JP6257088B2 - Capacitance type three-dimensional sensor and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a capacitance type three-dimensional sensor and a method for manufacturing the same.

An electronic device such as a notebook personal computer may include a touch pad as means for moving a pointer displayed on a monitor, and a capacitive sensor may be used as the touch pad.
Conventionally, a capacitance type sensor used as a touch pad has detected a change in capacitance in a two-dimensional direction (X direction and Y direction). , Y direction and Z direction) are also being studied (Patent Document 1).
As a capacitance type three-dimensional sensor that changes the capacitance in the three-dimensional direction, a sheet-like XY-direction position detection electrode body that detects the position in the XY direction and a position in the Z-direction are arranged on the front side. A sheet-shaped Z-direction position detecting electrode body to be detected and a plurality of easily deformable dot-shaped spacers provided between them are known (Patent Document 2).
In the capacitance type three-dimensional sensor described in Patent Document 2, when the user's finger or stylus pen presses the XY direction position detection electrode body, the spacer is elastically deformed, and the XY direction position detection electrode body and The distance from the Z-direction position detecting electrode body is reduced. The displacement in the Z direction can be obtained by detecting the capacitance that changes at that time.

Japanese Patent No. 3681771 International Publication No. 2013/132737

Usually, the Z-direction position detecting electrode body and the spacer are bonded together with a double-sided adhesive tape because the operation becomes simple. However, the capacitance-type three-dimensional sensor in which the Z-direction position detection electrode body and the spacer are attached with a double-sided adhesive tape sometimes has low sensitivity and detection accuracy.
An object of the present invention is to provide a capacitance type three-dimensional sensor excellent in sensitivity and detection accuracy and a method for manufacturing the same.

In the case where the Z-direction position detection electrode body and the spacer are pasted with a double-sided adhesive tape, the present inventors have a thick double-sided adhesive tape, and the Z-direction position detection electrode body and the XY-direction position detection electrode body It has been found that the sensitivity at the time of pressing is reduced because the interval of is reduced. Further, it was found that the double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive tape easily absorbs moisture, the dielectric constant changes depending on the degree of moisture absorption of the double-sided pressure-sensitive adhesive tape, and the capacitance value when the capacitance type three-dimensional sensor is pressed changes depending on the humidity. Since the humidity is not constant in a normal environment, the conventional capacitive three-dimensional sensor has low detection accuracy.
Accordingly, the present inventors have studied a method of bonding the Z-direction position detecting electrode body and the spacer without using a double-sided adhesive tape, and invented the following capacitance type three-dimensional sensor and a manufacturing method thereof. did.
The present invention includes the following aspects.

[1] A sheet-shaped first electrode body having a patterned conductive film, a sheet-shaped second electrode body having a patterned conductive film, and the first electrode body and the second electrode body are disposed between the first electrode body and the second electrode body. A capacitive three-dimensional sensor comprising the easily deformable body, wherein the easily deformable body is provided on an elastic layer base sheet and one surface of the elastic layer base sheet, An elastic layer having a Shore A hardness of 85 or less when measured with a thickness of 1 cm, the elastic layer base material sheet is disposed on the first electrode body side, and the elastic layer is on the second electrode body side The electrostatic capacitance type three-dimensional sensor which is arrange | positioned and the said 1st electrode body and the base material sheet for elastic layers of the said easily deformable body are adhere | attached by the adhesive bond layer of thickness 25 micrometers or less.
[2] The first electrode body is a sheet-shaped Z-direction position detection electrode body that detects a position in the Z-direction, and the Z-direction position detection electrode body includes a Z-direction electrode base sheet and the Z-direction electrode sheet. An electrode sheet having a pattern-like conductive film provided on one surface of the directional electrode base sheet, and the second electrode body is a sheet-like XY direction position detecting electrode for detecting a position in the XY direction The XY direction position detecting electrode body includes an X direction electrode sheet and a Y direction electrode sheet, and the X direction electrode sheet includes an X direction electrode base sheet and the X direction electrode base material. And a Y-direction electrode sheet provided on one side of the Y-direction electrode base sheet and the Y-direction electrode base sheet. A patterned conductive film, and a pattern of the conductive film of the electrode sheet for X direction Is a pattern having a plurality of X-direction electrode portions formed along the X direction, and the pattern of the conductive film of the Y-direction electrode sheet is a pattern having a plurality of Y-direction electrode portions formed along the Y direction. The capacitance-type three-dimensional sensor according to [1].
[3] The electrostatic capacitance type according to [2], wherein the X-direction electrode sheet and the Y-direction electrode sheet in the XY-direction position detection electrode body are bonded by an adhesive layer having a thickness of 25 μm or less. 3D sensor.

[4] A first electrode body manufacturing step of forming a sheet-shaped first electrode body by forming a patterned conductive film, and a first process of forming a sheet-shaped second electrode body by forming a pattern-shaped conductive film. A two-electrode body manufacturing step and an easily deformable body that forms an easily deformable body by forming an elastic layer having a Shore A hardness of 85 or less when measured with a thickness of 1 cm on one surface of the base sheet for elastic layer And a bonding step of bonding the first electrode body and the easily deformable body by an adhesive layer having a thickness of 25 μm or less and bonding the second electrode body and the easily deformable body. In the bonding step, a capacitive three-dimensional body sheet for the elastic layer of the easily deformable body is disposed on the first electrode body side and an elastic layer of the easily deformable body is disposed on the second electrode body side. Sensor manufacturing method.
[5] In the first electrode body manufacturing step, a patterned conductive film having a plurality of electrode portions formed along the X direction or the Y direction is formed on one surface of the Z-direction electrode base sheet. A sheet-shaped Z-direction position detecting electrode body for detecting the position in the Z-direction is manufactured, and in the second electrode body manufacturing step, along one surface of the X-direction electrode substrate sheet, along the X-direction. On one surface of the X-direction electrode sheet preparation step of forming an X-direction electrode sheet by forming a patterned conductive film having a plurality of X-direction electrode portions formed in the above, Forming a Y-direction electrode sheet by forming a patterned conductive film having a plurality of Y-direction electrode portions formed along the Y-direction, the X-direction electrode sheet, and the Y-direction The electrode sheet for direction is bonded and the position in the XY direction And a XY direction position sensing electrode body forming step of forming a sheet-like XY direction position sensing electrode body for output, [4] a capacitance type three-dimensional method for producing a sensor according to.
[6] In the XY direction position detecting electrode body forming step, the X direction electrode sheet and the Y direction electrode sheet are bonded and bonded together with an adhesive layer having a thickness of 25 μm or less. [5] A method for producing the capacitance type three-dimensional sensor according to claim 1.

The capacitive three-dimensional sensor of the present invention is excellent in sensitivity and detection accuracy.
According to the method for manufacturing a capacitive three-dimensional sensor of the present invention, a capacitive three-dimensional sensor excellent in sensitivity and detection accuracy can be easily manufactured.

It is a fragmentary sectional view showing a 1st embodiment of a capacitance type three-dimensional sensor of the present invention. It is a top view which shows the Z direction position detection electrode body in 1st Embodiment. It is a top view which shows the 1st electrode sheet which comprises the electrode body for XY direction position detection used by 1st Embodiment. It is a top view which shows the 2nd electrode sheet which comprises the electrode body for XY direction position detection used by 1st Embodiment. It is a fragmentary sectional view showing a 2nd embodiment of a capacitance type three-dimensional sensor of the present invention. It is a fragmentary sectional view showing a 3rd embodiment of a capacitance type three-dimensional sensor of the present invention. 6 is a graph showing the results of a heat resistance test in the capacitance type three-dimensional sensor of Example 1. 6 is a graph showing the results of a heat resistance test in the capacitance type three-dimensional sensor of Comparative Example 1.

