WO2012033247A1

WO2012033247A1 - Touch panel

Info

Publication number: WO2012033247A1
Application number: PCT/KR2010/006227
Authority: WO
Inventors: 최종필; 유영기; 변현희
Original assignee: 주식회사 디오시스템즈
Priority date: 2010-09-09
Filing date: 2010-09-13
Publication date: 2012-03-15
Also published as: KR101029044B1

Abstract

The present invention relates to a touch panel, which comprises a display module where an image is formed, a base disposed in parallel with the display module, and a plurality of individual touch sensing units disposed between the display module and the base in a triangular composition at the least to sense at least one of a touch location and a touch pressure during a touch gesture. According to the present invention, since strength-based touch technology is applied to sense at least one of the touch location and the touch pressure with accuracy, an input signal error may be prevented, sizes of structures are reduced, assemblability is improved, and complexity of a correction algorithm may be prevented.

Description

Touch panel

The present invention relates to a touch panel, and more particularly, by applying a force-based touch technology, it is possible to accurately detect at least one of a touch position and a touch pressure, thereby preventing an error in an input signal. The present invention relates to a touch panel that can reduce the size of structures, improve assembly and also solve conventional problems such as complicated correction algorithms.

TOUCH PANEL, which is sometimes used as a TOUCH SCREEN, is widely used as a means for inputting a signal on the display surface of a display device without using a remote controller or a separate input device in order to efficiently use various electronic devices. have.

That is, the touch panel displays an electronic organizer, a flat panel display device such as a liquid crystal display device (LCD), a plasma display panel (PDP), an electroluminescense (EL), and an image display device such as a cathode ray tube (CRT). It is installed on the surface and used to allow the user to select desired information while viewing the image display device.

Touch panels of touch panels, which are known to date, are mainly composed of resistive overlay and capacitive overlay, but in addition to infrared beam and surface acoustic wave, etc. Is being used.

On the other hand, although the touch panels of the above-described methods have their advantages and disadvantages and are widely used as input means for signals, unintentional input errors are often generated. That is, since the touch panels of the above-described type have a principle and a structure of detecting only the touch position, an input error may occur due to an unintended momentary touch operation when the display module is handled.

Such an input error can be solved by a touch input only when a force greater than a predetermined strength (force) is applied. However, this input condition is based on the premise that it has a structure that can sense touch pressure. In the above-described touch panels that cannot sense pressure, this is a difficult problem to solve.

Accordingly, research on touch panels that can sense not only the touch position but also the touch pressure can reduce the occurrence of the input signal due to unintentional touch operation. Applicants have also filed a number of patent applications for so-called force-based touch panels in line with this trend.

The force-based touch panel previously filed or currently under study by the present applicant includes an elastic body as a means for restoring the touch surface, wherein the sensor including the elastic body has a size comparable to that of the display module. Is considered.

However, for this reason, the reason that the sensor has a size comparable to the size of the display module, the size of the structures for the sensor is increased to increase the cost, difficult to assemble due to the constraints between the sensors, the correction algorithm due to the influence between the sensors Improvement in some matters such as this complexity is needed.

An object of the present invention, by applying a force-based touch technology can accurately detect at least one of the touch position and the touch pressure to prevent the occurrence of errors in the input signal, in particular to reduce the size of the structures and assembly It is possible to provide a touch panel that can be improved and can solve conventional problems such as complicated correction algorithms.

According to the present invention, by applying a force-based touch technology can accurately detect at least one of the touch position and the touch pressure to prevent the occurrence of errors in the input signal, in particular to reduce the size of the structures and improve the assembly It is possible to solve the conventional problems, such as complicated correction algorithm.

1 is an exploded perspective view of a touch panel according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the display module shown in FIG. 1.

3 is an enlarged exploded perspective view illustrating main parts of FIG. 1.

4 is an exploded perspective view of an individual touch sensing unit.

5 is a front perspective view of the elastic body.

6 is a rear perspective view of the elastic body.

7 is a schematic cross-sectional structural view of the assembled state of the touch panel.

8 is an operational state diagram of FIG. 7.

9 is a configuration diagram illustrating an example of a measurement of a connection relationship between electrodes and a cap sensor.

10 is an exploded perspective view of a touch panel according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

11 is an exploded perspective view of a touch panel according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

12 is an exploded perspective view of a touch panel according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

13 is an exploded perspective view of a touch panel according to a fifth embodiment of the present invention.

14 is an exploded perspective view of a touch panel according to a sixth embodiment of the present invention.

15 is an exploded perspective view of a touch panel according to a seventh embodiment of the present invention.

16 to 27 are modified embodiments of the elastic body, respectively.

The object of the invention is, according to the invention, a display module in which an image is formed; A base disposed in parallel with the display module; And a plurality of individual touch sensing units arranged in at least a triangle sphere between the display module and the base to sense at least one of a touch position and a touch pressure during a touch operation.

The individual touch sensing unit may include an electrode formed on a surface of the base facing the display module; An elastic body disposed side by side with the display module between the electrode and the display module, the elastic body being elastically deformed toward the electrode during the touch operation and returning to its original position when the touch operation disappears; And a spacer disposed between the base and the elastic body so that the elastic body returns to its original position when there is no touch operation.

