Touch panel device

Abstract

To provide a touch panel device suitable for effectively removing static electricity while suppressing an increase in cost.SOLUTION: A touch panel device according to one embodiment is provided with a touch panel 11, a body portion 12 having a support surface 121 supporting the touch panel 11, and holding the touch panel 11 supported by the support surface 121, and a sheet metal member 14 provided behind the support surface 121 and absorbing static electricity entered from the surface of the touch panel 11. The body portion 12 has a through hole 123 extending from the support surface 121 to an area behind the support surface 121 facing the sheet metal member 14, and ribs 124 formed to be adjacent to the through hole 123 and integral with the body portion 12 on the support surface 121.SELECTED DRAWING: Figure 2

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to a touch panel device, and more particularly to a touch panel device suitable for effectively removing static electricity while suppressing an increase in cost.

Background Art

[0002] Patent Document 1 discloses an operation panel unit provided with a lightning rod as a countermeasure against static electricity.

Prior Art Documents

Patent Documents

[0003]

Patent Document 1

Summary of the Invention

Problems to be Solved by the Invention

[0004] However, in the structure of Patent Document 1, since the lightning rod and the insulating case etc. are constituted by separate parts, there is a problem that the number of parts increases, and as a result, the cost increases.

[0005] The present invention has been made in view of the above problems, and an object thereof is to provide a touch panel device suitable for effectively removing static electricity while suppressing an increase in cost.

Means for Solving the Problems

[0006] A touch panel device according to an aspect of the present embodiment includes a touch panel, a main body portion having a support surface for supporting the touch panel and holding the touch panel supported on the support surface, and a metal component provided behind the support surface for absorbing static electricity that has entered from the surface of the touch panel. The main body portion has a through hole penetrating from the support surface to a region facing the metal component in a region behind the support surface, and a rib formed integrally with the main body portion adjacent to the through hole on the support surface.

Effect of the Invention

[0007] According to the present embodiment, it is possible to provide a touch panel device suitable for effectively removing static electricity while suppressing an increase in cost.

Brief Description of the Drawings

[0008]

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Mode for Carrying Out the Invention

[0009] Hereinafter, specific embodiments to which the present invention is applied will be described in detail with reference to the drawings. In each drawing, the same reference numerals are assigned to the same elements, and for the sake of clarity of explanation, duplicate explanations are omitted as necessary.

[0010] <Embodiment 1> FIG. 1 is a schematic front view of a touch panel device 1 according to Embodiment 1. FIG. 2 is a schematic cross-sectional view of the touch panel device 1 according to Embodiment 1. In FIG. 2, a cross-section of the II-II portion in FIG. 1 is shown. Further, FIG. 3 is a schematic perspective view of the touch panel device 1 according to Embodiment 1. Furthermore, FIG. 4 is a schematic perspective view of a part of the touch panel device 1 shown in FIG. 3 enlarged.

[0011] The touch panel device 1 according to the present embodiment is, for example, a car navigation device, a smartphone, or a tablet terminal, etc., and is a display device having a touch panel that receives data input by a touch operation (input operation) using a finger or a touch pen by a user. Here, the touch panel device 1 can effectively absorb static electricity that penetrates from the surface of the touch panel by providing ribs and through holes on the support surface of the main body portion that supports the touch panel, attracting the static electricity to the ribs, and through the ribs and through holes to a sheet metal part corresponding to the ground (GND). In addition, in the touch panel device 1, since the ribs are integrally formed with the main body portion, the number of parts is reduced, and as a result, an increase in cost is suppressed. That is, the touch panel device 1 can effectively remove static electricity while suppressing an increase in cost. Hereinafter, a specific description will be given.

[0012] As shown in FIGS. 1 to 4, the touch panel device 1 includes at least a touch panel 11, a main body portion 12, an LCD 13, and a sheet metal part 14. LCD is an abbreviation for Liquid Crystal Display.

[0013] The main body 12 is made of synthetic resin or the like and has at least a support surface 121 and a panel frame 122. The support surface 121 supports the LCD 13 and the touch panel 11. The panel frame 122 is formed so as to surround the outer periphery of the LCD 13 and the touch panel 11. The LCD 13 and the touch panel 11 are held by the main body 12 by the support surface 121 and the panel frame 122.

[0014] The user performs a pressing operation on the image displayed by the LCD 13 using a finger, a touch pen, or the like via the touch panel 11. The touch panel 11 receives data input by a pressing operation using a finger, a touch pen, or the like by the user. The data received by the touch panel 11 and the operation buttons 15 is input via the signal line 16 to an internal circuit (not shown) installed inside the main body 12. The internal circuit performs predetermined processing according to the input data, communicates with an external device (not shown), or controls the image displayed by the LCD 13.

