Rear-Mounted Touch Sensor for Avionics Displays
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Solution Overview
Problem
Large format avionics display systems face challenges in implementing touchscreen functionality due to the need for customized designs, potential contamination risks, and adverse effects on image quality when touch sensors are optically bonded to the front surface, as well as increased packaging costs and complexity from border areas required for digital resistive touch sensors.
Innovation Solution
An emissive display unit with a sensor substrate attached to the rear surface, featuring touch sensors that detect pressure contacts on the front surface, coupled with touchscreen drive electronics via interconnect traces, and metallic layers for heat dispersion, allowing for flexible and curved substrates and reduced border areas.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of operation
If touch sensors are optically bonded to the front surface of the display, then touchscreen functionality is achieved, but image quality deteriorates due to reflectance and luminance issues
Solution Approach 1:
The patent moves the touch sensor assembly from the front surface (2D plane) to the rear surface of the display, utilizing the third dimension (depth) to resolve the conflict between touchscreen functionality and image quality. This spatial repositioning eliminates optical interference while preserving touch detection capability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces an intermediary optical bonding layer that couples the touch sensor substrate to the rear surface of the display. This intermediary structure enables mechanical coupling and electrical connectivity while maintaining optical isolation, allowing touch functionality without compromising front surface image quality.
2Ease of operation
If touch sensors are bonded to the front surface of the display, then touchscreen functionality is achieved, but contamination risk increases due to foreign materials or defects
Solution Approach 1:
The patent inverts the conventional approach by bonding touch sensors to the rear surface instead of the front surface. This inversion fundamentally changes the contamination exposure profile, protecting the bonding interface from environmental contaminants while maintaining operational functionality.
3Ease of operation
If digital resistive touch sensors are used with border areas for connecting touch matrix to display drive electronics, then touchscreen functionality is achieved, but packaging complexity and cost increase
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes the rear surface dimension to route interconnect traces, eliminating the need for front surface border areas. This spatial reorganization allows compact packaging while maintaining electrical connectivity between touch sensors and drive electronics.
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 retrofittable touchscreen functionality with improved image quality and reduced packaging complexity, suitable for smaller cockpits, by decoupling touch sensors from the front surface and utilizing flexible substrates with efficient heat management.
Implementation Method 1
The front or rear surfaces of the sensor substrate may include metallic layers configured to disperse heat from the display substrate
Data Source
AI summary
An emissive display unit for an avionics display system installable in an aircraft cockpit may incorporate a display substrate housing emissive devices and a sensor substrate bonded to the rear surface of the display substrate. The sensor substrate may include a network of touch sensors configured to receive touch commands applied to the front surface of the display substrate. The touch sensors of the sensor substrate may be connected to drive electronics via a network of interconnect traces routed behind the rear surface of the emissive display unit (i.e., the rear surface of the sensor substrate). The drive electronics may then display images on the front surface of the display substrate via the emissive devices, based on touch commands received through the touch sensors. The front or rear surface of the sensor substrate may include a fully or partially metallized layer to disperse heat from the emissive display unit.