JP6256033B2 - Touch panel sensor, touch panel sensor manufacturing method, and display device with touch position detection function - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a touch panel sensor and a method for manufacturing a touch panel sensor. The present invention also relates to a display device with a touch position detection function obtained by combining a touch panel sensor and a display device.

  Today, touch panel devices are widely used as input means. The touch panel device includes a touch panel sensor, a detection control unit that processes a signal from the touch panel sensor, and the like. In many cases, the touch panel device is used together with the display device as an input means for various devices including a display device such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display (for example, a ticket vending machine, an ATM device, a mobile phone, a game machine). It has been. In such a device, the touch panel sensor is disposed on the display surface of the display device, thereby enabling extremely direct input to the display device. The area | region which faces the display area of a display apparatus among touch panel sensors is transparent, and this area | region of a touch panel sensor comprises the active area which can detect a contact position (approach position).

  As a touch panel sensor, a projection capacitive coupling type touch panel sensor is known. In the capacitive coupling type touch panel sensor, when an external conductor (typically, a finger) whose position is to be detected contacts (approaches) the touch panel sensor via a dielectric, a strange capacitance is newly generated. The position of the external conductor on the touch panel sensor is detected on the basis of the change in capacitance caused by this strange capacitance. Such a projected capacitive coupling touch panel sensor includes a base material and a plurality of detection patterns provided on the base material. An electrical signal such as a pulse signal is transmitted to the detection pattern. The position of the external conductor on the touch panel sensor can be detected by analyzing the change in the pulse signal caused by the approach of the external conductor.

  Moreover, in order to reduce the electrical resistance value of the detection pattern, a touch panel sensor using a metal material such as silver or copper having higher conductivity than the transparent conductive material as a material constituting the detection pattern, a so-called mesh type touch panel sensor Has been proposed (see, for example, Patent Document 1). When the detection pattern is made of a metal material, an opening for transmitting image light from the display device at an appropriate ratio is formed in the detection pattern. For example, the detection pattern is made of a metal material and includes a plurality of conductive wires arranged in a mesh shape. As a method for forming a conducting wire, for example, as described in Patent Document 1, first, a laminate in which a metal thin film for forming a conducting wire is formed is prepared, and then a pattern corresponding to the conducting wire is provided. A method is known in which a resist pattern is formed on a metal thin film, and then the metal thin film is etched using an etchant. As a method for forming a resist pattern, a photolithography method and a printing method are known.

JP 2012-79238 A

  In order to ensure the sensitivity of the touch panel sensor, it is necessary to sufficiently reduce the electrical resistance value of the conducting wire. For this reason, in the mesh type touch panel sensor, the thickness of the conducting wire is large enough to obtain a desired electric resistance value. As a result, the thickness of the conducting wire is usually such that light is shielded by the conducting wire, for example, several tens of nm or more. Therefore, in order to sufficiently ensure the transmittance of the touch panel sensor, it is necessary to sufficiently increase the ratio of the area occupied by the opening (hereinafter also referred to as the aperture ratio) out of the entire detection pattern area.

  One way to increase the aperture ratio is to reduce the line width of the conducting wire. However, the line width of the conducting wire is significantly smaller than the pitch of the conducting wire. For this reason, when a conducting wire is formed by etching a metal thin film, the ratio of the portion of the metal thin film that remains after etching, that is, the portion that becomes the conducting wire, is significantly higher than the proportion of the metal thin film that is removed by etching. small. Therefore, it is not easy to accurately form a conductor having a small line width by a conventional method of forming a conductor by etching a metal thin film.

  Further, reducing the line width of the conducting wire causes an increase in the electrical resistance value of the conducting wire. Therefore, in order to sufficiently reduce the electrical resistance value of the conducting wire, it is required to increase the thickness of the conducting wire by the amount that the wire width of the conducting wire is reduced. However, increasing the thickness of the conducting wire increases the risk that the conducting wire will fall or peel off.

  The present invention has been made in consideration of the above points, and can provide a touch panel sensor capable of accurately forming a conductor having a small line width and reducing the risk of the conductor falling or falling off. It aims at providing the manufacturing method of a touch panel sensor.

  The present invention is a method of manufacturing a touch panel sensor having a detection pattern composed of a plurality of conductive wires arranged in a mesh shape, including a first surface and a second surface on the opposite side of the first surface, And a conductive wire forming step of forming the conductive wire on at least one of the first surface side and the second surface side of the support, and the conductive wire is conductive. A conductive layer made of a material is included, and the surface of the support on which the conductive wire is formed is provided with a recess corresponding to the conductive wire on the surface of the first surface and the second surface. The forming step is a method for manufacturing a touch panel sensor, including a conductive layer forming step of forming the conductive layer by filling the concave portion of the support with the conductive material.

  In the method for manufacturing a touch panel sensor according to the present invention, preferably, the depth of the recess is 10 μm or less.

  In the method for manufacturing a touch panel sensor according to the present invention, the conductive wire may further include an outer low reflection layer provided outside the conductive layer. In this case, the conductive wire forming step further includes an outer low reflective layer forming step of forming the outer low reflective layer by introducing a low reflective material into the concave portion of the support after the conductive layer forming step. Yes.

  In the method for manufacturing a touch panel sensor according to the present invention, the conductive wire may further include an inner low reflection layer provided on the inner side of the conductive layer. In this case, the conductive wire forming step further includes an inner low reflective layer forming step of introducing the low reflective material into the concave portion of the support to form the inner low reflective layer before the conductive layer forming step. It is out.

  In the method for manufacturing a touch panel sensor according to the present invention, the surface on which the conductive wire is formed among the first surface and the second surface of the support may be constituted by a transparent resin layer having translucency. In this case, the manufacturing method of the touch panel sensor includes forming the transparent resin layer using a mold having a convex portion formed in a pattern corresponding to the conductive wire, thereby forming the concave portion on the surface of the transparent resin layer. You may provide the shaping | molding process which forms.

