KR20150039537A - Touch panel - Google Patents

Abstract

According to an embodiment, a touch panel includes: a cover window which includes a valid area and an invalid area; a sensing electrode which is placed on the valid area; a wire electrode unit which is placed on the invalid area; and a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) which is placed on the invalid area and is connected to the wire electrode unit. The wire electrode unit includes a wire electrode and a connection unit. The connection unit includes: one end which is connected to the wire electrode; and the other end which is connected to the FPCB. The other end of the connection unit includes a projection wider than the one end.

Description

TOUCH PANEL {TOUCH PANEL}

The embodiment relates to a touch panel.

2. Description of the Related Art In recent years, a touch panel has been applied to an image displayed on a display device in various electronic products by a method of touching an input device such as a finger or a stylus.

Such a touch panel can largely be divided into a resistance film type touch panel and a capacitive type touch panel. In the resistive touch panel, the glass and the electrode are short-circuited by the pressure of the input device and the position is detected. A capacitance type touch panel senses a change in electrostatic capacitance between electrodes when a finger touches them, thereby detecting the position.

The resistance film type touch panel may be deteriorated in performance by repeated use, and scratch may occur. As a result, there is a growing interest in a capacitive touch panel having excellent durability and long life span.

The touch panel may be provided in various types depending on the formation position of the sensing electrode. For example, the sensing electrode may be formed directly on the cover window.

At this time, a printing layer is formed in a bezel area where no touch is made, a wiring electrode is formed on the printing layer, and the wiring electrode can be connected to the sensing electrode. Accordingly, the touch signal generated at the sensing electrode is transferred to the printed circuit board connected to the wiring electrode through the wiring electrode. Accordingly, the driving chip mounted on the printed circuit board recognizes the signal and the operation of the touch panel can be performed.

At this time, the wiring electrodes and the printed circuit board may be connected to each other using an anisotropic conductive film. However, since the wiring electrodes and the printed circuit board are formed by bonding two different structures to each other, the bonding portions may be displaced from each other in accordance with the alignment tolerance in the bonding process.

Accordingly, when the wiring electrode and the printed circuit board are bonded to each other, defective junctions may occur, and the touch signal may not be properly transmitted, thereby causing a malfunction of the touch.

Therefore, a touch panel of a new structure capable of solving such a weakness is required.

The embodiment intends to provide a touch panel capable of facilitating bonding between a wiring electrode and an FPCB by increasing a bonding region between the wiring electrode and the FPCB and improving bonding strength.

A touch panel according to an embodiment includes: a cover window including a valid area and a non-valid area; A sensing electrode disposed on the effective region; A wiring electrode portion disposed on the non-effective region; And a printed circuit board (FPCB) disposed on the ineffective area and connected to the wiring electrode part, wherein the wiring electrode part includes a wiring electrode and a connection part, and the connection part is connected to the wiring electrode part ; And the other end connected to the printed circuit board, and the other end of the connection part includes a protrusion wider than the one end.

The touch panel according to an embodiment includes protrusions that protrude from the other end of a connection portion that electrically connects the wiring electrode and the printed circuit board.

Accordingly, it is possible to increase an area where the connection portion is joined to the contact portion of the printed circuit board. Therefore, when the wiring electrodes and the printed circuit board are bonded to each other, the defective junction due to the alignment tolerance can be reduced.

In addition, the connection portion includes a first connection portion and a second connection portion that extend at different heights. In addition, the junctions of the printed circuit boards are also spaced apart from each other to correspond to the first connection portion and the second connection portion.

Accordingly, the first connection portion or the second connection portion can be controlled so as not to correspond to two or more contact portions. That is, since the contact portion of the printed circuit board is disposed in the zigzag shape at the top and bottom, it is possible to prevent the contact portion from being double-contacted by the protrusion portion.

Therefore, the touch panel according to the embodiment can facilitate the bonding of the wiring electrode and the printed circuit board, and can reduce the bonding failure, so that the reliability of the touch panel as a whole can be improved.