The elastic body, the assembly part is formed along the circumferential direction of the outer periphery, and used as a region to be assembled to the base with the spacer; A driving part which is formed in the radially inner side of the assembly part and is driven toward the electrode substantially at the time of the touch operation and at least one region is kept in parallel with the base; And an elastic part connected to the assembly part and the driving part and providing an elastic deformation or restoring force to the driving part.

The elastic part may further include a plurality of slits for doubling the elastic deformation or restoring force.

The plurality of elastic deformation or restoring force slit may have at least one shape selected from an arc shape, a straight shape, and a bent shape.

The plurality of elastic deformation or restoring force multiplying slits may be regularly arranged at equiangular intervals along the circumferential direction with the central region of the elastic body as the axial center.

The thickness of the assembly part with respect to the direction in which the display module and the base are mounted may be greater than the thickness of the driving part or the elastic part.

The individual touch sensing unit may further include a module support and an elastic pressing plate which are disposed between the driving part of the elastic body and the display module, and substantially press the driving part of the elastic body during the touch operation.

The module support and the elastic pressing plate may have a size corresponding to the size of the driving part of the elastic body.

The individual touch sensing unit may further include a fastening part for fastening the module support and the elastic pressure plate, the elastic body, and the spacer to the display module and the base.

The fastening part may include a plurality of first fastening members fastened to the display module via a plurality of first through holes formed in the driving part of the elastic body and a plurality of second through holes formed in the module support and the elastic pressing plate. ; And a plurality of second fastening members fastened to the base via a plurality of third through holes formed in the assembly part of the elastic body and a plurality of fourth through holes formed in the spacer from the module support and the elastic pressure plate. have.

The first fastening member and the second fastening member may be bolts, and a plurality of seat grooves may be further formed on surfaces of the display module and the base to partially accommodate the heads of the bolts.

The module support and the elastic pressure plate may be coupled to the display module by a liquid curing agent.

The spacer may be disposed between the base and the elastic body in the radially outer side of the electrode.

The elastic body may be made of a conductive metal material.

The electrode may include a first electrode; And a second electrode spaced apart from the first electrode at a radially outer side of the first electrode.

The plurality of individual touch sensing units may be arranged in a rectangular sphere spaced apart from each other between the display module and the base.

On the other hand, the above object, according to the present invention, the display module is formed image; A transparent window disposed side by side with the display module at an upper portion of the display module at a distance from the display module; A base disposed side by side with the display module between the display module and the transparent window; And a plurality of individual touch sensing units arranged on at least a triangular sphere on the base to sense at least one of a touch position and a touch pressure during a touch operation.

The elastic body may be made of a conductive metal material, and a through part may be formed in an inner region of the base to expose the display surface of the display module.

In order to fully understand the present invention, the operational advantages of the present invention, and the objects achieved by the practice of the present invention, reference should be made to the accompanying drawings which illustrate preferred embodiments of the present invention and the contents described in the accompanying drawings.

Hereinafter, the present invention will be described in detail by explaining preferred embodiments of the present invention with reference to the accompanying drawings. Like reference numerals in the drawings denote like elements.

1 is an exploded perspective view of a touch panel according to a first embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view of the display module shown in FIG. 1, FIG. 3 is an enlarged exploded perspective view of the main part of FIG. 1, and FIG. 4 is an individual 5 is an exploded perspective view of the touch sensing unit, FIG. 5 is a front perspective view of the elastic body, FIG. 6 is a rear perspective view of the elastic body, FIG. 7 is a schematic cross-sectional structural view of the assembled state of the touch panel, and FIG. 8 is an operating state diagram of FIG. 9 is a configuration diagram illustrating an example of a connection relationship between electrodes and a measurement of a cap sensor.

As shown in these figures, the touch panel of the present embodiment includes a display module 110 in which an image is formed, a base 120 arranged in parallel with the display module 110, a display module 110 and a base ( It is disposed between at least a triangular sphere 120 and includes a plurality of individual touch sensing unit 130 for detecting at least one of the touch position and the touch pressure during the touch operation.

As shown in FIG. 1, the touch panel of the present embodiment discloses a so-called bottom mounted touch panel in which individual touch sensing units 130 are disposed below the display module 110.

As such, when the individual touch sensing units 130 are disposed below the display module 110, the display module 110 is disposed on the front surface thereof, so that the display module 110 may be less flexible than the display module 110. There is an advantage that the transparency is improved. In this case, a separate tempered glass or a protective film may be further provided on the front surface of the display module 110.

First, as shown in FIG. 2, the display module 110 includes a panel 111 on which an image is formed and a backlight unit disposed behind the panel 111 to project predetermined light onto the panel 111. (113, Back Light Unit), the main mold frame (115, Mold Frame) for supporting the panel 111 and the backlight unit 113, and disposed between the main mold frame 115 and the panel 111 and the corresponding position The sub mold frame 117 for preventing light leakage to the panel 111 side is provided.

