TWI619051B - Touch panel and touch panel with display device - Google Patents

Abstract

A touch panel (10) is a touch panel (10) for sensing a contact object (30), which is characterized by having a glass substrate (11) and a cover glass (12) in contact with the contact object (30). The sensor is arranged between the glass substrate (11) and the cover glass (12), and the sensing pattern (13) that senses the contact object (30) contacting the cover glass (12); the glass substrate (11) is made of reinforced glass Composition: The cover glass (12) is made of glass film. The display device (20) is mounted on the glass substrate (11) side of the touch panel (10) to become a touch panel (1) with a display device.

Description

Touch panel and touch panel with display device

The present invention relates to touch panels used in mobile phones, smart phones, tablet and notebook PCs, bank ATMs, and ticket machines.

Banks' ATMs, game machines at game centers, ticket machines for railways and buses, etc., have previously used touch panels. By installing the touch panel on the display device, the operation of the machine can be intuitively performed visually based on the information displayed on the display device. Therefore, there is an advantage of being easy to operate in the device in which the touch panel is installed.

In addition, since the touch panel is capable of mounting an input device in a display device, there is no need to separately provide an input device, and the size of the entire device can be reduced. Therefore, mobile phones and smart phones, portable game machines, tablet PCs, and notebook PCs that are required to be miniaturized have recently been suitable for use with touch panels.

The touch panel uses various methods such as a resistive film method, a surface acoustic wave method, an infrared method, an electromagnetic induction method, and an electrostatic capacitance method in accordance with the intended use. Position detection, so in recent years, smart phones, tablet PCs and other touch panels using electrostatic capacitance methods.

In a capacitive touch panel, a transparent conductive layer formed by a vertical electrode row is provided on one side of a transparent dielectric body, and a transparent conductive layer formed by a horizontal electrode row is provided on the other side. A touch object such as a finger is used to contact the touch panel, and the change in the electrostatic capacitance of the electrode at the contact position can be known from the two electrode rows in the vertical and horizontal directions, and the contact position can be accurately determined. Therefore, in the capacitive touch panel, in order to accurately determine the contact position, it is necessary to form (pattern) a transparent conductive film on the entire surface of a transparent dielectric such as a glass substrate into a precise linear shape (in the vertical and horizontal directions). In the grid).

In recent years, various high-definition and high-resolution displays have been proposed for display devices. Accompanying this, the touch panels mounted on display devices are also required to be drawn in fine lines.

In order to perform fine drawing of thin lines, because a stylus pen is used instead of a finger of a previous operator, it is necessary to reduce the size of an input contact object that touches the touch panel.

However, if the input object for a touch panel is reduced, the change in electrostatic capacitance becomes smaller, the input signal of the touch panel becomes smaller, and there is a problem that the sensitivity of the touch panel deteriorates due to a user's input action.

In order to solve this problem, in Patent Document 1, it is proposed to provide a touch signal detection circuit that reduces signal noise input to the touch panel. As a result, the sensitivity of the capacitive touch panel can be improved to some extent.

[Previous Technical Literature] [Patent Literature]

[Patent Document 1] Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 2013-65212

However, when the method described in Patent Document 1 is used, the noise of the signal input to the touch panel varies greatly depending on the surrounding use environment, etc., and the sensitivity of the touch panel is likely to depend on the surrounding environment. problem.

The present invention was invented in order to solve the problems of the prior art as described above, and an object thereof is to produce a high-sensitivity touch panel that can obtain an input signal of an original size even if the input object of the touch panel is reduced.

In order to solve the aforementioned problem, the present invention is a touch panel for sensing a contact object, which is characterized by having a glass substrate, a cover glass that is in contact with the contact object, and a sensing pattern that is disposed on the glass. Between the substrate and the cover glass, it is sensed that the contact object contacts the cover glass; the glass substrate is made of reinforced glass; the cover glass is made of glass film.

In the aforementioned structure, the tempered glass is chemically strong The composition is preferably made of chemical glass.

In the aforementioned structure, the glass film preferably has a thickness of 300 μm or less.

In the aforementioned structure, the sensing pattern may further include: an insulating layer; a first electrode formed on one side of the insulating layer and extending in a first direction; and a second electrode formed on the insulating layer The other surface extends in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction.

