TW201947382A - Touch panel and electronic device - Google Patents

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a touch panel including a substrate, the substrate including a main body portion and an extending portion extending from an edge of the main body portion. At least a part of the extending portion is bent and overlaps with the main body portion. A plurality of sensing electrodes is formed on the main body portion. A plurality of conductive wires is formed on the extending portion and connected to the sensing electrodes. The present disclosure also provides an electronic device in which the substrate has a bent extending portion. The substrate of the touch panel or the electronic device of the present disclosure has a bent extending portion, which can reduce the frame of the electronic device and achieving a narrow frame design.

Description

Touch panel and electronic device

The invention relates to a touch panel and an electronic device.

With the development of electronic technology, people's requirements for electronic products continue to increase. Taking a display device with a touch panel as an example, in order to pursue a larger display window under a fixed size and make the product more beautiful, a narrow frame is a current design trend in the industry. However, when the size of the peripheral area of the touch panel is reduced, the routing area of the touch panel and the area for connecting to the flexible circuit board are also limited.

In view of this, it is necessary to provide a touch panel having a bent portion.

A touch panel includes a substrate including a main body portion and an extension portion extended from an edge of the main body portion, the extension portion is formed at an edge of the main body portion, and at least a portion of the extension portion is bent and The main body portion is overlapped; a sensing electrode is formed on the main body portion; a lead is formed on the extension portion and is connected to the sensing electrode.

An electronic device includes a flexible substrate including a main body portion and an extension portion, and the extension portion of the substrate overlaps the main body portion by bending.

Compared with the conventional technology, the substrate of the touch panel or the electronic device of the present invention has a bent extension, which is beneficial to reducing the frame of the electronic device and achieving a narrow frame design.

The drawings show embodiments of the present invention, and the present invention may be implemented in many different forms, and should not be construed as being limited to the embodiments set forth herein. Rather, these embodiments are provided so that this disclosure will be thorough and complete, and will fully convey the scope of the invention to those skilled in the art.

It will be understood that, although the terms first, second, etc. may be used herein to describe various elements, regions, layers and / or sections, such elements, regions, layers and / or sections should not be limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one element, region, layer and / or part from another element, region, layer and / or part. Accordingly, a first element, region, layer, and / or section discussed below can be termed a second element, region, layer, and / or section without departing from the teachings of the present invention.

Embodiments of the present invention are described here with reference to cross-sectional views, which are schematic diagrams of idealized embodiments (and intermediate structures) of the present invention. Thus, variations in the shapes of the illustrations as a result of manufacturing processes and / or tolerances are to be expected. Therefore, the embodiments of the present invention should not be interpreted as being limited to the specific shape of the region illustrated here, but should include deviations in the shape due to, for example, manufacturing. The regions shown in the figures are only schematic, and their shapes are not intended to illustrate the actual shape of the device, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention.

Unless otherwise defined, all terms (including technical and scientific terms) used herein have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this invention belongs. It should also be understood that terms such as those defined in the general dictionary should be interpreted to have meanings consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant field, and should not be interpreted in an over-ideal or over-formal meaning Unless explicitly defined in this article. This embodiment is described by taking an electronic device with a touch panel as an example, but it is not limited to an electronic device with a touch panel. In other embodiments, the electronic device of the present invention may be suitable for this technical solution. Other types of electronic devices do not have to have a touch panel. Specifically, an electronic device with a touch panel is taken as an example to describe a specific embodiment of the electronic device of the present invention.

Please refer to FIGS. 1 and 2. The touch panel 100 according to the first embodiment of the present invention includes an electrically insulating substrate 1. The substrate 1 defines a main body portion 11 and an extension portion 12 formed by extending an edge of the main body portion 11. In this embodiment, the main body portion 11 includes a central region 101 and a peripheral region 102 surrounding the central region 101, and the extension portion 12 extends from an edge of the peripheral region 102.

The touch panel 100 further includes a plurality of first sensing electrodes 21 and a plurality of second sensing electrodes 31 disposed on the same surface of the touch panel 100, and are electrically connected to the first sensing electrodes 21 and the second sensing electrodes 31, respectively. Connected first lead 41 and second lead 42. In this embodiment, the first sensing electrode 21 and the second sensing electrode 31 are both disposed on the main body portion 11, and the first lead 41 and the second lead 42 are both disposed on the extension portion 12. The first sensing electrodes 21 are arranged in a plurality of rows extending in a first direction (X direction in the figure), and the second sensing electrodes 31 are arranged in a plurality of columns extending in a second direction (Y direction in the figure). The second direction intersects. In this example, the first direction intersects the second direction perpendicularly.

