JP2009003672A - Touch panel device, electro-optical device, and electronic device - Google Patents

Abstract

To provide a touch panel device capable of improving input sensitivity while ensuring mechanical strength of a sheet material, an electro-optical device using the touch panel device, and a highly reliable electronic device.
A touch panel device includes a touch panel substrate that propagates surface acoustic waves, a transmitter that propagates surface acoustic waves to the touch panel substrate, a receiver that receives surface acoustic waves propagated through the touch panel substrate, and A sheet material 3 having an input surface 331 and a flexible sheet material 3 that is spaced from the touch panel substrate 2 such that a surface opposite to the input surface 331 faces the touch panel substrate 2. Has a soft layer 32 made of a soft material and a pair of hard layers 31, 33 made of a hard material harder than the soft material. The pressed portion is partially bent, and the portion is configured to contact the touch panel substrate 2.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a touch panel device, an electro-optical device, and an electronic apparatus.

The electro-optical device is a display device that controls an optical state by an electric input signal. As this electro-optical device, a liquid crystal display device, an EL (Electro Luminescence) device, and the like are currently known. This electro-optical device is used as a display device that displays characters, numbers, figures, and the like as images in electronic devices such as mobile phones and portable information terminals.
In addition, as an input device to be mounted on such a display device, an input device such as a touch pen or a human finger is brought into contact with an arbitrary position on the touch surface to specify a contact position and perform various operations of the electronic device. A touch panel device that performs input and the like is known.

Various methods have been proposed for driving the touch panel device, and as one of them, an ultrasonic surface acoustic wave type touch panel device is known. This touch panel device detects the touch input position by utilizing the property that the intensity of the surface acoustic wave propagating on the surface of the glass substrate attenuates at a position in contact with a finger or the like.
As an example of this surface acoustic wave type touch panel device, as shown in Patent Document 1, a glass substrate on which surface acoustic waves propagate, an X direction transducer and a Y direction transducer that transmit and receive surface acoustic waves, and these transducers received A position detecting means for detecting a touch position based on a change in the intensity of the surface acoustic wave, and a transparent resin film disposed with a space layer on the glass substrate with a plurality of dot spacers formed on the surface facing the glass substrate; There is disclosed a touch panel device comprising:

In the initial state of the touch panel device, the transparent resin film is separated from the glass substrate. When an object is brought into contact with the surface of the transparent resin film and pressed (touch input), the transparent resin film bends and contacts the glass substrate. Thereby, in this touch input position, the surface acoustic wave propagating through the glass substrate is absorbed by the transparent resin film, and the strength is attenuated. The touch position can be specified by receiving the intensity change of the surface acoustic wave by the X direction receiving unit and the Y direction receiving unit and converting it into position information.
Here, in order to improve operability, it is necessary to improve the sensitivity (reactivity) of the touch panel. In order to improve sensitivity, it is effective to soften the transparent resin film and absorb surface acoustic waves more efficiently by the transparent resin film (for example, the transparent resin film is made of a material having a relatively low Young's modulus). Constitute).

  On the other hand, the transparent resin film is a part that is frequently touched by an operator's finger and the like, and is a part that comes into contact with the glass substrate. You also need to have it. In order to improve the mechanical strength of the transparent resin film, it is effective to harden the transparent resin film (for example, the transparent resin film is made of a material having a relatively high Young's modulus).

  However, the touch panel device described in Patent Document 1 includes a single transparent film. Therefore, in such a transparent resin film, if the resin film is softened and the sensitivity of the touch panel is improved, the mechanical strength of the transparent resin film is lowered. If the mechanical strength is improved, the sensitivity of the touch panel is lowered. That is, in the touch panel device described in Patent Document 1, it is difficult to simultaneously improve the sensitivity of the touch panel and ensure the mechanical strength of the transparent resin film.

JP 2004-348686 A

  An object of the present invention is to provide a touch panel device capable of improving input sensitivity while ensuring the mechanical strength of a sheet material, an electro-optical device using the touch panel device, and a highly reliable electronic device. is there.

Such an object is achieved by the present invention described below.
The touch panel device of the present invention includes a touch panel substrate that propagates a surface acoustic wave,
A transmitter for propagating the surface acoustic wave to the touch panel substrate;
A receiver for receiving the surface acoustic wave propagated through the touch panel substrate;
A flexible sheet material that has an input surface and is spaced apart from the touch panel substrate such that the surface opposite the input surface faces the touch panel substrate;
Based on the intensity of the surface acoustic wave received by the receiver, a detection unit that detects a contact position between the sheet material and the touch panel substrate,
The sheet material has a soft layer made of a soft material and at least one hard layer made of a hard material harder than the soft material,
The pressed portion of the sheet material is partially bent by the pressing of the input surface by an object, and the portion is configured to contact the touch panel substrate.
Thereby, the input sensitivity can be improved while ensuring the mechanical strength of the sheet material.

In the touch panel device of the present invention, it is preferable that a loss coefficient tan δ of the soft layer is 0.1 or more.
Thereby, the surface acoustic wave propagating on the surface of the touch panel substrate can be absorbed very efficiently by the soft layer at the time of touch input.
In the touch panel device of the present invention, it is preferable that at least one of the hard layers is provided closest to the touch panel substrate.
Thereby, it can prevent that a sheet | seat material adheres to a touchscreen board | substrate at the time of touch input. Further, it is possible to suppress the bending of the sheet material when the touch input is not performed. Moreover, it can prevent that a soft layer contacts a touchscreen board | substrate directly, and can prevent a soft layer from being damaged.

In the touch panel device according to the aspect of the invention, it is preferable that the hard layer provided closest to the touch panel substrate is bonded to a surface of the soft layer on the touch panel substrate side.
Accordingly, it is possible to increase the reaction force generated when the sheet material is pressed by the object (force for the sheet material to return to the neutral shape). Therefore, after touch input, the sheet material can be quickly separated from the touch panel substrate.

In the touch panel device of the present invention, it is preferable that the hard layer provided closest to the touch panel substrate has a releasability from the touch panel substrate.
Thereby, it can prevent that a sheet material adheres to a touch panel substrate.
In the touch panel device of the present invention, it is preferable that at least one of the hard layers is provided closest to the input surface.
Thereby, it can prevent that an operator touches a soft layer directly at the time of touch input. Therefore, breakage of the soft layer can be prevented. Further, the mechanical strength of the sheet material can be improved.

In the touch panel device of the present invention, it is preferable that the hard layer provided closest to the input surface is bonded to the surface of the soft layer on the input surface side.
Thereby, the reaction force generated when the sheet material is pressed by the object can be increased. Therefore, after touch input, the sheet material can be quickly separated from the touch panel substrate.

