A touch module and a display device

Abstract

The present invention discloses a touch module and a display device, which can solve the problem of low touch sensitivity in the curved area of ​​the curved screen in the prior art. The touch module includes: a curved area and a non-curved area, and both the curved area and the non-curved area include a substrate, a touch channel layer arranged on the substrate, and a cover plate arranged on the touch channel layer; the touch channel layer includes a plurality of drive channels and a plurality of sensing channels, each drive channel is provided with a plurality of drive units, and each sensing channel is provided with a plurality of sensing units; the first area of ​​the part of the drive units and the sensing units corresponding to the curved area is smaller than the second area of ​​each drive unit and the sensing unit corresponding to the non-curved area.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of touch control technology, and in particular to a touch control module and a display device. Background Art

[0002] At present, many terminals are equipped with curved screens, for example, smartphones equipped with curved screens. Usually, the curved screen includes a curved area and a non-curved area. Although the design of the curved screen fits the palm of the hand better and is easier for the user to hold, the curved area in the curved screen can be regarded as a convex surface, while the non-curved area in the curved screen can be regarded as a flat surface. When the same finger is used to perform touch operations on the curved area and the non-curved area respectively, the effective contact area corresponding to the curved area will be smaller than the effective contact area of ​​the non-curved area, resulting in the touch sensitivity of the curved area being lower than that of the non-curved area. Summary of the invention

[0003] A touch module and a display device are provided in an embodiment of the present invention, which can solve the problem of low touch sensitivity in a curved area of ​​a curved screen in the prior art.

[0004] In a first aspect, a touch module comprises: a curved surface area and a non-curved surface area, wherein the curved surface area and the non-curved surface area both comprise a base substrate, a touch channel layer disposed on the base substrate, and a cover plate disposed on the touch channel; wherein:

[0005] The touch channel layer includes a plurality of driving channels and a plurality of sensing channels, each driving channel is provided with a plurality of driving units, and each sensing channel is provided with a plurality of sensing units;

[0006] A first area of ​​a portion of the driving units and the sensing units corresponding to the curved surface area is smaller than a second area of ​​each of the driving units and the sensing units corresponding to the non-curved surface area.

[0007] A plurality of coupling capacitors can be generated between the cross-arranged driving channels and sensing channels in the touch channel layer, and a certain number of electric field lines will be generated around each coupling capacitor. If the number of coupling capacitors formed in the unit area is greater, the electric field lines are more densely distributed in the unit space. In the case of using the same finger for touch operation, the denser the electric field lines are, the more electric field lines the finger can cut, and the higher the sensitivity of the touch operation. In an embodiment of the present invention, the area of ​​the partial driving unit and the sensing unit corresponding to the curved surface area, such as the first area, is designed to be smaller than the area of ​​each driving unit and the sensing unit corresponding to the non-curved surface area, such as the second area, that is, the touch channel layer corresponding to the partial area in the curved surface area can be provided with more driving units and sensing units, that is, the number of coupling capacitors formed in the above partial area becomes more, and the electric field lines in the unit space become denser, so that when the user uses the same finger to perform touch operation in the above partial area, more electric field lines can be cut, thereby improving the touch sensitivity of the partial area in the curved surface area.

[0008] Optionally, a first area of ​​each driving unit and sensing unit corresponding to the curved surface area is smaller than a second area of ​​each driving unit and sensing unit corresponding to the non-curved surface area.

[0009] In the embodiment of the present invention, the touch sensitivity of the entire curved area can be improved by designing the areas of the driving units and the sensing units corresponding to the curved area to be smaller than the areas of the driving units and the sensing units corresponding to the non-curved area.

[0010] Optionally, the second area is [0.4, 0.6] times the first area.

[0011] In the embodiment of the present invention, the second area is [0.4, 0.6] times the first area, which can improve the touch sensitivity of the curved area and make the touch sensitivity of the curved area and the non-curved area as close as possible; at the same time, the driving unit and the sensing unit of the second area can be manufactured by the existing process and can ensure a high yield rate.

