Panasonic Corporation

Matsushita Electric Industrial Co., Ltd.

Panasonic Intellectual Property Management Co., Ltd.

Koji Tanabe

Kenichi Matsumoto

Yosuke Chikahisa

Yousuke Chikahisa

Shoji Fujii

Naoki Tatehata

Naohiro Nishioka

Heiji Ikoma

Hirotoshi Watanabe

Tsutomu Aisaka

Yasutaka Yamamoto

Masahiro Ohara

Shinji Okuma

Masaru Kuwahara

Akito Kawasumi

Tamotsu Yamamoto

Masahiro Ito

Masaki Sawada

Takefumi Inoue

Yoshiharu Abe

Toshiharu Fukui

Hirofumi Komiya

Keishiro Murata

Minoru Karaki

Hidetoshi Hiraoka

Takao Matsui

Kenichi Takabatake

Tetsutaro Nasu

Kenicni Takabatake

A touch panel includes a cover substrate, an upper resin layer, upper conductive layers, a lower resin layer, lower conductive layers, and a protective layer. The upper conductive layers are in contact with the upper resin layer on the side opposite to the cover substrate. The lower resin layer is in contact with the upper conductive layers and the upper resin layer. The lower conductive layers are provided on the side of the lower resin layer opposite to the upper conductive layers with the lower resin layer placed between the lower conductive layers and the upper conductive layers. The protective layer is provided on the surface of the lower resin layer on which the lower conductive layers are formed. Each of the upper resin layer and the lower resin layer is formed of a uniform material.

Touch panel and method of producing the same

A touch panel includes an upper substrate, upper conductive layers on an upper surface of the upper substrate, a lower substrate having an upper surface facing a lower surface of the upper substrate, lower conductive layers provided on the upper surface of the lower substrate, and an adhesive layer bonding the lower surface of the upper substrate to the upper surface of the lower substrate. The adhesive layer is curable with ultraviolet ray. This touch panel prevents adhesive from being attached and having a pressing mark, thus being operated easily.

Touch panel

In a touch panel, one of conductive layers on a bottom of an upper substrate and on a top of a lower substrate is formed of belt-shaped conductive layers. The other is a single conductive layer facing the belt-shaped conductive layers. The single conductive layer is provided with a pair of electrodes in positions corresponding to both ends in a direction where the belt-shaped conductive layers extend. When the upper substrate is pressed while a voltage is applied between the pair of electrodes, the top and lower conductive layers contact with each other. Then, a voltage value corresponding to the pressed position in the direction where the belt-shaped conductive layers extend is generated from any of the belt-shaped conductive layers. From the voltage value and the position of the belt-shaped conductive layer from which the voltage value is generated, a pressed position on the upper substrate can be detected.

Touch panel and method of detecting press operation position thereon

In a touch panel, upper conductive layers on a bottom surface of an upper substrate and lower conductive layers on a top surface of a lower substrate are formed in belt shapes and extend in directions intersecting each other. End portions of the upper conductive layers are connected by an upper resistive layer, and end portions of the lower conductive layers are connected by a lower resistive layer. Then, a voltage is applied between ends of the lower resistive layer and the upper resistive layer sequentially, and voltages at the end portions of the upper resistive layer and the lower resistive layer are detected. Pressed positions can be detected with such a simple configuration.

Touch panel and method of detecting press operation position thereof

A touch panel includes multiple belt-like lower electrodes formed on a light transparent base sheet and multiple belt-like upper electrodes placed away from the lower electrodes with a predetermined distance therebetween and in a direction crossing with the lower electrodes at right angles. The lower and upper electrodes are made of light transmissive and electrically conductive resin, so that they can be formed in a simple way such as printing. The foregoing structure thus allows obtaining the touch panel manufactured in a simple way at a lower cost.

Touch panel, and movable contact unit and switch using the same touch panel

A movable contact point made of a thin conductive metal sheet in an approximate dome shape is attached to the lower surface of a transparent base sheet, and the base sheet is provided at the upper or the lower surface with a fluorescent layer in the location above the movable contact point. Since, in the make-up, light can be made available for illumination in many colors other than that generated from a light emitting device, a movable contact element, as well as a switch formed using the contact element, that offers various illuminating modes can be implemented in a simple structure.

