TW201317842A - Touch pen applicable for capacitive touch panel and manufacturing method thereof - Google Patents

Abstract

An embodiment of the present invention provides a touch pen applicable for a capacitive touch panel, at least including: a transparent hollow pen nib and has an cavity and an touch face opposite to the cavity, wherein the touch face is suitable for contacting the capacitive touch panel, and the transparent hollow pen nib is conductive.

Description

Touch pen suitable for capacitive touch panel and manufacturing method thereof

The present invention relates to a touch element, and more particularly to a stylus suitable for a capacitive touch panel and a method of fabricating the same.

With the advent of tablets and smart phones, people can carry such devices with them anywhere, greatly improving the convenience of life. Most tablets and smart phones are equipped with touch panels, allowing users to input information directly through the screen panel, such as a handwriting recognition system.

At present, the touch panel is roughly classified into a capacitive type and a resistive type (Resistive). Resistive touch panels are mostly used for products that can be written with a stylus, while capacitive touch panels mostly use the static induction of the human body and require direct writing with a finger. When the finger comes into contact with the touch panel, static electricity in the human body flows into the ground to generate a weak current. The detection electrode changes in accordance with the current value, and the position of the contact can be calculated.

However, when using a capacitive touch panel to write text, graphics, or fine touch point contact, the user's finger size is too large. Furthermore, when the user actually operates the capacitive touch panel, the current signal flowing through the capacitive touch panel is very weak, and is easily affected by factors such as finger temperature, wetness, and body weight. Drift Phenomenon, which has been an urgent problem for capacitive touch panel applications.

Therefore, a variety of styluses suitable for use in a capacitive touch panel have been developed, such as a stylus with a conductive brush and a stylus with a conductive rubber (as disclosed in US Patent No. 2009/0008162 A1). Or the stylus with a pen-shaped conductive plate (as disclosed in Taiwan's new patent M381834), the writing effects are shown in Annexes 1, 2, and 3, respectively. Attachment 1 is a photograph of the writing effect of a stylus using a conventional pen tip as a conductive brush. Attachment 2 is a photograph of the writing effect of a stylus using a conventional pen tip as a conductive rubber. Attachment 3 is a photograph of the writing effect of a stylus using a conventional pen tip as a conductive plate.

Because the conductive brush type stylus is an opaque brush, it cannot be aligned when writing text (as shown in Attachment 1). Because the conductive rubber type stylus is made of opaque rubber, it cannot be aligned when writing text, and the friction between the rubber and the capacitive touch panel is too large, so that it cannot be smoothly written on the capacitive touch panel. (As shown in Annex 2). In addition, the conductive flat type stylus is only suitable for writing at a specific angle. However, when drawing or writing text, the user easily deflects the stylus so that the drawn picture or text is broken (such as an attachment). 3)).

An embodiment of the present invention provides a stylus suitable for a capacitive touch panel, comprising at least one transparent hollow tip having a cavity and a contact surface, wherein the contact surface is adapted to contact the capacitive touch panel. The transparent hollow tip is electrically conductive.

An embodiment of the present invention provides a method for fabricating a stylus for a capacitive touch panel, comprising: providing a transparent substrate; forming a transparent conductive layer on the transparent substrate; and performing the transparent substrate and the transparent conductive layer A thermal compression process is performed to form a cavity in the transparent substrate.

An embodiment of the present invention provides a method for fabricating a stylus for a capacitive touch panel, comprising: providing a transparent substrate; performing a thermal compression process on the transparent substrate to form a cavity in the transparent substrate; A transparent conductive layer.

The manner of making and using the embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail below. It should be noted, however, that the present invention provides many inventive concepts that can be applied in various specific forms. The specific embodiments discussed herein are merely illustrative of specific ways of making and using the invention, and are not intended to limit the scope of the invention. Moreover, repeated numbers or labels may be used in different embodiments. These repetitions are merely for the purpose of simplicity and clarity of the invention and are not to be construed as a limitation of the various embodiments and/or structures discussed. In the drawings, the shape or thickness of the embodiment may be expanded to simplify or facilitate the marking. Furthermore, elements not shown or described in the figures are in the form known to those of ordinary skill in the art.

FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional view of a stylus pen suitable for a capacitive touch panel according to an embodiment of the invention. FIG. 1B is a perspective perspective view of the stylus pen of FIG. 1A. Referring to FIG. 1A and FIG. 1B , the stylus 100 of the present embodiment is suitable for a capacitive touch panel, and the stylus 100 includes at least one transparent hollow tip 110 . The transparent hollow tip 110 has a cavity 112 and a contact surface 114. The contact surface 114 is adapted to contact a capacitive touch panel (not shown), and the transparent hollow tip 110 is electrically conductive. In this embodiment, the transparent hollow tip 110 can be curved, and the contact surface 114 can be a curved surface. Attachment 4 is a photograph of the writing effect of the stylus using an embodiment of the present invention.

It should be noted that since the transparent hollow tip 110 of the stylus pen 100 of the embodiment is transparent and has an arc-shaped contact surface 114, the stylus pen 100 can accurately align the characters when writing. The user can write at a convenient angle and is ergonomically designed. Even if the user deflects the stylus 100 during writing, the contact surface 114 of the stylus 100 can be in good contact with the capacitive touch panel (the actual writing effect is as follows) As shown in Appendix 4, it can avoid the problem that the stylus cannot be aligned when drawing or writing, or the drawing (or text) is broken. In addition, since the tip of the stylus pen 100 of the embodiment is hollow, the transparency is better, thereby improving the accuracy of the alignment.

In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 1A, the transparent hollow tip 110 includes a transparent substrate 116 and a transparent conductive layer 118. The transparent substrate 116 has an inner side 116a facing the cavity 112 and a remote from the cavity 112. The outer side surface 116b, and the transparent conductive layer 118 covers the outer side surface 116b of the transparent substrate 116.

2 is a cross-sectional view of a stylus tip suitable for a capacitive touch panel according to an embodiment of the invention. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 2, the transparent conductive layer 118 may cover the inner side surface 116a of the transparent substrate 116.

The material of the transparent hollow tip 110 is, for example, a flexible material. In this way, when the user uses the stylus pen 100 of the embodiment, the flexible transparent hollow tip 110 can be in good contact with the touch surface of the capacitive touch panel.

The material of the transparent substrate 116 is, for example, a transparent polymer material such as polyethylene terephthalate (PET). The material of the transparent conductive layer 118 is, for example, a conductive polymer material such as poly(3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) (PEDOT), or indium tin oxide (ITO), and oxidation. Indium zinc (IZO), graphene, or other suitable transparent conductive material.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a stylus tip suitable for a capacitive touch panel according to an embodiment of the invention. In the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 3, the transparent hollow tip 110 may be formed of a transparent conductive material, that is, the transparent hollow tip 110 may be a single layer structure composed of a transparent conductive material.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a stylus tip suitable for a capacitive touch panel according to an embodiment of the invention. Referring to FIG. 4, in the present embodiment, the contact surface 114 has a plurality of curved surfaces. For example, the curvature of the curvature of the contact surface 114 at region C (the tip region) is greater than the curvature of the curvature of the contact surface 114 at region D (peripheral region).

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a stylus tip suitable for a capacitive touch panel according to an embodiment of the invention. In this embodiment, the contact surface 114 can have a curved surface of a single curvature. That is to say, the contact surface 114 is entirely spherical. In other embodiments, the transparent hollow tip 110 can be cylindrical, beveled, or tapered.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a stylus suitable for a capacitive touch panel according to an embodiment of the invention. Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the stylus of Figure 6. Referring to FIG. 6 and FIG. 7 simultaneously, the stylus pen 600 of the embodiment may further include a pen holder 120 connecting the transparent hollow tip 110. In detail, the pen holder 120 can be coupled to the lower edge P of the transparent hollow tip 110. As shown in FIG. 7, in an embodiment, the pen holder 120 and the transparent hollow tip 110 may be integrally formed. The material of the sheath 120 is, for example, the same material as that of the transparent hollow tip 110.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a stylus suitable for a capacitive touch panel according to another embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 8, in another embodiment, the pen holder 120 and the transparent hollow tip 110 may be in a separately formed structure. The material of the pen 120 is, for example, a transparent material, so that the user's line of sight can directly pass through the transparent pen holder 120 and the transparent hollow tip 110 to see the contact position of the transparent hollow tip 110 and the capacitive touch panel. The exact alignment can be made when drawing or writing text. The sheath 120 can be electrically conductive or non-conductive.

