JP2008269584A - Touch panel - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a touch panel allowing stable electrical connection and disconnection, and a sure operation, as to the touch panel used in various types of electronic appliances. <P>SOLUTION: An end part of an upper substrate 1 is reinforced by a reinforcement body 9, even when press-operating an end part of the upper substrate 1, by providing the substantially frame-like reinforcement body 9 with an inner edge projected inwards, on an upper face of the upper substrate 1, to be hardly deflected with a low level of force, and the touch panel is thereby provided to prevent an upper conductive layer 3 from being applied with excessive bending, and to allow the stable electrical connection and disconnection, and the sure operation. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2009,JPO&INPIT

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 car navigation systems become more sophisticated and diversified, a light-transmissive touch panel is mounted on the front surface of a display element such as a liquid crystal display, and the display element on the back side is displayed through this touch panel. There is an increasing number of devices that switch each function of a device by pressing the touch panel with a finger or a pen while visually recognizing, and there is a demand for a device that has excellent visibility and reliable operation.

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

  In addition, in order to make the structure easy to understand, the drawing shows an enlarged dimension in the thickness direction.

  FIG. 6 is a cross-sectional view of a conventional touch panel, in which 1 is a light-transmissive upper substrate, 2 is a light-transmissive lower substrate, and the lower surface of the upper substrate 1 is light-transmissive such as indium tin oxide. The lower conductive layer 4 is formed on the upper surface of the lower substrate 2.

  A plurality of dot spacers (not shown) are formed on the upper surface of the lower conductive layer 4 by an insulating resin at a predetermined interval, and a pair of upper electrodes 6A and 6B are provided at both ends of the upper conductive layer 3 and the lower conductive layer At both ends of the layer 4, a pair of lower electrodes (not shown) perpendicular to the upper electrode are formed.

  Reference numeral 8 denotes a substantially frame-shaped spacer formed on the outer periphery between the upper substrate 1 and the lower substrate 2. The upper substrate 1 is coated with an adhesive layer (not shown) formed on the upper and lower surfaces or one surface of the spacer 8. And the outer periphery of the lower substrate 2 are bonded together, and the upper conductive layer 3 and the lower conductive layer 4 face each other with a predetermined gap therebetween to constitute a touch panel.

  The touch panel configured as described above is disposed on the front surface of a display element such as a liquid crystal and is mounted on the window frame portion 10A of the casing 10 of the electronic device, and the pair of upper and lower electrodes are connected to the device. Connected to an electronic circuit (not shown).

  In the above configuration, when the upper surface of the upper substrate 1 is pressed with a finger or a pen while visually recognizing the display on the display element on the back of the touch panel, the upper substrate 1 is bent, and the upper conductive layer 3 at the pressed position is the lower conductive layer. 4 is contacted.

  A voltage is sequentially applied from the electronic circuit to the upper electrode and the lower electrode, and the electronic circuit detects the pressed portion by the voltage ratio between these electrodes, and the various functions of the device are switched. Has been.

  At this time, as shown by an arrow A, when the middle portion of the upper surface of the upper substrate 1 is pressed, the upper substrate 1 bends substantially evenly in the front, rear, left, and right, and the contact between the upper conductive layer 3 and the lower conductive layer 4 occurs. For example, as shown by an arrow B, when the left end is pressed, a large bend is applied in the vicinity of the inner edge of the spacer 8 at the left end of the upper substrate 1.

  Further, when the left end of the upper substrate 1 is pressed extremely strongly along the end of the window frame portion 10A, a large force is applied to the upper substrate 1 and the upper conductive layer 3 at this location. If such an operation is repeated, the upper conductive layer 3 on the lower surface of the upper substrate 1 may be cracked or damaged, and the electrical contact between the upper conductive layer 3 and the lower conductive layer 4 may become unstable.

  For this reason, for example, when the spacer 8 is made of a material having low elasticity and easily bent, in which bubbles are dispersed in an insulating resin such as acrylic, and the vicinity of the inner edge of the spacer 8 is pressed and a strong force is applied, It is considered that the spacers 8 at the locations are bent and the upper substrate 1 is elastically deformed to prevent cracking or breakage of the upper conductive layer 3 on the lower surface.

As prior art document information related to the invention of this application, for example, Patent Document 1 is known.
JP 2003-280800 A

  However, in the above-described conventional touch panel, when the end portion of the upper substrate 1 is pressed extremely strongly, the upper conductive layer 3 on the lower surface is cracked or damaged, and the upper conductive layer 3 and the lower conductive layer 4 are electrically connected. There was a problem that the contact may become unstable.