Optionally, one of the first sensing electrode 21 and the second sensing electrode 31 is a touch driving electrode (Tx), the other is a touch sensing electrode (Rx), the first sensing electrode 21 and the second The sensing electrodes 31 cooperate with each other to sense a touch operation applied to the touch panel 100. Each adjacent two first sensing electrodes 21 are electrically connected by a first bridge portion 51, and each adjacent two second sensing electrodes 31 are electrically connected by a second bridge portion 52. In this embodiment, each row of the first sensing electrodes 21 is electrically connected by the first bridge portion 51 to form a first sensing electrode string 2; each column of the second sensing electrodes 31 is connected by the second bridge portion 52 is electrically connected to form the second sensing electrode series 3, and the first bridge portion 51 and the second bridge portion 52 are electrically insulated. Optionally, each corresponding first bridge portion 51 and the second bridge portion 52 cross each other. They are separated by an insulating layer 8.

The touch panel 100 further includes a plurality of first connection pads 61 and second connection pads 62 for electrically connecting to a flexible circuit board. One end of each first lead 41 is connected to the first sensing electrode string 2, the other end is connected to one of the first connection pads 61, one end of each second lead 42 is connected to the second sensing electrode series 3, and the other end is connected One of the second connection pads 62.

As shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, the substrate 1 may be a flexible substrate, but is not limited thereto, as long as the substrate 1 is bent. In this embodiment, the main body portion 11 is rectangular, but is not limited thereto. In one embodiment, the main body portion 11 can be set to any shape according to actual needs.

In this embodiment, the extending portion 12 further includes a first extending portion 121 and a second extending portion 122. The first extension 121 is provided with a first lead 41, and the second extension 122 is provided with a second lead 42. The first lead 41 extends from the peripheral region 102 of the main body portion 11 to the first extension portion 121, and the second lead 42 extends from the peripheral region 102 of the main body portion 11 to the second extension portion 122.

In this embodiment, an edge of the main body portion 11 adjacent to the connection between the first sensing electrode 21 and the first lead 41 is defined as a first side 111, and the first extension portion 121 extends along the first side 111, and the main body portion 11 is adjacent to An edge where the second sensing electrode 31 and the second lead 42 are connected is defined as a second side 112, and the second extension portion 122 is formed along the second side 112.

The first extending portion 121 includes a first portion 1211 and a second portion 1212. The second portion 1212 extends along the first side 111, and the first portion 1211 extends along the second portion 1212 in a direction away from the main body portion 11. In an embodiment, the area of the first portion 1211 is smaller than the area of the second portion 1212, and the first portion 1211 and the second portion 1212 form a "convex" shape, but are not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the first portion 1211 and the second portion 1211 The size and shape of the portion 1212 is not limited, and an appropriate size and shape can be selected according to actual needs, as long as the first connection pad 61 and the second connection pad 62 are bent and will not overlap and will not be overlapped by the other side. The bent substrate 1 is covered. In one embodiment, the first extending portion 121 and the second extending portion 122 do not overlap after being bent, thereby avoiding increasing the thickness of the touch panel 100.

In this embodiment, the first connection pad 61 is disposed on an end of the first portion 1211 away from the second portion 1212. The second extension portion 122 includes a third portion 1221 and a fourth portion 1222. The fourth portion 1222 extends along the second side 112, the third portion 1221 extends in a direction away from the main body portion 11 along the fourth portion 1222, and the third portion 1221 and The fourth portion 1222 is formed in a “convex” shape, and the second connection pad 62 is disposed at an end of the third portion 1221 away from the fourth portion 1222. In order to prevent the first connection pad 61 and the second connection pad 62 from overlapping after being bent, in one embodiment, the width of the first portion 1211 is smaller than the width of the first side 111, and the width of the third portion 1221 is smaller than that of the second side 112. width.

As shown in FIG. 1, when the touch panel 100 is applied to an electronic device, the first extension portion 121 and the second extension portion 122 are bent until the touch panel 100 is far away from the first sensing electrode 21 and the second sensing electrode 31. The side. In an embodiment, the size of the bent portion of the first extension portion 121 and the second extension portion 122 may be selected according to the size requirements of the electronic device on the peripheral area. In this embodiment, the second portion 1212 and the fourth portion 1222 are at least partially bent. In an embodiment, the second portion 1212 is bent along a first axis 71 parallel to the first side 111, and the fourth portion 1222 is bent along a second axis 72 parallel to the second side 112. After the first extension portion 121 and the second extension portion 122 are bent, the area of the electronic device that needs to be reserved for the surrounding area can be reduced. In this embodiment, the first extension portion 121 and the second extension portion 122 are at least partially overlapped with the main body portion 11 after being bent.

