KR20150117081A - Touch panel - Google Patents

Abstract

A touch panel according to an embodiment includes: a cover substrate which are divided into an effective region and a non-effective region arranged on the edge of the effective region; a detection electrode which is arranged on the effective region of the cover substrate; a line which is arranged on the non-effective region of the cover substrate and is electrically connected to the detection electrode; and a ground pattern which is arranged on the non-effective region of the cover substrate and is arranged on the edge of the line. The ground pattern includes a first ground pattern which is arranged with a closed curve shape along the edge line of the cover substrate, and a second ground pattern and a third ground pattern which are branched from the first ground pattern to the inside of the cover substrate.

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.

The touch panel is typically divided into a resistive touch panel and a capacitive touch panel. The resistance film type touch panel senses that the resistance changes according to the connection between the electrodes when the pressure is applied to 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. Considering the convenience of the manufacturing method and the sensing power, recently, in a small model, the electrostatic capacity method has attracted attention.

Such a touch panel is susceptible to electrostatic discharge (ESD) and is liable to be damaged. Further, the apparatus is vulnerable to external noise, and a malfunction may occur. In particular, when the sensing electrode and the wiring are disposed on the back surface of the cover substrate, the touch panel may have a small thickness but is more vulnerable to electrostatic discharge (ESD) and noise.

In recent years, a design ink is used for a design of a logo or the like on a display device including a touch panel. At this time, the design ink may include conductive particles. There is a problem in that static electricity or noise from the outside is concentrated around the design ink due to the design ink composed of such conductive particles. As a result, there is a problem of damage and malfunction of the circuit board, wiring, and the like disposed under the design ink.

The embodiment relates to a touch panel with improved reliability.

A touch panel according to an embodiment includes a cover substrate divided into an effective area and a non-effective area disposed outside the effective area; A sensing electrode disposed on an effective region of the cover substrate; A wiring disposed on the ineffective area of the cover substrate and electrically connected to the sensing electrode; And a ground pattern disposed on an ineffective area of the cover substrate and disposed at an outer periphery of the wiring, wherein the ground pattern includes: a first ground pattern disposed in a closed curve shape along an outline line of the cover substrate; And a second ground pattern and a third ground pattern formed so as to branch from the first ground pattern to the inside of the cover substrate.

The touch panel according to the embodiment includes the first ground pattern formed in a closed curve shape along the outline line of the cover substrate and the second ground pattern and the third ground pattern formed by branching from the first ground pattern, And it is possible to prevent the occurrence of malfunction due to noise.

The circuit board is disposed between the first ground pattern and the second ground pattern to prevent the circuit board from being damaged. Particularly, even if the circuit board is disposed in a design ink lower region formed of a conductive material which is a region where static electricity and noise are concentrated, damage and malfunction of the circuit board can be prevented by the first ground pattern and the second ground pattern .

Further, since the second ground pattern and the third ground pattern branched from the first ground pattern to the inside of the cover substrate are arranged so as to surround the wiring and the effective area, the wiring disposed in the ineffective area and the detection There is an effect that the electrode can be additionally protected. Accordingly, a touch panel with improved reliability and a display device including the touch panel can be formed.

1 is a perspective view of a touch panel according to an embodiment.
2 is a plan view of a touch panel according to an embodiment.
3 is a cross-sectional view taken along the line A-A 'in Fig.
4 is a perspective view of a touch panel according to another embodiment.
5 is a cross-sectional view of a display device according to an embodiment.
FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a mobile terminal to which a touch panel and a display device according to embodiments are 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.

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

1 to 3 are views showing a touch panel according to an embodiment. FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a touch panel according to another embodiment, and FIG. 5 is a view illustrating a display device according to an embodiment. FIG. 6 is a diagram illustrating a portable terminal to which a touch panel according to embodiments is applied.

1 to 3, the touch panel according to the embodiment includes a cover substrate 100. The cover substrate 100 may include an effective region AA through which light is transmitted and an ineffective region UA which is disposed outside the effective region AA and in which light is not transmitted. In more detail, the valid area AA refers to an area where a user can input a touch command. The non-valid area UA is a concept opposite to the valid area AA, and is not activated even when a user touches the area And the touch command input is not performed.

The cover substrate 100 may include glass or plastic. For example, the cover substrate 100 may comprise tempered glass, semi-tempered glass, soda lime glass, reinforced plastic or soft plastic. The printed layer 200, the sensing electrode 300, the wiring 400, the ground pattern 500, and the circuit board 600 may be disposed on one side of the cover substrate 100.

