TW201413530A - Touch panel - Google Patents

Abstract

A touch panel, having a transparent touch sensing region and a peripheral region adjacent to at least one side of the transparent touch sensing region, includes a substrate, a decoration layer, a light-shielding layer, and at least a touch sensor. The substrate has a surface, and a first functional hole is defined on the surface of the substrate. The decoration layer is disposed on the surface of the substrate and within the peripheral region. The light-shielding layer is disposed on the decoration layer and includes at least a first shielding-layer hole that is corresponding to the first functional hole and exposes a portion of the decoration layer. The touch sensor is at least in the transparent touch sensing region.

Description

Touch panel

The present invention relates to a touch panel, and more particularly to a touch panel having a hidden function hole.

Due to the human-computer interaction characteristics of the touch panel, it has been widely used in smart phones, GPS navigator systems, tablet PCs, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and notebook computers. (laptop PC) and other electronic products.

Please refer to FIG. 13 , which is a schematic top view of a conventional touch panel. As shown in FIG. 13 , the surface of the conventional touch panel 10 is generally provided with a plurality of functional holes, for example, as optical sensing holes or button graphic holes. For example, the conventional touch panel 10 includes an infrared (IR) sensing hole 12, a lens hole 14, an indicator hole 16 (for example, an LED indicating hole), an ambient light source sensing hole 18, and a button graphic hole 20. . It is customary to make these functional holes by digging holes in the decorative layer on the other side of the touch panel, so that the decorative layer directly defines the pattern of the functional holes, and further coating other translucent ink materials on the surface of the holes of the decorative layer. (for example, light-transmissive ink materials of similar color) in an attempt to improve the concealment of the holes or to adjust the appearance of the functional holes. However, a disadvantage of the conventional practice is that the translucent ink material and the decorative layer still have a certain color difference, and thus the concealing property of the functional hole is not good. Furthermore, if the decorative layer is formed by stacking a plurality of layers, the film layer in the vicinity of the hole may affect the visual effect of the appearance due to the stacking gap.

One of the main objects of the present invention is to provide a touch panel, the function holes of which are mainly composed of a light shielding layer having patterned holes, and are disposed between the holes of the light shielding layer and the substrate. The decorative layer with holes can achieve the effect of concealing the functional holes, and can take into consideration the appearance and practicability of the functional holes.

To achieve the above, the present invention discloses a touch panel having a transparent touch sensing area and a surrounding area on at least one side of the transparent touch sensing area. The touch panel of the present invention comprises a substrate, a decorative layer, a light shielding layer and at least one touch sensing element. The touch panel of the present invention defines a first functional hole on the substrate, the decorative layer is disposed on the substrate and located in the surrounding area, the light shielding layer is disposed on the decorative layer, and the light shielding layer comprises a first light shielding layer. The hole corresponds to the first functional hole and exposes a portion of the decorative layer. In addition, the touch sensing component is disposed at least in the transparent touch sensing area. To achieve the above objective, the present invention further provides a touch panel having a transparent touch sensing area and a surrounding area on at least one side of the transparent touch sensing area. The touch panel of the present invention comprises a substrate, a decorative layer and at least one touch sensing element. The touch panel defines a first functional hole on the substrate. The decorative layer is disposed on the substrate and located in the surrounding area, and includes a plurality of sub-decorative layers stacked on each other, wherein at least one of the sub-decorative layers has a decorative layer hole, and at least one of the sub-decorative layers does not have a decoration a layer of holes corresponding to the first functional hole and exposing a portion of the sub-decorative layer. The touch sensing component is disposed at least in the transparent touch sensing area.

To achieve the above objective, the present invention further discloses a cover plate for a touch device having a light transmissive area and a peripheral area on at least one side of the light transmissive area. The cover plate includes a substrate, a decorative layer and a light shielding layer. The cover plate of the present invention defines a first functional hole on the substrate, the decorative layer is disposed on the substrate and located in the surrounding area, and the light shielding layer is disposed on the decorative layer, and the light shielding layer comprises a first The light shielding layer hole corresponds to the first functional hole and exposes a portion of the decorative layer.

100, 1001, 1002‧‧‧ touch panel

102‧‧‧Substrate

102A‧‧‧ lower surface

102B‧‧‧ upper surface

102C‧‧‧ Sidewall

104, 104’ ‧ ‧ decorative layer

1041‧‧‧First decorative layer

1041A‧‧‧ Sidewall

1042‧‧‧Second decorative layer

1042A‧‧‧decorative hole

1043‧‧‧ bottom decorative layer

1044‧‧‧ third decorative layer

1044A‧‧‧decorative hole

106‧‧‧Lighting layer

106A‧‧‧ first shading hole

106B‧‧‧Second shading hole

108‧‧‧Outer frame

108A, 106B‧‧‧Outer frame holes

1081‧‧‧First outer frame

1082‧‧‧Second outer frame

110‧‧‧Touch sensing components

110X‧‧‧first axial electrode

110Y‧‧‧second axial electrode

200, 300, 400, 500, 600‧‧‧ touch panels

D‧‧‧thickness

D’‧‧‧depth

D1, d2, d3, d4‧‧‧ distance

S‧‧‧ ladder structure

R1‧‧‧Light touch sensing area

R2‧‧‧ surrounding area

R21‧‧‧ outside

R22‧‧‧ inside

V1‧‧‧ first function hole

V2‧‧‧ second function hole

X‧‧‧ horizontal direction

Y‧‧‧Vertical direction

Z‧‧‧Vertical projection direction

FIG. 1 is a top plan view of a first embodiment of a touch panel of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the touch panel shown in Fig. 1 along a tangential line A-A'.

