JP5917354B2 - Front panel with detection function - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a surface panel used as a part of a casing of a portable device or other electronic device, and in particular, a detection having a decorative layer surrounding a light-transmitting region and a detection electrode layer provided in the light-transmitting region. The present invention relates to a surface panel having a function.

  A front panel used as a part of a casing of a portable device or other electronic device is formed with a light-transmitting region at a central portion where a display screen such as a liquid crystal display device can be seen through and a finger touch operation is performed. A decorative region colored like a frame is provided around the light-transmitting region.

  A touch panel module including a transparent touch panel is disclosed in FIG.

  In this touch panel module, a transparent panel is molded by injection molding. A depression is formed in the transparent panel, and a transparent touch panel is inserted and held inside the depression. Then, the transparent panel holding the transparent touch panel is held inside the secondary mold, and the housing holding the transparent touch panel is molded by IMD (in-mold decoration) injection molding.

Patent Document 2 discloses a device having a sensor and a cover.
The device shown in FIG. 8 is configured by bonding a touch sensor and a cover via an adhesive. In the device shown in FIG. 9, the touch sensor is sandwiched between the top cover and the bottom cover.

US Patent Publication 2008 / 0117186A1 US Patent Publication 2009 / 0073130A1

  The touch panel module disclosed in FIG. 6 and below of Patent Document 1 is a transparent touch panel that is a part of a colored housing so that a wiring layer or the like of the transparent touch panel held on the transparent panel cannot be seen from the outside. The front is covered. Therefore, the structure of the touch panel module is complicated and the thickness dimension becomes larger than necessary.

  The device described in FIG. 8 of Patent Document 2 has a structure in which two layers of a touch sensor and a cover are laminated. Therefore, the device is distorted due to a difference in stress when the two layers are bonded or a difference in thermal stress. And warpage is likely to occur.

  In the device described in FIG. 9 of Patent Document 2, since the touch sensor is sandwiched between the top cover and the bottom cover, distortion and warpage are less likely to occur than those described in FIG. . However, when this device is used, it is necessary to laminate a film having a decorative portion for hiding the wiring of the touch sensor on the surface side. By laminating and bonding the films, distortion and warpage are likely to occur due to differences in stress during bonding, differences in thermal stress, and the like.

  Moreover, since the junction part of the touch sensor and a cover has appeared in the end surface of the device described in patent document 2, it becomes easy for water | moisture content, corrosive gas, etc. to osmose | permeate into the electrode part of a touch sensor, and environmental resistance It is inferior in life and the life is likely to be reduced.

  SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION An object of the present invention is to solve the above-described conventional problems, and to provide a surface panel that can be configured to be thin, hardly generates distortion, and has a detection function with excellent environmental resistance.

The present invention provides a surface panel having a light-transmitting region and a decorative region surrounding the light-transmitting region,
A translucent substrate having an outer surface and an inner surface;
A decorative layer that is provided on the outer surface of the substrate to form the decorative region, and a translucent detection electrode layer that is provided on the inner surface and is located in the light-transmitting region;
An outer molded body that is formed of a translucent synthetic resin material and covers the outer surface of the base material, and an inner molded body that covers the inner surface of the base material,
Both the surface of the outer molded body and the surface of the inner molded body are covered with a surface protective layer,
The end and Rupa channel end surface having a an end portion of said substrate between the end portion of the outer molded body wherein the inner molded body is covered with the surface protective layer,
A part of the base material extends outward from the panel end surface, and the panel end surface is covered with the surface protective layer except for a portion where the base material extends. It is.

  The surface panel having the detection function of the present invention has a structure in which a base material having a decorative layer and a detection electrode layer is sandwiched between an outer molded body and an inner molded body. Furthermore, a surface protective layer, which is a hard coat layer, is provided on the surface of the outer molded body so that the surface of the outer molded body is hard to be damaged and is easy to operate by directly touching a finger. In addition, it is provided on both the surface of the outer molded body and the surface of the inner molded body.