The sensing electrode 300 may be disposed on the effective area AA. The sensing electrode 300 may include a conductive material. The sensing electrode 300 may include a transparent conductive material. For example, the sensing electrode 300 may include a transparent conductive material such as indium tin oxide (ITO).

In addition, the sensing electrode 300 may be arranged in a mesh shape including various metals having excellent electrical conductivity. For example, the sensing electrode 300 may include Cu, Au, Ag, Al, Ti, Ni, or an alloy thereof. At this time, the mesh shape can be formed at random to prevent moire phenomenon. Moire phenomenon is a pattern caused by superimposing periodic stripes. It is a phenomenon in which neighboring stripes are overlapped and the thickness of the stripes becomes thicker than other stripes. Therefore, in order to prevent such a moire phenomenon, the conductive pattern shape may be variously arranged.

The sensing electrode 300 may include a first sensing electrode 310, a second sensing electrode 320, and a bridge electrode 350. The first sensing electrode 310, the second sensing electrode 320, and the bridge electrode 350 may include the same material or may include different materials. In addition, the first sensing electrode 310, the second sensing electrode 320, and the bridge electrode 350 may be disposed on the same surface of the cover substrate.

The bridge electrode 350 may be disposed in the form of a bar, for example. In detail, the bridge electrodes 350 may be arranged in a bar shape spaced apart at regular intervals on the effective area AA. The bridge electrode 350 may serve to connect the first sensing electrode 310 to be described later.

An insulating layer 351 may be disposed on the bridge electrode 350. In detail, an insulating layer 351 is partially disposed on the bridge electrode 350, and a part of the bridge electrode 350 may be covered with the insulating layer 351. For example, when the bridge electrode 350 is formed in a bar shape, the insulating layer 351 may be disposed on a region except one end and the other end, that is, both end portions of the bridge electrode 350.

The first sensing electrode 310 and the second sensing electrode 320 may be disposed on the effective area AA to sense a touch. in details. The first sensing electrode 310 may extend in one direction on the effective region AA and the second sensing electrode 320 may extend in a direction different from the first direction.

One of the first sensing electrode 310 and the second sensing electrode 320 may be disposed on the insulating layer 351 and the other may be connected to both ends of the bridge electrode 350. [ have.

The first sensing electrode 310 may be disposed on the insulating layer 351 and the first sensing electrode 310 may be electrically connected by a connecting portion 340 connecting the first sensing electrode 310 and the first sensing electrode 310. The second sensing electrode 320 may be connected to both ends of the bridge electrode 330 and electrically connected to each other. Accordingly, the first sensing electrode 310 and the second sensing electrode 320 may be electrically connected to each other without being short-circuited by the bridge electrode and the insulating material.

In the drawings, the bridge electrodes, the insulating material, and the sensing electrodes are stacked in this order. However, the embodiments are not limited thereto, and the sensing electrodes, the insulating material, and the bridge electrodes may be stacked in this order.

The wiring 400 may include a first wiring 410 and a second wiring 420. In detail, the wiring 400 may include the first wiring 410 connected to the first sensing electrode 310 and the second wiring 420 connected to the second sensing electrode 320 have.

The first wiring 410 and the second wiring 420 may be connected to the circuit board 600. More specifically, the first wiring 410 and the second wiring 420 are electrically connected to the first sensing electrode 310 and the second sensing electrode 320, respectively, To the circuit board 600 to perform a touch operation. The circuit board 600 may be, for example, a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB).

The first wiring 410 and the second wiring 420 may include a conductive material. In detail, the first wiring 410 and the second wiring 420 may include a metal material such as silver (Ag) or copper (Cu).

The printed layer 200, the wiring 400, the ground pattern 500, and the circuit board 600 may be disposed on the ineffective area UA. The printed layer 200 is formed on the ineffective area UA of the cover substrate 100 and the wiring 400, the ground pattern 500 and the circuit board 600 are formed on the printed layer 200 .

The ground pattern 500 is disposed outside the wiring 400. The ground pattern 500 includes a first ground pattern 510 disposed along the outline 100a of the cover substrate 100 in a closed curve shape. For example, when the cover substrate 100 is formed in a square shape, the first ground pattern 510 is formed in a rectangular closed-loop pattern. The outline line 100a of the cover substrate 100 may be defined as an edge of the cover substrate 100 or an end portion of the cover substrate 100, have.

