The XY electrode body 40 is an electrode body used when detecting inputs in the X direction and the Y direction, and is provided on the front side of the easily deformable body 30. The XY electrode body 40 of this embodiment is an electrode sheet laminate in which a first electrode sheet 40x and a second electrode sheet 40y are laminated.

The first electrode sheet 40x includes a first substrate sheet 41, a patterned conductive film 42 formed on the front surface thereof, and an insulating film 43 covering the first substrate sheet 41 and the front surface of the conductive film 42. .
The first base sheet 41 is not particularly limited as long as it is a transparent sheet having flexibility, and examples thereof include the same sheet as the third base sheet 21 of the Z electrode body 20.
As a constituent material of the conductive film 42, for example, the same material as that of the conductive film 22 can be given. From the viewpoint of increasing the light transmittance of the XY electrode body 40, the conductive film 42 is preferably a known transparent conductive film made of a metal oxide such as ITO or ZnO. In addition, for the purpose of reducing the electrical resistance of the transparent conductive film, a composite conductive film in which ultrafine metal wires are arranged in a mesh shape in contact with the transparent conductive film is also preferable. Further, from the viewpoint of increasing the flexibility of the XY electrode body 40, the conductive film 42 is preferably a conductive polymer such as polythiophene.
The insulating film 43 is not particularly limited as long as it is a transparent film having flexibility. For example, the same material as that of the insulating film 23 can be used.
As thickness of the 1st electrode sheet 40x, 10 micrometers-100 micrometers are mentioned, for example.

The pattern shape of the conductive film 42 is a known pattern that can detect input in the X direction. For example, as described in Patent Document 1, a pattern in which rectangular or linear conductive portions are arranged at an arbitrary pitch is used. Is mentioned.
Along with the pattern of the conductive film 42, wiring such as routing wiring and external connection terminals for outputting a signal detected in the pattern to the outside is also formed on the first base sheet 41.

When the constituent material of the conductive film 42 and the wiring is opaque, the pattern of the conductive film 42 and the total area of the wiring with respect to the total area S of the first base sheet 41 when the first base sheet 41 is viewed in plan The closer the U occupancy (U ÷ S × 100) is to 0%, the higher the light transmittance of the first electrode sheet 40x. Therefore, considering only the light transmittance, it is preferable to design the occupation ratio to be close to 0%, and for example, 1 to 2% is given as the lower limit value. On the other hand, the upper limit of the occupation rate is about 90 to 98%. Even when the occupation ratio is high, if the amount of light from the light source 60 is large, light can pass through the XY electrode body 40 and reach the cover plate 50. Here, considering the compatibility between the light transmittance and the detection sensitivity of the first base sheet 41, the occupancy is preferably 20 to 80%, more preferably 30 to 70%, and further preferably 40 to 60%. .
In addition, the pattern of the conductive film 42 is preferably disposed almost uniformly on the entire surface of the first base sheet 41. With the uniform arrangement, it is possible to prevent the amount of light reaching the cover plate 50 from greatly differing for each region of the operation surface T when the cover plate 50 is viewed in plan.

The second electrode sheet 40y includes a second substrate sheet 45, a patterned conductive film 46 formed on the front surface thereof, and an insulating film 47 that covers the surfaces of the second substrate sheet 45 and the conductive film 46. .
The description of the second base sheet 45, the conductive film 46, and the insulating film 47 is the same as the description of the first base sheet 41, the conductive film 42, and the insulating film 43 of the first electrode sheet 40x, and will be omitted.

  The first electrode sheet 40x and the second electrode sheet 40y constituting the XY electrode body 40 may each be configured to share and detect either the input in the X direction or the input in the Y direction, Both electrode sheets 40x and 40y may cooperate to detect both the input in the X direction and the input in the Y direction (for example, one is a transmission type and the other is a reception type).

[Adhesive layer]
As each of the layers constituting the three-dimensional sensor 1 and the adhesive layers 81, 82, 83, 84 for adhering the sheets, a known curable adhesive (a liquid adhesive before adhesion) or an adhesive (a gel before adhesion) An adhesive layer using a pressure sensitive adhesive) is applied. Further, the adhesive layer may be a base material type adhesive layer in which an adhesive or a pressure-sensitive adhesive is disposed on both surfaces of the base material layer. As a base material type adhesive layer, a well-known double-sided tape is mentioned, for example.
Examples of the adhesive and pressure-sensitive adhesive include acrylic resin, urethane resin, and ethylene / vinyl acetate copolymer. The curable adhesive may be a solvent type containing a solvent that volatilizes during curing, or may be a hot melt type.

