JP2007264688A - Touch panel, electro-optic device, and electronic appliance - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a touch panel for freely deciding a region in which wirings are arranged, with a smaller frame region, and also for selecting a material of an input substrate from a various kinds of substances. <P>SOLUTION: A touch panel 1 includes an input substrate 2 to be pressed for input; a counter substrate 3 disposed facing the input substrate 2; oscillators 7x, 7y disposed on the face of the counter substrate 3 facing the input substrate 2; receivers 8x, 8y disposed on the face of the input substrate 2 facing the counter substrate 3; wirings 19 disposed on the face of the input substrate 2 facing the counter substrate 3; and a conductive material 21 to connect terminals 15 on the counter substrate 3 to the wirings 19 on the input substrate 2. Since the elements 7x, 7y, 8x, 8y and the wirings 19 are disposed on the different substrates, the touch panel 1 may freely locate the wirings 19, and may reduce the frame region. Since surface elastic waves are formed on the counter substrate 3, the input substrate 2 may be made of a resin film not of a thin glass. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2008,JPO&INPIT

Description

The present invention relates to a touch panel that detects a touched position in a planar area. The present invention also relates to an electro-optical device configured using the touch panel. The present invention also relates to an electronic apparatus configured using the electro-optical device.

Currently, electro-optical devices such as liquid crystal display devices are widely used in electronic devices such as PDAs (Personal Digital Assistants) and palmtop computers. For example, an electro-optical device is used to display various pieces of information of electronic devices as images. Currently, an input device for inputting information to the control calculation unit of the electronic device is attached to the electronic device. A touch panel is known as this input device.

As this touch panel, a SAW (Surface Acoustic Wave) type is known (for example, see Patent Document 1). In this type of touch panel, a transmitter and a receiver are provided on the surface of the substrate, and a state in which the surface acoustic wave, which is a signal wave generated from the transmitter, is received by the receiver, and then the surface acoustic wave changes are changed. By detecting this, the position in the plane is detected.

JP 2003-345504 (page 4, FIG. 1)

In the touch panel disclosed in Patent Document 1, wiring is provided on the surface of the substrate of the touch panel in order to exchange signals between the transmitter and the control device and between the receiver and the control device. In the case of this conventional touch panel, the wiring is provided on the same substrate as the substrate on which the transmitter and the like are provided. Further, the wiring is provided in a peripheral area outside the input area that is an area where the input operation is performed, that is, a so-called frame area. In the conventional touch panel in which the wiring and the transmitter are provided on the same substrate, there is a problem that a region where the wiring is provided is narrowly limited. In addition, since a large frame area is required to provide wiring, there is a problem that it is difficult to reduce the size of the touch panel.

On the other hand, Japanese Patent Application No. 2005-167842 discloses a touch panel having a configuration in which a transmitter or the like and a wiring are provided on separate substrates. This configuration has an advantage that a region where wiring is provided can be freely determined. In the touch panel shown here, a transmitter or the like is provided on the input substrate, and a wiring is provided on the counter substrate. Since the signal wave formed by the transmitter and the like cannot be obtained unless it is a hard substance, the touch panel of Japanese Patent Application No. 2005-167842 requires a substrate on which the transmitter or the like is provided, that is, an input substrate on which an input operation is performed. It must be formed with glass. As is well known, glass is easy to break, and is difficult to handle in production and use.

The present invention has been made in view of the above-described problems, and can freely determine a region in which wiring is provided, can form a frame region narrowly, and can select a material for an input substrate from a wide variety of substances. It is an object to provide a touch panel, an electro-optical device, and an electronic device that can be used.

The touch panel according to the present invention is disposed on the observation side, and is opposed to the input substrate that is pressed for input, a counter substrate that is disposed to face the input substrate, and the input substrate of the counter substrate. A transmitter provided on a surface, a receiver provided on a surface of the counter substrate facing the input substrate, and provided on the counter substrate, and electrically connected to at least one of the transmitter or the receiver And a wiring provided on a surface of the input substrate facing the counter substrate, and a conductive material for connecting the terminal and the wiring.

In the above configuration, the transmitter transmits, for example, a surface acoustic wave as a signal wave. Surface waves are waves that propagate without radiating energy along the boundary between two different media. When the propagating wave is a sound wave and the propagating medium is a solid, the sound wave is bound to the surface of the solid, and the sound wave in this case is a surface elastic wave.

Moreover, said input operation is touching the surface of a touch panel with an appropriate pressure by an input means, for example. As the input means, for example, a finger of an operator who performs input, a touch pen as an input device, or the like can be considered. Further, as the conductive material, for example, conductive particles formed of a conductive material or silver paste can be used. This conducting material is locally disposed at a place where conduction is required. The wiring may be a wiring connected to the transmitter and a wiring connected to the receiver.

According to the touch panel according to the present invention having the above-described configuration, since the substrate on which the transmitter and the receiver are provided and the substrate on which the wiring is provided are separate substrates, an area in which the wiring is provided is obstructed by the transmitter or the like. It can be determined freely and the frame area of the touch panel can be narrowed. In addition, since the signal wave excited by the transmitter propagates on the counter substrate and does not propagate on the input substrate on which the input operation is performed, the material of the input substrate is not limited to a hard material such as glass, and has a wide range. These materials can be used as materials. For example, the input substrate can be formed of resin.

