Touch panel and manufacturing method thereof

• US 9,619,093 B2
• Filed: 06/03/2015
• Issued: 04/11/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/17/2011
• 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: Xie, Yanjun, Ho, Kwan-Sin
• Primary Examiner(s): Marinelli, Patrick F
• Application Number:
  US14/729,078
• Publication Number:
  US 20150338959A1
• Time in Patent Office: 678 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04107 Shielding in digitiser, i.e. guard or shielding arrangements, mostly for capacitive touchscreens, e.g. driven shields, driven grounds
• 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

The present disclosure provides a manufacturing method for a touch panel comprising: disposing an electrode layer extending from touch area of a substrate to periphery area of the substrate, wherein the periphery area surrounds the periphery of the touch area. The method further includes disposing an insulation layer in the periphery area of the substrate to form a shielding layer, making the shielding layer cover the overlapping electrode in the periphery area and making the electrode layer of the touch area and the overlapping electrode locate on the same layer of the substrate so as to avoid fluctuation of resistance value in the electrode layer due to height difference. Meanwhile, adopting the disposition method also maintains insulating performance of the shielding layer. The present disclosure also provides a touch panel made by the manufacturing method.

Claims

1. A touch panel, comprising:

an overlapping electrode formed by disposing an electrode layer extending from a touch area of a substrate to a periphery area of the substrate, wherein;

electrical signals of the touch area are transmitted to an external control circuit through the overlapping electrode, and

the periphery area surrounds a periphery of the touch area;

a sensing electrode disposed in the touch area and formed by disposing the electrode layer, wherein the sensing electrode comprises;

a plurality of serially-connected electrodes disposed along a first polar axis direction;

a connection line disposed between the serially-connected electrodes and electrically connected to the serially-connected electrodes; and

a plurality of independent electrodes, mutually insulated and disposed at both sides of the connection line with intervals along a second polar axis direction; and

a shielding layer formed by disposing an insulation layer in the periphery area and covering the overlapping electrode in the periphery area, wherein;

the substrate comprises an icon area preset in the periphery area,

the icon area comprises an independent end electrode and an independent sub-electrode formed by the electrode layer and a serially-connected sub-electrode and a sub connection line extending from a serially-connected electrode of the serially-connected electrodes to the icon area,

the serially-connected sub-electrode and the serially-connected electrode are serially and electrically connected by the sub connection line, and

the independent end electrode and independent sub-electrode are mutually insulated and formed at both sides of the sub connection line.

2. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a circuit layer, wherein:

the circuit layer forms a plurality of main conducting wires on the shielding layer,

the shielding layer has a wiring hole defined therein and vertically coincident with the overlapping electrode, and

the overlapping electrode is electrically connected to a main conducting wire of the main conducting wires via the wiring hole.

3. The touch panel as claimed in claim 2, wherein:

a first surface of the shielding layer contacts the substrate and a second surface of the shielding layer contacts the main conducting wires, and

the second surface is disposed diametrically opposite the first surface.

4. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the overlapping electrode comprises:

a first overlapping electrode extending from an independent electrode of the independent electrodes to the periphery area; and

a second overlapping electrode extending from the serially-connected electrode to the periphery area.

5. The touch panel as claimed in claim 4, wherein the shielding layer has a first wiring hole defined therein and vertically coincident with the first overlapping electrode and a second wiring hole defined therein and vertically coincident with the second overlapping electrode.

6. The touch panel as claimed in claim 5, further comprising an insulation bridge formed by disposing the insulation layer, wherein the insulation bridge is disposed on the connection line of the sensing electrode.

7. The touch panel as claimed in claim 6, further comprising:

a main conducting wire disposed on the shielding layer of the periphery area and formed by a circuit layer; and

a bridge wire disposed on the insulation bridge of the touch area and formed by the circuit layer.

8. The touch panel as claimed in claim 7, wherein:

the bridge wire is electrically connected to the independent electrodes at both sides of the connection line and the main conducting wire comprises a first conducting wire and a second conducting wire,

the first conducting wire is electrically connected to the independent electrodes via the first wiring hole, and

the second conducting wire is electrically connected to the serially-connected electrodes via the second wiring hole.

9. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

the shielding layer covers the icon area including the independent end electrode, the independent sub-electrode, the serially-connected sub-electrode, and the sub connection line,

the shielding layer defines a first sub wiring hole vertically coincident with the independent end electrode,

the shielding layer defines a second sub wiring hole vertically coincident with the independent sub-electrode, and

the shielding layer defined an end wiring hole vertically coincident with the independent end electrode.

10. The touch panel as claimed in claim 9, further comprising:

a bridge sub-wire, formed by a circuit layer and disposed on the shielding layer in the icon area, wherein the bridge sub-wire is electrically bridged to the independent end electrode and the independent sub-electrode through the first sub wiring hole and the second sub wiring hole; and

an overlapping sub-wire formed by the circuit layer and disposed on the shielding layer in the periphery area, wherein the overlapping sub-wire is electrically connected to the independent end electrode through the end wiring hole.

11. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the shielding layer contacts a sidewall of the overlapping electrode.

12. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein:

a first surface of the overlapping electrode contacts the substrate and a second surface of the overlapping electrode contacts the shielding layer, and

the second surface is disposed diametrically opposite the first surface.

13. The touch panel as claimed in claim 12, wherein the shielding layer contacts a sidewall of the overlapping electrode.

14. A touch panel, comprising:

a substrate having a touch area and a periphery area, the periphery area surrounding a periphery of the touch area;

an electrode layer extending from the touch area to the periphery area, the electrode layer comprising a sensing electrode disposed in the touch area and an overlapping electrode disposed in the periphery area, wherein;

electrical signals of the sensing electrode are transmitted to an external control circuit through the overlapping electrode, and

the sensing electrode comprises;

a plurality of serially-connected electrodes disposed along a first polar axis direction;

a connection line disposed between the serially-connected electrodes and electrically connected to the serially-connected electrodes; and

a plurality of independent electrodes, mutually insulated and

disposed at both sides of the connection line with intervals along a second polar axis direction; and

an insulation layer extending from the touch area to the periphery area, the insulation layer comprising a shielding layer disposed in the periphery area and covering the overlapping electrode, wherein;

the substrate comprises an icon area preset in the periphery area,

the icon area comprises an independent end electrode and an independent sub-electrode formed by the electrode layer and a serially-connected sub-electrode and a sub connection line extending from a serially-connected electrode of the serially-connected electrodes to the icon area,

the serially-connected sub-electrode and the serially-connected electrode are serially and electrically connected by the sub connection line, and

the independent end electrode and independent sub-electrode are mutually insulated and formed at both sides of the sub connection line.

15. The touch panel as claimed in claim 14, further comprising:

a circuit layer comprising a plurality of main conducting wires on the shielding layer, wherein;

the shielding layer has a wiring hole defined therein and vertically coincident with the overlapping electrode, and

the overlapping electrode is electrically connected to a main conducting wire of the main conducting wires via the wiring hole.

16. The touch panel as claimed in claim 14, wherein the overlapping electrode comprises:

a first overlapping electrode extending from an independent electrode of the independent electrodes to the periphery area; and

a second overlapping electrode extending from the serially-connected electrode to the periphery area.

17. The touch panel as claimed in claim 16, wherein the shielding layer has a first wiring hole defined therein and vertically coincident with the first overlapping electrode and a second wiring hole defined therein and vertically coincident with the second overlapping electrode.

18. The touch panel as claimed in claim 17, further comprising an insulation bridge formed by disposing the insulation layer, wherein the insulation bridge is disposed on the connection line of the sensing electrode.

19. The touch panel as claimed in claim 18, further comprising:

a bridge wire disposed on the insulation bridge of the touch area and formed by a circuit layer.

20. The touch panel as claimed in claim 14, wherein:

the shielding layer covers the icon area including the independent end electrode, the independent sub-electrode, the serially-connected sub-electrode, and the sub connection line,

the shielding layer defines a first sub wiring hole vertically coincident with the independent end electrode,

the shielding layer defines a second sub wiring hole vertically coincident with the independent sub-electrode, and

the shielding layer defined an end wiring hole vertically coincident with the independent end electrode.