Capacitive Touch Panel

• US 20100163394A1
• Filed: 08/25/2009
• Published: 07/01/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2008
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Acrosense Technology Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Acrosense Technology Company Limited
• Inventors: CHANG, Hung-Jung, TANG, Tung-Yang
• Application Number:
  US12/547,438
• Publication Number:
  US 20100163394A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 200/600
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04164 Connections between sensors and controllers, e.g. routing lines between electrodes and connection pads
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 17/9622 using a plurality of detectors, e.g. keyboard
• CPC Class Codes: H03K 2217/960755 Constructional details of capacitive touch and proximity switches

Abstract

A capacitive touch panel includes a substrate and a patterned conductive layer formed on the substrate. The patterned conductive layer includes a plurality of first electrode units, a plurality of second electrode units, a plurality of spaced apart first conductive lines, and a plurality of spaced apart second conductive lines. The first electrode units are capacitively coupled to the second electrode units so as to form a plurality of two dimensionally arranged capacitive sensing units. Each of the first electrode units includes a plurality of first electrodes. Each of the first conductive lines is connected to and extends from at least one of the first electrodes of a respective one of the first electrode units. The second conductive lines extend respectively from the second electrode units, and do not cross the first conductive lines.

Claims

1. A capacitive touch panel comprising:

a substrate having a pattern-forming surface that is divided into an electrode-forming region and a peripheral region surrounding said electrode-forming region and having a bonding area; and

a patterned conductive layer formed on said pattern-forming surface and including a plurality of first electrode units formed on said electrode-forming region and aligned in a first direction, a plurality of second electrode units formed on said electrode-forming region and aligned in a second direction transverse to the first direction, a plurality of spaced apart first conductive lines, and a plurality of spaced apart second conductive lines, said first electrode units being capacitively coupled to said second electrode units so as to form a plurality of two dimensionally arranged capacitive sensing units in said electrode-forming region, each of said first electrode units including a plurality of first electrodes that are aligned in the second direction;

wherein each of said first conductive lines is connected to and extends from at least one of said first electrodes of a respective one of said first electrode units into said peripheral region, and said first conductive lines converge at said bonding area for electrically bonding to an external connector; and

wherein said second conductive lines extend respectively from said second electrode units into said peripheral region, converge at said bonding area for electrically bonding to the external connector, and do not cross said first conductive lines.

2. The capacitive touch panel of claim 1, wherein each of said second electrode units includes a second electrode, said second electrodes of two adjacent ones of said second electrode units cooperatively defining a channel therebetween, said channel extending in the first direction from one side of said electrode-forming region to an opposite side of said electrode-forming region, said first electrodes of each of said first electrode units being disposed respectively in said channels defined by said second electrodes of said second electrode units.

3. The capacitive touch panel of claim 2, wherein some of said first conductive lines, each extending from the respective one of said first electrodes that is disposed at said opposite side of said electrode-forming region adjacent to said bonding area, are disposed outside of said electrode-forming region, while each of the remainder of said first conductive lines extends from the respective one of said first electrodes into and through said channel in which the respective one of said first electrodes is disposed.

4. The capacitive touch panel of claim 1, wherein each of said second electrode units includes a plurality of second electrodes that are aligned in the first direction, said patterned conductive layer further including a plurality of conductive interconnecting lines, each of which interconnects two adjacent ones of said second electrodes of a respective one of said second electrode units.

5. The capacitive touch panel of claim 4, wherein said second electrodes of two adjacent ones of said second electrode units cooperatively define a channel therebetween, said channel extending in the first direction from one side of said electrode-forming region to an opposite side of said electrode-forming region, said first electrodes of each of said first electrode units being disposed respectively in said channels defined by said second electrodes of said second electrode units.

6. The capacitive touch panel of claim 5, wherein some of said first conductive lines, each extending from the respective one of said first electrodes that is disposed at said opposite side of said electrode-forming region adjacent to said bonding area, are disposed outside of said electrode-forming region, while each of the remainder of said first conductive lines extends from the respective one of said first electrodes into and through said channel in which the respective one of said first electrodes is disposed.

7. The capacitive touch panel of claim 5, wherein said patterned conductive layer further includes a plurality of dummy electrodes disposed in said channels defined by said second electrodes of said second electrode units.

8. The capacitive touch panel of claim 1, wherein each of said second electrode units includes a plurality of second electrodes that are aligned in the first direction, each of said first electrodes of each of said first electrode units being disposed between and aligned with two adjacent ones of said second electrodes of a respective one of said second electrode units.

9. The capacitive touch panel of claim 8, wherein said first and second electrodes cooperatively define a plurality of channels, each of which extends in the first direction from one side of said electrode-forming region to an opposite side of said electrode-forming region, said patterned conductive layer further including a plurality of conductive interconnecting lines, each of which interconnects two adjacent ones of said second electrodes of a respective one of said second electrode units and each of which extends into one of said channels.

