Electronic Devices

By integrating flexible displays and capacitive fingerprint sensing components in electronic products, the shortcomings of existing electronic products in light emission and display functions are solved, effective display and sensing in a bent state are achieved, and product flexibility and user experience are improved.

CN112987956BActive Publication Date: 2025-03-04INNOLUX CORP
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Patent Information

Application Number
CN201911299634.0
Authority / Receiving Office
CN · China
Patent Type
Patents(China)
Current Assignee / Owner
Filing Date
2019-12-17
Publication Date
2025-03-04
Estimated Expiration
2039-12-17

AI Technical Summary

Technical Problem

Existing electronic products fail to fully meet consumer needs in terms of function and quality, especially in terms of luminous or display functions.

Method used

An electronic device is designed, including a flexible display, a capacitive fingerprint sensing element, a driving circuit and a signal line. The flexible display consists of a plurality of light emitting diodes, and the capacitive fingerprint sensing element is arranged on the display and is connected to the driving circuit through a signal line.

Benefits of technology

It realizes the function of effectively displaying and sensing in a bent state, and improves the flexibility and user experience of electronic devices.

✦ Generated by Eureka AI based on patent content.

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Abstract

An electronic device includes a flexible display, a capacitive fingerprint sensing element, a driving circuit, and a plurality of signal lines. The flexible display includes a plurality of light emitting diodes. The capacitive fingerprint sensing element is disposed on the flexible display. The plurality of signal lines electrically connect the capacitive fingerprint sensing element and the driving circuit.
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Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to an electronic device, and in particular to an electronic device with a flexible display panel. Background Art

[0002] Electronic products have become an indispensable necessity in modern society. With the booming development of such electronic products, consumers have high expectations for the quality, function or price of these products.

[0003] Some electronic products have the functions of emitting light or displaying, but still fail to meet the requirements in all aspects. Summary of the invention

[0004] The present invention provides an electronic device, which includes a flexible display, a capacitive fingerprint sensing element, a driving circuit and a signal line. The flexible display includes a plurality of light emitting diodes. The capacitive fingerprint sensing element is disposed on the flexible display. The signal line electrically connects the capacitive fingerprint sensing element and the driving circuit. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0005] Figures 1 to 5 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an electronic device according to a first embodiment of the present invention, wherein:

[0006] Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of the appearance of an electronic device in a bent state;

[0007] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of the appearance of the electronic device in another bending state;

[0008] Figure 3 is a partial cross-sectional schematic diagram of the electronic device in an unfolded state;

[0009] Figure 4 A schematic diagram of the arrangement of signal lines in a display of an electronic device; and

[0010] Figure 5 A schematic diagram of the arrangement of sensing electrodes in a display of an electronic device.

[0011] Figure 6 FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of another arrangement of sensing electrodes in a display of an electronic device.

[0012] Figure 7 The figure is another schematic diagram of the arrangement of the sensing electrodes in the display of the electronic device.

[0013] Figures 8 to 10 is a schematic diagram of an electronic device according to a second embodiment of the present invention, wherein:

[0014] Figure 8A schematic diagram of the arrangement of sensing electrodes in a display of an electronic device;

[0015] Fig. 9 is a schematic diagram of the appearance of the electronic device in a bent state; and

[0016] Fig.10 is a schematic diagram showing the appearance of the electronic device in another bending state.

[0017] Figure 11 to Figure 12 FIG. 1 is a schematic diagram of an electronic device according to a third embodiment of the present invention, wherein:

[0018] Fig.11 is a schematic top view of the electronic device in an unfolded state; and

[0019] Fig.12 Another top view of the electronic device in the unfolded state.

[0020] Fig.13 FIG. 4 is a schematic diagram of an electronic device according to a fourth embodiment of the present invention.

[0021] Explanation of reference numerals: 10, 20, 30, 40-electronic device; 100-flexible display; 110-substrate; 110S-surface; 111-flat area; 113-bending area; 115-display area; 116-peripheral area; 130-circuit layer; 131-insulating layer; 132-switching element; 150-pixel array; 150P-pixel; 151-sub-pixel; 153-sub-pixel; 155-sub-pixel; 157-driving circuit; 159-thin film package; 160-integrated circuit; 161-demultiplexer; 163-conductor; 163a-grid portion; 165-signal line; 180-display signal line; 200-touch sensing element; 210-touch electrode; 250-signal line; 260-integrated circuit; 270-flexible printed circuit Board; 300-fingerprint sensing element; 310, 311, 313, 315-sensing electrodes; 315m-grid portion; 317a, 317b-sensing electrodes; 319a, 319b-sensing electrodes; 320, 320a, 320b-insulating layer; 330-driving circuit; 331-driving unit; 350, 351, 353-signal line; 351a, 351b, 353a, 353b branches; 353m, 353n-grid portion; 360-integrated circuit; 361-demultiplexer; 363-conducting wire; 363a-grid portion; 365-conductive glue; A-bending axis; D1, D2, D3, D4, D5, D6-direction; G1, G2-pitch; R1-area; W1, W2-width; θ1, θ2, θ3-angle. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0022] In order to enable those skilled in the art to understand the present invention, the electronic device of the present invention is described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. In order to make it easier for readers to understand and the drawings are concise, the multiple drawings in the present invention only depict a portion of the electronic device, and specific components in the drawings are not drawn according to the actual scale. In addition, the number and size of each component in the drawing are only for illustration and are not intended to limit the scope of the present invention.

