JP2007026060A - Touch panel of double-sided operation support - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a touch panel of double-sided operation support which completes two kinds of inputs, that is, a touch sensing and a key function, with a single device, reduces parts count of electronic products, reduces production costs and improves convenience in usage. <P>SOLUTION: The touch panel of double-sided operation support includes a sensor, an insulating layer which is located above the sensor and provides an operation area, and a key operation conductive body which is located below the sensor, connected or adjacent to the sensor, and triggers a key function. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2007,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a kind of touch panel, and more particularly, to a touch panel that supports double-sided operation.

  The touch panel has a small volume, low manufacturing cost, low consumption power, and long service life, so it is widely applied as an input device to various electronic products such as notebook computers, mice, MP3 players, and mobile phones. ing. A user simply slides or touches a finger or a conductive article (for example, a touch pen) on a smooth panel to generate a relative movement, absolute coordinate movement, or other stretch function (for example, a virtual key function) on the cursor. However, since the touch panel is a smooth panel and supports only one-side operation, when the key operation is performed with the virtual key, a clear operation operation cannot be performed as with the real key. There are two types of well-known techniques for providing key operation as a real key and supporting touch panel operation. The first type consists of two devices in which a key and a touch panel are separated, and the actual appearance of the product is two parts as shown in FIG. 1 and FIG. In the second type, the key and the touch panel are separated into two devices, but the product is an integrated device as shown in FIG. In the technique shown in FIG. 1, when the key is operated, input is made with the physical key 100. As shown in FIG. 2, when the actual key is opened, it becomes the operation area 110 of the touch panel, which includes the handwriting area 120, the confirmation key 130, the cancel key 140, the direction keys 150 and 152, and the intermediate / alphanumeric switching keys 160 and 162. Include. Although the device having such a structure has both functions of a key and a touch panel, since the two devices are separated and independent, the volume of the product is relatively large and the manufacturing cost is relatively high. 3 and 4, when the entity key 200 is pressed by the perforation 220 in the portion corresponding to the entity key of the touch panel 210, the key detection mechanism below the touch panel 210 is activated through the aperture 220 to complete the key input. To do. When handwriting input is performed using the touch panel function, since the touch panel 210 is positioned below the entity key 200, the handwriting input can be performed directly on the entity key 200. Such a structure is an integrated structure in appearance, but in actuality, detection of key signals is not executed by the touch panel 210, and therefore, whether the key function or the touch panel function is used. In order to classify, the key function is often the main in design, and the function of the touch panel is sacrificed. For this reason, the response of the function of the touch panel becomes slow, the performance deteriorates, and inconvenience in use is formed. Since the touch panel is actually two separate devices, the manufacturing cost cannot be reduced effectively.

  Therefore, a touch panel that supports touch sensing and entity keys is required.

  A main object of the present invention is to provide a touch panel that supports double-sided operation.

  In order to achieve the above object, a touch panel of the present invention is connected to a sensor, an insulating layer positioned above the sensor to provide an operation area, and a sensor positioned below the sensor. Or a key operation conductor that approaches and triggers a key function.

  In one embodiment, the sensor is located on an upper layer of a printed circuit board, and the lower layer of the printed circuit board includes a conductor, the conductor is connected to the sensor, and the keying conductor is connected to the conductor. To indirectly connect to the sensor to trigger the key function.

  In another embodiment, the sensor is located on an upper layer of a printed circuit board, and the lower layer of the printed circuit board includes a conductor, the conductor is connected to the sensor, and the keying conductor is connected to the printed circuit board. The key function is triggered by approaching the sensor and approaching the sensor.

  In another embodiment, the sensor includes a capacitance-sensitive conductor composed of a first axis and a second axis conductor, and an insulating layer positioned between the capacitance-sensitive conductor and the key operation conductor. It is assumed that there is a cavity above and the key operation conductor is inserted and connected to the first axis conductor and / or the second axis conductor to trigger the key function.

  In yet another embodiment, the sensor includes a first axis conductor, a second axis conductor, and an insulating layer positioned between the first axis conductor and the second axis conductor, wherein the insulating layer has a cavity and is second. The shaft conductor is inserted and connected to the first shaft conductor to trigger the key function.

