Touch panel substrate and electro-optic device

• US 9,285,842 B2
• Filed: 07/24/2012
• Issued: 03/15/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Yashiro, Yuhji, Sugita, Yasuhiro, Kida, Kazutoshi, Yamagishi, Shinji, Ogawa, Hiroyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Johnson, Gerald
• Application Number:
  US14/234,958
• Publication Number:
  US 20140152921A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,330 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13338 Input devices, e.g. touch panels
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1692 the I/O peripheral being a secondary touch screen used as control interface, e.g. virtual buttons or sliders
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• 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

A sensor electrode (31) provided between an insulating substrate (21) and a counter electrode (27) includes a plurality of electrodes (32) arranged along a first direction and a plurality of electrodes (33) arranged along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and insulated from the electrodes (32), and these electrodes (32, 33) are formed in the same plane.

Claims

1. An electro-optic device, comprising:

an electro-optic element; and

a pair of substrates between which the electro-optic element is provided, one of the pair of substrates being a touch panel substrate that is provided with a position detecting electrode which detects, according to a change in capacitance, a position on coordinates as indicated by an object to be detected, the touch panel substrate including;

an insulating substrate;

an electro-optic element driving electrode which applies an electric field to the electro-optic element; and

metal wires;

wherein

the position detecting electrode is provided between the insulating substrate and the electro-optic element driving electrode and being insulated from the electro-optic element driving electrode,

the position detecting electrode includes a plurality of first electrodes arranged along a first direction and a plurality of second electrodes arranged along a second direction perpendicular to the first direction and insulated from the first electrodes,

the metal wires are provided on a different level from the first electrodes and the second electrodes,

the metal wires make bridge connections between the first electrodes so as to bridge between the second electrodes along the first direction,

the metal wires include first metal wires electrically connected with the first electrodes via first contact holes defined in an insulating layer provided between the first metal wires and the first electrodes, second metal wires electrically connected with the second electrodes via second contact holes defined in the insulating layer provided between the second metal wires and the second electrodes, and metal wiring portions which are not electrically connected to the first electrodes and the second electrodes,

the first metal wires define bridge connections between each separate one of the first electrodes and other ones of the first electrodes via at least one of the first contact holes,

the first electrodes and the second electrodes are provided in a same plane,

in the lane in which the first electrodes and the second electrodes are provided the second electrodes are connected via transparent connection wires,

the first metal wires and second metal wires have disconnections between the first contact holes and the second contact holes, so that no electricity travels between the first electrodes and the second electrodes,

the metal wiring portions are located between the first contact holes and the second contact holes and located between the first metal wires and the second metal wires, and

the electro-optic element driving electrode and the position detecting electrode are located between the air of substrates.

2. The electro-optic device as set forth in claim 1, wherein in the plane in which the first electrodes and the second electrodes are formed, at least either the first or second electrodes are in an isolated pattern in which the at least either first or second electrodes are isolated from each other along a direction intersecting a direction along which the other electrodes are arranged.

3. The electro-optic device as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

in the plane in which the first electrodes and the second electrodes are provided, at least either the first or second electrodes are connected via connecting wires, and the other electrodes are in an isolated pattern in which the other electrodes are isolated from each other along a direction intersecting a direction along which the at least either first or second electrodes are arranged; and

the metal wires extend at least along a direction along which the other electrodes are provided in the isolated pattern.

4. The electro-optic device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the metal wires are sandwiched between the first and second electrodes and the electro-optic element driving electrode.

5. The electro-optic device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising an organic insulating layer sandwiched as an insulating layer at least either between the metal wires and the first and second electrodes or between the metal wires and the electro-optic element driving electrode.

6. The electro-optic device as set forth in claim 5, wherein the metal wires have outer peripheral portions which serve as connecting portions with the other one of the pair of substrates and which are electrically disconnected from the first electrodes and the second electrodes, and the electro-optic element driving electrode is electrically connected to the outer peripheral portions of the metal wires.

7. The electro-optic device as set forth in claim 1, further comprising a light blocking layer in a grid on the insulating substrate, the light blocking layer covering the metal wires as seen in plan view.

8. The electro-optic device as set forth in claim 7, wherein the metal wires are a grid of metal wires.

9. The electro-optic device as set forth in claim 7, wherein the metal wires have outer peripheral portions which serve as connecting portions with the other one of the pair of substrates and which are electrically disconnected from the first electrodes and the second electrodes, and the electro-optic element driving electrode is electrically connected to the outer peripheral portions of the metal wires.

10. The electro-optic device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the contact holes are provided at branch line portions of the metal wires, the branch line portions intersecting trunk lines connecting electrodes connected via the metal wires.

11. The electro-optic device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the second electrodes which are connected via transparent connecting wires are provided with the second contact holes at electrode edge portions connected via the connecting wires.

12. The electro-optic device as set forth in claim 1, wherein:

the metal wires include at least one disconnecting line which divides the metal wires into a plurality of metal wiring portions, the at least one disconnecting line being between the first contact holes and the second contact holes.

13. The electro-optic device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the metal wiring portion which is not electrically connected to the first electrodes and the second electrodes are electrically connected to the electro-optic element driving electrode.

14. The electro-optic device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the plurality of metal wiring portions are provided between one of the first metal wires and one of the second metal wires which is adjacent to the one of the first metal wires.

15. The electro-optic device as set forth in claim 1, wherein the metal wires are made of light reflecting metal.