Touchscreen and display device including the same

Abstract

A display device may include: a display panel for displaying images; and a touch screen disposed on the display panel, the touch screen including a first touch routing layer, an insulating layer covering the first touch routing layer, a second touch routing layer disposed on the insulating layer, and a plurality of touch routing lines including contact holes for connecting the first touch routing layer and the second touch routing layer. Furthermore, the touch routing lines include at least two interlayer structure change sections, in which the interlayer wiring positions of the first touch routing layer and the second wiring layer change.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to a touch screen and a display device including such a touch screen. Prior Technology

[0002] With the advancement of information technology, the market for display devices, which serve as the medium connecting users and information, continues to expand. Consequently, the use of display devices such as light-emitting displays (LEDs), quantum dot displays (QDDs), and liquid crystal displays (LCDs) is increasing.

[0003] The aforementioned display device includes: a display panel containing sub-pixels, a driver for outputting drive signals to drive the display panel, and a power supply for generating power to be supplied to the display panel or the driver.

[0004] In such display devices, when a drive signal (such as a scan signal or a data signal) is provided to a sub-pixel formed on the display panel, the selected sub-pixel will transmit light or emit light directly to display an image.

[0005] However, existing display devices contain wiring that can result in significant resistance discrepancies between lines due to the use of different conductive materials or varying wiring lengths. This resistance imbalance can cause signal delays and inter-channel noise, thereby reducing touch sensitivity and the overall user experience. Furthermore, such imbalances may become more pronounced as the number of lines increases and the display size grows. Moreover, previous wiring architectures also pose challenges in achieving narrow bezel areas.

[0006] Therefore, there is a need for a display device with an improved configuration that can provide more uniform wiring resistance, reduce noise and improve touch sensing sensitivity, while achieving a smaller bezel area. Summary of the Invention

[0007] Accordingly, this disclosure aims to provide a touch screen and a display device including such a touch screen, which can substantially eliminate one or more problems caused by the limitations and disadvantages of related technologies.

[0008] This disclosure aims to improve the performance of touch screens by reducing or minimizing resistance deviations between wirings (resistance compensation) (e.g., reducing or minimizing noise between touch channels, enhancing touch sensing sensitivity, etc.), and to achieve narrow bezels in display devices that include touch screens.

[0009] In one aspect of this disclosure, a display device includes: a display panel for displaying images; and a touch screen disposed on the display panel, the touch screen including a first touch routing layer, an insulating layer covering the first touch routing layer, a second touch routing layer disposed on the insulating layer, and a plurality of touch routing lines including contact holes for connecting the first touch routing layer and the second touch routing layer, wherein the plurality of touch routing lines include at least two interlayer structure change sections in which the interlayer wiring positions of the first touch routing layer and the second touch routing layer change.

[0010] Multiple touch routing lines may include at least one first region, which includes a first touch routing line layer as one of the lower-level settings; or at least one second region, which includes a second touch routing line layer as one of the upper-level settings.

[0011] The first and second zones can be set alternately for at least one wiring.

[0012] These touch routing lines may include a third area, which includes the first area and the second area.

[0013] The number of contact holes contained in two adjacent touch routes may be different.

[0014] The wiring resistance of these two adjacent touch routing lines can be substantially the same or equal.

[0015] The number of contact holes contained in two adjacent touch routes may be substantially the same or equal.

[0016] The wiring lengths of these two adjacent touch routing lines can be substantially the same or equal.

[0017] These touch routing lines may include line extensions that extend in one direction from the contact hole.

[0018] These touch routing lines may include at least one first region containing a first touch routing line layer configured as a lower layer; or at least one second region containing a second touch routing line layer configured as an upper layer. The first and second regions may be alternately configured for at least one wiring.

[0019] The line extension may be included in a third region, which includes the first region and the second region, and the line extension may extend to the first region or the second region.

[0020] In another aspect of this disclosure, a touch screen includes: a first touch routing layer; an insulating layer covering the first touch routing layer; a second touch routing layer disposed on the insulating layer; and a plurality of touch routing lines including contact holes for connecting the first touch routing layer and the second touch routing layer, wherein the touch routing lines include at least two interlayer structure change sections in which the interlayer wiring positions of the first touch routing layer and the second touch routing layer change.

[0021] The number of contact holes contained in two adjacent touch routes may be different.

[0022] The wiring resistance of these two adjacent touch routing lines can be substantially the same or equal.

[0023] The number of contact holes contained in two adjacent touch routes can be equal.

