TWI689765B - Touch panel - Google Patents

Abstract

A touch panel device including: a substrate; and a transparent electrode that is formed on the substrate, and has a first nonlinear portion that is a nonlinear side opposite to another adjacent transparent electrode on the substrate. The first nonlinear portion does not become parallel to a major axis of a color filter or a black matrix included in an LCD, and hence the occurrence of moire and a phenomenon that a pattern of the transparent electrode is seen can be suppressed.

Description

Touch panel

The invention relates to a touch panel.

Since the past, an electrostatic capacitance type touch panel capable of detecting the position of a finger based on a change in electrostatic capacitance has been known (see, for example, Patent Documents 1 and 2). FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a previous electrostatic capacitive touch panel. In the touch panel 1, the glass sensor 5 is attached to the cover layer 3 (eg, glass plate) with a transparent adhesive material 4. In addition, a functional film 2 such as an anti-reflection film is attached to the surface of the cover layer 3 and the surface of the glass sensor 5. In addition, the functional film 2 may not be attached to the surface of the cover layer 3 and the surface of the glass sensor 5. FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of the glass sensor 5 of FIG. 1. A transparent electrode 8 is formed on the substrate 7. The transparent electrode 8 includes a conductive film (for example, an ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) film). The transparent electrode 8 is connected to the flexible printed circuit board (FPC) 6 via the wiring 9. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a color filter substrate mounted on a liquid crystal display (LCD). The color filter substrate 10 includes a color filter 11 including three colors of red (R), green (G), and blue (B), and a black matrix 12 that blocks unnecessary light. The color filter 11 of each color has a rectangular shape, the length of the color filter 11 in the X direction represents a short axis, and the length of the color filter 11 in the Y direction represents a long axis. The black matrix 12 is disposed between adjacent color filters 11 in the Y direction, and extends in the X direction. [Prior Art Literature] [Patent Literature] [Patent Literature 1] US Patent Application Publication No. 2015/0035790 Specification [Patent Literature 2] US Patent Application Publication No. 2010/0295813 Specification

