Electronic device

Abstract

An electronic device includes a cover plate, a display module, and a touch module. The touch module includes a substrate, a touch sensing layer, and a trace. The substrate includes a body portion and an extension portion connected to each other. The body portion is located between the cover plate and the display module. The extension portion extends to a side of the display module away from the cover plate. The touch sensing layer is disposed on the body portion. The trace is coupled to the touch sensing layer and extends on the extension portion. Thus, the frame of the touch module can be effectively reduced, and the flexibility of the electronic device in the appearance design can be increased.

Description

TECHNICAL FIELD

[0001] The present disclosure relates to an electronic device. BACKGROUND

[0002] At present, in the touch module industry, especially in the consumer field, the frame of the touch module has a trend of becoming smaller and smaller. Narrow frame can bring better display effect and more shocking appearance design, and can create greater product value for the end customer.

[0003] However, the reduction of the frame of the touch module is often limited by the ability of the touch sensing element itself. The layout of the touch sensing element is reasonable, and the width and gap of the trace are minimized. After the trace is narrowed, the risk of disconnection rises and the yield of the touch sensing element decreases. Therefore, the trace of the touch sensing element cannot be reduced indefinitely. The prior art CN108563363B uses FPC with stable connectivity to bend using glue, which improves the yield of the narrow frame touch display module, but must use FPC and reserve the bonding area to bond the FPC to achieve the effect of extremely narrow frame.

[0004] Therefore, how to propose an electronic device that can solve the above problems is one of the problems that the industry urgently wants to invest in research and development resources to solve. SUMMARY

[0005] Therefore, the purpose of the present disclosure is to propose an electronic device that can solve the above problems.

[0006] In order to achieve the above purpose, according to an embodiment of the present disclosure, an electronic device includes a cover plate, a display module, and a touch module. The touch module includes a substrate, a touch sensing layer, and a trace. The substrate includes a body portion and an extension portion connected to each other. The body portion is located between the cover plate and the display module. The extension portion extends to a side of the display module away from the cover plate. The touch sensing layer is disposed on the body portion. The trace is coupled to the touch sensing layer and extends on the extension portion.

[0007] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the electronic device further includes a main circuit board. The main circuit board is disposed on the side of the display module away from the cover plate and is electrically connected to the trace.

[0008] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the trace is bonded to the main circuit board.

[0009] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the trace is bonded to the main circuit board via conductive adhesive.

[0010] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the electronic device further includes a flexible circuit board. The main circuit board is electrically connected to the trace via the flexible circuit board.

[0011] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the main circuit board includes an electrical connector. One end of the flexible circuit board is connected to the electrical connector. The other end of the flexible circuit board is engaged with the trace.

[0012] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the trace is engaged with the flexible circuit board via conductive adhesive.

[0013] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the touch module further includes another touch sensing layer and another trace. The aforementioned touch sensing layer and the other touch sensing layer are respectively disposed on opposite sides of the substrate. The other trace is coupled to the other touch sensing layer and extends on the extension portion. The aforementioned trace and the other trace are respectively coupled to opposite sides of the main circuit board.

[0014] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the extension portion has a cutout. The aforementioned trace and the other trace are separated by two sides of the cutout.

[0015] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the electronic device further includes an adhesive member. The adhesive member is disposed on the side of the display module away from the cover plate and adheres the extension portion.

[0016] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the extension portion extends beyond an edge of the display module and has opposite first and second ends. The first end is connected to the body portion. The second end is located on the side of the display module away from the cover plate. The second end is farther away from the aforementioned edge than the first end.

[0017] In one or more embodiments of the present disclosure, the material of the substrate includes polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

[0018] In summary, in the electronic device of the present disclosure, by designing the extension portion of the substrate of the touch module to be bent and extend to the side of the display module away from the cover plate, and designing the engagement area of the trace extending on the extension portion on the side of the display module away from the cover plate, the frame of the touch module can be effectively reduced, thereby increasing the flexibility of the electronic device in terms of appearance design.

