Touch panel, display panel, and display device

Abstract

The application provides a touch panel, which comprises a main touch area and a sub touch area, the area of the main touch area is larger than that of the sub touch area; the touch panel further comprises a plurality of first touch electrode strips and a plurality of second touch electrode strips, the first touch electrode strips and the second touch electrode strips are spatially crossed and insulated from each other; the plurality of first touch electrode strips respectively extend along a second direction and are arranged along a first direction; the plurality of second touch electrode strips respectively extend along the first direction and are arranged along the second direction; the plurality of second touch electrode strips are disconnected at the junction of the main touch area and the sub touch area; the first direction and the second direction form an included angle greater than 0°; the sub touch area comprises at least two sub areas, the first touch electrode strips located in the sub touch area are disconnected at the junction of any two adjacent sub areas; along the second direction, the second touch electrode strips with the same order in the at least two sub areas are connected to the same second touch channel. The touch panel can reduce the touch driving cost.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention belongs to the field of display, specifically relating to a touch panel, a display panel, and a display device. Background Technology

[0002] With the development of display technology, flexible OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) has attracted much attention due to its advantages such as high color gamut, thinness, flexibility, and bendability. Flexible OLED screens have already been widely used in wearable products and mobile phones, and are now gradually penetrating into touch products and laptops, becoming an important direction for the future development of medium and large-sized OLEDs.

[0003] Currently, there are various types of dual-screen laptops, such as those with a main screen and a secondary screen. The two screens can display different content or share the same software interface, leading to numerous application scenarios. Combined with flexible foldable OLED screens, these products can further expand to include flexible foldable laptops with a main screen and a secondary screen. Summary of the Invention

[0004] To address the issue of high cost of touch drivers for flexible foldable laptops, this invention provides a touch panel including a main touch area and a secondary touch area, wherein the main touch area and the secondary touch area are arranged along a first direction, and the area of ​​the main touch area is larger than the area of ​​the secondary touch area.

[0005] The touch panel also includes a plurality of first touch electrode strips and a plurality of second touch electrode strips, wherein the first touch electrode strips and the second touch electrode strips spatially intersect and are insulated from each other;

[0006] The plurality of first touch electrode strips extend along the second direction, and the plurality of first touch electrode strips are arranged along the first direction;

[0007] The plurality of second touch electrode strips extend along the first direction, and the plurality of second touch electrode strips are arranged along the second direction;

[0008] The plurality of second touch electrode strips are disconnected at the junction of the main touch area and the sub-touch area;

[0009] The first direction and the second direction form an angle greater than 0°;

[0010] The secondary touch area includes at least two sub-areas, which are arranged sequentially along the second direction;

[0011] The first touch electrode strip located in the sub-touch area is disconnected at the boundary between any two adjacent sub-areas;

[0012] The number of second touch electrode strips in each of the sub-regions is equal, and along the second direction, the second touch electrode strips arranged in the same order in at least two sub-regions are connected to the same second touch channel.

[0013] Optionally, the secondary touch area includes two sub-areas;

[0014] The first touch electrode strip is a driving electrode, and the second touch electrode strip is a sensing electrode;

[0015] The number of the first touch electrode strips in the main touch area is greater than the number of the first touch electrode strips in the secondary touch area;

[0016] The number of second touch electrode strips in the main touch area is equal to the number of second touch electrode strips in the sub-touch area.

[0017] Optionally, the first ends of the second touch electrode strips arranged in the same order in the two sub-areas are connected to the same second touch channel, and the first end is the end of the second touch electrode strip that is away from the boundary between the main touch area and the sub-touch area;

[0018] The second touch electrode strips arranged differently in the two sub-areas are connected to different second touch channels.

[0019] Optionally, the second end of any one of the first touch electrode strips in the sub-area is connected to a first touch channel, and the second end is the end of the first touch electrode strip away from the boundary between two adjacent sub-areas;

[0020] Different first touch electrode strips in different sub-regions are connected to different first touch channels.

[0021] Optionally, both ends of any one of the first touch electrode strips in the main touch area are connected to the same first touch channel.

[0022] Optionally, the third end of any second touch electrode strip in the main touch area is connected to a second touch channel, wherein the third end is the end of the second touch electrode strip that is away from the boundary between the main touch area and the sub-touch area;

[0023] Different second touch electrode strips within the main touch area are connected to different second touch channels.

[0024] Optionally, it also includes a main touch driver circuit and a secondary touch driver circuit.

[0025] The main touch drive circuit has multiple first touch channels and multiple second touch channels;

[0026] The secondary touch driving circuit has multiple first touch channels and multiple second touch channels;

[0027] The first touch electrode strip of the main touch area is connected to the first touch channel of the main touch driving circuit, and the second touch electrode strip of the main touch area is connected to the second touch channel of the main touch driving circuit;

[0028] The first touch electrode strip of the secondary touch area is connected to the first touch channel of the secondary touch driving circuit, and the second touch electrode strip of the secondary touch area is connected to the second touch channel of the secondary touch driving circuit.