Please refer to FIG. 3, after the first extending portion 121 and the second extending portion 122 are bent to the side of the touch panel 100 away from the first sensing electrode 21 and the second sensing electrode 31, the first portion 1211 and the third portion 1221 The distance becomes closer, so that the distance between the first connection pad 61 and the second connection pad 62 becomes closer, and a flexible circuit board connected to the first connection pad 61 and the second connection pad 62 can be reduced. Required area. After the first extending portion 121 and the second extending portion 122 are bent, the distance between the closest edge of the first portion 1211 and the third portion 1221 in the direction parallel to the substrate 1 is defined as a distance L. In an embodiment, the distance L may be less than 10 mm. In this embodiment, the distance L after the first portion 1211 and the third portion 1221 are bent is 6.5 mm, but is not limited thereto.

Please refer to FIGS. 4 and 5. FIG. 4 is a schematic front view of the touch panel 100 according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a schematic plan development view of the touch panel 100 according to the second embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, for the convenience of description, the components having the same structure and function as those in the first embodiment use the same component symbols. As shown in FIGS. 4 and 5, at least a part of the extension portion 12 of the touch panel 100 is bent. As shown in FIG. 5, in this embodiment, the main body portion 11 may be rectangular, and the extension portion 12 further includes a first extension portion 121 and a second extension portion 122. The first lead 41 extends from the peripheral region 102 of the main body portion 11 to the first extension portion 121, and the second lead 42 extends from the peripheral region 102 of the main body portion 11 to the second extension portion 122.

In this embodiment, an edge of the main body portion 11 adjacent to the connection between the first sensing electrode 21 and the first lead 41 is defined as a first side 111, the first extension portion 121 extends along the first side 111, and the main body portion 11 is adjacent An edge where the second sensing electrode 31 is connected to the second wire 42 is defined as a second side 112, and the second extension 122 protrudes along the second side 112.

The second extension portion 122 includes a third portion 1221, a fourth portion 1222, and a fifth portion 1223. The third portion 1221 extends along the second side 112, and the fourth portion 1222 and the fifth portion 1223 are away from the main body portion by the third portion 1221. 11 direction. As shown in FIG. 5, portions of the second extension portion 122 within the dashed frame of FIG. 5 are defined as a fourth portion 1222 and a fifth portion 1223, and the remaining portions are defined as a third portion 1221.

In this embodiment, the area of the fourth portion 1222 and the area of the fifth portion 1223 are smaller than the area of the third portion 1221. The fourth portion 1222 and the fifth portion 1223 protrude from the third portion 1221, respectively. The connection pad 61 is disposed on an end of the fourth portion 1222 away from the third portion 1221. The second connection pad 62 is disposed on an end of the fifth portion 1223 away from the third portion 1221. The first lead 41 extends from the first extension portion 121 to the first connection pad 61 located at the fourth portion 1222 of the second extension portion 122. The shape of the second extension portion 122 is not limited to the shape shown in FIG. 5. In other embodiments, the third portion 1221, the fourth portion 1222, and the fifth portion 1223 may form a rectangle together, but it is not limited to this. The portion 1221, the fourth portion 1222, and the fifth portion 1223 are set to any desired shape according to actual needs.

As shown in FIG. 6, FIG. 6 is a bottom view of the touch panel 100 according to the second embodiment of the present invention after being bent. When the touch panel 100 is applied to an electronic device, the second extension portion 122 is bent along a second axis 72 to a side of the touch panel 100 away from the first sensing electrode 21 and the second sensing electrode 31. In an embodiment, the size of the bent portion of the first extension portion 121 and the second extension portion 122 may be selected according to the size requirements of the electronic device on the peripheral area.

In this embodiment, the second extension portion 122 is at least partially bent. After the second extension portion 122 is bent, the area of the electronic device that needs to be reserved for the surrounding area can be reduced. In this embodiment, the first extension portion 121 and the second extension portion 122 are at least partially overlapped with the main body portion 11 after being bent. In one embodiment, the first extending portion 121 and the second extending portion 122 are not overlapped after being bent, so as to avoid increasing the thickness of the touch panel 100.

The first connection pad 61 and the second connection pad 62 may be connected to a flexible circuit board on a side of the touch panel 100 away from the first sensing electrode 21 and the second sensing electrode 31. The closer the distance between the fourth portion 1222 and the fifth portion 1223, the closer the distance between the first connection pad 61 and the second connection pad 62, the smaller the area required by the flexible circuit board. After the second extension portion 122 is bent, the distance between the fourth portion 1222 and the fifth portion 1223 closest to the edge in the direction parallel to the substrate 1 is defined as the distance L. In one embodiment, the distance L may be less than 10 mm. In this embodiment, the distance after the fourth portion 1222 and the fifth portion 1223 are bent may be 6.5 mm, but is not limited thereto.