[0024] The wiring lengths of these two adjacent touch routing lines can be substantially the same or equal. Simple Explanation of the Diagram

[0025] The accompanying drawings are incorporated in and form part of this application to provide a further understanding of this disclosure. These drawings illustrate embodiments of the disclosure and, together with the description, serve to explain the principles of the disclosure. In the drawings: Figure 1 is a block diagram of a light-emitting display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a smartphone implemented based on the light-emitting display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the portion of the smartphone in Figure 2 corresponding to the touch screen according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 4 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the touch routing lines connected to the touch electrodes in Figure 3 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 5 is a layout and cross-sectional schematic diagram of the touch routing lines according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 6 is a layout diagram of the touch routing lines according to another embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 7 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the touch routing lines shown in layout form according to another embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 8 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the touch routing lines in Figure 7 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; Figure 9 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the touch routing lines in Figure 7 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure; and Figure 10 is a diagram showing the wiring structure of an embodiment compared with the wiring structure of related experimental examples. Implementation

[0026] The display device disclosed herein can be implemented as a television, video player, personal computer (PC), home theater, automotive electronic device, smartphone, etc., but this disclosure is not limited to these. The display device disclosed herein can be implemented as a light-emitting display (LED) device, a quantum dot display (QDD) device, etc. For ease of explanation, the following description will use a light-emitting display device based on direct light emission from inorganic or organic light-emitting diodes as an example.

[0027] The features of the various embodiments disclosed herein may be partially or wholly coupled or combined with each other, and may be interlocked and operated in various technical ways, and these embodiments may be implemented independently or in relation to each other. Furthermore, the term "may" as used herein includes all the meanings and limitations of the term "can".

[0028] Detailed reference will now be made to embodiments disclosed herein, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the following description, detailed descriptions of known functions or configurations related to this document will be omitted or provided only briefly if deemed unnecessary to obscure the essence of the invention. The described processing steps and / or operational sequence is exemplary; however, the order of these steps and / or operations is not limited to those described herein and may be varied as is known in the art, except for steps and / or operations that must occur in a specific order. Identical elements are designated with the same element symbols throughout. The names of the elements used in the following description are chosen solely for ease of specification and may therefore differ from those used in actual products.

[0029] The aforementioned objects, features, and advantages of this disclosure will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, so as to enable those skilled in the art to readily implement the technical concepts disclosed herein. Detailed descriptions of prior art related to this disclosure will be omitted or provided briefly if such descriptions unnecessarily obscure its nature. Embodiments of this disclosure will be described in detail below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Identical element symbols in the drawings are used to refer to identical or similar components.

[0030] Although terms such as "first" and "second" are used to describe various components, these components are not limited by these terms. These terms are only used to distinguish one component from another, and unless explicitly stated otherwise, the first component may be the second component, and vice versa.

[0031] Throughout this specification, unless explicitly stated otherwise, each component may be singular or plural. In all drawings and detailed descriptions, unless otherwise stated, the same graphic element symbols shall be understood to refer to the same elements, features, and structures. For clarity, explanation, and convenience, the relative sizes and depictions of these elements may be exaggerated.

[0032] The singular expressions used in this specification include plural expressions unless the context explicitly indicates otherwise. In this application, unless the context explicitly indicates otherwise, the terms "comprising" or "including" should not be construed as necessarily including all components or steps listed in the specification; some components or steps may be excluded, or additional components or steps may be included.

[0033] Throughout this specification, the term "A and / or B" means A, B, or both A and B unless otherwise stated, and the term "C to D" means C or more and D or fewer unless otherwise stated.

[0034] Any implementation described herein as an "exemplary" should not necessarily be construed as superior to other implementations.

[0035] Furthermore, when referring to any size, relative size, etc., it should be assumed that the numerical values ​​or corresponding information (e.g., level, range, etc.) of a component or feature include tolerances or error ranges that may be caused by various factors (e.g., process factors, internal or external influences, noise, etc.), even if no such specification is given. In addition, the term "can" fully encompasses all the meanings of the term "can".

[0036] In the description of the various embodiments disclosed herein, when describing positional relationships, such as when the positional relationship between two parts is described as "above," "over," "below," "adjacent," etc., unless more restrictive terms such as "only" or "directly" are used, one or more other parts may be positioned between the two parts. For example, when one element or layer is "disposed" on another element or layer, a third element or layer may be located between them.

[0037] When describing temporal relationships, if the temporal sequence is described as "after", "following", "next", and "before", it may include discontinuous cases unless more restrictive terms such as "only", "immediately" or "directly" are used.

[0038] Furthermore, when a component or layer is "connected," "coupled," or "attached" to another component or layer, it means that the component or layer can be directly connected or attached to the other component or layer, or indirectly connected or attached to the other component or layer, wherein one or more intermediate components or layers are "disposed" or "intervened" between these components or layers, unless otherwise stated. This should be understood as meaning that these components may be directly contacted or not directly contacted.

[0039] When describing quantitative or numerical relationships, the terms "equal" and "identical" usually mean "substantially equal" and "substantially identical," or "similar or equal" and "similar or identical." That is, based on the premise that two elements are equal or identical, a certain range of error is allowed, such as one percent, five percent, ten percent, etc.

