Polarizing device integrated with touch sensor

Details Polarizing device integrated with touch sensor Polarizing device integrated with touch sensor

2003-02-21

2004-04-06

Friedhofer, Michael (Department: 2832)

Electricity: circuit makers and breakers

Electric switch details

Indicators

C200S0050EA

Reexamination Certificate

active

06717083

ABSTRACT:

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION
1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a touch sensor capable of polarizing a light beam for being employed in a LCD (Liquid Crystal Display) panel or monitor.
2. Background Description
In the present technologies for concerning the convenience and friendship, the user interface is developed to implement ordinary user habits. Thus, users may manipulate the technology products via an interactive human interface, rather than learning lots knowledge and computer instructions, such for computers, home appliances, guiding systems (G.P.S. or others) and personal digital assistance (PDA). The screens of high technology products are able to be clicked in order to input the instructions directly via screens, so-called touch screens. Thus, the user friendly interface is enhanced from ordinary input devices such as mouses or keyboards.
The touch screens as aforementioned, as shown in
FIG. 1
, includes a glass substrate
10
, a first conductive layer
11
, a first insulation layer
12
, a first electrode layer
13
, an isolation layer
14
, a second electrode layer
15
, a second insulation layer
16
, a second insulation layer
17
and a film
18
. The first conductive layer
11
and the second conductive layer
17
are conductive materials, for example Indium Tin Oxide (ITO). The first conducted layer
11
is sputtered to the glass substrate
10
. The second conductive layer
17
is also sputtered to the film
18
. In this case, both the glass substrate
10
and the film
18
are conductive. After that, the first insulation layer
12
and the second insulation layer
16
are printed to the glass substrate
10
and the film
18
respectively. The first conductive layer
12
and the second conductive layer
16
are designated to spread equipotential voltage filed over the conductive layers. The first electrode layer
13
and the second electrode layer
15
are made by conductive material, such as silver paste. The first electrode layer
13
and the second electrode layer
15
are printed to the first conductive layer
11
and the second conductive layer
17
respectively. A first electrode
131
and a second electrode
132
of the first electrode layer
13
are positioned in parallel. A third electrode
151
and a fourth electrode
152
of the second electrode
15
are also positioned in parallel. The electrode leads
133
,
134
,
153
and
154
are connected to the first electrode
131
, the second electrode
132
, the third electrode
153
and the fourth electrode
154
respectively for propagating signals. Once the isolation layer
14
is printed on the first conductive layer
11
, a touch screen is completed after combining the glass substrate and the film by an adhesive material.
Please refer to
FIG. 2A
, the figures shows the cross section along line A-A′, especially under the condition that the user does not press down the film or the user does not click on the screen. There is an isolation layer between the first conductive layer
11
and the second conductive layer
17
. The isolation layer
14
contains plurality of spacers
140
in order to prevent the contacts between the first conductive layer
11
and the second conductive layer
17
. If the first conductive layer
11
and the second conductive layer
17
are not contacted, there will be no signal generated and outputted. Further in view of
FIG. 2B
, if the user presses down or clicks on the film
18
by user's finger
19
, the film
18
will be bent. Thus, the second conductive layer
17
is bent to contact the first conductive layer
11
. Since the first electrode
131
is provided a five voltage (5V) via the electrode lead
133
and the second electrode
132
is provided a zero voltage (0V) via the electrode lead
134
, there is voltage gap of five voltage (5V) between the first electrode
131
and the second electrode
132
. In this case, a general and equivalent equipotential filed from 0V to 5V is generated. If the second conductive layer
17
is bent to contact the first conductive layer
11
, the coordinates of the contact point
21
will be recognized by sampling out the voltage signal. The voltage presents the one axis position of the coordinate of the contact point
21
, such as the position along X-axis. After a predetermined time shift, an equipotential filed is generated between the third electrode
151
and the fourth electrode
152
. By sampling out the voltage signal of the contact point, the position of the coordinate of the contact point is acquired along the Y-axis as shown in FIG.
1
. By switching the two equipotential fields on the first conductive layer
13
and the second conductive layer
15
, the coordinates of the movement of the finger on the film
18
will be acquired. Accordingly, the touch sensor
1
is required to be integrated with a display (usually a liquid crystal display). In this case, the user may see the content of the display in order to touch the touch sensor to input the instruction.
In an ordinary liquid crystal display, there is implemented a polarizer for polarizing a light beam with a specific polarity.
FIG. 3A
shows the structure of the polarizer
2
. The polarizer
2
comprises a polarizing layer
20
, a first protection layer
22
and a second protection layer
24
. The polarizing layer
20
is a PVA (Poly Vinyl Alcohol). The characteristic of the PVA is to allow a light beam with a specific polarity to pass. The first protection layer
22
is positioned in the upper side of the polarizing layer
20
, made by the material of PET or other insulating materials. The second protection layer
24
is positioned below the polarizing layer
20
, made by the material of PET or other insulating materials for protecting the polarizing layer
20
. Moreover, the first protection layer
22
and the second protection layer
24
are also for preventing any bending causes to the polarizing layer
20
.
Regarding the cost of the manufactures, Minoura et al. have disclosed a way to combine the touch sensor
1
and polarizer
2
together. See U.S. Pat. No. 6,108,064. Minoura et al. taught to integrate the touch sensor
1
and the polarizer
2
by adhesive. As shown in
FIG. 3B
, the touch sensor
1
sticks to the polarizer
2
by adhesive. Thus, the liquid crystal display (not shown in
FIG. 3B
) employing the polarizer
2
is capable of touch features.
However, this kind of manufacturing processes require lots alignment procedures. Further, to paste the adhesive over either the touch sensor
1
or the polarizer
2
will easily leave some adhesive on the touch sensor
1
or the polarizer
2
, which causes lots rejected products along with other defected issues. In this case, the present invention provides an integrated touch sensor or called an integrated polarizer for reducing the aforementioned problems.
SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a polarizing device integrated with a touch sensor. So that the polarizing device is capable of touch features.
It is another object of the present invention to provide a low-cost device to be implemented to the liquid crystal display.


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patent: 6034335 (2000-03-01), Aufderheide et al.
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