[0023] Certain words are used throughout the specification and claims to refer to specific components. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that electronic equipment manufacturers may refer to the same components by different names. This document does not intend to distinguish between components that have the same function but different names. In the following specification and claims, the words "including" and "comprising" are open-ended words and should be interpreted as "including but not limited to..."

[0024] It should also be understood that the directional terms mentioned in the following embodiments, such as up, down, left, right, front or back, etc., are only referenced to the directions of the attached drawings. Therefore, the directional terms used are used to illustrate and not to limit the present invention. It must be understood that the elements specifically described or illustrated can exist in various forms known to those skilled in the art. In addition, when a layer is "on" another layer or substrate, it may mean "directly" on the other layer or substrate, or that a layer is on the other layer or substrate, or that other layers are sandwiched between other layers or substrates.

[0025] Here, the terms "about", "approximately", and "substantially" generally mean within 20% of a given value or range, such as within 10%, within 5%, within 3%, within 2%, within 1%, or within 0.5%. The quantities given here are approximate quantities, that is, in the absence of specific description of "about", "approximately", and "substantially", the meanings of "about", "approximately", and "substantially" can still be implied.

[0026] Although terms such as "first", "second", "third", etc. may be used to describe or name different components, these components are not limited to these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one component from other components in the specification, and have nothing to do with the order in which these components are manufactured. The same terms may not be used in the claims, and may be replaced by "first", "second", "third", etc. according to the order in which the elements are declared in the claims. Accordingly, in the following description, the first component may be the second component in the claims.

[0027] Those skilled in the art to which the present invention belongs can refer to the following embodiments and replace, reorganize, and mix the features of several different embodiments to implement other embodiments without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

[0028] Please refer to Figures 1 to 5, which is a schematic diagram of an electronic device 10 in a first embodiment of the present invention, Figure 1 to Figure 2 A schematic diagram showing the appearance of the electronic device 10 is shown. Figure 3 A partial cross-sectional view of the structure of the electronic device 10 in a non-bent state is shown. Figures 4 to 5 FIG. 1 is a schematic top view of some components of the electronic device 10. The electronic device 10 may include a display, such as Figures 1 to 3 The flexible display 100 is shown. Figures 1 to 3 As shown, the flexible display 100 may include a substrate 110, a circuit layer 130 and a pixel array 150. The material of the substrate 110 may be any material having a flexible property, such as plastic (such as polyimide or polyethylene terephthalate), but is not limited thereto. The substrate 110 may further include a flat area 111 and at least one bending area 113, and the bending area 113 may be connected to one side of the flat area 111. In the present embodiment, the two bending areas 113 may, for example, be adjacent to two opposite sides of the flat area 111, and the two bending areas 113 respectively have a bending axis A extending along the first direction D1. In other embodiments, the extension directions of the bending axes A of the two bending areas 113 may be different from each other. The display area 115 of the electronic device 10 may cover the flat area 111 and a portion of the bending area 113, such as Figure 1 In one embodiment, an insulating layer 131 may be disposed between the circuit layer 130 and the pixel array 150, but the present invention is not limited thereto. A person skilled in the art should be able to easily understand that the relative arrangement relationship between the bending area 113 and the flat area 111, as well as the coverage of the display area 115, etc., can be further adjusted according to actual device requirements. Figure 1 In addition, the flat area 111 of the present invention has a non-bent plane relative to the bent area 113, and it is not limited that the flat area 111 must have a flat surface.

[0029] In the present embodiment, the bending area 113 and the flat area 111 may be integrally formed, that is, the bending area 113 and the flat area 111 are different parts of the same structure made of the same material, rather than being formed by splicing or joining different structures, but not limited to this. The flat area 111 may have a non-bendable or non-bendable property, that is, it is a planar structure in a bent state or an unfolded state (non-bent state), but not limited to this. The bending area 113 may have a bendable property, which may be a planar structure in an unfolded state, and may be a curved structure in a folded or bent state, but not limited to this. It should be noted that, in the unfolded state, the flat area 111 and the bending area 113 can substantially form a planar structure (not shown), that is, the surfaces of the flat area 111 and the bending area 113 can substantially be coplanar, for example, a plane formed by a first direction D1 and a second direction D2, wherein the first direction D1 and the second direction D2 can be two directions that intersect or are substantially perpendicular to each other, for example, the angle between the first direction D1 and the second direction D2 is between 75° and 105° (75°≤angle≤105°), but not limited thereto. On the other hand, in the bent state, the bending area 113 can be bent with the bending axis A as the axis. In the present embodiment, the bending area 113 is, for example, bent toward another direction (not shown) relative to the bending axis A, and the other direction and the first direction D1 are, for example, orthogonal to each other, that is, the other direction can be a direction perpendicular to the substrate 110 (the normal direction of the substrate 110) or a direction perpendicular to the XY plane, such as the Z direction. In addition, the folding angle or bending arc of the bending zone 113 relative to the bending axis A is not Figure 1 The values ​​shown are limited and can be adjusted according to the component requirements. Figure 2 As shown, in another embodiment, the bending region 113 can be further partially bent to the back side of the flat region 111 with the bending axis A as the axis.

