OLED Touch Display Infrared Light Emitter Spacer Design
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing organic light emitting displays lack the capability to integrate a touch screen function while maintaining their fast response speed and low power consumption, which is essential for user input convenience.
Innovation Solution
The integration of a transparent substrate with thin film transistors, anode and cathode electrode layers, red, green, blue, and infrared light emitting layers, a spacer for exposing a partial region of the infrared light emitting layer, and infrared sensors or cameras to detect touch inputs, allowing for simultaneous image display and touch screen functionality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If a touch screen function is integrated into an organic light emitting display, then user input convenience is improved, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the display function and touch sensing function into a single integrated structure. The infrared light emitting layer serves dual purposes: it enables touch detection by emitting infrared light that reflects off the user's finger, and it maintains the display function by being part of the OLED structure. The spacer and cathode electrode layer are designed to expose a partial region of the infrared light emitting layer, allowing infrared light to pass through to the sensor substrate while maintaining the display's visual output.
Solution Approach 2:
The infrared light emitting layer is designed to perform multiple functions simultaneously. It serves as both a display element (emitting visible light for image display) and a touch sensing element (emitting infrared light for touch detection). The spacer structure with widened width from bottom to top creates an exposed region that allows the infrared light to reach the sensor substrate, enabling the same structural component to facilitate both display and touch functions.
2Measurement precision
If infrared light emitting layers and sensors are added to enable touch function, then touch detection capability is improved, but manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent segments the light emitting structure into distinct functional layers: red, green, blue, and infrared light emitting layers are formed on adjacent anode electrode layers. The spacer is also segmented to create a specific exposure pattern. This segmentation allows each layer to be optimized for its specific function while maintaining compatibility with standard OLED manufacturing processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The spacer is designed with a specific geometric feature where its width is widened as it approaches from the bottom to top, creating a reverse trapezoid shape. This dimensional change creates an exposed region of the infrared light emitting layer between the spacer and cathode electrode layer, allowing infrared light to pass through to the sensor substrate without requiring complex additional structures.
3Use of energy by moving object
If the spacer width is widened from bottom to top to expose infrared light emitting layer, then infrared light transmission is improved, but structural complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The spacer is designed with an asymmetric geometry where its width is not uniform but rather widened as it approaches from the bottom to top, forming a reverse trapezoid shape. This asymmetric design creates an exposed region that allows infrared light to pass through to the sensor substrate while maintaining structural integrity and simplicity in the manufacturing process.
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
Enables the organic light emitting display to provide both image display and touch screen functionality, enhancing user input convenience while maintaining low power consumption and fast response speed, with precise touch detection through infrared light emission and sensing.
Implementation Method 1
The organic light emitting display displays images using an organic light emitting diode (OLED) that emit light through recombination of electrons and holes
Implementation Method 2
a sensor substrate formed above the sealing substrate; and a plurality of infrared sensors formed on an inner surface of the sensor substrate, corresponding to the respective infrared light emitting layers
Data Source
AI summary
An organic light emitting display having a touch screen function that includes a transparent substrate and a plurality of thin film transistors formed on the transparent substrate is disclosed. An anode electrode layer is formed above each of the plurality of thin film transistors to be connected to the thin film transistor. Red, green, blue and infrared light emitting layers are formed on adjacent anode electrode layers, respectively. A spacer is formed on the infrared light emitting layer, and the width of the spacer is widened as it approaches from the bottom to top of the spacer. A cathode electrode layer is stacked on the light emitting layers and the spacer. A sealing substrate is positioned above the cathode electrode layer. Accordingly, the organic light emitting display provides an image display function and a touch screen function at the same time.