[0012] Optionally, part or all of the driving units and sensing units corresponding to the curved area include columnar protrusions.

[0013] In the embodiment of the present invention, part or all of the driving units and sensing units corresponding to the curved surface area include columnar protrusions, which is equivalent to increasing the relative area of ​​the two electrodes in the coupling capacitor formed between the driving unit and the sensing unit, thereby increasing the size of the coupling capacitor formed between the driving unit and the sensing unit. The larger the coupling capacitor (equivalent to the stronger the electric field between the two electrodes forming the coupling capacitor), the more electric field lines are formed around the coupling capacitor, which is conducive to improving the touch sensitivity of the curved surface area.

[0014] Optionally, the plane pattern corresponding to the columnar protrusion is a rectangle or a triangle.

[0015] In the embodiment of the present invention, the plane pattern corresponding to the columnar protrusions may be a matrix or a triangle, which makes the manufacturing process simpler.

[0016] Optionally, the number of columnar protrusions included in some or all of the driving units and the sensing units is not less than a set threshold.

[0017] In the embodiment of the present invention, by setting a columnar protrusion not less than a set threshold, the relative area between the two electrodes in the coupling capacitor formed between the driving unit and the sensing unit can be maximized, thereby increasing the size of the coupling capacitor and further improving the touch sensitivity of the curved area.

[0018] Optionally, an orthographic projection of the columnar protrusion of the driving unit on the substrate and an orthographic projection of the columnar protrusion of the sensing unit on the substrate at least partially do not overlap.

[0019] In the embodiment of the present invention, when the driving channel and the sensing channel are provided in the same film layer, the orthographic projections of the columnar protrusions of the driving unit and the columnar protrusions of the sensing unit on the substrate at least partially do not overlap, thereby avoiding direct connection between the driving unit and the sensing unit.

[0020] Optionally, the touch channel layer includes a driving channel layer composed of the plurality of driving channels, and a sensing channel layer composed of the plurality of sensing channels.

[0021] In an embodiment of the present invention, the multiple driving channels and the multiple sensing channels included in the touch channel layer can be independently set in different film layers, for example, a driving channel layer and a sensing channel layer, so as to facilitate independent setting of the areas of the driving units in the driving channels and the sensing units in the sensing channels.

[0022] Optionally, the orthographic projections of the driving unit including the columnar protrusion and the sensing unit including the columnar protrusion on the substrate at least partially overlap.

[0023] In an embodiment of the present invention, when the driving channel and the sensing channel are arranged in different film layers, that is, each film layer only needs to arrange one touch channel (driving channel or sensing channel) at equal intervals, then the length of the plane pattern corresponding to the columnar protrusions of the driving unit and the columnar protrusions of the sensing unit can be set longer, which is equivalent to increasing the relative area of ​​the two electrodes in the coupling capacitor formed by the driving unit and the sensing unit, thereby increasing the size of the coupling capacitor formed by the driving unit and the sensing unit, which is beneficial to improving the touch sensitivity of the curved area.

[0024] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a display device, wherein the display device comprises a touch module as described in any embodiment of the first aspect.

[0025] In a third aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a method for preparing a touch module, the method comprising:

[0026] A touch channel layer is formed on a substrate based on a sputtering or deposition process, and a plurality of driving channels and a plurality of sensing channels are formed on the touch channel layer through a patterning process; wherein the substrate includes a curved surface area and a non-curved surface area, part of the driving channels are located in the curved surface area, and other driving channels except the part of the driving channels are located in the non-curved surface area, part of the sensing channels are located in the curved surface area, and other sensing channels except the part of the sensing channels are located in the non-curved surface area; each driving channel includes a plurality of driving units, and each sensing channel includes a plurality of sensing units, and a first area of ​​some driving units and sensing units corresponding to the curved surface area is smaller than a second area of ​​each driving unit and sensing unit corresponding to the non-curved surface area;

