Flexible conductive fiber multi-point touch sensor, preparation method thereof and electronic equipment
Through the design of flexible conductive fiber multi-touch sensors, the chemical connection of non-conductive fiber liner and conductive core-encapsulated yarns is solved, and the existing multi-touch sensors cannot be folded and connected is achieved, which enables portable and foldable multi-touch effects, improving production efficiency and user experience.
Patent Information
- Application Number
- CN202510410565.5
- Authority / Receiving Office
- CN · China
- Patent Type
- Applications(China)
- Current Assignee / Owner
- Filing Date
- 2025-04-02
- Publication Date
- 2025-08-08
AI Technical Summary
The existing multi-touch sensor cannot be folded arbitrarily without the need for an electronic display interface, and the connection process using metal wires is complicated, which can easily damage the fabric and affect production efficiency and performance.
A multi-touch sensor composed of flexible lining layer formed by non-conductive fibers and conductive core-encapsulated yarn is used to dissolve the insulated outer core to achieve contact connection through chemical reagents, and the induction layer is prepared in combination with weaving, knitting or embroidery methods. The high-temperature hot melting process is abandoned, and flexible materials and chemical connection methods are adopted.
The portability and foldability of flexible multi-touch sensors are achieved, simplified the connection process, improved production efficiency and overall performance, reduced mechanical friction noise, and provided a quiet input environment.
Smart Images
Figure CN120447787A_ABST
Abstract
Description
Technical Field
[0001] The present application relates to the field of touch technology, and in particular to a flexible conductive fiber multi-touch sensor, a preparation method thereof, and an electronic device. Background Art
[0002] In today's technological landscape, multi-touch technology has become a key development in the field of human-computer interaction. With the widespread adoption of smart devices, users are increasingly demanding more intuitive and flexible user interfaces. Multi-touch sensors primarily operate based on capacitive sensing technology. Modern multi-touch screens typically employ mutual capacitance detection, identifying multiple touch points by measuring changes in coupling capacitance at the intersection of rows and columns.
[0003] However, existing multi-touch sensors still face some challenges in practical applications. For example, when an electronic display interface is not required, multi-touch sensors are generally not foldable, and are not easy to carry when the area is relatively large. Summary of the Invention
[0004] The present application provides a flexible conductive fiber multi-touch sensor, a preparation method thereof, and an electronic device, so as to provide a portable and storable flexible conductive fiber multi-touch sensor.
[0005] In a first aspect, the present application provides a flexible conductive fiber multi-touch sensor, comprising:
[0006] The touch control component includes a flexible lining formed by non-conductive fibers and a multi-touch sensing layer formed by conductive core-spun yarn embedded in the flexible lining;
[0007] A connecting component for connecting the multi-touch sensing layer and the control component; and
[0008] The control component is used to process the touch signals sensed by the multi-touch sensing layer.
[0009] In this application, the flexible lining formed by the fibers is soft in texture and serves as a carrier of the capacitive sensing element matrix, ensuring that the entire interface is foldable and lightweight. Its size can be adjusted according to the actual application scenario. The conductive core-spun yarn has soft characteristics, and its fiber structure enables the core-spun yarn to better adapt to external forces when bending without causing creases due to excessive hardness. The flexible lining formed by the fibers and the multi-touch sensing layer formed by the conductive core-spun yarn have low stiffness and low bending modulus, allowing the entire touch component to be bent at will without causing creases. The conductive core-spun yarn is also conductive without being broken, and serves as a sensing and transmission channel for touch sensing signals, enabling multi-touch.
[0010] It should be noted that the non-conductive fibers can be common textile fibers, such as nylon, polyester, acrylic, vinylon, polypropylene, chloroprene, wool, silk, etc.