Next, the touch panel according to the present invention preferably includes an external connection terminal provided on the counter substrate, and a second conductive material that connects the wiring and the external connection terminal. In general, an input board must be bent by a necessary amount during an input operation, and therefore must be formed of a flexible material. It is difficult to manufacture and handle an FPC (Flexible Printed Circuit) substrate connected to an external connection terminal after an external connection terminal is provided on the flexible substrate. On the other hand, if the external connection terminal is provided on the counter substrate as in the embodiment of the present invention, the counter substrate does not need to have flexibility.
The process of connecting the C substrate can be performed easily and reliably.

Next, in the touch panel according to the present invention, it is desirable to provide an insulating resin film covering the wiring on the surface of the input substrate. With this configuration, the resin film can prevent a signal wave forming element such as an oscillator provided on the counter substrate and the wiring on the input substrate from being short-circuited.

Next, in the touch panel according to the present invention, the counter substrate can be formed of a glass substrate, and the input substrate can be formed of a resin film. Further, the counter substrate can be formed of a glass substrate, and the input substrate can be formed of a polarizing plate. When forming a signal wave on the surface of the input substrate, the input substrate must be formed of a hard material such as a glass substrate. Glass substrates are difficult to handle because they are easily damaged.
If a resin film is used instead of a glass substrate or the like, handling of the touch panel in production and use becomes easy. If the input substrate is formed of a polarizing plate, the polarizing plate can be used as a polarizing plate as an optical element for a liquid crystal display device that is an electro-optical device.

Next, the touch panel according to the present invention may include a signal wave redirecting member that is provided on the surface of the counter substrate and directs the signal wave emitted from the transmitter to the receiver. And in that case
It is desirable that the wiring provided on the surface of the input substrate overlaps with the signal wave redirecting member in plan view. In this way, the frame area that is the peripheral area outside the input area formed in the area surrounded by the signal wave redirecting member can be narrowed.

Next, an electro-optical device according to the present invention includes the touch panel having the above-described configuration. Examples of the electro-optical device include a liquid crystal display device and an EL (Electro Luminescence).
) Devices, plasma displays, etc. can be used.

Since the touch panel according to the present invention can narrow the frame area, the touch panel according to the present invention can be suitably used for a small electro-optical device. Further, the input substrate of the touch panel according to the present invention is not limited to a configuration in which a hard material such as glass is thinly formed to have flexibility, and a resin or other flexible substance can be used. ,
It is easy to manufacture and easy to handle. Accordingly, an electro-optical device configured using such a touch panel is also easy to manufacture and easy to handle.

Next, an electronic apparatus according to the present invention uses the electro-optical device having the above-described configuration.
As this electronic device, for example, a PDA, a palmtop computer, a portable information terminal, or the like can be used.

Since the electro-optical device according to the present invention is a small electro-optical device with a narrow frame region, an electronic apparatus using the electro-optical device can also be formed in a small size. In addition, since the electro-optical device according to the present invention is simple to manufacture and easy to handle, an electronic apparatus using the electro-optical device is also easy to manufacture and easy to handle.

Hereinafter, the touch panel concerning the present invention is explained based on an embodiment. Of course, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. Further, in the following description, the drawings will be referred to as necessary. In this drawing, in order to show the important components of the structure composed of a plurality of components in an easy-to-understand manner, May be indicated by dimensions.

FIG. 1 shows a side sectional structure of a longitudinal side of an embodiment of a touch panel according to the present invention. FIG. 2 shows a state in which the planar cross-sectional structure of the touch panel according to the Z1-Z1 line of FIG. FIG. 1 corresponds to a cross-sectional structure according to the Z2-Z2 line of FIG. FIG. 3 shows a side sectional structure of the short side of the touch panel according to the Z3-Z3 line of FIG.

In FIG. 1, a touch panel 1 according to the present embodiment includes an input substrate 2 that is pressed for an input operation, and a counter substrate 3 that is disposed to face the input substrate 2. The operator uses arrow A
The input operation is performed on the input board 2 from the direction indicated by. The input substrate 2 and the counter substrate 3 are indicated by an arrow A
A rectangular shape (in the case of the present embodiment, a rectangular shape) as viewed from the direction, the two adhesive members 4 are bonded together. The distance between the input substrate 2 and the counter substrate 3 is held by a plurality of spacers 6.

The input board 2 is formed of a flexible resin film, for example. The counter substrate 3 is made of, for example, glass that does not easily bend (for example, glass having a thickness of about 0.5 mm). The spacer 6 is formed in a columnar shape, for example, by patterning a photosensitive resin by a photolithography process. The spacer 6 is formed in a columnar shape or a polygonal column shape.

An X transmitter 7x, a Y transmitter 7y, an X receiver 8x, and a Y receiver 8y are provided on the surface of the counter substrate 3 facing the input substrate 2. As shown in FIG. 2, an X transmitter 7x and a Y transmitter 7y
Are arranged at diagonal positions of the counter substrate 3. The X receiver 8 x and the Y receiver 8 y are arranged at one corner of the counter substrate 3.

