JP2010282394A - Touch panel - Google Patents

Abstract

An object of the present invention is to provide a touch panel used in various electronic devices with a simple configuration and capable of reliable operation.
At least one of the upper conductive layer 12 on the lower surface of the upper substrate 11 or the lower conductive layer 15 on the upper surface of the lower substrate 14 is formed into a plurality of substantially strips at a predetermined interval, and the upper conductive layer 12 or the lower layer of the substantially strips is formed. By arranging a plurality of dot spacers 13 between the conductive layers 15, when the upper surface of the upper substrate 11 is pressed with a finger, it is pressed by the end of the finger or the like, and the unstable contact of the portion where the pressing force is weak Therefore, it is possible to obtain a touch panel capable of reliably performing various operations with a simple configuration without the need for complicated arithmetic processing in an electronic circuit.
[Selection] Figure 1

Description

  The present invention relates to a touch panel used mainly for operating various electronic devices.

  In recent years, as various electronic devices such as mobile phones and electronic cameras have become highly functional and diversified, a light-transmissive touch panel is mounted on the front surface of a display element such as a liquid crystal display element, and the display element on the back side is attached through this touch panel. There are an increasing number of devices that switch various functions of a device by pressing the touch panel with a finger, a pen, or the like while viewing the display, and there is a demand for devices that can perform various and reliable operations.

  Such a conventional touch panel will be described with reference to FIGS.

  These drawings are partially enlarged in size for easy understanding of the configuration.

  FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional touch panel. In FIG. 5, reference numeral 1 denotes a film-shaped and light-transmitting upper substrate, and a lower surface having a substantially band-shaped light-transmitting upper conductive layer such as indium tin oxide. 2 are formed at predetermined intervals.

  Reference numeral 3 denotes a light-transmitting lower substrate such as glass, and a light-transmitting lower conductive layer 4 such as indium tin oxide is formed on the upper surface thereof in a substantially rectangular shape.

  A plurality of upper electrodes (not shown) are formed at the front end or rear end of the upper conductive layer 2, and a pair of lower electrodes (not shown) are formed at the front end and rear end of the lower conductive layer 4, respectively. Yes.

  Further, reference numeral 5 denotes a substantially frame-like spacer formed on the inner periphery of the outer periphery between the upper substrate 1 and the lower substrate 3, and the upper substrate is coated with an adhesive (not shown) formed on the upper and lower surfaces or one surface of the spacer 5. The touch panel is configured such that the outer periphery of 1 and the lower substrate 3 are bonded together, and the upper conductive layer 2 and the lower conductive layer 4 face each other with a predetermined gap.

  The touch panel thus configured is arranged on the front surface of a display element such as a liquid crystal display element and attached to an electronic device, and a plurality of upper electrodes and a pair of lower electrodes are connected to an electronic circuit (not shown) of the device. ) Is electrically connected.

  In the above configuration, when the upper surface of the upper substrate 1 is pressed with a finger in accordance with the display on the display element on the back of the touch panel, the upper substrate 1 is bent and the upper conductive portion is pressed as shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. Layer 2, for example, upper conductive layer 2 </ b> A or 2 </ b> B is in contact with lower conductive layer 4.

  At this time, a predetermined voltage is applied from the electronic circuit to the lower electrode at the front and rear ends of the lower conductive layer 4, and the position in the front-rear direction pressed by the voltage detected from the upper electrode of the upper conductive layer 2 A or 2 B is determined. The electronic circuit detects it.

  At the same time, the upper conductive layers 2A and 2B in which this voltage is detected are, for example, the second and third from the right of the plurality of upper conductive layers 2, so that the electronic circuit detects the position in the left-right direction. The pressed positions in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction are detected.

  That is, when, for example, a plurality of menus and the like are displayed on the display element on the back surface of the touch panel, when the upper surface of the upper substrate 1 on the desired menu is pressed, the electronic circuit detects the operated position, and a plurality of menus are detected. The desired menu is selected from among the menu items.

  As prior art document information related to the invention of this application, for example, Patent Document 1 is known.

JP 2007-310440 A

  However, in the above-described conventional touch panel, when the upper surface of the upper substrate 1 is pressed with a finger, the upper conductive layers 2A and 2B pressed at the center of the finger are reliably applied to the lower conductive layer 4 as shown in FIG. The upper conductive layer 2C that is in contact but pressed at the end of the finger has a weak pressing force, and the contact with the lower conductive layer 4 becomes unstable. In order to prevent this, there has been a problem that complicated arithmetic processing in an electronic circuit is required.

