TWM478871U - Touch panel - Google Patents

Abstract

A touch panel has a visible region and a periphery region is provided. The touch panel includes a device layer, a conductive pattern, a cover layer and at least one first wire. The device layer is disposed in the visible region. The conductive pattern is disposed in the periphery region and electrically connected to a reference voltage source. The cover layer covers the conductive pattern. The first wire is disposed on the cover layer. The first wire is electrically connected to the device layer and extends to the periphery region so as to at least overlap with the conductive pattern.

Description

Touch panel

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

In order to improve brand awareness or product design requirements, various manufacturers often set logos on smart electronic devices. Currently, common touch electronic devices, such as mobile phones, tablets, or notebook computers, usually set a logo in a peripheral area other than the visible area. Among them, in order to meet the bright and lustrous needs, metal materials are often used as part of the logo. Therefore, the portion of the logo belonging to the metal material can be regarded as an electrically floating conductive pattern disposed in the peripheral region. However, in order to avoid that the electrical conductivity of the traces for transmitting signals in the peripheral region is affected by the conductive pattern, it is generally common to avoid the wiring provided by the conductive pattern. As a result, the wiring flexibility of the peripheral area will be severely limited.

The novel creation provides a touch panel which can be provided with a conductive pattern The traces are set in the area of the case, so it has a good layout flexibility.

A touch panel created by the present invention has a visible area and a peripheral area. The touch panel includes a touch element, a conductive pattern, a cover layer, and at least one first trace. The touch element is disposed in the viewable area. The conductive pattern is disposed in the peripheral region and electrically connected to the reference voltage source. The cover layer covers the conductive pattern. The first trace is placed on the overlay. The first trace is electrically connected to the touch element and extends to the peripheral region to overlap at least the conductive pattern.

Based on the above, the present invention provides a touch panel in which a conductive pattern is electrically connected to a reference voltage source, and the peripheral region trace does not need to specifically avoid the conductive pattern setting region, and thus has good wiring flexibility.

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

100, 100a, 100b, 100c, 100d, 100e, 100f, 100g‧‧‧ touch panels

102‧‧‧visible area

104‧‧‧The surrounding area

106‧‧‧Substrate

110‧‧‧Touch components

112‧‧‧First conductive member

114‧‧‧Second conductive member

120‧‧‧ conductive pattern

130‧‧‧ Coverage

130s‧‧‧ openings

140, 140a‧‧‧ first line

150‧‧‧Second line

160‧‧‧Shielding trace

170‧‧‧ Conductive ring

180‧‧‧Decorative layer

180s‧‧‧ openings

190a, 190b, 190c, 190d, 190e, 190f‧‧‧ third line

200‧‧‧Soft printed circuit board

300‧‧‧Drive chip

E‧‧‧Power signal

E1‧‧‧first electrode

E2‧‧‧second electrode

C1‧‧‧First Connection

C2‧‧‧Second connection

I-I’‧‧‧ hatching

FIG. 1 is a top view of a touch panel of the present invention.

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

3 is a partial cross-sectional view showing a touch panel of another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of a touch panel according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Fig. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line I-I' of Fig. 4.

6 is a partial cross-sectional view of a touch panel of another embodiment.

7 is a partial cross-sectional view of a touch panel of another embodiment.

FIG. 8 is a partial cross-sectional view of a touch panel of another embodiment.

9 is a partial cross-sectional view of a touch panel of another embodiment.

FIG. 10 is a top plan view of a touch panel according to another embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 1 is a top view of a touch panel of the present invention. Fig. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line I-I' of Fig. 1. Referring to FIGS. 1 and 2 , the touch panel 100 has a visible area 102 and a peripheral area 104 . The peripheral zone 104 is located at least on one side of the viewable area 102. In the present embodiment, the peripheral zone 104 is, for example, a surrounding viewing zone 102. The touch panel 100 includes a substrate 106, a touch element 110, a conductive pattern 120, a cover layer 130 (shown in FIG. 2), a plurality of first traces 140, a plurality of second traces 150, and a shield trace 160.

