Digital capacitive touch panel structure

• US 8,576,198 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2012
• Issued: 11/05/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2009
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Applied Vacuum Coating Technologies Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Applied Vacuum Coating Technologies Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Chiang, Hsueh-Chih, Chou, Shih-Liang, Chen, Jyh-An, Hsieh, Ming-Hung
• Primary Examiner(s): Mengistu, Amare
• Assistant Examiner(s): PATEL, PREMAL R
• Application Number:
  US13/584,674
• Publication Number:
  US 20120306814A1
• Time in Patent Office: 449 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-178, 178/18.06, 178/19.03
• US Class Current: 345/174
• 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

Abstract

The present invention discloses a touch panel structure formed by an anti-scratch surface layer and a capacitive sensor layer, and a transparent lamination layer is used for pasting the two into a panel. The capacitive sensor layer includes an X-axis first transparent conductive layer and a Y-axis second transparent conductive layer formed on both sides of a transparent plastic carrier to provide a touch panel structure having the advantages of a relatively low material cost, a light weight, an easy manufacturing and molding, a better lamination yield and a flexible and break-free feature.

Claims

1. A touch panel structure, comprising:

an anti-scratch surface layer made of a tempered transparent plastic film; and

a capacitive sensor layer, adhered to the bottom of the anti-scratch surface layer, and having

an X-axis first transparent conductive layer adhered to the anti-scratch surface layer via a first transparent lamination layer and

a Y-axis second transparent conductive layer formed on both sides of

a transparent plastic carrier respectively, and the first and second transparent conductive layers including a plurality of X-axis first sense elements and Y-axis sense elements respectively and alternately arranged in an array form, such that each sense element in the same axis is connected electrically and insulated from each sense element in another axis and wherein the transparent plastic carrier is made of a polycarbonate resin and also provides structural support as a substrate; and

a conductive layer adhered to the Y-axis second transparent conductive layer via a second transparent lamination layer and providing an EMI shielding function.

2. The touch panel structure of claim 1,

wherein the transparent plastic carrier is made of an industrial plastic material selected from the collection of polycarbonate (PC), polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA), polyethylene terephthalate (PET) and any other cyclic olefin copolymer.

3. The touch panel structure of claim 1,

wherein the transparent plastic carrier has a thickness greater than 0.5 mm.

4. The touch panel structure of claim 1, wherein the X-axis first transparent conductive layer is an indium tin oxide (ITO) transparent conductive film, and the Y-axis second transparent conductive layer is an indium tin oxide (ITO) transparent conductive film.

5. The touch panel structure of claim 1, wherein the X-axis first transparent conductive layer is formed on a side of the transparent plastic carrier by a low temperature sputtering method.

6. The touch panel structure of claim 1, wherein the Y-axis second transparent conductive layer is formed on another side of the transparent plastic carrier by a low temperature sputtering method.

7. The touch panel structure of claim 1, wherein the anti-scratch surface layer is made of a polyethylene terephthalate (PET) film that has been treatmented by hard coating.

8. The touch panel structure of claim 1, wherein the conductive layer is made of an indium tin oxide (ITO) conductive film, and pasted to the bottom of the capacitive sensor layer by the second transparent lamination layer.