Display Panel Bridge Geometry for Touch Layer Visibility Reduction

Solution Overview

Problem

Touch units in touch screens interfere with light emission in display panels, affecting their performance and requiring solutions to minimize this impact while maintaining touch functionality.

Innovation Solution

A display panel design featuring a substrate with a display layer and a touch layer, where the touch layer includes bridge groups and electrodes arranged to minimize overlap with subpixels, reducing visibility and maintaining display effectiveness.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Adaptability or versatility

If touch units are added to enable touch functionality, then touch capability is improved, but visibility of touch layer components increases and display brightness deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetouch functionalityVSAvoiddisplay brightness

Core Design Contradiction:

Adaptability or versatilityVSIllumination intensity

Solution Approach 1:

The bridge structure is designed with specific geometric characteristics (acute angle α with the second direction, length L satisfying D2≤L≤D1) to create local optical optimization. This makes the bridge less visible in specific viewing directions while maintaining touch functionality, thereby resolving the contradiction between touch capability and display brightness.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The bridge is designed with asymmetric orientation relative to the subpixel arrangement, forming an acute angle α with the second direction. This asymmetric design causes the bridge to overlap fewer subpixels (M≤N-2) and reduces its visibility, allowing touch functionality to be added without significantly impacting display brightness.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #4Asymmetry

2Ease of operation

If touch layer components are made more visible to ensure touch functionality, then ease of operation is improved, but display effectiveness deteriorates

Engineering Contradiction:

Improvetouch functionalityVSAvoiddisplay effectiveness

Core Design Contradiction:

Ease of operationVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The bridge structure is designed with specific geometric characteristics (acute angle α with the second direction, length L satisfying D2≤L≤D1) to create local optical optimization. This makes the bridge less visible in specific viewing directions while maintaining touch functionality, thereby resolving the contradiction between touch capability and display brightness.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #3Local quality

Solution Approach 2:

The problem is solved by transitioning from considering only the presence/absence of touch layers to optimizing the spatial orientation and dimensional parameters of bridge structures. By controlling the bridge's angle and length dimensions, the patent achieves reduced visibility while maintaining touch functionality.

Inventive Principle:

Principle #17Another dimension (Dimensionality change)

Data Source

PatentUS11460942B2Display panel and display apparatus

Publication Date: 2022.10.04 WUHAN TIANMA MICRO ELECTRONICS CO LTD

AI summary

Provided are a display panel and a display apparatus. A display layer includes pixel columns arranged along a first direction, and the pixel column includes subpixels arranged along a second direction. A first touch unit in a touch layer includes a bridge and first touch electrodes. An acute angle is formed between an extending direction of the bridge and the second direction. N subpixels are sequentially arranged along a preset direction, along which first and second edges of each subpixel are oppositely disposed. D2≤L≤D1. L denotes a length of each of the at least one bridge. An orthographic projection of the bridge on a plane of the substrate overlaps M subpixels. 0≤M<(N−2).