KR101655427B1

KR101655427B1 - 3 dimension touch screen panel

Info

Publication number: KR101655427B1
Application number: KR1020150178355A
Authority: KR
Inventors: 한승준
Original assignee: (주)멜파스
Priority date: 2015-12-14
Filing date: 2015-12-14
Publication date: 2016-09-07

Abstract

A three-dimensional touch screen panel, comprising: a screen cover; a pressure sensitive layer of a conductive material coupled to the screen cover to detect pressure at a touch event on the screen cover; The touch sensing device according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising: a frame of a conductive material; and a touch sensor connected to the pressure sensing layer, wherein when the pressure sensing layer is displaced toward the frame by a touch event with respect to the screen cover, A three-dimensional touch screen panel including a microcontroller for determining the magnitude of pressure is provided.

Description

A three-dimensional touch screen panel {3 Dimension Touch Screen Panel}

The present invention relates to a three-dimensional touch screen panel capable of simultaneously detecting pressure and touch.

In addition to the development of mobile communication technology, electronic information terminals such as mobile phones, PDAs, and navigation devices have been expanded from simple character information display means to more various and complex multimedia providing means such as audio, video, I am going out. With the development of the multimedia function, a larger display screen is required to be implemented within a limited size of the electronic information terminal, and accordingly, a display device using a touch panel is more popular.

A touch screen panel on which a touch panel is stacked on a liquid crystal display is an input device that recognizes the position of a touch event and transmits it to the system when a user touches the screen with a finger or a pen on the screen. By integrating the screen and coordinate input means, there is an advantage in that space can be saved as compared with the conventional key input method. Therefore, the electronic information terminal with the touch screen panel is increasingly used because it can further increase the screen size and user's convenience.

The touch screen panel can be classified into a resistive type, a capacitive type, an infrared type, an SAW (Surface Acoustic Wave type), an electromagnetic induction type (Electro Magnetic type) , Acoustic pulse recognition type (APR), and optical type.

As shown in Fig. 1, the resistance film method uses a principle in which the resistance value between electrodes is changed by touching the touch panel surface with a finger or a pen. Two electrodes, each of which has a transparent electrode, are covered with a thin film of glass or a film. When the corresponding part of the cover in which the pressure is generated is brought into contact with the electrode, a potential difference is generated at the pressed point, and the point is detected and operated. The capacitance type uses a change in capacitance caused when a finger touches the touch panel. Currently, many smart phones are using capacitive touch panels and their demand is rapidly increasing.

The capacitance type is divided into surface type and projection type. First, as shown in Fig. 2, the surface type is a structure in which a transparent electrode film is covered on a surface of a substrate with a protective cover. Voltage is applied to the electrodes provided at the four corners of the substrate to generate uniform electricity throughout the panel. Touching a finger on the surface of the touch panel will change the capacitance, and the current flowing between the four-wire electrodes will change so that the position of the touch point can be determined. The surface type is composed of a relatively simple structure and can be used at low cost. However, it is difficult to realize a multi-touch function for recognizing a plurality of touch points at the same time. As shown in FIG. 3, the projection type adopts a structure in which a plurality of transparent electrodes are provided on a glass substrate in a specific pattern and the surface is covered with a cover. When a finger is close to the surface of the touch panel, the capacitance between the surrounding electrodes at the touch point changes, and the position of the touch point can be confirmed.

As shown in Fig. 4, the ultrasonic method searches for the touched position by using the glass surface to be absorbed by the finger touching the touch panel. This method is easy to secure durability because it can use the glass on the front of liquid crystal display panel directly as touch screen without using electricity or scientific processing. In addition, light transparency is not lost by the electrodes, thus providing clear display image quality. Acoustic wave method detects that the acoustic vibration generated when a finger touches the surface of the touch panel is transmitted to the panel and finds the touch position by analyzing the signal. Like the ultrasonic method, the liquid crystal glass panel can be used as a touch screen without being processed. SAW (Surface Ultrasonic) touch screen panels use a pure glass structure to provide excellent image clarity. SAW technology uses ultrasonic waves through the touch screen panel. When the user touches the panel, a part of the ultrasonic waves is absorbed, and the change of the ultrasonic waves recognizes the position of the touch event and processes the information to detect the touch position.

As shown in FIG. 5, the infrared method detects a change in light moving along the surface using a light emitting element and a light sensitive element attached to the periphery of a touch panel to find a touched position. The surface of the panel is suitable for outdoor installation or equipment operated by a large number of people because the detection function due to dust is not lost. The infrared method forms an infrared lighting grid in front of the display screen and depends on the disturbance of the illumination grid. The touch frame contains a series of infrared LEDs and phototransistors and is mounted on opposite sides to create an invisible infrared light grid. The frame body is composed of a wiring board on which an electronic device is mounted and hidden behind a bezel through which infrared rays are transmitted. When the fingers interfere with the rays of the infrared illumination grid, the phototransistor detects the absence of illumination and transmits a signal identifying the coordinates.

In the electromagnetic induction method, an electromagnetic wave is sensed by a sensor attached to a touch panel using a dedicated stylus for generating a magnetic field to search for a touch point.

The optical touch screen panel is equipped with optical sensors on both corners of the screen and detects objects touching the screen at both angles. It recognizes the object very accurately without touching the screen with a finger or a stylus pen. Optical touch screen panels boast exceptional precision and can detect multiple touch points.

Resistive type and capacitive type are classified into an attachment type in which a touch screen is attached and an integral type in which a touch screen and a panel are integrated. If the display and the touch panel are integrated, the number of parts can be reduced and the product can be made slimmer and lighter. In addition, the number of parts placed on the front of the display can be reduced, and the image quality can be expected to be increased. The integration of touch panel and display has 'In-cell' technology which integrates touch panel function into pixel of liquid crystal and 'On-cell' technology which makes touch panel function between color filter substrate and polarizer.

The capacitive touch screen panel can be classified into three categories: attachment type, cover window type, and display type. The attachment type is largely a film type and a glass type. In the film method, ITO patterning is implemented on a film, and there is a GFF structure and a GF2 structure. In the glass method, ITO is patterned in a glass, and there are a GG structure and a GG2 structure. The GFF structure is a general touch panel structure in which one glass and two ITO films are used to pattern the X-axis sensor and the Y-axis sensor on two ITO films, respectively, and then the glass is bonded. As shown in FIG. 3, the GF2 structure is formed by using a glass sheet and a double-sided ITO film. The X-axis sensor and the Y-axis sensor are patterned on both sides of the film and then attached to a cover glass.

The cover window integral type has a structure of G1F, G2 and G1 in a manner of forming a sensor by patterning on a transparent electrode deposited on a cover window. The G1F method uses a single piece of glass and a film. ITO is deposited on the backside of the cover window, and the ITO film is used to pattern the X-axis and Y-axis sensors on the ITO and ITO films deposited on the cover window glass. The G1 method is fabricated by depositing a layer of ITO on the backside of the cover window and patterning the X / Y sensor on ITO.

Such a conventional touch panel can only acquire a touch event and a position, but can not detect the magnitude of pressure applied to the panel at the time of a touch event. This is a disadvantage that it is difficult to cope with the need to touch more to implement a three-dimensional user interface or to display various menus on a display screen. Accordingly, it is required to develop a touch panel capable of measuring not only a touch event position but also a touch pressure.

Korean Patent Publication No. 10-2015-0052906 Korean Registered Patent No. 10-1452302 Korean Patent No. 10-1115421

It is an object of the present invention to provide a three-dimensional touch screen panel capable of sensing a touch event and a touch position on a touch screen panel, as well as a magnitude of a pressure upon touch with a simple structure.

A three-dimensional touch screen panel according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a screen cover, a touch sensing unit positioned below the screen cover for sensing a touch position with respect to the screen cover, A pressure sensing layer of conductive material disposed under the display module and outputting a signal corresponding to a capacitance that varies according to the magnitude of the pressure applied to the screen cover; And a frame of conductive material spaced apart from the layer.

Further, in the three-dimensional touch screen panel according to an embodiment of the present invention, the pressure sensing layer has a plurality of through portions formed at an edge to a central portion thereof, and the plurality of through portions increases in area from the edge of the panel toward the center thereof do.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a three-dimensional touch screen panel capable of detecting a touch event and a touch position on a touch screen panel as well as a magnitude of a pressure upon touch with a simple structure.

1 to 5 schematically show a general touch screen panel,
6 is a cross-sectional view schematically showing a three-dimensional touch screen panel according to an embodiment of the present invention,
FIG. 7 is a plan view schematically illustrating a pressure sensing layer according to an embodiment of the present invention, and FIG.
8 is a plan view schematically illustrating a pressure sensing layer according to another embodiment of the present invention.

The following detailed description of the invention refers to the accompanying drawings, which illustrate, by way of illustration, specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. These embodiments are described in sufficient detail to enable those skilled in the art to practice the invention. It should be understood that the various embodiments of the present invention are different, but need not be mutually exclusive. For example, certain features, structures, and characteristics described herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention in connection with an embodiment. It is also to be understood that the position or arrangement of the individual components within each disclosed embodiment may be varied without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The following detailed description is, therefore, not to be taken in a limiting sense, and the scope of the present invention is to be limited only by the appended claims, along with the full scope of equivalents to which such claims are entitled, if properly explained. In the drawings, like reference numerals refer to the same or similar functions throughout the several views.

The three-dimensional touch screen panel described below is a device capable of recognizing up to the intensity of the conventional touch input (pressure intensity). The touch screen panel described below may include a configuration for determining the presence or absence of a touch or the position of a touch as in a conventional touch screen panel. Hereinafter, a configuration for determining the presence or absence of a conventional touch or the position of a touch is referred to as a touch sensing unit. The touch sensing unit may be classified into a resistive type, a capacitive type, an infrared type, an SAW (Surface Acoustic Wave type), an electromagnetic induction type A magnetic type, an acoustic pulse recognition type (APR), and an optical type. In a device such as a smart phone, a capacitance type is mainly used. The electrostatic capacity type is classified into a self-capacitive type using its own electrostatic capacity and a mutual-capacitive type using mutual capacitance. In the embodiment of the present invention, the touch sensing part can be widely applied without being limited thereto including the above- .

The following description relates to a touch screen panel for measuring the intensity of a touch pressure. Hereinafter, a detailed description of a conventional touch sensing unit will be omitted.

A three-dimensional touch screen panel according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings. 6 is a cross-sectional view schematically illustrating a three-dimensional touch screen panel according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. 3, the three-dimensional touch screen panel 100 according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a screen cover 110, a frame 120, a touch sensing unit 130, a display module 140, a pressure sensing layer 150, an adhesive layer 160, a PCB module 170, and a control IC 180.

The screen cover 110 may function as a touch surface of the user. In a capacitive touch screen panel, it is preferable that the screen cover 110 is made of a material having a uniform dielectric constant and has a constant thickness for normal operation. For example, the screen cover 110 may be made of a material such as PET (polyethylene terephthalate) or glass.

The frame 120 includes a support frame for housing the touch screen panel, a middle frame for partitioning the electrical components including the display panel and the battery, a shield frame for shielding noise due to electrical signals of the touch screen panel including the display panel, . In the illustrated embodiment, the frame 120 is described as an example of a support frame housing the touch screen panel. The frame 120 is formed to have a central opening through which the screen cover 110 can be placed and to house the touch screen panel 100 at a predetermined distance from the pressure sensing layer 150. The rims of the layers 130, 140, and 150 including the screen cover 110 may be fixedly connected to the frame 120. The rims of the layers 130, 140 and 150 including the screen cover 110 may be fixed by separate frames. Preferably, the frame 120 is formed with a spacing member 121 for supporting the pressure sensing layer 150 at a predetermined distance. The spacing member 121 may be formed by disposing a separate member or by pressing the sidewall of the frame 120. The frame 120 is made of a conductive material so that a capacitance is formed between the pressure sensing layer 150 and the pressure sensing layer 150. The frame 120 is preferably formed of a metal. The separation distance between the frame 120 and the pressure sensing layer 150 may be such that the frame 120 and the pressure sensing layer 150 are not in contact with each other even when the pressure sensing layer 150 is displaced when the maximum pressure is applied to the screen cover 110 Distance.

