KR20120016950A - Touch panel having solar cell - Google Patents

Abstract

PURPOSE: A touch panel using a solar cell is provided to improve the portability of a touch panel by reducing the thickness of a touch panel. CONSTITUTION: The inside of a touch panel(110) includes an active region which recognizes the touch signal of an input unit(120) and a bezel region which covers the active region. A solar cell is included in the exposed surface of the touch panel. The solar cell provides voltages to the touch panels. The thickness of the touch panel is reduced using the solar cell.

Description

Touch panel having solar cell {touch panel having solar cell}

The present invention relates to a touch panel employing a solar cell.

As computers using digital technology are developed, auxiliary devices of computers are being developed together. Personal computers, portable transmission devices, and other personal information processing devices use various input devices such as a keyboard and a mouse. To perform text and graphics processing.

However, as the use of computers is gradually increasing due to the rapid progress of the information society, there is a problem that it is difficult to efficiently operate a product by using only a keyboard and a mouse which are currently playing an input device. Therefore, there is an increasing need for a device that is simple and less error-prone, and that allows anyone to easily input information.

In addition, the technology related to the input device is shifting to high reliability, durability, innovation, design and processing related technology beyond the level that meets the general function, and in order to achieve this purpose, information input such as text, graphics, etc. Touch panel has been developed as a possible input device.

The touch panel is a display surface of an electronic organizer, a liquid crystal display device (LCD), a flat panel display device such as a plasma display panel (PDP), an electroluminescence (El), and an image display device such as a cathode ray tube (CRT). Is a tool used to allow a user to select desired information while viewing the image display apparatus.

The touch panel types include resistive type, capacitive type, electro-magnetic type, SAW type, surface acoustic wave type, and infrared type. Type). These various touch panels are adopted in electronic products in consideration of the problems of signal amplification, difference in resolution, difficulty of design and processing technology, optical characteristics, electrical characteristics, mechanical characteristics, environmental characteristics, input characteristics, durability, and economics. Currently, resistive touch panels and capacitive touch panels are the most widely used methods.

However, since the resistive touch panel and the capacitive touch panel according to the prior art have to provide a separate battery for supplying power, the thickness of the touch panel becomes thick and the battery cannot be realized. Due to the weight of the overall touch panel weight increases there is a problem that the portability is reduced. In addition, there is a problem in that the use time of the touch panel is limited depending on the amount of charge of the battery.

The present invention has been made to solve the above problems, the object of the present invention by employing a solar cell in the touch panel, by omitting the battery to realize the thinning of the touch panel and to enhance the portability, use time The present invention provides a touch panel employing a solar cell without limitations.

A touch panel employing a solar cell according to a first exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a touch panel and a bezel area partitioned into an active area that recognizes a touch of an input means and a bezel area surrounding the active area. It is configured to include a solar cell provided on the exposed surface of the touch panel to supply power to the touch panel.

Here, the touch panel is characterized in that it comprises a capacitor for storing the power supplied from the solar cell.

In addition, the exposed surface of the touch panel provided with the solar cell is characterized in that the window is provided.

In addition, the solar cell is characterized in that the opaque.

In addition, the electrode wiring formed in the bezel area of the touch panel is characterized in that the solar cell is covered.

A touch panel employing a solar cell according to a second exemplary embodiment of the present invention includes a first transparent electrode formed on one surface of a first transparent substrate, a second transparent electrode formed on one surface of a second transparent substrate, and the first transparent electrode. A touch panel including an adhesive layer for bonding an edge of the first transparent substrate and an edge of the second transparent substrate so that the second transparent electrode faces each other, and provided along an inner wall of the adhesive layer to supply power to the touch panel. It is configured to include a solar cell.

Here, the touch panel is characterized in that it comprises a capacitor for storing the power supplied from the solar cell.

In addition, an air gap is provided in a space surrounded by the first transparent electrode, the second transparent electrode, and the solar cell.

In addition, an insulating layer is provided in a space surrounded by the first transparent electrode, the second transparent electrode, and the solar cell.

