Touch module and display device

Abstract

The present application discloses a touch module and a display device. The touch module is applied to the display device, and the touch module comprises at least one connector, a touch panel, and at least one flexible flat cable. The at least one connector is connected to another component of the display device, and the connector is provided with a first interface; the touch panel is provided with at least one second interface; a first end of a flexible flat cable among the at least one flexible flat cable is connected to the first interface, and a second end of the flexible flat cable is connected to a corresponding second interface, so that the touch panel is connected to a corresponding connector by means of the flexible flat cable. The connector is connected to the touch panel by means of the flexible flat cable having a relatively low cost, so that the overall device cost can be reduced, the connection relationship is relatively simple, and disassembly is convenient. In addition, the flexible flat cable has good flexibility and electrical conductivity. When being connected to the connector and the touch panel, the flexible flat cable can be bent and folded as desired, thereby reducing the area of the entire device.

Description

Touch module and display device

[0001] CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS

[0002] This application claims priority to a Chinese patent application filed with the China Patent Office on November 2, 2023, with application number 202322967573.9, entitled “Touch Module and Display Device,” the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference. Technical Field

[0003] The present application relates to the field of touch panel technology, in particular to touch modules and display devices. Background Art

[0004] In related technologies, the lead parts of devices such as touch screens are usually led out to a control board or adapter board through a flexible printed circuit (FPC) for electrical connection. The FPCs currently used on the market are made by etching copper films, which have a long production cycle and high production costs. In addition, touch screens often use multiple FPCs or large-area FPCs, which have high production costs, long production cycles, and large product areas.

[0005] Summary of the Invention

[0006] The present application provides a touch module and display device. On the one hand, the use of a low-cost flexible flat cable to connect with the connector and the touch panel can reduce the cost of the overall device, and the connection relationship is relatively simple and easy to disassemble; on the other hand, the flexible flat cable has good softness and conductivity. When connected to the connector and the touch panel, the flexible flat cable can be bent and folded as needed, reducing the area of ​​the overall device and reducing costs.

[0007] To solve the above technical problems, the present application provides, on one hand, a touch module for use with a display device, the touch module comprising at least one connector, a touch panel, and at least one flexible flat cable. The at least one connector is connected to other components of the display device and is provided with a first interface; the touch panel is provided with at least one second interface; and the first end of the at least one flexible flat cable is connected to the first interface, and the second end of the flexible flat cable is connected to the corresponding second interface, so that the touch panel is connected to the corresponding connector via the flexible flat cable.

[0008] In some embodiments, the flexible flat cable includes a substrate, a conductor, an insulating layer, and a reinforcement member. The substrate, conductor, and insulating layer are stacked in sequence, and the reinforcement member is disposed on a side of the substrate away from the conductor and at a first end of the flexible flat cable.

[0009] In some embodiments, the first end of the flexible flat cable includes a first exposed area of ​​the conductor and a first docking piece, the first docking piece is disposed in the first exposed area of ​​the conductor, and the first end of the flexible flat cable docks with the first interface through the first docking piece.

[0010] In some embodiments, the first docking member includes bumps disposed on opposite sides of the first exposed area of ​​the conductor.

[0011] In some embodiments, the first exposed area of ​​the conductor includes a plurality of spaced copper wires, the width of the copper wires ranges from 0.3 mm to 0.35 mm, and the distance between two adjacent copper wires is equal to the distance between two adjacent ejector pins of the first interface.

[0012] In some embodiments, the second end of the flexible flat cable includes a second exposed area of ​​the conductor and a second docking piece, the second docking piece is disposed in the second exposed area of ​​the conductor, and the second end of the flexible flat cable docks with the second interface through the second docking piece.

[0013] In some embodiments, the second docking member includes grooves disposed on opposite sides of the second exposed area of ​​the conductor.

[0014] In some embodiments, the touch panel includes a functional sheet, the functional sheet includes an alignment block and a second interface, the second interface is located between the two alignment blocks, and the alignment blocks are arranged corresponding to the grooves.

