TWI505154B - Touch panel - Google Patents

Description

Touch panel

The present invention relates to a touch panel, and more particularly to a touch panel having an electrostatic protection function.

In recent years, with the rapid development and application of information technology, wireless mobile communication and information appliances, many information products have been input devices such as traditional keyboards or mice for the purpose of being more convenient, lighter and more humanized. , changed to use a touch panel (Touch Panel) as an input device.

The touch panel can be roughly classified into a resistive touch panel, a capacitive touch panel, an optical touch panel, an acoustic wave touch panel, and an electromagnetic touch panel according to different sensing forms. Since capacitive touch panels have advantages such as fast response time, good reliability, and high definition compared with other types of touch panels, they are widely used in various types of handheld electronic devices.

In general, electronic products are subject to electrostatic discharge damage during production, packaging, testing, handling, and even final assembly and use, which may cause malfunctions, and touch panels also have electrostatic discharge problems. To this end, the touch panel usually produces an ESD protection circuit for protection. However, electrostatic protection The width of the line increases the size of the border of the touch panel, which is not in line with the current design of the electronic product to reduce the size.

The invention provides a touch panel, which can effectively reduce or even eliminate the space occupied by the static protection circuit on the frame thereof, and is beneficial to the design of the narrow frame.

The touch panel of the present invention comprises a substrate, a touch sensing array, a plurality of connecting lines, a plurality of extending portions, a first static electricity protection circuit and a second static electricity protection circuit. The substrate has an active area and a peripheral area. The touch sensing array is disposed in the active area. A plurality of connecting lines and a plurality of extending portions are disposed in the peripheral area. One end of each connecting wire is connected to the touch sensing array by a corresponding extension portion. The first ESD protection line is disposed in the peripheral area and is located between the outermost connecting line and the corresponding substrate edge. The second ESD protection line is disposed in the peripheral area and is located between the innermost connection line and the touch sensing array. The second ESD protection line and the extension overlap each other on the substrate.

In an embodiment of the invention, the second ESD protection line includes a first section, a second section, and a third section between the first section and the second section. Moreover, the touch panel further includes an insulating layer covering the connection line, the first and second sections of the second ESD protection line, and the extension. The third section is disposed on the insulating layer and is coupled downward to the first section and the second section, respectively, via two contact windows in the insulating layer.

In an embodiment of the invention, the connecting line and the second static electricity protection The first section and the second section of the line and the extension are formed from the same metal layer.

In an embodiment of the invention, the third segment and at least part of the touch sensing array are formed by the same transparent conductive material layer.

In an embodiment of the invention, the touch panel further includes an insulating layer covering the connection line and the second static protection line. Each of the extensions is disposed on the insulating layer and is coupled downward to the corresponding connecting line via a contact window in the insulating layer. In addition, the connection line and the second ESD protection line are formed by the same metal layer, and the extension portion and at least part of the touch sensing array are formed by the same transparent conductive material layer.

In an embodiment of the invention, the first static protection circuit includes two first static protection lines on opposite sides of the substrate, and the second static protection line includes two first sides on opposite sides of the active area. Two static protection lines.

In an embodiment of the invention, the touch panel further includes a first bridge wire and a second bridge wire. The first bridge wire connects one end of each of the two first static protection lines, and the second bridge wire connects one ends of the two second static protection lines.

In an embodiment of the invention, the touch panel further includes a first bridge wire and a second bridge wire. The first bridge wire connects one end of each of the first ESD protection line and the second ESD protection line on the same side of the substrate. The second bridge connection connects one end of the other first static protection line on the other side of the substrate and the other second static protection line.

Based on the above, the touch panel of the present invention includes two electrostatic protection lines. By using the design of two ESD protection lines, the width of each ESD protection line can be reduced under the premise of maintaining the electrostatic protection effect of the touch panel, so as to effectively reduce the frame size of the touch panel. In addition, the second electrostatic protection circuit and the extension portion of one of the touch panels overlap each other on the substrate to effectively utilize the space occupied by the original extension on the substrate.

The above described features and advantages of the invention will be apparent from the following description.