The pen holder 120 has, for example, a hollow tubular shape (as shown in Fig. 7), a closed hollow tubular shape (as shown in Fig. 8), a solid cylindrical shape (not shown), or other shape suitable for the user to hold. Referring to FIG. 8, in the present embodiment, the transparent hollow tip 110 and the sheath 120 are substantially equal in width at the junction (region E).

In an embodiment of the present invention, the transparent hollow tip 110 may have an opaque position indication mark, and the opaque position indication mark is, for example, a dot mark A (as shown in FIG. 6) and a grid mark B (such as Figure 9 shows, or other marks suitable for marking the position. The opaque position indication mark is, for example, on the inner side surface 116a of the transparent substrate 116, the outer side surface 116b, or the surface of the transparent conductive layer 118.

The cavity 112 is, for example, an open cavity (as shown in Figures 1A, 2, 3, and 7) or a closed cavity (as shown in Figure 8).

Various methods of fabricating the stylus of the foregoing embodiment will be described in detail below.

10A to 10B are cross-sectional views showing a process of a stylus pen for a capacitive touch panel according to an embodiment of the invention. First, referring to FIG. 10A, a transparent substrate 116 is provided, and a transparent conductive layer 118 is formed on the transparent substrate 116. At this time, the transparent substrate 116 and the transparent conductive layer 118 constitute a composite structure F. Before the transparent conductive layer 118 is formed, a hydrophilic (or hydrophobic) modification treatment, such as an oxygen plasma (O ₂ plasma), may be selectively performed on the surface of the transparent substrate 116 so that the transparent conductive layer 118 can be uniformly It is formed on the transparent substrate 116.

Next, a thermal compression process is performed on the composite structure F to conformably attach the composite structure F to a high temperature mold 1010. The process temperature and heating time of the thermocompression bonding process may depend on the material of the composite structure F, and the process temperature is usually 80 to 120 degrees, and the heating time is 7 to 15 seconds. At this time, a plurality of suction holes 1014 of the high temperature mold 1010 leading to the mold surface 1012 may be evacuated so that the composite structure F can closely fit the mold surface 1012.

Thereafter, referring to FIG. 10B, a demolding process is performed to separate the composite structure F from the high temperature mold 1010. At this time, the transparent substrate 116 is arcuate and forms a cavity 112. The material of the transparent conductive layer 118 and the material of the transparent substrate 116 are, for example, flexible materials.

It should be noted that the embodiment of FIG. 10A and FIG. 10B is an example of a composite structure F in which the transparent substrate 116 is below and the transparent conductive layer 118 is on. In this case, the stylus head 1000 produced by the thermal compression process is exemplified. The transparent conductive layer 118 covers the outer side surface 116b of the transparent substrate 116. In other embodiments, the position of the transparent substrate 116 and the transparent conductive layer 118 may be reversed (ie, the transparent substrate 116 is on and the transparent conductive layer 118 is below) before the thermal compression process to prepare the thermal compression process. The transparent conductive layer 118 of the stylus covers the inner side surface 116a of the transparent substrate 116 (as shown in FIG. 2).

11A to 11B are cross-sectional views showing a process of a stylus pen for a capacitive touch panel according to an embodiment of the invention. First, please refer to FIG. 11A to provide a transparent substrate 116. Next, the transparent substrate 116 is subjected to a thermal compression process so that the transparent substrate 116 is conformally attached to a high temperature mold 1010.

Thereafter, referring to FIG. 11B, a demolding process is performed to separate the transparent substrate 116 from the high temperature mold 1010. At this time, the transparent substrate 116 is curved and forms a cavity 112. Then, a transparent conductive layer 118 is formed on the curved transparent substrate 116, and a method of forming the transparent conductive layer 118 is, for example, a coating method.

