Acoustic wave type touch panel

• US 7,920,133 B2
• Filed: 05/30/2007
• Issued: 04/05/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 05/31/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Touch Panel Systems KK (TE Connectivity Ltd. (United Kingdom))
• Original Assignee: Touch Panel Systems KK (TE Connectivity Ltd. (United Kingdom))
• Inventors: Fujita, Noriko, Tsumura, Masahiro
• Primary Examiner(s): Dharia; Prabodh M
• Application Number:
  US11/755,174
• Publication Number:
  US 20070279398A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,406 Days
• Field of Search: 345/94, 345/173, 345/177, 345/208, 345/50, 345/104, 345/179, 345/204, 422/100, 315/312, 369/44.12, 178/18.09
• US Class Current: 345/177
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0436 in which generating transducers and detecting transducers are attached to a single acoustic waves transmission substrate

Abstract

An acoustic wave type touch panel is equipped with: a substrate that objects contact; reflective arrays having a great number of inclined lines provided on the substrate; acoustic wave generating sections provided on the substrate; and detecting sections provided on the substrate. An array of micro reflectors, which are shorter than the inclined lines, for attenuating spurious waves generated by reflection of the acoustic waves by the reflective arrays, is provided in the reflective array regions between the inclined lines at least one end thereof.

Claims

1. An acoustic wave type touch panel, comprising:

a substrate having a touch region;

reflective arrays arranged in a great number of inclined lines, at least one of which sends and at least one of which receives acoustic waves through the touch region, provided on the substrate;

an acoustic wave generating section, generating acoustic waves that propagate toward the reflective arrays, provided on the substrate;

a detecting section which detects the acoustic waves that change according to contact positions of objects with respect to the touch region, provided on the substrate; and

an array of micro reflectors, each of the micro reflectors being shorter than the inclined lines and within a region formed by one of the reflective arrays, for attenuating spurious waves generated by reflection of the acoustic waves by the reflective arrays, at least one of said micro reflectors provided within the region between at least two of the inclined lines of said one of the reflective arrays, each of said micro reflectors formed at a side of said region and each of said micro reflectors not being located at the center of said inclined lines.

2. An acoustic wave type touch panel as defined in claim 1, wherein:

the inclined lines of the reflective arrays are arranged such that the intervals therebetween are equal to integer multiples of the wavelength of the acoustic waves;

the inclined lines of the reflective arrays are arranged such that the intervals therebetween are comparatively greater at the sides of the reflective arrays closer to the acoustic wave generating section or the detecting section and comparatively smaller as the positions of the lines becomes farther away from the acoustic wave generating section or the detecting section; and

the micro reflectors are arranged between the inclined lines such that the intervals therebetween are substantially equal to the wavelength of the acoustic waves.

3. An acoustic wave type touch panel as defined in claim 1, wherein:

the acoustic wave generating section comprises transducers.

4. An acoustic wave type touch panel as defined in claim 1, wherein:

the detecting section comprises mode converting elements.

5. An acoustic wave type touch panel as defined in claim 1, wherein:

the micro reflectors are formed along with the inclined lines of the reflective arrays by printing.

6. An acoustic wave type touch panel as defined in claim 2, wherein:

the acoustic wave generating section comprises transducers.

7. An acoustic wave type touch panel as defined in claim 2, wherein:

the detecting section comprises mode converting elements.

8. An acoustic wave type touch panel as defined in claim 2, wherein:

the micro reflectors are formed along with the inclined lines of the reflective arrays by printing.

9. An acoustic wave type touch panel as defined in claim 3, wherein:

the detecting section comprises mode converting elements.

10. An acoustic wave type touch panel as defined in claim 3, wherein:

the micro reflectors are formed along with the inclined lines of the reflective arrays by printing.

11. An acoustic wave type touch panel as defined in claim 4, wherein:

the micro reflectors are formed along with the inclined lines of the reflective arrays by printing.

12. An acoustic wave type touch panel as defined in claim 6, wherein:

the detecting section comprises mode converting elements.

13. An acoustic wave type touch panel as defined in claim 6, wherein:

the micro reflectors are formed along with the inclined lines of the reflective arrays by printing.

14. An acoustic wave type touch panel as defined in claim 7, wherein:

the micro reflectors are formed along with the inclined lines of the reflective arrays by printing.

15. An acoustic wave type touch panel as defined in claim 9, wherein:

the micro reflectors are formed along with the inclined lines of the reflective arrays by printing.

16. An acoustic wave type touch panel as defined in claim 12, wherein:

the micro reflectors are formed along with the inclined lines of the reflective arrays by printing.

17. An acoustic wave type touch panel as defined in claim 1, wherein:

a plurality of said micro reflectors are provided between at least two of the inclined lines.

18. An acoustic wave type touch panel as defined in claim 1, wherein:

said micro reflectors are formed at the side of said region, the side of said region being toward the touch region when said micro reflectors are within emitting reflective arrays.

19. An acoustic wave type touch panel as defined in claim 1, wherein:

said micro reflectors are formed at the side of said region, the side of said region being toward an edge of the substrate when said micro reflectors are within receiving reflective arrays.

20. An acoustic wave type touch panel as defined in claim 1, wherein:

said micro reflectors are formed at two sides of said region, the side of said region comprising one of said two sides.