[0011] In some embodiments, the multi-touch sensing layer includes multiple independent sensing electrodes and multiple independent driving electrodes formed from conductive core-spun yarns. The multiple independent sensing electrodes and the multiple independent driving electrodes are arranged in a grid structure, and the pattern of the grid structure forms a mutual capacitance sensing element matrix based on the principle of mutual capacitance. Typically, the conductive core-spun yarns are embedded in a flexible backing layer in the form of a capacitive sensing element matrix to form a flexible touch component. The horizontal conductive core-spun yarns can form the driving electrodes, and the vertical conductive core-spun yarns can form the sensing electrodes, and vice versa. The flexible conductive fiber multi-touch sensor has a mutual capacitance structure, where a driving power supply delivers an AC drive signal to the driving electrodes. The sensing electrodes are generally arranged perpendicular to the driving electrodes. When a finger touches the screen, the coupling capacitance between the driving electrode and the sensing electrode changes, and this capacitance change is reflected in the voltage signal on the sensing electrode. Each sensing line is connected to a detection unit via a digital switch, which measures the voltage signal on each sensing line to determine the location of the touch point. Different touch scenarios, namely single-point touch, double-point touch, triple-point touch and gesture sliding trajectory tracking, can detect and distinguish multiple simultaneous touch inputs on the touch component surface.
[0012] To form a mutual capacitance sensing matrix, the conductive core-spun yarns can be arranged in various patterns on a flexible backing layer to form mutual capacitance sensors when used in conjunction with a controller. This grid can be a crisscross pattern, similar to a traditional woven fabric structure, or a diamond pattern, or any other pattern that allows for perpendicular alignment of the sensing and driving electrode layers.
[0013] In some embodiments, the spacing between the driving lines of the driving electrodes is 0.4-1.0 cm; and / or,
[0014] The spacing between the sensing lines of the sensing electrodes is 0.4 to 1.0 cm. The accuracy of single-point touch is not affected within this spacing range. As the spacing decreases, multi-point touch accuracy improves, and two fingers separated can be recognized even at a lower distance.
[0015] In some embodiments, the conductive core-wrapped yarn includes an insulating outer core and a conductive inner core wrapped in the insulating outer core, wherein the conductive inner core includes conductive fibers. The insulating outer core is used to wrap the conductive inner core to insulate the conductive fibers from the outside world, avoid short circuits between cross electrodes, enable mutual capacitance sensing, and improve the accuracy and stability of capacitance sensing. The conductive fibers can be directly prepared into fibers using conductive materials, or they can be formed by coating conductive materials on other textile fibers. Compared with conductive wires or conductive threads, conductive fibers have better bending properties, are less likely to break, and are less likely to produce creases, which is beneficial to improving the folding performance of flexible conductive fiber multi-touch sensors.
[0016] In some embodiments, the material of the insulating outer core includes at least one of fluororesin, cyanoresin, polystyrene, ABS, polytetrafluoroethylene, polyarylate, polyurethane resin, epoxy resin or polyamide and polylactic acid. The insulating outer core can be wrapped around the inner core by coating, winding or braiding to insulate the outside. In the case of using the coating method, the above-mentioned material can be melt-coated on the yarn inner core, and the thickness of the coating layer is more than 10μm to ensure insulation. In the case of using the winding method, the above-mentioned material can be made into yarn and wrapped in a spiral manner. In the case of using the braiding method, multiple strands of yarn can be used to twist the conductive inner core. The use of the above-mentioned insulating outer core material can provide insulation performance while reducing the influence of the insulating outer core material on the bending performance. These materials are soft after curing, which can reduce the influence on stiffness and bending modulus. And / or,
[0017] The conductive fibers include at least one of metal conductive fibers, metal particle-coated chemical fibers, ion gel fibers, carbon-based conductive fibers, and conductive polymer composite fibers. Using at least one of these conductive fiber materials provides excellent electrical conductivity. Furthermore, when made into textile fiber yarns, these conductive materials exhibit good ductility, making them easy to fold and less prone to breakage, thus minimizing the risk of creases.
[0018] In some embodiments, the conductivity coefficient of the conductive core is greater than or equal to 10 4 The conductive core must balance folding performance with signal conduction. Therefore, within this range, the conductivity of the conductive core can improve both folding performance and signal transmission performance. Furthermore, using a conductive material with a higher dielectric constant can help improve touch sensitivity.
[0019] In a second aspect, the present application provides a method for preparing a flexible conductive fiber multi-touch sensor for preparing the flexible conductive fiber multi-touch sensor of the first aspect, comprising the following steps:
[0020] Conductive core-spun yarn and non-conductive fiber are woven, knitted or embroidered to prepare a multi-touch sensing layer;
[0021] The pins of the multi-touch sensing layer are contact-connected to the control component through a connecting component to obtain a flexible conductive fiber multi-touch sensor.