FIG. 3 is a schematic top view of the touch sensing element of the touch panel shown in FIG. 1 .

4 is a cross-sectional view showing a first variation of the first embodiment of the touch panel of the present invention.

FIG. 5 is a top plan view showing a second variation of the first embodiment of the touch panel of the present invention.

Fig. 6 is a partial cross-sectional view showing the touch panel of Fig. 5 taken along line B-B'.

FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a second embodiment of the touch panel of the present invention.

Figure 8 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a third embodiment of the touch panel of the present invention.

Figure 9 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a modified embodiment of the third embodiment of the touch panel of the present invention.

FIG. 10 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a fourth embodiment of the touch panel of the present invention.

11 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a fifth embodiment of the touch panel of the present invention.

Figure 12 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a fifth embodiment of the touch panel of the present invention.

FIG. 13 is a schematic top view of a conventional touch panel.

The present invention will be described in detail with reference to the preferred embodiments of the invention,

Please refer to FIG. 1 to FIG. 3 . FIG. 1 is a schematic top view of a touch panel according to a first embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is a partial cross-sectional view of the touch panel along the line A-A′ of FIG. 1 . FIG. 3 is a schematic top view of the touch sensing element of the touch panel shown in FIG. 1 . As shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 , the touch panel 100 of the present invention has a transparent touch sensing area R1 and a surrounding area R2 located on at least one side of the transparent touch sensing area R1. The area R2 is disposed on the periphery of the transparent touch sensing area R1 as an example. The touch panel 100 includes a substrate 102 having an upper surface 102B and a lower surface 102A disposed opposite to each other. The material of the substrate 102 is exemplified by a composite material of glass, plastic, polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) and polycarbonate (PM) (PMMA/PC) or a flexible substrate, but is not limited thereto. A first function hole V1 is defined on the upper surface 102B, which can be used as the red color of the touch panel 100. The external line sensing hole, the light-transmitting button hole or the indicator hole, the other function hole mentioned in FIG. 13 or any hole which may be disposed on the surface of the touch panel 100. In the embodiment, the first function hole V1 is taken as a light-transmitting button hole for illustration. Therefore, the pattern of the first function hole V1 is a graphic pattern with a function prompt. The touch panel 100 further includes a decorative layer 104 and a light shielding layer 106. The decorative layer 104 is disposed on the upper surface 102B of the substrate 102 and located in the surrounding area R2, but does not mean that the decorative layer 104 must be in direct contact with the upper surface 102B of the substrate 102, that is, above the decorative layer 104 and the substrate 102. Between the surfaces 102B, other film layers may be disposed, such as at least one insulating layer or an optical film layer, such as yttrium oxide or a composite film layer of yttrium oxide and tantalum nitride; the following embodiments are also omitted. . In this embodiment, the decorative layer 104 comprises a non-black material or a color material, for example, may be a translucent light transmissive material or a non-transparent material, and the material may include ink, resin, photoresist, metal oxide, non-metal oxide. Or a single layer or multiple layers of a dielectric material such as hafnium oxide. For example, the overall optical density (OD) of the decorative layer 104 is smaller than the overall optical density of the light shielding layer 106. For example, the overall OD value of the decorative layer 104 is about 1-3, or the substrate 102 can only be decorated with a decoration. The layer 104 but not the portion of the light shielding layer 106 (for example, the area of the touch panel 100 having the first functional hole V1) has a light transmittance of about 10 to 0.1%, and the overall OD value of the light shielding layer 106 is about 3 to 6 Or, it can be said that the light transmittance of the portion of the substrate 102 having the light shielding layer 106 is about 0.1 to 0.0001%, for example, the portion of the light shielding layer 106 and the decorative layer 104 simultaneously on the inner side R22 of the peripheral region R2 along the vertical projection direction Z. . It should be noted that, in fact, when measuring the OD value of the decorative layer 104 and the light shielding layer 106, it must be measured together with the carrier plate, that is, the substrate 102 of the embodiment; and, if there are other layers on the substrate 102 and the decorative layer 104, When, for example, a protective layer (such as yttrium oxide), an electrode (such as indium tin oxide (ITO)), etc., must also be measured together, for example, measuring the OD value of the light shielding layer 106, it is necessary to together with the substrate 102, the decorative layer 104, and the like. The selective pattern is not measured together with the film layer, so for convenience of explanation, the "integral OD value" is used here instead. Therefore, when the "integral OD value", "integral optical density" or "light transmittance" of a specific film layer mentioned in the specification and the scope of the present application means that the area having the film layer is actually measured along the edge The overall OD value or transmittance obtained for all film layers and substrates 102 in the vertical projection direction Z (rather than only a single OD of the film layer) Value or transmittance) to simplify the description. For example, the color of the decorative layer 104 is white, light color or other non-black color, and the light shielding layer 106 is black, gray, metallic luster or dark color, but not limited thereto. It is also mentioned that the decorative layer 104 may be added with a reflective substance such as glitter or the like, or may be added with an additive capable of producing other visual effects. In order to make the color of the surface of the peripheral region R2 have color saturation, the decorative layer 104 of the present embodiment may include a first decorative layer 1041 and a second decorative layer 1042, which are sequentially disposed from the bottom to the upper surface 102B of the substrate 102. on. In a preferred embodiment, in order to avoid the horn effect, the second decorative layer 1042 covers the side wall 1041A of the first decorative layer 1041 in the vertical projection direction Z, but not limited thereto, in other words, the first and second decorations. The layers may be stacked on each other without being covered, for example, the first and second decorative layers may overlap each other for the same graphic range, and may of course be different graphic ranges. In addition, the decorative layer 104 of the touch panel 100 of the present embodiment may further include a bottom decorative layer 1043 disposed between the first decorative layer 1041 and the substrate 102, and the area of the bottom decorative layer 1043 is preferably larger than the first layer. The area of the decorative layer 1041 and the second decorative layer 1042, for example, the edge of the bottom decorative layer 1043 slightly protrudes from the edge of the first decorative layer 1041 and the second decorative layer 1042, this design can avoid the first due to process tolerances. The end edges of the decorative layer 1041 and the second decorative layer 1042 protrude from the bottom decorative layer 1043 to affect the appearance of the product. In addition, the materials or colors of the first decorative layer 1041, the second decorative layer 1042, and the bottom decorative layer 1043 may be the same or different, or the two may be the same and the other is different.

