KR101357591B1 - Touch window having reinforcing pad - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a structure of a touch window, in particular disposed below the transparent window, including a touch sensor module for sensing a touch signal through a sensing electrode layer and a wiring portion electrically connected to the sensing electrode layer, at the end of the wiring portion It is possible to provide a touch window having a structure further comprising a reinforcement pad layer formed on the connection pad upper surface in contact with the FPCB, to ensure the reliability of the adhesion of the connection pad portion.

Description

Touch window having reinforcing pad}

The present invention relates to a technology that can ensure the reliability of the adhesion of the touch window and the flexible printed circuit board (FPCB).

FIGS. 1 and 2 show the main components of the capacitive touch panel. Fig. 1 shows a plan view of such an adhesive structure having such a multi-layer structure, and Fig. 2 shows a sectional view cut along the X-ray of Fig. Referring to FIG. 1, the touch panel includes an upper OCA 50 under a transparent window 10, an upper electrode layer 40 (ITO) 40 under the OCA 50, a lower OCA 30 and a lower electrode layer 20 And the liquid crystal panel (LCD) 60 is bonded to the lower portion. The touch screen panel TSP formed by joining the various layers cuts the upper OCA 50, the upper electrode layer 40 and the lower OCA 30 for bonding with the FPCB module to form connection pads P Is exposed.

FIG. 3 shows a crack C in a bonding portion during bonding of a connection pad P; S2, which is an end of the wiring S1 formed on the touch screen panel, and a bonding pad FP connecting the FPCB. It shows what is being done. The occurrence of such cracks is caused by adhesive heat / pressure during bonding, which leads to a later contact failure.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, an object of the present invention is to form a reinforcement pad layer on the connection pad connecting the touch sensor module and the flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) to solve the crack defects generated during the process. It is to provide a touch window that can improve the reliability of the contact.

As a means for solving the above problems, the present invention is disposed under the transparent window, the touch sensor module for detecting a touch signal through a sensing electrode layer; and a wiring unit electrically connected to the sensing electrode layer; It is possible to provide a touch window having a structure further comprising a reinforcement pad layer formed at the end of the wiring portion and connected to the upper surface of the connection pad in contact with the FPCB, to ensure the reliability of the adhesion of the connection pad portion.

In this case, the reinforcement pad layer may be formed of a different metal layer from the connection pad, and the material of the metal layer may be formed using any one metal of Ag, Mo, Cu, Au, Al, or two or more alloys. have.

In addition, the reinforcement pad layer may be formed more than the width of the connection pad.

The touch sensor module constituting the touch window according to the present invention includes a base substrate bonded to one surface of the transparent window via an adhesive material layer and a first sensing including a first electrode pattern on one surface of the base substrate. The electrode layer may be implemented in a structure including a second sensing electrode layer including a second electrode pattern on the other surface of the base substrate facing the one surface.

Alternatively, unlike the above-described structure, the touch sensor module may be bonded to the transparent window via a first adhesive material layer, and may include a first sensing electrode layer including a first electrode pattern on one surface of the touch sensor module, and the first sensing electrode layer. The other surface may be bonded to each other via a second adhesive material layer, and may have a structure including a second sensing electrode layer including a second electrode pattern on one surface.
In addition, the touch sensor module may be directly formed on the transparent window, and implemented as a structure including a first sensing electrode layer including a first electrode pattern and a second sensing electrode layer including a second electrode pattern to be insulated from each other. It may be.

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The touch sensor module may include a base substrate bonded to one surface of the transparent window via an adhesive material layer, and a first electrode pattern formed directly on one surface of the base substrate and insulated from each other. The structure may include a first sensing electrode layer and a second sensing electrode layer including a second electrode pattern.

The first sensing electrode layer, the second sensing electrode layer, and the wiring part constituting the touch sensor module according to the present invention may be formed of the same material. In this case, each unit pattern of the first sensing electrode layer or the second sensing electrode layer is formed in a mesh structure, and the mesh structure includes: an outer line pattern forming an outer portion of the unit pattern; It may be formed, including; internal line patterns connected in a cross structure.

