Electrostatic capacity touch panel having a plurality of first, second and third electrodes

• US 8,537,125 B2
• Filed: 07/02/2009
• Issued: 09/17/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/25/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Displays Limited (Japan Display Incorporated), Panasonic Liquid Crystal Display Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Mamba, Norio, Furuhashi, Tsutomu, Anno, Kouichi
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Chanh
• Assistant Examiner(s): NOKHAM, JAMES S
• Application Number:
  US12/496,826
• Publication Number:
  US 20100020032A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,538 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-174, 361/280, 178/18.02, 178/18.06, 349/12
• US Class Current: 345/173
• 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 3/0447 Position sensing using the local deformation of sensor cells

Abstract

A display device having an electrostatic capacity touch panel includes: X electrodes XP and Y electrodes YP which intersect each other via a first insulating layer; and a plurality of Z electrodes disposed in a floating state via a second insulating layer. For the second insulating layer, a material such as an elastic insulating material which changes in thickness by pressing of touch is used. The Z electrode is disposed so as to overlap both one of the X electrodes and one of the Y electrodes. A pad part of the X electrode has a largest area in the vicinity of a thin line part of the X electrode, and a smallest area in the vicinity of the thin line part of the adjacent X electrode. An area of the pad part is reduced as the pad part departs from the thin line part of the X electrode.

Claims

1. A display device having an electrostatic capacity touch panel that detects touch position coordinates in a display region by an electrostatic capacity coupling method, wherein

the electrostatic capacity touch panel comprises:

a plurality of X electrodes;

a plurality of Y electrodes;

a plurality of Z electrodes;

each of the plurality of X electrodes and each of the plurality of Y electrodes intersect each other via a first insulating layer, and are formed so as to alternately array pad parts and thin line parts in extending directions of each of the plurality of X electrodes and each of the plurality of Y electrodes, and the pad part of each of the plurality of X electrodes and the pad part of each of the plurality of Y electrodes are disposed so as not to overlap each other in plan view;

each of the plurality of Z electrodes is formed via a second insulating layer so as to overlap both of one of the plurality of X electrodes and one of the plurality of Y electrodes which are adjacent to each other in plan view, and the plurality of Z electrodes are disposed in an electrically floating state;

in plan view, a width of the pad part of each of the plurality of Y electrodes in the extending direction of each of the plurality of X electrodes is constant with respect to the extending direction of each of the plurality of Y electrodes;

in plan view, the pad part of each of the plurality of X electrodes and the pad part of each of the plurality of Y electrodes are alternately disposed in the extending direction of each of the plurality of X electrodes;

each of the plurality of Z electrodes is divided by a plurality of slits in the extending direction of each of the plurality of Y electrodes; and

the plurality of slits dividing the plurality of Z electrodes are arranged above at least one of a center of the pad parts of the plurality of X electrodes and a center of the pad parts of the plurality of Y electrodes.

2. A display device according to claim 1, wherein the second insulating layer changes in thickness by pressing of touch.

3. A display device according to claim 2, wherein the second insulating layer is formed of an elastic insulating material.

4. A display device according to claim 1, wherein:

the pad part of the each of the plurality of X electrodes extends to a vicinity of the thin line part of one of the plurality of X electrodes adjacent to the each of the plurality of X electrodes;

in plan view, in a shape of the pad part of the each of the plurality of X electrodes, an area is smallest in the vicinity of the thin line part of the adjacent one of the plurality of X electrodes and an area is largest in the vicinity of the thin line part of the each of the plurality of X electrodes; and

an area of the pad part is reduced from the vicinity of the thin line part of the each of the plurality of X electrodes to the vicinity of the thin line part of the adjacent one of the plurality of X electrodes.

5. A display device according to claim 4, wherein:

the pad part of the each of the plurality of X electrodes has the smallest area in the vicinity of the thin line part of the adjacent X electrode, and the largest area in the vicinity of the thin line part of the each of the plurality of X electrodes; and

the pad part of the each of the plurality of X electrodes has a predetermined width at a portion of the smallest area of the each of the plurality of X electrodes.

6. A display device according to claim 1, wherein, in pad parts of two adjacent X electrodes, a shape of one of the pad parts is convex, and a shape of another one of the pad parts is concave.

7. A display device according to claim 6, wherein

the each of the plurality of Z electrodes is divided by a plurality of slits in the extending direction of the each of the plurality of X electrodes.

8. A display device according to claim 1, wherein, in pad parts of two adjacent X electrodes, shapes of both the pad parts are convex.

9. A display device according to claim 1, wherein

the second insulating layer is formed of a gas having a volume that changes depending on a pressure.

10. A display device according to claim 9, wherein the second insulating layer is an air layer.

11. A display device according to claim 1, wherein each of the plurality of X electrodes is disposed in a first layer, each of the plurality of Y electrodes is disposed in a second layer, and each of the plurality of Z electrodes is disposed in a third layer, the first layer being separated from the second layer by the first insulating layer, and the third layer being separated from the first layer and the second layer at least by the second insulating layer.

12. A display device according to claim 11, wherein the first layer is provided on a substrate, the first insulating layer is provided on the first layer, the second layer is provided on the first insulating layer, the second insulating layer is provided on the second layer and a part of the first insulating layer, and the third layer is provided on the second insulating layer.

13. A display device, comprising an electrostatic capacity touch panel,

wherein the electrostatic capacity touch panel comprises:

a plurality of first electrodes extending in a first direction;

a plurality of second electrodes extending in a second direction intersecting the first direction;

insulating layers formed on the plurality of first electrodes and the plurality of second electrodes;

a plurality of third electrodes formed on the insulating layers;

the plurality of first electrodes and the plurality of second electrodes are formed so as to alternately array pad parts and thin line parts;

in plan view, the pad part of the plurality of first electrodes and the pad part of the plurality of second electrodes are disposed so as not to overlap each other, and are alternately disposed in the first direction;

the plurality of third electrodes are formed so as to overlap both of one of the plurality of first electrodes and one of the plurality of second electrodes which are adjacent to each other in plan view, and the plurality of third electrodes are disposed in an electrically floating state;

the plurality of third electrodes are divided by a plurality of slits in the second direction; and

the plurality of slits dividing the plurality of third electrodes are arranged above at least one of a center of the pad parts of the plurality of first electrodes and a center of the pad parts of the plurality of second electrodes.

14. A display device according to claim 13, wherein each of the plurality of first electrodes is disposed in a first layer, each of the plurality of second electrodes is disposed in a second layer, and each of the plurality of third electrodes is disposed in a third layer, the first layer being separated from the second layer by one of the insulating layers, and the third layer being separated from the first layer and the second layer at least by another of the insulating layers.

15. A display device according to claim 14, wherein the first layer is provided on a substrate, the one of the insulating layers is provided on the first layer, the second layer is provided on the one of the insulating layers, the another of the insulating layers is provided on the second layer and a part of the one of the insulating layers, and the third layer is provided on the another of the insulating layers.