Next, the light transmittance of the adhesive layer will be described. The adhesive layers 83 and 84 disposed between the light guide sheet 70 and the cover plate 50 are preferably transparent. On the other hand, the adhesive layers 81 and 82 disposed between the light guide sheet 70 and the support member 11 may be transparent or opaque. The light transmittance of the adhesive layer is mainly affected by the type of adhesive constituting the adhesive layer and the thickness of the adhesive layer.
As individual thickness of each contact bonding layer, 1 micrometer-75 micrometers are mentioned, for example. The thickness of the adhesive layer using the curable adhesive is preferably 1 μm to 20 μm. As for the thickness of the contact bonding layer using the said adhesive, 10 micrometers-75 micrometers are preferable.

[Cover plate]
The cover plate 50 is provided on the opposite side of the light guide sheet 70 of the XY electrode body 40. The cover plate 50 is formed with a transparent light-transmitting part 51 that transmits light in the thickness direction and an opaque light-shielding part 52 that blocks part or all of the light. At least a part of the light emitted from the front surface of the light guide sheet 70 and transmitted through the XY electrode body 40 is transmitted through the light transmitting portion 51 and emitted to the outside.

  In this specification, “transparent” means that the light transmittance measured according to JIS K7105 is 50% or more. “Opaque” means that the light transmittance is less than 50%.

  The light transmitting part 51 and the light shielding part 52 are formed so that arbitrary symbols or characters are formed on the operation surface T. In the example of FIG. 2, on the operation surface T, a quadrangle surrounding the operation area and a cross indicating the center are drawn by the translucent part 51, and appear as extracted characters with the light-shielding part 52 as the background.

The cover plate 50 includes a light diffusion layer 53, a light shielding layer 54 provided on the front side of the light diffusion layer 53, and a transparent layer 55 provided on the front side of the light shielding layer 54.
Examples of the thickness of the cover plate 50 include 50 μm to 500 μm.

The light diffusion layer 53 diffuses the light incident from the light guide sheet 70 disposed on the back side and emits it to the front side. When the light diffusion layer 53 is provided, the luminance of the light transmitting portion 51 on the operation surface T can be made uniform. The transparent material constituting the light diffusion layer 53 may be a transparent resin or glass. Examples of the light diffusing layer 53 using a transparent material include a transparent layer in which fine irregularities for diffusing light are formed on at least one surface, a transparent layer containing light diffusing particles, and the like.
As another embodiment, the light diffusing layer 53 is not provided on the cover plate 50, and a structure (light diffusing irregularities and particles) for diffusing light is imparted to the insulating film 47 provided on the second electrode sheet 40y. Then, the insulating film 47 may function as a light diffusion film.

The light shielding layer 54 is disposed on the front surface of the light diffusion layer 53 and forms a light shielding portion 52. The arrangement pattern of the light shielding layer 54, that is, the arrangement pattern of the light transmitting portion 51 and the light shielding portion 52 is appropriately set according to the design and characters represented on the operation surface T.
The light shielding layer 54 may be a printed layer or a colored or stamped resin layer. Here, “printing” in the present specification includes not only a coating film containing pigments and dyes but also a discontinuous vapor deposition film.
As another embodiment, the light shielding layer 54 may be disposed on the front surface of the transparent layer 55 or the back surface of the light diffusion layer 53.

  Examples of the constituent material of the transparent layer 55 include polycarbonate, acrylic resin, ABS resin, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene terephthalate, and polybutylene terephthalate.

  In the case of emitting light from the entire operation surface T instead of the above configuration, the cover plate 50 does not need to be provided with the light shielding layer 54, and may be configured to include only the light diffusion layer 53, The light diffusing layer 53 and the transparent layer 55 on the front surface thereof may be provided.