[0029] Optionally, the number of first touch channels in the main touch driving circuit is greater than the number of first touch channels in the secondary touch driving circuit;

[0030] The number of second touch channels in the main touch driving circuit is greater than the number of second touch channels in the secondary touch driving circuit.

[0031] Optionally, the number of the first touch channels in the main touch driving circuit is 3 to 4 times the number of the first touch channels in the secondary touch driving circuit;

[0032] The number of the second touch channels in the main touch driving circuit is twice the number of the second touch channels in the secondary touch driving circuit.

[0033] Optionally, it also includes a main control unit.

[0034] The main touch driving circuit is connected to the secondary touch driving circuit, and the main touch driving circuit is connected to the main control terminal;

[0035] The main touch driving circuit includes a data processing module, which is used to process the touch data collected by the main touch driving circuit and the secondary touch driving circuit and calculate the point coordinates, and send the calculation results to the main control terminal.

[0036] Optionally, it also includes a main control unit.

[0037] The main touch driving circuit is connected to the secondary touch driving circuit, and the main touch driving circuit and the secondary touch driving circuit are respectively connected to the main control terminal;

[0038] The main control unit includes a data processing module, which is used to process the touch data collected by the main touch driving circuit and the secondary touch driving circuit and calculate the point coordinates.

[0039] This invention also provides a display panel, including a display substrate. The display substrate includes a driving circuit board, a light-emitting device disposed on the driving circuit board, an encapsulation layer for encapsulating the light-emitting device, and a cover plate disposed on the side of the encapsulation layer opposite to the light-emitting device. It also includes the aforementioned touch panel, which is located on the display side of the display substrate.

[0040] Optionally, the first touch electrode strip and the second touch electrode strip in the touch panel are sequentially formed on the encapsulation layer; and the cover plate is located on the side of the second touch electrode strip opposite to the encapsulation layer;

[0041] The width range of the multiple second touch electrode strips in the touch panel that are disconnected at the junction of the main touch area and the sub-touch area is less than or equal to 5µm;

[0042] The width of the first touch electrode strip located in the sub-touch area that breaks at the boundary between any two adjacent sub-areas is less than or equal to 5µm.

[0043] Optionally, the touch panel is disposed on the side of the cover plate opposite to the encapsulation layer;

[0044] The width range of the multiple second touch electrode strips in the touch panel that are broken at the junction of the main touch area and the sub-touch area is less than or equal to 2mm;

[0045] The width of the first touch electrode strip located in the sub-touch area that breaks at the boundary between any two adjacent sub-areas is less than or equal to 2 mm.

[0046] This invention also provides a display device, including the display panel described above.

[0047] The beneficial effects of the present invention are as follows: The touch panel provided by the present invention divides the secondary touch area into at least two sub-areas, which are arranged sequentially along a second direction; the number of second touch electrode strips in each sub-area is equal, and the second touch electrode strips arranged in the same order in at least two sub-areas along the second direction are connected to the same second touch channel. On the one hand, this allows the second touch electrode strips arranged in the same order in each sub-area to reuse the same second touch channel, thereby reducing the number of second touch channels in the secondary touch driving circuit that drives the secondary touch area. In addition, the division of the main touch area and the secondary touch area on the touch panel makes it easier to connect the first touch electrode strips in the secondary touch area. The number of first touch channels in the secondary touch driving circuit of the electrode strip is also reduced, so that the secondary touch driving circuit driving the secondary touch area can use a driving chip with fewer first and second touch channels, that is, a small to medium-sized driving chip, thereby reducing the touch driving cost of the touch panel. On the other hand, by disconnecting the first touch electrode strip located in the secondary touch area at the boundary between any two adjacent sub-areas, the resistive-capacitive load and parasitic capacitive load of the first touch electrode strip itself can be reduced, which is beneficial to the algorithm processing of the secondary touch driving circuit and improves the self-capacitance and / or mutual capacitance touch performance of the touch panel.

[0048] The display panel provided by the present invention, by adopting the above-mentioned touch panel, can reduce the touch driving cost of the display panel on the one hand, and improve the self-capacitance and / or mutual capacitance touch performance of the display panel on the other hand.

[0049] The display device provided by the present invention reduces the touch driving cost of the display device by adopting the above-mentioned display panel, while also improving the self-capacitance and / or mutual capacitance touch performance of the display device. Attached Figure Description

[0050] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram of a dual-screen laptop with a main screen and a secondary screen configuration.

[0051] Figure 2 This is a schematic diagram showing the setup of touch electrodes on a flexible foldable screen using the current main screen + secondary screen solution.

