Touch sensing layer and touch panel

Abstract

A touch sensing layer and a touch panel, wherein the touch sensing layer comprises a first-axis conductive unit, a second-axis conductive unit and at least one virtual electrode. The first-axis conductive unit substantially extends along a first axis. The second-axis conductive unit substantially extends along a second axis and comprises two conductive electrodes and a conductive bridge. The two conductive electrodes are respectively located on opposite sides of the first-axis conductive unit. The conductive bridge spans the first-axis conductive unit and is connected to the two conductive electrodes. The virtual electrode comprises at least a portion located in a gap formed between the first-axis conductive unit and one of the two conductive electrodes. Thus, the touch refresh rate of the touch panel can be effectively improved.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The invention relates to a touch sensing layer and a touch panel. Background Art

[0002] As the size of touch screens continues to increase and they are indispensable in gaming applications, the most critical change in touch display devices is the continuous increase in the display refresh rate of the display module. For example, the display refresh rate of a mobile phone's display module will increase from 120Hz to 180Hz, or even a higher-end 240Hz. Correspondingly, the touch refresh rate of the touch module is also required to be increased synchronously.

[0003] In terms of the principle of touch refresh rate, the touch module mainly considers the driving speed based on the value of the two adjacent mutual capacitances (capacity mutual, Cm) between the driving electrode (Tx) and the receiving electrode (Rx). More specifically, the speed of driving each electrode scan is determined by the charging and discharging speed, which depends on the RC value for the touch module. The smaller the RC value, the faster the charging and discharging speed (i.e., the higher the touch refresh rate); the larger the RC value, the slower the charging and discharging speed (i.e., the lower the touch refresh rate). For the known architecture using the interlaced and bridged design of Tx and Rx, the two adjacent Tx and Rx are extremely close in distance, so there is a large Cm value, so the touch refresh rate is low and cannot be effectively improved.

[0004] Therefore, how to propose a touch sensing layer and a touch panel that can solve the above problems is one of the problems that the industry is eager to invest research and development resources to solve. Summary of the invention

[0005] In view of this, an object of the present invention is to provide a touch sensing layer and a touch panel that can solve the above problems.

[0006] In order to achieve the above-mentioned object, according to one embodiment of the present invention, a touch sensing layer includes a first-axis conductive unit, a second-axis conductive unit and at least one virtual electrode. The first-axis conductive unit substantially extends along the first axis. The second-axis conductive unit substantially extends along the second axis and includes two conductive electrodes and a conductive bridge. The two conductive electrodes are respectively located on opposite sides of the first-axis conductive unit. The conductive bridge spans the first-axis conductive unit and is connected to the two conductive electrodes. The virtual electrode includes at least a portion located in a gap formed between the first-axis conductive unit and one of the two conductive electrodes.

[0007] In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the virtual electrode includes a main body and an extension portion. The main body and the first-axis conductive unit are arranged in the second axis and are arranged in the first axis with the aforementioned two conductive electrodes. The extension portion is connected to the main body and extends into the gap.

[0008] In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the extension portion is in a strip shape.

[0009] In one or more embodiments of the present invention, an end of the extension portion away from the main body portion has an end surface.

[0010] In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the virtual electrode includes two main bodies and an extension portion. The two main bodies are located on opposite sides of the two conductive electrodes. The extension portion is connected to the main body and penetrates the gap.

[0011] In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the extension portion is arranged between the two conductive electrodes in the second axial direction.

[0012] In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the virtual electrode is arranged between the two conductive electrodes along the second axis.

[0013] In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the number of the virtual electrodes is plural and the virtual electrodes are arranged along the gap.

[0014] In one or more embodiments of the present invention, the number of the virtual electrodes is plural, and the virtual electrodes are arranged from one boundary of the gap to another boundary.

[0015] In order to achieve the above object, according to one embodiment of the present invention, a touch panel includes a substrate and the aforementioned touch sensing layer. The touch sensing layer is disposed on the substrate.

