JPH0836449A - Surface material for input plate of pen input device - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE:To provide a surface material for input prate which gives the same feeling as writing on the surface of paper with a pencil by placing a transparent hard coat layer on a transparent base material to use them as the surface material of an input plate. CONSTITUTION:A transparent hard coat layer 50 is laminated on a transparent base material 40 to form a surface material 20 for input plate, and this surface material is provided on the surface of an input plate 10. A function member 30 like a coordinate detection member which detects the moving position of an input pen or a display member which displays characters or the like in accordance with the detection position is arranged under the surface material. A transparent thermoplastic resin material such as an acrylic resin like a polymethyl methacrylate, a polyester like a polyethylene terephthalate, or a polycarbonate can be used as the material of the transparent base material 40. A thin film of a transparnt metal oxide or a synthetic resin film is used as the hard coat layer 50, and Al2O3, SiO2, or the like can be used as the metal oxide, and a hard coat material like a silicone resin or a modified acylate can be used as the synthetic resin.

Description

Detailed Description of the Invention

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a surface material which gives an excellent writing feeling in an input plate of a pen input device.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Recently, electronic devices, especially small electronic devices such as electronic notebooks, having a pen (writing type) input mechanism have become popular recently, and this input method is complicated from an input keyboard. It has an advantage that characters or figures can be directly written on the display device instead of the input. The pen input device is composed of a writing pen and an input plate for detecting the movement of the pen.The input plate has a coordinate detection mechanism for detecting the position of the pen and a mechanism for displaying an input character according to the detected coordinate position. It is formed integrally. Specifically, the input plate surface is formed by stacking a coordinate detection sheet that detects the position of the input pen on the liquid crystal surface that displays written characters, and is transparent to prevent scratches from the pen. A protective layer is provided.

However, the conventional transparent protective layer is formed of a hard resin film having a smooth surface, a glass material, or the like. Therefore, the pen tip of the input pen is slippery, so that the writing feeling is bad and the tire is easily tired. There is. Furthermore, since the surface is smooth, there is a problem that the display of the display device arranged in the lower layer is hard to read because of strong reflection of external light.

Therefore, in order to prevent light reflection, a transparent surface material whose surface is blasted is used. Since fine irregularities on the surface formed by the blasting process diffusely reflect external light, this surface material eliminates glare due to reflection and makes the lower display easier to read. However, the unevenness caused by this blasting process is about several μm in size, which is too fine compared to the pen tip of the input pen, so that the writing feeling is hardly improved and the friction coefficient is slightly increased, but the input pen still remains. The problem of slipping and tiredness remains the same. Moreover, if the blasting treatment is applied too strongly, the size of the individual irregularities does not change so much, so the writing feel is not improved, but rather diffuse reflection may increase and the transparency may decrease.

For the purpose of improving such a writing feeling, a transparent protective layer on the surface of the input plate using a thin film of an organic polymer (Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 61-182083) or, on the contrary, an organic pen tip is used. Polymer coated (JP-A-61-18372)
No. 7) is proposed. In any of these cases, the friction coefficient of the surface is made relatively small and the hardness of the surface material is made smaller than that of the pen tip, so that the pen tip can flexibly contact the plate surface. Although the contact feeling of the pen tip becomes soft, the problem that the input pen is slippery due to the small friction coefficient is not solved, and the writing feeling is not sufficiently improved.

[0006]

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION It is an object of the present invention to provide a surface material for an input plate, which solves the above problems in the conventional input plate and gives the same writing feeling as when writing on a paper surface with a pencil. .

[0007]

According to the present invention, by using a transparent hard coat layer provided on a transparent base material as a surface material of an input plate, the friction coefficient of the surface is increased and at the same time a resistance feeling at the time of writing is generated. The writing feeling has been improved, and the writing feeling can be obtained like writing with a pencil on paper.

That is, the present invention provides a surface material for an input plate of a pen input device having the following structure. (1) A surface material used for a surface of an input plate of a pen input device, which is characterized in that a transparent hard coat layer is laminated on a transparent base material. (2) The surface material for an input plate according to (1) above, wherein the transparent substrate is made of acrylic resin, polyester, polycarbonate, polyimide, polysulfone, polyvinyl chloride, polyolefin, polyamide or a composition thereof. (3) The hard coat layer is composed of a metal oxide thin film
Surface material for input plate described in (1). (4) The metal oxide is Al ₂ O ₃ , SiO ₂ , Ti
The surface material for an input plate according to (3) above, which is O ₂ , ZrO ₂ , ZnO or MgO. (5) The surface material for an input plate according to (1) above, wherein the hard coat layer is made of a transparent synthetic resin thin film. (6) The surface material for an input plate according to the above (5), wherein the synthetic resin thin film forming the hard coat layer is a thin film of silicone resin or urethane modified acrylate.