12A to 12B are cross-sectional views showing a process of a stylus suitable for a capacitive touch panel according to an embodiment of the invention. First, referring to FIG. 12A, a transparent substrate 116 is provided, and a transparent conductive layer 118 is formed on the transparent substrate 116. At this time, the transparent substrate 116 and the transparent conductive layer 118 constitute a composite structure F. Next, a thermal compression process is performed on the composite structure F to compliantly attach the composite structure F to a high temperature mold 1210. Thereafter, referring to FIG. 12B, a demolding process is performed to separate the composite structure F from the high temperature mold 1210. At this time, the transparent substrate 116 has an arc portion 116c and a pendulum 120, wherein the arc portion 116c has a cavity. 112. In other embodiments, the stylus can also be fabricated by injection molding, compression molding, or other suitable method.

In summary, since the transparent hollow pen tip of the stylus of the present invention is transparent and has an arc-shaped contact surface, the stylus can be accurately aligned when writing characters, and can be written by a user at a convenient angle. Ergonomically designed, even if the user deflects the stylus during writing, the arc-shaped contact surface of the stylus can be in good contact with the contact capacitive touch panel. Moreover, since the tip of the stylus of the present invention is hollow, the transparency is better, thereby improving the accuracy of the alignment.

The present invention has been disclosed in the above preferred embodiments, and is not intended to limit the scope of the present invention. Any one of ordinary skill in the art can make a few changes without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention. The scope of protection of the present invention is therefore defined by the scope of the appended claims.

100, 600, 1000. . . Stylus

110. . . Transparent hollow tip

112. . . Cavity

114. . . Contact surfaces

116. . . Transparent substrate

116a. . . Inner side

116b. . . Outer side

116c. . . Arc

118. . . Transparent conductive layer

120. . . pen

1010, 1210. . . High temperature mold

1012. . . Mold surface

1014. . . Venting hole

A. . . Dot mark

B. . . Grid mark

C, D, E. . . region

F. . . Composite structure

P. . . Lower edge

FIG. 1A is a cross-sectional view of a stylus pen suitable for a capacitive touch panel according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 1B is a perspective perspective view of the stylus pen of FIG. 1A.

2 is a cross-sectional view of a stylus tip suitable for a capacitive touch panel according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 3 is a cross-sectional view of a stylus tip suitable for a capacitive touch panel according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 4 is a cross-sectional view of a stylus tip suitable for a capacitive touch panel according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 5 is a cross-sectional view of a stylus tip suitable for a capacitive touch panel according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 6 is a perspective view of a stylus suitable for a capacitive touch panel according to an embodiment of the invention.

Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view showing the stylus of Figure 6.

FIG. 8 is a cross-sectional view of a stylus suitable for a capacitive touch panel according to an embodiment of the invention.

FIG. 9 is a perspective perspective view of a stylus suitable for a capacitive touch panel according to an embodiment of the invention.

10A to 10B are cross-sectional views showing a process of a stylus pen for a capacitive touch panel according to an embodiment of the invention.

11A to 11B are cross-sectional views showing a process of a stylus pen for a capacitive touch panel according to an embodiment of the invention.

12A to 12B are cross-sectional views showing a process of a stylus suitable for a capacitive touch panel according to an embodiment of the invention.

Attachment 1 is a photograph of the writing effect of a stylus using a conventional pen tip as a conductive brush.

Attachment 2 is a photograph of the writing effect of a stylus using a conventional pen tip as a conductive rubber.

Attachment 3 is a photograph of the writing effect of a stylus using a conventional pen tip as a conductive plate.

Attachment 4 is a photograph of the writing effect of the stylus using an embodiment of the present invention.

