Patent Publication Number: US-2011057897-A1

Title: Touch panel and touch sensing display

Description:
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION 
     a. Field of the Invention 
     The invention relates to a touch panel and a touch sensing display having the touch panel. 
     b. Description of the Related Art 
     Referring to  FIG. 4 , a conventional touch panel has two base plates  90 , and an electrode layer  91  is formed on each of two surfaces facing each other and respectively on the two base plates  90 . An insulation adhesive  92  is interposed between two electrode layers  91  to insulate the two electrode layers  91  from each other. A cover layer  93  is formed on a surface of the top base plate  90 . However, the thickness of the insulating adhesive  92  interposed between two electrode layers  91  is difficult to maintain a fixed value during assembly, and this may considerably influence the accuracy of touch-sensing controls. 
     BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION 
     The invention provides a touch panel and a touch sensing display having fine assembly accuracy and simplified fabrication processes. 
     Other objects and advantages of the present invention may be further illustrated by the technical features broadly embodied and described as follows. 
     In order to achieve one or a portion of or all of the objects or other objects, one embodiment of the present invention provides a touch panel including a cover glass, a first base plate and a second electrode layer. A first electrode layer is formed on a surface of the cover glass, and the first base plate is disposed on one side of the first electrode layer opposite the cover glass. The second electrode layer is formed on a surface of the first base plate opposite the first electrode layer. 
     According to another embodiment of the invention, a touch-sensing display includes a cover glass, a color filter substrate, a second electrode layer, an insulation layer, a common electrode layer, a second base plate, and a liquid crystal layer. A first electrode layer is formed on a surface of the cover glass, and the color filter substrate is disposed on one side of the first electrode layer opposite the cover glass. The second electrode layer is formed on a surface of the color filter substrate opposite the first electrode layer. The insulation layer is formed on a surface of the second electrode layer opposite the color filter substrate. The common electrode layer is formed on a surface of the insulation layer opposite the second electrode layer. The second base plate is disposed parallel with the color filter substrate, and the liquid crystal layer is interposed between the common electrode layer and the second base plate. 
     The embodiment or the embodiments of the invention may have at least one of the following advantages. Since a first base plate serves as a dielectric layer of a touch panel to insulate two electrodes layers from each other, the thickness between two electrode layers is easy to maintain a fixed value during assembly to achieve high accuracy of capacitance touch-sensing controls. 
     Other objectives, features and advantages of the present invention will be further understood from the further technological features disclosed by the embodiments of the present invention wherein there are shown and described preferred embodiments of this invention, simply by way of illustration of modes best suited to carry out the invention. 
    
    
     
       BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS 
         FIG. 1  shows a schematic diagram of a touch panel according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 2  shows a schematic diagram of a touch panel according to another embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 3  shows a schematic diagram of a touch-sensing display according to an embodiment of the invention. 
         FIG. 4  shows a schematic diagram of a conventional touch panel. 
     
    
    
     DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION 
     In the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. In this regard, directional terminology, such as “top,” “bottom,” “front,” “back,” etc., is used with reference to the orientation of the Figure(s) being described. The components of the present invention can be positioned in a number of different orientations. As such, the directional terminology is used for purposes of illustration and is in no way limiting. On the other hand, the drawings are only schematic and the sizes of components may be exaggerated for clarity. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the present invention. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Unless limited otherwise, the terms “connected,” “coupled,” and “mounted” and variations thereof herein are used broadly and encompass direct and indirect connections, couplings, and mountings. Similarly, the terms “facing,” “faces” and variations thereof herein are used broadly and encompass direct and indirect facing, and “adjacent to” and variations thereof herein are used broadly and encompass directly and indirectly “adjacent to”. Therefore, the description of “A” component facing “B” component herein may contain the situations that “A” component directly faces “B” component or one or more additional components are between “A” component and “B” component. Also, the description of “A” component “adjacent to” “B” component herein may contain the situations that “A” component is directly “adjacent to” “B” component or one or more additional components are between “A” component and “B” component. Accordingly, the drawings and descriptions will be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive. 
     Referring to  FIG. 1 , a touch panel includes a cover glass  10  having a main body  11  and a decorative layer  12  formed on the periphery of a first surface of the main body  11 . A flattened layer  13  is formed on the first surface of the main body  11  and surrounded by the decorative layer  12 . The decorative layer  12  can be a ceramic layer, a diamond-like carbon layer or a printing ink layer with various colors, and has some decorative design such as patterns or characters. A first electrode layer  14  is formed on the flattened layer  13  and the decorative layer  12 . 
     A first base plate  20  is disposed on one side of the first electrode layer  14  opposite the side where the flattened layer  13  and the decorative layer  12  is formed. The first base plate  20  may be a glass plate, a plastic plate, a hard plate, a soft plate, or a polarizer. 
     A second electrode layer  30  is disposed on one side of the first base plate  20  opposite the side where the first electrode layer  14  is formed. 
     A second base plate  40  is disposed parallel with the first base plate  20 , and the second electrode layer  30  is formed on the second base plate  40 . The second base plate  40  may be a glass plate, a plastic plate, a hard plate, a soft plate, or a color filter substrate. These structures are stacked to form a touch panel. 
     As shown in  FIG. 2 , the cover glass  10  has a first electrode layer  14  and the first base plate is a color filter substrate  21  wherein the second electrode layer  31  is formed on a surface of the color filter substrate  21  opposite the surface where the first electrode layer  14  is formed, and an insulation layer  50  and a common electrode layer  60  are formed in succession on a surface of the second electrode layer  31  opposite the surface where the color filter substrate  21  is formed. The cover glass  10  has a first electrode layerl 4  that corresponds to the second electrode layer  31 , and the insulation layer  50  between the first electrode layer  14  and the second electrode layer  31  is formed to correspond to the color filter substrate  21 . These structures are stacked to form a touch panel. 
       FIG. 3  shows a touch-sensing display incorporates a touch panel shown in  FIG. 2 . Referring to the touch-sensing display shown in  FIG. 3 , the color filter substrate  21  serves as a first base plate, and a top polarizer  70  is formed on a surface of the color filter substrate  21  and faces the first electrode layer  14  of the cover glass  10 . The second electrode layer  31 , the insulation layer  50  and the common electrode layer  60  are formed in succession on a surface of the color filter substrate  21  opposite the first electrode layer  14 . Further, a liquid crystal layer  80  is interposed between the common electrode layer  60  and the second base plate  81  wherein the second base plate  81  may be an array substrate. A bottom polarizer  71  is formed on a surface of the second base plate  81  opposite the liquid crystal layer  80 . Since the first base plate is a color filter substrate  21 , a touch panel and a liquid crystal display are allowed to be integrated to form a touch-sensing display that has a simplified configuration. 
     The embodiment or the embodiments of the invention may have at least one of the following advantages. Since a first base plate serves as a dielectric layer of a touch panel to insulate two electrodes layers from each other, the thickness between two electrode layers is easy to maintain a fixed value during assembly to achieve high accuracy of capacitance touch-sensing controls. Moreover, the display integrated with the touch panel shown in  FIG. 1  can be organic electroluminescence display, electrowetting display or bi-stable display. 
     The foregoing description of the preferred embodiments of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form or to exemplary embodiments disclosed. Accordingly, the foregoing description should be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. Obviously, many modifications and variations will be apparent to practitioners skilled in this art. The embodiments are chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its best mode practical application, thereby to enable persons skilled in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use or implementation contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto and their equivalents in which all terms are meant in their broadest reasonable sense unless otherwise indicated. Therefore, the term “the invention”, “the present invention” or the like does not necessarily limit the claim scope to a specific embodiment, and the reference to particularly preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention does not imply a limitation on the invention, and no such limitation is to be inferred. The invention is limited only by the spirit and scope of the appended claims. The abstract of the disclosure is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract, which will allow a searcher to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure of any patent issued from this disclosure. It is submitted with the understanding that it will not be used to interpret or limit the scope or meaning of the claims. Any advantages and benefits described may not apply to all embodiments of the invention. It should be appreciated that variations may be made in the embodiments described by persons skilled in the art without departing from the scope of the present invention as defined by the following claims. Moreover, no element and component in the present disclosure is intended to be dedicated to the public regardless of whether the element or component is explicitly recited in the following claims.