TWI542558B - Cover glass for a mobile device, method of manufacturing the same, and glass substrate for a cover glass of a mobile device - Google Patents

Description

Glass substrate for covering glass for mobile device, method for manufacturing the same, and mobile device

The present invention relates to a cover glass for a mobile device for protecting a display screen of a mobile device such as a mobile phone or a smart phone, a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), and the like, and a cover glass for a mobile device glass substrate.

In mobile devices such as mobile phones and smart phones and PDAs, in order to protect display devices such as liquid crystals, a transparent protective plate is disposed on the outer side of the display device. As the protective sheet, a resin such as an acrylic resin is often used. However, since the protective sheet of the resin is easily deflected, it is necessary to make the thickness of the sheet thicker or to make a larger gap with the display device. Therefore, in order to protect the display device of the mobile device, it is preferable to use a cover glass containing a glass material. Since the glass has a high hardness, the deflection is small, which contributes to thinning.

Patent Document 1 describes a cover glass for a mobile device using a glass material. According to Patent Document 1, the plate-shaped glass is etched to obtain a desired shape, whereby an extremely smooth end surface free from micro-cracks can be obtained, and a high mechanical strength capable of withstanding external pressure can be obtained.

Prior technical literature Patent literature

Patent Document 1: Japanese Patent Laid-Open Publication No. 2009-167086

LCD panel or organic EL (Electro-Luminescence) built into the device A display screen (display device) such as an electroluminescence panel has a non-display area at the edge portion, and a gap is formed between the edge of the display screen and the frame. Further, with the touch panel of the mobile device, the wiring for the transparent electrode (ITO, Indium Tin Oxide) for the touch panel (the wiring is not transparent) is disposed on the outer periphery of the inner side of the cover glass. In order to hide such non-display areas, gaps, wiring, and the like, the cover panel is usually covered with a front surface panel or a black or white frame-like coating is applied to the inner side of the cover glass to form a concealed region.

On the other hand, in recent mobile devices, the demand for both the enlargement of the display screen and the miniaturization of the entire device has been increasing. As a result, the size is increased to the extent that the width of the display screen is close to the entire width of the apparatus frame, and the cover glass not only forms a display screen but also forms the entire surface of the apparatus including the operation buttons or the speaker portion. In such a case, mainly due to design reasons, it is not the case that the surface panel is covered by the front panel before the frame, and the configuration by hiding by painting is often used.

However, if the area of the coating observed from the outside becomes large, there is a problem that the appearance of the device is impaired. In other words, as long as the display screen is present as far as possible to the end of the casing, it is expected that the appearance of the device or the high functional feeling can be improved.

Accordingly, an object of the present invention is to provide a cover glass for a mobile device, a method for manufacturing the same, and a glass substrate for a cover glass for a mobile device, which can reduce the area of a concealed area viewed from the outside, improve the appearance of the mobile device, and ensure the appearance of the mobile device. The wiring area for the transparent electrode for the touch panel described above.

In order to solve the above problems, a representative configuration of the present invention is characterized in that it is a cover glass for protecting a display screen of a mobile device, and the inner side main surface of the mobile device is longer than the mobile device in the outer peripheral direction in the cross-sectional view of the cover glass. The outer side main surface and the edge on the inner side main surface are coated to hide the wiring.

According to the above configuration, the outermost circumference of the inner side main surface cannot be observed from the outer side main surface side. Thereby, an invisible area which cannot be observed from the outside can be formed on the outer periphery of the inner side of the cover glass, so that the area of the visible area which is observed from the outside in the concealed area to be formed on the inner side of the cover glass can be reduced by the equivalent amount. The extent of the invisible area. Thereby, the beauty of the mobile device can be improved.

Preferably, the cover glass includes at least a boundary portion which is most protruded in the outer circumferential direction in a cross-sectional view; and an inclined surface which is inclined from the boundary portion toward the inner side main surface and the outer side main surface; and the boundary The portion is formed to be biased toward the inner side main surface side. Thereby, the boundary portion can be made difficult to be observed from the outside of the mobile device, which is preferable.

Another representative configuration of the present invention is characterized in that it is a method for manufacturing a cover glass for protecting a display screen of a mobile device, and a resist pattern is formed on both surfaces of a large-sized plate glass, and after etching from both surfaces, Further, the surface is etched and extracted to form an outer shape, and one surface is set as an outer side main surface, and an edge on the inner side main surface is coated to hide wiring.