[0015] In some embodiments, the second exposed area of ​​the conductor includes a plurality of spaced copper wires, the width of the copper wires ranges from 0.3 mm to 0.35 mm, and the second interface includes a plurality of pins, the width of the pins being smaller than the width of the copper wires.

[0016] In order to solve the above technical problems, the present application provides a display device on the other hand, which includes a display module and a touch module described in any of the above embodiments, and the touch module is arranged on the display module.

[0017] The touch module provided in some embodiments of the present application is applied to a display device, and the touch module includes at least one connector, a touch panel and at least one flexible flat cable. Among them, at least one connector is connected to other components of the display device, and the connector is provided with a first interface; the touch panel is provided with at least one second interface; the first end of the flexible flat cable in the at least one flexible flat cable is connected to the first interface, and the second end of the flexible flat cable is connected to the corresponding second interface, so that the touch panel is connected to the corresponding connector through the flexible flat cable. Through the above method, on the one hand, the cost of the overall device can be reduced by connecting the connector and the touch panel with a low-cost flexible flat cable, and the connection relationship is relatively simple and easy to disassemble; on the other hand, the flexible flat cable has good softness and conductivity. When connected to the connector and the touch panel, the flexible flat cable can be bent and folded as needed, reducing the area of ​​the overall device and reducing costs. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

[0018] In order to more clearly illustrate the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application, the following briefly introduces the drawings required for describing the embodiments. Obviously, the drawings described below are only some embodiments of the present application. For those skilled in the art, other drawings can be obtained based on these drawings without inventive efforts. Among them:

[0019] FIG1 is a schematic diagram of a touch module in some embodiments of the present application;

[0020] FIG2 is a schematic diagram of a touch module in some embodiments of the present application;

[0021] FIG3 is a schematic diagram of a flexible flat cable in some embodiments of the present application;

[0022] FIG4 is a schematic diagram of a flexible flat cable in some embodiments of the present application;

[0023] FIG5 is a schematic diagram of a functional sheet in some embodiments of the present application;

[0024] FIG6 is a schematic diagram of a display device in some embodiments of the present application.

[0025] Description of Figure Numbers: DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0026] The following will be combined with the drawings in the embodiments of the present application to clearly and completely describe the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present application. It will be understood that the specific embodiments described herein are only used to explain the present application and are not intended to limit the present application. It should also be noted that, for ease of description, the drawings only show some, but not all, structures related to the present application. All other embodiments obtained by persons of ordinary skill in the art based on the embodiments of the present application without creative effort are within the scope of protection of this application.

[0027] In related technologies, the lead parts of devices such as touch panels are usually led out to a control board or adapter board through a flexible printed circuit (FPC) for electrical connection. The FPCs currently used on the market are made by etching copper films, which have a long production cycle and high production costs. In addition, touch panels often use multiple FPCs or large-area FPCs, which have high production costs and a long production cycle.

[0028] To address any of the aforementioned technical issues, some embodiments of the present application provide a touch module. Referring to Figures 1-2, Figure 1 is a schematic diagram of a touch module in some embodiments of the present application, and Figure 2 is a schematic diagram of a touch module in some embodiments of the present application. Touch module 10 is applied to a display device, which includes, but is not limited to, components such as a display module, touch module 10, a driver module, and a control module.

[0029] The touch module 10 includes at least one connector 101, a touch panel 102, and at least one flexible flat cable 103. The at least one connector 101 is connected to other components of the display device and is provided with a first interface A. The touch panel 102 is provided with at least one second interface B. The first end of any one of the at least one flexible flat cable 103 is connected to the first interface A, and the second end of the flexible flat cable 103 is connected to the corresponding second interface B, so that the touch panel 102 is connected to the corresponding connector 101 via the flexible flat cable 103.

[0030] In some embodiments, the connector 101 includes a first connection end and a second connection end. The first connection end includes a first interface A for connecting to the flexible flat cable 103; the second connection end is used to connect to other components of the display device, such as a camera, sensor, battery, control board, adapter board, or other components, which are not limited here.