<First Embodiment>
A first embodiment of a capacitive three-dimensional sensor (hereinafter abbreviated as “three-dimensional sensor”) of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 1 shows a three-dimensional sensor according to this embodiment. The three-dimensional sensor 1 of this embodiment includes a support plate 10, a Z-direction position detection electrode body 20, an easily deformable body 30, an XY-direction position detection electrode body 40, and a protective layer 50.
Further, in the three-dimensional sensor 1 of the present embodiment, the Z-direction position detecting electrode body 20 and the easily deformable body 30 are bonded together by the adhesive layer 60.
Furthermore, in the three-dimensional sensor 1 of this embodiment, the XY direction position detection electrode body 40 includes an X direction electrode sheet 40a and a Y direction electrode sheet 40b, and the X direction electrode sheet 40a and the Y direction electrode sheet. 40b is bonded by the adhesive layer 40c.

In the three-dimensional sensor 1 of the present embodiment, the input area where the finger or the stylus pen is brought into contact is rectangular. In this specification, the short direction of the input area is the X direction, the long direction of the input area is the Y direction, and the direction perpendicular to the X direction and the Y direction is the Z direction.
Further, in the three-dimensional sensor of the present invention, a finger or stylus pen contacts the protective layer 50, and the protective layer 50 side is referred to as “front side” or “front side”. The support plate 10 side is referred to as “back side” or “back side”.

(Support plate)
The support plate 10 is a plate to which the Z-direction position detection electrode body 20 is bonded via the double-sided adhesive tape 11 to prevent the Z-direction position detection electrode body 20 from bending. Specifically, the support plate 10 is a plate having a thickness of 100 μm or more, preferably 200 μm or more, more preferably 500 μm or more. There is no restriction | limiting in particular in the material of the support plate 10, For example, any of a metal, resin, ceramics, and glass may be sufficient.

(Z-direction position detection electrode body)
The Z-direction position detection electrode body 20 is an electrode body used when detecting a position in the Z direction, and is provided on the front surface 10 a of the support plate 10.
The Z-direction position detecting electrode body 20 in the present embodiment has a pattern shape formed on the Z-direction electrode substrate sheet 21 and the surface 21a (first surface 21a) on the front side of the Z-direction electrode substrate sheet 21. This is an electrode sheet having a conductive film 22 and a Z-direction electrode base sheet 21 and an insulating film 23 covering the conductive film 22.
In the present invention, “conductive” means that the electric resistance value is less than 1 MΩ, and “insulation” means that the electric resistance value is 1 MΩ or more, preferably 10 MΩ or more.

As the substrate sheet 21 for Z direction electrodes, a plastic film and a glass plate can be used.
As the resin constituting the plastic film, polyethylene terephthalate, polycarbonate, polyimide, triacetyl cellulose, cyclic polyolefin, acrylic resin, or the like can be used. Among these, polyethylene terephthalate or polycarbonate is preferable because of its high heat resistance and dimensional stability and low cost.
The thickness of the Z-direction electrode substrate sheet 21 is preferably 25 to 75 μm. If the thickness of the Z-direction electrode substrate sheet 21 is equal to or greater than the lower limit value, the three-dimensional sensor 1 can be easily thinned if the thickness is less than the lower limit value.

Examples of the conductive film 22 include a film formed of a conductive paste, a film containing a conductive polymer, a film containing metal nanowires, a film containing carbon, and a metal vapor deposition film formed by a metal vapor deposition method.
Examples of the conductive paste include silver paste, copper paste, and gold paste.
Examples of the conductive polymer include polythiophene, polypyrrole, and polyaniline.
Examples of metal nanowires include silver nanowires and gold nanowires.
Examples of carbon include carbon black and carbon nanotubes.
Copper, aluminum, nickel, chromium, zinc, gold, etc. can be used as the metal for forming the metal vapor deposition film. Among these, copper is preferable because of its low electrical resistance and low cost.
In the metal vapor deposition method, a thin metal film can be easily formed. The metal deposition method is not particularly limited. For example, plasma CVD method, laser CVD method, thermal CVD method, gas source CVD method, coating method, vacuum deposition method, sputtering method, reactive sputtering method, MBE (molecular beam epitaxy) Method, cluster ion beam method, ion plating method, plasma polymerization method (high frequency excitation ion plating method), and the like. Among these, the vacuum deposition method is preferable because the film forming speed is high and the cost is low.

  The surface of the conductive film 22 may be subjected to various surface treatments such as plasma treatment, ultraviolet irradiation treatment, corona treatment, and excimer light treatment. When the surface treatment is performed on the conductive film 22, the adhesion with the insulating film 23 is improved, and the contact resistance is lowered.

In the case of a film formed of a conductive paste, the thickness of the conductive film 22 is preferably 1 to 25 μm, and more preferably 5 to 15 μm.
In the case of a film containing a conductive polymer, the thickness of the conductive film 22 is preferably 0.1 to 5.0 μm, and more preferably 0.1 to 2.0 μm.
In the case of a film containing metal nanowires, the thickness of the conductive film 22 is preferably 20 to 1000 nm, and more preferably 50 to 300 nm.
In the case of a film containing carbon, the thickness of the conductive film 22 is preferably 0.01 to 25 μm, and more preferably 0.1 to 15 μm.
In the case of a metal vapor deposition film, the thickness of the conductive film 22 is preferably 0.01 to 1.0 μm, and more preferably 0.05 to 0.3 μm.
If the thickness of the conductive film 22 is less than the lower limit, pinholes may be formed and disconnection may occur, and if the upper limit is exceeded, it is difficult to reduce the thickness.

As shown in FIG. 2, the pattern of the conductive film 22 in the present embodiment is a pattern having a plurality of strip-shaped Y-direction electrode portions 22 a having a constant width formed along the Y direction.
The width of the Y-direction electrode portion 22a is preferably 0.05 to 2 mm, and more preferably 0.1 to 1 mm. If the width of the Y-direction electrode portion 22a is equal to or larger than the lower limit value, disconnection can be prevented, and if the width is equal to or smaller than the upper limit value, position detection accuracy can be improved.
It is preferable that the space | interval (pitch) between adjacent Y direction electrode part 22a, 22a is 1-5 mm, and it is more preferable that it is 1.5-3 mm. If the interval between adjacent Y-direction electrode portions 22a, 22a is equal to or less than the upper limit value, the position detection accuracy of the three-dimensional sensor 1 can be improved. However, it is difficult to make the interval between adjacent Y-direction electrode portions 22a, 22a less than the lower limit value.

The insulating film 23 is an insulating resin film. The insulating film 23 can improve the adhesion to the easily deformable body 30 and can prevent deterioration (oxidation and corrosion) of the conductive film 22.
As the insulating resin, a thermosetting resin, a visible light curable resin, an electron beam curable resin, or an ultraviolet curable resin is used, and an ultraviolet curable resin is preferable in terms of small thermal shrinkage at the time of curing.
The insulating film 23 is preferably thin as long as insulation can be ensured. When screen printing is applied to the formation of the insulating film 23, the thickness is preferably 5 μm or more from the viewpoint of preventing pinhole formation. When ink jet printing is applied to the formation of the insulating film 23, the thickness is preferably 0.5 μm or more from the viewpoint of preventing pinhole formation.

Further, the Z-direction position detecting electrode body 20 includes a lead wiring 24a and an external connection terminal 24b (see FIG. 2).
The lead wiring 24a is a wiring for connecting each Y-direction electrode portion 22a and the external connection terminal 24b.
The width of the routing wiring 24a is preferably 20 to 100 μm, and more preferably 20 to 50 μm. If the width of the routing wiring 24a is equal to or greater than the lower limit value, disconnection of the routing wiring 24a can be prevented, and if the width is equal to or less than the upper limit value, the material used for the routing wiring 24a can be reduced, thereby reducing the cost.
The distance between adjacent routing wires 24a and 24a is preferably 20 to 100 μm, and more preferably 20 to 50 μm. If the distance between the adjacent routing wires 24a and 24a is equal to or smaller than the upper limit value, the three-dimensional sensor 1 can be easily downsized. However, it is difficult to make the interval between adjacent routing wires 24a, 24a less than the lower limit value.
The external connection terminal 24b is a terminal for connecting to an external circuit and is made of a conductive material. The external connection terminal 24b in the present embodiment is a rectangular conductive portion.

