TWI472994B - Touch panel, touch panel manufacturing method and scanning method - Google Patents

Description

Touch panel, touch panel manufacturing method and scanning method

The present invention relates to touch technology, and more particularly to a touch panel, a method of manufacturing the touch panel, and a scanning method.

Touch screen input, as a supplement or replacement to the traditional input method, has been more and more widely applied to various electronic devices. According to the structure and working principle, the touch panel can be divided into resistive, capacitive, optical, electromagnetic induction and sound wave induction. Among them, the capacitive touch panel technology is mature and widely used.

Please refer to FIG. 10. FIG. 10 is a schematic structural diagram of a conventional capacitive touch panel. The capacitive touch panel includes a plurality of electrodes (X0-X4, Y0-Y7) uniformly distributed in two directions (X direction and Y direction), and each electrode and ground are in a working state after the touch panel is energized. A self-capacitance is formed between them, and mutual capacitance is formed at the intersection of the electrodes in the two directions. When the touch panel is touched by an external grounding conductor (such as a human finger, a sensor pen, etc.), the self-capacitance of the touched electrode and the mutual capacitance at the intersection change, depending on the changed electrode or intersection The location gives you where the touch occurred.

Please refer to FIG. 11. FIG. 11 is a schematic structural view of a touch panel having prismatic electrode units. The electrodes of the touch panel are sequentially connected by prismatic electrode units, and the cross-sectional area of the connection between the two electrode units is very small, so the impedance is large. To detect the change in capacitance of the electrodes, each electrode in the X direction and the Y direction is connected to the controller 106 from one end through the signal line.

The signal passes through the signal line from the controller 106 to the electrode or from the electrode to the controller 106. When the signal reaches the end of the electrode from the controller 106, it is attenuated during transmission due to the impedance of the signal line and the presence of the impedance of the electrode.

Figure 12 is a single electrode composed of prismatic electrode units. Referring to Figure 12, from the C end of the electrode to the A end through the middle, the total impedance is getting larger and larger, and the attenuation of the signal is getting worse. Especially when scanning with high frequency signals, the attenuation of the signal is particularly severe. When the length of the electrode is large (that is, when a single electrode has more prismatic electrode units), the responses of the A terminal and the C terminal to the same scanning signal may be greatly different, for example, after touching the A end and the C end respectively, the corresponding detection is performed. The induced voltage on the prismatic electrode unit at the position has a very small voltage change at the A terminal, and the voltage change at the C terminal is more remarkable. This will reduce the accuracy of the scan. To overcome the above problems, a lower frequency scan signal is generally used to reduce this difference. However, a lower frequency scan means a slower scan speed, which will bring the contact position. Delays affect the experience.

In view of the above, one of the objects of the embodiments of the present invention is to provide a touch panel capable of simultaneously ensuring a high-area touch screen with high scanning accuracy and scanning speed.

A touch panel according to an embodiment of the invention includes a substrate, a touch sensing layer disposed on the substrate, and a controller connected to the touch sensing layer through a signal line. The touch sensing layer includes a plurality of a first electrode arranged in a first direction and a plurality of second electrodes arranged in a second direction, each of the first electrodes and each of the second electrodes being connected to the controller through a separate signal line at one end, all of the One electrode is connected to the controller through a first common signal line at the other end, and/or all of the second electrodes are connected to the controller at the other end through a second common signal line.

A method for manufacturing a touch panel according to an embodiment of the invention includes: Step A: providing a substrate; Step B: forming a first electrode arranged in the first direction and arranged in the second direction on the substrate a touch sensing layer of the second electrode; step C: connecting each of the first electrodes and each of the second electrodes to the controller at one end through a separate signal line; Step D: transmitting all of the first electrodes at the other end A first common signal line is connected to the controller, and/or all of the second electrodes are connected to the controller at the other end through a second common signal line.

A scanning method of a touch panel according to an embodiment of the invention includes: (1) sequentially scanning each first electrode through a signal line connected from one end of each first electrode, and from all the first electrodes The other end inputs a common signal of the same frequency; (2) grounds all the second electrodes; wherein, when scanning each of the first electrodes, one end of the first electrode is input to the scan signal, and one end of the other first electrode is Input a common signal of the same frequency as above or ground one end of the other first electrode.

Since the above-mentioned touch panel adopts a structure in which a common signal line is connected to the other end of the electrode, and the corresponding scanning mode is adopted, the charging and discharging processes are two channels, that is, both ends of each axial electrode can pass through the phase. The connected signal lines are charged and discharged, so the frequency of charging and discharging can be increased. In addition, since the two ends of the electrode are equipotential, the current consumption can be effectively reduced, and the attenuation of the signal can be avoided.