At this time, the first ground pattern 510 may be spaced apart from the outer line 100a of the cover substrate 100 by a predetermined distance d. The distance d between the first ground pattern 510 and the outer line 100a of the cover substrate 100 may be about 0 to 200 mu m or less.

In addition, the first ground pattern 510 may be formed to be in contact with the outline line 100a of the cover substrate 100. That is, the distance d between the first ground pattern 510 and the outer line 100a of the cover substrate 100 may be zero.

Conventionally, when the sensing electrode 300 and the wiring 400 are formed on one surface of the cover substrate 100, they are particularly vulnerable to electrostatic discharge (ESD) and noise. In the present invention, the first ground pattern 510 is formed along the peripheral line 100a of the cover substrate 100, thereby protecting the sensing electrode 300 and the wiring 400 of the touch panel.

Particularly, the first ground pattern 510 formed along the outline line 100a of the cover substrate 100 may be formed on the outer surface of the circuit board 600. Accordingly, the first ground pattern 510 can protect the circuit board 600, and can prevent malfunction due to damage and noise due to electrostatic discharge.

The ground pattern 500 may include a second ground pattern 520 and a third ground pattern 530 formed so as to branch from the first ground pattern 510 to the inside of the cover substrate 100 . The second ground pattern 520 and the third ground pattern 530 are branched from the first ground pattern 510 and are electrically connected to the wiring 400 disposed in the ineffective area UA and the outside of the effective area AA As shown in FIG. That is, the second ground pattern 520 and the third ground pattern 530 may be arranged to surround the wiring 400 and the effective area AA.

The wiring 400 may include wiring extending in one direction and wiring extending in a direction different from the one direction. In this case, the wiring extending in one direction is arranged parallel to the first ground wiring 510, and the wiring extending in a direction different from the one direction is connected to the second ground wiring 520 or the third ground wiring 530 Can be arranged in parallel. That is, a first ground pattern 510 is disposed along an outline line of the cover substrate 100, and a second ground pattern 520 and a third ground pattern 510 are formed along a line extending in a direction different from the first ground pattern 510 A ground pattern 530 is disposed. Accordingly, the second ground pattern 520 and the third ground pattern 530 can additionally protect the sensing electrode 300 and the wiring 400.

The second ground pattern 520 and the third ground pattern 530 may be formed in a direction perpendicular to the first ground pattern 510, respectively. For example, the second ground pattern 520 and the third ground pattern 530, which are branched from the first ground pattern 510 extending in the first direction among the first ground patterns 510, In the second direction. At this time, the second ground pattern 520 and the third ground pattern 530 may be disposed parallel to each other with the effective area AA therebetween. In addition, the second pattern 520 and the third pattern 530 may be disposed adjacent to the outer periphery of the wiring 400 extending in the second direction.

The circuit board 600 may be disposed between the first ground pattern 510 and the second ground pattern 520. The second ground pattern 520 may include a connection portion 521 for connecting the ground pattern 500 to the circuit board 600.

Conventionally, a ground pattern is not formed on the outer periphery of the circuit board, so that the circuit board is not protected and the circuit board is damaged. In the present invention, since the circuit board is disposed between the first ground pattern 510 and the second ground pattern 520, the circuit board 600 can be protected from static electricity and noise.

The third ground pattern 530 may be branched and extended from the first ground pattern 510 and disposed at two points in contact with the first ground pattern 510. For example, the first ground pattern 510 includes two sides extending in a first direction as a result of being formed in a closed curve shape, and a third ground pattern 530 extending in a second direction, The first ground pattern 510 and the second ground pattern 510 may be formed to be in contact with each other.

A plurality of mechanisms may be disposed between the third ground pattern 530 and the first ground pattern 510 in a later display apparatus. The device may be any one selected from the group consisting of a speaker, a microphone, and a camera.

Recently, a design ink is used on a non-effective area UA of the cover substrate 100 for designing a logo or the like on a display device including a touch panel. At this time, the design ink may include conductive particles. Because of the design ink made of such conductive particles, static electricity or noise from the outside is concentrated around the design ink. As a result, there is a problem that the wiring 400 and the circuit board 600 disposed under the design ink are damaged or malfunctions occur.

The first ground pattern 510 is disposed in a closed curve along the outline of the cover substrate 100 and the second ground pattern 510 branched from the first ground pattern 510 to the inside of the cover substrate 100. [ The pattern 520 and the third ground pattern 530 are arranged so as to surround the wiring 400 and the effective area AA. Also, the circuit board 600 is disposed between the first ground pattern 510 and the second ground pattern 520. Therefore, even if a wiring or a circuit board is disposed in a region where static electricity or noise is concentrated from the outside, damage and malfunction can be prevented by the first to third ground patterns 510 to 530.

