TWI471780B - Touch panel - Google Patents

Description

Touch panel

The present invention relates to a touch panel, and more particularly to a touch panel having a decorative layer.

In order to be more convenient, lighter, and more user-friendly, many information products have been converted from traditional keyboards or mice to devices that use touch devices as input. The touch device can be assembled on a wide variety of flat-panel displays, so that the flat-panel display has both a display screen and input operation information.

For the current common touch devices, capacitive touch panels and resistive touch panels are the most popular. In particular, the user only needs to touch the surface of the capacitive touch panel to perform the touch operation, so that the capacitive touch panel is more popular to the user. It is worth mentioning that whether a capacitive touch panel or a resistive touch panel, a transparent conductive material such as Indium Tin Oxide (ITO) is required to fabricate a conductive film for sensing. Therefore, the process of forming a transparent conductive material is a factor that affects the quality of the touch panel.

For example, to achieve the desired conductive properties, the process of forming a transparent conductive film often requires high temperature fabrication conditions. However, when the temperature of other components of the touch panel is not well tolerated, the use of high temperature conditions in the process of forming a transparent conductive material will be detrimental to product quality. Therefore, the quality of the conductive film and other members often faces a situation in which it cannot be balanced.

The invention provides a touch panel, which can improve the situation that a large-area line is damaged during the process.

The invention provides a touch panel comprising a substrate, a plurality of sensing units, a decorative layer, a plurality of first signal lines, a plurality of second signal lines and a conductive component. The substrate has an operating area and a peripheral area surrounding the operating area. The sensing unit is located in the operating area for sensing a coordinate of a touch point. The decorative layer is disposed in the peripheral area. The first signal line, the second signal line, and the conductive member are all located in the peripheral area and disposed on the decorative layer. The first signal line is connected to a part of the sensing unit, and the second signal line is connected to the remaining sensing unit. One end of each of the first signal lines is connected to the corresponding sensing unit and the other end is located in a junction area in the peripheral area. One end of each of the second signal lines is connected to the corresponding sensing unit and the other end is located in the land in the peripheral area. The conductive member is between the first signal line and the second signal line. The conductive member has a widened portion between the first signal line and the second signal line, and the widened portion has a line width larger than the remaining area of the conductive member.

According to an embodiment of the invention, one end of the conductive member is located in the land in the peripheral region to be connected to a ground signal.

According to an embodiment of the invention, when a selected area of 0.4 mm×0.4 mm area is arbitrarily selected in the peripheral area, the selected area includes at least one blank area other than the area of the first signal line, the second signal line, and the conductive component. For example, the conductive member may have a widened portion, the widened portion has a line width greater than or equal to 0.5 mm, and the widened portion is provided with at least one opening. on Said at least one opening is closed or open.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the decorative layer is made of a photoresist material.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the decorative layer is disposed on the substrate and has a first side adjacent to the substrate and a second side opposite to the first side, and the first signal line, the second signal line, and the conductive The components are located on the second side of the decorative layer.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the sensing unit includes a plurality of first sensing units and a plurality of second sensing units that are interlaced with each other. The first sensing unit and the second sensing unit each include at least one sensing electrode, and the material of the sensing electrode includes a transparent conductive material.

According to an embodiment of the invention, the touch panel further includes an insulating layer. The insulating layer is disposed on the substrate to electrically isolate the sensing units from each other, and the insulating layer covers the first signal line, the second signal line, and the conductive member. In addition, the touch panel may further include a floating transparent conductive pattern disposed on the insulating layer and above the conductive member.

Based on the above, the present invention forms at least one opening in a large-area transmission line such as a conductive member. Therefore, a large-area transmission line is not easily damaged due to high temperature conditions in the process, and the touch panel has an ideal quality.

The above described features and advantages of the present invention will be more apparent from the following description.

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a touch panel according to an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 1 , the touch panel 100 includes a substrate 110 , a plurality of first sensing units 122 , a plurality of second sensing units 124 , a decorative layer 130 , a plurality of first signal lines 142 , and a plurality of second signals. The wire 144 and a conductive member 150, wherein the conductive member 150 is preferably connected to a ground potential, although the invention is not limited thereto. It should be noted that FIG. 1 is used to indicate the arrangement area of each component of the touch panel 100 on the substrate 110 without directly indicating the stacking relationship of these components. In addition, for convenience of description, FIG. 1 only shows a portion of the first sensing unit 122, the second sensing unit 124, the first signal line 142, and the second signal line 144.