In the present embodiment, the LCD panel 111 is applied, but the panel 111 may be a plasma display panel (PDP), an organic light emitting diode (OLED), a field emission display (FED), or the like.

In detail with respect to the LCD panel 111 applied in the present embodiment, the LCD panel 111 includes an upper glass 111a partially disposed in a state where liquid crystal (Liquid Crystal, not shown) is injected therein, and It consists of the lower glass 111b. Although not shown, upper and lower polarizer films are adhered to the outer surfaces of the upper glass 111a and the lower glass 111b, respectively.

The upper glass 111a, which forms an image of a color, has a smaller area than that of the lower glass 111b. Therefore, a portion where the upper glass 111a does not overlap exists on the upper surface of the lower glass 111b, and the driver IC 111c is mounted on this portion. The driver IC 111c is connected to the printed circuit board 150 (see FIG. 2) by a flexible printed circuit (FPC) 111d.

The backlight unit 113 is coupled to the main mold frame 115 together with the panel 111 to serve to project a predetermined light onto the panel 111.

The backlight unit 113 includes a light guide plate 113a, a reflective sheet 113b disposed below the light guide plate 113a, a pair of

diffusion sheets

113c and 113d disposed above the light guide plate 113a, and , The light shielding tape 113e adhered between the panel 111 and the diffusion sheet 113d and the FPC (111c, Flexible Printed Circuit) coupled to one side of the panel 111 are connected and a large scale integration (LSI) for driving FPCB (Flexible Printed Circuit Board, FPCB, including a) and a light emitting diode (LED) for emitting light to the light guide plate (113a) including an LED mounting FPCB (113f) It is provided.

In the figure, the light guide plate 113a is shown as a substantially rectangular plate-like body. However, the light guide plate 113a may be formed to be inclined so that the upper surface toward the

diffusion sheets

113c and 113d is flat and the lower surface thereof becomes narrower from one end to the other end.

The reflective sheet 113b is disposed substantially the same as the area of the light guide plate 113a to not only prevent light from leaking to the lower portion of the light guide plate 113a, but also reflects the leaked light back to the panel 111 through the light guide plate 113a. ) To the side.

The

diffusion sheets

113c and 113d serve to diffuse light generated from the light guide plate 113a. Although no pattern is shown on the surfaces of the

diffusion sheets

113c and 113d in the drawings of the present embodiment, a plurality of fine dot patterns are continuously formed on the surfaces of the

diffusion sheets

113c and 113d to diffuse more light. Can be formed. In addition, although light is uniform due to light diffusion, a prism sheet (not shown) having a prism pattern that exerts a light focusing effect may be used to prevent a decrease in brightness caused by side effects. In the present embodiment, two

diffusion sheets

113c and 113d are used, but the scope of the present invention is not limited to the number thereof.

The light shielding tape 113e serves to block light from leaking to a portion outside the image display area of the panel 111. In the light blocking tape 113e, one region of the upper surface is adhered to the lower surface of the panel 111 and the sub mold frame 117, and one region of the lower surface is adhered to the upper surface of the main mold frame 113 and the diffusion sheet 113d. The light leakage phenomenon is prevented from occurring at a position adjacent to the image display area of the panel 111 at the position.

The main mold frame 115 supports the panel 111 and the backlight unit 113. And the main mold frame 117 is coupled to the main mold frame 115 to prevent the generation of light leakage to the panel 111 side.

Next, the base 120 forms a lower surface of the touch panel of this embodiment. The base 120 may be provided with the electrode 140 and a wire or a wire pattern in the plate structure on which the individual touch sensing units 130 are supported, or may be a printed circuit board (PCB).

On the other hand, the individual touch sensing unit 130 is disposed at least as a triangle sphere between the display module 110 and the base 120 serves to detect at least one of the touch position and the touch pressure during the touch operation. In the present embodiment, the individual touch sensing unit 130 will be described as detecting the touch pressure according to the touch position, but the individual touch sensing unit 130 may detect only the touch position or only the touch pressure.

In this embodiment, the individual touch sensing unit 130 is disposed in a rectangular sphere between the display module 110 and the base 120. That is, the individual touch sensing units 130 are disposed at four different places and are connected to the upper and lower display modules 110 and the base 120.

Of course, the individual touch sensing unit 130 may be disposed in three places, but if the four places in the rectangular sphere as shown in the present embodiment, the display module 110 and the base 120 can be more stably assembled with each other to achieve structural stability. There will be.

When the individual touch sensing unit 130 is disposed in four places spaced apart from each other between the display module 110 and the base 120 as in this embodiment, the touch pressure for the touch position can be detected more accurately Thereby, its reliability is improved.

In addition, since the touch panel can be manufactured only by assembling the individual touch sensing units 130 at a predetermined position, the size of the structures can be increased to overcome the problem of increasing cost or inferior assembly, and further correcting. Various problems such as complicated algorithms can be solved.

As shown in FIG. 4, the individual touch sensing unit 130 includes an electrode 140, an elastic body 150, a spacer 160, a module support and an elastic pressing plate 170, and a fastening part 180. ). These structures are the same for all the individual touch sensing units 130 arranged in four places.