[0009]

DETAILED DESCRIPTION FIG. 1 shows a schematic cross-sectional view of a surface material for an input plate according to the present invention. As illustrated, the input plate surface material 20 according to the present invention is formed by laminating a transparent hard coat 50 on a transparent base material 40, and is provided on the surface of the input plate 10. A functional member 30 such as a coordinate detecting member for detecting the moving position of the input pen and a display member for displaying characters or the like according to the detected position is disposed below the surface material 20.

As the transparent substrate 40, a transparent thermoplastic resin material such as acrylic resin such as polymethylmethacrylate, polyester such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polycarbonate, polyimide, polysulfone, polyvinyl chloride, polyolefin, polyamide, etc. Etc. can be used. These resins may be used alone or, if transparent, may be used as a composition such as a polymer blend or a polymer alloy.

In the present invention, the term "transparent" means that the light transmittance (intensity after transmission / before transmission × 100%) in the visible light wavelength range (about 360 to 830 nm) is 40% or more, and the lower side. If a display unit such as a liquid crystal is provided in, the transmittance is 70%.
% Or more.

The thickness of the transparent substrate is appropriately determined depending on the transparency and processability of the resin, and it can be used in the state of the resin sheet or plate, and is formed integrally with the functional member layer. But good.

The hard coat layer 50 provided on the surface of the transparent substrate is transparent so as not to interfere with reading of characters and the like displayed on the input plate, and the pen tip of the input pen comes into contact when writing. A material that gives a frictional feeling of writing to the surface of the paper when sliding is used. Specifically, a transparent metal oxide thin film or a synthetic resin film can be used. Examples of the metal oxide include Al ₂ O ₃ , SiO ₂ , and TiO ₂ .
₂ , ZrO ₂ , ZnO, MgO, ITO (In ₂ O
₃ (SnO ₂ )) or a mixture of two or more thereof. Examples of the synthetic resin include a silicone resin such as an organoalkoxysilane which is a thermosetting type, and a hard coating material such as a urethane-modified acrylate which is an ultraviolet curing type. It can be illustrated. The thickness of the hard coat may be within the range that does not impair the transparency of the base material, and is specifically determined depending on the material of the hard coat and the like.

By applying the above-mentioned transparent hard coat, the friction coefficient of the surface is increased and the writing feeling is improved, and since the hard coat layer also serves as a protective film, it has the effect of preventing the surface from being scratched.

As a method for forming a hard coat, in the case of coating a metal oxide thin film, a physical vapor deposition method such as vacuum vapor deposition, sputtering or ion plating (PV
D), and in the case of coating a synthetic resin film, it can be formed by dissolving a synthetic resin in a solvent as needed, applying it on the surface of a transparent substrate, and curing it by heat or ultraviolet rays. . A physical vapor deposition method such as vacuum vapor deposition, sputtering or ion plating may be performed by a usual method.

As described above, the surface material for the input plate of the present invention has the hard coat layer provided on the surface of the transparent base material. Display means such as liquid crystal may be provided as usual,
There is no need to change it. Therefore, it can be easily used in place of the conventional surface material.

[0017]

EXAMPLES Hereinafter, examples of the present invention will be shown together with comparative examples, but these examples are illustrative and do not limit the scope of the present invention.

Example 1 A 100 μm-thick polyethylene terephthalate film (Lumirror T-60 manufactured by Toray Industries, Inc.) was used with a DC magnetron sputtering device (Nippon Vacuum Technology Co., Ltd.).
Gas pressure 5 × 10 ^-3 Tor with aluminum as the target
A surface material having a hard coat was obtained by depositing Al ₂ O ₃ to a film thickness of 1 μm under the conditions of r, output 5.3 kw, argon flow rate 500 sccm, and oxygen flow rate 30 sccm. The friction coefficient and the transparency of this surface material were measured to evaluate the writing feeling. The results are shown in Table 1. Each test was conducted by the following method.

(1) Friction coefficient test: An input pen made of polyacetate and having a pen tip R of 500 μm was brought into contact with the surface material at 45 °, and the friction coefficient was measured when the surface was slid at 200 mm / min. (2) Transparency test: The visible light transmittance is measured with a spectrophotometer. (3) Writing sensation test: conducted by a sensory test, and a pencil (hardness H
Based on the writing feeling when writing on high-quality paper according to B), evaluation was made in order of the following four grades in order from the one closest to this.