1 is a top view of a touch panel according to an embodiment.
Fig. 2 is an enlarged view of the area A in Fig. 1; Fig.
3 is an enlarged view of a connection portion of the touch panel according to the embodiment.
FIGS. 4 and 5 illustrate various embodiments in which the connection portion and the printed circuit board are bonded.
6 to 8 are views illustrating embodiments according to various structures of the touch panel.
9 and 10 are views showing an example of a display device to which the touch panel according to the embodiment is applied.

In the description of the embodiments, it is to be understood that each layer (film), area, pattern or structure may be referred to as being "on" or "under / under" Quot; includes all that is formed directly or through another layer. The criteria for top / bottom or bottom / bottom of each layer are described with reference to the drawings.

The thickness or the size of each layer (film), region, pattern or structure in the drawings may be modified for clarity and convenience of explanation, and thus does not entirely reflect the actual size.

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

1 to 5, a touch panel according to an embodiment includes a cover window 10 including a valid region and a non-valid region, a sensing electrode 20 disposed on the effective region, And a printed circuit board (40) arranged on the ineffective area and connected to the wiring electrode part.

The cover window 10 may comprise glass or plastic. In one example, the cover window 10 may include tempered glass, semi-tempered glass, soda lime glass, reinforced plastic, soft plastic, and the like.

The cover window 10 may include a valid area AA and a non-valid area UA. The effective area AA indicates an area where a user can input a touch command. The non-valid area UA is a concept opposite to the valid area AA, which means an area that is not activated even when a user's touch is performed and thus the touch command input is not performed.

The sensing electrode 20 may be disposed on the effective area AA. Here, the effective area AA does not mean only one side or the other side of the cover window 10, and the effective area AA may be formed on one or both sides of the cover window 10, It can mean both an area and an overlapping area.

In one example, the sensing electrode 20 may be disposed on the effective area AA of the cover window 10. The sensing electrode 20 may include a first sensing electrode pattern arranged in a first direction and a second sensing electrode pattern arranged in a second direction. At this time, the first direction and the second direction may extend in different directions. For example, the first direction and the second direction may extend while intersecting with each other.

The sensing electrode 20 may include a conductive material. In detail, the sensing electrode 20 may include a transparent conductive material. For example, the sensing electrode 20 may include a transparent conductive material such as indium tin oxide (ITO). However, the embodiment is not limited thereto, and it goes without saying that the sensing electrode may include a metal conductive material such as copper and silver.

The wiring electrode portion may be disposed on the non-effective region UA. Herein, the ineffective area UA is not limited to one side or the other side of the cover window 10, and the cover window 10 may be formed on one side or the other side of the cover window 10, It can mean both an ineffective area and an overlapping area.

The wiring electrode portion may include a wiring electrode 30 and a connection portion 50.

The wiring electrode 30 is connected to the sensing electrode 20. In detail, the wiring electrode 30 is electrically connected to the sensing electrode 20. That is, the wiring electrode 30 receives a touch signal sensed from the sensing electrode 20, and the touch signal is transmitted to the printed circuit board 40 connected to the wiring electrode through the wiring electrode 20 do.

The wiring electrode 30 may include a conductive material. In detail, the wiring electrode 30 may include a metal material such as silver (Ag) or copper (Cu). However, the embodiment is not limited to this, and it goes without saying that the wiring electrode 30 may include a transparent conductive material such as indium tin oxide.

The connection portion 50 may include the same material as the wiring electrode 30. [ In detail, the connection portion 50 may be integrally formed with the wiring electrode 30. That is, the connection portion 50 may be a part of the wiring electrode 30 extended from the wiring electrode 30. [ That is, one end of the wiring electrode 30 is connected to the sensing electrode 20, and the other end of the wiring electrode is integrally formed with the connection portion 50, that is, the connection portion 50 extending from the wiring electrode have.