[0031] In some embodiments, the number of connectors 101, touch panels 102, and flexible flat cables 103 in the touch module 10 is set according to actual needs. It is worth noting that each touch module 10 contains only one touch panel, and the number of connectors 101 is the same as the number of flexible flat cables 103, with a one-to-one correspondence between the two. For example, the touch module 10 contains seven connectors 101, one touch panel 102, and seven flexible flat cables 103; or, the touch module 10 contains eight connectors 101, one touch panel 102, and eight flexible flat cables 103.

[0032] In some embodiments, the second interface B provided on the touch panel 102 is located in an edge area of ​​the touch panel 102, and the edge / area may be a non-display area. The position of the second interface B may be set according to actual conditions. At this time, the connector 101 and the flexible flat cable 103 are located in other areas of the display device except the touch panel 102, and the specific positions may be set according to actual conditions. As shown in Figure 2, two second interfaces B are provided on the left side of the touch panel 102, two second interfaces B are provided on the right side of the touch panel 102, and three second interfaces B are provided below the touch panel 102. Moreover, the distance between any two second interfaces B among the multiple second interfaces B provided on the same side of the touch panel 102 is set according to actual conditions, such as the distance between the two second interfaces B on the left is 0.5 mm.

[0033] In some embodiments of the present application, a touch module 10 is provided for use in a display device. The touch module 10 includes at least one connector 101, a touch panel 102, and at least one flexible flat cable 103. The at least one connector 101 is connected to other components of the display device and is provided with a first interface. The touch panel 102 is provided with at least one second interface. The first end of the at least one flexible flat cable 103 is connected to the first interface, and the second end of the flexible flat cable 103 is connected to the corresponding second interface, so that the touch panel 102 is connected to the corresponding connector via the flexible flat cable. In this manner, on the one hand, the use of a low-cost flexible flat cable 103 to connect to the connector 101 and the touch panel 102 can reduce production costs, and the connection relationship is relatively simple and easy to disassemble. On the other hand, the flexible flat cable 103 has good flexibility and conductivity, and the number and spacing of the conductors of the flexible flat cable 103 can be arbitrarily selected. When connected to the connector 101 and the touch panel 102, the flexible flat cable 103 can be bent and folded as needed, reducing the area of ​​the overall device.

[0034] In some embodiments, as shown in Figure 3, the flexible flat cable 103 includes a substrate 301, a conductor 302, an insulating layer 303 and a reinforcement member 304. The substrate 301, the conductor 302 and the insulating layer 303 are stacked in sequence. The reinforcement member 304 is arranged on a side of the substrate 301 away from the conductor 302, and the reinforcement member 304 is arranged at a first end of the flexible flat cable 103.

[0035] In some embodiments, the material of the substrate 301 may also be polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), polycarbonate (PC), or others, which are not limited here.

[0036] In one application scenario, the material of the substrate 301 is a high-temperature resistant material polyimide (PI). Compared with the substrate made of thermoplastic polyester (PET) material used in the related art, the substrate 301 prepared using PI material in this application has a higher temperature tolerance; and the flexible flat cable 103 prepared using PET material can only be connected in a straight line when connecting devices. If it is bent or folded, the performance of the cable will be damaged. However, the flexible flat cable prepared using PI material in this application can be bent and folded randomly.

[0037] In one application scenario, the temperature tolerance of the substrate 301 is greater than or equal to the temperature of the thermal compression head of the binding device, wherein the binding device is used to bind the flexible flat cable 103 to the second interface B of the touch panel 102. The binding device includes a thermal compression head, which is used to heat-press the flexible flat cable 103 and the touch panel 102 to fix them together. Based on this, the normal use of the touch module 10 can be guaranteed, and the probability of the touch module 10 being unable to be used due to high temperature can be reduced.

[0038] In some embodiments, the conductor 302 is made of a conductive material. The conductor 302 can be a copper wire, a tinned copper wire, or other materials, which are not limited here.

