TOUCH PANEL
A cover glass structure includes a glass substrate, a touch-sensing structure and a decorative layer. The glass substrate has at least one cutting section, and the cutting section is polished to form a polished surface. The touch-sensing structure is disposed on the glass substrate, and the decorative layer is disposed on the glass substrate.
This application is a Continuation of co-pending application Ser. No. 13/309,239, filed on Dec. 1, 2011, for which priority is claimed under 35 U.S.C. §120; this application claims priority of Application No. 099142291 filed in Taiwan on Dec. 6, 2010 under 35 U.S.C. §119; and the entire contents of all of which are hereby incorporated by reference.
BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTIONa. Field of the Invention
The invention relates to a touch panel.
b. Description of the Related Art
However, a new generation of touch panels adopts a single-glass-substrate design that omits the cover glass 108 disposed at the top of a touch panel. Under the circumstance, when machining processes like cutting, edging and chamfering are performed on a single glass substrate, a large amount of tiny cracks are formed on the periphery of the glass substrate to considerably reduce the glass strength. Therefore, when the glass substrate is bent or warped, the glass substrate is liable to break through the peripheral cracks and into the inside thereof.
BRIEF SUMMARY OF THE INVENTIONThe invention provides a cover glass structure, a fabrication method of the cover glass structure, and a touch-sensitive display device having the cover glass structure.
In order to achieve one or a portion of or all of the objects or other objects, one embodiment of the invention provides a cover glass structure including a glass substrate, a touch-sensing structure and a decorative layer. The glass substrate has at least one cutting section, and the cutting section is polished to form a polished surface. The touch-sensing structure is disposed on the glass substrate, and the decorative layer is disposed on the glass substrate.
In one embodiment, the decorative layer is disposed on the periphery of the glass substrate, and the material of the decorative layer includes at least one of diamond-like carbon, ceramic, colored ink, resin and photo resist.
In one embodiment, at least one functional film is disposed on at least one side of the glass substrate, and the functional film includes at least one of a polarizing sheet, an optical filter, an anti-glare film, an anti-reflection film, a polyethylene terephthala film and a hard coat film.
In one embodiment, the touch-sensing structure includes a plurality of first sensing series and a plurality of second sensing series respectively formed on two opposite sides of the glass substrate.
According to another embodiment of the invention, a fabrication method of a cover glass structure including the steps of: forming a touch-sensing structure and a decorative layer on a glass substrate; performing machining processes on the glass substrate; and polishing the periphery of the machined glass substrate to eliminate cracks formed on the periphery of the machined glass substrate.
According to another embodiment of the invention, a touch-sensitive display device includes a display panel and a cover glass structure attached to the display panel. The cover glass structure includes a glass substrate, a touch-sensing structure and a decorative layer. The glass substrate has at least one cutting section, and the cutting section is polished to form a polished surface. The touch-sensing structure is disposed on the glass substrate, and the decorative layer is disposed on the glass substrate.
According to the above embodiments, when a cutting section of a machined glass substrate is subject to surface polishing, tiny cracks caused by machining processes and formed on the cutting section are removed to result in a smooth surface. Therefore, when the machined glass substrate is bent or warped, the possibility of breaking through the periphery cracks is considerably reduced to increase averaged strength and B10 testing strength of the machined glass substrate. Further, since the cutting section of a machined glass substrate is polished to increase its strength, a thinner glass substrate may be used instead to still achieve competent glass strength.
Other objectives, features and advantages of the invention will be further understood from the further technological features disclosed by the embodiments of the invention wherein there are shown and described preferred embodiments of this invention, simply by way of illustration of modes best suited to carry out the invention.
