KR20100031301A - Ultra-slim window with touch-screen - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A ultra-slim integrated touch screen and window is provided so that a simple structure of into one body constituting the window and touch screen is used. The failure rate at the process automation and process is reduced. CONSTITUTION: A transparent polymer film(10) comprises a upper and lower, a decoration layer(20) in one side. A polymer buffer layer(30) is formed in the lower part of the transparent resin film. An electrode pattern(40) is formed in the lower part of the Polymer buffer layer. A glass(50) is adhered on the top of the transparent resin film. A Polymer buffer layer is formed into the evaporation or coating scheme.

Description

Ultra-Slim Window With Touch-Screen}

The present invention relates to a combined touch screen window, an ultra-slim touch panel and a portable terminal having the same.

According to the driving method of the touch panel, there are contact capacitive method, infrared light sensing method, surface ultrasonic conduction method, piezoelectric method, integral tension measuring method, and pressure resisting film method. Is most commonly used for mobile terminals.

In the pressure resistive film method, a resistive material is coated on a glass or transparent plastic plate as shown in FIG. 1, and a PET film or glass is covered thereon, and insulating rods are installed at regular intervals so that the two surfaces do not touch each other. In general, the film-glass touch panel has a five-layer structure.

The pressure resistant film method is superior to other methods in terms of cost and precision, but has a two-layer structure of film and glass and a structure of five layers or more, so that the transmittance is lowered, lower than that of other methods, and compared to the effective screen. The other part (frame) is wide and the structure closes and shorts the film, so the operating temperature range is narrow and it is weak against changes over time. In addition, when light passes through the membrane, reflection occurs at the boundary between air and the membrane, which causes a problem in that the transmittance is lowered.

In addition, since the conductive films are easily in contact with each other when they are touched, they tend to wear out, so that the conductive films must be made thick.

The contact capacitive method is made by coating a transparent special conductive metal material (TCO) on both sides of the glass constituting the touch screen sensor, and utilizes the capacitance in the human body. In this case, the parasitic capacitance is used to detect the position by calculating the magnitude of the part where the amount of current is changed by using the capacitance in the human body due to the user's touch.

2 is a conceptual diagram of a contact capacitive method. When a finger touches a window lens of a mobile phone, electric charges are accumulated in a human body through a touch screen, and thus a capacitance value is increased. The signal is output to the outside by operating the switch. Compared to the existing touch panel composed of two electrodes, the touch screen product is composed of one sheet having one electrode, and is designed to be driven even when there is no pressing pressure of the human body. The touch screen operating only by the touch of the human body allows the user to create an intimacy with the product, thereby increasing the affinity between the user and the product, thereby adding the emotional function of the product.

Conventionally, a method of manufacturing a touch panel and a window lens separately and laminating them as in FIG. 3 has been used. However, a product of this structure has several problems as below and needs improvement.

1) Problem of ITO film application process

Currently, ITO-coated PET film is used as the conductive layer material. PET film is basically a material with a transmittance of less than 90%, and when used as an intermediate material, the transmittance decreases, which hinders the visibility of the screen. In addition, it has a structure that is very vulnerable to many process problems, namely foreign matter, scratches, and the reliability of the adhesive.

2) many process steps

During the manufacturing process, at least three full-face bonding processes are performed, and thus, the structure is very vulnerable to problems such as foreign matter mixing, and it is very difficult to meet the screen distortion phenomenon due to poor adhesion and the reliability standards of mobile terminals such as mobile phones.

3) weak product reliability

In the final product, PET film is exposed on the surface, revealing a structure vulnerable to external environment such as scratch.

The present invention is to solve the above problems, by simplifying the structure by integrally configuring the window and the touch screen can reduce the defect rate in the process automation and process, significantly improved touch reliability and transmittance, slim and transparent electrode layer It is an object of the present invention to provide a combined touch screen window and a touch panel having the same, which can prevent interference between the film and the color film and damage to the color tone, and which can prevent occurrence of scratches due to high surface hardness. Each claim invention of the claims achieves at least one of the above objects.

