JP6587352B2 - Capacitance type 3D sensor - Google Patents

Description

  The present invention relates to a capacitive three-dimensional sensor having translucency.

Conventionally, a capacitance type sensor used as a touch sensor detects a change in capacitance in a two-dimensional direction (X direction and Y direction). , Y direction and Z direction) for detecting a change in electrostatic capacitance has also been proposed (Patent Document 1).
There has also been proposed a capacitive three-dimensional sensor in which a position detection electrode body that enables three-dimensional input is transparent and includes a light source, and can illuminate an operation surface (Patent Document 2). Such a capacitive three-dimensional sensor is suitable for use in a dark place or at night.
In a transparent position detecting electrode body used for a capacitance type three-dimensional sensor, for example, a transparent conductive film containing a conductive polymer or tin-doped indium oxide (ITO) is used as an electrode portion of the sensor. Yes.

International Publication No. 2013/132737 JP 2014-222388 A

However, the capacitance type three-dimensional sensor described in Patent Document 2 sometimes has low position detection sensitivity in the XY direction or position detection sensitivity in the Z direction.
The present invention is translucent, and can detect not only the position in the XY direction but also the position in the Z direction, and has high detection sensitivity for both the position detection in the XY direction and the position detection in the Z direction. An object is to provide a capacitive three-dimensional sensor.

The present invention has the following aspects.
[1] Transmission electrode sheet, XY direction position reception electrode sheet, Z direction position reception electrode sheet, and compression deformation provided between the transmission electrode sheet and the Z direction position reception electrode sheet The transmitting electrode sheet is provided between the XY direction position receiving electrode sheet and the Z direction position receiving electrode sheet, and includes a transparent conductive film and a metal having a width of 1 μm to 200 μm. The electrode sheet for receiving in the XY direction has an electrode part made of a thin metal wire with a width of 1 μm or more and 200 μm or less, and the electrode sheet for receiving in the Z direction has a transparent conductive film and a width; A capacitance-type three-dimensional sensor having an electrode portion made of at least one of fine metal wires of 1 μm or more and 200 μm or less.
[2] The capacitive three-dimensional sensor according to [1], wherein the thin metal wire of the XY direction position receiving electrode sheet and the thin metal wire of the Z direction position receiving electrode sheet overlap in a plan view.
[3] The capacitive three-dimensional sensor according to [1] or [2], wherein the thin metal wires of the transmission electrode sheet are formed in a mesh shape.
[4] The capacitive three-dimensional sensor according to any one of [1] to [3], further including a light source disposed on the opposite side of the Z-direction position receiving electrode sheet from the spacer sheet. .
[5] The XY direction position receiving electrode sheet further includes a decorative layer provided on the surface opposite to the transmitting electrode sheet, and the decorative layer transmits light in the thickness direction. The capacitive three-dimensional sensor according to any one of [1] to [4], wherein a translucent part to be formed and a light-shielding part that blocks light are formed.

  The capacitance type three-dimensional sensor of the present invention has translucency, and can detect not only the position in the XY direction but also the position in the Z direction, and can detect the position in the XY direction and the position in the Z direction. Both detection sensitivities are high.

It is sectional drawing which shows one Embodiment of the electrostatic capacitance type three-dimensional sensor which concerns on this invention. It is a top view which shows an example of the transparent conductive film of the transmission electrode sheet | seat which comprises embodiment of FIG. 1, a metal fine wire, routing wiring, and the terminal for external connection. It is a top view which shows an example of the metal fine wire of the electrode sheet for XY direction position reception which comprises embodiment of FIG. 1, a lead wiring, and the terminal for external connection. It is a top view which shows an example of the transparent conductive film of the Z direction position receiving electrode sheet which comprises embodiment of FIG. 1, a thin metal wire, a routing wiring, and the terminal for external connection. It is a top view which shows the other example of the transparent conductive film of a transmission electrode sheet | seat, a metal fine wire, routing wiring, and the terminal for external connection. It is a top view which shows the other example of the transparent conductive film of a transmission electrode sheet | seat, a metal fine wire, routing wiring, and the terminal for external connection.

One embodiment of a capacitive three-dimensional sensor (hereinafter abbreviated as “three-dimensional sensor”) of the present invention will be described.
FIG. 1 shows a three-dimensional sensor according to this embodiment. In each drawing including FIG. 1, the transparent conductive film and the fine metal wires are schematically shown, and the fine metal wires are particularly thickly displayed.
The three-dimensional sensor 1 of this embodiment includes a transmission electrode sheet 10, an XY direction position reception electrode sheet 20, a Z direction position reception electrode sheet 30, a spacer sheet 40, a light source 50, and a decoration layer 60. Further, the three-dimensional sensor 1 of the present embodiment includes a substrate 80 serving as a support.
In this embodiment, the decoration layer 60 is arrange | positioned on the outermost surface, the electrode sheet 20 for XY direction position reception is adjacent to the decoration layer 60, and the surface where the decoration layer 60 of the electrode sheet 20 for XY direction position reception contacts. A spacer sheet 40 is provided on the opposite side of the surface. Further, the Z-direction position receiving electrode sheet 30 is provided on the surface of the spacer sheet 40 opposite to the surface on which the XY-direction position receiving electrode sheet 20 contacts. A light source 50 is adjacent to the Z-direction position receiving electrode sheet 30.
In the three-dimensional sensor 1, the exposed surface of the decorative layer 60 is an operation surface A that contacts a finger or the like, and a portion that emits light is formed on the operation surface A. Moreover, the decoration layer 60 side which has the operation surface A is a front side, and the light source 50 side is a back side. The three-dimensional sensor 1 of the present embodiment including the light source 50 is an illuminated three-dimensional sensor.