In the touch panel device of the present invention, it is preferable that the surface hardness of the hard layer provided on the most input surface side is 2H or more in terms of pencil hardness.
Thereby, for example, even if the operator scratches the input surface with the tip of the nail or the pen tip, it is possible to suppress the input surface from being scratched.
In the touch panel device of the present invention, the hard layer is provided in a pair so as to sandwich the soft layer,
Of the pair of hard layers, the hard layer provided on the input surface side is preferably thicker than the hard layer provided on the touch panel substrate side.
Accordingly, the surface acoustic waves can be efficiently absorbed by the soft layer, and the mechanical strength of the sheet material can be improved.

In the touch panel device of the present invention, it is preferable that T2 / T1 is 0.2 to 0.5, where T1 is an average thickness of the sheet material and T2 is an average thickness of the soft layer.
Thereby, surface acoustic waves can be efficiently absorbed by the soft layer while ensuring the mechanical strength of the sheet material.
In the touch panel device of the present invention, it is preferable that at least one of the hard layers is a polarizing plate.

In the touch panel device of the present invention, on the surface of the touch panel substrate facing the sheet material, a plurality of small protrusions may be erected at a height equal to or less than a separation distance between the touch panel substrate and the sheet material. preferable.
This can prevent excessive adhesion between the touch panel substrate and the sheet material during touch input.
In the touch panel device of the present invention, it is preferable that each of the small protrusions is mainly composed of glass.
Thereby, it is possible to suppress the surface acoustic wave propagating through the touch panel substrate from being absorbed by the spacer.

The electro-optical device of the present invention includes a display device in which a plurality of pixels are arranged and a touch panel device disposed on the display side of the display device, and the touch panel device is the touch panel device of the present invention. Features.
Thereby, a highly reliable electro-optical device is obtained.
An electronic apparatus according to the present invention includes the electro-optical device according to the present invention.
As a result, a highly reliable electronic device can be obtained.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of a touch panel device, an electro-optical device, and an electronic apparatus according to the invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.
<Touch panel device>
First, a preferred embodiment of the touch panel device of the present invention will be described.
1 is a longitudinal sectional view showing an embodiment of the touch panel device of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a plan view of the touch panel device shown in FIG. 1, and FIG. 3 is a block diagram of a control unit included in the touch panel device shown in FIG. FIG. 4 is a diagram for explaining the intensity change of the surface acoustic wave at the touch input position, and FIG. 5 is a diagram for explaining the intensity change of the surface acoustic wave at the position of the small protrusion. In the following description, the upper side of FIG. 1 is referred to as “upper” and the lower side is referred to as “lower”.

  As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, the touch panel device 1 includes a touch panel substrate 2 that propagates a surface acoustic wave, a sheet material 3 that is disposed to face the touch panel substrate 2 and can contact the touch panel substrate 2 by pressing, An X transmitter 41 and a Y transmitter 42 for propagating surface acoustic waves to the touch panel substrate 2, an X receiver 43 and a Y receiver 44 for receiving the surface acoustic waves propagated through the touch panel substrate 2, and an X receiver 43 and Y Each of the receivers 44 includes a detection unit 6 that detects the touch position based on the intensity of the surface acoustic wave received.

Hereinafter, these will be sequentially described.
The touch panel substrate 2 functions as a medium that propagates surface acoustic waves.
Such a touch panel substrate 2 is made of a glass material such as quartz glass or soda glass. Since the glass material hardly absorbs the surface acoustic wave (that is, the attenuation factor is low), the surface acoustic wave can be efficiently propagated.

The touch panel substrate 2 is substantially transparent (colorless transparent, colored transparent, translucent). Thereby, for example, when a liquid crystal device 101 as will be described later is provided below the touch panel substrate 2, an image formed on the liquid crystal device 101 can be visually recognized via the touch panel substrate 2.
The touch panel substrate 2 has a rectangular shape in plan view. Then, an area other than the frame portion 21 of the touch panel substrate 2 is subjected to touch input (an action of pressing the sheet material 3 with a finger or a pen to bring the lower surface of the sheet material 3 into contact with the upper surface of the touch panel substrate 2). When this occurs, an input corresponding region 22 that contacts the sheet material 3 is formed.

As shown in FIGS. 1 and 2, a large number of small protrusions (shells) 23 are erected in the input corresponding region 22. In the plan view of the touch panel substrate 2, the large number of small protrusions 23 are regularly arranged in a lattice shape. In addition, the area of each small protrusion 23 is extremely small with respect to the input corresponding region 22 in a plan view of the touch panel substrate 2.
Further, the height of each small protrusion 23 is set to a dimension that is substantially equal to or lower than the thickness of the gas layer 8 described later. By providing these small projections 23 in the input corresponding region 22, it is possible to prevent excessive contact between the touch panel substrate 2 and the sheet material 3 during touch input.

Here, in the touch panel substrate 2 of the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1, the height of each small protrusion 23 is set to be smaller than the thickness of the gas layer 8, and there is a gap between the tip and the sheet material 3. Is formed. The height of each small protrusion 23 may be substantially equal to the thickness of the gas layer 8, and the tip of the small protrusion 23 may be in contact with the lower surface of the sheet material 3.
Such a large number of small protrusions 23 are preferably substantially transparent (colorless transparent, colored transparent, translucent). Thereby, when the touch panel device 1 is viewed from the input surface 331 side (that is, the upper side in FIG. 1), it is possible to suppress the small protrusion 23 from being visually recognized.

  The constituent material of each small protrusion 23 is not particularly limited, and examples thereof include resin materials such as acrylic resin, polyethylene terephthalate (PET), and polycarbonate (PC), and glass materials such as quartz glass and soda glass. It is done. Among these, it is preferable to use a glass material. Since glass is less likely to absorb surface acoustic waves than resin, by using glass as a constituent material of the small protrusions 23, absorption of surface acoustic waves by the small protrusions 23 can be suppressed. As a result, the surface acoustic wave can be efficiently propagated to the surface of the touch panel substrate 2. Further, it is possible to prevent erroneous detection in which the position of the small protrusion 23 is determined as the touch input position.

The small protrusions 23 made of a glass material can be formed integrally with the touch panel substrate 2, for example, by etching the glass substrate.
On the other hand, the frame portion 21 is provided with an X transmitter 41, a Y transmitter 42, an X receiver 43, a Y receiver 44, and reflection arrays 51 to 54.
The X transmitter 41 is provided in the vicinity of the corner portion of the touch panel substrate 2 located at the lower right in FIG. Such an X transmitter 41 generates a surface acoustic wave Wvx indicated by a dashed arrow in the X-axis direction shown in FIG. Specifically, the X transmitter 41 generates a surface acoustic wave Wvx by converting a bulk wave generated by vibrating a piezoelectric vibrator (not shown) into a surface wave in the X-axis direction.

  The Y transmitter 42 is provided near the corner portion of the touch panel substrate 2 located at the upper left in FIG. Such a Y transmitter 42 generates a surface acoustic wave Wvy indicated by a broken-line arrow in the Y-axis direction shown in FIG. Specifically, the Y transmitter 42 generates a surface acoustic wave Wby by converting a bulk wave generated by vibrating a piezoelectric vibrator (not shown) into a surface wave in the Y-axis direction.