  As a result, the basic laminated structure is symmetric between the outside and the inside across the center of the base material, and the stress difference in the lamination process of each layer and the stress difference due to thermal change are easily balanced between the outside and inside, The panel is less likely to be distorted or warped.

  The outer molded body and the inner molded body can be formed of the same material and with the same thickness. However, the outer molded body and the inner molded body may be different from each other in thickness or different materials. It is also possible to further reduce the stress difference.

  The base material and the outer molded body, and the base material and the inner molded body can be integrated in the molding process. However, the outer molded body and the inner molded body that are molded in advance and the base material are translucent. It may be bonded via a sex adhesive.

  Furthermore, in the present invention, in the panel end surface, a part of the surface protective layer penetrates into at least one of the gap between the base material and the outer molded body and the gap between the base material and the inner molded body. Can be.

  By covering the panel end surface with a surface protective layer as described above, moisture and corrosive gas are less likely to enter the gap between the base material and the outer molded body appearing on the panel end surface, and the gap between the base material and the inner molded body. Therefore, it is excellent in environmental resistance.

  In the present invention, the substrate is a synthetic resin film. For example, the base material is a PET film, and the outer molded body and the inner molded body are formed of an acrylic resin.

  In this case, bonding layers are provided at both the boundary between the substrate and the outer molded body and the boundary between the substrate and the inner molded body.

In addition, the decorative layer can have a structure formed on the surface of the bonding layer.
Furthermore, the base material is an acrylic resin film, the outer molded body and the inner molded body are formed of PMMA, and the base material, the outer molded body, and the inner molded body are directly bonded. It is preferable that

  In the front panel of the present invention, since the laminated structure is substantially symmetrical between the outer side and the front side with the base material as the center, distortion and warpage are less likely to occur. Further, since the surface of the outer molded body is covered with the surface protective layer, it is difficult to be scratched and is easy to operate with a finger or the like.

  Furthermore, by providing a surface protective layer on the end face of the panel, the surface of the substrate can be protected from moisture, corrosive gas, etc., and the environmental resistance can be improved.

The perspective view which shows the surface panel of the 1st Embodiment of this invention, Sectional drawing of the II-II line of the surface panel shown in FIG. A plan view showing the detection electrode layer and the wiring layer pattern provided on the inner surface of the front panel, (A) (B) is explanatory drawing which shows an example of the lamination | stacking process of a surface panel, Sectional drawing which shows the surface panel of the 2nd Embodiment of this invention, Sectional drawing which shows the surface panel of the 3rd Embodiment of this invention,

  A front panel 1 according to the first embodiment shown in FIGS. 1 and 2 is used as a part of a casing of a portable device such as a mobile phone or a portable information terminal or an electronic device.

  The front panel 1 according to the first embodiment has a flat structure and a planar shape is rectangular. The front panel 1 is installed on the surface 2a of the housing 2 of the portable device or electronic device. Inside the housing 2, a display device is built together with a circuit board on which various electronic circuits are mounted. This display device is a color liquid crystal display device or an organic electroluminescence display device.

  The front panel 1 has a light-transmitting region 3 that can transmit light and a decorative region 4 that surrounds the light-transmitting region 3. The display content of the screen of the display device is visible from the outside through the light-transmitting region 3.

FIG. 2 shows a laminated structure of the front panel 1.
The front panel 1 has a base film 11. The base film 11 is translucent. The translucency in the present specification means having a light transmittance that allows the display contents of the display device to be seen through. For example, the total light transmittance is 80% or more, preferably 90%. That's it.

  The base film 11 is formed of PET (polyethylene terephthalate) which is a synthetic resin having strength and heat resistance suitable for forming a touch sensor. Alternatively, COP (cyclic polyolefin) can also be used.

  The base film 11 has an outer surface 11 a directed to the outside of the housing 2 and an inner surface 11 b directed to the inside of the housing 2. As shown in FIG. 2, the outer molded body 12 is joined to the outer surface 11a of the base film 11, and the inner molded body 13 is joined to the inner surface 11b.

  The outer molded body 12 and the inner molded body 13 are light-transmitting acrylic synthetic resin materials such as PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate).