[0039] In some embodiments, the insulating layer 303 is made of an insulating material, which may be resin, plastic, silicone rubber, PVC (Polyvinyl chloride) or other materials, which are not limited here. In some application scenarios, the insulating layer 303 is insulating tape.

[0040] In some embodiments, the reinforcement member 304 includes a reinforcing plate, which can improve the strength of the connection between the flexible flat cable 103 and the connector 101 and reduce the impact of the flexibility of the flexible flat cable 103 itself on the assembly process of the entire device.

[0041] In some embodiments, referring to FIG. 4 , the first end of the flexible flat cable 103 includes a first exposed area 401 of the conductor and a first docking member 402 . The first docking member 402 is disposed in the first exposed area 401 of the conductor 302 . The first end of the flexible flat cable 103 is docked with the first interface A through the first docking member 402 .

[0042] In some embodiments, the conductor 302 is prepared from multiple copper wires, that is, the first exposed area 401 of the conductor 302 includes multiple copper wires arranged at intervals, wherein the width of the copper wires and the distance between two adjacent copper wires can be determined according to actual conditions.

[0043] In some application scenarios, the width of each copper wire in the conductor 302 ranges from 0.3mm to 0.35mm, for example, the width of the copper wire is 0.3mm, 0.31mm, 0.32mm, 0.33mm, 0.34mm or 0.35mm; the center distance between two adjacent copper wires in the conductor 302 is 0.5mm, that is, the distance between the center of a copper wire and the center of another copper wire is 0.5mm; the distance between two adjacent copper wires is equal to the distance between two adjacent pins of the first interface A, that is, the distance between two adjacent pins is 0.5mm. Among them, the pin is set on the first interface A of the connector 101. The pin can be a double-headed pin, a bent pin, a threaded pin or other type, which can be determined according to actual conditions and is not limited here.

[0044] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG4 , the first mating member 402 includes bumps K1 disposed on opposite sides of the first exposed area 401 of the conductor 302. The position of the bumps K1 on the first exposed area 401 can be determined based on practical circumstances, but typically, the material of the bumps K1 is relatively hard, and the position of the bumps K1 needs to correspond to the first interface A, that is, the bumps K1 can be snapped into the first interface A to achieve a stable connection between the two. It is understood that the first interface A includes grooves disposed on opposite sides, which can precisely accommodate the bumps K1.

[0045] In some embodiments, referring to FIG. 4 , the second end of the flexible flat cable 103 includes a second exposed area 403 of the conductor 302 and a second docking member 404 , the second docking member 404 being disposed in the second exposed area 403 of the conductor 302 , and the second end of the flexible flat cable 103 is docked with the second interface B through the second docking member 404 .

[0046] In some embodiments, the conductor 302 is prepared from multiple copper wires, that is, the second exposed area 403 of the conductor 302 includes multiple copper wires arranged at intervals, wherein the width of the copper wires and the distance between two adjacent copper wires can be determined according to actual conditions.

[0047] In some application scenarios, the width of the copper wire ranges from 0.3mm to 0.35mm, for example, the width of the copper wire is 0.3mm, 0.31mm, 0.32mm, 0.33mm, 0.34mm or 0.35mm; the second interface B includes multiple pins, and the width of the pins in the second interface B ranges from 0.2mm to 0.35mm, for example, the width of the pins is 0.2mm, 0.21mm, 0.22mm, 0.23mm…0.31mm, 0.32mm, 0.33mm, 0.34mm or 0.35mm; the spacing between two adjacent pins in the second interface B is 0.5mm, that is, the distance between the center of one pin and the center of another pin is 0.5mm; the width of the pin is smaller than the width of the copper wire. When the width of the pin is smaller than the width of the copper wire, the stability of the docking between the flexible flat cable 103 and the second interface B can be guaranteed after docking, thereby reducing the probability of short circuit after docking.