The touch sensing unit 130 is coupled to the screen cover 110 and is configured to detect a touch event and a touch position with respect to the screen cover 110. In the embodiment of FIG. 6, the capacitive sensing method is taken as an example, but the touch sensing part 130 is not limited thereto. The touch sensing unit 130 may employ a GFF method in which an X-axis sensor and a Y-axis sensor are formed on a separate insulating film, or may be formed by patterning an X-axis electrode and a Y-axis electrode on both surfaces of an insulating film, GF2 method or a G1F method in which ITO is deposited on the back surface of a screen cover and ITO film is used to pattern the X-axis and Y-axis electrodes on the ITO and ITO films deposited on the cover window glass, respectively. The insulating film may be made of a plastic film such as PET or a transparent film. The electrodes may be formed of a transparent conductive film such as indium tin oxide (ITO), silver ink, copper, or carbon nanotube (CNT), which are made of tin oxide (SnO 2) and indium oxide (In 2 O 3) And a carbon nanotube).

The display module 140 is coupled to the screen cover 110 through the touch sensing unit 130 to emit light constituting the screen information. The display module 140 may include a light emitting diode (LED), a liquid crystal display (LCD), a thin film transistor-liquid crystal display (TFT LCD), an organic light- An organic light emitting diode (OLED), a flexible display, a three-dimensional display (3D display), and an electronic paper.

The pressure sensing layer 150 is formed of a sheet of conductive material to detect the pressure intensity at the touch event. As shown in FIG. 7, the pressure sensing layer 150 may have a plurality of through-holes 151 formed at an edge thereof to a central portion thereof. The plurality of through-holes 151 may be formed to increase in area from the edge of the panel toward the center. The pressure sensing layer 150 is disposed on the edge of the frame 120 so as to be spaced apart from the frame 120. In consideration of the repulsive force of the spacing member 121, It is preferable to form the penetrating portion 151 in consideration of the distance between the pressure generating portion 121 and the pressure force due to the repulsive force and correct the pressure intensity measurement. Similarly, the pressure sensing layer 150 may be formed such that the penetration area of the center portion is 20% or more of the entire penetration area of the pressure sensing layer 150, and the penetration area of the center region of the plurality of penetration portions 151 Or more than 50% of the area. A penetrating portion 151 'through which an area of at least 1/4 of the entire pressure sensing layer area passes may be formed at the center of the pressure sensing layer 150. When the penetration part 151 is formed in the pressure sensing layer 150 by the penetration part 151 as described above, when touching the center part of the screen cover 110 and touching the edge part of the screen cover 110 It is possible to correct the occurrence of an error in the pressure magnitude detection. The pressure sensing layer 150 may be coupled to the front or rear surface of the display module 140 and may be formed of a transparent conductive material when disposed on the front surface of the display module 140.

The adhesive layer 160 adhesively bonds the pressure sensing layer 150 to the display module 140. OCA (Optical Clear Adhesive), OCR (Optical Clear Resin), a pressure sensitive adhesive material or an ultraviolet curing adhesive material, and a double-sided adhesive tape.

The PCB module 170 connects the touch sensing unit 130 and the pressure sensing layer 150 with the control IC 180 to transmit signals. It is preferable to use a flexible PCB module.

The control IC 180 is a main component of the touch screen panel. The control IC 180 includes a signal source, a multiplexer, and an A / D converter. The control IC 180 converts an analog signal transmitted from the panel into a digital signal, (Coordinates, etc.) necessary for judging the magnitude of the pressure, and transmits it to the host (smartphone AP, microcontroller, etc.).