The substrate 110 has an operating area 112 and a peripheral area 114 surrounding the operating area 112. Generally, the first sensing unit 122 and the second sensing unit 124 in the operating area 112 are components for sensing in the touch panel 100, and the periphery of the operating area 112 is configured to route a plurality of first signal lines 142. The area of the plurality of second signal lines 144 is defined as the peripheral area 114.

In this embodiment, the first sensing unit 122 and the second sensing unit 124 are mutually staggered to sense a coordinate of a touch point. Specifically, the first sensing unit 122 may be configured by a plurality of sensing electrodes 122P and a plurality of connecting lines 122C that connect the sensing electrodes 122P in series in the first direction D1. Similarly, the second sensing unit 124 may be composed of a plurality of sensing electrodes 124P and a plurality of connecting lines 124C that connect the sensing electrodes 124P in series in the second direction D2. Here, the first direction D1 and the second direction D2 are staggered with each other.

The touch panel 100 of the embodiment is a sensing string with different extending directions. The column serves as a sensing unit to implement the function of touch sensing, but the invention is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the strip-shaped sensing electrodes can be used as the sensing unit in the touch panel 100. Therefore, the sensing unit of the tandem type illustrated in FIG. 1 is for illustrative purposes only and is not intended to limit the present invention. In addition, in order to provide the light transmittance of the touch panel 100, the material of the sensing electrode 122P and the sensing electrode 124P may be a transparent conductive material such as indium tin oxide, indium zinc oxide or the like.

The decorative layer 130, the first signal line 142, the second signal line 144, and the conductive member 150 are disposed in the peripheral region 114. In general, the decorative layer 130 can provide a light shielding function to form a frame around the operation area 112 and shield the first signal line 142, the second signal line 144, and the conductive member 150. As a result, when the user uses the touch panel 100, the first signal line 142, the second signal line 144, and the conductive member 150 are not seen, which helps to enhance the appearance of the touch panel 100.

Specifically, a peripheral region 114 is disposed in the peripheral region 114, which is an area where the touch panel 100 is to be connected to an external circuit or a wafer. That is, the circuit or wafer to be controlled and driven to the touch panel 100 is connected to the land 116. Here, the first signal line 142 and the second signal line 144 are transmission lines for connecting the first sensing unit 122 and the second sensing unit 124 to an external circuit or a wafer. Therefore, one end 142A of each of the first signal lines 142 is connected to one of the first sensing units 122 and the other end 142B is located in the lands 106. Similarly, one end 144A of each of the second signal lines 144 is connected to one of the second sensing units 124 and the other end 144B is also located in the land 116.

In addition, as shown in FIG. 1, a plurality of first signal lines 142 are routed in a first signal line area A1; and a plurality of second signal lines 142 are routed in a second signal line area A2. The conductive member 150 is interposed between the first signal line region A1 and the second signal line region A2, and one end 150A of the conductive member 150 is also located in the land 116 in the peripheral region 114. The conductive member 150 is preferably connected to a ground signal, for example, the conductive member 150 can be connected to an external circuit or a chip connected to the first signal line 142 and the second signal line 144, or can be connected to other external circuits or chips. . That is, in an embodiment, the external circuit or wafer to which the conductive member 150 is connected may be different from the external circuit or wafer to which the first signal line 142 and the second signal line 144 are connected.

According to the design of the embodiment, when a selected area of 0.4 mm×0.4 mm area is arbitrarily selected in the peripheral area 114 of the touch panel 100, the first signal line 142, the second signal line 144, and the conductive may be disposed in the selected area. At least one of the components 150, and the selected area further includes at least one blank area in which no metal lines are disposed. In other words, when the first signal line 142, the second signal line 144, and the conductive member 150 are made of a metal material, a selected area of 0.4 mm×0.4 mm area arbitrarily selected in the peripheral area 114 of the touch panel 100 may include at least one blank area. There is no metal material to configure its area. In detail, Fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line I-I' of Fig. 1. Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 2 simultaneously, the touch panel 100 further includes an insulating layer 160 , a floating transparent conductive pattern 170 , and a protective layer 180 .

The insulating layer 160 is overlaid on the conductive member 150, the first signal line 142, and the second signal line 144 in FIG. In addition, in the operation area 112, The insulating layer 160 is used to electrically insulate the first sensing unit 122 from the second sensing unit 124. Therefore, the connecting line 122C of the first sensing unit 122 and the connecting line 124C of the second sensing unit 124 are substantially separated by the insulating layer 160 in cross-sectional structure.