(Transmission electrode sheet)
The transmission electrode sheet 10 is formed on the surface of the base material sheet 11, the patterned transparent conductive film 12 formed on the front surface 11 a (first surface 11 a) of the base material sheet 11, and the transparent conductive film 12. The patterned fine metal wire 13 and the insulating film 14 are provided. The transparent conductive film 12 and the thin metal wire 13 serve as an electrode portion, and the transmission electrode sheet 10 is used as a transmission electrode for XY direction position detection and Z direction position detection.
In the present invention, “conductive” means that the electric resistance value is less than 1 MΩ, and “insulation” means that the electric resistance value is 1 MΩ or more, preferably 10 MΩ or more.
In the present invention, “transparent” means that the light transmittance measured according to JIS K7105 is 50% or more.

As the base material sheet 11, a plastic film and a glass plate can be used.
As the resin constituting the plastic film, polyethylene terephthalate, polycarbonate, polyimide, triacetyl cellulose, cyclic polyolefin, acrylic resin, or the like can be used. Among these, polyethylene terephthalate or polycarbonate is preferable because of its high heat resistance and dimensional stability and low cost.
The thickness of the base sheet 11 is preferably 25 μm or more and 75 μm or less. If the thickness of the substrate sheet 11 is equal to or greater than the lower limit value, the three-dimensional sensor 1 can be easily thinned if the base sheet 11 is not easily broken during processing and is equal to or less than the upper limit value.

Examples of the transparent conductive film 12 include a film containing a conductive polymer, a film containing a metal-based material, a film containing metal nanowires, a film containing carbon, and a metal vapor deposition film formed by a metal vapor deposition method. Among these transparent conductive films, a film containing a conductive polymer is preferable because of its high flexibility.
Examples of the conductive polymer include polythiophene, polypyrrole, and polyaniline. Among the conductive polymers, polythiophene is preferable, and PEDOT / PSS in which poly (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene) is doped with polystyrene sulfonic acid is particularly preferable.
Examples of the metal material include gold particles, silver particles, copper particles, nickel particles, aluminum particles, chromium particles, and tin-doped indium oxide.
Examples of the metal nanowire include silver nanowire, gold nanowire, and copper nanowire.
Examples of carbon include carbon nanotubes, carbon nanofibers, carbon nanobuds, and graphene.

  The surface of the transparent conductive film 12 may be subjected to various surface treatments such as plasma treatment, ultraviolet irradiation treatment, corona treatment, and excimer light treatment. When the surface treatment is performed on the transparent conductive film 12, the adhesion with the insulating film 14 is improved.

In the case of a film containing a conductive polymer, the thickness of the transparent conductive film 12 is preferably from 0.1 μm to 5.0 μm, and more preferably from 0.1 μm to 2.0 μm.
In the case of a film containing metal nanowires, the thickness of the transparent conductive film 12 is preferably 20 nm or more and 1000 nm or less, and more preferably 50 nm or more and 300 nm or less.
In the case of a film containing a metal-based material or carbon, the thickness of the transparent conductive film 12 is preferably 0.01 μm or more and 25 μm or less, and more preferably 0.1 μm or more and 15 μm or less.
If the thickness of the transparent conductive film 12 is less than the lower limit, pinholes may be formed and disconnection may occur, and if the thickness exceeds the upper limit, it is difficult to reduce the thickness.
The method for measuring the thickness varies depending on the thickness range. For example, when the film thickness is on the order of μm, the thickness can be measured by a micrometer, a digimatic indicator, or laser displacement measurement. Further, when the film thickness is smaller than the μm order, the thickness can be measured by cross-sectional observation using a scanning electron microscope or a fluorescent X-ray analyzer.

As shown in FIG. 2, the transparent conductive film 12 in the present embodiment has a plurality of strip-shaped X-direction electrode portions 12 a having a constant width formed along the X direction.
The width of the X-direction electrode portion 12a is preferably 2 mm or more and 7 mm or less, and more preferably 3 mm or more and 5 mm or less. If the width of the X-direction electrode portion 12a is equal to or larger than the lower limit value, disconnection can be prevented, and if the width is equal to or smaller than the upper limit value, position detection accuracy can be improved.
The interval between adjacent X-direction electrode portions 12a, 12a is preferably 0.05 mm or more and 2 mm or less, and more preferably 0.01 mm or more and 1 mm or less. The position detection accuracy of the three-dimensional sensor 1 can be improved if the distance between the adjacent X-direction electrode portions 12a, 12a is equal to or less than the upper limit value. However, it is difficult to make the interval between adjacent X-direction electrode portions 12a, 12a less than the lower limit value.

The fine metal wire 13 is a metal wire having a width of 1 μm or more and 200 μm or less. The fine metal wires 13 in the present embodiment are formed in a mesh shape.
If the width of the fine metal wire 13 is less than the lower limit value, the position detection sensitivity tends to decrease, and if the width exceeds the upper limit value, the light transmittance tends to decrease. The width of the fine metal wire 13 is preferably 1 μm or more and 150 μm or less, and more preferably 1 μm or more and 100 μm or less.
The interval (pitch) between adjacent fine metal wires 13 and 13 is preferably 50 μm or more and 2000 μm or less, and more preferably 100 μm or more and 1000 μm or less. If the distance between the adjacent metal thin wires 13 and 13 is equal to or greater than the lower limit value, the position detection sensitivity is likely to be higher, and if the distance is equal to or smaller than the upper limit value, the light transmittance is higher. If the thickness of the thin metal wire 13 is equal to or greater than the lower limit, the position detection sensitivity is likely to be higher, and if the thickness is equal to or smaller than the upper limit, the flexibility is increased.
The thickness of the fine metal wire 13 is preferably 0.1 μm or more and 20 μm or less, and more preferably 1 μm or more and 15 μm or less.
As a metal which comprises the metal fine wire 13, silver, copper, gold | metal | money, nickel, aluminum, chromium etc. are mentioned, for example. The fine metal wire 13 may contain a binder resin as necessary.

