CN101464743A - Hybrid touch panel and forming method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

The invention relates to a hybrid touch panel, which comprises a first conductive module, a second conductive module and an insulating layer. The first conductive module has a first conductive layer having at least a first resistive touch area and at least a capacitive touch area. The second conductive module is provided with a second conductive layer which is provided with at least one second resistance-type touch area corresponding to the at least one first resistance-type touch area. The insulating layer is arranged between the first resistance-type touch control area and the second resistance-type touch control area. In addition, the invention also provides a forming method of the mixed touch panel, which is mainly characterized in that a first resistance-type touch area and a capacitance-type touch area are simultaneously formed on the first conducting layer so as to integrate resistance-type touch and capacitance-type touch modes on a touch panel and increase the diversity of touch operation.

Description

Hybrid touch panel and method for forming the same

technical field

The present invention relates to a touch panel, in particular to a hybrid touch panel integrating resistive and capacitive touch panels and a forming method thereof.

Background technique

Touch panels originated in the 1970s when the U.S. military developed them for military use. In the 1980s, the technology was transferred to civilian use, and then developed into various uses. Traditional electronic computing devices (such as computers) use peripheral devices such as keyboards or mice as input interfaces. However, these peripheral input devices are too large and difficult to carry, which is likely to cause a major obstacle to the thinning of electronic products. Due to the demand for thinner electronic devices, touch panels are gradually becoming more and more popular in portable electronic products. In addition, in addition to the application of touch panels in personal portable information products, the application fields have also been expanded to information appliances, public information, communication equipment, office automation equipment, information collection equipment, and industrial equipment. The research and development of panels has gradually become the focus of the development of the electronics industry in recent years.

Generally speaking, the principles of the touch panel can be roughly divided into two types: resistive and capacitive. Most of today's touch screens are resistive. A transparent conductive circuit board made of indium tin oxide (ITO) is placed between two transparent thin layers of saturated polyester (polyethylene terephthalate, PET). The spacer is separated and fixed above the liquid crystal display (LCD) screen or other drawing devices. When a finger is pressed to form a contact point, the touched position will be recorded.

The capacitive touch panel is generally coated with a layer of indium tin oxide film and a protective film on the surface of the transparent glass. Then, when the person is not in contact with the touch panel, the various electrodes are at the same potential, and no current flows through the touch panel. When in contact with the touch panel, the static electricity in the human body flows into the ground and a weak current flows through it. The detection electrode changes according to the current value, and the contact position can be calculated.

Generally speaking, the resistive type requires more input force to produce a response due to its slower response time, so it can be used as an interface for handwriting or stylus input to facilitate judging the input content. On the contrary, because of its fast response time and sensitive response, the capacitive type does not require too much input force, that is, it can respond as long as a slight touch. Therefore, generally speaking, a capacitive touch panel can be used as a special input interface, such as gesture input. Since the resistive and capacitive touch input interfaces each have their own advantages, there is no product that integrates these two touch input interfaces into one to increase the diversity of input control in the current market.

In summary, in order to integrate resistive and capacitive touch panels, a hybrid touch panel and its forming method are urgently needed to meet such market demands.

Contents of the invention

The invention provides a hybrid touch panel, which integrates resistive and capacitive touch sensing mechanisms on the same touch panel body, so as to increase the diversity of user manipulation.

The present invention provides a method for forming a hybrid touch panel. On the same conductive layer, unnecessary conductive materials are removed to define resistive and capacitive sensing conductive patterns at the same time, so as to form a resistive and capacitive sensing conductive pattern. Hybrid touch panel with capacitive touch mechanism.

In one embodiment, the present invention provides a hybrid touch panel, comprising: a first conductive module having a first conductive layer, and at least one first resistive touch panel on the first conductive layer control area and at least one capacitive touch area; a second conductive module, which has a second conductive layer, and the second conductive layer has at least one second resistive touch area and the at least one Corresponding to the first resistive touch area; and an insulating layer disposed between the first resistive touch area and the second resistive touch area.