In the aforementioned structure, the sensing pattern may be formed on the glass substrate, and the cover glass may pass through the adhesive layer and then be on the sensing pattern side.

In the aforementioned structure, the sensing pattern may be formed on the cover glass, and the glass substrate may pass through an adhesive layer and then be on the sensing pattern side.

In the aforementioned structure, the first electrode is formed on the glass substrate, the second electrode is formed on the cover glass, and an adhesive layer is used as the insulation layer, whereby the glass substrate and the cover glass are also bonded. can.

In the foregoing structure, a light-shielding layer is formed in a picture frame shape on the sensing pattern, and a decorative layer may be provided on the light-shielding layer.

A display device may be mounted on the aforementioned glass substrate side of the touch panel suitably provided with the aforementioned structure, and it may be a touch panel with a display device.

According to the present invention, even if the input object for a touch panel is reduced, a touch panel with a high sensitivity of an input signal of the original size can be obtained.

1‧‧‧ touch panel with display device

10‧‧‧Touch Panel

11‧‧‧ glass substrate

12‧‧‧ Cover glass

13‧‧‧sensing pattern

13a‧‧‧ Insulation

13b‧‧‧The first electrode

13c‧‧‧Second electrode

14‧‧‧ Adjacent layer

15‧‧‧ light-shielding layer

16‧‧‧Decorative layer

20‧‧‧ display device

21‧‧‧Fixed layer

30‧‧‧ contact object

40‧‧‧Manufacturing equipment

[Fig. 1] A schematic cross-sectional view of a touch panel with a display device mounted with a touch panel according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 2 is a view showing an example of a method for manufacturing a glass substrate and a cover glass used in the present invention.

3 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a touch panel with a display device mounted with a touch panel according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a touch panel with a display device mounted with a touch panel according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a touch panel with a display device mounted with a touch panel according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, an ideal embodiment of the touch panel of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

(First Embodiment)

FIG. 1 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a touch panel 1 with a display device. The touch panel 10 according to the first embodiment of the present invention is shown in FIG. Between the glass substrate 11 mounted on the display device 20 and the cover glass 12 in contact with the contact object 30, a sensing pattern 13 is formed to sense that the contact object 30 contacts the cover glass 12. The display device 20 is mounted on the glass substrate 11 side of the touch panel 10 to form a touch panel 1 with a display device.

Since the glass substrate 11 requires a predetermined strength, it is desirable to use chemically strengthened glass, such as physically strengthened glass, chemically strengthened glass, or the like. The chemically strengthened glass used in the present invention is a glass composition, and the mass% contains SiO ₂ 50 ~ 80%, Al ₂ O ₃ 5-25%, B ₂ O ₃ 0-15%, Na ₂ O 1-20%, K ₂ O 0 ~ 10% tempered glass is preferred. As described above, if the composition range of the glass is regulated, it is easy to balance ion exchange performance and devitrification resistance at a high level.

From the viewpoint of ensuring the strength of the touch panel 10 itself, the plate thickness of the glass substrate 11 is preferably 400 μm or more, more preferably 500 μm or more, and more preferably 600 μm or more. On the other hand, if the thickness of the glass substrate 11 is large, the weight of the touch panel 10 also becomes heavy. From the viewpoint of weight, the plate thickness of the glass substrate 11 is preferably 1000 μm or less, more preferably 700 μm or less, and more preferably 600 μm or less.

As the cover glass 12, silicate glass and silica glass are used, and borosilicate glass, soda lime glass, and aluminosilicate glass are preferably used, and alkali-free glass is most preferably used. Generally speaking, glass has excellent weather resistance. When the cover glass 12 contains an alkaline component, the cations fall off on the surface, causing the phenomenon of so-called excessive sodium. The structure may be rough, and the cover glass 12 may have light transmittance. Worse of deterioration. The term "alkali-free glass" used herein refers to a glass that does not substantially contain an alkaline component (alkaline metal oxide). Glass, specifically, glass having a weight ratio of alkaline components of 3000 ppm or less. The weight ratio of the alkaline component in the present invention is preferably 1,000 ppm or less, more preferably 500 ppm or less, and most preferably 300 ppm or less.

