JPH1039993A - Transparent touch panel and input device utilizing the same - Google Patents

Abstract

PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a touch panel and an input device utilizing the same with which the input specifications of various keys can be dealt with and the operating feelings of keys can be provided. SOLUTION: Concerning a transparent touch panel 11, two transparent boards are arranged while facing each other, and transparent electrodes (ITO) are formed on the confronted faces of respective transparent boards. The transparent electrodes formed on the transparent boards are made different at upper and lower parts and in a 1st area 12 at the upper part, a transparent electrode 14a is formed over all the surface but in a 2nd area at the lower part, a transparent electrode 14b is formed only at the specified section. A key input part having a pressing part is fixed on the 2nd area 13 of this touch panel 11 and a user operates the key of the key input part so that the contact of the touch panel 11 on the downside is turned on/off.

Description

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

[0001]

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 1. Field of the Invention The present invention relates to a transparent touch panel and an input device using the same.

[0002]

2. Description of the Related Art Conventionally, there is known a touch panel type key input device in which a liquid crystal display device is disposed below a transparent touch panel, and the types of keys of the transparent touch panel are displayed by the liquid crystal display device. The key input device of the touch panel type can switch the display of keys according to the operation procedure, so that only keys required at each operation stage can be displayed, and the operation is easy to understand.

[0003] This touch panel type input device is used for portable equipment and the like because a key input unit and a display unit are integrated to reduce the size of the device.

[0004]

However, the touch panel type input device has a smaller key stroke than a key input device using a conductive rubber or a mechanical key input device, and therefore, when a user operates the key. It was not possible to determine whether or not the key was actually turned on from the operational feeling of the key, and there was a problem that key input errors increased.

[0005] In an input device for a specific user,
Key input specifications also differ depending on the type of business in which the input device is used, the type of product to be processed, and the like. Therefore, in order to respond to different input specifications depending on the user, there is a method of preparing a separate key input unit for each specification requested by the user, and a method of changing the key processing program according to the user's key input specification using the touch panel. Had been taken.

In the first method, when the number of keys requested by the user is different, separate key input units are required, so that key input units having different dimensions are required. Furthermore, it is necessary to change the size of the case of the device that accommodates the key input unit according to the size of the key input unit. As a result, there is a problem that it is necessary to prepare a key input unit and a case having different dimensions, thereby increasing the product cost.

The second method has an advantage that it is possible to cope with different key input specifications only by changing the key processing program without changing the number of keys in the key input section. There is a problem that it is difficult for the user to recognize whether or not the key is turned on because the number of keys is small.

An object of the present invention is to provide a touch panel capable of responding to input specifications of different keys and providing a key operation feeling, and an input device using the touch panel.

[0009]

According to a first aspect of the present invention, there is provided a transparent touch panel having a switch formed by arranging a pair of transparent substrates having a transparent conductor facing each other to form a switch. And a non-conductive portion provided
And a transparent substrate provided with a transparent conductor and a non-conductive portion wider than the non-conductive portion in the first region. In addition, as the non-conductive portion, an insulating layer may be formed on the transparent conductor,
An insulating tape, a spacer, or the like may be interposed between the transparent substrates. Further, the non-conductive portion may be provided only on one of the transparent substrates.

According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided an input device using a transparent touch panel having a switch formed by arranging a pair of transparent substrates having a transparent conductor facing each other. And a non-conductive part insulated from the first switch group. The second switch is provided with a transparent conductor in the second area and a non-conductive part wider than the non-conductive part in the first area. The touch panel includes a touch panel forming a group, and a key input unit including a plurality of keys having a pressing unit arranged to cover a second switch group in a second area of the touch panel.

In the transparent touch panel according to the first invention, the second
The width of the non-conducting portion in the region is wider than the width of the non-conducting portion in the first region. Therefore, even if a portion other than the contact of the switch in the second region is pressed, the possibility of the switch being turned on is reduced. . For example, a key input portion having a pressing portion (conductive rubber, a key input portion having a mechanical structure, or the like) is placed on the second region of the transparent touch panel, and the pressing portion of the key input portion is pressed to form the second region. When the switch is turned on and off, the switch can be turned on only when the pressing portion is pressed.