  In the method for manufacturing a touch panel sensor according to the present invention, the molding step is a step of irradiating the transparent resin layer with an electron beam or an ultraviolet ray while the transparent resin layer is in contact with the mold, and curing the transparent resin layer. May be included.

  The present invention is a touch panel sensor provided with a detection pattern composed of a plurality of conductive wires arranged in a mesh shape, and includes a first surface and a second surface on the opposite side of the first surface, and has translucency. And a conductor provided on at least one of the first surface side and the second surface side of the support, and the conductor includes at least a conductive layer made of a conductive material, Of the first surface and the second surface of the support, a surface on which the conductive wire is formed is provided with a recess in a pattern corresponding to the conductive wire, and the conductive layer of the conductive wire is formed of the support. It is a touch panel sensor provided in the recess.

  In the touch panel sensor according to the present invention, preferably, the depth of the recess is 10 μm or less.

  In the touch panel sensor according to the present invention, the conductive wire may further include an outer low reflection layer provided outside the conductive layer. In this case, the outer low reflection layer may include a binder and black beads dispersed in the binder.

  In the touch panel sensor according to the present invention, the conductive wire may further include an inner low reflection layer provided inside the conductive layer. In this case, the inner low reflection layer may include a binder and black beads dispersed in the binder.

  In the touch panel sensor according to the present invention, the surface on which the conductive wire is formed among the first surface and the second surface of the support may be configured by a transparent resin layer having translucency.

  In the touch panel sensor according to the present invention, the support includes a base material and the transparent resin layer provided on the second surface side of the base material, and the base material serves as a protective plate for a display device. It may function.

  The present invention includes a display device and a touch panel sensor disposed on a display surface of the display device, and the touch panel sensor is a display device with a touch position detection function including the touch panel sensor described above.

  According to the present invention, the conductive layer of the conductive wire for constituting the detection pattern is formed by filling a conductive material in the concave portion provided on the surface of the support. In this case, the line width of the conducting wire is determined by the concave portion of the support. For this reason, a conductive wire having a small line width can be formed with high accuracy by forming the concave portion of the support with high accuracy. Moreover, since a conducting wire is hold | maintained by the recessed part of a support body, the risk that a conducting wire falls or peels can be made low.

FIG. 1 is a development view showing a display device with a touch position detection function in an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing a touch panel sensor in the display device with a touch position detection function of FIG. 1. FIG. 3A is an enlarged plan view showing a first detection pattern in a portion surrounded by an alternate long and short dash line denoted by reference numeral III in FIG. 2. FIG. 3B is an enlarged plan view showing a second detection pattern in a portion surrounded by an alternate long and short dash line denoted by reference numeral III in FIG. 2. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing the touch panel sensor of FIG. FIG. 5 is an enlarged cross-sectional view of the first conductor of FIG. 6A to 6C are cross-sectional views showing a molding process for forming a recess in the transparent resin layer of the support. FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional view showing a conductive layer forming step of forming a conductive layer by filling a concave portion of a support with a conductive material. FIG. 7B is a plan view showing a conductive layer forming step of forming a conductive layer by filling a concave portion of the support with a conductive material. FIGS. 8A to 8C are cross-sectional views each showing a modification of the concave portion of the support. FIGS. 9A to 9C are cross-sectional views illustrating modifications of the layer configuration of the first conductor. FIG. 10 is a diagram for explaining the operation of the first conductor shown in FIG. FIG. 11A is a cross-sectional view showing a modification of the concave portion of the support, and FIG. 11B is a cross-sectional view showing the first conductive wire made of a conductive material filled in the concave portion shown in FIG. . FIGS. 12A and 12B are cross-sectional views showing modifications of the touch panel sensor.

  Hereinafter, an exemplary embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 7B. 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 ones.

Touch Panel Device and Display Device with Touch Position Detection Function First, a display device 10 with a touch position detection function will be described with reference to FIG. As shown in FIG. 1, the display device 10 with a touch position detection function combines a display device 15 such as a liquid crystal display or an organic EL display with a touch panel sensor 30 arranged on the viewer side of the display device 15. It is configured. As shown in FIG. 1, the display device with a touch position detection function 10 may further include a protective cover 12 disposed on the observer side of the touch panel sensor 30. The protective cover 12 is for protecting the display device 15 and the touch panel sensor 30, and is made of a material having high rigidity such as glass.

  The display device 15 includes a display panel 16 having a display surface 16 a and a display control unit (not shown) connected to the display panel 16. The display panel 16 includes an active area A1 that can display an image, and an inactive area (also referred to as a frame area) A2 that is disposed outside the active area A1 so as to surround the active area A1. . The display control unit processes information regarding the video to be displayed, and drives the display panel 16 based on the video information. The display panel 16 displays a predetermined image on the display surface 16a based on a control signal from the display control unit. That is, the display device 15 plays a role as an output device that outputs information such as characters and drawings as video.

  As shown in FIG. 1, the touch panel sensor 30 is bonded to the display surface 16 a of the display device 15 via, for example, an adhesive layer (not shown). Similarly, the protective cover 12 is also bonded to the touch panel sensor 30 via an adhesive layer (not shown) or the like.

Touch Panel Sensor Next, the touch panel sensor 30 will be described with reference to FIG. FIG. 2 is a plan view showing the touch panel sensor 30 when viewed from the observer side.

  Here, an example in which the touch panel sensor 30 is configured as a projection capacitive touch panel sensor will be described. 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 capacitive coupling type touch panel sensor has a light-transmitting conductive pattern, and an external conductor (typically a human finger) approaches the touch panel sensor to externally. A capacitor (capacitance) is formed between this conductor and the conductive pattern of the touch panel sensor. 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 approaching on the touch panel sensor are specified. The touch panel sensor 30 according to the present embodiment may be a self-capacitance type or a mutual capacitance type.