The substrate 106 is, for example, an additional cover lens, which is a hard substrate having high mechanical strength, such as tempered glass or a composite plastic substrate such as propylene carbonate (PC) and polymethacrylic acid. A composite substrate of methyl ester (PMMA). But not limited to this. In the present embodiment, the substrate 106 may have a function of covering the lower member, and the side of the substrate 106 on which the conductive member is not disposed may serve as a user interface. Further, a side of the substrate 106 on which the conductive member is not disposed may be provided with a film layer such as an anti-glare film or an anti-reflection film. The substrate 106 can be made of tempered glass or other hard light transmissive material.

For a touch device integrated with a display function, the visible region 102 is, for example, a light transmissive region corresponding to, for example, a liquid crystal display element or an organic light emitting diode display. The display area, such as an element, and the peripheral area 104 are, for example, light-resistant areas that correspond to areas provided by elements that are not to be displayed for masking, such elements being, for example, visible signal transmission traces.

The touch element 110 is disposed within the viewable area 102. In the embodiment, the touch element 110 includes a plurality of first conductive members 112 and a plurality of second conductive members 114 arranged in a staggered manner. Each of the first conductive members 112 includes a plurality of first electrodes E1 and a plurality of first connecting portions C1, wherein each of the first connecting portions C1 is connected in series with the adjacent two first electrodes E1. Each of the second conductive members 114 includes a plurality of second electrodes and a plurality of second connecting portions C2, wherein each of the second connecting portions C2 is connected in series with the adjacent two second electrodes E2. In detail, the insulating pattern may be disposed at the intersection of the first connection portion C1 and the second connection portion C2 to electrically insulate the first conductive member 112 and the second conductive member 114 from each other.

The first conductive member 112 and the plurality of second conductive members 114 may be, for example, Indium Tin Oxide (ITO), Indium-Zinc Oxide (IZO), Zinc Oxide Gallium (GZO), and a carbon nanotube film. (Carbon Nanotube-based thin films), metal nanowires, graphene, conductive polymers or other conductive materials, etc., but not limited thereto. Further, the shape of the above-mentioned conductive member may be a continuous block film or a grid shape.

The capacitive effect formed by the first conductive member 112 and the second conductive member 114 can be used to provide a touch sensing function. In addition, regarding the contact coordinate related measurement method of the capacitive touch panel 100, reference may be made to a currently known contact coordinate measurement method, such as a self capacitance measurement method or a mutual capacitance measurement method, but the novel creation is not specific. The measurement method is limited. By the first conductive member 112 and the second conductive member 114, if a conductive member (such as a finger) approaches or contacts the surface of the touch panel 100, the finger will be adjacent to the conductive member (the first conductive member 112 or/and A coupling capacitance is formed between the two conductive members 114) to cause a change in capacitance effect in a finger approaching or contact area to detect the position or movement of the finger or the like. Wherein, the finger can perform a touch operation on the outer surface of the touch insulation via an insulator (for example, the substrate 106). Alternatively, the finger can be accessed but does not touch the touch panel 100 for a hovering touch operation. It should be noted that the shapes, the number, the spatial arrangement, and the arrangement of the first conductive member 112 and the second conductive member 114 in this embodiment are merely illustrative, and are not intended to limit the novel creation. In other embodiments, the touch element of other structures may be used, for example, a single-layer touch sensing electrode without a bridge structure; or the first conductive member and the second conductive member may be respectively disposed in a The dielectric layer may be a rigid substrate or a film substrate, for example, or the first conductive member and the second conductive member may be respectively disposed on the two substrates, for example, the first and the second. The conductive member is respectively disposed on the two film substrates, and then attached to the cover plate by optical adhesive; or the first conductive member is formed on the cover plate, and the second conductive member is formed on the film substrate; Or the first conductive member is formed on the cover plate, and the second conductive member is formed on the display panel. In addition, the touch element 110 of the present embodiment may also be other types of touch elements. For example, in an embodiment, it may be a resistive touch element.