[0022] The flexible lining formed by the fibers is soft in texture and serves as a carrier of the capacitive sensing element matrix, ensuring that the entire interface is foldable and lightweight. Its size can be adjusted according to the actual application scenario. The conductive core-spun yarn has soft characteristics, and its fiber structure enables the core-spun yarn to better adapt to external forces when bending without causing creases due to excessive hardness. The flexible lining formed by the fibers and the multi-touch sensing layer formed by the conductive core-spun yarn have low stiffness and low bending modulus, allowing the entire touch component to be bent at will without causing creases. The conductive core-spun yarn is also conductive without being broken, and serves as a sensing and transmission channel for touch sensing signals, enabling multi-touch.
[0023] In some embodiments, a solvent is used to dissolve the insulating outer core of the conductive core-spun yarn, exposing the conductive inner core to achieve a contact connection between the conductive inner core and the connector. Conventional hot melt processes are performed at high temperatures (200-450°C), which can easily directly burn the fiber yarn, i.e., the connection portion of the flexible lining. Furthermore, the conductive core-spun yarn must be separated from the flexible lining interface and then welded individually at each connection point, which is a complex operation. Dissolving the insulating outer core of the conductive core-spun yarn to achieve a contact connection between the connection points of the conductive inner core is based on the solubility characteristics of chemical reagents for specific materials. Under relatively mild conditions, the connection nodes of the conductive core-spun yarn are dissolved by chemical reagents, dissolving the insulating outer core and making it easier to expose the conductive inner core connection portion. This eliminates the need to separate the conductive core-spun yarns individually from the original flexible lining interface, and achieves a contact connection by arranging them at a fixed distance on the flexible lining. This connection method is relatively simple to process and does not require high-temperature operation, avoiding physical damage to the core-spun yarn and flexible lining caused by high temperatures, thereby improving production efficiency and overall performance.
[0024] In some embodiments, the solvent includes at least one of dimethyl sulfoxide, aromatics, aliphatics, ketones, esters, ethers, alcohols and amide solvents. It should be noted that the corresponding solvent can be selected according to the material of the insulating outer core used. For example, when the material of the insulating outer core is polyurethane resin, ethanol can be selected as the solvent for dissolving the outer core. When the material of the insulating outer core is polylactic acid, tetrahydrofuran can be selected as the solvent for dissolving the outer core. When the material of the insulating outer core is epoxy resin, acetone can be selected as the solvent for dissolving the outer core. At the same time, the selected solvent should be incompatible with the material used for the conductive fiber inner core.
[0025] In a third aspect, the present application provides an electronic device comprising the flexible conductive fiber multi-touch sensor of the first aspect. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS
[0026] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for use in the description of the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For ordinary technicians in this field, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without any creative work.
[0027] Figure 1 Schematic diagram of the structure of a flexible conductive fiber multi-touch sensor according to an embodiment of the present application.
[0028] Figure 2 Schematic diagram of the structure of the conductive core-spun yarn of the flexible conductive fiber multi-touch sensor according to an embodiment of the present application.
[0029] Figure 3 Schematic diagram of multi-touch and sliding trajectory tracking of a flexible conductive fiber multi-touch sensor according to an embodiment of the present application.
[0030] Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the conductive core-spun yarn and flexible lining structure of a flexible conductive fiber multi-touch sensor according to an embodiment of the present application.
[0031] Figure 5 This is a schematic diagram of the conductive core-spun yarn and flexible lining structure of a flexible conductive fiber multi-touch sensor according to an embodiment of the present application.
[0032] Figure 6 This is a schematic diagram of a keyboard application of a flexible conductive fiber multi-touch sensor according to an embodiment of the present application.
[0033] Figure 7 This is a schematic diagram of a touch panel application of a flexible conductive fiber multi-touch sensor according to an embodiment of the present application.
[0034] Description of Figure Numbers:
[0035] 100 flexible conductive fiber multi-touch sensor; 1 touch component; 11 flexible lining; 12 multi-touch sensing layer; 121 conductive core-spun yarn; 1211 insulating outer core; 1212 conductive inner core; 2 connecting component; 3 control component; 103 touch prompt. DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0036] To make the objectives, technical solutions, and advantages of this application more clear, the technical solutions of this application will be clearly and completely described below in conjunction with the embodiments of this application. Obviously, the embodiments described are part of the embodiments of this application, not all of them. All other embodiments obtained by ordinary technicians in this field based on the embodiments of this application without making any creative efforts shall fall within the scope of protection of this application.