[Problems to be Solved by the Invention] When the touch panel of FIG. 1 is installed on the LCD and the LCD is lit, there are edges due to the color filter 11 or the black matrix 12 of the LCD and the transparent electrode 8 And moiré occurs. This moire is remarkable when the axis of the color filter 11 ("long axis" in the case of FIG. 3) or the black matrix 12 disposed between adjacent color filters 11 and the edge of the transparent electrode 8 are arranged in parallel To produce. In particular, in the case where the functional film 2 is an anti-reflection film, moire is more prominently generated due to the transmitted light from the LCD. In addition, when the LCD is not turned on, there may be a phenomenon in which the ITO skeleton can be observed (that is, a phenomenon in which the pattern of the transparent electrode 8 can be observed). An object of the present invention is to provide a touch panel capable of suppressing the occurrence of moire and suppressing the phenomenon in which patterns of transparent electrodes can be observed. [Technical Means for Solving the Problem] In order to achieve the above object, the touch panel disclosed in the specification is characterized by comprising: a substrate; and a transparent electrode which is formed on the substrate and has another adjacent to the aforementioned substrate A transparent electrode is the first non-linear portion which is the opposite non-linear side. [Effect of the Invention] According to the present invention, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of moire and the phenomenon in which the pattern of the transparent electrode is observed.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a touch panel according to an embodiment of the present invention. The touch panel 21 is an electrostatic capacitance type touch panel, which includes a functional film 22, a cover layer 23 (for example, a glass plate), a transparent adhesive material 24, a glass sensor 25, and a flexible printed circuit board (FPC) 26. The cover layer 23 is adhered to the glass sensor 25 via the transparent adhesive material 24. The FPC 26 is provided between the cover layer 23 and the glass sensor 25. In addition, a functional film 22 such as an anti-reflection film is attached to the upper surface of the cover layer 23 and the lower surface of the glass sensor 25. In addition, the functional film 22 may not be attached to the upper surface of the cover layer 23 and the lower surface of the glass sensor 25. FIG. 5(A) is a schematic configuration diagram of the glass sensor of FIG. 4. 5(B) is a cross-sectional view taken along line A-A of FIG. 5(A). Fig. 5(C) is a diagram showing an example of the refracted state of light. As shown in FIG. 5(A), a transparent electrode 28 is formed on the substrate 27. The transparent electrode 28 includes a conductive film (for example, an ITO (Indium Tin Oxide) film), and is formed into the shape of FIG. 5(A) by etching the conductive film on the substrate 27. The transparent electrode 28 is connected to a flexible printed circuit board (FPC) 26 via wiring 29. In this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5(A), the edge of the transparent electrode 28 is set in a zigzag shape. Therefore, when the touch panel 21 is disposed on the LCD, the edge of the transparent electrode 28 is not parallel to the long axis of the color filter 11 built in the LCD shown in FIG. 3 or the black matrix 12, and the transparent electrode 8 The edge can have a certain angle (acute angle) with respect to the long axis of the color filter 11, which can suppress the generation of moire and the phenomenon in which the pattern of the transparent electrode 28 can be observed. As shown in FIG. 5(B), the substrate 27 is, for example, a glass plate, the refractive index of the substrate 27 is 1.4, and the thickness c of the substrate 27 is 0.7 mm. The refractive index of the transparent electrode 28 is 1.8, the thickness b of the transparent electrode 28 is 23 nm, and the surface resistance of the transparent electrode 28 is 125 Ω/□. The substrate 27 and the transparent electrode 28 are covered by the insulating layer 30, the refractive index of the insulating layer 30 is 1.5, and the thickness a of the insulating layer 30 is 2 μm. In addition, the thickness of the transparent electrode 8 of the glass sensor 5 of FIG. 2 is, for example, 46.6 nm, and the surface resistance of the transparent electrode 8 is, for example, 43 Ω/□. Therefore, the thickness b of the transparent electrode 28 is thinner than the thickness of the transparent electrode 8 of the glass sensor 5 of FIG. 2. In this manner, the reason for reducing the thickness b of the transparent electrode 28 will be described below. In the portion where the transparent electrode 28 is arranged and the portion where it is not arranged, the hue is different, and the transmittance of light is different. For example, as shown in FIG. 5(B), the light transmittance Ta of the portion where the transparent electrode 28 is disposed is smaller than the light transmittance Tb of the portion where the transparent electrode 28 is not disposed. In addition, as shown in FIG. 5(C), the refractive index of light differs between the portion where the transparent electrode 28 is disposed and the portion where it is not disposed. Therefore, in the glass sensor 25, the boundary (edge) between the portion where the transparent electrode 28 is arranged and the portion where it is not arranged is seen as a line, and moiré is generated. Therefore, in the present embodiment, since the thickness of the transparent electrode 28 is reduced, the transparent electrode 28 becomes more transparent, and therefore it is possible to suppress the change in the hue of the portion where the transparent electrode 28 is disposed and the portion where it is not disposed. In addition, since the thickness of the transparent electrode 28 is reduced to shorten the distance through which light passes through the transparent electrode 28, the deformation of the light can be suppressed, and it is difficult for the operator to recognize the boundary portion. The thickness b of the transparent electrode 28 of this embodiment is 23 nm, but the thickness b of the transparent electrode 28 is preferably 15 nm or more and 30 nm or less. This is due to the fact that moiré will be noticeably generated when the thickness b of the transparent electrode 28 exceeds 30 nm, and if the thickness b of the transparent electrode 28 is set to less than 15 nm, the surface resistance of the transparent electrode 28 becomes If it is too high, the touch panel 21 cannot operate normally. FIG. 6(A) is a diagram showing the shape of the transparent electrode 28. FIG. 6(B) is an enlarged view of the area X of the edge portion of the transparent electrode 28. FIG. 6(C) is an enlarged view of the region Y of the edge portion of the transparent electrode 28. FIG. 6(D) is a diagram showing a first modification of the edge of the transparent electrode 28. FIG. 6(E) is a diagram showing a second modification of the edge of the transparent electrode 28. FIG. 6(F) is a diagram showing a third modification of the edge of the transparent electrode 28. FIG. 6(G) is a diagram showing a fourth modification of the edge of the transparent electrode 28. FIG. 6(H) is a diagram showing a fifth modification of the edge of the transparent electrode 28. As shown in FIG. 6(B) and FIG. 6(C), the edge portions 31 and 32 of the transparent electrode 28 of FIG. 6(A) may be in a sawtooth shape with straight lines continuously bent, or as shown in FIG. 6(D) The shape shown is generally a continuous waveform. The edge portions 31 and 32 function as a first non-linear portion and a second non-linear portion. The shape of the edge portion 31 and the shape of the edge portion 32 may be the same or different from each other. For example, as shown in FIG. 6(E), the edge portion 31 may have a wave shape, and the edge portion 32 may have a zigzag shape. The edge portions 31 and 32 are not limited to regular sawtooth shapes, but may be irregular sawtooth shapes as shown in FIG. 6(F). The edge portions 31 and 32 are not limited to regular waveform shapes, but may be irregular waveform shapes as shown in FIG. 6(G). Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 6(H), the edge portions 31 and 32 may be a shape combining a sawtooth shape and a wave shape. The angles θ1 to θ4 (see FIGS. 6(B) and 6(C)) of the edge portions 31 and 32 of the transparent electrode 28 with respect to the long axis of the color filter 11 of the LCD are preferably 30 degrees or more and 60 degrees or less. This is because the closer the angles θ1 to θ4 of the edge portions 31 and 32 are to 0 degrees, the more parallel to the long axis of the color filter 11 and moiré is generated, and the angles θ1 to 32 of the edge portions 31 and 32 are The closer θ4 is to 90 degrees, the more parallel it is to the black matrix 12, and moire will occur. In addition, the angles θ1 to θ4 may be the same or different from each other. In addition, if the serrations of the edge portions 31 and 32 are too small relative to the color filter 11, the moire suppression effect is reduced, so the length d1 to d4 of one side of the serrations of the edge portions 31 and 32 is preferably a color filter The length of the long axis of the device 11 is longer than that. In addition, the lengths d1 to d4 of one side of the saw teeth may be the same or different from each other. 7(A) is a diagram showing a first modification of the arrangement pattern of the transparent electrodes 28. FIG. As shown in FIG. 7, patterns 33 or 34 that are electrically insulated from the transparent electrodes 28 and have the same optical characteristics (such as refractive index and transmittance) as the transparent electrodes 28 can be disposed between adjacent transparent electrodes 28 . The pattern 33 has an edge portion 35 in a zigzag shape or a wave shape opposed to the edge portion 31 of the transparent electrode 28. The pattern 34 has a zigzag shape or a wave shape edge portion 36 that is opposite to the edge portion 32 of the transparent electrode 28. The patterns 33 and 34 are not connected to the FPC 26. In this way, by arranging the patterns 33 or 34 having the zigzag or wavy edge portions between the adjacent transparent electrodes 28, the light incident on the surface of the touch panel 21 from the outside will not be uniform The ground reflects but scatters, so that the phenomenon that the transparent electrode 28 and the pattern 33 or 34 can be observed can be further suppressed. FIG. 8(A) is a cross-sectional view of a variation of the touch panel. FIG. 8(B) is a diagram showing the structure of the upper substrate, and FIG. 8(C) is a diagram showing the structure of the lower substrate. FIG. 8(D) is a diagram showing a variation of the configuration of the upper substrate, and FIG. 8(E) is a diagram showing a variation of the configuration of the lower substrate. The touch panel 41 of FIG. 8(A) is a resistive film type touch panel. The touch panel 41 includes: an upper substrate 42 including a PET (Polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene terephthalate) film; an upper conductive film (such as an ITO film) 43 formed on the upper substrate 42; an adhesive 44; The dot spacer 45; the lower substrate 46, which contains glass; and a lower conductive film (for example, an ITO film) 47, which is formed on the lower substrate 46. The outer periphery of the upper substrate 42 and the outer periphery of the lower substrate 46 are fixed via the adhesive 44. As shown in FIG. 8(B), the long side of the upper conductive film 43 may include an edge portion 50 in a zigzag shape. As shown in FIG. 8(C), the long side of the lower conductive film 47 may have an edge portion 51 in a zigzag shape. Similar to the above-mentioned angles θ1 to θ4, the angles of the edge portions 50 and 51 with respect to the long axis of the color filter 11 of the LCD or the black matrix 12 are preferably 30 degrees to 60 degrees. The length of one side of the serrations of the edge portions 50 and 51 is preferably equal to or greater than the length of the long axis of the color filter 11 as the lengths d1 to d4 of the above-mentioned side. As in FIG. 6(D), the saw teeth of the edge portions 50 and 51 may have a corrugated shape with rounded corners. The edge portions 50 and 51 function as the first non-linear portion. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 8(D), between the adjacent upper conductive films 43, the upper conductive film 43 may be electrically insulated and have the same optical characteristics (such as refractive index and transmission) as the upper conductive film 43.率等)的图52。 Rate 52) pattern 52. The pattern 52 has a zigzag shape or a wave shape edge portion 53 that is opposite to the edge portion 50 of the upper conductive film 43. Furthermore, as shown in FIG. 8(E), between the adjacent lower conductive films 47, the lower conductive film 47 may be electrically insulated and have the same optical characteristics (such as refractive index and transmission) as the lower conductive film 47.率等)的图54。 Rate 54) pattern 54. The pattern 54 has a saw-tooth shape or a wave-shaped edge portion 55 that is opposite to the edge portion 51 of the lower conductive film 47. The edge portions 53 and 54 function as the third non-linear portion. 9(A) is a diagram showing a second modification of the arrangement pattern of the transparent electrodes 28. FIG. FIG. 9(B) is an enlarged view of the area Z of the edge of the transparent electrode 28. FIG. 9(C) is a diagram showing an example of the shape of the pattern disposed between the transparent electrodes 28. As shown in FIGS. 9(A) and 9(B), the transparent electrodes 28 may be disposed between adjacent transparent electrodes 28 (that is, between the edge portions 31 or between the edge portions 32) and electrically insulated from the transparent electrodes 28 and The transparent electrode 28 has a pattern 60 of equal optical characteristics (such as refractive index and transmittance). In addition, in the case where the edge portions 31 and 32 are zigzag, the angle of the edge portions 31 and 32 with respect to the long axis of the color filter 11 of the LCD or the black matrix 12 is preferably 30 degrees to 60 degrees. As shown in FIG. 9(C), the shape of the pattern 60 is a square, a diamond, a circle, an ellipse, or a combination of straight lines and curves. In this way, by arranging the pattern 60 between the adjacent transparent electrodes 28, the light incident on the surface of the touch panel 21 from the outside is not uniformly reflected but scattered, so the observable can be further suppressed To the phenomenon of the transparent electrode 28 and the pattern 60. As described above, according to the present embodiment, since the transparent electrode 28 has the edge portions 31 and 32 that are not straight sides that are opposite to the adjacent transparent electrode, that is, the sawtooth shape or the wave shape, the transparent electrode 28 has The edge portions 31 and 32 are not parallel to the long axis of the color filter 11 built into the LCD shown in FIG. 3 or the black matrix 12, and can suppress the occurrence of moire and the phenomenon in which the pattern of the transparent electrode 28 can be observed. In addition, since the upper conductive film 43 and the lower conductive film 47 of the touch panel 41 also have sawtooth-shaped or wave-shaped edge portions 50 and 51, respectively, it is possible to suppress the occurrence of moire and suppress the observation of the upper conductive film 43 and The phenomenon of the pattern of the lower conductive film 47. In addition, the present invention is not limited to the above-mentioned embodiments, and can be implemented with various changes without departing from the gist thereof.