The X transmitter 7x and the Y transmitter 7y are elements that generate ultrasonic waves, such as zinc oxide (Z
It is formed by a piezoelectric element in which interdigital or comb-like electrodes made of, for example, aluminum (Al) are provided on the surface of a piezoelectric body made of nO). By applying a predetermined voltage to the electrodes, the piezoelectric body vibrates and generates ultrasonic waves. The ultrasonic waves generated from the X transmitter 7x and the Y transmitter 7y are propagated through the surface of the counter substrate 3 as surface waves. This propagating surface wave is called a surface acoustic wave. In the present embodiment, the surface acoustic wave W is formed on the surface of the counter substrate 3 as shown in FIGS. In addition, the waveform shown with the code | symbol W shows a surface acoustic wave typically, and does not show the state of an actual surface acoustic wave correctly.

The X receiver 8x and the Y receiver 8y are elements that receive ultrasonic waves, and have the same configuration as the transmitters 7x and 7y. That is, the X receiver 8x and the Y receiver 8y are also made of, for example, zinc oxide (Zn
O) or the like is formed by a piezoelectric element formed by disposing interdigital or comb-like electrodes made of, for example, aluminum (Al) or the like. When the piezoelectric body receives a surface acoustic wave, a voltage is generated at the electrodes sandwiching the piezoelectric body.

A transmission control circuit 9 is connected to the X transmitter 7x and the Y transmitter 7y, and a predetermined voltage signal is sent to each of the transmitters 7x and 7y by the transmission control circuit 9. A position detection circuit 11 is connected to the X receiver 8x and the Y receiver 8y, and output signals from the receivers 8x and 8y are sent to the position detection circuit 11. The position detection circuit 11 obtains the input position by calculation based on the transmitted signal.

Reflecting member rows 12a, 12b, 12c, and 12d as signal wave redirecting members are provided in the surrounding area inside the annular adhesive material 4 and between the transmitters 7x and 7y and the receivers 8x and 8y. Is provided. These reflecting member rows are formed by arranging individual reflecting members in a straight line parallel to each other. An area A0 surrounded by the reflecting member rows 12a, 12b, 12c, and 12d is an input area where an operator performs an input operation. Reflective member rows 12a, 12
For example, b, 12c, and 12d are formed on the surface of the counter substrate 3 by patterning a light reflective material by a photoetching process.

The reflecting member row 12a attached to the X transmitter 7x changes the surface acoustic wave, which is excited by the X transmitter 7x and propagates in the Y direction, to the X direction. Thereby, a surface acoustic wave traveling in the X direction is formed on the entire surface of the input area A0. The reflecting member row 12c attached to the X receiver 8x changes the surface acoustic wave traveling in the X direction to the Y direction and sends it to the X receiver 8x. Of the surface acoustic waves generated from the X transmitter 7x, the surface acoustic waves in the region close to the X transmitter 7x are transmitted in a short time to the X receiver 8x.
The surface acoustic wave in a region far from the X transmitter 7x is received by the X receiver 8x after a long time.

Similarly, the reflecting member row 12b attached to the Y transmitter 7y changes the surface acoustic wave which is excited by the Y transmitter 7y and propagates in the X direction to the Y direction. As a result, the entire Y area of the input area A0
A surface acoustic wave traveling in the direction is formed. The reflecting member row 12d attached to the Y receiver 8y is Y
The surface acoustic wave traveling in the direction is changed in the X direction and sent to the Y receiver 8y. Y transmitter 7y
The surface acoustic wave in the region close to the Y transmitter 7y is received by the Y receiver 8y in a short time, and the surface acoustic wave in the region far from the Y transmitter 7y is Y after a long time. It is received by the receiver 8y.

FIG. 4 shows the wiring and terminal structure on the counter substrate 3 according to the Z1-Z1 line of FIG.
FIG. 5 shows the wiring and terminal structure on the input board 2 in accordance with the arrow A in FIG. In FIG. 5, in order to show the wiring structure and the like in an easy-to-understand manner, the wiring structure and the like are indicated by solid lines, and the input board 2 and the like are indicated by virtual lines.

In the counter substrate 3 shown in FIG. 4, the input terminals 15 are formed in the vicinity of the transmitters 7x and 7y by an appropriate patterning technique. The input terminals 15 are also formed near the receivers 8x and 8y by an appropriate patterning method. Each element and each input terminal are connected by a short wiring. In addition, external connection terminals 13 are formed by an appropriate patterning method in the peripheral region of the counter substrate 3 outside the annular adhesive 4 and in the vicinity of the receivers 8x and 8y. For example, the FPC is connected to these external connection terminals 13.
A (Flexible Printed Circuit) substrate 14 is mounted. There is a wiring 1 inside the FPC board 14.
6 is printed, and when the FPC board 14 is mounted on the counter substrate 3, the wirings 16 are connected to the external connection terminals 13.

