Touch panel and driving method of touch panel

• US 8,106,324 B2
• Filed: 02/19/2009
• Issued: 01/31/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Wintek Corporation
• Original Assignee: Wintek Corporation
• Inventors: Lai, Chih-Chang, Chang, Nai-Heng
• Primary Examiner(s): Enad, Elvin G
• Assistant Examiner(s): Homza, Lisa
• Application Number:
  US12/389,351
• Publication Number:
  US 20090211891A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,076 Days
• Field of Search: 200/600
• US Class Current: 200/600
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes
• 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 including a first substrate, a second substrate, a first conductive layer, a second conductive layer, a third conductive layer, and a number of spacers is provided. The first substrate has an upper surface and a bottom surface opposite to the upper surface. The second substrate is parallel to the first substrate. The first conductive layer is disposed on the upper surface of the first substrate, while the second conductive layer is disposed on the bottom surface of the first substrate. The third conductive layer is disposed on the second substrate and interposed between the second substrate and the second conductive layer. The spacers are interposed between the second conductive layer and the third conductive layer. The touch panel has functions of multi-touch, contact-touch and non-contact touch, and the touch panel can be operated by conductive objects or dielectric objects.

Claims

1. A touch panel, comprising:

a first substrate having an upper surface and a bottom surface opposite to the upper surface;

a second substrate parallel to the first substrate;

a first conductive layer disposed on the upper surface of the first substrate;

a second conductive layer disposed on the bottom surface of the first substrate;

a third conductive layer disposed on the second substrate and interposed between the second substrate and the second conductive layer; and

a plurality of spacers interposed between the second conductive layer and the third conductive layer, wherein the first substrate, the first conductive layer, and the second conductive layer form a capacitive touch panel, and the first substrate, the second substrate, the second conductive layer, the third conductive layer, and the plurality of spacers form a resistive touch panel.

2. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a plurality of linear electrodes disposed on the second substrate and positioned around the third conductive layer, wherein the third conductive layer is a single electrode.

3. The touch panel as claimed in claim 2, wherein a material of the linear electrodes comprises metals.

4. The touch panel as claimed in claim 2, wherein a material of the linear electrodes comprises gold, silver, copper, aluminum, or a combination thereof.

5. The touch panel as claimed in claim 2, wherein the second conductive layer, the spacers, the third conductive layer, and the linear electrodes interposed between the second substrate and the first substrate together form a five-wire resistive touch panel.

6. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first substrate is a flexible substrate and the second substrate is a flexible substrate or a rigid substrate.

7. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first conductive layer comprises a plurality of bar-shaped conductive patterns substantially arranged in parallel.

8. The touch panel as claimed in claim 7, wherein the second conductive layer comprises a plurality of bar-shaped conductive patterns substantially arranged in parallel.

9. The touch panel as claimed in claim 8, wherein a long axis of the bar-shaped conductive patterns of the second conductive layer is substantially perpendicular to a long axis of the bar-shaped conductive patterns of the first conductive layer.

10. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein a material of the first conductive layer, the second conductive layer, and the third conductive layer comprises an transparent oxide conductive material.

11. The touch panel as claimed in claim 10, wherein the oxide conductive material comprises indium tin oxide (ITO) or indium zinc oxide (IZO).

12. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a planar layer covering the first conductive layer.

13. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first substrate, the second substrate, the first conductive layer, the second conductive layer, and the third conductive layer are made of transparent materials.

14. A driving method of a touch panel, the touch panel comprising:

a first substrate, having an upper surface and a bottom surface opposite to the upper surface;

a second substrate, parallel to the first substrate;

a first conductive layer, disposed on the upper surface of the first substrate;

a second conductive layer, disposed on the bottom surface of the first substrate;

a third conductive layer, disposed on the second substrate and interposed between the second substrate and the second conductive layer; and

a plurality of spacers, interposed between the second conductive layer and the third conductive layer, wherein the driving method comprises outputting a coordinate signal based on a voltage variation of the second conductive layer or based on a variation of an induced capacitance between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer.

15. The driving method of the touch panel as claimed in claim 14, further comprising inputting a reference signal to the third conductive layer.

16. The driving method of the touch panel as claimed in claim 14, further comprising detecting the variation of the induced capacitance between the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer.

17. The driving method of the touch panel as claimed in claim 14, further comprising detecting the voltage variation of the second conductive layer.