In addition, the first sensing electrode layer or the second sensing electrode layer constituting the touch sensor module according to the present invention may be disposed so that each part overlaps each other, and either one of the first sensing electrode layer and the second sensing electrode layer may have periodicity. The curvature pattern may have a structure having a curvature pattern. In this case, the curvature pattern having the periodicity may have a linear electrode pattern disposed between the nth curvature and the (n + 1) th curvature.

The present invention has the effect of improving the reliability of contact by eliminating crack defects generated during the process by forming a reinforcement pad layer on the connection pad connecting the touch sensor module and the flexible printed circuit board (FPCB).

1 and 2 are a plan view and a main sectional view showing a structure of a conventional touch window, Figure 3 is a conceptual diagram showing a defect occurring in the connection structure of the conventional connection pad and the FPCB.
4 is a conceptual view illustrating main parts of a touch window having a reinforcement pad layer according to the present invention.
5 to 8 illustrate a plan view and a cross-sectional conceptual view of a touch sensor module in which a sensing electrode layer and a wiring unit according to the present invention are implemented.
9 illustrates another embodiment in which the shapes of the sensing electrode layers formed in FIGS. 7 and 8 are implemented differently.
FIG. 10 illustrates another configuration of the touch sensor module shown in FIG. 6.
FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional conceptual view illustrating a configuration of a touch sensor module having a structure different from that of FIG. 10.

Hereinafter, with reference to the accompanying drawings will be described in detail the configuration and operation according to the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS In the following description with reference to the accompanying drawings, the same reference numerals denote the same elements regardless of the reference numerals, and redundant description thereof will be omitted. The terms first, second, etc. may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms. The terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another.

4 is a conceptual diagram illustrating a main portion of a touch window according to the present invention.

The touch window according to the present invention has a transparent window, is disposed below the transparent window, and includes a touch sensor module for sensing a touch signal through a sensing electrode layer and a wiring part electrically connected to the sensing electrode layer. It may be configured to further include a reinforcement pad layer formed on the upper surface of the connection pad is formed in the end contacting the FPCB.

4 illustrates a bonding process of the connection pad S2 formed at the end of the wiring S1 and the bonding pad FP formed in the FPCB in the touch panel module having the above-described structure, and in particular, the present invention. In the connection pad (S2) is preferably configured to further comprise a reinforcement pad layer (S3) formed on the top.

As shown in the drawing, the reinforcement pad layer S3 is formed in a stacked structure on top of the connection pad S2, and is preferably formed of a metal material different from the connection pad S2. That is, the reinforcement pad may be formed using any one metal of Ag, Mo, Cu, Au, Al, or two or more alloys.

In this case, the width T2 of the reinforcement pad layer S3 is preferably implemented to be greater than or equal to the width T1 of the connection pad S2, which may improve the reliability of adhesion with the bonding pad FP of the FPCB. To make it work.

The reinforcement pad layer S3 forms a sensing electrode layer by patterning a base film on which a transparent electrode layer is formed, and implements a wiring part connected to the sensing electrode layer simultaneously or through another process (screen printing), and then patterning the connection pad portion. Can be implemented through: In this case, the patterning may be implemented by printing a photosensitive material and the like and implementing a pattern part corresponding to the width of the reinforcement pad layer, and then stacking the reinforcement pad layer on the connection pad upper surface through a deposition process.

5 to 8 illustrate a plan view and a cross-sectional conceptual view of a touch sensor module in which a sensing electrode layer and a wiring unit according to the present invention are implemented.

As shown in FIG. 5, the touch window according to the present invention is disposed under the transparent window 100 and the transparent window 100 that accepts a contact through an external touch, and the screen area V is provided through the sensing electrode layer. A touch sensor module (TSP) for implementing a view area and a dead area (D / A), and a function key electrically connected to the touch sensor module (TSP) and formed on a transparent window surface. Function (F) may include a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) 400 including a circuit for receiving and processing a signal input.