[0019] The above merely describes the problems to be solved by the present disclosure, the technical means for solving the problems, and the effects thereof. The specific details of the present disclosure will be described in the embodiments and related drawings below. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0020] In order to make the above and other purposes, features, advantages and embodiments of the present disclosure more obvious and easy to understand, the following describes the accompanying drawings:

[0021] Figure 1 To illustrate the cross-sectional view of the electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0022] Figure 2FIG. 1A is a schematic diagram illustrating a cross-sectional view of an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0023] Figure 3 FIG. 2A is a schematic diagram illustrating a cross-sectional view of an electronic device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0024] Figure 4 FIG. 3A is a schematic diagram illustrating a cross-sectional view of an electronic device according to another embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0025] Figure 5 FIG. 4A is a schematic diagram illustrating a cross-sectional view of an electronic device employing a touch module according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 4

[0026] Figure 6 FIG. 5A is a schematic diagram illustrating a partial enlarged view of FIG. 4A; Figure 5

[0027] Figure 7A FIG. 6A is a schematic diagram illustrating an intermediate stage of manufacturing an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0028] Figure 7B FIG. 7A is a schematic diagram illustrating an intermediate stage of manufacturing an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0029] Figure 7C FIG. 8A is a schematic diagram illustrating an intermediate stage of manufacturing an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0030] Figure 7D FIG. 9A is a schematic diagram illustrating an intermediate stage of manufacturing an electronic device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0031]

List of Symbols

[0032] 100, 200, 300: electronic device

[0033] 110: cover plate

[0034] 120: display module

[0035] 121: edge

[0036] 130, 330: touch module

[0037] 131, 331: base material

[0038] 131a, 331a: body portion

[0039] 131b, 331b: extension portion

[0040] 131b1: first end

[0041] 131b2: second end

[0042] ​​132, 332a, 332b: touch sensing layer

[0043] 133, 333a, 333b: trace

[0044] 140, 240: main circuit board

[0045] 141: electrical connector

[0046] 150: flexible circuit board

[0047] 160: conductive adhesive

[0048] 170, 370: adhesive member

[0049] 181, 182: adhesive layer

[0050] 334a, 334b: protective layer 910: lifting post

[0051] 920: push block

[0052] 930: roller

[0053] C: cutout

[0054] M: region DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0055] Embodiments of the present disclosure will be described below with reference to the drawings. For the purpose of explanation, numerous specific details will be set forth in the description below. It should be appreciated however that these specific details are not intended to limit the present disclosure in any manner. Rather, the present disclosure is widely applicable to a variety of embodiments and can be practiced in a variety of ways. Furthermore, for the purpose of explanation, some known or conventional elements will be referred to in the description below with simple schematic drawings.

[0056] Reference will now be made to Figure 1 and Figure 2 . Figure 1 FIG. 1 shows a cross-sectional view of an electronic device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 2 FIG. 2 shows a partial top view of a touch module 130 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. As shown in FIG. 2, the touch module 130 includes a main circuit board 140, a flexible circuit board 150, a conductive adhesive 160, a touch sensing layer 132, a protective layer 334a, a trace 333a, a trace 333b, a push block 920, a roller 930, and a lifting post 910. Figure 1 and Figure 2As shown, in this embodiment, the electronic device 100 includes a cover plate 110, a display module 120, and a touch module 130. The touch module 130 includes a substrate 131, a touch sensing layer 132, and a plurality of traces 133. The substrate 131 is partially located between the cover plate 110 and the display module 120, and partially located on the side of the display module 120 away from the cover plate 110. Specifically, the substrate 131 includes a connected body portion 131a and an extension portion 131b. The body portion 131a is located between the cover plate 110 and the display module 120. The extension portion 131b extends to the side of the display module 120 away from the cover plate 110. The touch sensing layer 132 is disposed on the body portion 131a. The traces 133 are coupled to the touch sensing layer 132 and extend on the extension portion 131b.

[0057] In some embodiments, a touch area and a peripheral area surrounding the touch area are defined on the body portion 131a of the substrate 131. The touch module 130 includes two touch sensing layers 132. These two touch sensing layers 132 are disposed within the touch area. In some embodiments, one touch sensing layer 132 includes a plurality of first-axis conductive units (not shown) spaced apart from each other, while the other touch sensing layer 132 includes a plurality of second-axis conductive units (not shown) spaced apart from each other and spanning the first-axis conductive units. The aforementioned "first axis" and "second axis" are, for example, two axes perpendicular to each other (e.g., the X-axis and the Y-axis). In other words, the first-axis conductive unit is a conductive line extending along the first axis, and the second-axis conductive unit is a conductive line extending along the second axis.