According to the above manufacturing method, the main surface on the side where etching is further performed is etched deep, and the main surface becomes shorter in the outer peripheral direction. This can be used throughout the periphery The length difference is set substantially uniformly on the main surface throughout the circumference. Further, by extracting the glass substrate by etching, an extremely smooth end surface free from micro-cracks can be obtained, and a higher mechanical strength can be obtained by forming a slope on the end surface by machining.

Another representative configuration of the present invention is a glass substrate for a cover glass for protecting a display screen of a mobile device, characterized in that, in cross section, one main surface is longer than the other main surface in the outer circumferential direction. The cover glass for a mobile device can be manufactured by performing coating on such a glass substrate.

Another representative configuration of the present invention is characterized in that a touch panel including a transparent electrode disposed to cover a display screen of a mobile device and a wiring connected to the transparent electrode is mounted on the touch panel The outer side mobile device cover glass, and the cover glass includes: a display screen protection portion including a pair of opposite main surfaces corresponding to the display screen; and a wiring protection portion configured to be disposed in the pair of opposite main surfaces The inner side main surface of the display screen side is extended outward to protect a portion of the wiring of the touch panel. Thereby, the space for protecting the wiring can be secured with a margin.

Further, it is preferable that the cover glass for the mobile device is formed with a concealed region formed by coating on the outer circumference of the inner main surface, and at least a part of the concealed region overlaps the wiring protection portion when the glass is covered in plan view. Thereby, the area of the visible area that can be observed from the outside in the concealed area can be reduced.

According to the present invention, it is possible to provide a cover glass for a mobile device, a method for manufacturing the same, and a glass substrate for a cover glass for a mobile device, which can reduce the area of a concealed area observed from the outside, and improve the appearance of the mobile device, and The area of the wiring for the transparent electrode for the touch panel can be secured.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. The dimensions, materials, and other specific numerical values shown in the embodiments are merely examples for facilitating the understanding of the invention, and the present invention is not limited unless otherwise specified. In the present specification and the drawings, elements that have substantially the same functions and configurations are denoted by the same reference numerals, and the description thereof will not be repeated, and the elements that are not directly related to the present invention are not shown.

Figure 1 is an exploded view of the mobile device and the cover glass. An example of the mobile device 100 shown in FIG. 1 is a touch panel device including a large cover glass 120 covering the entire surface of the frame 102. A display screen 106 such as a main substrate 104, a liquid crystal panel, or an organic EL panel, a speaker 108, a button 110, and the like are housed in the housing 102 of the mobile device 100. Further, a touch panel 112 including a transparent electrode 114 is disposed on the inner side of the cover glass 120. A wiring 116 including a flexible cable is connected to the transparent electrode 114, and is connected to the main substrate 104 by a connector (not shown). Further, in the case where the slab glass (soda lime glass) is used for the base material of the touch panel 112, it may be formed of a resin film instead of the glass.

The cover glass 120 is mounted to protect the display screen 106 of the mobile device 100. The cover glass 120 has a substantially rectangular plate shape as a whole, and is configured by the glass substrate 130 being coated with a frame-like coating 122. The cover glass 120 (glass substrate 130) includes a speaker hole portion 132 formed in the vicinity of the upper portion and a button hole portion 134 formed in the vicinity of the lower portion in the substrate surface.

The display screen 106 built in the mobile device 100 has a non-display area at the edge portion. Further, a gap is necessarily formed between the edge of the display screen 106 and the side wall of the housing 102. Further, the wiring 116 of the transparent electrode 114 is disposed on the outer periphery of the inner side of the cover glass 120. Therefore, in order to hide such non-display areas, gaps, wiring, and the like, the coating 122 is provided to form a concealed area 150 (see FIG. 2) around (outside) the display screen 106. As a specific example of the coating 122, a coating such as black or white is applied.

Here, in the present embodiment, the glass substrate 130 covering the glass 120 has the main surface on the inner side of the mobile device longer than the outer surface of the outer side of the mobile device in the outer circumferential direction over substantially the entire circumference of the outer periphery of the glass substrate 130. The way it is formed.