[0048] In some embodiments, as shown in FIG4 , the second mating member 402 includes grooves K2 disposed on opposite sides of the second exposed area 403 of the conductor 302. The position of the grooves K2 on the second exposed area 403 can be determined based on actual conditions, but typically the material used to make the grooves K2 is relatively hard, and the position of the grooves K2 needs to correspond to the second interface B so that the grooves K2 can engage the second interface B and achieve a stable connection between the two.

[0049] In some embodiments, referring to FIG. 5 , the touch panel 102 includes a functional sheet 50 , which includes an alignment block 501 and a second interface B. The second interface B is located between two alignment blocks 501 , and the alignment block 501 is disposed corresponding to the groove K2 .

[0050] In one application scenario, the length of the functional sheet 50 of the touch panel 102 is consistent with the length of the flexible flat cable 103, the alignment blocks 501 are set on the opposite side edges of the functional sheet 50, and the second interface B is located between the two edge alignment blocks 501. The area and specific position of the alignment block 501 on the functional sheet 50 need to correspond one-to-one to the area and position of the groove K2 of the flexible flat cable 103 so that the alignment block 501 can be stuck into the groove K2.

[0051] It is understood that there is no necessary connection between the protrusion K1 and the groove K2, that is, there is no necessary connection between the positioning block 501 and the protrusion K1. In actual application, the positioning block 501 can also be set to the same size and the same position as the protrusion K1, that is, the protrusion K1 can be stuck in the groove K2.

[0052] In another application scenario, the second interface B includes multiple pins. The distance between the center of any alignment block 501 and the center of an adjacent pin is 0.5 mm. The width of the pins on the second interface B ranges from 0.2 mm to 0.35 mm. In this case, the alignment block 501 and the groove K2 of the flexible flat cable 103 can be hot-pressed using the aforementioned binding equipment using anisotropic conductive film (ACF) adhesive to secure them. This ensures the stability of the connection between the touch panel 102 and the flexible flat cable 103 and prevents short circuits.

[0053] In some embodiments of the present application, the touch module 10 is designed with concave and convex alignment at both ends of the flexible flat cable 103, which can stabilize the connection between the connector 101 and the touch panel 102 and prevent it from falling off. A reinforcement member 304 is provided on the side of the flexible flat cable 103 connected to the connector 101. The reinforcement member 304 can be used to increase the strength of the connection between the flexible flat cable 103 and the connector 101, thereby reducing the impact of the flexibility of the flexible flat cable 103 itself on the assembly process of the entire device.

[0054] In other embodiments, the first docking member 402 includes grooves K2 disposed on opposite sides of the first exposed area 401 of the conductor 302, and the second docking member 402 includes bumps K1 disposed on opposite sides of the second exposed area 403 of the conductor 302. Accordingly, the touch panel 102 includes a functional sheet 50, which includes an alignment groove block and a second interface B. The second interface B is located between the two alignment blocks 501, and the alignment groove block and the bump K1 are disposed correspondingly.

[0055] Referring to FIG. 6 , FIG. 6 is a schematic diagram of a display device in some embodiments of the present application. The display device 60 includes a display module 601 and a touch module 10 , wherein the touch module 10 is the same as or similar to the touch module 10 of any of the above embodiments and is not described again here.

[0056] In other embodiments, the display device 60 may further include a driving module, a control module or other components, which will not be described in detail here.

[0057] In summary, the touch module 10 provided in the present application is applied to the display device 60. On the one hand, the use of a low-cost flexible flat cable 103 to connect with the connector 101 and the touch panel 102 can reduce the cost of the overall display device 60, and the connection relationship is relatively simple and easy to disassemble; on the other hand, the flexible flat cable 103 has good softness and conductivity. When connected to the connector 101 and the touch panel 102, the flexible flat cable 103 can be bent and folded as needed, thereby reducing the area of ​​the overall display device 60.