[0037] In today's technological landscape, multi-touch technology has become a key development in the field of human-computer interaction. With the widespread adoption of smart devices, users are increasingly demanding more intuitive and flexible user interfaces. Multi-touch sensors primarily operate based on capacitive sensing technology. Modern multi-touch screens typically employ mutual capacitance detection, identifying multiple touch points by measuring changes in coupling capacitance at the intersection of rows and columns.
[0038] However, existing multi-touch sensors still face several challenges in practical application. Current multi-touch interfaces are generally made of rigid materials, such as touchpads or touchscreens. Although flexible touchscreens exist, they are usually attached to rigid interfaces or connected using hinges. Therefore, developing a multi-touch sensor based on textile technology, without the need for an electronic display interface, would not only effectively reduce production costs but also improve the sensor's flexibility and comfort. This new sensor would combine the properties of textile materials to make it more adaptable and wearable, providing more possibilities for future human-computer interaction.
[0039] For example, an embroidery sensor kit embeds the sensor kit into a rigid structure. This design method limits the foldability and lightness that the fabric should have as a flexible interface. For example, a method of using enameled metal wire embroidery to make a multi-touch sensor using mutual capacitance sensing does not require the sensor to be embedded in a rigid structure. However, the enameled silver-plated copper wire used is relatively thick (0.15mm) and has a high hardness, which affects its bendability. It is easy to crease after bending, and human intervention is required to restore it to its original state, and the crease is relatively difficult to restore. In addition, the metal wire has a high rigidity and requires greater human design intervention to be applied to textile fabrics.
[0040] Moreover, since the existing method uses metal wires, the conductive nodes are connected by heat melting during the connection process, which not only increases the complexity of the operation, but also easily causes damage to the fabric, thereby affecting the production efficiency and overall performance of the product.
[0041] In view of this, the present application provides a flexible conductive fiber multi-touch sensor, a preparation method thereof, and an electronic device, so as to provide a portable and storable flexible conductive fiber multi-touch sensor.
[0042] First, as Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the present application provides a flexible conductive fiber multi-touch sensor 100, comprising:
[0043] The touch control component 1 includes a flexible lining 11 formed of non-conductive fibers, and a multi-touch sensing layer 12 formed by conductive core-spun yarns 121 embedded in the flexible lining.
[0044] A connecting component 2, used to connect the multi-touch sensing layer 12 and the control component 3; and
[0045] The control component 3 is used to process the touch signal sensed by the multi-touch sensing layer 12 .
[0046] In the present application, the flexible lining 11 formed by fibers is soft in texture and serves as a carrier of the capacitive sensing element matrix, ensuring that the entire interface is foldable and lightweight. Its size can be adjusted according to the actual application scenario. The conductive core-spun yarn 121 has soft characteristics, and its fiber structure enables the core-spun yarn to better adapt to external forces when bending without causing creases due to excessive hardness. The flexible lining 11 formed by fibers and the multi-touch sensing layer 12 formed by the conductive core-spun yarn 121 have low stiffness and low bending modulus, which allows the entire touch component 1 to be bent at will without causing creases. The conductive core-spun yarn 121 is also conductive without being broken, and serves as a sensing and transmission channel for touch sensing signals, enabling multi-touch.
[0047] It should be noted that the non-conductive fibers used in the flexible lining may be common textile fibers, such as nylon, polyester, acrylic, vinylon, polypropylene, chloroprene, wool, silk, and the like.