The cover glass 12 is a glass film of 300 μm or less, preferably 200 μm or less, more preferably 100 μm or less, and more preferably 50 μm or less. Thereby, the thickness of the cover glass 12 is further reduced, the weight of the touch panel 10 can be reduced, and the sensitivity of the touch panel 10 can be improved. Previously, as the cover glass of the touch panel, 700 μm tempered glass was used. By setting the thickness of the cover glass 12 to 200 μm, the sensitivity of the touch panel 10 can be increased by more than four times. When the thickness is set to 100 μm, the sensitivity of the touch panel 10 can be made 7 times or more, and when the thickness of the cover glass 12 is set to 50 μm, the sensitivity of the touch panel 10 can be made 10 times or more. From the viewpoint of the strength of the cover glass 12, the thickness of the cover glass 12 is preferably 10 μm or more, more preferably 20 μm or more, and more preferably 40 μm or more.

In the present invention, the use of a glass film as the cover glass 12 can shorten the distance between the contact object 30 and a sensing pattern 13 described later, and even if the contact object 30 is miniaturized, the sensitivity of the touch panel 10 can be improved. In addition, by using tempered glass as the glass substrate 11, even if a cover film 12 is made of a glass film, the strength of the entire touch panel 10 can be ensured, and the cover glass 12 can be prevented from being easily broken.

The glass substrate 11 and the cover glass 12 can be manufactured by a known float glass method, roll-out method, orifice down-draw method, re-drag method, etc., but as shown in FIG. The method is better. By overflow The glass substrate 11 and the cover glass 12 produced by the down-draw method do not need to be adjusted in thickness by grinding, grinding, chemical etching, or the like. In addition, the overflow down-draw method is a forming method in which both sides of the glass plate are not in contact with the forming member during forming. Both sides (light-transmitting surfaces) of the obtained glass plate are flame-polished surfaces. Even without grinding, high surface quality can be obtained ( Surface smoothness). Thereby, the adhesion with the sensing pattern 13 and the adhesive layer 14 described later can be improved.

Next, a method for manufacturing the cover glass 12 will be described. A forming body 42 having a cross-section wedge-shaped outer surface shape is disposed inside the forming furnace 41 of the manufacturing apparatus 40, and glass (fused glass) melted in a melting kiln (not shown) is supplied to the forming body 42. The molten glass may overflow from the top of the formed body 42. Then, the overflowing molten glass joins at the lower end along both sides of the wedge-shaped cross-section along the molded body 42, thereby starting the forming of the glass ribbon G from the molten glass. The glass ribbon G converged at the lower end of the formed body 42 is cooled down by a cooling roller (roller edger) 43 while being contracted in the width direction and stretched downward to be thinned to a predetermined thickness. Next, the glass ribbon G having the predetermined thickness is sent out by a roller 44 and is gradually cooled in a cooling furnace (annealing machine) to remove the thermal strain of the glass ribbon G, and the cooling glass ribbon G is sufficiently cooled to a temperature of about room temperature. until. After the glass ribbon G passing through the cold furnace is bent by the auxiliary roller 45, the traveling direction is changed from the vertical direction to the horizontal direction, and then the lengthwise cutting device 46 is used to cut off the unnecessary portions existing at both ends in the width direction of the glass ribbon G. Part (the part in contact with the cooling drum 43 and the drum 44). Thereafter, the cover glass used in the present invention can be obtained by cutting at a predetermined width by the width direction cutting device 47. 12.

In addition, after cutting in the width direction by the width direction cutting device 47, the unnecessary portion of the glass ribbon G is cut and removed by the length direction cutting device 46, and the cover glass 12 may be produced. In the manufacturing device 40 described above, the method of manufacturing the cover glass 12 in a single piece has been described, but it is not limited to this. The unnecessary portion is not cut in the width direction by the longitudinal cutting device 46. It cuts and rolls the glass ribbon G into a roll shape via a paper-closing sheet to make a glass roll, and the so-called roll-to-roll method may be used to produce a sensing pattern 13 described later.

In the manufacturing apparatus 40 described above, the method of manufacturing the cover glass 12 having a flexible glass film has been described. However, when manufacturing the glass substrate 11 having a relatively thick thickness, the bending auxiliary roller 45 is not provided, and the manufacturing method is directly used. In the vertical posture, the glass substrate 11 can be manufactured in a single piece by cutting with a width direction cutting device 47 every predetermined width.