  In a combination of materials in which the base film 11 is formed of PET or COP and the outer molded body 12 and the inner molded body 13 are formed of PMMA, the base film 11 is bonded to the outer molded body 12 and the inner molded body 13. Not good. Therefore, in the surface panel 1, the outer surface 11 a of the base film 11 and the outer molded body 12 are bonded via the outer bonding layer 14, and the inner surface 11 b and the inner molded body 13 are bonded via the inner bonding layer 15. Are joined. The outer bonding layer 14 and the inner bonding layer 15 are translucent acrylic resin layers. This resin layer is coated with a molten resin on the outer surface 11a and the inner surface 11b, and is cured by heat curing or ultraviolet curing.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a detection electrode layer 21 and a plurality of wiring layers 22 are formed on the inner surface 11 b of the base film 11.

  In FIG. 3, the detection electrode layer 21 and the wiring layer 22 formed on the inner surface 11b of the base film 11 are shown as seen through from the outer surface 11a side.

  The detection electrode layer 21 is disposed in the light transmitting region 3 of the front panel 1. As shown in FIG. 3, the detection electrode layer 21 is divided into a right electrode 21a and a left electrode 21b. A plurality of right side electrodes 21a and left side electrodes 21b are provided, and are alternately arranged in the length direction of the front panel 1 (the vertical direction in FIG. 3). The detection electrode layer 21 is made of ITO (indium tin oxide). After the detection electrode layer 21 is formed on the inner surface 11b of the base film 11 such as PET, it is separated into the right electrode 21a and the left electrode 21b by etching.

  As shown in FIG. 3, the wiring layer 22 includes a right wiring layer 22a that is continuous with the right electrode 21a, and a left wiring layer 22b that is continuous with the left electrode 21b. The right wiring layer 22 a and the left wiring layer 22 b are routed through the inside of the decoration region 4. As shown in FIG. 3, the right wiring layer 22 a and the left wiring layer 22 b extend to the upper region of the decoration region 4, and are arranged in parallel to form a lead wiring layer 24.

  The inner bonding layer 15 is formed so as to cover the detection electrode layer 21 and the wiring layer 22.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the base film 11 is integrally formed with a wiring band 16 that is continuous from the upper end of the base film 11, and the lead wiring layer 24 is formed along the wiring band 16. ing.

  The right wiring layer 22a, the right wiring layer 22b, and the lead wiring layer 24 are organic conductive layers in which a low-resistance conductor is contained in a binder resin, such as silver paste, copper paste, or carbon paste. The organic conductive layer forming the right wiring layer 22a, the left wiring layer 22b, and the lead wiring layer 24 is more flexible than the ITO forming the detection electrode layer 21. That is, the stretch ratio and the curvature ratio for the same load are higher than those of ITO.

  In the process of forming the right wiring layer 22a, the left wiring layer 22b, and the lead wiring layer 24, an organic conductive layer is formed on the ITO layer formed on the inner surface 11b of the base film 11, and the detection electrode is formed by an etching process. Patterns of the layer 21, the right wiring layer 22a, the left wiring layer 22b, and the lead wiring layer 24 are formed. Thereafter, the organic conductive layer on the surface of the detection electrode layer 21 is removed by an etching process.

  Alternatively, the right wiring layer 22a, the left wiring layer 22b, and the lead wiring layer 24 may be formed by an organic conductive layer in a printing process.

  As shown in FIG. 2, a decoration layer 23 is formed on the surface of the outer bonding layer 14 on the outer surface 11 a of the base film 11. The decorative layer 23 is formed by a printing process, and is formed by applying a colored coating film in multiple layers. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a decoration region 4 surrounding the translucent region 3 is formed by the decoration layer 23.

  As shown in FIG. 1, a logo display unit 30 is provided in a part of the decoration area 4. As shown in FIG. 2, in the logo display unit 30, a reflective layer 31 is provided on the inner surface 11 b of the base film 11. The reflective layer 31 is formed by forming a coating film containing metal powder on the inner surface 11b by printing or sputtering the metal layer. The portion where the reflective layer 31 is formed is covered with an organic insulating layer 32, and the lead wiring layer 24 is formed on the surface of the organic insulating layer 32 in this portion.