The invention of claim 1 is a touch panel for supporting double-sided operation.
A sensor,
An insulating layer bonded above the sensor to provide an operating area;
A key operation conductor located below the sensor;
An entity key corresponding to the key operating conductor, and when the entity key is pressed, connects or approaches the key operating conductor to the sensor and triggers a key function; and
This is a touch panel for supporting double-sided operation, characterized by including
According to a second aspect of the present invention, there is provided a double-sided operation support touch panel according to the first aspect, wherein the sensor is configured by interlacing the first axis conductor and the second axis conductor. .
The invention according to claim 3 is the touch panel for supporting double-sided operation according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is located on the upper layer of the printed circuit board.
According to a fourth aspect of the present invention, the touch panel for supporting double-sided operation according to the third aspect further includes a key area below the printed circuit board, located at a position corresponding to the sensor, and corresponding to the key operation conductor. When the key is pressed, the key operation conductor comes into contact with the key area and triggers the key function.
According to a fifth aspect of the present invention, in the touch panel for supporting double-sided operation according to the third aspect, the printed circuit board includes a perforation, and the lower layer of the printed circuit board includes a lead wire that is connected to the sensor through the perforation. When the key is pressed, a key operation conductor is connected to the conductor and triggers a key function.
The invention of claim 6 is a touch panel for supporting double-sided operation,
A first insulating layer as an operation area of the touch panel;
A bottom plate having a key operation conductor on the top plate;
A capacitance sensitive conductor positioned between the first insulating layer and the bottom plate;
An entity key located below the bottom plate and corresponding to the key operation conductor;
A second insulating layer, which is located between the capacitance-sensitive conductor and the bottom plate, and has a cavity corresponding to the key operation conductor, and when the real key is pressed, the key operation conductor passes through the cavity and has a capacitance. The touch panel is a double-sided operation support touching a sensitive conductor and triggering a key function.
The invention according to claim 7 is the touch panel for supporting double-sided operation according to claim 6, wherein the capacitance-sensitive conductor includes a plurality of first axis conductors and second axis conductors. .
The invention of claim 8 is a touch panel for supporting double-sided operation,
A first insulating layer as an operation area of the touch panel;
The bottom plate,
A first axis conductor and a second axis conductor located between the first insulating layer and the bottom plate;
An entity key located below the bottom plate;
A second insulating layer, located between the first and second axis conductors, having a cavity corresponding to the entity key, and when the entity key is pressed, the second axis conductor passes through the cavity; Thus, a double-sided operation support touch panel is provided which is connected to the first axis conductor and triggers a key function.

  The double-sided operation support touch panel of the present invention achieves the purpose of completing two different inputs for touch sensing and key functions in a single device, reducing the number of electronic product parts, reducing manufacturing costs, and increasing convenience in use. To do.

  FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a touch panel 300 for assisting double-sided operation according to the present invention. 6 and 7 are upper and lower layer structure diagrams of the printed circuit board 320 in the touch panel 300. FIG. As shown in FIGS. 5, 6, and 7, the touch panel 300 includes a printed circuit board 320, a sensor 330 in the upper layer of the printed circuit board 320, a plurality of conductive wires 350 and a component area 340 in the lower layer of the printed circuit board 320, It includes an insulating layer 310 joined above the sensor 330 to provide an operation area, a plurality of key operation conductors 362 below the printed circuit board 320, and a plurality of entity keys 360 corresponding to the key operation conductors 362. The sensor 330 is formed by crossing the first axis conductor 332 and the second axis conductor 334, and the conductive wire 350 passes the first axis conductor 332 and the second axis conductor 334 in the component area 340 through the perforations 370 on the printed circuit board 320. By connecting to the microprocessor control unit 342 and thereby bringing a finger or a conductive article (for example, a touch pen) into contact with the insulating layer 310, a change in potential is formed in the sensor 330, and general functions are input to the touch panel 300. It can be carried out. On the other hand, if the key key 360 is pressed to bring the key operation conductor 362 into contact with at least one conductor 350, the key operation conductor 362 is connected to the sensor 330 through the conductor 350, and the sensor 330 forms a change in potential. Then, the key function of the touch panel 300 is triggered, whereby the touch panel 300 supports the double-sided operation, that is, the front is a general touch panel function and the back is a key operation function. In different embodiments, the layout of the conductor 350 is designed differently to meet various keying requirements, and the sensor 330 may have different shapes in different embodiments, for example as shown in FIG. It can be circular as shown.

