Integrated Polarizer with Anisotropic Carbon Nanotube Touch Sensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional liquid crystal display modules with touch sensing capabilities face increased thickness and manufacturing complexity due to separate production and assembly of touch panels and polarizers, leading to higher production costs.
Innovation Solution
An integrated polarizer structure with a transparent conductive layer and driving-sensing electrodes, utilizing a carbon nanotube film with anisotropic impedance properties, allows for touch sensing and light polarization, enabling a single, freely installable and disassemblable module that simplifies manufacturing and reduces thickness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If a touch panel is attached to the top surface of the second polarizer, then touch sensing capability is added, but the thickness of the electronic apparatus increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the touch panel and the second polarizer into a single integrated structure. The transparent conductive layer with driving-sensing electrodes is formed directly on the second polarizer, eliminating the need for a separate touch panel attachment. This merging reduces the overall thickness while maintaining both polarization and touch sensing functions.
Solution Approach 2:
The second polarizer is designed to serve dual functions: optical polarization and touch sensing. By integrating the transparent conductive layer and driving-sensing electrodes onto the polarizer substrate, it becomes a multi-functional component that replaces both the traditional polarizer and touch panel, thereby reducing thickness and component count.
2Ease of manufacture
If the touch panel and second polarizer are individually manufactured and assembled, then manufacturing flexibility is maintained, but the manufacturing process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The touch panel and second polarizer are manufactured as a single integrated component rather than separate parts. The transparent conductive layer and electrodes are formed directly on the polarizer substrate in the same manufacturing process, eliminating the need for separate assembly steps and reducing process complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
The driving-sensing electrodes and transparent conductive layer are prepared in advance as part of the polarizer manufacturing process. This preliminary integration means that when the polarizer is assembled into the display device, the touch sensing functionality is already built-in, eliminating the need for subsequent touch panel assembly operations.
3Ease of manufacture
If the touch panel and second polarizer are individually manufactured and assembled, then component independence is maintained, but production cost increases
Solution Approach 1:
By integrating the touch panel and second polarizer into one component, the patent reduces the total number of parts that need to be manufactured, stored, and assembled. This consolidation reduces material waste, lowers inventory costs, and decreases assembly labor, ultimately reducing production costs despite maintaining functional independence through the multi-functional design.
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 provides a cost-effective and thinner LCD module with enhanced touch sensing accuracy and simplified manufacturing, leveraging the anisotropic impedance of carbon nanotube films to determine touch locations with high precision without complex driving methods or calculations.
Implementation Method 1
utilizing a carbon nanotube film with anisotropic impedance properties, allows for touch sensing and light polarization
Implementation Method 2
A conventional polarizing layer is made by using a transparent polymer film (e.g., PVA film) to absorb the dichroism material
Implementation Method 3
the liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer between the first alignment layer and the second alignment layer align along a same direction to make the light beams polarized by the first polarizer irradiate on the second polarizer directly without rotation
Data Source
AI summary
A liquid crystal display module includes a liquid crystal module and a polarizer stacked with each other. The polarizer includes a polarizing layer, a transparent conductive layer and a number of driving-sensing electrodes. The polarizing layer and the transparent conductive layer stacked with each other. The transparent conductive layer is an anisotropic impedance layer having a relatively low impedance direction. An electrical conductivity of the anisotropic impedance layer on the relatively low impedance direction is greater than electrical conductivities of the anisotropic impedance layer on other directions. The number of driving-sensing electrodes are spaced from each other and arranged in a row along a direction substantially perpendicular to the relatively low impedance direction and electrically connected with the transparent conductive layer.