1‧‧‧Touch panel 2‧‧‧Functional film 3‧‧‧cover 4‧‧‧ transparent adhesive material 5‧‧‧Glass sensor 6‧‧‧Flexible printed circuit board/FPC 7‧‧‧ substrate 8‧‧‧Transparent electrode 9‧‧‧Wiring 10‧‧‧Color filter substrate 11‧‧‧Color filter 12‧‧‧ black matrix 21‧‧‧Touch panel 22‧‧‧Functional film 23‧‧‧cover 24‧‧‧ transparent adhesive material 25‧‧‧Glass sensor 26‧‧‧Flexible printed circuit board/FPC 27‧‧‧ substrate 28‧‧‧Transparent electrode 29‧‧‧Wiring 30‧‧‧Insulation 31‧‧‧Edge 32‧‧‧Edge 33‧‧‧pattern 34‧‧‧pattern 35‧‧‧ Edge 36‧‧‧Edge 41‧‧‧Touch panel 42‧‧‧Upper substrate 43‧‧‧Upper conductive film 44‧‧‧ Adhesive 45‧‧‧point spacer 46‧‧‧Lower substrate 47‧‧‧Lower conductive film 50‧‧‧Edge 51‧‧‧Edge 52‧‧‧pattern 53‧‧‧ Edge 54‧‧‧pattern 55‧‧‧ Edge 60‧‧‧pattern a‧‧‧thickness b‧‧‧thickness c‧‧‧thickness d1‧‧‧Length d2‧‧‧Length d3‧‧‧Length d4‧‧‧Length Ta‧‧‧Transmittance Tb‧‧‧Transmittance X‧‧‧Region Y‧‧‧Region Z‧‧‧Region θ1‧‧‧Angle θ2‧‧‧Angle θ3‧‧‧Angle θ4‧‧‧Angle

FIG. 1 is a cross-sectional view of a previous electrostatic capacitive touch panel. FIG. 2 is a schematic configuration diagram of the glass sensor of FIG. 1. FIG. 3 is a diagram showing an example of a color filter substrate mounted on a liquid crystal display (LCD). 4 is a cross-sectional view of a touch panel according to an embodiment of the present invention. 5(A) is a schematic configuration diagram of the glass sensor of FIG. 4; FIG. 5(B) is a sectional view taken along line AA of FIG. 5(A); FIG. 5(C) is a diagram showing an example of the state of light refraction . 6(A) is a diagram showing the shape of the transparent electrode; FIG. 6(B) is an enlarged view of the area X of the edge of the transparent electrode; FIG. 6(C) is an enlarged view of the area Y of the edge of the transparent electrode; 6(D) is a diagram showing a first modification of the edge of the transparent electrode; FIG. 6(E) is a diagram showing a second modification of the edge of the transparent electrode; FIG. 6(F) is showing the transparent electrode 28 Fig. 6(G) is a diagram showing a fourth modification of the edge of the transparent electrode 28; Fig. 6(H) is a diagram showing the fifth modification of the edge of the transparent electrode 28 Figure 7 is a diagram showing a first modification of the arrangement pattern of transparent electrodes. 8(A) is a cross-sectional view of a variation of the touch panel; FIG. 8(B) is a diagram showing the configuration of the upper substrate; FIG. 8(C) is a diagram showing the configuration of the lower substrate; FIG. 8(D) is a display Fig. 8(E) is a diagram showing a variation of the configuration of the upper substrate. 9(A) is a diagram showing a second variation of the arrangement pattern of the transparent electrodes; FIG. 9(B) is an enlarged view of the area Z of the edge of the transparent electrode; FIG. 9(C) is the arrangement between the transparent electrodes An example of the shape of the pattern.