On the other hand, in the input board 2 shown in FIG. 5, a terminal 17 is formed in the vicinity of the position corresponding to the transmitters 7x and 7y on the opposite side. A terminal 17 is also formed in the vicinity of the position corresponding to the receivers 8x and 8y on the opposite side. Further, it is the position of the peripheral edge of the input board 2 and is shown in FIG.
A terminal 18 is formed at a position corresponding to the external connection terminal 13 provided on the peripheral edge of the counter substrate 3. A wiring 19 is formed between each terminal 17 and each terminal 18. These terminals 17, 18 and wirings 19 are formed by an appropriate patterning method. The wiring 19 is covered with an insulating resin film 23 as shown in FIG. Insulating resin 23 is provided over the entire surface of input substrate 2 in this embodiment, but terminal 17
, 18 are not provided in the portion corresponding to. That is, the terminals 17 and 18 are in a state of being exposed to the outside from the opening portion opened in the resin film 23.

On the terminal 15 and the external connection terminal 13 shown in FIG. 4 or on the terminal 17 and the terminal 18 shown in FIG. 5, a conductive material 21 (see FIG. 1), for example, conductive particles, silver paste, etc. Is placed. When the counter substrate 3 shown in FIG. 4 and the input substrate 2 shown in FIG. 5 are bonded together by the adhesive 4, the terminals 17 on the input substrate 2 and the terminals 15 on the counter substrate are electrically connected as shown in FIG. Material 2
1 connected to each other. Although the conductive material 21 is drawn in the shape of an elongated ellipsoid in the drawing, it is actually formed in a spherical shape or a shape close to a spherical shape. Further, the external connection terminal 13 shown in FIG. 4 and the terminal 18 shown in FIG. Due to such a conductive connection action by the conductive material 21, the transmitters 7x and 7y and the receiver 8x on the counter substrate 3 shown in FIG.
8y is electrically connected to the external connection terminal 13 provided on the counter substrate 3 itself via the wiring 19 on the input substrate 2 shown in FIG.

Hereinafter, the operation of the touch panel 1 of the present embodiment shown in FIG. 1 will be described.
The transmission control circuit 9 shown in FIG. 2 drives the X transmitter 7x and the Y transmitter 7y alternately in time series. When the timing for driving the X oscillator 7x arrives, an electric field is applied to the X oscillator 7x, and a surface wave is excited forward in the Y direction of the X oscillator 7x. The surface waves are sequentially reflected by the reflecting member row 12a, and a surface wave traveling in the X direction is formed over the entire input area A0, which is the central area of the counter substrate 3. This surface wave is reflected by the reflecting member row 12c facing the reflecting member row 12a and inputted to the X receiver 8x. The X receiver 8x sends an electric signal to the position detection circuit 1.
Output to 1. At this time, a surface wave passing through a region close to the X transmitter 7x and a surface wave passing through a far region have different distances through which the surface wave travels, and thus there is a difference in the time to reach the X receiver 8x. .

Here, as shown in FIG. 3, for example, when the input board 2 is pushed at the position of the point P0 by the finger 22 as the input means, the input board 2 is bent and bent at the point P0. Thereby, the mutually opposing surfaces of the input substrate 2 and the counter substrate 3 come into contact at the point P0. When the input substrate 2 and the counter substrate 3 come into contact with each other in this way, among the surface waves formed on the surface of the counter substrate 3, the surface wave passing through the point P0 is changed (for example, attenuated), and the changed surface wave is received by X reception. Input to child 8x. X
The receiver 8x converts the input surface wave into an electric signal and outputs it. This electric signal is input to the position detection circuit 11 shown in FIG. 2, and the change and arrival time of the surface wave can be measured by the position detection circuit 11. Since the arrival time of the changed surface wave is correlated with the coordinate position of the pressed point P0, the position detection circuit 11 can detect the position of the pressed point P0 in the X direction.

On the other hand, when the timing for driving the Y transmitter 7y comes, an electric field is applied to the Y transmitter 7y instead of the X transmitter 7x, and a surface wave is excited in front of the Y transmitter 7y in the X direction. The surface waves are sequentially reflected by the reflecting member row 12b. A surface wave propagating in the Y direction is formed over the entire input area A0 of the counter substrate 3. The surface wave is reflected by the reflecting member row 12d facing the reflecting member row 12b and input to the Y receiver 8y. The Y receiver 8y outputs an electrical signal to the position detection circuit 11. At this time, a surface wave passing through a region close to the Y transmitter 7y and a surface wave passing through a far region have different distances through which the surface wave travels, and thus there is a difference in the time required to reach the Y receiver 8y. .

Here, as shown in FIG. 3, for example, when the input board 2 is pushed at the point P0 by the finger 22 or the like, the input board 2 is bent and bent at the point P0. Thus, the input substrate 2 and the counter substrate 3
The mutually facing surfaces contact at point P0. When the input substrate 2 and the counter substrate 3 come into contact with each other, the surface waves passing through the point P0 among the surface waves formed on the surface of the counter substrate 3 change (for example,
The changed surface wave is input to the Y receiver 8y. The Y receiver 8y converts the input surface wave into an electric signal and outputs it. This electrical signal is input to the position detection circuit 11 of FIG. 2, and the change and arrival time of the surface wave can be measured by the position detection circuit 11. Since the arrival time of the changed surface wave correlates with the coordinate position of the pressed point P0, the position detection circuit 11 can detect the position of the pressed point P0 in the Y direction.