In addition, the first transparent electrode or the second transparent electrode is characterized in that the dot spacer is provided.

In addition, an image display device is provided on the other surface of the second transparent substrate, and the solar cell generates power by using an image output from the image display device.

The features and advantages of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description based on the accompanying drawings.

Prior to this, the terms or words used in this specification and claims are not to be interpreted in a conventional and dictionary sense, and the inventors may appropriately define the concept of terms in order to best describe their invention. It should be interpreted as meaning and concept corresponding to the technical idea of the present invention based on the principle that the present invention.

According to the present invention, by omitting a battery by employing a solar cell in the touch panel, the thickness of the touch panel can be thinned to realize thinness, and the weight can be reduced to enhance portability.

In addition, according to the present invention, since the power is supplied from the solar cell, there is no limit in the use time of the touch panel even without a separate power supply means.

In addition, according to the present invention, by providing an opaque solar cell in the bezel area to cover the electrode wiring, it is possible to reduce the manufacturing cost of the touch panel by omitting the black mask to cover the electrode wiring conventionally There is this.

In addition, according to the present invention, the solar cell produces power by using the image output from the image display device provided in the touch panel, it is possible to increase the efficiency of the solar cell and to produce power in an environment without sunlight There is.

1 to 4 are cross-sectional views of a touch panel employing a solar cell according to a first embodiment of the present invention;
5 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an operating principle of the solar cell shown in FIG. 1; And
6 to 7 are cross-sectional views of a touch panel employing a solar cell according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

The objects, specific advantages and novel features of the present invention will become more apparent from the following detailed description and the preferred embodiments associated with the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that, in the present specification, the reference numerals are added to the constituent elements of the drawings, and the same constituent elements are assigned the same number as much as possible even if they are displayed on different drawings. In addition, terms such as “first” and “second” are used to distinguish one component from another component, and the component is not limited by the terms. In the following description of the present invention, a detailed description of related arts which may unnecessarily obscure the gist of the present invention will be omitted.

Hereinafter, exemplary embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 to 4 are cross-sectional views of a touch panel employing a solar cell according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the touch panel 100 employing the solar cell according to the present embodiment has an active area A and an active area A in which a touch of the input means 120 is recognized. The touch panels 110, 210, 310, and 410 partitioned by the bezel area B surrounding the surface of the touch panel 110, 210, 310, and 410 are provided on the exposed surfaces of the touch panels 110, 210, 310, and 410 to correspond to the bezel areas B. It is a configuration including a solar cell 130 for supplying power to (110, 210, 310, 410).

The touch panels 110, 210, 310, and 410 may include a transparent substrate 150, a transparent electrode 160, and an electrode wiring 170. In addition, the touch panel 100 employing the solar cell according to the present embodiment may use the touch panels 110, 210, 310, and 410 having various structures, but first, the capacitive touch panel 110 illustrated in FIG. 1 is used. Explain based on).

The transparent substrate 150 serves to provide a region in which the transparent electrode 160 and the electrode wiring 170 are to be formed. Here, the transparent substrate 150 should have a supporting force capable of supporting the transparent electrode 160 and the electrode wiring 170 and transparency to allow a user to recognize an image provided by the image display device. In consideration of the above-described support and transparency, the material of the transparent substrate 150 is polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polycarbonate (PC), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polyethylene naphthalate (PEN), polyether sulfone ( PES), Cyclic Olefin Polymer (COC), Triacetylcellulose (TAC) Film, Polyvinyl Alcohol (PVA) Film, Polyimide (PI) Film, Polystyrene (PS), Biaxially Stretched Polystyrene (Kresin) Containing biaxially oriented PS (BOPS), glass or tempered glass, etc., but is not necessarily limited thereto. Meanwhile, in order to improve adhesion between the transparent substrate 150 and the transparent electrode 160, it is preferable to perform a high frequency treatment or a primer treatment on the transparent substrate 150. In addition, in order to protect the transparent electrode 160 and the electrode wiring 170 formed on the transparent substrate 150, it is preferable to apply a hard coating layer 155 to the transparent substrate 150.

