Electrostatic capacitive touch pad

• US 7,151,227 B2
• Filed: 06/18/2004
• Issued: 12/19/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 06/23/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: ALPS Electric Company Limited (Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Shigetaka, Hiroshi
• Primary Examiner(s): Cuneo, Kamand
• Assistant Examiner(s): Semenenko, Yuriy
• Application Number:
  US10/872,312
• Publication Number:
  US 20040256147A1
• Time in Patent Office: 914 Days
• Field of Search: 174/254, 361/760, 345/173
• US Class Current: 174/254
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/03547 Touch pads, in which fingers can move on a surface
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0445 using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer

Abstract

On a surface of a film substrate made of an insulating synthetic resin, which is formed by connecting an approximately quadrangular first film substrate and an approximately quadrangular second film substrate through a bent portion, a ground electrode formed to cover at least a part of the second film substrate, and a first electrode layer formed of one of the wiring patterns on a part of the first film substrate are formed. An insulating film made of an insulating resin is formed on the first electrode layer, a second electrode layer formed of the other of the wiring patterns is formed on a surface corresponding to the part of the first film substrate of the insulating film, and the film substrate, the first electrode layer and the insulating film are bent in the bent portion such that the rear surfaces of the film substrate face each other.

Claims

1. An electrostatic capacitive touch pad for detecting an electrostatic capacity and having two types of wiring patterns formed on a substrate,

wherein, on a surface of a film substrate made of an insulating synthetic resin which is formed by connecting an approximately quadrangular first film substrate and an approximately quadrangular second film substrate through a bent portion, a ground electrode layer formed of a shield layer and formed to cover at least a surface portion of the second film substrate, and a first electrode layer formed of a first of the wiring patterns on a part of the first film substrate are formed,

wherein an insulating film made of an insulating resin is formed on the first electrode layer,

wherein a second electrode layer formed of a second of the wiring patterns is formed on a surface corresponding to the part of the first film substrate of the insulating film, and

wherein the film substrate, the first electrode layer, and the insulating film are bent in the bent portion such that rear surfaces of the film substrate face each other.

2. The touch pad according to claim 1, wherein, on a circumferential portion of the first film substrate, a ground electrode surrounding the first of the wiring patterns is formed, and the ground electrode is electrically connected to the shield layer formed on the second film substrate through the bent portion.

3. The touch pad according to claim 2, wherein the shield layer is formed on the entire surface part of the second film substrate and a surface of the bent portion.