The X receiver 43 detects the surface acoustic wave Wvx generated by the X transmitter 41. Similarly, the Y receiver 44 detects the surface acoustic wave Wvy generated by the Y transmitter 42. Such X receiver 43 and Y transmitter 42 are provided in the vicinity of the corner portion of the touch panel substrate 2 located at the upper right in FIG.
The X transmitter 41, the Y transmitter 42, the X receiver 43, and the Y receiver 44 as described above are electrically connected to the detection unit 6, respectively. The detection unit 6 will be described in detail later.

Further, as shown in FIG. 2, a reflective array 51 extending in the horizontal direction is provided below the frame portion 21. The reflective array 51 is an array of reflective elements 51a provided with an inclination of about 45 degrees with respect to the X axis. The reflection element 51a has a role of reflecting the surface acoustic wave Wvx generated by the operation of the X transmitter 41 and changing the propagation direction of the surface acoustic wave Wvx.
A reflective array 52 extending in the lateral direction is provided on the upper side of the frame portion 21 so as to correspond to the reflective array 51. The reflective array 52 is an array of reflective elements 52a provided with an inclination of about −45 degrees with respect to the X axis. The reflective element 52a has a role of reflecting the surface acoustic wave Wvx reflected by the reflective array 51 and changing the propagation direction of the surface acoustic wave Wvx.

Similarly, a reflective array 53 extending in the vertical direction is provided on the left side of the frame portion 21. The reflective array 53 is an array of reflective elements 53a provided with an inclination of about 45 degrees with respect to the Y axis. The reflection element 53a has a role of reflecting the surface acoustic wave Wvy generated by the operation of the Y transmitter 42 and changing the propagation direction of the surface acoustic wave Wvy.
A reflection array 54 extending in the vertical direction is provided on the right side of the frame portion 21 so as to correspond to the reflection array 53. The reflective array 54 is an array of reflective elements 54a provided with an inclination of about −45 degrees with respect to the Y axis. The reflective element 54a has a role of reflecting the surface acoustic wave Wvy reflected by the reflective array 53 and changing the propagation direction of the surface acoustic wave Wvy.

  If the role of the reflection arrays 51 to 54 is specifically described, the surface acoustic wave Wvx generated by the operation of the X transmitter 41 propagates in the X-axis direction and is directed toward the −Y-axis direction by the reflection array 51. It is done. The surface acoustic wave Wvx directed in the −Y-axis direction passes through the input corresponding region 22 as it is and enters the reflection array 52. The surface acoustic wave Wvx is detected by the X receiver 43 after being directed in the −X axis direction by the reflection array 52.

Here, since the surface acoustic wave Wvx incident on the reflection array 51 is reflected by the plurality of reflection elements 51a, the surface acoustic wave Wvx propagates in the −Y-axis direction on the input corresponding region 22 through a plurality of propagation paths (routes). It will be.
On the other hand, the surface acoustic wave Wvy generated by the operation of the Y transmitter 42 propagates in the Y-axis direction and is directed in the −X-axis direction by the reflection array 53. The surface acoustic wave Wvy directed in the −X-axis direction passes through the input corresponding region 22 as it is and enters the reflection array 54. The surface acoustic wave Wvy is detected by the Y receiver 44 after being directed in the −Y-axis direction by the reflection array 54.

Here, since the surface acoustic wave Wvy incident on the reflection array 53 is reflected by the plurality of reflection elements 53a, it propagates in the −X axis direction on the input corresponding region 22 through a plurality of propagation paths (routes). It will be.
On the upper surface side of the touch panel substrate 2 on which the X transmitter 41, the Y transmitter 42, the X receiver 43, the Y receiver 44, and the reflective arrays 51 to 54 as described above are arranged, a spacer member (sealing member) is provided. ) 7 is provided with a sheet material 3.

  The spacer member 7 is provided on the peripheral edge portion (the frame portion 21) of the touch panel substrate 2, and is formed over the entire area in the circumferential direction of the touch panel substrate 2. That is, the spacer portion 7 has an annular shape (frame shape), and the upper surface of the touch panel substrate 2, the lower surface of the sheet material 3, and the spacer member 7 define a sealed space. For this reason, it is possible to prevent foreign matter from adhering to the upper surface of the touch panel substrate 2, and to prevent erroneous detection of the touch input position. Even when the touch panel substrate 2 is broken, the sheet material 3 can prevent the fragments from being scattered.

In the present embodiment, the gas space 8 is formed by filling the sealed space with a gas such as air or an inert gas.
The height of the spacer member 7 (in other words, the thickness of the gas layer 8) is preferably 10 to 50 μm. By setting the thickness of the spacer member 7 within the above range, Newton's ring can be suitably prevented and touch input can be performed with an appropriate pressing force. That is, comfortable operability of the touch panel device 1 can be realized.
The constituent material of the spacer member 7 is not particularly limited, and for example, various resin materials such as an acrylic resin can be used.

  In the present embodiment, the spacer member 7 is described as being formed separately from the touch panel substrate 2 and the sheet material 3. However, the present invention is not limited to this, and is formed integrally with the sheet material 3, for example. The touch panel substrate 2 may be formed integrally with the touch panel substrate 2. Thus, by forming the spacer member 7 integrally with the touch panel substrate 2 or the sheet material 3, the number of parts of the touch panel device 1 can be reduced.

The sheet material 3 is spaced apart so as to face the touch panel substrate 2 through the spacer member 7 as described above.
The upper surface (that is, the surface opposite to the touch panel substrate 2) of the sheet material 3 constitutes an input surface 331 on which the user contacts an object such as an input device or a finger.
Such a sheet material 3 has flexibility, and when the input surface 331 is pressed, the pressed portion is partially bent and the portion comes into contact with the touch panel substrate 2. When the sheet material 3 comes into contact with the touch panel substrate 2, the surface acoustic waves Wvx and Wvy propagating on the surface of the touch panel substrate 2 (input corresponding region 22) are absorbed by the sheet material 3 at the contact portion, and the X receiver 43, Y A part of the signal received by the receiver 44 is lost. The touch panel device 1 is configured to detect a touch input position using such a signal loss. This detection method will be described in detail later.

As shown in FIG. 1, the sheet material 3 has a three-layer structure in which a first hard layer 31, a soft layer 32, and a second hard layer 33 are stacked in this order from the touch panel substrate 2 side to the input surface 331 side. I am doing.
Such sheet material 3 is preferably substantially transparent (colorless and transparent, colored and transparent, translucent). That is, it is preferable that the first hard layer 31, the soft layer 32, and the second hard layer 33 are substantially transparent (colorless transparent, colored transparent, and translucent), respectively. Thereby, the inside of the touch panel device 1 can be visually recognized through the sheet material 3.

The thickness of the sheet material 3 is preferably 100 μm to 2000 μm, although it varies depending on the size of the sheet material 3. Thereby, the mechanical strength of the sheet material 3 can be ensured while preventing an increase in the size (thickening) of the sheet material 3.
The soft layer 32 is made of a soft material, and each of the first hard layer 31 and the second hard layer 33 is made of a hard material that is harder than the soft material that forms the soft layer 32. By setting the sheet material 3 to such a configuration, it is possible to improve the sensitivity of touch input while ensuring the mechanical strength of the sheet material 3.

Hereinafter, each layer will be sequentially described.
The soft layer 32 has a function as a surface acoustic wave absorption layer that absorbs the surface acoustic waves Wvx and Wvy propagating through the touch panel substrate 2 at the time of touch input. The soft layer 32 has excellent flexibility and can efficiently absorb the surface acoustic waves Wvx and Wvy.
The

  When the average thickness of the soft layer 32 is T2 and the average thickness of the sheet material 3 is T1, T2 / T1 is preferably 0.2 to 0.5, preferably 0.2 to 0.4. More preferably. Accordingly, the surface acoustic waves Wvx and Wvy can be efficiently absorbed by the soft layer 32 while ensuring the mechanical strength of the sheet material 3. On the other hand, if T2 / T1 is less than the lower limit, the absorption efficiency of the surface acoustic waves Wvx and Wvy in the soft layer 32 may be significantly reduced depending on the thickness and the constituent material of the first hard layer 31. is there. On the other hand, when T2 / T1 exceeds the upper limit, depending on the constituent materials of the first hard layer 31 and the second hard layer 33, the mechanical strength of the sheet material 3 may be significantly reduced.

  The constituent material of the soft layer 32 is not particularly limited as long as it can absorb the surface acoustic waves Wvx and Wvy. Polyolefin resins such as polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene, polypropylene, ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer, and the like. , Polyamide resins, Polyethylene resins such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET), Polybutylene terephthalate, Polyurethane resins, Polystyrene resins, Polytetrafluoroethylene, Ethylene-tetrafluoroethylene copolymers, Polyimide resins Various types of flexible resins such as polyurethane-based thermoplastic elastomers, polyester-based thermoplastic elastomers, polyolefin-based thermoplastic elastomers, polyamide-based thermoplastic elastomers, polystyrene-based thermoplastic elastomers, Motokeinetsu thermoplastic elastomer, silicone rubber, of the various elastomers such as latex rubber can be used singly or in combination of two or more kinds. Among these, it is preferable to use various thermoplastic elastomers. Since the thermoplastic elastomer is particularly excellent in flexibility, the surface acoustic waves Wvx and Wvy can be more efficiently absorbed.

  Further, the loss coefficient tan δ of the soft layer 32 is preferably 0.1 or more under the condition that the excitation frequency is substantially equal to the frequency of the surface acoustic wave propagating through the touch panel substrate 2 at room temperature. More preferably, it is 5 or more. Thereby, the surface acoustic waves Wvx and Wvy propagating through the surface of the touch panel substrate 2 can be absorbed very efficiently by the soft layer 32 during touch input. As a result, in the surface acoustic waves Wvx and Wvy received by the X receiver 43 and the Y receiver 44, a change in intensity sufficient to detect the touch input position can be easily obtained, and the touch input position is highly sensitive. Can be detected with high accuracy.

  Here, the “loss factor tan δ” in the present specification is a ratio G ″ / G ′ of the storage shear modulus G ′ and the loss shear modulus G ″, and serves as an index of the damping performance of the material layer. It is. Here, the vibration damping is a phenomenon in which, when the material layer comes into contact with the vibrating solid surface, the vibration energy is converted into thermal energy, and the vibration of the solid surface is reduced (absorbed). The larger the value is, the easier it is to absorb the vibration of the solid surface and the better the damping performance. That is, the surface acoustic wave can be absorbed more efficiently as the loss coefficient tan δ of the soft layer 32 is larger.

  The Young's modulus of the constituent material of the soft layer 32 is preferably 0.1 to 0.5 GPa, and more preferably 0.1 to 0.3 GPa. If the soft layer 32 is made of a material that satisfies such conditions, the soft layer 32 can absorb surface acoustic waves Wvx and Wvy very efficiently. On the other hand, if the Young's modulus of the constituent material of the soft layer 32 is less than the lower limit value, depending on the thickness of the soft layer 32, the durability of the soft layer 32 cannot be ensured, and the soft layer 32 is damaged. Sometimes it ends up. On the other hand, if the Young's modulus of the constituent material of the soft layer 32 exceeds the upper limit, the absorption efficiency of the surface acoustic waves Wvx and Wvy in the soft layer 32 may be significantly reduced depending on the thickness of the soft layer 32 and the like. .

A first hard layer 31 is formed below the soft layer 32 as described above.
The first hard layer 31 is provided closest to the touch panel substrate 2 among the three layers constituting the sheet material 3. That is, the lower surface of the first hard layer 31 constitutes the lower surface of the sheet material 3. Therefore, at the time of touch input, the first hard layer 31 and the touch panel substrate 2 are in contact with each other.
Such a first hard layer 31 has a function as an adhesion preventing layer that prevents the sheet material 3 from adhering to the touch panel substrate 2 at the time of touch input. Accordingly, after the touch input, when the finger or the like is released from the input surface 331, the sheet material 3 is quickly separated from the touch panel substrate 2.

The first hard layer 31 also functions as a shape maintaining layer for maintaining the shape of the sheet material 3. Thereby, the bending of the sheet material 3 when the touch input is not performed can be suppressed. That is, when the touch input is not performed, the sheet material 3 can be prevented from coming into contact with the touch panel substrate 2 against the operator's will.
The first hard layer 31 also has a function of preventing the soft layer 32 from directly contacting the touch panel substrate 2. Thereby, damage to the soft layer 32 can be prevented.

  The first hard layer 31 is preferably bonded to the lower surface of the soft layer 32. Thereby, the reaction force (force in which the sheet material 3 tries to return to the neutral shape) generated when the sheet material 3 is pressed by a finger or the like can be increased. Therefore, after the touch input, when the finger or the like is released from the input surface 331, the sheet material 3 is separated from the touch panel substrate 2 more quickly. Further, since the first hard layer 31 and the soft layer 32 are bonded, the surface acoustic waves Wvx and Wxy can be efficiently absorbed by the soft layer 32 through the first hard layer 31. In addition, it does not specifically limit as a joining method of the 1st hard layer 31 and the soft layer 32, For example, you may join via a transparent adhesive agent.

  Moreover, when the average thickness of the first hard layer 31 is T3, T3 / T1 is preferably 0.1 to 0.3, and more preferably 0.1 to 0.2. Thereby, the surface acoustic waves Wvx and Wxy can be efficiently absorbed by the soft layer 32 while preventing the sheet material 3 from being bent when no touch input is performed. On the other hand, if T3 / T1 is less than the lower limit, depending on the thickness of the sheet material 3 and the constituent material of the first hard layer 31, the mechanical strength of the first hard layer 31 can be ensured. In some cases, the first hard layer 31 may be damaged. On the other hand, when T3 / T1 exceeds the upper limit value, depending on the thickness of the sheet material 3, the absorption efficiency of the surface acoustic wave in the soft layer 32 may be significantly reduced.

