Touch panel and method of manufacturing the same

A touch panel includes a substrate having a breaking section, a touch surface, and a back opposing the touch surface; an adhesive layer disposed on the back; an electrode layer having a cutting section and connected to the back through the adhesive layer; an insulating cement for covering the breaking section and the cutting section and filling a gap between the substrate and the electrode layer; and a control chip connecting with the electrode layer and exercising control over the electrode layer. Hence, the touch panel has special sizes, dispensing with the need for customization which is otherwise to be performed by touch panel suppliers to the detriment of time efficiency, manpower efficiency, cost control, and uses.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to touch panels and methods of manufacturing the same and, more particularly, to a touch panel which can be cut to take on different specific sizes by a convenient process and a method of manufacturing the same.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Due to technological advances, touch panels are in wide use with various display devices to substitute for input components, such as keyboards and mouses, connected to the display devices, so as to enhance ease of use.

Conventional touch panels, for example, fall into categories as follows: resistive touch panels, photosensitive touch panels, and capacitive touch panels. When a user touches, with a finger or an object, a display device equipped with a touch panel, the display device can, for example, sense an electrostatic capacitance change produced as a result of associating a conductive induction pattern with another conductive induction pattern or a ground electrode and thus convert the contact position at which the user's finger or object and the touch panel come into contact with each other into an electrical signal, starting a related function of the display device.

However, a conventional touch panel supplier is able to supply touch panels with specific sizes and specific aspect ratios only. For instance, typical sizes of display units which come with conventional desktop computers are: 21 inches, 24 inches, 27 inches, and 32 inches. Similarly, typical sizes of the screens of smartphones are: 4.7 inches, 5 inches, and 5.5 inches. The display units and screens usually have aspect ratios of 4:3 and 16:9. As a result, the aforesaid specific sizes and specific aspect ratios of conventional touch panels supplied by suppliers constitute a limit placed on specific uses of the touch panels, for example, functioning as traffic sign displays, interactive advertising boards, and elevator control panels.

Although it is a possible option, customization of conventional touch panels has its disadvantages: die development takes months and is pricey; and customized touch panels have so few customers that they must be sold expensively in order to be profitable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

It is an objective of the present invention to provide a touch panel which can be cut to take on different specific sizes by a convenient process and a method of manufacturing the same, thereby dispensing with the need for customization which is otherwise to be performed by touch panel suppliers to the detriment of time efficiency, manpower efficiency, cost control, and uses.

In order to achieve the above and other objectives, the present invention provides a touch panel, comprising: a substrate having a breaking section, a touch surface, and a back opposing the touch surface; an adhesive layer disposed on the back; an electrode layer having a cutting section and connected to the back through the adhesive layer; an insulating cement for covering the breaking section and the cutting section and filling a gap between the substrate and the electrode layer; and a control chip connecting with the electrode layer and exercising control over the electrode layer.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the control chip is connected to the electrode layer through a plurality of flexible flat cables.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the touch panel further comprises a transmission connection component connected to the control chip.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the touch surface has a display region and a non-display region, with the non-display region disposed outside the display region to enclose the display region, and the touch panel further comprises a frame disposed on the non-display region.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the electrode layer is made of indium tin oxide.

In order to achieve the above and other objectives, the present invention further provides a method of manufacturing a touch panel, comprising the steps of: providing a touch panel blank which comprises: a substrate having a touch surface and a back opposing the touch surface; an adhesive layer disposed on the back; an electrode layer connected to the back through the adhesive layer; and a control chip connecting with the electrode layer and exercising control over the electrode layer; a cutting step for cutting the electrode layer at a point corresponding in position to a default location to trim the electrode layer so that a remaining portion of the electrode layer has a cutting section, and reveal a portion of the adhesive layer, wherein the control chip is connected to the remaining portion of the electrode layer; a cleaning step for removing the revealed portion of the adhesive layer with a detergent; a cracking step for cracking the substrate at a point corresponding in position to the default location and then removing a portion of the substrate so that a remaining portion of the substrate has a breaking section; and a filling step for covering the breaking section and the cutting section with an insulating cement and filling a gap between the remaining portion of the substrate and the remaining portion of the electrode layer with the insulating cement.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the cracking step is preceded by an aligning step which involves forming a cut line on the substrate at a point corresponding in position to the default location with a cutter, and the cracking step involves cracking the substrate along the cut line.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the control chip is connected to the remaining portion of the electrode layer through a plurality of flexible flat cables.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the touch panel blank further comprises a transmission connection component connected to the control chip.