Alternatively, the connection portion 50 may include a pad portion. That is, one end of the wiring electrode 30 may be connected to the sensing electrode 20, and the other end of the wiring electrode 30 may be connected to the connection portion 50, that is, the pad portion. The pad portion may include a conductive material. For example, the pad portion may include a metal material such as silver (Ag).

The printed circuit board 40 may be disposed on the ineffective area UA. The printed circuit board 40 may be a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB). The printed circuit board 40 may be connected to the wiring electrodes 30 disposed on the ineffective area UA. In detail, the printed circuit board 40 is electrically connected to the wiring And may be electrically connected to the electrode 30.

The printed circuit board 40 may include a connector and a driving chip. In detail, the driving chip receives a touch signal sensed by the sensing electrode 20 from the wiring electrode 30, and can perform an operation according to the touch signal.

2 and 3, the connection unit 50 may include a first connection unit 50a and a second connection unit 50b. In detail, the connection portion 50 includes a first connection portion 50a extending in the direction of the printed circuit board 40 and extending to a first length, and a second connection portion 50b extending in a second length having a length different from the first length. (50b).

The first connection part 50a and the second connection part 50b may have different lengths. The first connection part 50a extends toward the printed circuit board in a direction longer than the second connection part 50b or the second connection part 50b extends in a direction longer than the first connection part 50a, And extend in the direction of the printed circuit board. That is, at least one of the first connection part 50a and the second connection part 50b may extend longer in the direction of the printed circuit board 40 on the ineffective area UA.

The connection unit 50 may connect the wiring electrode 30 to the printed circuit board 40. The first connection part 50a and the second connection part 50b may include one end 51 connected to the wiring electrode 30 and the other end 52 connected to the printed circuit board 40 have.

One end 51 of the connection part 50 is connected to the wiring electrode 30 and the other end 52 of the connection part 50 is connected to the printed circuit board 40.

2 and 3, the other end 52 of the connection portion 50 may include a protrusion 53. [ The other end 52 of the connection part 50 may include a protrusion 53 having a width larger than the one end 51. [ More specifically, the protrusion 53 has a first protrusion 53a extending in the first direction at the other end 52 of the connection part 50 and a second protrusion 53b extending in the second direction opposite to the first direction And at least one protrusion of the second protrusions 53b.

For example, the protrusions 53 may be formed in a "T" shape. That is, the connection portion 50 may include protrusions 53 projecting from the other end 52.

The connection portion 50 may be connected to the printed circuit board 40 by the protrusions 53. And may be connected to and joined to the junction 41 of the printed circuit board 40 in detail.

The junctions 41 may be disposed in a bonding region CA of the printed circuit board 40. The joint portions 41 of the printed circuit board 40 may include a first joint portion 41a and a second joint portion 41b formed at different positions. In detail, the first bonding portion 41a and the second bonding portion 41b may be located at different heights in the bonding region CA. For example, the first bonding portion 41a may be disposed, and the second bonding portion 41b may be disposed above or below the first bonding portion 41a while being spaced apart from the first bonding portion 41a.

That is, the joining portions 41 may be spaced apart from each other in the joining region CA and disposed at different heights. For example, the first bonding portion 41a and the second bonding portion 41b may be arranged in a zigzag shape while being spaced apart from each other in the bonding region CA.

Accordingly, the wiring electrode 30 and the printed circuit board 40 can be electrically connected to each other by the connecting portion 50 and the bonding portion 41. [ In detail, the first connection portion 51 and the second connection portion 52 may be connected to and joined to at least one of the first bonding portion 41a and the second bonding portion 41b. More specifically, the protrusions 53 of the first connection portion 51 and the second connection portion 52, that is, the first protrusions 53a and the second protrusions 53b, And may be connected to and joined to at least one of the second bonding portions 41b.