[0052] Figure 3 This is a schematic diagram of the touch wiring of the secondary screen in the current flexible foldable screen solution consisting of a main screen and a secondary screen.

[0053] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram showing the arrangement of touch electrodes on the touch panel in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0054] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the touch wiring in the secondary touch area of ​​the touch panel in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0055] Figure 6 This is a cross-sectional view of the display panel structure in an embodiment of the present invention;

[0056] Figure 7 This is a top view schematic diagram of the display panel structure in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0057] The reference numerals in the attached figures are:

[0058] 1. First touch electrode strip; 2. Second touch electrode strip; 101. Main touch area; 102. Sub-touch area; 103. Sub-area; 3. Sub-touch driving circuit; 4. Main touch driving circuit; 5. Main control terminal; 6. Display substrate; 61. Driving circuit board; 62. Light-emitting device; 63. Encapsulation layer; 64. Cover plate; 7. Touch panel; 104. Main screen; 105. Sub-screen; 8. Touch driving electrode strip; 9. Touch sensing electrode strip; 10. Touch driving chip; 11. Hinge. Detailed Implementation

[0059] To enable those skilled in the art to better understand the technical solution of the present invention, a touch panel, display panel and display device of the present invention will be further described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings and specific embodiments.

[0060] like Figure 1 As shown, this flexible foldable laptop with a main screen and a secondary screen uses an asymmetrical folding design. The folding line is not on the center line of the long / short side of the flexible screen. The main screen 104 and the secondary screen 105 can fold around the laptop's hinge 11. After folding, the main screen 104 completely covers the secondary screen 105 and the laptop's keyboard area. To ensure that the touch control of the main screen 104 and the secondary screen 105 can be independently driven, the touch electrode channels on the folding center line P of the main screen 104 and the secondary screen 105 are disconnected.

[0061] Because the main screen 104 is large and the secondary screen 105 is large in the long side, the main screen 104 and the secondary screen 105 require two medium-to-large-sized touch driver chips (touch ICs) to be cascaded, which results in a high cost of touch driver for flexible foldable laptops.

[0062] To address the current demand for dual-screen foldable applications, taking a 17.3-inch flexible foldable OLED screen as an example, such as... Figure 2 and Figure 3As shown, the display side of the screen features a self / mutual capacitance integrated touchscreen. This touchscreen, when used with a capacitive active stylus or a finger, can achieve self-capacitance and / or mutual capacitance touch. The touch electrodes in the touchscreen are touch electrode strips composed of multiple touch electrode blocks connected together. These touch electrode blocks are either square electrode blocks or square grid-like electrode blocks, with a side length of 4.2mm for the square electrode blocks. The touch driving electrode strip 8 extends horizontally (X), and the touch sensing electrode strip 9 extends vertically (Y). The touch driving electrode strip 8 and the touch sensing electrode strip 9 spatially intersect and are insulated. In conventional applications, a 17.3-inch flexible foldable OLED screen requires 63 driving electrode channels and 84 sensing electrode channels. In a foldable solution with a main screen and a secondary screen, area A (main screen) requires 44 driving electrode channels and 84 sensing electrode channels; area B (secondary screen) requires 19 driving electrode channels and 84 sensing electrode channels.

[0063] Because the screen size of area A is relatively large and the long side size of area B is relatively large, two medium-to-large-sized touch driver chips 10 (touch ICs) are required to drive area A and area B in a cascaded manner. In order to ensure that the main screen and the secondary screen can be driven and controlled independently, the touch electrode channel on the folding center line P of the folding screen is disconnected. The two touch ICs drive and control the two folding surfaces of the flexible foldable display touch screen independently, namely area A (main screen) and area B (secondary screen).

[0064] The above-mentioned touch solution has the following drawbacks: 1) Cascading two medium-to-large-sized touch ICs results in high touch driving costs. Currently, the cost of medium-to-large-sized touch ICs for flexible OLED screens is approximately 6-7 times that of small-to-medium-sized touch ICs, a significant cost difference. Generally, the more touch driving channels and touch sensing channels (TX / RX channels) a touch IC has, the higher its cost. 2) The touch sensing channels (RX channels) of the secondary screen's touch IC have very low utilization rates. Simultaneously, the touch driving channels (TX channels) themselves have large RC loading and parasitic capacitance loading (Cp loading, mainly the parasitic capacitance between the TX and the OLED device's cathode), which is detrimental to touch IC algorithm processing and affects the self-capacitance and / or mutual capacitance touch performance of the foldable display touch screen.