The insulating film 14 is a film of an insulating resin that covers the base sheet 11, the transparent conductive film 12, and the fine metal wires 13. The insulating film 14 can prevent deterioration (oxidation and corrosion) of the transparent conductive film 12 and the fine metal wires 13.
As the insulating resin, a thermosetting resin, a visible light curable resin, an electron beam curable resin, or an ultraviolet curable resin is used, and an ultraviolet curable resin is preferable in terms of small thermal shrinkage at the time of curing.
The insulating film 14 is preferably thin as long as insulation can be ensured. When screen printing is applied to the formation of the insulating film 14, the thickness is preferably 5 μm or more from the viewpoint of preventing pinhole formation. When ink jet printing is applied to the formation of the insulating film 14, the thickness is preferably 0.5 μm or more from the viewpoint of preventing pinhole formation.

The transmission electrode sheet 10 includes a lead wiring 15a and an external connection terminal 15b. The lead wiring 15a is a wiring for connecting each X-direction electrode portion 12a to the external connection terminal 15b.
The width of the lead wiring 15a is preferably 20 μm or more and 300 μm or less, and more preferably 20 μm or more and 200 μm or less. If the width of the routing wiring 15a is equal to or greater than the lower limit value, disconnection of the routing wiring 15a can be prevented, and if the width is equal to or less than the upper limit value, the material used for the routing wiring 15a can be reduced, thereby reducing the cost.
The distance between adjacent routing wires 15a, 15a is preferably 20 μm or more and 300 μm or less, and more preferably 20 μm or more and 200 μm or less. If the distance between adjacent routing wires 15a, 15a is equal to or smaller than the upper limit value, the three-dimensional sensor 1 can be easily downsized. However, it is difficult to make the interval between adjacent routing wires 15a, 15a less than the lower limit value.
The external connection terminal 15b is a terminal for connecting to an external circuit and is made of a conductive material. The external connection terminal 15b in the present embodiment is a rectangular conductive portion.

(XY-direction position receiving electrode sheet)
The XY direction position receiving electrode sheet 20 is a receiving electrode sheet used when detecting positions in the X direction and the Y direction, and is provided on the front side of the transmitting electrode sheet 10.
The XY direction position receiving electrode sheet 20 in the present embodiment includes a base material sheet 21, a thin metal wire 23 formed on a front surface 21 a (first surface 21 a) of the base material sheet 21, and an insulating film 24. Have. The thin metal wire 23 is a receiving electrode part.
Note that the XY direction position receiving electrode sheet 20 does not need to have a transparent conductive film because it does not participate in position detection in the Z direction.

As the base material sheet 21, the thing similar to the base material sheet 11 can be used. However, it is not necessary to be the same as the base material sheet 11.
A plurality of fine metal wires 23 in the present embodiment are formed as shown in FIG. Each thin metal wire 23 is formed linearly along the Y direction. As the thin metal wire 23, the same thin metal wire 13 can be used. However, it is not necessary to be the same as the thin metal wire 13.
The width of the fine metal wire 23 is preferably 0.03 mm or more and 2 mm or less, and more preferably 0.05 mm or more and 0.2 mm or less. If the width of the thin metal wire 23 is equal to or larger than the lower limit value, disconnection can be prevented, and if the width is equal to or smaller than the upper limit value, position detection accuracy can be improved.
It is preferable that the space | interval of adjacent metal fine wires 23 and 23 is 1 mm or more and 5 mm or less, and it is more preferable that they are 1.5 mm or more and 3 mm or less. If the interval between the adjacent metal thin wires 23 and 23 is equal to or less than the upper limit value, the position detection accuracy of the three-dimensional sensor 1 can be improved. However, it is difficult to make the interval between adjacent fine metal wires 23, 23 less than the lower limit.
The insulating film 24 is a film that covers the base sheet 21 and the fine metal wires 23. As the insulating film 24, the same film as the insulating film 14 can be used. However, it is not necessary to be the same as the insulating film 14.

The XY direction position receiving electrode sheet 20 has a lead wiring 25a and an external connection terminal 25b. The lead wiring 25a is a wiring for connecting each metal thin wire 23 and the external connection terminal 25b. The preferable width and interval of the routing wiring 25a are the same as those of the routing wiring 15a.
Examples of a method for forming the lead wiring 25a and the external connection terminal 25b include a method in which a conductive paste is screen-printed on the surface of the base sheet 21 and then heated and cured.

In the XY direction position receiving electrode sheet 20 in the present embodiment, a light diffusion layer 26 that diffuses and emits light incident from one surface is formed. In the present embodiment, the light diffusion layer 26 is formed directly on the insulating film 24. By providing the light diffusion layer 26, the illuminance on the operation surface A can be made uniform. In particular, when the widths of the fine metal wires 13 and 23 and the fine metal wire 33 described later are increased, it is preferable to provide the light diffusion layer 26.
Examples of the light diffusion layer 26 include a transparent material layer having irregularities formed on at least one surface, and a transparent material layer containing light diffusing particles. The transparent material may be a transparent resin or glass.