[0048] In combination with the first aspect, in some embodiments provided in the present application, the multi-touch sensing layer 12 includes a plurality of independent sensing electrodes and a plurality of independent driving electrodes formed by conductive core-spun yarns 121. The plurality of independent sensing electrodes and the plurality of independent driving electrodes are arranged at intervals to form a grid structure. The pattern of the grid structure constitutes a mutual capacitance sensing element matrix based on the mutual capacitance principle. Typically, the conductive core-spun yarns 121 are embedded in the flexible liner 11 in the form of a capacitance sensing element matrix to form a flexible touch component 1. The horizontal conductive core-spun yarns 121 can form driving electrodes, and the vertical conductive core-spun yarns 121 can form sensing electrodes. Vice versa. The flexible conductive fiber multi-touch sensor 100 is a mutual capacitance structure. The multi-touch sensing capability is mainly provided by the controller. In certain circumstances, the multi-touch function is implemented by a mutual capacitance touch chip provided on the controller. In the mutual capacitance structure, the driving power supply transmits an AC driving signal to the driving electrode, and the sensing electrode layer is generally arranged vertically to the driving electrode. When a finger touches the screen, the coupling capacitance between the drive electrode and the sensing electrode changes. This capacitance change is reflected in the voltage signal on the sensing electrode. Each sensing line is connected to a detection unit via a digital switch. The detection unit measures the voltage signal on each sensing line to determine the location of the touch point. Figure 3 Different touch scenarios on the fabric surface are displayed respectively, namely single-point touch, double-point touch, triple-point touch and gesture sliding trajectory tracking, and multiple simultaneous touch inputs on the surface of the touch component 1 can be detected and distinguished.
[0049] The flexible lining 11 uses soft, flexible, non-conductive fibers as the carrier of the capacitive sensing element, i.e., the flexible conductive fiber multi-touch sensor 100 matrix, to ensure that the entire interface is foldable and lightweight, and its size can be adjusted according to the actual application scenario. The capacitive sensing element matrix is composed of conductive core-spun yarns 121 arranged in an orderly manner. The sensing elements in the matrix cooperate with each other and, through the mutual capacitance sensing principle, enable the touch component 1 to accurately detect touch input on the surface through the controller, including touch position, touch area, gesture and other information. The controller can strategically map the touch sensitive area to a specific function, such as realizing the function of a keyboard or touchpad, such as Figure 6 and Figure 7 shown.
[0050] To form a mutual capacitance sensing matrix, the conductive core-spun yarn 121 can be arranged in various patterns on the flexible backing layer to form a mutual capacitance sensor when used in conjunction with a flexible keyboard controller. Figure 3 As shown, the conductive core-spun yarns 121 are arranged in a manner that enables the fabric to accurately detect touch events. The grid can be as follows Figure 4 The crisscross pattern shown is similar to a traditional woven fabric structure; it can also be Figure 5The diamond pattern shown in the figure can also be other patterns that meet the requirement of perpendicular arrangement of the sensing electrode layer and the driving electrode layer. Generally, the touch control component 1 is used flat on a flat surface. Although mutual capacitance sensing is relatively tolerant to bending due to its capacitive sensing principle, when the interface is irregular, bending will still have a certain impact on mutual capacitance sensing, mainly reflected in the change of capacitance value and touch accuracy. Generally speaking, the greater the degree of bending, the greater the impact.
[0051] The mutual capacitance flexible conductive fiber multi-touch sensor 100 utilizes a flexible lining 11 and a special conductive core-spun yarn 121. This eliminates the traditional rigid materials and complex mechanical structures, resulting in a lightweight and foldable device. This significantly improves portability and storage convenience, meeting the demands of modern mobile devices. By implementing touch-sensitive input, it reduces the mechanical friction and collision noise associated with rigid mechanical input devices, providing a quieter input environment for users.
[0052] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some embodiments provided herein, the spacing between the drive lines of the drive electrodes is 0.4 to 1.0 cm. The spacing between the sensing lines of the sensing electrodes is 0.4 to 1.0 cm. The accuracy of single-point touch is not affected within this spacing range. As the spacing decreases, the accuracy of multi-point touch is improved, and two fingers separated can also be recognized at a lower distance.
[0053] In combination with the first aspect, in some embodiments provided in the present application, the conductive core-wrapped yarn 121 includes an insulating outer core 1211 and a conductive inner core 1212 wrapped in the insulating outer core 1211, wherein: the conductive inner core 1212 includes conductive fibers. The insulating outer core 1211 is used to wrap the conductive inner core 1212 to insulate the conductive fibers from the outside world, reduce the probability of short circuits between cross electrodes, enable mutual capacitance sensing, and improve the accuracy and stability of capacitance sensing. The conductive inner core 1212 provides a conductive basis for mutual capacitance sensing. The conductive fibers can be directly prepared into fibers using conductive materials, or can be formed by coating conductive materials on the fibers. Compared with conductive wires or conductive threads, conductive fibers have better bending properties, are less likely to break, and are less likely to produce creases, which is beneficial to improving the folding performance of the flexible conductive fiber multi-touch sensor 100.