[0027] A cover plate is formed on the touch channel layer. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0028] Figure 1 A schematic diagram of the structure of a touch module provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0029] Figure 2 A schematic plan view of a touch channel layer provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 3 A schematic plan view of a touch channel layer provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 4 A partially enlarged schematic diagram of a driving unit and a sensing unit provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 5 A partially enlarged schematic diagram of a driving unit and a sensing unit provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 6 A partially enlarged schematic diagram of a driving unit and a sensing unit provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 7 A schematic flow chart of a method for preparing a touch module provided in an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] In order to make the purpose, technical solutions and advantages of the present invention more clearly understood, the present invention is further described in detail below in conjunction with the accompanying drawings and embodiments.

[0036] See also Figure 1 , which is a schematic diagram of the structure of an existing touch module. Figure 1 The touch screen device includes a curved surface area A and a non-curved surface area B, and both the curved surface area A and the non-curved surface area B include a base substrate 10, a touch channel layer 20 disposed on the base substrate 10, and a cover plate 30 disposed on the touch channel layer 20. The cover plate 30 is used to protect the base substrate 10 and the touch channel layer 20.

[0037] See also Figure 2 , is a schematic diagram of an existing touch channel layer 20 . Figure 2 The invention comprises a plurality of driving channels 201 and a plurality of sensing channels 202. The plurality of driving channels 201 are arranged at equal intervals along a first direction, and the plurality of sensing channels 202 are arranged at equal intervals along a second direction, and the first direction intersects with the second direction. For example, the first direction and the second direction are perpendicular to each other, and other intersection modes may be adopted according to actual conditions. The intersection mode between the first direction and the second direction is not particularly limited in the present application.

[0038] Each driving channel 201 includes a plurality of driving units 2011, and each sensing channel 202 includes a plurality of sensing units 2021. Each driving unit 2011 and each sensing unit 2021 may correspond to the same plane pattern. For example, the plane patterns corresponding to the driving unit 2011 and the sensing unit 2021 may be diamond-shaped, or may be set to other patterns according to actual conditions. The plane patterns corresponding to the driving unit 2011 and the sensing unit 2021 are not particularly limited in the present application.

[0039] A coupling capacitor is generated between adjacent driving units 2011 and sensing units 2021, and a certain number of electric field lines are generated in the space around each coupling capacitor. When a user uses a finger to perform a touch operation, the finger cuts the electric field lines. It should be understood that when a user uses the same finger to perform a touch operation, the larger the contact area with the touch screen of the terminal, the more electric field lines can be cut, making the terminal more sensitive to the above touch operation.

[0040] Please continue to see Figure 1 and Figure 2, the non-curved area A and the curved area B correspond to parts of the driving unit 2011 and the sensing unit 2021 respectively. The non-curved area A can be regarded as a plane, and the curved area B can be regarded as a convex surface. Then, when the user uses the same finger to perform touch operations on the non-curved area A and the curved area B respectively, because the contact area at the curved area B is smaller than the contact area at the non-curved area A, the number of electric field lines that can be cut by the same finger at the curved area B is smaller than the number of electric field lines that can be cut at the non-curved area A, resulting in the sensitivity of the touch operation at the curved area B being lower than the sensitivity of the touch operation at the non-curved area A.

[0041] In view of this, an embodiment of the present invention provides a touch module, in which the first area of ​​some driving units and sensing units corresponding to the curved surface area of ​​the touch module is designed to be smaller than the second area of ​​each driving unit and sensing unit corresponding to the non-curved surface area, that is, more driving units and sensing units can be set in the touch channel layer corresponding to the partial area in the curved surface area, that is, the number of coupling capacitors formed in the above-mentioned partial area is increased, and the electric field lines within the unit space range become denser, so that when the user uses the same finger to perform touch operation in the above-mentioned partial area, more electric field lines can be cut, thereby improving the touch sensitivity of the partial area in the curved surface area.

[0042] In order to better understand the above technical scheme, the technical scheme of the present invention is described in detail below through the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments. It should be understood that the embodiments of the present invention and the specific features in the embodiments are detailed descriptions of the technical scheme of the present invention, rather than limitations on the technical scheme of the present invention. In the absence of conflict, the embodiments of the present invention and the technical features in the embodiments can be combined with each other.

[0043] See also Figure 3 , is a plan schematic diagram of a new touch channel layer provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 and Figure 2 The difference is that the first area of ​​the part of the driving units 2012 and the sensing units 2022 corresponding to the curved area B is smaller than the second area of ​​each driving unit 2011 and the sensing unit 2021 corresponding to the non-curved area A.

[0044] It should be understood that Figure 1 In the touch module shown, not all areas in the touch area represented by the curved area B can trigger the corresponding function through touch operation, that is, part of the curved area B is a valid area (the corresponding function can be triggered by touch operation), and part of it is an invalid area (the corresponding function cannot be triggered by touch operation). Therefore, in this application, it is only necessary to improve the touch sensitivity of the above-mentioned valid area.

[0045] For example, in a traditional terminal, physical button 1 and physical button 2 are usually set on both sides of the terminal. Physical button 1 is mainly used to turn off the screen of the terminal in the bright screen state, turn off the terminal in the powered-on state, or turn on the terminal in the powered-off state. Physical button 2 is mainly used to adjust the volume of the terminal. Figure 1 In the touch module shown in , the curved area B can be considered to replace the traditional physical button 1 and physical button 2, that is, by performing touch operations on some sub-areas in the curved area B, the functions corresponding to the physical button 1 and physical button 2 in the traditional terminal can be realized. Therefore, for the curved area B, the sub-area used to replace the functions of the physical button 1 and physical button 2 is the effective area, so it is only necessary to improve the touch sensitivity of the above sub-area in a targeted manner.

[0046] For details, see Figure 4 , is a partial enlarged view of the driving unit 2011 and the sensing unit 2021 corresponding to the unit area in the non-curved area A, Figure 5 It is a partial enlarged view of the driving unit 2012 and the sensing unit 2022 corresponding to the unit area region (the unit area region should be the effective area) in the curved area B. Figure 4 and Figure 5 It can be seen that within a unit area, if the area of ​​the driving unit 2011 and the sensing unit 2021 is reduced, a greater number of driving units 2012 and sensing units 2022 can be arranged within the unit area. Figure 4 As shown, two driving units 2011 and two sensing units 2021 are set in a unit area. Figure 5 As shown, six driving units 2012 and six sensing units 2022 are arranged in a unit area.

[0047] Since coupling capacitors can be formed between adjacent driving units 2011 and sensing units 2021, when the areas of the driving units 2011 and the sensing units 2021 are reduced, it is equivalent to forming more coupling capacitors within a unit area. A certain number of electric field lines will be generated in the space around each coupling capacitor. The more coupling capacitors are formed within a unit area, the denser the electric field lines will be within the unit space. When the same finger is used for touch operation, the denser the electric field lines are, even if the contact area with the effective area in the curved area B is small, the finger can still cut a larger number of electric field lines, thereby achieving the purpose of improving the touch sensitivity of the effective area in the curved area B.

[0048] It should be understood that Figure 1In the touch module shown, in addition to realizing the related functions of the physical key 1 and the physical key 2 in the traditional terminal, other functions can also be realized by performing touch operations on the curved surface area B. For example, by starting application programs located in different sub-areas in the curved surface area B through touch operations, the entire curved surface area B can be considered to be a valid area. In order to improve the touch sensitivity of the entire curved surface area B, in an embodiment of the present invention, the first area of ​​each driving unit 2012 and the sensing unit 2022 corresponding to the curved surface area B can be set to be smaller than the second area of ​​each driving unit 2011 and the sensing unit 2021 corresponding to the non-curved surface area A.

