Curved Touch Electrode Stress Distribution
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing capacitive touchscreens suffer from poor flexibility, leading to cracks and disconnection of touch electrodes when bent multiple times, resulting in functional failures.
Innovation Solution
A touch sensor design featuring a substrate with an electrode layer that includes a first electrode pattern with curved boundary lines and concave-convex portions, and bridge electrode lines that are also curved, to alleviate stress concentration and improve bending resistance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If a transparent metal material is used for the touch electrode to ensure display effect and electrical performance, then electrical conductivity and transparency are improved, but flexibility deteriorates and the electrode becomes prone to cracking when bent
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies curvature to the boundary lines of conductive units and to bridge electrode lines, replacing straight edges with curved segments including concave and convex portions. This curvature design prevents stress concentration at sharp corners, allowing the transparent metal electrode to withstand repeated bending without cracking while maintaining electrical connectivity.
2Ease of manufacture
If straight boundary lines are used for conductive units, then manufacturing is simpler, but stress concentration occurs at corners causing breakage when bent
Solution Approach 1:
The patent replaces straight boundary lines with curved boundary lines that include concave and convex portions. This curvature eliminates sharp corners where stress would concentrate during bending, significantly improving the electrode's reliability and bending resistance while remaining compatible with standard manufacturing processes.
3Device complexity
If bridge electrode lines are made straight to connect conductive units, then the structure is simpler, but the lines are prone to breakage due to stress concentration during bending
Solution Approach 1:
The patent designs bridge electrode lines with curved paths including concave and convex portions instead of straight lines. This curvature distributes mechanical stress evenly along the bridge lines during bending, preventing stress concentration and breakage, thereby improving the durability and reliability of the electrode structure.
Data Source
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AI summary
Embodiments of this application provide a touch sensor, a touch display, and an electronic device. The touch sensor includes a substrate, a bridge electrode line, and an electrode layer formed on the substrate. The electrode layer includes at least a first electrode pattern, the first electrode pattern includes a plurality of first conductive units spaced from each other, a boundary line of the first conductive unit includes a curved connecting segment, the connecting segment includes at least one first concave and convex portion, and first concave and convex portions are sequentially connected to form a smooth curve. The bridge electrode line extends in a curve, and two ends respectively cross connecting segments of two adjacent first conductive units, and electrically connect the two first conductive units. The bridge electrode line includes at least one second concave and convex portion, and second concave and convex portions are sequentially connected to form a smooth curve. The touch sensor provided in the embodiments of this application improves bending resistance performance of a touch electrode.