[0015] The sheet metal part 14 is a metal part made of metal such as copper or aluminum and corresponds to a ground for absorbing static electricity. The sheet metal part 14 is provided inside the main body 12. Specifically, the sheet metal part 14 is provided behind (on the back side) the support surface 121 of the main body 12 inside the main body 12. In this example, the tip 14a of the sheet metal part 14 is arranged so as to enter a recess 125 formed behind the support surface 121 of the main body 12. Note that the tip 14a of the sheet metal part 14 is fixed by a stopper 126 formed in the recess 125. By forming the sheet metal part 14 inside the main body 12, the aesthetic appearance of the touch panel device 1 is maintained.

[0016] Further, in the main body portion 12, a through hole 123 is formed penetrating from the support surface 121 to a region facing the sheet metal component 14 in the region behind the support surface 121 (in this example, the region facing the tip portion 14a of the sheet metal component 14 fixed to the recess 125). More specifically, the through hole 123 is formed from a region adjacent to the rib 124 integrally formed with the panel frame 122 in the support surface 121 (in other words, the region in contact with the gap formed between the panel frame 122 and the touch panel 11) to a region facing the tip portion 14a of the sheet metal component 14 fixed to the recess 125 in the region behind the support surface 121.

[0017] Furthermore, on the support surface 121 of the main body portion 12, a rib 124 is formed adjacent to the through hole 123 and integrally with the main body portion 12. More specifically, the rib 124 is formed integrally with the panel frame 122 of the main body portion 12 and extends from the support surface 121 along the side surface of the panel frame 122 toward the surface of the touch panel 11. In other words, the rib 124 is formed integrally with the panel frame 122 of the main body portion 12 and extends from the support surface 121 along the gap formed between the panel frame 122 and the touch panel 11 toward the surface of the touch panel 11. The rib 124 is made of the same synthetic resin as the panel frame 122 or the like.

[0018] Here, static electricity is generally likely to be attracted to an object with a sharp shape nearby. Therefore, the static electricity that penetrates from the surface of the touch panel 11 is likely to be attracted to the rod-shaped rib 124 extending from the support surface 121 toward the surface of the touch panel 11. That is, the rib 124 serves as a lightning rod against the static electricity that penetrates from the surface of the touch panel 11.

[0019] Specifically, the static electricity that has penetrated from the surface of the touch panel 11 is attracted to the rib 124 and absorbed by the sheet metal component 14 corresponding to the ground through the rib 124 and the through hole 123 (see FIG. 5). At this time, within the range of the creepage distance based on the rib 124, it is sufficient to form one through hole 123 adjacent to the rib 124, and it is not necessary to form a plurality of through holes 123.

[0020] In addition, the tip portion (the end portion closer to the touch panel 11) 124a of the rib 124 is preferably formed at an acute angle. Also, the tip portion 124a of the rib 124 is preferably formed so as to be located above the surface of the touch panel 11 (on the positive side in the z-axis direction). Furthermore, a conductive paint such as copper may be applied to the surface of the rib 124. Thereby, the static electricity that has penetrated from the surface of the touch panel 11 is more likely to be attracted to the rib 124.

[0021] FIG. 6 is a diagram showing a specific shape of the rib 124. In the example of FIG. 6, the rib 124 is formed in a plate shape and is processed to taper at the tip portion 124a. The rib 124 shown in FIG. 6 can serve as a lightning rod for the static electricity that has penetrated from the surface of the touch panel 11.

[0022] In addition, if the rib 124 is not provided, the static electricity that has penetrated from the surface of the touch panel 11 does not necessarily fall near the through hole 123, so it cannot be effectively absorbed by the sheet metal component 14. Therefore, when the rib 124 is not provided, for example, by forming a large number of through holes 123 within the required creepage distance range, even if the static electricity falls anywhere on the main body portion 12, it is necessary to take measures so that it can be absorbed by the sheet metal component 14 through any one of the through holes 123 near the drop point. However, in the structure of the touch panel device in which a large number of through holes 123 are formed, it is inefficient as a countermeasure against static electricity in the first place, and dust, moisture, etc. are likely to enter the inside of the main body portion 12.