[0040] Those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications and variations can be made to the embodiments disclosed herein without departing from the technical concept or scope thereof. Therefore, it is intended that this disclosure cover such modifications and variations, provided they fall within the scope of the appended claims and their equivalents.

[0041] Figure 1 is a block diagram of a light-emitting display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0042] As shown in Figure 1, such a light-emitting display device may include a timing controller 120, a gate driver 130 (e.g., a gate drive circuit), a data driver 140 (e.g., a data drive circuit), a display panel 150, a power supply 180, etc.

[0043] Image provider 110 (e.g., component or host system) can output image data signals provided from an external source or image data signals (e.g., data signals) stored in internal memory, as well as various drive signals. This image provider 110 can provide the data signals and these various drive signals to timing controller 120.

[0044] The timing controller 120 can output a gate timing control signal GDC for controlling the operating timing of the gate driver 130, a data timing control signal DDC for controlling the operating timing of the data driver 140, and various synchronization signals. The timing controller 120 can also provide the data signal DATA and the data timing control signal DDC provided from the image provider 110 to the data driver 140 together. The timing controller 120 can be in the form of an integrated circuit (IC) and therefore can be mounted on a printed circuit board, but this disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0045] Gate driver 130 can output a gate signal (or gate voltage) in response to a gate timing control signal GDC or other signal provided from timing controller 120. Gate driver 130 can provide scan signals to sub-pixels contained in display panel 150 via gate lines GL1 to GLm. This gate driver 130 may include a shift register, a level shifter, etc. This level shifter can output clock signals, start signals, etc. based on signals and voltages output from timing controller 120 and power supply 180. This shift register can operate based on these clock signals, start signals, etc., and can output gate signals via gate lines GL1 to GLm. Gate driver 130 may be in the form of an IC, or may be directly formed on display panel 150 as a gate-in-panel structure, but this disclosure is not limited thereto. [ ]

[0046] This data driver 140 can sample and latch the data signal DATA in response to a data timing control signal DDC or the like provided from the timing controller 120, convert the data signal in digital form into a data voltage in analog form, and then output the resulting composite data voltage. This data driver 140 can provide the data voltage to the sub-pixels contained in the display panel 150 via data lines DL1 to DLn. The data driver 140 can be in the form of an IC, and therefore can be mounted on the display panel 150 or a printed circuit board, but this disclosure is not limited thereto.

[0047] The power supply 180 can generate high-level voltages and low-level voltages based on an externally supplied input voltage, and can output these high-level voltages and low-level voltages via the high-level power line EVDD and the low-level power line EVSS, respectively. The power supply 180 can not only generate and output high-level voltages and low-level voltages, but also generate and output voltages required to drive the gate driver 130 (e.g., gate high voltage and gate low voltage), voltages required to drive the data driver 140, etc.

[0048] The display panel 150 can display images in response to drive signals including gate signals and data voltages, and drive voltages including high-potential voltages and low-potential voltages. The sub-pixels of the display panel 150 can emit light directly. The display panel 150 can be manufactured based on a substrate with rigidity or flexibility (e.g., glass, silicon, polyimide, etc.). According to one embodiment, the display panel 150 can be a flexible display or include a flexible substrate. The light-emitting sub-pixels can include red sub-pixels, green sub-pixels, and blue sub-pixels, or red sub-pixels, green sub-pixels, blue sub-pixels, and white sub-pixels.

[0049] For example, a sub-pixel SP can be connected to a first data line DL1, a first gate line GL1, a high-potential power line EVDD, and a low-potential power line EVSS, and can include pixel circuitry. This pixel circuitry includes switching transistors, driving transistors, capacitors, organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs), etc. Since the sub-pixel SP in a light-emitting display device emits light directly, its circuit configuration is complex. Furthermore, there are various compensation circuits used not only to compensate for the degradation of the OLED used for light emission but also to compensate for the degradation of the driving transistors used to drive the OLED. Accordingly, it should be noted that in Figure 1, the sub-pixel SP is simply shown in block form.

[0050] Prior to this, the timing controller 120, scan driver 130, and data driver 140 had been described as separate configurations. However, one or more of the timing controller 120, scan driver 130, and data driver 140 can be integrated into a single integrated circuit according to this method of implementing the light-emitting display device.

[0051] The following description will use an example of implementing the light-emitting display device as a smartphone to illustrate one embodiment of this disclosure.

[0052] Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a smartphone implemented based on a light-emitting display device according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 3 is a schematic diagram of the touch screen portion of the smartphone in Figure 2 corresponding to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 4 is a cross-sectional schematic diagram of the touch routing lines connected to the touch electrodes in Figure 3 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 5 is a layout and cross-sectional schematic diagram of the touch routing lines according to a first embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0053] As shown in Figures 2 and 3, the light-emitting display device can be implemented as a smartphone 100. This smartphone 100 may include a touch screen TSP for receiving input from a user's finger, stylus, etc.