  The present invention solves such a conventional problem, and provides a touch panel that can prevent a crack or breakage of an upper conductive layer due to an end portion operation and can perform stable electrical contact and can be reliably operated. For the purpose.

  In order to achieve the above object, the present invention has the following configuration.

  According to the first aspect of the present invention, a touch panel is configured by providing a substantially frame-shaped reinforcing body having an inner edge protruding inward on the upper surface of the upper substrate, and pressing an end portion of the upper substrate. Even in this case, the end of the upper substrate is reinforced by the reinforcing body, and it is difficult to bend with some force, so it is possible to prevent extreme bending from being applied to the upper conductive layer and perform stable electrical contact and separation. It has the effect | action that the touch panel in which reliable operation is possible can be obtained.

  The invention according to claim 2 is the touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the reinforcing body is provided with a display portion, and a character or a pattern such as a company name or a device model number is displayed on the reinforcing body. The end of the upper substrate 1 is reinforced by printing characters and symbols such as “menu” and “decision” for designating the pressing position to the person, and the reinforcing body 9 is displayed or used for the company name, etc. It can also be used as a switch for causing a person to perform a predetermined operation, and has the effect of improving convenience.

  As described above, according to the present invention, it is possible to obtain an advantageous effect that a stable electrical contact / separation can be performed and a touch panel capable of reliable operation can be realized.

  Embodiments of the present invention will be described below with reference to FIGS.

  Note that, in these drawings, the cross-sectional views are shown by enlarging the dimension in the thickness direction for easy understanding of the configuration.

  Further, the same reference numerals are given to the same components as those described in the background art section, and the detailed description will be simplified.

(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 of the touch panel, wherein 1 is a light-transmitting upper substrate such as polyethersulfone, polycarbonate, glass, and the like. Is a light-transmitting lower substrate such as glass, acrylic or polycarbonate. A light-transmitting upper conductive layer 3 such as indium tin oxide or tin oxide is formed on the lower surface of the upper substrate 1. The conductive layer 4 is formed by sputtering or the like.

  A plurality of dot spacers 5 are formed at predetermined intervals on the upper surface of the lower conductive layer 4 by an insulating resin such as epoxy or silicon, and a pair of upper electrodes 6A such as silver or carbon are formed at both ends of the upper conductive layer 3. And 6B, a pair of lower electrodes 7A and 7B are formed at both ends of the lower conductive layer 4 in a direction orthogonal to the upper electrode.

  Reference numeral 8 denotes a substantially frame-like spacer such as polyester or epoxy, and an adhesive (such as acrylic or rubber) formed on one side of the spacer 8 printed on the outer periphery of the lower surface of the upper substrate 1 or the upper surface of the lower substrate 2. (Not shown), the outer peripheries of the upper substrate 1 and the lower substrate 2 are bonded together, and the upper conductive layer 3 and the lower conductive layer 4 are opposed to each other with a predetermined gap.

  Furthermore, 9 is a substantially frame-like reinforcement body such as polyester or epoxy, and the reinforcement body 9 whose inner edge protrudes inward from the inner edge of the spacer 8 is printed on the upper surface of the upper substrate 1 to form a touch panel. ing.

  The spacer 8 and the reinforcing body 9 may be formed by using a film such as polyethylene terephthalate or polycarbonate and sticking this substantially frame-shaped film between the upper substrate 1 and the lower substrate 2 or on the upper surface of the upper substrate 1. Good.

  And the touch panel comprised in this way is arrange | positioned in the front surface of display elements, such as a liquid crystal, and the inner edge of the reinforcement body 9 is more than the edge part of the window frame part 10A in the window frame part 10A of the housing | casing 10 of an electronic device. A pair of upper electrodes 6A, 6B and lower electrodes 7A, 7B are connected to an electronic circuit (not shown) of the device via a wiring board or the like.

  In the above configuration, when the upper surface of the upper substrate 1 is pressed with a finger or a pen according to the display of the display element on the back surface of the touch panel, the upper substrate 1 is bent, and the upper conductive layer 3 at the pressed portion is the lower conductive layer 4. To touch.

  Then, voltages are sequentially applied from the electronic circuit to the upper electrodes 6A and 6B and the lower electrodes 7A and 7B, and the electronic circuit detects the pressed position based on the voltage ratio between these electrodes, and switches various functions of the device. Is configured to be performed.

  When the pressing operation is performed as described above, there is no particular problem when the middle portion of the upper surface of the upper substrate 1 is pressed as indicated by an arrow A, but the left end portion is pressed as indicated by an arrow B. In such a case, a large bend is applied in the vicinity of the inner edge of the spacer 8 at the left end of the upper substrate 1, and the left end of the upper substrate 1 is pressed extremely strongly along the end of the window frame 10A. Therefore, a large force is applied to the upper substrate 1 and the upper conductive layer 3 at this location.