25‧‧‧Glass sensor

26‧‧‧Flexible printed circuit board/FPC

27‧‧‧ substrate

28‧‧‧Transparent electrode

29‧‧‧Wiring

30‧‧‧Insulation

a‧‧‧thickness

b‧‧‧thickness

c‧‧‧thickness

Ta‧‧‧Transmittance

Tb‧‧‧Transmittance

Claims (3)

A touch panel mounted on a display device, characterized by comprising: a substrate; a transparent electrode formed on the substrate; and a pattern arranged between the two transparent electrodes on the substrate, It is insulated from the transparent electrode and has the same optical characteristics as the transparent electrode; and the transparent electrode is formed so that the side opposite to the other transparent electrode adjacent to the substrate is non-linear and relative to the The long axis of the color filter of the display device and the black matrix are not parallel; the side of the aforementioned pattern is formed to be a non-straight side opposite to the adjacent transparent electrode, and relative to the long axis of the aforementioned color filter and the aforementioned The black matrix is not parallel. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the side of the transparent electrode is any one of a sawtooth portion continuously bent straight and a waveform portion continuously curved. A touch panel mounted on a display device, characterized by comprising: a substrate; a transparent electrode formed on the substrate; and a pattern arranged between the two transparent electrodes on the substrate, Insulated from the transparent electrode, not in contact with the wiring, and having the same optical characteristics as the transparent electrode; and the sides of the transparent electrode and the pattern are formed relative to the long axis of the color filter provided in the display device And the black matrix is not parallel.

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