Touch panel and a manufacturing method thereof

• US 10,317,715 B2
• Filed: 07/09/2013
• Issued: 06/11/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 07/24/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TPK Touch Solutions (Xiamen) Inc. (TPK Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: TPK Touch Solutions (Xiamen) Inc. (TPK Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Jiang, Yau-Chen, Xie, Yanjun, Lai, Bin, Huang, Limei
• Primary Examiner(s): Soto Lopez, Jose R
• Application Number:
  US13/937,230
• Publication Number:
  US 20140028926A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,163 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13338 Input devices, e.g. touch panels
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• 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 3/0448 Details of the electrode shape, e.g. for enhancing the detection of touches, for generating specific electric field shapes, for enhancing display quality
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49117 Conductor or circuit manufacturing

Abstract

The present disclosure provides a touch panel. The touch panel comprises a plurality of first electrode axes, a plurality of second electrode axes, and a plurality of traces. The first electrode axes and the corresponding second electrode axes are disposed at a same level, intertwined, and electrically isolated from each other. The traces connect to the first electrode axes and the second electrode axes from one direction. The present disclosure further provides a manufacturing method of a touch panel. The traces electrically connect to the electrode axes along only one direction, thereby effectively decreasing the area needed to form the traces surrounding the active region and increasing the active region area.

Claims

1. A touch panel, comprising:

a first electrode, wherein the first electrode comprises a pair of first vertical parts and a plurality of first fitting parts extended from the pair of first vertical parts, wherein each of the pair of first vertical parts has an upmost end and a bottommost end and each of the first fitting parts is a hook shape structure, wherein the first electrode further comprises a horizontal part connected between the upmost ends of the pair of first vertical parts to make the pair of first vertical parts become an uninterrupted vertical part;

a second electrode, wherein the second electrode comprises a second vertical part correspondingly formed inside the uninterrupted vertical part of the first electrode without an intersection with the horizontal part of the first electrode, and a plurality of second fitting parts extended from two sides of the second vertical part toward the pair of first vertical parts, and each of the plurality of second fitting parts is a hook shape structure and inter-hooking with but electrically isolated from a corresponding first fitting part of the plurality of first fitting parts, wherein the second vertical part has an upmost end and a bottommost end, and two of the plurality of second fitting parts are connected to the upmost and of the second vertical part; and

a plurality of traces, comprising

a first trace connected to one of the bottommost ends of the pair of first vertical parts and a second trace connected to the bottommost end of the second vertical part.

2. The touch panel of claim 1, further comprising a substrate, wherein an active region and a periphery region are defined on the substrate, wherein the periphery region is disposed on only one side of the active region, the first electrode and the second electrode are disposed within the active region, and the plurality of traces are disposed within the periphery region.

3. The touch panel of claim 2, further comprising at least one sensor block defined within the active region, wherein the first electrode and the second electrode are disposed within the at least one sensor block.

4. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the pair of first vertical parts are parallel to the second vertical part;

and wherein the horizontal part and the pair of first vertical parts form a U-shaped electrode to surround the second electrode.

5. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the first electrode and the second electrode are uninterrupted structures.

6. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the first electrode, the second electrode, and the plurality of traces are formed with same materials.

7. The touch panel of claim 3, further comprising a patterned shield layer surrounding the least one sensor block.

8. The touch panel of claim 7, wherein the first electrode, the second electrode, the plurality of traces and the patterned shield layer are formed with same materials.

9. The touch panel of claim 1, further comprising a cover layer disposed on the first electrode, the second electrode, and the plurality of traces.

17. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the each of the plurality of second fitting parts is orthogonally intertwined with a corresponding first fitting part of the plurality of first fitting parts.

18. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of first fitting parts is connected to the upmost and of the each of the pair of first vertical parts to form an upmost pair of first fitting parts, and the second vertical part is located in the upmost pair of first fitting parts.

21. The touch panel of claim 2, wherein the bottommost end of the each of the pair of first vertical parts is formed on an interface between the active region and the periphery region, and the bottommost end of the second vertical part is formed on the interface between the active region and the periphery region.

22. The touch panel of claim 21, wherein a first length of the bottommnost end of the each of the pair of first vertical parts and the upmost end of a corresponding first vertical part of the pair of first vertical parts is longer than a second length of the bottommost end of the second vertical part and the upmost end of second vertical part.

10. A method of manufacturing a touch panel, the method comprising:

forming a first electrode, wherein the first electrode comprises a pair of first vertical parts and a plurality of first fitting parts extended from the pair of first vertical parts, wherein each of the pair of first vertical parts has an upmost end and a bottommost end and each of the first fitting parts is a hook shape structure, wherein the first electrode further comprises a horizontal part connected between the upmost ends of the pair of first vertical parts to make the pair of first vertical parts become an uninterrupted vertical part;

forming a second electrode, wherein the second electrode comprises a second vertical part correspondingly formed inside the uninterrupted vertical part of the first electrode without an intersection with the horizontal part of the first electrode, and a plurality of second fitting parts extended from the second vertical part, and each of the plurality of second fitting parts is a hook shape structure and inter-hooking with but electrically isolated from a corresponding first fitting part of the plurality of first fitting parts, wherein the second vertical part has an upmost end and a bottommost end, and two of the plurality of second fitting parts are connected to the upmost end of the second vertical part; and

forming a plurality of traces, wherein the plurality of traces comprises a first trace connected to one of the bottommost ends of the pair of first vertical parts and a second trace connected to the bottommost end of the second vertical part.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the first electrode, the second electrode and the plurality of traces are formed in the same step.

12. The method of claim 10, further comprising providing a substrate with an active region and a periphery region defined thereon, wherein the periphery region is disposed on only one side of the active region, the first electrode and the second electrode are disposed within the active region, and the plurality of traces are disposed within the periphery region.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising at least one sensor block defined within the active region, wherein the first electrode and the second electrode are disposed within the least one sensor block.

14. The method of claim 13, further comprising forming a patterned shield layer surrounding the at least one sensor block.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the first electrode, the second electrode, the plurality of traces and the patterned shield layer are formed in the same step.

16. The method of claim 10, further comprising forming a cover layer disposed on the first electrode, the second electrode, and the plurality of traces.

19. The method of claim 10, wherein the pair of first vertical parts are parallel to the second vertical part;

and wherein the horizontal part and the pair of first vertical parts form a U-shaped electrode to surround the second electrode.

20. The method of claim 10, wherein one of the plurality of first fitting parts is connected to the upmost end of the each of the pair of first vertical parts to form an upmost pair of first fitting parts, and the second vertical part is located in the upmost pair of first fitting parts.