Input device, method of manufacturing the same, and electronic information equipment

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9811221-B2
Application number	US-201414764014-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 14, 2014
Priority date	Jan 29, 2013
Publication date	Nov 7, 2017
Grant date	Nov 7, 2017

Abstract

An input device having a row electrode and a column electrode made by patterning a meshed metallic layer by forming a dividing section on a metallic line constituting the meshed metallic layer can suppress variability in areas of individual dividing sections formed on the metallic lines, whereby uneven shading due to the patterned, meshed conductive layer is suppressed from appearing on a touch operation surface.
In the input device having the row electrode and the column electrode made by patterning the meshed metallic layer by forming the dividing section on the metallic line constituting the meshed metallic layer, a mesh side section intersecting with an ideal contour Sp 2 of the column electrode (meshed electrode) corresponding to one side of a mesh in the metallic line Mw 2 is divided by a dividing section Rs that does not overlap with an intersection Mcp of the metallic lines to form an actual contour of the column electrode.

First claim

The invention claimed is:

1. An input device comprising:
a plurality of meshed electrodes each having a structure made by patterning a meshed conductive layer, and which detects an input operation by a change in capacitance between the meshed electrodes, wherein
the meshed conductive layer of each meshed electrode includes first plurality of conductive lines and a second plurality of conductive lines, the second plurality of conductive lines oriented to intersect the first plurality of conductive lines to form a mesh,
the first and second pluralities of conductive lines forming the meshed conductive layer are each oriented in a direction other than a horizontal direction, a vertical direction, and a diagonal 45° direction of a pixel array consisting of a plurality of pixels with respect to an arrangement of the plurality of pixels constituting a display device combined with the input device, and
a mesh side section of each conductive line, where the conductive line would intersect an ideal contour of the meshed electrodes, is divided at a dividing section of the conductive line that does not overlap with an intersection of the first and second conductive lines to form an actual contour of the meshed electrodes.

2. The input device of claim 1 , wherein the dividing section is separated by a predetermined distance from the intersection of the conductive lines such that the dividing section does not overlap with the intersection of the conductive lines and does not overlap a portion of the meshed conductive layer wherein line widths of a conductive line in the vicinity of the intersection are wider than a portion other than the intersection and the vicinity of the intersection.

3. The input device of claim 2 , wherein the predetermined distance is 100 μm.

4. The input device of claim 1 , wherein a mesh side section having two intersection positions that would intersect the ideal contour of the meshed electrode is divided at a dividing section disposed between the two intersecting positions.

5. The input device of claim 4 , wherein the mesh side section having the two intersection positions is divided at a center position that is equidistant from the two intersection positions.

6. The input device of claim 1 , wherein a specific intersection of the conductive lines overlapping a division band having a certain width along the ideal contour of the meshed electrode is not divided over the specific intersection, and at least three mesh side sections adjacent the specific intersection among a plurality of mesh side sections connecting to the specific intersection are divided at a position separated by a predetermined distance from the specific intersection.

7. The input device of claim 1 , wherein
the input device comprises a first meshed conductive layer and a second meshed conductive layer as the meshed conductive layer,
the input device comprises, as the plurality of meshed electrodes,
a plurality of first meshed electrodes having a structure which extends along the horizontal direction of the pixel array and is made by patterning the first meshed conductive layer, and
a plurality of second meshed electrodes having a structure which extends along the vertical direction of the pixel array and is made by patterning the second meshed conductive layer,

the first meshed electrodes are constituted of a plurality of first electrode sections arranged along the horizontal direction of the pixel array, and a first connecting section for connecting adjacent first electrode sections, and
the second meshed electrodes are constituted of a plurality of second electrode sections arranged along the vertical direction of the pixel array and a second connecting section for connecting adjacent second electrode sections.

8. The input device of claim 7 , wherein
the plurality of first meshed electrodes are formed on a first insulation member,
the plurality of second meshed electrodes are formed on a second insulation member, and
the first and second insulation members are bonded together such that the first electrode sections of the first meshed electrode and the second electrode sections of the second meshed electrode are alternately arranged.

9. The input device of claim 8 , wherein
a first dummy electrode section obtained by patterning the first meshed conductive layer is disposed at a portion of the first insulation member opposing the second electrode sections, and
a second dummy electrode section obtained by patterning the second meshed conductive layer is disposed at a portion of the second insulation member opposing the first electrode sections.

10. The input device of claim 1 , wherein a line width of the conductive lines constituting the meshed conductive layer is in the range of 1-10 μm, and the first electrode sections and the second electrode sections have a rhombus shape, and a division width of the conductive lines is 40-50 μm.

11. The input device of claim 1 , wherein a direction of dividing each conductive line of a mesh side section intersecting the actual contour of the meshed electrode is a direction substantially perpendicular to the respective conductive line such that an area of the dividing section traversing the respective conductive line of the mesh side section is minimal compared with division in a direction other than substantially perpendicular to the respective conductive line.

12. A method of a manufacturing the input device of claim 1 , comprising
forming the meshed conductive layer on an insulation substrate, and
forming the plurality of meshed electrodes by applying selective etching processing on the meshed conductive layer by using a photomask that corresponds to the actual contour.

13. A method of manufacturing the input device of claim 1 , comprising printing the meshed conductive layer having a predetermined pattern, corresponding to the actual contour, on an insulation substrate to form the plurality of meshed electrodes.

14. Electronic information equipment having an image display section for displaying an image and an information inputting section disposed on a display screen of the image display section for inputting information, comprising the input device of claim 1 as the information inputting section.

15. An input device comprising:
a plurality of meshed electrodes each having a structure made by patterning a meshed conductive layer, and which detects an input operation by a change in capacitance between the meshed electrodes, wherein
the meshed conductive layer of each meshed electrode includes a first plurality of conductive lines and a second plurality of conductive lines, the second plurality of conductive lines oriented to intersect the first plurality of conductive lines to form a mesh,
the first and second pluralities of conductive lines forming the meshed conductive layer are each oriented in a direction other than a horizontal direction, a vertical direction, and a diagonal 45° direction of a pixel array consisting of a plurality of pixels with respect to an arrangement of the plurality of pixels constituting a display device combined with the input device,
a mesh side section of each conductive line, where the conductive line would intersect a contour of the meshed electrode, is divided to define the contour of each meshed electrode, the mesh side section is divided at a dividing section of the conductive line that does not overlap with another of the conductive lines,
the input device comprises a first mesh side section, a second mesh side section, and a third mesh side section as the mesh side section,
the first mesh side section is an instance of the mesh side sec

Assignees

• Sharp Kk

Inventors

• Hayashi Shogo
• Kida Kazutoshi
• Yashiro Yuhji
• Yoshimura Kazuya

Classifications

• G06F2203/04112

  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 title

• G06F2203/04103

  Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices · CPC title

• G06F3/044 Primary

  by capacitive means · CPC title

• G06F3/0446 Primary

  using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes · CPC title

• G06F3/0445

  using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer · CPC title