[0054] In combination with the first aspect, in some embodiments provided in the present application, the material of the insulating outer core includes at least one of fluororesin, cyanoresin, polystyrene, ABS, polytetrafluoroethylene, polyarylate, polyurethane resin, epoxy resin or polyamide and polylactic acid. The insulating outer core can be wrapped around the inner core by coating, winding or braiding to insulate its exterior. In the case of adopting the coating method, the above-mentioned material can be melt-coated on the yarn inner core, and the thickness of the coating layer is more than 10μm to ensure insulation. In the case of using the winding method, the above-mentioned material can be made into fiber yarn and coated in a spiral manner. In the case of using the braiding method, multiple strands of wire can be used to twist the conductive inner core. The use of the above-mentioned insulating outer core material can provide insulation performance while reducing the influence of the insulating outer core material on the bending performance. These materials are soft after curing, which can reduce the influence on stiffness and bending modulus.
[0055] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some embodiments provided herein, the conductive fiber comprises at least one of metal conductive fiber, metal particle-coated chemical fiber, ion gel fiber, carbon-based conductive fiber, and conductive polymer composite fiber. Using at least one of these conductive fiber materials can provide excellent electrical conductivity. Furthermore, when made into textile fiber yarns, these conductive materials also exhibit good ductility, making them easy to fold and less prone to breakage, thereby reducing the occurrence of creases.
[0056] In combination with the first aspect, in some embodiments provided in this application, the conductivity coefficient of the conductive inner core is greater than or equal to 10 4 The conductive core must balance folding performance with signal conduction. Therefore, within this range, the conductivity of the conductive core can improve both folding performance and signal transmission performance. Furthermore, using a conductive material with a higher dielectric constant can help improve touch sensitivity.
[0057] In a second aspect, the present application provides a method for preparing a flexible conductive fiber multi-touch sensor for preparing the flexible conductive fiber multi-touch sensor of the first aspect, comprising the following steps:
[0058] Conductive core-spun yarn and non-conductive fiber are woven, knitted or embroidered to prepare a multi-touch sensing layer;
[0059] The pins of the multi-touch sensing layer are contact-connected to the control component through a connecting component to obtain a flexible conductive fiber multi-touch sensor.
[0060] The flexible lining formed by the fibers is soft in texture and serves as a carrier of the capacitive sensing element matrix, ensuring that the entire interface is foldable and lightweight. Its size can be adjusted according to the actual application scenario. The conductive core-spun yarn has soft characteristics, and its fiber structure enables the core-spun yarn to better adapt to external forces when bending without causing creases due to excessive hardness. The flexible lining formed by the fibers and the multi-touch sensing layer formed by the conductive core-spun yarn have low stiffness and low bending modulus, allowing the entire touch component to be bent at will without causing creases. The conductive core-spun yarn is also conductive without being broken, and serves as a sensing and transmission channel for touch sensing signals, enabling multi-touch.
[0061] In conjunction with the second aspect, in some embodiments provided by the present application, a solvent is used to dissolve the insulating outer core of the conductive core-spun yarn, exposing the conductive inner core to achieve contact connection between the conductive inner core and the connector. The traditional hot melt process is carried out at high temperature (200-450 ° C), which is easy to directly burn the fiber yarn, that is, the connection part of the flexible lining, and it is necessary to separate the conductive core-spun yarn from the flexible lining interface and then weld each connection point one by one, which is complicated. The use of dissolving the insulating outer core of the conductive core-spun yarn to connect the connection points of the conductive inner core together is based on the solubility characteristics of chemical reagents on specific materials. Under relatively mild conditions, the connection nodes of the conductive core-spun yarn are dissolved by chemical reagents, dissolving the insulating outer core, making it easier to expose the conductive inner core connection part. There is no need to separate the conductive core-spun yarn one by one from the original flexible lining interface. The contact connection is achieved by arranging them at a fixed distance on the flexible lining. This connection method is relatively simple and does not require high temperature operation, avoiding physical damage to the core-spun yarn and the flexible lining caused by high temperature, improving production efficiency and overall performance.
