Touch panel and display device using the same

• US 8,237,675 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2008
• Issued: 08/07/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/27/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd., Tsinghua University
• Original Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd., Tsinghua University
• Inventors: Jiang, Kai-Li, Liu, Liang, Fan, Shou-Shan
• Primary Examiner(s): HINDI, NABIL Z
• Application Number:
  US12/286,241
• Publication Number:
  US 20090167711A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,408 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345/174, 345/1.1, 359/489.2, 313/495, 438/800, 174/94.R, 428/1.3, 428/1.4, 428/408, 349/123, 349/124, 349/128
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0444 using a single conductive element covering the whole sensing surface, e.g. by sensing the electrical current flowing at the corners

Abstract

A touch panel includes a substrate, a transparent conductive layer and a plurality of electrodes. The substrate has a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface. The transparent conductive layer is formed on the first surface of the substrate. The transparent conductive layer includes a plurality of separated carbon nanotube structures. The electrodes are electrically connected to the transparent conductive layer. Each electrode is connected with the end of at least one of the carbon nanotube structures such that each carbon nanotube structure is in contact with at least two opposite electrodes. Further, a display device using the above-described touch panel is also included.

Claims

1. A touch panel comprising:

a substrate comprising a surface;

a transparent conductive layer located on the surface, the transparent conductive layer comprising a plurality of first strip-shaped carbon nanotube structures spaced from each other and a plurality of second strip-shaped carbon nanotube structures crossing with the plurality of first strip-shaped carbon nanotube structures;

two first electrodes opposite to and spaced from each other, the plurality of first strip-shaped carbon nanotube structures are in contact with and electrically connected to the two first electrodes at two opposite ends of each of the plurality of first strip-shaped carbon nanotube structures; and

two second electrodes opposite to and spaced from each other, wherein the plurality of second strip-shaped carbon nanotube structures are in contact with and electrically connected to the two second electrodes at two opposite ends of each of the plurality of first strip-shaped carbon nanotube structures.

2. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of first strip-shaped carbon nanotube structures arc parallel to each other, and the plurality of second strip-shaped carbon nanotube structures are parallel to each other.

3. The touch panel as claimed in claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of first strip-shaped carbon nanotube structures and the plurality of second strip-shaped carbon nanotube structures comprises a plurality of carbon nanotubes, the plurality of carbon nanotubes of each of the plurality of first strip-shaped carbon nanotube structures are arranged along a same direction from one of the two first electrodes to the other of the two first electrodes, the plurality of carbon nanotubes of each of the plurality of second strip-shaped carbon nanotube structures are arranged along a same direction from one of the two second electrodes to the other of the two second electrodes.

4. The touch panel as claimed in claim 3, wherein the plurality of carbon nanotubes of each of the plurality of first strip-shaped carbon nanotube structures are arranged along the same direction from one of the two first electrodes to the other of the two first electrodes, and the plurality of carbon nanotubes of each of the plurality of second strip-shaped carbon nanotube structures are arranged along the same direction from one of the two second electrodes to the other of the two second electrodes.

5. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of first strip-shaped carbon nanotube structures and the plurality of second strip-shaped carbon nanotube structures comprises at least one carbon nanotube film, the at least one carbon nanotube film comprising a plurality of carbon nanotubes arranged along a same direction.

6. The touch panel as claimed in claim 5, wherein the plurality of carbon nanotubes of the at least one carbon nanotube film comprises a plurality of successively oriented carbon nanotube segments joined end to end by van der Waals attractive force therebetween.

7. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of first strip-shaped carbon nanotube structures and the plurality of second strip-shaped carbon nanotube structures comprises a plurality of carbon nanotube films stacked with each other, and adjacent carbon nanotube films are combined by van der Waals attractive force therebetween.

8. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein a thickness of each of the plurality of first strip-shaped carbon nanotube structures and the plurality of second strip-shaped carbon nanotube structures ranges from about 0.5 nanometers to about 100 micrometers.

9. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein a distance between adjacent first strip-shaped carbon nanotube structures of the plurality of first strip-shaped carbon nanotube structures ranges from about 5 nanometers to about 1 millimeter, and a distance between adjacent second strip-shaped carbon nanotube structures of the plurality of second strip-shaped carbon nanotube structures ranges from about 5 nanometers to about 1 millimeter.

10. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the two first electrodes and the two second electrodes comprises metal.

11. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a transparent protective layer disposed on the transparent conductive layer, the transparent protective layer comprises a material that is selected from the group consisting of silicon nitrides, silicon dioxides, benzocyclobutenes, polyester films, and polyethylene terephthalates.

12. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a shielding layer disposed on the second surface of the substrate, and a material of the shielding layer is selected from the group consisting of indium tin oxides, antimony tin oxides, and carbon nanotube films.

13. The display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the plurality of second strip-shaped carbon nanotube structures are perpendicular to the plurality of first strip-shaped carbon nanotube structures.