The printed layer 200 may serve to prevent the wiring 400 and the ground pattern 500 disposed on the print layer 200 from being viewed from the outside. Accordingly, the printing layer 200 can be formed by applying a color ink such as black ink or white ink onto the ineffective area UA and curing it. Also, the printed layer 200 can prevent light from leaking from the LCD at the interface between the effective area AA and the non-effective area UA.

Although the printing layer 200 is shown as a single layer having a single thickness on the drawing, the embodiment is not limited thereto. The print layer 200 may be formed of a plurality of print layers depending on the color and thickness.

A protective layer 50 may be further formed on the wiring 400 and the ground wiring 500. The protective layer 50 may protect the wiring 400 and the ground wiring 500. Specifically, the protection layer 50 can prevent the reliability of the wiring 400 and the ground wiring 500 from being oxidized or permeated with moisture by exposure to oxygen. The protective layer 50 may be formed to expose the wiring 400 and the ground wiring 500 in a region where the wiring 400 and the ground wiring 500 are in contact with the circuit board 600.

Hereinafter, a touch panel according to another embodiment will be described with reference to FIG. In the description of the touch panel according to another embodiment, description of the same parts as those of the touch panel according to the above-described embodiment is omitted, and the same reference numerals are assigned to the same components.

Referring to FIG. 4, the touch panel according to another embodiment of the present invention may further include a substrate 700 disposed on the cover substrate 100. The substrate 700 may include plastic. In one example, the substrate 700 may comprise polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

The cover substrate 100 and the substrate 700 may be adhered using a transparent adhesive such as an optical transparent adhesive (OCA).

The cover substrate 100 and the substrate 700 include a valid region AA and a non-valid region UA. The valid area AA and the non-valid area UA may be the same as those described above.

The first sensing electrode 310 may be disposed in the effective area AA of the cover substrate 100. The first wiring 410 connected to the first sensing electrode 310 and the ground pattern 500 may be disposed in the non-effective area UA of the cover substrate 100.

The ground pattern 500 includes a first ground pattern 510 disposed in a closed curve along an outline of the cover substrate 100 and a second ground pattern 510 branched from the first ground pattern 510 toward the inside of the cover substrate 100 A second ground pattern 520 and a third ground pattern 530. The second ground pattern 520 and the third ground pattern 530 may be disposed to surround the first wiring 410 and the effective area AA.

In addition, the second sensing electrode 320 may be disposed in the effective region of the substrate 700. In addition, a second wiring 420 connected to the second sensing electrode 320 may be disposed in a non-effective region of the substrate 700.

The first wiring 410 and the second wiring 420 may be electrically connected to the circuit board 600, respectively. The circuit board 600 may be disposed between the first ground pattern 510 and the second ground pattern 520.

Referring to FIG. 5, a display device according to an embodiment includes a display panel 111 and a touch panel. The touch panel is the same as the touch panel according to the embodiments described above, and redundant description may be omitted, and the same reference numerals are assigned to the same components.

The display device according to the embodiment may include a valid region AA through which light is transmitted and an ineffective region UA that is disposed outside the effective region AA and in which light is not transmitted.

An adhesive layer 112 is disposed between the display panel 111 and the touch panel. The adhesive layer 112 may be formed in a part of the effective area AA and the non-valid area UA. The adhesive layer 112 may be an optical clear adhesive (OCA) or an optical clear resin (OCR), and attaches the display panel 111 and the touch panel. The area where the adhesive layer 112 is formed can prevent scattering of the cover substrate 100 even if the cover substrate 100 is broken due to the adhesive layer 112.

The touch panel includes a cover substrate 100. The print layer 200, the wiring 400, the ground pattern 500 and the circuit board 600 are disposed on the backside of the cover substrate 100 in the ineffective area UA, The sensing electrode 300 may be disposed. The touch panel may be the same as the touch panel according to the embodiments described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4. FIG.

The display panel 111 may include a liquid crystal display panel and a backlight unit that provides a surface light source to the liquid crystal display panel. The liquid crystal display panel and the backlight unit may be integrally coupled to the set cover. For example, the set cover may be formed including the lower cover, the support main and the upper cover. At this time, the upper cover, the support main and the lower cover are integrally formed by assembling together, and the cover-attaching film adheres to the upper cover and the touch panel, so that the touch panel can be formed integrally with the upper cover.