[0054] A touchscreen TSP may include a substrate SUB (or a thin film), touch sensing electrodes TSE, touch driving electrodes TRE, bridging electrodes BE, touch routing lines TRL, touch sensing lines TSL, touch routing lines TL, touch pads TP1, touch pads TP2, etc. For example, the touchscreen TSP may be a thin, transparent layer or panel (e.g., an invisible or transparent sensor grid) disposed on top of the display panel, and the touchscreen TSP is used to detect touch positions. According to one embodiment, the touchscreen TSP and the display panel 150 may be collectively referred to as a touchscreen display (e.g., an external configuration). According to another embodiment, the touch sensors and touch routing lines may be integrated into the display panel, for example, embedded in the sub-pixels (e.g., an in-wall configuration).

[0055] The touch sensing electrode TSE, touch driving electrode TRE, and bridging electrode BE can each be disposed in a touch sensing area TSA defined on the substrate SUB. The touch routing line TRL, touch sensing line TSL, touch routing line TL, and touch pads TP1-TP2 can also each be disposed in a touch non-sensing area NTA defined on the substrate SUB. In one embodiment, the substrate SUB can be understood as a surface of the display panel 150. For example, the touch sensing electrode TSE, touch driving electrode TRE, and bridging electrode BE can be disposed on the encapsulation layer of the display panel 150.

[0056] The touch sensing electrodes (TSEs) and touch driving electrodes (TREs) may have rectangular, rhomboid, or diamond shapes, but the embodiments disclosed herein are not limited to these. Although the touch sensing electrodes (TSEs) and touch driving electrodes (TREs) are shown patterned in a grid pattern to enhance light transmission properties, the disclosure is not limited to this.

[0057] The touch sensing electrodes (TSEs) and touch driving electrodes (TREs) are disposed in a touch sensing area (TSA) defined on a substrate (SUB), and can be disposed on different layers to be insulated from each other by an insulating layer between them. A bridging electrode (BE) can be disposed at the intersection between the touch sensing electrodes (TSEs) and the touch driving electrodes (TREs) to provide electrical connections between the physically separated multiple touch sensing electrodes (TSEs) and between the physically separated multiple touch driving electrodes (TREs) on the touch sensing area (TSA). [ ]

[0058] The touch routing line TRL can be connected to the touch driving electrode TRE. The touch routing line TRL can transmit the touch driving voltage applied via the first touch pad TP1 to the touch driving electrode TRE. The touch sensing line TSL can be connected to the touch sensing electrode TSE. The touch sensing line TSL can acquire touch sensing information formed on the touch sensing electrode TSE and can transmit the acquired information to the second touch pad TP2.

[0059] The touch routing line TL includes wiring for connecting the touch driving electrode TRE and the touch sensing electrode TSE to the first touch pad TP1 and the second touch pad TP2, and may include a touch routing line TRL and a touch sensing line TSL. In other words, the touch driving line TRL and the touch sensing line TSL are lines disposed in the non-sensing area NTA of the touch, and can be collectively referred to as the touch routing line TL.

[0060] As shown in Figures 3 and 4, the touch routing lines TL may include a first touch routing line layer TL1 and a second touch routing line layer TL2. With an insulating layer SILD inserted between the substrate SUB and the touch buffer layer TBUF, these touch routing line layers are disposed on the touch buffer layer TBUF formed on the substrate SUB. For example, the first touch routing line layer TL1 may be disposed on the touch buffer layer TBUF, while the second touch routing line layer TL2 may be disposed on the insulating layer SILD covering the first touch routing line layer TL1.

[0061] The touch routing line TL may include two touch routing layers that are alternately arranged as upper and lower layers for each routing line; and a double routing area in which the two touch routing layers are arranged together or overlapped for each routing line. To achieve this configuration, the first touch routing line layer TL1 and the second touch routing line layer TL2 may be arranged not to overlap each other in the alternating routing area, and the first touch routing line layer TL1 and the second touch routing line layer TL2 may be arranged to overlap each other in the double routing area.

[0062] When the routing configuration of the touch routing line TL includes alternating routing areas and dual routing areas, it can overcome the limitations of devices with limited design areas or small space constraints (layout design areas) and achieve narrow bezels.

[0063] As shown in Figure 5, with the insulating layer SILD situated between the first touch routing layer TL1 and the second touch routing layer TL2, a touch routing line TL comprising both the first touch routing layer TL1 and the second touch routing layer TL2 is provided. However, the first touch routing layer TL1 and the second touch routing layer TL2 can be electrically connected to each other through contact holes CH exposing the underlying structure. For example, multiple contact holes CH can be used to electrically connect the first touch routing layer TL1 and the second touch routing layer TL2 at multiple locations.

