Touch panel

• US 8,049,735 B2
• Filed: 04/17/2008
• Issued: 11/01/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AU Optronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: AU Optronics Corporation
• Inventors: Chiang, Min-Feng, Lin, Ching-Huan, Liu, Po-Yuan, Lee, Hsin-Hung, Ma, Mei-Sheng
• Primary Examiner(s): HJERPE, RICHARD A
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bolotin; Dmitriy
• Application Number:
  US12/104,447
• Publication Number:
  US 20090058826A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,293 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345/174, 178/18.03, 178/18.05, 349/12, 349155-157, 349/160
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0447 Position sensing using the local deformation of sensor cells
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/047 using sets of wires, e.g. crossed wires

Abstract

A touch panel has a first substrate and a second substrate. The thickness in the non-sensor regions of the first substrate is greater than the thickness in the sensor regions of the first substrate. The second substrate includes first photo spacers and second photo spacers having substantially the same heights. The first photo spacers are structurally connected to the non-sensor regions of the first region of the first substrate, and the second photo spacers are positioned corresponding to the sensor regions of the first substrate that maintain a first gap with the first substrate.

Claims

1. A touch panel, comprising:

a first substrate comprising a plurality of sensor regions and a plurality of non-sensor region, the non-sensor region having a plurality of first regions and a plurality of second regions, the first substrate in the first regions of the non-sensor regions having a first thickness, the first substrate in the sensor regions having a second thickness, the first substrate in the second regions of the non-sensor regions having a third thickness, wherein the first thickness is greater than the second thickness, and the second thickness is greater than the third thickness; and

a second substrate disposed facing the first substrate, the second substrate comprising a plurality of first photo spacers, a plurality of second photo spacers and a plurality of third photo spacers disposed on the second substrate facing the first substrate, the first photo spacers, the second photo spacers and the third photo spacers having substantially the same height, the first photo spacers being structurally connected to the first substrate in the first regions of the non-sensor regions, the second photo spacers being positioned corresponding to the first substrate in the sensor regions to form a first gap between the second photo spacer and the first substrate in the sensor region, the third photo spacers being positioned corresponding to the first substrate in the second region of the non-sensor regions to form a second gap between the third photo spacer and the first substrate in the second region of the non-sensor region, wherein the second gap is larger than the first gap.

2. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the touch panel comprises a touch liquid crystal display panel.

3. The touch panel of claim 2, wherein the first substrate comprises an array substrate, and the second substrate comprises a color filter substrate.

4. The touch panel of claim 3, wherein the touch panel further comprises a liquid crystal layer disposed between the array substrate and the color filter substrate.

5. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein a thickness difference between the first thickness and the second thickness is determined by a bump structure disposed in the first regions of the non-sensor region in contrast with the sensor regions.

6. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein a thickness difference between the second thickness and the third thickness is determined by a recess structure disposed in the second regions of the non-sensor regions in contact with the sensor regions.

7. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the touch panel comprises a first conductive layer positioned on the first substrate in the sensor regions, and a second conductive layer positioned on a surface of the second photo spacers of the second substrate.

8. The touch panel of claim 7, wherein the first conductive layer comprises a plurality of first conductive patterns positioned in the sensor region, and each of the first conductive pattern and its corresponded second conductive layer compose a sensor.

9. The touch panel of claim 8, wherein the touch panel further comprises a plurality of switches positioned on the first substrate, and each of the switch is electrically connected to the sensor, respectively.

10. The touch panel of claim 9, wherein the touch panel comprises at least a signal reading line electrically connected to the switches.

11. The touch panel of claim 9, wherein the signal reading line senses a change of capacitance between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer.

12. The touch panel of claim 10, wherein the signal reading line is capable of detecting a contact between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer.

13. The touch panel of claim 7, wherein the second conductive layer is further positioned on a surface of the first photo spacers of the second substrate.

14. The touch panel of claim 7, wherein each of the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer comprises a transparent conductive layer, respectively.

15. A touch liquid crystal display panel, comprising:

a first substrate comprising a plurality of sensor regions and a plurality of non-sensor region, the non-sensor region having a plurality of first regions and a plurality of second regions, the first substrate in the first regions of the non-sensor regions having a first thickness, the first substrate in the sensor regions having a second thickness, the first substrate in the second regions of the non-sensor regions having a third thickness, wherein the first thickness is greater than the second thickness, and the second thickness is greater than the third thickness;

a second substrate disposed facing the first substrate, the second substrate comprising a plurality of first photo spacers, a plurality of second photo spacers and a plurality of third spacers disposed on the second substrate facing the first substrate, the first photo spacers, the second photo spacers and the third photo spacers having substantially the same height, the first photo spacers being structurally connected to the first substrate in the first regions of the non-sensor regions, the second photo spacers being positioned corresponding to the first substrate in the sensor regions to form a first gap between the second photo spacer and the first substrate in the sensor region, the third photo spacers being positioned corresponding to the first substrate in the second region of the non-sensor regions to form a second gap between the third photo spacer and the first substrate in the second region of the non-sensor region, wherein the second gap is larger than the first gap; and

a liquid crystal layer disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate.