TW201441910A - Touch panel and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

A touch panel comprises a first conductive layer having a first conductive area and a second conductive area, in which the first conductive area and the second conductive area are not overlapped and insulated from each other; a second conductive layer substantially parallel to the first conductive layer; and a rectangular electrode frame disposed in the first conductive area; wherein the second conductive area is electrically connected to a corner of the electrode frame.

Description

Touch panel and method of manufacturing same

The present invention relates to a touch panel, and more particularly to a five-wire resistive touch panel.

The touch panel has the advantages of diversified and user-friendly operation interface, and is currently widely used in various electronic products or devices, such as personal computers, notebook computers, tablet computers, smart phones, handwriting input devices, home appliances, automatic teller machines, Or store the sales of ATMs, etc. In general, touch panels can be classified into different types such as a resistive touch panel, a capacitive touch panel, an optical touch panel, an electromagnetic touch panel, and an acoustic wave touch panel according to the sensing principle. Among them, the resistive touch panel has the cost advantage, and is one of the most used types in the industry, and can be divided into four-wire, five-wire, six-wire, seven-wire and eight-wire structures according to different electrodes and wiring modes.

A cross-sectional view of the basic structure of the resistive touch panel includes a first substrate 11, a second substrate 12, a first conductive layer 21, a second conductive layer 22, and a plurality of spacers 3, as shown in the first figure. . The material of the second substrate 12 may be, for example, PET (Poly Ethylene Terephthalate; polyethylene terephthalate), and the second conductive layer 22 is composed of a conductive material disposed on one surface of the second substrate 12, for example, A layer of ITO (Indium Tin Oxide; indium tin oxide) was applied. Further, the material of the first substrate 11 may be, for example, PET or glass, and the first conductive layer 21 is also composed of a conductive material disposed on one surface of the first substrate 11, for example, a layer of ITO. In addition, a plurality of spacers 3 are disposed between the first conductive layer 21 and the second conductive layer 22, The two conductive layers are not turned on when the touch is accepted. The first conductive layer 21 and the second conductive layer are disposed when the resistive touch panel is touched by arranging an electrode (not shown) electrically connected to the first conductive layer 21 and the second conductive layer 22 respectively. When layer 22 is turned on, the signal can be output and the position of the touch can be distinguished by a different signal.

According to the basic structure of the resistive touch panel described above, the second figure is a schematic diagram of a main component of a conventional five-wire resistive touch panel, including a first conductive layer 21, a second conductive layer 22, and a first conductive layer. The electrode frame 4 is completely in contact with and electrically connected to the layer 21. The electrode frame 4 can be considered to be composed of a pair of divided voltage electrodes in a first direction and a pair of voltage dividing electrodes in a parallel second direction, such as the x direction and the y direction perpendicular to each other in the drawing. The five-wire resistive touch panel has five main wires (not shown) connected to the four corners 4A, 4B, 4C, and 4D of the electrode frame 4 and the second conductive layer 22, respectively. In order to distinguish the position touched by the user, the electrode frame 4 must be staggered to form a voltage drop in the x direction and the y direction, that is, a voltage of 5 V is applied to 4A and 4D, and a voltage of 0 V is applied to 4B and 4C, followed by 4C, 4D. A voltage of 5 V is applied while 4A, 4B apply a voltage of 0 V, and a second conductive layer 22 applies a voltage of 0 V. When the user touches a certain point of the second conductive layer 22 to make the point conductive with the first conductive layer 21, the point can be identified by detecting and outputting the voltage values of the x direction and the y direction of the point. The coordinate position in the x and y directions.

In many touch panel applications, especially full-surface touch panels, independent touch icons are required in addition to the conventional touch action areas to provide users with more diverse control interfaces. Or control method. However, the prior art described above does not satisfy such a need. In view of this, the present invention proposes a touch panel having a separate icon.

In view of the above deficiencies of the prior art, the present invention proposes an independent touchable The touch panel of the icon is provided with at least one conductive area corresponding to the icon on the first conductive layer, and is electrically connected to a corner of the electrode frame. In the five-wire resistive touch panel, the voltage signal range of the touch action area is actually between the maximum/minimum value of the voltage supplied to the electrode frame (so it is not equal to the voltage maximum/minimum value), and the present invention The voltage signal range corresponding to the independent icon is the maximum or minimum voltage of the supply electrode frame. With this feature, you can implement a touchable icon that is independent of the action area.

An embodiment of the present invention is a touch panel comprising: a first conductive layer having a first conductive region and a second conductive region, the two not overlapping and insulated from each other; and an electrode frame disposed on the a first conductive region; wherein the second conductive region is electrically connected to a corner of the electrode frame, for example, by a wire. The electrode frame can be, for example, a common rectangular electrode frame. In addition, the touch panel may further include a second conductive layer substantially parallel to the first conductive layer and including a third conductive region and a fourth conductive region, the two do not overlap and are insulated from each other, the third The projection of the conductive region on the first conductive layer corresponds to the first conductive region, and the projection of the fourth conductive region on the first conductive layer corresponds to the second conductive region. Based on the same spirit of the invention, the touch panel may further include a plurality of second conductive regions electrically connected to the same or different corners of the electrode frame.