[0064] According to the first embodiment, the touch routing line TL disposed in the alternating wiring area may include at least two interlayer structure change sections, in which the interlayer wiring positions of the first touch routing line layer TL1 and the second touch routing line layer TL2 change. Here, these at least two interlayer structure change sections may be continuous with each other in the plane or cross-section of the touch routing line TL.

[0065] For example, the second touch routing layer TL2 may be provided in a first segment defined between the first contact hole area CH1A and the second contact hole area CH2A. However, in a second segment defined between the second contact hole area CH2A and the third contact hole area CH3A, the first touch routing layer TL1 may be provided according to the change in wiring position. In other words, the touch routing line TL may have at least two segments where the vertical wiring position changes, such that each layer in the alternating wiring area changes from upper to lower or from lower to upper (hereinafter referred to as interlayer structure change segment). For example, to ensure uniform electrical characteristics, the touch routing line may include at least two interlayer structure change segments where the wiring positions are interchanged. For example, the wiring may have multiple transitions, such as transitioning from a dual wiring configuration to an area where the wiring is located on an upper layer (e.g., above the insulating layer SILD), while the wiring in another area may be placed on a lower layer (e.g., below the insulating layer SILD). For example, the first touch routing layer TL1 and the second touch routing layer TL2 may contain different materials. Strategic exchanges of these layers and materials can help equalize the resistance along the touch routing lines.

[0066] By incorporating touch routing layers with varying interlayer structures within alternating wiring areas, process conditions (or design conditions) can be modified to ensure that even with differences in thin-layer resistance between the first touch routing layer TL1 and the second touch routing layer TL2, they maintain the same resistance (or the same distance). This reduces or minimizes resistance deviations between wiring layers. In other words, swapping the positions of different wiring layers at specific points makes their overall resistance identical or substantially equal, thereby reducing inconsistencies between wiring layers. [ ]

[0067] Furthermore, according to the first embodiment, to reduce or minimize resistance deviation between wirings, the positions of the contact holes CH included in the touch routing line TL can vary based on at least one arrangement structure condition or arrangement area condition. The positions of the contact holes CH can be different in the first contact hole region CH1A and the second contact hole region CH2A, while the positions of the contact holes CH can be the same in the third contact hole region CH3A. In this case, when the wiring resistance of the touch routing line TL is equal or similar, the positions of the contact holes CH can be different, but the number of contact holes CH can be constant. Here, the condition that the wiring resistance of the touch routing line TL is equal or similar can mean that the total length of the multiple wirings provided by the touch routing line TL between the first point (starting point) connected to the touch pads TP1-TP2 and the second point (ending point) connected to the touch sensing electrode TSE or touch driving electrode TRE contained in the touch sensing area TSA is equal or similar. [ ]

[0068] For example, the first contact hole region CH1A may be included in a contact region that facilitates an electrical connection between the first touch routing layer TL1 and the second touch routing layer TL2 in a non-linear contact (e.g., a point of connection between upper and lower layers in a section of auxiliary wiring bends or curved wiring) within a dual wiring area. The second contact hole region CH2A may be included in a contact region that facilitates an electrical connection between the first touch routing layer TL1 and the second touch routing layer TL2 in a section of alternating wiring. The third contact hole region CH3A may be included in a contact region that facilitates an electrical connection between the first touch wiring layer TL1 and the second touch wiring layer TL2, wherein these wiring layers are included in linear contacts (e.g., straight sections of wiring) within the alternating wiring region (e.g., points of connection between upper and lower layers in areas where wiring is linearly arranged in a non-bending manner). For example, these contact hole regions may be connection points that electrically connect the top and bottom layers of wiring together. These connection points may be strategically placed in different locations. For example, some connection points are located in non-linear regions where the wiring is bent or curved, while other connection points are located in linear regions where the wiring is laid out in a straight line.

[0069] Meanwhile, the structure of the touch routing line TL described in Figure 5 can reduce or minimize the resistance deviation between wirings in the nonlinear segment NSA (e.g., a segment containing both linear and nonlinear parts but with more nonlinear parts) in Figure 3 when the wiring is routed. In addition, by reducing or minimizing the resistance deviation between wirings, the performance of the touch screen can be improved (e.g., reducing or minimizing noise between touch channels, enhancing touch sensing sensitivity, etc.).

[0070] Furthermore, Figure 5 illustrates an example of a method to reduce or minimize the inter-wire resistance deviation of touch route lines TL when the wiring resistances are equal or similar. Therefore, when the wiring resistances of touch route lines TL are different, at least one of the conditions related to the position of the contact holes CH or the conditions related to the number of the contact holes CH can be changed to compensate for the resistance deviation.