On the other hand, the light shielding layer 106 is disposed on the decorative layer 104 and at least partially covers the decorative layer 104. The light shielding layer 106 includes at least one first light shielding layer hole 106A corresponding to the first functional hole V1 and exposing a portion of the decorative layer 104. According to the embodiment, the pattern of the first light-shielding layer hole 106A is the same as that of the first function hole V1, and is used to define a pattern as a light-transmissive button. As previously mentioned, the light-shielding layer 106 comprises a highly light-shielding material compared to the decorative layer 104, the material of which is exemplified by inks, resins, photoresists, metal oxides, non-metal oxides, and the like. As can be seen from the above, the first functional hole V1 is formed by a patterned hole, for example, in the present embodiment, by the first light shielding layer hole 106A, which exposes a portion of the second decorative layer 1042. In other words, the first function hole V1 of the embodiment only penetrates through the light shielding layer 106, and is used to present or define a pattern of the light-transmitting button in the surrounding area R2. In the operation mode, the touch panel 100 can enable a backlight to be turned on, so that most of the light passes through the first light shielding layer hole 106A to exit the lower surface 102A of the substrate 102, so that the user can see the pattern of the first functional hole V1. Perform the operation of the light-transmitting button. On the other hand, if the backlight is in the off state, no light is emitted from the first functional hole V1 to the substrate 102, and the user can only see the entire decorative layer 104 from the lower surface 102A of the substrate 102, so that it is hardly Or the pattern of the first function hole V1 may not be seen, so that the light-transmitting button becomes a hidden button. Although the first function hole V1 of the embodiment is used to present the graphic pattern of the button function, in other embodiments, the first function hole V1 can be used as an indicator hole, for example, for displaying the power state, It can be applied to other suitable designs, for example, the first function hole V1 has a pattern of characters or symbols, wherein the letter pattern is exemplified by a letter, a trademark, a logo or an Arabic numeral, and the pattern of the symbol is exemplified by a pattern and a diagram indicating a function of the button. Symbols, geometric figures, etc.

Furthermore, the touch panel 100 of the present invention can optionally further comprise an outer frame layer 108 disposed on the upper surface 102B of the substrate 102, and the outer frame layer 108 is located at least on the outer side R21 of the peripheral region R2 and partially covers the decorative layer 104. The outer frame layer 108 of the present embodiment includes a first outer frame layer 1081 and a second outer frame layer 1082, which are sequentially stacked on the surface of the substrate 102 from bottom to top, and the first outer frame layer 1081 of the embodiment The OD value is less than the OD value of the second outer frame layer 1082. In some embodiments, the material or color of the first outer frame layer 1081 may be the same as the material of the decorative layer 104, and the material or color of the second outer frame layer 1082 may be the same as the material of the light shielding layer 106, but not Limited. In addition, in the preferred embodiment, the outer frame layer 108 covers about one-half of the side wall 102C of the substrate 102, that is, the outer frame layer 108 covers a portion of the side wall 102C of the substrate 102, which is vertically projected. The vertical depth of the direction Z reaches one-half of the thickness D of the substrate 102 to avoid light leakage at the edge of the substrate 102, but not limited to one-half. In another aspect, an insulating layer may be selectively added between the outer frame layer 108 and the decorative layer 104. The insulating layer may include at least one inorganic material layer, such as yttrium oxide, tantalum nitride, etc., or at least A layer of organic material, such as an acrylic resin, or a composite layer of an inorganic material layer and an organic material layer. Moreover, the insulating layer may extend from the outer side R21 of the surrounding area R2 to the inner side R22, and may even extend to the transparent touch sensing area R1. The following embodiments are also the same and will not be described again.