  As shown in FIG. 2, the touch panel sensor 30 includes a first surface 32 a facing the viewer side and a second surface 32 b facing the display device side on the opposite side of the first surface 32 a and is translucent. Provided on the first surface 32a of the support 32 and extending in the first direction D1, and provided on the second surface 32b of the support 32. A plurality of second detection patterns 46 extending in a second direction D2 intersecting the direction D1, for example, orthogonal to the first direction D1. As shown in FIG. 2, the first detection pattern 41 and the second detection pattern 46 each extend in a band shape. The plurality of first detection patterns 41 are arranged in the second direction D2 at a constant arrangement pitch, and the plurality of second detection patterns 46 are also arranged in the first direction D1 at a constant arrangement pitch. Usually, the arrangement pitch of the first detection patterns 41 in the second direction D2 and the arrangement pitch of the second detection patterns 46 in the first direction D1 are the same. The arrangement pitch of the first detection pattern 41 and the second detection pattern 46 is determined according to the resolution required for the detection of the touch position, and is, for example, several mm. In FIG. 2, the constituent elements provided on the first surface 32 a side of the support body 32 are represented by solid lines, and the constituent elements provided on the second surface 32 b side of the support body 32 are represented by dotted lines. Yes.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the support 32 of the touch panel sensor 30 includes a rectangular active area Aa1 corresponding to an area where the touch position can be detected, and a non-rectangular frame-like non-circular area located around the active area Aa1. Active area Aa2. The active area Aa1 and the inactive area Aa2 are respectively partitioned corresponding to the active area A1 and the inactive area A2 of the display panel 16.

(First detection pattern)
Next, the detection patterns 41 and 46 will be described with reference to FIGS. 3A and 3B. 3A is a plan view showing a case where the first detection pattern 41 in a portion surrounded by a one-dot chain line denoted by reference numeral III in FIG. 2 is viewed from the observer side, and FIG. 3B is a reference numeral in FIG. It is a top view which shows the case where the 2nd detection pattern 46 in the part enclosed with the dashed-dotted line to which III was attached | subjected was seen from the observer side, ie, the case where the 2nd detection pattern 46 was seen through the base material 32. .

  In the present embodiment, the first detection pattern 41 is a plurality of first conductive wires 51 having light shielding properties and conductivity, and is arranged in a mesh shape so that an opening 51 a is formed between the first conductive wires 51. It is comprised from the several 1st conducting wire 51 made. Similarly, the second detection pattern 46 is a plurality of second conductive wires 56 having light shielding properties and conductivity, and the plurality of second detection patterns 46 are arranged in a mesh shape so that openings 56 a are formed between the second conductive wires 56. The second conductive wire 56.

  The ratio of the area occupied by the opening 51a (hereinafter referred to as the aperture ratio) in the entire area of the first detection pattern 41 is sufficiently high, so that the image light from the display device 15 can be touched with an appropriate transmittance. As long as it can pass through the active area Aa1 of the sensor 30, the size and shape of the first conducting wire 51 are not particularly limited. For example, in the example shown in FIG. 3A, the first detection pattern 41 is configured by arranging the first conductive wires 51 formed in a rhombus along the first direction. In this case, the 1st conducting wire 51 is comprised so that the inside angle which becomes an acute angle among the inside angles of a rhombus may line up along a 1st direction. The range of the aperture ratio is appropriately set according to the characteristics of the image light emitted from the display device.

(Second detection pattern)
As in the case of the first conductor 51, the second conductor 56 also has the second conductor 56 as long as the ratio of the area occupied by the opening 56 a in the entire area of the second detection pattern 46 can be sufficiently secured. The size and shape of 56 are not particularly limited. For example, in the example illustrated in FIG. 3B, the second detection pattern 46 is configured by arranging the second conductive wires 56 formed in a diamond shape along the second direction. In this case, the 2nd conducting wire 56 is comprised so that the inside angle which becomes an obtuse angle among the inside angles of a rhombus may line up along a 2nd direction.

Cross-sectional structure of touch panel sensor Next, the cross-sectional structure of the touch panel sensor 30 will be described with reference to FIGS. 4 and 5. 4 is a cross-sectional view showing a part of the touch panel sensor 30 of FIG. FIG. 5 is an enlarged sectional view showing the first conducting wire 51 of FIG. FIG. 4 is a drawing drawn for convenience in explaining the cross-sectional structure of the first conducting wire 51 and the second conducting wire 56, and the positional relationship between the first conducting wire 51 and the second conducting wire 56 in the actual touch panel sensor 30. Does not necessarily correspond.

  First, the layer configuration of the support 32 will be described. As shown in FIG. 4, the support 32 is provided on the base 33, the first transparent resin layer 34 provided on the first surface 33 a side of the base 33, and the second surface 33 b side of the base 33. And a second transparent resin layer 35. The first transparent resin layer 34 constitutes the first surface 32 a of the support 32, and the second transparent resin layer 35 constitutes the second surface 32 b of the support 32.

  Next, the 1st conducting wire 51 provided in the 1st surface 32a side of the support body 32 is demonstrated. As shown in FIG. 4, the first surface 32 a of the support body 32 is provided with a large number of recesses 34 a. These recesses 34 a are provided in a pattern corresponding to the first conducting wire 51 of the first detection pattern 41. Further, as shown in FIG. 5, a first conductive layer 52 is provided in each recess 34a. The first conductive layer 52 is made of a conductive material having conductivity. Therefore, the first conductive layer 52 can electrically transmit a signal along the pattern of the recess 34a. As described above, in the present embodiment, the first conductive wire 51 of the first detection pattern 41 can be configured by the first conductive layer 52 provided in the recess 34a. FIG. 5 shows an example in which the recess 34a has a triangular cross section.