[0049] In some embodiments, when manufacturing the driving unit 2012 and the sensing unit 2022, if the area of ​​the driving unit 2012 and the sensing unit 2022 is too small, the yield rate will be greatly reduced. Therefore, in the embodiments of the present invention, if the existing process allows, the second area of ​​part or all of the driving unit 2012 and the sensing unit 2022 corresponding to the curved area B can be made smaller as much as possible, thereby improving the touch sensitivity of the curved area B while ensuring that the driving unit 2012 and the sensing unit 2022 have a high yield rate. For example, the second area can be [0.4, 0.6] times the first area.

[0050] In some embodiments, see Figure 1 In the prior art, in order to prevent the cover plate 30 corresponding to the curved area B from breaking due to excessive force, the cover plate 30 corresponding to the curved area B is usually thicker than the cover plate 30 corresponding to the non-curved area A, but the thicker cover plate 30 will reduce the touch sensitivity of the curved area B. Therefore, in the embodiment of the present invention, the relative area of ​​the two electrodes in the coupling capacitor can be increased to increase the size of the coupling capacitor, thereby improving the touch sensitivity of the curved area B covered with the thicker cover plate 30. It should be understood that the larger the single coupling capacitor is (equivalent to the stronger the electric field between the two electrodes forming the single coupling capacitor), the more electric field lines will be formed in the space around the coupling capacitor, so that when the same finger is used for touch operation, more electric field lines can be cut, thereby reducing the problem of decreased touch sensitivity caused by the thicker cover plate 30 corresponding to the curved area B.

[0051] As a possible implementation, part of the driving unit 2012 and the sensing unit 2022 corresponding to the curved area B include a columnar protrusion, and the plane pattern corresponding to the columnar protrusion may be a rectangle or a triangle. The provision of the columnar protrusion is equivalent to increasing the relative area between the driving unit 2012 and the sensing unit 2022, thereby increasing the size of the coupling capacitance formed between the driving unit 2012 and the sensing unit 2022. The larger the coupling capacitance, the more electric field lines are formed around the coupling capacitance, which is conducive to improving the touch sensitivity of the curved area B.

[0052] It should be understood that, if space in the trigger channel layer allows, on the one hand, by setting a columnar protrusion that is not less than a set threshold, the size of the coupling capacitance formed between the driving unit and the sensing unit can be increased to the maximum extent, thereby improving the touch sensitivity of the curved surface area. On the other hand, the orthographic projection of the columnar protrusion of the driving unit on the substrate substrate and the orthographic projection of the columnar protrusion of the sensing unit on the substrate substrate at least partially do not overlap, thereby ensuring that there is no direct connection problem between the driving unit and the sensing unit located in the same touch channel layer, thereby avoiding affecting the touch performance.

[0053] In the above embodiment, multiple driving channels 201 and multiple sensing channels 202 are arranged in the same film layer. As another possible embodiment, the touch channel layer includes a driving channel layer composed of multiple driving channels and a sensing channel layer composed of multiple sensing channels, which is conducive to independently setting the area of ​​the driving unit 2012 in the driving channel 201 and the sensing unit 2022 in the sensing channel 202.

[0054] For example, the length of the planar pattern corresponding to the columnar protrusion of the driving unit 2012 and the columnar protrusion of the sensing unit 2022 can be set longer, which is equivalent to further increasing the relative area between the two electrodes in the coupling capacitor formed by the driving unit 2012 and the sensing unit 2022, thereby increasing the size of the coupling capacitor formed by the driving unit 2012 and the sensing unit 2022, which is beneficial to improving the touch sensitivity of the curved area B.

[0055] As a possible implementation, see Figure 6 , the orthographic projections of the driving unit 2012 including the columnar protrusion and the sensing unit 2022 including the columnar protrusion on the base substrate 101 at least partially overlap. For example, the columnar protrusion of the driving unit 2012 overlaps with the rhombus portion of the sensing unit 2022, or the columnar protrusion of the sensing unit 2022 overlaps with the rhombus portion of the driving unit 2012.