Referring to FIG. 3, the light-sensitive touch sensing area R1 of the touch panel 100 is provided with at least one touch sensing element 110, including a first axial electrode 110X extending along a horizontal direction X of FIG. 1 is a second axial electrode 110Y extending in the vertical direction Y, wherein the first axial electrode 110X and the second axial electrode 110Y are insulated from each other. A dielectric material may be disposed between the first axial electrode 110X and the second axial electrode 110Y to insulate the two from each other, for example, an island-shaped insulating layer is disposed at an intersection of the first axial electrode 110X and the second axial electrode 110Y. It should be noted that the shape of each of the touch sensing electrodes in the first axial electrode 110X and the second axial electrode 110Y can be designed as needed, for example, a diamond electrode or a polygonal electrode, but is not limited thereto. The touch sensing element 110 may include a transparent conductive material such as indium tin oxide, zinc indium oxide, nano silver wire, carbon nanotubes, graphene, conductive polymer, etc., or an opaque conductive material such as a metal mesh (metal Mesh), metal thin wire, single or multiple layers of thin metal, or a combination of a transparent conductive material and an opaque conductive material, such as a multilayer stack of ITO/Ag/ITO, or a laminate of ITO and metal mesh. In other embodiments, the touch sensing electrodes included in the touch sensing component 110 may also be a plurality of triangular touch sensing electrodes arranged side by side and upside down, or a plurality of rectangular touch sensing electrodes disposed separately from each other. However, the present invention is not limited thereto, and the touch sensing electrodes of other rules or irregular shapes may be uniformly arranged in the transparent touch sensing area R1, for example, a plurality of strip-shaped touch sensing electrodes are matched with a plurality of A block-shaped touch sensing electrode between two adjacent strip-shaped touch sensing electrodes is used to achieve the desired touch sensing effect. In addition, in the embodiment, the touch sensing element 110 is disposed on the upper surface 102B of the substrate 102. In other embodiments, the touch sensing element 110 can be disposed on the surface of the other substrate, and the touch sensing element 110 is fixed on the upper side of the substrate 102 by, for example, an adhesive layer or other materials, but is not limited thereto.

The touch panel of the present invention is not limited to the above embodiments, and other embodiments or variations of the present invention will be hereinafter described. However, in order to simplify the description and highlight the differences between the various embodiments or variations, the same applies hereinafter. The reference numerals are given to the same elements, and the repeated parts are not described again.

Please refer to FIG. 4 , which is a cross-sectional view showing a first variation of the first embodiment of the touch panel of the present invention. The difference between the modified embodiment and the first embodiment lies in the second decoration The layer 1042 further includes a decorative layer hole 1042A corresponding to the first functional hole V1 and exposing a portion of the first decorative layer 1041. Therefore, the first functional hole V1 may be regarded as being composed of the first light shielding layer hole 106A of the light shielding layer 106 and the decorative layer hole 1042A of the second decorative layer 1042, or the first functional hole V1 may also be regarded as a system. It is disposed in the second decorative layer 1042 and the light shielding layer 106. The first functional hole V1 exhibits a specific pattern in the peripheral region R2 by penetrating the second decorative layer 1042 and the light shielding layer 106. In other embodiments, the first functional aperture V1 may also extend to the first decorative layer 1041 (eg, the first decorative layer 1041 also has decorative layer apertures) for presenting the desired pattern effect.

Please refer to FIG. 5 and FIG. 6 , FIG. 5 is a schematic top view of a second variation of the first embodiment of the touch panel of the present invention, and FIG. 6 is a second embodiment of the touch panel along the B- A partial cross-sectional view of the B' tangent. The difference between the touch panel 1002 and the first embodiment is that one part of the touch sensing element 110 extends to the surrounding area R2 and is disposed on the light shielding layer 106, covering the light shielding layer 106 and the first function hole V1. The decorative layer 104 is exposed. In this design, since a part of the touch sensing element 110 is disposed in the first function hole V1, the first function hole V1 used as the light-transmitting button can have a touch button by the touch sensing element 110. The function. Of course, in other embodiments, the function of the touch button can also be achieved by providing another touch sensing element (not shown) that is independent of the touch sensing element 110. The following embodiments are also the same. It is also worth mentioning that, since the functional aperture of the present invention has a concealed design, the touch sensing component can be made of a non-transparent conductive material (such as metal) without using a transparent material, and does not need to be avoided. The localization of the function holes simplifies the design and expands the application.

Please refer to FIG. 7. FIG. 7 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a second embodiment of the touch panel of the present invention, and only the peripheral area R2 and the transparent touch sensing area R1 have the first function in FIG. The part of the hole V1. In this embodiment, the decorative layer 104 of the touch panel 200 of the present invention includes a bottom decorative layer 1043, a first decorative layer 1041, a second decorative layer 1042, and a third decorative layer 1044 which are sequentially stacked on the substrate 102 from bottom to top. On the upper surface 102B, and located in the surrounding area R2, wherein the light shielding layer 106, the third decorative layer 1044 and the second decorative layer 1042 respectively comprise a first light shielding The layer hole 106A, the decorative layer hole 1044A, and the decorative layer hole 1042A constitute the first functional hole V1. Since the bottom decorative layer 1043 and the first decorative layer 1041 do not have decorative layer holes, or it can be said that not all of the decorative layers (herein referred to as sub-decorative layers) are hollowed out, in other words, That is, at least one of the sub-decorative layers has a decorative layer hole, and at least one of the sub-decorative layers does not have a decorative layer hole; therefore, the light transmittance of the first functional hole V1 (hereinafter referred to as light transmittance) is limited, only in When the touch panel 200 is turned on, the pattern of the first function hole V1 can be seen. Therefore, it can be understood from the above that in other embodiments, for example, only the bottom decorative layer 1043 may have no holes; of course, only the light shielding layer 106 may have holes. The other layers are like this. In addition, it is also possible to design the first functional hole V1 to have a specific color, for example, to apply a color film layer on the decorative layer 104 or to adhere a color film. It should be noted that, in this embodiment, the edge of the first decorative layer 1041 is smaller than the end edge of the bottom decorative layer 1043 from the transparent touch sensing area R1 toward the surrounding area R2 by a distance d1, and the second decorative layer 1042 The end edge is recessed by a distance d2 from the end edge of the first decorative layer 1041 toward the surrounding area R2, and the end edge of the third decorative layer 1044 is narrowed by a distance d3 from the end edge of the second decorative layer 1042 toward the surrounding area R2. The edge of the light shielding layer 106 is narrowed by a distance d4 from the edge of the third decorative layer 1044 toward the peripheral region R2. Therefore, a stepped structure is formed between the edge edges of the adjacent ones of the bottom decorative layer 1043, the first decorative layer 1041, the second decorative layer 1042, the third decorative layer 1044, and the light shielding layer 106, for example, in FIG. The step structure S indicated by a dotted circle. In this design, when the surface of the decorative layer 104 is provided with a wire or the touch sensing element extends from the transparent touch sensing area R1 to the surrounding area R2, the formed wire and the touch sensing element can be in the decorative layer 104 and the light shielding. The edge of the layer 106 has a good climbing slope, which can reduce the probability of wire breakage caused by the sudden increase of the vertical height of the decorative layer, and can increase the reliability of the wire and the touch sensing component, and improve the process yield.

Please refer to FIG. 8. FIG. 8 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a third embodiment of the touch panel of the present invention. In the third embodiment, the main difference between the touch panel 300 of the present invention and the first embodiment is that the outer frame layer 108 further includes an inner side R22 located in the peripheral area R2, which covers most of the decorative layer 104. In addition, the outer frame layer 108 includes at least one outer frame layer hole 108A corresponding to the first functional hole V1 to expose a portion of the decorative layer 104. In this embodiment, the first outer frame layer 1081 and the second outer frame layer 1082 A portion is disposed on the inner side R22 of the peripheral region R2, and the first outer frame layer 1081 and the second outer frame layer 1082 each have a patterned hole to constitute the outer frame layer hole 108A. In the preferred embodiment, the present invention is designed such that the outer frame layer hole 108A is slightly larger in size than the light shielding layer hole 106A to avoid misalignment due to manufacturing tolerances, resulting in the outer frame layer 108 being exposed in the first functional hole V1. In addition, the touch sensing element 110 of the present embodiment also extends to the surrounding area R2, and covers a portion of the decorative layer 104 and the upper surface 102B of the substrate 102 having the first functional hole V1 to provide touch of the first functional hole V1. Features. An advantage of this embodiment is that the second outer frame layer 1082 having a high optical density covers the entire peripheral area R2 over the entire surface, and only exposes the first functional hole V1 area. This design can improve the shielding effect and the outer frame layer. 108 can provide the function of protecting the touch sensing element 110. For example, the inner side R22 of the peripheral area R2 is provided with a region of the light shielding layer 106 and the second outer frame layer 1082, and the overall OD value of all the stacked film layers is about 3 to 6 (corresponding to the transmittance of 0.0001 to 0.1). %). It should be noted that in other embodiments, only the second outer frame layer 1082 may be disposed on the inner side R22 of the surrounding area R2, and the first outer frame layer 1081 is still disposed only outside the peripheral area R2 as in the foregoing embodiment. R21. Conversely, in some embodiments, the first outer frame layer 1081 can be disposed simultaneously on the inner side R22 and the outer side R21 of the peripheral area R2, and the second outer frame layer 1082 is disposed only on the outer side R21 of the peripheral area R2.

