Touch panel and display device using the same

• US 8,243,030 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2008
• Issued: 08/14/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/21/2007
• 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): Macchiarolo, Peter
• Assistant Examiner(s): Bowman, Mary Ellen
• Application Number:
  US12/286,148
• Publication Number:
  US 20090160796A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,415 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-174, 445/24, 257/222, 349/12
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04107 Shielding in digitiser, i.e. guard or shielding arrangements, mostly for capacitive touchscreens, e.g. driven shields, driven grounds
• 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 428/268 Monolayer with structurally defined element

Abstract

A touch panel includes a first conductive layer, a second conductive layer and a capacitive sensing member. The first conductive layer includes a plurality of first conductive lines. The second conductive layer separated from the first conductive layer includes a plurality of second conductive lines. One of the plurality of conductive lines is located above the other plurality of conductive lines. The capacitive sensing member is connected to the first conductive lines. At least one of the first and second pluralities of conductive lines includes carbon nanotube wires. The carbon nanotube wires each include a plurality of carbon nanotubes. Further, a display device using the above-described touch panel is also included.

Claims

1. A touch panel comprising:

a first conductive layer comprising a plurality of first conductive lines spaced from each other;

a second conductive layer separated from the first conductive layer and comprising a plurality of second conductive lines spaced from each other;

a capacitive sensing member being directly connected to the first conductive lines; and

at least one of the first and second conductive lines are carbon nanotube wires, and each carbon nanotube wire comprising a plurality of successively oriented carbon nanotube segments joined end-to-end by van der Waals attractive force therebetween, each of the plurality of successively oriented carbon nanotube segment comprising a plurality of carbon nanotubes parallel to each other and combined by van der Waals attractive force therebetween;

wherein the plurality of second conductive lines is located above the plurality of first conductive lines forming a plurality of capacitive sensing nodes.

2. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first conductive lines are parallel to each other and aligned along a first direction, the second conductive lines are parallel to each other and aligned along a second direction.

3. The touch panel as claimed in claim 2, wherein an angle α

, is defined between the first direction and the second direction, the angle α

is in an approximate range from 0°

to 90°

.

4. 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 microns.

5. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the carbon nanotube wire is twisted.

6. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the carbon nanotube wire is untwisted, and the carbon nanotubes in the untwisted carbon nanotube wire are oriented along a same direction.

7. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the carbon nanotubes in the carbon nanotube wire are selected from a group consisting of single-walled carbon nanotubes, double-walled carbon nanotubes, multi-walled carbon nanotubes, and any combination thereof, diameters of the single-walled, double-walled, and multi-walled carbon nanotubes are respectively in an approximate range from 0.5 nanometers to 50 nanometers, 1 nanometer to 50 nanometers, and 1.5 nanometers to 50 nanometers.

8. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a first substrate and a second substrate adjacent to the first substrate, the first conductive layer being disposed on a first surface of the first substrate, the second substrate being disposed on the first conductive layer, and the second conductive layer being disposed on the second substrate.

9. The touch panel as claimed in claim 8, wherein the first substrate and the second substrate are made of a material selected from the group consisting of glass, quartz, diamond, polymer, and resin.

10. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a filling layer, the filling layer located in a space by the first conductive lines and the second conductive lines.

11. The touch panel as claimed in claim 10, wherein the filling layer is formed of a material with similar optical index as the first conductive lines and the second conductive lines.

12. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a transparent protective layer disposed on a surface of the second conductive layer, and the material of the transparent protective layer being selected from the group consisting of silicon nitride, silicon dioxide, benzocyclobutenes, polyesters, acrylic resins, polyethylene terephthalate, and any combination thereof.

13. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a shielding layer disposed on the first substrate, and the material of the shielding layer being selected from the group consisting of indium tin oxide film, antimony tin oxide film, conductive resin films, carbon nanotube films, and any combination thereof.

14. The touch panel as claimed in claim 13, wherein the carbon nanotube film comprises a plurality of carbon nanotubes aligned along a same direction.

15. A display device comprising:

a touch panel comprising

a first conductive layer,

a second conductive layer, and

a capacitive sensing member,

the first conductive layer comprising a plurality of first conductive lines spaced from each other, the second conductive layer separated from the first conductive layer and comprising a plurality of second conductive lines spaced from each other, the first conductive lines are carbon nanotube wires, each carbon nanotube wire comprising a plurality of successively oriented carbon nanotube segments joined end-to-end by van der Waals attractive force therebetween, each of the plurality of successively oriented carbon nanotube segment comprising a plurality of carbon nanotubes parallel to each other and combined by van der Waals attractive force therebetween, and the capacitive sensing member being directly connected to the first conductive lines; and

a display element opposite and adjacent to the touch panel;

wherein the plurality of second conductive lines is located above the plurality of first conductive lines forming a plurality of capacitive sensing nodes.

16. The display device as claimed in claim 15, further comprising a first controller configured for controlling the touch panel, a central processing unit, and a second controller configured for controlling the display element;

the first controller, the central processing unit and the second controller being electrically connected with each other;

the display element being connected to the second controller, and the touch panel being connected to the first controller.

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, cathode ray tubes, e-papers, flexible liquid crystal displays, and flexible organic light emitting displays.

18. The display device as claimed in claim 15, further comprising a passivation layer disposed between the touch panel and the display element, and the material of the passivation layer being selected from a group consisting of silicon nitride, silicon dioxide, plastic, and resin.

19. A touch panel comprising:

a first substrate comprising a first surface and a second surface opposite to the first surface;

a first conductive layer disposed on a first surface of the first substrate, and the first conductive layer comprises a plurality of first conductive lines spaced from each other;

a second substrate disposed on the first conductive layer;

a second conductive layer separated from the first conductive layer and disposed on the second substrate, and the second conductive layer comprises a plurality of second conductive lines spaced from each other;

a shielding layer located directly on the second surface of the first substrate, the shielding layer comprising a carbon nanotube film, the carbon nanotube film comprises a plurality of carbon nanotubes joined end to end by van der Waals attractive force therebetween, and a majority of the plurality of carbon nanotubes of the carbon nanotube film are aligned along a same direction;

a capacitive sensing member being directly connected to the first conductive lines;

wherein the first conductive lines are carbon nanotube wires, and each carbon nanotube wire comprising a plurality of successively oriented carbon nanotube segments joined end-to-end by van der Waals attractive force therebetween, each of the plurality of successively oriented carbon nanotube segments comprises a plurality of carbon nanotubes that are parallel to each other and combined by van der Waals attractive force therebetween; and

the plurality of second conductive lines is located above the plurality of first conductive lines forming a plurality of capacitive sensing nodes.