Panel structure and panel testing method

Abstract

The present invention discloses a panel structure and panel testing method. The panel structure includes: multiple touch panels, the multiple touch panels are divided into multiple panel groups, at least one of which includes two or more touch panels. The panel structure also includes a first test pad, a second test pad, and a switch circuit configured for the panel group including the two or more touch panels. The panel group shares a set of first and second test pads. The switch circuit controls the connection between different touch panels in the same panel group and the shared test pads to determine the touch panel to be tested. This helps reduce the space occupied by the test pads and saves test fixture costs.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] The present invention relates to the field of touch display technology, and in particular to a panel structure and a panel testing method. Background Art

[0002] Flexible AM-OLED (Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode) displays are widely used in mobile phones, wearable electronics, and other display devices due to their high chromaticity, high contrast, wide viewing angle, and flexibility. Flexible AM-OLEDs equipped with on-cell touch are even thinner and lighter, making them particularly popular in the market.

[0003] On-Cell Touch traces consist of transmit signal traces T1 to Tn and receive signal traces R1 to Rm. During the touch sensor panel (TSP) manufacturing process, the touch layer is prone to short circuits or open circuits. Therefore, testing for short circuits and open circuits (TOS) in the panel's touch layer is necessary during the testing phase to promptly identify defective products and prevent them from flowing into downstream processes and causing material waste. Summary of the Invention

[0004] In view of the above problems, the present invention is proposed to provide a panel structure and a panel testing method that overcome the above problems or at least partially solve the above problems.

[0005] In a first aspect, an embodiment of the present invention provides a panel structure, including:

[0006] A plurality of touch panels, wherein the plurality of touch panels are divided into a plurality of panel groups, wherein at least one panel group includes two or more touch panels, and a touch layer of each touch panel has a plurality of signal input terminals and a plurality of signal receiving terminals;

[0007] First test pads and second test pads are arranged in the peripheral area of ​​the touch panel, the signal input end of each touch panel in the same panel group is correspondingly connected to the first test pads in the same group, and the signal receiving end is correspondingly connected to the second test pads in the same group, the first test pads are configured to receive test excitation signals of each touch panel in the corresponding panel group, and the second test pads are configured to output test result signals of each touch panel in the corresponding panel group;

[0008] A switching circuit is connected in a panel group including more than two touch panels, between a signal input end of each touch panel and the first test pad, and / or between a signal receiving end and the second test pad, and the switching circuit is configured to select the touch panel to be tested in the panel group according to a received test control signal.

[0009] Furthermore, the panel structure further includes a control pad, the control end of the switch circuit is connected to the control pad, and the control pad is configured to receive the test control signal.

[0010] Furthermore, the switching circuit includes multiple groups of switching devices, each group of switching devices corresponds to a touch panel, each group of switching devices is connected between the signal input end of the corresponding touch panel and the first test pad, and / or between the signal receiving end and the second test pad, and the control end of the switching device is connected to the control pad.

[0011] Furthermore, the first test pad and the second test pad each include a first metal layer and a second metal layer stacked on the first metal layer.

[0012] Furthermore, the area of ​​the second metal layer is smaller than the area of ​​the first metal layer.

[0013] Furthermore, the panel structure further includes a test signal line provided in a peripheral area of ​​the touch panel, the test signal line including a first signal line and a second signal line, the signal input end is connected to the first test pad via the first signal line, and the signal receiving end is connected to the second test pad via the second signal line.

[0014] In a panel group including more than two touch panels, the first signal line corresponding to the first proximal panel and the second signal line corresponding to the second proximal panel are both arranged as windings, wherein the first proximal panel is a touch panel in which the wiring length between the signal input end and the first test pad is less than a first reference length, and the second proximal panel is a touch panel in which the wiring length between the signal receiving end and the second test pad is less than a second reference length.

[0015] Furthermore, the lengths of the first signal lines between the same first test pad and different touch panels in the corresponding panel group are the same, and the lengths of the second signal lines between the same second test pad and different touch panels in the corresponding panel group are the same.

[0016] Furthermore, the plurality of touch panels are arranged in an array, the plurality of panel groups are obtained by grouping the touch panels in each row or column, and each panel group includes more than two touch panels.