[0058] In some embodiments, the second axial conductive unit spans the first axial conductive unit from above, and an insulating layer (not shown) provides electrical insulation at least at the intersection between the first and second axial conductive units. Thus, the two touch sensing layers 132 are separated by an insulating layer to form a bridge-like structure. Therefore, the touch module 130 in this embodiment is an OGS (One Glass Solution) type touch module, but this disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0059] In some implementations, such as Figure 2 As shown, the electronic device 100 further includes adhesive layers 181 and 182. The body portion 131a of the touch module 130 is attached to the cover plate 110 via adhesive layer 181 and to the display module 120 via adhesive layer 182.

[0060] In some embodiments, adhesive layers 181 and 182 are optically clear adhesives (OCA), but this disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0061] In some implementations, such as Figure 2As shown, the trace 133 extends from the peripheral region of the body portion 131a of the substrate 131 to the extension portion 131b. Each trace 133 is coupled to a corresponding first-axis conductive unit or a second-axis conductive unit, thereby transmitting the signal sensed by the corresponding first-axis conductive unit or second-axis conductive unit.

[0062] In some implementations, such as Figure 1 As shown, the electronic device 100 further includes a main circuit board 140. The main circuit board 140 is disposed on the side of the display module 120 away from the cover plate 110, and is configured to at least control the display of the display module 120. The main circuit board 140 is electrically connected to a trace 133 extending on the extension 131b.

[0063] In some implementations, such as Figure 1 As shown, the electronic device 100 further includes a flexible circuit board 150. A main circuit board 140 is electrically connected via the flexible circuit board 150 to a trace 133 extending on the extension 131b. Specifically, the main circuit board 140 includes an electrical connector 141. One end of the flexible circuit board 150 is connected to the electrical connector 141. The other end of the flexible circuit board 150 is engaged with the trace 133 extending on the extension 131b.

[0064] In some embodiments, trace 133 is bonded to flexible circuit board 150 via conductive adhesive 160. In some embodiments, conductive adhesive 160 is anisotropic conductive film (ACF), but this disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0065] By using the aforementioned structural configuration (that is, designing the joint area of ​​the trace 133 extending on the extension 131b on the side of the display module 120 away from the cover plate 110), the bezel of the touch module 130 can be effectively reduced, thereby increasing the flexibility of the electronic device 100 in terms of appearance design.

[0066] In some implementations, such as Figure 1 As shown, the electronic device 100 further includes an adhesive 170. The adhesive 170 is disposed on the side of the display module 120 away from the cover plate 110 and adhesively bonds the extension 131b. This allows the portion of the extension 131b bent to the side of the display module 120 away from the cover plate 110 to be more securely fixed to the display module 120, thereby improving the reliability of the electrical connection between the main circuit board 140 and the trace 133 via the flexible circuit board 150.

[0067] In some implementations, such as Figure 1As shown, the extension 131b of the substrate 131 extends beyond the edge 121 of the display module 120 and has a first end 131b1 and a second end 131b2. The first end 131b1 connects to the body portion 131a. The second end 131b2 is located on the side of the display module 120 away from the cover plate 110. The second end 131b2 is further away from the aforementioned edge 121 than the first end 131b1. This structural configuration allows the joining area of ​​the traces 133 on the extension 131b to be away from the bending area of ​​the extension 131b. This effectively avoids the problem of the second end 131b2 warping relative to the side of the display module 120 away from the cover plate 110 due to stress caused by bending of the extension 131b.