In another embodiment, the present invention provides a method for forming a hybrid touch panel, which includes the following steps: providing a base material with a first conductive layer; Necessary conductive material to form at least one first resistive touch area and at least one capacitive touch area to obtain a first conductive module; provide a base material with a second conductive layer; in the second conductive removing unnecessary conductive material on the layer to form a second resistive touch area corresponding to the at least one first resistive touch area; forming an insulating layer on the second resistive touch area layer to obtain two first conductive modules; and laminating the first conductive module and the second conductive module.

Description of drawings

FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B are top views and schematic cross-sectional views of a hybrid touch panel embodiment of the present invention;

2A is a schematic diagram of the second embodiment of the hybrid touch panel of the present invention;

Figure 2B is a schematic diagram of the insulation structure of the present invention;

3 is a schematic diagram of a third embodiment of the hybrid touch panel of the present invention;

4A and 4B are schematic structural diagrams of sensing blocks in the resistive touch area of the present invention;

5A to 5C are structural schematic diagrams of trenches;

6 is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the signal interface of the hybrid touch panel in FIG. 1A of the present invention;

FIG. 7A is a schematic diagram of an embodiment of a combined state of a hybrid touch panel of the present invention;

FIG. 7B is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the combined state of the hybrid touch panel of the present invention;

8A to 8I are schematic flowcharts of the method for forming the hybrid touch panel of the present invention.

Description of reference signs: 2-hybrid touch panel; 21-resistive touch panel; 210-touch operation area; 211-telecommunications soft board; 22-capacitive touch panel; 220-sensing area; 2200-groove Groove; 2201, 2202, 2203-electrode; 221-telecommunication transmission interface; 23-first conductive module; 230-first conductive layer; 231-substrate; 232-first resistive touch area; 233-capacitive touch Control area; 234-insulation area; 24-protective layer; 25-insulation layer; 250-insulation ball; 26-second conductive module; 260-second conductive layer; 261-substrate; 2610-polymer material layer; 2611 - Optical adhesive layer; 2612 - Carrier substrate; 262 - Second resistive touch area; 27 - Insulation structure; 270 - Conductive metal layer; 271 - Insulation layer; 272 - Conductive metal layer; 28 - Insulation material;

29-Accommodating space; 3-Hybrid touch panel; 30-Resistive touch panel; 31-Capacitive touch panel; 300, 310-Signal interface; 33-Signal interface; 90-Squeegee; 91-Optical glue ; 92-template; 920-opening.

Detailed ways

The above and other technical features and advantages of the present invention will be described in more detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings.

Please refer to FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B , which are a top view and a schematic cross-sectional view of a hybrid touch panel embodiment of the present invention. In this embodiment, the hybrid touch panel 2 mainly integrates a resistive touch panel 21 and a single-layer capacitive touch panel 22 into one. There is a touch operation area 210 in the resistive touch panel 21 to provide user operation, and a telecommunications soft board 211 is extended on one side of the touch operation area 210, which is compatible with the touch operation area 210. The electrode structures in the operating area 210 are electrically connected as an interface for transmitting signals. The capacitive touch panel 22 has a plurality of sensing regions 220, and on one side of the capacitive touch panel 22, there is also a telecommunication transmission interface 221 as the capacitive touch panel 22. telecommunication transmission interface. Although the resistive touch panel in this embodiment is a four-wire touch panel, it can actually be a five-wire or eight-wire touch panel, which can be easily replaced by those skilled in the art.

As shown in FIG. 1B , the hybrid touch panel 2 includes a first conductive module 23 , a second conductive module 26 and an insulating layer 25 . The first conductive module 23 has a first conductive layer 230 on which the first resistive touch area 232 and the capacitive touch area 233 are defined. The conductive structure of the capacitive touch area 233 constitutes the sensing area in FIG. 1A . There is an insulating region 234 between the resistive touch area 232 and the capacitive touch area 233. In this embodiment, the material of the first conductive layer 230 can be selected as a conductive polymer material or transparent conductive oxide. Wherein the high-resolution conductive polymer can be polyethylenedioxythiophene (poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene), PEDOT); the transparent conductive oxide (transparent conductive oxides, TCO) can be indium tin oxide (indium tin oxide, ITO), antimony tin oxide (antinomy tin oxide, ATO) or zinc oxide (zinc oxide, ZnO), but not limited thereto. The conductive layer 21 described in this embodiment is made of indium tin oxide. The first conductive layer is formed on a substrate 231, and the substrate 231 may be a polymer material, such as polyester film (PET), but not limited thereto. In addition, a transparent protective layer 24 , such as polyester film (PET), etc., may also be disposed on the base material 231 to protect the first conductive module 23 .

