Metal-Mesh Touch Electrode Routing for Reduced Display Borders
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing touch sensor panels face challenges in efficiently routing electrodes and traces within the active area while maintaining transparency and reducing the border region, which affects the overall design and functionality.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of metal mesh touch electrodes with routing traces in both border and active areas, where some electrodes are shaved down to create offsets, and electrodes are formed in separate metal mesh layers to accommodate routing within the active area.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If routing traces are placed in the border region, then electrode routing is simplified, but the border region size increases reducing the active area
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a third dimension by routing traces through the substrate thickness (vertical dimension) rather than only within the planar border region. This allows routing traces to extend from the first surface through the substrate to the second surface, effectively utilizing the depth dimension to reduce the horizontal border region area while maintaining routing functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent segments the routing path into multiple sections: traces in the border region, traces extending through the substrate thickness, and traces in the active area. This segmentation allows different routing strategies in different regions, optimizing both manufacturing simplicity and active area utilization.
2Area of stationary object
If routing traces are placed in the active area, then the border region is reduced, but electrode routing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
By utilizing the vertical dimension (substrate thickness) for routing traces, the patent can place routing traces in the active area without increasing planar complexity. The traces extend through the substrate thickness, providing a three-dimensional routing solution that reduces border region area while managing routing complexity through vertical separation.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent embeds routing traces within the substrate structure itself, nesting the routing function within the existing device architecture. The substrate acts as a host for both the display structure and the routing traces, with traces embedded within or on the substrate surfaces.
3Illumination intensity
If transparent conductive materials are used for touch electrodes, then transparency is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs transparent conductive materials (such as ITO, IZO, or TCO) as the conductive layer for touch electrodes. These composite materials provide both transparency and electrical conductivity, combining optical and electrical properties in a single layer to achieve the required functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent optimizes the thickness and composition parameters of the transparent conductive layer to balance transparency and conductivity. By adjusting these parameters, the manufacturing process becomes more controllable while maintaining the required optical and electrical performance.
Data Source
AI summary
Touch sensor panels/screens can include metal mesh touch electrodes and routing in the active area. In some examples, the touch sensor panel/screen can include row electrodes and column electrodes disposed over the active area of the display. In some examples, the routing traces for the row electrodes and/or column electrodes can be disposed in a border region and some of the routing traces for the row electrodes and/or column electrodes can be disposed in the active area. In some examples, some row electrodes can be shaved down to create an offset from the edge of the active area to accommodate routing traces in the active area. In some examples, the row electrodes can be formed in a first metal mesh layer and some routing traces in the active area can be formed in a second metal mesh layer, different from the first metal mesh layer.