Conductor pattern structure of capacitive touch panel

• US 8,605,050 B2
• Filed: 04/11/2012
• Issued: 12/10/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TPK Touch Solutions (Xiamen) Inc. (TPK Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: TPK Touch Solutions (Xiamen) Inc. (TPK Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Chang, Ching-Yang, Chien, Shun-Ta, Zhang, Fan Zhong
• Primary Examiner(s): Hicks, Charles V
• Application Number:
  US13/444,793
• Publication Number:
  US 20120194473A1
• Time in Patent Office: 608 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04104 Multi-touch detection in digitiser, i.e. details about the simultaneous detection of a plurality of touching locations, e.g. multiple fingers or pen and finger
• 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 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• 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

Disclosed is a conductor pattern structure of a capacitive touch panel. First-axis conductor assemblies and second-axis conductor assemblies are formed on a surface of a substrate. Each first-axis conductor assembly includes a plurality of first-axis conductor cells that are interconnected by first-axis conduction lines. Each second-axis conductor assembly includes a plurality of second-axis conductor cells that are interconnected by second-axis conduction lines. At least part of each first-axis conduction lines is conductive in horizontal direction and insulating in vertical direction and each of the second-axis conduction lines respectively intersects with the at least part of corresponding first-axis conduction lines.

Claims

1. A conductor pattern structure of a capacitive touch panel, the conductor pattern structure comprising:

a plurality of first-axis conductor assemblies, each first-axis conductor assembly comprising a plurality of first-axis conductor cells arranged on a surface of a substrate along a first axis,

a plurality of first-axis conduction lines respectively connecting between adjacent ones of the first-axis conductor cells of each first-axis conductor assembly;

a plurality of second-axis conductor assemblies, each second-axis conductor assembly comprising a plurality of second-axis conductor cells arranged on the surface of the substrate along a second axis;

a plurality of second-axis conduction lines respectively connecting between adjacent ones of the second-axis conductor cells of each second-axis conductor assembly and intersect with the first-axis conduction lines respectively;

wherein the first-axis conductor cells and the second-axis conductor cells are made of transparent conductive material and at least part of each first-axis conduction lines is conductive in horizontal direction and insulating in vertical direction therefore having a plurality of insulation surfaces, each insulation surface of the plurality of insulation surfaces insulating the electronic connection between the first-axis conductive assemblies and the second-axis conductive assemblies without encompassing the adjacent first-axis conductor cells.

2. The conductor pattern structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein each first-axis conduction line is processed by a surface insulating treatment to form the insulation surface of the plurality of insulation surfaces on at least part of the top surface of each first-axis conduction line, wherein each first-axis conduction line directly contacts corresponding one of the second-axis conduction lines, and the insulation surface electrically insulates each first-axis conduction line from corresponding one of the second-axis conduction lines in the vertical direction.

3. The conductor pattern structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein each second-axis conduction line is processed by an insulating treatment to form the insulation surface of the plurality of insulation surfaces on at least part of the lower surface of the second-axis conduction line, wherein each first-axis conduction line directly contacts corresponding one of the second-axis conduction lines, and the insulation surface electrically insulates each first-axis conduction line from corresponding one of the second-axis conduction lines in the vertical direction.

4. The conductor pattern structure as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first-axis conductive lines are made of metal, and the insulation surface is an insulating metal oxide surface formed on at least part of the top surface of each first-axis conductive line.

5. The conductor pattern structure as claimed in claim 4, wherein the first-axis conductive lines are made of one of copper, aluminum, iron, tin, or silver or a mixture of any two or more.