The input device of the second invention can also turn on and off the switch in the second area of the transparent touch panel by operating the keys of the key input section. Therefore, the first
According to the second aspect of the present invention, it is possible to realize a transparent touch panel with large keystrokes and capable of flexibly supporting various key input specifications, and an input device using the same. Further, by making the width of the non-conductive portion of the second region larger than the width of the non-conductive portion of the first region, when the key input portion is mounted on the touch panel, the mounting position of the key input portion is shifted or the key input portion is shifted. Even if a stress is applied to a part of the touch panel due to deformation of the input unit or the like, there is no problem that the contact of the switch in the second area is turned on by mistake.

As a modified example of the second invention, when the specifications of the keys differ from one user to another, a common key is assigned to the first input unit, and different keys are configured by a user using a touch panel. By mounting the key input unit, the key input unit can be shared, and an input device that can support various key specifications can be realized.

[0014]

Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to the drawings. FIG. 1A is a schematic explanatory view of a transparent touch panel 11 according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In the transparent touch panel 11, two transparent substrates are arranged to face each other, and a transparent electrode (ITO) 14 is formed on the opposing surface of each transparent substrate. The transparent electrode 14 formed on the transparent substrate is different between the upper part and the lower part,
The transparent electrode 14a is formed on the entire surface of the upper first region 12, and the transparent electrode 14b is formed only on a specific portion of the lower second region 13. Spacers (spacers 19 in FIG. 2) are scattered between the two transparent substrates, and a first contact group of the switch is formed by the transparent electrodes 14a and the spacers in the first region 12, and a second region is formed in the second region. 13 transparent electrodes 1
The second contact group of the switch is constituted by 4b and the spacer. In this case, in the first region 12, the spacer is a non-conductive portion of the switch, and in the second region 13, the portion where the transparent electrode is not formed is the non-conductive portion.
The width of the non-conductive portion 3 is wider than the width of the non-conductive portion of the first region 12.

Although not shown in FIG. 1, electrodes for connection to an external circuit are drawn from the transparent electrodes 14a and 14b. FIG. 2 shows this transparent touch panel 11.
FIG. 4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a second region 13 of FIG. In the transparent touch panel 11, a film 15 and a glass substrate 16 are arranged to face each other, and a transparent electrode 17 is formed below the film 15;
The transparent electrode 18 is formed on the upper side of the glass substrate 16. A spacer 19 is adhered or adhered between the film 15 and the glass substrate 16, and a certain gap is secured by the spacer 19.

In FIG. 2, opposing transparent electrodes 17b,
One contact of the switch is constituted by the spacer 18b and the spacer 19. When the corresponding portion of the film 15 is pressed with a finger, the film 15 bends and the transparent electrode 17b becomes the lower transparent electrode 1.
8b, and the contact turns on. The same applies to other contact points.

A rubber or mechanical key input unit having a pressing part is fixed on the second area 13 of the touch panel 11, and the user operates a key of the key input part to lower the key input part. Turn on the contact of a certain touch panel 11,
Can be turned off.

In this case, the contacts of the switch are constituted only by the contacts of the touch panel 11, and the key input section only needs to have the pressing section. Therefore, there is no need to provide a key input section having independent contacts as in the conventional case. The configuration of the key input section is simplified. In addition, as the key operated by the user, a key input unit such as a rubbery or mechanical type having a large key stroke can be used, so that the user can recognize whether or not the key is turned on by touching the key. Input errors can be reduced.

Further, since the transparent electrodes 17b and 18b are formed only in the portion corresponding to the pressing portion of the key input portion of the touch panel 11, and the other portions are not formed with the transparent electrode, the key input portion is formed on the touch panel 11. At the time of fixing, even if the key input unit is deformed and stress is partially applied to the second area of the touch panel 11, unnecessary contacts of the touch panel 11 are not turned on.

In the embodiment described above, the second area 1
3, the transparent electrode 14b is formed partially.
Not limited to this method, for example, a transparent electrode is uniformly formed on the entire surface of the touch panel 11, an insulating layer is selectively formed on the transparent electrode to provide a non-conductive portion, and a non-conductive portion of the second region 13 is provided. May be made wider than the width of the non-conductive portion of the first region 12.

