TW202006517A - Touch panel - Google Patents

Abstract

A touch panel is provided. The touch panel includes a substrate, a plurality of electrode sets, a plurality of first pads and a second pad. The substrate has a plurality of icon regions and a lead bonding region. The electrode sets are respectively located in the icon regions, wherein each electrode set includes a first electrode and a second electrode, the first electrode is structurally separated from the second electrode, the first electrodes of the electrode sets are structurally separated from one another, and the second electrodes of the electrode sets are structurally separated from one another. The first pads are located in the lead bonding region, and are respectively electrically connected to the first electrodes of the electrode sets. The second pad is located in the lead bonding region, and is electrically connected to the second electrodes of the electrode sets.

Description

Touch panel

The invention relates to a sensing panel, and in particular to a touch panel.

In order to efficiently manufacture a touch panel, in the current array process, a plurality of array touch elements are usually manufactured on the same large substrate, and directly on the large substrate in the array process in a timely manner After performing loop test on each array of touch elements, each touch panel is obtained through a cutting process. At present, in order to provide a fixed key function, icon touch elements are often arranged in the touch panel. However, the existing circuit layout cannot enable the icon touch element to perform loop testing on a large substrate during the array manufacturing stage.

The invention provides a touch panel which can perform impedance electrical test on electrodes in the icon area on a large substrate before the cutting process.

The touch panel of the present invention includes a substrate, a plurality of electrode sets, a plurality of first pads and a second pad. The substrate has a plurality of icon areas and pin bonding areas. A plurality of electrode groups are respectively located in a plurality of icon areas, wherein each electrode group includes a first electrode and a second electrode that are structurally separated from each other, the first electrodes of the plurality of electrode groups are structurally separated from each other, and the The second electrodes are structurally separated from each other. The plurality of first pads are located in the pin bonding area, and are electrically connected to the first electrodes of the plurality of electrode groups, respectively. The second pad is located in the pin bonding area and is electrically connected to the second electrodes of the plurality of electrode groups.

Based on the above, the touch panel of the present invention includes the first electrode and the second electrode which are structurally separated from each other through the plurality of electrode groups respectively located in the plurality of icon areas, and the first electrodes in the plurality of electrode groups are structurally phased with each other Separated, the first electrodes in the plurality of electrode groups are electrically connected to the plurality of first pads, the second electrodes in the plurality of electrode groups are structurally separated from each other, and the second electrodes in the plurality of electrode groups are electrically It is connected to the second pad, so that the touch panel can perform impedance electrical test on the first electrode and the second electrode in the icon area through a plurality of first pads and second pads on the large substrate before the cutting process.

In order to make the above-mentioned features and advantages of the present invention more comprehensible, the embodiments are specifically described below and described in detail in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

In the drawings, the thickness of layers, films, panels, regions, etc., are exaggerated for clarity. Throughout the specification, the same reference numerals denote the same elements. It should be understood that when an element such as a layer, film, region, or substrate is referred to as being "on" or "connected" to another element, it can be directly on or connected to the other element, or Intermediate elements may also be present. In contrast, when an element is referred to as being "directly on" or "directly connected to" another element, there are no intervening elements present. As used herein, "connected" may refer to physical and/or electrical connections. Furthermore, "electrical connection" may be that there are other components between the two components.

FIG. 1 is a schematic top view of a touch panel according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the area k in FIG. 1. Fig. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line I-I' and line II-II' in Fig. 2.

Please refer to FIGS. 1, 2 and 3 at the same time. The touch panel 10 may include a substrate 100, a plurality of electrode groups 110, a plurality of first pads 120 and a second pad 122. In this embodiment, the touch panel 10 may optionally further include a plurality of first detection pads 130, a plurality of second detection pads 132, a plurality of first signal lines 140, and a second signal line 142. In addition, in this embodiment, the touch panel 10 can be used in conjunction with a display panel and applied to a touch display device, wherein the display panel can be a liquid crystal display panel, an organic light-emitting display panel, an electronic paper display panel, an electrophoretic display panel, an electronic A wet display panel, a bistable display panel, a plasma display panel, or any type of display panel known to those of ordinary skill in the art, and the touch display device may be an on-cell touch display Device, out-cell touch display device or in-cell touch display device.

