Touch screen module having on-cell type electrode lines and display structure using same

Abstract

The present invention relates to a touch screen module having on-cell type electrode lines, the module comprising a conductive electrode line pattern and a sensor chip, which is capable of measuring radar or capacitive signals and includes a signal processing unit, a transmission unit, a reception unit, and a circulator, to implement a touch function in an LED display structure, whereby the module can recognize an object in front of a screen and calculate the coordinates thereof.

Description

A touchscreen module having an on-cell type electrode line and a display structure using the same

[0001] The present invention relates to a touchscreen module, and more specifically, to a touchscreen module having an on-cell type electrode line capable of recognizing an object on the front of the screen and calculating coordinates through a conductive electrode line pattern, and a sensor chip composed of a signal processing unit capable of measuring radar or capacitive signals, a transmitter, a receiver, and a circulator for implementing a touch function in an LED display structure.

[0002] Display devices that convert electrical signals applied from information processing devices into images are becoming larger and their resolutions are increasing with technological advancements. As screens widely used across various fields due to their excellent performance, LED display panels are composed of pixels, which are combinations of light-emitting elements, as the basic unit to form the image screen and resolution.

[0003] Currently, commonly used display pixels consist of LEDs of the three primary colors of light: Red, Green, and Blue. By manufacturing and assembling cabinets—basic blocks formed by combining these unit LED pixels—screens can be configured to any desired size. This structure is gaining popularity in the market as it enables high resolution without bezels.

[0004] Recently, rather than unidirectional output, functions that reconstruct images through interaction with various objects, including human hands and pens, using so-called touchscreen technology are being implemented, and demand for these devices, known as electronic whiteboards, is gradually increasing in educational settings as well as in companies and institutions.

[0005] Among commercially available touchscreen technologies, there are various methods such as resistive, capacitive, electromagnetic induction, infrared, and ultrasonic methods, but there is a problem that depending on the detection method, it cannot be applied to constructing a large screen of 100 inches or more as an electronic whiteboard with specifications required for the field.

[0006] In particular, existing capacitance methods, such as the On-cell method where electrode lines of transparent conductive patterns (ITO, Metal Mesh, Silver nanowire, carbon nanotube, etc.) are patterned on a film or glass, and the In-cell method where patterns are patterned around RGB pixels, measure capacitance values. In the On-cell and In-cell capacitance methods, the touch signal lines, namely the TX and RX lines, are connected via ITO pattern lines to signal processing chips mounted outside the LCD / OLED screen. Consequently, as the screen size increases, the pattern lines become longer, leading to a problem where the resistance between ITO lines increases, which has limited the production of touch screens in the form of large electronic displays.

[0007] In addition, as the thickness of the glass placed at the top of the display increases, there are limitations in obtaining capacitance values, so there was a problem where touch sensitivity was significantly reduced in the glass thickness (3 to 5 mm) used in large-inch displays. In particular, as the On-cell and In-cell Tx lines and Rx lines are positioned toward the bezel located at the outer edge of the screen, a bezel is present on the film or glass, making it impossible to manufacture a bezel-less large-inch touchscreen display.

[0008] The present invention was created to solve the above-mentioned problems. The objective of the present invention is to provide a touch screen module having an on-cell type electrode line capable of recognizing objects on the front of the screen and calculating coordinates through a conductive electrode line pattern, and a sensor chip composed of a signal processing unit capable of measuring radar or capacitive signals, a transmitter, a receiver, and a circulator, in implementing a touch function in an LED display structure.

[0009] For the above purpose, the present invention comprises: a touch processing unit disposed on the front surface of a display substrate and having a plurality of electrode lines formed in a set pattern that are conductive in one direction; a sensor chip comprising a transmitting unit that generates a transmission signal, a receiving unit that receives a receiving signal corresponding to the transmission signal, a switching unit that switches so that the electrode lines are selectively connected to the transmitting unit and the receiving unit to perform transmission and reception functions, and so that the transmitting unit is sequentially connected to the electrode line selected for transmission functions, and a signal processing unit that calculates touch coordinates by comparing the transmission signal and the receiving signal for each electrode line; and the sensor chip is installed through a via hole on one side of the touch processing unit or on the back surface of the substrate, thereby forming a structure in which the bezel is eliminated.

[0010] At this time, the sensor chip is configured to be capable of measuring radar signals or capacitance signals, and the signal processing unit can calculate touch coordinates by comparing the waveforms of the transmitted signal and the received signal resulting from contact of an object with the electrode line, converting the point of waveform change where signal interference occurs into a Y-axis distance, and calculating the X-axis distance through the spacing between the electrode lines.