[0030] Next, please refer to Figure 3 As shown, Figure 31 is a cross-sectional view of the electronic device 10 in the second direction D2 and the third direction D3, and the third direction D3 is, for example, a direction perpendicular to the surface 110S of the substrate 110 or perpendicular to the XY plane. The circuit layer 130 may be disposed on the surface 110S of the substrate 110. The pixel array 150 may be disposed on the circuit layer 130. The pixel array 150 may include a plurality of pixels 150P. The pixel 150P may include a plurality of sub-pixels for displaying the same or different colors, for example, the sub-pixel 151, the sub-pixel 153, and the sub-pixel 155 may be red, blue, or green, respectively, but not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the pixel 150P may also include sub-pixels of other colors, such as a yellow sub-pixel. In this embodiment, the pixel array 150 may be a self-luminous module array, such as a light-emitting diode display array, that is, the sub-pixel 151, the sub-pixel 153, and the sub-pixel 155 may respectively include at least one light-emitting diode and other elements for providing display functions, and may respectively correspond to electronic elements in the circuit layer 130, such as thin film transistor elements (not shown), storage capacitor elements (not shown), etc. In addition, the pixel array 150 may be driven by a driving circuit 157 disposed on the substrate 110. In one embodiment, a thin film encapsulation (TFE) layer 159 may be disposed on the pixel array 150. In one embodiment, the pixel 150P may include an inorganic light emitting diode (ILD), an organic light emitting diode (OLED), a micro light-emitting diode (MID), a sub-micron light-emitting diode (MID), a quantum dot light emitting diode (QLED / QDLED), a nanowire LED, or a bar type LED, but is not limited thereto. In other embodiments, the pixel array 150 may also include a non-self-luminous module array, such as a liquid crystal display module. When the pixel array 150 is the non-self-luminous module array, the electronic device 10 may further include a backlight module (not shown), which may be disposed under the substrate 110.

[0031] For example Figure 3As shown, the electronic device 10 may further include a touch sensing element 200 disposed on the flexible display 100. The touch sensing element 200 may include a plurality of touch electrodes 210, and the touch electrodes 210 may be arranged in an array. The material of the touch electrodes 210 may include a transparent conductive material, a metal material, an appropriate material, or a combination thereof, but is not limited thereto. The transparent conductive material may include indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), cadmium tin oxide (CTO), aluminum zinc oxide (AZO), indium tin zinc oxide (ITZO), zinc oxide (zinc oxide), cadmium oxide (cadmium oxide), hafnium oxide (HfO), indium gallium zinc oxide (InGaZnO), indium gallium zinc magnesium oxide (InGaZnMgO), indium gallium magnesium oxide (InGaMgO), or indium gallium aluminum oxide (InGaAlO), but is not limited thereto. In addition, the touch sensing element 200 may also be driven by a driving circuit 330 or other driving circuits (not shown) disposed on the substrate 110.

[0032] On the other hand, the electronic device 10 may further include a fingerprint sensing element 300, which may also be disposed on the flexible display 100. The fingerprint sensing element 300 may be disposed adjacent to the touch sensing element 200. The fingerprint sensing element 300 may be, for example, a capacitive fingerprint sensing element. The fingerprint sensing element 300 may include a plurality of sensing electrodes 310, and the sensing electrodes 310 may be arranged in an array. The sensing electrodes 310 are disposed on the pixel array 150. In one embodiment, the touch electrodes 210 of the touch sensing element 200 may be arranged together with the sensing electrodes 310 of the fingerprint sensing element 300, for example, they may be composed of the same or different conductive film layers, but are not limited thereto. For example, the distribution density of the sensing electrodes 310 may be less than the distribution density of the touch electrodes 210, but are not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the touch electrodes 210 and the sensing electrodes 310 may be respectively disposed on two opposite sides of the substrate 10, such as Figure 3The left and right sides shown. The touch electrode 210 and the sensing electrode 310 may also be covered with an insulating layer 320, which is disposed on the touch sensing element 200 and the fingerprint sensing element 300. However, in other embodiments, the touch sensing element may be omitted in response to product requirements, that is, the electronic device may only be provided with the fingerprint sensing element without the touch sensing element, so that only the sensing electrodes of the fingerprint sensing element are arranged in an array on the pixel array (this embodiment is not shown). In addition, the sensing electrode 310 can be driven in different ways to detect touch or fingerprint sensing at different time points. In other words, the sensing electrode 310 can be used to replace the touch electrode 210, or the sensing electrode 310 can have both touch and fingerprint sensing functions, but is not limited to this.