[0016] In summary, in the touch sensing layer of the present invention, by setting a virtual electrode between the first-axis conductive unit and the second-axis conductive unit, and making at least a portion of the virtual electrode located in the gap formed between the first-axis conductive unit and the second-axis conductive unit, the mutual capacitance (capacity mutual, Cm) value between the first-axis conductive unit and the second-axis conductive unit can be effectively reduced, thereby reducing the RC value, thereby effectively improving the touch refresh rate of the touch panel.

[0017] The above description is only used to illustrate the problems to be solved by the present invention, the technical means to solve the problems, and the effects produced, etc. The specific details of the present invention will be introduced in detail in the following implementation methods and related drawings. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] In order to make the above and other objects, features, advantages and embodiments of the present invention more clearly understood, the accompanying drawings are described as follows:

[0019] Figure 1 A schematic cross-sectional view of a touch panel according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0020] Figure 2A partial front view of a touch sensing layer according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0021] Figure 3 A partial enlarged front view of a touch sensing layer according to an embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0022] Figure 4 A partial enlarged front view of a touch sensing layer according to another embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0023] Figure 5 A partial enlarged front view of a touch sensing layer according to another embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0024] Figure 6 A partial enlarged front view of a touch sensing layer according to another embodiment of the present invention is shown;

[0025] Figure 7 FIG. 4 is a partially enlarged front view of a touch sensing layer according to another embodiment of the present invention.

[0026]

Explanation of symbols

[0027] 100: Touch panel

[0028] 110:Substrate

[0029] 111: Touch area

[0030] 112: Surrounding area

[0031] 120: shielding layer

[0032] 130: Optical matching layer

[0033] 140, 240, 340, 440, 540: touch sensing layer

[0034] 141: first axis conductive unit

[0035] 142: Second axis conductive unit

[0036] 142a: Conductive electrode

[0037] 142b: Conductive bridge

[0038] 143: first insulating layer

[0039] 144,244,344,444a,444b,544a,544b: Virtual electrodes

[0040] 144a, 244a, 344a: body part

[0041] 144b, 244b, 344b: Extension

[0042] 150: Routing

[0043] 160: Second insulation layer

[0044] 170: Protective layer

[0045] 180: Flexible printed circuit board

[0046] 244b1: End face

[0047] A1: First axis

[0048] A2: Second axis

[0049] B1, B2: Boundary

[0050] E1, E2: terminal

[0051] G: Gap DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0052] The following will disclose multiple embodiments of the present invention with the accompanying drawings. For the purpose of clear description, many practical details will be described together in the following description. However, it should be understood that these practical details should not be used to limit the present invention. That is, in some embodiments of the present invention, these practical details are not necessary. In addition, in order to simplify the drawings, some known and commonly used structures and elements will be depicted in a simple schematic manner in the drawings.

[0053] Please refer to Figure 1 , which is a schematic cross-sectional view of a touch panel 100 according to an embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 As shown, in this embodiment, the touch panel 100 includes a substrate 110, a shielding layer 120, an optical matching layer 130, and a plurality of traces 150. A touch area 111 and a peripheral area 112 surrounding the touch area 111 are defined on the substrate 110. The shielding layer 120 is disposed in the peripheral area 112 of the substrate 110. The optical matching layer 130 is disposed on the substrate 110 and covers the shielding layer 120 to provide a flat upper surface. The traces 150 are disposed on the optical matching layer 130 and are located in the peripheral area 112 of the substrate 110. Thus, when viewed from the bottom surface of the substrate 110, the shielding layer 120 can shield the traces 150 from being seen by the viewer.

