TOUCHSCREEN PANEL, ELECTRONIC APPARATUS AND METHOD OF FABRICATING TOUCHSCREEN PANEL

• US 20100265198A1
• Filed: 04/12/2010
• Published: 10/21/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 04/21/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Component Limited (Fujitsu Limited)
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Component Limited (Fujitsu Limited)
• Inventors: Nakajima, Takashi, Shimizu, Nobuyoshi, Endo, Norio, Hayama, Masanobu, Kondoh, Koichi
• Granted Patent: US 8,599,565 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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 29/49105 Switch making
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49126 Assembling bases
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49128 Assembling formed circuit to base
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/49155 Manufacturing circuit on or in base

Abstract

A touchscreen panel includes an upper substrate having a first transparent conductor layer provided on a first base layer, and a lower substrate having a second transparent conductor layer provided on a second base layer. The first and second transparent conductor layers oppose each other via a spacer and make contact when the first base layer is pressed. The first transparent conductor layer is segmented into a plurality of conductive regions that are electrically insulated from each other.

Claims

1. A touchscreen panel comprising:

an upper substrate having a first transparent conductor layer provided on a first base layer;

a lower substrate having a second transparent conductor layer provided on a second base layer;

a spacer interposed between the first and second transparent conductor layers so that the first and second transparent conductor layers oppose each other and make contact when the first base layer is pressed,

wherein the first transparent conductor layer is segmented into an array of M rows by N columns of conductive regions that are electrically insulated from each other, where M and N are natural numbers greater than or equal to 2.

2. The touchscreen panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the conductive regions of mutually adjacent rows in one column are formed by a first conductive region coupled to a first leader electrode at one end of the first substrate extending in a direction along the rows, and a second conductive region coupled to a second leader electrode via a first leader part at said one end of the first substrate, wherein the first leader part extends along one side of the first conductive region.

3. The touchscreen panel as claimed in claim 2, wherein the conductive regions of the mutually adjacent rows in one column are further formed by a third conductive region coupled to a third leader electrode via a second leader part at said one end of the first substrate, wherein the second leader part extends along the first leader part and said one side of the first conductive region.

4. The touchscreen panel as claimed in claim 3, wherein the conductive regions of the mutually adjacent rows in one column are further formed by a fourth conductive region coupled to a fourth leader electrode via a third leader part at said one end of the first substrate, wherein the third leader part extends along the first and second leader parts and said one side of the first conductive region.

5. The touchscreen panel as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first conductive region electrically connects to the first leader electrode via a resistor part formed in the first conductive region, said resistor part having a resistance matched to a resistance of the first leader part of the second conductive region.

6. The touchscreen panel as claimed in claim 3, wherein a resistance of the first leader part and a resistance of the second leader part are matched.

7. The touchscreen panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the conductive regions has an approximately rectangular shape having sides in a range of 5 mm to 25 mm.

8. The touchscreen panel as claimed in claim 7, wherein a width of a gap insulating two mutually adjacent conductive regions of the first transparent conductor layer is in a range of 0.1 μ

m to 1 mm.

9. The touchscreen panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the conductive regions in upper rows in an upper half of the array and the conductive regions in lower rows in a lower half of the array have symmetrical patterns about a boundary between the upper and lower halves of the array.

10. The touchscreen panel as claimed in claim 1, further comprising:

a driving circuit configured to time-divisionally scan the conductive regions of the first transparent conductor layer and detect a contact between the first and second transparent conductor layers at one or multiple contact positions that occur simultaneously.

11. An electronic apparatus comprising:

a touchscreen panel comprising;

an upper substrate having a first transparent conductor layer provided on a first base layer;

a lower substrate having a second transparent conductor layer provided on a second base layer;

a spacer interposed between the first and second transparent conductor layers so that the first and second transparent conductor layers oppose each other and make contact when the first base layer is pressed,

wherein the first transparent conductor layer is segmented into an array of M rows by N columns of conductive regions that are electrically insulated from each other, where M and N are natural numbers greater than or equal to 2; and

a driving circuit configured to time-divisionally scan the conductive regions of the first transparent conductor layer and detect a contact between the first and second transparent conductor layers at one or multiple contact positions that occur simultaneously.

12. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 11, wherein the conductive regions of mutually adjacent rows in one column are formed by a first conductive region coupled to a first leader electrode at one end of the first substrate extending in a direction along the rows, and a second conductive region coupled to a second leader electrode via a first leader part at said one end of the first substrate, wherein the first leader part extends along one side of the first conductive region.

13. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein the conductive regions of the mutually adjacent rows in one column are further formed by a third conductive region coupled to a third leader electrode via a second leader part at said one end of the first substrate, wherein the second leader part extends along the first leader part and said one side of the first conductive region.

14. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein the conductive regions of the mutually adjacent rows in one column are further formed by a fourth conductive region coupled to a fourth leader electrode via a third leader part at said one end of the first substrate, wherein the third leader part extends along the first and second leader parts and said one side of the first conductive region.

15. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 12, wherein the first conductive region electrically connects to the first leader electrode via a resistor part formed in the first conductive region, said resistor part having a resistance matched to a resistance of the first leader part of the second conductive region.

16. The electronic apparatus as claimed in claim 13, wherein a resistance of the first leader part and a resistance of the second leader part are matched.

17. A method of fabricating a touchscreen panel, comprising:

forming an upper substrate having a first transparent conductor layer provided on a first base layer;

forming a lower substrate having a second transparent conductor layer provided on a second base layer;

segmenting the first transparent conductor layer into an array of M rows by N columns of conductive regions that are electrically insulated from each other, where M and N are natural numbers greater than or equal to 2; and

bonding the first and second transparent conductor layers with a spacer interposed therebetween so that the first and second transparent conductor layers oppose each other and make contact when the first base layer is pressed,

wherein said segmenting the first transparent conductor layer is performed before said bonding the first and second transparent conductor layers.

18. The method of fabricating the touchscreen panel as claimed in claim 17, wherein said segmenting the first transparent conductor layer irradiates a charged particle beam on the first transparent conductor layer to electrically insulate mutually adjacent conductive regions from each other by a gap that is formed by eliminating the first transparent conductor layer by the charged particle beam.

19. The method of fabricating the touchscreen panel as claimed in claim 18, wherein a laser beam or an electron beam is used as the charged particle beam.

20. The method of fabricating the touchscreen panel as claimed in claim 17, wherein said segmenting the first transparent conductor layer segments the first transparent conductor layer so that each of the conductive regions has an approximately rectangular shape having sides in a range of 5 mm to 25 mm, and a width of a gap insulating two mutually adjacent conductive regions of the first transparent conductor layer is in a range of 0.1 μ

m to 1 mm.