  The constituent material of the first hard layer 31 is not particularly limited as long as it is harder than the soft material constituting the soft layer 32. For example, polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and polybutylene terephthalate (PBT) are used. Polyester such as Polyester, Polyethylene, Polypropylene, Rigid polyvinyl chloride, Polyamide, Polyimide, Polystyrene, Thermoplastic polyurethane, Polycarbonate, ABS resin, Acrylic resin, Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), Polyacetal (PA), Polyarylate, Poly Oxymethylene (POM), high tensile polyvinyl alcohol, fluororesin, polyvinylidene fluoride (PVdF), polytetrafluoroethylene, ethylene-vinyl acetate saponified product (EVOH), polysulfone, polyether Examples include various resin materials such as ruphone, polyether ketone, polyphenylene oxide, polyphenylene sulfide or polymer alloy containing the same, various glass materials such as quartz glass and soda glass, and one or more of these materials. Can be used in combination.

Further, the first hard layer 31 preferably has releasability from the touch panel substrate 2. Thereby, adhesion with sheet material 3 and touch panel substrate 2 can be prevented more certainly. Among the constituent materials described above, the first hard layer 31 having excellent releasability can be formed by using a fluororesin or a glass material.
Moreover, it is preferable that the Young's modulus of the constituent material of the 1st hard layer 31 is 1.0-100 GPa, and it is more preferable that it is 10-100 GPa. As a result, the mechanical strength of the first hard layer 31 can be ensured, and it is possible to prevent the first hard layer 31 from being damaged due to contact with the touch panel substrate 2 during touch input. it can. On the other hand, when the Young's modulus of the constituent material of the first hard layer 31 is less than the lower limit value, the mechanical strength of the first hard layer 31 is ensured depending on the thickness of the first hard layer 31. In the case of touch input, the first hard layer 31 may be damaged due to contact with the touch panel substrate 2. On the other hand, if the Young's modulus of the constituent material of the first hard layer 31 exceeds the upper limit, the sheet material 3 becomes harder than necessary depending on the thickness of the first hard layer 31 and the like, and the touch panel device 1. The operability may deteriorate.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the Shore A hardness of the 1st hard layer 31 is 70-100, and it is more preferable that it is 80-100. Thereby, the mechanical strength of the sheet material 3 can be improved while giving the first hard layer 31 appropriate flexibility. On the other hand, when the Shore A hardness of the first hard layer 31 is less than the lower limit value, the first hard layer 31 contacts the touch panel substrate 2 at the time of touch input depending on the pressing force at the time of touch input. May cause damage. On the other hand, if the Shore A hardness of the first hard layer 31 exceeds the upper limit value, the sheet material 3 becomes harder than necessary, and the operability of the touch panel device 1 may be deteriorated.

On the other hand, the second hard layer 33 is provided closest to the input surface 331 among the three layers constituting the sheet material 3. That is, the upper surface of the second hard layer 33 forms the input surface 331. Therefore, at the time of touch input, the second hard layer is directly pressed by the operator, whereby the sheet material 3 comes into contact with the touch panel substrate 2.
The second hard layer 33 has a function of preventing the operator from directly touching the soft layer 32 at the time of touch input. Thereby, damage to the soft layer 32 can be prevented. Further, the mechanical strength of the sheet material 3 can be ensured. Further, the durability of the sheet material 3 can be improved.

Further, the second hard layer 33 has a function as a shape maintaining layer for maintaining the shape of the sheet material 3 together with the first hard layer 31. Thereby, the bending of the sheet material 3 when the touch input is not performed can be suppressed.
Such a second hard layer 33 is preferably bonded to the upper surface of the soft layer 32. Thereby, the reaction force (force in which the sheet material 3 tries to return to the neutral shape) generated when the sheet material 3 is pressed by a finger or the like can be increased. Therefore, after the touch input, when the finger or the like is released from the input surface 331, the sheet material 3 is separated from the touch panel substrate 2 more quickly. In addition, it does not specifically limit as a joining method of the 2nd hard layer 33 and the soft layer 32, For example, you may join via a transparent adhesive agent.

  The surface hardness of the second hard layer 33 (that is, the hardness of the input surface 331) is preferably 2H or more in terms of pencil hardness. Thereby, for example, even if the operator scratches the input surface 331 with the tip of a nail or a pen tip, it is possible to suppress the input surface 331 from being scratched. On the other hand, if the surface hardness of the second hard layer 33 is less than the above lower limit value, the input surface 331 is scratched, and the visibility and operability are different depending on the object in contact with the input surface 331. May be significantly reduced. In the present specification, “pencil hardness” is a value measured according to JIS-K5400.

  When the thickness of the second hard layer 33 is T4, T4 / T1 is preferably 0.3 to 0.7, and more preferably 0.5 to 0.6. Thereby, the separation distance between the input surface 331 and the soft layer 32 can be increased while ensuring the mechanical strength (that is, the thickness) of the soft layer 32 and the first hard layer 31. As a result, even when the input surface 331 is scratched during touch input, it is possible to effectively prevent the scratch from penetrating through the second hard layer 33 and reaching the soft layer 32. be able to. Thereby, breakage of the soft layer 32 can be prevented and the durability of the sheet material 3 can be improved. On the other hand, if T4 / T1 is less than the above lower limit value, depending on the constituent material of the second hard layer 33, scratches on the input surface 331 penetrate the second hard layer 33 during touch input. Thus, the soft layer 32 may be reached and the soft layer 32 may be damaged. On the other hand, when T4 / T1 exceeds the upper limit, depending on the constituent materials of the first hard layer 31 and the soft layer 32, the mechanical strength of the first hard layer 31 and the soft layer 32 cannot be ensured. The first hard layer and the soft layer 32 may be damaged.

Further, T4 is preferably thicker than T3. Thereby, the soft layer 32 can efficiently absorb the surface acoustic waves Wvx and Wxy, and the mechanical strength of the sheet material 3 can be improved.
Since the constituent material of the second hard layer 33 is the same as the constituent material of the first hard layer 31 described above, the description thereof is omitted.

  Moreover, it is preferable that the Young's modulus of the constituent material of the 2nd hard layer 33 is 1.0-100 GPa, and it is more preferable that it is 10-100 GPa. Thereby, the mechanical strength of the sheet material 3 can be further improved. On the other hand, if the Young's modulus of the constituent material of the second hard layer 33 is less than the lower limit, the shape of the sheet material 3 may be changed depending on the thickness of the second hard layer 33 and the first hard layer 31. It may not be possible to maintain. That is, the sheet material 3 may come into contact with the touch panel substrate 2 against the will of the operator. On the other hand, when the Young's modulus of the constituent material of the second hard layer 33 exceeds the upper limit value, the sheet material 3 becomes harder than necessary depending on the thickness of the second hard layer 33 and the like, and the touch panel device 1. In some cases (ie, excessive pressing force is required for touch input).

