KR102286210B1 - Touch panel - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a touch panel, and more particularly, to a substrate divided into an effective region and an ineffective region, an electrode formed in an effective region of the substrate for sensing a touch input, and an electrode formed in an ineffective region of the substrate and a wire electrically connected to the touch panel, the electrode having a mesh shape, and a dummy electrode formed in a region where the electrode and the wire are connected.

Description

Touch panel {TOUCH PANEL}

The present invention relates to a touch panel.

Recently, in various electronic products, a touch panel for inputting an image by contacting an input device such as a finger or a stylus to an image displayed on a display device has been applied.

The touch panel may be typically divided into a resistive touch panel and a capacitive touch panel. The resistive touch panel detects a position by detecting a change in resistance according to the connection between electrodes when pressure is applied to the input device. In the capacitive touch panel, a position is detected by detecting a change in capacitance between electrodes when a finger touches it. In consideration of the convenience and sensing power of the manufacturing method, the capacitive method has recently been attracting attention for small models.

On the other hand, the electrode of the touch panel may be electrically connected to the wiring, and may be driven by the wiring being connected to an external circuit. In this case, disconnection may occur due to a change in design or a change in density between the electrode and the wiring. In addition, there is a case in which a problem of deterioration of characteristics may occur because the electrode cannot be smoothly connected to the wiring due to a crack or the like in the electrode.

Korean Patent Publication No. 2014-0071026 (2014.06.11)

The present invention is to solve the above problems, and to improve the electrical conductivity characteristics of the touch panel.

The touch panel of the present invention for solving the above problems is a substrate divided into an effective region and an ineffective region, an electrode formed in the effective region of the substrate and sensing a touch input, and the electrode formed in the ineffective region of the substrate and a wiring electrically connected to the electrode, and the electrode may further include a dummy electrode formed in a mesh shape and formed in a region where the electrode and the wiring are connected. In this case, the dummy electrode is formed in a mesh shape, and the mesh shape includes a mesh line and an opening between the mesh line. In the present invention, the size of the opening is different between the mesh shape of the electrode and the mesh shape of the dummy electrode. In an embodiment, the diameter of the opening of the dummy electrode may be 10% to 50% of the diameter of the opening of the electrode.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the electrode may include a pen touch electrode for sensing a touch signal by a stylus pen, and may further include a sensing electrode for sensing an electrostatic input signal. At least one of the pen touch electrode and the sensing electrode is formed in a mesh shape, and a mesh-shaped dummy electrode is formed in a region where at least one of the pen touch electrode or the sensing electrode and the wire are connected. can be

The sensing electrode and the pen touch electrode may be alternately disposed on a substrate, and a plurality of pen touch electrodes may be disposed between adjacent sensing electrodes.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the dummy electrode may be formed on an ineffective area of the substrate.

According to the present invention, it is possible to improve the electrical conductivity between the electrode and the wiring in the touch panel.

In addition, it is possible to maintain visibility while improving electrical conductivity.

1 is a plan view of a touch panel according to an embodiment of the present invention.
2 is a plan view of a touch panel according to another embodiment of the present invention.
3 is a plan view of a touch panel according to another embodiment of the present invention.
4 to 7 are diagrams illustrating examples to which a touch panel according to various embodiments of the present invention is applied.

The purpose and technical configuration of the present invention, and details regarding the operational effects thereof will be more clearly understood by the following detailed description based on the accompanying drawings in the specification of the present invention. An embodiment according to the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

The embodiments disclosed herein should not be construed or used as limiting the scope of the present invention. It is natural for those skilled in the art that the description including the embodiments of the present specification will have various applications. Accordingly, any embodiments described in the detailed description of the present invention are illustrative for better describing the present invention and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention to the embodiments.

The functional terms indicated in the drawings and described below are merely examples of possible representations. In other embodiments, other terms may be used without departing from the spirit and scope of the detailed description.

In addition, the expression that includes certain components is an expression of "open type" and merely refers to the existence of the corresponding components, and should not be construed as excluding additional components.

It also means that each layer (film), region, pattern or structures are formed 'on' or 'under' of the substrate, each layer (film), region, pad or patterns. includes all those formed directly or through another layer.

Furthermore, when a component is referred to as being “connected” or “connected” to another component, it may be directly connected or connected to the other component, but it should be understood that other components may exist in between. do.