100, 100a, 200, 300‧‧‧ touch panels

110‧‧‧Substrate

110a‧‧‧active area

110b‧‧‧ surrounding area

111, 112‧‧‧ side

120‧‧‧Touch Sensing Array

121‧‧‧Touch sensing pattern

130, 131, 132, 130a‧‧‧ connecting lines

140, 140a‧‧‧ Extension

150, 151, 152, 250, 251, 252, 350, 351, 352‧‧‧ first static protection lines

160, 160a, 161, 162, 260, 261, 262, 360, 361, 362‧‧‧ second electrostatic protection circuit

163‧‧‧First section

164‧‧‧second section

165‧‧‧ third section

170, 170a‧‧‧Insulation

180, 180a‧‧‧Contact window

210, 310‧‧‧ first bridge wiring

220, 320‧‧‧Second bridge wiring

S‧‧‧ configuration space

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a touch panel according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged schematic view of the touch panel of FIG. 1. FIG.

Figure 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line AA' of Figure 1.

FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged schematic view of a touch panel according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

Figure 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view along line BB' of Figure 4.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a touch panel according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a touch panel according to still another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a touch panel according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 2 is a partially enlarged schematic view of the touch panel of FIG. 1. FIG. Please also refer to Figure 1 As shown in FIG. 2 , the touch panel 100 includes a substrate 110 , a touch sensing array 120 , a plurality of connecting lines 130 , a plurality of extending portions 140 , a first static electricity protection line 150 , and a second static electricity protection line 160 . The substrate 110 is, for example, a glass substrate or a plastic substrate. The substrate 110 has an active area 110a and a peripheral area 110b. The touch sensing array 120 is disposed in the active area 110a. A plurality of connecting lines 130 and a plurality of extending portions 140 are disposed in the peripheral area 110b. As shown in FIG. 1 , in the embodiment, the extending portions 140 are arranged along the periphery of the active region 110 a , and one end of each connecting line 130 is connected to the touch sensing array 120 by a corresponding extending portion 140 . The first static electricity protection line 150 is disposed in the peripheral region 110b and is located between the outermost connecting line 131 and the edge of the corresponding substrate 110. The second ESD protection line 160 is disposed in the peripheral area 110b and is located between the innermost connection line 132 and the touch sensing array 120. As shown in FIG. 2, the second static electricity protection line 160 and the extension portion 140 overlap each other on the substrate 110.

In this embodiment, the touch panel 100 includes one side including two static protection lines 150 and 160. With the design of the two ESD protection lines, the width of each ESD protection line 150, 160 can be reduced to maintain the frame size of the touch panel 100 under the premise of maintaining the electrostatic protection effect of the touch panel 100. Specifically, in the design of a single ESD protection line, the impedance problem needs to be considered, so the ESD protection line has a minimum width limit. When the static protection circuit of the touch panel is divided into two designs, the width of each electrostatic protection circuit can be reduced under the same total width. In addition, the second static electricity protection line 160 and the extension portion 140 of the embodiment overlap each other on the substrate 110, and the overlapping portions thereof can further The frame size of the touch panel 100 is reduced. In other words, the present embodiment effectively utilizes the space occupied by the original extension portion 140 on the substrate 110 by overlapping the second static electricity protection line 160 with the extension portion 140.

Figure 3 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line AA' of Figure 1. Referring to FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 simultaneously, the second ESD protection line 160 includes a first section 163, a second section 164, and a third section between the first section 163 and the second section 164. 165. In addition, the touch panel 100 further includes an insulating layer 170 covering the first segment 163 and the second segment 164 and the extending portion 140 of the connecting line 130 and the second static electricity shielding line 160 . As illustrated in FIG. 3 , the third section 165 is disposed on the insulating layer 170 and is coupled downward to the first section 163 and the second section 164 via two contact windows 180 within the insulating layer 170 , respectively.

In addition, in the embodiment, the first segment 163 of the connection line 130 and the second static protection line 160 and the second segment 164 and the extension portion 140 are formed by the same metal layer. The third segment 165 and at least a portion of the touch sensing array 120 are formed of the same transparent conductive material layer, such as Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) or Indium Zinc Oxide (IZO). Material layer.

In other words, each segment of the second static electricity protection line 160 of the present embodiment is located at a different film layer. In detail, the first segment 163 and the second segment 164 are located in the same film layer, and may be in the same film layer as the connecting line 130 and the extending portion 140, and the third segment 165 is located in another film. Floor. In addition, the insulating layer 170 is located between the first segment 163, the film layer where the second segment 164 is located, and the film layer where the third segment 165 is located. And electrically connecting the second static protection circuit 160 with the contact window 180 Section 165 and first section 163 and second section 164 of second ESD line 160.

