Touch panel substrate with floating electrode pattern

• US 9,436,334 B2
• Filed: 02/20/2013
• Issued: 09/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 03/26/2012
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Kida, Kazutoshi, Sugita, Yasuhiro, Yamagishi, Shinji, Yashiro, Yuhji, Ogawa, Hiroyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen, Jimmy H
• Assistant Examiner(s): Cohen, Yaron
• Application Number:
  US14/388,058
• Publication Number:
  US 20150062457A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,294 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13338 Input devices, e.g. touch panels
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/136209 Light shielding layers, e.g. black matrix, incorporated in the active matrix substrate, e.g. structurally associated with the switching element
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04111 Cross over in capacitive digitiser, i.e. details of structures for connecting electrodes of the sensing pattern where the connections cross each other, e.g. bridge structures comprising an insulating layer, or vias through substrate
• 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

Provided is an in-cell touch panel having improved display quality. An opposite substrate relating to one embodiment of the present invention is provided with a black matrix, first electrodes, which are disposed in the Y direction, and second electrodes, which are disposed in the X direction. The first electrodes and the second electrodes are formed such that the boundaries therebetween are positioned in regions that coincide with the black matrix in a planar view.

Claims

1. A capacitive touch panel substrate for use as one of a pair of substrates included in a display panel, the touch panel substrate comprising:

a substrate;

a black matrix formed over the substrate in a grid pattern to correspond to respective pixels;

a plurality of first transmissive electrodes arranged over the substrate in a first direction and electrically connected to each other;

a plurality of second transmissive electrodes arranged over the substrate in a second direction that intersects with the first direction and electrically connected to each other; and

transmissive patterns formed between the first transmissive electrodes and the second transmissive electrodes,

wherein edges of the first transmissive electrodes are positioned in an area coinciding with the black matrix when the touch panel substrate is viewed in a plan view,

wherein edges of the second transmissive electrodes are positioned in an area coinciding with the black matrix when the touch panel substrate is viewed in a plan view, and

wherein the transmissive patterns are formed such that edges of the transmissive patterns are positioned in an area coinciding with the black matrix when the touch panel substrate is viewed in a plan view, and the transmissive patterns are not electrically connected to the first transmissive electrodes or the second transmissive electrodes, and are electrically floating, wherein a transmittance of the transmissive patterns is equal to a transmittance of the first transmissive electrodes.

2. The touch panel substrate according to claim 1,

wherein the edges of the first transmissive electrodes are formed along the black matrix when the touch panel substrate is viewed in a plan view, and

wherein the edges of the second transmissive electrodes are formed along the black matrix when the touch panel substrate is viewed in a plan view.

3. The touch panel substrate according to claim 1, wherein the transmissive patterns, the first transmissive electrodes, and the second transmissive electrodes are formed of materials having an equal index of refraction.

4. The touch panel substrate according to claim 1, wherein the transmissive patterns, the first transmissive electrodes, and the second transmissive electrodes are formed of the same material.

5. The touch panel substrate according to claim 1, wherein one of the first transmissive electrodes and one of the second transmissive electrodes are adjacent to each other across a plurality of the transmissive patterns disposed therebetween, and the plurality of transmissive patterns are electrically insulated from each other.

6. The touch panel substrate according to claim 5, wherein the plurality of transmissive patterns are separately provided for each pixel.

7. The touch panel substrate according to claim 1, further comprising a transparent relay electrode formed in the same layer as the plurality of second transmissive electrodes,

wherein the plurality of second transmissive electrodes are electrically connected via the relay electrode, and

wherein the relay electrode is formed such that edges of the relay electrode are positioned in an area coinciding with the black matrix, when the touch panel substrate is viewed in a plan view.

8. The touch panel substrate according to claim 1, further comprising first light-shielding wiring lines formed in a layer different from the plurality of first transmissive electrodes,

wherein the plurality of first transmissive electrodes are electrically connected to each other via the first light-shielding wiring lines, and

wherein the first light-shielding wiring lines are positioned in areas coinciding with the black matrix when the touch panel substrate is viewed in a plan view.

9. The touch panel substrate according to claim 8,

wherein a plurality of first contact holes are formed to electrically connect the first light-shielding wiring lines to the plurality of first transmissive electrodes, and

wherein the plurality of first contact holes are positioned in an area coinciding with the black matrix when the touch panel substrate is viewed in a plan view.

10. The touch panel substrate according to claim 8, wherein the first light-shielding wiring lines are formed in a grid pattern in areas, where the first transmissive electrodes are formed, coinciding with the black matrix.

11. The touch panel substrate according to claim 7, further comprising second light-shielding wiring lines formed in a layer different from the plurality of second transmissive electrodes,

wherein the second light-shielding wiring lines are positioned in areas coinciding with the black matrix when the touch panel substrate is viewed in a plan view,

wherein one of the second transmissive electrodes is electrically connected to the second light-shielding wiring lines via at least two second contact holes, and

wherein the at least two second contact holes are positioned adjacent to two relay electrodes respectively connected to the second transmissive electrodes.

12. A display panel, comprising an electrooptical element and a pair of substrates sandwiching the electrooptical element,

wherein one of the pair of substrates is the touch panel substrate according to claim 1.

13. A display device, comprising the display panel according to claim 12.