[0033] The material of the sensing electrode 310 may be similar to that of the touch electrode 210, and will not be described in detail here. In addition, the sensing electrode 310 may also be driven by the driving circuit 330 disposed on the substrate 110. In one embodiment, the process of the driving circuit 330 may be selected to be integrated with the process of the circuit layer 130, that is, the driving circuit 330 may be formed together with the circuit layer 130 of the electronic device 10 in the same conductive layer, and may also include the same or similar conductive material, but is not limited thereto. In this embodiment, the sensing electrode 310 may be connected to the driving circuit 330 through a plurality of signal lines 350 to electrically connect the fingerprint sensing element 300 and the driving circuit 330. However, in another embodiment, the fingerprint sensing element 300 may be electrically connected to the driving circuit 330 in other ways, and the signal line 350 may be omitted. By disposing the sensing electrode 310, when a finger touches, the sensing electrode 310 may be used to scan the peaks and valleys on the fingerprint by sensing the charge change, temperature difference, or pressure change caused by the finger, thereby identifying the fingerprint pattern.

[0034] Figure 4 for Figure 3 Schematic diagram of a top view of region R1. Figure 4As shown, the driving circuit 330 may include a plurality of driving units 331, and each of the driving units 331 is electrically connected to the sensing electrode 310 through a plurality of signal lines 350. It should be noted that the width W1 of the sensing electrode 310 in the second direction D2 is, for example, about 50 μm to 300 μm (50 μm ≤ W1 ≤ 300 μm), for example, 100 μm or 200 μm, so that one sensing electrode 310 may simultaneously correspond to a plurality of sub-pixels below, for example, the sub-pixel 151, the sub-pixel 153, and the sub-pixel 155. The width W1 may be the maximum width of the sensing electrode 310 in the second direction D2. When connected to the sensing electrode 310, the signal line 350 may be disposed between the sub-pixel 151, the sub-pixel 153, and the sub-pixel 155 to reduce the amount of light emitted by the sub-pixel 151, the sub-pixel 153, and the sub-pixel 155 being blocked. In one embodiment, at least one signal line 351 may include a plurality of branches 351a and a branch 351b, and the branches 351a and the branches 351b may be arranged alternately in sequence and extend in different directions (such as direction D4 and direction D5, but not limited thereto), so that the signal line 351 may be disposed between the sub-pixel 151, the sub-pixel 153, and the sub-pixel 155, that is, the signal line 351 may present a zig-zag structure. In one embodiment, the plurality of branches 351a of the signal line 351 may extend in multiple directions, but not limited thereto. The signal line 351 may have different lengths in the second direction D2 to be electrically connected to different sensing electrodes 310. For example, one signal line 351 may be electrically connected to a sensing electrode 310 of an adjacent driving circuit 330, and another signal line 351 may be electrically connected to another sensing electrode 310, and the two signal lines 351 may have different lengths in the second direction D2, but not limited thereto. The angle θ1 between the direction D4 and the direction D5 may be, for example, between 0 and 90 degrees (0°≤θ1≤90°), such as 30 or 60 degrees, but not limited thereto. In one embodiment, the angle θ2 between the signal line 351 and the extending direction of the bending axis A (such as the first direction D1) is greater than 0 and less than or equal to 90 degrees (0°<θ2≤90°), such as 30, 45, 60, or 75 degrees, but not limited thereto.