In this embodiment, the substrate 100 may have an active area A, a plurality of icon areas B, and a pin bonding area C. In this embodiment, the plurality of icon areas B are configured adjacent to the side A1 of the active area A, and the pin bonding area C is configured adjacent to the side A2 of the active area A, but the invention is not limited thereto. In another embodiment, the plurality of icon areas B may also be configured adjacent to the side A3 and the side A4 of the active area A. In yet another embodiment, the plurality of icon areas B and the pin bonding area C may be configured adjacent to the same side of the active area A. It is worth mentioning that when the touch panel 10 is applied to a touch display device, the active area A of the substrate 100 overlaps the display area of the display panel, and the plurality of icon areas B and the pin bonding area C of the substrate 100 It will overlap the peripheral area of the display panel around the display area.

In this embodiment, the material of the substrate 100 is, for example, glass, quartz, organic polymer, metal, or other suitable materials. In addition, in the present embodiment, the number of icon areas B is two, but the present invention does not limit the number of icon areas B, which can be adjusted and changed according to needs.

In this embodiment, the plurality of electrode groups 110 are located in the plurality of icon regions B, respectively. That is, in the present embodiment, any one of the plurality of electrode groups 110 is arranged in one of the plurality of icon regions B in a one-to-one relationship. In this embodiment, each electrode group 110 includes a first electrode 112 and a second electrode 114 that are structurally separated from each other. As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, in each electrode group 110, the first electrode 112 surrounds the second electrode 114, and in this embodiment, the area of the first electrode 112 is larger than the area of the second electrode 114. However, the present invention does not limit the outline and arrangement of the first electrode 112 and the second electrode 114, as long as the first electrode 112 and the second electrode 114 in each electrode group 110 are structurally separated from each other. In addition, as shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the plurality of first electrodes 112 in the plurality of electrode groups 110 are structurally separated from each other, and the plurality of second electrodes 114 are structurally separated from each other. That is, in this embodiment, the plurality of icon areas B do not overlap each other.

In addition, in this embodiment, the first electrode 112 and the second electrode 114 in each electrode group 110 belong to the same film layer, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. That is to say, in this embodiment, the first electrode 112 and the second electrode 114 can have substantially the same material, and the first electrode 112 and the second electrode 114 can be in the same photolithography and etching process (PEP) ). In this embodiment, the materials of the first electrode 112 and the second electrode 114 may include metal oxide conductive materials, such as indium tin oxide, indium zinc oxide, aluminum tin oxide, aluminum zinc oxide, indium gallium zinc oxide Substances, other suitable oxides, or stacked layers of at least two of the above.

In this embodiment, the plurality of first pads 120 and the second pads 122 are located in the pin bonding area C. In this embodiment, the first pads 120 and the second pads 122 can be used to electrically connect the touch panel 10 to an external circuit. The external circuit is, for example, a driver chip, a control circuit, a flexible printed circuit (FPC), a printed circuit board (PCB) provided with a driver chip, or the like. In this embodiment, the materials of the plurality of first pads 120 and the second pads 122 may include a combination of metals or other conductive materials, such as gold, silver, copper, or other suitable conductive metals. Other conductive materials are, for example, indium tin oxide, indium zinc oxide, aluminum tin oxide, aluminum zinc oxide, indium gallium zinc oxide, or other suitable conductive materials.