The electrode 140 is formed on the surface of the base 120 facing the display module 110. When the base 120 is a PCB, it may be provided in a form in which the electrode 140 is mounted on the PCB. The electrode 140 includes a first electrode 141 and a second electrode 142 spaced apart from the first electrode 141 at a radially outer side of the first electrode 141.

One of the first electrode 141 and the second electrode 142 may be for grounding, and the other may be the magnitude of the capacitance detected after sensing the magnitude or amount of change of capacitance generated between the elastic body 150 or It transmits the information to the controller (not shown) so that the information on whether the touch operation is input, the touch position or the touch pressure is recognized based on the amount of change. In the present embodiment, the second electrode 142 is connected to the assembly part 151 of the elastic body 150 and is used for grounding, and the first electrode 141 is formed in a state spaced apart from the second electrode 142. It is located in the radially inner side of the two electrodes 142.

More elaborate with respect to electrode 140. In the present embodiment, since the four individual touch sensing unit 130 is provided, and each electrode 140 is provided for each individual touch sensing unit 130, in addition to the touch pressure during the touch operation as shown in FIG. can do. That is, the touch position may be sensed by calculating, by substituting at least different position acting forces into a separate position equation, based on the correlation between the force and the moment.

The electrode 140 is controlled by a controller (not shown), wherein the controller may be electrically connected to one side of the elastic body 150, which may be made of a conductive metal material, and the electrode 140, respectively. However, if the elastic body 150 is made of a non-conducting material such as plastic, after bonding or printing an electrically conductive conductive electrode pattern (not shown) to one surface of the elastic body 150 facing the electrode 140, the controller is elastic body. The conductive electrode pattern 150 and the electrode 140 may be electrically connected to each other.

The controller detects an amount or change in capacitance generated between the elastic body 150 and the electrode 140 when a touch action is input, and then inputs a touch action based on the detected amount or change in capacitance. The controller may control the touch position or the touch pressure information to be recognized.

An example of measuring a connection relationship and a cap sensor between four electrodes 140 at different positions will be described with reference to FIG. 9. Among the first and

second electrodes

141 and 142 respectively provided at the individual touch sensing units 130 disposed at four locations at different positions, the second electrodes 142 are commonly grounded as described above. The first electrode 141 in the middle may be input to a cap sensor (cap sensor, cap sensor module) and measured. The MPU shown in FIG. 9 is a microprocessor that is not universal but small and performs a specific function repeatedly. The MPU is similar in structure to the CPU, which is called a central processing unit, and has a similar function.

At this time, the input value from the first electrode 141 may be collected in an analog manner, or may be collected using a method such as wireless communication. The latter case may be advantageous in that it does not generate a parasitic cap (CAP) than the former case. Of course, these descriptions are merely examples and the scope of the present invention is not necessarily limited to these matters.

The elastic body 150 is elastically deformed as shown in FIGS. 7 to 8 due to the touch pressure generated when the touch operation, that is, when the surface of the display module 110 is pressed by a finger or a touch fan, and the like. Serves to change the size of the dose (L1, L2, see FIGS. 7 and 8).

In other words, the elastic body 150 is disposed in parallel with the display module 110 between the electrode 140 and the display module 110, and is elastically deformed toward the electrode 140 during the touch operation (see FIG. 8) and the touch operation is performed. When extinguished (see FIG. 7), it has an elastic force to return to its original position.

The elastic body 150 may be provided as various types, but in the present embodiment, the elastic body 150 is applied to a leaf spring made of a conductive metal material.

The elastic body 150 is divided into an assembly part 151, a driving part 153, and an elastic part 155 according to its position. Of course, the assembly part 151, the driving part 153, and the elastic part 155 are functionally divided, and are integrally provided at the time of manufacture.

The assembly part 151 is a portion formed along the outer circumferential direction of the elastic body 150 and is used as an area to be assembled to the base 120 together with the spacer 160. Therefore, a plurality of third through holes 152 are formed through the assembly part 151.

The driving part 153 is a portion formed in the central region of the elastic body 150. The driving part 153 is substantially approached toward the electrode 140 during the touch operation as shown in FIG. 8, so that the magnitude or change amount (also referred to as capacitance value) of the capacitance is generated between the electrode 140. More specifically, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 7, the second electrode 142 is connected to the assembly part 151 of the elastic body 150, and the first electrode 141 is spaced apart from the second electrode 142. Since it is disposed in the center region, the driving part 153 of the elastic body 150 is moved toward the first electrode 141 during the touch operation, and thus, between the driving part 153 and the first electrode 141 of the elastic body 150 is moved. As the interval changes, the capacitance value changes.

In the present embodiment, when the pressing force is applied to the elastic body 150, the driving part 153 is substantially moved in parallel with the base 120 while being approached or spaced toward the electrode 140.

Accordingly, even if the bottom surface of the display module 110 and the top surface of the base 120 are not an ideal plane, the assembly is easy, and when the force is applied, the surfaces of the two electrodes 140 are measured without relative tilt and are accurate. Is improved. If the display module 110 and the base 120 are not ideal planes, if the display module 110 and the base 120 are not ideal planes, it is difficult to assemble and the force is applied to the surface of the two electrodes 140. This tilt can occur, which can cause errors.