[0011] In addition, the touch processing unit may be composed of a film or glass having a plurality of transparent electrode lines formed therein.

[0012] In addition, since the touch processing unit is configured so that there is no bezel except in the direction where the sensor chip is located, a plurality of touch processing units can be connected so that their bezel-less surfaces come into contact with each other.

[0013] In addition, the touch processing unit may have electrode lines located along the space between screen pixels in a display module in which screen pixels are configured through LEDs that emit red, green, and blue light, respectively, on the substrate and the front surface of the substrate.

[0014] In addition, the sensor chip is located on the back of the display module, and since the touch processing unit and the display module are configured so that there are no bezels in the up, down, left, and right directions, a plurality of touch processing units and display structures can be connected so that their bezel-less surfaces come into contact with each other.

[0015] Additionally, touch coordinates are generated for each display module, and a controller may be included that converts the touch coordinates generated in each display module into multi-touch coordinate values ​​for the entire display structure and transmits them to the user operating system.

[0016] In addition, as the sensor chip is configured to enable radar signal processing, the switching unit may be configured as a circulator that switches so that the transmitting unit and the receiving unit are sequentially switched and connected to each electrode line, sequentially applies the transmitting signal to the electrode line, and acquires the receiving signal received from the same electrode line.

[0017] Through the touchscreen module having an on-cell type electrode line of the present invention, a display structure having a touch recognition function and a large LED display can be implemented, and a bezel-less large-inch touchscreen can be easily manufactured through a sensor chip composed of a signal processing unit capable of measuring radar or capacitive signals, a transmitter, a receiver, and a circulator, and a conductive electrode line pattern.

[0018] In addition, sensor chips for driving and control are installed on the upper or lower side of the PCB for each touchscreen module, resulting in low inter-line resistance between Tx and Rx lines and a high SN ratio. It is possible to apply radar, self-capacitance, and mutual capacitance methods, and it is possible to generate coordinates for multi-touch sensing. Since it is a structure that performs independent touch sensing on a module basis, infinite multi-touch can be implemented.

[0019] In addition, a standard LED Display Module is installed for the display area out of reach of the human hand, while an LED Touch Display Module is installed for the touchable parts, allowing touchscreens to be applied only to the desired areas of a large display.

[0020] In addition, by configuring the sensor chip to have radar capabilities and controlling the signal strength, all objects at a certain distance can be recognized.

[0021] FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a touch processing unit and a sensor chip according to one embodiment of the present invention,

[0022] FIG. 2 is a first exemplary diagram showing the connection of a touch processing unit according to one embodiment of the present invention,

[0023] FIG. 3 is a second exemplary diagram showing the connection of a touch processing unit according to a first embodiment of the present invention.

[0024] FIG. 4 is an example diagram of electrode line installation according to a second embodiment of the present invention,

[0025] FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of a touch processing unit and a sensor chip according to a second embodiment of the present invention,

[0026] FIG. 6 is a first exemplary diagram showing a display module connection according to a second embodiment of the present invention,

[0027] FIG. 7 is a second exemplary diagram showing a display module connection according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0028] FIG. 8 is a connector structure diagram for connecting a display module according to a second embodiment of the present invention,

[0029] FIG. 9 is a front view example of a display structure according to the present invention,

[0030] FIG. 10 is an exemplary rear view of a display structure according to the present invention,

[0031] FIGS. 11 and 12 are exemplary diagrams of radar sensor chip installation according to the present invention.

[0032] FIGS. 13 to 14 are exemplary diagrams of the installation of a capacitive sensor chip according to the present invention.

[0033] FIG. 15 is a side view of a display module structure according to a third embodiment of the present invention,

[0034] FIGS. 16 to 19 are three-dimensional structure diagrams of a display according to a third embodiment of the present invention,

[0035] FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of an LED Touch Display Module and a controller for touch coordinate calculation according to the present invention.

[0036] A touchscreen module having an electrode line of the on-cell method according to the present invention will be described in detail below with reference to the attached drawings.

[0037] FIG. 1 is a configuration diagram of a touch processing unit and a sensor chip according to one embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 2 is a first example diagram showing the connection of a touch processing unit according to one embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 3 is a second example diagram showing the connection of a touch processing unit according to one embodiment of the present invention, showing a touch processing unit having multiple electrode lines of a set pattern formed with unidirectional conductivity in a form attached to the front surface of a display structure, and a sensor chip connected to said touch processing unit.