[0017] In a second aspect, an embodiment of the present invention further provides a panel testing method for performing a touch layer test on the panel structure provided in the first aspect, the method comprising:

[0018] Inputting a test control signal to the switch circuit corresponding to the test panel group to switch on the touch panel to be tested in the test panel group;

[0019] Inputting a test excitation signal to a first probe of a test fixture, wherein the first probe is inserted into the first test pad corresponding to the test panel group;

[0020] receiving a test result signal output by a second probe of the test fixture, wherein the second probe is inserted into the second test pad corresponding to the test panel assembly;

[0021] By detecting the test result signal, it is determined whether the touch layer of the touch panel to be tested has a short circuit or a break circuit.

[0022] Furthermore, the panel structure further includes a control pad, a control end of the switch circuit is connected to the test pad, and inputting a test control signal to the switch circuit corresponding to the test panel group includes:

[0023] A test control signal is input to a third probe of the test fixture, wherein the third probe is inserted into the control pad corresponding to the test panel group.

[0024] The technical solutions provided in the embodiments of the present invention have at least the following technical effects or advantages:

[0025] The panel structure and panel testing method provided by the embodiments of the present invention divide the touch panels in the panel structure into multiple panel groups, with at least one panel group including two or more touch panels. The same panel group shares a set of first test pads and second test pads. Then, by setting a switch circuit to control the connection between different touch panels in the same panel group and the shared test pads, the touch panel to be tested is determined, and each touch panel in the panel group is tested separately. In this way, TOS testing can be performed by inserting probes into the first test pads and the second test pads, timely intercepting defective products with touch layer short circuits and open circuits, while also reducing the space occupied by the TOS test pads on the panel structure and saving test fixture costs.

[0026] The above description is only an overview of the technical solutions provided by the embodiments of the present invention. In order to more clearly understand the technical means of the embodiments of the present invention, they can be implemented in accordance with the contents of the specification. In order to make the above and other purposes, features and advantages of the embodiments of the present invention more obvious and easy to understand, the specific implementation methods of the embodiments of the present invention are listed below. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0027] Various other advantages and benefits will become apparent to those skilled in the art upon reading the detailed description of the preferred embodiment below. The accompanying drawings are for illustration purposes only and are not to be considered as limiting the present invention. The same reference symbols are used throughout the drawings to represent the same components. In the drawings:

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

[0029] Figure 2 A schematic structural diagram of a touch layer in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0030] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of the connection relationship between the test pad and the panel assembly in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0031] Figure 4 This is a schematic structural diagram of a test pad in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0032] Figure 5 Schematic diagram of signal line routing in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0033] Figure 6 A flow chart of a panel testing method provided by an embodiment of the present invention;

[0034] Figure 7 Schematic diagram of the structure of an exemplary test fixture in an embodiment of the present invention. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0035] In the actual production of touch panels, a panel structure containing multiple cells (touch panels) is first made on a whole substrate, and then the panel structure is cut to obtain individual cells. Before cutting, a test environment can be set up on the panel structure to test the touch layer of each cell in the panel structure for short circuits and open circuits (Touch Open Short, TOS) type defects. The TOS test requires a test fixture with a probe to apply a test excitation signal to the signal input end of the product's touch layer, and then determine whether the product's touch layer has a short circuit or short circuit type defect by receiving the test result signal output by the signal receiving end.

[0036] In order to facilitate the probe insertion of the test fixture, a test pad (PAD) can be arranged on the panel structure. Each signal input end and each signal receiving end of each cell on the panel structure corresponds to a test pad. By inserting the probe on the test pad, the test excitation signal is input to the signal input end through the test pad, and the signal from the signal receiving end is received as the test result signal.

[0037] Considering that there are usually many cells arranged on the panel structure, for example, up to 18 cells (single row), and some products even have up to 22 cells (single row), each cell needs to have a separate test pad designed. On the one hand, it takes up more panel space. On the other hand, the corresponding TOS test fixture also requires signal transmission lines and probes for each cell, which increases the cost of the test fixture.

[0038] Based on this, an embodiment of the present invention provides a panel structure. By dividing the touch panels within the panel structure into multiple panel groups, at least one panel group includes two or more touch panels, and the same panel group shares a set of first and second test pads, a switch circuit is then configured to control the connections between the different touch panels within the same panel group and the shared test pads to determine the touch panel to be tested. For example, a panel group includes cellA, cellB, and cellC. When cellA needs to be tested, the switch circuit selects cellA as the touch panel to be tested. For example, the signal receiving end of cellA is connected to the shared second test pad, while the signal receiving ends of cellsB and cellC are disconnected from the shared second test pad. The resulting test result is the result for cellA, and so on, completing the test of the entire panel group. This allows for TOS testing by inserting probes into the first and second test pads, promptly intercepting defective products with touch layer shorts and open circuits, while also reducing the space occupied by the TOS test pads within the panel structure and saving test fixture costs.

