A touch device and a driving method thereof

Abstract

The present disclosure relates to a touch device and a driving method thereof, wherein the touch device comprises a substrate, a touch electrode and an antenna electrode, wherein the touch electrode is arranged on a first surface of the substrate, and the antenna electrode is arranged on a second surface of the substrate, and the first surface and the second surface are opposite surfaces of the substrate; the first surface of the substrate comprises a touch area and a touch blind area, wherein the touch areas are arranged at intervals, and the touch electrodes are arranged in the touch areas; the second surface of the substrate has a first area opposite to the touch blind area, and the antenna electrode is arranged in the first area. By arranging the antenna electrode and the touch electrode on two opposite surfaces of the substrate respectively, the present application can avoid mutual interference between the antenna and the touch electrode, and at the same time improve the touch performance of the touch device.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The embodiments of the present disclosure relate to the technical field of electronic devices, and more specifically, to a touch control device and a driving method thereof. Background Art

[0002] As the transmission rate of wireless communication systems increases, the communication capacity increases, and the carrier frequency of communication antennas increases, the path loss of the transmission signals also increases. To overcome this, it is necessary to improve the gain effect of array antennas to overcome the impact of path loss. In order to enable the antenna to achieve high gain and simultaneously realize beam scanning or beamforming, it is necessary to use phased array antenna technology to integrate more antenna lines in a limited space.

[0003] At present, the design of integrated antenna mainly adopts the technology and process of packaged antenna, for example, integrating millimeter wave array antenna, radio frequency integrated circuit and power management integrated circuit in one module. Using this technology, the solution of combining integrated antenna and touch sensor in display device has emerged in the field of electronic equipment.

[0004] However, the technical solution of integrating the antenna with the touch sensor usually causes mutual interference between the electronic devices, and the performance of the electronic devices cannot be guaranteed. Summary of the invention

[0005] An object of the embodiments of the present disclosure is to provide a touch control device and a driving method thereof, which at least solve the problem that components inside the existing touch control device interfere with each other and occupy the space of main electronic components.

[0006] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a touch device, comprising a substrate, a touch electrode, and an antenna electrode, wherein the touch electrode is disposed on a first surface of the substrate, and the antenna electrode is disposed on a second surface of the substrate, wherein the first surface and the second surface are opposite surfaces of the substrate;

[0007] The first surface of the substrate comprises a touch area and a touch blind area, the touch areas are arranged at intervals, and touch electrodes are arranged in the touch areas;

[0008] The second surface of the substrate has a first area opposite to the touch blind area, and the antenna electrode is disposed in the first area.

[0009] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present application provides a method for driving a touch control device, wherein the touch control device is the touch control device according to the first aspect, and the method includes:

[0010] When a touch driving signal is output to the touch electrodes of the touch control device, outputting the antenna driving signal to the antenna electrodes of the touch control device is stopped, and a touch signal received by the touch electrodes is acquired;

[0011] In the case of outputting an antenna driving signal to the antenna electrode of the touch control device, outputting the touch driving signal to the touch control electrode of the touch control device is stopped, and an antenna signal received by the antenna electrode is acquired.

[0012] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present application proposes an electronic device, comprising: a housing; and a touch control device, wherein the touch control device is mounted on the housing, and the touch control device is the touch control device described in the first aspect.

[0013] The present application arranges the antenna electrode and the touch electrode on two opposite surfaces of the substrate respectively, thereby avoiding interference between the antenna and the touch electrode arranged on the same surface, thereby fully improving the area utilization of the substrate and the touch performance of the touch device.

[0014] Other features and advantages of the embodiments of the present disclosure will become apparent from the following detailed description of exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure with reference to the accompanying drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0015] The accompanying drawings, which are incorporated in and constitute a part of the specification, illustrate embodiments of the present disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0016] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the structure of a touch control device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0017] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the position arrangement of touch electrodes according to an embodiment;

[0018] Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of antenna electrode position arrangement according to an embodiment;

[0019] Figure 4 is another schematic diagram of the structure of a touch control device according to an embodiment;

[0020] Figure 5 is a schematic diagram of a driving signal for a touch control device according to an embodiment;

[0021] Figure 6 is a schematic structural diagram of an electronic device according to an embodiment;

[0022] Figure numerals: cover plate 2, first adhesive layer 3, second adhesive layer 4, light-transmitting plate 5, touch device 6, shell 7, touch electrode 11, first connecting line 111, first pin area 112, first solder pad 113, substrate 12, antenna electrode 13, virtual electrode 131, second pin area 133, second solder pad 134, second connecting line 135. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0023] Various exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will now be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that the relative arrangement of components and steps, numerical expressions and numerical values ​​set forth in these embodiments do not limit the scope of the present invention unless otherwise specifically stated.