(Easily deformable body)
The easily deformable body 30 includes an elastic layer having a Shore A hardness of 85 or less when measured with a thickness of 1 cm. When the Shore A hardness is 85 or less, the elastic layer can be elastically deformed when the surface thereof is pressed. However, if it is too soft, recovery after elastic deformation becomes slow, so the Shore A hardness of the elastic layer is preferably 30 or more.
The easily deformable body 30 in the present embodiment includes an elastic layer base sheet 31 and a spacer sheet 32 as an elastic layer provided on one surface of the elastic layer base sheet 31. In the present embodiment, the elastic layer base material sheet 31 is disposed on the insulating film 23 side of the Z direction position detecting electrode body 20, and the spacer sheet 32 is on the Y direction electrode base material sheet 45 side of the X direction electrode sheet 40a. Is arranged.

  As the base material sheet 31 for elastic layers, the thing similar to the base material sheet 21 for Z direction electrodes can be used. However, it is not necessary to be the same as the Z-direction electrode substrate sheet 21.

The spacer sheet 32 is a sheet made of an elastic material, and is provided with a large number of cylindrical elastic spacers 32a on one surface. The elastic spacer 32 a is provided such that its top surface is in close contact with the X-direction electrode substrate sheet 41.
By providing the spacer sheet 32 in the three-dimensional sensor 1, when the protective layer 50 is not pressed, the Z-direction position detection electrode body 20 and the XY-direction position detection electrode body 40 can be easily set at regular intervals. When the protective layer 50 is pressed, the spacer sheet 32, particularly the elastic spacer 32a, can be compressed and deformed, and the distance between the Z-direction position detecting electrode body 20 and the XY-direction position detecting electrode body 40 can be easily reduced. it can.
Examples of the elastic material constituting the spacer sheet 32 include thermosetting elastomers such as urethane rubber, isoprene rubber, ethylene propylene rubber, natural rubber, ethylene propylene diene rubber, styrene butadiene rubber, and silicone rubber; urethane, ester, and styrene. Olefin-based, butadiene-based or fluorine-based thermoplastic elastomers; or composites thereof. In the present invention, since it is important that the relationship between the pressing force and the distance between the electrodes according to the pressing force does not change consistently, the rubber-like elastic body has a relatively small dimensional change with repeated pressing, that is, compression. Silicone rubber having a relatively small permanent set is preferred.

The height of the elastic spacer 32a is preferably 30 to 150 μm, and more preferably 30 to 100 μm. If the height of the elastic spacer 32a is equal to or higher than the lower limit value, the XY direction position detecting electrode body 40 is more easily bent when pressed, and a sufficient amount of displacement can be secured. it can.
The elastic spacers 32a are regularly arranged on one surface of the spacer sheet 32, and are arranged in, for example, a 60-degree zigzag pattern, a square zigzag pattern, a parallel pattern, and a lattice pattern.
The pitch of the adjacent elastic spacers 32a and 32a is preferably 0.1 to 2.0 mm, and more preferably 0.1 to 1.0 mm. If the pitch of the adjacent elastic spacers 32a and 32a is equal to or greater than the lower limit value, the XY direction position detecting electrode body 40 can be bent more easily when the protective layer 50 is pressed. However, when the pitch of the adjacent elastic spacers 32a and 32a exceeds the upper limit value, the function of the elastic spacer 32a as a spacer deteriorates, and the electrode body 40 for detecting the XY direction position is bent when the protective layer 50 is pressed. It may be too much.

(Adhesive layer)
The adhesive layer 60 is a layer having a thickness of 25 μm or less, preferably 10 μm or less, for bonding the Z-direction position detecting electrode body 20 and the easily deformable body 30. If the thickness of the adhesive layer 60 exceeds 25 μm, the sensitivity and detection accuracy for detecting the Z-direction position may decrease.
The thickness of the adhesive layer 60 should just be 1 micrometer or more in order to ensure sufficient adhesive force, and it is preferable that it is 3 micrometers or more.
As the adhesive constituting the adhesive layer 60, various adhesives such as a hot melt adhesive, a thermosetting adhesive, and a photocurable adhesive are used. The adhesive layer 60 is not a double-sided adhesive tape.

Examples of the hot melt adhesive include polyester hot melt adhesives, polyurethane hot melt adhesives, polyamide hot melt adhesives, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer hot melt adhesives, polyolefin hot melt adhesives, and the like. . Of these, polyester hot melt adhesives and polyurethane hot melt adhesives are preferable, and polyester hot melt adhesives are more preferable because they can be bonded at low temperatures and have excellent adhesive strength.
The hot melt adhesive preferably has a softening point of 130 ° C. or lower. If the softening point of the hot melt adhesive is 130 ° C. or lower, the bonding temperature between the Z-direction position detecting electrode body 20 and the easily deformable body 30 can be 130 ° C. or lower. If the bonding temperature between the Z-direction position detecting electrode body 20 and the easily deformable body 30 is set to 130 ° C. or lower, the deformation or warpage of the base material sheets 21, 31, 41 when heated can be prevented.
Examples of the thermosetting adhesive include an epoxy thermosetting adhesive, an acrylic thermosetting adhesive, and a silicone thermosetting adhesive.
Examples of the photocurable adhesive include acrylic photocurable adhesives and epoxy photocurable adhesives.

(XY-direction position detection electrode body)
The XY direction position detection electrode body 40 is an electrode body used when detecting positions in the X direction and the Y direction, and is provided on the front side of the easily deformable body 30. The XY direction position detecting electrode body 40 used in the present embodiment is a laminated sheet in which a pair of electrode sheets (X direction electrode sheet 40a, Y direction electrode sheet 40b) are laminated.

The X-direction electrode sheet 40a includes an X-direction electrode substrate sheet 41, a patterned conductive film 42 formed on the surface 41a (first surface 41a) on the front side of the X-direction electrode substrate sheet 41, and conductive And an insulating film 43 covering the film 42.
As the base material sheet 41 for X direction electrodes, the thing similar to the base material sheet 21 for Z direction electrodes can be used. However, it is not necessary to be the same as the Z-direction electrode substrate sheet 21.
As the conductive film 42, the same film as the conductive film 22 can be used. However, the conductive film 22 is not necessarily the same.
As the insulating film 43, the same film as the insulating film 23 can be used. However, it is not necessary to be the same as the insulating film 23.

The pattern of the conductive film 42 in the present embodiment is a pattern having a plurality of strip-shaped X-direction electrode portions 42a formed along the X direction, as shown in FIG.
The width of the X-direction electrode portion 42a is preferably 2 to 7 mm, and more preferably 3 to 5 mm. If the width of the X-direction electrode portion 42a is equal to or greater than the lower limit value, disconnection can be prevented, and if the width is equal to or smaller than the upper limit value, position detection accuracy can be improved.
It is preferable that the space | interval of adjacent X direction electrode part 42a, 42a is 0.05-2 mm, and it is more preferable that it is 0.1-1 mm. If the distance between adjacent X-direction electrode portions 42a, 42a is equal to or smaller than the upper limit value, the three-dimensional sensor 1 can be easily downsized. However, it is difficult to make the interval between the adjacent X-direction electrode portions 42a, 42a less than the lower limit value.

The X-direction electrode sheet 40a includes a lead wiring 44a and an external connection terminal 44b (see FIG. 3). The lead wiring 44a is a wiring for connecting each X-direction electrode portion 42a and the external connection terminal 44b. The preferable width and interval of the routing wiring 44a are the same as those of the routing wiring 24a.
Examples of a method for forming the lead wiring 44a and the external connection terminal 44b include a method in which a conductive paste is screen-printed on the front side surface of the X-direction electrode base sheet 41 and then heated and cured.

