Touch panel and display device using the same

• US 20090153521A1
• Filed: 09/29/2008
• Published: 06/18/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd., Tsinghua University
• Original Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd., Tsinghua University
• Inventors: Fan, Shou-Shan, Jiang, Kai-Li, Liu, Liang
• Granted Patent: US 8,253,700 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/045 using resistive elements, e.g. a single continuous surface or two parallel surfaces put in contact
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/047 using sets of wires, e.g. crossed wires

Abstract

An exemplary touch panel includes a flexible substrate, a transparent conductive layer, and four electrodes. The flexible substrate includes a surface. The transparent conductive layer is disposed on the surface of the substrate. The transparent conductive layer includes a carbon nanotube layer. The carbon nanotube layer includes carbon nanotubes. The electrodes are separately disposed, and electrically connected with the transparent conductive layer. A display device using the above-described touch panel is also provided.

Claims

1. A touch panel comprising:

a flexible substrate comprising a surface;

a transparent conductive layer disposed on the surface of the substrate, the transparent conductive layer comprising a carbon nanotube layer, and the carbon nanotube layer comprising a plurality of carbon nanotubes; and

at least two electrodes electrically connected with the transparent conductive layer.

2. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the structure of the carbon nanotube layer comprises at least one structure selected from the group consisting of a single carbon nanotube film, a plurality of carbon nanotube films stacked one on the other, and a plurality of coplanar carbon nanotube films.

3. The touch panel as claimed in claim 2, wherein at least one of the carbon nanotube films comprises a plurality of disordered carbon nanotubes or a plurality of isotropic carbon nanotubes.

4. The touch panel as claimed in claim 3, wherein the isotropic carbon nanotubes are parallel to a surface of the carbon nanotube film.

5. The touch panel as claimed in claim 3, wherein the disordered carbon nanotubes are entangled with each other.

6. The touch panel as claimed in claim 2, wherein each of the carbon nanotube films comprises of the carbon nanotubes, and the carbon nanotubes are aligned according to one of the following:

the carbon nanotubes are aligned parallel to a same direction, the carbon nanotubes are aligned along different directions.

7. The touch panel as claimed in claim 6, wherein the carbon nanotubes in each carbon nanotube film are aligned parallel to a same direction and each carbon nanotube film comprises a plurality of successive carbon nanotubes joined end to end by van der Waals attractive force therebetween.

8. The touch panel as claimed in claim 7, wherein an angle between the alignment directions of the two adjacent carbon nanotube films is greater than 0°

and up to 90°

.

9. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the carbon nanotube layer comprises a plurality of carbon nanotubes selected from the group consisting of single-walled carbon nanotubes, double-walled carbon nanotubes, and multi-walled carbon nanotubes, diameters of the single-walled carbon nanotubes, the double-walled carbon nanotubes, and the multi-walled carbon nanotubes are respectively in the approximate range from 0.5 to 50 nanometers, 1 to 50 nanometers, and 1.5 to 50 nanometers.

10. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the material of the flexible substrate is selected from the group consisting of polycarbonate, polymethyl methacrylate, polyethylene terephthalate, polyether sulfones, polyvinyl chloride, benzocyclobutenes, polyesters, and acrylic resins.

11. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least two electrodes are separately disposed on the transparent conductive layer, and the material of the electrodes is selected from the group consisting of metal, conductive resins, and silver pastes.

12. The touch panel as claimed in claim 11, wherein the electrodes are separately disposed near the edges.

13. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a transparent protective film disposed on a surface of the transparent conductive layer, wherein the material of the transparent protective film is selected from the group consisting of benzocyclobutenes, polyesters, acrylic resins, polyethylene terephthalate, and any combination thereof.

14. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a shielding layer disposed the substrate, wherein the material of the shielding layer is selected from the group consisting of conductive resin films, carbon nanotube films, and any combination thereof.

15. The touch panel as claimed in claim 14, wherein the shielding layer comprises a plurality of carbon nanotubes aligned parallel to a same direction.

16. A display device comprising:

a touch panel comprising;

a flexible substrate,

a transparent conductive layer disposed on a surface of the substrate, and

at least two electrodes electrically connected with the transparent conductive layer, the transparent conductive layer comprising a carbon nanotube layer, the carbon nanotube layer comprising a plurality of carbon nanotubes; and

a display element adjacent to the touch panel.

17. The display device as claimed in claim 16, further comprising a first controller configured for controlling the touch panel, a central processing unit, and a second controller configured for controlling the display element, the first controller, the central processing unit and the second controller being electrically connected with each other, the display element being connected to the second controller, and the touch panel being connected to the first controller.

18. The display device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the display element is selected from the group consisting of e-papers, flexible liquid crystal displays, and flexible organic light emitting displays.

19. The display device as claimed in claim 16, wherein the touch panel is in direct contact with the display element.

20. The display device as claimed in claim 16, further comprising a passivation layer disposed between the touch panel and the display element, wherein the material of the passivation layer is selected from the group consisting of benzocyclobutenes, polyesters, acrylic resins, polyethylene terephthalate, and any combination thereof.