In this embodiment, the plurality of first detection pads 130 are electrically connected to the first electrodes 112 of the plurality of electrode groups 110, respectively. In detail, in this embodiment, any one of the plurality of first detection pads 130 is directly connected to one of the plurality of first electrodes 112 in a one-to-one relationship, as shown in FIG. 1 and Figure 2 shows. However, the present invention is not limited to this. In other embodiments, any one of the plurality of first detection pads 130 may also be electrically connected to one of the plurality of first electrodes 112 in a one-to-one relationship through a connection line, that is, a plurality of first The detection pad 130 is not directly connected to the plurality of first electrodes 112 in structure. On the other hand, in this embodiment, the first electrode 112 in the electrode group 110, the second electrode 114 in the electrode group 110, and the first detection pad 130 belong to the same film layer, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. That is, in this embodiment, the first electrode 112, the second electrode 114, and the first detection pad 130 may have substantially the same material, and the first electrode 112, the second electrode 114, and the first detection pad 130 may Formed in the same mask process. In this embodiment, the material of the first detection pad 130 may include a metal oxide conductive material, such as indium tin oxide, indium zinc oxide, aluminum tin oxide, aluminum zinc oxide, indium gallium zinc oxide, other suitable Oxide, or a stack of at least two of the above.

In the present embodiment, each first detection pad 130 has a first detection region 130R located within the outline range of the first detection pad 130. In this embodiment, the first detection area 130R is a rectangle having a side length a1 and a side length b1, where both the side length a1 and the side length b1 are greater than or equal to 50 μm. Both the side length a1 and the side length b1 are greater than or equal to 50 μm, so that the first detection pad 130 can be used for direct contact with the probe to facilitate impedance electrical testing. In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, the contour range of the first detection area 130R is the same as the contour range of the first detection pad 130, but the present invention is not limited to this, as long as the first detection area 130R is located in the first The detection pad 130 may be within the outline range. That is to say, the present invention does not limit the outline of the first detection pad 130 to be rectangular. In other embodiments, the outline of the first detection pad 130 may also be circular or irregular (or called irregular) shape.

In this embodiment, the plurality of second detection pads 132 are electrically connected to the second electrodes 114 of the plurality of electrode groups 110, respectively. In detail, in this embodiment, any one of the plurality of second detection pads 132 is electrically connected to one of the plurality of second electrodes 114 through a connection line L in a one-to-one relationship, as shown in FIG. 1 and Figure 2. However, the present invention is not limited to this. In other embodiments, any one of the plurality of second detection pads 132 may be directly connected to one of the plurality of first electrodes 112 in a one-to-one relationship. In this embodiment, the first electrode 112 in the electrode group 110, the second electrode 114 in the electrode group 110, and the second detection pad 132 belong to the same film layer, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3. In other words, in this embodiment, the first electrode 112, the second electrode 114, and the second detection pad 132 may have substantially the same material, and the first electrode 112, the second electrode 114, and the second detection pad 132 may Formed in the same mask process. In addition, in this embodiment, the first electrode 112 in the electrode group 110, the second electrode 114 in the electrode group 110, the second detection pad 132, and the connection line L belong to the same film layer, as shown in FIGS. 2 and 3 . That is to say, in this embodiment, the first electrode 112, the second electrode 114, the second detection pad 132 and the connecting line L may have substantially the same material, and the first electrode 112, the second electrode 114 and the second The detection pad 132 can be formed in the same mask process.

In this embodiment, the material of the second detection pad 132 may include a metal oxide conductive material, such as indium tin oxide, indium zinc oxide, aluminum tin oxide, aluminum zinc oxide, indium gallium zinc oxide, other suitable Oxide, or a stack of at least two of the above.