In addition, the wiring unit is connected to the sensing electrode layer inside the touch sensor module TSP, and the wiring unit to which the screen display and the touch sensing panel of the touch sensor module TPS is applied determines the number and location of the touches and the touch sensor module ( It is connected to a control unit (not shown) for controlling the operation of the TSP. In this case, a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) is used in order to cope with various device shapes inside the electronic device. The circuit pattern formed on the printed circuit board is connected to the connection pad to receive the sensing signal, and it is possible to determine the contact state and the position where the contact has occurred by using the sensing signal.

The FPCB 400 may further include a touch IC 410 that receives the touch signals of the sensing electrode layers Tx and Rx and includes wirings a1 and a2. In particular, the printed circuit board according to the present invention can be connected to the FPCB 400 through the reinforcement pad layer S3 according to the present invention formed on the connection pad of the wiring portion connected to the sensing electrode layer.

In addition, the touch sensor module (TSP) formed in the lower portion of the transparent window 100 in the above-described structure may be formed having a structure as shown in FIG.

Referring to FIG. 6, the touch sensor module TSP includes base substrates 130 and 110 and sensing electrode layers 132 and 112 patterned on one surface or the other surface of the base substrate. Is formed.

That is, the first sensing electrode layer 132 adhered to the transparent window 100 via the first adhesive material layer 140 and having a first electrode pattern formed on one surface thereof, and the first sensing electrode layer 132. It may be configured to include a second sensing electrode layer 112 is bonded to the other surface via the second adhesive material layer 120, the second electrode pattern is formed on one surface.

In particular, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, each of the first sensing electrode layers 132 and the second sensing electrode layers 112 is formed on a different base substrate 130 and 110, and is spaced apart from each other. The first sensing electrode layer and the second sensing electrode layer may be implemented to have a structure in which overlapping regions Q1 are formed on a plan view in a spaced apart arrangement.

That is, as shown in FIGS. 6 and 7, the second sensing electrode layer Rx1 formed to be spaced apart from the first sensing electrode layer Tx1 may be formed in a straight line to overlap each other. In particular, each wiring part is connected to both ends of each of the unit patterns ie Rx1, Rx2, and Rx3 constituting the sensing electrode layer according to the present invention.

That is, a unit wiring portion of a1 and a2 is connected to both ends of Rx1, and a unit wiring portion of b1 and b2 is connected to Rx2. In other words, the structure has a unit wiring portion connected to both ends of the unit sensing electrode, thereby providing wiring on both sides of the sensing region, thereby shortening the charging time of the charge for sensing and improving the sensing performance.

Of course, a structure in which the wiring units are connected to both ends of Tx1, Tx2, and Tx3 constituting the first sensing electrode layer may be implemented. FIG. 7 is a plan view that actually implements a double routing structure in which wiring portions are formed at both ends of the second sensing electrode layers Rx1, Rx2, and Rx3, respectively. This structure has a structure having unit wirings connected to both ends of the unit pattern of the first sensing electrode layer or the second sensing electrode layer of the touch window, and has wirings on both sides of the sensing area to shorten the charging time of the charge for sensing. There is an advantage to improve the sensing performance.

In the touch window including the function buttons according to the present invention, the FPCB, the IC, and the function key region for connection with the sensor electrode for touch detection are all formed on one printed circuit board, By forming the structure in an unexposed structure, an advantage of simplifying the structure can be realized.

FIG. 8 is a conceptual diagram illustrating another embodiment of an arrangement of a plurality of sensing electrode layers having overlapping regions in FIG. 7.

Referring to FIG. 8, when the first sensing electrode layer and the second sensing electrode layer are overlapped with each other, one of the sensing electrode layers may be implemented as a curvature pattern.

That is, in the present embodiment, the sensing electrode layers are arranged to be spaced apart from each other and at the same time, the patterns of the arranged patterns overlap each other, and any one of them is formed with a curvature having a certain periodicity.