As a means for achieving the above object,

The present invention is a transparent resin film having a decoration layer provided on at least one side of the upper side and the lower side; A polymer buffer layer formed under the transparent resin film; An electrode pattern formed under the polymer buffer layer; And a glass bonded to an upper portion of the transparent resin film.

In addition, the thickness of the polymer buffer layer provides a touch screen combined window, characterized in that in the range of 1nm ~ 100㎛.

In addition, the polymer buffer layer is at least one selected from urethane acrylate resin, silicone resin, PMMA, PC, PET, Teflon-based resin provides a touch screen combined window, characterized in that formed by deposition or coating method.

In addition, there is provided a touch screen combined window characterized in that the light transmittance is 90% or more.

The present invention also provides a touch panel provided with the touch screen combined window.

The present invention also provides a portable terminal having the touch panel.

According to the present invention having the above means, the window and the touch screen are integrally formed to simplify the structure, thereby reducing the process automation and the defect rate in the process, significantly improving the touch reliability and transmittance, and slimming the electrode layer and the color film. It is possible to prevent interference and color tone damage, and to prevent scratches, etc., due to high surface hardness.

 Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and examples. The following description is given by way of example of the invention, and therefore, although there is a definite and assertive expression, it does not limit the scope of rights defined by the claims.

4 and 5 are schematic cross-sectional views of a combined touch screen window according to an embodiment of the present invention, the decoration layer 20 is a transparent resin film 10 provided on at least one side of the upper side and the lower side; The polymer buffer layer 30 formed under the transparent resin film 10, an electrode pattern 40 formed under the polymer buffer layer 30, and glass 50 adhered to the upper portion of the transparent resin film 10. Characterized in that made.

The material of the transparent resin film 10 is not limited as long as it is a transparent film, and may include a polymer resin such as PC (polycarbonate), PET (polyethylene terephthalate), PMMA (polymethyl methacrylate), and PC. And PET are preferred because of their good physical properties, light transmittance, and ease of decoration. In addition, the transparent resin film 10 may be a functional film such as a polarizing film, a privacy protection film that protects privacy by reducing the viewing angle.

The thickness of the transparent resin film 10 is not limited, but is preferably slim to 0.01 ~ 0.5mm.

The decoration layer 20 is formed on at least one side of the upper side and the lower side of the transparent resin film 10. That is, as shown in Figures 4 and 5, the decoration layer 20 may be located on the upper or lower side of the transparent resin film 10 may be present in both sides, although not shown. In addition, the decoration layer may be partially positioned, and the image display area of the window may not be decorated, or may be decorated transparently or semi-transparently so that the decoration is visible when the display device is turned off and the image is visible when it is turned on. . In addition, a multilayered structure may be formed such that a color pattern is secondarily formed after the entire color thin film is formed.

The decoration method is not limited, and may deposit metal or / and oxide, and may deposit and decorate a predetermined area of the resin substrate through conductive deposition, non-conductive deposition, and the like. It is also possible to colorize and decorate by printing. It can also decorate in parallel with vapor deposition and printing.

After the decoration layer 20 is formed, the polymer buffer layer 30 is formed after surface treatment on the surface in contact with the polymer buffer layer in order to prevent color deformation and increase adhesion. As the surface treatment method, plasma surface treatment, ion beam treatment, ion implantation, or the like can be used. The surface is cleaned and radicals are formed so that the buffer layer can be more easily attached.

In the process of developing the window and the touch switch integrally, I found this not easy. That is, when the decoration layer 20 is formed and then the electrode pattern 40 is formed and manufactured, interference between the electrode pattern and the decoration layer occurs. While trying to solve this problem, it was found that the interference problem is solved when the polymer buffer layer 30 is formed between the two layers. Furthermore, the unexpectedly improved touch reliability was obtained. This may be because the dielectric constant of the polymer buffer layer 30 is good.

The material of the polymer buffer layer 30 is a transparent material, and at least one selected from urethane acrylate, silicone-based paint, PMMA, PC, PET, and Teflon-based materials.

The polymer buffer layer 30 may be formed by a deposition method or a wet coating method. Examples of the deposition method may include vacuum deposition, electron beam deposition, sputtering, chemical vapor deposition (CVD), and the like. The thickness of the polymer buffer layer 30 is not limited, but is preferably in the range of 1 nm to 100 μm. It has been found that the function of the polymer buffer layer is significantly lower than 1 nm, and if it exceeds 100 μm, there may be a problem in the transmittance and manufacturing cost.