[0065] To address the issues of high cost and compromised touch performance in flexible foldable display touchscreens, embodiments of the present invention provide a touch panel, such as... Figures 4-5As shown, the touch panel includes a main touch area 101 and a secondary touch area 102, which are arranged along a first direction L1. The area of ​​the main touch area 101 is larger than the area of ​​the secondary touch area 102. The touch panel also includes multiple first touch electrode strips 1 and multiple second touch electrode strips 2, which are spatially intersecting and insulated from each other. The multiple first touch electrode strips 1 extend along a second direction L2, and are arranged along the first direction L1. The multiple second touch electrode strips 2 extend along the first direction L1, and are arranged along the second direction L2. The second touch electrode strips 2 are arranged in the direction L2; multiple second touch electrode strips 2 are disconnected at the junction S1 of the main touch area 101 and the sub-touch area 102; the first direction L1 and the second direction L2 form an angle greater than 0°; the sub-touch area 102 includes at least two sub-areas 103, and the sub-areas 103 are arranged sequentially along the second direction L2; the first touch electrode strip 1 located in the sub-touch area 102 is disconnected at the junction S2 of any two adjacent sub-areas 103; the number of second touch electrode strips 2 in each sub-area 103 is equal, and along the second direction L2, the second touch electrode strips 2 arranged in the same order in at least two sub-areas 103 are connected to the same second touch channel.

[0066] In this context, the second touch electrode strips 2 arranged in the same order within at least two sub-regions 103 refer to the i-th second touch electrode strip 2 arranged along the second direction L2 within each sub-region 103, where i = 1, 2, 3, ..., and i is an integer. For example, if there are two sub-regions 103, the first second touch electrode strip 2 arranged along the second direction L2 in the first sub-region 103 and the first second touch electrode strip 2 arranged along the second direction L2 in the second sub-region 103 are connected to the same second touch channel; the second second touch electrode strip 2 arranged along the second direction L2 in the first sub-region 103 and the second second touch electrode strip 2 arranged along the second direction L2 in the second sub-region 103 are connected to the same second touch channel; the third second touch electrode strip 2 arranged along the second direction L2 in the first sub-region 103 and the third second touch electrode strip 2 arranged along the second direction L2 in the second sub-region 103 are connected to the same second touch channel; and so on.

[0067] By dividing the secondary touch area 102 into at least two sub-areas 103, the sub-areas 103 are arranged sequentially along the second direction L2; the number of second touch electrode strips 2 in each sub-area 103 is equal, and the second touch electrode strips 2 arranged in the same order in at least two sub-areas 103 are connected to the same second touch channel along the second direction L2. On the one hand, the second touch electrode strips 2 arranged in the same order in each sub-area 103 can reuse the same second touch channel, thereby reducing the number of second touch channels in the secondary touch driving circuit 3 that drives the secondary touch area 102. In addition, the main touch area 101 and the secondary touch area on the touch panel are also connected. The division of 102 reduces the number of first touch channels in the sub-touch driving circuit 3 that connects the first touch electrode strip 1 within the sub-touch area 102. This allows the sub-touch driving circuit 3 that drives the sub-touch area 102 to use a driving chip with fewer first and second touch channels, i.e., a small to medium-sized driving chip, thereby reducing the touch driving cost of the touch panel. On the other hand, by disconnecting the first touch electrode strip 1 located in the sub-touch area 102 at the boundary S2 between any two adjacent sub-areas 103, the RC loading and parasitic capacitance loading (Cp loading, mainly the parasitic capacitance between TX and the cathode of the OLED device) of the first touch electrode strip 1 can be reduced, which is beneficial to the algorithm processing of the sub-touch driving circuit 3 and improves the self-capacitance and / or mutual capacitance touch performance of the touch panel.

[0068] The first touch electrode strip 1 is a touch driving electrode strip, i.e., TX, and correspondingly, the first touch channel is a TX channel; the second touch electrode strip 2 is a touch sensing electrode strip, i.e., RX, and correspondingly, the second touch channel is an RX channel. This touch panel is a self-capacitance and / or mutual capacitance touch panel. The touch principles of self-capacitance and mutual capacitance are relatively mature touch technologies and will not be elaborated here. The self-capacitance touch function of this touch panel can be achieved using a finger or stylus, and the mutual capacitance touch function can be achieved using a finger. The first touch electrode strip 1 is formed by sequentially connecting multiple first touch electrode blocks, and the second touch electrode strip 2 is formed by sequentially connecting multiple second touch electrode blocks. The first and second touch electrode blocks can be square electrode blocks or square grid-like electrode blocks, with a side length of 4.2mm for the square electrode blocks.

[0069] Optionally, such as Figure 4 and Figure 5 As shown, the secondary touch area 102 includes two sub-areas 103; the first touch electrode strip 1 is a driving electrode, and the second touch electrode strip 2 is a sensing electrode; the number of first touch electrode strips 1 in the main touch area 101 is greater than the number of first touch electrode strips 1 in the secondary touch area 102; the number of second touch electrode strips 2 in the main touch area 101 is equal to the number of second touch electrode strips 2 in the secondary touch area 102.