[0035] It should be easily understood by those skilled in the art that, under the premise that the signal line 350 is disposed between the sub-pixel 151, the sub-pixel 153, and the sub-pixel 155, the signal line 350 may also have other configurations and is not limited to the aforementioned zigzag shape. For example, in another embodiment, the multiple branches 353a and the branches 353b of at least one signal line 353 may also be continuously arranged side by side and extend in different directions (such as direction D4 and direction D5) at the same time, so that the signal line 353 may generally present a mesh structure. In this way, the corresponding sub-pixel 151, the sub-pixel 153, and the sub-pixel 155 may be exposed from the mesh portion 353m or the mesh portion 353n formed by the branch 353a and the branch 353b. In other words, the signal line 353 may have multiple openings that expose the sub-pixel 151, the sub-pixel 153, or the sub-pixel 155, so that one of the openings may correspond to at least one of the sub-pixel 151, the sub-pixel 153, and the sub-pixel 155. In addition, the branch 353a and the branch 353b may form a complete mesh portion 353m or an incomplete mesh portion 353n, so that the signal line 353 may contact the corresponding sensing electrode 310 with the complete mesh portion 353m or the incomplete mesh portion 353n. In some embodiments, since the signal line 350 and the sensing electrode 310 may be in different layers, the signal line 350 may have at least one contact portion (e.g., two such contact portions, not shown) or at least two such contact portions (e.g., more than two such contact portions, not shown) electrically connected to one of the sensing electrodes 310. For example, the contact portion may include a through hole or other electrical connection structures, but is not limited thereto. Different parts of the signal line 353 may also have an angle with the extension direction of the bending axis A, such as angle θ2 or angle θ3, which is, for example, greater than 0 degree and less than or equal to 90 degrees (0°<θ2 or θ3≤90°), such as 30 degrees, 45 degrees, 60 degrees, 75 degrees, or 90 degrees, but not limited thereto. It should be particularly noted that in the aforementioned embodiments, although the signal line 350 is described as a regular sawtooth structure (i.e., the sizes of each convex part and concave part of the sawtooth structure are substantially the same) or a regular grid structure (i.e., the sizes of each grid part of the grid structure are substantially the same), it is not limited thereto in the actual process, and the branch of the signal line may have more than two extension directions to present an irregular sawtooth structure or an irregular grid structure in response to the setting requirements of different components.

[0036] On the other hand, Figure 5As shown, the sensing electrode 310 may also have different states in accordance with the actual component configuration requirements. For example, in one embodiment, the configuration density of at least a portion of the sensing electrodes 311 is, for example, about 25 to 50 items / mm2 per millimeter square, such as 30 or 40 items. The fingerprint sensing electrodes 311 may have a relatively large spacing G1, such as about 30 microns to 50 microns (30μm≤G1≤50μm), such as 35 microns or 45 microns, but not limited to this. The spacing G1 may be the minimum distance between two adjacent fingerprint sensing electrodes 311. In this way, a portion of the sub-pixel 151, sub-pixel 153, or sub-pixel 155 may be located within the spacing G1 between the fingerprint sensing electrodes 311 and be exposed, such as Figure 5 In this case, when the signal line 350 (see Figure 3 or Figure 4) to electrically connect each fingerprint sensing electrode 311, the signal line 350 can obtain a more ample process space. On the other hand, a portion of the sensing electrodes 313 can also be selected to have a relatively high setting density, for example, it can be increased to about 100 to 400 items / mm2, that is, the spacing G2 between the sensing electrodes 313 can be reduced, for example, to about 5 microns to 10 microns (5μm≤G2≤10μm), for example, 7 microns, but not limited to this. The spacing G2 can be the minimum distance between two adjacent sensing electrodes 313. In this way, because the spacing G2 between the sensing electrodes 313 is small, the sub-pixel 151, the sub-pixel 153, or the sub-pixel 155 will not be exposed. In this way, the setting of the sensing electrodes 313 can be more dense and the resolution of the fingerprint sensing element 300 can be improved. In addition, a portion of the sensing electrode 315 may be formed into a metal mesh shape, that is, at least a portion of the sensing electrode 315 may be formed by wiring with a metal having good conductivity (such as gold, silver, copper, aluminum, tungsten, or alloys thereof, but not limited thereto). In other words, the sensing electrode 315 may also include a plurality of mesh portions 315m, which may also have a plurality of openings that may expose the sub-pixels 151, 153, or 155, so that the sub-pixels 151, 153, or 155 may be located in the openings of the mesh portion 315m of the sensing electrode 315 and exposed. In this case, the display brightness of the pixel array 150 may be less affected by the sensing electrode 315. It should be understood by those skilled in the art that although the present embodiment may include sensing electrodes 311, sensing electrodes 313, and sensing electrodes 315 of different types, in other embodiments, a single type of sensing electrode may be selected to meet product requirements, such as only providing sensing electrodes 315 to reduce the impact on display brightness, or only providing sensing electrodes 313 to improve resolution, or only providing sensing electrodes 311 to improve the space for providing wires, etc., but the invention is not limited thereto. The advantages of the sensing electrodes described above are merely illustrative, and may actually have more or other advantages, and the invention is not limited thereto.

[0037] In addition, please refer to Figure 6 , Figure 7 As shown, in another embodiment, the fingerprint sensing element 300 may include a plurality of first sensing electrodes 317a and a plurality of second sensing electrodes 317b to form a mutual capacitance electrode array. For example, one of the first sensing electrode 317a and the second sensing electrode 317b may be a driving electrode, and the other may be a sensing electrode. It should be noted that Figure 6 , Figure 7Only a partial cross-sectional view of the electronic device is shown. Specifically, the first sensing electrode 317a and the second sensing electrode 317b may be two electrode layers formed successively through similar or different process steps, but are not limited thereto. The first sensing electrode 317a may be, for example, along a first axial direction (e.g. Figure 1 The second sensing electrodes 317b are arranged in parallel along the first axis (eg, Figure 1 The first sensing electrodes 317a and the second sensing electrodes 317b may be arranged alternately in another direction D6 different from the first direction D1 and the second direction D2. Figure 6 As shown, the direction D6, for example, has an angle of 45 degrees with the first direction D1 and the second direction D2, respectively, but is not limited thereto. In addition, the first sensing electrode 317a and the second sensing electrode 317b may be covered with an insulating layer 320a and an insulating layer 320b, respectively, so that the first sensing electrode 317a and the second sensing electrode 317b are insulated from each other. In other embodiments, the fingerprint sensing element 300 may be a mutual capacitance electrode array. For example, only the first sensing electrode 317a or the second sensing electrode 317b is provided, for example, only the first sensing electrode 317a is provided and the first sensing electrode 317a has driving and sensing functions, but is not limited thereto.

