Metal Mesh Touch Structure for Flexible OLED Display Visibility

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Solution Overview

Problem

The existing touch control structures in flexible OLED displays face challenges in minimizing resistance and maximizing sensitivity while maintaining low visibility of the touch control electrodes, particularly in the context of flexible folding and narrow frame requirements.

Innovation Solution

The implementation of a metal mesh touch control structure with a specific pattern of cuts in the mesh pattern units, including consecutive cuts, corner cuts, and controlled cut densities, which disconnects the metal wires to isolate and connect touch control electrodes effectively, reducing visibility and mitigating mura defects.

Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles

VSEngineering Contradiction Analysis

1Reliability

If metal mesh is used for touch control electrodes to reduce resistance and improve sensitivity, then electrical performance is improved, but visibility of the mesh pattern increases causing aesthetic issues

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvetouch control sensitivityVSAvoidmesh pattern visibility
Core Design Contradiction:
ReliabilityVSIllumination intensity

Solution Approach 1:

The metal mesh pattern is segmented by introducing cuts that divide the continuous mesh into disconnected segments. These cuts are strategically placed to maintain electrical connectivity for touch control functionality while breaking the visual continuity of the mesh pattern, thereby reducing its visibility and improving aesthetic appearance.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Different regions of the metal mesh are treated differently through selective cutting. The mesh structure is modified locally in specific areas to create discontinuities that reduce visual prominence, while preserving the electrical performance in critical touch control regions.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #3Local quality

2Illumination intensity

If cuts are introduced in mesh pattern units to reduce visibility, then aesthetic appearance is improved, but electrical connectivity may be compromised

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemesh pattern visibilityVSAvoidelectrical connectivity
Core Design Contradiction:
Illumination intensityVSReliability

Solution Approach 1:

The metal mesh is segmented into discrete sections through controlled cuts. These segments remain electrically connected through alternative pathways or overlapping structures, ensuring that connectivity is maintained while achieving visual discontinuity for reduced visibility.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Overlapping metal layers or conductive bridges act as intermediaries to maintain electrical connectivity across the cut regions. The cuts create visual gaps while the intermediary structures ensure continuous electrical pathways for touch control signal transmission.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #24Intermediary (Mediator)

3Illumination intensity

If consecutive cuts are applied to mesh pattern units, then visibility is reduced, but manufacturing complexity increases

Engineering Contradiction:
Improvemesh pattern visibilityVSAvoidcut pattern complexity
Core Design Contradiction:
Illumination intensityVSDevice complexity

Solution Approach 1:

The cutting pattern is segmented into standardized repeating units that can be systematically applied across the entire metal mesh. This modular approach to cutting reduces manufacturing complexity by providing a repeatable pattern rather than requiring custom cuts for each location.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #1Segmentation

Solution Approach 2:

Multiple cutting operations are merged into a single patterning process. The consecutive cuts are designed to be formed in one manufacturing step, combining what would otherwise be multiple separate operations into a unified process that simplifies manufacturing.

Inventive Principle:
Principle #5Merging (Combining)

Data Source

PatentEP3992763B1Display panel, touch structure and display device
Publication Date: 2024.11.06 BOE TECHNOLOGY GROUP CO LTD
  • EP3992763B1 patent drawingFigure 1
  • EP3992763B1 patent drawingFigure 2-1~3
  • EP3992763B1 patent drawingFigure 4~6

AI summary

A display panel, a touch control structure and a display device are provided. The display panel includes a touch control structure layer including a plurality of mesh pattern units which are polygons formed by metal wires. The touch control structure layer includes a bridge layer, an insulating layer and a touch control layer. The touch control layer includes a plurality of first touch control electrodes and first connecting parts arranged along a first extending direction and a plurality of second touch control electrodes arranged along a second extending direction. The plurality of first touch control electrodes and first connecting parts are alternately arranged and serially coupled, and the second touch control electrodes are arranged at intervals. The bridge layer includes a plurality of connecting bridges and each of the connecting bridges includes bonding pad parts and second connecting wires, the bonding pad parts are configured to be coupled with adjacent second touch control electrodes through via holes on the insulating layer and the second connecting wires are configured to be coupled with the bonding pad parts. The touch control structure layer includes a Bridge region and the touch control layer of the Bridge region further includes a plurality of first connecting wires, whose orthographic projections on the substrate are basically overlapped with the orthographic projections of the second connecting wires on the substrate.