  FIG. 9 is a cross-sectional view of a touch panel 600 for supporting double-sided operation according to the present invention. 10 and 11 are upper and lower layer structure diagrams of the printed circuit board 320 in the touch panel 600. FIG. As shown in FIGS. 9 to 11, the touch panel 600 is joined to the printed circuit board 620, the sensor 630 in the upper layer of the printed circuit board 620, the component area 640 located on the outer periphery of the sensor 630, and the sensor 630. A plurality of key areas 650 located below the printed circuit board 620, and a plurality of key operation conductors 662 below the printed circuit board 620 and corresponding to the key area 650. . The sensor 630 is configured by crossing a first axis conductor 632 and a second axis conductor 634, and the first axis conductor 632 and the second axis conductor 634 are connected to the microprocessor control unit 642 in the component area 640 by a conductor 636. Thus, by bringing a finger or a conductive article (for example, a touch pen) into contact with the insulating layer 610, a change in potential can be formed in the sensor 630, and a general function can be input to the touch panel 600. On the other hand, by pressing the actual key 660 below the printed circuit board 620 to bring the key operation conductor 662 into contact with the key area 650, the potential of the sensor 630 is changed, thereby triggering the key function of the touch panel 600. As a result, the purpose of the double-sided operation support is achieved. In this embodiment, the punching process on the printed circuit board 620 is omitted, and the key area 650 is designed directly below the printed circuit board 620, so that no extra circuit layout is required, cost saving is achieved, and applied elasticity is improved. Achieve increased objectives.

  12 is a development view and a cross-sectional view of the touch panel 700 of the double-sided operation support. FIG. 13 is an exploded view of FIG. As shown in FIGS. 12 and 13, a capacitance-sensitive conductor 720 including a plurality of first axis conductors 722 (TX0 to TX5) and a plurality of second axis conductors 724 (TY0 to TY5) is an insulating layer 710 in the touch panel 700. Between the capacitance-sensitive conductor 720 and the bottom plate 760, a plurality of cavities 740 are opened therein, and a plurality of key operation conductors 750 corresponding to the cavities 740 are disposed on the bottom plate 760. A plurality of actual keys 770 corresponding to the key operation conductors 750 are positioned below the bottom plate 760. When a finger or a conductive article (eg, a touch pen) is slid on the insulating layer 710, general functions can be input to the touch panel 700. When the substantial key 770 is pressed, the key operation conductor 750 on the bottom plate 760 is pressurized and passes through the cavity 740 on the insulating layer 730 to contact the first axis conductor 722 and the second axis conductor 724 of the capacitance sensitive conductor 720. As a result, the first axis conductor 722 and the second axis conductor 724 are connected through the key operation conductor 750, causing a drastic change in the potential of the touch panel 700, thereby triggering the key function and for the purpose of supporting double-sided operation. Achieve. In a different embodiment, the position of the cavity 740 on the insulating layer 730 is adjusted as necessary, and the key operation conductor 750 contacts only one of the first axis conductor 722 or the second axis conductor 724 when the substantial key 770 is pressed. Thus, a change in the potential of the touch panel 700 is formed to trigger the key function.

  FIG. 14 is a development view and a cross-sectional view of a touch panel 800 that supports double-sided operation. 15 is an exploded view of FIG. 14 and 15, in the touch panel 800, a plurality of first axis conductors 820 (TY0 to TY8) and a plurality of second axis conductors 840 (TX0 to TX6) are located between the insulating layer 810 and the bottom plate 870. The plurality of cavities 850 are opened on the insulating layer 830, and the plurality of substance keys 860 corresponding to the cavities 850 are positioned below the bottom plate 870. When a finger or a conductive article (eg, a touch pen) is slid on the insulating layer 810, general functions can be input to the touch panel 800. When the substantial key 860 is pressed, the second shaft conductor 840 passes through the cavity 850 on the insulating layer 830 and is connected to the first shaft conductor 820, thereby forming a potential change of the first shaft conductor 820 or the second shaft conductor 840. This triggers the key function and achieves the purpose of assisting double-sided operation.