  However, in the present invention, since the reinforcing body 9 whose inner edge protrudes inward from the edge of the window frame portion 10A and the inner edge of the spacer 8 is formed on the upper surface of the upper substrate 1, the end of the upper substrate 1 is Even when the pressing operation is performed, the end portion of the upper substrate 1 is reinforced by the reinforcing body 9, and the upper conductive layer 3 on the lower surface is not subjected to extreme bending.

  In other words, the inner edge of the reinforcing body 9 formed on the outer periphery of the upper surface of the upper substrate 1 is protruded inward, so that even when a slight force is applied to the end portion of the upper substrate 1, the spacer 8 of the upper conductive layer 3 is used. By preventing extreme bending near the inner edge, cracking and breakage of the upper conductive layer 3 due to edge operation can be prevented, stable electrical contact and separation are possible, and reliable operation can be performed. ing.

  In addition, since the edge part of the window frame part 10A of the housing | casing 10 is normally formed so that it may protrude about 1 mm inside from the inner edge part of the spacer 8, an inner edge is 1-2 mm further than this window frame part 10A edge part. The reinforcing body 9 is preferably formed so as to protrude in the front-rear and inward directions.

  Further, if the reinforcing body 9 is colored in a color similar to that of the housing 10 or a color such as black or gray, the lower spacer 8, the upper electrodes 6A and 6B, and the lower electrodes 7A and 7B are attached to the housing. It can be made invisible from above the body 10.

  As shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 3, if the end portion of the window frame portion 10 </ b> B of the housing 10 is formed to be outward from the inner edge of the spacer 8, the end portion of the upper substrate 1 is pressed and a large force is applied. Since this force can be relieved also by the elastic deformation of the spacer 8, a more reliable operation can be performed.

  Further, as shown in the cross-sectional view of FIG. 4, the inner edge of the reinforcing body 9 formed on the outer periphery of the upper surface of the upper substrate 1 is further protruded inward, so that the company name as shown in the top view of FIG. In addition to providing a display unit 9A that prints characters or patterns such as device model numbers, etc., it also prints characters and figures such as “menu” and “decision” to make the user press a predetermined position. The display portion 9B can be provided.

  According to this, as shown by an arrow A in FIG. 4, when the middle portion of the upper surface of the upper substrate 1, which is inside the substantially frame shape of the reinforcement body 9, is pressed, Since the conductive layer 3 and the lower conductive layer 4 are contacted, in addition to being able to perform stable electrical contact and separation, as shown by an arrow B, the display portion 9B such as characters and figures on the top of the reinforcing body 9 When pressed from above on the inside away from the end of the upper substrate 1, the upper substrate 1 bends, the upper conductive layer 3 and the lower conductive layer 4 are brought into contact with each other, and the pressed portion is replaced with an electronic circuit. By detecting this, for example, it can be used for the purpose of controlling ON / OFF of a predetermined function, and the reinforcing body 9 can be used as a switch.

  That is, the end portion of the upper substrate 1 is reinforced, and the reinforcing body 9 can be used for a display of a company name or the like or as a switch for allowing a user to perform a predetermined operation, improving convenience. Can do.

  As described above, according to the present embodiment, by providing the substantially frame-shaped reinforcing body 9 whose inner edge protrudes inward on the upper surface of the upper substrate 1, even when the end portion of the upper substrate 1 is pressed, Since the end portion of the upper substrate 1 is reinforced by the reinforcing body 9 and it is difficult to bend with some force, it is possible to prevent the upper conductive layer 3 from being extremely bent and to perform stable electrical contact and separation. A touch panel capable of various operations can be obtained.

  The touch panel according to the present invention has an advantageous effect of being able to perform stable electrical contact and separation and capable of providing reliable operation, and is useful for operation of various electronic devices.

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

Explanation of symbols

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Upper substrate 2 Lower substrate 3 Upper conductive layer 4 Lower conductive layer 5 Dot spacer 6A, 6B Upper electrode 7A, 7B Lower electrode 8 Spacer 9 Reinforcement body 9A, 9B Display part 10 Housing | casing 10A, 10B Window frame part

Claims (2)

Formed on the outer periphery between the upper substrate and the lower substrate, the upper substrate having the upper conductive layer formed on the lower surface, the lower substrate formed on the upper surface and facing the upper conductive layer with a predetermined gap therebetween A touch panel comprising a substantially frame-shaped spacer and provided with a substantially frame-shaped reinforcing body having an inner edge protruding inward on the upper surface of the upper substrate. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein a display unit is provided on the reinforcing body.

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