Alps Alpine Co., Ltd.

Alps Electric Co., Ltd.

Tomoyuki Yamai

Hideaki Takahashi

Toru Takahashi

Yasuyuki Kitamura

Manabu Yazawa

Yuta Hiraki

Mitsuo Bito

Keita Tashiro

Yoshihiro Taguchi

Eiichi Komai

Tomofumi Oba

Yoshiyuki Asabe

Setsuo Ishibashi

Yui Abe

Koji Oguma

Akihiro Takeda

Junji Hashida

Koji Tsukamoto

Shinichi Higuchi

Yoshifumi Masumoto

Toru Sawada

Ken Yamamura

Sota Takahashi

Sadakazu Shiga

Tomoya Kuwabara

In an input device capable of reliably detecting, when an operator brings an operating body close to or into contact with an operation plane, absolute position information irrespective of a contact area size, third electrode arrays are disposed closer to the operation plane relative to second electrode arrays in a normal direction of the operation plane, the second electrode arrays have a portion protruding from the corresponding third electrode arrays when viewed in the normal direction, and assuming that a change amount of electrostatic capacitance between first and third electrode arrays occurred by an operation of the operating body is denoted by &#x394;C1 and a change amount of electrostatic capacitance between the first and second electrode arrays occurred by an operation of the operating body is denoted by &#x394;C2, a position of the operating body in the normal direction is calculated based on a ratio &#x394;C1/&#x394;C2.

Input device

An input device includes a plurality of first transparent electrodes, a plurality of second transparent electrodes, coupling portions each electrically connecting two adjacent second transparent electrodes of the second transparent electrodes, and bridge portions each electrically connecting two adjacent first transparent electrodes of the first transparent electrodes. The first and second transparent electrodes are arranged in directions orthogonal to each other and are formed of a material containing conductive nanowires. The bridge portions each include a bridge wiring part, an insulating layer, and a buffer layer. The buffer layer is disposed between each of the coupling portions and the insulating layer. The buffer layer is formed of a light-transmissive, inorganic oxide-based material.

Input device having transparent electrodes containing nanowires and display apparatus with input device

A transparent electrode member includes a translucent base, and first transparent electrodes that are arranged side by side in a first direction on a first surface of the base, that are translucent, and that are electrically connected to each other. Each of the first transparent electrodes has a dispersion layer including a matrix composed of an insulating material and conductive nanowires dispersing in the matrix. A coupling member that electrically connects two adjacent first transparent electrodes to each other is composed of a conductive region. The density of the conductive region in peripheral regions of each first transparent electrode is higher than that in a central region of the first transparent electrode.

Transparent electrode member, multilayer transparent electrode member, and capacitive sensor

A transparent electrode member has a transparent electrode layer formed of a dispersion layer which includes a matrix and conductive nanowires dispersed therein to provide an optical adjustment region including a conductive portion having a first dispersion density and an optical adjustment portion having a second dispersion density smaller than the first dispersion density. The transparent electrode layer includes a plurality of first and second electrodes each having the optical adjustment region, and a first wire provided between and electrically connecting two adjacent first electrodes. A region of an insulating layer is formed between the first wire and the second electrodes, and between the first electrodes and the second electrodes. The first wire and a part of the first electrodes in a vicinity of the first wire are formed of a non-adjustment region of the dispersion layer including the conductive portion while lacking the optical adjustment portion.

Transparent electrode member, method of manufacturing the same, and capacitive sensor that uses transparent electrode member

A capacitive sensor has: a base material; a plurality of first transparent electrodes arranged along a first direction on one main surface of the base material; a plurality of second transparent electrodes arranged along a second direction that closes the first direction, the second transparent electrode including conductive nanowires; a link that electrically connects two adjacent first transparent electrodes to each other; a bridge wiring part provided at a portion where the bridge wiring part closes the link, the bridge wiring part electrically connecting two adjacent second transparent electrodes to each other and including an amorphous oxide material; and a reflection reduction layer that has a refractive index higher than the refractive index of the second transparent electrode and lower than the refractive index of the bridge wiring part.

Capacitive sensor

A conductor includes (i) a substrate, (ii) a transparent conductive film formed on the substrate and including a silver nanowire, (iii) a metal film formed over the transparent conductive film such that at least a portion thereof overlaps the transparent conductive film, and (iv) a buffer film provided between the transparent conductive film and the metal film, the buffer film having adhesion to each of the transparent conductive film and the metal film, and not impeding conductivity between the transparent conductive film and the metal film. Preferably, the buffer film is formed of an organic material having respective functional groups capable of bonding to the transparent conductive film and the metal film.

Conductor and method of manufacturing the same

A transparent electrode member has a transparent base material, a transparent electrode placed on the first surface of the base material, and an insulating layer placed in an insulating region positioned in at least part of the circumference of a region in which the transparent electrode is placed, when viewed from the direction of the normal to the first surface. The transparent electrode has a dispersion layer that includes a matrix composed of an insulating material and also includes conductive nanowires dispersed in the matrix. The transparent electrode also has a region composed of the conductive part and regions composed of optical adjustment parts when viewed from the direction of the normal to the first surface. The conductive region has conductivity higher than the optical adjustment part. In the dispersion layer, the dispersion density of conductive nanowires in the optical adjustment part is lower than that in the conductive part.

A capacitive sensor includes a base material provided with a pattern of a light-transmissive conductive film. The light-transmissive conductive film contains metal nanowires. The pattern includes a detection pattern of a plurality of detection electrodes arranged with intervals, a plurality of lead-out wirings linearly extending in a first direction from corresponding ones of the detection electrodes, and a resistance-setting section connected to at least any one of the lead-out wirings and including a portion extending in a direction not parallel to the first direction.

A capacitive sensor includes a base material provided with a pattern of a light-transmissive conductive film. The light-transmissive conductive film contains metal nanowires. The pattern includes a detection pattern formed of a plurality of detection electrodes arranged with intervals and a plurality of lead-out wirings linearly extending in a first direction from the corresponding ones of the plurality of the detection electrodes. At least one of the detection electrodes of the detection pattern includes a current path-setting section for elongating the linear path length of the current from the detection electrode toward the lead-out wiring.

A conductor includes: a transparent conductive film which is formed on a transparent substrate and includes a silver nanowire; and a metal film of which at least a portion is formed to overlap the transparent conductive film, in which a portion in which the transparent conductive film and the metal film overlap each other includes a buffer film which has adhesion to each of the transparent conductive film and the metal film and does not impede conduction between the transparent conductive film and the metal film. Preferably, the buffer film is, for example, an ITO film, and at this time, an upper surface of the transparent conductive film is a reverse-sputtered surface.

A method for patterning a light transmitting electrically conductive member uses a light transmitting laminate material in which an electrically conductive layer including an overcoat layer and silver nanowires embedded therein is formed on a surface of a light transmitting base film and includes a step of treating a surface of the electrically conductive layer which is not covered with a resist layer using an iodine solution to at least partially iodize the silver nanowires and a step of applying a thiosulfate solution to the surface of the electrically conductive layer which is not covered with the resist layer to remove a silver iodide exposed to a surface of the overcoat layer. Since a white cloudy or a whitened silver iodide is removed, the optical transmission characteristics of the non-electrically conductive region can be improved.

Growing community of inventors

Niigata-ken, Japan

Tomoyuki Yamai