The second conductive module 26 has a second conductive layer 260 on which there is a second resistive touch area 262 corresponding to the first resistive touch area 232 . The material of the second conductive layer 260 is the same as that of the first conductive layer 230 , which will not be repeated here. The insulating layer 25 is arranged between the second resistive touch area 262 and the first resistive touch area 232, so that the first resistive touch area 232 and The second resistive touch area 262 and the insulating layer 25 constitute the touch operation area 210 in FIG. 1A . The insulating layer 25 also has insulating balls 250 (spacerdots) to maintain the distance between the first resistive touch area 232 and the second resistive touch area 262 .

The second conductive module 26 also has a substrate 261 connected to the second conductive layer 260 , and the substrate 261 also has a carrier substrate 2612 , an optical adhesive layer 2611 and a polymer material layer 2610 . The carrier substrate 2612 can be selected from polycarbonate (Polycarbonate, PC) and other materials, but not limited thereto. The optical adhesive layer 2611 is formed on the carrier substrate 2612 . The polymer material layer 2610 is formed on the optical adhesive layer 2611 and connected to the second conductive layer 260 . In this embodiment, the polymer material layer 2610 is a polyester film layer (PET). In another embodiment, the substrate is a polymer material, such as polyester film (PET).

In the embodiment of FIG. 1B, there is an insulating structure 27 between the first resistive touch area 233 and the substrate of the second conductive module, which can be different according to the design of the touch panel. structure. As shown in FIG. 2A , which is a schematic diagram of a second embodiment of the hybrid touch panel of the present invention. In this embodiment, the second conductive layer of the second conductive module may also extend to correspond to the first resistive touch area. As shown in FIG. 2B , the insulating structure 27 may have conductive metal layers 270 and 272 , such as silver, and an insulating layer 271 between the conductive metal layers 270 and 272 . Also as shown in FIG. 3 , said figure is a schematic diagram of a third embodiment of a hybrid touch panel of the present invention. In this embodiment, the basic structure is the same as that in FIG. 1B, the difference is that the space between the first resistive touch area 232 and the second conductive module 26 is made of an insulating material 28, such as : Optical glue or UV glue, to be filled.

Please refer to FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B , which are schematic structural diagrams of sensing blocks in the resistive touch area of the present invention. In this embodiment, a plurality of sensing regions 220 are formed on the first conductive layer 230, and each sensing region 220 includes a plurality of segments of grooves 2200, so that the first sensing region 220 on the sensing region 220 The conductive layer material is divided into three electrodes 2201, 2202 and 2203, and any two adjacent electrodes can form a planar capacitor structure. In this embodiment, the plurality of grooves form a distribution of triangular waveforms to divide the sensing area into three electrodes 2201 , 2202 and 2203 . Then each electrode 2201, 2202 and 2203 is connected to a voltage source to form a capacitor structure as shown in FIG. 4B. As shown in Figure 5A and Figure 5B, the figure is a schematic diagram of the structure of the groove, except for the way shown in Figure 4A, the function curve formed by the groove 2200 in the sensing region 220 is a triangular wave in Figure 5A curve or the sinusoidal curve in Fig. 5B. In addition, it can also be a square wave curve (as shown in FIG. 5C ).