Since the counter substrate 3 of the present embodiment is made of relatively thick glass, it does not bend easily. On the other hand, since the input board 2 of FIG. 1 is formed of a flexible resin film, it is easily bent when pressed by the finger 22. Thereby, even if the finger 22 only touches the input substrate 2 with a necessary pressure, the contact position can be accurately detected.

As described above, according to the present embodiment, the transmitters 7x and 7y and the receivers 8x and 8y
Since the counter substrate 3 provided with the wiring board 19 and the input board 2 provided with the wiring 19 are separate boards, the area in which the wiring 19 is provided can be freely determined without being disturbed by the transmitters 7x, 7y, In addition, the frame area of the touch panel 1 (the peripheral area outside the input area A0 in FIG. 2) can be narrowed.

Further, since the surface acoustic waves excited by the transmitters 7x and 7y propagate on the counter substrate 3 and not on the input substrate 2 where the input operation is performed, the material of the input substrate 2 is a hard material such as glass. A wide range of substances can be used as the material without being limited to the material. In response to this, in the present embodiment, the input substrate 2 is formed of a resin film. Resin films are less likely to break than thin glass and are very easy to handle.

In addition, when thinking about forming the input board 2 with a resin film, a polarizing plate can be selected as a resin film. In particular, if a polarizing plate as an optical element for a liquid crystal display device which is an electro-optical device is selected as this polarizing plate, it is advantageous when the touch panel of this embodiment is attached to the liquid crystal display device.

In this embodiment, the wiring 19 on the input board 2 in FIG. 5 is connected to the terminals 15 of the transmitters 7x and 7y and the terminals 15 of the receivers 8x and 8y on the counter board 3 in FIG. Nineteen terminals 18 were collectively arranged at appropriate positions on the input board 2. If the FPC board is mounted on the terminal 18 in this state, the input / output terminals of the transmitters 7x and 7y and the receivers 8x and 8y can be connected to an external circuit via the FPC board. However, in this case, since the FPC board is connected to the input board 2 that is a flexible resin film, it is considered that the entire handling of the touch panel 1 including the FPC board becomes troublesome. .

On the other hand, in this embodiment, as shown in FIG. 4, external connection terminals 13 are provided at appropriate positions on the counter substrate 3 which are formed of glass and do not easily bend, and the counter substrate 3 and the input substrate of FIG. 2 are bonded to each other by the adhesive 4, the terminals 18 of the wirings 19 gathered at appropriate positions in the input board 2 in FIG. 5 are connected to the external connection terminals 13 by the conductive material 21 (see FIG. 1). did. Thereby, transmission / reception of signals to the transmitters 7x and 7y and the receivers 8x and 8y can be performed using the counter substrate 3 instead of the input substrate 2, and as a result, the touch panel including the FPC substrate. The whole handling of 1 became very easy.

In the present embodiment, an insulating resin film 23 covering the wiring 19 is provided on the surface of the input substrate 2 in FIG. Thus, the transmitters 7x and 7y provided on the counter substrate 3 are arranged.
The resin film 23 is short-circuited between the signal wave forming element and the wiring 19 on the input substrate 2.
Can prevent. In the present embodiment, the insulating film 23 is provided on the entire surface of the input substrate 2. However, since the insulating film 23 is mainly intended to insulate the wiring 19, the insulating film 23 covers the wiring 19. You may make it provide only in the area | region of a part.

Further, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the wiring 19 provided on the surface of the input board 2 and directed to the X transmitter 7x is in a state of overlapping with the reflecting member row 12d in plan view. Moreover, the wiring 19 which goes to the Y transmitter 7y overlaps the reflecting member row 12c when seen in a plan view. Thus, if the wiring 19 is provided so as to overlap the reflecting member rows 12c and 12d in a plane, the wiring 19 does not enter the input area A0 and the input area A0 is not substantially narrowed, and There is no need for the wiring 19 to enter the frame region (that is, the peripheral region outside the input region A0) to widen the frame region. That is, according to the present embodiment in which the wiring 19 and the reflecting member rows 12c and 12d are arranged to overlap in a plane, the input area A0 is widened when the overall shape of the touch panel is determined to be constant. Conversely, when the area of the input area A0 is fixed, the overall shape of the touch panel can be reduced.

(Other embodiments)
In the above embodiment, the input substrate 2 shown in FIG. 1 is formed of a resin film, but the present invention includes the case where the input substrate 2 is formed of flexible glass (for example, thin glass). In the above embodiment, the surface acoustic wave is used as the signal wave. However, if a signal wave other than the surface acoustic wave can be used, it is needless to say that such a signal wave can be used.

In the above embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5, the receiver 8x,
The wirings 19 were collected in the peripheral area near 8y, and the terminals 18 of the wiring 19 were arranged in the peripheral area. However, the region for collecting the wirings 19 may be any other region in the peripheral region. In this case, the routing state of the wiring 19 within the surface of the input substrate 2 varies depending on the location where the wiring 19 is collected. Also in this case, the wiring 19 to be routed is the reflecting member row 12a ~.
It is desirable to overlap with 12d in plan view.

