Touch panel

• US 5,923,388 A
• Filed: 06/30/1998
• Issued: 07/13/1999
• Est. Priority Date: 01/27/1995
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Component Limited (Fujitsu Limited)
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Limited
• Inventors: Kurashima, Shigemi, Sakaguchi, Akihiko, Kurasawa, Katsuhiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Sikes, William L.
• Assistant Examiner(s): TON, MINH TOAN T
• Application Number:
  US09/106,898
• Time in Patent Office: 378 Days
• Field of Search: 349/23, 349/155, 349/12, 345/156, 345/173, 178/18
• US Class Current: 349/23
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/045 using resistive elements, e.g. a single continuous surface or two parallel surfaces put in contact

Abstract

A touch panel includes a display unit having display elements which are arranged in a first lattice, and an input panel, put on the display unit, having a structure in which transparent resistive films maintained at a predetermined distance by insulating dot spacers are provided on a transparent substrate, the insulating dot spacers being arranged in a second lattice, wherein a relative angle Θ between a direction in which the display elements are arranged in the first lattice and a direction in which the insulating dot spacers are arranged in the second lattice falls in a range of 15°≦Θ≦30°.

Claims

1. A touch panel, comprising:

a display unit having display elements arranged in a lattice; and

an input panel disposed on said display unit, comprising transparent resistive films formed on a transparent substrate, the transparent resistive films being spaced at a predetermined distance by a plurality of insulating dot spacers disposed therebetween and two-dimensionally arranged, in a plane, on concentric circles having a common center and spaced at constant intervals so that an angle between adjacent radial lines extending from the center of the concentric circles to respective, adjacent insulating dot spacers on an n-th concentric circle is equal to C/n radians, where C is a constant and n is an integer.

2. A touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein each insulating dot spacer is spaced from each of plural and respective, adjacent insulating dot spacers by a distance corresponding substantially to the constant radial interval between adjacent, concentric circles.

3. An input panel used in a touch panel, said input panel comprising:

a transparent substrate; and

transparent resistive films provided on said transparent substrate, said transparent resistive films being spaced at a predetermined distance by a plurality of insulating dot spacers which are two-dimensionally arranged on concentric circles having a common center and spaced radially at constant radial intervals so that an angle between adjacent radial lines extending from the common center of the concentric circles to respective, adjacent insulating dot spacers on an n-th concentric circle is equal to C/n radians where C is a constant and n is an integer.

4. A touch panel as claimed in claim 3, wherein respective distances between a central insulating dot spacer on an n-th concentric circle and each of plural and respective, adjacent insulating dot spacers respectively on (n-1)-th, n-th and (n+1)-th concentric circles is substantially that of the constant radial interval between two adjacent concentric circles.

6. A touch panel as claimed in claim 3, wherein respective distances between a central insulating dot spacer on an n-th concentric circle and each of plural and respective, adjacent insulating dot spacers respectively on (n-1)-th, n-th and (n+1)-th concentric circles is substantially that of the constant radial interval between two adjacent concentric circles.

5. A touch panel, comprising:

a display unit having display elements arranged in a lattice; and

an input panel, disposed on said display unit, comprising transparent resistive films formed on a transparent substrate, the transparent resistive films being spaced at a predetermined distance by a plurality of insulating dot spacers and wherein the plurality of insulating dot spacers is two-dimensionally arranged in a plane, disposed between the films on respective, concentric circles having a common center and spaced at constant radial intervals so that an angle between adjacent radial lines extending from the common center of the concentric circles to respective, adjacent insulating dot spacers on an n-th concentric circle is equal to C/n radians, where C is a constant and n is an integer, a periodicity of the respective spacings between each insulating dot spacer and the plural insulating dot spacers respectively adjacent thereto being selected to produce a reduced number of periodical interferences between the display elements and the insulating dot spacers, in a display produced on the touch panel, relatively to a number thereof produced by a random arrangement of the insulating dot spacers.

7. An input panel for a touch panel, said input panel comprising:

a transparent substrate; and

transparent resistive films provided on said transparent substrate, said transparent resistive films being spaced at a predetermined distance by a plurality of insulating dot spacers which is two-dimensionally arranged in a plane disposed between the films on respective, concentric circles having a common center and spaced at constant radial intervals so that an angel between adjacent radial lines extending from the common center of the concentric circles to respective, adjacent insulating dot spacers on an n-th concentric circle is equal to C/n radians where C is a constant and n is an integer, a periodicity of the respective spacings between each insulating dot spacer and the plural insulating dot spacers respectively adjacent thereto being selected to produce a reduced number of periodical interferences, between the insulating dot spacers and display elements of the touch panel, in a display produced on the touch panel, relatively to a number thereof produced by a random arrangement of the insulating dot spacers.

8. A touch panel as claimed in claim 7, wherein respective distances between a central insulating dot spacer on an n-th concentric circle and each of plural and respective, adjacent insulating dot spacers respectively on (n-1)-th, n-th and (n+1)-th concentric circles is substantially that of the constant radial interval between two adjacent concentric circles.