  When the cross-sectional shape of the concave portion 34a is a polygonal shape such as a triangular shape, the corner located on the base material 33 side among the corners of the polygonal shape is curved with rounded corners as shown in FIG. The unit 34b may be configured. As will be described later, when the first conductive layer 52 is formed by filling the concave portion 34a with a coating material such as a conductive paste, the curved portion 34b is formed to be applied to every corner of the concave portion 34a. You can easily distribute the material.

In FIG. 5, the line width of the first conductor 51 is indicated by a symbol W, and the thickness of the first conductor 51 is indicated by a symbol T. The line width W of the first conducting wire 51 is set according to the required aperture ratio and the like. For example, the line width W of the first conducting wire 51 is in the range of 1 to 10 μm, more preferably in the range of 2 to 7 μm. Is set. Thereby, the influence which the 1st conducting wire 51 has with respect to the image | video which an observer visually recognizes can be made low to a negligible level. Moreover, although the thickness T of the 1st conducting wire 51 is set according to the electroconductivity etc. which are calculated | required, it is set in the range of 1-10 micrometers, for example, More specifically, it is set to about several micrometers. In FIG. 5, the first conductive wire 51 is configured such that the outer surface of the first conductive wire 51 and the first surface 32a are substantially on the same plane. As a result, the thickness T of the first conductive wire 51 is equal to that of the recess 34a. An example that roughly matches the depth is shown. However, the relationship between the depth of the recess 34a and the thickness of the first conductor 51 is not particularly limited. For example, the first conductive wire 51 may be configured such that the outer surface of the first conductive wire 51 projects outward from the first surface 32a. In this case, the thickness T of the first conducting wire 51 is greater than the depth of the recess 34a. Or the 1st conducting wire 51 may be comprised so that the outer surface of the 1st conducting wire 51 may be located inside (base material 33 side) rather than the 1st surface 32a. In this case, the thickness T of the first conductor 51 is smaller than the depth of the recess 34a. In any case, since the first conductor 51 can be firmly held by the recess 34a, the risk of the first conductor 51 falling or peeling off can be reduced.
In the present specification, the numerical range represented by the symbol “to” includes numerical values placed before and after the symbol “to”. For example, the numerical range defined by the expression “within 1 to 10 μm” is the same as the numerical range defined by the expression “1 μm or more and 10 μm or less”.

  The conductive material constituting the first conductive layer 52 is not particularly limited as long as it has conductivity and can be filled in the recess 34a. For example, as the conductive material of the first conductive layer 52, a material containing metal material particles or powder, such as a silver paste containing silver particles or a copper paste containing copper particles, can be used. Examples of the binder used in the silver paste and the copper paste include a resin material such as an epoxy resin. Further, as the conductive material constituting the first conductive layer 52, a conductive resin may be used.

As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, the recess 34 a on the first surface 32 a side of the support 32 is formed on the first transparent resin layer 34 provided on the first surface 33 a side of the base material 33. That is, the 1st transparent resin layer 34 is provided in the 1st surface side of the base material 33, in order to provide the recessed part 34a. As the first transparent resin layer 34, a material having translucency and excellent moldability is used.
For example, as will be described later, by forming the first transparent resin layer 34 using a mold having a convex portion formed in a pattern corresponding to the first conductive wire 51, a concave portion is formed on the surface of the first transparent resin layer 34. When 34a is formed, the first transparent resin layer 34 may be made of an ionizing radiation curable resin that is cured by electron beam irradiation or ultraviolet irradiation. As the curable resin, for example, an ultraviolet curable resin or an electron beam curable resin, or a photocrosslinking resin mainly composed of a polyfunctional monomer such as acrylate, epoxy acrylate, silicon acrylate, or siloxane may be used. it can. Here, the ionizing radiation means an electromagnetic wave or a charged particle beam having an energy quantum capable of polymerizing and crosslinking molecules. Usually, ultraviolet rays and electron beams are used as the ionizing radiation.
The concave portion 34a may be formed by hot melt extrusion molding using an acrylic resin, a pet (polyethylene terephthalate) resin, or the like, instead of molding using ionizing radiation curing.

  As shown in FIG. 4, the second surface 32b of the support body 32 is also provided with a large number of recesses 35a. These recesses 35 a are provided in a pattern corresponding to the second conducting wire 56 of the second detection pattern 46. In the recesses 35a, although not shown, a second conductive layer made of a conductive material having conductivity is provided. That is, also on the second surface 32 b side, the second conductive layer provided in the recess 35 a constitutes the second conductor 56 of the second detection pattern 46. The recessed part 35a is formed in the 2nd transparent resin layer 35 provided in the 2nd surface 33b side of the base material 33 similarly to the case of the recessed part 34a. The shape and dimensions of the recess 35a, the shape, dimensions and material of the second conductor 56, and the material of the second transparent resin layer 35 are the shape and dimension of the recess 34a, the shape, dimensions and material of the first conductor 51, and Since it is the same as the material of the 1st transparent resin layer 34, detailed description is abbreviate | omitted.

  As a material constituting the base material 32, a material having sufficient rigidity so as to support the first transparent resin layer 34 and the second transparent resin layer 35 and sufficient translucency is used. For example, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), cycloolefin polymer (COP), glass or the like is used as the substrate 33. When the base material 33 contains PET, for example, the thickness of PET is in the range of 100 to 200 μm, for example.

(Frame wiring and terminal part)
The first frame wiring 44a and the first terminal portion 44b connected to the first detection pattern 41 and the second frame wiring 49a and the second terminal connected to the second detection pattern 46 shown in FIG. The terminal portion 49 b is provided to take out signals from the first detection pattern 41 and the second detection pattern 46 to the outside of the touch panel sensor 30. As long as signals can be appropriately transmitted, the specific configurations of the first frame wiring 44a and the first terminal portion 44b, the second frame wiring 49a and the second terminal portion 49b are not particularly limited. For example, the first frame wiring 44 a and the first terminal portion 44 b may be formed at the same time as the first conducting wire 51 with the same layer configuration as the first conducting wire 51. Similarly, the second frame wiring 49 a and the second terminal portion 49 b may be formed at the same time as the second conducting wire 56 with the same layer configuration as the second conducting wire 56.

