Touch panel and display device using the same

• US 8,243,029 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2008
• Issued: 08/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2007
• 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): Sniezek, Andrew L
• Application Number:
  US12/286,144
• Publication Number:
  US 20090153502A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,415 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• 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: Y10T 428/249921 Web or sheet containing structurally defined element or component

Abstract

An exemplary touch panel includes a substrate, transparent conductive layers, a capacitive sensing circuit, and conductive wires. The transparent conductive layers are disposed on a surface of the substrate and spaced apart from each other. Each transparent conductive layer includes a carbon nanotube layer. The carbon nanotube layer includes carbon nanotubes. The conductive wires respectively electrically connect the transparent conductive layers to the capacitive sensing circuit. A display device using the touch panel is also provided.

Claims

1. A touch panel comprising:

a substrate;

a transparent conductive layer located on a surface of the substrate, the transparent conductive layer comprising a first plurality of carbon nanotube wires spaced from each other and arranged along a first direction and a second plurality of carbon nanotube wires spaced from each other and arranged along a second direction, the first plurality of carbon nanotube wires directly contacting the second plurality of carbon nanotube wires;

two first electrodes electrically connected to the first plurality of carbon nanotube wires; and

two second electrodes electrically connected to the second plurality of carbon nanotube wires.

2. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein an angle between the first direction and the second direction, is in a range from greater than 0°

to less than or equal to 90°

.

3. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein a diameter of each carbon nanotube wire is in an approximate range from 0.5 nanometers to 100 micrometers.

4. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein a distance between adjacent carbon nanotube wires is in an approximate range from 5 nanometers to 1 millimeter.

5. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein each of the carbon nanotube wires comprises a plurality of successively carbon nanotube segments joined end to end by the van der Waals attractive force therebetween and each of the carbon nanotube segments comprises a plurality of successively carbon nanotubes joined end to end.

6. The touch panel as claimed in claim 5 wherein the carbon nanotubes are selected from the group consisting of single-walled carbon nanotubes with a diameter that is in an approximate range from 0.5 nanometers to 50 nanometers, double-walled carbon nanotubes with a diameter that is in an approximate range from 1 nanometers to 50 nanometers, and multi-walled carbon nanotubes with a diameter that is in an approximate range from 1.5 nanometers to 50 nanometers.

7. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the electrodes are disposed on a first transparent conductive layer surface.

8. The touch panel as claimed in claim 7, wherein the electrodes are metal electrodes and are adhered to the first transparent conductive layer surface by a silver-based slurry.

9. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a transparent protective film disposed on the surface of the transparent conductive layer.

10. The touch panel as claimed in claim 9, wherein a material of the transparent protective film is selected from the group consisting of silicon nitrides, silicon dioxides, benzocyclobutenes, polyester films, and polyethylene terephthalates.

11. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein a material of the substrate is selected from the group consisting of glass, quartz, diamond, and plastic.

12. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a shielding layer disposed on a second surface of the substrate.

13. The touch panel as claimed in claim 12, wherein a material of the shielding layer is selected from the group consisting of indium tin oxides, antimony tin oxides, and carbon nanotube films.

14. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the touch panel is planar or curved.

15. A display device comprising:

a touch panel comprising;

a substrate;

a transparent conductive layer located on a surface of the substrate, the transparent conductive layer comprising a first plurality of carbon nanotube wires spaced from each other and arranged along a first direction and a second plurality of carbon nanotube wires spaced from each other and arranged along a second direction, the first plurality of carbon nanotube wires directly contacting the second plurality of carbon nanotube wires;

two first electrodes electrically connected to the first plurality of carbon nanotube wires;

two second electrodes electrically connected to the second plurality of carbon nanotube wires; and

a display element adjacent to the touch panel.

16. The display device as claimed in claim 15, further comprising a touch panel controller, a central processing unit, and a display element controller that are in communication to each other.

17. The display device as claimed in claim 15, wherein the display element is selected from the group consisting of liquid crystal displays, field emission displays, plasma displays, electroluminescent displays, vacuum fluorescent displays, and cathode ray tubes.

18. The display device as claimed in claim 15, wherein there is a space between the touch panel and the display element.

19. The display device as claimed in claim 15, further comprising a passivation layer disposed between the touch panel and the display element.

20. A touch panel comprising:

a substrate;

a transparent conductive layer located on a surface of the substrate, the transparent conductive layer comprising a first plurality of carbon nanotube wires spaced from each other and arranged along a first direction and a second plurality of carbon nanotube wires spaced from each other and arranged along a second direction, the first plurality of carbon nanotube wires directly contacting the second plurality of carbon nanotube wires, the first direction being crossed with the second direction;

two first electrodes directly and electrically connected to the first plurality of carbon nanotube wires; and

two second electrodes directly electrically connected to the second plurality of carbon nanotube wires.