An anti-reflection film may be provided on the cover glass 12 to reduce the reflectance. The anti-reflection film is formed on the side of the cover glass 12 that is in contact with the contact object 30. The anti-reflection film is a dielectric body using an alternately laminated low-refractive index film having a lower refractive index than the cover glass 12, a low-refractive index layer having a relatively low refractive index, and a high-refractive index layer having a relatively high refractive index. Multilayer film. The antireflection film can be formed by, for example, a sputtering method or a CVD method.

An anti-glare film may be provided on the cover glass 12 to enhance the use feeling of the stylus pen and the like. The anti-glare film is formed on the side of the cover glass 12 that is in contact with the contact object 30. The anti-glare film has an uneven structure. The uneven structure may be an island structure covering a part of the cover glass 12. It is preferable that the uneven structure is irregular. At this time, the anti-glare function of the anti-glare film is easily improved. The anti-glare film is formed by, for example, applying a light-transmitting material such as SiO ₂ by a spray method, and drying.

The cover glass 12 may be provided with an antifouling film to prevent fingerprints from attaching, and to provide water repellency and oil repellency. The antifouling film is formed on the side of the cover glass 12 that is in contact with the contact object 30. The antifouling film is preferably a fluorine-containing polymer containing silicon in the main chain. Examples of the fluoropolymer include polymers having -O-Si-O- units in the main chain and a side chain having a water-repellent functional group containing fluorine. The fluorine-containing polymer can be synthesized, for example, by dehydration synthesis of silanol.

When the antireflection film and the antifouling film are to be formed on the surface side of the cover glass 12, an antifouling film is formed on the antireflection film. When an anti-glare film is used, an anti-glare film is formed on the surface of the cover glass 12, and an anti-reflection film or an antifouling film is formed thereon.

As shown in FIG. 1, the sensing pattern 13 is disposed between the glass substrate 11 and the cover glass 12. The sensing pattern 13 includes an insulating layer 13a, a first electrode 13b formed on one surface of the insulating layer 13a so as to extend in the first direction, and a sensor pattern 13 formed so as to extend in the second direction orthogonal to the first direction. A second electrode 13c on the other surface of the insulating layer 13a. In addition, in this specification, the 1st electrode 13b and the 2nd electrode 13c mean that an electrode is formed so that it may mutually orthogonally cross, and it is possible to call each other suitably. Regarding the situation where the touch panel 10 is a parallelogram or a rhombus, the first The first direction and the second direction may not be orthogonal. That is, the first direction and the second direction may be directions that are not parallel to each other and intersect. The first electrode 13b and the second electrode 13c may serve as jumper pins that cross each other.

In the first embodiment shown in FIG. 1, a first electrode 13b is formed on a glass substrate 11, an insulating layer 13a is formed after the first electrode 13b is formed, and a second electrode 13c is formed after the insulating layer 13a is formed.

The first electrode 13 b has a function as an electrode for a touch sensor, and is formed on a surface of the cover glass 12 side of the glass substrate 11. Examples of the first electrode 13b include indium tin oxide (ITO), fluorine-doped tin oxide (FTO), and antimony-doped tin oxide (ATO). Among them, ITO is relatively low in resistance, so it is ideal. The ITO system can be formed by, for example, a sputtering method. The FTO and ATO can be formed by a CVD (Chemical Vapor Deposition) method. To make the first electrode 13b, first, a transparent conductive layer made of ITO, FTO, or ATO is formed on the glass substrate 11. After forming the transparent conductive layer, a photoresist layer (not shown) is formed. Next, using an etching solution such as hydrochloric acid, an etching process of patterning the transparent conductive layer from the patterned photoresist film is performed. Next, using a peeling solution such as KOH, a peeling process of peeling the photoresist layer from the transparent conductive layer is performed to form a patterned first electrode 13b so as to extend in the first direction.