[0024] The following description of at least one exemplary embodiment is merely illustrative in nature and is in no way intended to limit the invention, its application, or uses.

[0025] Technologies, methods, and equipment known to ordinary technicians in the relevant art may not be discussed in detail, but where appropriate, the technologies, methods, and equipment should be considered as part of the specification.

[0026] In all examples shown and discussed herein, any specific values ​​should be interpreted as merely exemplary and not limiting. Therefore, other examples of the exemplary embodiments may have different values.

[0027] It should be noted that like reference numerals and letters refer to similar items in the following figures, and therefore, once an item is defined in one figure, it need not be further discussed in subsequent figures.

[0028] This embodiment provides a touch control device 6, which can be applied to touch control terminal devices such as mobile phones and tablets to provide human-computer interaction and wireless communication functions for electronic devices.

[0029] In an alternative embodiment, reference Figure 1 The touch device 6 includes a substrate 12, a touch electrode 11 and an antenna electrode 13. The substrate 12 is used to carry the touch electrode 11 and the antenna electrode 13. In an optional embodiment, the substrate 12 can be a transparent film material such as polyester film (PET), optical material COP, polyimide film (PI), etc. In this embodiment, the touch device 6 can be applied to the touch screen of a touch terminal device. It is a transparent device with a perspective function. The perspective function design enables the touch device to have a touch effect without affecting the interface display of the terminal device, so as to better realize human-computer interaction. For example, the touch device 6 is set in the display screen of a mobile phone. When the user touches the display screen, the touch device 6 detects the touch and sends touch information to the processing module of the mobile phone. The processing module executes the corresponding function after receiving the touch information.

[0030] refer to Figure 2 The substrate has two surfaces, namely, a first surface and a second surface. The first surface of the substrate 12 includes a touch area and a touch blind area. The touch areas are arranged at intervals, and touch electrodes 11 are arranged in the touch areas. The touch electrodes arranged at intervals form a plurality of touch areas, and also leave wiring space for each touch electrode, thereby improving the surface utilization rate of the substrate. The touch electrodes 11 can respond to the user's click action and receive touch signals in the process of human-computer interaction. For example, when a finger clicks the touch area corresponding to the touch device 6, the touch electrode 11 in the touch area senses the human body current and generates a touch signal corresponding to the touch point to the processing module of the terminal device.

[0031] Optionally, there are multiple touch electrodes 11, which are evenly distributed on the first surface of the substrate 12. The touch electrodes 11 can be sheet-shaped semiconductors or metal thin layers that can sense current signals. The touch electrodes 11 can be capacitive touch electrodes or resistive touch electrodes. This embodiment only shows an embodiment in which the touch electrodes 11 are rectangular. In a feasible embodiment, the touch electrodes 11 can also be circular, polygonal, etc., and the touch electrodes 11 can also be unevenly distributed according to actual conditions.

[0032] Optionally, the second surface of the substrate has a first area opposite to the touch blind area, and an antenna electrode is arranged in the first area. That is to say, the antenna electrode 13 is in contact with the second surface of the substrate 12, but its spatial position corresponds to the touch blind area, that is, the first area is consistent with the mapping position of the touch blind area on the second surface. The present application sets the antenna electrode 13 on the surface opposite to the touch electrode 11, which can fully improve the area utilization rate of the substrate 12, avoid the antenna and the touch electrode 11 being set on the same surface to affect the touch accuracy, and improve the touch performance of the touch device 6. In addition, the antenna electrode 13 is set in the first area, so that the position of the antenna electrode 13 and the touch electrode 11 can be staggered, avoiding the touch effect being affected by the superposition of the antenna electrode 13 and the touch electrode 11. In this embodiment, the touch blind area may be an area on the first surface where there is no touch electrode 11. The existence of the touch blind area can provide wiring space for the electrical connection between the touch electrode and the processing module of the terminal device, for example Figure 2 An area in which the first connecting line 111 is arranged.

[0033] In an optional embodiment, a first pin area 112 and a second pin area 133 are disposed opposite to each other at one end of the substrate, the first pin area 112 is disposed on the first surface of the substrate 12, a plurality of first pads 113 are disposed in the first pin area 112, and the touch electrodes 11 are electrically connected to the corresponding first pads 113 through the first connecting wires 111. The first pin area 112 is used to integrate and merge the signal processing ends of the touch electrodes 11, thereby improving the utilization efficiency of the substrate 12.