Another embodiment of the present invention is a method for fabricating a touch panel, comprising: forming a first conductive layer on a substrate; defining a first conductive region and a second conductive region on the first conductive layer, The electrodes do not overlap each other and are insulated from each other; an electrode frame is disposed in the first conductive region; and a wire is disposed to electrically connect the wire to a corner of the electrode frame and the second conductive region. The electrode frame may be a rectangular electrode frame. In the manufacturing method of the touch panel, the method further includes: providing a second conductive layer, the second conductive layer is substantially parallel to the first conductive layer, and The second conductive layer is divided into a third conductive region and a fourth conductive region, the third conductive region and the fourth conductive region do not overlap and are insulated from each other, and the third conductive region is projected on the first conductive layer Corresponding to the first conductive region, a projection of the fourth conductive region on the first conductive layer corresponds to the second conductive region.

According to the touch panel structure and the manufacturing method of the present invention, an icon for independent operation can be disposed outside the action area of the conventional touch panel, so that the operation interface and the operation mode of the touch panel have more changes and design flexibility. The embodiments of the present invention will be described later in detail.

11‧‧‧First substrate

12‧‧‧second substrate

21‧‧‧First conductive layer

22‧‧‧Second conductive layer

3‧‧‧ spacers

4‧‧‧electrode frame

211‧‧‧First conductive area

2121, 2122, 2123, 2124‧‧‧ second conductive area

51‧‧‧First wire

52‧‧‧second wire

53‧‧‧ Third wire

54‧‧‧fourth wire

6‧‧‧Action area

The first figure is the basic structure diagram of the resistive touch panel; the second figure is the main composition diagram of the five-wire resistive touch panel; the third figure is the perspective projection of the structure of one embodiment of the present invention Figure.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION In accordance with the spirit and intent of the present invention, the embodiments of the present invention are described below in conjunction with the drawings. The content disclosed in the drawings is for illustrative purposes only and does not represent the complete composition and size ratio of the actual product. The manner in which the touch panel is manufactured only reveals the main steps based on the spirit of the present invention. The present invention will be understood and implemented by the following description of the teachings of the invention.

One embodiment of the present invention is a touch panel having a separate icon, and a perspective projection of the main constituent elements is shown in the third figure. The first conductive layer is divided into a first conductive region 211 for driving and four second conductive regions 2121, 2122, 2123, and 2124 corresponding to independent icons. The second conductive area may also be provided with only three, two or one according to actual needs. on The boundaries of the conductive regions are drawn by dashed lines in the figure. In actual production, the range of each conductive region can be defined by etching. The dotted line in the figure corresponds to the etching line; however, the method is not limited by etching. The electrode frame 4 is disposed at an adjacent boundary in the first conductive region 211. As shown in the figure, the electrode frame 4 is substantially rectangular. Since the electrode structure on each side of the electrode frame 4 is not a simple linear form, but may have structural changes of various details (for example, the design shown in the drawing), it is described herein as "substantially rectangular". In order to apply a voltage to the electrode frame 4, the first conductive region 211 has a voltage distribution, and the third figure also discloses a plurality of wires for connecting the corners of the electrode frame 4 with the controller (not shown), including the first A wire 51, a second wire 52, a third wire 53, and a fourth wire 54. In addition, the wires are electrically connected to the second conductive regions 2121, 2122, 2123, and 2124, respectively.

In the architecture of the third figure of the drawing, when the first conductive region 211 is controlled to form a voltage drop in the x direction, the voltage supplied by the first wire 51 and the second wire 52 is V _XL and the third wire 53 and the fourth wire The voltage supplied by the wire 54 is V _XH . Then, when the first conductive region 211 is controlled to form a voltage drop in the y direction, the voltage supplied from the first wire 51 and the fourth wire 54 is V _YH and the voltage supplied from the second wire 52 and the third wire 53 is V _YL . Since the range of the action area 6 is smaller than the electrode frame 4, the voltage range actually used for detection and output is smaller than V _XH and larger than V _XL in the x direction, smaller than V _YH and larger than V _YL in the y direction. However, taking the second conductive region 2121 as an example, since the detected voltage signal is (V _XL , V _YH ) electrically connected to the first conductive line 53, the second conductive regions 2122, 2123, 2124 can be The detected voltage signals are (V _XL , V _YL ), (V _XH , V _YL ), (V _XH , V _YH ). The voltage values of the above four second conductive regions do not belong to the voltage range in the action region 6, and thus can be distinguished by the controller. For independent control of the icon, refer to the publication patent application No. 201007540 of the Republic of China, in the second conductive layer (not shown in the third figure, please refer to the second figure of the figure) using the design of the plurality of conductive regions, each conductive The regions are insulated from each other and correspond to the first conductive region 211 and the at least one second conductive region of the first conductive layer, respectively, and have independent signal wires. This will allow the icon to be controlled independently of the action area, and the icon and action area can be touched simultaneously. In fact, the plurality of second conductive regions of the first conductive layer may also be connected to the same electrode frame corners, and the plurality of conductive regions of the second conductive layer may be combined to control the plural of the plurality of second conductive regions. icon. In addition, the position of the second conductive region in the third figure of the drawing is merely an example, and the wiring mode may be selected according to actual needs and set at other positions.