Please refer to FIG. 6 , which is a schematic diagram of another embodiment of the signal interface of the hybrid touch panel in FIG. 1A of the present invention. In this embodiment, the telecommunication connection between the resistive touch panel 21 and the capacitive touch panel is integrated on a transmission interface 222 . The foregoing embodiments are a combination of a resistive touch panel and a capacitive touch panel. Of course, according to actual needs, multiple resistive touch panels and multiple capacitive touch panels can be combined, for example, two resistive touch panels and two capacitive touch panels, or two resistive touch panels and a single capacitive touch panel. For example, as shown in FIG. 7A, in this embodiment, the hybrid touch panel 3 is a combination of two resistive touch panels 30 and a capacitive touch panel 31, and each touch panel has an independent Signal interfaces 300 and 310 . In addition, as shown in FIG. 7B , in this embodiment, multiple signal interfaces in FIG. 7A can also be integrated into a single signal interface 33 .

As shown in FIG. 8A to FIG. 8I , the above-mentioned figures are schematic flow charts of the method for forming the hybrid touch panel of the present invention. In this embodiment, the method includes the following steps: firstly, as shown in FIG. 8A , a substrate 230 having a first conductive layer 231 is provided. Then proceed to the step shown in FIG. 8B , removing unnecessary conductive material on the first conductive layer 231 to simultaneously form at least one first resistive touch area 232 and at least one capacitive touch area 233 to obtain a The first conductive module 23 . There is an insulating region 234 between the first resistive touch area 232 and the capacitive touch area 233 . As for the method of removing the material on the first conductive layer 231 , etching can be used, which is an existing technology and will not be repeated here. Of course, in the step of FIG. 8B , printing conductive metal, such as silver, on the first conductive layer 231 is also included to facilitate the conduction of telecommunication, but these are all existing technologies and will not be repeated here.

The structure of the first resistive touch area 232 is the same as that of FIG. 1A , and the structure of the capacitive touch area 233 can be as shown in FIG. 4A , FIG. 4B or the series of FIGS. 5 . Next, as shown in FIG. 8C , a substrate 261 having a second conductive layer 260 is provided. Next, as shown in FIG. 8D , removing unnecessary conductive material on the second conductive layer 260 to form a second resistive touch area corresponding to the at least one first resistive touch area 232 262. Then, as shown in FIG. 8E , an insulating layer 25 and an insulating structure 27 are formed on the second resistive touch area 262 to obtain a second conductive module 26 . The insulating layer 25 has a plurality of insulating balls 250 (spacerdots). Finally, as shown in FIG. 8F , the first conductive module 23 and the second conductive module 26 are pasted together to form the touch panel 2 . In addition, a protective layer 24 , such as a polyester film, may also be provided on the first conductive module 23 to protect the first conductive module 23 .

Next, the method of the structure of Fig. 3 is described. In the flow process of this embodiment, the embodiment of UV glue is used to illustrate, which is basically the same as the steps of Fig. 8A to Fig. 8E, and then the step of Fig. 8G is performed, that is, using A template 92 is covered on the second conductive module 26 in FIG. 8E , the opening 920 on the template 92 corresponds to the accommodating space 29 on the second conductive module 26 , and then the optical glue 91 is filled with a scraper 90 to the accommodating space 29 to form the structure shown in FIG. 8H . Finally, the first conductive module 23 is attached to the second conductive module 26 of FIG. 8H to form a structure as shown in FIG. 8I . Through the aforementioned steps in FIG. 8B , resistive and capacitive touch structures can be formed on the conductive layer at the same time, so that the touch panel to be completed in the future has both capacitive touch and resistive touch mechanisms. In addition, the accommodating space 29 can also be filled by sticking optical glue.

The above descriptions are only preferred embodiments of the present invention, and are only illustrative rather than restrictive to the present invention. Those skilled in the art understand that many changes, modifications, and even equivalents can be made within the spirit and scope defined by the claims of the present invention, but all will fall within the protection scope of the present invention. For example, the present invention emphasizes that the resistive and capacitive touch structures are integrated in the same touch panel, so the resistive and capacitive touch structures are not limited to the embodiments of the present invention.