The electrode pattern 40 is not limited and may employ an electrode pattern method applied to a conventional touch capacitive touch panel. Since the electrode pattern method applied to the touch capacitive touch panel is well known in the art, a detailed description thereof will be omitted, and reference may be made to Korean Patent Publication Nos. 10-2007-108077, 10-2007-29161, and the like.

As the material of the electrode pattern 40, a conductive oxide such as ITO, IZO, or ZnO may be mainly used, and a bus electrode may be additionally formed to connect to the outside.

After the electrode pattern 40 is formed, the glass 50 is adhered to the upper portion of the transparent resin film 10. By adhering the glass 50, surface scratches can be prevented and surface hardness can be improved. The glass 50 is not particularly limited and may be general glass. It is better to use tempered glass. Tempered glass can be easily purchased on the market, so detailed description thereof will be omitted. Although the thickness is not limited, it is recommended to use 0.2 to 1.2 mm glass.

The adhesion of the glass 50 and the transparent resin film 10 may use an adhesive tape or a UV-adhesive. Preferably UV-adhesive is preferred. Examples of such UV-adhesives include acrylic, urethane or epoxy UV-adhesives. The thickness of the UV-adhesive after completion of the adhesion is not limited but is preferably in the range of 0.005 ~ 0.1mm.

When the glass 50 and the transparent resin film 10 are bonded to the UV-adhesive, the removal of the air bubbles is very important, and when the air bubbles are generated, the image is distorted such that the product reliability is affected. As a good method, it is recommended that the gas is effectively released and removed in the direction and side of the pressing as the pressing is carried out in the process of squeezing and bonding.

The touch switch combined window according to the present invention has a simpler structure than the conventional one, and has exceeded 80% of the light transmittance measurement results. In particular, most of the excellent results have been achieved by more than 90%. to be. In addition, in the past, the bonding process was performed three times or more, whereas in the case of the present invention, the bonding process was significantly reduced by one time, thus preventing a decrease in product yield due to contamination problems or air bubble problems during the bonding process.

The present invention also provides a touch panel and a portable terminal having the above-mentioned touch screen combined window. Except that the window and the touch screen are provided integrally, the configuration of the existing touch panel may be adopted and the description thereof is omitted since it is well known in the art. Examples of portable terminals include mobile phones and PDAs.

The present invention also provides an integrated keypad and a portable terminal having the above-mentioned touch screen combined window. That is, the window may be configured as the above-described touch screen window in the configuration of the existing window integrated keypad. The window-integrated keypad is not limited but may exemplify 10-2006-119380 and 10-2006-114783 filed by the applicant.

1 is a view of a conventional pressure resistive touch panel;

2 is a view of a conventional touch capacitive touch panel;

3 is a view related to a product in which a conventional window and a touch screen are separately configured;

4 and 5 are cross-sectional schematic diagrams of a combined touch screen window according to an embodiment of the present invention.

** Description of the major symbols in the drawings **

10: transparent resin film

20: decoration layer

30: polymer buffer layer

40: electrode pattern

50: glass

Claims (8)

A transparent resin film having a decoration layer provided on at least one side of an upper side and a lower side thereof; A polymer buffer layer formed under the transparent resin film; An electrode pattern formed under the polymer buffer layer; And Touch screen combined window comprising a; glass bonded to the upper portion of the transparent resin film. The combined touch screen window as claimed in claim 1, wherein the polymer buffer layer has a thickness in a range of 1 nm to 100 μm. The combined touch screen window as claimed in claim 1, wherein the polymer buffer layer is formed of at least one selected from urethane acrylate resin, silicone resin, PMMA, PC, PET, and Teflon series by a deposition or coating method. The combined touch screen window according to claim 1, wherein the light transmittance is 80% or more. The touch panel provided with the touch screen combined window of any one of Claims 1-3. An integrated keypad comprising the touch screen combined window of claim 1. A portable terminal comprising the touch panel of claim 5. A portable terminal comprising the integrated keypad of claim 6.

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