[0070] Optionally, the touch panel further includes a main touch driving circuit 4 and a secondary touch driving circuit 3. The main touch driving circuit 4 has multiple first touch channels TX0 to TXi and multiple second touch channels RX0 to RXi. The secondary touch driving circuit 3 has multiple first touch channels TX and multiple second touch channels RX. The first touch electrode strip 1 of the main touch area 101 is connected to the first touch channel TX of the main touch driving circuit 4, and the second touch electrode strip 2 of the main touch area 101 is connected to the second touch channel RX of the main touch driving circuit 4. The first touch electrode strip 1 of the secondary touch area 102 is connected to the first touch channel TX of the secondary touch driving circuit 3, and the second touch electrode strip 2 of the secondary touch area 102 is connected to the second touch channel RX of the secondary touch driving circuit 3.

[0071] Optionally, the number of first touch channels TX in the main touch driving circuit 4 is greater than the number of first touch channels TX in the secondary touch driving circuit 3; the number of second touch channels RX in the main touch driving circuit 4 is greater than the number of second touch channels RX in the secondary touch driving circuit 3.

[0072] Optionally, the number of first touch channels TX in the main touch driving circuit 4 is 3 to 4 times the number of first touch channels TX in the secondary touch driving circuit 3; the number of second touch channels RX in the main touch driving circuit 4 is twice the number of second touch channels RX in the secondary touch driving circuit 3.

[0073] Taking the touch panel of a 17.3-inch flexible OLED display as an example, the side length of the square electrode block constituting the first touch electrode strip 1 and the second touch electrode strip 2 is 4.2mm. In the foldable solution of main screen + sub-screen, the main touch area 101 requires 44 first touch channels TX and 84 second touch channels RX; the two sub-areas 103 of the sub-touch area 102 require 38 first touch channels TX and 42 second touch channels RX. In this way, the sub-touch area 102 can be driven and controlled by a small-to-medium-sized sub-touch driving circuit (touch IC) 3, thereby reducing the touch driving cost of the touch panel.

[0074] Optionally, the first ends of the second touch electrode strips 2 arranged identically in the two sub-areas 103 are connected to the same second touch channel, with the first end being the end of the second touch electrode strip 2 furthest from the junction S1 of the main touch area 101 and the sub-touch area 102; the second touch electrode strips 2 arranged differently in the two sub-areas 103 are connected to different second touch channels. Connecting the first end of the second touch electrode strip 2 to the second touch channel ensures that there is sufficient space on the touch panel for the second touch electrode strip 2 to extend out and connect to the second touch channel.

[0075] Among them, such as Figure 5As shown, each sub-region 103 is provided with M / 2 second touch electrode strips 2; the first second touch electrode strip RX0 in one sub-region 103 and the first second touch channel RX0 in another sub-region 103 are connected to the first second touch channel RX0; and so on, the i-th second touch electrode strip RXI in one sub-region 103 and the i-th second touch channel RXI in another sub-region 103 are connected to the i-th second touch channel RXI, and the M / 2 second touch electrode strips RX1 in one sub-region 103 and the M / 2 second touch electrode strips RX2 in another sub-region 103 are connected to the first second touch channel RX0; M / 2 Connect the M / 2th second touch channel RX M / 2 .

[0076] Optionally, the second end of any first touch electrode strip 1 within sub-region 103 is connected to a first touch channel TX, the second end being the end of the first touch electrode strip 1 furthest from the boundary S2 between two adjacent sub-regions 103; different first touch electrode strips 1 within different sub-regions 103 are connected to different first touch channels TX. Connecting the first end of the first touch electrode strip 1 to the first touch channel TX ensures that there is sufficient space on the touch panel for the first touch electrode strip 1 to be led out and connected to the first touch channel TX.

[0077] Among them, such as Figure 5 As shown, each sub-area 103 is provided with N first touch electrode strips 1; in the first sub-area 103, the second end of the first first touch electrode strip TX0 is connected to the first first touch channel TX0, and so on, the Nth first touch electrode strip TX0... N The second end connects to the Nth first touch channel TX N Within the second sub-area 103, the first touch electrode strip TX N+1 The second end connects to the N+1th first touch channel TX N+1 And so on, the Nth first touch electrode strip TX 2N The second end connects to the 2Nth first touch channel TX 2N This allows the first touch electrode strip 1 in each sub-area 103 to be connected to an independent first touch channel TX.

[0078] Optionally, both ends of any first touch electrode strip 1 within the main touch area 101 are connected to the same first touch channel TX. That is, the first touch electrode strip 1 in the main touch area 101 adopts bilateral driving. Since the length of the first touch electrode strip 1 in the main touch area 101 is relatively long, this can reduce the self-resistive-capacitive load (RCloading) and parasitic capacitance load (Cp loading, mainly the parasitic capacitance between TX and the cathode of the OLED device) of the first touch electrode strip 1 in the main touch area 101, making the touch data of the first touch electrode strip 1 in the main touch area 101 more accurate, thereby improving the self-capacitance and / or mutual capacitance touch performance of the touch panel.