The transparent electrode 160 serves to recognize a touch of the input means 120 and is formed on the transparent substrate 150. Here, the transparent electrode 160 may be formed using a conductive polymer having excellent flexibility and a simple coating process as well as indium thin oxide (ITO) that is commonly used. In this case, the conductive polymer includes poly-3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene / polystyrenesulfonate (PEDOT / PSS), polyaniline, polyacetylene or polyphenylenevinylene.

In addition, the transparent electrode 160 is a dry process such as sputtering, evaporation, dip coating, spin coating, roll coating, spray coating, or the like. It can be formed using a wet process or a direct patterning process such as screen printing, gravure printing, inkjet printing, or the like.

In addition, the transparent electrode 160 may be formed in a film form and adhered to the transparent substrate 150 using an optical clear adhesive (OCA).

The electrode wiring 170 is formed at the edge of the transparent electrode 160 to serve to receive an electrical signal from the transparent electrode 160. In this case, the electrode wiring 170 may be printed using a screen printing method, a gravure printing method, an inkjet printing method, or the like. In addition, the material of the electrode wiring 170 is preferably a silver paste (Ag paste) or an organic silver material excellent in electrical conductivity, but is not limited to this, conductive polymer, carbon black (including CNT), ITO Low-resistance metals, such as metal oxides and metals, can be used. Meanwhile, although the electrode wiring 170 is connected to both ends of the transparent electrode 160 in the drawing, this is merely an example, and may be connected to only one end of the transparent electrode 160 according to the method of the touch panel 110.

On the other hand, the inside of the touch panel 110 is divided into an active area (A) for detecting a touch of the input means 120 and a bezel area (B) surrounding the active area (A). Here, the active region A is a region where the above-described transparent electrode 160 is formed to recognize the touch of the input means 120, and the bezel region B is a region where the opaque electrode wiring 170 is formed. Means are needed to hide 170 from the user's external perception. In the touch panel according to the related art, a black mask is provided to correspond to the bezel area B to cover the electrode wiring 170. However, the touch panel 110 according to the present embodiment covers the solar cell 130. The electrode wiring 170 is covered on the exposed surface of the touch panel 110 to correspond to the bezel area B. In this case, the solar cell 130 is preferably opaque to cover the electrode wiring 170.

In addition, the solar cell 130 serves to supply power required to drive the touch panel 110 as well as to cover the electrode wiring 170. Here, the solar cell 130 is a semiconductor device that directly converts solar energy into electrical energy, and has a junction form of a p-type semiconductor and an n-type semiconductor, and the basic structure is the same as a diode.

5 is a conceptual diagram illustrating an operating principle of the solar cell shown in FIG. 1. Looking at the operation principle of the solar cell 130 in more detail with reference to Figure 5, the solar cell 130 made of a pn junction of a semiconductor, such as silicon having a greater energy than the band-gap energy (Eg) When sunlight is incident, an electron 134-hole 135 pair is formed. The electron 134 is an n-layer 132 by an electric field in which the electron 134-hole 135 pair is formed at the pn junction 131. As the holes 135 are collected in the p layer 133, photovoltage is generated between pn. In this case, when the front electrode 136 and the rear electrode 137 are connected to the load 138, a current flows to drive the touch panel 110 which is the load 138.

In addition, in order to store power generated by the solar cell 130, the touch panel 110 may include a condenser 139. By providing the condenser 139 in the touch panel 110 to store the power supplied from the solar cell 130, the touch panel 110 continues to be driven by the power stored in the condenser 139 even in the absence of sunlight. There is an advantage to this. In this case, the condenser 139 may be provided in the bezel area B of the touch panel 110 so that the user does not recognize it from the outside.

Meanwhile, a window 140 may be provided on an exposed surface of the touch panel 110 provided with the solar cell 130 to protect the touch panel 110 and the solar cell 130. Here, the window 140 may be adhered to the exposed surface of the touch panel 110 using an optical clear adhesive (145).