In summary, the present invention provides a hybrid touch panel and its forming method, which can simultaneously integrate resistive and capacitive touch operations, so as to increase the diversity of touch control. Therefore, it can meet the needs of the industry, thereby improving the competitiveness of the mentioned industries and promoting the development of surrounding industries. Sincerely, it has met the requirements required for an invention application as stipulated in the Invention Patent Law, so the application for an invention patent is submitted in accordance with the law.

Claims (22)

1. A hybrid touch panel, characterized in that it comprises: A first conductive module, which has a first conductive layer, and has at least one first resistive touch area and at least one capacitive touch area on the first conductive layer; A second conductive module, which has a second conductive layer, and has at least one second resistive touch area on the second conductive layer corresponding to the at least one first resistive touch area; and An insulating layer is arranged between the first resistive touch area and the second resistive touch area. 2. The hybrid touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the first conductive module further has a substrate connected to the first conductive layer. 3. The hybrid touch panel according to claim 2, wherein the base material is a polyester film. 4. The hybrid touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the second conductive module further has a substrate connected to the second conductive layer. 5. The hybrid touch panel according to claim 4, wherein the base material is a polyester film layer. 6. The hybrid touch panel according to claim 4, characterized in that: the base material also has: a carrier substrate; an optical adhesive layer formed on the carrier substrate; and A polyester film layer is formed on the optical adhesive layer and connected with the second conductive layer. 7. The hybrid touch panel according to claim 6, wherein the carrier substrate is polycarbonate. 8. The hybrid touch panel according to claim 1, characterized in that: the capacitive touch area further has at least one sensing block, and the sensing block has a plurality of grooves for The sensing area is divided into a plurality of electrodes, and a plane capacitor structure is formed between any two adjacent electrodes. 9. The hybrid touch panel according to claim 8, wherein the plurality of grooves form a function curve, and the function curve is one of a square wave curve, a triangular wave curve and a sine wave curve one. 10. The hybrid touch panel according to claim 1, characterized in that there is an insulating structure between the capacitive touch area and the second conductive module. 11. The hybrid touch panel according to claim 1, characterized in that: the first conductive module is further provided with a protective layer. 12. The hybrid touch panel according to claim 11, wherein the protective layer is a polyester film. 13. A method for forming a hybrid touch panel, characterized in that it includes the following steps: providing a substrate with a first conductive layer; removing unnecessary conductive material on the first conductive layer to form at least one first resistive touch area and at least one capacitive touch area to obtain a first conductive module; providing a substrate with a second conductive layer; removing unnecessary conductive material on the second conductive layer to form a second resistive touch area corresponding to the at least one first resistive touch area; forming an insulating layer on the second resistive touch area to obtain a first conductive module; and Bonding the first conductive module and the second conductive module. 14. The method for forming a hybrid touch panel according to claim 13, wherein the base material is a polyester film. 15. The method for forming a hybrid touch panel according to claim 13, wherein the base material further has: a carrier substrate; an optical adhesive layer formed on the carrier substrate; and A polyester film layer is formed on the optical adhesive layer and connected with the second conductive layer. 16. The method for forming a hybrid touch panel according to claim 15, wherein the carrier substrate is polycarbonate. 17. The method for forming a hybrid touch panel according to claim 13, further comprising a step of removing conductive material in the capacitive touch area to form at least one sensing area, each sensing There are a plurality of segments of grooves on the block to divide the sensing block into a plurality of electrodes, and any two adjacent electrodes form a planar capacitance structure. 18. The method for forming a hybrid touch panel according to claim 17, characterized in that: the plurality of grooves form a function curve, and the function curve is a square wave curve, a triangular wave curve and a sine wave one of the curves. 19. The method for forming a hybrid touch panel according to claim 13, further comprising a step of filling optical glue or UV glue on the second conductive module. 20. The method for forming a hybrid touch panel according to claim 13, further comprising the step of forming an insulating structure at the position of the second conductive module corresponding to the capacitive touch area . 21. The method for forming a hybrid touch panel according to claim 13, further comprising a step of forming a protective layer on the first conductive module. 22. The method for forming a hybrid touch panel according to claim 21, wherein the protective layer is a polyester film.

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