The screen cover 110, the touch sensing unit 130, the display module 140, and the pressure sensing layer 150 coupled to the touch screen panel 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention are attached to the adhesive member And is spaced apart from the bottom surface 122 of the frame 120 by a spacing member 121 of the frame 120. As shown in FIG. The combined layers are coupled to the frame 120 so that the distance from the bottom surface 122 of the frame 120 can be changed according to the magnitude of the pressure when the user touches the screen cover 110, It is preferable that a distance from the bottom surface 122 of the frame 120 is changed according to the magnitude of the pressure when the touch panel 110 is touched and elasticity is restored to the original position when the pressure is removed. The bottom surface of the frame 120 and the pressure sensing layer 150 are configured to be insulated even when pressure is applied to the screen cover 110.

Meanwhile, the microcontroller not included in the figure determines a touch event, a touch position, and a pressure magnitude according to a signal applied from the touch sensing unit 130 and the pressure sensing layer 150. Microcontrollers include, for example, processors, device drivers, and interface circuits, etc., that are integrated into a single integrated circuit chip or structure or that are all operably arranged on a motherboard. The controller executes commands stored in firmware and / or software (not shown). In this embodiment, the microcontroller determines the magnitude of the pressure according to a signal applied from the pressure sensing layer 150, but the present invention is not limited thereto. The microcontroller may be connected to the frame 120, The magnitude of the pressure may be determined.

The operation of the touch screen panel 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention will now be described. When the user touches the screen cover 110, the combined layers 130 and 150 are displaced toward the bottom surface of the frame 120 according to the applied pressure. When the distance between the bottom surface 122 of the frame 120 of the conductive material and the pressure sensing layer 150 changes, the electrostatic capacitance changes and the microcontroller receiving the electrostatic capacitance sensing signal changes the magnitude of the pressure . The microcontroller determines a touch event and a touch position according to a signal applied from the touch sensing unit 130.

Accordingly, in the touch screen panel 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention, the touch event and the touch position are determined according to a signal applied from the touch sensing unit 130, and the magnitude of the pressure applied at the time of touch generation is determined by the pressure sensing layer 150 ), It is advantageous in that a complex electrode pattern is not required. In addition, the touch screen panel 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention may include a pressure sensing layer 130 and a housing frame included in the structure of a conventional touch screen panel, The middle frame, and the shielding frame are used as the other electrode constituting the capacitor, the configuration can be simplified and the production cost can be reduced. In addition, the touch screen panel 100 according to the embodiment of the present invention adopts the pressure sensing layer 150 formed with the plurality of penetration portions 151, so that when touching the center position of the screen cover 110 or touching the edge portion It is possible to compensate for the error in the pressure magnitude.

100: touch screen panel 110: screen cover
120: frame
130: Touch sensing unit
140: Display module 150: Pressure sensing layer
160: Adhesive layer 170: PCB module
180: Control IC

Claims

In a three-dimensional touch screen panel,
Screen cover;
A touch sensing unit positioned below the screen cover and detecting a touch position with respect to the screen cover;
A display module positioned below the touch sensing unit;
A pressure sensing layer of a conductive material disposed under the display module and outputting a signal corresponding to a capacitance that varies according to a magnitude of a pressure applied to the screen cover; And
And a frame of conductive material disposed below the pressure sensing layer and spaced apart from the pressure sensing layer,
Wherein the pressure sensing layer is formed with at least one penetration portion penetrating in the thickness direction, and the penetration portions are increased in area from an edge of the pressure sensing layer toward a center thereof.

The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the spacing between the pressure sensing layer and the frame varies with the pressure.

The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the frame delimits the display module and the battery.

The method of claim 3,
And a rim of the screen cover is connected and fixed to the frame.

The method of claim 3,
Wherein the frame of the screen cover is fixed by an additional frame.

The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the frame is a shielding frame.

delete

The method according to claim 1,
And a microcontroller connected to the pressure sensing layer or the frame for determining a magnitude of the pressure by the touch according to a signal applied from the pressure sensing layer or the frame.