  The present invention solves such a conventional problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a touch panel that can be reliably operated with a simple configuration.

  In order to achieve the above object, according to the present invention, at least one of the upper conductive layer on the lower surface of the upper substrate or the lower conductive layer on the lower surface of the lower substrate is formed into a plurality of substantially band shapes at predetermined intervals. Alternatively, a plurality of dot spacers are arranged between the lower conductive layers to form a touch panel, and the end of the finger is formed by a dot spacer arranged in a substantially band shape between the plurality of upper conductive layers or the lower conductive layers. It is possible to prevent unstable contact of the upper conductive layer or lower conductive layer where the pressing force is weak and prevent complicated calculation processing in the electronic circuit and various operations with a simple configuration. It has the effect | action that the touch panel which can perform reliably can be obtained.

  As described above, according to the present invention, an advantageous effect that a touch panel that can be reliably operated with a simple configuration can be realized.

Sectional drawing of the touchscreen by one embodiment of this invention Exploded perspective view Sectional view during pressing operation Exploded perspective view according to another embodiment Cross-sectional view of a conventional touch panel Sectional view during pressing operation

  Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to FIGS.

  These drawings are partially enlarged in size for easy understanding of the configuration.

(Embodiment)
FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a touch panel according to an embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is an exploded perspective view thereof, and 11 is a light-transmitting upper substrate such as polyethylene terephthalate, polyethersulfone, and polycarbonate. On the lower surface, a plurality of upper conductive layers 12 having a thickness of about 20 nm and a width of about 0.3 to 2 mm and having a substantially band shape and light transmittance such as indium tin oxide and tin oxide are formed by a sputtering method or the like. It is formed in the front-rear direction at intervals of about 4 mm.

  And between these substantially strip-shaped upper conductive layers 12, it is lower than the upper conductive layer 12 having a diameter of about 20 to 200 μm and a height of about 0.5 to 5 μm by an insulating resin such as epoxy or silicone. A plurality of protruding dot spacers 13 are arranged at predetermined intervals.

  Reference numeral 14 denotes a light-transmitting lower substrate such as glass, acrylic, or polycarbonate, and a light-transmitting lower conductive layer 15 such as indium tin oxide or tin oxide is formed on the upper surface by a sputtering method or the like. Has been.

  A plurality of upper electrodes 16 such as silver and carbon are formed at the front end or rear end of the upper conductive layer 12, and a pair of lower electrodes 17A and 17B are formed at the front end and rear end of the lower conductive layer 15, respectively. Yes.

  Furthermore, 18 is a spacer such as polyester, epoxy, and nonwoven fabric, and is formed in a substantially frame shape on the inner peripheral edge between the upper substrate 11 and the lower substrate 14, and acrylic or coating applied to the upper and lower surfaces or one surface of the spacer 18. The outer periphery of the upper substrate 11 and the lower substrate 14 is bonded by an adhesive (not shown) such as rubber, and the plurality of upper conductive layers 12 and the lower conductive layers 15 are opposed to each other with a predetermined gap therebetween. Is configured.

  The touch panel thus configured is disposed on the front surface of a display element such as a liquid crystal display element and attached to an electronic device, and a plurality of upper electrodes 16 and a pair of lower electrodes 17A and 17B are electronic circuits of the device. (Not shown) is electrically connected.

  In the above configuration, according to the display of the display element on the back surface of the touch panel, as shown in the cross-sectional views of FIGS. The upper conductive layer 12 where the upper substrate 11 is bent and pressed, for example, the upper conductive layers 12A and 12B come into contact with the lower conductive layer 15.

  At this time, when a voltage is applied from the electronic circuit to the front and rear ends of the lower conductive layer 15, and a voltage of 5 V is applied to the lower electrodes 17A and 17B, for example, the upper electrode 16 from the upper conductive layers 12A and 12B Since a voltage of around 2 V is detected, the electronic circuit detects the position in the front-rear direction pressed by this voltage.

  At the same time, the upper conductive layers 12A and 12B in which this voltage is detected are, for example, the second and third from the right among the plurality of upper conductive layers 12, and the electronic circuit detects the position in the left-right direction. The pressed positions in the front-rear direction and the left-right direction are detected.