[0056] Based on the same inventive concept, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a display device, including the touch module provided by any of the above embodiments of the present invention. The display device can be: a mobile phone, a tablet computer, a television, a monitor, a notebook computer, a digital photo frame, a navigator, or any other product or component with a display function, without particular limitation herein.

[0057] See also Figure 7 Based on the same inventive concept, an embodiment of the present invention provides a method for preparing a touch module, and the method process is as follows:

[0058] Step 401: forming a touch channel layer on a substrate by a sputtering or deposition process, and forming a plurality of driving channels and a plurality of sensing channels on the touch channel layer by a patterning process; wherein the substrate includes a curved surface area and a non-curved surface area, part of the driving channels are located in the curved surface area, and other driving channels except for part of the driving channels are located in the non-curved surface area, part of the sensing channels are located in the curved surface area, and other sensing channels except for part of the sensing channels are located in the non-curved surface area; each driving channel includes a plurality of driving units, and each sensing channel includes a plurality of sensing units, and a first area of ​​some driving units and sensing units corresponding to the curved surface area is smaller than a second area of ​​each driving unit and sensing unit corresponding to the non-curved surface area;

[0059] Step 402: forming a cover plate on the touch channel layer.

[0060] Obviously, those skilled in the art can make various changes and modifications to the present application without departing from the spirit and scope of the present application. Thus, if these modifications and variations of the present application fall within the scope of the claims of the present application and their equivalents, the present application is also intended to include these modifications and variations.

Claims

1. A touch module, characterized in that: include: A curved surface area and a non-curved surface area, and both the curved surface area and the non-curved surface area include a base substrate, a touch channel layer disposed on the base substrate, and a cover plate disposed on the touch channel layer; wherein, The touch channel layer includes a plurality of driving channels and a plurality of sensing channels, each driving channel is provided with a plurality of driving units, and each sensing channel is provided with a plurality of sensing units, wherein the plurality of driving channels are arranged at equal intervals along a first direction, the plurality of sensing channels are arranged along a second direction intersecting the first direction, the plurality of driving units are arranged along the second direction, and the plurality of sensing units are arranged along the first direction; The first area of ​​some driving units and sensing units corresponding to the curved surface area is smaller than the second area of ​​each driving unit and sensing unit corresponding to the non-curved surface area, and within a unit area, the number of driving units and sensing units located in the curved surface area is greater than the number of driving units and sensing units located in the non-curved surface area; the first area is [0.4,0.6] times the second area.

2. The touch module according to claim 1, wherein: The first areas of the driving units and the sensing units corresponding to the curved surface area are smaller than the second areas of the driving units and the sensing units corresponding to the non-curved surface area.

3. The touch module according to claim 1, wherein: Part or all of the driving units and sensing units corresponding to the curved surface area include columnar protrusions.

4. The touch module according to claim 3, characterized in that: The plane pattern corresponding to the columnar protrusion is a rectangle or a triangle.

5. The touch module according to claim 4, characterized in that: The number of columnar protrusions included in some or all of the driving units and the sensing units is not less than a set threshold.

6. The touch module according to claim 5, characterized in that: The orthographic projection of the columnar protrusion of the driving unit on the substrate and the orthographic projection of the columnar protrusion of the sensing unit on the substrate at least partially do not overlap.

7. The touch module according to claim 6, wherein: The touch channel layer includes a driving channel layer composed of the plurality of driving channels and a sensing channel layer composed of the plurality of sensing channels.

8. The touch module according to claim 7, wherein: The orthographic projections of the driving unit including the columnar protrusion and the sensing unit including the columnar protrusion on the base substrate at least partially overlap.

9. A display device, characterized in that: It comprises the touch module as described in any one of claims 1 to 8.

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