[0038] In addition, Figure 7 As shown, another substrate 340 is additionally disposed between the first sensing electrode 317a and the second sensing electrode 317b, so that the second sensing electrode 317b can be additionally disposed on the substrate 340. The material of the substrate 340 includes a dielectric material, an insulating material, or other appropriate materials, thereby increasing the distance between the first sensing electrode 317a and the second sensing electrode 317b, reducing the parasitic capacitance between the first sensing electrode 317a and the second sensing electrode 317b, and obtaining a better sensing signal.

[0039] Under the above-mentioned setting, the problem that the performance of the components of the electronic device 10 as a whole is affected by the frequent bending and use of the flexible display 100 can be improved. However, those skilled in the art should be able to easily understand that in order to meet the actual product needs, the electronic device 10 of the present invention may also have other aspects. Therefore, other embodiments or variations of the electronic device in the present invention will be further described below. And to simplify the description, the following description mainly details the differences between the embodiments, and will not repeat the same parts. In addition, the same components in the various embodiments of the present invention are marked with the same reference numerals to facilitate mutual comparison between the various embodiments.

[0040] Figures 8 to 10 is a schematic diagram of an electronic device 20 according to a second embodiment of the present invention, wherein Figure 8is a schematic diagram of the arrangement of electrodes in a display panel of an electronic device 20, Fig. 9 and Fig.10 2 is a schematic diagram of the appearance of the electronic device in a bent state. The structure of the electronic device 20 of this embodiment is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment, and also includes the aforementioned flexible display 100 and the fingerprint sensing element 300a disposed above the flexible display 100. The similarities are not repeated here. The main difference between this embodiment and the first embodiment is that the electrode array of the fingerprint sensing element 300a can have different arrangement densities in different areas.

[0041] Specifically, if Figure 8 As shown, the flexible display 100 of this embodiment also includes a flat area 111 and a bending area 113, and the two opposite sides of the bending area 113 are, for example, adjacent to the two flat areas 111 respectively, but not limited thereto. In this embodiment, the width W2 of the sensing electrode 319b can be reduced, for example, to about 20 microns to 30 microns (20μm≤W2≤30μm), such as 25 microns, so that the number of sensing electrodes 319b set per unit area can be relatively increased, thereby forming a relatively large setting density. In this embodiment, the setting density of the sensing electrodes 319b in the bending area 113 can be greater than the setting density of the sensing electrodes 319a in the flat area 111. The width W1 of the sensing electrode 319a disposed in the flat region 111 may be different from the width W2 of the sensing electrode 319b disposed in the bending region 113, so that the sensing electrodes 319a in the flat region 111 and the sensing electrodes 319b in the bending region 113 may have different arrangement densities in accordance with the bendability of the substrate 110, but the present invention is not limited thereto. For example, the width W1 and the width W2 may be the maximum width in the second direction D2. In another embodiment, the number of sensing electrodes 319a or sensing electrodes 319b disposed per unit area in the flat region 111 and the bending region 113 may be adjusted by respectively providing the sensing electrodes 319a in the flat region 111 and the sensing electrodes 319b in the bending region 113 with different intervals or pitches (not shown), or providing the sensing electrodes 319a and sensing electrodes 319b in the flat region 111 and the bending region 113 with different widths and different intervals (not shown), so as to obtain different arrangement densities. In addition, the spacing between the sensing electrodes 319a in the flat area 111 and the sensing electrodes 319b in the bending area 113 may be different. For example, the spacing between the sensing electrodes 319b in the bending area 113 may be smaller, while the spacing between the sensing electrodes 319a in the flat area 111 may be larger, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0042] In this case, the resolution and recognition of the sensing electrode 319b disposed in the bending area 113 can be improved. Even when the electronic device 20 is in a bent state, the sensing electrode 319b can still fit with a large area of ​​the fingerprint surface to generate a sensing signal. Fig. 9 The wearable electronic device shown in the figure has the electrode array of the fingerprint sensing element 300a disposed on the wearable electronic device, and the sensing electrode 319b with a relatively small width W2 can be disposed in the bending area 113 of the wearable electronic device to cooperate with the fingerprint recognition function of the wearable electronic device in a bent state. At this time, the user only needs to apply a slightly greater pressure to easily make the finger fit the surface of the wearable electronic device, and then perform fingerprint sensing through the high density of the sensing electrode 319b. Alternatively, the electronic device 20 of this embodiment can be as follows Fig.10 In the foldable electronic device shown, the electrode array of the fingerprint sensing element 300a is disposed in the foldable electronic device, and the sensing electrode 319b with a relatively small width W2 is disposed in the bending area 113 of the foldable electronic device to cooperate with the fingerprint recognition function of the foldable electronic device in the folded state. At this time, since the sensing electrodes 319b are disposed with a high density in the bending area 113, the foldable electronic device can still perform fingerprint recognition even in the folded state.