FIG. 2 is a view illustrating the end portion of the cover glass 120.

First, the cover glass 120a shown in Fig. 2(a) will be described. The cover glass 120a shown in Fig. 2(a) is an example of a glass substrate 130a which is extracted by etching from a sheet glass. In the glass substrate 130a, the upper side of the figure is the outer side main surface 140a on the outer side of the mobile device 100, and the lower side is the inner side main surface 140b on the inner side (the range is indicated by oblique lines in the figure).

On the outer peripheral end surface of the glass substrate 130a, the most prominent boundary portion 142a and the inclined surfaces 142b and 142c which are inclined from the boundary portion 142a toward the outer side main surface 140a and the inner side main surface 140b are formed. The inclined faces 142b and 142c are faces that are dissolved by an etchant.

Here, in the present embodiment, the inner side main surface 140b is formed to be longer than the outer side main surface 140a in the outer circumferential direction. Further, along with this, the boundary portion 142a extends over substantially the entire circumference of the outer periphery of the glass substrate 130a. It is formed to be biased toward the side of the inner side main surface 140b which is long in the outer peripheral direction. Such an end surface can be formed by etching (longer) the inclined surface 142b on the side of the outer side main surface 140a by the inclined surface 142c on the side of the inner side main surface 140b.

According to the above configuration, the invisible region 152 which is invisible from the side of the outer side main surface 140a is formed on the outermost periphery of the inner side main surface 140b. As described above, the concealed region 150 is formed on the inner side main surface 140b of the glass substrate 130a by the coating 122. However, since a part of the concealed region 152 is formed, the concealable region 150 can be reduced from the outer side main surface 140a side. The area to the visible area 154. Thereby, the frame can be made thinner, so that the appearance of the mobile device can be improved, and a high sense of function can be expected.

Further, when it is assumed that the concealed area 150 observed from the external appearance is set to the same degree as before, the inner side of the cover glass 120a can be obtained earlier than when the end surface of the cover glass is set to be a vertical surface. A wider space. That is, when the width of the visible region 154 is set to be the same as that of the previous concealed region 150, a wide space in which the width of the previous concealed region 150 and the width of the invisible region 152 are added to the inner side of the cover glass 120a can be obtained. Therefore, the wiring 116 of the transparent electrode 114 can be disposed in a margin in the space, and the degree of freedom in design can be improved.

In addition, since the boundary portion 142a is formed to be biased toward the side of the inner side main surface 140b which is long in the outer circumferential direction, the boundary portion 142a is hardly observed from the outside of the mobile device 100, which is preferable.

The cover glass 120b shown in Fig. 2(b) shows the use of machining by machining. A diagram of an example of a cut glass substrate 130b. Similarly, the cover glass 120b is formed such that the inner side main surface 140b is longer than the outer side main surface 140a in the outer circumferential direction over substantially the entire circumference. The end surface 144 of the glass substrate 130b is a flat inclined surface, and the entire cross-sectional shape of the glass substrate 130b is substantially trapezoidal.

When the outer shape is formed by machining as shown in Fig. 2(b), the invisible region 152 which is not visible from the outer side main surface 140a side is formed on the outermost periphery of the inner side main surface 140b. Thereby, the area of the visible region 154 which can be observed from the outer side main surface 140a side in the concealed region 150 can be reduced.

Fig. 3 is a view showing the cover glass of the present embodiment from another viewpoint. In other words, the cover glass 120a can be functionally separated by the display screen protection portion 170 corresponding to the display screen 106 and the wiring protection portion 172 which extends the main surface on the inner side outward. Here, the display screen protecting portion 170 includes a pair of opposing main surfaces, that is, the above-described outer side main surface 140a, and an inner side display portion main surface 140c corresponding to the range. Further, the wiring protection portion 172 includes an inner side wiring portion main surface 140d obtained by extending the inner side display portion main surface 140c toward the outside. In the wiring protection portion 172, there is no main surface (which is an inclined surface) on the outer side opposite to the inner side wiring portion main surface 140d.