It is a display figure of the touch panel of a known single-sided operation function. It is a display figure of the touch panel of a known single-sided operation function. It is a display figure of the touch panel of a known single-sided operation function. It is a display figure of the touch panel of a known single-sided operation function. It is sectional drawing of the touchscreen of the double-sided operation assistance of this invention. It is an upper layer structure figure of the printed circuit board in the touch panel of the double-sided operation assistance of this invention. It is a lower layer structure figure of the printed circuit board in the touch panel of the double-sided operation assistance of this invention. It is another plane structure display figure of the sensor in FIG. It is sectional drawing of another Example of the touchscreen of the double-sided operation assistance of this invention. FIG. 10 is an upper layer structure diagram of the printed circuit board in FIG. 9. FIG. 10 is an upper layer structure diagram of the printed circuit board in FIG. 9. It is the expanded view and sectional drawing of another Example of the touchscreen of the double-sided operation assistance of this invention. FIG. 13 is an exploded view of FIG. 12. It is the expanded view and sectional drawing of another Example of the touchscreen of the double-sided operation assistance of this invention. FIG. 15 is an exploded view of FIG. 14.

Explanation of symbols

100 entity key 110 operation area 120 handwriting area 130 confirmation key 140 cancel key 150 direction key 152 direction key 160 switching key 162 switching key 200 entity key 210 touch panel 220 perforation 300 touch panel 310 insulating layer 320 printed circuit board 330 sensor 332 first axis conductor 334 Second axis conductor 340 Part area 342 Microprocessor control unit 350 Conductor 360 Substantial key 362 Key operation conductor 370 Drilling 600 Touch panel 610 supporting double-sided operation Insulating layer 620 Printed circuit board 630 Sensor 632 First axis conductor 634 Second axis conductor 636 Conductor 640 Parts area 642 Microprocessor control unit 650 Key area 660 Sub-key 662 Key operation conductor 700 Touch panel 710 Layer 720 Capacitance sensitive conductor 722 First axis conductor 724 Second axis conductor 730 Insulating layer 740 Cavity 750 Key operation conductor 760 Bottom plate 770 Sub-key 800 Touch panel 810 Insulating layer 820 First axis conductor 830 Insulating layer 840 Second axis conductor 850 Cavity 860 Entity key 870 Bottom plate

Claims (8)

In a touch panel that supports double-sided operation,
A sensor,
An insulating layer bonded above the sensor to provide an operating area;
A key operation conductor located below the sensor;
An entity key corresponding to the key operating conductor, and when the entity key is pressed, connects or approaches the key operating conductor to the sensor and triggers a key function; and
A touch panel with double-sided operation support, characterized by including   2. The touch panel for supporting double-sided operation according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is configured by interlacing a first axis conductor and a second axis conductor.   2. The touch panel for supporting double-sided operation according to claim 1, wherein the sensor is located on an upper layer of the printed circuit board.   The touch panel for supporting double-sided operation according to claim 3, further comprising a key area corresponding to the sensor located at a lower layer of the printed circuit board and corresponding to the key operation conductor, and when the real key is pressed, A touch panel for assisting double-sided operation, wherein a key operation conductor comes into contact with the key area and triggers a key function.   4. The touch panel for assisting double-sided operation according to claim 3, wherein the printed circuit board has a perforation, and the lower layer of the printed circuit board includes a conductor that passes through the perforation and is connected to the sensor. A touch panel for supporting double-sided operation, characterized in that an operation conductor is connected to the conductive wire and triggers a key function. In a touch panel that supports double-sided operation,
A first insulating layer as an operation area of the touch panel;
A bottom plate having a key operation conductor on the top plate;
A capacitance sensitive conductor positioned between the first insulating layer and the bottom plate;
An entity key located below the bottom plate and corresponding to the key operation conductor;
A second insulating layer, which is located between the capacitance-sensitive conductor and the bottom plate, and has a cavity corresponding to the key operation conductor, and when the real key is pressed, the key operation conductor passes through the cavity and has a capacitance. A touch panel with support for double-sided operation, which touches a sensitive conductor and triggers a key function.   7. The touch panel for supporting double-sided operation according to claim 6, wherein the capacitance-sensitive conductor includes a plurality of first axis conductors and second axis conductors. In a touch panel that supports double-sided operation,
A first insulating layer as an operation area of the touch panel;
The bottom plate,
A first axis conductor and a second axis conductor located between the first insulating layer and the bottom plate;
An entity key located below the bottom plate;
A second insulating layer, located between the first and second axis conductors, having a cavity corresponding to the entity key, and when the entity key is pressed, the second axis conductor passes through the cavity; A touch panel for supporting double-sided operation, which is connected to the first axis conductor and triggers a key function.

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