Multi-Layer Touch Sensors for Flexible Displays
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional touch sensors with metal or ITO electrodes suffer from low lifespan due to deformation and breakage when bent, limiting their application in flexible and portable electronic devices.
Innovation Solution
A touch apparatus featuring two touch sensors arranged in separate layers on a substrate and cover plate, with projections covering distinct display regions, allowing for flexible bending without electrode breakage and facilitating efficient wire layout by overlapping wires, thereby improving lifespan and detection accuracy.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If touch electrodes are made of metal or ITO in a conventional touch sensor, then the touch sensor can detect touch operations, but the electrodes break up when bent, resulting in low lifespan
Solution Approach 1:
The touch sensor is divided into two separate sensors: a first touch sensor on the cover plate and a second touch sensor on the substrate. This segmentation allows each sensor to handle different aspects of touch detection, reducing the stress on individual electrode structures and preventing breakage during bending operations.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent transitions from a single-layer touch sensor design to a multi-layer configuration where the first and second touch sensors are arranged in different layers. This dimensional change allows wires to overlap and share the same space, reducing wire space usage and improving flexibility while preventing electrode breakage.
2Adaptability or versatility
If two touch sensors are arranged in different layers, then wire space is reduced and flexibility is improved, but the device structure becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the wire routing of the first and second touch sensors by allowing them to overlap in the same spatial region. This combining of wire paths reduces the overall wire space required and simplifies the routing complexity despite the multi-layer sensor arrangement.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent employs flexible substrate and cover plate structures that enable the multi-layer touch sensor assembly to bend without damage. The flexible thin film structures accommodate the complex multi-layer arrangement while maintaining adaptability for bending applications.
Data Source
AI summary
A touch apparatus, an electronic device, and a method for preparing the touch apparatus are provided. The touch apparatus includes: a substrate and a cover plate arranged opposite to each other, a first touch sensor, and a second touch sensor. The substrate includes a display region including a first display region and a second display region arranged in a first direction. The first touch sensor is arranged on the side of the cover plate towards the substrate. The second touch sensor is arranged on the side of the substrate towards the cover plate. The second touch sensor is arranged in a different layer from the first touch sensor. The first touch sensor has a first projection on the substrate in a second direction, which covers the first display region. The second touch sensor has a second projection on the substrate in the second direction, which covers the second display region.