(Z-position detection electrode sheet)
The Z-direction position receiving electrode sheet 30 is a receiving electrode sheet used when detecting the position in the Z direction.
The Z-direction position receiving electrode sheet 30 in the present embodiment includes a base material sheet 31, a patterned transparent conductive film 32 formed on the front surface 31 a (first surface 31 a) of the base material sheet 31, and transparent This is an electrode sheet having a patterned metal fine wire 33 formed on the surface of the conductive film 32 and an insulating film 34. The transparent conductive film 32 and the fine metal wire 33 are reception electrode portions.

As the base material sheet 31, the thing similar to the base material sheet 11 can be used. However, it is not necessary to be the same as the base material sheet 11.
As shown in FIG. 4, the transparent conductive film 32 in the present embodiment has a plurality of strip-shaped Y-direction electrode portions 32 a having a constant width formed along the Y direction. The constituent components and preferred shape of the transparent conductive film 32 are the same as those of the transparent conductive film 12.
As the metal fine wire 33, the same thing as the metal fine wire 13 can be used. However, a plurality of fine metal wires 33 in the present embodiment are formed as shown in FIG. A plurality of fine metal wires 33 are formed along the Y direction, and are formed so as to at least partially overlap the fine metal wires 23 in plan view. However, the overlapping of the fine metal wires 33 and the fine metal wires 23 is not an essential requirement of the present invention.
The width of the fine metal wire 33 is preferably 0.1 mm or more and 2 mm or less, and more preferably 0.2 mm or more and 1 mm or less. If the width of the thin metal wire 33 is equal to or greater than the lower limit value, disconnection can be prevented, and if the width is equal to or smaller than the upper limit value, position detection accuracy can be improved.
It is preferable that the space | interval of adjacent metal fine wires 33 and 33 is 1 mm or more and 5 mm or less, and it is more preferable that they are 1.5 mm or more and 3 mm or less. If the distance between the adjacent fine metal wires 33 and 33 is equal to or less than the upper limit value, the position detection accuracy of the three-dimensional sensor 1 can be improved. However, it is difficult to make the interval between the adjacent fine metal wires 33 and 33 less than the lower limit value.
However, the fine metal wire 33 is wider than the fine metal wire 23 of the XY direction position receiving electrode sheet 20. When the fine metal wire 33 is wider than the fine metal wire 23, even if the position of the fine metal wire 23 is slightly shifted, it is easy to overlap the fine metal wire 33, so that the translucency and sensitivity are improved.
The insulating film 34 is a film that covers the base sheet 31, the transparent conductive film 32, and the fine metal wires 33. As the insulating film 34, the same thing as the insulating film 34 can be used. However, it is not necessary to be the same as the insulating film 14.

The Z-direction position receiving electrode sheet 30 includes a routing wire 35a and an external connection terminal 35b. The routing wiring 35a is a wiring for connecting each Y-direction electrode portion 32a and the external connection terminal 35b. The preferred width and interval of the routing wiring 35a are the same as those of the routing wiring 15a.
Examples of a method of forming the lead wiring 35a and the external connection terminal 35b include a method in which a conductive paste is screen-printed on the first surface 31a of the base sheet 31, and then heated and cured.
The external connection terminals 15b, 25b, and 35b are arranged so as not to overlap each other.

(Spacer sheet)
The spacer sheet 40 is an easily deformable body that is provided between the XY direction position receiving electrode sheet 20 and the Z direction position receiving electrode sheet 30 and is compressible.
The spacer sheet 40 in the present embodiment includes an elastic layer base sheet 41 and an elastic layer 42 provided on one surface of the elastic layer base sheet 41. In the present embodiment, the elastic layer base material sheet 41 is disposed on the Z direction position receiving electrode sheet 30 side, and the elastic layer 42 is disposed on the XY direction position receiving electrode sheet 20 side.

As the base material sheet 41 for elastic layers, the thing similar to the base material sheet 11 can be used. However, it is not necessary to be the same as the base material sheet 11.
In the present embodiment, the elastic layer base material sheet 41 is bonded to the insulating film 34 of the Z-direction position receiving electrode sheet 30.

The elastic layer 42 is a sheet made of an elastic material, and is provided with a large number of cylindrical elastic spacers 42a on one surface. The elastic spacer 42a is provided so that its top surface faces the base sheet 11 side.
The elastic layer 42 preferably has a Shore A hardness of 85 or less when measured with a thickness of 1 cm. If the Shore A hardness of the elastic layer 42 is 85 or less, the elastic layer 42 can be easily elastically deformed when the surface is pressed. However, if it is too soft, recovery after elastic deformation is delayed, so the Shore A hardness of the elastic layer 42 is preferably 10 or more.
When the three-dimensional sensor 1 includes the elastic layer 42, when the decorative layer 60 is not pressed, the XY direction position receiving electrode sheet 20 and the Z direction position receiving electrode sheet 30 can be easily set at regular intervals. When the decorative layer 60 is pressed, the elastic layer 42, particularly the elastic spacer 42a, can be compressed and deformed, and the distance between the XY direction position receiving electrode sheet 20 and the Z direction position receiving electrode sheet 30 can be easily reduced. Can do.
Examples of the elastic material constituting the elastic layer 42 include thermosetting elastomers such as urethane rubber, isoprene rubber, ethylene propylene rubber, natural rubber, ethylene propylene diene rubber, styrene butadiene rubber, and silicone rubber; urethane, ester, and styrene Olefin-based, butadiene-based or fluorine-based thermoplastic elastomers; or composites thereof. In the present invention, since it is important that the relationship between the pressing force and the distance between the electrodes according to the pressing force does not change consistently, the rubber-like elastic body has a relatively small dimensional change with repeated pressing, that is, compression. Silicone rubber having a relatively small permanent set is preferred.