  In the logo display part 30, a transmission part 33 is formed in a part of the decorative layer 23. This transmission part 33 is formed by removing a part of the decoration layer 23, or is formed by partially reducing the number of layers of the colored coating film applied in multiple layers. The transmissive portion 33 is formed to be a logo pattern of characters or symbols indicating a product name, manufacturer name, model number, or a combination thereof. In the logo display unit 30, a metal color logo pattern can be visually observed as a three-dimensional display in a part of the decoration region 4.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the lead wiring layer 24 having a plurality of wiring patterns extends along the inner surface 16 b of the wiring band 16, and is individually provided on each wiring pattern of the leading wiring layer 24 at the front part of the wiring band 16. A connector electrode 25 is formed which is electrically connected to the first electrode. The lead wiring layer 24 formed on the inner surface 16 b of the wiring band 16 is covered with an organic insulating layer 26.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the surface panel 1 has the outer surface 12a covered with the surface protective layer 28 on the panel outer surface 1a, and the inner surface 13b with the surface protective layer 28 on the panel inner surface 1b. It has been broken. Further, all of the four side panel end faces 1 c of the surface panel 1 are covered with the surface protective layer 28. The wiring band 16 which is a part of the base film 11 extends from one side of the panel end surface 1c of the four sides, except for the portion where the wiring band 16 extends on the panel end surface 1c, The surface protective layer 28 is covered.

  The surface protective layer 28 is called a hard coat layer, and has a surface hardness higher than that of the base film 11, the outer molded body 12 and the inner molded body 13, for example, a pencil hardness of about 3H to 5H. The surface protective layer 28 is formed of an ultraviolet curable resin material mainly composed of acrylic, silicone, fluorine or the like.

  The surface protective layer 28, which is a hard coat layer, should originally be formed only on the panel outer surface 1a of the front panel 1, but in the present invention, not only the panel outer surface 1a but also all of the panel inner surface 1b and the panel end surface 1c. The surface is covered with the surface protective layer 28.

FIG. 4 shows an example of a method for manufacturing the front panel 1.
In the manufacturing process, the detection electrode layer 21, the reflective layer 31, the organic insulating layer 32, the wiring layer 22 and the lead-out wiring layer 24 are formed on the inner surface 11b of the base film 11 such as a PET film, and the inner bonding layer 15 is further formed. It is formed. In addition, the outer bonding layer 14 and the decoration layer 23 are formed on the outer surface 11 a of the base film 11.

  As shown in FIG. 4A, the base film 11 on which the respective layers are formed is placed inside the primary molds 41a and 41b, and the cavity 42 is formed on the inner surface 11b side of the base film 11. The A synthetic resin material having good optical properties such as PMMA is injected into the cavity 42 in a molten state, and the inner molded body 13 is formed. The base film 11 such as PET and the inner molded body 13 such as PMMA are firmly fixed to each other through the inner bonding layer 15.

  As shown in FIG. 4 (B), the base film 11 having each layer and the inner molded body 13 are integrated into the secondary molding dies 43a and 43b. A cavity 44 is formed on the outer surface 11a side. A synthetic resin material having good optical characteristics such as PMMA is injected into the cavity 44 in a molten state, and the outer molded body 12 is formed. The base film 11 such as PET and the outer molded body 12 such as PMMA are firmly fixed to each other through the outer bonding layer 14.

  Thereafter, a surface protective layer 28 as a hard coat layer is formed on the panel outer surface 1a, the panel inner surface 1b, and the panel end surface 1c. In the coating process of the surface protective layer 28, the substrate film 11 having the respective layers, the outer molded body 12 and the inner molded body 13 are integrally formed and immersed in an ultraviolet curable molten resin, and wiring is performed. The molten resin is applied to the surface of the band 16 other than the protruding portion. Thereafter, ultraviolet rays are irradiated to cure the molten resin, and the surface protective layer 28 is formed.