10. The capacitive touch panel of claim 9, wherein said first conductive lines are disposed at the outside of said electrode-forming region and extend from the respective ones of said first electrodes that are disposed adjacent to two opposite sides of said peripheral region opposite to each other in the second direction, said patterned conductive layer further including a plurality of conductive first connecting lines, each of which interconnects two adjacent ones of said first electrodes of a respective one of said first electrode units that are disposed at one side of said one of said channels, and a plurality of conductive second connecting lines, each of which interconnects two adjacent ones of said first electrodes of a respective one of said first electrode units that are disposed at the other side of said one of said channels.

11. The capacitive touch panel of claim 1, wherein each of said second electrode units includes a plurality of second electrodes that are aligned in the first direction, each of said first electrodes of each of said first electrode units being disposed between and aligned with two adjacent ones of said second electrodes of two respective ones of said second electrode units, each of said first conductive lines being connected to said first electrodes of a respective one of said first electrode units, each of said second conductive lines being connected to said second electrodes of a respective one of said second electrode units.

12. The capacitive touch panel of claim 1, wherein said substrate further has a back surface opposite to said pattern-forming surface, said capacitive touch panel further comprising a conductive grounding layer formed on said back surface of said substrate.

13. The capacitive touch panel of claim 1, wherein said grounding layer is formed of at least one film of a transparent conductive material.

14. The capacitive touch panel of claim 1, wherein said patterned conductive layer is formed of at least one film of a material selected from one of a transparent conductive material and a metallic material.

15. The capacitive touch panel of claim 1, wherein said substrate is made from glass.

16. The capacitive touch panel of claim 1, wherein said patterned conductive layer is grown directly on said pattern-forming surface.

17. A capacitive touch panel adapted to be connected to a controller, comprising:

a substrate having a pattern-forming surface that is divided into an electrode-forming region and a peripheral region surrounding said electrode-forming region and having a bonding area;

a patterned conductive layer formed on said pattern-forming surface and including a plurality of first electrode units formed on said electrode-forming region, a plurality of second electrode units formed on said electrode-forming region, a plurality of spaced apart first conductive lines, and a plurality of spaced apart second conductive lines, said first electrode units being capacitively coupled to said second electrode units so as to form a plurality of two dimensionally arranged capacitive sensing units in said electrode-forming region, each of said first electrode units including a plurality of first electrodes; and

a connector bonded to said bonding area of said peripheral region of said pattern-forming surface of said substrate for connecting electrically said first and second electrode units to the controller, said connector having a plurality of spaced apart first conductive fingers and a plurality of spaced apart second conductive fingers;

wherein each of said first conductive lines is connected to and extends from at least one of said first electrodes of a respective one of said first electrode units into said peripheral region, and said first conductive lines converge at said bonding area to connect electrically with said first conductive fingers, respectively; and

wherein said second conductive lines extend respectively from said second electrode units into said peripheral region, do not cross said first conductive lines, and converge at said bonding area to connect electrically with said second conductive fingers, respectively.

18. The capacitive touch panel of claim 17, wherein said first conductive lines are connected to and extend from said first electrodes of said first electrode units, respectively, said connector further having a bonding surface and a connecting surface opposite to said bonding surface, said first and second conductive fingers being formed on said bonding surface, said connector further having a plurality of via units extending through said bonding surface and said connecting surface, and a plurality of spaced apart conductive linking lines formed on said connecting surface, each of said via units having a plurality of vias connected electrically to a respective one of said linking lines, each of said vias of each of said via units being connected electrically to a respective one of said first conductive fingers, each of said first conductive fingers being bonded to a respective one of said first conductive lines, each of said second conductive lines being bonded to a respective one of said second conductive fingers.

19. The capacitive touch panel of claim 18, wherein each of said second electrode units includes a second electrode, said second electrodes of two adjacent ones of said second electrode units cooperatively defining a channel therebetween, said channel extending from one side of said electrode-forming region to an opposite side of said electrode-forming region, said first electrodes of each of said first electrode units being disposed respectively in said channels defined by said second electrodes of said second electrode units.

20. The capacitive touch panel of claim 18, wherein some of said first conductive lines, each extending from the respective one of said first electrodes that is disposed at said opposite side of said electrode-forming region adjacent to said bonding area, are disposed outside of said electrode-forming region, while each of the remainder of said first conductive lines extends from the respective one of said first electrodes into and through said channel in which the respective one of said first electrodes is disposed.

21. The capacitive touch panel of claim 17, wherein said substrate further has a back surface opposite to said pattern-forming surface, said capacitive touch panel further comprising a conductive grounding layer formed on said back surface of said substrate.