Touch panel

• US 6,909,425 B2
• Filed: 08/31/2001
• Issued: 06/21/2005
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2001
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Takamisawa Component Limited
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Takamisawa Component Limited
• Inventors: Furukawa, Shozo, Matsuda, Genichi, Inoue, Makoto
• Primary Examiner(s): LAO, LUN YI
• Application Number:
  US09/942,733
• Publication Number:
  US 20030011575A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,390 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-183, 178 1801- 1811, 178 1901- 1907
• 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

Abstract

Laser etching is used to form channels which divides a conductive film adhered on a board of a touch panel into a plurality of regions of desired form. A conductive film damage preventing element is attached on the board of the moving-side panel of a pair of panels or the double-faced tape to join them at their perimeters, to prevent damage by the edge of the double-faced tape. A re-usable adhesive layer having 90-degree peel off power of 5 g to 500 g/25 mm is used to adhere optical material on a surface of the panel.

Claims

1. A touch panel comprising:

electrically insulating spacers;

a double-faced tape;

a pair of relatively fixed and moveable panels, the moveable panel being moveable in response to pressure applied thereto and each panel having a transparent conductive film adhered on a transparent board, the panels being arranged via the electrically insulating spacers so that the respective transparent conductive films of the pair of panels are opposed to each other, one of the transparent conductive films being divided into a plurality of regions of desired forms by channels formed by laser etching, and the pair of panels being joined at respective perimeters thereof via the double-faced tape; and

a conductive film damage preventing element made of an elastic material mounted on at least one of the panel and the double-faced tape, so as to cover an area of the transparent conductive film on the movable panel otherwise subject to potentially damaging contact by an edge of the double-faced tape.

2. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein a plurality of electrode circuits connected to different external conductive wires are provided on the one conductive film, and boundary lines are formed with narrow channels so that said plurality of electrode circuits are not short-circuited.

3. The touch panel of claim 2, wherein the one conductive film is divided at least into a same number of the regions as the electrode circuits.

4. The touch panel of claim 2, wherein closed channels are formed near a periphery so that the regions having the electrode circuits are not exposed at a side edge.

5. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein a diameter of a laser spot for the laser etching is 0.1 mm to 2.0 mm.

6. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein laser light for the laser etching is an infrared ray with a wavelength of 900 nm or more.

7. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein a pulse width of laser light for the laser etching is 1 ns or less.

8. The touch panel of claim 1, further comprising:

an insulation layer arranged between the fixed panel and the double-faced tape and extending beyond an inside edge of the double-spaced tape; and

the conductive film damage preventing element extending beyond an inside edge of the insulation layer so as to cover an area of the transparent conductive film on the movable panel otherwise subject to potentially damaging contact by the inside edge of the insulation layer.

9. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the elastic material is rubber resin.

10. A touch panel comprising:

electrically insulating spacers;

a double-faced tape;

a pair of relatively fixed and moveable panels, the moveable panel being moveable in response to pressure applied thereto and each panel having a transparent conductive film adhered on a transparent board, the panels being arranged via the electrically insulating spacers so that the respective transparent conductive films of the pair of panels are opposed to each other, the pair of panels being joined at respective perimeters thereof via the double-faced tape; and

a conductive film damage preventing element made of an elastic material mounted on at least one of the panel and the double-faced tape, so as to cover an area of the transparent conductive film on the movable panel otherwise subject to potentially damaging contact by an edge of the double-faced tape.

11. The touch panel of claim 10, further comprising:

an insulation layer arranged between the fixed panel and the double-faced tape; and

the conductive film damage preventing element extending beyond an inside edge of the insulation layer.

12. The touch panel of claim 10, wherein the elastic material is rubber resin.

13. A touch panel, comprising:

a double-faced tape;

a pair of fixed and relatively movable panels, each having a transparent conductive film provided on a corresponding transparent board so that the respective transparent conductive films of the pair of panels are opposed to each other and spaced apart, the pair of panels being coupled at respective perimeters thereof via the double-faced tape; and

a film shielding unit mounted on the double-faced tape and having a first portion disposed between the double faced tape and the transparent conductive film of the moveable panel and a second portion extending inwardly relatively to an inner edge of the double-faced tape, so as to cover an area of the transparent conductive film on the movable panel otherwise subject to potentially damaging contact by the inner edge of the double-faced tape.

14. A touch panel having a pair of panels with respective transparent conductive films thereon, the panels being spaced apart and coupled together by a double-faced tape disposed on and extending between the respective perimeters of the pair of panels, one of the panels being moveable in response to input pressure thereon indicating a location on the one of said panels, comprising:

a shielding unit provided adjacent an inner edge of the double-faced tape and having a portion disposed between the moveable panel and the respective transparent conductive film, so as to cover an area of the transparent conductive film on the movable panel otherwise subject to potentially damaging contact by the inner edge of the double-faced tape.