The connection part 50 and the bonding part 41 may be bonded to each other by applying an anisotropic conductive film (ACF). The connecting portion 50 and the joining portion 41 are bonded to each other along a first alignment mark AM1 formed on the cover window or the like and a second alignment mark AM1 formed on the printed circuit board 40 can do. Accordingly, the wiring electrode 30 and the printed circuit board 40 can be electrically connected.

The touch panel according to the embodiment can maximize the overlap area between the connection portion and the bonding portion when electrically connecting the wiring electrode and the printed circuit board by changing the shape of the connection portion and the positional relationship between the bonding portion of the printed circuit board It is possible to minimize the defective junction due to the alignment tolerance.

Conventionally, the connecting portion and the printed circuit board are separated from each other in the process of joining the connecting portion and the printed circuit board, and the connecting portion and the printed circuit board are partially joined together and partially joined together according to the alignment tolerance of the bonding portion of the connecting portion and the printed circuit board There may be parts that do not exist. That is, due to the alignment tolerance due to the deviation between the first alignment mark and the second alignment mark, the bonding may not be completely completed in the bonding region.

Accordingly, when the wiring electrodes and the printed circuit board are bonded to each other, defective junctions may occur. As a result, the signals generated from the sensing electrodes are not properly transmitted to the driving chips mounted on the printed circuit board through the wiring electrodes, And the like.

In order to solve such a problem, the touch panel according to the embodiment can minimize the bonding failure due to the alignment tolerance by increasing the contact area between the wiring electrode and the printed circuit board, that is, the contact area between the connection part and the bonding part .

That is, the touch panel according to the embodiment can increase the contact area with the junction of the printed circuit board by forming the protrusion at the other end of the connection. In addition, by arranging the joint portions of the printed circuit board differently from each other while being spaced apart from each other like a zigzag shape, not only the vertical alignment tolerance but also the left and right alignment tolerances can be complemented. That is, even if the left and right directions are deviated from each other, the joining portions are arranged above and below each other so that the joining portions and the joining portions are not overlapped with each other, but one joining can be performed for each channel.

4 and 5, even when the alignment marks are offset from each other, the contact area is increased due to the positional relationship between the protruding portion of the connection portion and the contact portion of the printed circuit board, so that the wiring electrode and the printed circuit board can be bonded more accurately have.

Accordingly, when the wiring electrode according to the embodiment is connected to the printed circuit board, it is possible to reduce the defective junction due to the alignment tolerance, thereby solving the problem caused by the malfunction of the touch, Can be improved.

Hereinafter, various embodiments according to various structures of the touch window will be described with reference to FIGS. 6 to 8. FIG. FIGS. 6 to 8 are views showing bonding portions between the wiring electrodes and the printed circuit board to explain various embodiments of the touch panel according to the formation positions of the first sensing electrode and the second sensing electrode. In addition, the above-described embodiments are essentially combined with the above-described embodiment, and a description of the same or similar portions is omitted.

Referring to FIG. 6, a touch panel according to an embodiment includes a cover window 100 including a valid area and a non-valid area, a substrate 200 disposed on the cover window and including a valid area and an ineffective area, .

In addition, the sensing electrode may be disposed on one side of the cover window 100 and on one side of the substrate 200. In detail, the sensing electrode may include a first sensing electrode extending in a first direction and a second sensing electrode extending in a second direction. One of the first sensing electrode and the second sensing electrode is disposed on one side of the effective region of the cover window 100 and the other sensing electrode is disposed on one side of the effective region of the substrate 200 .

The wiring electrode may be disposed on one side of the ineffective region of the cover window 100 and on one side of the ineffective region of the substrate 200. In detail, the wiring electrode may include a first wiring electrode 410 and a second wiring electrode 420. One of the wiring electrodes of the first wiring electrode 410 and the second wiring electrode 420 is disposed on one side of the ineffective area of the cover window 100 and the other wiring electrode is disposed on the side of the substrate 200 ) Of the non-effective area of the non-effective area.