[0023] As described above, in the touch panel device 1 according to the present embodiment, by providing the through hole 123 and the rib 124 on the support surface 121 of the main body 12 that supports the touch panel 11, the static electricity that enters from the surface of the touch panel 11 is attracted to the rib 124, and through the rib 124 and the through hole 123, it can be effectively absorbed by the sheet metal part 14 corresponding to the ground. Further, in the touch panel device 1, since the rib 124 is integrally formed with the main body 12, the number of parts is reduced, and as a result, an increase in cost is suppressed. That is, the touch panel device 1 according to the present embodiment can effectively remove static electricity while suppressing an increase in cost. In the structure of Patent Document 1, since the metal frame used as a lightning rod is disposed at the portion touched by the user, safety measures are required. On the other hand, in the touch panel device 1 according to the present embodiment, since the rib 124 integrally formed with the panel frame 122 made of synthetic resin or the like is used as a lightning rod instead of the metal frame, no safety measures are required.

[0024] In the present embodiment, the case where the through hole 123 is circular in top view has been described as an example, but the present invention is not limited to this, and other shapes such as rectangular shapes may be used.

[0025] Further, the shape of the rib 124 is not limited to the shape shown in FIG. 6. Other shapes of the rib 124 will be described with reference to FIGS. 7 to 11.

[0026] FIG. 7 is a diagram showing a first modified example of the rib 124 as the rib 224. In the example of FIG. 7, the rib 224 is formed in a triangular prism shape with the bottom surface disposed on the support surface 121. The touch panel device 1 can achieve an effect equivalent to that when the rib 124 is used even when the rib 224 is used instead of the rib 124.

[0027] FIG. 8 is a view showing a second modification of the rib 124 as the rib 324. In the example of FIG. 8, the rib 324 is formed in a triangular prism shape with its side surface disposed on the support surface 121. When viewed in the y-axis direction, one corner 324a of the triangle extends in the vertically upward direction (the plus side of the z-axis direction). The touch panel device 1 can achieve an effect equivalent to that when using the rib 124 even when using the rib 324 instead of the rib 124.

[0028] FIG. 9 is a view showing a third modification of the rib 124 as the rib 424. In the example of FIG. 9, the rib 424 is formed in a conical shape with its bottom surface disposed on the support surface 121. The touch panel device 1 can achieve an effect equivalent to that when using the rib 124 even when using the rib 424 instead of the rib 124.

[0029] FIG. 10 is a view showing a fourth modification of the rib 124 as the rib 524. In the example of FIG. 10, the rib 524 is formed in a triangular pyramid shape with its bottom surface disposed on the support surface 121. The touch panel device 1 can achieve an effect equivalent to that when using the rib 124 even when using the rib 524 instead of the rib 124.

[0030] FIG. 11 is a view showing a fifth modification of the rib 124 as the rib 624. In the rib 624 shown in FIG. 11, an end portion 624b is formed so as to be located inside the through hole 123 separately from the tip portion 624a extending to the surface side of the touch panel 11. The rib 624 can attract the static electricity that has entered from the surface of the touch panel 11 and transfer it to the through hole 123 more accurately.

[0031] As described above, the invention made by the present inventor has been specifically described based on the embodiments. However, it goes without saying that the present invention is not limited to the embodiments already described, and various modifications can be made without departing from the gist thereof.

Explanation of Reference Numerals

[0032] 1 Touch panel device 11 Touch panel 12 Body part 13 LCD 14 Sheet metal part 14a Tip part 15 Operation button 16 Signal line 121 Support surface 122 Panel frame 123 Through hole 124 Rib 124a Tip part 125 Recess 126 Stopper 224 Rib 324 Rib 324a Corner part 424 Rib 524 Rib 624 Rib 624a Tip part 624b End part

Claims

1. A touch panel; a main body portion having a support surface for supporting the touch panel and holding the touch panel supported on the support surface; a metal component provided behind the support surface for absorbing static electricity that has entered from the surface of the touch panel; and comprising; the main body portion; a through hole penetrating from the support surface to a region facing the metal component in a region behind the support surface; a rib formed integrally with the main body portion adjacent to the through hole on the support surface; A touch panel device having the above.

2. The rib has an end portion on the side closer to the touch panel formed at an acute angle. The touch panel device according to Claim 1.

3. The rib is formed such that an end portion on the side closer to the touch panel is positioned above the surface of the touch panel. The touch panel device according to Claim 1 or 2.

4. The rib is formed such that an end portion on the side closer to the through hole is positioned inside the through hole. The touch panel device according to any one of Claims 1 to 3.

5. A conductive paint is applied to the surface of the rib. The touch panel device according to any one of Claims 1 to 4.

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