[0039] The exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure will be described in more detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. It should be noted that in the accompanying drawings, the sizes of layers and regions may be exaggerated for clarity of illustration. Although exemplary embodiments of the present disclosure are shown in the accompanying drawings, it should be understood that the present disclosure can be implemented in various forms and should not be limited by the embodiments set forth herein. On the contrary, these embodiments are provided in order to enable a more thorough understanding of the present disclosure and to fully convey the scope of the present disclosure to those skilled in the art. The term "and / or" appearing herein is merely a description of the association relationship of associated objects, indicating that three relationships may exist. For example, A and / or B may represent: A exists alone, A and B exist at the same time, and B exists alone. The term "plurality" includes two or more cases.

[0040] like Figure 1 As shown, the panel structure 10 provided by the embodiment of the present invention includes: a plurality of touch panels 100 and a first test pad 121 , a second test pad 122 and a switch circuit arranged in the peripheral area of ​​the touch panel 100 .

[0041] Specifically, the plurality of touch panels 100 are divided into a plurality of panel groups 110, wherein at least one panel group 110 includes two or more touch panels 100. For example, each panel group 110 may include two or more touch panels 100, or a portion of the panel groups 110 may include two or more touch panels 100, while another portion of the panel groups 110 may include only one touch panel 100. The specific grouping method may be determined according to the needs of the actual scenario. It should be noted that Figure 1 In the figure, only one panel group 110 is indicated by a dotted box, and the division of all panel groups 110 is not indicated. The number of touch panels 100 included in the panel group 110 is only for illustration and is not intended to be limiting. The specific division can be based on actual needs.

[0042] For example, the multiple touch panels 100 on the panel structure 10 are arranged in an array. In order to facilitate testing, each row or column of touch panels 100 can be grouped. In an optional embodiment, the touch panels 100 can be evenly grouped according to the number of each row or column, so that the number of touch panels 100 in each panel group 110 is the same, to facilitate the processing of test pads and connecting lines. For example, taking grouping each row as an example, if there are 18 touch panels 100 distributed in each row, they can be evenly divided into 6 panel groups 110, each panel group 110 includes 3 adjacent touch panels 100; if there are 22 touch panels 100 distributed in one row, they can be evenly divided into 11 panel groups 110, each panel group 110 includes 3 adjacent touch panels 100. Of course, in other embodiments, the number of panel groups 110 may not be exactly the same. Taking 22 touch panels 100 arranged in each row as an example, each row may also be divided into 8 panel groups 110, the 1st to 7th panel groups 110 include three touch panels 100, and the 8th panel group 110 includes one touch panel 100. Alternatively, it may also be divided into 7 panel groups 110, the 1st to 6th panel groups 110 include three touch panels 100, and the 7th panel group 110 includes four touch panels 100.

[0043] Of course, in addition to the grouping methods listed above, other applicable grouping methods may also be used, and this embodiment does not limit this.

[0044] Specifically, the touch panel 100 may be a touch display panel, comprising a stacked base substrate, a pixel structure layer, and a touch layer. For example, the touch panel 100 may be a liquid crystal display panel, an OLED panel, or a flexible AM-OLED panel, etc., although this embodiment does not limit this. The base substrate may be a suitable substrate such as a glass substrate, a quartz substrate, or a flexible substrate. The specific composition of the pixel structure layer may be referred to in related art and will not be described in detail here.

[0045] The touch layer is an external touch layer (On Cell Touch). For example, Figure 2 As shown, the touch layer of the touch panel 100 may include a plurality of first touch electrodes 201 and a plurality of second touch electrodes 202 located in the touch area, as well as a plurality of first touch traces 211 and a plurality of second touch traces 212 located in the peripheral area (e.g., surrounding the touch area). The first touch electrodes 201 and the second touch electrodes 202 are arranged to intersect with each other and are insulated from each other. For example, the first touch electrodes 201 extend along a first direction, and the second touch electrodes 202 extend along a second direction, and the first and second directions intersect. For details, please refer to the relevant art, and this embodiment is not limited to this. Each first touch electrode 201 is connected to a first touch trace 211, and each second touch electrode 202 is connected to a second touch trace 212. The first touch traces 211 and the second touch traces 212 are both connected to a touch driver chip 220 located in the binding area. The first touch electrodes 201 can serve as signal transmission channels, and the second touch electrodes 202 can serve as signal reception channels to achieve touch function.

