PCAP Touchscreen Floating Islands for Optical Uniformity
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Solution Overview
Problem
Commercial touchscreens often exhibit optical discontinuities due to variations in the placement of transparent conductive electrodes, making it difficult to maintain a uniform appearance and affecting the perception of the touchscreen's optical performance, especially when manufactured in lower quantities using screen printing processes.
Innovation Solution
The use of floating transparent conductive islands between electrode layers in touchscreen designs helps to minimize optical discontinuities by filling gaps and creating a uniform layer of transparent conductive material, while edge correction techniques adjust mutual capacitances to ensure uniform electrostatic fields, thereby improving both optical and electronic performance.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Adaptability or versatility
If screen printing processes are used to manufacture touchscreens, then manufacturing flexibility and adaptability are improved, but optical discontinuities and placement variations increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces floating transparent conductive islands specifically at locations where optical discontinuities are likely to occur, such as between adjacent electrodes. This local addition of conductive material compensates for placement variations without requiring changes to the overall screen printing process, thereby maintaining manufacturing flexibility while improving optical uniformity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent modifies the electrical parameters of the touchscreen by adding floating conductive islands that alter the capacitance distribution. These islands change the local electrical field characteristics to compensate for placement variations, improving optical appearance without affecting the screen printing manufacturing process.
2Reliability
If transparent conductive electrodes are placed to enable touch detection, then touchscreen functionality is improved, but optical discontinuities and visibility of electrode layers increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces floating transparent conductive islands as intermediary elements between the main electrode layers. These islands act as mediators that fill optical gaps and create a more uniform appearance while maintaining the electrical functionality of the touch detection system.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent creates a composite structure by combining the main transparent conductive electrodes with additional floating transparent conductive islands. This composite approach maintains the electrical functionality while improving the optical appearance by creating a more uniform distribution of transparent conductive material.
3Reliability
If multiple layers of transparent conductive material are used, then electrode functionality and touch detection are improved, but optical discontinuities and layer visibility increase
Solution Approach 1:
Rather than uniformly increasing material throughout the device, the patent applies floating transparent conductive islands only in specific locations where optical discontinuities occur. This localized approach maintains electrode functionality while minimizing the addition of complex material layers.
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 approach results in touchscreens with improved optical performance, where optical discontinuities are minimized, and electrostatic fields are uniformly distributed, enhancing the user experience and manufacturing compatibility with screen printing processes.
Implementation Method 1
The touchscreen system detects a presence and/or a location of a touch from an operator... Transferred electrical charges or currents due to mutual capacitance(s) between the driven electrode and the one or more orthogonal electrodes are measured
Implementation Method 2
The use of floating transparent conductive islands between electrode layers in touchscreen designs helps to minimize optical discontinuities by filling gaps and creating a uniform layer of transparent conductive material
Implementation Method 3
edge correction techniques adjust mutual capacitances to ensure uniform electrostatic fields, thereby improving both optical and electronic performance
Data Source
AI summary
Various configurations and arrangements for touchscreens are disclosed to accommodate for one or more optical discontinuities that can be present within these touchscreens. When the one or more optical discontinuities are present, these configurations and arrangements of the touchscreens present a single layer of transparent conductive material that can be difficult to perceive by a human eye when viewing the touchscreens. Additionally, various edge correction techniques are disclosed to adjust mutual capacitances along a perimeter of the touchscreens. These edge correction techniques adjust mutual capacitances such that the values of the mutual capacitances are substantially uniform throughout.