Please refer to FIG. 9. FIG. 9 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a variation of the third embodiment of the touch panel of the present invention. The difference between the modified embodiment and the third embodiment is that the first outer frame layer 1081 covers the area of the surface of the substrate 102 having the first functional hole V1, that is, the first outer frame layer 1081 does not have the outer frame layer hole and is covered. The first light shielding layer hole 106A of the light shielding layer 106, and the second outer frame layer 1082 has the outer frame layer hole 108A, and a portion of the first outer frame layer 1081 is exposed. This design can further reduce the light transmittance of the first functional hole V1. When the material or color of the first outer frame layer 1081 is the same as the decorative layer 104, the appearance of the first functional hole V1 and other regions of the surrounding area R2 is not significantly different. On the other hand, if the material or color of the first outer frame layer 1081 is different from the decorative layer 104, the first functional hole V1 can be made to be in appearance by exposing the first outer frame layer 1081 in the first functional hole V1. Changed.

Please refer to FIG. 10, which is a partial cross-sectional view showing a fourth embodiment of the touch panel of the present invention. The main difference between this embodiment and the third embodiment is that only the second outer frame 1082 of the outer frame layer 108 is simultaneously disposed on the inner side R22 and the outer side R21 of the surrounding area R2, and the first outer frame layer 1081 is only disposed in the surrounding area R2. The outer side R21, and the second decorative layer 1042 also includes a decorative layer hole 1042A corresponding to the first functional hole V1, exposing a portion of the first decorative layer 1041. In this embodiment, the second decorative layer 1042 is punctured to have a decorative layer hole 1042A to adjust the overall optical density or transmittance of the film layer in the first functional hole V1 region to meet the required light transmittance of the backlight. rate. In other variant embodiments, the light transmittance of the first functional hole V1 can also be adjusted by providing the first outer frame layer 1081 in the first functional hole V1 region. In a preferred embodiment, the first light-shielding layer hole 106A is slightly larger than the decorative layer hole 1042A, and the outer frame layer hole 108A is slightly larger than the first light-shielding layer hole 106A. This design can avoid stacking due to process tolerances. Displacement, and the side wall of the first function hole V1 has a stepped step structure, so that the touch sensing element 110 can have a good climbing effect on a gentle slope and improve the process yield.

Please refer to FIG. 11. FIG. 11 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a fifth embodiment of the touch panel of the present invention. The touch panel 500 of the present embodiment has a transparent touch sensing area R1 and a surrounding area R2, and includes a substrate 102, a decorative layer 104, a light shielding layer 106, and a touch sensing element 110, and optionally includes an outer frame layer 108. The upper surface 102B of the substrate 102 defines a first functional aperture V1 and a second functional aperture V2, wherein the first functional aperture V1 and the second functional aperture V2 respectively have different functions in the touch panel 500. For example, the first function hole V1 is used as a trademark pattern hole, and the second function hole V2 is used as a LED indicator hole, but is not limited thereto. In different embodiments, the first function hole V1 and the second function hole V2 may be one of a transparent key hole, an infrared sensing hole, an LED indicator hole, and a trademark pattern hole, and the first function hole V1 The relative position between the second function hole V2 and the second function hole V2 is not limited to the one shown in FIG. 11, for example, the two can be respectively located on opposite sides of the transparent touch sensing area R1, or the first function hole V1 and the second function. The holes V2 are not adjacently arranged side by side. In addition, similar to the fourth embodiment, the decorative layer 104 of the present embodiment includes a bottom decorative layer 1043, a first decorative layer 1041 and a second decorative layer 1042 which are sequentially stacked on the upper surface 102B of the substrate 102 from bottom to top, and are shielded from light. The layer 106 is disposed on the decorative layer 104, the touch sensing element 110 is disposed on the transparent touch sensing area R1, and a portion of the touch sensing element 110 is disposed in the surrounding area R2 and covers a portion of the light shielding layer 106 and the decorative layer. 104. The outer frame layer 108 includes a first outer frame layer 1081 and a second outer frame layer 1082, wherein the first outer frame layer 1081 is disposed on the outer side R21 of the surrounding area R2, and the second outer frame layer 1082 is simultaneously disposed on the outer side of the peripheral area R2. R21 and the inner side R22 cover most of the light shielding layer 106. It should be noted that since the first functional hole V1 and the second functional hole V2 have different functions, the transmittance can be adjusted by the total thickness of the hole or the film layer of the corresponding film layer, so that the first functional hole V1 It has a different light transmittance from the second functional hole V2 or an effect of making the overall optical density of the film layer corresponding to the first functional hole V1 and the second functional hole V2 different. In this embodiment, the light shielding layer 106 includes a first light shielding layer hole 106A and a second light shielding layer hole 106B respectively corresponding to the first functional hole V1 and the second functional hole V2, but the second decorative layer 1042 has only one light shielding layer hole. 1042A corresponds to the first functional hole V1, but does not have a hole corresponding to the second functional hole V2. Therefore, the second decorative layer 1042 covers the upper surface of the substrate 102 corresponding to the second functional hole V2 in the vertical projection direction Z. 102B and the first decorative layer 1041, the second light shielding layer hole 106B exposes the corresponding second decorative layer 1042. Moreover, the second outer frame layer 1082 also includes outer frame layer holes 108A and 108B corresponding to the first functional hole V1 and the second functional hole V2, respectively, and exposing the first decorative layer 1041 and the second decorative layer 1042. As can be seen from the above, since the total film thickness of the region of the first functional hole V1 is thin, the light transmittance thereof is higher than that of the second functional hole V2 region. In other embodiments, the transmittance of the different functional apertures may also be separately adjusted by the arrangement of the first outer frame layer 1081. For example, the first outer frame layer 1081 is disposed in the second function hole V2 in FIG. 11 to cover the partial light shielding layer 106 and the decorative layer 104 (similar to FIG. 9), but the first functional hole V1 is not provided with the first outer layer. The frame layer 1081 is such that the light transmittance of the first functional hole V1 is higher than that of the second functional hole V2. Furthermore, in other embodiments, the outer frame layer 108 may be disposed only on the outer side R21 of the peripheral area R2, such as FIG.