<< Second Embodiment >>
In FIG. 4, the exploded view of the cross section of the three-dimensional sensor 2 of 2nd embodiment of this invention is shown. The same members as those of the three-dimensional sensor 1 of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.
The light guide sheet 70 in this embodiment is provided between the easily deformable body 30 and the Z electrode body 20 between the XY electrode body 40 and the Z electrode body 20.
Moreover, the base material sheet 31 for elastic bodies of the easily deformable body 30 of the first embodiment is removed, and the light guide sheet 70 substitutes for the function.
The light guide sheet 70 may be formed of the same material as the easily deformable body 32, or may be a material different from the easily deformable body 32. When the same material is used, attenuation of light due to light refraction difference at the interface between the light guide sheet 70 and the easily deformable body 32 can be reduced. Also, the member cost is reduced.

The easily deformable body 30 and the XY electrode body 40 are bonded together via a silicone rubber sheet 33.
Instead of the silicone rubber sheet 33, the elastic body 32 and the XY electrode body 40 may be bonded via an adhesive layer, or a sheet member made of a material other than silicone rubber may be used.

<< Third embodiment >>
In FIG. 5, the exploded view of the cross section of the three-dimensional sensor 3 of 3rd embodiment of this invention is shown. The same members as those of the three-dimensional sensor 1 of the first embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.
The light guide sheet 70 in this embodiment is provided between the XY electrode body 40 and the easily deformable body 30 between the XY electrode body 40 and the Z electrode body (not shown), as in the first embodiment. .
The difference from the first embodiment is that the support member 11 in this embodiment has a substrate integrated with the Z electrode body. That is, the conductive film (not shown) of the Z electrode body of the present embodiment is formed on the printed board that constitutes the support member 11.
In the three-dimensional sensor 3 of the present embodiment, since the Z electrode body is integrated with the support member 11, the sensor device is thinned by the thickness of the Z electrode body. Further, the position (height) at which the light guide sheet 70 is stacked is close to the front surface 11a of the support member 11, and the degree of bending of the light guiding portion 70a of the light guide sheet 70 is reduced.

<< 4th embodiment >>
FIG. 6 shows an exploded view of a cross section of the three-dimensional sensor 4 of the fourth embodiment of the present invention. The same members as those of the three-dimensional sensor 2 of the second embodiment are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof is omitted.
The light guide sheet 70 in this embodiment is provided between the easily deformable body 30 and the Z electrode body between the XY electrode body 40 and the Z electrode body (not shown), as in the second embodiment.
The difference from the second embodiment is that the support member 11 in this embodiment has a substrate integrated with the Z electrode body. That is, the conductive film (not shown) of the Z electrode body of the present embodiment is formed on the printed board that constitutes the support member 11.
In the three-dimensional sensor 4 of the present embodiment, since the Z electrode body is integrated with the support member 11, the sensor apparatus is thinned by the thickness of the Z electrode body. Further, the arrangement (height) of the light guide sheets 70 is close to the front surface 11a of the support member 11, and the degree of bending of the light guiding portion 70a of the light guide sheet 70 is small (compared to the third embodiment). (It is less).

<< Method for manufacturing a three-dimensional sensor >>
As a manufacturing method of the three-dimensional sensor of the first to fourth embodiments, a known laminated sheet manufacturing method, a known conductive film forming method, a known capacitance type three-dimensional sensor manufacturing method, etc. can be applied. For example, the manufacturing method of the three-dimensional sensor described in patent document 1 is mentioned.
As a specific example, a manufacturing process including an XY electrode body manufacturing process, a Z electrode body manufacturing process, an easily deformable body manufacturing process, a light guide sheet manufacturing process, a cover plate manufacturing process, and a joining process. A method is mentioned. Hereinafter, the case where the three-dimensional sensor 1 of 1st embodiment is manufactured is demonstrated about an example of each process.