(First embodiment of electro-optical device)
Next, an electro-optical device according to the present invention will be described with reference to an embodiment thereof. Of course, the present invention is not limited to this embodiment. In the following description, reference will be made to the drawings as necessary. In this drawing, in order to clearly show important constituent elements among the structure composed of a plurality of constituent elements, the relative dimensions different from actual ones are shown. It may be indicated by

FIG. 6 shows the liquid crystal display device 31, which is an embodiment of the electro-optical device according to the invention, in an exploded state. FIG. 7 shows a cross-sectional structure of the liquid crystal display device 31 according to the Z4-Z4 line of FIG. In FIG. 6, a liquid crystal display device 31 is a liquid crystal panel 3 as an electro-optical panel.
2, a driving IC 33 as a semiconductor element mounted on the liquid crystal panel 32, a lighting device 34, and the touch panel 1. The illumination device 34 is disposed on the back side of the liquid crystal panel 32 as viewed from the observation side on which the arrow A is drawn, and functions as a backlight.

The touch panel 1 has basically the same configuration as the touch panel 1 shown in FIG. However, in the touch panel 1 of the present embodiment, the input substrate 2 is formed by a first polarizing plate that is a resin film. The input substrate 2 serving as the first polarizing plate functions as one of the components of the liquid crystal panel 32.

The illuminating device 34 is a light source, specifically an LED (Light Emitting Diode) as a point light source.
36, and a light guide 37 that converts the spot-like light emitted from the LED 36 into a planar shape and emits the light. The light guide 37 is made of, for example, a translucent resin. There are a plurality of LEDs 36.
In the present embodiment, three are provided. The light emitted from each LED 36 is introduced into the light guide 37, emitted from the light exit surface 37 b of the light guide 37 as planar light, and supplied to the liquid crystal panel 32. The light source can also be constituted by a point light source other than the LED 36, or a linear light source such as a cold cathode tube. In addition, a light reflecting film, a light diffusing film, and other optical films are provided on the light emitting surface 37b of the light guide 37 and the surface on the opposite side as necessary, but these are not shown in the figure. .

The liquid crystal panel 32 includes a first liquid crystal panel substrate 51, a second liquid crystal panel substrate 52, an input substrate 2 that functions as a first polarizing plate, and a second polarizing plate 2 b provided on the lower surface of the second liquid crystal panel substrate 52. And have. The first liquid crystal panel substrate 51 and the second liquid crystal panel substrate 52 are bonded together by a frame-shaped sealing material 54 as viewed from the direction of arrow A. The first liquid crystal panel substrate 51 is formed by forming predetermined optical elements on a substrate made of light-transmitting glass, plastic, or the like by photolithography processing or the like. The second liquid crystal panel substrate 52 is also
It is formed by forming a predetermined optical element by a photolithography process or the like on a substrate made of light-transmitting glass, plastic or the like.

The first polarizing plate 2 is incorporated in the touch panel 1 as an input substrate. The second polarizing plate 2b is provided on the outer surface of the second liquid crystal panel substrate 52, for example, by sticking. First polarizing plate (
The polarization axis of the input substrate 2) and the polarization axis of the second polarizing plate 2b are set to a predetermined relative angle according to the liquid crystal driving mode.

The touch panel 1 is disposed on the opposite side of the lighting device 34 with the liquid crystal panel 32 interposed therebetween. The touch panel 1 is bonded to the liquid crystal panel 32 by a frame-shaped adhesive member 40 as viewed in plan from the observation side on which the arrow A is drawn. As for the touch panel 1, the input substrate 2 is positioned on the observation side indicated by the arrow A, and the counter substrate 3 is positioned on the liquid crystal panel 32 side.

As shown in FIG. 7, the first liquid crystal panel substrate 51 has an overhang portion 55 that projects to the outside of one side of the second liquid crystal panel substrate 52. The driving IC 33 is, for example, an ACF (Anisotropic Co).
It is mounted on the overhanging portion 55 by COG (Chip On Glass) technology using an nductive film (anisotropic conductive film).

Although not shown in detail, the first liquid crystal panel substrate 51 and the second liquid crystal panel 32 constituting the liquid crystal panel 32 are provided.
Each of the liquid crystal panel substrates 52 has electrodes on the surfaces facing each other. Further, between these substrates, as shown in FIG. 6, liquid crystal is sealed in a gap formed by the sealing material 54, a so-called cell gap, to form a liquid crystal layer 56. When planar light is supplied from the illuminating device 34 to the liquid crystal panel 32, the voltage applied to the pair of electrodes facing each other inside the liquid crystal panel 32 is controlled for each pixel, so that the light passing through the liquid crystal can Modulate every. By passing the light thus modulated through the first polarizing plate (input substrate) 2 of the touch panel 1, images such as letters, numbers, and figures are displayed on the light emitting side of the polarizing plate 2. Thereby, the display of the liquid crystal panel 32 can be observed from the observation side indicated by the arrow A.

The liquid crystal panel 32 can be configured in any display mode. For example, in terms of a liquid crystal driving method, either a simple matrix method or an active matrix method may be used. Also,
Speaking of the types of liquid crystal modes, TN (Twisted Nematic), STN (Super Twisted Nematic)
), VA (Vertically Aligned), ECB (Electrically Controlled Birefr)
ingence: electric field control birefringence mode) Any other liquid crystal can be used. As for the daylighting method, any of a reflection type, a transmission type, and a transflective type for both transmission and reflection may be used.