In this embodiment, at least one second detection pad 132 has a second detection area 132R located within the outline of the second detection pad 132. In this embodiment, the second detection area 132R is a rectangle with a side length a2 and a side length b2, where both the side length a2 and the side length b2 are greater than or equal to 50 microns. Both the side length a2 and the side length b2 are greater than or equal to 50 μm, so that the second detection pad 132 can be used to directly contact the probe to facilitate impedance electrical testing. In addition, as shown in FIG. 2, in this embodiment, the contour range of the second detection area 132R is the same as the contour range of the second detection pad 132, but the present invention is not limited to this, as long as the second detection area 132R is located in the second The detection pad 132 may be within the outline range. That is to say, the present invention does not limit the outline of the second detection pad 132 to be rectangular. In other embodiments, the outline of the second detection pad 132 may also be circular or irregular (or called irregular) shape.

In this embodiment, the plurality of first signal lines 140 are electrically connected to the plurality of first electrodes 112 of the plurality of electrode groups 110 and the plurality of first pads 120, respectively. In other words, in this embodiment, the plurality of first pads 120 are electrically connected to the plurality of first electrodes 112 of the plurality of electrode groups 110 through the plurality of first signal lines 140, but the invention is not limited to this As long as the plurality of first pads 120 are electrically connected to the plurality of first electrodes 112 of the plurality of electrode groups 110, respectively. From another point of view, in this embodiment, any one of the plurality of first pads 120 is electrically connected to one of the plurality of first electrodes 112 in a one-to-one relationship.

In this embodiment, the material of the plurality of first signal lines 140 may include a combination of metals or other conductive materials, such as gold, silver, copper, or other suitable conductive metals, and other conductive materials such as indium tin oxide , Indium zinc oxide, aluminum tin oxide, aluminum zinc oxide, indium germanium zinc oxide, or other suitable conductive materials.

In this embodiment, the second signal line 142 is electrically connected to the second electrodes 114 and the second pads 122 of the electrode groups 110. That is to say, in this embodiment, the second pad 122 is electrically connected to the plurality of second electrodes 114 through a second signal line 142. In detail, in this embodiment, the second signal line 142 includes a plurality of branch line segments 142A and a connecting line segment 142B, wherein the plurality of branch line segments 142A are respectively connected to the plurality of second electrodes 114 of the plurality of electrode groups 110, and The connecting line segment 142B connects the plurality of branch line segments 142A and the second pad 122. Although FIG. 1 illustrates that the second pad 122 is electrically connected to the plurality of second electrodes 114 through the second signal line 142 including a plurality of branch line segments 142A and a connection line segment 142B, the present invention is not limited thereto, as long as The second pad 122 can be electrically connected to the plurality of second electrodes 114 of the plurality of electrode groups 110.

From another point of view, in this embodiment, one second pad 122 is electrically connected to the plurality of second electrodes 114, so as described above, the plurality of second electrodes 114 are structurally separated from each other In the case of, the plurality of second electrodes 114 are electrically connected to each other.

In this embodiment, the material of the second signal line 142 may include a metal, or a combination of other conductive materials, such as gold, silver, copper, or other suitable conductive metals, and other conductive materials such as indium tin oxide, Indium zinc oxide, aluminum tin oxide, aluminum zinc oxide, indium gallium zinc oxide, or other suitable conductive materials. As described above, the plurality of first pads 120 are electrically connected to the plurality of first electrodes 112 respectively, the second pads 122 are electrically connected to the plurality of second electrodes 114, and the plurality of first pads 120 are connected to the first The two pads 122 can be used to electrically connect the touch panel 10 to an external circuit. Therefore, when the user touches the sensing icon area B, the corresponding first electrode 112 and the second electrode 114 generate a touch signal to perform The desired touch function.

It is worth noting that, in this embodiment, through the plurality of electrode groups 110 respectively located in the plurality of icon regions B, each includes a first electrode 112 and a second electrode 114 that are structurally separated from each other. The plurality of first electrodes 112 are structurally separated from each other. The plurality of first electrodes 112 in the plurality of electrode groups 110 are electrically connected to the plurality of first pads 120 respectively. The plurality of second electrodes in the plurality of electrode groups 110 114 are electrically connected to each other, and the plurality of second electrodes 114 in the plurality of electrode groups 110 are electrically connected to the second pads 122, so that the touch panel 10 can pass through the plurality of first contacts on the large substrate before the cutting process The pad 120 and the second pad 122 perform an impedance electrical test on the first electrode 112 and the second electrode 114 in the icon area B. The impedance electrical test is, for example, an open circuit test or a short circuit test.