Therefore, in the present embodiment, when the pressing force is provided to the elastic body 150, the driving part 153 is driven to approach or spaced apart from the electrode 140 while maintaining the state parallel to the electrode 140, or the size of the capacitance or It is improving reliability in calculating the amount of change. A plurality of first through holes 154 is formed in the driving part 153.

The elastic part 155 is connected to the assembly part 151 and the driving part 153 and serves to provide elastic deformation or restoring force to the driving part 153. That is, the elastic part 155 approaches the electrode 140 with the driving part 153 in parallel with the electrode 140 based on the assembly part 151 as shown in FIG. 7 to FIG. 8 (see FIG. 8). ) Or spaced apart (see FIG. 7).

The elastic part 155 is provided with a plurality of elastic deformation or restoring force slit 156 to double the elastic deformation or restoring force. The elastic deformation or restoring force multiplying slit 156 is formed by partially combining an arc shape and a straight shape, but a bent shape may be added beyond those shown.

At this time, the elastic deformation or restoring force slit 156 is preferably arranged at regular intervals along the circumferential direction along the central region of the elastic body 150, so that the pressing force is provided to the elastic body 150 only In this case, the driving part 153 may be driven to approach or spaced apart from the electrode 140 while maintaining the state parallel to the electrode 140.

Since the elastic part 155 plays such a role, it is preferable that the elastic part 155 is connected to the assembly part 151 and the driving part 153 in a minimum area. Small thicknesses may be advantageous.

In FIG. 6, it can be seen that the stepped portion S is formed between the elastic parts 155 and the driving part 153 because the thickness of the elastic part 155 and the driving part 153 is smaller than that of the assembly part 151. It may be carried out, or may be performed through an etching process such as a semiconductor process, or may be performed by press working.

As such, when the elastic body 150 including the assembly part 151, the driving part 153, and the elastic part 155 is used, the capacitance between the driving part 153 of the elastic body 150 and the electrode 140 may be reduced. The reliability of the size or the amount of change can be improved to reduce the error of the touch input.

In addition, even if the display module 110 and the base 120 is not an ideal plane is easy to assemble. In addition, even if a force is applied and sag occurs, the size or amount of change of capacitance can be calculated between the electrodes 140 without a relative error, thereby improving accuracy and reliability.

The spacer 160 is disposed between the base 120 and the elastic body 150 so that the elastic body returns to its original position when there is no touch operation. The spacer 160 is disposed between the base 120 and the elastic body 150 at the radially outer side of the electrode 140 to support the elastic body 150 with respect to the base 120.

Although the spacer 160 is shown in a donut shape in the drawing, the shape and arrangement position of the spacer 160 may be changed at any time. For example, in the present embodiment, a donut-shaped spacer 160 is used, but unlike the drawing, the spacer 160 may be a plurality of separate pieces. The plurality of fourth through holes 161 are formed in the spacer 160 at positions corresponding to the third through holes 152 formed in the assembly part 151 of the elastic body 150.

The module support and the elastic pressing plate 170 are disposed between the driving part 153 of the elastic body 150 and the display module 110 to substantially press the driving part 153 of the elastic body 150 during a touch operation. .

For example, when there is no module support and the elastic pressing plate 170, even if the display module 110 is pressed, the pressing force is not transmitted to the driving part 153 of the elastic body 150, so that the module supporting and elastic pressing plate 170 ) Is prepared.

Since the module support and the elastic pressure plate 170 serves to transmit the pressing force applied to the display module 110 to the driving part 153 of the elastic body 150, the module support and the elastic pressure plate 170 may be the elastic body 150. It is advantageous to have a size corresponding to the size of the driving part 153. The second support hole 171 is formed in the module support and the elastic pressing plate 170 at a position corresponding to the first through holes 154 formed in the driving part 153.

The fastening part 180 should be fixed between the display module 110 and the base 120 to constitute the individual touch sensing unit 130. Therefore, the individual touch sensing unit 130 further includes a fastening part 180 for fastening the module support and the elastic pressure plate 170, the elastic body 150, and the spacer 160 to the display module 110 and the base 120. do.

The fastening part 180 includes a plurality of first through holes 154 formed in the driving part 153 of the elastic body 150 at the electrode 140, and second through holes 171 formed in the module support and the elastic pressing plate 170. A plurality of first fastening members B1 (see FIG. 4) fastened to the display module 110 via the plurality of parts, and a plurality of assembly parts 151 formed on the elastic body 150 at the module support and elastic pressure plate 170. A plurality of second fastening members B2 (see FIG. 4) are fastened to the base 120 via a plurality of fourth through holes 161 formed in the third through holes 152 and the spacers 160.

At this time, both the first fastening member B1 and the second fastening member B2 may be provided with bolts. Of course, bolts are just one example, so instead of bolts, double-sided tape, adhesives, solder joints, welding, rivet joints, etc. may be applied.

The operation of the touch panel of this embodiment having such a configuration will be briefly described.

The user inputs a touch operation by touching a point with a finger or the like while looking at an image of various patterns formed on the display module 110.