Method for Manufacturing Touch Panel Sensor Next, the operation and effect of the present embodiment having such a configuration will be described. Here, a method for manufacturing the touch panel sensor 30 will be described.

  First, referring to FIGS. 6A to 6C, a support body in which recesses 34a and recesses 35a are provided on the first surface 32a and the second surface 32b in a pattern corresponding to the first conductor 51 and the second conductor 56. The process of preparing 32 will be described. Here, first, as shown in FIG. 6A, a base material 33 including a first surface 33a and a second surface 33b is prepared. Next, as shown in FIG.6 (b), by shaping the 1st transparent resin layer 34 using the 1st shaping | molding die 70 which has the convex part 71 formed with the pattern corresponding to the 1st conducting wire 51, A molding step for forming the recesses 34 a on the surface of the first transparent resin layer 34 is performed.

  An example of the molding process shown in FIG. 6B will be described. For example, the first mold 70 is first prepared, and then the first transparent resin layer 34 is provided on the first mold 70 so as to cover the convex portion 71. Thereafter, the first surface 33 a of the base material 33 is brought into contact with the first transparent resin layer 34 so that the first transparent resin layer 34 is interposed between the first surface 33 a of the base material 33 and the first mold 70. . Next, while the first transparent resin layer 34 is in contact with the first mold 70, the first transparent resin layer 34 is irradiated with an electron beam or ultraviolet rays via the first mold 70 or the base material 33. Thus, the first transparent resin layer 34 is cured. In this manner, the first transparent resin layer 34 in which a large number of recesses 34 a are formed in a pattern corresponding to the first conductive wire 51 can be obtained on the first surface 33 a of the base material 33.

  Thereafter, in the same manner as the step of forming the recesses 34 a, the second transparent resin layer 35 in which a large number of recesses 35 a are formed in a pattern corresponding to the second conductive wires 56 is provided on the second surface 33 b side of the base material 33. Thus, as shown in FIG.6 (c), the support body 32 provided with the recessed part 34a and the recessed part 35a can be obtained.

Next, with reference to FIG. 7A and FIG. 7B, the conducting wire forming process for forming the first conducting wire 51 on the first surface 32a side of the support 32 will be described. Here, a first conductive layer forming step for forming the first conductive layer 52 of the first conducting wire 51 in the recess 34a will be described.
First, a coating material 52 a such as a conductive paste is supplied onto the first surface 32 a of the support 32. Next, as shown in FIGS. 7A and 7B, the coating material 52 a is scratched on the first surface 32 a of the support body 32 using the squeegee 60 along a certain movement direction M. As a result, the coating material 52 a can be filled into the recess 34 a provided on the first surface 32 a of the support 32. In this way, the first conductive layer 52 can be formed in the recess 34a. Thus, the first conductive wire 51 including the first conductive layer 52 can be formed on the first surface 32 a side of the support body 32. If it is difficult to fill the entire area in the recess 34a with the coating material 52a in one step, the coating material 52a may be scratched on the first surface 32a using the squeegee 60 a plurality of times.

  Preferably, the moving direction M of the squeegee 60 is set in a direction inclined from the direction in which the recess 34a extends. As a result, a larger amount of the coating material 52a can be filled into the recess 34a in a single step. “Inclined” means that the angle formed by the moving direction M of the squeegee 60 and the direction in which the recess 34a extends is greater than 0 degree and smaller than 90 degrees. In addition, when the 1st conducting wire 51 and the 2nd conducting wire 56 are arrange | positioned at mesh shape as mentioned above, the direction where the recessed part 34a is extended contains at least two directions. In FIG. 7B, the directions in which the recesses 34a extend are indicated by arrows E1 and E2, respectively. An angle formed by the moving direction M of the squeegee 60 and the direction in which the concave portion 34a extends is within a range of 15 to 30 degrees, for example.

  Preferably, the size of the squeegee 60 is set so that the coating material 52a can be filled in all of the many concave portions 34a by one movement. As a result, it is possible to suppress variation in the amount and shape of the coating material 52a filled in each recess 34a. As a result, it is possible to suppress variation in characteristics depending on the location in the first conducting wire 51.

  In the same manner as the step of forming the first conducting wire 51, the recess 35a on the second surface 32b side of the support 32 is filled with a conductive coating material. Thereby, the second conductive layer can be formed in the recess 35a. Thus, the second conductive wire 56 including the second conductive layer can be formed on the second surface 32b side of the support body 32.

  According to the present embodiment, the conductive layers of the conductive wires 51 and 56 constituting the detection patterns 41 and 46 are filled with the conductive material in the recesses 34a and 35a provided on the surface of the support 32. It is formed. In this case, the line widths of the conducting wires 51 and 56 are determined by 34 a and 35 a of the support 32. For this reason, by forming the recesses 34a and 35a of the support body 32 with high accuracy, the conducting wires 51 and 56 having a small line width can be formed with high accuracy. Moreover, since conducting wire 51,56 is hold | maintained by the recessed parts 34a and 35a of the support body 32, the risk that the conducting wires 51 and 56 fall down or peel can be made low.

  By the way, in the step of filling the recess with a fluid material such as the coating material 52a, bubbles may be introduced into the recess together with the material. Introducing air bubbles into the recesses leads to a decrease in the density of the material filled in the recesses, which in turn leads to a decrease in the conductivity and reliability of the conductor. On the other hand, the size of bubbles that can be introduced is considered to be about 1 μm at the minimum. Here, according to the present embodiment, the depths of the recesses 34 a and 35 a formed on the surface of the support 32 are 10 μm or less. That is, the difference between the depth of the recesses 34a and 35a and the size of the bubbles is about 10 times at the maximum. In general, the larger the difference between the depth of the recess and the size of the bubble, the easier the bubbles are introduced into the recess. Therefore, by restricting the depth of the recesses 34a and 35a formed on the surface of the support 32 to 10 μm or less, it is possible to prevent bubbles from being introduced into the recesses 34a and 35a. Thereby, the conducting wires 51 and 56 having high conductivity and reliability can be formed.

