Layered border for touch sensor device

• US 8,692,812 B2
• Filed: 03/12/2012
• Issued: 04/08/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 03/12/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Elo Touch Solutions, Inc.
• Original Assignee: Elo Touch Solutions, Inc.
• Inventors: Hecht, David S.
• Primary Examiner(s): HALEY, JOSEPH R
• Application Number:
  US13/418,035
• Publication Number:
  US 20130234996A1
• Time in Patent Office: 757 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/177
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 1/02 performed by spraying
• CPC Class Codes: B05D 3/0254 After-treatment
• CPC Class Codes: B32B 37/02 characterised by a sequence of laminating steps, e.g. by adding new layers at consecutive laminating stations
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0436 in which generating transducers and detecting transducers are attached to a single acoustic waves transmission substrate

Abstract

Multi-layered paint on a border of a surface acoustic wave touch device may reduce attenuation. The touch substrate has a front surface and a back surface where the front surface has a touch region. Multi-layered paint is formed on the back surface to form a border along the touch substrate. The multi-layered paint includes a minor layer and a color layer. The surface acoustic waves propagate over at least a portion of the border region such that the surface acoustic waves propagate on the multi-layered paint without excessive wave attenuation.

Claims

1. A surface acoustic wave touch device comprising:

a touch substrate having a front surface and a back surface, the front surface facing a user of the device;

a multi-layered material stack on a border region of the touch substrate, the multi-layered material stack formed on the back surface, the multi-layered material stack comprising a light reflective layer and a color layer; and

a transducer configured to generate surface acoustic waves that propagate on the front surface over at least a portion of the border region such that the surface acoustic waves propagate on the multi-layered material stack.

2. The surface acoustic wave touch device of claim 1, wherein the touch substrate comprises glass.

3. The surface acoustic wave touch device of claim 1, wherein the color layer comprises white paint and the light reflective layer is a non-white layer.

4. The surface acoustic wave touch device of claim 1, wherein the light reflective layer comprises a mirror layer formed from fired paint.

5. The surface acoustic wave touch device of claim 4, wherein the fired paint is formed with aluminum flakes.

6. The surface acoustic wave touch device of claim 1, wherein the color layer is between the back surface and the light reflective layer.

7. The surface acoustic wave touch device of claim 1, wherein the multi-layered material stack is less than 50 microns thick and has an optical density greater than about 2.0.

8. The surface acoustic wave touch device of claim 1, wherein the transducer is on the multi-layered material stack, the multi-layered material stack preventing viewing of the transducer through the front surface.

9. The surface acoustic wave touch device of claim 1, wherein the multi-layered material stack comprises dried ink.

10. The surface acoustic wave touch device of claim 1, wherein the touch substrate comprises a rounded connecting surface connecting the front and back surfaces, the surface acoustic waves propagating over the rounded connecting surface.

11. A surface acoustic wave touch sensor comprising:

a touch substrate having a border region;

a first coating at the border region;

a second coating at the border region, wherein the first coating is positioned to block viewing by a user and the second coating is positioned to be viewable by a user;

wherein the first coating comprises a light reflective coating and the second coating comprises a colored coating, the light reflective coating being non-white, wherein the first coating and the second coating form a multi-layered stack; and

a transducer configured to generate surface acoustic waves that propagate on the touch substrate over at least a portion of the border region such that the surface acoustic waves propagate on the multi-layered stack.

12. The touch sensor of claim 11, wherein the light reflective coating comprises a minor coating.

13. The touch sensor of claim 11, wherein the touch substrate comprises glass, the second coating being positioned against the glass, and the first coating is on the second coating.

14. The touch sensor of claim 13, wherein the first coating is less than 3 microns thick and wherein the second coating is less than 50 microns thick.

15. The touch sensor of claim 13, wherein the transducer is positioned on the first or second coating such that the surface acoustic waves propagate over the border region.

16. The touch sensor of claim 13, wherein the stack formed of the first coating and second coating has an optical density of greater than about 2.0.