In the following detailed description of the preferred embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings which form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which the invention may be practiced. In this regard, directional terminology, such as “top,” “bottom,” “front,” “back,” etc., is used with reference to the orientation of the Figure(s) being described. The components of the invention can be positioned in a number of different orientations. As such, the directional terminology is used for purposes of illustration and is in no way limiting. On the other hand, the drawings are only schematic and the sizes of components may be exaggerated for clarity. It is to be understood that other embodiments may be utilized and structural changes may be made without departing from the scope of the invention. Also, it is to be understood that the phraseology and terminology used herein are for the purpose of description and should not be regarded as limiting. The use of “including,” “comprising,” or “having” and variations thereof herein is meant to encompass the items listed thereafter and equivalents thereof as well as additional items. Unless limited otherwise, the terms “connected,” “coupled,” and “mounted” and variations thereof herein are used broadly and encompass direct and indirect connections, couplings, and mountings. Similarly, the terms “facing,” “faces” and variations thereof herein are used broadly and encompass direct and indirect facing, and “adjacent to” and variations thereof herein are used broadly and encompass directly and indirectly “adjacent to”. Therefore, the description of “A” component facing “B” component herein may contain the situations that “A” component directly faces “B” component or one or more additional components are between “A” component and “B” component. Also, the description of “A” component “adjacent to” “B” component herein may contain the situations that “A” component is directly “adjacent to” “B” component or one or more additional components are between “A” component and “B” component. Accordingly, the drawings and descriptions will be regarded as illustrative in nature and not as restrictive.
In various embodiments of the invention, as shown in
As shown in
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Referring to
Note all layers of the touch-sensing structure 24 are not limited to be formed on the same side of the reinforced glass substrate 32. For example, as shown in
According to the above embodiments, the material of the decorative layer 68 may include at least one of diamond-like carbon, ceramic, colored ink, resin and photo resist. Further, the reinforced glass structure may serve as a glass substrate of a liquid crystal display, an organic light-emitting diode display, an electro-wetting display, a bi-stable display, an electrophoretic display, a touch panel, an electronic device, etc. For example, a display panel 12 and a touch panel 14 may be combined with each other by an optical adhesive to form a touch-sensitive display device 30, as shown in
According to an embodiment of the invention, a fabrication method of a cover glass structure may include the following steps. First, a touch-sensing structure and a decorative layer are formed on a glass substrate, and then machining processes are performed on the glass substrate. The machining processes may include, but not limited to, cutting, edging and chamfering the glass substrate. Thereafter, the periphery of the machined glass substrate (a cutting section) is polished to eliminate tiny cracks formed on the periphery of the machined glass substrate. In one embodiment, in case a machined glass substrate undergoes post treatment like edging or chamfering, a chamfered edge may be formed on a corner of the machined glass substrate, and the surface polishing treatment is also given on the chamfered edge.
The foregoing description of the preferred embodiments of the invention has been presented for purposes of illustration and description. It is not intended to be exhaustive or to limit the invention to the precise form or to exemplary embodiments disclosed. Accordingly, the foregoing description should be regarded as illustrative rather than restrictive. Obviously, many modifications and variations will be apparent to practitioners skilled in this art. The embodiments are chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the invention and its best mode practical application, thereby to enable persons skilled in the art to understand the invention for various embodiments and with various modifications as are suited to the particular use or implementation contemplated. It is intended that the scope of the invention be defined by the claims appended hereto and their equivalents in which all terms are meant in their broadest reasonable sense unless otherwise indicated. Therefore, the term “the invention”, “the present invention” or the like does not necessarily limit the claim scope to a specific embodiment, and the reference to particularly preferred exemplary embodiments of the invention does not imply a limitation on the invention, and no such limitation is to be inferred. The invention is limited only by the spirit and scope of the appended claims. The abstract of the disclosure is provided to comply with the rules requiring an abstract, which will allow a searcher to quickly ascertain the subject matter of the technical disclosure of any patent issued from this disclosure.
Claims
1. A touch panel, comprising:
- a cover glass having at least one cutting section, wherein the cutting section is polished to form a polished surface;
- a touch-sensing structure disposed on the cover glass and comprising a plurality of first sensing series and a plurality of second sensing series spaced apart from the first sensing series, wherein each of the first sensing series comprises a plurality of first electrodes connected with each other by a plurality first connecting lines, and each of the second sensing series comprises a plurality of second electrodes connected with each other by a plurality of second connecting lines; and
- an insulation layer in the form of a continuous sheet for insulating the first sensing series from the second sensing series.
2. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second electrodes are disposed between the insulation layer and the cover glass, the insulation layer is provided with a plurality of via holes to expose a part of the second electrodes, and the second electrodes are connected with each other by the second connecting lines through the via holes.
3. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second connecting lines are disposed between the insulation layer and the cover glass, the insulation layer is provided with a plurality of via holes to expose a part of the second electrodes, and the second electrodes are connected with each other by the second connecting lines through the via holes.
4. A touch panel, comprising:
- a cover glass having at least one cutting section, wherein the cutting section is polished to form a polished surface;
- a touch-sensing structure disposed on the cover glass and comprising a plurality of first sensing series and a plurality of second sensing series, wherein the first sensing series and the second sensing series are oriented to cross over each other, each of the first sensing series comprises a plurality of first electrodes connected with each other by a plurality first connecting lines, and each of the second sensing series comprises a plurality of second electrodes connected with each other by a plurality of second connecting lines; and
- a plurality of insulators separate from each other, wherein each of the insulators is disposed between one of the first connecting lines and one of the second connecting lines to separate the first sensing series and the second sensing series.
5. The touch panel as claimed in claim 4, wherein at least one of the second electrodes covers a part of one of the insulators.
6. The touch panel as claimed in claim 4, wherein the at least one of the second electrodes covers a part of the second connecting lines.
7. The touch panel as claimed in claim 4, wherein at least one of the insulators covers a part of one of the second electrodes.
8. The touch panel as claimed in claim 4, wherein at least one of the insulators covers one of the first connecting lines.
9. A touch panel, comprising:
- a glass substrate having at least one cutting section, wherein the cutting section is polished to form a polished surface; and
- a touch-sensing structure disposed on the glass substrate.
10. The touch panel as claimed in claim 9, further comprising:
- a decorative layer disposed on the glass substrate.
11. The touch panel as claimed in claim 10, wherein the decorative layer comprises at least one of diamond-like carbon, ceramic, colored ink, resin and photo resist.
12. The touch panel as claimed in claim 9, wherein the touch-sensing structure comprises a plurality of first sensing series and a plurality of second sensing series spaced apart from the first sensing series.
13. The touch panel as claimed in claim 12, wherein the first sensing series and the second sensing series are disposed on two opposite sides of the glass substrate.
14. The touch panel as claimed in claim 12, wherein each of the first sensing series comprises a plurality of first electrodes connected with each other by a plurality first connecting lines, and each of the second sensing series comprises a plurality of second electrodes connected with each other by a plurality of second connecting lines; and
- at least one machined edge formed on a corner of the glass substrate, wherein the polish surface comprises the machined edge.
15. The touch panel as claimed in claim 9, further comprising:
- at least one functional film disposed on at least one side of the glass substrate, wherein the functional film comprises at least one of a polarizing sheet, an optical filter, an anti-glare film, an anti-reflection film, a polyethylene terephthala film and a hard coat film.
16. The touch panel as claimed in claim 9, further comprising:
- a passivation layer formed on one side of the touch-sensing structure facing away from the glass substrate.
17. The touch panel as claimed in claim 9, wherein the surface roughness of the polished surface is smaller than 0.8.
18. The touch panel as claimed in claim 9, wherein the glass substrate is a strengthened cover glass and the touch-sensing structure is formed on the strengthened cover glass.
19. The touch panel as claimed in claim 9, wherein the touch-sensing structure is a single-layer structure comprising a plurality of sensing pads
20. The touch panel as claimed in claim 19, wherein the sensing pads are formed from a transparent conductive layer or a metal grid.
Type: Application
Filed: Jul 22, 2014
Publication Date: Nov 13, 2014
Inventors: Chia-Huang LEE (TAI PING CITY), Ming-Kung WU (TAI CHUNG COUNTY), Heng Chia KUO (TA CHIA TOWN)
Application Number: 14/338,179
International Classification: G06F 3/0354 (20060101);