[0068] In some embodiments, the radius of curvature at the bend of the extension 131b is about 0.5 mm to 1.5 mm thick (preferably about 1.0 mm), but this disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0069] In some embodiments, the material of substrate 131 comprises polyethylene terephthalate (PET), but this disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0070] In some embodiments, the cover plate 110 is made of glass or a flexible polymer material, but this disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0071] In some embodiments, at least one of the two touch sensing layers 132 may be a silver nanowire electrode layer, a metal mesh, or an electrode layer containing indium tin oxide (ITO), but this disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0072] In some embodiments, the display module 120 is a liquid crystal display (LCD) module, but this disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0073] Please refer to Figure 3 This is a cross-sectional schematic diagram illustrating an electronic device 200 according to another embodiment of this disclosure. Figure 3 As shown, in this embodiment, the electronic device 200 includes a cover plate 110, a display module 120, a touch module 130, a main circuit board 240, conductive adhesive 160, and an adhesive 170, wherein the cover plate 110, the display module 120, the touch module 130, the conductive adhesive 160, and the adhesive 170 are the same as or similar to... Figure 1 The embodiments shown are described above, and therefore can be referred to in the foregoing related descriptions, which will not be repeated here.

[0074] This implementation method is compared to Figure 1 One difference in the illustrated embodiment is that the main circuit board 240 in this embodiment does not include Figure 1 The electrical connector 141 and flexible circuit board 150 are shown. This embodiment is different from...Figure 1 Another difference in the illustrated embodiment is that the trace 133 extending on the extension portion 131b is bonded to the main circuit board 240 in this embodiment. Specifically, the trace 133 extending on the extension portion 131b is bonded to the main circuit board 240 via conductive adhesive 160. In other words, in this embodiment, the trace 133 extending on the extension portion 131b is directly bonded to the main circuit board 240, thus compared to... Figure 1 The embodiments shown can further reduce the number of connecting elements, thereby further improving the reliability of electrical connections.

[0075] Please refer to Figure 4 as well as Figure 5 . Figure 4 A partial top view of a touch module 330 according to another embodiment of this disclosure is shown. Figure 5 For illustration purposes Figure 4 A cross-sectional view of the electronic device 300, including the touch module 330. This embodiment is for... Figure 3 The touch module 130 shown has been modified, therefore other components with the same component symbols have the same or similar structure and function, and will not be described in detail here. Specifically, the touch module 330 includes a substrate 331, touch sensing layers 332a and 332b, and multiple traces 333a and 333b. The substrate 331 includes a connected body portion 331a and an extension portion 331b. The body portion 331a is located between the cover plate 110 and the display module 120. The extension portion 331b extends to the side of the display module 120 away from the cover plate 110. The touch sensing layers 332a and 332b are respectively disposed on opposite sides of the body portion 331a. The traces 332a and 332b are respectively coupled to the touch sensing layers 332a and 332b and extend on the extension portion 331b.

[0076] In addition, such as Figure 4 As shown, the extension 331b has a groove C. Routers 332a and 332b are separated on both sides of the groove C. Thus, as... Figure 5 As shown, traces 332a and 332b can be coupled to opposite sides of the main circuit board 240, respectively. Specifically, a portion of the extension 331b and trace 332b protrudes between the display module 120 and the main circuit board 240. To maintain the flatness of the main circuit board 240 on the display module 120, the electronic device 300 may further include another adhesive 370 bonded between the display module 120 and the main circuit board 240. The thickness of the adhesive 370 is the same as or similar to the sum of the thicknesses of the extension 331b and trace 332b.

[0077] Please refer to Figure 6 It is a drawing Figure 5 A magnified view of region M in the image. (See image for example.) Figure 6As shown, in the present embodiment, the touch module 330 further comprises protective layers 334a, 334b. The protective layers 334a, 334b are disposed on opposite sides of the extended portion 331b of the substrate 331 and cover the traces 332a, 332b, respectively, so as to protect the traces 332a, 332b. In some embodiments, the substrate 331 has a thickness of about 30 μm to about 50 μm (preferably about 38 μm), but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the touch sensing layers 332a, 332b each has a thickness of about 0.5 μm to 1.5 μm (preferably about 1.0 μm), but the present disclosure is not limited thereto. In some embodiments, the protective layers 334a, 334b each has a thickness of about 8 μm to about 12 μm (preferably about 10 μm), but the present disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0078] Please refer to Figures 7A to 7D . Figures 7A to 7D FIGS. 1A to 1C are schematic diagrams respectively illustrating different intermediate stages of manufacturing the electronic device 100 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0079] As shown in FIG. 1A, the body portion 131a of the substrate 131 of the touch module 130 is first disposed between the cover plate 110 and the display module 120. Figure 7A