The wiring electrodes 410 and 420 may be connected to the printed circuit board 500. The connecting portions 430 of the wiring electrodes 410 and 420 and the bonding portions 510 of the printed circuit board 500 may be bonded to each other by an anisotropic conductive film.

The connection portions 430 and the bonding portions 510 may have various shapes and may be disposed at different positions as in the embodiment described above.

Referring to FIG. 7, a touch panel according to an embodiment includes a cover window 100 including a valid region and a non-valid region, a substrate 200 disposed on the cover window and including a valid region and an ineffective region, . The substrate 200 may include a first substrate 210 disposed on the cover window 100 and a second substrate 220 disposed on the first substrate 210.

In addition, the sensing electrode may be disposed on one surface of the first substrate 210 and on one surface of the second substrate 220. In detail, the sensing electrode may include a first sensing electrode extending in a first direction and a second sensing electrode extending in a second direction. One of the first sensing electrode and the second sensing electrode is disposed on one side of the effective region of the first substrate 210 and the other sensing electrode is disposed on the effective region of the second substrate 220, As shown in FIG.

The wiring electrode may be disposed on one side of the ineffective region of the first substrate 210 and on one side of the ineffective region of the second substrate 220. In detail, the wiring electrode may include a first wiring electrode 410 and a second wiring electrode 420. One of the wiring electrodes of the first wiring electrode 410 and the second wiring electrode 420 is disposed on one surface of the ineffective area of the first substrate 210, And may be disposed on one side of the non-effective region of the substrate 220.

The wiring electrodes 410 and 420 may be connected to the printed circuit board 500. The connecting portions 430 of the wiring electrodes 410 and 420 and the bonding portions 510 of the printed circuit board 500 may be bonded to each other by an anisotropic conductive film.

The connection portions 430 and the bonding portions 510 may have various shapes and may be disposed at different positions as in the embodiment described above.

Referring to FIG. 8, the touch panel according to the embodiment includes a cover window 100 including a valid area and a non-valid area.

In addition, the sensing electrode may be disposed on one side of the cover window 100. In detail, the sensing electrode may include a first sensing electrode extending in a first direction and a second sensing electrode extending in a second direction. The first sensing electrode and the second sensing electrode may be disposed on one side of the effective region of the cover window 100. In detail, the first sensing electrode and the second sensing electrode may be disposed on the cover window 100 without being shorted to each other through a bridge electrode and an insulating layer.

In detail, the bridge electrode is formed on the effective region of the cover window 100. Then, an insulating layer partially covering the bridge electrode is formed on the bridge electrode. Accordingly, a portion covered by the insulating layer 340 and a portion not covering the bridge electrode may exist on the bridge electrode.

Subsequently, one of the first sensing electrode and the second sensing electrode is disposed on the insulating layer. In addition, one of the first sensing electrode and the second sensing electrode is connected so as to be in contact with the exposed bridge electrode without being covered by the insulating layer.

Accordingly, the first sensing electrode and the second sensing electrode may be separated from each other and disposed on the effective region of the cover window 100. [

However, the embodiment is not limited to this, and the first sensing electrode and the second sensing electrode are first disposed on the effective region of the cover window 100, and the first sensing electrode and the second sensing electrode are insulated After the layer is formed, a hole may be formed on the insulating layer covering the second sensing electrode, and the bridge electrode may be connected through the hole.

In addition, the wiring electrodes 400 may be disposed on one side of the ineffective area of the cover window 100.

In addition, the wiring electrodes 400 may be connected to the printed circuit board 500. In detail, the connection portions 430 of the wiring electrodes 400 and the bonding portions 510 of the printed circuit board 500 may be bonded to each other by an anisotropic conductive film.

The connection portions 430 and the bonding portions 510 may have various shapes and may be disposed at different positions as in the embodiment described above.

FIGS. 9 and 10 are views showing an example of a display device including the above-described touch panel.