In addition, in this embodiment, the touch panel 10 may optionally further include a plurality of first detection pads 130 electrically connected to the plurality of first electrodes 112 and a plurality of second electrodes 114 respectively electrically connected A plurality of second detection pads 132, so when performing an impedance electrical test on a large substrate, the probe may be in contact with one of the plurality of first detection pads 130 and the corresponding first pad 120 to match the corresponding The first electrode 112 performs detection, or the probe may contact one of the plurality of second detection pads 132 and the second pad 122 to detect the second electrodes 114 electrically connected to each other, thereby avoiding detection The first electrode 112 and the second electrode 114 are damaged.

Furthermore, in this embodiment, the touch panel 10 may further include a plurality of second detection pads 132 electrically connected to the plurality of second electrodes 114, but the invention is not limited thereto. Since the second electrodes 114 are electrically connected to each other, the touch panel 10 can selectively include only one second detection pad 132. At this time, when performing an impedance electrical test on a large substrate, the probe may contact the second detection pad 132 and the second pad 122 to detect the second electrodes 114 electrically connected to each other. It is worth mentioning that although the second electrodes 114 are electrically connected to each other, the touch panel 10 can achieve a more accurate electrical test by providing the second detection pads 132 corresponding to the icon area B.

After the detection is completed, the surface of the first detection pad 130 and the second detection pad 132 may be further subjected to insulation treatment, such as coating with insulating ink.

In addition, the touch panel 10 of the present invention may optionally further include a touch electrode layer TP disposed in the active area A of the substrate 100. In one embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4A, the touch electrode layer TP includes a plurality of first touch series X and a plurality of second touch series Y, wherein each of the first touch series X The shapes of the touch electrode patterns and the touch electrode patterns in each second touch series Y are diamond-shaped, but the invention is not limited thereto. In another embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4B, the touch electrode layer TP includes a plurality of first touch series X and a plurality of second touch series Y, wherein each of the first touch series X The shapes of the touch electrode patterns and the touch electrode patterns in each second touch series Y are long, but the invention is not limited thereto. In other words, the touch electrode layer TP may be any type of capacitive touch electrode layer known to those skilled in the art. In addition, although the touch electrode layer TP disclosed in FIGS. 4A and 4B is a capacitive touch electrode layer as an example, the present invention is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the touch electrode layer TP may also be any touch structure known to those skilled in the art, such as resistive, optical, sonic, electromagnetic, or other suitable touch Control structure, or a combination of any two of the touch structures proposed above.

As described above, the touch panel 10 can perform an impedance electrical test on the first electrode 112 and the second electrode 114 in the icon area B on a large substrate before the cutting process, so the touch panel 10 further includes touch electrodes In the embodiment of the layer TP, the touch electrode layer TP in the active area A and the first electrode 112 and the second electrode 114 in the icon area B can be simultaneously detected on a large substrate before the cutting process.

Although the present invention has been disclosed as above in the embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Anyone who has ordinary knowledge in the technical field can make some changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The scope of protection of the present invention shall be subject to the scope defined in the appended patent application.