The electrode sheet 40b for Y direction in this embodiment is bonded by the adhesive layer 40c to the surface 40e on the front side of the electrode sheet 40a for X direction. Moreover, the electrode sheet 40b for Y direction in this embodiment is the pattern shape formed in the surface 45a (1st surface 45a) of the front side of the base material sheet 45 for Y direction electrodes, and the base material sheet 45 for Y direction electrodes. A conductive film 46 and an insulating film 47 covering the conductive film 46 are included.
As the base sheet 45 for Y direction electrodes, the thing similar to the base sheet 21 for Z direction electrodes can be used. However, it is not necessary to be the same as the Z-direction electrode substrate sheet 21.
As the conductive film 46, the same film as the conductive film 22 can be used. However, the conductive film 22 is not necessarily the same.
As the insulating film 47, the same film as the insulating film 23 can be used. However, it is not necessary to be the same as the insulating film 23.

Similar to the pattern of the conductive film 22, the pattern of the conductive film 46 in the present embodiment is a pattern having a plurality of strip-shaped Y-direction electrode portions 46 a formed along the Y direction, as shown in FIG. 4.
The pattern of the conductive film 46 does not have to be the same as the pattern of the conductive film 22, and for example, the width may be different. When the pattern of the conductive film 46 is not the same as the pattern of the conductive film 22, the width of the conductive films 22 and 46 is preferably in the range of 0.05 to 2.0 mm, and is 0.05 to 1.0 mm. Is more preferable.

The Y-direction electrode sheet 40b has a lead wiring 48a and an external connection terminal 48b (see FIG. 4). The lead wiring 48a is a wiring for connecting each Y-direction electrode portion 46a and the external connection terminal 48b. The preferable width and interval of the routing wiring 48a are the same as those of the routing wiring 24a.
Examples of a method for forming the lead wiring 48a and the external connection terminal 48b include a method in which a conductive paste is screen-printed on the front surface of the Y-direction electrode base sheet 45 and then cured by heating.
The external connection terminals 24b, 44b, and 48b are arranged so as not to overlap each other.

  The adhesive layer 40 c in the present embodiment is the same as the adhesive layer 60. However, it is not necessary to be composed of the same adhesive as the adhesive layer 60. Further, the thickness of the adhesive layer 40c is preferably 25 μm or less, more preferably 10 μm or less, because the sensitivity and detection accuracy of X-direction position detection and Y-direction position detection are increased. On the other hand, from the viewpoint of securing the adhesive force, the thickness of the adhesive layer 40c is preferably 1 μm or more.

(Protective layer)
The protective layer 50 is a layer that is formed on the front side surface 40f of the XY direction position detecting electrode body 40 and protects the XY direction position detecting electrode body 40. In this embodiment, the protective layer 50 is bonded to the XY direction position detection electrode body 40 by the double-sided adhesive tape 51.
The protective layer 50 is made of an insulating resin or insulating elastic glass. As the insulating resin, an insulating thermoplastic resin, an insulating thermosetting resin, or an ultraviolet curable resin is used. The protective layer 50 may be decorated as necessary.
The thickness of the protective layer 50 is preferably 25 to 1000 μm. If the thickness of the protective layer 50 is equal to or greater than the lower limit value, the XY direction position detecting electrode body 40 can be sufficiently protected, and if the thickness is equal to or smaller than the upper limit value, it can be easily bent when pressed.

(Production method)
The manufacturing method of the three-dimensional sensor 1 includes a Z-direction position detection electrode body manufacturing step (first electrode body manufacturing step), an XY-direction position detection electrode body manufacturing step (second electrode body manufacturing step), and an easily deformable body. The method which has a preparation process, a joining process, a protective layer bonding process, and a support plate bonding process is mentioned.

[Z-direction position detection electrode body manufacturing process]
In the Z-direction position detection electrode body manufacturing step in the present embodiment, the Y-direction electrode portion 22a, the routing wiring 24a, and the external connection terminal 24b are formed on the first surface 21a of the Z-direction electrode base sheet 21. In this step, the insulating film 23 is formed on the surface to obtain the Z-direction position detecting electrode body 20.
As a method of forming the Y-direction electrode portion 22a (patterned conductive film 22), a conductive film having no pattern is formed on at least a part of the surface 21a (first surface 21a) on the front side of the base sheet 21 for Z-direction electrode. There is a method of etching the conductive film so as to have a predetermined pattern after the formation.
As an etching method, a dry etching method such as a chemical etching method (wet etching method), laser etching, plasma etching using argon plasma or oxygen plasma, or ion beam etching can be applied. Among these, laser etching is preferable because the Y-direction electrode portion 22a can be formed finely.
Examples of a method for forming the routing wiring 24a and the external connection terminal 24b include a method in which a conductive paste is screen-printed on the first surface 21a of the Z-direction electrode base sheet 21 and then cured by heating.
As a method for forming the insulating film 23, various printing methods such as screen printing and ink jet printing can be applied.
After the insulating film 23 is formed, the periphery may be trimmed to make the Z-direction position detection electrode body 20 a predetermined shape.

[XY electrode position detection process]
The XY direction position detection electrode body preparation step includes an X direction electrode sheet preparation step, a Y direction electrode sheet preparation step, and an XY direction position detection electrode body formation step.
In the X-direction electrode sheet manufacturing step in the present embodiment, the X-direction electrode portion 42a, the routing wiring 44a, and the external connection terminal 44b are formed on the first surface 41a of the X-direction electrode base sheet 41, The electrode film 40a for X direction is obtained by forming the insulating film 43 in this.
In the Y-direction electrode sheet manufacturing step in the present embodiment, the Y-direction electrode portion 46a, the routing wiring 48a, and the external connection terminal 48b are formed on the first surface 45a of the Y-direction electrode base sheet 45, The Y-direction electrode sheet 40b is obtained by forming the insulating film 47 on the surface.
The formation method of the X direction electrode part 42a and the Y direction electrode part 46a is the same as the formation method of the Y direction electrode part 22a of the electrode body 20 for Z direction position detection.
The formation method of the routing wirings 44a and 48a and the external connection terminals 44b and 48b is the same as the formation method of the routing wiring 24a and the external connection terminals 24b of the Z-direction position detection electrode body 20.
After the insulating films 43 and 47 are formed, the periphery may be trimmed in order to make the X-direction electrode sheet 40a and the Y-direction electrode sheet 40b into a predetermined shape.
In the XY direction position detecting electrode body forming step in the present embodiment, the X direction electrode sheet 40a and the Y direction electrode sheet 40b are bonded together by an adhesive layer 40c having a thickness of 25 μm or less. Specifically, in the present embodiment, the insulating film 43 of the X-direction electrode sheet 40a and the Y-direction electrode substrate sheet 45 of the Y-direction electrode sheet 40b are pasted by the adhesive layer 40c having a thickness of 25 μm or less. Match.
For example, when the adhesive is a hot-melt adhesive, an adhesive-containing liquid containing an adhesive is printed or coated on the exposed surface of the insulating film 43 of the X-direction electrode sheet 40a, and then dried. Layer 40c is formed. Next, the Y-direction electrode substrate sheet 45 of the Y-direction electrode sheet 40b is overlapped and bonded to the adhesive layer 40c. At the time of bonding, the X-direction electrode sheet 40a, the adhesive layer 40c, and the Y-direction electrode sheet 40b are thermocompression bonded.
Alternatively, a hot-melt adhesive film may be prepared in advance, and the hot-melt adhesive film may be sandwiched between the X-direction electrode sheet 40a and the Y-direction electrode sheet 40b and thermocompression-bonded.
When the adhesive is a thermosetting adhesive, an adhesive-containing liquid containing an adhesive is printed or coated on the exposed surface of the insulating film 43 of the X-direction electrode sheet 40a, and dried as necessary. To form an uncured adhesive layer. Next, the Y-direction electrode substrate sheet 45 of the Y-direction electrode sheet 40b is overlaid on the uncured adhesive layer. Next, the X-direction electrode sheet 40a, the adhesive layer 40c, and the Y-direction electrode sheet 40b are heated, the adhesive is cured, and the adhesive layer 40c is formed and bonded.
When the adhesive is a photo-curable adhesive, an adhesive-containing liquid containing an adhesive is printed or coated on the exposed surface of the insulating film 43 of the X-direction electrode sheet 40a, and dried as necessary. To form an uncured adhesive layer. Next, the Y-direction electrode substrate sheet 45 of the Y-direction electrode sheet 40b is overlaid on the uncured adhesive layer. Next, the uncured adhesive layer is irradiated with ultraviolet rays or an electron beam through the X-direction electrode sheet 40a or the Y-direction electrode sheet 40b, the adhesive is cured, and the adhesive layer 40c is formed and bonded.