According to the above configuration, it is possible to secure a space for protecting the wiring with a margin. If the shape of the cross section of the cover glass is a rectangle (the end face is a vertical plane), the ratio of the area occupied by the display screen 106 in the surface of the mobile device 100 should be set as large as possible. coil The space of the wiring 116 becomes extremely narrow. As a result, the flexible cable, that is, the wiring 116 is excessively bent, which causes difficulty in assembly, or causes contact failure due to breakage or plating fracture. However, as described above, the space is secured by the wiring protection portion 172, whereby the assembly of the touch panel 112 can be facilitated, and the durability can be prevented by disconnection or the like.

Further, as described above, when the concealed region 150 formed by the coating 122 is formed on the outer periphery of the inner surface of the cover glass 120a, it is preferable that at least a part of the concealed region 150 and the wiring are protected when the cover glass 120a is viewed in plan. Portions 172 overlap. That is, the concealed region 150 is applied across the inner side display portion main surface 140c and the inner side wiring portion main surface 140d, or is applied only to the inner side wiring portion main surface 140d. Thereby, the area of the visible area 154 that can be observed from the outside in the concealed area 150 (especially the area of the visible area 154 when the front view mobile device 100 is used) can be reduced. Thereby, the frame can be made thinner, so that the appearance of the mobile device 100 can be improved, and a high sense of function can be expected.

Moreover, since the area of the inner side main surface 140b is larger than the area of the outer side main surface 140a, it is ensured that the cover glass 120a is larger than the rear area of the frame 102 or the touch panel 112 of the mobile device 100, thereby enabling the subsequent Increased stability. Further, since the area of the inner side main surface 140b is larger than the area of the outer side main surface 140a, when the cover glass 120a is pressed from the outer side main surface 140a side with a finger or the like, the pressure can be dispersed toward the inner side main surface 140b side. Thereby, the impact resistance of the mobile device 100 can be improved.

Fig. 4 is a view showing another configuration example of the cover glass. Figure 2 (a) and (b) In the illustrated cover glass 120a, 120b, the end portion of the coating 122 to the inner side main surface 140b is applied. However, as shown in Fig. 4, the coating 122a may be applied only to the visible region 154. In other words, on the inner side main surface 140b of the glass substrate 130, the coating 122a may be applied only from the edge of the display screen 106 to the outer periphery of the outer side main surface 140a. That is, the region (the invisible region 152) that does not overlap the edge portion of the inner side main surface 140b and the outer side main surface 140a is not coated. Thereby, the range observed from the outside (visible area 154 in the concealed area 150) is concealed by the coating 122a, and the amount of the coating for carrying out the coating 122a can be reduced, so that the production cost can be lowered.

As described above, since the main surface of the inner side of the mobile device covering the glass 120 (glass substrate 130) is formed in a peripheral direction longer than the main surface of the outer side of the mobile device, it can be as shown in FIG. 2(a). The glass substrate 130a is extracted by etching, and the shape can be processed by mechanical processing like the glass substrate 130b shown in Fig. 2(b). However, as shown in FIG. 2(a), the glass substrate 130a is preferably extracted by etching. The reason for this is that if the end surface is a dissolution surface by etching, an extremely smooth end surface free from micro cracks can be obtained, and a higher mechanical strength can be obtained by forming a slope on the end surface by mechanical processing. Therefore, the step of extracting the glass substrate 130a by etching will be described below.

Fig. 5 is a view for explaining the steps when the glass substrate 130a is taken out by etching. First, as shown in FIG. 5(a), a resist pattern 162 including a mask shape of a specific glass substrate 130a is formed on both surfaces of the sheet glass 160. Next, as shown in FIG. 5(b), etching is performed from both surfaces of the plate glass 160. Etching method It is preferred to wet etching instead of dry etching. The etchant used for the wet etching may be any one that can etch the plate glass 160. For example, an acidic solution containing hydrofluoric acid as a main component or a mixed acid of at least one of sulfuric acid, nitric acid, hydrochloric acid, and hydrofluoric acid may be used in the hydrofluoric acid.

When the plate glass 160 is etched, the plate glass 160 is dissolved in a region not covered by the resist pattern 162, and grooves 160a and 160b are formed on both surfaces. In wet etching, the glass is isotropically etched. Therefore, the grooves 160a, 160b are widened while the depth is deepened.

