Conductive sheet and touch panel

• US 9,386,691 B2
• Filed: 11/12/2013
• Issued: 07/05/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Fujifilm Corporation (Fujifilm Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Kuriki, Tadashi
• Primary Examiner(s): Mayo, III, William H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Gonzalez, Hiram E
• Application Number:
  US14/078,224
• Publication Number:
  US 20140071358A1
• Time in Patent Office: 966 Days
• Field of Search: 174/251, 174/392, 349/12
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• 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 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• 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: H05K 1/0274 Optical details, e.g. printed circuits comprising integral optical means H05K1/0269 takes precedence; coupling light guides with opto-electronic components G02B6/42

Abstract

In this conductive sheet and touch panel, a first conductive pattern has a band-shaped section extending in the y-direction; a second conductive pattern has a plurality of electrode sections that are each connected in the x-direction by a connection section; the first conductive pattern and the second conductive pattern are both configured combining a first lattice and a second lattice (having a size larger than that of the first lattice); the facing portions of each of the band-shaped section of the first conductive pattern and the connection section of the second conductive pattern are configured from a plurality of second lattices; and when seen from the upper surface, the facing portions of the band-shaped section and the connection section have a form combining a plurality of first lattices.

Claims

1. A conductive sheet comprising a first conductive part and a second conductive part overlapping with each other, wherein

the first conductive part contains a plurality of first conductive patterns arranged in one direction,

the second conductive part contains a plurality of second conductive patterns arranged in another direction approximately perpendicular to the one arrangement direction of the first conductive patterns,

the first conductive patterns each contain a strip extending in the other direction approximately perpendicular to the one direction,

the second conductive patterns each contain a plurality of electrode portions, which are connected with each other by a connection in the one direction,

the first conductive patterns and the second conductive patterns each contain a combination of a plurality of first lattices and a plurality of second lattices, the first lattices and the second lattices are composed of thin metal wires, and the second lattices are larger than the first lattices,

the second lattices are used in overlapping portions in the strips of the first conductive patterns and the connections of the second conductive patterns,

as viewed from above, the overlaps of the strips and the connections each contain a combination of a plurality of the first lattices, and

the first conductive part contains first auxiliary patterns between the adjacent first conductive patterns, and the first auxiliary patterns are not connected to the first conductive patterns, the second conductive part contains second auxiliary patterns between the adjacent second conductive patterns, and the second auxiliary patterns are not connected to the second conductive patterns, and as viewed from above, the first auxiliary patterns and the second auxiliary patterns overlap with each other to form combined patterns, and the combined patterns each contain a combination of a plurality of the first lattices.

2. The conductive sheet according to claim 1, wherein the first lattices have a side length of 30 to 500 μ

m.

3. The conductive sheet according to claim 1, wherein the thin metal wires have a line width of 15 μ

m or less.

4. The conductive sheet according to claim 1, wherein the first conductive part and the second conductive part are stacked with a substrate interposed therebetween, and

the substrate has a thickness of 50 to 350 μ

m.

5. The conductive sheet according to claim 1, wherein the electrode portions each contain a plurality of the first lattices.

6. The conductive sheet according to claim 1, wherein an occupation area of the second conductive patterns is larger than an occupation area of the first conductive patterns.

7. The conductive sheet according to claim 6, wherein when the first conductive patterns have an occupation area A1 and the second conductive patterns have an occupation area A2, the conductive sheet satisfies the condition of 1<

A2/A1≦

20.

8. The conductive sheet according to claim 6, wherein when the first conductive patterns have an occupation area A1 and the second conductive patterns have an occupation area A2, the conductive sheet satisfies the condition of 1<

A2/A1≦

10.

9. The conductive sheet according to claim 6, wherein when the first conductive patterns have an occupation area A1 and the second conductive patterns have an occupation area A2, the conductive sheet satisfies the condition of A2/A1.

10. The conductive sheet according to claim 1, wherein a length of the electrode portion is 2 times or more and 10 times or less larger than a width of the strip in the one direction.

11. The conductive sheet according to claim 1, wherein a length of the electrode portion in the arrangement direction of the second conductive patterns is at least 2 times larger than a width of the strip.

12. The conductive sheet according to claim 1, wherein the first conductive patterns contain a plurality of protrusions, which extend from both sides of the strip and are arranged at predetermined intervals in the other direction approximately perpendicular to the one direction, and the protrusions do not overlap with the electrode portions in the second conductive patterns and contain a plurality of the first lattices.

13. The conductive sheet according to claim 12, wherein a length of the protrusion is smaller than a length of the electrode portion in the one direction.

14. The conductive sheet according to claim 12, wherein the length of the protrusion is larger than ½

of a length between the adjacent strips and smaller than the length in the one direction.

15. The conductive sheet according to claim 12, wherein the length of the protrusion is smaller than ½

of a length between the adjacent strips in the one direction.

16. The conductive sheet according to claim 15, wherein ends of the protrusions extending from one strip toward another strip adjacent to the one strip and ends of the protrusions extending from the other strip toward the one strip are arranged facing each other.

17. The conductive sheet according to claim 12, wherein a width of the strip is at least 3 times larger than a width of the protrusion.

18. The conductive sheet according to claim 12, wherein a specific protrusion extends from one strip toward another strip adjacent to the one strip,

one protrusion extends from the other strip toward the one strip and is arranged facing the specific protrusion at a first distance L1 from the specific protrusion,

another protrusion extends from the other strip toward the one strip and is arranged facing the specific protrusion at a second distance L2 from the specific protrusion, and the protrusions satisfy the inequality of L1<

L2.

19. The conductive sheet according to claim 18, wherein the first distance is at most 2 times larger than a length of the protrusion in the arrangement direction of the second conductive patterns.

20. The conductive sheet according to claim 18, wherein the second distance is at most 3 times larger than a length of the electrode portion in the arrangement direction of the second conductive patterns.

21. The conductive sheet according to claim 12, wherein a length of the protrusion is at most ½

of a length of the electrode portion in the arrangement direction of the second conductive patterns.

22. A touch panel comprising a conductive sheet, which is used on a display panel of a display device, wherein

the conductive sheet contains a first conductive part and a second conductive part overlapping with each other,

the first conductive part contains a plurality of first conductive patterns arranged in one direction,

the second conductive part contains a plurality of second conductive patterns arranged in another direction approximately perpendicular to the one arrangement direction of the first conductive patterns,

the first conductive patterns each contain a strip extending in the other direction approximately perpendicular to the one direction,

the second conductive patterns each contain a plurality of electrode portions, which are connected with each other by a connection in the one direction,

the first conductive patterns and the second conductive patterns each contain a combination of a plurality of first lattices and a plurality of second lattices, the first lattices and the second lattices are composed of thin metal wires, and the second lattices are larger than the first lattices,

the second lattices are used in overlapping portions in the strips of the first conductive patterns and the connections of the second conductive patterns,

as viewed from above, the overlaps of the strips and the connections each contain a combination of a plurality of the first lattices, and

the first conductive part contains first auxiliary patterns between the adjacent first conductive patterns, and the first auxiliary patterns are not connected to the first conductive patterns, the second conductive part contains second auxiliary patterns between the adjacent second conductive patterns, and the second auxiliary patterns are not connected to the second conductive patterns, and as viewed from above, the first auxiliary patterns and the second auxiliary patterns overlap with each other to form combined patterns, and the combined patterns each contain a combination of a plurality of the first lattices.