  Further, according to the present embodiment, as described above, of the corners of the recesses 34a and 35a provided on the surface of the support 32, the corners located on the base material 33 side are rounded at the corners. It is configured as a bending portion. For this reason, a coating material can be easily spread | circulated to every corner of the recessed parts 34a and 35a. In addition, when the corners of the recesses 34a and 35a are angular, when the forming mold for shaping is processed with the cutting tool to produce the protrusions corresponding to the recesses 34a and 35a, the cutting tool is easily broken. . For this reason, configuring the corners of the recesses 34a and 35a as curved portions is advantageous not only in improving the characteristics of the conducting wires 51 and 56 but also in facilitating the production of the mold.

  Note that various modifications can be made to the above-described embodiment. Hereinafter, some modifications will be described with reference to the drawings as necessary. 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 in the above embodiment. A duplicate description is omitted. In addition, when it is clear that the operational effects obtained in the above-described embodiment can be obtained in the modified example, the description thereof may be omitted.

(Modified example of concave portion of support)
In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the cross-sectional shapes of the recesses 34a and 35a are triangular has been shown. However, as long as the conducting wires 51 and 56 can be appropriately held, the cross-sectional shapes of the recesses 34a and 35a are not particularly limited. Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 8A to 8C, a modification of the cross-sectional shape of the recess 34a will be described. Although not shown in the figure, the same cross-sectional shape as that of the recess 34a can be adopted in the recess 35a.

As shown in FIG. 8A, the cross-sectional shape of the recess 34a may be a semicircular shape. In this case, compared with the case where the cross-sectional shape of the recessed part 34a is a polygonal shape, the coating material can be more easily distributed to every corner of the recessed part 34a.
Further, as shown in FIG. 8B, the cross-sectional shape of the recess 34a may be rectangular. In this case, the cross-sectional area of the recessed part 34a can be increased efficiently, and thereby the conductivity of the first conducting wire 51 can be increased.
Moreover, as shown in FIG.8 (c), the cross-sectional shape of the recessed part 34a may be trapezoid shape. In this case, the long side of the trapezoid is located on the surface side of the support 32, and the short side of the trapezoid is located on the base material 33 side. According to the example shown in FIG. 8C, the cross-sectional area of the recess 34a can be efficiently increased as in the case of the example shown in FIG. Moreover, since the angle of the corner part located in the base material 33 side becomes an obtuse angle, compared with the example shown in FIG.8 (b), a coating material can be spread more easily to every corner of the recessed part 34a.
In the example shown in FIG. 8B and FIG. 8C, the corner located on the base material 33 side among the corners is configured as a curved portion, as in the case of the above-described embodiment. May be.

(Modified example of layer structure of conducting wire)
In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the conductive wires 51 and 56 provided in the recesses 34a and 35a are each constituted only by a conductive layer made of a conductive material has been described. However, as long as the conducting wires 51 and 56 have sufficient conductivity, the layer configuration of the conducting wires 51 and 56 is not particularly limited. Hereinafter, with reference to FIGS. 9A to 9C, a modification of the layer configuration of the first conductive wire 51 will be described. Although not shown in the figure, the same layer structure as that of the first conductor 51 can be adopted for the second conductor 56.

As shown in FIG. 9A, the first conductive wire 51 may further include an outer low reflection layer 53 provided outside the first conductive layer 52. Note that “outer side” means that the outer low reflection layer 53 is provided farther from the base material 33 than the first conductive layer 52.
The outer low reflection layer 53 is a layer provided to suppress reflection of light on the surface of the first conducting wire 51 on the first surface 32a side. As long as the reflectance of light by the outer low reflection layer 53 is smaller than the reflectance of light by the first conductive layer 52, the configuration of the outer low reflection layer 53 is not particularly limited. For example, the outer low reflection layer 53 is made of a low reflection material having a refractive index smaller than that of the conductive material forming the first conductive layer 52. For example, the outer low reflection layer 53 includes a binder and black beads dispersed in the binder. Carbon black or titanium black can be used as the black beads. An epoxy resin or an acrylic resin can be used as the binder.
When the black beads are composed of conductive particles such as titanium black, the outer low reflection layer 53 not only plays a role of suppressing light reflection, but also the conductivity of the first conductor 51. It can also contribute to improvement. For this reason, the electrical resistance value of the first detection pattern 41 can be further reduced. Moreover, the effect of reducing the noise of the touch panel sensor 30 is also expected.
The outer low-reflection layer 53 is formed by introducing an outer low-reflection layer 53 by introducing a low-reflection material into the recess 34a of the support 32 to form the outer low-reflection layer 53 after the above-described conductive layer formation step. Can be formed.

Further, as shown in FIG. 9B, the first conductive wire 51 may further include an inner low reflection layer 54 provided on the inner side of the first conductive layer 52. Note that “inner side” means that the inner low reflection layer 54 is provided closer to the base material 33 than the first conductive layer 52.
The inner low reflection layer 54 is a layer provided to suppress light reflection on the surface of the first conductor 51 on the base material 33 side. As long as the reflection of light can be suppressed, the configuration of the inner low reflection layer 54 is not particularly limited. For example, as the low-reflection material constituting the inner low-reflection layer 54, the same low-reflection material as that of the outer low-reflection layer 53 described above can be used.
The inner low reflection layer 54 is formed by introducing the low reflection material into the concave portion 34a of the support 32 to form the inner low reflection layer 54 before the conductive layer formation step described above. Can be formed.