[0043] Please refer to Figure 11 to Figure 12 , which is a schematic diagram of an electronic device 30 in a third embodiment of the present invention, wherein: Fig.11 and Fig.12 The top view of the electronic device in the unfolded state is shown respectively. The structure of the electronic device 30 of this embodiment is substantially the same as that of the first embodiment, and also includes the flexible display 100 and the fingerprint sensing element 300 disposed thereon. The similarities will not be repeated. The difference between this embodiment and the first embodiment mainly lies in the arrangement of the circuit.

[0044] like Fig.11As shown, the electronic device 30 of this embodiment is further provided with a peripheral area 116 on at least one side of its display area 115, and the peripheral area 116 may be provided with circuits of the electronic device 30 and / or the fingerprint sensing element 300. In this embodiment, the peripheral area 116 is arranged on two opposite sides of the display area 115, and is respectively provided with an integrated circuit 160 and an integrated circuit 360 of the electronic device 30 and / or the fingerprint sensing element 300, but is not limited thereto. For example, the peripheral area 116 may also be selectively provided with a demultiplexer (Demux) 161 and a demultiplexer 361, and the driving circuit 330, the demultiplexer 361 and the integrated circuit 360 of the fingerprint sensing element 300 may be arranged in the peripheral area 116 on the right side of the display area 115. The demultiplexer 161 and the driving circuit 160 of the electronic device 30 are arranged in the peripheral area 116 on the left side of the display area 115. In addition, the signal lines (such as the signal lines 165) in the display area 115 can extend along the second direction D2 and be electrically connected to the demultiplexer 161 and the demultiplexer 361, and then be electrically connected to the integrated circuits 160 or the integrated circuits 360 on both sides through the wires 163 and the wires 363. In one embodiment, the demultiplexer 161 and the demultiplexer 361 can be selected as (but not limited to) a 1 to 3 demultiplexer, for example, a wire 163 connected to the integrated circuit 160 is divided into three signal lines (such as the signal line 165, etc.), but not limited to this, the demultiplexer 161 and / or the demultiplexer 361 can also be a 1 to 6 or 1 to 10 demultiplexer to further reduce the manufacturing cost of the electronic device 30. In addition, the wires 163 and / or the wires 363 can further include a plurality of grid portions 163a and a grid portion 363a. In one embodiment, the conductor 163 may include a grid portion 163a extending in different directions, so that it can withstand greater bending stress and reduce the impact of frequent bending and use due to being set in the bending area 113. The design of the conductor 363 may also be similar to the conductor 163. In other embodiments, the design of the conductor 163 and the conductor 363 is not limited to the grid design. Any design that can reduce stress can be applied to the conductor 163 and the portion of the conductor 363 located in the bending area 113. On the other hand, the peripheral area 116 on one side of the display area 115 can also be provided with a flexible printed circuit (FPC) 270 outwardly, and other circuits can be selectively provided on the flexible printed circuit 270.

[0045] It should be noted that the circuits of the electronic device 30 and / or the fingerprint sensing element 300 can be selectively disposed on the bending area 113 or the flat area 111. For example, in one embodiment, the demultiplexer 161, the demultiplexer 361, or the driving circuit (such as the driving circuit 330) of the electronic device 30 and / or the fingerprint sensing element 300 can be selectively disposed on the flat area 111. In other embodiments, the driving circuit (such as the driving circuit 330) of the fingerprint sensing element 300 can be disposed on the bending area 113, while the demultiplexer 161, the demultiplexer 361, the integrated circuit 160, and / or the integrated circuit 360 can be disposed on the flat area 111, but the present invention is not limited thereto. Fig.12 Draw one circuit configuration example, but not limited to Fig.12 shown.

