CAPACITIVE TOUCH PANEL AND A METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME

• US 20130038571A1
• Filed: 02/29/2012
• Published: 02/14/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/12/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TPK Touch Solutions (Xiamen) Inc. (TPK Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: TPK Touch Solutions (Xiamen) Inc. (TPK Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Ho, Kwan-Sin, Zhang, Hao
• Granted Patent: US 9,489,090 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04111 Cross over in capacitive digitiser, i.e. details of structures for connecting electrodes of the sensing pattern where the connections cross each other, e.g. bridge structures comprising an insulating layer, or vias through substrate
• 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: Y10T 29/49155 Manufacturing circuit on or in base

Abstract

The present invention relates to a touch technology and provides a capacitive touch panel which has low-visibility metal jumper. The touch panel comprises of a transparent substrate and at least one metal juniper. A mask layer, reflectance of which is lower than that of the metal jumper, is set between the metal jumper and the transparent substrate to block the light reflected by the metal jumper. The mask layer can reduce light reflection of the metal jumper so as to reduce visibility of the metal jumper.

Claims

1. A capacitive touch panel comprising a transparent substrate, at least one metal jumper, and a mask layer, wherein reflectance of the mask layer is lower than that of the metal jumper, further wherein the mask layer is set between the metal jumper and the transparent substrate to block light reflected by the metal jumper.

2. The capacitive touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the capacitive touch panel further comprises:

a sensing circuit layer for sensing the touch and generating sense signals, wherein the transparent substrate has a first surface available for touching and a second surface opposite to the first surface;

wherein the sensing circuit layer is placed on the second surface of the transparent substrate, further wherein the sensing circuit layer comprises at least a plurality of first electrodes and a plurality of second electrodes, wherein the adjacent first electrodes are electrically connected through a first-axis wire;

further wherein the metal jumper is set between the adjacent second electrodes to electrically connect the adjacent second electrodes while the metal jumper and the first electrodes are electrically insulated.

3. The capacitive touch panel according to claim 2, wherein the mask layer is placed on the second surface of the transparent substrate and comprises of at least one mask piece, said mask piece being positioned corresponding to the metal jumper.

4. The capacitive touch panel according to claim 2, wherein the first electrodes and the second electrodes are insulated from each other and set in two mutually vertical directions.

5. The capacitive touch panel according to claim 2, wherein the first electrodes and the second electrodes are located on same layer

6. The capacitive touch panel according to claim 2, wherein an insulating layer is set between the first-axis wire and the metal jumper.

7. The capacitive touch panel according to claim 6, wherein the insulating layer comprises a plurality of insulating sheets.

8. The capacitive touch panel according to claim 7, wherein the insulating sheets are made of melanocratic or black insulating materials.

9. The capacitive touch panel according to claim 7, wherein the insulating sheets are used as mask layer.

10. The capacitive touch panel according to claim 6, wherein the insulating layer has a plurality of through-holes, further wherein both ends of each metal jumper pass through the corresponding through-holes respectively and connect the two adjacent second electrodes.

11. The capacitive touch panel according to claim 2, wherein the capacitive touch panel further comprises of a black matrix, wherein said black matrix is laminated around the second surface of the transparent substrate.

12. The capacitive touch panel according to claim 11, wherein the black matrix is made of grey, brown or black non-conductive mask material.

13. The capacitive touch panel according to claim 11, wherein the capacitive touch panel comprises of a protective layer configured to shield electromagnetic noise, wherein said protective layer is set between the black matrix and the transparent substrate.

14. The capacitive touch panel according to claim 2, wherein the capacitive touch panel further comprises of a protective layer, wherein said protected layer is placed on the surface of the sensing circuit layer.

15. The capacitive touch panel according to claim 3, wherein the mask layer is made of grey, brown or black non-conductive mask material.

16. The capacitive touch panel according to claim 15, wherein the mask material comprises black photoresistive material, brown photoresistive material, grey photoresistive material, nitride, oxide or mixture of nitride and oxide.

17. A method for reducing visibility of the metal jumper in a capacitive touch panel, the capacitive touch panel comprising a transparent substrate, wherein said transparent substrate has a first surface used for touching and a second surface opposite to the first surface, wherein the method comprises following steps:

placing at least one metal jumper on the second surface of the transparent substrate; and

coating a mask layer, wherein reflectance of said mask layer is lower than that of the metal jumper, further wherein said mask layer is placed corresponding to the metal jumper and between the transparent substrate and the metal jumper.

18. The method for reducing visibility of the metal jumper in the capacitive touch panel according to claim 17, wherein the method further comprises:

placing a sensing circuit layer on the second surface of the transparent substrate, wherein the sensing circuit layer comprises of at least two electrodes and the metal jumper being connected between the two electrodes.

19. The method for reducing visibility of the metal jumper in the capacitive touch panel according to claim 18, wherein the method further comprises following steps:

forming the mask layer on the second surface of the transparent substrate, the mask layer comprising a plurality of mask pieces which are placed on the second surface of the transparent substrate with intervals;

forming the sensing circuit layer on the second surface of the transparent substrate, the sensing circuit layer comprising a plurality of first electrodes, second electrodes, and first-axis wires connected between the two adjacent first electrodes;

placing an insulating layer on the first-axis wires; and

placing the metal jumpers across the insulating layer, connecting two adjacent second electrodes on the same axis.

20. The method for reducing visibility of the metal jumper in the capacitive touch panel according to claim 19, wherein the insulating layer comprises a plurality of insulating sheets, further wherein the insulating sheets are set at intersections of the first-axis wires and the metal jumper.

21. The method for reducing visibility of the metal jumper in the capacitive touch panel according to claim 19, wherein the insulating layer is a plane and continuous structure, further wherein the insulating layer has a plurality of through-holes formed above the second electrodes.

22. The method for reducing visibility of the metal jumper in the capacitive touch panel according to claim 21, wherein when placing the metal jumper on the insulating layer, both ends of the metal jumpers pass through the corresponding through-holes respectively and connect the two adjacent second electrodes.

23. The method for reducing visibility of the metal juniper in the capacitive touch panel according to claim 19, wherein the mask layer is made of grey, brown or black non-conductive mask material.

24. The method for reducing visibility of the metal jumper in the capacitive touch panel according to claim 23, wherein the mask material comprises black photoresistive material, brown photoresistive material, grey photoresistive material, nitride, oxide or mixture of nitride and oxide.

25. The method for reducing visibility of the metal jumper in the capacitive touch panel as claimed in claim 18, wherein the method further comprises the following steps:

forming the sensing circuit layer on the second surface of the transparent substrate, the sensing circuit layer comprising a plurality of first electrodes, second electrodes and first-axis wires connected between the two adjacent first electrodes;

placing insulating sheets on the first-axis wires, wherein the insulating sheets are used as mask pieces;

placing the metal jumpers across the insulating sheets, connecting two adjacent second electrodes on the same axis.

26. The method for reducing visibility of the metal jumper in the capacitive touch panel according to claim 25, wherein the insulating sheets are made of melanocratic or black insulating materials.