Then, which touch pressure is input to which touch position is controlled by the individual touch sensing unit 130 and a controller (not shown).

That is, in the case of FIG. 8 in which the touch operation is input, the controller detects the magnitude or the change amount of the capacitance generated between the elastic body 150 and the electrode 140 as the elastic body 150 approaches the electrode 140. The information on whether the touch operation is input, the touch position or the touch pressure is recognized based on the detected magnitude or the change amount of the capacitance.

In this case, since the touch pressure based on the force is sensed, it is possible to prevent the input signal from being generated by an unintended touch operation.

According to the touch panel of the present embodiment having such a structure and operation, by applying a force-based touch technology it is possible to accurately detect at least one of the touch position and the touch pressure to prevent the occurrence of an error of the input signal, in particular It is possible to reduce the size of the structures and improve the assemblability, and also to solve the conventional problems such as complicated correction algorithm.

10 is an exploded perspective view of a touch panel according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 11 is an exploded perspective view of a touch panel according to a third embodiment of the present invention.

In the case of FIG. 10, five individual touch sensing units 130 are disposed at different positions, and in FIG. 11, three individual touch sensing units 130 are arranged at different positions. .

In this figure, the substantial structure is similar to that of Fig. 7 of the above-described first embodiment. However, unlike in the case of FIG. 7, in the case of FIG. 12, a plurality of seat grooves GI in which the heads of the bolts B1 and B2 are partially accommodated on the surfaces of the display module 110 and the base 120. It differs in that G2) is further formed.

As shown in FIG. 12, when a plurality of seat grooves GI and G2 are partially accommodated to accommodate the heads of the bolts B1 and B2, interference caused by the heads of the bolts B1 and B2 is reduced during assembly of the structure. You can do it.

However, unlike FIG. 12, a through hole that is not in the form of a groove may be formed in a portion where the seat grooves GI and G2 are positioned. When the through-hole is formed in this way, not only the interference caused by the heads of the bolts B1 and B2 may be reduced when the structure is assembled, but also a tool such as a screwdriver is inserted through the through-holes to prevent the bolts B1 and B2. It is advantageous to be able to operate. A through hole is sufficient if it is sufficient to drill a hole instead of the seat grooves GI and G2 at the seat grooves GI and G2 in FIG.

Referring to this figure, the touch panel according to the present embodiment is parallel to the display module 110 at an upper portion of the display module 110 at a distance from the display module 110 where the image is formed and the display module 110. The transparent window 190, the base 120a disposed in parallel with the display module 110 between the display module 110 and the transparent window 190, and at least a triangular sphere on the base 120a. A plurality of individual touch sensing unit 130 for sensing at least one of the touch position and the touch pressure during operation.

The transparent window 190 is disposed at the top of the present touch panel to substantially apply a touch operation. In the present embodiment, the transparent window 190 is applied to the transparent window 190 as a simple tempered glass.

The individual touch sensing unit 130 is also the same as described in the first embodiment. However, the structure of the base 120a in which the individual touch sensing unit 130 is provided is slightly different from that of the first embodiment. That is, in the touch panel of the present exemplary embodiment, a penetrating portion 125 is formed in the inner region of the base 120a to expose the display surface (the upper surface of FIG. 1) of the display module 110.

The reason why the penetrating portion 125 is formed in the inner region of the base 120a is because the base 120a is positioned above the display module 110, so that the screen that is the display surface of the display module 110 may not be covered.

In the fifth embodiment, the transparent window 190 was a transparent window 190 for a tempered glass, but the transparent window 190a of the present embodiment is applied as the transparent window 190a as a resistive film.

For the remaining components, the description of the above-described embodiment is referred to as it is, and only the transparent window 190a as a resistive film method will be described herein.

The transparent window 190a as a resistive film is disposed under the touch upper substrate 2, the window film 4 attached to the upper surface of the touch upper substrate 2, and the lower portion of the touch upper substrate 2. FPC bonded to the touch lower substrate 1, the insulating adhesive member 3 interposed between the touch upper substrate 2 and the touch lower substrate 1, and one side of the upper surface of the touch lower substrate 1. Circuit). In FIG. 7, illustrations of the upper and lower electrodes formed on the touch upper substrate 2 and the touch lower substrate 1 and the patterns formed on the electrodes are omitted for convenience.

The touch upper substrate 2 and the touch lower substrate 1 may be made of a flexible transparent film substrate or transparent glass, and the transparent conductive films may be disposed on the lower surface of the touch upper substrate 2 and the upper surface of the touch lower substrate 1. (Not shown), electrode patterns (not shown) are formed.

The insulating adhesive member 3 is interposed between the touch upper substrate 2 and the touch lower substrate 1 to bond the touch upper substrate 2 and the touch lower substrate 1 and at the same time, the touch upper substrate 2 and the touch lower substrate ( 1) Prevent short circuit between. The insulating adhesive member 3 has an opening 3a formed at a position corresponding to an input region of the transparent window 190a, and four conducting holes 3b are formed at a position corresponding to an outer region of the transparent window 190a. do. In this case, the four conducting holes 3b are four AG dots disposed between the touch upper substrate 2 and the touch lower substrate 1 to electrically connect the touch upper substrate 2 and the touch lower substrate 1. Provide a portion through which (not shown) penetrates.