[0062] In conjunction with the first aspect, in some embodiments provided herein, the solvent includes at least one of dimethyl sulfoxide, aromatic solvents, aliphatic solvents, ketones, esters, ethers, alcohols, and amide solvents. It should be noted that the corresponding solvent can be selected based on the material of the insulating outer core used. For example, when the insulating outer core is made of polyurethane resin, ethanol can be selected as the solvent for dissolving the outer core. When the insulating outer core is made of polylactic acid, tetrahydrofuran can be selected as the solvent for dissolving the outer core. When the insulating outer core is made of epoxy resin, acetone can be selected as the solvent for dissolving the outer core. Furthermore, the selected solvent should be incompatible with the material used for the conductive fiber inner core. It should be noted that differences in the molecular weight or composition of the raw materials may affect the solubility of the solvent. Another consideration is the safety of the solvent. Generally speaking, ethanol, acetone, and tetrahydrofuran are low-toxic reagents. While solvents such as dimethyl sulfoxide, N,N-dimethylacetamide, and N,N-dimethylformamide are more versatile, they are somewhat toxic, and operators should wear protective equipment when using them.
[0063] Specifically, a conductive inner core can be made from yarn made of a conductive material. Using specific processes such as winding, braiding, or coating, a non-conductive material (i.e., an insulating outer core) is wrapped around the conductive inner core to form a conductive core-spun yarn with an insulating outer layer. The prepared conductive core-spun yarn and non-conductive fibers are arranged into a mutual capacitance sensing element matrix through weaving, embroidery, or knitting. The accuracy and consistency of capacitive sensing can be controlled by controlling parameters such as the yarn arrangement spacing and thickness. A preliminary test is performed on the capacitive sensing element matrix to ensure that each sensing element is functioning properly and exhibits good capacitive sensing performance. Each pin of the capacitive sensing element matrix is dissolved using a corresponding chemical solvent to expose the conductive inner core. The conductive outer core is then connected to a connector using a contact method. The connector is then connected to a controller, and corresponding code is written to implement the corresponding touch sensing function. By detecting touch input signals, parameters such as the yarn structure and matrix arrangement are adjusted to optimize the interface's touch detection sensitivity, accuracy, and response speed, ensuring that they meet design requirements.
[0064] In a third aspect, the present application provides an electronic device comprising the flexible conductive fiber multi-touch sensor of the first aspect. The electronic device incorporates all the technical solutions of the flexible conductive fiber multi-touch sensor and thus possesses all the beneficial effects of the flexible conductive fiber multi-touch sensor, which are not further detailed herein.
[0065] In summary, the flexible lining formed by the fibers is soft and serves as a carrier for the capacitive sensing element matrix, ensuring the entire interface is foldable and lightweight. Its size can be adjusted according to the actual application scenario. The conductive core-spun yarn is soft, and its fiber structure allows the core-spun yarn to better adapt to external forces when bent, without creases due to excessive stiffness. The flexible lining formed by the fibers and the multi-touch sensing layer formed by the conductive core-spun yarn have low stiffness and low bending modulus, allowing the entire touch component to be bent freely without creases. The conductive core-spun yarn is also conductive without breaking, serving as a sensing and transmission channel for touch sensing signals, enabling multi-touch. The mutual capacitance flexible conductive fiber multi-touch sensor uses a flexible lining and a special conductive core-spun yarn structure, abandoning traditional rigid materials and complex mechanical structures to achieve lightweight and foldable properties, significantly improving portability and storage convenience, meeting the needs of modern users for mobile devices. The input function is realized through touch sensing, which reduces the mechanical friction and collision noise during input of rigid mechanical input devices, and provides users with a quiet electronic device input environment.
[0066] In the description of this specification, the description with reference to the terms "one embodiment / method", "some embodiments / methods", "example", "specific example" or "some examples" means that the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described in conjunction with the embodiment / method or example are included in at least one embodiment / method or example of the present application. In this specification, the schematic expressions of the above terms do not necessarily refer to the same embodiment / method or example. Moreover, the specific features, structures, materials or characteristics described may be combined in an appropriate manner in any one or more embodiments / methods or examples. In addition, those skilled in the art may combine and combine different embodiments / methods or examples described in this specification and the features of different embodiments / methods or examples, unless they are contradictory.