[Easily deformable body manufacturing process]
The easily deformable body producing step in the present embodiment includes a spacer sheet producing step for producing a spacer sheet 32 as an elastic layer by molding, and a bonding step for adhering the spacer sheet 32 to the elastic layer substrate sheet 31. Have.
In the spacer sheet manufacturing step, a mold is used to form an elastic material, and a spacer sheet 32 having a large number of cylindrical elastic spacers 32a on one surface of the sheet is manufactured. As a method for molding the elastic material, a press molding method, an injection molding method, or the like can be applied.
In the bonding step, the spacer sheet 32 and the elastic layer substrate sheet 31 may be bonded using an adhesive or may be heat-welded. Further, the elastic layer base sheet 31 is placed in advance in the mold, and the spacer sheet 32 is bonded to the elastic layer base sheet 31 at the same time as the elastic material is formed to form the spacer sheet 32. May be.

[Joint process]
In the joining process in the present embodiment, the Z-direction position detecting electrode body 20 and the easily deformable body 30 are joined by the adhesive layer 60, and the XY direction position detecting electrode body 40 and the easily deformable body 30 are joined. It is a step of forming an adhesive laminate.

When the adhesive for joining the Z-direction position detecting electrode body 20 and the easily deformable body 30 is a hot melt adhesive, the adhesive is applied to the exposed surface of the insulating film 23 of the Z-direction position detecting electrode body 20. The adhesive-containing liquid is printed or applied and dried to form the adhesive layer 60. Next, the elastic layer base material sheet 31 of the easily deformable body 30 is stacked on and bonded to the adhesive layer 60. At the time of bonding, the easily deformable body 30, the adhesive layer 60, and the Z-direction position detection electrode body 20 are thermocompression bonded.
Alternatively, a hot-melt adhesive film may be prepared in advance, and the hot-melt adhesive film may be sandwiched between the easily deformable body 30 and the Z-direction position detecting electrode body 20 and heat-pressed.
When the adhesive for joining the Z-direction position detecting electrode body 20 and the easily deformable body 30 is a thermosetting adhesive, the adhesive is applied to the exposed surface of the insulating film 23 of the Z-direction position detecting electrode body 20. An adhesive-containing liquid containing is printed or applied, and dried as necessary to form an uncured adhesive layer. Next, the elastic layer base material sheet 31 of the easily deformable body 30 is overlaid on the uncured adhesive layer. Next, the easily deformable body 30, the adhesive layer 60, and the Z-direction position detecting electrode body 20 are heated, and the adhesive is cured and bonded.
When the adhesive that joins the Z-direction position detecting electrode body 20 and the easily deformable body 30 is a photocurable adhesive, the adhesive is applied to the exposed surface of the insulating film 23 of the Z-direction position detecting electrode body 20. An adhesive-containing liquid containing is printed or applied, and dried as necessary to form an uncured adhesive layer. Next, the elastic layer base material sheet 31 of the easily deformable body 30 is overlaid on the uncured adhesive layer. Next, the uncured adhesive layer is irradiated with ultraviolet rays or an electron beam through the Z-direction position detecting electrode body 20 or the easily deformable body 30 to cure and bond the adhesive.
Even when any adhesive is used, it is preferable to print the adhesive-containing liquid because a thin layer can be easily formed.

In the joining of the XY direction position detecting electrode body 40 and the easily deformable body 30 in the present embodiment, the X direction electrode base material sheet 41 of the XY direction position detecting electrode body 40 and the spacer sheet 32 of the easily deformable body 30 are joined. Join. More specifically, the X-direction electrode base material sheet 41 and the top surface 32b of the elastic spacer 32a of the spacer sheet 32 are joined.
The bonding method between the XY direction position detecting electrode body 40 and the easily deformable body 30 is not particularly limited, and may be bonded using an adhesive or may be bonded by heat welding. Moreover, since the elastic material which comprises the spacer sheet | seat 32 of the easily deformable body 30 has adhesiveness normally, the electrode body 40 for XY direction position detection and the easily deformable body 30 are utilized using the adhesiveness. You may join. In that case, it is preferable to perform surface treatment such as plasma treatment on the exposed surface of the spacer sheet 32 in advance to improve the adhesiveness.

[Protective layer bonding process]
A protective layer bonding process is a process of bonding a protective layer to the said adhesive laminated body.
Specifically, in the protective layer bonding step, the protective layer 50 is bonded to the insulating film 47 of the XY-direction position detecting electrode body 40 constituting the adhesive laminate using the double-sided adhesive tape 51.

[Support plate pasting process]
A support board bonding process is a process of bonding a support board to the said adhesion laminated body.
Specifically, in the support plate bonding step, the support plate 10 is bonded to the Z-direction electrode substrate sheet 21 of the Z-direction position detection electrode body 20 constituting the adhesive laminate using the double-sided adhesive tape 11. To do. Thereby, the three-dimensional sensor 1 is obtained.

(how to use)
A usage example in which the three-dimensional sensor 1 is used as a capacitive touch pad of a notebook personal computer will be described.
The user of the personal computer moves his / her finger along the surface of the protective layer 50 in order to move the position in the X direction and the position in the Y direction of the pointer displayed on the monitor. At this time, the three-dimensional sensor 1 uses the XY direction position detection electrode body 40 to detect the position of the finger in the X direction and the position of the Y direction in the input area. Specifically, the positions of the fingers in the X direction and the Y direction are obtained by using the conductive films 42 and 46 to detect a change in capacitance in the X direction and a change in capacitance in the Y direction.
In addition, the user moves the position in the X direction and the position in the Y direction of the pointer to the selection area for executing the target processing, and then presses the input area of the three-dimensional sensor 1 with the finger. To do.
At this time, the XY direction position detecting electrode body 40 and the protective layer 50 are bent, and the elastic spacer 32a of the spacer sheet 32 is compressed and deformed by the bending. Therefore, the distance between the Z-direction position detecting electrode body 20 and the X-direction electrode sheet 40a of the XY-direction position detecting electrode body 40 is shortened. At that time, a change in capacitance between the conductive film 22 and the conductive film 42, that is, a change in capacitance in the Z direction is detected, and a pressing amount is obtained from the change in capacitance. And the process according to the pressing amount is performed.