10‧‧‧Touch panel 100‧‧‧Substrate 110‧‧‧Electrode group 112‧‧‧First electrode 114‧‧‧Second electrode 120‧‧‧First pad 122‧‧‧Second pad 130‧ ‧‧First detection pad 130R‧‧‧First detection area 132‧‧‧Second detection pad 132R‧‧‧Second detection area 140‧‧‧First signal line 142‧‧‧Second signal line 142A‧‧‧ Branch line segment 142B ‧‧‧ connecting line segments a1, b1, a2, b2 ‧‧‧ side length A‧‧‧ active area A1, A2, A3, A4‧‧‧ side B‧‧‧ icon area C‧‧‧ pin Bonding area k‧‧‧area L‧‧‧connecting wire TP‧‧‧touch electrode layer X‧‧‧first touch series Y‧‧‧second touch series

FIG. 1 is a schematic top view of a touch panel according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 2 is an enlarged view of the area k in FIG. 1. Fig. 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line I-I' and line II-II' in Fig. 2. 4A and 4B are schematic top views of touch electrodes that can be disposed in the active area, respectively.

10‧‧‧Touch panel

100‧‧‧ substrate

110‧‧‧electrode set

112‧‧‧First electrode

114‧‧‧Second electrode

120‧‧‧First pad

122‧‧‧Second pad

130‧‧‧ First inspection pad

132‧‧‧Second inspection pad

140‧‧‧ First signal line

142‧‧‧Second signal line

142A‧‧‧Branch line

142B‧‧‧Connecting line

A‧‧‧Active area

A1, A2, A3, A4

B‧‧‧Icon area

C‧‧‧pin junction area

k‧‧‧Region

Claims (12)

A touch panel includes: a substrate having a plurality of icon areas and a pin bonding area; a plurality of electrode groups respectively located in the icon areas, wherein each of the electrode groups includes a first electrode that is structurally separated from each other And a second electrode, the first electrodes of the electrode groups are structurally separated from each other, and the second electrodes of the electrode groups are structurally separated from each other; a plurality of first pads are located on the pin In the bonding area, and are electrically connected to the first electrodes of the electrode groups, respectively; and a second pad, located in the pin bonding area, and electrically connected to the second electrodes of the electrode groups connection. The touch panel as described in item 1 of the patent application scope further includes: a plurality of first detection pads respectively electrically connected to the first electrodes of the electrode groups. The touch panel as described in item 1 of the patent application scope further includes: at least one second detection pad electrically connected to at least one of the second electrodes of the electrode groups. The touch panel of claim 3, wherein the number of the at least one second detection pad is plural, and the second detection pads are electrically connected to the second electrodes of the electrode groups, respectively . The touch panel as described in item 2 of the patent application range, wherein each of the first detection pads has a first detection area within the outline of the first detection pad, and the first detection area has a side length a1 and a side A rectangle with a length b1, and both the side length a1 and the side length b1 are greater than or equal to 50 microns. The touch panel of claim 3, wherein the at least one second detection pad has a second detection area within the outline of the second detection pad, and the second detection area has a side length a2 and A rectangle with side length b2, and both side length a2 and side length b2 are greater than or equal to 50 microns. The touch panel as described in item 1 of the patent application scope, wherein the first electrodes of the electrode groups and the second electrodes of the electrode groups belong to the same film layer. The touch panel as described in item 2 of the patent application scope, wherein the first electrodes of the electrode groups, the second electrodes of the electrode groups, and the first detection pads belong to the same film layer. The touch panel as recited in item 3 of the patent application range, wherein the first electrodes of the electrode groups, the second electrodes of the electrode groups, and the second detection pads belong to the same film layer. The touch panel as described in item 1 of the patent application scope further includes: a plurality of first signal lines electrically connecting the first electrodes and the first pads of the electrode groups; and a second The signal line is electrically connected to the second electrodes and the second pads of the electrode groups. The touch panel of claim 10, wherein the second signal line includes: a plurality of branch line segments, respectively connected to the second electrodes of the electrode groups; and a connecting line segment, connecting the branches The line segment and the second pad. The touch panel according to item 1 of the patent application scope, wherein in each of the electrode groups, the first electrode surrounds the second electrode, and the area of the first electrode is larger than the area of the second electrode.

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