Also, a transparent electrode is uniformly formed on the entire surface of the touch panel 11, and an insulating tape or the like is applied to a specific portion of the second region 13 so that the transparent electrode is partially exposed.
Further, spacers 19 may be dispersed in the first and second regions 12 and 13 to form a contact group of the switch.

Alternatively, a transparent electrode is formed on the entire surface of the second region, and an adhesive is formed on a portion other than a specific portion (the portion of the transparent electrode 14b in FIG. 1) by printing or the like.
By spraying 9, portions other than the transparent electrode 14 b in FIG. 1 can be substantially insulated. Multiple spacers 19
By spraying, even if the film 15 is pressed,
In the portion where the spacer 19 is adhered, the upper transparent electrode does not come into contact with the transparent electrode of the lower glass substrate 16 due to the spacer 19, so that the same effect as in the case where the insulating layer is selectively formed can be obtained.

Further, when the adhesive is printed on the first and second regions 12 and 13 and the spacers 19 are sprayed, the density of the spacers 19 in the first region 12 is reduced, and
May be made denser. In this case, since the upper and lower transparent electrodes are completely insulated from the high density portion of the spacer 19, a non-conductive portion wider than the non-conductive portion of the first region 12 is formed. Thus, when the film 15 is pressed, the upper and lower transparent electrodes 14 come into contact with each other at an arbitrary position in the first area 12, but in the second area 13, a specific portion, that is, the upper and lower portions of the portion where the key pressing portion is located Only the transparent electrode 14b contacts the transparent electrode 14b
Can be prevented from touching.

Next, a second embodiment in which the touch panel of the present invention is used for a portable input device will be described with reference to FIGS. FIG. 3 is an external view of a portable input device 31 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. On an upper surface of the input device 31, a first key input unit 32 including a plurality of keys for inputting data, and the touch panel 11 of the first embodiment.
And a second key input unit 34 arranged to cover a specific area of the touch panel 33. Note that a liquid crystal display device is provided below the touch panel 33.

The first key input section 32 is provided integrally with the case 41 of the input device 31, a plastic key 32a is inserted into a hole of the case 41, and the key 32a
Underneath is a rubber sheet with conductive key contacts. When the key 32a is pressed, the key contacts of the rubber sheet short-circuit the key contacts of the printed circuit board arranged at the lower part of the sheet. Whether the key contacts on the printed circuit board are short-circuited is detected by a key processing program, and it is determined which key has been operated.

The second key input section 34 is provided separately from the case 41, and has five rubber soft keys 34a so as to cover a portion of the touch panel 33 where the contacts of the touch switch are formed. It is inserted into the hole of the panel 34b. By pressing the soft key 34a with a finger, a touch switch on the touch panel 33 can be turned on and off. The on / off state of the touch switch is also detected by the key processing program, and it is determined which touch switch has been operated.

FIGS. 4A and 4B are sectional views showing a case where only the touch panel 33 is used and a case where the second key input unit 34 is fixed on the touch panel 33. FIG. As shown in FIG. 4 (B), the second key input section 34 is provided with a plurality of rubber soft keys 34a inserted into holes of a plastic panel 34b. By pressing, the corresponding touch switch on the touch panel 33 can be turned on and off. The panel 34b on the case 41 side of the second key input unit 34 is fixed to the case 41 with an adhesive 52, and the opposite panel 34b is
1 is fixed to the touch panel 33.

When the number of keys required for each user is different, keys other than the common key are
And a second key input unit 34 for operating the touch switch is assigned to the first key input unit 3.
The first key input unit 3 is provided as a separate component from the first key input unit 3.
It is possible to cope with different key specifications depending on the user without changing the number of keys 2. Thereby, even when a part of the key specifications differs for each user, a key common to each user is assigned to the first key input unit 32 and the first key input unit 32 is shared, so that a plurality of types of There is no need to manufacture one key input unit 32, and parts can be shared to reduce product cost.

Next, the operation of the input device 31 configured as described above will be described. First, even when the specification of the key requested by the user is not sufficient only with the first key input unit 32,
If the key to be added is a touch switch, the touch panel 33 is used as it is as a key input unit.