100. . . Stylus

110. . . Transparent hollow tip

112. . . Cavity

114. . . Contact surfaces

116. . . Transparent substrate

116a. . . Inner side

116b. . . Outer side

118. . . Transparent conductive layer

Claims (28)

A stylus suitable for a capacitive touch panel includes at least a transparent pen tip that is electrically conductive and has a cavity and a contact surface, wherein the contact surface is adapted to contact the capacitive touch panel. The stylus for a capacitive touch panel according to the first aspect of the invention, wherein the transparent hollow tip comprises: a transparent substrate having an inner side facing the cavity and an outer side away from the cavity a side surface; and a transparent conductive layer covering the outer side surface of the transparent substrate. The stylus for a capacitive touch panel according to the first aspect of the invention, wherein the transparent hollow tip comprises: a transparent substrate having an inner side facing the cavity and an outer side away from the cavity a side; and a transparent conductive layer covering the inner side of the transparent substrate. The stylus for a capacitive touch panel as described in claim 1, wherein the material of the transparent hollow tip comprises a flexible material. The stylus for a capacitive touch panel as described in claim 1, wherein the transparent hollow tip has an opaque position mark, and the opaque position mark includes a dot mark or a net. Check mark. The stylus for a capacitive touch panel as described in claim 1, wherein the contact surface has a curved surface of a single curvature. The stylus for a capacitive touch panel as described in claim 1, wherein the contact surface has a plurality of curved surfaces. The stylus for a capacitive touch panel as described in claim 1 further includes: a pen that connects the transparent hollow tip. The stylus for a capacitive touch panel as described in claim 8 wherein the material of the pen is the same as the material of the transparent hollow tip. The stylus suitable for a capacitive touch panel as described in claim 8 wherein the pen holder and the transparent hollow tip are integrally formed. The stylus for a capacitive touch panel as described in claim 8 wherein the transparent hollow tip and the pen are substantially equal in width at the junction of the two. The stylus for a capacitive touch panel as described in claim 1, wherein the cavity is an open cavity or a closed cavity. The stylus for a capacitive touch panel as described in claim 1, wherein the transparent hollow tip is made of a transparent conductive material. The stylus for a capacitive touch panel according to the first aspect of the invention, wherein the transparent hollow tip has an arc shape, and the contact surface is a curved surface. The stylus for a capacitive touch panel as described in claim 1, wherein the transparent hollow tip has a cylindrical shape, a sloped shape, or a tapered shape. A manufacturing method of a stylus for a capacitive touch panel, comprising: providing a transparent substrate; forming a transparent conductive layer on the transparent substrate; and performing a thermal compression process on the transparent substrate and the transparent conductive layer So that the transparent substrate forms a cavity. The method for fabricating a stylus for a capacitive touch panel according to claim 16, wherein the method for forming the transparent conductive layer comprises a coating method. The method for manufacturing a stylus for a capacitive touch panel according to claim 16 , wherein the material of the transparent conductive layer and the material of the transparent substrate comprise a flexible material. The method for fabricating a stylus for a capacitive touch panel according to claim 16 , wherein the step of forming the cavity further comprises: forming a stylus connected to the transparent substrate. The method for fabricating a stylus for a capacitive touch panel according to claim 19, wherein the thermal compression process comprises: heating and pressing the transparent substrate such that the transparent substrate has an arc And the pen holder, wherein the arc has the cavity. The method for fabricating a stylus for a capacitive touch panel according to claim 16, wherein the transparent substrate is arcuate, cylindrical, beveled, or Cone. A method for manufacturing a stylus for a capacitive touch panel, comprising: providing a transparent substrate; performing a thermal compression process on the transparent substrate to form a cavity; and forming a transparent conductive layer On the transparent substrate. The method for fabricating a stylus for a capacitive touch panel according to claim 22, wherein the method for forming the transparent conductive layer comprises a coating method. The method for manufacturing a stylus for a capacitive touch panel according to claim 22, wherein the material of the transparent conductive layer and the material of the transparent substrate comprise a flexible material. The method for fabricating a stylus for a capacitive touch panel according to claim 22, wherein the step of forming the cavity further comprises: forming a stylus connected to the transparent substrate. The method for fabricating a stylus for a capacitive touch panel as described in claim 22, wherein the step of forming the transparent conductive layer on the transparent substrate further comprises: forming a sheath connected to the transparent substrate . The method for manufacturing a stylus for a capacitive touch panel according to claim 26, wherein the thermocompression bonding process comprises: heating and pressing the transparent substrate to make the transparent substrate have an arc And the pen holder, wherein the arc has the cavity. The method for fabricating a stylus for a capacitive touch panel according to claim 22, wherein after the thermal compression process, the transparent substrate is arcuate, cylindrical, beveled, or Cone.