In the case of the touch panel 100 employing the solar cell according to the present embodiment, as described above, the self-capacitive type touch panel or the mutual capacitance is formed by using the transparent electrode 160 having a one-layer structure. Mutual Capacitive Type Touch panel can be manufactured. In addition, as described below, the touch panels 210, 310, and 410 having various structures may be manufactured.

For example, as shown in FIG. 2, a mutual capacitive type touch panel 210 (see FIG. 2) may be manufactured by forming transparent electrodes 160 on both sides of the transparent substrate 150, respectively. . 3 to 4, two transparent substrates 150 having two transparent electrodes 160 formed on one surface thereof are provided, and two transparent substrates 150 are bonded to each other so that the transparent electrodes 160 face each other. A mutual capacitive type touch panel 310 (refer to FIG. 3) or a resistive type touch panel 410 (refer to FIG. 4) may be manufactured by bonding to the substrate 180. Here, in the mutual capacitive type touch panel 310 (see FIG. 3), the adhesive layer 180 is attached to the front surface of the transparent substrate 150 to insulate the two transparent electrodes 160 facing each other. On the other hand, in the case of a resistive type touch panel 410 (see FIG. 4), when the pressure of the input unit 120 is applied, the adhesive layer 180 is transparent so that two opposing transparent electrodes 160 may contact each other. A dot spacer 190 is provided on the exposed surface of the transparent electrode 160 that is attached only to the edge of the substrate 150 and provides a repulsive force so that the transparent electrode 160 returns to its original position when the pressure of the input means 120 is removed. .

The touch panel 100 employing the solar cell according to the present embodiment employs the solar cell 130 to omit the battery, so that the thickness of the touch panels 110, 210, 310, and 410 may be reduced, resulting in a thinner thickness. Reduced weight has the advantage of enhancing portability.

In addition, since the opaque solar cell 130 is disposed in the bezel area B to cover the electrode wiring 170, a black mask for masking the electrode wiring 170 is omitted in the related art. , 210, 310, 410 has the advantage of saving the manufacturing cost.

6 to 7 are cross-sectional views of a touch panel employing a solar cell according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

6 to 7, the touch panel 200 employing the solar cell according to the present embodiment includes a first transparent electrode 260 and a second transparent substrate formed on one surface of the first transparent substrate 250. The edge of the first transparent substrate 250 and the second transparent substrate 255 such that the second transparent electrode 265 and the first transparent electrode 260 and the second transparent electrode 265 formed on one surface 255 face each other. Touch panels 510 and 610 comprising an adhesive layer 280 to bond the edges of the photovoltaic layer and solar cells 230 provided along the inner wall of the adhesive layer 280 to supply power to the touch panels 510 and 610. It is a constitution.

The first transparent substrate 250 and the second transparent substrate 255 serve to provide regions in which the first transparent electrode 260 and the second transparent electrode 265 are to be formed, respectively. Here, the material of the first transparent substrate 250 and the second transparent substrate 255 is not particularly limited, but polyethylene terephthalate (PET), polycarbonate (PC), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polyethylene or Phthalates (PEN), polyethersulfones (PES), cyclic olefin polymers (COC), triacetylcellulose (TAC) films, polyvinyl alcohol (PVA) films, polyimide (PI) films, polystyrenes; PS), biaxially stretched polystyrene (K resin-containing biaxially oriented PS; BOPS), glass, tempered glass, or the like, is preferable. Meanwhile, in order to activate one surface of the first transparent substrate 250 and the second transparent substrate 255, it is preferable to perform a high frequency treatment or a primer treatment. By activating one surface of the first transparent substrate 250 and the second transparent substrate 255, the transparent substrate (the first transparent substrate 250 and the second transparent substrate 255) and the transparent electrode (the first transparent electrode 260). ) And the second transparent electrode 265 may be improved.