[0046] For ease of description, for each pair of signal transmitting channels and signal receiving channels, the end receiving the driving signal input by the touch driver chip 220 is called the signal input end, and the end outputting the capacitance value signal to the touch driver chip 220 is called the signal receiving end. The specific positions of the signal input end and the signal receiving end can be determined according to actual needs. In other words, the touch layer of each touch panel 100 has multiple signal input ends (such as TX1, TX2, ..., TXn) and multiple signal receiving ends (such as RX1, RX2, ..., RXm). The TOS test is to test whether there are short circuits and open circuits in the channels between each group of signal input ends and signal receiving ends in the touch layer, that is, whether the touch sensor has such defects.

[0047] The first test pad 121 and the second test pad 122 can be set in the peripheral area of ​​the touch panel 100, that is, the area outside the touch area. They can be arranged according to the actual product layout and the convenience of probe insertion, and this embodiment does not limit this. For example, the entire panel structure 10 can be divided into a panel area and a peripheral area, and the first test pad 121 and the second test pad 122 can be arranged in the peripheral area (such as the left and right sides or the upper and lower sides of the panel area). Alternatively, taking grouping by row as an example, the first test pad 121 and the second test pad 122 corresponding to each panel group 110 can also be arranged at a preset position around the corresponding panel group 110 to facilitate testing.

[0048] The signal input terminals of each touch panel 100 in the same panel group 110 are connected to the same group of first test pads 121, and the signal receiving terminals are connected to the same group of second test pads 122. In other words, each touch panel 100 in the same panel group 110 shares a group of first test pads 121 and second test pads 122. For example, Figure 3 As shown, the panel group T1 includes three touch panels 100, which are represented as cellA, cellB and cellC. CellA has signal input terminals TX1, TX2, ..., TXn and signal receiving terminals RX1, RX2, ..., RXm; cellB and cellC also have signal input terminals TX1, TX2, ..., TXn and signal receiving terminals RX1, RX2, ..., RXm. The panel group 110 corresponds to a group of first test pads 121: TX1_T1, TX2_T1, ..., TXn_T1 and a group of second test pads 122: RX1_T1, RX2_T1, ..., RXm_T1. It should be noted that Figure 3 Only TX1, TX2, RX1, RX2, TX1_T1, TX2_T1 and RX1_T1, RX2_T1 are shown for illustration. The specific numbers of m and n are determined according to actual products and are not limited here.

[0049] Then, in panel group T1, TX1 of cellA, cellB, and cellC is connected to TX1_T1, TX2 of cellA, cellB, and cellC is connected to TX2_T1, and so on, TXn of cellA, cellB, and cellC is connected to TXn_T1. Similarly, RX1 of cellA, cellB, and cellC is connected to RX1_T1, RX2 of cellA, cellB, and cellC is connected to RX2_T1, and so on, RXn of cellA, cellB, and cellC is connected to RXn_T1. In other words, each touch panel 100 in panel group T1 shares the first test pads TX1_T1, TX2_T1, ..., TXn_T1 and the second test pads RX1_T1, RX2_T1, ..., RXm_T1. Compared to setting up a test pad for each cell individually, the number of test pads can be reduced to one-third of the original number, saving 67% of test point space.

[0050] The first test pads 121 are configured to receive test excitation signals from each touch panel 100 in the corresponding panel group 110, and the second test pads 122 are configured to output test result signals from each touch panel 100 in the corresponding panel group 110. When performing a TOS test, by inserting the probes of the test fixture into the first test pads 121 and the second test pads 122, the test excitation signals can be input to the corresponding panel group 110 and the test result signals can be received. That is, a TOS test of multiple touch panels 100 can be implemented through a set of first test pads 121 and second test pads 122. In addition, since the number of sets of first test pads 121 and second test pads 122 in the panel structure 10 is reduced, the number of transmission lines and probes required to be laid out in the TOS test fixture can be reduced accordingly, which helps to save the cost of the test fixture.

[0051] Taking the panel structure 10 as an example, in which 18 touch panels 100 are arranged in each row, and every three touch panels 100 form a panel group 110, sharing a group of first test pads 121 and second test pads 122, the transmission lines and probes of the TOS test fixture can be reduced from the original 18 groups to 6 groups, effectively reducing the production cost of the test fixture.