[0038] In the present invention, the sensor chip is configured to be capable of measuring radar signals or capacitance signals and comprises a transmitting unit that generates a transmitting signal, a receiving unit that receives a receiving signal corresponding to the transmitting signal, a switching unit that selectively connects the electrode line to the transmitting unit and the receiving unit to perform transmitting and receiving functions, and switches so that the transmitting unit can be sequentially connected to the electrode line selected to perform the transmitting function, and a signal processing unit that calculates touch coordinates by comparing the transmitting signal and the receiving signal for each electrode line.

[0039] In the first embodiment of the present invention, the touch processing unit is formed in a manner that is attached to the front surface of a display structure, and the electrode line is made of a transparent material such as a film or glass, and the electrode line is also configured to form a transparent conductive pattern using ITO, Metal Mesh, Silver nanowire, carbon nanotube, etc. Additionally, the electrode line is installed parallel at regular intervals to have directionality corresponding to the installation position of the sensor chip, and the length and spacing can be adjusted according to the size of the display substrate.

[0040] At this time, the sensor chip is installed through a via hole on one side of the touch processing unit or on the back side of the substrate, thereby creating a structure in which the bezel is eliminated. In Example 1, the sensor chip is positioned on the upper side, so the structure in which the bezels on the left, right, and lower sides are eliminated is illustrated.

[0041] Through this, a large screen can be configured by connecting the touch processing unit and the display structure in the horizontal direction as shown in Fig. 2, or by installing the touch processing unit and the display structure so that their lower sides meet as shown in Fig. 3, and by expanding the touch screen module in two vertically and infinitely horizontally.

[0042] The sensor chip described above is configured to enable radar signal or capacitive signal processing, so the touch processing unit in the present invention implements a touchscreen using the radar method and the capacitive method, respectively.

[0043] When the sensor chip is configured to enable radar signal processing, the switching unit in Embodiment 1 of the present invention is configured as a circulator that switches such that the transmitting unit and the receiving unit are sequentially switched and connected to each electrode line, and sequentially applies the transmitting signal to the electrode line and acquires the receiving signal received from the same electrode line.

[0044] The circulator is configured to enable dual operation between the antenna and the transmit / receive circuit, allowing the antenna to be used for both transmission and reception simultaneously, so that each electrode line can perform the roles of both a transmitting antenna and a receiving antenna at the same time.

[0045] In other words, it operates so that the same path is used to transmit the high-power signal from the transmitter to the antenna and to send the signal received from the antenna to the receiver, thereby ensuring the efficiency and stability of the radar system.

[0046] At this time, the signal processing unit may be composed of a transmitter that transmits radio waves to the front, a radar chip and Tx and Rx circulators for the operation of a receiver that receives radio waves reflected from an object after transmission from the transmitter, and a controller that detects the reception of radio waves by the receiver and recognizes a touch signal.

[0047] When the sensor chip is configured to enable capacitive signal processing, the electrode lines selectively serve as transmitting and receiving electrodes. That is, the switching unit is connected such that selected electrode lines act as transmitting electrodes at set intervals, and a set number of electrode lines around the transmitting electrodes act as receiving electrodes. The transmitting electrodes are sequentially connected to the transmitting unit to apply a signal, and in response, all receiving electrodes receive the signal. An electric field is generated between the transmitting and receiving electrodes based on the surface electromotive force, and a change in the surface electromotive force is detected upon the approach of a conductive object. In other words, the signal processing unit may be composed of a driving driver that applies the surface electromotive force through the transmitting and receiving units, and a controller that recognizes a touch signal by detecting a change in electromotive force caused by the approach of a conductive material, such as a finger, between the transmitting and receiving units.

[0048] Based on this structure, the signal processing unit can calculate touch coordinates by comparing the waveforms of the transmitted signal and the received signal according to object contact or proximity to the electrode line, converting the point of waveform change where signal interference occurs into a Y-axis distance, and calculating the X-axis distance through the spacing between the electrode lines.

[0049] FIG. 4 is an example diagram of electrode line installation according to the second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 5 is a configuration diagram of a touch processing unit and a sensor chip according to the second embodiment of the present invention. The touch processing unit has a structure in which an electrode line made of an ITO material or a conductive material is positioned along the space between screen pixels in a display module in which screen pixels are configured through LEDs that emit red, green, and blue light, respectively, on a substrate and the front surface of the substrate.

[0050] That is, the touch processing unit is integrally formed on the PCB substrate of the display structure, and electrode lines are installed parallel at regular intervals to have directionality through the space between RGB pixel chips as previously explained, and the length and spacing can be adjusted according to the size of the substrate. At this time, via holes are formed at the ends of the electrode lines on the PCB substrate, and sensor chips are positioned on the back surface of the substrate through these holes, thereby effectively eliminating bezels on all sides (top, bottom, left, and right), allowing for expansion by connecting touchscreen modules of the same shape in all directions.