[0054] Please refer to Figure 1 , which is a partial front view of the touch sensing layer 140 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, the touch panel 100 further includes a touch sensing layer 140. The touch sensing layer 140 is disposed on the optical matching layer 130 on the substrate 110, and includes a plurality of first-axis conductive units 141, a plurality of second-axis conductive units 142, a first insulating layer 143, and a plurality of virtual electrodes 144. The first-axis conductive units 141 substantially extend along the first axis A1, and are separated from each other in the touch area 111. The second-axis conductive units 142 substantially extend along the second axis A2, and are separated from each other in the touch area 111 and cross the first-axis conductive units 141. In other words, the first-axis conductive units 141 are conductive circuits extending along the first axis A1, and are arranged at intervals from each other. The second-axis conductive units 142 are conductive circuits extending along the second axis A2, and are arranged at intervals from each other. In some embodiments, the first axis A1 and the second axis A2 are two axes perpendicular to each other, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0055] In addition, the second-axis conductive unit 142 crosses the first-axis conductive unit 141 from above, and the first insulating layer 143 performs electrical insulation at least at the intersection between the first-axis conductive unit 141 and the second-axis conductive unit 142. It can be seen that the first-axis conductive unit 141 and the second-axis conductive unit 142 are separated by the first insulating layer 143 to form a structure similar to a bridge, so the touch panel 100 of this embodiment is an OGS (One Glass Solution) type touch module.

[0056] Specifically, each second-axis conductive unit 142 includes a plurality of conductive electrodes 142a and a plurality of conductive bridges 142b. The conductive electrodes 142a and the conductive bridges 142b are alternately connected along the second axial direction A2. Each second-axis conductive unit 142 utilizes the conductive bridges 142b to cross the first-axis conductive unit 141. The first insulating layer 143 is disposed between the first-axis conductive unit 141 and the conductive bridges 142b, so as to electrically insulate the first-axis conductive unit 141 from the second-axis conductive unit 142.

[0057] like Figure 1 As shown, the touch panel 100 further includes a second insulating layer 160 (also serving as a second optical matching layer, as described later), a protective layer 170, and a flexible circuit board 180. The second insulating layer 160 covers the second axis conductive unit 142. The protective layer 170 covers the second insulating layer 160. The flexible circuit board 180 is connected to the trace 150 located in the peripheral area 112, and extracts the touch signal of the touch sensing layer 140 through the trace 150.

[0058] In some embodiments, the material of the substrate 110 includes glass, but the invention is not limited thereto.

[0059] Please refer to Figure 3, which is a partially enlarged front view of the touch sensing layer 140 according to one embodiment of the present invention. Figure 3 , a first-axis conductive unit 141, two conductive electrodes 142a of a second-axis conductive unit 142, a conductive bridge 142b, and a plurality of virtual electrodes 144 are shown. The two conductive electrodes 142a are located on opposite sides of the first-axis conductive unit 141. The conductive bridge 142b spans the first-axis conductive unit 141 and is connected to the two conductive electrodes 142a. The virtual electrode 144 includes at least a portion located in the gap G formed between the first-axis conductive unit 141 and the conductive electrode 142a. In some embodiments, the gap G formed between the first-axis conductive unit 141 and the conductive electrode 142a can be defined as a narrow channel formed by squeezing one end of the conductive electrode 142a close to the first-axis conductive unit 141 and the first-axis conductive unit 141, and the narrow channel connects the opposite sides of the conductive electrode 142a.

[0060] Specifically, if Figure 3 As shown, the gap G formed between the first-axis conductive unit 141 and the conductive electrode 142a has two ends E1 and E2 (indicated by dotted lines in the figure), and the two ends E1 and E2 are located where the distance between the first-axis conductive unit and the conductive electrode begins to decrease sharply, so that the gap G has the appearance of the aforementioned narrow channel between the two ends E1 and E2.

[0061] In this embodiment, the virtual electrode 144 includes a main body 144a and an extension 144b. The main body 144a is located outside the gap G, and is arranged with the first-axis conductive unit 141 on the second axis A2, and is arranged with the conductive electrode 142a on the first axis A1. The extension 144b is connected to the main body 144a and extends into the gap G. In detail, the extension 144b is arranged between the two conductive electrodes 142a on the second axis A2. From the appearance, the main body 144a can be regarded as an island structure separated from the first-axis conductive unit 141 and the second-axis conductive unit 142, and the extension 144b can be regarded as a peninsula structure extending from the main body 144a.

