Touch panel incorporating carbon nanotube film

• US 8,982,059 B2
• Filed: 09/17/2010
• Issued: 03/17/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/03/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Beijing FUNATE Innovation Technology Co., Ltd. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Beijing FUNATE Innovation Technology Co., Ltd. (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Liu, Liang, Feng, Chen
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang, Kent
• Assistant Examiner(s): AU, SCOTT D
• Application Number:
  US12/884,671
• Publication Number:
  US 20110134058A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,642 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-179, 178 1801- 1811, 178/19.01
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 40/00 Manufacture or treatment of nanostructures
• CPC Class Codes: C01B 32/15 Nano-sized carbon materials
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/045 using resistive elements, e.g. a single continuous surface or two parallel surfaces put in contact

Abstract

A touch panel includes a first electrode plate having a first conductive layer and a second electrode plate including a second conductive layer opposite to the first conductive layer. At least one of the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer includes a carbon nanotube film. The carbon nanotube film includes a number of thin regions and at least one normal region having a number of successively oriented carbon nanotubes joined end-to-end by Van der Waals attractive force therebetween. The carbon nanotubes are substantially aligned along a same direction. The at least one normal region has a density of carbon nanotubes greater than that of the number of thin regions, and the number of thin regions form at least one row extending along the aligned direction of the carbon nanotubes of the at least one normal region.

Claims

1. A touch panel comprising:

a first electrode plate comprising a first conductive layer; and

a second electrode plate, spaced from the first electrode plate, comprising a second conductive layer adjacent to the first conductive layer;

wherein at least one of the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer comprises a carbon nanotube film, the carbon nanotube film comprises;

a plurality of thin regions; and

at least one normal region comprising a plurality of successively oriented carbon nanotubes joined end-to-end by Van der Waals attractive force therebetween, the carbon nanotubes are substantially aligned along an aligned direction;

wherein the at least one normal region has a density of carbon nanotubes greater than that of the plurality of thin regions, and the plurality of thin regions are arranged along the aligned direction.

2. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the at least one normal region separates the plurality of thin regions from each other.

3. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the plurality of thin regions each have a density less than 50% of that of the at least one normal region.

4. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the plurality of thin regions are openings.

5. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the plurality of thin regions form a plurality of rows extending along the aligned direction, and the plurality of rows are spaced from one another in a direction perpendicular to the aligned direction.

6. The touch panel of claim 5, wherein at least one of the plurality of rows is defined by some of the plurality of thin regions that form in a line.

7. The touch panel of claim 5, wherein one of the plurality of thin regions has a long strip shape and extends across more than half the entire length of the carbon nanotube film.

8. The touch panel of claim 5, wherein each of the plurality of thin regions has a long strip shape and extends across more than half the entire length of the carbon nanotube film;

and the plurality of thin regions are spaced from each other along the direction substantially perpendicular to the aligned direction.

9. The touch panel of claim 5, wherein the plurality of thin regions are round, the plurality of thin regions define an array.

10. The touch panel of claim 5, wherein the plurality of thin regions are round, and the thin regions in adjacent rows are in a staggered formation.

11. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein each of the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer comprises the carbon nanotube film;

the aligned direction of the carbon nanotubes of the first conductive layer is perpendicular to the aligned direction of the carbon nanotubes of the second conductive layer.

12. The touch panel of claim 11, further comprising two first groups of first electrodes located at opposite sides of the first conductive layer and two second groups of second electrodes located at opposite sides of the second conductive layer;

wherein in each of the first groups, the first electrodes are arranged along the aligned direction of the carbon nanotubes of the second conductive layer; and

wherein in each of the second groups, the second electrodes are spaced arranged along the aligned direction of the first conductive layer.

13. The touch panel of claim 12, wherein the first electrodes located on a first side of the first conductive layer align with the first electrodes located on a second side of the first conductive layer in a one to one manner.

14. The touch panel of claim 13, wherein the plurality of thin regions of the first conductive layer form a plurality of rows, each located between adjacent two first electrodes located on a same side of the first conductive layer;

and the plurality of thin regions of the second conductive layer form a plurality of rows, each located between adjacent two second electrodes located on a same side of the second conductive layer.

15. A touch panel comprising:

a substrate having a first surface and a second surface that is opposite to the first surface;

a plurality of first conductive bonds, wherein the plurality of first conductive bonds are parallel and disposed on the first surface, each of the plurality of first conductive bonds comprises a first electrode and a first conductive path, formed of a plurality of carbon nanotubes substantially aligned in a first direction, the first electrode is electrically connected to the first conductive path, and the first conductive path has low and high densities of carbon nanotubes;

a plurality of second conductive bonds, wherein the plurality of second conductive bonds are parallel and disposed on the second surface, each of the plurality of second conductive bonds comprises a second electrode and a second conductive path extending along a second direction, and the second conductive path is electrically connected to the second electrode.

16. The touch panel of claim 15, wherein the first conductive path has low and high densities of carbon nanotubes alternating along the first direction.

17. The touch panel of claim 16, wherein adjacent first conductive paths are connected to each other by Van der Waals attractive force.

18. The touch panel of claim 15, wherein each of the plurality of second conductive bonds is an ITO layer, and the ITO layers are spaced from each other in the first direction.

19. The touch panel of claim 15, wherein the first direction is perpendicular to the second direction.

20. The touch panel of claim 19, wherein the plurality of second conductive bonds are different portions of a continuous carbon nanotube film comprising a plurality of successively oriented carbon nanotubes joined end-to-end by Van der Waals attractive force therebetween, wherein the carbon nanotubes of the continuous carbon nanotube film are substantially aligned along the second direction.