The insulating layer 13a is formed on the first electrode 13b by a thermosetting resin, a photocurable resin, an ultraviolet curable resin, or the like by photolithography or coating, screen printing, spin coating, or the like (not formed) First The part of the 1 electrode 13b is on the glass substrate 11). As the insulating layer 13a, a thermoplastic resin film such as a PET film, or a glass film may be used. Thereby, no electrode is formed on the cover glass, so even if the cover glass 12 is damaged, an operation as a touch panel can be performed. Regarding the insulating layer 13a, when a glass film is used, it is preferable to use an alkali-free glass having a thickness of 300 μm or less and further 200 μm or less. By using a glass film as the insulating layer 13 a and using an alkali-free glass, the elution of the alkaline components from the insulating layer 13 a can be prevented, and the deterioration of the first electrode 13 b and the second electrode 13 c described later can be prevented. When using a resin film or a glass film, the first electrode 13b and the second electrode 13c described later may be formed from the insulating layer 13a. In this embodiment, as the insulating layer 13a, photoacrylic is suitably used.

The film thickness of the insulating layer 13a is appropriately selected depending on the insulating properties of the materials. However, from the viewpoint of insulating properties and workability, 0.5 to 300 μm is preferable, and 1 to 5 μm is more preferable. In addition, when the isolated electrode portion of the second electrode 13c is formed at the same time as the first electrode 13b, and the isolated second electrodes 13c are connected to each other using a jumper pattern, the insulating layer 13a is provided only on the first electrode 13b and the second electrode 13c may also cross.

The second electrode 13c is formed using the same material and the same method as the first electrode 13b except that the direction in which the second electrode 13c is formed is different from that of the first electrode 13b.

In the first embodiment of the touch panel 10 shown in FIG. 1, after the formation of the second electrode 13 c, the adhesive layer 14 is passed through, and then the cover glass 12 is adhered. The material of the adhesive layer 14 is not particularly limited, and Adhesive sheet on both sides, thermoplastic adhesive sheet, thermal crosslinkable adhesive sheet, energy-hardening liquid adhesive, etc. For example, optically transparent adhesive sheet, EVA, TPU, PVB, ionoplast resin, acrylic thermoplastic resin, ultraviolet light A hardening type adhesive, a thermosetting type adhesive, a normal temperature hardening type adhesive, etc. may be used for bonding. When an adhesive is used, it is preferable to use an adhesive that is transparent after adhesion.

As shown in FIG. 1, the touch panel 10 according to the first embodiment is provided with a fixing layer 21 on the glass substrate 11 side, and the display device 20 is fixed and mounted on the display device 20 to form a touch panel 1 with a display device. The fixing layer 21 can be made of the same material as the aforementioned bonding layer 14. As the display device 20, a flat panel display device is preferably used, and a liquid crystal display, a plasma display, an organic EL display, an inorganic EL display, or the like is more preferably used. As long as the touch panel 10 and the display device 20 can be fixed to a frame or the like without relative movement, the fixing layer 21 may be appropriately omitted.

(Second Embodiment)

FIG. 3 is a diagram of a touch panel 1 with a display device mounted with a touch panel 10 according to a second embodiment of the present invention. The touch panel 10 according to the second embodiment of the present invention is formed on the cover glass 12 to form a sensing pattern 13, and then a layer 14 is laminated to adhere the glass substrate 11. The specific structures of the glass substrate 11, the cover glass 12, the sensing pattern 13, and the adhesive layer 14 are the same as those of the first embodiment described above. According to this embodiment, unlike the first embodiment, a glass roller is used as the cover glass 12, and the sensing pattern 13 can be formed into a film by a roll-to-roll method, thereby improving the touch panel 10. Manufacturing efficiency. In addition, by forming the sensing pattern 13 on the cover glass 12 side, the distance from the contact object 30 to the sensing pattern 13 can be shortened, and the sensitivity of the touch panel 10 can be improved.

(Third Embodiment)

FIG. 4 is a diagram of a touch panel 1 with a display device to which a touch panel 10 is mounted according to a third embodiment of the present invention. The touch panel 10 according to the third embodiment of the present invention is formed by forming a first electrode 13 b on a glass substrate 11, forming a second electrode on a cover glass 12, passing through the adhesive layer 14, and adhering the glass substrate 11 and the cover glass 12. Thus, the touch panel 10 is manufactured. In this embodiment, the adhesive layer 14 also functions as the insulating layer 13a. This can reduce the cost and time for forming the insulating layer 13a. The specific structures of the glass substrate 11, the cover glass 12, the first electrode 13b, the second electrode 13c, and the adhesive layer 14 are the same as those of the first embodiment described above.