[0052] In addition, for a panel group 110 including two or more touch panels 100, since the first test pad 121 and the second test pad 122 of the same panel group 110 are shared, in order to test the defective condition of each touch panel 100 separately, a switch circuit is set for these panel groups 110 in the panel structure 10. Figure 3 As shown, the switch circuit is connected between the signal input terminal of each touch panel 100 and the first test pad 121, and / or between the signal receiving terminal and the second test pad 122. The switch circuit is configured to select the touch panel 100 to be tested in the panel group 110 according to the received test control signal, that is, the touch panel 100 to be tested in the control panel group 110 is connected to the shared test pad, and the other touch panels 100 are disconnected from the shared test pad. It should be noted that if each panel group 110 in the panel structure 10 includes more than two touch panels 100, the above-mentioned switch circuit needs to be provided for each panel group 110.

[0053] Furthermore, to facilitate control of the aforementioned switching circuit, the panel structure 10 also includes control pads disposed in a peripheral area of ​​the touch panel 100. The control terminals of the switching circuits are connected to the control pads, which are configured to receive the aforementioned test control signals. It should be noted that the first test pads 121, second test pads 122, and control pads corresponding to the same panel assembly 110 can be disposed adjacent to each other, for example, in a row, to facilitate probe insertion.

[0054] In an optional embodiment, the switching circuit may include multiple groups of switching devices, each group of switching devices corresponding to a touch panel 100. For example, if the panel group 110 includes three touch panels 100, the corresponding switching circuit includes three groups of switching devices. Each group of switching devices is connected between the signal input terminal of the corresponding touch panel 100 and the first test pad 121, and / or between the signal receiving terminal and the second test pad 122. The control terminal of the switching device is connected to the above-mentioned control pad. For example, the switching device can be a thin film transistor (TFT) or other applicable device with a switching function.

[0055] It should be noted that Figure 3 The connection positions of the switch devices shown in the figure are for reference only. Depending on the needs of the actual scenario, a switch device may be connected between each signal input terminal of the touch panel 100 and the first test pad 121 to control the on / off connection between each signal input terminal and the first test pad 121; or a switch device may be connected between each signal receiving terminal of the touch panel 100 and the second test pad 122 to control the on / off connection between each signal receiving terminal and the second test pad 122; or a switch device may be connected between each signal input terminal of the touch panel 100 and the first test pad 121, and between each signal receiving terminal and the second test pad 122. This article mainly uses the example of connecting the switch device between each signal receiving terminal of the touch panel 100 and the second test pad 122 as an example.

[0056] Also take the above panel group T1 as an example, Figure 3 As shown, switch device groups S1, S2, and S3 are connected between the signal receiving ends of cell A, cell B, and cell C, respectively, and the shared second test pad 122. When testing cell A, S1 is turned on, S2 and S3 are turned off, and test stimulus signals are input from the first test pads TX1_T1, TX2_T1, ..., TXn_T1, respectively. The test results obtained from the second test pads RX1_T1, RX2_T1, ..., RXm_T1 are the TOS test results for cell A. Similarly, when testing cell B, S2 is turned on, S1 and S3 are turned off, and the resulting test results are the TOS test results for cell B. When testing cell C, S3 is turned on, S1 and S2 are turned off, and the resulting test results are the TOS test results for cell C.

[0057] When performing the TOS test, the probes of the test fixture are inserted into the first test pad 121, the second test pad 122 and the control pad. The test control signal is first input to the switch device corresponding to the panel group 110 through the probe inserted into the control pad to control the opening and closing of each switch device, and the touch panel 100 currently to be tested in the panel group 110 is selected. Then, the test excitation signal is input to each touch panel 100 through the probe inserted into the first test pad 121. At this time, the test result signal output by the probe inserted into the second test pad 122 is the test result signal of the touch panel 100 currently to be tested.

[0058] In an optional embodiment, the first test pad 121, the second test pad 122 and the control pad may adopt a two-layer metal film structure, for example, Figure 4 As shown, it can include a first metal layer 401 and a second metal layer 402 stacked on the first metal layer 401. The first metal layer 401 can also be called TMA (Touch Metal A), and the second metal layer 402 can also be called TMB (Touch Metal B). The film material of the first metal layer 401 and the second metal layer 402 can be the same or different, and this embodiment is not limited to this. Generally, the first metal layer 401 and the second metal layer 402 can use the same film material. Compared with the currently used three-layer metal film structure, it can reduce the pad thickness while ensuring the needle insertion depth.