The height of the elastic spacer 42a is preferably 30 μm or more and 150 μm or less, and more preferably 30 μm or more and 100 μm or less. If the height of the elastic spacer 42a is equal to or greater than the lower limit value, the electrode sheet 20 for receiving the XY-direction position can be more easily bent when pressed, and a sufficient amount of displacement can be secured. it can.
The elastic spacers 42a are regularly arranged on one surface of the elastic layer 42, and are arranged in, for example, a 60-degree zigzag pattern, a square zigzag pattern, a parallel pattern, or a lattice pattern.
The pitch between the adjacent elastic spacers 42a and 42a is preferably 0.1 mm or more and 2.0 mm or less, and more preferably 0.1 mm or more and 1.0 mm or less. If the pitch of the adjacent elastic spacers 42a, 42a is equal to or greater than the lower limit value, the XY direction position receiving electrode sheet 20 can be bent more easily when the decorative layer 60 is pressed.

(light source)
As the light source 50, a light source similar to a backlight used in a liquid crystal display device or the like can be used. In the present embodiment, a light source including a light guide plate 51 and a light emitter 52 is used.

The light guide plate 51 is a rectangular plate made of a transparent material, and is provided on the back side of the Z-direction position receiving electrode sheet 30. In addition, the light guide plate 51 is bonded to the base sheet 31 and also functions as a support member that supports the Z-direction position receiving electrode sheet 30.
As the transparent material, transparent plastic and glass can be used. As the transparent plastic, polyethylene terephthalate, polycarbonate, polyimide, triacetyl cellulose, cyclic polyolefin, acrylic resin and the like can be used. Among these, polycarbonate, acrylic resin, or cyclic polyolefin is preferable because of excellent optical characteristics.

  The light emitter 52 is provided in the vicinity of one side surface 51 a of the light guide plate 51, and emits light toward the side surface 51 a of the light guide plate 51. As the light emitter 52, for example, a light emitting diode, a cold cathode tube, or the like can be used.

(Decoration layer)
The decorative layer 60 includes a light transmitting portion 61 that transmits light in the thickness direction and a light shielding portion 62 that blocks light. A light shielding part 62 is formed so that symbols or characters are formed on the light transmitting part 61.
The decorative layer 60 in the present embodiment includes a transparent sheet 63 and a light shielding layer 64 provided on the back side of the transparent sheet 63. The light shielding part 62 is formed by forming the light shielding layer 64.
Examples of the material constituting the transparent sheet 63 include polycarbonate, acrylic resin, ABS resin, polystyrene, polyvinyl chloride, polyethylene terephthalate, and polybutylene terephthalate.
The light shielding layer 64 may be a printed layer or a colored sheet. In the present embodiment, the light shielding layer 64 is bonded to the light diffusion layer 26 of the XY direction position receiving electrode sheet 20. The formation pattern of the light shielding layer 64 is determined according to the use of the three-dimensional sensor 1.

(Adhesive layer)
In the present embodiment, the insulating film 14 of the transmitting electrode sheet 10 and the base material sheet 21 of the XY direction position receiving electrode sheet 20 are bonded by the adhesive layer 74.
The base material sheet 11 of the transmission electrode sheet 10 and the elastic layer 42 of the spacer sheet 40 are adhered by the adhesive layer 73.
The adhesive layer 72 bonds the elastic layer base material sheet 41 of the spacer sheet 40 and the insulating film 34 of the Z-direction position receiving electrode sheet 30.
The base material sheet 31 and the light guide plate 51 of the Z-direction position receiving electrode sheet 30 are bonded to each other by the adhesive layer 71.
The light diffusion layer 26 and the decorative layer 60 are bonded by the adhesive layer 75.

The adhesive layers 71, 72, 73, 74, and 75 may be formed using an adhesive, or may be formed using a double-sided tape including an adhesive layer. It does not restrict | limit especially as an adhesive agent or an adhesive, For example, an acrylic resin, a urethane resin, an ethylene-vinyl acetate copolymer etc. can be used. Further, the adhesive layers 71, 72, 73, 74, 75 may be hot melt adhesives.
The adhesive layer 73 may be formed of the same material as the elastic layer 42 of the spacer sheet 40. Since the soft elastic layer 42 is sticky, if the elastic layer 42 and the adhesive layer 73 are of the same material, they can be firmly bonded.

(substrate)
In the present embodiment, the substrate 80 on which the three-dimensional sensor 1 is installed includes a support member 81 and a shield layer 82 formed on one surface of the support member 81. The light guide plate 51 is bonded to the shield layer 82.
Examples of the support member 81 include a paper epoxy substrate, a glass epoxy substrate, a paper phenol substrate, and the like.
The shield layer 82 is a metal layer and is made of, for example, copper, aluminum, silver, or the like. The shield layer does not have a pattern. Moreover, although it is preferable that the shield layer 82 has light reflectivity, it does not need to have light reflectivity.
A printed circuit board can be used as the substrate 80 including the support member 81 and the shield layer 82.

(Method for manufacturing a three-dimensional sensor)
The manufacturing method of the three-dimensional sensor 1 is not particularly limited, and includes, for example, a transmitting electrode sheet manufacturing process, an XY direction position receiving electrode sheet manufacturing process, a Z direction position receiving electrode sheet manufacturing process, a spacer sheet manufacturing process, and an additional process. The method which has a decoration layer preparation process, a joining process, a light-emitting body installation process, and a board | substrate installation process is mentioned.
Hereinafter, an example of each process will be described.

