Meshed Conductive Layer Tilt Angle for Capacitive Touch Visibility

Resolve Bottlenecks,
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions

Solution Overview

Problem

Capacitive touch panels with meshed metallic layers experience uneven shading due to variability in dividing section areas and line widths, leading to reduced visibility when integrated with display devices, as the metallic lines intersect at different angles and widths, causing moire and uneven etching effects.

Innovation Solution

The input device features a meshed conductive layer with conductive lines tilted at angles other than horizontal, vertical, or diagonal 45° directions, with dividing sections formed to avoid overlapping intersections, ensuring uniform line widths and minimal area traversal, thereby suppressing uneven shading and enhancing visibility.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If meshed metallic layers are used to reduce electrode resistance, then electrical conductivity is improved, but uneven shading and visibility are worsened due to variability in dividing section areas and line widths

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveelectrical conductivityVSAvoiduniformity of line widths and dividing sections

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSManufacturing precision

Solution Approach 1:

The patent changes the geometric parameters of the meshed conductive layer by tilting conductive lines at specific angles (other than horizontal, vertical, or 45° diagonal) relative to the pixel array. This parameter change ensures that dividing sections between adjacent meshed electrodes have more uniform areas and that line widths remain consistent, thereby reducing uneven shading while maintaining low electrical resistance

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent introduces asymmetry in the orientation of conductive lines by tilting them at angles that are not symmetric with respect to the pixel array (avoiding horizontal, vertical, and 45° diagonal directions). This asymmetric orientation prevents moire patterns and ensures uniform dividing section areas, resolving the contradiction between conductivity and manufacturing precision

Inventive Principle:

Principle #4Asymmetry

2Manufacturing precision

If conductive lines are tilted at angles other than horizontal, vertical, or diagonal 45° directions, then uneven shading is reduced, but device complexity increases due to more complex patterning requirements

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveuniformity of dividing sectionsVSAvoidpatterning complexity

Core Design Contradiction:

Manufacturing precisionVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

Instead of using complex multi-layer patterning processes, the patent achieves uniform dividing sections by changing the tilt angle parameter of single-layer conductive lines. This approach simplifies the manufacturing process while maintaining high uniformity in dividing section areas and line widths

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

3Reliability

If metallic lines intersect at different angles and widths, then conductivity is improved, but moire and uneven etching effects worsen visibility

Engineering Contradiction:

Improveelectrical conductivityVSAvoidmoire and uneven etching effects

Core Design Contradiction:

ReliabilityVSObject-affected harmful factors

Solution Approach 1:

The patent controls the intersection angles of metallic lines by tilting them at specific angles relative to the pixel array. This parameter control prevents moire effects and ensures uniform etching behavior, eliminating the harmful effects while maintaining the low-resistance conductive network

Inventive Principle:

Principle #35Parameter changes

Solution Approach 2:

The patent converts the potential harm of line intersections into a benefit by carefully selecting tilt angles that prevent overlapping intersections. This ensures that all dividing sections have uniform areas and that etching produces consistent line widths, transforming what could be a source of uneven shading into a means of achieving uniformity

Inventive Principle:

Principle #22Blessing in disguise (Convert harm into benefit)

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

This configuration effectively reduces variability in dividing sections and shading issues, improving the visibility of images on display surfaces by ensuring uniformity and consistency in the patterned meshed conductive layers of the touch operation surface.

Implementation Method 1

capacitive touch panels...configured to detect a change in capacitance corresponding to a touch operation or proximity operation, with a finger of an operator between adjacent electrodes

Methodology Applied

Scientific EffectCapacitance: Capacitance

Data Source

PatentUS9811221B2Input device, method of manufacturing the same, and electronic information equipment

Publication Date: 2017.11.07 WACOM CO LTD

AI summary

An input device having a row electrode and a column electrode made by patterning a meshed metallic layer by forming a dividing section on a metallic line constituting the meshed metallic layer can suppress variability in areas of individual dividing sections formed on the metallic lines, whereby uneven shading due to the patterned, meshed conductive layer is suppressed from appearing on a touch operation surface.In the input device having the row electrode and the column electrode made by patterning the meshed metallic layer by forming the dividing section on the metallic line constituting the meshed metallic layer, a mesh side section intersecting with an ideal contour Sp2 of the column electrode (meshed electrode) corresponding to one side of a mesh in the metallic line Mw2 is divided by a dividing section Rs that does not overlap with an intersection Mcp of the metallic lines to form an actual contour of the column electrode.