[0079] Optionally, the third end of any second touch electrode strip 2 within the main touch area 101 is connected to a second touch channel RX, with the third end being the end of the second touch electrode strip 2 furthest from the junction S1 between the main touch area 101 and the sub-touch area 102; different second touch electrode strips 2 within the main touch area 101 are connected to different second touch channels RX. Connecting the third end of the second touch electrode strip 2 to the second touch channel RX ensures that there is sufficient space on the touch panel for the second touch electrode strip 2 within the main touch area 101 to be led out and connected to the second touch channel RX.

[0080] Among them, the main touch area 101 has a large number of first touch electrode strips 1 and second touch electrode strips 2, and the first touch electrode strips 1 each adopt an independent first touch channel TX, and the second touch electrode strips 2 each adopt an independent second touch channel RX. Therefore, the main touch area 101 needs to adopt a medium-to-large-sized main touch driving circuit 4.

[0081] Optionally, the touch panel also includes a main control terminal 5, with the main touch driving circuit 4 connected to the secondary touch driving circuit 3, and the main touch driving circuit 4 connected to the main control terminal 5. The main touch driving circuit 4 includes a data processing module (not shown in the figure), which processes the touch data collected by the main touch driving circuit 4 and the secondary touch driving circuit 3 and calculates the reported coordinates, and sends the calculation results to the main control terminal 5. The main control terminal 5 determines the touch position based on the reported coordinate calculation results.

[0082] The main touch drive circuit 4 and the secondary touch drive circuit 3 are connected via a data bus SPI and a control bus (including clock signal lines) to ensure that the data sensed by the main touch drive circuit 4 and the secondary touch drive circuit 3 are synchronized.

[0083] Optionally, the touch panel also includes a main control terminal 5, with the main touch driving circuit 4 connected to the secondary touch driving circuit 3, and the main touch driving circuit 4 and the secondary touch driving circuit 3 respectively connected to the main control terminal 5; the main control terminal 5 includes a data processing module (not shown in the figure), which is used to process the touch data collected by the main touch driving circuit 4 and the secondary touch driving circuit 3 and calculate the reported coordinates. The main control terminal 5 determines the touch position based on the calculated reported coordinates.

[0084] The main touch driver circuit 4 and the secondary touch driver circuit 3 are connected via a control bus (including a clock signal line) to ensure that the data sensed by the main touch driver circuit 4 and the secondary touch driver circuit 3 are synchronized. The main touch driver circuit 4 and the secondary touch driver circuit 3 are respectively connected to the main control terminal 5 via the data bus SPI to synchronously send the data sensed by each to the main control terminal 5.

[0085] The touch panel provided in this embodiment divides the secondary touch area 102 into at least two sub-areas 103, which are arranged sequentially along the second direction L2. The number of second touch electrode strips 2 in each sub-area 103 is equal. Along the second direction L2, the second touch electrode strips 2 arranged in the same order in at least two sub-areas 103 are connected to the same second touch channel. This allows the second touch electrode strips 2 arranged in the same order in each sub-area 103 to reuse the same second touch channel, thereby reducing the number of second touch channels in the secondary touch driving circuit 3 that drives the secondary touch area 102. Furthermore, the main touch area 103 on the touch panel... The division of the sub-touch area 101 and the sub-touch area 102 reduces the number of first touch channels in the sub-touch driving circuit 3 that connects the first touch electrode strip 1 within the sub-touch area 102. This allows the sub-touch driving circuit 3 that drives the sub-touch area 102 to use a driving chip with fewer first and second touch channels, i.e., a small-to-medium-sized driving chip, thereby reducing the touch driving cost of the touch panel. On the other hand, by disconnecting the first touch electrode strip 1 located in the sub-touch area 102 at the boundary S2 between any two adjacent sub-areas 103, the RC loading and parasitic capacitance loading (Cploading, mainly the parasitic capacitance between TX and the cathode of the OLED device) of the first touch electrode strip 1 can be reduced, which is beneficial to the algorithm processing of the sub-touch driving circuit 3 and improves the self-capacitance and / or mutual capacitance touch performance of the touch panel.

[0086] This invention also provides a display panel, such as... Figure 6 As shown, the display substrate 6 includes a driving circuit board 61, a light-emitting device 62 disposed on the driving circuit board 61, an encapsulation layer 63 for encapsulating the light-emitting device 62, and a cover plate 64 disposed on the side of the encapsulation layer 63 away from the light-emitting device 62. It also includes a touch panel 7 as described in the above embodiment, which is located on the display side of the display substrate 6.

