Planar element, and touch switch

• US 8,717,332 B2
• Filed: 07/27/2009
• Issued: 05/06/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Gunze Limited
• Original Assignee: Gunze Limited
• Inventors: Kono, Katsumasa, Mizumoto, Hideaki
• Primary Examiner(s): Sharifi-Tafreshi, Koosha
• Application Number:
  US13/000,634
• Publication Number:
  US 20110102370A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,744 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-174, 200/600, 178 1801- 1811
• US Class Current: 345/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04112 Electrode mesh in capacitive digitiser: electrode for touch sensing is formed of a mesh of very fine, normally metallic, interconnected lines that are almost invisible to see. This provides a quite large but transparent electrode surface, without need for ITO or similar transparent conductive material
• 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: H03K 17/9622 using a plurality of detectors, e.g. keyboard

Abstract

The present invention provides a touch switch having two ITO-free electrode layers that are bonded together, the touch switch having good visibility, and a planar body that forms such a touch switch. The planar body includes a mesh-like electrode formed in a mesh shape by multiple conductor lines L on one side of a substrate, in which the mesh-like electrode is separated into multiple conductive areas disposed at intervals, and non-conductive areas each disposed between each of the conductive areas; each non-conductive area has multiple cutting portions that cut the conductor lines L, and each non-conductive area insulates between the adjacent conductive areas by the cutting portions.

Claims

1. A planar body, in a capacitive touch switch, comprising a mesh-like electrode formed on one side of a substrate by intersecting multiple conductor lines, wherein the mesh-like electrode is separated into multiple conductive areas aligned at certain intervals and multiple non-conductive areas each disposed between two adjacent conductive areas disposed at certain intervals,

each non-conductive area is provided as an area in which insulation is ensured by forming multiple first cutting portions that cut the conductor lines on the conductor lines, and each non-conductive area insulates the conductive areas by the first cutting portions, and the conductive areas include second cutting portions that cut the conductor lines without interfering with the conductivity between ends of each conductive area.

2. The planar body according to claim 1, wherein

the first cutting portions are formed at intersections of the conductor lines of the mesh-like electrode.

3. The planar body according to claim 1, wherein

the mesh pitch of the mesh-like electrode is 100 μ

m to 1,000 μ

m.

4. A capacitive touch switch comprising a plurality of the planar bodies recited in claim 1, wherein

the planar bodies are laminated and bonded together via an adhesive layer.

5. The capacitive touch switch according to claim 4, wherein

the conductive areas formed on one planar body are disposed to perpendicularly intersect the conductive areas formed on a different planar body.

6. A touch switch mounted to a front side of a display unit, the touch switch comprising:

a substrate;

multiple first electrodes formed on one side of the substrate and arranged at certain intervals; and

multiple second electrodes formed on the other side of the substrate and arranged at certain intervals to form a grid pattern with the multiple first electrodes, wherein the first electrodes have multiple long and short conductor lines connected with each other that independently form a mesh pattern, the second electrodes have multiple long and short conductor lines connected with each other that independently form a mesh pattern, the touch switch comprises first auxiliary lines that do not connect the first electrodes to each other and that are formed between the first electrodes on the one side, and second auxiliary lines that do not connect the second electrodes to each other and that are formed between the second electrodes on the other side, and a grid pattern with equal intervals is formed by the conductor lines of the first electrodes, the first auxiliary lines, the conductor lines of the second electrodes, and the second auxiliary lines.

7. The touch switch according to claim 6, wherein

the conductor lines of the first electrodes, the first auxiliary lines, or both of them formed on the one side of the substrate form continuous lines with the conductor lines of the second electrodes, the second auxiliary lines, or both of them formed on the other side of the substrate.

8. A touch switch comprising:

a first substrate;

a second substrate disposed facing the first substrate;

multiple first electrodes formed on the first substrate, specifically on a side facing the second substrate, and arranged at certain intervals; and

multiple second electrodes formed on the second substrate, specifically on a side away from the first substrate, and arranged at certain intervals to form a grid pattern with the multiple first electrodes, wherein the first electrodes have multiple long and short conductors lines connected with each other that independently form a mesh pattern, and the second electrodes have multiple long and short conductors lines connected with each other that independently form a mesh pattern, the touch switch comprises first auxiliary lines that do not connect the first electrodes to each other and that are formed between the first electrodes on the first substrate, specifically on the side facing the second substrate, and second auxiliary lines that do not connect the second electrodes to each other and that are formed between the second electrodes on the second substrate, specifically on the side away from the first substrate; and

a grid pattern with equal intervals is formed by the conductor lines of the first electrodes, the first auxiliary lines, the conductor lines of the second electrodes, and the second auxiliary lines.

9. The touch switch according to claim 8, wherein

the conductor lines of the first electrodes, the first auxiliary lines, or both of them formed on the first substrate form continuous lines with the conductor lines of the second electrodes, the second auxiliary lines, or both of them formed on the second substrate.