[0059] Furthermore, considering the inclination angle of the needle, to prevent the probe tip from protruding beyond the pad, the area of ​​second metal layer 402 is smaller than that of first metal layer 401, and the second orthographic projection of second metal layer 402 on the substrate is located within the first orthographic projection of first metal layer 401 on the substrate. For example, the pad can be rectangular, the dimensions of first metal layer 401 can be 200*700, and the dimensions of second metal layer 402 can be 100*500, with dimensions in μm.

[0060] It will be appreciated that the panel structure 10 further includes test signal lines disposed in the peripheral area of ​​the touch panel 100. The test signal lines include a plurality of first signal lines and a plurality of second signal lines. The signal lines are insulated from one another. The signal input end of each touch panel 100 is connected to the first test pad 121 via the first signal line, and the signal receiving end is connected to the second test pad 122 via the second signal line.

[0061] For a panel group 110 including more than two touch panels 100, in order to minimize the difference in connection impedance from the same test pad to different touch panels 100 in the panel group 110 and improve the accuracy of the test results, in an optional embodiment, the first signal line corresponding to the first proximal panel and the second signal line corresponding to the second proximal panel can both be arranged as windings.

[0062] The first proximal panel is a touch panel 100 in the same panel group 110, in which the wiring length between the signal input end and the first test pad 121 is less than the first reference length, and the second proximal panel is a touch panel 100 in which the wiring length between the signal receiving end and the second test pad 122 is less than the second reference length. For example, when routing the first signal lines and the second signal lines of each touch panel 100 in the same panel group 110, the length of the first signal line with the longest wiring length can be used as the first reference length for each first test pad 121, and the length of the second signal line with the longest wiring length can be used as the second reference length for each second test pad 122.

[0063] like Figure 5 As shown, assuming panel group T2 includes cell D and cell E, the corresponding set of first test pads 121 for panel group T2 are TX1_T2 and TX2_T2, and the corresponding set of second test pads 122 are RX1_T2 and RX2_T2. For TX1_T2, cell E is the first proximal panel. The length of the first signal line L1 from TX1_T2 to cell D is the first reference length, and the first signal line L2 from TX1_T2 to cell E is routed as a winding line. Similarly, for TX2_T2, cell E is the first proximal panel. The length of the first signal line L3 from TX2_T2 to cell D is the first reference length, and the first signal line L4 from TX2_T2 to cell E is routed as a winding line. For RX1_T2 and RX2_T2, cell D is the second proximal panel. The second signal line L5 from RX1_T2 to cell D is routed as a winding line, and the second signal line L6 from RX2_T2 to cell D is routed as a winding line.

[0064] By routing the signal lines, the length of the signal lines can be increased, reducing the length differences between different signal lines connected to the same test pad. For example, the lengths of the first signal lines between the same first test pad 121 and different touch panels 100 in the corresponding panel group 110 can be made the same, or the difference is within an acceptable error range. The lengths of the second signal lines between the same second test pad 122 and different touch panels 100 in the corresponding panel group 110 can be made the same, or the difference is within an acceptable error range. This reduces the impedance differences between the signal lines on the same test pad and different touch panels 100, improving the accuracy of the test results.

[0065] It should be noted that, in a specific implementation, the above-mentioned first test pad 121, the second test pad 122, the control pad, the test signal line and the switching circuit can be arranged in the non-display area of ​​the TFT substrate in the panel structure 10, or can be arranged in the same layer as the touch layer, such as in the non-display area on the surface of the packaging layer on the pixel structure layer. This embodiment does not impose any restrictions on this.

[0066] In addition, the embodiment of the present invention also provides a panel testing method, which is applied to perform TOS testing of the touch layer of the above panel structure 10. Figure 6 As shown, the panel testing method may include:

[0067] Step S601: inputting a test control signal to the switch circuit corresponding to the test panel group to select the touch panel to be tested in the test panel group;

[0068] Step S602 , inputting a test excitation signal to a first probe of a test fixture, wherein the first probe is inserted into a first test pad corresponding to a test panel assembly;

[0069] Step S603, receiving a test result signal output by a second probe of the test fixture, wherein the second probe is inserted into a second test pad corresponding to the test panel assembly;

[0070] Step S604 , determining whether a short circuit or a break exists in the touch layer of the touch panel to be tested by detecting the test result signal.