[0087] Among them, such as Figure 7 As shown, the display substrate includes a main screen 104 and a secondary screen 105, which are connected by a hinge 11. The main screen 104 can be bent and folded along the hinge 11 towards the secondary screen 105. After folding, the main screen 104 can completely cover the secondary screen 105. The main screen 104 and the secondary screen 105 are arranged along the first direction L1 in the unfolded state. The main touch area 101 of the touch panel is correspondingly disposed on the main screen 104, and the secondary touch area 102 of the touch panel is correspondingly disposed on the secondary screen 105.

[0088] Optionally, the light-emitting device 62 in this embodiment can be an OLED (Organic Light-Emitting Diode) device. The light-emitting device 62 includes an anode, a light-emitting functional layer, and a cathode arranged sequentially away from the driving circuit board 61. The encapsulation layer 63 can effectively encapsulate the light-emitting device 62, preventing the intrusion of external moisture and oxygen, protecting the light-emitting device 62, and extending the life of the display panel.

[0089] Optionally, the first and second touch electrode strips in the touch panel are sequentially formed on the encapsulation layer 63; and the cover plate 64 is located on the side of the second touch electrode strip opposite to the encapsulation layer 63; the width m of the multiple second touch electrode strips in the touch panel that breaks at the junction S1 of the main touch area 101 and the sub-touch area 102 is less than or equal to 5µm; the width n of the first touch electrode strip located in the sub-touch area 102 that breaks at the junction S2 of any two adjacent sub-areas 103 is less than or equal to 5µm. That is, in this embodiment, the touch panel 7 is directly integrated onto the display substrate 6, i.e., an FMLOC type touch panel.

[0090] Optionally, the touch panel is disposed on the side of the cover plate away from the encapsulation layer (the display panel of this structure is not shown in the figure); the width m of the multiple second touch electrode strips in the touch panel that breaks at the junction S1 of the main touch area 101 and the sub-touch area 102 is less than or equal to 2 mm; the width n of the first touch electrode strip located in the sub-touch area 102 that breaks at the junction S2 of any two adjacent sub-areas 103 is less than or equal to 2 mm. That is, in this embodiment, the touch panel is externally mounted on the display substrate, i.e., an externally mounted touch panel.

[0091] Optionally, provided that the manufacturing process capability of the touch panel 7 is supported, the width of the break at the junction S1 of the second touch electrode strip and the sub-touch area 102, and the width of the break at the junction S2 of any two adjacent sub-areas 103, should be as small as possible.

[0092] Optionally, the first touch electrode strip and the second touch electrode strip are made of any one of the following materials: silver, silver alloy, copper, and copper alloy.

[0093] Optionally, the display panel also includes a data driver chip, a flexible circuit board, and a peripheral circuit board (i.e., a PCB board). The data driver chip is disposed on the flexible circuit board (i.e., the flexible circuit board is a crystal-coated film); other display and touch driving circuits are disposed on the peripheral circuit board, which is conducive to realizing full-screen display and touch.

[0094] The display panel provided in this embodiment, by adopting the touch panel in the above embodiment, can reduce the touch driving cost of the display panel on the one hand, and improve the self-capacitance and / or mutual capacitance touch performance of the display panel on the other hand.

[0095] This invention also provides a display device, including the display panel described in the above embodiments.

[0096] By employing the display panel in the above embodiments, the touch driving cost of the display device is reduced, while the self-capacitance and / or mutual capacitance touch performance of the display device is improved.

[0097] The display device can be any product or component with display function, such as an OLED panel, OLED TV, mobile phone, tablet computer, laptop computer, monitor, digital photo frame, or navigator.

[0098] It is understood that the above embodiments are merely exemplary implementations used to illustrate the principles of the present invention, and the present invention is not limited thereto. For those skilled in the art, various modifications and improvements can be made without departing from the spirit and essence of the present invention, and these modifications and improvements are also considered to be within the scope of protection of the present invention.

