3D-Formable Decorative Laminate for Integrated Touch Panels
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Solution Overview
Problem
Current touch panels with 3-dimensional shapes require separate processing and affixing of cover lenses, touch sensors, and decorative sheets, leading to increased weight and complexity in manufacturing due to the number of components involved.
Innovation Solution
A flexible decorative laminate sheet comprising a hard coat layer, a decorative layer with visible light transmissivity, and a conductive layer forming a touch sensor, which can be laminated and formed into a 3-dimensional shape in one process, reducing the number of components and simplifying the manufacturing process.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Manufacturing precision
If cover lens, touch sensor, and decorative sheet are separately processed into three-dimensional formed bodies and affixed to each other, then each component can be optimized independently, but the number of components increases leading to increased weight and manufacturing complexity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the cover lens, touch sensor, and decorative sheet into a single integrated flexible laminate sheet. The conductive layer forming the touch sensor is laminated onto the flexible substrate along with the decorative layer, eliminating the need for separate processing and affixing of these components. This merging reduces the number of components while maintaining the functional optimization of each layer through controlled lamination.
2Ease of manufacture
If multiple separate components are used to form a 3-dimensional touch panel, then each component can be independently manufactured, but the manufacturing process becomes complicated due to multiple affixing steps
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges multiple manufacturing operations into a single lamination process. The flexible substrate, decorative layer, and conductive layer are laminated together in one step to form the integrated touch panel structure, eliminating multiple separate affixing steps while allowing each layer to be independently prepared beforehand.
Solution Approach 2:
The individual layers (flexible substrate, decorative layer, conductive layer) are prepared in advance with their respective functions established before the final lamination. This preliminary preparation allows independent optimization of each layer while the subsequent single-step lamination combines them efficiently.
3Adaptability or versatility
If separate components are affixed together to create a 3-dimensional formed body, then assembly flexibility is maintained, but the final product has increased weight due to multiple members
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines multiple separate members into a single integrated flexible laminate sheet structure. The cover lens, touch sensor, and decorative sheet are merged into one laminated component, significantly reducing the overall weight while maintaining the ability to form various 3-dimensional shapes through the flexibility of the laminate.
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a flexible decorative laminate sheet that can be formed into a 3-dimensional formed body at one time, be smaller in weight owing to reduction in the number of members to be used, and be capable of simplifying a manufacturing process, a module for a touch panel, and a touch panel. The flexible decorative laminate sheet includes: a hard coat layer; a decorative layer having visible light transmissivity and electric charge transmissivity; and a conductive layer forming a touch sensor, wherein the hard coat layer, the decorative layer, and the conductive layer are arranged in the stated order, wherein an information display portion configured to display information when the touch sensor is activated is provided, and wherein the flexible decorative laminate sheet is formed into a 3-dimensional formed body through forming.