Touch control device

• US 20090167707A1
• Filed: 09/29/2008
• Published: 07/02/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Tsinghua University
• Original Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd., Tsinghua University
• Inventors: Fan, Shou-Shan, Jiang, Kai-Li, Liu, Liang
• Granted Patent: US 8,237,668 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/143 Touch sensitive instrument input devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2360/1438 Touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/143 Touch sensitive input devices
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 2370/1438 Touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/00 Instruments specially adapted for vehicles; Arrangement of instruments in or on vehicles
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 35/10 Input arrangements, i.e. from user to vehicle, associated with vehicle functions or specially adapted therefor
• CPC Class Codes: B60K 37/06 of controls, e.g. controls knobs
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/0235 of flat type, e.g. LCD
• CPC Class Codes: B60R 11/0264 for control means
• 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: Y10T 428/269 including synthetic resin or polymer layer or component

Abstract

A touch control device includes a transparent substrate, a display element, and a touch panel. The display element is disposed on a surface of the transparent substrate and includes a displaying surface. The displaying surface is located away from the transparent substrate. The touch panel is located on opposite side of the display element from the transparent substrate. The touch panel includes a first electrode plate and a second electrode plate. The first electrode plate includes a first substrate and a first conductive layer disposed on a lower surface of the first substrate. The second electrode plate is separated from the first electrode plate and includes a second flexible substrate and a second conductive layer disposed on an upper surface of the second substrate. The first conductive layer and the second conductive layer both include a carbon nanotube layer.

Claims

1. A touch control device comprising:

a transparent substrate comprising a surface;

a display element disposed on the surface of the transparent substrate and comprising a displaying surface, the displaying surface being located away from the transparent substrate; and

a touch panel located opposite side of the display element from the transparent substrate, wherein the touch panel comprises a first electrode plate and a second electrode plate, the first electrode plate comprises a first substrate and a first conductive layer disposed on a lower surface of the first substrate, the second electrode plate comprises a second substrate and a second conductive layer disposed on an upper surface of the second substrate, and the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer both comprises a carbon nanotube layer.

2. The touch control device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the carbon nanotube layer comprises one or more a carbon nanotube films.

3. The touch control device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the carbon nanotube film comprises a plurality carbon nanotubes disposed therein, the plurality of carbon nanotubes are arranged in a disordered or isotropic configuration.

4. The touch control device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the carbon nanotubes in the carbon nanotube film are substantially parallel to a surface of the carbon nanotube film.

5. The touch control device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the carbon nanotubes in the carbon nanotube film are entangled with each other.

6. The touch control device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the carbon nanotube film comprises of a plurality of carbon nanotubes oriented along a same direction.

7. The touch control device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the carbon nanotube film is made of a plurality of carbon nanotube segments joined end to end by the van der Waals attractive force therebetween;

the carbon nanotube segments are primarily oriented along the same direction; and

the carbon nanotube segments comprise of a plurality carbon nanotubes primarily oriented along the same direction.

8. The touch control device as claimed in claim 7, wherein an angle exist between primary orientation the carbon nanotube segments of two adjacent carbon nanotube films;

the angle is in between 0 and 90°

.

9. The touch control device as claimed in claim 2, wherein a thickness of each carbon nanotube film is in the approximate range from 0.5 nanometers to 100 microns, and a width of each carbon nanotube film is in the approximate range from 0.01 centimeter to 10 centimeters.

10. The touch control device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the carbon nanotube layer comprises a plurality of carbon nanotubes selected from a group consisting of single-walled carbon nanotubes, double-walled carbon nanotubes, multi-walled carbon nanotubes, and any combination thereof, 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.

11. The touch control device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first substrate is made of a flexible material, and the second substrate is made of rigid material or flexible material, the flexible material is selected from a group consisting of polycarbonate, polymethyl methacrylate acrylic, polyethylene terephthalate, polyether polysulfones, polyvinyl polychloride, benzocyclobutenes, polyesters, acrylic resins, and any combination thereof, the rigid material is selected from a group consisting of glasses, diamonds and quartzes.

12. The touch control device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first electrode plate further comprises two first-electrodes, the two first-electrodes are located separately on opposite ends of the first conductive layer, a direction from one of the first-electrodes across the first conductive layer to the other first electrode is defined as a first direction, and the carbon nanotubes in the first conductive layer are oriented along the first direction.

13. The touch control device as claimed in claim 12, wherein the second electrode plate further comprises two second-electrodes, the two second-electrodes are located separately on opposite ends of the second conductive layer, a direction from one of the second-electrodes across the second conductive layer to the other second-electrodes is defined as a second direction, and the carbon nanotubes in the second conductive layer are oriented along the second direction.

14. The touch control device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction.

15. The touch control device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising an insulative layer and a plurality of dot spacers, the insulative layer is disposed between the first electrode plate and the second electrode plate to separate the first electrode plate from the second electrode plate, the dot spacers are separately disposed on the second conductive layer and located between the first electrode plate and the second electrode plate.

16. The touch control device as claimed in claim 1, wherein transparent substrate comprises a wind shield, and the display element is located off-center on the windshield.

17. The touch control device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display element is selected from a group consisting of liquid crystal displays, field emission displays, plasma displays, electroluminescent displays, vacuum fluorescent displays, cathode ray tubes, e-papers, flexible liquid crystal displays, flexible organic light emitting displays, and transparent electroluminescent displays.

18. The touch control device as claimed in claim 1, 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.

19. The touch control device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the touch panel is adhered on the display element by a binder or by means of hot-pressing, the display element is adhered on the transparent substrate by using a binder or fixed on the transparent substrate by fasteners.

20. The touch control device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a shielding layer, a passivation layer and a transparent protective film, the shielding layer is disposed on a lower surface of the second substrate, and the material of the shielding layer being selected from a group consisting of conductive resin films, carbon nanotube films, and any combination thereof, the passivation layer is disposed on the shielding layer, and the material of the passivation layer is selected from a group consisting of silicon nitride, silicon dioxide, benzocyclobutenes, polyesters, acrylic resins, polyethylene terephthalate, and any combination thereof, the transparent protective film is disposed on an upper surface of the first electrode plate, and the material of the transparent protective film being selected from a group consisting of benzocyclobutenes, polyesters, acrylic resins, polyethylene terephthalate, and any combination thereof.