  As shown in FIG. 9C, the first conductor 51 includes an outer low reflection layer 53 provided outside the first conductive layer 52, and an inner side provided inside the first conductive layer 52. Both of the low reflection layers 54 may be included.

  Hereinafter, with reference to FIG. 10, the operation of the outer low reflection layer and the inner low reflection layer will be described. In the example shown in FIG. 10, the first conductive wire 51 is provided on the inner side of the first conductive layer 52, the outer low reflection layer 53 provided on the outer side of the first conductive layer 52, and the first conductive layer 52. And an inner low reflection layer 54. Similarly, the second conductive wire 56 includes a second conductive layer 57, an outer low reflection layer 58 provided outside the second conductive layer 57, and an inner low reflection layer provided inside the second conductive layer 57. 59. Since the configuration of the outer low reflection layer 58 and the inner low reflection layer 59 is the same as the configuration of the outer low reflection layer 53 and the inner low reflection layer 54, detailed description thereof is omitted.

  First, the case where external light that has entered the touch panel sensor 30 along the normal direction of the base material 32 reaches the first conductive wire 51 and the second conductive wire 56 will be described as indicated by reference numerals L1 and L2 in FIG. In this case, the external light L1 that has reached the first conducting wire 51 is reflected by the outer low reflective layer 53 of the first conducting wire 51 to become reflected light L1 '. Similarly, the external light L2 reaching the second conducting wire 56 is reflected by the inner low reflection layer 59 of the second conducting wire 56 to become reflected light L2 '. Here, as described above, both the outer low reflection layer 53 and the inner low reflection layer 59 are layers configured to suppress reflection of light on the surfaces thereof. For this reason, it can suppress that the intensity | strength of reflected light L1 'and L2' becomes high, and, thereby, suppresses that the detection patterns 41 and 46 which consist of conducting wire 51 and 56 are visually recognized by an observer. Can do.

  Next, as indicated by reference characters L3 and L4 in FIG. 10, the image light from the display device 15 that has entered the touch panel sensor 30 along the normal direction of the base material 32 reaches the first conducting wire 51 and the second conducting wire 56. The case will be described. In this case, the image light L3 reaching the first conducting wire 51 is reflected by the inner low reflection layer 54 of the first conducting wire 51 to become reflected light L3 '. Further, the image light L4 that has reached the second conducting wire 56 is reflected by the outer low reflection layer 58 of the second conducting wire 56 to become reflected light L4 '. Here, as described above, each of the inner low reflection layer 54 and the outer low reflection layer 58 is a layer configured to suppress reflection of light on the surface thereof. For this reason, it can suppress that the intensity | strength of reflected light L3 'and L4' becomes high. As a result, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of the phenomenon that the reflected light L3 ′, L4 ′ is reflected again by the components of the display device 15 and reaches the observer after returning to the display device 15 side. .

(Modification of the surface state of the concave portion of the support)
In the above-described embodiment, an example in which the surfaces of the recesses 34a and 35a are flat has been described. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and fine undulations may exist on the surfaces of the recesses 34a and 35a. For example, as shown to Fig.11 (a), many uneven | corrugated | grooved parts 34c may be formed in the surface of the recessed part 34a. In this case, as shown in FIG. 11B, undulations corresponding to the concavo-convex portion 34c are formed on the surface of the first conductive wire 51 provided in the concave portion 34a on the substrate 33 side. As a result, it is possible to scatter the light that has reached the surface of the first conductor 51 in various directions, thereby further suppressing the first conductor 51 from being visually recognized by the observer. .

  The method for forming a large number of uneven portions 34c on the surface of the recessed portion 34a is not particularly limited, and various methods can be used. For example, by forming an uneven part corresponding to the uneven part 34c on the surface of the convex part 71 of the first mold 70 for shaping the concave part 34a in the first transparent resin layer 34, the surface of the concave part 34a is formed. A large number of uneven portions 34c can be formed.

(Modified example of touch panel sensor)
In the above-described embodiment, the first detection pattern 41 including the first conductive wire 51 is provided on the first surface 32 a of the support 32, and the second conductive wire 56 is included on the second surface 32 b of the support 32. An example in which the second detection pattern 46 is provided has been shown. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and the detection pattern of the touch panel sensor 30 may be provided only on the first surface 32a side of the support 32 as shown in FIG. In this case, the first detection pattern 41 made of the first conducting wire 51 provided on the first surface 32a may include both a pattern extending in the first direction D1 and a pattern extending in the second direction D2. Alternatively, as illustrated in FIG. 12B, the detection pattern of the touch panel sensor 30 may be provided only on the second surface 32 b side of the support body 32. In this case, the second detection pattern 46 composed of the second conducting wire 56 provided on the second surface 32b may include both a pattern extending in the first direction D1 and a pattern extending in the second direction D2.

  As shown in FIG. 12B, the detection pattern is provided only on the surface of the support 32 on the display device side (second surface 32b) and not on the surface on the viewer side (first surface 32a). In this case, the base material 33 may constitute an observer side surface of the support 32. In this case, the base material 33 can be made to function as a protective plate for the display device 15 by configuring the base material 33 with a material having sufficient rigidity such as glass. That is, the base material for the touch panel sensor 30 and the protective plate for the display device 15 can be shared. Thereby, compared with the case where the touch panel sensor 30 and the protective cover 12 are comprised separately, the thickness of the display apparatus 10 with a touch position detection function whole can be reduced.