The first transparent electrode 260 and the second transparent electrode 265 perform a role of recognizing a touch of the input means 220, and one surface of the first transparent substrate 250 and the second transparent substrate 255. It is formed on one side of each. Here, the first transparent electrode 260 and the second transparent electrode 265 may be indium thin oxide (ITO) or poly-3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene / polystyrenesulfonate (PEDOT / PSS), polyaniline, polyacetylene or It forms using the conductive polymer containing polyphenylene vinylene. In addition, the first transparent electrode 260 and the second transparent electrode 265 may be sputtered, evaporated, dip coated, spin coated, roll coated, or sprayed. Optical Clear Adhesive (OCA) is formed by coating, screen printing, gravure printing, inkjet printing, or in the form of a film. It may be adhered to the first transparent substrate 250 and the second transparent substrate 255 by using.

Meanwhile, an electrode wiring 270 that receives electrical signals from the first transparent electrode 260 and the second transparent electrode 265 is printed on the edge of the first transparent electrode 260 and the second transparent electrode 265. In this case, the electrode wiring 270 may be printed by screen printing, gravure printing, inkjet printing, or the like using silver paste or organic silver.

The adhesive layer 280 bonds the edge of the first transparent substrate 250 and the edge of the second transparent substrate 255 so that the first transparent electrode 260 and the second transparent electrode 265 are spaced apart from each other by a predetermined interval to face each other. It serves to arrange for viewing. Here, the material of the adhesive layer 280 is not particularly limited, but it is preferable to use a double adhesive tape (DAT).

The solar cell 230 serves to supply power required to drive the touch panels 510 and 610, and the operation principle of the solar cell 230 is the same as the first embodiment described above. In the touch panel 200 employing the solar cell according to the present embodiment, since the solar cell 230 is provided along the inner wall of the adhesive layer 280, not only the solar light incident from the outside of the touch panels 510 and 610 is used. In addition, power may be generated using an image output from the image display apparatus 285 provided on the other surface of the second transparent substrate 255 (opposite side of one surface on which the second transparent electrode 265 is formed). Therefore, the efficiency of the solar cell 230 can be increased and power can be produced even in an environment without sunlight. In addition, in order to store power generated by the solar cell 230, it is preferable to include a condenser 239 inside the touch panels 510 and 610.

Meanwhile, the image display device 285 described above includes a liquid crystal display device (LCD), a plasma display panel (PDP), an electroluminescence (EL), a cathode ray tube (CRT), and the like, and an optically transparent adhesive agent. The optical clear adhesive (OCA) may be attached to the other surface of the second transparent substrate 255.

In addition, a window 240 may be provided on the exposed surfaces of the touch panels 510 and 610 to protect the touch panels 510 and 610. Here, the window 240 may be adhered to the exposed surfaces of the touch panels 510 and 610 by using an optical clear adhesive (245) or the like, and an electrode may be disposed between the window 240 and the touch panels 510 and 610. It is preferable to have a black mask 289 covering the wiring 270 and the solar cell 230.

The touch panel 200 employing the solar cell according to the present embodiment may be manufactured as a resistive type touch panel 510 or a capacitive type touch panel 610.

When the resistive touch panel 510 is manufactured (see FIG. 6), an air gap 293 (air gap 293) is formed in a space surrounded by the first transparent electrode 260, the second transparent electrode 265, and the solar cell 230. gap) is provided. Therefore, when the input unit 220 touches, the first transparent substrate 250 is bent to contact the first transparent electrode 260 and the second transparent electrode 265 through the air gap 293, thereby allowing the touch coordinates to be touched. Calculate. In addition, the first transparent electrode 260 or the second transparent electrode 265 is provided with a dot spacer 290, the first transparent electrode 260 and the second transparent electrode 265 when the input means 220 is touched To reduce the impact between, and when the touch of the input means 220 is terminated to provide a repulsive force to return the first transparent substrate 250 to its original position. Here, the dot spacer 290 preferably has elasticity, and the dot spacer 290 may be formed of a transparent material so that the image output from the image display device 285 is not blocked by the dot spacer 290. For example, the dot spacer 290 may be formed of an insulating synthetic resin such as an epoxy acrylic resin. Meanwhile, although the dot spacer 290 is provided in both the first transparent electrode 260 and the second transparent electrode 265 in the drawing, this is merely illustrative and the dot spacer 290 is provided only in the first transparent electrode 260. Of course, it may be provided only on the second transparent electrode 265.