[XY electrode body manufacturing process]
In this step, the first electrode sheet 40x and the second electrode sheet 40y are produced.
By forming the transparent conductive film constituting the conductive film 42, the fine metal wire, the lead-out wiring, and the external connection terminal on the front surface of the first base sheet 41, and forming the insulating film 43 thereon, the first An electrode sheet 40x is obtained.
More specifically, a transparent conductive film is formed on at least a part of the front surface of the first base sheet 41. As a method for forming the transparent conductive film, any of a coating method using various coaters (for example, a bar coater) and a printing method using various printing machines (for example, a gravure printer) may be used. Examples of the method for patterning the transparent conductive film include wet etching such as photolithography, dry etching using laser or plasma, and the like. The transparent conductive film may have a pattern or may have no pattern.
Next, a thin metal wire is formed on the surface of the transparent conductive film by a method of printing ink containing metal particles, a method of patterning a metal foil or a metal vapor-deposited film, or the like. Further, the lead wiring is formed by a method similar to the method for forming the fine metal wire. Subsequently, a conductive paste is screen-printed on the end portion of the routing wiring and then cured to form an external connection terminal. Thereafter, the insulating film 43 is formed by various printing methods such as screen printing and ink jet printing so as to cover the first base sheet 41 and the conductive film 42 to obtain the first electrode sheet 40x. The second electrode sheet 40y is also produced in the same manner as the first electrode sheet 40x.
The obtained first electrode sheet 40x and second electrode sheet 40y are bonded via an adhesive layer 83 made of the curable adhesive.

[Production process of Z electrode body]
By forming a transparent conductive film constituting the conductive film 22, a thin metal wire, a lead-out wiring, and an external connection terminal on the front surface of the third base sheet 21, and forming an insulating film 23 thereon, Z An electrode body 20 is obtained. Specifically, it is produced in the same manner as the first electrode sheet 40x.
In addition, since the Z electrode body 20 is closer to the support member 11 than the light guide sheet 70, the conductive film 22 may be formed of an opaque metal electrode.

[Manufacturing process of easily deformable body]
In this step, a sheet-like elastic body 32 is produced, and the elastic body 32 is bonded to the elastic base material sheet 31 to obtain the easily deformable body 30. Specifically, for example, an injection mold that can produce a sheet-like elastic body 32 in which a large number of columnar elastic spacers 32a are provided on one surface is used, and the elastic base material sheet 31 is formed as a mold. And a method of injection molding thermosetting liquid silicone. According to this method, the elastic body 32 made of silicone rubber can be molded and cured, and at the same time, the elastic body substrate sheet 31 can be bonded to the back surface thereof.

[Production process of light guide sheet]
In this step, a silicone rubber sheet having excellent light guiding properties is used as the transparent sheet constituting the light guiding sheet 70. The front surface is not treated, the back surface is coated with a light scattering paint, a scattered transmission pattern is formed by screen printing, and a clear layer (transparent layer) and a white solid layer are printed. Get. The light propagating in the light guide sheet 70 is scattered and reflected on the back surface and emitted from the entire front surface.

[Cover plate manufacturing process]
In this step, a transparent sheet containing fine particles that scatter light in a transparent resin is used as the light diffusion layer 53. In addition, the light shielding layer 54 is formed on the back surface of the transparent sheet constituting the transparent layer 55 by printing the paint constituting the light transmitting portion 51 and the light shielding portion 52 by a known printing method. The cover plate 50 is obtained by bonding the front surface of the light diffusion layer 53 to the back surface of the obtained light shielding layer 54 by a known method such as heat fusion or adhesive.

[Joint process]
In this step, the back surface of the third substrate sheet 21 of the Z electrode body 20 is bonded to the front surface 11a of the support member 11 via an adhesive layer 81 made of a double-sided tape using the pressure-sensitive adhesive. Next, the back surface of the elastic material base sheet 31 of the easily deformable body 30 is bonded to the front surface of the insulating film 23 of the Z electrode body 20 through the adhesive layer 82 made of the pressure-sensitive adhesive. Next, the back surface of the light guide sheet 70 made of a silicone rubber sheet whose surface is plasma-treated is placed on the top surface of the plurality of elastic spacers 32a of the easily deformable body 30, and the second surface of the XY electrode body 40 is further placed on the front surface. The back surface of the base material sheet 41 is placed, and the easily deformable body 30, the light guide sheet 70, and the XY electrode body 40 are brought into close contact with each other. Subsequently, the back surface of the light diffusion layer 53 of the cover plate 50 is bonded to the front surface of the insulating film 47 of the XY electrode body 40 via an adhesive layer 84 made of a double-sided tape in which an adhesive is disposed on both surfaces of the base material layer. To do.

