Touch panel

• US 10,156,951 B2
• Filed: 05/11/2015
• Issued: 12/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 07/22/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Component Limited (Fujitsu Limited)
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Component Limited (Fujitsu Limited)
• Inventors: Ueno, Yutaka
• Primary Examiner(s): Mengistu, Amare
• Assistant Examiner(s): Nadkarni, Sarvesh J
• Application Number:
  US14/708,387
• Publication Number:
  US 20160026303A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,317 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/045 using resistive elements, e.g. a single continuous surface or two parallel surfaces put in contact

Abstract

A touch panel includes: a lower electrode substrate that includes: a first substrate surface; a first conductive film on the first substrate surface; and four electrodes on the first substrate surface; an upper electrode substrate that includes: a second substrate surface; a second conductive film formed on the second substrate surface and facing the first conductive film; an insulating layer formed on the second conductive film; and a conductive layer formed on the insulating layer, and a control unit that applies voltage to the electrodes and that detects a contact position at which the upper electrode substrate comes into contact with the lower electrode substrate by using an electric charge which is moved from the lower electrode substrate to the upper electrode substrate by the contact.

Claims

1. A resistive touch panel comprising:

a lower electrode substrate that includes

a first substrate surface;

a first conductive film formed on the first substrate surface; and

four corner electrodes provided on the first substrate surface and respectively located at four corners of the first substrate surface;

an upper electrode substrate that includes

a second substrate surface;

a second conductive film formed on the second substrate surface and facing the first conductive film with a gap between the first conductive film and the second conductive film, the first conductive film and the second conductive film coming into contact with each other when the touch panel is operated;

an insulating layer formed on the second conductive film; and

a conductive layer formed on the insulating layer, the conductive layer being insulated from the second conductive film by the insulating layer, a first voltage being applied to the conductive layer;

an insulating spacer provided between the first conductive film and the conductive layer and forming the gap between the first conductive film and the second conductive film; and

a control unit configured to alternately apply a second voltage which is higher than the first voltage and 0V to each of the four corner electrodes, and to detect a contact position at which the upper electrode substrate comes in contact with the lower electrode substrate by measuring electric current flowing through each of the four corner electrodes.

2. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the control unit detects the contact position based on a ratio of the four measured electric currents of the four corner electrodes.

3. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the control unit changes voltage to be applied to each of the four corner electrodes from the second voltage to 0V, when a total value of four measured electric currents of the four corner electrodes is equal to or less than a predetermined threshold value.

7. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the first voltage is 0V.

4. A resistive touch panel comprising:

a lower electrode substrate that includes

a first substrate surface;

a first conductive film formed on the first substrate surface; and

four electrodes provided on the first substrate surface and respectively located at four corners of the first substrate surface;

an upper electrode substrate that includes

a second substrate surface;

a second conductive film formed on the second substrate surface and facing the first conductive film with a gap between the first conductive film and the second conductive film;

an insulating layer formed on the second conductive film; and

a conductive layer formed on the insulating layer, the conductive layer being insulated from the second conductive film by the insulating layer, a first voltage being applied to the conductive layer;

an insulating spacer provided between the first conductive film and the conductive layer and forming the gap between the first conductive film and the second conductive film; and

a control unit configured to;

apply a second voltage that is higher than the first voltage to one of first two electrodes arranged along an X-axis direction among the four electrodes and 0V to another one of the first two electrodes, and detect the contact position in the X-axis direction, at which the upper electrode substrate comes into contact with the lower electrode substrate, by measuring voltage on the second conductive film; and

apply the second voltage to one of second two electrodes arranged along Y-axis direction among the four electrodes and 0V to another one of the second two electrodes, and detect the contact position in the Y-axis direction, at which the upper electrode substrate comes in contact with the lower electrode substrate, by measuring voltage on the second conductive film.

5. The touch panel of claim 4, wherein the control unit stops applying the second voltage when it is determined that the upper electrode substrate comes into contact with the lower electrode substrates, and measures the voltage while applying of the first voltage is stopped.

6. A resistive touch panel comprising:

a lower electrode substrate that includes

a first substrate surface;

a first conductive film formed on the first substrate surface; and

four electrodes provided on the first substrate surface;

an upper electrode substrate that includes

a second substrate surface;

a second conductive film formed on the second substrate surface, facing the first conductive film and coming into contact with the first conductive film when the touch panel is operated;

a design layer formed of colored insulating ink formed on the second conductive film; and

a conductive layer formed on the design layer, the conductive layer being insulated from the second conductive film by the design layer, and a first voltage being applied to the conductive layer;

an insulating spacer provided between the first conductive film and the conductive layer and forming a gap between the first conductive film and the second conductive film; and

a control unit configured to apply an alternating voltage to each of the four electrodes, and to detect a contact position at which the upper electrode substrate comes in contact with the lower electrode substrate by using an electric charge which is moved from the lower electrode substrate to the upper electrode substrate by the contact of the first conductive film and the second conductive film.