[0034] Optionally, the first pin region 112 may be disposed at an edge of the substrate 12 , for example Figure 2 The bottom of the substrate can also be at the left or right end of the substrate to improve design flexibility and adapt to the display interface of different terminal devices. The first pin area 112 can also be set at a non-edge position of the substrate 12. In this case, the first pin area 112 is in the non-touch area of ​​the terminal device.

[0035] refer to Figure 3 In an optional embodiment, the second pin area 133 is disposed on the second surface of the substrate 12, a plurality of second pads 134 are disposed in the second pin area 133, and the antenna electrode 13 is electrically connected to the corresponding second pads 134 via a second connection line 135. The second pin area 133 is used to integrate the electromagnetic information processing end of the antenna electrode 13, thereby improving the utilization efficiency of the substrate 12.

[0036] In an optional embodiment, the first connecting line 111 is arranged in the touch blind area, so that the transmittance of the touch device is uniform and does not affect visibility. At the same time, the first connecting line is arranged in the touch blind area and does not affect the touch effect of the touch electrode. In a feasible embodiment, the first connecting line 111 can be a nano-scale conductive medium such as nano silver wire. The first connecting line 111 is arranged in the touch blind area, and the layout of complex circuits can be realized without increasing the thickness of the touch device, making the routing clearer and facilitating fault detection of the touch device.

[0037] Optionally, the first connection lines 111 and the second connection lines 135 may be arranged on the first surface of the substrate by inlaying a conductive coating, which can further improve the utilization of the substrate, avoid complex wiring design, and further reduce the thickness of the touch device.

[0038] Optionally, the first connection line 111 and the second connection line 135 may also be designed to be buried, for example, the lines are arranged inside the substrate, and both ends of the lines are exposed from the substrate to achieve electrical connection between devices.

[0039] The first pad 113 and the second pad 134 may both be made of transparent conductive oxides such as indium tin oxide (ITO) and indium zinc oxide (IZO) to achieve electrical connection between the first connection line 111 and the first pad 113, and electrical connection between the second connection line 135 and the second pad 134. In a feasible embodiment, the second connection line 135 may be a nano-scale conductive dielectric such as a nano silver wire.

[0040] In an optional embodiment, the antenna electrode 13 may adopt a phased array antenna to ensure the transmission rate and carrier frequency of the wireless communication of the terminal device. The antenna electrode 13 is generally arranged at the edge of the terminal device to facilitate receiving electromagnetic information, so the antenna electrode 13 needs to be arranged at the edge position adjacent to the substrate.

[0041] In an optional embodiment, the second pin region 133 is located at the edge of the substrate, and the antenna electrode 13 is adjacent to the second pin region 133, which can reduce the wiring length between the antenna electrode 13 and the second pin region 133 and ensure the signal receiving efficiency of the antenna electrode 13. Figure 3 As shown in , the second pin region 133 is disposed at the lower edge of the second surface of the substrate 12 , and the antenna electrode 13 is disposed adjacent to the second pin region 133 .

[0042] Optionally, the second pin region 133 may also be located at a non-edge position of the second surface. In this case, the antenna electrode may be disposed at an edge position of the second surface, thereby improving the efficiency of the antenna electrode in receiving external electromagnetic information.

[0043] Optionally, a virtual electrode 131 is further provided in the first area of ​​the touch device. The virtual electrode 131 may be a dummy electrode without an electrical connection structure. The provision of the virtual electrode can improve the difference in transmittance between the touch area and the touch blind area without affecting the antenna electrode receiving signals, thereby ensuring the consistency of the transmittance of the entire touch device 6.

[0044] Optionally, in the above embodiment, the antenna electrode is disposed at a position adjacent to the second pin region 133, and correspondingly, the virtual electrode 131 is located at a position in the first region away from the second pin region 133. Thus, the second surface is filled with antenna electrodes to ensure the consistency of the pass rate.

[0045] Optionally, when the antenna electrode is located at a position far away from the second pin region 133 , the dummy electrode may also be located at a position adjacent to the second pin region 133 .

[0046] Optionally, since the function of the virtual electrode is to ensure the light transmittance of the touch device, the virtual electrode may be replaced by an electrode plate with a certain light transmittance.