Further, the Shore A hardness of the second hard layer 33 is preferably 70 to 100, and more preferably 80 to 100. Thereby, the mechanical strength of the sheet material 3 can be improved while giving the second hard layer 33 appropriate flexibility. On the other hand, when the Shore A hardness of the second hard layer 33 is less than the lower limit, depending on the thickness of the first hard layer 31, the shape of the sheet material 3 may not be maintained. . On the other hand, if the Shore A hardness of the second hard layer 33 exceeds the upper limit, the sheet material 3 becomes harder than necessary depending on the thickness of the first hard layer 31, and the touch panel device 1. The operability may deteriorate.
The sheet material 3 has been described above. The contact position between the sheet material 3 and the touch panel substrate 2, that is, the touch position is detected by the detection unit 6.

The detection unit 6 detects the X coordinate and the Y coordinate of the touch position based on the intensity of the received signal of the surface acoustic wave Wvx received by the X receiver 43 and the intensity of the received signal of Wvy received by the Y receiver. Is configured to do.
As shown in FIG. 3, the detection unit 6 includes a CPU 601, a transmission unit 602 that outputs a drive signal to each of the X transmitter 41 and the Y transmitter 42 according to a command from the CPU 601, an X receiver 43, and a Y receiver. 44, a reception unit 603 to which a reception signal is input, an amplifier 604 for amplifying the signal input to the reception unit 603, a detector 605 for detecting the signal amplified by the amplifier 604, and a detection by the detector 605 And an A / D converter 606 that converts the analog signal into a digital signal and quantizes it.

Furthermore, the detection unit 6 includes a ROM 607 that stores a threshold for determining whether or not there is a touch input, a second RAM 609 that stores a “reference value” that will be described later, and a first RAM 608 that stores a “measurement value” that will be described later. A determination unit 610 that compares the measured value with a reference value to determine a touch position, and a communication unit 611 that outputs the touch position determined by the determination unit 610 are provided.
Here, the “reference value” refers to A / D conversion of the received signals of the surface acoustic waves Wvx and Wvy received by the receiving unit 603 without pressing the sheet material 3 as preparation for use (calibration) of the touch panel. This is the value quantized by the device 606.

The surface acoustic waves Wvx and Wvy propagating on the touch panel substrate 2 are attenuated when passing through the position where the sheet material 3 is in contact as described above, but are also attenuated when passing through the small protrusions 23. For this reason, even at the position of the small protrusion 23, a missing reception signal occurs as shown in FIG. Therefore, as described above, by measuring the reference value in advance and storing it in the second RAM 609, it is possible to grasp the lack of the received signal at the small protrusion 23.
The “measured value” is a value obtained by quantizing the reception signals of the surface acoustic waves Wvx and Wvy received by the receiving unit 603 by the A / D converter 606 during touch input.

  Specifically, as shown in FIG. 4A, when the operator touches (presses) the input surface 331 of the sheet material 3 with a finger or the like, the sheet material 3 at the touch input position bends and the input on the touch panel substrate 2 is performed. Contact the corresponding region 22. Then, the surface acoustic waves Wvx and Wvy propagating on the input corresponding region 22 are absorbed and attenuated by the sheet material 3 when passing through the contact portion with the sheet material 3. For this reason, as shown in FIG. 4B, in the signal (measured value) received by the X receiver 44, a missing portion of the signal due to the touch occurs.

  The determination unit 610 compares the missing part of the measurement value with the part corresponding to the missing part in the reference value, and determines whether or not the difference exceeds the threshold value. If the difference exceeds the threshold value, the X coordinate of the touch input position is specified by measuring the time Tg from when the X receiver 44 detects the received signal until the missing portion occurs. To do. The same applies to the case where the Y coordinate of the touch input position is specified.

When the difference does not exceed the threshold, the determination unit 610 does not specify the X coordinate of the touch input position. That is, it is not determined that touch input has been performed. Thus, by providing the threshold value, erroneous detection of the touch position can be prevented.
As described above, the detection unit 6 detects the XY coordinates of the touch input position based on the surface acoustic wave Wvx detected by the X receiver 43 and the surface acoustic wave Wvy detected by the Y receiver 44. .
The XY coordinates of the touch position determined by the determination unit 610 are output from the communication unit 611.

Next, an example of a usage method (action) of the touch panel device 1 as described above will be described.
6A and 6B are diagrams for explaining a method of using the touch panel device illustrated in FIG. 1, in which FIG. 6A is a schematic diagram illustrating a state in which touch input is performed on the touch panel device, and FIG. A graph showing a time-dependent change (namely, reference value) of the strength of the surface acoustic wave in a state where the sheet material is not applied and a time-dependent change (namely, measured value) of the strength of the surface acoustic wave when the sheet material is pressed c) is a graph showing the difference obtained by subtracting the reference value from the measured value.

  [1] As a use preparation (calibration) operation of the touch panel device 1, a reception signal of a surface acoustic wave is measured without pressing the sheet material 3. First, a surface acoustic wave is transmitted onto the touch panel substrate 2, and a surface acoustic wave attenuated at the position of the small protrusion 23 is received and input to the detection unit 6. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 6B, a reference value 91 in which the signal intensity at the position of the small protrusion 23 is reduced is generated. This reference value 91 is stored in the second RAM 609 shown in FIG.

  [2] Next, touch input is performed on the touch panel device 1, and the touch input position is detected. First, a surface acoustic wave is transmitted onto the touch panel substrate 2 shown in FIG. Then, by pressing the input surface 331 with a finger or the like, the sheet material 3 is brought into contact with the touch panel substrate 2, and the surface acoustic wave is absorbed by the soft layer 32 of the sheet material 3. Thereby, the surface acoustic wave propagating through the touch panel substrate 2 is attenuated. The surface acoustic wave is received and input to the detection unit 6. Thereby, as shown in FIG. 6B, a measurement value 92 in which the signal intensity at each of the position of the small protrusion 23 and the touch input position is reduced is generated. Then, this measured value 92 is stored in the first RAM 608 shown in FIG.

  [3] Next, the determination unit 610 in the detection unit 6 reads the reference value from the second RAM 609 and reads the measurement value from the first RAM 608 to calculate the difference 97 between the two as shown in FIG. At the touch input position, the reference value 91 has no decrease in reception intensity, and only the reception intensity of the measurement value 92 has decreased, so a relatively large difference 97 has occurred. On the other hand, at the position of the small protrusion 23, the reception intensity of both the reference value 91 and the measurement value 92 is equally reduced, so the difference 97 is almost zero.

