Flexible touch panel

Abstract

This utility model discloses a flexible touch panel, which aims to solve the problem of the single touch mode of existing touch panels. The key technical points are: the touch panel body includes: a flexible base layer; a first interaction layer disposed on the flexible base layer, having several pressure-sensitive touch areas for responding to pressure sensing; and a second interaction layer disposed on the first interaction layer, having several touch-sensitive touch areas for responding to touch sensing; wherein the pressure-sensitive touch areas are located in the orthographic projection area of ​​the touch-sensitive touch areas. This utility model, by setting up the first and second interaction layers for pressure sensing and touch sensing, enables the flexible touch panel to operate in both pressure-sensitive and touch-sensitive control modes. Furthermore, the FPC cable connects to a switching module to achieve switching between the two modes, meeting the application requirements for different touch sensitivities and touch accuracy.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This utility model relates to touch technology, and more specifically, to a flexible touch panel. Background Technology

[0002] A touch panel is a sensory interactive device that can receive input signals from touch. When the graphic buttons on the touch panel are touched, the haptic feedback system on the panel can drive various connected devices according to a pre-programmed program. It can replace mechanical button panels and is commonly used in electrical equipment such as home appliances and industrial equipment.

[0003] Touch panels overcome the technical problems of traditional mechanical switch control panels, such as the need for reserved holes and waterproof sealing at the switch. However, current touch panels are relatively simple. If there are water droplets or other interference factors on the surface of the touch panel, it will affect the touch accuracy. Furthermore, if the touch panel malfunctions, it will directly affect the normal use of equipment and home appliances. The touch sensitivity of traditional pressure touch control panels is difficult to meet high precision requirements.

[0004] Therefore, a new solution is needed to address this problem. Utility Model Content

[0005] In view of the shortcomings of the existing technology, the purpose of this utility model is to provide a flexible touch panel.

[0006] The above-mentioned technical objective of this utility model is achieved through the following technical solution: a flexible touch panel, including a touch panel body and a connector for connecting a control processor, wherein the touch panel body is provided with a plurality of touch areas, and the touch panel body includes:

[0007] Flexible substrate;

[0008] The first interaction layer is set on a flexible substrate layer and has several pressure touch areas for responding to pressure sensing.

[0009] The second interaction layer is set on top of the first interaction layer and has several touch control areas for responding to touch sensing.

[0010] The pressure touch area is located in the orthographic projection area of ​​the touch touch area. The first interaction layer and the second interaction layer are bonded together by an optical adhesive layer. Both the first interaction layer and the second interaction layer are provided with conductive parts that constitute conductive circuits. An FPC ribbon cable connected to the conductive parts is provided between the first interaction layer and the second interaction layer. The FPC ribbon cable is connected to a switching module for selectively calling the pressure touch area or the touch touch area.

[0011] The present invention is further configured such that: the second interaction layer includes at least two base layers, and an ITO conductive layer located in the touch control area is coated on the base layer; a plurality of conductive parts located on the second interaction layer are respectively connected to the ITO conductive layer of each touch control area for transmitting touch feedback signals; and the base layers with the ITO conductive layer are bonded together on opposite sides by an optical adhesive layer.

[0012] The present invention is further configured such that an isolation layer is bonded between the first interaction layer and the second interaction layer, the isolation layer being used to isolate the electromagnetic interaction between the first interaction layer and the second interaction layer.

[0013] The present invention is further configured such that: the first interaction layer includes a plurality of strain gauges, the strain gauges are located in the pressure touch area and fixed on a flexible substrate layer, the flexible substrate layer is coated with silver paste to form a conductive part located in the first interaction layer, and the conductive part is electrically connected to the strain gauges.

[0014] The present invention is further configured such that: the base layer includes a surface base layer or an inner base layer, the thickness of the surface base layer and the inner base layer is 0.05-0.2mm, and both the surface base layer and the inner base layer are made of polyester film or polyimide and processed into an integral structure.

[0015] The present invention is further configured such that: the thickness of the ITO conductive layer is 50-100nm, and the ITO conductive layer is made of indium tin oxide by magnetron sputtering in an integral structure.