It should be noted that although the above embodiments are exemplified by a plurality of decorative layers, the present invention is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the decorative layer may also be a single layer structure.

Please refer to FIG. 12, which is a part of a fifth embodiment of the touch panel of the present invention. Schematic diagram of the section. The touch panel 600 of the present embodiment includes a substrate 102, a decorative layer 104', a light shielding layer 106, and a touch sensing element (not shown), and optionally an outer frame layer 108. The upper surface 102B of the substrate 102 is defined with a first functional aperture V1, wherein the first functional aperture V1 is used in this embodiment as an infrared sensing aperture. The decorative layer 104' of the present embodiment includes a colored translucent material that allows only light of a specific wavelength to pass, for example, only infrared rays are allowed to pass, but does not allow visible light to pass. Therefore, the decorative layer 104' itself has a certain degree of shading effect. In the preferred embodiment, the decorative layer 104' only needs to make an ink layer by one screen printing process, but not limited thereto, in other implementations. In the example, it is also possible to have a multi-layer structure. In addition, the light shielding layer 106 is disposed on the surface of the decorative layer 104', and includes at least one first light shielding layer hole 106A corresponding to the first functional hole V1 and exposing a portion of the decorative layer 104'. The outer frame layer 108 is disposed on the light shielding layer 106, covers most of the light shielding layer 106, and covers the outer side wall 102C of the substrate 102. As shown in FIG. 12, the vertical depth d' of the outer frame layer 108 along the vertical projection direction Z Half of the thickness D of the wall 102C is reached. The outer frame layer 108 has an outer frame layer hole 108A corresponding to the first functional hole V1 and exposing a portion of the light shielding layer 106 and the decorative layer 104'. In this embodiment, the outer frame layer hole 108A may be slightly larger in size than the first light shielding layer hole 106A to avoid stacking misalignment due to manufacturing tolerances. In addition, the outer frame layer 108 and the light shielding layer 106 may have the same material or color, or the outer frame layer 108 may have the same material or color as the decorative layer 104'.

It should be noted that the relative stacking relationship of the substrate, the decorative layer, the light shielding layer and the outer frame layer in the above embodiments, and the openings and corresponding relationships of the functional holes, the light shielding layer holes, the decorative layer holes and the outer frame layer holes are all The touch sensing element of the touch panel of the above embodiments is not disposed on the surface of the substrate, and the substrate, the decorative layer, the light shielding layer or the outer frame layer is disposed on the surface. The substrate can be used as a cover sheet for a touch device of the present invention. The cover plate is disposed on the surface of the touch device, and the transmittance of the functional hole region is adjusted by the hole of the light shielding layer corresponding to the function hole or the hole of the decorative layer and the outer frame layer of one of the sub-decorative layers, so that the function hole is The pattern can hardly be seen by the user from the surface when the touch device is not turned on, so that the overall appearance of the touch device can be more beautiful and fashionable.

It can be seen from the above that the surrounding area of the touch panel of the present invention is provided with a translucent material or It is a decorative layer with a lower optical density, and a decorative layer is provided with a light-shielding layer having a higher optical density or a high light-shielding effect, and a patterned hole in the light-shielding layer is used to define a pattern of functional holes, so when the backlight is turned on When the light passes through the hole of the light shielding layer, the user can see the function hole having the hole pattern of the light shielding layer from the surface of the touch panel. On the other hand, when the backlight is turned off, the user will only see the pattern of the decorative layer in the surrounding area and can hardly see or see the functional hole, that is, the decorative layer will not be seen in the surrounding area. The chromatic aberration caused by the stacking of the optical ink materials does not cause problems such as sawtooth and burrs on the edges of the functional holes due to stack misalignment. Therefore, with the film layer stack design of the present invention, the function hole can form a hidden function hole when the backlight is turned off, so that the appearance of the touch panel has an integrated visual effect, and the appearance of the touch panel is further improved.

The above are only the preferred embodiments of the present invention, and all changes and modifications made to the scope of the present invention should be within the scope of the present invention.