When etching is continued from both surfaces in this state, the substantially central portion grooves 160a and 160b of the sheet thickness are finally continuous, and the glass substrate 130a is taken out. However, in the present embodiment, as shown in FIG. 5(c), etching from both surfaces is completed in the middle, and etching is performed from one surface (the upper surface in the drawing). Thereby, the groove 160a on the side where the etching is further performed is deepened and etched to be wide, so that the main surface becomes short in the outer circumferential direction. Further, as shown in FIG. 5(d), when the glass substrate 130a is taken out, the above-described boundary portion 142a and inclined surfaces 142b and 142c are formed on the end faces thereof. In this manner, the entire circumference of the outer periphery of the glass substrate 130a can be formed substantially uniformly with one main surface being longer than the other main surface in the outer circumferential direction. Then, by performing a printing process of printing a specific coating, the cover glass 120a as a product is obtained.

The preferred embodiments of the present invention have been described above with reference to the drawings, but the invention is of course not limited to the examples. Various modifications and alterations will be apparent to those skilled in the art in the scope of the inventions. Within the technical scope.

Industrial availability

The present invention can be used as a cover glass for a mobile device for protecting a display screen of a mobile device such as a mobile phone or a smart phone or a PDA (Personal Digital Assistant), a method for manufacturing the same, and a cover glass substrate for a mobile device.

100‧‧‧ mobile devices

102‧‧‧ frame

104‧‧‧Main substrate

106‧‧‧Display screen

108‧‧‧Speakers

110‧‧‧ button

112‧‧‧Touch panel

114‧‧‧Transparent electrode

116‧‧‧ wiring

120‧‧‧ Covering glass

120a‧‧ Cover glass

120b‧‧‧ Covering glass

122‧‧‧ Painting

122a‧‧· Painting

130‧‧‧ glass substrate

130a‧‧‧glass substrate

130b‧‧‧glass substrate

132‧‧‧Speaker hole

134‧‧‧ button hole

140a‧‧‧External side main surface

140b‧‧‧Internal side main surface

140c‧‧‧Main side display main surface

140d‧‧‧Main side wiring main surface

142a‧‧‧Borders Department

142b‧‧‧ sloped surface

142c‧‧‧ sloped surface

144‧‧‧ end face

150‧‧‧Concealed area

152‧‧‧Invisible area

154‧‧‧visible area

160‧‧‧plate glass

160a‧‧‧ slot

160b‧‧‧ slot

162‧‧‧resist pattern

170‧‧‧Display screen protection section

172‧‧‧Wiring protection section

Figure 1 is an exploded view of the mobile device and the cover glass.

2(a) and 2(b) are views showing the end portions of the cover glass.

Figure 3 is a diagram illustrating the cover glass from another point of view.

Fig. 4 is a view showing another configuration example of the cover glass.

5(a) to 5(d) are diagrams showing the steps when the glass substrate is taken out by etching.

106‧‧‧Display screen

112‧‧‧Touch panel

114‧‧‧Transparent electrode

116‧‧‧ wiring

120a‧‧ Cover glass

120b‧‧‧ Covering glass

122‧‧‧ Painting

130a‧‧‧glass substrate

130b‧‧‧glass substrate

140a‧‧‧External side main surface

140b‧‧‧Internal side main surface

142a‧‧‧Borders Department

142b‧‧‧ sloped surface

142c‧‧‧ sloped surface

144‧‧‧ end face

150‧‧‧Concealed area

152‧‧‧Invisible area

154‧‧‧visible area

Claims (2)

A cover glass for a mobile device, characterized in that it is a cover glass for protecting a display screen of a mobile device, and in the cross-sectional view of the cover glass, an inner side main surface of the mobile device is longer than the mobile device in a peripheral direction The outer side main surface, and the edge on the inner side main surface is coated with a hidden wiring, the cover glass includes at least a boundary portion which is most protruded in the outer peripheral direction in a cross-sectional view; and an inclined surface The boundary portion is inclined and continuous from the inner side main surface and the outer side main surface, and the boundary portion is formed to be biased toward the inner side main surface side. A manufacturing method for a cover glass for a mobile device, characterized in that it is a method for manufacturing a cover glass for protecting a display screen of a mobile device, and a resist pattern is formed on both surfaces of a large-sized plate glass, and is performed from both surfaces After the etching, the outer shape is further etched and extracted to form an outer shape, and the one surface is referred to as an outer side main surface, and the edge on the inner side main surface is coated with a hidden wiring.