Another embodiment of the present invention is a method for manufacturing a touch panel having a separate icon, the steps of which include:

(1) forming a first conductive layer on a first substrate, the material of the first substrate may be, for example, PET or glass, and the material of the first conductive layer may be, for example, ITO, so the first substrate and the first substrate A conductive layer is permeable to light.

(2) The first conductive layer is divided into a first conductive region and at least a second conductive region, the extent of which is defined by etching, for example, on the boundary of each conductive region on a complete conductive material. Referring to the reference numerals 211 and 2121 of the third figure of the drawing, the dotted line around it represents the etched line.

(3) An electrode frame is disposed on the first conductive region, and for example, the structure of the component symbol 4 in the third figure of the drawing may be referred to, and the shape thereof is substantially rectangular.

(4) providing a first wire, a second wire, a third wire, and a fourth wire electrically connected to the four corners of the electrode frame, and at least one wire and a second conductive region according to the number of the second conductive regions For the structure, the first wire 51 is connected to the second conductive region 2121 except for a corner of the electrode frame 4.

(5) forming a second conductive layer substantially parallel to the first conductive layer, the material of which may be, for example, ITO, such that the second conductive layer is permeable to light. The second conductive layer is divided into a third conductive region and at least a fourth conductive region, and the third conductive region and the fourth conductive region do not overlap and are insulated from each other. The area of the third conductive region projected by the first conductive layer corresponds to the first conductive region, and the region of the fourth conductive region projected by the first conductive layer corresponds to the second conductive region.

It should be noted that the above steps are not necessarily in accordance with the order listed in the label, and may vary according to the actual needs and the arrangement of the process.

The embodiments described above are merely illustrative of the embodiments of the present invention and are not exhaustive of all possible variations. The scope of the claims of the applicant is set forth in the scope of the patent application, and the scope of the claims and the scope of the claims are covered by the scope of the patent, and the contents of the foregoing inventions or drawings are not to be construed as limiting the scope of the patent application. .

211‧‧‧First conductive area

2121, 2122, 2123, 2124‧‧‧ second conductive area

4‧‧‧electrode frame

51‧‧‧First wire

52‧‧‧second wire

53‧‧‧ Third wire

54‧‧‧fourth wire

6‧‧‧Action area

Claims (7)

A touch panel includes: a first conductive layer, comprising a first conductive region and a second conductive region, the first conductive region and the second conductive region do not overlap and are insulated from each other; and an electrode frame is disposed on The first conductive region; wherein the second conductive region is electrically connected to a corner of the electrode frame. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the electrode frame is a rectangular electrode frame. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the first conductive layer comprises a plurality of second conductive regions, and the first conductive regions and the second conductive regions do not overlap and are insulated from each other, each of the plurality of The two conductive regions are electrically connected to different corners of the electrode frame. The touch panel of claim 1, further comprising a second conductive layer substantially parallel to the first conductive layer and comprising a third conductive region and a fourth conductive region, the two do not overlap And being insulated from each other, the projection of the third conductive region on the first conductive layer corresponds to the first conductive region, and the projection of the fourth conductive region on the first conductive layer corresponds to the second conductive region. A method for manufacturing a touch panel, comprising: forming a first conductive layer on a substrate; defining a first conductive region and a second conductive region on the first conductive layer, the two do not overlap each other and are insulated from each other; An electrode frame is disposed in the first conductive region; and a wire is disposed to electrically connect the wire to a corner of the electrode frame and the second conductive region. The method for manufacturing a touch panel according to claim 5, wherein the electrode frame is a rectangular electrode frame. The method of manufacturing the touch panel of claim 5, further comprising: providing a second conductive layer, the second conductive layer being substantially parallel to the first conductive layer, and dividing the second conductive layer into a third conductive region and a fourth conductive region, which do not overlap and are insulated from each other, and the projection of the third conductive region on the first conductive layer corresponds to the first conductive region, wherein the fourth conductive region is A projection of the first conductive layer corresponds to the second conductive region.