[0051] In addition, the electrode lines can be made of a transparent ITO material or colored black to match the color of the substrate, thereby enabling smooth touch functionality without affecting display performance at all.

[0052] In this way, easy expansion is possible by using dedicated connectors to interconnect bezel-less display modules in all directions.

[0053] FIG. 6 is a first exemplary diagram showing a display module connection according to a second embodiment of the present invention, FIG. 7 is a second exemplary diagram showing a display module connection according to a second embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 8 is a connector structure diagram for connecting a display module according to a second embodiment of the present invention.

[0054] As mentioned above, since the electrode lines have a set spacing including directionality, a connector is provided to connect electrode lines at the same location to each other, and by adding this connector connection structure not only to modules but also to cabinet units with four modules connected, a large screen of the desired size can be realized.

[0055] FIG. 9 is a front view of a display structure according to the present invention, and FIG. 10 is a rear view of a display structure according to the present invention. As the electrode lines between connected modules are substantially connected and extended, it is possible to provide the sensor chip not in a module unit, but in a bundle of multiple modules, such as a cabinet unit. In this case, the range in which a signal can be extracted through the interconnected individual electrode lines is determined, and the number of sensor chips is determined by designing the electrode line spacing according to the touch precision.

[0056] FIGS. 11 and 12 are exemplary diagrams of radar sensor chip installation according to the present invention, and FIGS. 13 and 14 are exemplary diagrams of capacitive sensor chip installation according to the present invention, respectively showing the sensor chip connection structure of a touchscreen operating in a radar manner and a touchscreen operating in a capacitive manner.

[0057] In addition, it is also possible to configure these electrode lines in a double configuration that intersects each other.

[0058] FIG. 15 is a side view of a display module according to the third embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 16 to 19 are three-dimensional views of a display according to the third embodiment of the present invention, showing the structure of a display module to which a touch processing unit is applied, wherein the electrode lines described above are configured in a unidirectional manner rather than in a mutually intersecting manner.

[0059] Figure 16 shows that electrode lines are installed vertically along the space between screen pixels composed of LEDs emitting red, green, and blue light, respectively, on the front of the substrate, and some of these lines penetrate the PCB substrate and are connected to the sensor chip on the back of the PCB substrate.

[0060] FIG. 17 shows an adhesive layer applied to facilitate the smooth adhesion of vertically formed electrode lines and to provide insulation from horizontally formed electrode lines, etc., as shown in FIG. 18. This configuration is used when combining a substrate with a conductive film or a display protective layer in touchscreens, etc. It firmly bonds materials with different physical and chemical properties, such as the substrate and electrode lines, to provide structural stability while maintaining transparency and not interfering with signal transmission or optical functions, and relieves stress between materials with different coefficients of thermal expansion to prevent cracks or deformation.

[0061] Figure 18 shows a horizontal electrode line installed above the adhesive layer in a manner that intersects the vertical electrode line described in Figure 16, and a part of it penetrates the adhesive layer and the PCB substrate to be connected to the sensor chip on the back of the PCB substrate.

[0062] FIG. 19 shows the final configuration in which the PCB substrate and adhesive layer, as well as the upper side of the horizontal electrode line described in FIG. 18, are protected by an epoxy coating.

[0063] In this structure, the vertical direction, i.e., the Y-axis electrode line, and the horizontal direction, i.e., the X-axis electrode line, can be operated in two ways.

[0064] First, the Y-axis electrode line and the X-axis electrode line are each connected to the sensor chip to perform transmission and function, and the Y-axis coordinate and X-axis coordinate according to touch recognition can be calculated respectively. In other words, it is a two-stage structure in which the touch processing unit, as described in the first embodiment above, intersects, enabling more precise touch recognition and coordinate calculation.

[0065] This method is useful when implementing a radar-type touchscreen module in which the signal processing unit is configured to enable radar signal processing, and the Y-axis electrode line and X-axis electrode line each act as radar antennas.

[0066] Next, the Y-axis electrode line and the X-axis electrode line are connected to the receiver and transmitter, respectively, thereby separating their roles. That is, the Rx line, which is the electrode line for reception, and the Tx line, which is the electrode line for transmission, are arranged in an intersecting manner; for instance, the Y-axis electrode line acts as the Rx line for reception, and the X-axis electrode line acts as the Tx line for transmission. This method is useful when the signal processing unit is configured to perform capacitive signal processing and when implementing a capacitive touchscreen module through the Y-axis and X-axis electrode lines.