  In contrast to the process of FIG. 4, the outer molded body 12 is first molded with respect to the base film 11 having each layer, and then the inner molded body 13 is molded, so that the base film 11 and the outer molded body are molded. The body 12 and the inner molded body 13 may be integrated.

  Moreover, as the manufacturing method of the surface panel 1, the outer side molded object 12 and the inner side molded object 13 are formed previously, and the base film 11 which has each layer, the outer side molded object 12, and the inner side molded object 13 mutually have an adhesive agent etc. After that, the panel outer surface 1a, the panel inner surface 1b, and the panel end surface 1c may be covered with the surface protective layer 28.

  The surface panel 1 shown in FIG. 2 has an outer bonding layer 14, an outer molded body 12, and a surface protective layer 28 laminated on the outer side with a base film 11 as a center, and an inner bonding layer 15 and an inner molding on the inner side. The body 13 and the surface protective layer 28 are laminated, and the laminated structure is symmetrical between the outside and the inside. Therefore, the difference in stress acting at the time of joining between the outer side and the inner side and the difference in stress due to temperature change become extremely small. For this reason, distortion and warpage are less likely to occur.

  The detection electrode layer 21 and the decorative layer 23 are thin films compared to the bonding layers 14 and 15 and the molded bodies 12 and 13 and have very little influence on distortion and warpage.

  In this surface panel 1, the molded bodies 12 and 13 are joined to the outer side and the inner side of the base film 11, respectively, and the surface protective layer 28, which is a hard coat layer that is conventionally formed only on the panel outer surface 1a, Since it is formed on both the panel outer surface 1a and the panel inner surface 1b, the structure is easy to prevent distortion and warpage due to bonding stress and thermal stress.

  In addition, by giving the outer molded body 12 and the inner molded body 13 a difference in thickness dimension and adjusting the difference in thickness dimension, the difference in stress between the outer side and the inner side centering on the base film 11 is further increased. It can be offset or reduced.

  As shown in FIG. 2, all the panel end faces 1c on the four sides of the front panel 1 are covered with a surface protective layer 28 which is a hard coat layer. On the panel end surface 1c, the end of the joint between the base film 11 and the outer molded body 12 and the end of the joint between the base film 11 and the inner molded body 13 appear. Since the end portion is covered with the surface protective layer 28, it is possible to effectively prevent moisture and corrosive gas from entering along the outer surface 11 a and the inner surface 11 b of the base film 11.

  In addition, in the molding step shown in FIG. 4, the end portion of the joint portion between the base film 11 and the outer molded body 12 and the end portion of the joint portion between the base film 11 and the inner molded body 13 are fine due to molding failure. Even if a gap is formed, it is possible to effectively prevent moisture and the like from entering along the base film 11 by allowing the surface protective layer 28 to penetrate and cure in the gap.

  Therefore, the detection electrode layer 21 and the wiring layer 22 can always be protected, the water resistance and the environmental resistance are improved, and the long-life surface panel 1 can be configured.

  As shown in FIG. 1, in the portable device in which the front panel 1 is used, the display screen of the display device provided inside the housing 2 faces the inner side of the translucent region 3, The display content can be visually observed through the transparent region 3.

  Further, when a finger touches the surface protective layer 28 on the surface of the outer molded body 12 in the light-transmitting region 3 where the display screen can be visually observed, a detection output is made according to the capacitance between the finger and one of the detection electrode layers 21. Changes, and it is possible to detect which position of the translucent region 3 is touched by the finger.

  FIG. 5 shows a surface panel 101 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The front panel 101 is a modification of the first embodiment shown in FIG.

  In the surface panel 101 shown in FIG. 5, the base film 11 is an acrylic resin film, for example, and has good bonding properties with the outer molded body 12 and the inner molded body 13 of PMMA. Therefore, the outer bonding layer 14 and the inner bonding layer 15 shown in FIG. 2 are not provided. Therefore, the decorative layer 23 is formed directly on the outer surface 11a of the base film 11 by a printing process or the like.

