Thin-frame touch panel

• US 7,499,038 B2
• Filed: 12/10/2003
• Issued: 03/03/2009
• Est. Priority Date: 12/10/2002
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Nissha Printing Company Limited
• Original Assignee: Nissha Printing Company Limited
• Inventors: Takemura, Hajime, Terasawa, Kazuo, Takahata, Kazuhiko, Nishikawa, Kazuhiro, Asakura, Takeshi, Murakami, Hideki
• Primary Examiner(s): Nguyen; Chanh
• Assistant Examiner(s): MA, CALVIN
• Application Number:
  US10/538,509
• Publication Number:
  US 20060132465A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,910 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345/174, 178/18.05
• US Class Current: 345/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/045 using resistive elements, e.g. a single continuous surface or two parallel surfaces put in contact

Abstract

In an analog resistive-film touch panel, a lower electrode member has a transparent electrode on a top face of a transparent insulating base member, a pair of bus bars on parallel sides of the transparent electrode, and routing circuits connected to the bus bars for external connection on a portion other than the transparent electrode. Further, an upper electrode member has a transparent electrode on a bottom face of a flexible transparent insulating base, a pair of bus bars on parallel sides of the transparent electrode, and routing circuits connected to the bus bars for external connection on a portion other than the transparent electrode. The lower and upper electrode members face each other in a square pattern via an insulative spacer and are bonded at peripheral portions. The bus bars and the routing circuits are formed from metal thin wires with a diameter of 30 to 100 μm.

Claims

1. An analog resistive-film type thin-frame touch panel, comprising:

a lower-side electrode member having

a lower-side transparent insulating base member,

a lower-side transparent electrode on a part of a top face of the lower-side transparent insulating base member,

a pair of lower-side bus bars disposed on two parallel sides of the lower-side transparent electrode, and

lower-side external terminal connection portions disposed on a portion other than the lower-side transparent electrode and connected to the lower-side bus bars;

an upper-side electrode member having

a flexible upper-side transparent insulating base member,

an upper-side transparent electrode on a part of a bottom face of the flexible upper-side transparent insulating base member,

a pair of upper-side bus bars disposed on two parallel sides of the upper-side transparent electrode, and

upper-side external terminal connection portions disposed on a portion other than the upper-side transparent electrode and connected to the upper-side bus bars; and

an insulative spacer, wherein

the lower-side electrode member and the upper-side electrode member are disposed facing each other via the insulative spacers such that the upper-side bus bars and the lower-side bus bars are arranged in a square pattern, and the lower-side electrode member and the upper-side electrode member are bonded at peripheral portions,

the lower-side bus bars are formed by metal thin wires having a circular cross section and a wire diameter of 30 to 100 μ

m,

the upper-side bus bars are formed by metal thin wires having a circular cross section and a wire diameter of 30 to 100 μ

m, and

the metal thin wires and a portion of each of the upper-side and lower-side transparent insulating base members around the metal thin wires are covered with a conductive paste so that the metal thin wires are respectively fixed onto the upper-side transparent insulating base member and the lower-side transparent insulating base member.

2. The thin-frame touch panel as defined in claim 1, wherein

the lower-side electrode member further has lower-side routing circuits disposed on the portion other than the lower-side transparent electrode, for connecting the lower-side bus bars and the lower-side external terminal connection portions,

the upper-side electrode member further has upper-side routing circuits disposed on the portion other than the upper-side transparent electrode, for connecting the upper-side bus bars and the upper-side external terminal connection portions, and

the lower-side routing circuits are formed from metal thin wires having a circular cross section and a wire diameter of 30 to 100 μ

m and the upper-side routing circuits are formed from metal thin wires having a circular cross section and a wire diameter of 30 to 100 μ

m.

3. The thin-frame touch panel as defined in claim 2, wherein the metal thin wires constituting each of the lower-side routing circuits and the upper-side routing circuits are extended to outside of the lower-side electrode member and the upper-side electrode member to constitute the lower-side external terminal connection portions and the upper-side external terminal connection portions.

4. The thin-frame touch panel as defined in claim 2, wherein a part of each of the metal thin wires is respectively embedded in one of the upper-side and lower-side transparent insulating base members by melting and solidification of the upper-side and lower-side transparent insulating base members.

5. The thin-frame touch panel as defined in claim 4, wherein

at least one of bend portions of the lower-side routing circuits and the lower-side bus bars of the lower-side electrode member are covered with the conductive paste to form a lower-side covering layer that has a width 2 to 5 times larger than the wire diameter of the metal thin wires of the lower-side electrode member,

other portions of the lower-side electrode member are covered with the conductive paste to form a lower-side covering layer that has a width 1 to 5 times larger than the wire diameter of the metal thin wires of the lower-side electrode member,

at least one of bend portions of the upper-side routing circuits and the upper-side bus bars of the upper-side electrode member are covered with the conductive paste to form an upper-side covering layer that has a width 3 to 5 times larger than the wire diameter of the metal thin wires of the upper-side electrode member, and

other portions of the upper-side electrode member are covered with the conductive paste to form an upper-side covering layer that has a width 2 to 5 times larger than the wire diameter of the metal thin wires of the upper-side electrode member.

6. The thin-frame touch panel as defined in claim 2, wherein the lower-side and upper-side bus bars, the lower-side and upper-side routing circuits, and the lower-side and upper-side external terminal connection portions are formed at peripheries of the lower-side and upper-side transparent insulating base members and form an interconnection region of the upper-side and lower-side transparent insulating base members, the innerconnection region being formed such that its thin-frame width size as seen from an external form thereof is 2 mm or lower at least on three sides.

7. The thin-frame touch panel as defined in claim 1, wherein

the lower-side bus bars and the lower-side external terminal connection portions are directly connected, and the lower-side external terminal connection portions are also formed by metal thin wires having a circular cross section and a wire diameter of 30 to 100 μ

m,

the upper-side bus bars and the upper-side external terminal connection portions are directly connected, and the upper-side external terminal connection portions are also formed by metal thin wires having a circular cross section and a wire diameter of 30 to 100 μ

m, and

the metal thin wires of the upper-side external terminal connection portions and the metal thin wires of the lower-side external terminal connection portions are extended to outside of a region where the lower-side electrode member and the upper-side electrode member are bonded to each other.

8. The thin-frame touch panel as defined in claim 1, wherein the metal thin wires have a specific resistance value of 20×

10<sup>−

6</sup> Ω

·

cm or less.

9. The thin-frame touch panel as defined in claim 8, wherein the with a conductive paste has a specific resistance value of 1×

10<sup>−

4</sup> Ω

·

cm or less.