Also, terms such as first, second, etc. may be used to describe various components, but the components should not be limited by the terms, and the terms are used only for the purpose of distinguishing one component from another component. used

1 is a plan view of a touch panel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

In this embodiment, the touch panel includes a substrate 100 divided into an effective region and an ineffective region, an electrode 200 formed in an effective region of the substrate 100 and sensing a touch input, and an ineffective region of the substrate 100 . and a wiring 400 formed in the region and electrically connected to the electrode 200 .

The substrate 100 is a means for supporting the electrode 200 , the wiring 400 , and the like. The substrate 100 may be rigid or flexible. For example, the substrate 100 may include glass or plastic. In detail, the substrate 100 includes chemically strengthened/semi-tempered glass such as soda lime glass or aluminosilicate glass, or polyimide (PI) or polyethylene terephthalate (PET). , propylene glycol (PPG), reinforced or soft plastic such as polycarbonate (PC), or may include sapphire. In addition, the substrate 100 may include a photoisotropic film. For example, the substrate 100 may include Cyclic Olefin Copolymer (COC), Cyclic Olefin Polymer (COP), photoisotropic polycarbonate (PC), or photoisotropic polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA). Sapphire has excellent electrical properties such as dielectric constant, so it can dramatically increase the touch response speed, and can easily implement spatial touch such as hovering, and can be applied as a cover substrate due to its high surface strength. Hovering refers to a technology that recognizes coordinates even at a distance slightly away from the display.

Also, the substrate 100 may be bent while having a partially curved surface. That is, the substrate 100 may be bent while partially having a flat surface and partially having a curved surface. In detail, the tip of the substrate 100 may be curved while having a curved surface, or may have a surface including a random curvature and may be curved or bent.

In addition, the substrate 100 may be a flexible substrate having a flexible characteristic.

Also, the substrate 100 may be a curved or bent substrate. That is, the touch panel including the substrate 100 may also be formed to have flexible, curved, or bent characteristics. For this reason, the touch panel according to the embodiment is easy to carry and can be changed into various designs.

The substrate 100 may include a cover substrate. That is, the electrode 200 and the wiring 400 may be supported by the cover substrate. Alternatively, a separate cover substrate may be further disposed on the substrate 100 . That is, the electrode 200 and the wiring 400 are supported by the substrate 100 , and the substrate 100 and the cover substrate may be laminated (adhesive) through an adhesive layer.

An effective area VA and an invalid area UA may be defined in the substrate 100 . A display may be displayed in the effective area VA, and the display may not be displayed in the ineffective area UA disposed around the effective area VA. In addition, the position of the input device (eg, a finger, etc.) may be detected in at least one of the effective area VA and the ineffective area UA. When an input device such as a finger is in contact with such a touch panel, a difference in capacitance occurs at a portion in contact with the input device, and the portion in which the difference occurs may be detected as a contact position.

The electrode 200 may include a transparent conductive material to allow electricity to flow without interfering with the transmission of light. For example, the electrode 200 may include indium tin oxide, indium zinc oxide, or indium zinc oxide. oxide), copper oxide, tin oxide, zinc oxide, and a metal oxide such as titanium oxide. In addition, the electrode 200 may include nanowires, photosensitive nanowire films, carbon nanotubes (CNTs), graphene, conductive polymers, or various metals. For example, the electrode 200 may be formed of chromium (Cr), nickel (Ni), copper (Cu), aluminum (Al), silver (Ag), molybdenum (Mo), or an alloy thereof.

In addition, the electrodes 200 formed in the view area or the active area may be implemented with a transparent conductive material such as ITO, Cu mesh, Ag mesh, or the like. That is, the patterns made of the above-described material can be effectively utilized to enhance the visibility of the display by implementing the mesh shape. Furthermore, the wiring 400 extending from the electrodes 200 may be made of various materials including a layered material such as ITO, Cu mesh, Ag mesh, Cu, Ag, or metal nitride oxide.

The electrode 200 of the present invention may be formed in a mesh shape having a mesh line and an opening.

The mesh wire may be formed of a conductive material such as a metal paste including at least one of Cr, Ni, Cu, Al, Ag, Mo, and alloys thereof.

The electrode 200 may include a plurality of sub-electrodes, and the sub-electrodes may be disposed while crossing each other in a mesh shape. In detail, the mesh line LA and the opening OA between the mesh line LA may be included by a plurality of sub-electrodes crossing each other in a mesh shape. A line width of the mesh line LA may be about 0.1 μm to about 10 μm. When the line width of the mesh line LA is less than about 0.1 μm, it is impossible in the manufacturing process, or a short circuit may occur in the mesh line, and when it exceeds about 10 μm, the mesh line is visually recognized from the outside and visibility may decrease . Preferably, the line width of the mesh line LA may be about 0.5 μm to about 7 μm. More preferably, the line width of the mesh line may be about 1 μm to about 3.5 μm.

In addition, the opening may be formed in various shapes. For example, the opening OA may have various shapes, such as a rectangular shape, a diamond shape, a pentagonal shape, a hexagonal polygonal shape, or a circular shape. In addition, the opening may be formed in a regular shape or a random shape.

Since the electrode 200 has a mesh shape, the electrode 200 may not be visible to the user on the display area as an example of an effective area. That is, even if the electrode 200 is made of metal, it can be made invisible. In addition, even when the electrode 200 is applied to a large-sized touch panel, the resistance of the touch panel can be lowered.

Meanwhile, in addition to the electrode 200 described above, the wiring 400 may also be formed in a mesh structure.

In this embodiment, the touch panel includes a dummy electrode 300 formed in a region where the electrode 200 and the wiring 400 are connected.

The dummy electrode 300 contacts the electrode 200 and also contacts the wiring 400 to electrically connect the electrode 200 and the wiring 400 . In this case, in relation to the arrangement of the dummy electrode 300 on the substrate, the dummy electrode 300 may be formed to exist over an ineffective region, an effective region, or an ineffective region and an effective region of the substrate.

Also, the dummy electrode 300 may include the same or similar material as the electrode 200 . In addition, the electrode 200 may also be formed in a mesh shape.

The dummy electrode 300 is configured to prevent disconnection between the electrode 200 and the wiring 400 to improve electrical characteristics of the touch panel. When the electrode 200 is formed in a mesh shape, due to the structural characteristics of the mesh, the number of contacts electrically connecting the electrode 200 and the wiring 400 is not secured, so that the electrode 200 and the wiring 400 are electrically connected to each other. can be disconnected. However, the present invention further includes a dummy electrode 300 formed in a region where the electrode 200 and the wiring 400 are connected, and the electrode 200 and the wiring 400 are more densely formed through the dummy electrode 300 . connect As a result, electrical conductivity between the electrode 200 and the wiring 400 is improved, disconnection is prevented, and even if a crack occurs in the electrode 200 , the electrode 200 is connected to the wiring 400 through the dummy electrode 300 . It can be electrically connected to the touch panel, so the reliability of the touch panel is improved.

In one embodiment of the present invention, the mesh structure of the electrode 200 or the dummy electrode 300 is formed by disposing a metal layer on the entire surface of the substrate 100 and etching the metal layer in a mesh shape to form a mesh-shaped pattern. can be formed For example, after depositing a metal such as copper (Cu) on the entire surface of the substrate 100 such as polyetherene terephthalate, the copper layer is etched to form a embossed mesh-shaped copper metal mesh electrode 200 ) can be formed.

In another embodiment of the present invention, after forming a resin layer (or intermediate layer) containing a photocurable resin (UV resin) or a thermosetting resin on the substrate 100, a mesh-shaped intaglio pattern is formed on the resin layer. Then, a conductive material may be filled in the intaglio pattern. In this case, the engraved pattern of the resin layer may be formed by imprinting a mold having the embossed pattern. The conductive material may be a metal paste including at least one of Cr, Ni, Cu, Al, Ag, Mo, and alloys thereof. Accordingly, the intaglio mesh-shaped pattern may be formed by filling the metal paste in the mesh-shaped intaglio pattern and curing or plating.