In an embodiment of the present invention, a touch surface of the remaining portion of the substrate has a display region and a non-display region, with the non-display region disposed outside the display region to enclose the display region, and the method further comprises a concealing step whereby a frame is disposed on the non-display region.

Hence, according to the present invention, a touch panel blank provided by touch panel suppliers can be cut by a convenient manufacturing process to form a touch panel with different special sizes and aspect ratios, thereby dispensing with the need for customization which is otherwise to be performed by touch panel suppliers to the detriment of time efficiency, manpower efficiency, cost control, and uses.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS

To enable persons skilled in the art to fully understand the objectives, features, and advantages of the present invention, the present invention is illustrated with specific embodiments, depicted by the accompanying drawings, and described hereunder. The present invention can be implemented or applied by any other embodiments. Changes and modifications may be made by persons skilled in the art to the preferred embodiments in accordance with different viewpoints and applications without departing from the spirit of the present invention. Moreover, the accompanying drawings of the present invention are not drawn to scale, as they are just intended to serve an illustrative purpose. Features of the present invention are described in detail below, but the features thus described are not restrictive of the scope of the present invention.

FIG. 1Ais a front view of a touch panel100according to an embodiment of the present invention.FIG. 1Bis a lateral view of the touch panel100according to the embodiment of the present invention. Referring toFIGS. 1A, 1B, the touch panel100comprises a substrate10, an adhesive layer20, an electrode layer30, an insulating cement40and a control chip50. The substrate10has a breaking section11, a touch surface12, and a back13opposing the touch surface12. The adhesive layer20is disposed on the back13of the substrate10. The electrode layer30has a cutting section31. The electrode layer30is connected to the back13through the adhesive layer20. The insulating cement40covers the breaking section11and the cutting section31and fills a gap between the substrate10and the electrode layer30. The control chip50connects with the electrode layer30to exercise control over the electrode layer30.

In this embodiment, the substrate10is, for example, a glass substrate. The electrode layer30is made of, for example, indium tin oxide (ITO). The control chip50is connected to the electrode layer30through a plurality of flexible flat cables (FFC)60to control a plurality of circuit patterns (not shown) on the electrode layer30. The touch panel100further comprises a transmission connection component (not shown). The transmission connection component is connected to the control chip50. For instance, the transmission connection component is a universal serial bus (USB) component.

Referring toFIG. 1A, the touch surface12of the substrate10has a display region121and a non-display region122. The non-display region122is disposed outside the display region121to enclose the display region121. The user touches the display region121with a finger or object. The touch panel100further comprises a frame70. The frame70is disposed on the non-display region122.

In an embodiment of the present invention, the touch panel100is applicable to traffic sign displays, interactive advertising boards, and elevator control panels, which require that an applicable touch panel should have special sizes. In an embodiment of the present invention, the touch panel100does not necessitate customization which is otherwise to be carried out by touch panel suppliers.

FIG. 2is a schematic view of the process flow of a method of manufacturing the touch panel100according to an embodiment of the present invention.FIG. 3A˜FIG. 3Eare schematic views of stages of the manufacturing process of the touch panel100being manufactured according to the embodiment of the present invention. For illustrative sake,FIG. 3A˜FIG. 3Eare front views and lateral views of the touch panel100in respective stages.

Referring toFIG. 2andFIG. 3A, step S11involves providing a touch panel blank1. The touch panel blank1is provided by a conventional touch panel supplier and has a typical size. The touch panel blank1comprises a substrate10′, an adhesive layer20′, an electrode layer30′ and a control chip50. The substrate10′ has a touch surface12′ and a back13′ opposing the touch surface12′. The adhesive layer20′ is disposed on the back13′ of the substrate10′. The electrode layer30′ is connected to the back13′ through the adhesive layer20′. The control chip50connects with the electrode layer30′ and exercises control over the electrode layer30′. The control chip50is connected to the electrode layer30through a plurality of flexible flat cables (FFC)60. The touch panel blank1further comprises a transmission connection component (not shown). The transmission connection component is connected to the control chip50.

