TOUCH PANEL

• US 20100053534A1
• Filed: 11/28/2008
• Published: 03/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 08/27/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AU Optronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: AU Optronics Corporation
• Inventors: Hsieh, Ming-Che, Chu, Chih-Wei, Wang, Shih-Yu
• Granted Patent: US 7,843,517 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 349/155
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13338 Input devices, e.g. touch panels
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13396 Spacers having different sizes
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13439 characterised by their electrical, optical, physical properties; materials therefor; method of making
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2202/02 organic material

Abstract

A touch panel including a first substrate, a second substrate, a sealant, a liquid crystal layer, a main spacer, a first sensing spacer, a second sensing spacer, a first opposite electrode and a second opposite electrode is provided. The first substrate has a central area and a peripheral area. The second substrate is disposed opposite to the first substrate. The first sensing spacer is disposed on the central area and between the first and the second substrates. The second sensing spacer is disposed on the peripheral area and between the first and the second substrates. There'"'"'s a first sensing gap between the first sensing spacer and the first opposite electrode disposed corresponding to the first sensing spacer. There'"'"'s a second sensing gap between the second sensing spacer and the second opposite electrode disposed corresponding to the second sensing spacer. The first sensing gap is larger than the second sensing gap.

Claims

1. A touch panel, comprising:

a first substrate, having a central area and a peripheral area;

a second substrate, disposed opposite to the first substrate;

a sealant, disposed on the peripheral area for bonding the first and the second substrates;

a liquid crystal layer, disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate;

a main spacer, disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate;

a first sensing spacer, disposed on the central area and between the first substrate and the second substrate;

a second sensing spacer, disposed on the peripheral area and between the first substrate and the second substrate;

a first opposite electrode, disposed corresponding to the first sensing spacer, and a first sensing gap being arranged between the first sensing spacer and the first opposite electrode; and

a second opposite electrode, disposed corresponding to the second sensing spacer, a second sensing gap being arranged between the second sensing spacer and the second opposite electrode, and the first sensing gap being larger than the second sensing gap.

2. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the first sensing spacer and the second sensing spacer is formed by multiple organic conductive layers.

3. The touch panel as claimed in claim 2, wherein a material of the organic conductive layers may be selected from a group of poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene)/poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT/PSS), polyaniline, polypyrrole, polythiophene, polyacetylene, polyphenyl, polyfuran, polyselenophene, isothianaphthene, polyphenylsulfide, polystyrene, polythienylstyrene, polynaphthalene, polyanthracene, polypyrene, polyazulene, phthalocyanine, pentacene, hemicyanine dye, and 3,4-polyethylene dioxythio phene (PEDT), but the present invention is not limited thereto.

4. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the first opposite electrode and the second opposite electrode is formed by multiple organic conductive layers.

5. The touch panel as claimed in claim 4, wherein the material of the organic conductive layers may be selected from a group of poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene)/poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT/PSS), polyaniline, polypyrrole, polythiophene, polyacetylene, polyphenyl, polyfuran, polyselenophene, isothianaphthene, polyphenylsulfide, polystyrene, polythienylstyrene, polynaphthalene, polyanthracene, polypyrene, polyazulene, phthalocyanine, pentacene, hemicyanine dye, and 3,4-polyethylene dioxythio phene (PEDT), but the present invention is not limited thereto.

6. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first sensing gap or the second sensing gap ranges from 0.3 μ

m to 0.8 μ

m.

7. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein at least one of the first sensing spacer and the second sensing spacer has a spherical top or a blunt top.

8. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a transparent conductive layer, the first sensing spacer and the second sensing spacer disposed on the transparent conductive layer, and the first sensing spacer and the second sensing spacer contacting the transparent conductive layer.

9. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a first shielding layer, a second shielding layer, and a third shielding layer disposed on the second substrate.

10. The touch panel as claimed in claim 9, wherein the first shielding layer, the second shielding layer, and the third shielding layer are arranged corresponding to the first sensing spacer, the second sensing spacer, and the main spacer respectively.

11. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a protective layer disposed on the first substrate and a plurality of transparent electrodes disposed on the protective layer, and the transparent electrodes being arranged corresponding to the first sensing spacer and the second sensing spacer.

12. The touch panel as claimed in claim 11, wherein the first opposite electrode and the second opposite electrode are separately disposed on the transparent electrodes.

13. A touch panel, comprising:

a first substrate, having a central area and a peripheral area;

a second substrate, disposed opposite to the first substrate;

a sealant, disposed on the peripheral area for bonding the first and the second substrates;

a liquid crystal layer, disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate;

a main spacer, disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate;

a first sensing spacer, disposed on the central area and between the first substrate and the second substrate; and

a second sensing spacer, disposed on the peripheral area and between the first substrate and the second substrate, and the second sensing spacer being higher than the first sensing spacer.

14. The touch panel as claimed in claim 13, further comprising a first opposite electrode disposed corresponding to the first sensing spacer and a second opposite electrode disposed corresponding to the second sensing spacer.

15. The touch panel as claimed in claim 13, wherein at least one of the first sensing spacer and the second sensing spacer is formed by multiple organic conductive layers.

16. A touch panel, comprising:

a first substrate;

a second substrate, disposed opposite to the first substrate;

a sealant, used for bonding the first and the second substrates;

a liquid crystal layer, disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate;

a main spacer, disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate; and

a sensing spacer, disposed on the first substrate or the second substrate, and the sensing spacer being formed by multiple organic conductive layers.

17. The touch panel as claimed in claim 16, wherein the material of the organic conductive layers may be selected from a group of poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene)/poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT/PSS), polyaniline, polypyrrole, polythiophene, polyacetylene, polyphenyl, polyfuran, polyselenophene, isothianaphthene, polyphenylsulfide, polystyrene, polythienylstyrene, polynaphthalene, polyanthracene, polypyrene, polyazulene, phthalocyanine, pentacene, hemicyanine dye, and 3,4-polyethylene dioxythio phene (PEDT), but the present invention is not limited thereto.

18. The touch panel as claimed in claim 16, further comprising an opposite electrode disposed corresponding to the sensing spacer.

19. The touch panel as claimed in claim 18, wherein the opposite electrode is formed by multiple organic conductive layers.

20. The touch panel as claimed in claim 19, wherein the material of the organic conductive layers may be selected from a group of poly(3,4-ethylene dioxythiophene)/poly(styrene sulfonate) (PEDOT/PSS), polyaniline, polypyrrole, polythiophene, polyacetylene, polyphenyl, polyfuran, polyselenophene, isothianaphthene, polyphenylsulfide, polystyrene, polythienylstyrene, polynaphthalene, polyanthracene, polypyrene, polyazulene, phthalocyanine, pentacene, hemicyanine dye, and 3,4-polyethylene dioxythio phene (PEDT), but the present invention is not limited thereto.