[0062] Through the above-mentioned structural configuration, the extension portion 144b of the virtual electrode 144 located in the gap G can effectively reduce the mutual capacitance (capacity mutual, Cm) value between the first-axis conductive unit 141 and the second-axis conductive unit 142, thereby reducing the RC value (affecting the touch refresh rate), thereby effectively improving the touch refresh rate of the touch panel 100. In addition, by disposing the virtual electrode 144 between the first-axis conductive unit 141 and the second-axis conductive unit 142, the visual effect of the touch panel 100 (such as the erasing etching line) can also be effectively improved.

[0063] In practical applications, the aforementioned appearance and structure of the virtual electrode 144 can be applied to all virtual electrodes 144 adjacent to the intersections between the first-axis conductive units 141 and the second-axis conductive units 142 .

[0064] In some embodiments, Figure 3 As shown, one end of the extension portion 144 b away from the main body portion 144 a has a sharp corner, but the present invention is not limited thereto.

[0065] Please refer to Figure 4 , which is a partially enlarged front view of a touch sensing layer 240 according to another embodiment of the present invention. Figure 4 FIG. 1 shows a first-axis conductive unit 141, two conductive electrodes 142a of a second-axis conductive unit 142, a conductive bridge 142b, and a plurality of virtual electrodes 244, wherein the first-axis conductive unit 141 and the second-axis conductive unit 142 are the same or similar to Figure 3 The embodiment shown in the figure can therefore refer to the above-mentioned related description, which will not be repeated here. In addition, the virtual electrode 244 includes a main body 244a and an extension 244b. The main body 244a is located outside the gap G, and is arranged with the first-axis conductive unit 141 on the second axial direction A2, and is arranged with the conductive electrode 142a on the first axial direction A1. The extension 244b is connected to the main body 244a and extends into the gap G.

[0066] It should be noted that compared with Figure 3 In the embodiment shown, the present embodiment is to modify the appearance of the virtual electrode 144. Specifically, the end of the extension portion 244b away from the main body portion 244a has an end surface 244b1. In other words, the end of the extension portion 244b away from the main body portion 244a has a certain width, and the extension portion 244b is in a strip shape. In this way, the extension portion 244b can be further inserted into the gap G, thereby further reducing the Cm value between the first axis conductive unit 141 and the second axis conductive unit 142, thereby reducing the RC value.

[0067] Please refer to Figure 5 , which is a partially enlarged front view of a touch sensing layer 340 according to another embodiment of the present invention. Figure 5 FIG. 1 shows a first-axis conductive unit 141, two conductive electrodes 142a of a second-axis conductive unit 142, a conductive bridge 142b, and a plurality of virtual electrodes 344, wherein the first-axis conductive unit 141 and the second-axis conductive unit 142 are the same or similar to Figure 3 Therefore, please refer to the above related descriptions, which will not be repeated here. Figure 3 In the embodiment shown, the present embodiment modifies the appearance of the virtual electrode 144 .

[0068] Specifically, in this embodiment, the virtual electrode 344 includes two main bodies 344a and an extension 344b. The two main bodies 344a are respectively located on opposite sides of the two conductive electrodes 142a. The extension 344b is connected to the main body 344a and penetrates the gap G. Thus, the first-axis conductive unit 141 and the conductive electrode 142a are completely separated on opposite sides of the extension 344b, so that the Cm value between the first-axis conductive unit 141 and the second-axis conductive unit 142 can be further reduced, thereby reducing the RC value.

[0069] Please refer to Figure 6 , which is a partially enlarged front view of a touch sensing layer 440 according to another embodiment of the present invention. Figure 6 FIG. 1 shows a first-axis conductive unit 141, two conductive electrodes 142a of a second-axis conductive unit 142, a conductive bridge 142b, and a plurality of virtual electrodes 444a, 444b, wherein the first-axis conductive unit 141 and the second-axis conductive unit 142 are the same or similar to Figure 3 Therefore, please refer to the above related descriptions, which will not be repeated here. Figure 3 In the embodiment shown, the present embodiment modifies the appearance of the virtual electrode 144 .