The liquid crystal display panel may have a structure in which an upper substrate including red (R, G) color filter layers and a lower substrate including a thin film transistor (TFT) and a pixel electrode are bonded together with a liquid crystal layer interposed therebetween have.

In addition, the liquid crystal display panel may have a color filter on transistor (COT) structure in which a color filter and a black matrix are formed on a lower substrate. A thin film transistor is formed on the lower substrate, a protective film is formed on the thin film transistor, and a color filter layer is formed on the protective film. In addition, a pixel electrode is formed on the lower substrate in contact with the thin film transistor. At this time, in order to improve the aperture ratio and simplify the mask process, the black matrix may be omitted, and the common electrode may be formed to serve also as the black matrix.

The backlight unit 120 is a light emitting diode package (hereinafter referred to as a light emitting package) composed of red (R), green (G) and blue (B) light emitting diodes (LEDs) or white (W) light emitting diodes A light guide plate for converting a light source supplied from the light emitting package into a planar light source; a light guide plate disposed on the back surface of the light guide plate to improve light efficiency; A reflection plate, and an optical sheet disposed on the upper side of the light guide plate to perform a light condensing and diffusion function.

The display panel 111 may be an organic light emitting display panel. The organic electroluminescence display panel includes a self-luminous element which does not require a separate light source. In the organic light emitting display panel, a thin film transistor is formed on a substrate, and an organic light emitting device which is in contact with the thin film transistor is formed. The organic light emitting device may include an anode, a cathode, and an organic light emitting layer formed between the anode and the cathode. Further, the organic light emitting device may further include an encapsulation substrate for encapsulation.

Also, the display panel 111 is not limited thereto, and may be an electrophoretic display (EPD), a plasma display panel (PDP), a field emission display device (FED), an electroluminescence display device (ELD), and an electro-wetting display (EWD).

FIG. 8 is a view illustrating a mobile terminal to which a touch panel and a display device according to the above-described embodiments are applied.

Referring to FIG. 8, 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 in the non-valid area UA.

In addition, although the mobile terminal is shown in the drawing, it is needless to say that the above-described touch panel can be used in various electronic products such as a touch for a car, a navigation system, a notebook computer, and a home appliance, which can be applied to a touch panel, in addition to a mobile terminal. Also, CID (Center Information Display) can be implemented not only in PND (Personal Navigation Display) such as car navigation, but also in dashboard and the like.

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 (13)

A cover substrate divided into a valid region and a non-valid region disposed outside the valid region;
A sensing electrode disposed on an effective region of the cover substrate;
A wiring disposed on the ineffective area of the cover substrate and electrically connected to the sensing electrode; And
And a grounding pattern disposed on the non-effective area of the cover substrate and disposed on an outer periphery of the wiring,
The ground pattern
A first ground pattern disposed in the shape of a closed curve along an outline of the cover substrate; And
And a second ground pattern and a third ground pattern formed so as to branch from the first ground pattern to the inside of the cover substrate. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the first ground pattern is disposed in contact with the outline line. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the first ground pattern is disposed at a predetermined distance from the outline line. The method of claim 3,
Wherein a distance between the first ground pattern and an outline line of the cover substrate is more than 0 and not more than 200 mu m. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the wiring comprises wiring extending in one direction and wiring extending in a direction different from the one direction,
The wiring extending in one direction is disposed in parallel with the first ground wiring,
And the wiring extending in a direction different from the one direction is disposed in parallel with the second ground wiring or the third ground wiring. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the second ground pattern and the third ground pattern are respectively branched in a direction perpendicular to the first ground pattern. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the second ground pattern and the third ground pattern are arranged with an effective region interposed therebetween. 8. The method of claim 7,
And the second ground pattern and the third ground pattern are disposed in parallel with each other. The method according to claim 1,
And a circuit board disposed between the first ground pattern and the second ground pattern. 10. The method of claim 9,
Wherein the second ground pattern further comprises a connection portion for connecting to the circuit board. The method according to claim 1,
Wherein the third ground pattern extends and is arranged to contact at two points of the first ground pattern. The method according to claim 1,
And a first sensing electrode and a second sensing electrode formed on the cover substrate. The method according to claim 1,
A first sensing electrode formed on the cover substrate;
A first substrate disposed on the cover substrate; And
And a second sensing electrode formed on the first substrate.

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