[Transmission electrode sheet manufacturing process]
In the transmission electrode sheet manufacturing process, the transparent conductive film 12, the metal fine wires 13, the lead wires 15a, and the external connection terminals 15b are formed on the first surface 11a of the base sheet 11, and the insulating film 14 is formed thereon. Thus, the transmission electrode sheet 10 is obtained.
Specifically, a transparent conductive film is formed on at least a part of the first surface 11 a of the base sheet 11. As a method for forming the transparent conductive film, any of a coating method using various coaters (for example, a bar coater) and a printing method using various printing machines (for example, a gravure printer) may be used. Examples of the method for patterning the transparent conductive film include wet etching such as photolithography, dry etching using laser or plasma, and the like. The transparent conductive film may have a pattern or may have no pattern.
Next, a thin metal wire 13 is formed on the surface of the transparent conductive film.
Examples of the method for forming the fine metal wires 13 include a method of printing ink containing metal particles, a method of patterning a metal foil or a metal vapor deposition film, and the like. Examples of the printing method include screen printing, gravure printing, offset printing, inkjet printing, and the like. Examples of the method for patterning the metal foil or the metal vapor deposition film include wet etching such as photolithography, dry etching using laser or plasma, and the like.
In terms of improving the flexibility of the fine metal wires 13, the method of printing a silver paste is preferable among the methods of printing ink containing metal particles. Moreover, the method of patterning a metal foil or a metal vapor deposition film is also preferable in terms of improving the flexibility of the fine metal wires 13. Since a thin metal wire or a metal vapor deposition film is easily thinned, flexibility is easily improved.
Further, the lead wiring 15 a is formed on the first surface 11 a of the base sheet 11 by the same method as the method of forming the fine metal wires 13. The formation of the fine metal wire 13 and the formation of the lead wiring 15a may be performed simultaneously.
Next, a conductive paste is screen-printed on the end portion of the lead wiring 15a and then cured to form the external connection terminal 15b.
Next, the insulating film 14 is formed so as to cover the base sheet 11, the transparent conductive film 12, the fine metal wires 13, the routing wires 15 a, and the external connection terminals 15 b, thereby obtaining the transmission electrode sheet 10.
As a method for forming the insulating film 14, various printing methods such as screen printing and inkjet printing can be applied.
The obtained transmission electrode sheet 10 may be trimmed at the periphery so as to have a predetermined shape as necessary.

[XY-direction position receiving electrode sheet manufacturing process]
In the XY direction position receiving electrode sheet manufacturing step, the metal thin wire 23, the lead wiring 25a, and the external connection terminal 25b are formed on the first surface 21a of the base sheet 21, and the insulating film 24 is formed so as to cover them. By forming the light diffusion layer 26 on the surface of the insulating film 24, the XY direction position receiving electrode sheet 20 is obtained.
The forming method of the fine metal wires 23 in the XY direction position receiving electrode sheet 20 is the same as the forming method of the fine metal wires 13 in the transmitting electrode sheet 10.
The formation method of the routing wiring 25a and the external connection terminal 25b in the XY direction position receiving electrode sheet 20 is the same as the formation method of the routing wiring 15a and the external connection terminal 15b in the transmission electrode sheet 10.
The forming method of the insulating film 24 in the XY direction position receiving electrode sheet 20 is the same as the forming method of the insulating film 14 of the transmitting electrode sheet 10.
The obtained XY direction position receiving electrode sheet 20 may be trimmed at the periphery so as to have a predetermined shape as necessary.

[Z-direction position receiving electrode sheet manufacturing process]
In the Z-direction position receiving electrode sheet manufacturing step, the transparent conductive film 32, the fine metal wire 33, the lead wiring 35a, and the external connection terminal 35b are formed on the first surface 31a of the base sheet 31, and the insulating film is formed thereon. By forming 34, the Z-direction position receiving electrode sheet 30 is obtained.
The method for forming the transparent conductive film 32 in the Z-direction position receiving electrode sheet 30 is the same as the method for forming the transparent conductive film 12 in the transmitting electrode sheet 10.
The method of forming the fine metal wires 33 in the Z-direction position receiving electrode sheet 30 is the same as the method of forming the fine metal wires 13 in the transmitting electrode sheet 10.
The formation method of the routing wiring 35a and the external connection terminal 35b in the Z-direction position receiving electrode sheet 30 is the same as the formation method of the routing wiring 15a and the external connection terminal 15b in the transmission electrode sheet 10.
The method of forming the insulating film 34 in the Z-direction position receiving electrode sheet 30 is the same as the method of forming the insulating film 14 of the transmitting electrode sheet 10.
The obtained Z-direction position receiving electrode sheet 30 may be trimmed at its periphery so as to have a predetermined shape as necessary.

[Spacer sheet production process]
The spacer sheet production process includes an elastic layer production process for producing the elastic layer 42 and a bonding process for bonding the elastic layer 42 to the elastic layer base material sheet 41.
In the elastic layer manufacturing step, a mold is used to mold an elastic material, and the elastic layer 42 having a large number of cylindrical elastic spacers 42a provided on one surface of the sheet is manufactured. As a molding method of the elastic material for producing the elastic layer 42, a press molding method, an injection molding method, a screen printing method, a cast molding method, or the like can be applied.
In the bonding step, the elastic layer 42 and the elastic layer base material sheet 41 may be bonded using an adhesive or may be heat-welded. Further, the elastic layer base sheet 41 is placed in advance in the mold, and an elastic material is formed to form the elastic layer 42. At the same time, the elastic layer 42 is bonded to the elastic layer base sheet 41. May be.