[0070] Specifically, in this embodiment, the virtual electrode 444a is located outside the gap G, and the virtual electrode 444b is located inside the gap G. Moreover, the virtual electrode 444b located inside the gap G is arranged between the two conductive electrodes 142a in the second axial direction A2 and arranged along the gap G. From the appearance, the virtual electrode 444a located outside the gap G can be regarded as an island structure separated from the first-axis conductive unit 141 and the second-axis conductive unit 142, and the virtual electrode 444b located inside the gap G can be regarded as an isolated island structure.

[0071] Please refer to Figure 7 , which is a partially enlarged front view of a touch sensing layer 540 according to another embodiment of the present invention. Figure 7 FIG. 1 shows a first-axis conductive unit 141, two conductive electrodes 142a of a second-axis conductive unit 142, a conductive bridge 142b, and a plurality of virtual electrodes 544a, 544b, wherein the first-axis conductive unit 141 and the second-axis conductive unit 142 are the same or similar to Figure 3 Therefore, please refer to the above related descriptions, which will not be repeated here. Figure 3 In the embodiment shown, the present embodiment modifies the appearance of the virtual electrode 144 .

[0072] Specifically, in this embodiment, the virtual electrode 544a is located outside the gap G, and the virtual electrode 544b is located inside the gap G. Moreover, the virtual electrode 544b located inside the gap G is arranged from one boundary B1 of the gap G to another boundary B2. In other words, in the gap G, the first-axis conductive unit 141 and the conductive electrode 142a are separated by two virtual electrodes 544b. In this way, the Cm value between the first-axis conductive unit 141 and the second-axis conductive unit 142 can be further reduced, thereby reducing the RC value.

[0073] From the above detailed description of the specific embodiments of the present invention, it can be clearly seen that in the touch sensing layer of the present invention, by setting a virtual electrode between the first-axis conductive unit and the second-axis conductive unit, and making at least a portion of the virtual electrode located in the gap formed between the first-axis conductive unit and the second-axis conductive unit, the Cm value between the first-axis conductive unit and the second-axis conductive unit can be effectively reduced, and then the RC value can be lowered, thereby effectively improving the touch refresh rate of the touch panel.

[0074] Although the present invention has been disclosed as above in the form of an implementation method, it is not intended to limit the present invention. Anyone familiar with this technology can make various changes and modifications without departing from the spirit and scope of the present invention. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present invention shall be based on the scope defined by the attached claims.

Claims

1. A touch sensing layer, characterized in that: Include: A first-axis conductive unit extending along a first axial direction; A second-axis conductive unit extends along a second axial direction and comprises: Two conductive electrodes are respectively located at opposite sides of the first-axis conductive unit; and a conductive bridge, spanning the first-axis conductive unit and connected to the two conductive electrodes; and at least one virtual electrode, including at least a portion located in a gap formed between the first axis conductive unit and one of the two conductive electrodes, The at least one virtual electrode comprises: a main body portion, arranged with the first-axis conductive unit on the second axis, and arranged with one of the two conductive electrodes on the first axis; and An extension portion is connected to the main body portion and extends into the gap, wherein the extension portion and the conductive bridge do not overlap.

2. The touch sensing layer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The extension portion is in a long strip shape.

3. The touch sensing layer according to claim 1, characterized in that: An end of the extension portion away from the main body portion has an end surface.

4. The touch sensing layer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The extension portion is arranged between the two conductive electrodes in the second axial direction.

5. The touch sensing layer according to claim 1, characterized in that: The at least one virtual electrode is arranged between the two conductive electrodes in the second axial direction.

6. A touch panel, characterized in that: Include: a substrate; and A touch sensing layer as claimed in any one of claims 1 to 5, disposed on the substrate.

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