[0047] In an optional embodiment, to further ensure the uniformity of the transmittance of the touch device, the virtual electrode 131 of this embodiment has the same shape and size as the antenna electrode 13. Optionally, the touch electrode 11 and the antenna electrode 13 and the virtual electrode 131 may also have the same shape and size.

[0048] In a feasible embodiment, transparent conductive oxides such as indium tin oxide (ITO) and indium zinc oxide (IZO) can be used to fill the gap between the touch area and the touch blind area, so as to make both sides of the substrate 12 flat, ensure the overall uniformity of the touch device 6, and avoid affecting the visual effect of the smart terminal.

[0049] In this embodiment, the touch device 6 further includes a cover plate 2, a first adhesive layer 3, a second adhesive layer 4 and a light-transmitting plate 5. The cover plate 2 is adhered to one side of the first surface of the substrate through the first adhesive layer 3, and the light-transmitting plate 5 is adhered to one side of the second surface of the substrate 12 through the second adhesive layer 4. Alternatively, the cover plate 2 is adhered to one side of the second surface of the substrate 12 through the first adhesive layer 3, and the light-transmitting plate 5 is adhered to one side of the first surface of the substrate 12 through the second adhesive layer 4. This improves the flexibility of the substrate during actual installation, and is not limited to the setting of the front and back surfaces.

[0050] In this embodiment, since the substrate adopts a conductive design, the positional relationship between the substrate and the cover plate 2 and the light-transmitting plate 5 does not affect its touch performance, that is, the connection between the substrate and the cover plate 2 and the light-transmitting plate 5 is not limited to one placement method, for example, Figure 1 In the embodiment, the first surface of the substrate 12 provided with the touch electrodes 11 is adjacent to the cover plate 2, and the second surface of the substrate 12 provided with the antenna electrodes 13 is adjacent to the light-transmitting plate 5. The connection relationship between the substrate 12 and the cover plate 2 and the light-transmitting plate 5 can also be: Figure 4 The arrangement mode in the embodiment is that the first surface of the substrate 12 provided with the touch electrodes 11 is adjacent to the light-transmitting plate 5, and the second surface of the substrate 12 provided with the antenna electrodes 13 is adjacent to the cover plate 2. Optionally, the light-transmitting plate can be a conductive plate with a conductive function to transmit the current of the human body.

[0051] Optionally, the cover plate 2 may be a glass cover plate 2 for protecting the substrate and the touch electrodes or antenna electrodes or virtual electrodes on both sides of the substrate. The first adhesive layer 3 and the second adhesive layer 4 may use OCA (Optically Clear Adhesive) to form an adhesive layer to achieve bonding between the substrate 12 and the cover plate 2, and between the substrate 12 and the light-transmitting plate 5. In a feasible implementation, the light-transmitting plate 5 may be a display panel of a smart terminal.

[0052] Based on a touch control device 6 disclosed in the above embodiment, this embodiment further provides a driving method for the touch control device 6. The touch control device 6 is the touch control device 6 in the above embodiment. The driving method for the touch control device 6 includes: when outputting a touch control driving signal to a touch control electrode 11 of the touch control device 6, stopping outputting an antenna driving signal to an antenna electrode 13 of the touch control device 6, and acquiring a touch signal received by the touch control electrode 11.

[0053] When the antenna driving signal is output to the antenna electrode 13 of the touch control device 6 , the output of the touch driving signal to the touch control electrode 11 of the touch control device 6 is stopped, and the antenna signal received by the antenna electrode 13 is acquired.

[0054] This embodiment adopts a time-sharing control method for the touch electrode 11 and the antenna electrode 13 to avoid mutual interference when the touch electrode 11 and the antenna electrode 13 work at the same time. Specifically, when the antenna electrode 13 is working and the touch electrode 11 is not working, the first connecting line 111 on the first surface can also serve as a radiation layer of the antenna electrode 13 to obtain a better electromagnetic signal reception effect.

[0055] In a feasible embodiment, after the driver chip receives the touch information acquired by the touch electrode 11, it can stop outputting the antenna driving signal to the antenna electrode 13, and at the same time send the touch information to the signal processing components such as the processor of the smart terminal. After the driver chip receives the electromagnetic information acquired by the antenna electrode 13, it stops outputting the touch driving signal to the touch electrode 11, and at the same time sends the electromagnetic information to the signal processing components such as the processor of the smart terminal.

[0056] Specifically, the touch electrode 11 and the antenna electrode 13 can be controlled by a driving chip, and a driving signal is input into the driving chip. The driving signal can be as follows: Figure 5 The clock signal shown in FIG. 1 generates a touch electrode driving signal and an antenna electrode driving signal in different time periods.