  That is, when, for example, a plurality of menus are displayed on the display element on the back surface of the touch panel, when the upper surface of the upper substrate 11 on the desired menu is pressed, it is detected from the upper conductive layers 12A and 12B as described above. The electronic circuit detects the position in the front-rear direction according to the voltage, and the position in the left-right direction depending on the number of the voltage, and a desired menu is selected from a plurality of menus.

  At this time, a plurality of dot spacers 13 projecting downward from the upper conductive layer 12 as described above are arranged at predetermined intervals between the substantially strip-shaped upper conductive layers 12. The upper conductive layer 12C, which is pressed not at the center of the finger but at the end of the finger as in the conductive layers 12A and 12B and has a weak pressing force, is prevented from unstablely contacting the lower conductive layer 15, and Complex arithmetic processing in an electronic circuit for preventing erroneous detection is unnecessary.

  That is, the upper conductive layer 12 on the lower surface of the upper substrate 11 is formed in a plurality of substantially strips at a predetermined interval, and a plurality of dot spacers 13 are arranged between the substantially strip-shaped upper conductive layers 12, thereby The upper conductive layer 12C, which is pressed at the end or the like and has a weak pressing force, is prevented from unstable contact with the lower conductive layer 15, and the operation position can be reliably detected with a simple configuration. ing.

  In the above description, the structure in which the upper conductive layer 12 on the lower surface of the upper substrate 11 is formed in a plurality of substantially strip shapes has been described. However, the upper conductive layer 12 is formed in a substantially rectangular shape and the lower conductive layer on the upper surface of the lower substrate 14. The present invention can be implemented with the configuration in which the plurality of dot spacers 13 are arranged between the lower conductive layers 15 and the same effect can be obtained even if the 15 is formed in a plurality of substantially strip shapes.

  Further, a plurality of dot spacers 13 may be formed on the substantially rectangular lower conductive layer 15 and the upper conductive layer 12 facing the space between the upper conductive layer 12 and the lower conductive layer 15 in a substantially band shape.

  Furthermore, by forming one of the upper conductive layer 12 on the lower surface of the upper substrate 11 or the lower conductive layer 15 on the upper surface of the lower substrate 14 in a substantially rectangular shape and the other in a plurality of substantially band shapes, A plurality of pressed positions can be detected.

  That is, for example, in FIGS. 2 and 3, the position of the arrow A on the right front portion of the upper surface of the upper substrate 11 is pressed and the upper conductive layer 12 </ b> A is kept in contact with the lower conductive layer 15. When the left rear arrow B is pressed, this portion of the upper substrate 11 is also bent, and the upper conductive layer 12D is in contact with the lower conductive layer 15.

  At this time, when a voltage of, for example, 5V is applied from the electronic circuit to the lower electrodes 17A and 17B at the front and rear ends of the lower conductive layer 15, the upper conductive layer 12A has a voltage of about 2V and the upper conductive layer 12D has a voltage of 4V, for example. Since the front and rear voltages are respectively detected, the electronic circuit detects the positions of the upper conductive layers 12A and 12D in the front-rear direction where the pressing operation is performed.

  At the same time, the upper conductive layers 12A and 12D in which this voltage is detected are, for example, that the upper conductive layer 12A is the second one from the right and the upper conductive layer 12D is the second one from the left among the plurality of upper conductive layers 12. The electronic circuit detects these horizontal positions.

  That is, one of the upper conductive layer 12 and the lower conductive layer 15 is formed in a plurality of substantially strips, and the position in the front-rear direction is detected by the voltage of the upper conductive layer 12A, 12D, etc., and the position in the left-right direction is detected depending on the number of this. By doing so, a plurality of pressed positions can be detected.

  Furthermore, as shown in the exploded perspective view of FIG. 4, the present invention can be implemented even when both the upper conductive layer 12 on the lower surface of the upper substrate 11 and the lower conductive layer 15 on the upper surface of the lower substrate 14 are formed in a plurality of substantially strip shapes. Is possible.

  In other words, in the same figure, a plurality of upper conductive layers 12 having a substantially strip shape are formed in the front-rear direction on the lower surface of the upper substrate 11 as described above, and a plurality of lower conductive layers having the same substantially strip shape on the upper surface of the lower substrate 14. 15 are formed in the left-right direction perpendicular to the upper conductive layer 12.