[0058] In addition, by changing the preparation material of the flexible flat cable 103, adjusting the structural adaptability, and setting a curing design on the touch panel 102, the overall touch module 10 does not require a special routing design, and also solves the problem that the flexible flat cable 103 cannot be subjected to a hot pressing binding process and gold finger alignment, so that the flexible flat cable 103 can be used to replace the flexible printed circuit (FPC), greatly reducing the cost of the overall device (such as the display device 60).

[0059] The above description is only an implementation method of the present application and does not limit the patent scope of the present application. Any equivalent structure or equivalent process transformation made using the contents of the description and drawings of this application, or directly or indirectly applied in other related technical fields, are also included in the patent protection scope of the present application.

[0060] The device embodiments described above are merely illustrative. The units described as separate components may or may not be physically separate, and the components shown as units may or may not be physical units, that is, they may be located in one place or distributed across multiple network units. Some or all of the modules may be selected based on actual needs to achieve the objectives of this embodiment.

[0061] Finally, it should be noted that the above embodiments are only used to illustrate the technical solutions of the present application, rather than to limit them. Based on the concept of the present application, the technical features in the above embodiments or different embodiments can also be combined, the steps can be implemented in any order, and there are many other variations in different aspects of the present application as described above. For the sake of simplicity, they are not provided in detail. Although the present application has been described in detail with reference to the aforementioned embodiments, those skilled in the art should understand that they can still modify the technical solutions described in the aforementioned embodiments, or make equivalent replacements for some of the technical features therein. These modifications or replacements do not deviate the essence of the corresponding technical solutions from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present application.

Claims

1. A touch module, characterized in that: Applied to a display device, the touch module comprises: at least one connector, connected to other components of the display device, the connector being provided with a first interface; The touch panel is provided with at least one second interface; At least one flexible flat cable, a first end of the flexible flat cable is connected to the first interface, and a second end of the flexible flat cable is connected to the corresponding second interface, so that the touch panel is connected to the corresponding connector through the flexible flat cable.

2. The touch module according to claim 1, characterized in that: The flexible flat cable comprises a substrate, a conductor, an insulating layer and a reinforcing member, wherein the substrate, the conductor and the insulating layer are stacked in sequence, the reinforcing member is arranged on a side of the substrate away from the conductor, and the reinforcing member is arranged at a first end of the flexible flat cable.

3. The touch module according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first end of the flexible flat cable includes a first exposed area of ​​the conductor and a first docking piece, the first docking piece is arranged in the first exposed area of ​​the conductor, and the first end of the flexible flat cable is docked with the first interface through the first docking piece.

4. The touch module according to claim 2, characterized in that: The first docking member includes protrusions disposed on opposite sides of the first exposed area of ​​the conductor.

5. The touch module according to claim 3 or 4, characterized in that: The first exposed area of ​​the conductor includes a plurality of copper wires arranged at intervals, the width of the copper wires ranges from 0.3 mm to 0.35 mm, and the distance between two adjacent copper wires is equal to the distance between two adjacent ejector pins of the first interface.

6. The touch module according to claim 2, characterized in that: The second end of the flexible flat cable includes a second exposed area of ​​the conductor and a second docking piece, the second docking piece is arranged in the second exposed area of ​​the conductor, and the second end of the flexible flat cable is docked with the second interface through the second docking piece.

7. The touch module according to claim 6, characterized in that: The second docking member includes grooves disposed on opposite sides of the second exposed area of ​​the conductor.

8. The touch module according to claim 7, characterized in that: The touch panel includes a functional sheet, the functional sheet includes an alignment block and the second interface, the second interface is located between two alignment blocks, and the alignment block is arranged corresponding to the groove.

9. The touch module according to claim 8, characterized in that: The second exposed area of ​​the conductor includes a plurality of copper wires arranged at intervals, the width of the copper wires ranges from 0.3 mm to 0.35 mm, and the second interface includes a plurality of pins, the width of the pins is smaller than the width of the copper wires.

10. A display device, characterized in that: The display device comprises: Display module; The touch module according to any one of claims 1 to 9, wherein the touch module is arranged on the display module.

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