The FPC 5 is interposed between the touch upper substrate 2 and the touch lower substrate 1 and bonded to one side of the touch lower substrate 1. At this time, the FPC 5 is bonded to the touch lower substrate 1 by compressing the anisotropic conductive adhesive (ACA) applied to the lower surface thereof at high temperature / high pressure. The FPC 5 is responsible for electrically connecting the upper electrode (not shown) formed on the touch upper substrate 2 and the lower electrode (not shown) formed on the touch lower substrate 1 to the control unit (not shown). do. At this time, the control unit calculates the position of the point selected by the user in the input area of the transparent window 190a.

The window film 4 is a protective film for protecting the touch upper substrate 2, especially the touch surface thereof, and is usually made of a PET (Poly Ethylen Terephthalate) film. The window film 4 is attached to the upper surface of the touch upper substrate 2 by an adhesive 8 such as an optical clear adhesive (OCA).

An ink print layer 6 formed by printing ink is formed in an outer region of the lower surface of the window film 4, and the ink print layer 6 is a display surface of the display module 110 in which the transparent window 190a is installed. By providing a frame surrounding the periphery, the appearance design of the transparent window 190a is improved while the electrode patterns formed on the touch upper substrate 2 and the touch lower substrate 1 are not exposed to the outside.

When the transparent window 190a as the resistive film method is applied as in the present embodiment, the touch position or the touch pressure sensed by the individual touch sensing unit 130 may be detected as well as the touch position by the transparent window 20a as the resistive film method. There is an advantage to that. Regarding the touch position determination, there may be various methods such as determining the final touch position with reference to the touch position sensed by the individual touch sensing unit 130 at the touch position by the transparent window 190a.

On the other hand, the transparent window 190b of this embodiment is applied to the transparent window 190b as a capacitive method.

As described above, the remaining components will be referred to as described above, and only the transparent window 190b as a capacitive method will be described herein.

The transparent window 190b as a capacitive type includes a touch substrate 25a, an ITO film 25b attached to the lower surface of the touch substrate 25a, and an electrode 25c printed on the lower surface of the ITO film 25b. Include.

The touch substrate 25a is disposed on one surface of the display module 110 and provided to protect the display module 110 in which an image is formed. In this embodiment, the touch substrate 25a is made of tempered glass having a flat plate shape. Here, tempered glass refers to a glass in which molded glass is heated to 500 to 600 ° C. close to the softening temperature, quenched by compressed cooling air to compressively deform the glass surface, and then tensilely deformed and tempered. As such, when the touch substrate 25a is made of tempered glass, the touch substrate 25a may have excellent characteristics in impact resistance, heat resistance, and safety, as compared with acrylic or general glass. In addition, unlike glass cutting only, since the shape of the tempered glass can be variously changed by etching, a hole is formed in the touch substrate 25a or the edge of the touch substrate 25a is curved. By being able to form a variety of designs of the product can be enabled.

The ITO film 25b refers to a film having conductive properties while still conducting electricity. ITO stands for Indium-Tin Oxide, which is a transparent and electrically conductive material. In general, ITO is coated on a transparent substrate with a thin film by wet coating or dry coating to realize conductivity. In the past, ITO is coated on a glass plate and is widely used for LCD.

A specific type of ITO patterning layer (not shown) may be formed on the ITO film 25b as needed, and an electrode 25c is printed on the bottom surface of the ITO film 25b. Here, the electrode 25c may be manufactured using silver.

Accordingly, when the touch substrate 25a is touched using a finger or a touch pen, that is, when a touch operation is input, the isoelectric potential of the ITO film 25b is destroyed starting from the touched portion, and a current is generated, and the current is charged as the current flows. The amount of charged charge is sensed by a current sensor (not shown) connected to the silver electrode 25c printed on the edge of the ITO film 25b, and the conversion position is detected by an analog / digital converter (not shown). The touch position can be recognized. Since the transparent window 190b of the present embodiment is a capacitive type, in particular, the transparent window 190b may be implemented with only one ITO film 25b.

When the transparent window 190b as a capacitive type is applied as in the present embodiment, the touch position or the touch pressure sensed by the individual touch sensing unit 130 can be detected as well as the touch position by the transparent window 190b as the capacitive type. There is an advantage to that. Regarding the touch position determination, there may be various methods such as determining the final touch position with reference to the touch position sensed by the individual touch sensing unit 130 at the touch position by the transparent window 190b. In particular, in the case of the present embodiment, there is an advantage that the implementation of multi-touch is possible.

16 to 27 are modified embodiments of the elastic body, respectively.

In the case of these drawings, various forms of elastic bodies 150a to 150l are illustrated. These can be selectively applied to the above-described first to seventh embodiments, and only have a different structure, and include assembly parts 151a to 151l, driving parts 153a to 153l, and elastic parts 155a to 155l. The driving parts 153a to 153l are in parallel with the electrodes 140 (refer to FIG. 8) while driving or approaching the electrodes 140, that is, the first electrodes 141. Or it is the same in that it improves reliability in calculating variation amount.

