Touch Panel Housing with Insert Injection Molding
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Solution Overview
Problem
Projected capacitive touch panels face challenges with lead-out line visibility, color matching difficulties, increased manufacturing costs, impact resistance, and corrosion due to moisture permeability in existing designs.
Innovation Solution
The touch panel design incorporates a sensor unit with intersecting electrodes on a translucent substrate, covered by a housing portion formed through insert injection molding, which includes a cover member to mask lead-out lines and provide impact resistance, eliminating the need for a decorative layer and enhancing corrosion resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a decorative layer is provided to hide lead-out lines, then the lead-out lines are not visible from the operation face side, but it increases manufacturing cost and requires color matching between components
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the decorative layer function with the housing portion by making the housing portion itself translucent and positioning it to cover the lead-out lines. This eliminates the need for a separate decorative layer, reducing manufacturing steps and cost while maintaining the aesthetic quality of hiding lead-out lines from the operation face side.
2Ease of manufacture
If the sensor unit is fitted into the housing portion via adhesive material, then assembly is simplified, but the sensor unit may separate from the housing portion under strong impact
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces engagement protrusions and engagement recesses with curved surfaces that fit together. The curved engagement surfaces provide mechanical interlocking between the sensor unit and housing portion, preventing separation under impact while maintaining assembly simplicity through the snap-fit design.
3Ease of operation
If lead-out lines are arranged at the outer periphery, then they are positioned away from the operation region, but they remain visible and require a decorative layer to cover them
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by making the housing portion translucent specifically in the regions where lead-out lines are located, while maintaining other properties elsewhere. The translucent housing portion locally covers the lead-out lines at the outer periphery, hiding them from view without affecting the operation region, thus eliminating the need for a separate decorative layer.
4Reliability
If a protective layer is formed to cover lead-out lines, then corrosion resistance is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the protective function with the housing portion by making the housing portion itself translucent and positioning it to cover the lead-out lines. This eliminates the need for a separate protective layer, reducing structural complexity while maintaining corrosion resistance through the housing portion's material properties and coverage.
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
This design reduces manufacturing costs, enhances impact resistance, and prevents corrosion by fully covering lead-out lines with resin, allowing for flexible design changes and improved reliability.
Implementation Method 1
a housing portion formed by insert injection molding so as to sandwich the sensor unit
Implementation Method 2
the resin material of the housing portion covers at least a region of the lead-out lines... sufficient effect can be exerted against corrosion of the lead-out lines
Data Source
AI summary
Provided is a touch panel having superior impact resistance and good design on an operation face side without a decorative layer. The touch panel is manufactured by providing a cover member on an operation face of the substrate and at an inner side of a lead-out line wiring region so as to avoid lead-out lines of the first electrodes and the second electrodes, and forming a housing portion by insert injection molding using resin material to the step portion created by disposing the cover member, so as to make a front face of the housing portion flush with a front face of the cover member, and so as to sandwich an outer edge of the substrate from upper and lower sides.