1 is a schematic structural view of a touch panel according to an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 1 , the touch panel includes a substrate 10 , a touch sensing layer 20 disposed on the substrate 10 , and a controller 30 connected to the touch sensing layer 20 via a signal line 402 . The touch sensing layer 20 includes a plurality of first electrodes 22 arranged in a first direction and a plurality of second electrodes 24 arranged in a second direction, each of the first electrodes 22 and each of the second electrodes 24 passing through one end Signal line 402 is coupled to controller 30. All of the first electrodes 22 are connected to the controller 30 through a first common signal line 404 at the other end.

2 is an enlarged view of a portion of the touch sensing layer A. Referring to FIG. 2 , the touch sensing layer 20 is a single layer touch sensing pattern. Each first electrode 22 of the touch sensing pattern 20 is electrically connected by a plurality of electrode units 222 arranged along the axial direction of the first electrode 22 . Forming, each of the second electrodes 24 is electrically connected by a plurality of electrode units 242 arranged along the axial direction of the second electrode 24, and each of the first electrodes 22 and each of the second electrodes 24 is formed by an insulating layer 26 at the intersection. Separated.

In this embodiment, the touch sensing pattern is formed by etching a transparent conductive layer, which is an indium tin oxide (ITO) layer, indium zinc oxide or aluminum zinc oxide. The first direction and the second direction are perpendicular to each other, and the electrode units 222, 242 have a polygonal structure, specifically a prism shape of the present embodiment. Other embodiments may also employ hexagons, octagons, rectangles, squares or triangles, and the like. The connecting line between the electrode units is a metal wire or a transparent conductive wire, and the insulating layer 26 may be made of a transparent insulating material such as epoxy resin, polyimide or methyl methacrylate, or made of an opaque material such as ink. .

In other embodiments, alternatively, the other end of all of the second electrodes 24 may be connected to a second common signal line 406, see FIG. Or simultaneously, all the first electrodes 22 are connected to the controller 30 through a first common signal line 404 at the other end, and the other ends of all the second electrodes 24 are connected to a second common signal line 406, see FIG. .

FIG. 3 is a flow chart of a method for manufacturing a touch panel according to an embodiment of the invention. The manufacturing method includes the following steps:

Step A: Providing a substrate. The substrate is a transparent glass plate and the surface is cleaned.

Step B: forming a touch sensing layer on the substrate including a first electrode arranged in a first direction and a second electrode arranged in a second direction. The touch sensing layer can be formed by a plurality of methods, such as forming the first electrode and the second electrode separately in two portions, or etching by using a single transparent conductive layer.

Step C: Connect each of the first electrodes and each of the second electrodes to the controller at one end through a separate signal line. That is, each of the first electrodes is connected to the controller through a signal line, and each of the second electrodes is also connected to the controller through a signal line.

Step D: Connect all the first electrodes to the controller through a first common signal line at the other end, and/or connect all the second electrodes to the controller through the second common signal line at the other end.

In some embodiments, step B, step C, and step D are performed simultaneously.

As shown in FIG. 4, in this embodiment, step B specifically adopts the following steps to form the touch-sensitive layer:

Step B1: forming a transparent conductive layer on the substrate. The transparent conductive layer is an indium tin oxide (ITO) layer, an indium zinc oxide layer or an aluminum zinc oxide layer, and is formed on the substrate by sputtering.

Step B2: etching the transparent conductive layer to obtain a first electrode formed by a plurality of electrode units electrically connected in the first direction, and a plurality of electrode units arranged in the second direction but spaced apart from each other. This step is generally completed by photolithography. As shown in FIG. 5, the plurality of electrode units 222 in the first direction are connected to each other after the etching is completed, so that the electrode units 222 are connected through a transparent conductive material. And the plurality of electrode units 242 in the second direction are spaced apart from each other.

Step B3: forming an insulating layer at the junction of the electrode units of the first electrode. As shown in FIG. 6, an insulating layer 26 is formed at the junction between the electrode units 222. The insulating layer 26 may be made of a transparent insulating material such as epoxy resin, polyimide or methyl methacrylate, or an opaque material such as ink.

Step B4: Electrically connecting the electrode units arranged in the second direction and spaced apart from each other. As shown in FIG. 2, the electrode units 242 are connected to each other through a conductive material and formed on the insulating layer 26.