(Fourth Embodiment)

FIG. 5 is a diagram of a touch panel 1 with a display device to which a touch panel 10 is mounted according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention. In the touch panel 10 according to the fourth embodiment of the present invention, a light-shielding layer 15 is formed on the sensing pattern 13 in a frame shape, and a decorative layer 16 is formed on the light-shielding layer 15. By forming the light shielding layer 15 around the touch panel 10 in a frame shape, electrodes (not shown) connected to the sensing pattern 13 can be hardly seen, and light leakage from the display device 20 can be prevented. By providing the decorative layer 16 on the light-shielding layer 15, the portion where the light-shielding layer 15 is provided can also be made a color other than black. Glass substrate After the sensing pattern 13 is disposed on the board 11, a light shielding layer 15 and a decoration layer 16 are disposed, whereby the sensing pattern 13 can be easily formed. On the other hand, when the sensing pattern 13 is produced on the cover glass 12 side of the second embodiment as shown in FIG. 3, the light shielding layer 15 and the decoration layer 16 need to be disposed closer to the cover glass 12 than the sensing pattern 13. On the other hand, if the light-shielding layer 15 and the decoration layer 16 are formed on the cover glass 12 first, the frame edge portion will become a step, which may make it difficult to form the sensing pattern 13. The fourth embodiment is the same as the first embodiment described above except that the light shielding layer 15 and the decorative layer 16 are provided.

The light-shielding layer 15 is preferably a black resin. The layer thickness of the light shielding layer 15 is preferably 1 to 10 μm, and more preferably 1 to 5 μm. In addition to the black matrix and the white matrix, the decorative layer 16 may be provided with various color layers such as pearlescent light by decorative printing or the like. The layer thickness of the decoration layer 16 is preferably 10 to 200 μm, and more preferably 70 to 150 μm.

[Industrial possibilities]

The invention is a touch panel suitable for mobile phones, smart phones, tablet PCs, and notebook PCs.

1‧‧‧ touch panel with display device

10‧‧‧Touch Panel

11‧‧‧ glass substrate

12‧‧‧ Cover glass

13‧‧‧sensing pattern

13a‧‧‧ Insulation

13b‧‧‧The first electrode

13c‧‧‧Second electrode

14‧‧‧ Adjacent layer

20‧‧‧ display device

21‧‧‧Fixed layer

30‧‧‧ contact object

Claims (7)

A touch panel is a touch panel that senses a contact object, and is characterized by having a glass substrate, a cover glass that is in contact with the contact object, and a sensing pattern that is disposed on the glass substrate and the cover. Between the glass, it is sensed that the contact object contacts the cover glass; the glass substrate is made of chemically strengthened glass; the cover glass is made of a glass film having a thickness of 300 μm or less. The touch panel according to item 1 of the scope of patent application, wherein the sensing pattern has: an insulating layer; a first electrode is formed on one side of the insulating layer and extends in the first direction; and The two electrodes are formed on the other surface of the insulating layer and extend in a second direction orthogonal to the first direction. The touch panel according to item 1 or item 2 of the scope of the patent application, wherein the aforementioned sensing pattern is formed on the aforementioned glass substrate; the aforementioned cover glass is passed through the adhesive layer and is then attached to the aforementioned sensing pattern side . Touch surface as described in the first or second scope of the patent application A plate, wherein the sensing pattern is formed on the cover glass; the glass substrate is passed through an adhesive layer and then is on the sensing pattern side. The touch panel according to item 2 of the scope of patent application, wherein the first electrode is formed on the glass substrate, the second electrode is formed on the cover glass, and an adhesive layer is used as the insulating layer, thereby , Followed by the glass substrate and the cover glass. The touch panel according to item 3 of the scope of application for a patent, wherein a light-shielding layer is formed in a picture frame shape on the sensing pattern, and a decoration layer is provided on the light-shielding layer. A touch panel with a display device is characterized in that a display device is mounted on the aforementioned glass substrate side of the touch panel described in any one of the first to sixth items of the patent application scope.