Movable contact element and switch using the same

A touch panel has a plurality of band-like optically transmissive lower electrodes and upper electrodes formed at predetermined intervals in directions perpendicular to each other on an upper surface of an optically transparent base sheet. A dome-like movable contact is formed from a conductive metal sheet which is mounted under the touch panel. A light guide sheet with a plurality of convex-concave light emitting portions is formed on an optically transparent substrate, which is disposed between the touch panel and the movable contact. Accordingly, uniform illumination can be attained by using only one or two light emitting elements, and it is possible to obtain a movable contact body capable of inexpensive and reliable illumination.

Movable contact body and switch using same

A pressure sensitive conductive sheet is provided by having a plurality of ferromagnetic conductive particles dispersed in a transparent elastic member joined together and linearly aligned with the thickness direction thereby forming a linear aggregate and then having the linear aggregate segmented into a plurality conductive elements, held linearly aligned with the thickness direction, with predetermined gaps formed therebetween. Further, a touch panel having good transparency and allowing stabilized operation is provided by interposing the pressure sensitive conductive sheet between an upper conductive layer on the lower face of an upper substrate and a lower conductive layer on the upper face of a lower substrate.

Pressure sensitive conductive sheet, method of manufacturing the same, and touch panel using the same

According to the input device of the present invention, phase-difference plate () with &#xbc; wavelength is disposed on the top surface of upper substrate () of touch panel (). As a result of passing through phase-difference plate (), lamplightthat illuminates LCD element () goes outside as outgoing-lightwith a phase-shift of &#xbc; wavelength. With the structure above, a user wearing polarized sunglasses&#x2014;even if they have an absorption axis in a direction the same as that of lamplight&#x2014;can easily recognize the displays shown by LCD element () on the back surface of touch panel (). The structure offers a user-friendly input device with good visibility of LCD element ().

Input device

A movable contact unit includes a light-guide sheet, a cover sheet, a movable contact, and a light-transmissive light-guide portion. The light-guide sheet includes a film-shaped substrate, and a convex and concave luminescent portion provided on the substrate. The cover sheet faces the substrate. A dome-shaped resilient movable contact made of a thin metal sheet is attached to the cover sheet at a position corresponding to the luminescent portion. The light-guide portion is provided on the cover sheet at a position other than an area where the movable contact is disposed or on the light-guide sheet at a position other than an area where the light-guide portion is disposed. If the light-guide portion is provided on the light-guide sheet, the movable contact may be attached to the light-guide sheet without using the cover sheet.

Movable contact unit and switch using the same

A movable contact assembly includes a light guiding sheet which is light transmittable, and a movable contact provided on the light guiding sheet. The light guiding sheet has a portion having the movable contact provided thereon and a portion having plural grooves provided therein. The grooves constitute a light inlet for introducing light into the light guiding sheet. This movable contact assembly can illuminate a switch preferably with a simple structure, providing the switch with an easily operation.

Movable contact assembly including light inlet having plural grooves, and switch using the same

A light guide sheet and a movable contact element using the sheet are inexpensive and provide adequate illumination. In the light guide sheet, light-transmissive upper conductive layers, reflective layers, and lower conductive layers are laminated in this order in predetermined positions on the bottom surface of a light-transmissive, film-like cover sheet. The reflective layers have reverse particles dispersed therein, whose top and bottom surfaces are reversed between light color and dark color.

Light guide sheet and movable contact element using the same

A light guide sheet and a movable contact element using the single sheet have a simple structure and can be variously illuminated. The light guide sheet includes irregular-shaped light extracting elements formed on a film-like base material; and light-transmissive, belt-shaped light guide parts each connecting a predetermined number of groups of the light extracting elements. In addition, dome-shaped movable contacts formed of a conductive sheet metal are arranged on the bottom surfaces of the light extracting elements.

A movable contact element including a lower sheet having a bottom surface, to which a substantially dome-shaped movable contact is bonded, is provided. The movable contact is made of a conductive thin metal plate, and an upper sheet with a light reflection property is disposed above the lower sheet. A space is formed between the lower sheet and the upper sheet, and a light transmitting portion is provided at the upper sheet. Light of a light emitting element from the side surface of the sheet propagates through the space between the upper sheet and the lower sheet with a light reflection property, while being reflected in a vertical direction, and lighting is performed through the light transmitting portions. Such a structure can perform lighting without unevenness by using one or two light emitting elements.

A light-guide sheet includes a light transmissive film substrate, and luminescent protrusions formed at predetermined points on the substrate. At least one of the substrate and each of the luminescent protrusions is colored to a color tone that absorbs yellow light more than blue light. Alternatively, a reflective layer colored to a color tone that absorbs yellow light more than blue light is provided on at least one of the top and bottom faces of the substrate.

Growing community of inventors

Osaka, Japan

Koji Tanabe