The following describes the working principle of the touch panel, that is, the scanning method of the touch panel:

(1) sequentially scanning each of the first electrodes through a signal line connected from one end of each of the first electrodes, and inputting a common signal of the same frequency from the other end of all the first electrodes;

(2) grounding all the second electrodes; wherein, when scanning each of the first electrodes, one end of the first electrode is input to the scan signal, and one end of the other first electrode is input to the common signal of the same frequency or One end of the other first electrode is grounded.

A scanning method of the touch panel of the present invention will be described below in conjunction with the first embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 7, the touch sensing layer 20 is matrixed into a plurality of first electrodes 22 (X0-X3) and second electrodes 24 (Y0-Y8) in the X-axis and Y-axis directions. The second common signal line 406 is always supplied with a signal of the same frequency, the same potential and the same phase as the excitation signal by a constant signal source (not shown) in the controller 30. The signal line 402 sequentially scans the capacitance of each axis. Variety. When the controller 30 detects the Y0 axis, the X (X0-X3) axial electrodes are switched to be grounded, and the two ends of the Y1 to Y8 axial second electrodes are respectively transmitted through the common signal line 406 and the respective signals. The line 402 is connected to the common signal source and receives the signal provided by the same signal source, and the second electrode of the Y0 axis is connected to the controller 30, and the capacitor is charged and discharged through the controller 30 to detect the capacitance of the shaft. Variety. In this way, Y0-Y8 can be scanned in sequence. Since both charging and discharging processes use two channels, that is, both ends of each axial electrode can be charged and discharged through the connected signal lines, the frequency of charging and discharging can be increased.

A scanning method of the touch panel of the present invention will be described below in conjunction with the second embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 8, the touch sensing layer 20 is matrixed into a plurality of first electrodes 22 (X0-X3) and second electrodes 24 (Y0-Y8) in the X-axis and Y-axis directions. The first common signal line 404 is always provided with a signal of the same frequency, the same potential and the same phase as the excitation signal by a constant signal source (not shown) in the controller 30, and the signal line 402 sequentially scans the capacitance of each axis. Variety. When the controller 30 detects the X0 axis, the second electrodes in the Y (Y0-Y8) axial direction are switched to be in contact with the ground, and the two ends of the first electrode in the X1 to X3 axial direction respectively pass through the first common signal line 404. And the respective signal lines 402 are connected to the common signal source to receive the signals provided by the same signal source, and the first electrode of the X0 axis is connected to the controller 30, and the capacitor is charged and discharged through the controller 30. Measure the change in capacitance of this axis. In this way, X0-X3 can be scanned in sequence. Since both charging and discharging processes use two channels, that is, both ends of each axial electrode can be charged and discharged through the connected signal lines, the frequency of charging and discharging can be increased.

A scanning method of the touch panel of the present invention will be briefly described below in conjunction with the third embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 9, the touch sensing layer 20 is matrixed into a plurality of X-axis first electrodes 22 (X0-X3) and Y-axis second electrodes 24 (Y0-Y8). The signal line 402 and the second common signal line 406 are always supplied with a signal of the same frequency, the same potential, and the same phase as the excitation signal by a constant signal source (not shown) in the controller 30. The signal line 402 sequentially scans each. Axial capacitance changes. When the controller 30 detects the Y0 axis, the X (X0-X3) axial electrodes are switched to be grounded, and the two ends of the Y1 to Y8 axial second electrodes are respectively transmitted through the second common signal line 406 and respectively. The signal line 402 is connected to the common signal source and receives the signal provided by the same signal source, and the Y0 axial electrode is connected to the controller 30 at one end, and the capacitor is charged and discharged through the controller 30 to detect the capacitance change of the shaft. . When the controller 30 detects the X0 axis, the Y (Y0-Y8) axial electrodes are switched to be grounded, and the two ends of the first electrode in the X1 to X3 axial direction respectively pass through the first common signal line 404 and are respectively separated. The signal line 402 is connected to the common signal source and receives the signal provided by the same signal source, and the X0 axial electrode is connected to the controller 30 at one end, and the capacitor is charged and discharged through the controller 30 to detect the capacitance change of the shaft. . In the above manner, X0-X3 and Y0-Y8 can be scanned in sequence. Since both charging and discharging processes use two channels, that is, both ends of each axial electrode can be charged and discharged through the connected signal lines, the frequency of charging and discharging can be increased.

In addition, in the above embodiment, all the unscanned electrodes may not input the same common signal at both ends, but have one end grounded and the other end input a common signal.

The above description is only the preferred embodiment of the present invention, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention; all other equivalent changes or modifications which are not departing from the spirit of the invention should be included in the following Within the scope of the patent application.