The floating transparent conductive pattern 170 is disposed on the insulating layer 160 and above the conductive member 150. The floating transparent conductive pattern 170 may be fabricated while the sensing electrode 122P of the first sensing unit 122 and the sensing electrode 124P of the second sensing unit 124 are fabricated. In addition, the protective layer 180 covers the substrate 110 such that the first sensing unit 122, the second sensing unit 124, the decorative layer 130, the first signal line 142, the second signal line 144, the conductive member 150, the insulating layer 160, and The floating transparent conductive patterns 170 are located between the substrate 110 and the protective layer 180.

As shown in FIG. 2 , the decorative layer 130 is disposed on the substrate 110 and has a first side 132 adjacent to the substrate 110 and a second side 134 opposite to the first side 132 . The first signal line 142, the second signal line 144, and the conductive member 150 are all located on the second side 134 of the decorative layer 130. Moreover, the floating transparent conductive pattern 170 is located above the first signal line 142, the second signal line 144, and the conductive member 150. Therefore, the manufacturing method of the touch panel 100 includes, for example, first forming the decorative layer 130 on the peripheral region 112 of the substrate 110 with a light shielding material such as a photoresist material, and then forming the conductive member 150, the first signal line 142, and the first portion by using the metal material. After the second signal line 144 and the like, the sensing electrode 122P of the first sensing unit 122, the sensing electrode 124P of the second sensing unit 124, and the floating transparent conductive pattern 170 are formed on the substrate 110 by using a transparent conductive material.

In general, in order to provide ideal conductive properties, the sensing electrodes 122P of the first sensing unit 122 and the sensing electrodes 124P of the second sensing unit 124 are preferably fabricated under high temperature conditions. At this time, if the material of the decorative layer 130 is a photoresist material, high temperature conditions may cause volume expansion of the photoresist material or gas escape. Such volume change or gas escaping does not cause significant influence on the shading effect provided by the decorative layer 130 itself, and stress is generated to cause the grounding line 150, the first signal line 142 and the second signal line contacting the decorative layer 130. Components such as 144 are damaged. In particular, the greater the width of these components, the higher the chance of damage.

Therefore, the present embodiment mitigates the damage of these components due to stress by controlling the arrangement areas of the ground line 150, the first signal line 142, and the second signal line 144. As described above, the peripheral area 114 of the touch panel 100 is designed such that when the selected area of the area of 0.4 mm × 0.4 mm is arbitrarily selected in the peripheral area 114 of the touch panel 100, the selected area includes at least one blank area without metal material. Configure its area. Under such a layout design, components such as the ground line 150, the first signal line 142, and the second signal line 144 are not easily broken or burst when subjected to stress caused by volume expansion or gas escaping of the photoresist material. In contrast, if the metal material is covered with an area of 0.4 mm × 0.4 mm or even larger area, the metal material will easily burst due to the volume expansion of the photoresist material or the stress generated by the gas dissipation. Therefore, the design of the embodiment can reduce the damage of the metal component and improve the quality and yield of the touch panel 100.

In addition, in more detail, FIG. 3 is an enlarged schematic view of a region E in the touch panel of FIG. 1. Please refer to FIG. 1 , FIG. 2 and FIG. 3 simultaneously, the embodiment. The conductive member 150 may have a widened portion 152 whose line width W1 is larger than the line width W2 of the remaining portion of the conductive member 150, wherein the line width W of the widened portion 152 is, for example, greater than or equal to 0.5 mm. Here, when the widened portion 152 is provided with at least one opening 152A such that a selected area of 0.4 mm × 0.4 mm area is selected in the peripheral area 114 of the touch panel 100, the selected area includes at least one blank area without metal material. Configure its area. That is to say, the area of the opening 152A can be regarded as a blank area. In addition, the area between the conductive member 150, the plurality of first signal lines 142, and any adjacent ones of the plurality of second signal lines 144 can also be regarded as a blank area as described herein.

It is worth mentioning that FIG. 3 illustrates that the number of the openings 152A is plural and the shape is a rectangle, but the invention is not limited thereto. For example, Figures 4A-4F illustrate aperture designs in various widened portions. As can be seen from FIG. 4A, the widened portion 152 can be designed to have a rectangular opening 152B. FIG. 4B illustrates the widened portion 152 having a plurality of circular openings 152. 4C illustrates the widened portion 152 having a plurality of triangular openings 152D. FIG. 4D illustrates that the widened portion 152 has a fence-like pattern design to define a plurality of rectangular openings 152E. The above examples all show closed openings, but the invention is not limited thereto. 4E, the widened portion 152 can have a plurality of open openings 152F to present a meandering pattern. In addition, with respect to FIG. 4F, the widened portion 152 may have a plurality of open openings 152G to present a comb-like pattern. It is worth mentioning that the design of the shape and opening of the widening section can be changed according to different design requirements and the conditions of the process, and should not be limited to the above.