[0016] In summary, this utility model has the following beneficial effects:

[0017] This application enables a flexible touch panel to operate in both pressure-sensitive and touch-sensitive control modes by setting a pressure-sensitive first interaction layer and a touch-sensitive second interaction layer. On this basis, conductive parts constituting conductive circuits are set on both the first and second interaction layers to achieve electrical connection with the FPC ribbon cable. When the FPC ribbon cable is connected to the connector on the main control board, independent control loops can be formed on the first and second interaction layers respectively, thereby enabling a single flexible touch panel to have multiple control modes.

[0018] Furthermore, in this application, the FPC cable section is connected to a switching module, which is connected to the control circuit formed by the conductive parts in the first and second interaction layers respectively. This allows for the selective use of either the pressure touch area or the touch touch area during use, meeting the application requirements for different touch sensitivities and touch accuracy. It can also provide a backup touch control method in case either touch method fails. Attached Figure Description

[0019] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of the structure of this utility model;

[0020] Figure 2 This is a cross-sectional view of the touch area in the embodiment.

[0021] In the figure: 1. First interactive layer; 11. Base layer; 111. Surface base layer; 112. Inner base layer; 12. ITO conductive layer; 13. Optical adhesive layer bonding; 2. Second interactive layer; 3. FPC cable section; 4. Flexible substrate layer. Detailed Implementation

[0022] The present invention will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0023] A flexible touch panel includes a touch panel body and a connector for connecting to a control processor. The touch panel body has several touch areas and includes a flexible base layer 4, a first interaction layer 1, and a second interaction layer 2.

[0024] The flexible substrate 4 is made of a thin acrylic sheet with a thickness of 0.1-0.2mm, and one side of the flexible substrate 4 is bonded with adhesive. When installing the flexible touch panel, the touch panel body can be quickly pasted onto the designated operation interface area through the adhesive. In this embodiment, the flexible substrate 4 is screen-printed with a printing part that distinguishes the touch area and the non-touch area. The touch area on the flexible substrate 4 is transparent, allowing the light from the LED to pass through the touch area, making it easy for the operator to identify the touch area and the non-touch area.

[0025] The first interactive layer 1 is disposed on the flexible substrate layer 4. The first interactive layer 1 is provided with a plurality of pressure touch areas for responding to pressure sensing. The second interactive layer 2 is disposed on the first interactive layer 1, and the second interactive layer 2 is provided with a plurality of touch touch areas for responding to touch sensing. The pressure touch areas are located in the orthographic projection area of ​​the touch touch areas. The pressure touch areas and the touch touch areas overlap to form a touch area on the touch panel body. The first interactive layer 1 and the second interactive layer 2 are bonded together by an optical adhesive layer 13. An isolation layer is bonded between the first interactive layer 1 and the second interactive layer 2. The isolation layer is used to isolate the electromagnetic interaction between the first interactive layer 1 and the second interactive layer 2. Both the first interactive layer 1 and the second interactive layer 2 are provided with conductive parts that constitute conductive circuits. An FPC ribbon cable part 3 connected to the conductive parts is disposed between the first interactive layer 1 and the second interactive layer 2. The FPC ribbon cable part 3 is connected to a switching module for selectively calling the pressure touch area or the touch touch area.

[0026] In this embodiment, the conductive parts on the first interaction layer 1 and the conductive parts on the second interaction layer 2 are connected to the FPC ribbon cable section 3. To facilitate convenient switching of subsequent control modes, the line contacts connecting the conductive parts on the first and second interaction layers 1 and the FPC ribbon cable are staggered and positioned on both sides of the end of the FPC ribbon cable section 3. This allows for connection to the switching module, enabling the switching of the connection between the contacts at the end of the FPC ribbon cable section 3 and the main controller, thereby achieving the purpose of selectively calling either the pressure touch area or the touch touch area for touch control, satisfying the operational interface requirements of devices such as range hoods and washing machines. When hands are wet, the pressure-sensitive touch area can be activated to achieve high-precision touch control, avoiding accidental touches or disconnections caused by conductive media such as water droplets. When applied to devices such as air conditioners and televisions, the touch area can be activated to provide high sensitivity to the touch panel during operation. It also has two touch modes, which can be switched to if one touch mode fails, temporarily meeting the touch control needs. The switching module is selected according to the number of touch areas, using the appropriate DIP switch group.