Next, the light source 60 is installed on the front surface 11a of the support member 11 by a known method, and the light emitting portion of the light source 60 is disposed so as to face the side surface 70b of the light guide sheet 70 already installed by the above-described adhesion. Thereby, the light from the light source 60 can enter the light guide sheet 70 from the side surface 70b.
The three-dimensional sensor 1 of the first embodiment is obtained by the above process. Other embodiments can be similarly produced by bonding the layers by a known method.
In addition, the adhesion | attachment of each member and an installation order are not limited above, It can carry out in arbitrary orders.

(Adhesion method of light guide sheet and easily deformable body)
[Method 1] When a dot-like scattered transmission pattern, a clear layer, and a white solid layer are sequentially formed on the back surface of the light guide sheet 70, first, a primer treatment using a silane coupling agent is performed on the white solid layer. Easy-adhesion treatment such as ultraviolet irradiation, excimer light irradiation, corona treatment, plasma treatment, etc. is performed on the primer-treated surface subjected to this treatment and the surface of the elastic spacer 32a of the easily deformable body 30, respectively. Next, the light guide sheet 70 and the easily deformable body 30 can be joined by pressure-bonding the back surface of the light guide sheet 70 subjected to the primer treatment and the surface of the elastic spacer 32a.
[Method 2] When the clear layer and the white solid layer are sequentially formed in a portion other than the elastic spacer 32a of the easily deformable body 30 in close contact with the back surface of the light guide sheet 70, first, the white solid layer and the white solid layer The primer treatment and the easy adhesion treatment are performed on the exposed back surface of the light guide sheet 70 on which no solid layer is formed. The light guide sheet 70 and the easily deformable body 30 are joined by pressure-bonding the surface of the elastic spacer 32a of the easily deformable body 30 that has been subjected to the easy adhesion treatment to the back surface of the light guide sheet 70 that has undergone these processes. Can do.
According to the above method 1 and method 2, since the light guide sheet 70 and the easily deformable body 30 can be joined without using the curable adhesive or the pressure sensitive adhesive, the interface between the light guide sheet 70 and the easily deformable body 30. Can improve the light transmittance.

<Effect>
In the three-dimensional sensor 1 of the first embodiment, the light guide sheet 70 is provided between the XY electrode body 40 and the easily deformable body 30 between the XY electrode body 40 and the Z electrode body 20. According to this arrangement, the easily deformable body 30 and the Z electrode body 20 are not interposed between the cover plate 50 and the light guide sheet 70, and are emitted from the light guide sheet 70 by the easily deformable body 30 and the Z electrode body 20. The light is not blocked. That is, the light emitted from the light guide sheet 70 is not reduced by the easily deformable body 30 and the Z electrode body 20 before reaching the cover plate 50. As a result, the brightness of the light reaching the cover plate 50 can be increased, and the operability, visibility, decoration, etc. of the operation surface T can be improved.
Furthermore, the light guide sheet 70 in the three-dimensional sensor 1 of the first embodiment is disposed in close contact with the back surface of the first base sheet 41 of the XY electrode body 40. According to this arrangement, the light emitted from the light guide sheet 70 is incident on the first base sheet 41 without interposing an air layer, so that it is difficult to be affected by interface reflection by the back surface of the first base sheet 41. As a result, the brightness of the light incident on the first base sheet 41 is increased (the amount of light is increased), the brightness of the light reaching the cover plate 50 is further increased, and the operability and visibility of the operation surface T are increased. Further, the decorativeness and the like can be further enhanced.