10. . . Substrate

200. . . Touch sensing layer

twenty two. . . First electrode

222. . . Electrode unit

twenty four. . . Second electrode

242. . . Electrode unit

26. . . Insulation

30. . . Controller

402. . . Signal line

404. . . First public signal line

406. . . Second public signal line

1 is a schematic structural view of a touch panel according to an embodiment of the invention;

2 is an enlarged view of a portion of the touch sensing layer A;

3 is a flow chart of a method for manufacturing a touch panel according to an embodiment of the invention;

4 is a flow chart of forming a touch sensitive layer according to an embodiment;

Figure 5 is an intermediate structure formed in step B2 of Figure 4;

Figure 6 is an intermediate structure formed in step B3 of Figure 4;

7 is a touch panel structure corresponding to the scanning method of the first embodiment;

8 is a touch panel structure corresponding to the scanning method of the second embodiment;

9 is a touch panel structure corresponding to the scanning method of the third embodiment;

10 is a schematic structural view of a conventional projection type touch screen;

11 is a schematic structural view of a conventional projection type touch screen having a prismatic electrode unit;

Figure 12 is a schematic view showing the structure of a single electrode.

10. . . Substrate

20. . . Touch sensing layer

twenty two. . . First electrode

twenty four. . . Second electrode

30. . . control

402. . . Signal line

404. . . First public signal line

Claims (13)

A touch panel includes: a substrate, a touch sensing layer disposed on the substrate, and a controller connected to the touch sensing layer through a signal line, the touch sensing layer including a plurality of first arranged in the first direction An electrode and a plurality of second electrodes arranged along a second direction, each of the first electrodes and each of the second electrodes being connected to the controller through a separate signal line at one end, wherein: The first electrodes are connected to the controller at the other end through a first common signal line. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein all of the second electrodes are connected to the controller through the second common signal line at the other end. The touch panel of any one of claims 1 to 2, wherein the touch sensing layer is a single layer touch sensitive graphic. The touch panel of claim 3, wherein each of the first electrodes of the touch-sensing pattern is electrically connected by a plurality of electrode units arranged along an axial direction of each of the first electrodes. Each of the second electrodes is electrically connected by a plurality of electrode units arranged along the axial direction of each of the second electrodes, and each of the first electrodes and each of the second electrodes are insulated by an intersection Separated by layers. The touch panel of claim 4, wherein The touch sensitive graphic is a transparent conductive layer. The touch panel of claim 4, wherein all of the electrode units are polygonal. The touch panel of claim 4, wherein all of the electrode units are prismatic, hexagonal, octagonal, rectangular, square or triangular. A method for manufacturing a touch panel, comprising: step A: providing a substrate; and step B: forming a plurality of first electrodes arranged along a first direction and a plurality of pixels arranged along a second direction on the substrate a touch sensing layer of the two electrodes; Step C: connecting each of the first electrodes and each of the second electrodes to a controller at one end through a separate signal line; Step D: all of the first The electrode is connected to the controller at the other end through a first common signal line. The method of manufacturing the touch panel of claim 8, wherein the step D further comprises: connecting all of the second electrodes to the controller through the second common signal line at the other end. The method for manufacturing a touch panel according to any one of the preceding claims, wherein the step B specifically includes: step B1: forming a transparent conductive layer on the substrate; and step B2: forming the transparent conductive layer Etching to obtain each of the first electrodes formed by a plurality of electrode units electrically connected in the first direction, and a plurality of electrode units arranged in the second direction but spaced apart from each other; Step B3: at each of the first An electrode layer is formed at a junction of the electrode units of the electrode; and step B4: electrically connecting the electrode electrode units arranged in the second direction and spaced apart from each other. The method of manufacturing a touch panel according to claim 10, wherein the step B1 is formed by a sputtering process, and the step B2 is formed by photolithography. The method of manufacturing a touch panel according to any one of claims 8 to 9, wherein the step B, the step C, and the step D are performed simultaneously. A touch panel scanning method, the touch panel includes a touch sensing layer, the touch sensing layer includes a plurality of first electrodes and a plurality of second electrodes, and the scanning method includes: (1) transmitting from each of the a signal line connected to one end of the first electrode sequentially scans each of the first electrodes, and from each of the other of the first electrodes One end inputs a common signal of the same frequency; (2) grounds all of the second electrodes; wherein, when scanning each of the first electrodes, one end of each of the first electrodes is input with a scan signal, One end of the other first electrodes is input to the common signal of the same frequency or one ends of the other first electrodes are grounded.