[0046] Please refer to Fig.13 , which is a schematic diagram of an electronic device 40 in a fourth embodiment of the present invention, depicting the appearance and cross-sectional schematic diagram of the electronic device 40 in a bent state. The structure of the electronic device 40 of this embodiment is substantially the same as that of the previous embodiment, and also includes a flexible display 100 and a touch sensing element 200 and a fingerprint sensing element 300 disposed thereon. In addition, the electronic device 40 of this embodiment also has a display area 115 and peripheral areas 116 disposed on two opposite sides of the display area 115. The similarities are not repeated here. The main difference between this embodiment and the previous embodiment is that the driving circuit 330, the demultiplexer 361 and the integrated circuit 360 of the fingerprint sensing element 300 can be disposed in the peripheral area 116 on one side. Therefore, when in use, the part of the electronic device 40 where the circuit of the fingerprint sensing element 300 is disposed (i.e., the peripheral area 116 on the right side of the electronic device 40) can be bent to the rear to save space or adjust the component configuration of the electronic device 40. The integrated circuit 360 of the fingerprint sensor element 300 is disposed on the surface 110S of the substrate 110 through a conductive adhesive 365 (such as anisotropic conductive adhesive (ACF)). In addition, the circuit layer 130 may include a plurality of switch elements 132, such as thin film transistors, but not limited thereto. The insulating layer 131 is disposed on the switch elements 132.

[0047] On the other hand, the peripheral area 116 on the other side of the electronic device 40 may be provided with an integrated circuit 160 of the flexible display 100, which may be electrically connected to the pixel array 150 through the display signal line 180, and further connected to the flexible printed circuit board 270 to be electrically connected to the integrated circuit 260 disposed on the flexible printed circuit board 270. The touch electrodes 210 of the touch sensing element 200 are further connected to the flexible printed circuit board 270 through the signal line 250, and are electrically connected to the integrated circuit 260. It should be noted that the integrated circuit 260 of the touch sensing element 200 and the integrated circuit 160 of the flexible display 100 are both provided in the peripheral area 116 on the other side, so that the part of the electronic device 40 provided with the circuits of the flexible display 100 and the touch sensing element 200 (i.e., the peripheral area 116 on the left side of the electronic device 40) can be bent to the rear, which can also save space or adjust the component configuration of the electronic device 40.

[0048] In addition, the electronic device described in the present invention is not limited to the display and the like as exemplified above, but may also include an illumination device, an antenna device, a sensing device or a splicing device, but is not limited thereto. Among them, the electronic device may be a non-rectangular, bendable or flexible electronic device, for example, a flexible liquid crystal display device or a flexible light-emitting diode display device. The antenna device may be, for example, a liquid crystal antenna, but is not limited thereto; the splicing device may be, for example, a display splicing device or an antenna splicing device, but is not limited thereto. It should be noted that the electronic device may be a variation, any arrangement or combination of the aforementioned devices, but is not limited thereto. In addition, in the present invention, the term "bendable" or "flexible" means that the electronic device can be bent, folded, stretched, flexed or other similar deformations. In the present invention, the term "non-rectangular" means that the appearance of the electronic device is non-rectangular, or that the pixel array contained in the electronic device has a non-rectangular overall appearance.

[0049] The above description is only an embodiment of the present invention and is not intended to limit the present invention. For those skilled in the art, the present invention may have various modifications and variations. Any modification, equivalent replacement, improvement, etc. made within the spirit and principle of the present invention shall be included in the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

1. An electronic device, characterized in that: include: A flexible display including a plurality of light emitting diodes; A capacitive fingerprint sensor element is disposed on the flexible display; a driving circuit; as well as A plurality of signal lines electrically connect the capacitive fingerprint sensing element and the driving circuit, the electronic device has a bending axis, the angle between at least one of the plurality of signal lines and the bending axis is greater than 0 degree and less than or equal to 90 degrees, the at least one of the plurality of signal lines includes a plurality of first branches and a plurality of second branches, the plurality of first branches and the plurality of second branches are alternately arranged and extend respectively in two directions different from the bending axis, wherein the plurality of light-emitting diodes are respectively located on both sides of the plurality of first branches and the plurality of second branches.

2. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein: The electronic device has a bending area, and the driving circuit is arranged in the bending area.

3. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein: The electronic device has a bending area, and a part of the capacitive fingerprint sensing element is arranged in the bending area.

4. The electronic device according to claim 1, wherein: At least one of the plurality of signal lines includes a mesh portion.

5. The electronic device as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that: The grid portion includes a plurality of openings, and one of the plurality of light emitting diodes is located within one of the plurality of openings.

6. The electronic device as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that: The capacitive fingerprint sensing element includes a plurality of sensing electrodes arranged in the bending area.

7. The electronic device as claimed in claim 2, characterized in that: The electronic device further includes a flat area, which is arranged adjacent to the bending area. The capacitive fingerprint sensing element includes a first sensing electrode arranged in the bending area and a second sensing electrode arranged in the flat area. The width of the first sensing electrode is different from the width of the second sensing electrode.

8. The electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein: The capacitive fingerprint sensing element includes a plurality of sensing electrodes, one of the plurality of signal lines includes at least two contact portions, and the at least two contact portions contact one of the plurality of sensing electrodes.

9. The electronic device as claimed in claim 1, wherein: The invention further comprises an insulating layer which is arranged on the capacitive fingerprint sensing element.

Citation Information

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