  In addition, a plurality of dot spacers 13 are arranged at a predetermined interval between the substantially strip-shaped upper conductive layers 12, and the rear end portion of the upper conductive layer 12 is covered with a lower conductive layer 15 by a resistance layer 19 such as carbon. The left end portions are connected by a resistance layer 20.

  When both the upper conductive layer 12 and the lower conductive layer 15 are formed in a plurality of substantially strip shapes in this way, the interval between the plurality of dot spacers 13 between the upper conductive layers 12 is the same as the interval between the lower conductive layers 15. The same dimensions are formed.

  Although the present invention can be implemented as a configuration in which the resistance layers 19 and 20 are eliminated and a voltage is sequentially applied to each of the plurality of upper conductive layers 12 and lower conductive layers 15 to detect the pressed position, In this case, since it is necessary to connect each of the dozens to dozens of the upper conductive layer 12 and the lower conductive layer 15 to the electronic circuit, it takes time to detect the pressed position. Calculation processing for connection and position detection is also complicated.

  On the other hand, the voltage at each of the resistance layers 19 and 20 is detected by connecting the ends of the upper conductive layer 12 and the lower conductive layer 15 with the resistance layers 19 and 20 as described above. Thus, a plurality of pressed positions can be detected, and the connection to the electronic circuit can be made only at both ends of the resistance layers 19 and 20, so that the calculation process of the position detection can be simplified.

  That is, in the above configuration, for example, when a pressing operation is performed on the location indicated by the arrow A with the finger, the upper conductive layer 12 at the pressed location becomes the lower conductive layer 15 orthogonal to the upper surface of the lower substrate 14, for example, the upper conductive layer 12A Contact layer 15A.

  At this time, when a voltage is applied from the electronic circuit to the front and rear ends of the resistance layer 20, for example, a voltage of 5 V is applied, the voltage from the right end of the resistance layer 19 is, for example, 2 V via the lower conductive layer 15A and the upper conductive layer 12A. Since the front-rear voltage is detected, the electronic circuit detects the pressing operation position of the arrow A in the front-rear direction based on this voltage.

  After this, when the electronic circuit switches the resistance layer to which the voltage is applied and a voltage is applied to the left and right ends of the resistance layer 19, for example, a voltage of about 2 V is detected from the front end of the resistance layer 20. The electronic circuit is configured to detect the pressing operation position of the arrow A in the left-right direction.

  As shown in FIGS. 2 and 3, even when a plurality of places are pressed, the electronic circuit switches the resistance layer to which the voltage is applied in the same manner as described above, and the left end of the resistance layer 19 or the resistance layer 20 is switched. A plurality of pressed positions are detected from the voltage value at the rear end.

  That is, the upper conductive layer 12 on the lower surface of the upper substrate 11 and the lower conductive layer 15 on the upper surface of the lower substrate 14 are formed in a plurality of substantially strips in directions orthogonal to each other, and the respective end portions are connected by the resistance layers 19 and 20. As a result, it is possible to detect a plurality of pressed positions by simply detecting the voltages across the resistance layers 19 and 20.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, at least one of the upper conductive layer 12 on the lower surface of the upper substrate 11 or the lower conductive layer 15 on the upper surface of the lower substrate 14 is formed into a plurality of substantially band shapes at predetermined intervals. By arranging a plurality of dot spacers 13 between the upper conductive layer 12 or the lower conductive layer 15, the upper surface of the upper substrate 11 is pressed by the finger when the upper surface is pressed, and the pressing force is reduced. Because it can prevent unstable contact in weak areas, it does not require complicated arithmetic processing in electronic circuits, and a touch panel capable of reliably performing various operations with a simple configuration can be obtained. is there.

  The touch panel according to the present invention has an advantageous effect of being able to obtain a variety of operations that can be reliably performed with a simple configuration, and is mainly useful for operation of various electronic devices.

11 Upper substrate 12, 12A, 12B, 12C, 12D Upper conductive layer 13 Dot spacer 14 Lower substrate 15 Lower conductive layer 16 Upper electrode 17A, 17B Lower electrode 18 Spacer 19, 20 Resistance layer

Claims (1)

An upper substrate having an upper conductive layer formed on the lower surface, and a lower substrate having an upper conductive layer formed on the upper surface and facing the upper conductive layer with a predetermined gap therebetween. A touch panel in which one is formed into a plurality of substantially strips at a predetermined interval, and a plurality of dot spacers are arranged between the upper conductive layer or the lower conductive layer of the substantially strips.

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