Composite Substrate Structure for Touchscreens with Anti-Reflective and Anti-Glare Layers
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Solution Overview
Problem
Touchscreens often suffer from issues of reflection and glare due to their structural designs, affecting display quality in devices like smartphones and tablets.
Innovation Solution
A composite substrate structure comprising a transparent substrate with an anti-reflective layer and an anti-glare layer, along with an optional anti-smudge layer, which reduces reflection and glare through destructive interference and light scattering, while providing abrasion resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Illumination intensity
If a conventional touchscreen structure is used, then the device structure is simple, but reflection and glare occur on the screen affecting display quality
Solution Approach 1:
The anti-reflective layer is divided into multiple sub-layers with different refractive indices (first anti-reflective sub-layer with refractive index 1.8-2.2, second anti-reflective sub-layer with refractive index 1.4-1.7). This segmentation allows each sub-layer to address specific reflection issues at different interfaces, effectively reducing overall reflection and glare while maintaining manageable structural complexity
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs composite material structure by combining transparent substrate, anti-reflective layer (with multiple sub-layers of different materials), and anti-glare layer. This composite structure integrates multiple functions (protection, anti-reflection, anti-glare) into a unified system, improving display quality without proportionally increasing complexity
2Object-affected harmful factors
If anti-reflective and anti-glare layers are added to reduce reflection and glare, then display quality is improved, but the number of layers and structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The anti-reflective layer and anti-glare layer are merged into an integrated composite structure where the anti-reflective layer is directly formed on the transparent substrate and the anti-glare layer is formed on the anti-reflective layer. This merging approach combines multiple protective functions in a compact arrangement, reducing the effective number of discrete components while comprehensively addressing reflection and glare issues
Solution Approach 2:
Different layers are assigned specific local functions: the anti-reflective layer specifically targets reflection reduction through controlled refractive indices, while the anti-glare layer specifically addresses glare through surface roughness (Ra: 0.05-0.5μm). This local quality differentiation allows each layer to optimize its specific function without requiring all layers to perform all functions, thereby managing complexity
3Reliability
If multiple functional layers are combined to provide anti-reflection, anti-glare, and anti-smudge properties, then comprehensive protection is achieved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The composite substrate structure is designed as a universal multi-functional component that simultaneously provides mechanical protection (transparent substrate), optical optimization (anti-reflective layer with specific refractive indices), visual comfort (anti-glare layer with controlled roughness), and smudge resistance (anti-smudge coating). This multi-functionality is achieved through a integrated design where each layer contributes to multiple performance aspects, simplifying the overall system compared to separate components
Applied Scientific Principles
This section explains which scientific principles are used to turn an abstract innovation direction into a practical engineering solution.
Function Achieved in This Case
The solution effectively alleviates reflection and glare, enhances display quality, and provides anti-smudge and abrasion resistance, improving user experience by combining anti-reflective, anti-glare, and anti-smudge properties in a single structure.
Implementation Method 1
the quality may be affected by problems of reflection and glare on a screen portion of the touchscreen when watching the screen
Implementation Method 2
Composite substrate structures for solving these problems are known for instance from US 2013/0107246 A1 and JP 2011-167914
Data Source
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Figure 5
AI summary
A composite substrate structure (2) includes a transparent substrate (21), an anti-reflective layer (22), and an anti-glare layer (23). The anti-reflective layer is disposed on the transparent substrate and has at least a first anti-reflective film (221) and the refractive index of the first anti-reflective film is greater than that of the transparent substrate. The anti-glare layer is disposed on the anti-reflective layer, and the anti-glare layer and the transparent substrate are respectively located at two opposite sides of the anti-reflective layer. The refractive index of the anti-glare layer is less than that of the first anti-reflective film, and the anti-glare layer has a rough surface distant from the anti-reflective layer.