In another embodiment of the present invention, after forming a resin layer (or intermediate layer) containing a photocurable resin (UV resin) or a thermosetting resin on the substrate 100, a mesh-shaped embossed or engraved nano-pattern on the resin layer And after forming the micropattern, at least one metal layer of Cr, Ni, Cu, Al, Ag, Mo, and alloys thereof may be deposited on the resin layer by a sputtering process or the like. The nano-patterns and the micro-patterns may be formed by imprinting a mold having an engraved pattern, and the engraved pattern may be formed by imprinting a mold having an embossed pattern. Then, by etching the nanopattern and the metal layer formed on the micropattern to remove only the metal layer formed on the nanopattern, leaving only the metal layer formed on the micropattern, a mesh-shaped pattern can be formed. When etching the metal layer, a difference in etching rate may occur according to a difference in bonding area between the nano-pattern and the micro-pattern and the metal layer. That is, since the bonding area of the micropattern and the metal layer is larger than the bonding area of the nanopattern and the metal layer, the etching of the electrode material formed on the micropattern occurs less, and according to the same etching rate, the metal layer formed on the micropattern is As the metal layer formed on the nanopattern is etched and removed, a micropattern embossed or engraved mesh pattern may be formed on the substrate 100 .

In an embodiment of the present invention, the mesh shape of the electrode 200 and the mesh shape of the dummy electrode 300 may have different opening sizes. In particular, the opening of the mesh of the dummy electrode 300 may be formed smaller than that of the mesh of the electrode 200 . The dummy electrode 300 formed in the region where the wiring 400 and the electrode 200 are connected forms a denser mesh than the electrode 200 . As a result, in the present invention, the number of contacts between the wiring 400 and the dummy electrode 300 is increased compared to the number of contacts when the wiring 400 and the electrode 200 are directly connected. As described above, as the number of contact points between the wiring 400 and the dummy electrode 300 increases, the electrical conductivity between the wiring 400 and the electrode 200 is improved, and the defect rate due to open occurrence can be reduced.

More specifically, the diameter of the opening of the dummy electrode 300 may be 10% to 50% of the diameter of the opening of the electrode 200 . When the diameter of the opening of the dummy electrode 300 is less than 10% of the diameter of the opening of the electrode 200 , the mesh size of the dummy electrode 300 becomes too dense, which may cause difficulties in the process. On the other hand, when it exceeds 50%, the increase in the number of contacts between the wiring 400 and the electrode 200 is not large, and the degree of improvement in electrical conductivity is lowered.

In another embodiment of the present invention, the mesh shape of the electrode 200 and the mesh shape of the dummy electrode 300 may form a different width of the mesh line, that is, the line width. In particular, it is preferable to make the line width of the mesh of the dummy electrode 300 thicker than the line width of the mesh of the electrode 200 so that the contact area between the wiring 400 and the dummy electrode 300 is increased compared to the conventional one. As described above, as the contact area between the wiring 400 and the dummy electrode 300 is increased, the conductivity between the wiring 400 and the electrode 200 may be improved, and the defect rate due to the occurrence of open may also be reduced.

On the other hand, a combination of the above embodiments, that is, by making the diameter of the opening of the dummy electrode 300 smaller than the diameter of the opening of the electrode 200 and forming the line width of the dummy electrode 300 thick, the wiring 400 is It is also possible to maximize the contact point and the contact surface between the dummy electrode 300 and the dummy electrode 300 .

2 is a plan view of a touch panel according to another embodiment of the present invention.

In this embodiment, the electrode 200 may include a pen touch electrode 220 that senses a touch signal by a stylus pen.

The pen touch electrode 220 is configured to sense an input position by sensing electromagnetic induction or a change in an electric field generated when a stylus pen or the like approaches the touch panel. The pen touch electrode 220 may be formed according to the material, shape, etc. of the electrode 200 described above. Preferably, the plurality of pen touch electrodes 220 form a loop, and check whether electromagnetic induction occurs in the loop. Alternatively, it can detect whether the electric field is changing.

In addition, the electrode 200 may further include a sensing electrode 240 for sensing an electrostatic input signal.

The sensing electrode 240 is configured to identify an input position by detecting a change in capacitance according to an input. The sensing electrode 240 may also be implemented by the material, shape, or the like mentioned in the portion described above for the electrode 200 .

At this time, at least one of the pen touch electrode 220 and the sensing electrode 240 is formed in a mesh shape, and at least one of the pen touch electrode 220 or the sensing electrode 240 and the wire ( A mesh-shaped dummy electrode 300 may be formed in a region to which the 400 is connected. Since detailed information related to this has been described above, it will not be repeated.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the sensing electrode 240 and the pen touch electrode 220 may be alternately disposed on the substrate 100 .

In a state in which the sensing electrode 240 and the pen touch electrode 220 are respectively disposed over the effective area of the substrate 100 and do not overlap, the capacitive input input to the touch panel and the electromagnetic induction or electric field change detection In order to respectively sense the input by the method, the sensing electrode 240 and the pen touch electrode 220 may be alternately disposed on the substrate 100 .