That is, as shown in FIG. 8, the first sensing electrode layer Tx1 has a curvature pattern having a certain periodicity, and the second sensing electrode layers Rx1 formed to be spaced apart may be formed in a straight line. That is, in the structure of FIG. 6, each of the first sensing electrode layers 132 and the second sensing electrode layers 112 are formed on different base substrates 130 and 110, respectively, and spaced apart from each other. The electrode layer 132 has a structure of forming a curvature pattern, and the second sensing electrode layer 112 is formed in a straight line so that overlapping regions (Q2 of FIG. 8) are not rectangular or square, and overlap regions of FIG. 7 are formed. It can be made wider. In addition, the wiring parts a1, a2, b1, and b2 may be connected to both ends of each sensing electrode layer to have a double routing. This has the advantage of enabling a faster sensing of the signal sensed by the sensing electrode layer.

In the present invention, the curvature pattern is defined as including all non-linear patterns having a predetermined periodicity and having a floor and a bony shape. Particularly preferably, as shown in FIG. 8, the floor and the valleys S1, S2, and S3 may be provided with a sinusoidal curvature or a cosine curvature pattern that is periodically repeated. It may be formed in a structure that is repeated periodically. The segment A and B of FIG. 8 is an imaginary segment which passes the vertex of the floor and valley of each curvature pattern.

In particular, the curvature pattern having the periodicity is preferably formed in a structure in which a linear sensing electrode layer is disposed between the nth curvature and the (n + 1) th curvature (n is a natural number of 1 or more). That is, referring to the structure shown in FIG. 8, it is preferable that the straight second sensing electrode layer Rx1 is disposed between the first curvature S1 and the second curvature S2 of the first sensing electrode layer Tx1. Do. Of course, in the present exemplary embodiment, the first sensing electrode layer has a curvature pattern, but the first sensing electrode layer is a straight pattern and the second sensing electrode layer may be a curvature pattern. In addition, the angles θ ₁ and θ ₂ where the first sensing electrode layer Tx1 and the second sensing electrode layer Rx1 overlap may be formed at an acute angle or an obtuse angle, not at right angles.

In addition, particularly preferably, when the curvature pattern according to the present invention has a sinusoidal or cosine-type periodicity, the second sensing electrode layer intersects the first curvature and the second curvature at a half point, that is, the inflection point. More preferably. This arrangement maximizes the crossing area Q2 to improve the touch sensing efficiency, and also has the effect of improving the visibility by forming the optical characteristic more transparent than the arrangement of the conventional orthogonal structure. In the structure shown in FIG. 6, the first and second adhesive insulating layers may be OCA films, and the first and second sensing electrode layers are formed of indium-tin oxide (ITO) and IZO on a base substrate. The electrode pattern may be formed of any one of (indium zinc oxide) or zinc oxide (ZnO).

Alternatively, in the structure of FIG. 6, the wiring units 111 and 131 are formed to connect the second sensing electrode layer and the first sensing electrode layer 112 and 132, respectively, but the Ag, The process of simultaneously forming the wiring portion and the sensing electrode layer using a conductive material such as Al or Cu may be used.

This is because the shape of the pattern can be seen when the pattern of the electrode is formed using the ITO material, the manufacturing cost is increased due to the expensive ITO material and the film hardness of the ITO material is lowered, Layer structure, it is possible to reduce manufacturing cost by lowering the manufacturing cost through the process of forming an effective portion and a wiring portion simultaneously by forming and patterning a conductive material on an optical substrate instead of an ITO material, There is also an effect of providing a process capable of realizing various degrees of freedom of design without receiving it.

9 illustrates another embodiment in which the shapes of the sensing electrode layers formed in FIGS. 7 and 8 are implemented differently.