6. A conductor pattern structure of a capacitive touch panel, the conductor pattern structure comprising:

a plurality of first-axis conductor assemblies, each first-axis conductor assembly comprising a plurality of first-axis conductor cells arranged on a surface of a substrate along a first axis,

a plurality of first-axis conduction lines respectively connecting between adjacent ones of the first-axis conductor cells of each first-axis conductor assembly;

a plurality of second-axis conductor assemblies, each second-axis conductor assembly comprising a plurality of second-axis conductor cells arranged on the surface of the substrate along a second axis;

a plurality of second-axis conduction lines respectively connecting between adjacent ones of the second-axis conductor cells of each second-axis conductor assembly and intersect with the first-axis conduction lines respectively;

wherein the first-axis conductor cells and the second-axis conductor cells are made of transparent conductive material and at least part of each first-axis conduction lines is made of anisotropic conductive material therefore having a plurality of insulation surfaces, each insulation surface of the plurality of insulation surfaces insulating the electronic connection between the first-axis conductive assemblies and the second-axis conductive assemblies without encompassing the adjacent first-axis conductor cells.

7. The conductor pattern structure as claimed in claim 6, wherein at least part of each second-axis conduction lines is made of anisotropic conductive material to define the insulation surface of the plurality of insulation surfaces, and each first-axis conduction line directly contacts corresponding one of the second-axis conduction lines.

8. The conductor pattern structure as claimed in claim 6, wherein the first-axis conductive lines are anisotropic conductive films.

9. The conductor pattern structure as claimed in claim 6, wherein the first-axis conductive lines are made of anisotropic conductive adhesive.

10. A method of constructing a conductor pattern structure of a capacitive touch panel, the method comprising:

(a) forming a plurality of first-axis conductor cells on a surface of a substrate arranged along a first axis;

(b) forming a plurality of second-axis conductor cells on the surface of the substrate arranged along a second axis;

wherein the first-axis conductor cells and the second-axis conductor cells are made of a transparent conductive material;

(c) electrically connecting adjacent ones of the first-axis conductor cells along the first-axis using a plurality of first-axis conduction lines to form a plurality of first-axis conductor assemblies, wherein at least part of each of the first-axis conduction lines is conductive in the horizontal direction and insulating in the vertical direction therefore having a plurality of insulation surfaces, each insulation surface of the plurality of insulation surfaces insulating the electronic connection between the first-axis conductive assemblies and the second-axis conductive assemblies without encompassing the adjacent first-axis conductor cells;

electrically connecting adjacent ones of the second-axis conductor cells along the second-axis using a plurality of second-axis conduction lines to form a plurality of second-axis conductor assemblies, wherein the capacitance between the first-axis conductor cell and the second-axis conductor cell is used to detect the position of touch.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of (c) comprises a step of forming the insulation surface of the plurality of insulation surfaces by a surface insulating treatment on at least part of the top surface of each first-axis conduction line, wherein each first-axis conduction line directly contacts corresponding one of the second-axis conduction lines, and the insulation surface electrically insulates each first-axis conduction line from corresponding one of the second-axis conduction lines in the vertical direction.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the step of (d) comprises a step of forming the insulation surface of the plurality of insulation surfaces by a surface insulating treatment on at least part of the lower surface of each second-axis conduction line, wherein each first-axis conduction line directly contacts corresponding one of the second-axis conduction lines, and the insulation surface electrically insulates each first-axis conduction line from corresponding one of the second-axis conduction lines in the vertical direction.

13. The method of claim 11, wherein the first-axis conductive lines are made of metal trace, and the step of (c) comprises a step of exposing part of each metal trace in an oxidation environment for a certain time to form an insulated metal oxide surface as the insulation surface on the top surface of each first-axis conduction line.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the first-axis conductive lines are made of one of copper, aluminum, iron, tin, or silver or a mixture of any two or more.

15. The method of claim 10, wherein at least part of each of the first-axis conductive lines is made of anisotropic conductive material.

16. The method of claim 10, wherein at least part of each of the second-axis conductive lines are made anisotropic conductive material.

17. The method of claim 10, wherein the first-axis conductive lines are made of anisotropic conductive films.

18. The method of claim 10, wherein the first-axis conductive lines are made of anisotropic conductive adhesive.