Referring toFIG. 2andFIG. 3B, step S13is a cutting step. In the cutting step, a cutting process is performed at a default location D to trim the electrode layer30′ so that the remaining portion of the electrode layer30has a cutting section31and reveals a portion of the adhesive layer20′. In this embodiment, the control chip50is still connected to the trimmed electrode layer30′ through the plurality of flexible flat cables60.

Referring toFIG. 2andFIG. 3C, step S15is a cleaning step. In the cleaning step, a detergent removes the revealed portion of the adhesive layer20′. In an embodiment, the detergent, for example, is a solvent dedicated to removing smears or adhesive. The adhesive layer is denoted by20inFIG. 3C.

Referring toFIG. 2andFIG. 3D, step S17is a cracking step which involves cracking the substrate10′ at a point corresponding in position to the default location D and then removing a portion of the substrate10′ (together with a portion of the adhesive layer20′ and a portion of the electrode layer30′) so that the remaining portion of the substrate10has a breaking section11.

In an embodiment, step S17, i.e., the cracking step, is preceded by an aligning step. The aligning step involves forming a cut line on the substrate10′ at a point corresponding in position to the default location D with a cutter. Then, the cracking step involves cracking the substrate10′ along the cut line, so as to crack the substrate10′.

Step S13˜step S17deal with the electrode layer30′, adhesive layer20′ and substrate10′ of the touch panel blank1separately rather than simultaneously, because cutting the electrode layer30′, adhesive layer20′ and substrate10′ leads to retention of adhesive, contamination of the electrode layer30and the substrate10, thereby reducing the yield. Hence, step S13˜step S17effectively prevent retention of adhesive, contamination of the electrode layer30and the substrate10, and reduction in the yield.

Referring toFIG. 2andFIG. 3E, step S19is a filling step. The filling step involves covering the breaking section11and the cutting section31with an insulating cement40and filling a gap between the remaining portion of the substrate10and the remaining portion of the electrode layer30with the insulating cement40.

Referring toFIG. 2, step S21is a concealing step. Upon completion of the concealing step, the touch panel100shown inFIG. 1AandFIG. 1Bis finalized. Referring toFIG. 1AandFIG. 1B, the touch surface12of the remaining portion of the substrate10has a display region121and a non-display region122, wherein the non-display region122is disposed outside the display region121to enclose the display region121. In the concealing step, the frame70is disposed on the non-display region122.

With the manufacturing method of the present invention, the touch panel blank1provided by a conventional touch panel supplier and characterized by a typical size and specific aspect ratio turns into the touch panel100which has a special size and aspect ratio to therefore dispense with the need for customization but become readily applicable.

For instance, as shown inFIG. 3B˜FIG. 3D, if the default location D is centrally located to divide the width of the touch panel blank1(32 inches in size, aspect ratio of 16:9) into two halves, the touch panel blank1can be cut to form the touch panel100which is 29 inches in size and has an aspect ratio of 32:9. As shown in the diagrams, if the default location D is located in a biased manner to divide the width of the touch panel blank1(32 inches in size, aspect ratio of 16:9) into two unequal portions of the width so that one portion is two times greater than the other portion, the touch panel blank1can be cut to form the touch panel100which is 28 inches in size and has an aspect ratio of 16:3.

Hence, the touch panel100provided by the present invention can be cut by a convenient manufacturing process to take on different special sizes and aspect ratios, thereby dispensing with the need for customization which is otherwise to be performed by touch panel suppliers to the detriment of time efficiency, manpower efficiency, cost control, and uses.

The present invention is disclosed above by preferred embodiments. However, persons skilled in the art should understand that the preferred embodiments are illustrative of the present invention only, but should not be interpreted as restrictive of the scope of the present invention. Hence, all equivalent modifications and replacements made to the aforesaid embodiments should fall within the scope of the present invention. Accordingly, the legal protection for the present invention should be defined by the appended claims.