⊚: The pen tip does not feel slippery, there is an appropriate feeling of hooking and vibration, and it resembles the feeling of writing on paper with a pencil. ○: Although the sliding, catching and vibration of the pen tip have been improved, the writing feeling with a pencil on paper is slightly poor. Δ: Although the sliding, snagging and vibration of the pen tip are improved, the writing feel is not good. ×: The pen tip slips, there is no feeling of catching or vibration, and it is difficult to write.

Example 2 A polyethylene terephthalate film (Lumirror T-60, manufactured by Toray Industries, Inc.) having a thickness of 100 μm was dipped in a hard coat material (Fujikura Kasei Co., Ltd., Fujihard), slowly pulled up, and dried for 10 minutes. , High pressure mercury lamp 100W / cm,
Curing was performed under the conditions of an irradiation distance of 15 cm and a passage speed of 5 m / min to obtain a surface material having a hard coat layer with a film thickness of 3 μm. With respect to this surface material, the friction coefficient, the transparency and the writing feeling were measured and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1. The results are shown in Table 1.

Comparative Examples 1 to 3 and Reference Example Polyethylene terephthalate film (Lumirror T-60, Comparative Example 1 manufactured by Toray Industries, Inc.) having a thickness of 100 μm, and the surface of the film was roughened by shot blasting. The friction coefficient, the transparency and the writing feeling were measured and evaluated in the same manner as in Example 1 for the sample (Comparative Example 2) and the sample whose surface was roughened by non-glare treatment (Comparative Example 3). The results are summarized in Table 1. In addition, the friction coefficient was measured using commercially available high-quality paper (PPC paper) with a pencil having a hardness of HB. The results are also shown in Table 1.

[0023]

[Table 1] No. Surface treatment Friction coefficient Transparency (%) Writing feeling 1 Aluminum oxide coat 0.27 to 0.30 75 to 85 ○ Example 1 2 Synthetic resin heart coat 0.17 to 0.21 75 to 85 ○ Example 2 3 Untreated 0.07 to 0.09 85 or more × Comparative Example 1 4 shot blast treatment 0.09 to 0.11 40 to 70 × Comparative Example 2 5 non-glare treatment 0.07 to 0.12 50 to 70 × Comparative Example 3 6 Pencil on paper (HB) 0.21 to 0.24 − ◎ Reference Example

As is clear from Table 1, the polyethylene terephthalate film (comparative example 1) which is untreated compared with the friction coefficient when written on high-quality paper with a pencil of hardness HB (reference example)
It can be seen that the friction coefficient of is very small and the writing feeling is bad. In addition, the surface of the resin film subjected to shot blasting (Comparative Example 2) and the surface subjected to non-glare treatment (Comparative Example 3) have the effect of preventing diffuse reflection, but the writing feeling is not much different from that of untreated one. , Hardly improved. On the other hand, the surface materials of the present invention (Examples 1 and 2) in which the resin is provided with a hard coat have a friction coefficient similar to that of the reference example, and are excellent in writing feeling. Further, the transparency is good, and reading of the display section provided on the lower side of the surface material will not be hindered.

[0025]

INDUSTRIAL APPLICABILITY The input plate surface material of the present invention provides a writing feeling similar to that of writing on a paper with a pencil, and is much easier to write than a conventional one. The conventional input plate has a problem that it is hard to write because the tip of the pen is slippery and tired. However, the surface material of the present invention provides a remarkably excellent writing feeling and does not get tired even when used for a long time. Further, the manufacturing is easy, and it is not necessary to change the position detecting means and the display means under the surface material.

[Brief description of drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a surface material for an input plate of the present invention.

[Explanation of symbols]

10 ... Input plate, 20 ... Surface material, 30 ... Functional member,
40 ... Transparent base material, 50 ... Hard coat layer

Claims (6)

[Claims] 1. A surface material used for the surface of an input plate of a pen input device, comprising a transparent hard coat layer laminated on a transparent base material. 2. The transparent substrate is acrylic resin, polyester, polycarbonate, polyimide, polysulfone,
The surface material for an input plate according to claim 1, which is made of polyvinyl chloride, polyolefin, polyamide or a composition thereof. 3. The surface material for an input plate according to claim 1, wherein the hard coat layer comprises a metal oxide thin film. 4. The metal oxide is Al ₂ O ₃ , SiO ₂ , T.
It is iO ₂ , ZrO ₂ , ZnO or MgO.
Surface material for input plate described in. 5. The surface material for an input plate according to claim 1, wherein the hard coat layer is made of a transparent synthetic resin thin film. 6. The surface material for an input plate according to claim 5, wherein the synthetic resin thin film forming the hard coat layer is a thin film of a silicone resin or a urethane-modified acrylate.