[0057] This embodiment further provides an electronic device, which includes: a housing 7 and a touch device 6, wherein the touch device 6 is mounted on the housing 7, and the touch device 6 is the touch device 6 in the above embodiment, for example Figure 1 or Figure 4 The touch device 6.

[0058] Optionally, the housing may be a display panel of a smart terminal, and the shape of the touch device is made consistent with that of the display panel, thereby achieving the fit between the touch device and the smart terminal.

[0059] Optionally, after the touch device is connected to the housing of the smart terminal, the corresponding content on the display panel can be selected by clicking on the surface of the touch device, and the touch device receives the touch signal at the corresponding position and sends it to the driver chip, which stops outputting the antenna drive signal to the antenna electrode and sends the touch information to the signal processing components such as the processor of the smart terminal. For example, when the user clicks on the part of the touch device corresponding to the return instruction, the processor executes the function of returning to the previous step.

[0060] Optionally, when the user does not click on the touch device, the driver chip stops outputting the touch drive signal to the touch electrode after receiving the antenna signal obtained by the antenna electrode, and at the same time sends the electromagnetic information to the signal processing components such as the processor of the smart terminal. The processor controls the terminal device to perform the communication function.

[0061] Embodiments of the present invention have been described above, and the above description is exemplary, not exhaustive, and is not limited to the disclosed embodiments. Many modifications and variations will be apparent to those of ordinary skill in the art without departing from the scope and spirit of the described embodiments. The selection of terms used herein is intended to best explain the principles of the embodiments, practical applications, or technical improvements in the marketplace, or to enable other persons of ordinary skill in the art to understand the embodiments disclosed herein. The scope of the present invention is defined by the appended claims.

Claims

1. A touch device, characterized in that: The invention comprises a substrate, a touch electrode and an antenna electrode, wherein the touch electrode is arranged on a first surface of the substrate, the antenna electrode is arranged on a second surface of the substrate, and the first surface and the second surface are opposite surfaces of the substrate; The first surface of the substrate comprises a touch area and a touch blind area, the touch areas are arranged at intervals, and touch electrodes are arranged in the touch areas; The second surface of the substrate has a first area opposite to the touch blind area, and the antenna electrode is arranged in the first area; A first pin area and a second pin area are disposed opposite to each other at one end of the substrate, the first pin area is located on the first surface, a plurality of first pads are disposed in the first pin area, and the touch electrodes are electrically connected to the corresponding first pads; The second pin area is located on the second surface, a plurality of second pads are arranged in the second pin area, and the antenna electrode is electrically connected to the corresponding second pads; The touch electrodes are electrically connected to corresponding first pads via first connecting wires, and the first connecting wires are arranged in the touch blind area.

2. The touch control device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The antenna electrode is electrically connected to the corresponding second pad through a second connecting line.

3. The touch control device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The second pin region is located at an edge of the substrate, and the antenna electrode is adjacent to the second pin region.

4. The touch control device according to claim 1, characterized in that: A virtual electrode is further disposed in the first region, and the virtual electrode is disposed on a side of the antenna electrode away from the second pin region.

5. The touch control device according to claim 4, characterized in that: The dummy electrode has the same shape and size as the antenna electrode.

6. The touch control device according to claim 1, characterized in that: The touch control device further comprises a cover plate, a first adhesive layer, a second adhesive layer and a light-transmitting plate, wherein the cover plate is adhered to one side of the first surface of the substrate through the first adhesive layer, and the light-transmitting plate is adhered to one side of the second surface of the substrate through the second adhesive layer; Alternatively, the cover plate is adhered to one side of the second surface of the substrate through a first adhesive layer, and the light-transmitting plate is adhered to one side of the first surface of the substrate through a second adhesive layer.

7. A method for driving a touch device, characterized in that: The touch control device is the touch control device according to any one of claims 1 to 6, and the method comprises: When a touch driving signal is output to the touch electrodes of the touch control device, outputting the antenna driving signal to the antenna electrodes of the touch control device is stopped, and a touch signal received by the touch electrodes is acquired; In the case of outputting an antenna driving signal to the antenna electrode of the touch control device, outputting the touch driving signal to the touch control electrode of the touch control device is stopped, and an antenna signal received by the antenna electrode is acquired.

8. An electronic device, characterized in that: include: case; A touch control device, wherein the touch control device is mounted on the housing, and the touch control device is the touch control device as described in claims 1 to 6.

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