Although the first sensing electrode 21, the second sensing electrode 31, the first lead 41 and the second lead 42 of the touch panel 100 of the first and second embodiments are formed on the same surface of the substrate 1, In the embodiment, the first sensing electrode 21, the second sensing electrode 31, the first lead 41 and the second lead 42 may be formed on different surfaces of the substrate 1. Specifically, the first sensing electrode 21 and the first lead 41 are formed on the same surface of the substrate 1, and the second sensing electrode 31 and the second lead 42 are formed on the substrate 1 and the first sensing electrode 21 and the first lead 41 are opposite On the other surface, the first extension portion 121 provided with the first lead 41 may be bent to a side adjacent to the second sensing electrode 31, and the second extension portion 122 provided with the second lead 42 may be bent to be adjacent to the first One side of the sensing electrode 21.

This embodiment uses the touch panel 100 as an example for description, but is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, other substrates of other electronic devices may also have bent extensions. In one embodiment, it may be a TFT (thin film transistor) array substrate or the like, as long as it is applicable to the present technical solution. When the substrate is an FTF array substrate, a plurality of TFTs may be formed on the main body portion, and the extension portion forms a lead wire connecting the TFT and a bonding pad connected to the lead wire. The lead wire may include, for example, a scan line, a data line, and the like.

The above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solution of the present invention, but not limited. Although the present invention has been described in detail with reference to preferred implementations, those skilled in the art should understand that the technical solution of the present invention can be modified or equivalently replaced, Without departing from the spirit and scope of the technical solution of the present invention.

100‧‧‧ touch panel

1‧‧‧ substrate

101‧‧‧Central District

102‧‧‧Peripheral area

11‧‧‧ main body

111‧‧‧first side

112‧‧‧Second side

12‧‧‧ extension

121‧‧‧First extension

1211‧‧‧ Part I

1212‧‧‧ Part Two

122‧‧‧Second Extension

1221‧‧‧Part III

1222‧‧‧ Part Four

1223‧‧‧Part Five

2‧‧‧ first sensing electrode series

21‧‧‧first sensing electrode

3‧‧‧Second sensing electrode series

31‧‧‧Second sensing electrode

41‧‧‧first lead

42‧‧‧Second Lead

51‧‧‧First bridge

52‧‧‧Second Bridge Department

61‧‧‧first connection pad

62‧‧‧Second connection pad

71‧‧‧ first axis

72‧‧‧ second axis

8‧‧‧ Insulation

FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of a touch panel according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

2 is a schematic plan development view of a touch panel according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 3 is a schematic rear view of the touch panel of the first embodiment of the present invention, which is opposite to the perspective of FIG. 1.

4 is a schematic front view of a touch panel according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a schematic plan development view of a touch panel according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 6 is a schematic rear view of the touch panel of the second embodiment of the present invention, which is opposite to the viewing angle of FIG. 4.

Claims (10)

An improvement of a touch panel includes: a substrate, the substrate including a main body portion and an extension portion, the extension portion being formed on an edge of the main body portion, and at least a portion of the extension portion being bent to overlap the main body portion; A sensing electrode is formed on the main body portion; and a lead is formed on the extension portion and is connected to the sensing electrode. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the extension portion includes a first extension portion and a second extension portion which are formed by extending from different edges of the main body portion and are disposed at intervals. The touch panel according to claim 2, wherein one of the second extension portion or the first extension portion is folded to overlap the main body portion. The touch panel according to claim 2, wherein the first extension portion and the second extension portion are at least partially overlapped with the main body portion by being bent. The touch panel according to claim 2, wherein the conductive line includes a first conductive line at least partially located on the first extension portion and a second conductive line located on the second extension portion. The touch panel according to claim 5, wherein the first wire extends only in the first extension portion. The touch panel according to claim 5, wherein the first lead extends from the first extension to the second extension, and the second extension is at least partially bent with the main body. Department overlap. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the extension portion is bent to a side of the substrate away from the sensing electrode, and the wire at least partially overlaps the sensing electrode after being bent. An electronic device includes a substrate. The substrate includes a main body portion and an extension portion. The extension portion is provided with a plurality of wires. The improvement is that the extension portion of the substrate overlaps the main body portion by bending. The electronic device according to claim 9, wherein the substrate is a thin film transistor array substrate.