Referring to FIG. 9, the electrode pattern may be formed in a structure that implements a touch sensor module having a mesh-like structure as shown in the illustrated structure. That is, unlike the second embodiment, the sensing electrode layer is characterized in that one pattern of the sensing electrode layer, that is, a unit pattern is formed in a mesh structure. The 'mesh structure' in the present embodiment is defined as a structure including an outer line pattern M1 forming an outer portion of the unit pattern and an inner line pattern M2 connecting the inner portion of the outer line pattern in an intersecting structure. In particular, the outer line pattern M1 may be formed in various shapes such as a circular shape and an elliptic shape in addition to the polygonal structure, and may be formed of a conductive material in a line shape.

In addition, the inner line pattern M may be formed as a set of lines connecting the outer line pattern M2 internally in a cross structure, as shown in the figure. That is, a plurality of patterns of a linear structure may be formed so as to intersect with each other to form a network structure. Of course, not only a linear structure but also various curved structures can be applied. The sensing electrode of the mesh structure according to the present invention is formed into a polygonal mesh shape with a line extending from a conductive material having a thickness of 3 占 퐉 to 10 占 퐉 so that an electric signal can be transmitted.

In this case, the efficiency of signal transmission can be greatly improved by controlling the crossing angle and controlling the line width in the crossing structure of the internal pattern line M2 forming the mesh structure. In addition, the process of simultaneously fabricating the wiring part and the sensing electrode layer using the same material may be implemented. As a result, the efficiency of the process may be improved and the ITO material may not be used, thereby greatly reducing the process cost. Therefore, the efficiency of the signal transmission from the reduction of the material cost and the process ratio is promoted to the mesh structure, thereby realizing the high efficiency product. The conductive material used for the sensing electrode and the wiring used in the present invention may be various materials such as Ag, Cu, and Al.

Also in this embodiment, as described above, rather than forming an electrode using a transparent electrode material, a wiring portion connecting the second sensing electrode layer and the first sensing electrode layers 112 and 132 in FIGS. 7 and 8, respectively. The step of forming the wiring portion and the sensing electrode layer at the same time using (111, 131) conductive materials such as Ag, Al, Cu, or the like may be used. The pattern shape of the electrode can be seen by using the ITO material, and the manufacturing cost increases because the ITO material is an expensive material, and the double-sided ITO material on one single base substrate due to the decrease in the film hardness of the ITO material. Solving the manufacturing problem that is difficult to realize the structure having a layer, instead of the ITO material, the conductive material is formed and patterned on the optical base to form the effective part and the wiring part at the same time, thereby reducing the manufacturing cost and reducing the film hardness. As described above, the effect that is not received is implemented.

Referring to FIG. 10, another configuration of the touch sensor module illustrated in FIG. 6 is illustrated.

Referring to the drawing, there is a structural difference in that the sensing electrode 232 pattern is formed on both sides of the base substrate 230. In addition, a wiring portion 231 connecting both ends of the sensing electrode in a double routing structure is formed. The sensing electrode 232 pattern may be applied to the structure, deformation range, and material described above with reference to FIGS. 7 to 9, and the sensing electrode layer and the wiring part may be simultaneously patterned to form a conductive material. In addition, it may be configured to further include a protective film 210 for protecting the sensing electrode layer of the lower surface of the base substrate 230.

FIG. 11 is a cross-sectional conceptual view illustrating a configuration of a touch sensor module having a structure different from that of FIG. 10.

Referring to FIG. 11, unlike the above-described exemplary embodiment, the transparent window 300 is formed, the sensing electrode layer 312 is patterned on the cross section of the base substrate 310, and the wiring 311 is formed on the sensing electrode layer. It is formed at the same time. However, since the first sensing electrode layer and the second sensing electrode layer are implemented on the same plane, the first sensing electrode layer for determining the first axis (eg, X-axis) component of the contact is patterned on one surface, and the contact is performed. Preferably, the second sensing electrode layer for determining the second axis (eg, Y-axis) component of the patterning is implemented by implementing an arrangement insulated from the first sensing electrode layer. In FIG. 11, the configuration of forming the sensing electrode layer on the same base substrate 310 is illustrated as an example. However, without the base substrate 310, the sensing electrode layer is directly deposited on one surface of the transparent window 300. It is also possible to form through a process. Of course, in this case, the sensing electrode layer and the wiring unit according to the present invention are simultaneously formed of the same material, and the sensing electrode layer is also the same as that of the above-described mesh structure.