(Function and effect)
In the three-dimensional sensor 1 of the present embodiment, as described above, the Z-direction position detecting electrode body 20 and the easily deformable body 30 are bonded by the adhesive layer 60 having a thickness of 25 μm or less. Since the adhesive layer 60 is thin, the distance between the Z-direction position detection electrode body 20 and the XY-direction position detection electrode body 40 can be reduced. Therefore, when the protective layer 50 is pressed, it can be reliably detected that the XY direction position detection electrode body 40 has approached the Z direction position detection electrode body 20, and thus the three-dimensional sensor 1 has high sensitivity.
In addition, since the amount of moisture absorption in the adhesive layer 60 is reduced because the thickness of the adhesive layer 60 is 25 μm or less, even if the humidity around the three-dimensional sensor 1 fluctuates, the dielectric constant of the adhesive layer 60 Is hard to fluctuate. Therefore, since the capacitance value when the protective layer 50 is pressed can be suppressed from changing according to the humidity, the detection accuracy of the three-dimensional sensor 1 is high.
Further, the bonding between the Z-direction position detecting electrode body 20 and the easily deformable body 30 using the adhesive layer 60 is based on the bonding between the Z-direction position detecting electrode body 20 and the easily deformable body 30 using a double-sided adhesive tape. However, the number of manufacturing steps can be reduced. Thin double-sided adhesive tapes are also commercially available, but they are special and expensive. However, since the thin adhesive layer 60 is inexpensive, the three-dimensional sensor 1 in which the Z-direction position detecting electrode body 20 and the easily deformable body 30 are bonded by the adhesive layer 60 is low in cost.
Further, since the thickness of the adhesive layer 40c and the adhesive layer 60 is 25 μm or less, the three-dimensional sensor 1 can be easily thinned.
Furthermore, in the present embodiment, since the X-direction electrode sheet 40a and the Y-direction electrode sheet 40b in the XY-direction position detection electrode body 40 are also bonded using the adhesive layer 40c having a thickness of 25 μm or less, 3 The sensitivity and detection accuracy of the dimension sensor 1 are higher.

Second Embodiment
A second embodiment of the three-dimensional sensor of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 5 shows the three-dimensional sensor of this embodiment. The three-dimensional sensor 2 of this embodiment includes a support plate 10, a Z-direction position detection electrode body 20, an easily deformable body 30, an XY-direction position detection electrode body 40, and a protective layer 50. In the three-dimensional sensor 2 of the present embodiment, the Z-direction position detecting electrode body 20 and the easily deformable body 30 are bonded together by the adhesive layer 60 as in the first embodiment.
However, in the three-dimensional sensor 2 of the present embodiment, the X-direction electrode sheet 40a and the Y-direction electrode sheet 40b in the XY-direction position detection electrode body 40 are bonded together by the double-sided adhesive tape 40d.
The support plate 10, the Z-direction position detection electrode body 20, the easily deformable body 30, the XY-direction position detection electrode body 40, the protective layer 50, and the adhesive layer 60 in the present embodiment are the same as the support plate 10 in the first embodiment, This is the same as the Z-direction position detection electrode body 20, the easily deformable body 30, the XY-direction position detection electrode body 40, the protective layer 50, and the adhesive layer 60.

As in the first embodiment, the three-dimensional sensor 2 of the present embodiment includes a Z-direction position detection electrode body manufacturing step (first electrode body manufacturing step) and an XY-direction position detection electrode body manufacturing step (second electrode body). Manufacturing process), an easily deformable body manufacturing process, a joining process, a protective layer bonding process, and a support plate bonding process.
However, in the present embodiment, in the XY direction position detection electrode body manufacturing step, the X direction electrode sheet 40a and the Y direction electrode sheet 40b are not formed by an adhesive layer having a thickness of 25 μm or less, but by a double-sided adhesive tape 40d. Paste. Except for this point, the second embodiment is the same as the first embodiment.

Also in the present embodiment, the Z-direction position detection electrode body 20 and the XY-direction position detection electrode body 40 are bonded by the adhesive layer 60 having a thickness of 25 μm or less. Therefore, as in the first embodiment, when the protective layer 50 is pressed, it can be reliably detected that the XY direction position detection electrode body 40 has approached the Z direction position detection electrode body 20, so that the three-dimensional The sensor 2 has high sensitivity.
In addition, since the Z-direction position detection electrode body 20 and the XY-direction position detection electrode body 40 are bonded by the adhesive layer 60 having a thickness of 25 μm or less, the humidity around the three-dimensional sensor 2 varies. Moreover, it can suppress that the electrostatic capacitance value when pressing the protective layer 50 fluctuates according to humidity. Therefore, the detection accuracy of the three-dimensional sensor 2 is high.

<Third Embodiment>
A third embodiment of the three-dimensional sensor of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 6 shows the three-dimensional sensor of this embodiment. The three-dimensional sensor 3 of this embodiment includes a support plate 10, a first electrode body 20, an easily deformable body 30, a second electrode body 40 a, and a protective layer 50.
In the three-dimensional sensor 3 of the present embodiment, the first electrode body 20 and the easily deformable body 30 are bonded together by the adhesive layer 60.
The support plate 10, the first electrode body 20, the easily deformable body 30, the protective layer 50, and the adhesive layer 60 in the present embodiment are the same as the support plate 10, the Z direction position detecting electrode body 20, and the easily deformable body in the first embodiment. 30, the same as the electrode sheet 40 a for X direction, the protective layer 50, and the adhesive layer 60. That is, in the three-dimensional sensor 3 of the present embodiment, the Y-direction electrode sheet 40b and the adhesive layer 40c are omitted, and the protective layer 50 is bonded to the X-direction electrode sheet 40a using the double-sided adhesive tape 51. This is the same as the three-dimensional sensor 1 of the first embodiment.
The three-dimensional sensor 3 of the present embodiment cannot detect the position in the XY directions, but can be used as a switch of an electric circuit.

The three-dimensional sensor 3 of this embodiment is similar to the first embodiment in the first electrode body manufacturing process, the second electrode body manufacturing process, the easily deformable body manufacturing process, the bonding process, the protective layer bonding process, and the support plate bonding. It is manufactured by a manufacturing method having a combination step.
The first electrode body manufacturing process in the present embodiment is the same as the Z-direction position detecting electrode body manufacturing process in the first embodiment.
The 2nd electrode body preparation process in this embodiment is the same as that of the electrode sheet for X directions in 1st Embodiment.
The joining process in the present embodiment is a process of joining the first electrode body 20 and the easily deformable body 30 with the adhesive layer and joining the second electrode body 40a and the easily deformable body 30. The method of joining the first electrode body 20 and the easily deformable body 30 with the adhesive layer 60 is the Z-direction position detection electrode body 20 except that the Z-direction position detection electrode body 20 is replaced with the first electrode body 20. It is the same as the joining method with the easily deformable body 30. In the joining of the second electrode body 40a and the easily deformable body 30, the X-direction electrode base material sheet 41 of the second electrode body 40a and the spacer sheet 32 of the easily deformable body 30 are joined. More specifically, the X-direction electrode base material sheet 41 and the top surface 32b of the elastic spacer 32a of the spacer sheet 32 are joined. The method of joining the second electrode body 40a and the easily deformable body 30 is that the XY direction position detecting electrode body 40 and the easily deformable body 30 except that the XY direction position detecting electrode body 40 is replaced with the second electrode body 40a. It is the same as the joining method.
The protective layer bonding step in the present embodiment is a step of bonding the protective layer to the second electrode body 40a. Specifically, in the protective layer bonding step, the protective layer 50 is bonded to the insulating film 43 of the second electrode body 40 a using the double-sided adhesive tape 51.

In the present embodiment, the first electrode body 20 and the second electrode body 40a are bonded together by an adhesive layer 60 having a thickness of 25 μm or less. Therefore, when the protective layer 50 is pressed, it can be reliably detected that the second electrode body 40a has approached the first electrode body 20, and thus the three-dimensional sensor 3 has high sensitivity.
In addition, since the first electrode body 20 and the second electrode body 40a are bonded by the adhesive layer 60 having a thickness of 25 μm or less, the protective layer 50 can be removed even if the humidity around the three-dimensional sensor 3 fluctuates. It can suppress that the electrostatic capacitance value at the time of pressing changes according to humidity. Therefore, the detection accuracy of the three-dimensional sensor 3 is high.