[0027] like Figure 2 As shown, the second interaction layer 2 includes at least two base layers 11. An ITO conductive layer 12 located in the touch control area is coated on the base layer 11. Several conductive parts located on the second interaction layer 2 are respectively connected to the ITO conductive layer 12 of each touch control area for transmitting touch feedback signals. The base layers 11 of the ITO conductive layer 12 are bonded together by an optical adhesive layer 13 on the side facing each other. In this embodiment, the optical adhesive layer is OCA optical adhesive and the thickness of the optical adhesive layer is controlled at 0.1 mm. The thickness of the ITO conductive layer 12 is 50-100 nm. The ITO conductive layer 12 is made of indium tin oxide by magnetron sputtering and is in an integral structure.

[0028] The base layer 11 includes a surface base layer 111 or an inner base layer 112. The thickness of the surface base layer 111 and the inner base layer 112 is 0.05-0.2mm. Both the surface base layer 111 and the inner base layer 112 are made of polyester film or polyimide and processed into an integral structure. In this embodiment, both the inner base layer 112 and the surface base layer 111 are made of polyimide. Polyimide has good heat resistance and mechanical properties. When it is used as a substrate on a flexible touch panel, it can make the touch panel have good stability. In addition, its excellent mechanical properties have high strength and high toughness, which can improve the stability and strength of the touch panel.

[0029] like Figure 2As shown, the first interactive layer 1 includes several strain gauges. The strain gauges are located in the pressure touch area and fixed on the flexible substrate layer 4. The flexible substrate layer 4 is coated with silver paste to form a conductive part located in the first interactive layer 1. The conductive part is electrically connected to the strain gauges. In this embodiment, the strain gauges are force-sensitive resistors. The resistance of the strain gauges is affected by the magnitude of the external pressure, thereby providing feedback control. This has good stability and reliability. In the manufacturing process, the circuit lines are formed on the flexible substrate layer 4 by screen printing silver paste, and then the strain gauges are attached to the conductive part to achieve electrical connection.

[0030] The above description is merely a preferred embodiment of this utility model. The protection scope of this utility model is not limited to the above embodiments. All technical solutions falling within the scope of this utility model's concept are protected. It should be noted that for those skilled in the art, any improvements and modifications made without departing from the principle of this utility model should also be considered within the protection scope of this utility model.

Claims

1. A flexible touch panel, comprising a touch panel body and a connector for connecting to a control processor, wherein the touch panel body is provided with a plurality of touch areas, characterized in that: The touchpad body includes: Flexible substrate layer (4); The first interactive layer (1) is disposed on the flexible substrate layer (4) and has several pressure touch areas for responding to pressure sensing. The second interaction layer (2) is set on the first interaction layer (1) and has several touch control areas for responding to touch sensing. The pressure touch area is located in the orthographic projection area of ​​the touch touch area. The first interaction layer (1) and the second interaction layer (2) are bonded together by an optical adhesive layer (13). The first interaction layer (1) and the second interaction layer (2) are each provided with a conductive part that constitutes a conductive circuit. An FPC ribbon cable part (3) connected to the conductive part is provided between the first interaction layer (1) and the second interaction layer (2). The FPC ribbon cable part (3) is connected to a switching module for selectively calling the pressure touch area or the touch touch area.

2. The flexible touch panel according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second interaction layer (2) includes at least two base layers (11), on which an ITO conductive layer (12) located in the touch control area is coated and formed. Several conductive parts on the second interaction layer (2) are respectively connected to the ITO conductive layer (12) of each touch control area for transmitting touch feedback signals. The base layers (11) on which the ITO conductive layer (12) is disposed are bonded (13) to each other on one side by an optical adhesive layer.

3. The flexible touch panel according to claim 1, characterized in that: The first interactive layer (1) includes a plurality of strain gauges, which are located in the pressure touch area and fixed on a flexible substrate layer (4). The flexible substrate layer (4) is coated with silver paste to form a conductive part located in the first interactive layer (1), and the conductive part is electrically connected to the strain gauges.

4. The flexible touch panel according to claim 2, characterized in that: The base layer (11) includes a surface base layer (111) or an inner base layer (112), the thickness of the surface base layer (111) and the inner base layer (112) is 0.05-0.2mm, and the surface base layer (111) and the inner base layer (112) are both made of polyester film or polyimide and processed into an integral structure.

5. The flexible touch panel according to claim 2, characterized in that: The thickness of the ITO conductive layer (12) is 50-100nm, and the ITO conductive layer (12) is made of indium tin oxide by magnetron sputtering in an integral structure.

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