[0071] In an optional embodiment, the panel structure 10 further includes a control pad, and the control end of the switch circuit is connected to the test pad. For details, see the relevant description above. In this case, the step of inputting a test control signal to the switch circuit corresponding to the test panel group includes inputting the test control signal to a third probe of the test fixture, wherein the third probe is inserted into the control pad corresponding to the test panel group.

[0072] In practical applications, the touch panels 100 in the panel structure 10 can be subjected to TOS testing in batches, for example, row by row. The test panel group described in step S601 is the panel group 110 to be tested in the current batch. For example, it can be a single panel group 110 or multiple panel groups 110 tested together, which is not limited in this embodiment.

[0073] For example, Figure 7As shown, the test fixture may include a base 700, a circuit board 710 mounted on the base 700, and a probe module 720. The circuit board 710 is provided with signal transmission lines corresponding to a group of test pads. The probe module 720 is secured to the base 700 via a fixture 730 and includes probes 721 corresponding to the group of test pads. For example, a group of test pads includes first test pads TX1_T1, TX2_T1, ..., TXn_T1 and second test pads RX1_T1, RX2_T1, ..., RXm_T1. The circuit board 710 is then provided with n stimulus transmission lines corresponding one-to-one to the first test pads and m test result output lines corresponding one-to-one to the second test pads. Accordingly, the probe module 720 includes n first probes corresponding one-to-one to the first test pads and m second probes corresponding one-to-one to the m second test pads, each probe connected to a signal transmission line.

[0074] In an optional embodiment, the panel structure 10 also includes control pads, such as CX1_T1, CX2_T1 and CX3_T1. In this case, control signal transmission lines corresponding to the control pads need to be arranged in the circuit board 710. Accordingly, the probe module 720 also includes a third probe arranged corresponding to the control pads, and the third probe is connected to the control signal transmission line arranged on the circuit board 710.

[0075] It should be noted that the specific number of circuit boards 710 and probe modules 720 produced in the test fixture is consistent with the number of panel groups 110 included in the test panel group. For example, in one application scenario, each batch of test panels 100 on the panel structure 10 is a row of touch panels 100. Assuming that a row of touch panels 100 is divided into six panel groups 110, each panel group 110 includes three touch panels 100, then six circuit boards 710 and six probe modules 720 can be deployed in the test fixture.

[0076] Of course, in addition to the above components, the test fixture may also include other components. For example, for ease of use, a handle may be provided on the base 700 .

[0077] During the actual test, the probes of the test fixture are first inserted into the corresponding pads of the test panel group, that is, the first probe is inserted into the first test pad, the second probe is inserted into the second test pad, and the third probe is inserted into the control pad. Then, the external detection equipment sequentially inputs the test control signal to the switch circuit of the test panel group through the control signal transmission line, the third probe, and the control pad, and controls the signal receiving ends of the touch panel 100 to be tested in the test panel group to be connected to the second test pad, and the signal receiving ends of the remaining touch panels 100 are disconnected from the second test pad. At this time, the signal transmitted to the test result output line via the second probe is the test result signal of the touch panel 100 to be tested. By detecting the test result signal, for example, detecting whether the capacitance value corresponding to the test result signal is within the set range, it can be determined whether there is a short circuit or a break in the touch layer of the touch panel 100 to be tested.

[0078] By controlling the timing of the test control signals, different touch panels 100 in the same panel group 110 can be selected as touch panels 100 to be tested in sequence, thereby obtaining test results for different touch panels 100 in the same panel group 110. For example, the test panel group includes six panel groups 110, each panel group 110 including cellA, cellB, and cellC. After the probes of the test fixture are inserted, cellA in each panel group 110 can be selected as the touch panel 100 to be tested. After the test of cellA in each panel group 110 is completed, cellB in each panel group 110 can be selected as the touch panel 100 to be tested. After the test of cellB in each panel group 110 is completed, cellC in each panel group 110 can be selected as the touch panel 100 to be tested, and the test of cellC in each panel group 110 can be completed.

[0079] The above description does not provide detailed explanations of technical details such as the patterning of each layer of the product. However, those skilled in the art will appreciate that various technical means can be used to form layers, regions, and the like in desired shapes. Furthermore, those skilled in the art may devise methods that differ from those described above to achieve the same structure. Although each embodiment has been described separately, this does not mean that the measures in each embodiment cannot be advantageously combined.