(Other variations)
In the present embodiment described above, the concave portion 34a and the concave portion 35a are respectively formed on the first surface 32a and the second surface 32b of the support 32, and then the first conductive wire 51 is provided in the first surface 32a. An example in which the second conductor 56 is provided in the recess 35a has been shown (first method). However, the specific procedure for providing the first conducting wire 51 and the second conducting wire 56 is not particularly limited. For example, the recess 34a is formed in the first surface 32a of the support 32, and then the first conductor 51 is provided in the first surface 32a, and then the recess 35a is formed in the second surface 32b of the support 32, Next, you may provide the 2nd conducting wire 56 in the recessed part 35a (2nd method).
In the case where the step of cleaning the recesses 34a and 35a after forming the recesses 34a and 35a on the support 32 is performed, according to the first method described above, the recesses 34a and the recesses 35a can be simultaneously cleaned. . For this reason, the 1st method is advantageous at the point which can reduce the man-hour of washing compared with the 2nd method.

  In the above-described embodiment, the example in which the concave portions 34 a and 35 a are formed in the transparent resin layers 34 and 35 of the support 32 has been described. However, the layer configuration of the support 32 is not particularly limited as long as the recess is formed on the surface of the support 32. For example, when the base material 33 is made of a material having excellent moldability, a recess may be formed on the surface of the base material 33.

  Moreover, the form of the base material 33 used in the manufacturing process of the touch panel sensor is not particularly limited. For example, the substrate 33 may be supplied as a single sheet or may be supplied as a roll-to-roll.

  In addition, although some modified examples with respect to the above-described embodiment have been described, naturally, a plurality of modified examples can be applied in combination as appropriate.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Display apparatus with a touch position detection function 12 Protective cover 15 Display apparatus 30 Touch panel sensor 32 Support body 33 Base material 34 1st transparent resin layer 35 2nd transparent resin layer 41 1st detection pattern 46 2nd detection pattern 51 1st conducting wire 52 First conductive layer 53 Outer low reflection layer 54 Inner low reflection layer 56 Second conductor 57 Second conductive layer 58 Outer low reflection layer 59 Inner low reflection layer 70 Mold 71 Convex

Claims (17)

A method of manufacturing a touch panel sensor having a detection pattern composed of a plurality of conductive wires arranged in a mesh shape,
Including a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface, and preparing a translucent support;
A conductor forming step of forming the conductor on at least one of the first surface side and the second surface side of the support,
The conducting wire includes at least a conductive layer made of a conductive material,
Of the first surface and the second surface of the support, the surface on which the conducting wire is formed is provided with a recess having a semicircular cross-sectional shape in a pattern corresponding to the conducting wire,
The conductive wire forming step includes a conductive layer forming step of forming the conductive layer by filling the conductive material in the concave portion of the support body. The first surface of the support is a surface facing the observer side,
The method for manufacturing a touch panel sensor according to claim 1, wherein the concave portion having a semicircular cross-sectional shape is provided at least on the second surface on the opposite side of the first surface of the support.   The touch panel sensor manufacturing method according to claim 1, wherein the depth of the recess is 10 μm or less. The conducting wire further includes an outer low reflection layer provided outside the conductive layer,
The said conducting wire formation process further includes the outer low reflection layer formation process which introduce | transduces a low reflection material in the said recessed part of the said support body after the said conductive layer formation process, and forms the said outer low reflection layer. The manufacturing method of the touch-panel sensor as described in any one of thru | or 3 . The conducting wire further includes an inner low reflection layer provided inside the conductive layer,
The conductive wire forming step further includes an inner low reflective layer forming step of introducing a low reflective material into the concave portion of the support to form the inner low reflective layer before the conductive layer forming step. The manufacturing method of the touch-panel sensor as described in any one of 1-4 . Of the first surface and the second surface of the support, the surface on which the conducting wire is formed is constituted by a transparent resin layer having translucency,
In the method for manufacturing the touch panel sensor, the concave portion is formed on the surface of the transparent resin layer by shaping the transparent resin layer using a mold having a convex portion formed in a pattern corresponding to the conductive wire. The manufacturing method of the touch panel sensor as described in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 5 provided with a shaping | molding process. The touch panel according to claim 6 , wherein the molding step includes a step of irradiating the transparent resin layer with an electron beam or an ultraviolet ray to cure the transparent resin layer while the transparent resin layer is in contact with the mold. Sensor manufacturing method. A touch panel sensor having a detection pattern composed of a plurality of conductive wires arranged in a mesh pattern,
A support including a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface and having translucency;
The conductor provided on at least one of the first surface side or the second surface side of the support, and
The conducting wire includes at least a conductive layer made of a conductive material,
Of the first surface and the second surface of the support, the surface on which the conducting wire is formed is provided with a recess having a semicircular cross-sectional shape in a pattern corresponding to the conducting wire,
The conductive layer of the conductive wire is a touch panel sensor provided in the concave portion of the support. The first surface of the support is a surface facing the observer side,
The touch panel sensor according to claim 8, wherein the concave portion having a semicircular cross-sectional shape is provided at least on the second surface on the opposite side of the first surface of the support. The touch panel sensor according to claim 8 or 9 , wherein the recess has a depth of 10 µm or less. The touch panel sensor according to any one of claims 8 to 10 , wherein the conductive wire further includes an outer low reflection layer provided outside the conductive layer. The touch panel sensor according to claim 11 , wherein the outer low reflection layer includes a binder and black beads dispersed in the binder. The touch panel sensor according to any one of claims 8 to 12 , wherein the conductive wire further includes an inner low reflection layer provided inside the conductive layer. The touch panel sensor according to claim 13 , wherein the inner low-reflection layer includes a binder and black beads dispersed in the binder. The surface where the said conducting wire is formed among the said 1st surface and the said 2nd surface of the said support body is comprised by the transparent resin layer which has translucency, The structure of any one of Claims 8 thru | or 14 Touch panel sensor. The support has a base material and the transparent resin layer provided on the second surface side of the base material,
The touch panel sensor according to claim 15 , wherein the base material functions as a protective plate for a display device. A display device;
A touch panel sensor disposed on a display surface of the display device,
The said touch panel sensor is a display apparatus with a touch position detection function which consists of a touch panel sensor as described in any one of Claims 8 thru | or 16 .