TOUCH PANEL

• US 20090058826A1
• Filed: 04/17/2008
• Published: 03/05/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AU Optronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: AU Optronics Corporation
• Inventors: Chiang, Min-Feng, Lin, Ching-Huan, Liu, Po-Yuan, Lee, Hsin-Hung, Ma, Mei-Sheng
• Granted Patent: US 8,049,735 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0447 Position sensing using the local deformation of sensor cells
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/047 using sets of wires, e.g. crossed wires

Abstract

A touch panel has a first substrate and a second substrate. The thickness in the non-sensor regions of the first substrate is greater than the thickness in the sensor regions of the first substrate. The second substrate includes first photo spacers and second photo spacers having substantially the same heights. The first photo spacers are structurally connected to the non-sensor regions of the first region of the first substrate, and the second photo spacers are positioned corresponding to the sensor regions of the first substrate that maintain a first gap with the first substrate.

Claims

1. A touch panel, comprising:

a first substrate comprising a plurality of sensor regions and a plurality of non-sensor region, the non-sensor regions of the first substrate having a first thickness, the sensor regions of the first substrate having a second thickness, in which the first thickness is greater than the second thickness and resulting in a thickness difference; and

a second substrate disposed facing the first substrate, the second substrate comprising a plurality of first photo spacers and a plurality of second photo spacers disposed on the second substrate facing the first substrate;

the first photo spacer and the second photo spacer having substantially the same height;

the first photo spacers being structurally connected to the non-sensor regions of the first substrate;

the second photo spacers being positioned corresponding to the sensor regions of the first substrate and maintaining a first gap with the first substrate.

2. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the touch panel comprises a touch liquid crystal display panel.

3. The touch panel of claim 2, wherein the first substrate comprises an array substrate, and the second substrate comprises a color filter substrate.

4. The touch panel of claim 3, wherein the touch panel further comprises a liquid crystal layer disposed between the array substrate and the color filter substrate.

5. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the thickness difference between the non-sensor region and the sensor region is determined by a bump structure disposed in the non-sensor region in contrast with the sensor region.

6. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the thickness difference between the non-sensor region and the sensor region is determined by a recess structure disposed in the sensor region in contrast with the non-sensor region.

7. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the non-sensor region of the first substrate has a third thickness that has a thickness between the first thickness and the second thickness.

8. The touch panel of claim 7, wherein the second substrate comprises a plurality of third photo spacers disposed on the second substrate facing the first substrate and corresponding to the non-sensor regions having the third thickness, each of the third photo spacer, each of the first photo spacer, and the second photo spacer having substantially the same height, and the third photo spacers and the first substrate being positioned with a second gap.

9. The touch panel of claim 8, wherein the second gap is less than the first gap.

10. The touch panel of claim 8, wherein the second gap is greater than the first gap.

11. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the touch panel comprises a first conductive layer positioned on the first substrate, and a second conductive layer positioned on a surface of the photo spacers of the second substrate.

12. The touch panel of claim 11, wherein the first conductive layer comprises a plurality of first conductive patterns positioned in the sensor region, and each of the first conductive pattern and its corresponded second conductive layer compose a sensor.

13. The touch panel of claim 12, wherein the touch panel comprises a plurality of switches positioned on the first substrate, and each of the switch is electrically connected to a respective sensor.

14. The touch panel of claim 13, wherein the touch panel comprises at least a signal reading line electrically connected to the switches.

15. The touch panel of claim 13, wherein the signal reading line senses a change of capacitance between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer.

16. The touch panel of claim 14, wherein the signal reading line is capable of detecting a contact between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer.

17. The touch panel of claim 11, wherein the second conductive layer is positioned on a surface of the first photo spacers of the second substrate.

18. The touch panel of claim 11, wherein the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer comprise a respective transparent conductive layer.

19. A touch panel, comprising:

a first substrate having a plurality of sensor regions and a plurality of non-sensor regions, the non-sensor regions of the first substrate having a first thickness, and the sensor regions of the first substrate having a second thickness where the first thickness is greater than the second thickness and resulting in a thickness difference;

a second substrate disposed facing the first substrate, the second substrate comprising a plurality of first photo spacers and a plurality of second photo spacers disposed on the second substrate facing the first substrate;

the first photo spacer and the second photo spacer having substantially the same height, the first photo spacers being structurally connected to the non-sensor regions of the first substrate, and the second photo spacers being positioned corresponding to the sensor regions of the first substrate in a first gap; and

a liquid crystal layer disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate.

20. A touch panel, comprising:

a first substrate having a plurality of sensor regions and a plurality of non-sensor regions, the non-sensor regions of the first substrate having a first thickness, and the sensor regions of the first substrate having a second thickness where the first thickness is greater than the second thickness and resulting in a thickness difference; and

a second substrate disposed facing the first substrate, the second substrate comprising a plurality of first photo spacers, a plurality of second photo spacers, and a plurality of third photo spacers disposed on the second substrate facing the first substrate;

the first photo spacers, the second photo spacers, and the third photo spacers having substantially the same height, the first photo spacers being structurally connected to the non-sensor regions of the first substrate, the second photo spacers and the second photo spacers being positioned corresponding to the sensor regions of the first substrate;

the second photo spacers and the first substrate being positioned with a first gap, and the third photo spacers and the first substrate being positioned with a second substrate.