<Other embodiments>
In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment.
For example, the widths of the X-direction electrode portion and the Y-direction electrode portion do not need to be constant. For example, the width may change periodically, and the thick portions and the narrower portions are alternately arranged. You may arrange in.
Further, in the XY direction position detecting electrode body, the X direction electrode sheet having the X direction electrode portion is disposed on the protective layer side, and the Y direction electrode sheet having the Y direction electrode portion is disposed on the easily deformable body side. It doesn't matter. In that case, the easily deformable body comes into contact with the Y-direction electrode substrate sheet of the Y-direction electrode sheet.
In the present invention, the shape of the elastic spacer is not particularly limited, and may be, for example, a triangular column shape, a quadrangular column shape, a hexagonal column shape, or the like.
Further, in the three-dimensional sensor of the present invention, the easily deformable body may be such that the elastic layer is not a spacer sheet, for example, a foam layer. Examples of the material for forming the foam layer include polyurethane and rubber.
Moreover, in this invention, a protective layer and a support plate are arbitrary structures, As for a three-dimensional sensor, either one of a protective layer and a support plate may be abbreviate | omitted.

(Production Example 1)
After forming a conductive film made of a copper deposited film having a thickness of 0.15 μm on one surface of a polyethylene terephthalate film (hereinafter referred to as “PET film”) having a thickness of 50 μm by a vacuum deposition method, The Y direction electrode part was formed by chemical etching so that the pattern shown in FIG. 2 was formed. At that time, the width of the Y-direction electrode portion was 0.6 mm, the length was 65 mm, and the pitch was 2.1 mm.
Next, after forming an uncured resin layer by screen printing an insulating paste containing an ultraviolet curable acrylic resin so as to cover the PET film and the conductive film, the uncured resin layer is irradiated with ultraviolet rays to a thickness of 20 μm. An insulating film was formed. This obtained the Z direction position detection electrode body.

(Production Example 2)
After forming a conductive film made of a 0.15 μm thick copper vapor-deposited film on one surface of a 50 μm thick PET film by vacuum vapor deposition, the pattern shown in FIG. 3 is formed on the conductive film. The X direction electrode part was formed by chemical etching. At that time, the width of the X-direction electrode portion was 0.2 mm, the length was 65 mm, and the pitch was 2.1 mm.
Next, after forming an uncured resin layer by screen printing an insulating paste containing an ultraviolet curable acrylic resin so as to cover the PET film and the conductive film, the uncured resin layer is irradiated with ultraviolet rays to a thickness of 20 μm. An insulating film was formed. This obtained the electrode sheet for X directions.

(Production Example 3)
After forming a conductive film made of a 0.15 μm thick copper deposited film on one surface of a 50 μm thick PET film by vacuum deposition, the pattern shown in FIG. 4 is formed on the conductive film. The Y direction electrode part was formed by chemical etching. At that time, the width of the Y-direction electrode portion was 0.1 mm, the length was 65 mm, and the pitch was 2.1 mm.
Next, after forming an uncured resin layer by screen printing an insulating paste containing an ultraviolet curable acrylic resin so as to cover the PET film and the conductive film, the uncured resin layer is irradiated with ultraviolet rays to a thickness of 20 μm. An insulating film was formed. This obtained the electrode sheet for Y directions.

(Production Example 4)
A PET film having a thickness of 50 μm was placed inside an injection mold capable of producing a spacer sheet in which a large number of cylindrical elastic spacers were provided on one side, and thermosetting liquid silicone was injection molded. Thereby, silicone was formed and cured to form a spacer sheet, and at the same time, the spacer sheet was bonded to a PET film to obtain an easily deformable body.

Example 1
A polyester-based hot melt adhesive was screen-printed on the exposed surface of the insulating film of the Z-direction position detection electrode body obtained in Production Example 1 and heat-dried to form an adhesive layer having a thickness of 10 μm.
A polyester hot melt adhesive was screen-printed on the exposed surface of the PET film of the Y-direction electrode sheet obtained in Production Example 3 and heat-dried to form an adhesive layer having a thickness of 10 μm.
XY direction position detection by contacting the insulating layer of the X direction electrode sheet obtained in Production Example 2 with the adhesive layer provided on the Y direction electrode sheet and thermally laminating at a temperature of 120 ° C. and a pressure of 0.4 MPa. An electrode body was prepared.
The base material sheet of the easily deformable body obtained in Production Example 4 was brought into contact with the adhesive layer provided on the Z-direction position detection electrode body, and was thermally laminated at a temperature of 120 ° C. and a pressure of 0.4 MPa.
Thereafter, the exposed surface of the easily deformable spacer sheet was subjected to plasma treatment, and the top surface of the elastic spacer of the spacer sheet and the base sheet of the X direction electrode sheet constituting the XY direction position detecting electrode body were bonded together. . Thereby, a three-dimensional sensor was obtained.

(Comparative Example 1)
The Y-direction electrode sheet obtained in Production Example 3 and the X-direction electrode sheet obtained in Production Example 2 are bonded using a double-sided adhesive tape (467MP, thickness: 50 μm, manufactured by 3M) to detect the XY-direction position. An electrode body was prepared. In that case, the double-sided adhesive tape was stuck to the base material sheet which comprises the electrode sheet for Y directions, and the insulating film which comprises the electrode sheet for X directions.
The Z-direction position detecting electrode body obtained in Production Example 1 and the easily deformable body obtained in Production Example 4 were bonded using a double-sided adhesive tape (467MP, 3M, thickness 50 μm). In that case, the double-sided adhesive tape was stuck to the insulating film which comprises the Z direction position detection electrode body, and the base material sheet which comprises an easily deformable body.
Thereafter, the exposed surface of the easily deformable spacer sheet was subjected to plasma treatment, and the top surface of the elastic spacer of the spacer sheet and the base sheet of the X direction electrode sheet constituting the XY direction position detecting electrode body were bonded together. . Thereby, a three-dimensional sensor was obtained.

<Evaluation>
In the three-dimensional sensor obtained in each example, the capacitance value, capacitance change rate, and adhesive strength before and after being left in a high temperature and high humidity environment were measured by the following methods, and the heat resistance was evaluated by the following methods.

(Capacitance value and capacitance change rate before and after leaving in high temperature and high humidity environment)
Before leaving in a high-temperature and high-humidity environment, ΔC ₁ (capacitance value after load-capacitance value before load) of the three-dimensional sensor was measured using a capacitance detection IC. . Here, the capacitance value is a capacitance between the conductive film of the Z-direction position detecting electrode body and the conductive film of the X-direction electrode sheet. As a load, a 1000 g weight having a tip with a diameter of 10 mm was used, and load was applied at five locations near and in the center of each corner of the surface of the three-dimensional sensor. The capacitance value before applying the load is the capacitance value at the position where the load is applied, and the capacitance value after adding the load is the capacitance value at the position where the load is added.
The three-dimensional sensor was left in a high temperature and high humidity environment at a temperature of 65 ° C. and a relative humidity of 95% for 168 hours. Thereafter, ΔC ₂ of the three-dimensional sensor was measured in the same manner as before being left in a high temperature and high humidity environment.
Then, the capacitance change rate before and after leaving in a high-temperature and high-humidity environment was determined from the formula {(ΔC ₂ −ΔC ₁ ) / ΔC ₁ } × 100. ΔC ₁ , ΔC ₂ and the capacitance change rate are shown in Table 1.
It means that it is excellent in moisture resistance, so that the said capacitance change rate is small. Further, the larger the values of ΔC ₁ and ΔC ₂ , the higher the sensitivity of the three-dimensional sensor.

The three-dimensional sensor of Example 1 was excellent in detection accuracy because the capacitance change rate before and after being left in a high temperature and high humidity environment was small and the humidity resistance was high. Moreover, the three-dimensional sensor of Example 1 had a large capacitance value and high sensitivity.
The three-dimensional sensor of Comparative Example 1 had a high capacitance change rate before and after being left in a high-temperature and high-humidity environment and low humidity resistance, so the detection accuracy was low. Further, the three-dimensional sensor of Comparative Example 1 had a small capacitance value and low sensitivity.

