Touch panel having curved surface and manufacturing process

• US 8,633,897 B2
• Filed: 04/13/2007
• Issued: 01/21/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2006
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujitsu Component Limited (Fujitsu Limited)
• Original Assignee: Fujitsu Component Limited (Fujitsu Limited)
• Inventors: Endo, Michiko
• Primary Examiner(s): Beck, Alexander S
• Assistant Examiner(s): STEINBERG, JEFFREY S
• Application Number:
  US11/785,092
• Publication Number:
  US 20080042997A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,475 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345/174
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/045 using resistive elements, e.g. a single continuous surface or two parallel surfaces put in contact

Abstract

The present invention is directed to the provision of a touch panel having a curved shape and its manufacturing process; for this purpose, the touch panel having a curved shape comprises an upper film substrate and a lower film substrate, each formed from a transparent plastic film having a transparent electrically conductive polymer layer, an electrode, and a wiring pattern formed thereon.

Claims

1. A resistive film type touch panel comprising:

an upper film substrate and a lower film substrate, each formed from a transparent plastic film having a transparent electrically conductive polymer layer, an electrode, and a wiring pattern formed thereon; and

dot spacers formed on the lower film substrate so as to face the upper film substrate;

wherein each of the upper film substrate, the lower film substrate, and the respective electrically conductive polymer layers are formed in a curved shape so that said touch panel has an operation surface formed in a curved shape with respect to at least two directions of the operation surface, and

wherein dot spacers in a center portion of said panel are formed with a height greater than a height of dot spacers formed outside the center portion.

2. A resistive film type touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein dot spacers are formed at a pitch of 1 mm or less.

3. A resistive film type touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein dot spacers in a center portion of said panel are formed at a finer pitch than dot spacers formed outside the center portion.

5. A resistive film type touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the at least two directions are at least two dimensions in a rectangular coordinate system of the operation surface.

4. A manufacturing process for a resistive film type touch panel having an operation surface formed in a curved shape, comprising the steps of:

forming a flat-plate upper substrate and a flat-plate lower substrate from a transparent plastic substrate;

forming an electrically conductive polymer layer on each of the flat-plate upper substrate and a flat-plate lower substrate;

forming dot spacers on the flat-plate lower substrate so as to face the flat-plate upper substrate, dot spacers in a center portion of said panel being formed with a height greater than a height of dot spacers formed outside the center portion;

constructing a flat-plate touch panel from said upper and lower substrates; and

forming said flat-plate touch panel into a curved shape by pressing such that each of the flat-plate upper substrate, flat-plate lower substrate, and the respective electrically conductive polymer layers are formed in a curved shape so that the operation surface is formed in a curved shape with respect to at least two directions of the operation surface.

6. A manufacturing process as claimed in claim 4, wherein the at least two directions are at least two dimensions in a rectangular coordinate system of the operation surface.