TOUCH PANEL AND ELECTRONIC DEVICE INCLUDING TOUCH PANEL

• US 20100026663A1
• Filed: 07/29/2009
• Published: 02/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Casio Computer Company Limited
• Inventors: Nishino, Toshiharu, Sasaki, Kazuhiro, IWASAKI, Makoto
• Granted Patent: US 8,310,465 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/174
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13338 Input devices, e.g. touch panels
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/045 using resistive elements, e.g. a single continuous surface or two parallel surfaces put in contact

Abstract

A resistive film type touch panel includes first and second resistive films respectively provided on the inner surfaces of a pair of substrates on the touch side and the opposite side, protruding contacts which are provided on the first resistive film so as to protrude to a predetermined height, and come into contact with the second resistive film upon bending/deformation of the touch-side substrate by a touch to electrically connect the touch-side substrate to the second resistive film, insulating spacers which are arranged between the substrates except the positions of the protruding contacts, and define the space between the substrates to a height higher than that of protruding contacts, and a liquid or liquid crystal sealed in the space between the substrates. This arrangement reduces the bending/deformation amount of the touch-side substrate and the refraction of transmitted light at a portion bent/deformed by a touch on the touch-side substrate.

Claims

1. A touch panel comprising:

a first substrate on which a first resistive film is formed;

a second substrate on which a second resistive film is formed, the second substrate being arranged so that the second resistive film faces the first resistive film;

a frame-like seal member which is arranged between the first substrate and the second substrate to bond the first substrate to the second substrate;

an insulating spacer which is arranged in an area surrounded by the seal member and holds a space between the first substrate and the second substrate at a first thickness;

a protruding contact which is formed in the area surrounded by the seal member so as to protrude from the first substrate to the second substrate or from the second substrate to the first substrate and give a gap between the facing substrates; and

a liquid or liquid crystal which is sealed in the area surrounded by the seal member between the first substrate and the second substrate.

2. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the protruding contact comprises a resin portion formed into a protruding shape and one of the first resistive film and the second resistive film which covers the resin portion.

3. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the insulating spacer comprises a columnar spacer which is provided on one of the first resistive film and the second resistive film and includes a distal end in contact with the other resistive film.

4. The touch panel according to claim 3, wherein the columnar spacer is provided on the first substrate on which the protruding contact is provided.

5. The touch panel according to claim 3, wherein the columnar spacer is provided on the second substrate on which the protruding contact is not provided.

6. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the insulating spacer comprises insulating spacers, the insulating spacers being arranged so that intervals between every two insulating spacers adjacent to each other in a predetermined direction are equal.

7. The touch panel according to claim 6, wherein the protruding contact comprises protruding contacts, and two or more of the protruding contacts are arranged between the two insulating spacers adjacent to each other in the predetermined direction.

8. The touch panel according to claim 6, wherein four of the insulating spacers are respectively arranged at four corner portions of a predetermined rectangular area, and protruding contacts are arranged in at least the rectangular area at predetermined intervals throughout arrays of the protruding contacts.

9. The touch panel according to claim 8, wherein the seal member is formed into a rectangular frame shape, and the protruding contacts in the rectangular area are arrayed along one of a direction perpendicular to and a direction parallel to each side of the seal member.

10. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the insulating spacer comprises a spherical spacer.

11. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the liquid or liquid crystal has a predetermined resistance value.

12. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the liquid or liquid crystal comprises a liquid having a refractive index difference of not more than 0.1 with respect to visible light relative to the first substrate and the second substrate.

13. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal comprises a material which is optically isotropic at room temperature.

14. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the liquid comprises one of an organic material and an inorganic material which have a boiling point of not less than 100°

C.

15. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the gap is set in such a thickness that the protruding contact comes into contact with the second resistive film when the first substrate, which is flexible, is bent and deformed by the pressing force onto first substrate.

16. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the second substrate includes a protruding portion protruding from the first substrate, and the protruding portion is provided with terminals which electrically connect the first resistive film and the second resistive film to a touch panel driving circuit.

17. The touch panel according to claim 16, wherein a conductive member which electrically connects, from the second substrate, the second resistive film to the first substrate is arranged in an area in which the seal member is arranged.

18. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the first resistive film and the second resistive film each are formed into one film.

19. The touch panel according to claim 18, further comprising a touch panel driving circuit which detects a contact position at which the first resistive film comes into contact with the second resistive film.

20. A touch panel comprising:

a first substrate on which a first resistive film is formed;

a second substrate on which a second resistive film is formed, the second substrate being arranged so that the second resistive film faces the first resistive film;

a frame-like seal member which is arranged between the first substrate and the second substrate to bond the first substrate to the second substrate;

insulating spacers which are arranged in an area surrounded by the seal member at equal intervals and hold a space between the first substrate and the second substrate at a first thickness;

protruding contacts which are formed in the area surrounded by the seal member so as to protrude from the first substrate to the second substrate or from the second substrate to the first substrate and give a gap between the facing substrates; and

a liquid or liquid crystal which is sealed in the area surrounded by the seal member between the first substrate and the second substrate.

21. An electronic device comprising a touch panel including

a first substrate on which a first resistive film is formed,

a second substrate on which a second resistive film is formed, the second substrate being arranged so that the second resistive film faces the first resistive film,

a frame-like seal member which is arranged between the first substrate and the second substrate to bond the first substrate to the second substrate,

insulating spacers which are arranged in an area surrounded by the seal member at equal intervals and hold a space between the first substrate and the second substrate at a first thickness,

protruding contacts which are formed in the area surrounded by the seal member so as to protrude from the first substrate to the second substrate or from the second substrate to the first substrate and give a gap between the facing substrates, and

a liquid or liquid crystal which is sealed in the area surrounded by the seal member between the first substrate and the second substrate.