(Adhesive strength)
The three-dimensional sensor was attached to the chuck of the tensile tester so that peeling occurred with the adhesive layer or the double-sided adhesive tape between the Z-direction position detecting electrode body of the three-dimensional sensor and the easily deformable body. Next, a 90 ° peel test was performed under the conditions of 23 ° C. and a tensile speed of 10 mm / min, and the adhesive strength was measured.
Further, after the three-dimensional sensor was left in a high temperature and high humidity environment at a temperature of 65 ° C. and a relative humidity of 95% for 168 hours, the adhesive strength was measured in the same manner as described above.
Further, after the three-dimensional sensor was left in a low temperature environment of -40 ° C. for 168 hours, the adhesive strength was measured in the same manner as described above.
Table 2 shows the measurement results of the adhesive strength. The three-dimensional sensor has practicality if the adhesive strength is 10 N / 70 mm or more.

  The three-dimensional sensor of Example 1 had a bond strength after practical use of 10 N / 70 mm or more in adhesive strength after leaving in a high temperature and high humidity environment and in adhesive strength after leaving in a low temperature environment.

(Heat-resistant)
Before leaving in a high temperature environment, ΔC (capacitance value after applying load−capacitance value before applying load) of the three-dimensional sensor was measured using an IC for detecting capacitance. Here, the capacitance value is a capacitance between the conductive film of the Z-direction position detecting electrode body and the conductive film of the X-direction electrode sheet. In addition, as a load, a weight of 750 g having a tip with a diameter of 10 mm was used, and the load was applied at the center of the surface of the three-dimensional sensor. The capacitance value before applying the load is the capacitance value at the position where the load is applied, and the capacitance value after adding the load is the capacitance value at the position where the load is added.
With a weight of 750 g placed, the three-dimensional sensor was placed on a hot plate having a surface temperature of 65 ° C., the capacitance was measured as appropriate, and ΔC was measured. About 2 seconds after the start of heating, the weight was removed from the three-dimensional sensor, and ΔC was measured in that state. FIG. 7 shows the change in ΔC of the three-dimensional sensor of Example 1, and FIG. 8 shows the change of ΔC in the three-dimensional sensor of Comparative Example 1.
In addition, as a target test, with a weight of 750 g placed without heating the three-dimensional sensor, ΔC in the three-dimensional sensor is measured for about 2 seconds, and then the weight is removed from the three-dimensional sensor. It was measured.

  Since the hot melt adhesive is melted by heat, there is a concern about the operation of the three-dimensional sensor at a high temperature. However, as shown in FIG. The change in ΔC during heating was the same, and was the same as the change in ΔC in the three-dimensional sensor of Comparative Example 1 using the double-sided adhesive tape. Therefore, it has been found that even when the Z-direction position detecting electrode body and the easily deformable body are bonded using a hot melt adhesive, the heat resistance is practical.

1, 2, 3 Three-dimensional sensor 10 Support plate 11 Double-sided adhesive tape 20 Z-direction position detection electrode body (first electrode body)
21 Z-direction electrode substrate sheet 22 Conductive film 22a X-direction electrode portion 23 Insulating film 24a Lead-out wiring 24b External connection terminal 30 Deformable body 31 Elastic layer substrate sheet 32 Spacer sheet 32a Elastic spacer 40 XY-direction position detection Electrode body (second electrode body)
40a X-direction electrode sheet 40b Y-direction electrode sheet 40c Adhesive layer 41 X-direction electrode substrate sheet 42 Conductive film 42a X-direction electrode portion 43 Insulating film 44a Lead-out wiring 44b External connection terminal 45 Y-direction electrode substrate Sheet 46 Conductive film 46a Y-direction electrode portion 47 Insulating film 48a Lead-out wiring 48b External connection terminal 50 Protective layer 51 Double-sided adhesive tape

Claims (6)

A sheet-like first electrode body having a pattern-like conductive film, a sheet-like second electrode body having a pattern-like conductive film, and an easy arrangement between the first electrode body and the second electrode body A capacitive three-dimensional sensor comprising a deformable body,
The easily deformable body includes an elastic layer base sheet and an elastic layer provided on one surface of the elastic layer base sheet and having an Shore A hardness of 85 or less when measured with a thickness of 1 cm. And the elastic layer base sheet is disposed on the first electrode body side and the elastic layer is disposed on the second electrode body side,
A capacitance type three-dimensional sensor in which the first electrode body and the easily deformable elastic layer base sheet are bonded by an adhesive layer having a thickness of 25 μm or less. The first electrode body is a sheet-like Z-direction position detection electrode body that detects a position in the Z-direction, and the Z-direction position detection electrode body includes a base sheet for the Z-direction electrode and the Z-direction electrode. It is an electrode sheet having a patterned conductive film provided on one surface of the base sheet,
The second electrode body is a sheet-like XY direction position detecting electrode body that detects a position in the XY direction, and the XY direction position detecting electrode body includes an X direction electrode sheet and a Y direction electrode sheet. The X-direction electrode sheet has an X-direction electrode base sheet and a patterned conductive film provided on one surface of the X-direction electrode base sheet. A directional electrode base sheet and a patterned conductive film provided on one surface of the Y directional electrode base sheet, and the conductive film pattern of the X directional electrode sheet extends along the X direction. It is a pattern which has two or more formed X direction electrode parts, and the pattern of the electrically conductive film of the electrode sheet for Y directions is a pattern which has two or more Y direction electrode parts formed along the Y direction. Capacitance type three-dimensional sensor.   The capacitive three-dimensional sensor according to claim 2, wherein the X-direction electrode sheet and the Y-direction electrode sheet in the XY-direction position detecting electrode body are bonded by an adhesive layer having a thickness of 25 µm or less. . A first electrode body manufacturing step of forming a sheet-shaped first electrode body by forming a patterned conductive film;
A second electrode body manufacturing step of forming a sheet-shaped second electrode body by forming a patterned conductive film;
An easily deformable body producing step of forming an easily deformable body by forming an elastic layer having a Shore A hardness of 85 or less on one surface of the base sheet for elastic layer when the thickness is measured as 1 cm;
And joining the first electrode body and the easily deformable body with an adhesive layer having a thickness of 25 μm or less, and joining the second electrode body and the easily deformable body,
In the joining step, a capacitive three-dimensional sensor in which the elastic layer base sheet of the easily deformable body is disposed on the first electrode body side and the elastic layer of the easily deformable body is disposed on the second electrode body side. Manufacturing method. In the first electrode body manufacturing step, a patterned conductive film having a plurality of electrode portions formed along the X direction or the Y direction is formed on one surface of the base sheet for the Z direction electrode, and the Z direction A sheet-like Z-direction position detection electrode body for detecting the position of
In the second electrode body manufacturing step, an X direction electrode is formed by forming a patterned conductive film having a plurality of X direction electrode portions formed along the X direction on one surface of the X direction electrode base material sheet. Forming an electrode sheet for X direction for producing a sheet, and forming a patterned conductive film having a plurality of Y direction electrode portions formed along the Y direction on one surface of the base sheet for Y direction electrode; A sheet-like XY for detecting the position in the XY direction by bonding the Y-direction electrode sheet and the X-direction electrode sheet and the Y-direction electrode sheet, and preparing the Y-direction electrode sheet The method for manufacturing a capacitive three-dimensional sensor according to claim 4, further comprising an XY direction position detection electrode body forming step of forming a direction position detection electrode body.   The said X direction electrode sheet and the said Y direction electrode sheet are adhere | attached on the said XY direction position detection electrode body formation process by the adhesive bond layer of thickness 25 micrometers or less, and are bonded. A method of manufacturing a capacitive three-dimensional sensor.

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