[0080] In addition, it should be understood by those skilled in the art that the discussion of any of the above embodiments is merely illustrative and is not intended to imply that the scope of the present disclosure is limited to these examples. Based on the concept of the present disclosure, the technical features in the above embodiments or different embodiments may be combined, the steps may be implemented in any order, and there are many other variations of different aspects of one or more embodiments of the present specification as described above, which are not provided in detail for the sake of simplicity.

[0081] Although the preferred embodiments of this specification have been described, those skilled in the art may make additional changes and modifications to these embodiments once they have learned the basic creative concepts. Therefore, the appended claims are intended to be interpreted as including the preferred embodiments and all changes and modifications that fall within the scope of this specification.

Claims

1. A panel structure, characterized in that: include: Multiple touch panels, the multiple touch panels are divided into multiple panel groups, at least one panel group includes two or more touch panels, the touch layer of each touch panel has multiple signal input terminals and multiple signal receiving terminals, the touch panel is a touch display panel, including a stacked base substrate, a pixel structure layer, and a touch layer, and the touch display panel is an organic light-emitting display panel; First test pads and second test pads are arranged in the peripheral area of ​​the touch panel, the signal input end of each touch panel in the same panel group is correspondingly connected to the first test pads in the same group, and the signal receiving end is correspondingly connected to the second test pads in the same group, the first test pads are configured to receive test excitation signals of each touch panel in the corresponding panel group, and the second test pads are configured to output test result signals of each touch panel in the corresponding panel group; a switch circuit connected in a panel group including two or more touch panels, between a signal input terminal of each touch panel and the first test pad, and / or between a signal receiving terminal and the second test pad, the switch circuit being configured to select a touch panel to be tested in the panel group according to a received test control signal; The first test pad and the second test pad include a first metal layer and a second metal layer stacked on the first metal layer, the first metal layer and the first touch metal layer in the touch layer are arranged in the same layer, and the second metal layer and the second touch metal layer in the touch layer are arranged in the same layer; The panel structure further includes test signal lines disposed in a peripheral area of ​​the touch panel, the test signal lines including a first signal line and a second signal line, the signal input end being connected to the first test pad via the first signal line, and the signal receiving end being connected to the second test pad via the second signal line, and in a panel group including two or more touch panels, the first signal line corresponding to the first proximal panel and the second signal line corresponding to the second proximal panel are both arranged as windings, wherein the first proximal panel is a touch panel in which a wiring length between the signal input end and the first test pad is less than a first reference length, and the second proximal panel is a touch panel in which a wiring length between the signal receiving end and the second test pad is less than a second reference length; The lengths of the first signal lines between the same first test pad and different touch panels in the corresponding panel group are the same, and the lengths of the second signal lines between the same second test pad and different touch panels in the corresponding panel group are the same.

2. The panel structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: Also includes control pads, The control terminal of the switch circuit is connected to the control pad, and the control pad is configured to receive the test control signal.

3. The panel structure according to claim 2, characterized in that: The switching circuit includes multiple groups of switching devices, each group of switching devices corresponds to a touch panel, each group of switching devices is connected between the signal input end of the corresponding touch panel and the first test pad, and / or between the signal receiving end and the second test pad, and the control end of the switching device is connected to the control pad.

4. The panel structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The area of ​​the second metal layer is smaller than that of the first metal layer.

5. The panel structure according to claim 1, characterized in that: The plurality of touch panels are arranged in an array, the plurality of panel groups are obtained by grouping the touch panels in each row or column, and each panel group includes more than two touch panels.

6. A panel testing method, characterized in that: The method for performing a touch layer test on the panel structure according to any one of claims 1 to 5 comprises: Inputting a test control signal to the switch circuit corresponding to the test panel group to switch on the touch panel to be tested in the test panel group; Inputting a test excitation signal to a first probe of a test fixture, wherein the first probe is inserted into the first test pad corresponding to the test panel group; receiving a test result signal output by a second probe of the test fixture, wherein the second probe is inserted into the second test pad corresponding to the test panel assembly; By detecting the test result signal, it is determined whether the touch layer of the touch panel to be tested has a short circuit or a break circuit.

7. The method according to claim 6, characterized in that The panel structure further includes a control pad, a control end of the switch circuit is connected to the test pad, and inputting a test control signal to the switch circuit corresponding to the test panel group includes: A test control signal is input to a third probe of the test fixture, wherein the third probe is inserted into the control pad corresponding to the test panel group.

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