  The front panel 101 shown in FIG. 5 is also a structure in which the laminated structure is symmetrical between the outside and the inside with the base film 11 as the center, and distortion and warpage are unlikely to occur. Moreover, the panel outer surface 101a, the panel inner surface 101b, and all the panel end surfaces 101c are covered with the surface protective layer 28, and it is excellent in environmental resistance.

  FIG. 6 shows a surface panel 201 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, members that exhibit the same functions as the components of the front panel 1 of the first embodiment are described with the same reference numerals.

  In the front panel 201 shown in FIG. 6, the detection electrode layer 21 and the wiring layer are formed on the inner surface 11b of the base film 11, and the inner bonding layer 15 is formed thereon. An outer bonding layer 14 is formed on the outer surface 11 a of the base film 11, and a decorative layer 23 is formed on the surface.

  And the outer side molded object 12 and the inner side molded object 13 are formed in the same process as shown in FIG. In this molding process, the panel outer surface 201a and the panel inner surface 201b are formed on the front panel 201, and further, the panel curved portion 201d is formed on four sides or two sides, so that the front panel 201 becomes a three-dimensional shape. As a result, the panel end surface 201c faces downward in the figure. The decorative layer 23 is provided from the periphery of the panel outer surface 201a to the panel bending portion 201d.

  The front surface of the panel outer surface 201a, the panel inner surface 201b, the panel bending portion 201d, and the panel end surface 201c is covered with the surface protective layer 28. The front panel 201 is used as a part of the front side of a housing such as a portable electronic device.

  In addition, as shown in FIG. 6, it is also possible to provide a detection electrode layer 51 on the inner side of the panel bending portion 201d to constitute a side sensor that detects a finger contact at the side portion.

  Further, the front panel of the present invention is not limited to the case used for the portable device case of the above embodiment, but is used as a part of a case of a remote controller or other electronic device for operating various electric products. Is possible.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Front panel 1a Panel outer surface 1b Panel inner surface 1c Panel end surface 2 Case 3 Translucent area 4 Decorating area 11 Base film 11a Outer surface 11b Inner surface 12 Outer molded body 13 Inner molded body 14 Outer bonding layer 15 Inner bonding layer 16 Wiring band 21 Detecting electrode layer 22 Wiring layer 23 Decorative layer 28 Surface protective layer 101 Front panel 101c Panel end surface 201 Front panel 201c Panel end surface

Claims (7)

In the surface panel having a light-transmitting region and a decorative region surrounding the light-transmitting region,
A translucent substrate having an outer surface and an inner surface;
A decorative layer that is provided on the outer surface of the substrate to form the decorative region, and a translucent detection electrode layer that is provided on the inner surface and is located in the light-transmitting region;
An outer molded body that is formed of a translucent synthetic resin material and covers the outer surface of the base material, and an inner molded body that covers the inner surface of the base material,
Both the surface of the outer molded body and the surface of the inner molded body are covered with a surface protective layer,
The end and Rupa channel end surface having a an end portion of said substrate between the end portion of the outer molded body wherein the inner molded body is covered with the surface protective layer,
A detection in which a part of the base material extends to the outside from the panel end surface, and the panel end surface is covered with the surface protective layer except a portion where the base material extends. A functional surface panel.   The part of the surface protective layer permeates at least one of the gap between the base material and the outer molded body and the gap between the base material and the inner molded body on the panel end surface. A surface panel with a detection function.   The surface panel having a detection function according to claim 1, wherein the base material is a synthetic resin film.   The surface panel which has a detection function of Claim 3 by which the joining layer is provided in both the boundary part of the said base material and the said outer side molded object, and the boundary part of the said base material and the said inner side molded object.   The surface panel which has the detection function of Claim 4 in which the said decoration layer is formed in the surface of the said joining layer.   The surface panel having a detection function according to claim 4 or 5, wherein the base material is a PET film, and the outer molded body and the inner molded body are formed of an acrylic resin. The base material is an acrylic resin film, the outer molded body and the inner molded body are formed of PMMA, and the base material, the outer molded body, and the inner molded body are directly joined. A front panel having the detection function according to claim 3.