On the other hand, if more keys are required than the number of keys of the first key input section 32,
When the key input by the user is not desired, the touch panel 33
A second key input unit 34 including a number of keys corresponding to the number of touch switches in the second area 13 is provided, and the second key input unit 34 is fixed at a position covering the touch switch of the touch panel 33.

The second key input unit 34 is
5, the soft key 34a is placed on the touch panel 33 as shown in FIG.
Alternatively, the panel 34b to which the adhesive 52 has been applied is placed on the soft key 34a. FIG. 5 shows a case where there are four keys.

The second key input unit 34 is connected to the touch panel 33
When the soft key 34a is pressed in a state where the soft key 34a is fixed to the upper part of the key, the soft key 34a is pressed downward, and the touch switch below the soft key 34a is turned on. Touch switch on,
The off state is monitored by a key processing program of the touch panel 33, which touch switch is turned on is detected, and if the operated switch is a function key, the processing of the corresponding function key is executed.

The touch panel 33 of the embodiment is a resistive touch panel, and detects the position of the operated switch by an analog method of detecting which switch is turned on from a change in resistance value. The method of detecting the position of the switch may be a digital method for detecting whether the switch is on or off. Alternatively, the on / off detection of the switch in the first area 12 may be performed in an analog manner, and the on / off detection of the switch in the second area 13 may be performed in a digital manner. Furthermore, touch panel 3
Reference numeral 3 is not limited to the resistive film type of the embodiment, but may be an optical type or the like in which the position where the switch is pressed is detected by an optical sensor or the like.

In the above-described embodiment, a second key input unit composed of a soft key or the like is arranged on the touch switch of the touch panel 33, and the soft key is pressed to operate.
Since a desired touch switch can be turned on and off, it is possible to satisfy a request of a user who wants to input by a soft key.

In the above-described embodiment, the first and second two key input units are provided, but it is also possible to configure with one key input unit. For example, if a large touch panel that can display all keys is used and a key input unit is placed on a part of the touch panel, various key arrangements can be performed by changing the assignment of keys on the touch panel. , A key input device with the number of keys can be realized. Thus, it is possible to realize a key input device having both a degree of freedom of changing keys on the touch panel and good key touch using rubber or mechanical keys.

The structure of the keys of the second key input section 34 is not limited to the one using rubber keys as in the embodiment, but may be one using an elastic member such as a spring or elastic plastic. Alternatively, a mechanical key switch may be used.

The present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned portable input device, but can also be applied to a desktop or notebook personal computer or an input device of a small electronic device such as an electronic organizer.

[0039]

According to the present invention, it is possible to realize an input device using a transparent touch panel which can obtain desired keystrokes and can flexibly cope with various key input specifications. Further, by making the width of the non-conductive portion of the second region wider than the width of the non-conductive portion of the first region, erroneous input of the switch in the second region can be reduced. For example, when attaching the key input unit to the touch panel, even if stress is applied to a part of the touch panel due to deformation of the key input unit, the touch panel switch does not turn on except for the contact part, so that there is a problem such as erroneous key input. Does not occur. Further, when the specifications of some keys are different for each user or each processing target, a first key input unit including a common key is provided, and different keys are assigned to the keys of the touch panel by the user. By providing the second key input unit on the top, it is possible to cope with various key specifications and realize an input device with a large key stroke.

[Brief description of the drawings]

FIG. 1 is a schematic explanatory view of a touch panel 11 according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic sectional view of a second area 13 of the touch panel 11.

FIG. 3 is an external perspective view of an input device according to a second embodiment.

FIG. 4A is a cross-sectional view when only the touch panel 33 is used, and FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view when the second key input unit 34 is fixed on the touch panel 33. .

FIG. 5 is an explanatory diagram of an attached state of a second key input unit.