  Next, the determination unit 610 compares the difference 97 shown in FIG. 6C with a threshold value 96 registered in the ROM 607 in advance. When the difference 97 exceeds the threshold value 96, the position is detected as a touch input position. If a value larger than the noise level superimposed on the reference value or the measurement value is set as the threshold value 96, erroneous detection of the touch input position can be reduced.

<First Embodiment of Electro-Optical Device>
Next, an electro-optical device equipped with the touch panel device of the present invention will be described by taking a case where the display device is a liquid crystal display device as an example.
FIG. 7 is a longitudinal sectional view showing the electro-optical device according to the first embodiment of the invention, and FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of the liquid crystal device included in the electro-optical device shown in FIG. In the following description, the upper side of FIGS. 7 and 8 is referred to as “upper” and the lower side is referred to as “lower”.

The electro-optical device 10 includes a liquid crystal device 101 and the touch panel device 1 shown in FIG.
In the liquid crystal device 101, a pair of a lower substrate 100 and an upper substrate 200 made of a transparent material such as glass are disposed to face each other. Spacers (not shown) are arranged between the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200, and the distance between them is maintained at, for example, about 5 μm. In addition, the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200 are joined at the periphery by a sealing member 300 made of an adhesive such as a thermosetting type or an ultraviolet curable type.

  As shown in FIG. 8, a part of the sealing member 300 is provided with a liquid crystal injection port 320 protruding outward from each of the lower substrate 100 and the upper substrate 200. A liquid crystal material such as STN (Super Twisted Nematic) liquid crystal is sealed in the space surrounded by the lower substrate 100, the upper substrate 200, and the sealing member 300 from the liquid crystal injection port 320. After the liquid crystal is injected, the liquid crystal injection port 320 is sealed with a sealing material 310.

  On the inner surface of the lower substrate 100, common electrodes 120 made of a transparent conductive material such as ITO are formed in stripes. A segment electrode 220 made of a transparent conductive material such as ITO is formed in a stripe shape on the inner surface of the upper substrate 200. The segment electrode 220 and the common electrode 120 are arranged so as to be orthogonal to each other, and the vicinity of the intersection is a pixel of the liquid crystal device.

On the other hand, an incident side polarizing plate 180 is disposed outside the lower substrate 100, and an exit side polarizing plate 280 is disposed outside the upper substrate 200. The incident side polarizing plate 180 and the outgoing side polarizing plate 280 are arranged so that their transmission axes intersect at a predetermined angle (for example, about 90 °). Further, the backlight 20 is disposed outside the incident side polarizing plate 180.
On the other hand, the lower substrate 100 is extended to the side of the upper substrate 200, and the common electrode 120 is extended to the extended portion 110. A wiring pattern 130 for connecting the liquid crystal device 10 to another substrate is formed at the tip of the overhang portion 110. A driving IC 380 for driving the common electrode 120 based on a signal from another substrate is mounted between the wiring pattern 130 and the common electrode 120. Similarly, an overhanging portion 210 is formed on the upper substrate 200, and a segment electrode 220 is extended to the overhanging portion 210, and a driving IC 390 for driving the segment electrode 220 is mounted thereon.

  As shown in FIG. 7, on the inner surface of the lower substrate 100, the red (R), green (G), and blue (B) color material layers 160 </ b> R and 160 </ b> G constituting the color filter corresponding to the plurality of pixels 40. 160B are formed. A light shielding film 150 is formed between the color material layers 160R, 160G, and 160B to prevent light leakage from the adjacent pixels 40. Further, a planarizing film (protective film) 170 is formed on the surface of each of the color material layers 160R, 160G, 160B and the light shielding film 150, and the common electrode 120 is formed on the surface of the planarizing film 170. On the surface of the common electrode 120, an alignment film 140 that regulates the alignment state of the liquid crystal when no electric field is applied is formed.

  On the other hand, a segment electrode 220 is formed on the inner surface of the upper substrate 200. On the surface of the segment electrode 220, an alignment film 240 for regulating the alignment state of the liquid crystal when no voltage is applied is formed. Note that the alignment films 140 and 240 are arranged such that the alignment direction of the liquid crystal by the alignment film 240 of the upper substrate 200 and the alignment direction of the liquid crystal by the alignment film 140 of the lower substrate 100 intersect at a predetermined angle (for example, about 90 °). Is formed.

  When the light from the backlight 20 enters the incident side polarizing plate 180, only linearly polarized light along the transmission axis of the incident side polarizing plate 180 is transmitted through the incident side polarizing plate 180. The linearly polarized light transmitted through the incident side polarizing plate 180 rotates in accordance with the alignment state of the liquid crystal when no electric field is applied in the process of transmitting through the liquid crystal layer 350 sandwiched between the substrates 100 and 200. Of the linearly polarized light that has passed through the liquid crystal layer 350, only the component that matches the transmission axis of the exit-side polarizing plate 280 passes through the exit-side polarizing plate 280.

  In addition, when a data signal is supplied to one of the common electrode 120 or the segment electrode 220 and a scanning signal is supplied to the other, a voltage is applied to the liquid crystal layer 350 disposed in the pixel 40 at the intersection of the electrodes 120 and 220. Is done. The alignment state of the liquid crystal molecules changes according to the voltage level, and the optical rotation angle of the linearly polarized light incident on the liquid crystal layer 350 is adjusted. As a result, the light transmittance is controlled for each pixel 40 of the liquid crystal device 10 and image display is performed.

In this electro-optical device 10, the touch panel device 1 shown in FIG. 1 is mounted on the liquid crystal device 101 configured as described above.
In the touch panel device 1, the lower surface of the touch panel substrate 2 is bonded to the upper surface of the emission-side polarizing plate 280 of the liquid crystal device 101 via the adhesive 90 and the liquid crystal device 101 is based on the detected touch input position data. Is electrically connected to the liquid crystal device 101 so that the driving of is controlled.

<Second Embodiment of Electro-Optical Device>
Next, a second embodiment of the electro-optical device according to the invention will be described.
FIG. 9 is a longitudinal sectional view showing a second embodiment of the electro-optical device of the invention.
Hereinafter, the electro-optical device according to the second embodiment will be described with a focus on differences from the first embodiment, and description of similar matters will be omitted.

In the electro-optical device 10A of the second embodiment, the emission-side polarizing plate 280 of the liquid crystal device 101 is omitted, and the second hard layer 33 of the touch panel device 1 is used as a polarizing plate, except for the first embodiment. The same as the electro-optical device.
The electro-optical device according to the second embodiment can provide the same operations and effects as those of the electro-optical device according to the first embodiment. Furthermore, in the electro-optical device of the second embodiment, the polarizing plate (second hard layer 33) is shared by the touch panel device 1 and the liquid crystal device 101, thereby reducing the number of parts and making the device thinner. be able to.