The reflection type is a method in which external light such as sunlight or room light is reflected inside the liquid crystal panel 32 and used for display. The transmission type is a method for performing display using light transmitted through the liquid crystal panel 32. The transflective type is a method that can selectively perform both reflective display and transmissive display. In this embodiment, since the illumination device 34 is provided as a backlight, a transmissive type or a transflective type is adopted as the daylighting method.

The simple matrix method is a matrix method in which each pixel does not have an active element, the intersection between the scanning electrode and the data electrode corresponds to a pixel or a dot, and a drive signal is directly applied. As the liquid crystal mode for this method, any one of TN, STN, VA, ECB mode, and the like is used. Next, in the active matrix method, an active element is provided for each pixel or dot, the active element is turned on in the writing period and the data voltage is written, and the active element is turned off in other periods. Is a matrix method. Active elements used in this method include a three-terminal type and a two-terminal type. An example of a three-terminal active element is a TFT (Thin Film Transistor). An example of a two-terminal active element is a TFD (Thin Film Diode).

When performing color display on the liquid crystal panel 32 as described above, a color filter is provided on the first liquid crystal panel substrate 51 or the second liquid crystal panel substrate 52. The color filter
It is formed by a plurality of filters that selectively transmit light in a specific wavelength range. For example, the three primary colors B (blue), G (green), and R (red) are arranged in a predetermined arrangement, for example, a stripe arrangement, a delta arrangement, and a mosaic arrangement, corresponding to each pixel on the substrate. Formed by.

Since the liquid crystal display device 31 of the present embodiment uses a touch panel having the same configuration as the touch panel 1 shown in FIG. 1 as the touch panel 1, the liquid crystal display device 31 has the same effects that the touch panel 1 of FIG. be able to.
For example, in FIG. 1, the counter substrate 3 provided with the transmitters 7x and 7y and the receivers 8x and 8y and the input substrate (first polarizing plate) 2 provided with the wiring 19 are separate substrates. Can be freely determined without being disturbed by the transmitters 7x, 7y, etc.
In addition, the frame area of the touch panel 1 (the peripheral area outside the input area A0 in FIG. 2) can be narrowed.

Further, the surface acoustic wave excited by the transmitters 7x and 7y propagates on the counter substrate 3 and does not propagate on the input substrate 2 on which the input operation is performed.
Is formed by a polarizing plate made of resin, no adverse effect is caused on the position detection process using surface acoustic waves. If the input substrate 2 is formed of a flexible resin instead of a thin glass, the resin is less likely to be damaged than glass, so that the touch panel 1 and the liquid crystal display 31 can be handled very easily. Become.

In addition, if the input substrate 2 of the touch panel 1 is configured by the first polarizing plate for the liquid crystal panel 32, the input substrate and the polarizing plate can be shared with respect to the components of the liquid crystal display device with the touch panel. Cost can be reduced.

(Other embodiments)
Although the liquid crystal display device is exemplified as the electro-optical device in the embodiment of FIG. For example, the present invention can be applied to an organic EL device, a plasma display device, and the like.

(First Embodiment of Electronic Device)
Hereinafter, an electronic device according to the present invention will be described with reference to embodiments. In addition, this embodiment shows an example of this invention and this invention is not limited to this embodiment.

FIG. 8 shows an embodiment of an electronic apparatus according to the invention. The electronic apparatus shown here includes a liquid crystal display device 101 that is an example of an electro-optical device, and a control circuit 102 that controls the liquid crystal display device 101. The control circuit 102 includes a display information output source 105, a display information processing circuit 106, and a power supply circuit 10.
7 and the timing generator 108. The liquid crystal display device 101 is the same as that shown in FIG.
The liquid crystal display device 31 shown in FIG. That is, the liquid crystal display device 101 includes the liquid crystal panel 32, the touch panel 1, and the drive circuit 104 included in the drive IC 33.

The display information output source 105 includes a memory such as a RAM (Random Access Memory), a storage unit such as various disks, a tuning circuit that tunes and outputs a digital image signal, and various clock signals generated by the timing generator 108. The display information processing circuit 106 is supplied with display information such as a predetermined format image signal.

Next, the display information processing circuit 106 includes a number of well-known circuits such as an amplification / inversion circuit, a rotation circuit, a gamma correction circuit, a clamp circuit, and the like, executes processing of input display information, and outputs an image signal. It is supplied to the drive circuit 104 together with the clock signal CLK. Here, the drive circuit 104 is a generic term for an inspection circuit and the like together with a scanning line drive circuit and a data line drive circuit. The power supply circuit 107 supplies a predetermined power supply voltage to each of the above components.

The touch panel 1 detects the position in the input area A0 according to the input operation by the operator,
The inspection result is transmitted as a position signal to the display information output source 105, for example. The display information output source 105 calculates an image signal based on the transmitted position signal.