[Explanation of symbols]

 11, 33 Touch panel 12 First area 13 Second area 15 Film 16 Glass substrate 14a, 14b, 17, 18, Transparent electrode 31 Input device 32 First key input unit 34 Second key input unit

Claims (14)

[Claims] 1. A transparent touch panel having a switch formed by arranging a pair of transparent substrates having a transparent conductor facing each other, wherein a transparent conductor and a non-conductive portion insulated from the transparent conductor are provided in a first region. 1 and 2 in which a transparent conductor and a non-conductive portion wider than the non-conductive portion of the first region are provided in the second region.
A transparent touch panel comprising a transparent substrate. 2. A transparent touch panel having a switch formed by arranging a pair of transparent substrates having transparent conductors facing each other to form a switch, wherein a transparent conductor and a non-conductive member insulated from the transparent conductor are formed in one first region of the transparent substrate. And a first part of the switch.
And a second conductor of the switch is provided by providing a transparent conductor in the second region and a non-conductive portion insulated from the transparent conductor and wider than the non-conductive portion of the first region. A transparent touch panel comprising a group. 3. The switch group according to claim 1, wherein the transparent conductor is selectively formed on the non-conductive portion of the first and second regions to form a contact group of the switch. Transparent touch panel. 4. The transparent touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the non-conductive portion is formed of an insulating layer selectively formed on the transparent conductor. 5. A touch panel according to claim 1, wherein said transparent touch panel is a resistive touch panel, and said switch on / off of said first area and said second area is detected by a digital method or an analog method. 3. The transparent touch panel according to 1 or 2. 6. The transparent touch panel according to claim 5, wherein the on / off detection of the switch in the first area and the on / off detection of the switch in the second area are performed in an analog manner. 7. A transparent touch panel having a switch formed by arranging a pair of transparent substrates having a transparent conductor facing each other to form a switch, wherein a first transparent conductor and the first transparent conductor are provided in one first region of the transparent substrate. And a non-conductive portion insulated from the second transparent conductor and a second transparent conductor and a non-conductive portion insulated from the second transparent conductor in a second region. Forming a second contact group of the switch, wherein an insulation distance between contacts of adjacent switches in the second region is made larger than an insulation distance between contacts of switches in the first region. Transparent touch panel. 8. A method for manufacturing a transparent touch panel in which a pair of transparent substrates on which a transparent conductor is formed is disposed to face each other to form a switch, wherein a first and a second transparent conductor are respectively formed on the pair of transparent substrates. A non-conductive portion for insulating the first transparent conductor and the second transparent conductor from each other, and the width of the non-conductive portion in a specific region of the transparent substrate is made wider than the width of the non-conductive portion in another region. A method for manufacturing a transparent touch panel, comprising: 9. The non-conductive portion is a spacer for securing a gap between the pair of transparent substrates, and has a higher density of spacers dispersed in the specific region than in other regions. Item 10. The method for producing a transparent touch panel according to Item 8. 10. A method for manufacturing a transparent touch panel in which a pair of transparent substrates on which a transparent conductor is formed are arranged to face each other to form a switch, wherein a first transparent conductor is formed on one surface of the first transparent substrate. A second transparent conductor is formed in a first region of the second transparent substrate, a first non-conductive portion insulated from the second transparent conductor is provided, and a third transparent conductor is formed in the second region. And a second region wider than the first non-conductive portion of the first region.
A method for manufacturing a transparent touch panel, characterized in that a non-conductive portion is provided. 11. An input device using a transparent touch panel in which a pair of transparent substrates on which a transparent conductor is formed is opposed to each other to form a switch, wherein the first region has a transparent conductor and a non-conductive member insulated from the transparent conductor. And a second switch group having a transparent switch and a non-conducting portion wider than the non-conducting portion of the first region in the second region. 1st and 2nd
And a key input unit including a plurality of keys having a pressing unit disposed so as to cover a second switch group in the second area of the touch panel. Input device. 12. The input device according to claim 11, wherein the pressing portion of the key input portion is made of an elastic plastic or rubber material. 13. An input device having a touch panel and a display device. A first key input unit including a plurality of keys; and a second key input unit including a plurality of keys having a pressing unit disposed so as to cover a part of switches of the touch panel. Input device to do. 14. A first switch group is provided by providing a transparent conductor and a non-conductive portion insulated from the transparent conductor in a first region, and a transparent conductor and the first region are provided in a second region. A touch panel composed of first and second transparent substrates having a second switch group by providing a non-conductive portion wider than the non-conductive portion; a first key input unit composed of a plurality of keys; An input device comprising: a second key input unit including a plurality of keys having a pressing unit disposed so as to cover a second switch group in the second area.