The touch window according to the present invention can be attached to various display devices. That is, the display device may be not only a liquid crystal display but also an organic light emitting display device, a plasma display panel, or the like. At this time, in order to prevent a noise component generated by the driving of the display device or the like from being transmitted to the touch sensor module, that is, a touch screen panel (TSP), to cause malfunction of the touch sensor panel, A shield layer may be disposed between the devices.

In the foregoing detailed description of the present invention, specific examples have been described. However, various modifications are possible within the scope of the present invention. The technical idea of the present invention should not be limited to the embodiments of the present invention but should be determined by the equivalents of the claims and the claims.

S 1: Wiring
S 2: Connection pad
S 3: reinforcement pad layer
100, 200, 300: transparent window
110, 130, 230, and 310:
112, 132, 212, and 312: sensing electrode layers
120, 140, 220, 320: an adhesive insulating layer
TSP: Touch sensor module
V / A; View Area, Screen Area
D / A; Dead Area; Inactive Area

Claims (12)

Transparent windows;
A touch sensor module disposed under the transparent window and sensing a touch signal through a sensing electrode layer;
A wiring unit electrically connected to the sensing electrode layer;
A connection pad on an end of the wiring portion;
A base substrate included in the touch sensor module;
A reinforcement pad layer disposed on the base substrate and in contact with the connection pad;
A flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) covering at least a portion of the connection pad and the reinforcement pad layer;
≪ / RTI >
The method according to claim 1,
The reinforcement pad layer,
A touch window formed of a metal layer different from the connection pad.
The method according to claim 2,
The reinforcement pad layer,
Touch window formed by using any one metal of Ag, Mo, Cu, Au, Al or two or more alloys.
The method according to claim 3,
The width of the reinforcement pad layer,
A touch window formed over the width of the connection pad.
The method according to claim 3,
The base substrate,
Bonded to one surface of the transparent window via an adhesive material layer,
The touch sensor module includes:
A first sensing electrode layer including a first electrode pattern on one surface of the base substrate; And
And a second sensing electrode layer further comprising a second electrode pattern on the other surface of the base substrate facing the one surface of the base substrate.
The method according to claim 3,
The touch sensor module includes:
A first sensing electrode layer bonded to the transparent window via a first adhesive material layer, the first sensing electrode layer including a first electrode pattern on one surface thereof;
A touch window comprising a second sensing electrode layer bonded to the other surface of the first sensing electrode layer via a second adhesive material layer and including a second electrode pattern on one surface.
The method according to claim 3,
The touch sensor module includes:
A transparent window formed directly on the transparent window,
A touch window comprising a first sensing electrode layer including a first electrode pattern and a second sensing electrode layer including a second electrode pattern to be insulated from each other.
The method according to claim 3,
The base substrate,
Bonded to one surface of the transparent window via an adhesive material layer,
The touch sensor module includes:
And a first sensing electrode layer including a first electrode pattern and a second sensing electrode layer including a second electrode pattern so as to be directly formed on one surface of the base substrate and insulated from each other.
The method according to any one of claims 5 to 8,
The touch window of which the first sensing electrode layer, the second sensing electrode layer and the wiring part are formed of the same material.
The method of claim 9,
The first sensing electrode layer or the second sensing electrode layer,
Each unit pattern is formed into a mesh structure,
The mesh structure may include:
An outer line pattern forming an outer portion of the unit pattern; and
And an inner line pattern connecting the inside of the outer line pattern in an intersecting structure.
The method according to any one of claims 5 to 8,
The first sensing electrode layer or the second sensing electrode layer,
Some of them are placed so that they overlap each other.
Any one of the first electrode pattern or the second electrode pattern has a curvature pattern having a periodicity.
The method of claim 11,
The curvature pattern having the periodicity may include:
A touch window in which a linear electrode pattern is disposed between the nth curvature and the (n + 1) th curvature.

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