Touch panel

• US 8,502,786 B2
• Filed: 09/29/2008
• Issued: 08/06/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 10/23/2007
• 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, Fan, Shou-Shan, Chen, Ga-Lane
• Primary Examiner(s): HINDI, NABIL Z
• Application Number:
  US12/286,266
• Publication Number:
  US 20090101488A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,772 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345/174, 313/495, 438/800, 174/94.R, 428/1.3, 428/1.4, 428/408, 359/489.2, 349/123
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes

Abstract

A touch panel includes a substrate, a transparent conductive layer and at least two separate electrodes. The substrate has a first substrate surface and a second substrate surface opposite to the first substrate surface. The transparent conductive layer includes a carbon nanotube structure formed on the first substrate surface. The at least two separate electrodes are located on a surface of the transparent conductive layer and electrically connected thereto.

Claims

1. A touch panel, comprising:

one substrate having a first substrate surface and a second substrate surface opposite to the first substrate surface;

a transparent conductive layer comprising a carbon nanotube layer located on the first substrate surface, the carbon nanotube layer comprising a plurality of carbon nanotubes, and a majority of carbon nanotubes in the carbon nanotube layer are aligned along a same direction;

a second carbon nanotube film located on the second substrate surface; and

at least two separate electrodes located on the surface of the transparent conductive layer and electrically connected to the transparent conductive layer.

2. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the carbon nanotube layer comprises a first carbon nanotube film.

3. The touch panel as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first carbon nanotube film comprises a plurality of coplanar first carbon nanotube films.

4. The touch panel as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first carbon nanotube film comprises a plurality of carbon nanotube segments arranged in a preferred orientation, the plurality of carbon nanotube segments are joined end-to-end by van der Waals attractive force, each of the plurality of carbon nanotube segments comprises a plurality of carbon nanotubes parallel to each other and combined by van der Waals attractive force.

5. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein a thickness of the carbon nanotube layer approximately ranges from 0.01 microns to 100 microns.

6. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a hardening layer located on a surface of the carbon nanotube layer.

7. The touch panel as claimed in claim 6, wherein the hardening layer is a polyester film or a silicon dioxide layer.

8. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first substrate surface is curved.

9. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least two electrodes are metal electrodes adhered to the carbon nanotube layer, and the at least two electrodes are electrically connected to the carbon nanotube layer.

10. The touch panel as claimed in claim 9, wherein the conductive adhesive is silver glue.

11. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the material of the one substrate is glass.

12. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the transparent conductive layer comprises at least two carbon nanotube layers, the at least two carbon nanotube layers are directly stacked with each other.

13. The touch panel as claimed in claim 12, wherein the majority of carbon nanotubes between adjacent carbon nanotube layers are perpendicular to each other.

14. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least two electrodes are located at corners of the carbon nanotube layer.

15. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein carbon nanotube film located on the second substrate surface comprises a plurality of carbon nanotube segments arranged in a preferred orientation, the plurality of carbon nanotube segments are joined end-to-end by van der Waals attractive force, and each of the plurality of carbon nanotube segments comprises a plurality of carbon nanotubes parallel to each other and combined by van der Waals attractive force.