Touch panel with light guide and manufacturing method thereof

• US 20020154250A1
• Filed: 11/16/2001
• Published: 10/24/2002
• Est. Priority Date: 04/18/2001
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Atouch Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Atouch Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: An, Gil-Bum
• Application Number:
  US09/990,624
• Publication Number:
  US 20020154250A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 349/12
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13338 Input devices, e.g. touch panels
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133616 Front illuminating devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0444 using a single conductive element covering the whole sensing surface, e.g. by sensing the electrical current flowing at the corners
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/045 using resistive elements, e.g. a single continuous surface or two parallel surfaces put in contact

Abstract

A light guide of a frontlight liquid crystal display (LCD) is integrally formed in a touch panel, and methods of fabricating the panel with the guide and laminating the panel with the guide. A touch panel conductive film is coated on a guide surface; and spacers are placed on the film, and a sheet is bonded to the guide so that another film faces the spacers. The guide may be laminated on and bonded to a panel lower sheet; and a substrate may be formed by coating one film and then placing spacers on the other film, and an another substrate having the other film and the sheet may be bonded on spacers of the substrate so that the films faces each other. A capacitive touch panel film may be coated and formed directly on the guide surface; and a protective film may be laminated on this film. Methods include whether a film base is laminated or a film is coated on the guide surface on the basis of the panel lower elements; pre-processing the panel and the guide such that the guide becomes one element of the panel by laminating or coating the film base or the film on the guide; and post-processing the panel and the guide such that after completion of the panel elements, the other film bases or electrode films corresponding to other elements are laminated on the guide.

Claims

1. A touch panel with a light guide integrally formed therein, which is configured by sequentially laminating a frontlight LCD having an upper glass sheet, liquid crystals and a lower glass sheet;

a light guide bonded to said upper glass sheet of said frontlight LCD and having a frontlight lamp; and

a touch panel having an upper sheet, spacers and conductive electrode films between said upper sheet and said light guide in this order with respect to said light guide, wherein;

one of said conductive electrode films of said touch panel is coated on a surface of said light guide; and

said spacers are placed on said one of said conductive electrode films coated on said light guide, and said upper sheet is bonded to said light guide so that the other of said conductive electrode films of said touch panel faces said spacers and said one of said conductive electrode films.

2. A touch panel with a light guide integrally formed therein, which is configured by sequentially laminating a frontlight LCD having an upper glass sheet, liquid crystals and a lower glass sheet;

a light guide bonded to said upper glass sheet of said frontlight LCD and having a frontlight lamp; and

a touch panel having an upper sheet, a lower sheet, spacers and conductive electrode films between said upper sheet and said lower sheet in this order with respect to said light guide, wherein;

said light guide is laminated on and bonded to the bottom of said lower sheet of said touch panel; and

a lower substrate is formed by coating one of said conductive electrode films on said lower sheet and then placing said spacers on said conductive electrode film, and an upper substrate having the other of said conductive electrode films and said upper sheet is bonded on said spacers of said lower substrate so that said upper and lower conductive electrode films face each other.

3. A touch panel with a light guide integrally formed therein, which is configured by sequentially laminating a frontlight LCD having an upper glass sheet, liquid crystals and a lower glass sheet;

a light guide bonded to said upper glass sheet of said frontlight LCD and having a frontlight lamp; and

a capacitive touch panel having a conductive electrode film and a protecting film for protecting said conductive electrode film in this order with respect to said light guide, wherein;

said conductive electrode film of said capacitive touch panel is coated and formed directly on a surface of said light guide; and

said protective film is laminated on said conductive electrode film.

4. The touch panel with the light guide integrally formed therein as claimed in claim 3, wherein since said lower sheet of said capacitive touch panel is laminated on said surface of said light guide so that said light guide is integrated with said lower sheet of said touch panel, and said conductive electrode film and said protective film are sequentially laminated on said lower sheet.

5. A method for laminating a touch panel with a light guide integrally formed therein, comprising the steps of:

selecting whether at least one of;

a film base is laminated and a conductive electrode film is coated, on a surface of said light guide on basis of lower elements of said touch panel;

pre-processing said touch panel and said light guide such that said light guide becomes one of said lower elements of said touch panel by at least one of;

laminating said film base, coating said film base, laminating said conductive electrode film, and coating said conductive electrode film, on said light guide in accordance with at least one of;

said film base and said conductive electrode film, selected in the above step; and

post-processing said touch panel and said light guide such that after completion of said lower elements of said touch panel by incorporating said light guide into said lower elements of said touch panel through said pre-processing step, at least one of;

other film bases and the conductive electrode films, corresponding to upper elements are laminated on said light guide.

6. The method for laminating the touch panel with the light guide integrally formed therein as claimed in claim 5, wherein when said touch panel is a resistive touch panel, said pre-processing step comprises arranging spacers along said conductive electrode film coated directly on at least one of:

said light guide, and on said film base.

7. A method for laminating a touch panel with a light guide integrally formed therein by laminating said light guide on an upper glass sheet of a frontlight LCD and then laminating a touch panel as an input device on said light guide, comprising the steps of:

selecting whether at least one of;

a film base is laminated and a conductive electrode film is coated, on a surface of said light guide on basis of lower elements of said touch panel;

pre-processing said touch panel and said light guide such that said light guide becomes one of said lower elements of said touch panel by at least on of;

laminating said film base, coating said film base, laminating said conductive electrode film, and coating said electrode film, on said light guide in accordance with at least one of said film base and said conductive electrode film selected in the above step;

post-processing said touch panel and said light guide in such that after completion of said lower elements of said touch panel by incorporating said light guide into said lower elements of said touch panel through said pre-processing step, at least one of the other film bases and the conductive electrode films, corresponding to upper elements are laminated on said light guide; and

laminating said light guide of said touch panel with said light guide integrally formed therein through said pre- and post-processing steps onto said upper glass sheet.