Claims

1. A touch panel, comprising a main touch area and a secondary touch area, the main touch area and the secondary touch area being arranged along a first direction, wherein the area of ​​the main touch area is larger than the area of ​​the secondary touch area; The touch panel also includes a plurality of first touch electrode strips and a plurality of second touch electrode strips, wherein the first touch electrode strips and the second touch electrode strips spatially intersect and are insulated from each other; The plurality of first touch electrode strips extend along the second direction, and the plurality of first touch electrode strips are arranged along the first direction; The plurality of second touch electrode strips extend along the first direction, and the plurality of second touch electrode strips are arranged along the second direction; The plurality of second touch electrode strips are disconnected at the junction of the main touch area and the sub-touch area; The first direction and the second direction form an angle greater than 0°; The sub-touch area is characterized in that it includes at least two sub-areas, which are arranged sequentially along the second direction; The first touch electrode strip located in the sub-touch area is disconnected at the boundary between any two adjacent sub-areas; The number of second touch electrode strips in each of the sub-regions is equal, and along the second direction, the second touch electrode strips arranged in the same order in at least two sub-regions are connected to the same second touch channel; The secondary touch area includes two sub-areas; The first touch electrode strip is a driving electrode, and the second touch electrode strip is a sensing electrode; The number of the first touch electrode strips in the main touch area is greater than the number of the first touch electrode strips in the secondary touch area; The number of the second touch electrode strips in the main touch area is equal to the number of the second touch electrode strips in the sub-touch area; The first ends of the second touch electrode strips arranged in the same order in the two sub-areas are connected to the same second touch channel. The first end is the end of the second touch electrode strip that is away from the boundary between the main touch area and the sub-touch area. The second touch electrode strips arranged differently in the two sub-areas are connected to different second touch channels; The second end of any one of the first touch electrode strips in the sub-area is connected to a first touch channel, and the second end is the end of the first touch electrode strip that is away from the boundary between two adjacent sub-areas. Different first touch electrode strips in different sub-regions are connected to different first touch channels; The touch panel also includes a main touch driving circuit and a secondary touch driving circuit, wherein the main touch driving circuit has multiple first touch channels and multiple second touch channels; The secondary touch driving circuit has multiple first touch channels and multiple second touch channels; The first touch electrode strip of the main touch area is connected to the first touch channel of the main touch driving circuit, and the second touch electrode strip of the main touch area is connected to the second touch channel of the main touch driving circuit; The first touch electrode strip of the secondary touch area is connected to the first touch channel of the secondary touch driving circuit, and the second touch electrode strip of the secondary touch area is connected to the second touch channel of the secondary touch driving circuit.

2. The touch panel according to claim 1, characterized in that, Both ends of any one of the first touch electrode strips in the main touch area are connected to the same first touch channel.

3. The touch panel according to claim 2, characterized in that, The third end of any second touch electrode strip within the main touch area is connected to a second touch channel, wherein the third end is the end of the second touch electrode strip that is furthest from the boundary between the main touch area and the sub-touch area; Different second touch electrode strips within the main touch area are connected to different second touch channels.

4. The touch panel according to claim 3, characterized in that, The number of first touch channels in the main touch driving circuit is greater than the number of first touch channels in the secondary touch driving circuit; The number of second touch channels in the main touch driving circuit is greater than the number of second touch channels in the secondary touch driving circuit.

5. The touch panel according to claim 4, characterized in that, The number of the first touch channels in the main touch driving circuit is 3 to 4 times the number of the first touch channels in the secondary touch driving circuit; The number of the second touch channels in the main touch driving circuit is twice the number of the second touch channels in the secondary touch driving circuit.

6. The touch panel according to claim 3, characterized in that, It also includes the main control unit, The main touch driving circuit is connected to the secondary touch driving circuit, and the main touch driving circuit is connected to the main control terminal; The main touch driving circuit includes a data processing module, which is used to process the touch data collected by the main touch driving circuit and the secondary touch driving circuit and calculate the point coordinates, and send the calculation results to the main control terminal.

7. The touch panel according to claim 3, characterized in that, It also includes the main control unit, The main touch driving circuit is connected to the secondary touch driving circuit, and the main touch driving circuit and the secondary touch driving circuit are respectively connected to the main control terminal; The main control unit includes a data processing module, which is used to process the touch data collected by the main touch driving circuit and the secondary touch driving circuit and calculate the point coordinates.

8. A display panel, comprising a display substrate, the display substrate including a driving circuit board, a light-emitting device disposed on the driving circuit board, an encapsulation layer for encapsulating the light-emitting device, and a cover plate disposed on the side of the encapsulation layer opposite to the light-emitting device, characterized in that, It also includes a touch panel as described in any one of claims 1-7, wherein the touch panel is located on the display side of the display substrate.

9. The display panel according to claim 8, characterized in that, The first touch electrode strip and the second touch electrode strip in the touch panel are sequentially formed on the encapsulation layer; and the cover plate is located on the side of the second touch electrode strip opposite to the encapsulation layer; The width range of the multiple second touch electrode strips in the touch panel that are disconnected at the junction of the main touch area and the sub-touch area is less than or equal to 5µm; The width of the first touch electrode strip located in the sub-touch area that breaks at the boundary between any two adjacent sub-areas is less than or equal to 5µm.

10. The display panel according to claim 8, characterized in that, The touch panel is located on the side of the cover plate opposite to the encapsulation layer; The width range of the multiple second touch electrode strips in the touch panel that are broken at the junction of the main touch area and the sub-touch area is less than or equal to 2mm; The width of the first touch electrode strip located in the sub-touch area that breaks at the boundary between any two adjacent sub-areas is less than or equal to 2 mm.

11. A display device, characterized in that, Includes the display panel as described in any one of claims 8-10.

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