Meanwhile, in another embodiment of the present invention, in particular, a plurality of pen touch electrodes 220 may be disposed between adjacent sensing electrodes 240 . This can be confirmed through FIG. 3 . 3 is a plan view of a touch panel according to another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 3 , it can be seen that two pen touch electrodes 220 are formed between adjacent sensing electrodes 240 . The pen touch electrode 220 has a plurality of pen touch electrodes 220 connected to each other to form a loop structure, and an input can be sensed based on this structure. In order to effectively form a loop structure, adjacent sensing electrodes 240 are used. A plurality of pen touch electrodes 220 may be disposed therebetween.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the dummy electrode 300 may be formed on an ineffective region of the substrate 100 . Accordingly, it is possible to prevent the dummy electrode 300 in which the mesh line is formed relatively densely compared to the electrode 200 from affecting the visibility of the touch panel, and at the same time to improve the electrical conductivity between the wire 400 and the electrode 200 . can do.

4 to 7 are diagrams illustrating examples to which a touch panel according to various embodiments of the present invention is applied.

4 is a case in which the touch panel of the present invention is applied to a mobile device. The above-described touch panel may be applied to the display portion of the mobile device.

5 illustrates a mobile device having a curved display among mobile devices. In this embodiment, a curved touch panel is applied while the substrate has a partially curved surface. For example, the substrate may be a curved touch panel partially having a flat surface and partially curved. In detail, the tip of the substrate may be curved while having a curved surface, or may have a surface including a random curvature and may be bent or bent. Alternatively, the substrate itself may be a flexible substrate having a flexible characteristic. In addition, the substrate may be a curved or bent substrate. That is, the touch panel including the substrate may also be formed to have flexible, curved, or bent characteristics. For this reason, the mobile device to which the touch panel according to the embodiment is applied is easy to carry and may be changed into various designs.

6 is a view illustrating a touch panel according to an embodiment of the present invention is formed to be detachably attached to another device by a connection means. For example, the touch panel of the present invention is applied to a vehicle navigation device and can be used by being detached from the vehicle.

7 is an example in which a vehicle display is implemented through a touch panel according to an embodiment of the present invention. The dashboard and the front control unit of the vehicle may be implemented by the above-described touch panel.

Although preferred embodiments and application examples of the present invention have been illustrated and described above, the present invention is not limited to the specific embodiments and application examples described above, and the present invention can be developed without departing from the gist of the present invention as claimed in the claims. Various modifications are possible by those of ordinary skill in the art, and these modifications should not be understood as being distinct from the technical spirit or prospect of the present invention.

100 boards
200 electrodes
220 pen touch electrode
240 sensing electrode
300 dummy electrodes
400 wiring

Claims (11)

a substrate divided into an effective area and an ineffective area;
an electrode formed on an effective area of the substrate and sensing a touch input;
a wiring formed in an ineffective region of the substrate and electrically connected to the electrode; and
a dummy electrode formed in a region where the electrode and the wiring are connected;
including,
The electrode includes a pen touch electrode sensing a touch signal by a stylus pen and a sensing electrode sensing an electrostatic input signal,
The sensing electrode and the pen touch electrode are alternately disposed on a substrate, and a plurality of pen touch electrodes are disposed between adjacent sensing electrodes;
The electrode and the dummy electrode are formed in a mesh-shaped mesh pattern including an opening between the mesh line and the mesh line,
The mesh pattern is
After forming a resin layer containing a photocurable resin or a thermosetting resin on the substrate, and forming a mesh-shaped embossed or engraved nano-pattern and micro-pattern on the resin layer, Cr, Ni, Cu, Al, Ag, Depositing at least one metal layer of Mo and an alloy thereof on a resin layer, removing the metal layer formed on the nanopattern by etching the metal layer formed on the nanopattern and the micropattern, and removing the metal layer formed on the micropattern Form a mesh-shaped pattern by leaving
When the metal layer is etched, due to the difference in etching rate caused by the difference in the bonding area between the nano-pattern and the micro-pattern and the metal layer, less etching of the electrode material formed on the micro-pattern occurs, so that the metal layer formed on the micro-pattern is and the metal layer formed on the nanopattern is formed as a result of being etched and removed.
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