As described above, in the present invention, when the component is made of a metal material on the decorative layer, the area of the metal material is adjusted, so that it is not filled with the metal material in the region where the specific area is arbitrarily selected. This design can avoid the metal material because the continuous configuration area is too large to withstand the stress generated by the process of making other components, that is, to avoid damage to the metal material during the process. Therefore, based on the embodiment of the present invention, the touch panel has an ideal quality and a production yield.

Although the present invention has been disclosed in the above embodiments, it is not intended to limit the invention, and any one of ordinary skill in the art can make some modifications and refinements without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The scope of the invention is defined by the scope of the appended claims.

100‧‧‧ touch panel

110‧‧‧Substrate

112‧‧‧Operating area

114‧‧‧The surrounding area

116‧‧‧ junction area

122‧‧‧First sensing unit

122C, 124C‧‧‧ connection line

122P, 124P‧‧‧ sensing electrodes

124‧‧‧Second sensing unit

130‧‧‧Decorative layer

132‧‧‧ first side

134‧‧‧ second side

142‧‧‧First signal line

142A, 142B: 144A, 144B, 150A‧‧‧

144‧‧‧second signal line

150‧‧‧Electrical parts

152‧‧‧ Widening Department

152A, 152B, 152C, 152D, 152E, 152F, 152G‧‧‧ openings

160‧‧‧Insulation

170‧‧‧ Floating transparent conductive pattern

180‧‧‧protection layer

A1‧‧‧first signal line area

A2‧‧‧Second signal line area

E‧‧‧ area

I-I’‧‧‧ cut line

W1, W2‧‧‧ line width

FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of a touch panel according to an embodiment of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line I-I' of Fig. 1.

3 is an enlarged schematic view of a region E in the touch panel of FIG. 1.

4A-4F illustrate aperture designs in various widened portions.

150‧‧‧Electrical parts

152‧‧‧ Widening Department

152A‧‧‧ openings

E‧‧‧ area

W1, W2‧‧‧ line width

Claims (10)

A touch panel includes: a substrate having an operation area and a peripheral area surrounding the operation area; a plurality of sensing units located in the operation area for sensing a coordinate of a touch point; a decorative layer, The first signal line is disposed in the peripheral area, and is connected to the sensing area, and is disposed on the decorative layer, and one end of each of the first signal lines is connected to the corresponding sense a measuring unit and the other end is located in a joint area of the peripheral area; a plurality of second signal lines are located in the peripheral area, are connected to the remaining sensing units, and are disposed on the decorative layer, each of the second One end of the signal line is connected to the corresponding sensing unit and the other end is located in the joint area in the peripheral area; and a conductive member is disposed in the peripheral area and disposed on the decorative layer, the decorative layer is disposed on the substrate a first side adjacent to the substrate and a second side opposite to the first side, and the first signal lines, the second signal lines, and the conductive member are located on the decorative layer The second side, wherein the guide The component has a widened portion between the first signal line region where the first signal lines are located and the second signal line region where the second signal lines are located, and the widened portion has a line width larger than the conductive component In the remaining area, the material of the widened portion includes metal, and at least one opening is provided in the widened portion. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein one end of the conductive member is located in the joint region in the peripheral region to be connected to a ground signal. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein when the selected area of the area of 0.4 mm × 0.4 mm is selected in the peripheral area, the selected area includes at least one blank area in which no metal pattern is disposed. The touch panel of claim 3, wherein the widened portion has a line width greater than or equal to 0.5 mm. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the at least one opening is closed or open. The touch panel of claim 3, wherein the conductive member, the first signal line, and an area between any adjacent ones of the second signal lines define the at least one blank area. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the decorative layer is made of a photoresist material. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the sensing units comprise a plurality of first sensing units and a plurality of second sensing units that are interlaced with each other, the first sensing units and the Each of the second sensing units includes at least one sensing electrode, and the material of the sensing electrode includes a transparent conductive material. The touch panel of claim 1, further comprising an insulating layer disposed on the substrate to electrically isolate the sensing units from each other, and the insulating layer covers the first signals a line, the second signal lines, and the conductive member. The touch panel of claim 9, further comprising a floating transparent conductive pattern disposed on the insulating layer and above the conductive member.