SENSOR DEVICE, DISPLAY UNIT, AND INPUT UNIT

• US 20160179248A1
• Filed: 07/23/2014
• Published: 06/23/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/03/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Corporation (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Iida, Fumihiko, Nishimura, Taizo, Mizuno, Hiroshi, Abe, Yasuyuki, Tanaka, Takayuki, Hasegawa, Hayato, Shinkai, Shogo
• Granted Patent: US 10,386,971 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04102 Flexible digitiser, i.e. constructional details for allowing the whole digitising part of a device to be flexed or rolled like a sheet of paper
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04106 Multi-sensing digitiser, i.e. digitiser using at least two different sensing technologies simultaneously or alternatively, e.g. for detecting pen and finger, for saving power or for improving position detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display

Abstract

A sensor device includes: a sensor layer provided at a position facing a surface, of a substrate having an operation surface, opposite to the operation surface, and configured to detect a contacted position or a pressed position on the operation surface; and a gap layer located in a gap between the substrate and the sensor layer. The gap layer includes a bonding region bonding the substrate to the sensor layer, and a relaxation region relaxing stress applied from the substrate to the sensor layer.

Claims

1. A sensor device comprising:

a sensor layer provided at a position facing a surface, of a substrate having an operation surface, opposite to the operation surface, and configured to detect a contacted position or a pressed position on the operation surface; and

a gap layer located in a gap between the substrate and the sensor layer, the gap layer including a bonding region and a relaxation region, the bonding region bonding the substrate to the sensor layer, and the relaxation region relaxing stress applied from the substrate to the sensor layer.

2. The sensor device according to claim 1, wherein

the bonding region and the relaxation region are each formed of dot-like, lattice-like, or stripe-like adhesive parts or dot-like, lattice-like, or stripe-like bonding parts, and

the relaxation region has bonding strength lower than bonding strength of the bonding region.

3. The sensor device according to claim 2, wherein population density of the adhesive parts or the bonding parts in the relaxation region is smaller than population density of the adhesive parts or the bonding parts in the bonding region.

4. The sensor device according to claim 2, wherein bonding strength of each of the adhesive parts or each of the bonding parts in the relaxation region is lower than bonding strength of each of the adhesive parts or each of the bonding parts in the bonding region.

5. The sensor device according to claim 1, wherein

the bonding region is formed of dot-like, lattice-like, or stripe-like adhesive parts or dot-like, lattice-like, or stripe-like bonding pans,

the relaxation region is formed of dot-like, lattice-like, or stripe-like non-adhesive parts, and

the relaxation region has bonding strength lower than bonding strength of the bonding region.

6. The sensor device according to claim 1, wherein

the bonding region is formed of dot-like, lattice-like, or stripe-like adhesive parts or dot-like, lattice-like, or stripe-like bonding parts, and

the relaxation region is formed of clearance.

7. The sensor device according to claim 1, wherein

the bonding region is formed of one of a sheet adhesive layer and a sheet bonding layer, and

the relaxation region is formed of clearance.

8. The sensor device according to claim 1, wherein

the bonding region and the relaxation region are each formed of one of a sheet adhesive layer and a sheet bonding layer, and

the relaxation region has bonding strength lower than bonding strength of the bonding region.

9. The sensor device according to claim 1, wherein

the bonding region is formed of one of a sheet adhesive layer and a sheet bonding layer,

the relaxation region is formed of a sheet non-adhesive part, and

the relaxation region has bonding strength lower than bonding strength of the bonding region.

10. The sensor device according to claim 1, wherein

the bonding region is provided at a position facing a center part of the sensor layer, and

the relaxation region is provided at a position facing an edge of the sensor layer.

11. The sensor device according to claim 1, wherein

the bonding region is provided at a position facing an edge of the sensor layer, and

the relaxation region is provided at a position facing a center part of the sensor layer.

12. The sensor device according to claim 1, wherein the sensor layer has flexibility.

13. A display unit provided with a display panel and a sensor device, the display panel including a display surface, and the sensor device being provided on side of the display panel opposite to the display surface, the sensor device comprising:

a sensor layer provided at a position apart from and facing the display panel, and configured to detect a contacted position or a pressed position on the display surface; and

a gap layer located in a gap between the display panel and the sensor layer, the gap layer including a bonding region and a relaxation region, the bonding region bonding the display panel to the sensor layer, and the relaxation region relaxing stress applied from the display panel to the sensor layer.

14. An input unit provided with a substrate and a sensor device, the substrate including an operation surface, and the sensor device being provided on side of the substrate opposite to the operation surface, the sensor device comprising:

a sensor layer provided at a position apart from and facing the substrate, and configured to detect a contacted position or a pressed position on the operation surface; and

a gap layer located in a gap between the substrate and the sensor layer, the gap layer including a bonding region and a relaxation region, the bonding region bonding the substrate to the sensor layer, and the relaxation region relaxing stress applied from the substrate to the sensor layer.