[0071] Furthermore, for ease of explanation, this disclosure uses the structure of the touch routing line as an example for description. However, this structure can also be applied to signal lines or voltage lines, such as data lines for transmitting data voltages and gate lines for transmitting gate voltages, which include long wirings on the display panel and can show resistance differences between wirings.

[0072] The following description will be based on other embodiments of the first embodiment. That is, the embodiments described below may include interlayer structure variation sections within alternating wiring areas. However, in order to primarily describe the parts that have been changed or added compared to the first embodiment, the description of the interlayer structure variation sections will be omitted in the following description.

[0073] Figure 6 is a layout diagram of the touch routing lines according to the second embodiment.

[0074] At the same time, it should be noted that Figure 6 not only shows the touch routing lines on the plane, but also shows certain sections to help understand the wiring structure of the first touch routing line layer TL1 and the second touch routing line layer TL2 set on different layers.

[0075] As shown in Figure 6, according to the second embodiment, the touch routing line TL may include extensions TL2E1 and TL2E2, each extension extending in one direction from the corresponding first contact holes CH1a and CH1b to reduce or minimize resistance deviation between wirings. In other words, these line extensions TL2E1 and TL2E2 may be manufactured to be shorter or longer, which can help to selectively adjust the resistance of different wirings so that all of these different wirings can have substantially the same resistance, even in curved areas (e.g., the rounded corners of the frame).

[0076] The line extensions TL2E1 and TL2E2 can each be included in a double wiring area. The line extensions TL2E1 and TL2E2 can extend from the first contact holes CH1a and CH1b respectively provided in the double wiring areas of the touch routing line TL, and an alternating wiring area lies between these double wiring areas. When viewed from a top viewpoint, the line extensions TL2E1 and TL2E2 can be alternately arranged without overlapping with the line extensions of adjacent touch routing lines. For example, the line extensions can be staggered so that they do not overlap with the line extensions of adjacent wiring lines (e.g., not placed adjacent to each other).

[0077] For example, the first line extension TL2E1 may be configured to extend from the first contact hole CH1a of the touch routing line TL contained in the dual wiring area toward the alternating wiring area. At the same time, the first second line extension TL2E2 may be configured to extend from the first and second contact holes CH1b of the touch routing line TL contained in another dual wiring area toward the alternating wiring area.

[0078] The first line extension TL2E1 and the second line extension TL2E2 can be extended to have the same length or different lengths depending on the position of the first contact hole CH1a and the second contact hole CH1b, so as to reduce or minimize the resistance deviation between the wirings.

[0079] According to the second embodiment, the alternating wiring area and each dual wiring area include a first touch routing layer TL1 and a second touch routing layer TL2, but the thickness of the second touch routing layer TL2 may be greater than the thickness of the first touch routing layer TL1 (or vice versa).

[0080] For example, a second touch routing layer TL2, which is thicker than the first touch routing layer TL1, can be included in the alternating routing area. Since the second touch routing layer TL2 is located above the first touch routing layer TL1, considering the occurrence of resistance deviation, the second touch routing layer TL2 can be formed to be thicker than the first touch routing layer TL1. This configuration has advantages.

[0081] Furthermore, when there is a difference in thin-layer resistance due to the thickness difference between the first touch routing layer TL1 and the second touch routing layer TL2, the position of at least one of the first contact hole CH1a or CH1b and the second contact hole CH2a or CH2b can be changed to reduce or minimize the resistance deviation between the wirings.

[0082] Meanwhile, Figure 6 shows and illustrates an example where these line extensions TL2E1 and TL2E2 are only provided in the touch routing line TL containing the first contact holes CH1a and CH1b. Furthermore, Figure 6 shows an example where the first contact holes CH1a and CH1b containing the line extensions TL2E1 and TL2E2 are only provided in the diagonal portions (diagonal portions) of the touch routing line TL. However, this is only an example and can vary depending on the location, structure, shape, etc., of the wiring. This will be discussed with reference to the third embodiment described below.

[0083] Figure 7 is a cross-sectional view of the touch routing lines shown in a layout according to the third embodiment. Figure 8 is a cross-sectional view of the touch routing lines in Figure 7 according to the third embodiment. Figure 9 is a cross-sectional view of the touch routing lines in Figure 7 according to a variation of the third embodiment.

[0084] It should also be noted that the touch routing lines shown in Figure 7 are cross-sectional structures, and to facilitate understanding of the wiring and contact structures of the first touch routing line layer TL1 and the second touch routing line layer TL2 (located on different layers), the drawing of the insulating layer is omitted in this figure.

[0085] As shown in Figures 7 and 8, according to the third embodiment, the touch routing line TL may include line extensions TL1E and TL2E to reduce or minimize resistance deviation between wirings. As described in the second embodiment, these line extensions TL1E and TL2E may extend from contact holes respectively contained in the touch routing line TL. For example, each line extension may also be referred to as a hanging portion that hangs over and extends a certain distance from the corresponding contact hole. Furthermore, as described in the second embodiment, these line extensions TL1E and TL2E may extend toward the alternating wiring area and are respectively contained in the double wiring area.