100‧‧‧ touch panel

102‧‧‧Substrate

102A‧‧‧ lower surface

102B‧‧‧ upper surface

102C‧‧‧ Sidewall

104‧‧‧Decorative layer

1041‧‧‧First decorative layer

1041A‧‧‧ Sidewall

1042‧‧‧Second decorative layer

1043‧‧‧ bottom decorative layer

106‧‧‧Lighting layer

106A‧‧‧ first shading hole

108‧‧‧Outer frame

1081‧‧‧First outer frame

1082‧‧‧Second outer frame

D‧‧‧thickness

R2‧‧‧ surrounding area

R21‧‧‧ outside

R22‧‧‧ inside

V1‧‧‧ first function hole

Z‧‧‧Vertical projection direction

Claims (28)

A touch panel has a transparent touch sensing area and a surrounding area on at least one side of the transparent touch sensing area, and the touch panel includes: a substrate, the touch panel defines a substrate a first functional hole; a decorative layer disposed on the substrate and located in the surrounding area; a light shielding layer disposed on the decorative layer, and the light shielding layer includes a first light shielding layer hole corresponding to the first functional hole Exposing a portion of the decorative layer; and at least one touch sensing element disposed at least in the transparent touch sensing area. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the decorative layer has an optical density (OD) smaller than an optical density of the light shielding layer. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the decorative layer has an overall optical density of about 1 to 3, and the overall optical density of the light shielding layer is about 3 to 6. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the decorative layer comprises a first decorative layer and a second decorative layer, which are sequentially disposed on the substrate from bottom to top. The touch panel of claim 4, wherein the second decorative layer covers the sidewall of the first decorative layer in a vertical projection direction. The touch panel of claim 4, wherein the second decorative layer has a decorative layer hole corresponding to the first functional hole and exposing a portion of the first decorative layer. The touch panel of claim 6, wherein the size of the first light shielding layer hole is larger than the size of the decorative layer hole. The touch panel of claim 6, wherein the substrate further defines a second function hole, wherein the second decorative layer covers the substrate corresponding to the second function hole in a vertical projection direction, and the light shielding layer The method further includes a second light shielding layer hole corresponding to the second functional hole and exposing a portion of the second decorative layer. The touch panel of claim 4, wherein the decorative layer further comprises a bottom decorative layer disposed between the first decorative layer and the substrate. The touch panel of claim 9, wherein a stepped structure is formed between the bottom edges of the bottom decorative layer, the first decorative layer, and the adjacent edges of the second decorative layer. The touch panel of claim 1, further comprising an outer frame layer disposed on the surface of the substrate, wherein the outer frame layer is located at least outside the peripheral region and partially covers the decorative layer. The touch panel of claim 11, wherein the outer frame layer comprises a first outer frame layer and a second outer frame layer, which are sequentially disposed on the surface of the substrate from bottom to top, and the first The outer frame layer has an optical density that is less than the optical density of the second outer frame layer. The touch panel of claim 12, wherein the first outer frame layer has the same material or color as the decorative layer, and the second outer frame layer has the same material or color as the light shielding layer. The touch panel of claim 12, wherein the outer frame layer comprises an inner side of the surrounding area and covers a majority of the decorative layer, and the outer frame layer includes an outer frame layer hole corresponding to the first function. hole. The touch panel of claim 14, wherein the first outer frame layer does not have the outer frame layer hole And covering the first light shielding layer hole of the light shielding layer, and the second outer frame layer has the outer frame layer hole, and partially exposing the first outer frame layer. The touch panel of claim 14, wherein the first outer frame layer and the second outer frame layer each have the outer frame layer hole to expose a portion of the decorative layer. The touch panel of claim 14, wherein the outer frame layer has a size larger than a size of the first light shielding layer. The touch panel of claim 11, wherein the outer frame layer covers at least a portion of a sidewall of the substrate. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the material of the decorative layer is a translucent light transmissive material or a non-black material. The touch panel of claim 1 , wherein the touch sensing element is disposed on the substrate, and a portion of the touch sensing element extends to the surrounding area and is disposed on the light shielding layer. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the first function hole is an infrared sensing hole, a light transmission button hole or an indicator light hole on the touch panel. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the area of the touch panel having the first functional hole has a light transmittance of about 10 to 0.1%, and the touch panel has the light shielding layer area. The light rate is about 0.1~0.0001%. The touch panel of claim 1 , wherein the touch sensing element extends to the surrounding area and covers the first function hole for the first function hole to have a touch function. The touch panel of claim 23, wherein the touch sensing element is made of metal. The touch panel of claim 19, wherein the decorative layer is a colored translucent material and substantially only allows light of a specific wavelength to pass. A touch panel has a transparent touch sensing area and a surrounding area on at least one side of the transparent touch sensing area, and the touch panel includes: a substrate, the touch panel defines a substrate a first functional hole; a decorative layer disposed on the substrate and located in the surrounding area, comprising a plurality of sub-decorative layers stacked on each other, wherein at least one of the sub-decorative layers has a decorative layer hole, and at least one of the sub-decorations The layer does not have a decorative layer hole corresponding to the first functional hole and exposes a portion of the sub-decorative layer; and at least one touch sensing element is disposed at least in the transparent touch sensing area. The touch panel of claim 26, wherein the decorative layer has at least one stepped structure formed between two adjacent sub-decorative layers. A cover plate for a touch device having a light transmissive area and a peripheral area on at least one side of the light transmissive area, and the cover plate includes: a substrate, the cover plate defining a first function on the substrate a decorative layer disposed on the substrate and located in the surrounding area; and a light shielding layer disposed on the decorative layer, and the light shielding layer includes a first light shielding layer hole corresponding to the first functional hole and exposed Part of the decorative layer.