In the three-dimensional sensor 2 of the second embodiment, the light guide sheet 70 is provided between the XY electrode body 40 and the Z electrode body 20 and between the easily deformable body 30 and the Z electrode body 20. According to this arrangement, the Z electrode body 20 is not interposed between the cover plate 50 and the light guide sheet 70, and light emitted from the light guide sheet 70 is not blocked by the Z electrode body 20. Therefore, the brightness of the light reaching the cover plate 50 can be increased, and the operability, visibility, decoration, etc. of the operation surface T can be improved.
Moreover, the light guide sheet 70 and the easily deformable body 30 can be joined without an adhesive layer, or the light guide sheet 70 and the easily deformable body can be integrated. In these cases, if a scattered transmission pattern is intentionally formed on the back surface of the light guide sheet 70 at a position facing the elastic spacer 32a, the light scattered by the pattern travels from the front surface of the light guide sheet 70 toward the elastic spacer 32a. The light exits and enters the easily deformable body 30 and then easily exits from the elastic spacer 32a on the front surface of the easily deformable body 32a. At this time, since the elastic spacer 32a is in close contact with the silicone rubber sheet 33 at the interface between the elastic body 32 and the silicone rubber sheet 33, light attenuation due to the air layer can be prevented and the luminance can be increased.

  In the three-dimensional sensor 3 of the third embodiment, since the plate-shaped Z electrode body is integrated with the support member 11, the thickness of the laminated body is reduced by the thickness of the Z electrode body compared to the first embodiment. The sensor device is thinned. Further, since the stacked arrangement (height) of the light guide sheet 70 is close to the front surface 11a of the support member 11, the degree of bending of the light guide part 70a of the light guide sheet 70 is small, and the light guide part 70a is The mechanical stability of the connection between the light source 60 and the light guide sheet 70 is enhanced.

  In the three-dimensional sensor 4 of the fourth embodiment, since the plate-shaped Z electrode body is integrated with the support member 11, the thickness of the laminated body is reduced by the thickness of the Z electrode body compared to the second embodiment. The sensor device is thinned. Further, since the stacked arrangement (height) of the light guide sheet 70 is close to the front surface 11a of the support member 11, the degree of bending of the light guiding portion 70a of the light guide sheet 70 is small (as in the third embodiment). The mechanical stability of the connection between the light source 60 and the light guide sheet 70 via the light guiding portion 70a is further enhanced.

1-4 ... 3D sensor, 11 ... support member,
20 ... Z electrode body, 21 ... third substrate sheet, 22 ... conductive film, 23 ... insulating film,
30 ... easily deformable body, 31 ... base material sheet for elastic body, 32 ... elastic body, 32a ... elastic spacer,
33 ... Silicone rubber sheet, 40 ... XY electrode body, 40x ... First electrode sheet,
40y ... second electrode sheet, 41 ... first substrate sheet, 42 ... conductive film, 43 ... insulating film,
45 ... second base sheet, 46 ... conductive film, 47 ... insulating film,
50 ... Cover plate, 51 ... Translucent part, 52 ... Light-shielding part,
53 ... Light diffusion layer, 54 ... Light shielding layer, 55 ... Transparent layer, 60 ... Light source,
70 ... light guide sheet, 70a ... light guiding portion, 70b ... side surface, 70c ... main body,
81-84 ... Adhesive layer

Claims (6)

A capacitance type three-dimensional sensor that detects inputs in a plane XY direction and a depth Z direction,
An XY electrode body for detecting input in the plane XY direction;
An easily deformable body having a sheet-like elastic body;
The Z electrode body that detects the input in the depth Z direction, and in this order, provided to overlap in the depth Z direction,
Furthermore, a capacitive three-dimensional sensor comprising a light guide sheet between the XY electrode body and the Z electrode body. With a light source,
The electrostatic capacitance according to claim 1, wherein a light guiding portion in which an end portion of the light guide sheet is extended outward from the XY electrode body is disposed at a position facing a light emitting portion of the light source. Formula 3D sensor.   The capacitive three-dimensional sensor according to claim 1, wherein the light guide sheet is disposed between the XY electrode body and the easily deformable body.   The capacitive three-dimensional sensor according to claim 1, wherein the light guide sheet is disposed in close contact with the XY electrode body. A light source and a substrate for supporting the light source,
The capacitive three-dimensional sensor according to claim 1, wherein the Z electrode body is integrated with the substrate. A cover plate is provided on the opposite side of the light guide sheet of the XY electrode body,
The cover plate is formed with a transparent light transmitting portion that transmits light in the thickness direction and an opaque light shielding portion,
The static electricity according to any one of claims 1 to 5, wherein at least a part of the light emitted from the light guide sheet and transmitted through the XY electrode body is transmitted through the light transmitting part and emitted to the outside. Capacitive 3D sensor.

Images