[Decoration layer production process]
In the decoration layer manufacturing process, the light shielding layer 64 is formed on one surface of the transparent sheet 63 to form the decoration layer 60.
As a method for forming the light shielding layer 64, for example, a method of printing an ink containing a light shielding material such as a colorant on one surface of the transparent sheet 63, or after punching a colored sheet containing a light shielding material into a pattern of the light shielding layer 64 And a method of bonding to a transparent sheet.

[Jointing process]
In the bonding step, an adhesive layer 74 is provided to bond the insulating film 14 of the transmission electrode sheet 10 and the base material sheet 21 of the XY direction position reception electrode sheet 20.
Further, the adhesive layer 73 is provided to adhere the base material sheet 11 of the transmission electrode sheet 10 and the elastic layer 42 of the spacer sheet 40.
Further, the adhesive layer 72 is provided to adhere the elastic layer base material sheet 41 of the spacer sheet 40 and the insulating film 34 of the Z-direction position receiving electrode sheet 30.
Further, an adhesive layer 71 is provided to adhere the base sheet 31 and the light guide plate 51 of the Z-direction position receiving electrode sheet 30.
Further, an adhesive layer 75 is provided to adhere the light diffusion layer 26 and the decorative layer 60.
If the laminated body which consists of the decoration layer 60, the XY direction position receiving electrode sheet 20, the transmitting electrode sheet 10, the spacer sheet 40, the Z direction position receiving electrode sheet 30, and the light guide plate 51 can be finally obtained. The order of bonding is not particularly limited.
Examples of the bonding method include a method using a double-sided tape including a pressure-sensitive adhesive layer and a method using an adhesive.
However, in the adhesion between the transmission electrode sheet 10 and the spacer sheet 40, a method of subjecting the surface of the elastic layer 42 of the spacer sheet 40 to an easy adhesion process and press-bonding the transmission electrode sheet 10 to the surface subjected to the easy adhesion process. Can be applied. Examples of the easy adhesion treatment include corona treatment and plasma treatment.

[Light emitter installation process]
In the light emitter installation step, the light emitter 52 is installed in the vicinity of one side surface 51 a of the light guide plate 51. The light emitter 52 may be attached using a known attachment member.

[Board installation process]
In the substrate installation process, the substrate 80 is installed on the back surface of the light guide plate 51. Specifically, the substrate 80 is installed by bringing the shield layer 82 into contact with the back surface of the light guide plate 51 and attaching it with an adhesive or the like.

(Function and effect)
In the three-dimensional sensor 1, the electrode portion for detecting the position in the XYZ directions is formed of the transparent conductive films 12 and 32 and the thin metal wires 13, 23 and 33 with few light-shielding portions. The light from the light source 50 can be emitted from the translucent part with sufficient illuminance.
When detecting the position of the finger in contact with the operation surface A in the XY direction, the metal thin wire 23 of the XY direction position receiving electrode sheet 20, the transparent conductive film 12 and the metal thin wire 13 of the transmitting electrode sheet 10 are used. Is done. Specifically, the capacitance change when the finger contacts the operation surface A is measured using the thin metal wire 23, the transparent conductive film 12, and the thin metal wire 13, and the position of the finger contact in the XY direction is detected. .
If the electrode part is only a transparent conductive film having a slightly large electrical resistance, the detection sensitivity tends to be low. In particular, the sensitivity tends to decrease as the distance from the routing wire 15a increases. However, since the three-dimensional sensor 1 uses the thin metal wires 13 and 23 having a small electric resistance, it is possible to detect a change in capacitance due to a finger contact with high sensitivity. Therefore, in the three-dimensional sensor 1, the sensitivity of detecting the position in the XY direction is increased.
When detecting the position in the Z direction when the operation surface A is pressed with a finger, the larger the area of the opposing electrode portion, the easier it is to detect a change in capacitance at the time of pressing, and the sensitivity tends to improve. Therefore, the sensitivity of Z-direction position detection tends to be low in an electrode portion having only a thin metal wire with a small facing area. However, in the three-dimensional sensor 1, since the transparent conductive film 12 having a film shape and a certain area is used for the transmission electrode sheet 10, the electrode portion of the Z-direction position reception electrode sheet 30 (transparent conductive film 32 and The area facing the fine metal wire 33) is large. Therefore, in the three-dimensional sensor 1, the detection sensitivity of the Z direction position is increased. In particular, in the present embodiment, the fine metal wires 13 of the transmission electrode sheet 10 have a mesh shape, and the transparent conductive film 32 is also formed on the Z-direction position reception electrode sheet 30. Becomes higher.
Further, in the three-dimensional sensor 1, only the spacer sheet 40 and the adhesive layers 72, 73, and 74 are disposed between the XY direction position receiving electrode sheet 20 and the Z direction position receiving electrode sheet 30. A thick member such as a light guide plate is not disposed. For this reason, the distance between the XY direction position receiving electrode sheet 20 and the Z direction position receiving electrode sheet 30 is reduced, and the accuracy of Z direction position detection can be further improved.

(Other embodiments)
In addition, this invention is not limited to the said embodiment.
The fine metal wires of the transmission electrode sheet need not be formed in a mesh shape, and may be formed in a straight line along the X direction, for example. In the case of being formed linearly along the X direction, as shown in FIG. 5, on the surface of the rectangular transparent conductive film 12 with the X direction as the longitudinal direction, A fine metal wire 13 may be formed at the center. Alternatively, as shown in FIG. 6, the fine metal wires 13 may be formed along the long sides of the transparent conductive film 12 on the surface of the rectangular transparent conductive film 12 with the X direction as the longitudinal direction.
In the transmission electrode sheet, it is not necessary that the fine metal wire is formed on the surface of the transparent conductive film, and the transparent conductive film may be formed so as to cover the fine metal wire. In that case, after forming the fine metal wire, the transparent conductive film may be formed by screen printing or the like.
The thin metal wire of the XY direction position receiving electrode sheet does not need to be formed in a straight line, and may be, for example, a zigzag shape, a wavy line shape, or the like. From the viewpoint of easily forming a fine metal wire, a linear shape is preferable.