[0080] As shown in FIG. 1B, after the extended portion 131b of the substrate 131 is lifted upward relative to the body portion 131a by the lifting column 910, the extended portion 131b is then pushed toward the edge 121 of the display module 120 by the pushing block 920 from right to left, so as to increase the warping degree of the extended portion 131b relative to the body portion 131a. Moreover, this method can also make the bending region of the extended portion 131b closer to the edge 121 of the display module 120, thereby effectively reducing the frame of the touch module 130. Figure 7B

[0081] As shown in FIG. 1C, after the extended portion 131b is pushed toward the edge 121 of the display module 120 by the pushing block 920, the extended portion 131b is then rolled toward the side of the display module 120 away from the cover plate 110 by the roller 930, so as to fold and fix the extended portion 131b (e.g., by means of the adhesive layer 332c). Figure 7C Figure 7D Figure 1 ​​​​The adhesive 170 shown is attached to the display module 120. In order for the roller 930 to smoothly roll the extension 131b to the display module 120, the top surface of the pusher 920 that pushes against the extension 131b is flush with the surface of the display module 120 away from the cover plate 110.

[0082] by Figure 1 Taking the illustrated embodiment as an example, after rolling the extension 131b toward the display module 120 using the roller 930, one end of the flexible circuit board 150 can be joined with the trace 133 extending on the extension 131b (via conductive adhesive 160), and one end of the flexible circuit board 150 can be inserted into the electrical connector 141 on the main circuit board 140. It should be noted that the process step of setting the main circuit board 140 on the display module 120 can be earlier or later than the process step of fixing the flexible circuit board 150 to the main circuit board 140. However, compared to the former method (i.e., fixing the main circuit board 140 first and then connecting the flexible circuit board 150), the latter method (i.e., connecting the flexible circuit board 150 first and then fixing the main circuit board 140) can effectively avoid the problem of the flexible circuit board 150 arching due to length errors.

[0083] From the detailed description of the specific embodiments disclosed above, it can be clearly seen that in the electronic device disclosed herein, by designing the extension portion of the substrate of the touch module to bend and extend to the side of the display module away from the cover plate, and designing the joint area of ​​the wiring extending on the extension portion to the side of the display module away from the cover plate, the bezel of the touch module can be effectively reduced, thereby increasing the flexibility of the electronic device in terms of appearance design.

[0084] Although the present disclosure has been described above with reference to embodiments, it is not intended to limit the present disclosure. Any person skilled in the art may make various modifications and alterations without departing from the spirit and scope of the present disclosure. Therefore, the scope of protection of the present disclosure shall be determined by the scope defined in the appended claims.

Claims

1. An electronic device, characterized by comprising: Comprising: a cover plate; a display module; a touch module, comprising: a substrate, comprising a body portion and an extension portion, the body portion is located between the cover plate and the display module, the extension portion extends to a side of the display module away from the cover plate; a touch sensing layer, disposed on the body portion; a wire, coupled to the touch sensing layer and extending on the extension portion; another touch sensing layer, wherein the touch sensing layer and the other touch sensing layer are respectively disposed on opposite sides of the substrate; and another wire, coupled to the other touch sensing layer and extending on the extension portion; and a main circuit board, disposed on the side of the display module away from the cover plate, wherein the wire and the other wire are respectively coupled to opposite sides of the main circuit board, the main circuit board is configured to at least control the display of the display module and is electrically connected with the wire. 2.The electronic device of claim 1, wherein, The wire is bonded to the main circuit board. 3.The electronic device of claim 2, wherein, The wire is bonded to the main circuit board via a conductive adhesive. 4.The electronic device of claim 1, wherein, The extension portion has a slot, and the wire and the other wire are separated on both sides of the slot. 5.The electronic device of claim 1, wherein, Further comprising an adhesive member, disposed on the side of the display module away from the cover plate, and bonding the extension portion. 6.The electronic device of claim 1, wherein, The extension portion passes over an edge of the display module and has opposite first and second ends, the first end connects the body portion, the second end is located on the side of the display module away from the cover plate, and the second end is farther away from the edge than the first end. 7.The electronic device of claim 1, wherein, The material of the substrate comprises polyethylene terephthalate (PET).

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