Meanwhile, when the capacitive touch panel 610 is manufactured (see FIG. 7), the insulating layer 295 is formed in a space surrounded by the first transparent electrode 260, the second transparent electrode 265, and the solar cell 230. Is provided. Accordingly, the first transparent electrode 260 and the second transparent electrode 265 are electrically insulated by the insulating layer 295, and when the input means 220 touches the first transparent electrode 260 and the second transparent electrode. The touch coordinates are calculated through the capacitance change at 265.

Although the present invention has been described in detail through specific embodiments, this is for explaining the present invention in detail, and the touch panel employing the solar cell according to the present invention is not limited thereto. It will be apparent that modifications and improvements are possible by those skilled in the art. All simple modifications and variations of the present invention fall within the scope of the present invention, and the specific scope of protection of the present invention will be apparent from the appended claims.

100, 200: touch panel employing solar cells
110, 210, 310, 410, 510, 610: touch panel
120, 220: input means 130, 230: solar cell
131: pn junction 132: n layer
133: p-layer 134: electron
135: hole 136: front electrode
137: rear electrode 138: load
139, 239: capacitors 140, 240: window
145 and 245: optically transparent adhesive 150: transparent substrate
155: hard coating layer 160: transparent electrode
170, 270: electrode wiring 180, 280: adhesive layer
190 and 290: Dot spacer 250: First transparent substrate
255: second transparent substrate 260: first transparent electrode
265: second transparent electrode 285: image display device
287: optically transparent adhesive 289: black mask
293: air gap 295: insulating layer
A: active area B: bezel area

Claims (11)

A touch panel internally divided into an active area for recognizing a touch of an input means and a bezel area surrounding the active area; And
A solar cell provided on an exposed surface of the touch panel to correspond to the bezel area to supply power to the touch panel;
Touch panel employing a solar cell comprising a.
The method according to claim 1,
The touch panel is a touch panel employing a solar cell, characterized in that it comprises a capacitor for storing the power supplied from the solar cell.
The method according to claim 1,
Touch panel employing a solar cell, characterized in that the window is provided on the exposed surface of the touch panel provided with the solar cell.
The method according to claim 1,
Touch panel employing a solar cell, characterized in that the solar cell is opaque.
The method according to claim 1,
The touch panel employing a solar cell, wherein the electrode wiring formed in the bezel area of the touch panel is covered by the solar cell.
A first transparent electrode formed on one surface of the first transparent substrate;
A second transparent electrode formed on one surface of the second transparent substrate; And
An adhesive layer for bonding an edge of the first transparent substrate and an edge of the second transparent substrate so that the first transparent electrode and the second transparent electrode face each other;
Touch panel comprising a; And
A solar cell provided along an inner wall of the adhesive layer to supply power to the touch panel;
Touch panel employing a solar cell comprising a.
The method of claim 6,
The touch panel is a touch panel employing a solar cell, characterized in that it comprises a capacitor for storing the power supplied from the solar cell.
The method of claim 6,
A touch panel employing a solar cell, wherein an air gap is provided in a space surrounded by the first transparent electrode, the second transparent electrode, and the solar cell.
The method of claim 6,
A touch panel employing a solar cell, wherein an insulating layer is provided in a space surrounded by the first transparent electrode, the second transparent electrode, and the solar cell.
The method according to claim 8,
A touch panel employing a solar cell, characterized in that a dot spacer is provided on the first transparent electrode or the second transparent electrode.
The method of claim 6,
The other surface of the second transparent substrate is provided with an image display device,
The solar cell is a touch panel employing a solar cell, characterized in that for producing power using the image output from the image display device.

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