In some embodiments, the peripheral area 104 may have an image that can be seen by a user, such as a text, a trademark, a decorative pattern, or a function key. In the embodiment, the image can be completed by the arrangement of the conductive pattern 120. Conductive map The case 120 is disposed within the perimeter region 104, which may be a patterned conductive layer (such as text or images) or an unpatterned conductive layer. The conductive pattern 120 is electrically connected to a reference voltage source, which is electrically connected to a grounded environment, for example. The material of the conductive pattern 120 includes a metal material, an alloy material, a composite material of a metal material and a non-metal material (for example, an ink containing silver) or other suitable conductive material.

The cover layer 130 covers the conductive pattern 120. The cover layer 130 is, for example, an insulating material layer, which may be a single layer structure or a multilayer stack structure, and has a thickness of 20 μm or less, for example, may be a single layer of inorganic layer, such as yttrium oxide; or a single layer of organic layer, For example, a photoresist; or a plurality of inorganic layers combined with a single organic layer, such as a yttria/tantalum nitride composite inorganic layer with a photoresist layer; or a substrate such as a film substrate; There is an adhesive layer, and the adhesive layer is located between the film substrate and the conductive pattern 120. In other embodiments, the cover layer 130 may be constructed of a light-resistant material defined as a material through which light may be lost through its interface for shielding elements or light that are not desired to be seen in the device. The material of the cover layer 130 may be ceramic, diamond-like carbon, ink or anti-light photoresist, but not limited thereto.

The first trace 140 and the second trace 150 are disposed on the cover layer 130 and electrically connected to the touch element 110 . The first trace 140 is electrically connected to the first conductive member 112 , and the second trace 150 is electrically connected to the second conductive member 114 . The first trace 140 and the second trace 150 are electrically insulated from each other and transmit different types of signals. For example, the first trace 140 transmits a sensing signal and the second trace 150 transmits a driving signal. Alternatively, the first trace 140 transmits a drive signal and the second trace 150 transmits a sense signal. The first trace 140 and the second trace 150 are disposed above the conductive pattern 120, thus The first trace 140 and the second trace 150 overlap the conductive pattern 120.

The shield traces 160 are disposed on the cover layer 130. The shield traces 160 are located between the first trace 140 and the second trace 150 and are positioned above the conductive pattern 120. In the present embodiment, the orthographic projection of the shield traces 160 on the substrate 106 overlaps at least the orthographic projections of the conductive patterns 120 on the substrate 106. The shield trace 160 is electrically connected to the reference voltage source. The shield trace 160 can be used to shield the first trace 140 and the second trace 150, thereby reducing signal interference between the two. It is worth mentioning that if the first conductive member and the second conductive member are disposed in different layers, only one of the first trace or the second trace is disposed on the cover layer.

In the present embodiment, the cap layer 130 positioned between the conductive pattern 120 and the shield trace 160 has an opening 130s. The shield traces 160 are connected to each other through the openings 130s of the cap layer 130 and the conductive patterns 120. The conductive patterns 120 are electrically connected to the reference voltage source through the shield traces 160 to provide a reference voltage to the conductive patterns 120. Since the conductive pattern 120 has a reference potential, the first trace 140 and the second trace 150 are less likely to transmit the coupling signal E (as shown in FIG. 2) via the conductive pattern 120 located therebetween, thereby reducing the first trace. The probability of signal interference between 140 and the second trace 150. Here, the mutual capacitance value between the first conductive member 112 and the second conductive member 114 electrically connected to the first trace 140 is a first capacitance value.

In the touch panel 100, a portion of the first trace 140a does not pass over the conductive pattern 120 (ie, does not overlap the conductive pattern 120). Here, the mutual capacitance value between the first conductive member 112 and the second conductive member 114 electrically connected to the first trace 140a is a second capacitance value. In this embodiment, the first capacitance value is substantially equal to the second power Capacitance. In other words, since the conductive pattern 120 is electrically connected to the reference voltage source, the first trace 140 and the second trace 150 located above the conductive pattern 120 are not easy to transmit the coupling signal E via the conductive pattern 120, so the touch elements 110 have uniform mutual Capacitance value.