<Electronic equipment>
Next, an electronic apparatus (liquid crystal display device) of the present invention including the electro-optical devices 10 and 10A as described above will be described based on the embodiment shown in FIG.
FIG. 10 is a perspective view showing a configuration of a mobile phone (including PHS) to which the electronic apparatus of the invention is applied.
In this figure, a cellular phone 1200 includes the above-described electro-optical device 10 (10A) and a backlight (not shown) as well as a plurality of operation buttons 1202, an earpiece 1204, and a mouthpiece 1206.

  In addition to the mobile phone shown in FIG. 10, the electronic device of the present invention may be, for example, a personal computer (mobile personal computer), a digital still camera, a projection display device, a television, a video camera, a viewfinder type, or a monitor direct view. Type video tape recorder, car navigation device, pager, electronic notebook (including communication function), electronic dictionary, calculator, electronic game machine, word processor, workstation, video phone, security TV monitor, electronic binoculars, POS terminal, Equipment equipped with a touch panel (for example, cash dispenser of a financial institution, automatic ticket vending machine), medical equipment (for example, electronic thermometer, blood pressure monitor, blood glucose meter, electrocardiogram display device, ultrasonic diagnostic device, endoscope display device), fish school Detectors, various measuring instruments, instruments (eg, vehicles, aircraft, ships) Instruments), such as flight simulators, and the like. And it cannot be overemphasized that the touch panel device of the present invention mentioned above is applicable as a display part and a monitor part of these various electronic devices.

As described above, the touch panel device, the electro-optical device, and the electronic apparatus according to the invention have been described based on the illustrated embodiment, but the invention is not limited thereto. For example, in the touch panel device, the electro-optical device, and the electronic apparatus of the present invention, the configuration of each unit can be replaced with any configuration that exhibits the same function, and any configuration can be added. .
In the above-described embodiment, the sheet material has been described as having a three-layer structure. However, the sheet material may have at least a two-layer structure of a soft layer and a hard layer. That is, it may be a two-layer structure of (1) a soft layer and a hard layer provided on the lower side (touch panel substrate side) of the soft layer, or (2) provided on the upper side of the soft layer and the soft layer. It may be a two-layer structure with the obtained hard layer, (3) two or more soft layers may be provided, or (4) three or more hard layers may be provided.

It is a schematic sectional drawing which shows embodiment of the touchscreen apparatus of this invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view of the touch panel device shown in FIG. 1. It is a block diagram of the control part with which the touch panel device shown in Drawing 1 is provided. It is a figure for demonstrating the intensity change of the surface acoustic wave in a touch input position. It is a figure for demonstrating the intensity | strength change of the surface acoustic wave in the position of a small protrusion. It is a figure for demonstrating the usage method of the touch-panel apparatus shown in FIG. 1 is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating a first embodiment of an electro-optical device according to the invention. FIG. 8 is an exploded perspective view of a liquid crystal device included in the electro-optical device shown in FIG. 7. 6 is a longitudinal sectional view illustrating a second embodiment of the electro-optical device according to the invention. FIG. It is a perspective view which shows the structure of the mobile telephone (PHS is also included) to which the electronic device of this invention is applied.

Explanation of symbols

  DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 ... Touch panel device 2 ... Touch panel substrate 21 ... Frame part 22 ... Input corresponding area 23 ... Small protrusion 3 ... Sheet material 31 ... 1st hard layer 32 ... Soft layer 33 ... 2nd Hard layer 331 ... Input surface 41 ... X transmitter 42 ... Y transmitter 43 ... X receiver 44 ... Y receiver 51, 52, 53, 54 ... Reflection array 51a, 52a, 53a, 54a ... ... Reflection element 6... Detection unit 601... CPU 602... Transmission unit 603... Reception unit 604... Amplifier 605. 2nd RAM 610 ... Judgment part 611 ... Communication means 7 ... Spacer member (sealing member) 8 ... Gas layer 91 ... Reference value 92 ... Measurement value 96 ... Threshold value 97 ... Difference 0, 10A: Electro-optical device 101: Liquid crystal device 20: Backlight 40 ... Pixel 90 ... Adhesive 100 ... Lower substrate 110 ... Overhang 120 ... Common electrode 130 ... Wiring pattern 140 ... Alignment film 150 .. Light shielding film 160 R, 160 G, 160 B... Color material layer 170... Flattening film 180 .. Incident side polarizing plate 200 .. Upper substrate 210. 280... Output side polarizing plate 300... Sealing member 310... Sealing material 320... Liquid crystal inlet 350... Liquid crystal layer 380 390... Driving IC 1200. ... earpiece 1206 ... mouthpiece

Claims (15)

A touch panel substrate that propagates surface acoustic waves;
A transmitter for propagating the surface acoustic wave to the touch panel substrate;
A receiver for receiving the surface acoustic wave propagated through the touch panel substrate;
A flexible sheet material that has an input surface and is spaced apart from the touch panel substrate such that the surface opposite the input surface faces the touch panel substrate;
Based on the intensity of the surface acoustic wave received by the receiver, a detection unit that detects a contact position between the sheet material and the touch panel substrate,
The sheet material has a soft layer made of a soft material and at least one hard layer made of a hard material harder than the soft material,
The touch panel device is configured such that the pressed portion of the sheet material is partially bent by the pressing of the input surface by an object, and the portion is in contact with the touch panel substrate.   The touch panel device according to claim 1, wherein a loss coefficient tan δ of the soft layer is 0.1 or more.   The touch panel device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the hard layers is provided closest to the touch panel substrate.   The touch panel device according to claim 3, wherein the hard layer provided closest to the touch panel substrate is bonded to a surface of the soft layer on the touch panel substrate.   The touch panel device according to claim 3, wherein the hard layer provided closest to the touch panel substrate has releasability from the touch panel substrate.   The touch panel device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the hard layers is provided closest to the input surface.   The touch panel device according to claim 6, wherein the hard layer provided closest to the input surface is bonded to a surface of the soft layer on the input surface side.   The touch panel device according to claim 6 or 7, wherein a surface hardness of the hard layer provided closest to the input surface is 2H or more in pencil hardness. The hard layer is provided in a pair so as to sandwich the soft layer,
9. The thickness of the hard layer provided on the input surface side of the pair of hard layers is thicker than the thickness of the hard layer provided on the touch panel substrate side. Touch panel device.   The touch panel device according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein T2 / T1 is 0.2 to 0.5, where T1 is an average thickness of the sheet material and T2 is an average thickness of the soft layer. .   The touch panel device according to claim 1, wherein at least one of the hard layers is a polarizing plate.   The plurality of small protrusions are erected on a surface of the touch panel substrate facing the sheet material at a height equal to or less than a separation distance between the touch panel substrate and the sheet material. The touch panel device described.   The touch panel device according to claim 12, wherein each small protrusion is mainly made of glass.   It has a display device in which a plurality of pixels are arranged and a touch panel device arranged on the display side of the display device, and the touch panel device is the touch panel device according to any one of claims 1 to 13. Electro-optical device characterized.   An electronic apparatus comprising the electro-optical device according to claim 14.

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