In addition, since the first section 163 and the second section 164 are located in the same film layer, and the connection line 130 and the extension portion 140 are located in the same film layer, the first line of the connection line 130 and the second static protection line 160 Section 163 and second section 164 and extension 140 may be formed from the same metal layer.

Please refer to FIG. 1 . It should be noted that the touch sensing array 120 of the touch panel 100 includes a plurality of touch sensing patterns 121 . Moreover, the touch sensing array 120 can be a single layer structure or a double layer structure, and the touch sensing patterns 121 of the touch sensing array 120 can adopt a coplanar or non-coplanar design. The pattern of the touch sensing array 120 is not limited to a diamond pattern, and may be strip or other shapes. Moreover, in the present embodiment, the first ESD protection line 160 includes two first ESD lines 151, 152 on opposite sides 111, 112 of the substrate, and the second ESD protection line 160 includes a relative position on the active area 110a. Two second static protection lines 161, 162 on both sides. In this way, the electrostatic protection effect of the touch panel 100 can be adjusted. The design of the first static electricity protection circuit 151 and the second static electricity protection circuit 161 and the design of the first static electricity protection circuit 152 and the second static electricity protection circuit 162 are used to reduce the frame size of the touch panel 100. In this embodiment, the static protection lines are not electrically connected to each other, but in other embodiments, the static protection lines may be electrically connected to each other to adjust the electrostatic protection effect.

The following embodiments use the same reference numerals and parts of the foregoing embodiments, in which the same reference numerals are used to refer to the same or similar elements, and the same technique is omitted. Description of the surgical content. For the description of the omitted portions, reference may be made to the foregoing embodiments, and the following embodiments are not repeated.

FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged schematic view of a touch panel according to still another embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view along line BB' of Figure 4. Referring to FIG. 4 and FIG. 5 simultaneously, the embodiment of FIG. 4 is substantially similar to the embodiment of FIG. 1. The difference between the two is mainly that, in the embodiment of FIG. 4, the second static protection circuit 160a is not divided into different Section of. In addition, the material of each film layer of the touch panel 100a of FIG. 4 and the arrangement of each film layer are different from the embodiment of FIG.

In this embodiment, the touch panel 100a further includes an insulating layer 170a covering the connection line 130a and the second static electricity protection line 160a. Each of the extensions 140a is disposed on the insulating layer 170a and is coupled downward to the corresponding connecting line 130a via a contact window 180a in the insulating layer 170a. Further, the connection line 130a and the second static electricity protection line 160a are formed of the same metal layer. In this embodiment, the extension portion 140a and at least a portion of the touch sensing array 120 are formed of the same transparent conductive material layer, such as Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) or Indium Zinc Oxide (Indium). A layer of material formed by Zinc Oxide, IZO).

In other words, the connection line 130a and the second static protection line 160a of the present embodiment may be in the same film layer and formed by the same metal layer. In addition, the extension 140a and at least a portion of the touch sensing array 120 are located in the same film layer and are formed by the same transparent conductive material layer. Further, the insulating layer 170a is located between the film layer where the connection line 130a is located and the film layer where the extension portion 140a is located, and a portion of the extension portion 140a extends downward and is electrically connected to the connection line 130a via the contact window 180a.

FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a touch panel according to still another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 6 , the embodiment of FIG. 6 is substantially similar to the embodiment of FIG. 1 . The difference between the two is mainly that the electrostatic protection lines of the touch panel 200 of the embodiment of FIG. 6 have an electrical connection relationship. As shown in FIG. 6 , the touch panel 200 further includes a first bridge line 210 and a second bridge line 220 . In this embodiment, the first bridge wire 210 connects one end of each of the two first static electricity protection lines 251, 252, and the second bridge 220 connects one end of each of the two second static electricity protection lines 261, 262. As illustrated in FIG. 4, the first static electricity protection line 250 surrounds the outermost side of the peripheral region 110b of the substrate 110, and the second static electricity protection line 260 surrounds the innermost side of the peripheral region 110b of the substrate 110. In this embodiment, by electrically connecting the ESD lines to each other, the impedance of the ESD lines 250 and 260 can be reduced, and the ESD protection effect can be further improved.