As described above, the present invention is not limited to the described embodiments, and various modifications and changes can be made without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention, which will be apparent to those skilled in the art. Therefore, such modifications or variations will have to be belong to the claims of the present invention.

The present invention can be used for a mobile terminal such as a mobile phone, a PAD, a smartphone, a digital camera, an MP3 player, a monitor of a television or a computer, and a screen or liquid crystal such as an ATM.

Claims

A display module in which an image is formed;

A base disposed in parallel with the display module; And

And a plurality of individual touch sensing units arranged in at least a triangle sphere between the display module and the base to sense at least one of a touch position and a touch pressure during a touch operation.
The method of claim 1,

The individual touch sensing unit,

An electrode formed on a surface of the base facing the display module;

An elastic body disposed side by side with the display module between the electrode and the display module, the elastic body being elastically deformed toward the electrode during the touch operation and returning to its original position when the touch operation disappears; And

And a spacer disposed between the base and the elastic body so that the elastic body returns to its original position when there is no touch operation.
The method of claim 2,

The elastic body,

An assembly part formed along an outer circumferential direction and used as an area assembled to the base together with the spacer;

A driving part which is formed in the radially inner side of the assembly part and is driven toward the electrode substantially at the time of the touch operation and at least one region is kept in parallel with the base; And

And an elastic part connected to the assembly part and the driving part and providing an elastic deformation or restoring force to the driving part.
The method of claim 2,

The elastic part is a touch panel, characterized in that the plurality of elastic deformation or restoring force multiplying slits are further formed to double the elastic deformation or restoring force.
The method of claim 4, wherein

The plurality of elastic deformation or restoring force multiplying slits have at least one shape selected from an arc shape, a straight shape and a bent shape.
The method of claim 5,

And the plurality of elastic deformation or restoring force multiplying slits are arranged regularly at equal angle intervals along the circumferential direction with the central region of the elastic body as the axial center.
The method of claim 3,

The thickness of the assembly part with respect to the direction in which the display module and the base is mounted is greater than the thickness of the drive part or the elastic part, the touch panel.
The method of claim 3,

The individual touch sensing unit may be disposed between the driving part of the elastic body and the display module, and further comprising a module support and an elastic pressing plate which press the driving part of the elastic body substantially during the touch operation. panel.
The method of claim 8,

The module support and the elastic pressing plate has a size corresponding to the size of the drive part of the elastic body.
The method of claim 8,

The individual touch sensing unit further comprises a fastening part for fastening the module support and the elastic pressure plate, the elastic body and the spacer to the display module and the base.
The method of claim 10,

The fastening portion,

A plurality of first fastening members fastened to the display module via a plurality of first through holes formed in the driving part of the elastic body at the electrode side and a plurality of second through holes formed in the module support and the elastic pressing plate; And

And a plurality of second fastening members fastened to the base via a plurality of third through holes formed in the assembly part of the elastic body and a plurality of fourth through holes formed in the spacer on the side of the module support and the elastic pressure plate. Touch panel.
The method of claim 11,

The first fastening member and the second fastening member are bolts,

Touch panel, characterized in that the surface of the display module and the base is further formed a plurality of seat grooves that are partially accommodated the head (head) of the bolt.
The method of claim 8,

The module support and the elastic pressure plate is a touch panel, characterized in that coupled to the display module by a liquid curing agent.
The method of claim 2,

The spacer is disposed between the base and the elastic body in the radially outer side of the electrode.
The method of claim 2,

The elastic body is a touch panel, characterized in that made of a conductive metal material.
The method of claim 1,

The electrode,

A first electrode; And

And a second electrode spaced apart from the first electrode at a radially outer side of the first electrode.
The method of claim 1,

The plurality of individual touch sensing unit, the touch panel, characterized in that arranged in a rectangular sphere spaced apart from each other between the display module and the base.
A display module in which an image is formed;

A transparent window disposed side by side with the display module at an upper portion of the display module at a distance from the display module;

A base disposed side by side with the display module between the display module and the transparent window; And

And a plurality of individual touch sensing units arranged on at least a triangular sphere on the base to sense at least one of a touch position and a touch pressure during a touch operation.
The method of claim 18,

The individual touch sensing unit,

An electrode formed on a surface of the base facing the display module;

An elastic body disposed side by side with the display module between the electrode and the display module, the elastic body being elastically deformed toward the electrode during the touch operation and returning to its original position when the touch operation disappears; And

And a spacer disposed between the base and the elastic body so that the elastic body returns to its original position when there is no touch operation.
The method of claim 19,

The elastic body,

An assembly part formed along an outer circumferential direction and used as an area assembled to the base together with the spacer;

A driving part which is formed in the radially inner side of the assembly part and is driven toward the electrode substantially at the time of the touch operation and at least one region is kept in parallel with the base; And

And an elastic part connected to the assembly part and the driving part and providing an elastic deformation or restoring force to the driving part.
The method of claim 19,

The elastic body is made of a conductive metal material,

And a through part formed at an inner region of the base to expose a display surface of the display module.