The liquid crystal display device 31 of FIG. 6 can form the built-in touch panel 1 in a small size,
The liquid crystal display device 31 itself can also be formed small. Therefore, the electronic apparatus of this embodiment using this liquid crystal display device 31 can also be formed in a small size. Further, since the input substrate 2 of the touch panel 1 is formed of a resin film rather than a thin glass, the liquid crystal display device 31 is easy to manufacture and easy to handle. Therefore, the electronic apparatus of this embodiment using this is easy to manufacture and easy to handle.

(Second Embodiment of Electronic Device)
FIG. 9 shows a handy terminal 200 which is another embodiment of the electronic apparatus according to the present invention. In FIG. 9, the handy terminal 200 includes a liquid crystal display device 211, function keys 203, and a power input switch 204. The liquid crystal display device 211 is
It has a touch panel 201 and a liquid crystal panel 202 arranged therebelow. The operator can input data by directly indicating the position on the touch panel 201 by pressing while looking at the icon printed on the function key 203 or the screen of the liquid crystal panel 204.

The liquid crystal display device 211 includes the liquid crystal display device 31 shown in FIG. That is, the touch panel 201 includes the touch panel 1 shown in FIG.
Is constituted by the liquid crystal panel 32 of FIG. The liquid crystal display device 31 of FIG. 6 can be formed in a small size because the built-in touch panel 1 can be formed in a small size. Therefore, the handy terminal 200 of this embodiment using the liquid crystal display device 31 is used.
Can also be made compact. Further, since the input substrate 2 of the touch panel 1 is formed of a resin film rather than a thin glass, the liquid crystal display device 31 is easy to manufacture and easy to handle. Therefore, the electronic apparatus of this embodiment using this is easy to manufacture and easy to handle.

(Other embodiments)
The present invention is not limited to the handy terminal as shown in FIG. 9, and can be applied to various electronic devices. Examples of such electronic devices include mobile phones, electronic books, personal computers, digital still cameras, liquid crystal televisions, viewfinder type or monitor direct view type video tape recorders, car navigation devices, pagers, electronic notebooks, calculators, word processors. , Workstations, videophones, POS terminals and the like.

It is sectional drawing which shows one Embodiment of the touchscreen which concerns on this invention. It is a plane sectional view of the touch panel of FIG. It is sectional drawing according to the Z3-Z3 line | wire of FIG. It is a top view which shows the structure on a counter substrate. It is a top view which shows the structure on an input board. 1 is a perspective view showing an electro-optical device according to an embodiment of the present invention in an exploded state. It is sectional drawing which shows the internal structure of an electro-optical apparatus according to the Z4-Z4 line | wire of FIG. It is a block diagram which shows one Embodiment of the electronic device which concerns on this invention. It is a perspective view which shows other embodiment of the electronic device which concerns on this invention.

Explanation of symbols

1. 1. touch panel; Input substrate (first polarizing plate), 2b. Second polarizing plate,
3. 3. counter substrate; Adhesive, 6. Spacers, 7x. X transmitter, 7y. Y transmitter,
8x. X receiver, 8y. Y receiver, 12a, 12b, 12c, 12d. Reflective member row,
13. External connection terminal, 14. 15. FPC board, Input terminal, 16. wiring,
17. Terminal, 18. Terminal, 19. Wiring, 21. Conductive material, 22. Finger (input means),
23. Insulating resin film 31. Liquid crystal display device (electro-optical device), 32. LCD panel,
33. Driving IC, 40. Adhesive member, 51. A first liquid crystal panel substrate;
52. Second liquid crystal panel substrate, 54. Sealing material, 55. Overhang, 56. Liquid crystal layer,
101. 200. Liquid crystal display device (electro-optical device) Handy terminal (electronic equipment),
211. Liquid crystal display device (electro-optical device), A0. Input area; Surface acoustic wave,
P0. Press point

Claims (9)

An input board arranged on the observation side and pressed for input;
A counter substrate disposed opposite the input substrate;
A transmitter provided on a surface of the counter substrate facing the input substrate;
A receiver provided on a surface of the counter substrate facing the input substrate;
A terminal provided on the counter substrate and electrically connected to at least one of the transmitter or the receiver;
Wiring provided on a surface of the input substrate facing the counter substrate;
A conductive material for connecting the terminal and the wiring;
A touch panel comprising: In the touch panel according to claim 1,
An external connection terminal provided on the counter substrate;
A second conductive material for connecting the wiring and the external connection terminal;
A touch panel comprising: The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein an insulating resin film that covers the wiring is provided on a surface of the input substrate. 4. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the counter substrate is a glass substrate, and the input substrate is a resin film. 5. 4. The touch panel according to claim 1, wherein the counter substrate is a glass substrate, and the input substrate is a polarizing plate. 5. In the touch panel according to any one of claims 1 to 5,
A signal wave redirecting member that is provided on the surface of the counter substrate and directs the signal wave emitted from the transmitter to the receiver;
The touch panel, wherein the wiring provided on the surface of the input board overlaps with the signal wave redirecting member in plan view. An electro-optical device comprising the touch panel according to claim 1. 8. The electro-optical device according to claim 7, wherein the input substrate is a polarizing plate made of resin.   An electronic apparatus comprising the electro-optical device according to claim 7.

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