[0086] According to the third embodiment, the line extensions TL1E and TL2E may also be included in adjacent touch routing lines TL, such as the first and second touch routing lines TLb, the first and third touch routing lines TLc and the first and fourth touch routing lines TLd, but not the first touch routing line TLA.

[0087] Furthermore, according to the third embodiment, these line extensions TL1E and TL2E can not only be included in the first touch routing layer TL1, but can also be included in the second touch routing layer TL2 as the first layer line extension TL1E and the second layer line extension TL2E.

[0088] Furthermore, according to the third embodiment, when the wiring resistances of the touch routing lines TL are equal or similar, such as the first contact hole CH1 to the fifth contact hole CH5, the positions of the contact holes may be different, but the number of contact holes in the touch routing lines TL may be equal. In this case, it can be clearly seen from the first contact hole CH1 and the second contact hole CH2 contained in one double wiring area and the fourth contact hole CH4 and the fifth contact hole CH5 contained in another double wiring area that the same number of contact holes can be contained in the same wiring area respectively.

[0089] On the other hand, according to the variation of the third embodiment in Figure 9, when the wiring resistance of the touch routing lines TL is different, the number of contact holes in a touch routing line (for example, the first contact hole CH1 to the sixth contact hole CH6 of the first touch routing line TLa) can be different from the number of contact holes in the other touch routing lines TLb to TLd to compensate for the resistance deviation.

[0090] For example, the first touch route line TLa may have at least one more contact hole than the other touch routes TLb to TLd to compensate for resistance deviation. Conversely, the first touch route line TLa may also have at least one fewer contact hole than the other touch routes TLb to TLd to compensate for resistance deviation. That is, the number of contact holes can be determined based on the relationship between the touch route line that may cause resistance deviation and the surrounding touch routes.

[0091] The third embodiment and its variations can be formed by extending the circuit TL1E and TLE2 so that the wiring does not break when the position of the contact hole changes, and the wiring can be designed to have the same shape. Accordingly, capacitance deviation caused by the formation of contact holes can be reduced.

[0092] Figure 10 is a diagram showing the wiring structure of one embodiment compared to the wiring structure of the relevant experimental examples.

[0093] Figure 10 shows the wiring structure based on the first embodiment shown in Figure 5. In this experimental example, the wiring structure is the same as that of the first embodiment, including touch routing lines with dual wiring areas and alternating wiring areas, but the alternating wiring areas do not include interlayer structure change sections.

[0094] As shown in Figure 10, the related experimental examples exhibited sudden resistance fluctuations based on the wiring position, while the first embodiment showed a slight increase in resistance when the wiring position changed, without the sudden fluctuations seen in the experimental examples. Therefore, by forming the wiring structure based on the first embodiment or incorporating structures such as those in the second and / or third embodiments into the wiring structure, the factors causing resistance deviations between wirings can be further reduced or minimized. In other words, the related examples suffered from drastic resistance fluctuations due to different wiring positions (e.g., "sawtooth" type resistors). In contrast, the resistance in this embodiment only increased slightly and remained stable in a linear manner as the wiring position changed. Accordingly, the resistance deviation between wirings can be effectively minimized, thereby improving touch sensing.

[0095] In summary, this disclosure improves touchscreen performance by reducing or minimizing resistance deviations between wirings (resistance compensation) (minimizing noise between touch channels, enhancing touch sensing sensitivity, etc.). Furthermore, this disclosure enables the implementation of narrow bezels in display devices incorporating touchscreens.

[0096] The effects of the exemplary embodiments disclosed herein are not limited to those described above, and the specification may include many more effects.

[0097] While preferred embodiments of this disclosure have been disclosed for illustrative purposes, those skilled in the art will understand that various modifications, additions, and substitutions may be made without departing from the scope and technical concept of this disclosure as disclosed in the appended claims. [ ]

[0098] 100: Smartphones 110: Image Provider 120: Timing Controller 130: Gate driver 140: Data Drive 150: Display panel 180: Power Supply BE: Bridge electrode CH: Contact Hole CH1A: First contact hole area CH2A: Second contact hole area CH3A: Third contact hole area DL1: Data Line EVDD: High-potential power line EVSS: Low-potential power line GL1: Gate line SILD: Insulating layer SP: Subpixel SUB:Substrate TBUF: Touch Buffer Layer TL: Touchscreen router cable TL1: First Touch Router Layer TL2: Second Touch Router Layer TLa: First Touchscreen Router Cable TLb: First and second touch router cable TLc: First and third touch control routing lines TLd: First and fourth touch control routing lines TL2E1: First Line Extension TL2E2: Second Line Extension TP1: First touch pad TP2: Second touch pad TRL: Touchscreen router cable TSL: Touch Sensing Cable TSE: Touch Sensing Electrode TRE: Touch driving electrode

Claims

1. A display device comprising: a display panel for displaying an image; and a touch screen disposed on the display panel, the touch screen comprising: a first touch routing layer, an insulating layer covering the first touch routing layer, a second touch routing layer disposed on the insulating layer, and a plurality of touch routing lines, including a contact hole for interconnecting the first touch routing layer and the second touch routing layer, wherein the touch routing lines include at least two interlayer structure change sections, in which the positions of a plurality of interlayer wirings of the first touch routing layer and the second wiring layer change.