Further, if the conductive pattern 120 is not electrically connected to the reference voltage source, the first trace 140 and the second trace 150 located above the conductive pattern 120 may transmit the coupling signal E through the conductive pattern 120 located therebetween. Therefore, the probability of mutual interference occurs. As such, the mutual capacitance value between the first conductive member 112 and the second conductive member 114 electrically connected to the first trace 140 will change (for example, the first capacitance value is greater than the second capacitance value). As a result, the mutual capacitance values of the touch regions of the touch panel 110 are different, thereby affecting the touch sensing performance of the touch panel 100. In contrast, since the regions of the touch element 110 of the present embodiment have substantially the same mutual capacitance value, the touch panel 100 can maintain good touch sensing performance. Moreover, the first trace 140 and the second trace 150 in the touch panel 100 of the present embodiment do not need to avoid the arrangement area of the conductive pattern 120, so the peripheral region 104 has better wiring flexibility, for example, it has more Overlay wiring design.

Moreover, the touch panel 100 can optionally include a conductive ring 170. The conductive ring 170 is disposed in the peripheral region 104 and surrounds the touch element 110. The conductive ring 170 can be electrically connected to a reference voltage, and the material thereof is, for example, a conductive material having good conductivity. The conductive ring 170 can be used to provide an electrostatic venting path of the touch panel 100 to improve the electrostatic protection function of the touch panel 100. In addition, the conductive ring 170 can also shield the electronic signal from the external environment to maintain the signal-to-noise ratio of the touch element 110.

In this embodiment, the first trace 140, the second trace 150, the shield trace 160 and the conductive ring 170 are electrically connected to the flexible printed circuit board 200, for example, and the flexible printed circuit board 200 can be electrically connected to the drive. Wafer 300. The shield trace 160 may be connected to the ground of the drive wafer 300 such that the conductive pattern 120 has a ground potential. Since the actual engagement structure of the flexible printed circuit board 200 with the traces and the conductive loops is well known in the art, it will not be described in detail herein, and the drawings are only presented in a schematic manner.

Several embodiments are listed below to explain in detail other possible embodiments of the novel creation, but are not intended to limit the novel creation. Wherever possible, the same or similar reference numerals are used to refer to the

FIG. 3 is a partial cross-sectional view of the touch panel of another embodiment of the present invention, wherein the top view and the cross-sectional position are similar to FIG. 1. Referring to FIG. 1 and FIG. 3 , the touch panel 100 a of FIG. 3 is similar to the touch panel 100 of FIG. 2 , except that the touch panel 100 a of FIG. 3 further includes a substrate 100 and a cover layer 130 . Decorative layer 180. The decorative layer 180 can be a peripheral region 104 that completely covers the substrate 106 or a peripheral region 104 that partially covers the substrate 106. The decorative pattern 180 has an opening 180s, wherein the conductive pattern 120 is located at least in the opening 180s of the decorative layer 180. Specifically, a decorative layer 180 having an opening 180s may be disposed on the substrate 106, wherein the shape of the opening 180s may be a shape of a designed character or a pattern, and the conductive pattern 120 is disposed at least in the opening 180s to form the designed text. Or pattern. This embodiment is described by taking the conductive pattern 120 completely in the opening 180s. In other embodiments, the conductive pattern 120 may also extend from the opening 180s to the decorative layer 180. The decorative layer 180 covering the portion may have the same shape as the opening 180s or may be a rectangle. In another embodiment, the conductive pattern 120 may cover the decorative layer 180 in its entirety.

In the foregoing embodiment, the conductive pattern 120 is electrically connected to the reference voltage source through the shield trace 160. However, this novel creation is not limited to this. The conductive pattern 120 can also be electrically connected to the reference voltage source through other traces, as described in detail below.

FIG. 4 is a top plan view of a touch panel according to another embodiment of the present invention. Fig. 5 is a schematic cross-sectional view taken along line I-I' of Fig. 4. The touch panel 100b of FIG. 4 is similar to the touch panel 100 of FIG. 1, and the differences are explained below. Referring to FIGS. 4 and 5 , the touch panel 100b further includes a third trace 190 a disposed in the peripheral region 104 . The third trace 190a is electrically connected to a reference voltage source, which is electrically connected to the ground of the driving wafer 300 (as shown in FIG. 4). The third trace 190a and the conductive pattern 120 are connected to each other. Therefore, the conductive pattern 120 can be electrically connected to the reference voltage source R through the third trace 190a. In the embodiment, the third trace 190a is disposed on the cover layer 130, and the opening 130s through the cover layer 130 and the conductive pattern 120 are connected to each other. The third trace 190a can be fabricated along with the first trace 140, the second trace 150, and the shield trace 160. However, it is not limited thereto, and for example, the third trace 190a may be separately fabricated.

6 is a partial cross-sectional view of the touch panel of another embodiment, the top view and the cross-sectional position are similar to FIG. 4, and the position of the third trace 190b in the top view can refer to the position of the third trace 190a. . Referring to FIG. 4 and FIG. 6 , the touch panel 100 c of FIG. 6 is similar to the touch panel 100 b of FIG. 5 , except that the touch panel 100 c further includes a decorative layer disposed between the substrate 106 and the cover layer 130 . 180, and the conductive pattern 120 is located at least in the opening 180s of the decorative layer 180. For a description of the decorative layer 180, reference may be made to the decorative layer 180 of FIG. 3, and the description thereof will not be repeated here.

7 is a partial cross-sectional view of the touch panel of another embodiment, the top view and the cross-sectional position are similar to FIG. 4, and the position of the third trace 190c in the top view is referenced to the position of the third trace 190a. . Referring to FIG. 4 and FIG. 7 , the touch panel 100 d of FIG. 7 is similar to the touch panel 100 c of FIG. 6 , except that the third trace 190 c of the touch panel 100 d is disposed at least on the conductive pattern 120 and the cover layer. Between 130. A portion of the conductive pattern 120 extends from the opening 180s of the decorative layer 180 onto the decorative layer 180 to form a third trace 190c. In other words, the third trace 190c is formed simultaneously with the conductive pattern 120 and belongs to a portion of the conductive pattern 120. However, the novel creation is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the third trace 190c may also be formed using another process instead of being part of the conductive pattern 120.

8 is a partial cross-sectional view of the touch panel of another embodiment, the top view and the cross-sectional position are similar to FIG. 4, and the position of the third trace 190d in the top view can refer to the position of the third trace 190a. . Referring to FIG. 4 and FIG. 8 , the touch panel 100 e of FIG. 8 is similar to the touch panel 100 b of FIG. 5 , except that the third trace 190 d of the touch panel 100 e is disposed on the substrate 106 and the conductive pattern 120 . And the conductive pattern 120 covers a portion of the third trace 190d. Specifically, the material of the third trace 190d is, for example, a transparent conductive material, and therefore, the arrangement of the third trace 190d does not allow the user to observe the presence of the third trace 190d. In addition, when some of the components of the touch element 110 are made of a transparent conductive material, the third trace 190d can be fabricated therewith, thereby simplifying the process.

9 is a partial cross-sectional view of the touch panel of another embodiment, the top view and the cross-sectional position are similar to FIG. 4, and the position of the third trace 190e in the top view can refer to the position of the third trace 190a. . Referring to FIG. 4 and FIG. 9 , the touch panel 100 f of FIG. 9 is similar to the touch panel 100 e of FIG. 8 , except that the touch panel 100 f further includes a decorative layer disposed between the substrate 106 and the cover layer 130 . 180, and the conductive pattern 120 is located at least in the opening 180s of the decorative layer 180. For a description of the decorative layer 180, reference may be made to the decorative layer 180 of FIG. 3, and the description thereof will not be repeated here.

FIG. 10 is a top plan view of a touch panel according to another embodiment of the present invention. The touch panel 100g of FIG. 10 is similar to the touch panel 100b of FIG. 4 except that the third trace 190f is electrically connected to the reference voltage source through the conductive ring 170. In the present embodiment, the conductive ring 170 is electrically connected to the flexible printed circuit board 200 and the driving die 300, for example, via the conductive pattern 120, wherein the third trace 190f belongs to a part of the conductive ring 170. However, the present invention is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the conductive ring 170 may not pass over the conductive pattern 120, and the third trace 190f extends from the conductive pattern 120 to the conductive ring 170 to be connected to the conductive ring 170.