[0067] FIG. 20 is an explanatory diagram showing the configuration of an LED Touch Display Module and a controller for touch coordinate calculation according to the present invention.

[0068] The touchscreen modules equipped with the aforementioned sensor chips and touch processing units are arranged continuously in the lateral directions—that is, up, down, left, and right—enabling the implementation of large LED displays as well as display structures. Touch coordinates are generated for each individual touchscreen module containing the sensor chips and touch processing units, and these generated touch coordinate values ​​are transmitted to a separately configured controller to be converted into final multi-touch coordinate values ​​for the display structure and the entire LED display, which are then transmitted to the user operating system.

[0069] LED display structures widely used in the market feature a layout with 192 pixels horizontally and 108 pixels vertically, with four such LED modules grouped together to form an LED cabinet. In the case of an FHD LED display with a resolution of 1920 pixels horizontally and 1080 pixels vertically, it consists of 25 LED cabinets and a total of 100 LED modules.

[0070] A latch chip, which serves as a signal processing means for handling signal transmission and reception of each sensor chip, is installed on the back of the LED display structure and connected to a set number of sensor chips. Each latch chip, having processed signals from the set number of sensor chips, is connected to a microprocessor that processes the overall display signals, thereby enabling touch signal processing for the entire display screen.

[0071] In a configuration where four LED modules are connected to form a CABINET, a module interface board equipped with a module connector for connecting each LED module and an interface chip for signal processing are provided. This enables data transmission and reception and FPGA signal processing with the LED CABINET control board. In the present invention, a controller for a sensor chip and a signal processing unit is added to perform signal processing based on touch operations, measurement and correction of coordinates based on address management, and HID conversion. Through a terminal equipped with S / W for managing this, HID touch coordinate input and touch coordinate scaling settings based on screen size can be performed.

Claims

1. A touch processing unit disposed on the front surface of a display substrate, having a plurality of electrode lines formed in a set pattern that are conductive in one direction; A sensor chip comprising: a transmitter that generates a transmission signal; a receiver that receives a received signal corresponding to the transmission signal; a switching unit that selectively connects the electrode line to the transmitter and receiver to perform transmission and reception functions, and switches such that the transmitter is sequentially connected to the electrode line selected for transmission functions; and a signal processing unit that calculates touch coordinates by comparing the transmission signal and the reception signal for each electrode line. A touchscreen module having an electrode line, characterized in that the sensor chip is installed through a via hole on one side of the touch processing unit or on the back side of the substrate, thereby forming a structure in which the bezel is eliminated.

2. In Paragraph 1, The sensor chip is configured to enable radar signal or capacitive signal processing, A touchscreen module having electrode lines, characterized in that the signal processing unit compares the waveforms of a transmitted signal and a received signal according to object contact or proximity to the electrode lines, converts the waveform change point where signal interference occurs into a Y-axis distance, and calculates the X-axis distance through the spacing between the electrode lines to calculate touch coordinates.

3. In Paragraph 1, A touch screen module having electrode lines, characterized in that the touch processing unit is composed of a film or glass having a plurality of transparent electrode lines formed therein.

4. In Paragraph 3, A touchscreen module having electrode lines, characterized in that the touch processing unit is configured so that there is no bezel other than the direction in which the sensor chip is located, and thus a plurality of touch processing units can be connected so that the bezel-less surfaces come into contact with each other.

5. In Paragraph 1, The above-described touch processing unit is a display structure using a touchscreen module having an electrode line, characterized in that the electrode line is positioned along the space between screen pixels in a display module in which screen pixels are configured through LEDs emitting red, green, and blue light, respectively, on a substrate and the front surface of the substrate.

6. In Paragraph 5, The above sensor chip is located on the back of the display module, and A display structure using a touchscreen module having electrode lines, characterized in that the touch processing unit and the display module are configured so that there are no bezels in the up, down, left, and right directions, and thus a plurality of touch processing units and display structures can be connected so that the bezel-less surfaces meet each other.

7. In Paragraph 6, A display structure using a touchscreen module, characterized by generating touch coordinates for each display module, and further including a controller that converts the touch coordinates generated in each display module into multi-touch coordinate values ​​for the entire display structure and transmits them to a user operating system.

8. In Paragraph 1, As the above sensor chip is configured to enable radar signal processing, A display structure using a touchscreen module, characterized in that the switching unit is configured to switch such that the transmitting unit and the receiving unit are sequentially switched and connected for each electrode line, and to sequentially apply the transmitting signal to the electrode line and acquire the receiving signal received from the same electrode line.

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