2. The display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the touch routing lines include at least one of a first region or a second region: the first region includes a first touch circuit layer configured as a lower layer; or the second region includes a second touch circuit layer configured as an upper layer.

3. The display device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first region and the second region are alternately arranged for at least one of the touch routing lines.

4. The display device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the touch routing lines include a third region, the third region including the first region and the second region.

5. The display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the number of contact holes of adjacent touch routes is different from each other.

6. The display device as claimed in claim 5, wherein the wiring resistance of adjacent touch routing lines is equal or substantially equal.

7. The display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the number of contact holes is the same for adjacent touch routing lines.

8. The display device as claimed in claim 7, wherein the wiring lengths of adjacent touch routing lines are equal or substantially equal.

9. The display device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the touch routing lines include a line extension extending from the contact hole in a direction away from a dual wiring area.

10. The display device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the plurality of touch routing lines include at least one of a first region or a second region, the first region including a first touch routing line layer as a lower layer, the second region including a second touch routing line layer as an upper layer, and wherein the first region and the second region are alternately arranged for at least one of the touch routing lines.

11. The display device as claimed in claim 10, wherein the line extension is located in a third region comprising the first region and the second region, and the line extension extends to the first region or the second region.

12. A touch screen, comprising: a first touch routing layer; an insulating layer covering the first touch routing layer; a second touch routing layer disposed on the insulating layer; and a plurality of touch routing lines, each including a contact hole for interconnecting the first touch routing layer and the second touch routing layer, wherein the touch routing lines include at least two interlayer structure change sections, in which the positions of the plurality of interlayer wirings of the first touch routing layer and the second wiring layer change.

13. The touch screen as described in claim 12, wherein adjacent touch routes have a different number of multiple contact holes relative to each other.

14. The touch screen as described in claim 13, wherein the wiring resistance of adjacent touch routing lines is equal or substantially equal.

15. The touch screen as described in claim 12, wherein adjacent touch routing lines have the same number of contact holes.

16. The touch screen as described in claim 15, wherein the wiring lengths of adjacent touch routing lines are equal or substantially equal.

17. A display device comprising: a plurality of sub-pixels for displaying an image; a plurality of touch electrodes for detecting a touch; a first touch routing line disposed in a border area outside the sub-pixels, the first touch routing line including a first first touch routing line layer and a first second touch routing line layer; a second touch routing line disposed adjacent to the first touch routing line in the border area, the second touch routing line including a second first touch routing line layer and a second second touch routing line layer; and an insulating layer extending between the first first touch routing line layer and the first second touch routing line layer and between the second first touch routing line layer and the second second touch routing line layer. Extending between, the border area includes: a dual wiring area, including a first touch routing layer overlapping with the first and second touch routing layers and a second touch routing layer overlapping with the second and third touch routing layers; and an alternating wiring area, including a first segment of the first touch routing line, the first segment having a portion of the first and second touch routing layers that does not overlap with the first and second touch routing layers, and a first and second segment of the first touch routing line, the first and second segment including a portion of the first touch routing layer that does not overlap with the first and second touch routing layers, and wherein the first segment transitions to the first and second segment.

18. The display device as claimed in claim 17, wherein the alternating wiring area further comprises: a second first segment of the second touch routing line having a portion of the second first touch routing line layer that does not overlap with the second second touch routing line layer, and a second second segment of the second touch routing line having a portion of the second second touch routing line layer that does not overlap with the second first touch routing line layer, wherein the second first segment of the second touch routing line transitions to the second second segment.

19. The display device as claimed in claim 18, wherein a first segment of the first touch routing line having the portion of the first second touch routing line layer is adjacent to a second segment of the second touch routing line having the portion of the second first touch routing line layer, and wherein the insulating layer is located between the portion of the first second touch routing line layer and the portion of the second first touch routing line layer.

20. The display device as claimed in claim 17, wherein the first touch routing line includes a first group of contact holes passing through the insulating layer, the first touch routing line layer being electrically connected to the first second touch routing line layer at the first group of contact holes, and wherein the second touch routing line includes a second group of contact holes passing through the insulating layer, the second first touch routing line layer being electrically connected to the second second touch routing line layer at the second group of contact holes.

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