In summary, the conductive pattern created by the present invention is electrically connected to the reference voltage, and the first trace and the second trace are not easy to transmit the coupling signal via the conductive pattern located therebetween, thereby reducing the first trace and the first trace The probability of signal interference between the two traces. In addition, the mutual capacitance value of the partial region electrically connected to the first trace in the device layer is not changed by the first trace passing over the conductive pattern, so that the entire device layer can have a uniform mutual capacitance value. In this way, the surrounding area does not need to be specially avoided. The conductive pattern setting area is opened, and thus has good wiring elasticity.

Although the present invention has been disclosed in the above embodiments, it is not intended to limit the novel creation, and any person skilled in the art can make some changes without departing from the spirit and scope of the novel creation. Retouching, the scope of protection of this new creation is subject to the definition of the scope of the patent application attached.

100‧‧‧ touch panel

106‧‧‧Substrate

120‧‧‧ conductive pattern

130‧‧‧ Coverage

130s‧‧‧ openings

140‧‧‧First line

150‧‧‧Second line

160‧‧‧Shielding trace

E‧‧‧Power signal

Claims (17)

A touch panel has a visible area and a peripheral area at least on one side of the visible area, the touch panel includes: a touch component disposed in the visible area; and a conductive pattern disposed in the peripheral area Electrically connected to a reference voltage source; a cover layer covering the conductive pattern; at least one first trace disposed on the cover layer, the first trace being electrically connected to the touch element and located in the peripheral area At least overlapping the conductive pattern. The touch panel of claim 1, comprising a plurality of first traces, wherein some of the first traces are not disposed on the cover layer. The touch panel of claim 1, further comprising at least one second trace disposed on the cover layer, the second trace being electrically connected to the touch component and extending to the peripheral region At least overlapping with the conductive pattern, the second trace and the first trace are electrically insulated from each other, and one of the first trace and the second trace transmits a sensing signal, and the other transmits a driving signal . The touch panel of claim 3, further comprising a shield trace disposed on the overlay layer and located between the first trace and the second trace. The touch panel of claim 4, wherein the shield trace is electrically connected to the reference voltage source. The touch panel of claim 4, wherein the cover layer has an opening, the shield trace is connected to the conductive pattern through the opening of the cover layer, and the conductive pattern is electrically connected to the shield trace Connect to the reference voltage source. The touch panel of claim 6, further comprising a decorative layer disposed between the substrate and the cover layer and having an opening, the conductive pattern being located at least in the opening of the decorative layer. The touch panel of claim 1, further comprising at least one third trace disposed in the peripheral region, and the conductive patterns are connected to each other, and the conductive pattern is electrically connected through the third trace To the reference voltage source. The touch panel of claim 8, wherein the third trace is disposed on the cover layer, and the cover layer has an opening, and the third trace passes through the opening of the cover layer and the conductive pattern Connect to each other. The touch panel of claim 9, further comprising a decorative layer disposed between the substrate and the cover layer and having an opening, the conductive pattern being located at least in the opening of the decorative layer. The touch panel of claim 8, further comprising a decorative layer disposed between the substrate and the cover layer and having an opening, the conductive pattern being at least in an opening of the decorative layer, wherein the first The three traces are disposed at least between the conductive pattern and the cover layer. The touch panel of claim 11, wherein a portion of the conductive pattern extends from the opening of the decorative layer to the decorative layer to form the third trace. The touch panel of claim 8, further comprising a conductive ring disposed in the peripheral region and surrounding the touch component, wherein the third trace is electrically connected to the reference voltage source through the conductive ring . The touch panel of claim 13, wherein the third trace belongs to a part of the conductive loop. The touch panel of claim 8, wherein the third trace is disposed between the substrate and the conductive pattern, and the conductive pattern covers the third trace of the portion. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the cover layer is an insulating material layer, and the insulating material layer has a thickness of less than 20 microns. The touch panel of claim 16, wherein the cover layer comprises a film substrate and an adhesive layer, the adhesive layer being located between the film substrate and the conductive pattern.