The thin metal wire of the Z-direction position receiving electrode sheet does not need to be formed in a straight line along the Y direction, and may be formed in a mesh shape, for example, a zigzag shape, a wavy line shape, or the like. Good. From the viewpoint of easily forming a fine metal wire, a linear shape is preferable.
Further, the fine metal wires of the Z direction position receiving electrode sheet do not overlap with the fine metal wires of the XY direction position receiving electrode sheet in plan view, and may be shifted. However, in terms of high translucency and high sensitivity, it is preferable that the fine metal wires of the Z-direction position receiving electrode sheet overlap with the fine metal wires of the XY-direction position receiving electrode sheet in plan view.
In addition, the Z-direction position receiving electrode sheet may be formed with only a transparent conductive film without forming a fine metal wire, or may be formed with only a fine metal wire without forming a transparent conductive film.
The Z-direction position receiving electrode sheet may be provided on the front side of the transmitting electrode sheet. However, in order to increase the XY direction position detection sensitivity, the Z direction position receiving electrode sheet is provided on the back side of the transmitting electrode sheet, and the XY direction position receiving electrode sheet is on the front side of the transmitting electrode sheet. It is preferable to arrange in.

The elastic spacer of the spacer sheet may not be a columnar shape, that is, a columnar shape whose top surface is circular, for example, the top surface may be an elliptical or polygonal (for example, triangular, quadrangular) columnar shape, conical shape, or pyramid shape. Or a lattice shape.
The spacer sheet may not have the elastic layer base material sheet. Moreover, as long as it is easy to compressively deform, the elastic layer may not have an elastic spacer, and may be a layer having a constant thickness.

  The light source 50 may use only a light emitting diode or a cold cathode tube light emitter without using a light guide plate. In that case, at least one light emitter is directly disposed in the vicinity of the back surface of the Z-direction position receiving electrode sheet. When using a plurality of light emitters, it is preferable to install each light emitter so that the illuminance on the operation surface of the three-dimensional sensor is uniform.

In the three-dimensional sensor of the present invention, the light diffusion layer need not be formed directly on the insulating film, and a separately formed light diffusion layer may be laminated on the insulating film. For example, a light diffusing film including a light diffusing layer may be attached to the insulating film. In the three-dimensional sensor of the present invention, the light diffusion layer may not be provided.
In the case of illuminating the entire operation surface, the three-dimensional sensor of the present invention may not include a decoration layer.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 1 Three-dimensional sensor 10 Transmission electrode sheet 11 Base material sheet 12 Transparent conductive film 12a X direction electrode part 13 Metal thin wire 14 Insulating film 15a, 25a, 35a Lead wiring 15b, 25b, 35b Terminal for external connection 20 For receiving position in XY direction Electrode sheet 21 Substrate sheet 23 Metal thin wire 24 Insulating film 30 Z-direction position receiving electrode sheet 31 Substrate sheet 32 Transparent conductive film 32a Y-direction electrode portion 33 Metal thin wire 34 Insulating film 40 Spacer sheet 41 Elastic layer base material sheet 42 Elastic layer 42a Elastic spacer 50 Light source 51 Light guide plate 52 Light emitter 60 Decorating layer 61 Light transmitting part 62 Light shielding part 63 Transparent sheet 64 Light shielding layers 71, 72, 73, 74, 75 Adhesive layer A Operation surface

Claims (5)

Transmitting electrode sheet, XY direction position receiving electrode sheet, Z direction position receiving electrode sheet, and a compressible deformable spacer provided between the transmitting electrode sheet and the Z direction position receiving electrode sheet With seats,
The transmitting electrode sheet has an electrode portion provided between the XY direction position receiving electrode sheet and the Z direction position receiving electrode sheet,
The electrode portion of the electrode sheet for transmission includes a base sheet, a transparent conductive film formed on the surface of the base sheet, and a plurality of widths of 1 μm to 200 μm formed on the surface of the transparent conductive film . the thin metal wires and Tona is,
The XY direction position receiving electrode sheet has an electrode portion made of a fine metal wire having a width of 0.03 mm or more and 2 mm or less,
The Z-direction position receiving electrode sheet is a capacitive three-dimensional sensor having an electrode portion made of at least one of a transparent conductive film and a thin metal wire having a width of 0.1 mm to 2 mm .   2. The capacitive three-dimensional sensor according to claim 1, wherein at least a part of the thin metal wire of the XY direction position receiving electrode sheet and the thin metal wire of the Z direction position receiving electrode sheet overlap in plan view.   The capacitive three-dimensional sensor according to claim 1 or 2, wherein the thin metal wires of the transmitting electrode sheet are formed in a mesh shape.   The capacitive three-dimensional sensor according to any one of claims 1 to 3, further comprising a light source disposed on the opposite side of the Z-direction position receiving electrode sheet from the spacer sheet.   The XY-direction position receiving electrode sheet further includes a decorative layer provided on a surface opposite to the transmitting electrode sheet, and the decorative layer transmits light in the thickness direction. The capacitive three-dimensional sensor according to any one of claims 1 to 4, wherein a portion and a light blocking portion that blocks light are formed.

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