FIG. 7 is a schematic diagram of a touch panel according to still another embodiment of the present invention. Referring to FIG. 7, the embodiment of FIG. 7 is substantially similar to the embodiment of FIG. 6. The difference between the two is mainly because the electrical connection between the static protection lines of the embodiment of FIG. 7 is different from that of the embodiment of FIG. . As shown in FIG. 7 , the touch panel 300 further includes a first bridge line 310 and a second bridge line 320 . The first bridge wire 310 connects one end of the first static electricity protection line 351 on one side 111 of the substrate 110 and one end of the second static electricity protection line 361 located on the side 111. The second bridge line 320 connects one end of the first ESD line 352 on the other side 112 of the substrate and one end of the second ESD line 362 on the side 112. In this embodiment, the first static electricity protection circuit 351 is electrically connected to the second static electricity protection circuit 361, and the first static electricity prevention The protection circuit 352 is electrically connected to the second static protection circuit 362, and the electrostatic protection effect of the touch panel 200 can be adjusted, for example, the impedance is reduced. In addition, in the connection mode, the second ESD protection line 361 and the second ESD protection line 362 have a configuration space S, and other components of the touch panel 300 can be disposed in the configuration space S.

In summary, the touch panel of the present invention includes two electrostatic protection lines, and the design of the two electrostatic protection lines can reduce the width of each electrostatic protection line under the premise of maintaining the electrostatic protection function of the touch panel. To effectively reduce the size of the border of the touch panel. In addition, the present application further allows one of the ESD lines and the extension portions to overlap each other on the substrate to effectively utilize the space occupied by the original extension portion on the substrate. Furthermore, one of the two protection lines of the touch panel can be electrically connected to another ESD protection line to increase the electrostatic protection effect of the touch panel. Moreover, the relative position of the connection line of the touch panel, the electrostatic protection line, and the film layer where the extension portion is located may vary depending on the material. In this way, the touch panel can be further improved in design flexibility.

Although the present invention has been disclosed in the above embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present invention, and any one of ordinary skill in the art can make some changes and refinements without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. The scope of the invention is defined by the scope of the appended claims.

100‧‧‧ touch panel

110a‧‧‧active area

120‧‧‧Touch Sensing Array

130, 131, 132‧‧‧ connecting lines

140‧‧‧Extension

150‧‧‧First static protection circuit

160‧‧‧Second electrostatic protection circuit

163‧‧‧First section

164‧‧‧second section

165‧‧‧ third section

180‧‧‧Contact window

Claims (10)

A touch panel includes: a substrate having an active area and a peripheral area; a touch sensing array disposed in the active area; a plurality of connecting lines disposed in the peripheral area; and a plurality of extending portions configured In the peripheral area, one end of each of the connecting lines is connected to the touch sensing array by a corresponding extension portion; a first static protection line is disposed in the peripheral area, and the connection is located at the outermost side. Between the line and the corresponding edge of the substrate; and a second ESD protection line disposed between the connection line and the touch sensing array, wherein the second ESD protection line is disposed between the connection line and the touch protection array And the extensions overlap each other on the substrate. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the second static protection circuit comprises a first segment, a second segment, and a first segment and the second segment. In the third section, the touch panel further includes an insulating layer covering the connecting lines, the first section and the second section of the second static protection line, and the extensions, and the The third section is disposed on the insulating layer and is coupled downward to the first section and the second section respectively via two contact windows in the insulating layer. The touch panel of claim 2, wherein the first line and the second section of the connecting line and the second static protection line are formed by the same metal layer. The touch panel of claim 2, wherein the third segment and at least a portion of the touch sensing array are formed by the same layer of transparent conductive material. The touch panel of claim 1, further comprising an insulating layer covering the connecting lines and the second static protection circuit, each of the extending portions being disposed on the insulating layer, and A contact window in the insulating layer is coupled downward to the corresponding connecting line. The touch panel of claim 5, wherein the connecting lines and the second static protection lines are formed by the same metal layer. The touch panel of claim 5, wherein the extensions and at least a portion of the touch sensing array are formed by the same layer of transparent conductive material. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the first ESD protection line comprises two first ESD lines on opposite sides of the substrate, and the second ESD protection line is located in the active area. Two second ESD lines on opposite sides. The touch panel of claim 8, further comprising: a first bridge connection connecting one ends of the two first static protection lines; and a second bridge connection connecting the two second static electricity One end of each of the protective lines. The touch panel of claim 8, further comprising: a first bridge wire connecting the first static protection circuit on the same side of the substrate and one end of each of the second static protection lines; A second bridge wire connects one end of the other first static protection line on the other side of the substrate and the other second static protection line.