Touch panel

• US 10,025,443 B2
• Filed: 03/25/2015
• Issued: 07/17/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 09/27/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co Limited
• Original Assignee: Murata Manufacturing Co Limited
• Inventors: Ando, Masamichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Reed, Stephen T
• Application Number:
  US14/668,100
• Publication Number:
  US 20150199056A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,210 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04107 Shielding in digitiser, i.e. guard or shielding arrangements, mostly for capacitive touchscreens, e.g. driven shields, driven grounds
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04164 Connections between sensors and controllers, e.g. routing lines between electrodes and connection pads
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0445 using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/047 using sets of wires, e.g. crossed wires
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0426 Layout of electrodes and connections

Abstract

A touch panel having a structure in which first capacitance detection conductors, a first insulating layer, second capacitance detection conductors, a second insulating layer, a shied conductor, a third insulating layer, and backside wiring conductors are disposed in this order in a thickness direction. The second capacitance detection conductors and the backside wiring conductors are connected through conductors formed near ends of the second capacitance detection conductors in a longitudinal direction. The first capacitance detection conductors are extracted to a predetermined side by first extraction conductors, and the second capacitance detection conductors are extracted to the predetermined side by the through conductors, the backside wiring conductors, and second extraction conductors.

Claims

1. A touch panel, comprising:

an insulating layer having first and second major surfaces opposing one another;

the insulating layer being bent back on itself at first and second positions to define first, second and third subsections each bounded by respective portions of the first and second major surfaces, the insulating layer being bent back upon itself such that the portion of the second major surface bounding the third subsection faces the portion of the first major surface bounding the first subsection and the portion of the second major surface bounding the first subsection faces the portion of the second major surface bounding the second subsection;

a plurality of elongated first touch sensor electrodes located on a portion of the first major surface bounding the first subsection, the first touch sensor electrodes extending parallel to one another along a first direction and being spaced from each other along a second direction which is orthogonal to the first direction;

a plurality of elongated second touch sensor electrodes located on the portion of the first major surface bounding the second subsection, the second touch sensor electrodes extending parallel to one another along the second direction and being spaced from each other along the first direction;

a plurality of first extraction conductors, each first extraction conductor extending from a respective one of the first touch sensor electrodes;

a plurality of backside wiring conductors formed on the portion of the first major surface bounding the third subsection, each backside wiring conductor corresponding to a respective one of the plurality of second touch sensor electrodes and being electrically coupled thereto; and

a plurality of second extraction conductors, each second extraction conductor extending from a respective one of the backside wiring conductors.

2. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the plurality of first touch sensor electrodes, the plurality of second touch sensor electrodes, the first insulating layer, the second insulating layer, the plurality of first extraction conductors, the plurality of backside wiring conductors, and the plurality of second extraction conductors are made of translucent materials.

3. The touch panel according to claim 2, wherein each of the backside wiring conductors is electrically connected to a respective one of the second touch sensor electrodes by a respective connection conductor made of a translucent material.

4. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein each of the respective connection conductors are located on the first surface of the first insulating layer and extends from the portion of the first major surface bounding the second subsection to the portion of the first major surface bounding the third subsection.

5. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the first and third subsection include respective signal transaction edges which align with one another, each first extraction conductor extending from its respective first touch sensor electrode to a position adjacent the signal extraction edge of the first subsection and each second extraction conductor extending from its respective backside wiring conductor to a position adjacent the signal extraction edge of the third subsection.

6. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein each of the backside wiring layers has a fixed width portion that extends in the second direction, each of the fixed width portions having has a width as measured along a single line extending in the first direction through all of the fixed width portions of the backside wiring layers, the width of each respective backside wiring layer being different than at least one other backside wiring layer.

7. The touch panel according to claim 6, wherein each backside wiring layer is electrically coupled to its respective second touch sensor electrodes at a respective connection location, some of the connection locations being closer to the signal extraction edge of the second insulating layer than the others, the width of each respective backside wiring layer, as measured along the single line varying from backside wiring layer to backside wiring layer as a function of the distance between the respective connection location of the respective backside wiring layer and the signal extraction edge of the second insulating layer.

8. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein at least some of the backside wiring layers extend in the first direction and have a variable width as measured in the second direction.