 Referring to Fig. 9, as an example of a display device, a mobile terminal is shown. The mobile terminal 1000 may include a valid area AA and a non-valid area UA. The effective area AA senses a touch signal by touching a finger or the like, and a command icon pattern part and a logo are formed on the non-valid area.

Referring to Fig. 10, a portable notebook is shown as an example of a display device. The portable notebook 2000 may include a touch panel 2200, a touch sheet 2100, and a circuit board 2300. A touch sheet 2100 is disposed on the upper surface of the touch panel 2200. The touch sheet 2100 can protect the touch area TA. In addition, the touch sheet 2100 can improve the touch feeling of the user. And a circuit board 2300 electrically connected to the touch panel 2200 on the lower surface of the touch panel 2200. The circuit board 2300 is a printed circuit board, and various components for constituting a portable notebook can be mounted.

The shape and position of the connecting portion and the connecting portion can be controlled so that the bonding area between the wiring electrode and the printed circuit board can be increased as in the embodiment described above. As a result, defective junctions can be reduced when the wiring electrodes are bonded to the printed circuit board, thereby improving the reliability of the display device.

9 and 10, only the mobile terminal and the portable note pad are shown. However, it is needless to say that the above-described touch panel can be used for various electronic products such as automobiles and household appliances to which a display is applied in addition to mobile terminals and portable laptops .

The features, structures, effects and the like described in the foregoing embodiments are included in at least one embodiment of the present invention and are not necessarily limited to one embodiment. Further, the features, structures, effects, and the like illustrated in the embodiments may be combined or modified in other embodiments by those skilled in the art to which the embodiments belong. Therefore, it should be understood that the present invention is not limited to these combinations and modifications.

While the present invention has been particularly shown and described with reference to exemplary embodiments thereof, it is clearly understood that the same is by way of illustration and example only and is not to be construed as limiting the scope of the present invention. It can be seen that various modifications and applications are possible. For example, each component specifically shown in the embodiments may be modified and implemented. It is to be understood that the present invention may be embodied in many other specific forms without departing from the spirit or essential characteristics thereof.

Claims (10)

A cover window including a valid region and a non-valid region;
A sensing electrode disposed on the effective region;
A wiring electrode portion disposed on the non-effective region; And
And a printed circuit board (FPCB) disposed on the ineffective area and connected to the wiring electrode part,
Wherein the wiring electrode portion includes a wiring electrode and a connection portion,
The connecting portion
One end connected to the wiring electrode; And
And another end connected to the printed circuit board,
And the other end of the connection portion includes a protrusion that is wider than the one end. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the connection portion includes the same material as the wiring electrode. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the connection portion includes a pad portion,
Wherein the wiring electrode portion is connected to the printed circuit board via the pad portion. The method according to claim 1,
The protruding portion
A first protrusion extending from the other end of the connection portion in a first direction; And
And a second protrusion extending in a second direction opposite to the first direction. 5. The method of claim 4,
Wherein at least one protrusion of the first protrusion and the second protrusion is bonded to the printed circuit board. 5. The method of claim 4,
The connecting portion
A first connection portion extending in the direction of the printed circuit board and extending to a first length; And
And a second connection portion extending in the direction of the printed circuit board and extending to a second length having a length different from the first length,
Wherein the first connection portion and the second connection portion are alternately arranged. 3. The method of claim 2,
Wherein the printed circuit board includes a connection portion that is connected to the connection portion,
And the joining portion is joined to the protruding portion. 8. The method of claim 7,
The joining portion
A first junction; And
And a second joint portion spaced apart from the first joint portion,
Wherein the first bonding portion and the second bonding portion are arranged in a zigzag manner. 9. The method of claim 8,
Wherein the first bonding portion and the second bonding portion are bonded to at least one of the first connection portion and the second connection portion. 8. The method of claim 7,
Wherein the first joint and the second joint comprise:
Wherein the first protrusions and the second protrusions are joined to the protrusions of at least one of the first protrusions and the second protrusions.

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