[0067] It should be noted that, in the present application, relational terms such as "first" and "second" are merely used to distinguish one entity or operation from another entity or operation, and do not necessarily require or imply the existence of any such actual relationship or order between these entities or operations. Moreover, the terms "comprise", "include" or any other variants thereof are intended to cover non-exclusive inclusion, so that the process, method, article or equipment comprising a series of elements includes not only those elements, but also includes other elements not explicitly listed, or also includes elements inherent to such process, method, article or equipment. In the absence of further restrictions, the elements defined by the sentence "comprise a ..." do not exclude the presence of other identical elements in the process, method, article or equipment comprising the elements. In the present application, the meaning of "plurality" is at least two, such as two, three, etc., unless otherwise clearly specified.
[0068] The foregoing is merely a list of specific embodiments of the present application, intended to enable those skilled in the art to understand or implement the present application. Various modifications to these embodiments will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art, and the general principles defined herein may be implemented in other embodiments without departing from the spirit or scope of the present application. Therefore, the present application is not limited to the embodiments shown herein, but is intended to conform to the broadest scope consistent with the principles and novel features of the present application.
Claims
1. A flexible conductive fiber multi-touch sensor, characterized in that: include: The touch control component includes a flexible lining formed by non-conductive fibers and a multi-touch sensing layer formed by conductive core-spun yarn embedded in the flexible lining; A connecting component, used for connecting the multi-touch sensing layer and the control component; as well as The control component is used to process the touch signals sensed by the multi-touch sensing layer.
2. The flexible conductive fiber multi-touch sensor according to claim 1, wherein: The multi-touch sensing layer includes multiple independent sensing electrodes and multiple independent driving electrodes formed by conductive core-spun yarn. The multiple independent sensing electrodes and the multiple independent driving electrodes are arranged at intervals to form a grid structure. The pattern of the grid structure constitutes a mutual capacitance sensing element matrix based on the mutual capacitance principle.
3. The flexible conductive fiber multi-touch sensor according to claim 2, wherein: The spacing between the driving lines of the driving electrodes is 0.4 to 1.0 cm; and / or, The spacing between the sensing lines of the sensing electrodes is 0.4-1.0 cm.
4. The flexible conductive fiber multi-touch sensor according to claim 1, wherein: The conductive core-covered yarn includes an insulating outer core and a conductive inner core wrapped in the insulating outer core, wherein the conductive inner core includes conductive fibers.
5. The flexible conductive fiber multi-touch sensor according to claim 4, wherein: The material of the insulating outer core includes at least one of fluororesin, cyanoresin, polystyrene, ABS, polytetrafluoroethylene, polyarylate, polyurethane resin, epoxy resin, polyamide and polylactic acid; and / or, The conductive fiber includes at least one of metal conductive fiber, metal particle-plated chemical fiber, ion gel fiber, carbon-based conductive fiber and conductive polymer composite fiber.
6. The flexible conductive fiber multi-touch sensor according to claim 4, wherein: The conductivity coefficient of the conductive inner core is greater than or equal to 10 4 S / m.
7. A method for preparing the flexible conductive fiber multi-touch sensor according to any one of claims 1 to 6, characterized in that: The following steps are involved: A multi-touch sensing layer is prepared by weaving, knitting or embroidering conductive core-spun yarn and non-conductive fiber; the pins of the multi-touch sensing layer are contact-connected to the control component through a connecting component to obtain a flexible conductive fiber multi-touch sensor.
8. The method for preparing a flexible conductive fiber multi-touch sensor according to claim 7, wherein: The insulating outer core of the conductive core-spun yarn is dissolved by a solvent, so that the conductive inner core is exposed to the outside, thereby achieving contact connection between the conductive inner core and the connector.
9. The method for preparing a flexible conductive fiber multi-touch sensor according to claim 8, wherein: The solvent includes at least one of dimethyl sulfoxide, aromatic solvents, aliphatic solvents, ketone solvents, ester solvents, ether solvents, alcohol solvents and amide solvents.
10. An electronic device, characterized in that: The flexible conductive fiber multi-touch sensor comprises the flexible conductive fiber multi-touch sensor according to any one of claims 1 to 6.