TFT Substrate Data Lines as Touch Driving Electrodes
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional touch display panels with mutual capacitive touch sensing structures have separate layers for touch driving and sensing electrodes, which increases the overall thickness of the panel.
Innovation Solution
The TFT substrate integrates touch driving and sensing electrodes within the same layers, utilizing a multilayer structure with conductive layers and insulating materials to enable efficient signal transmission and sensing without additional electrodes, allowing for a reduced thickness by sharing components between display and touch functions.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If separate layers are used for touch driving electrodes and touch sensing electrodes, then touch sensing functionality is achieved, but the overall thickness of the touch display panel increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the touch driving electrode layer and touch sensing electrode layer into a single integrated structure. The data lines serve dual functions as both touch driving electrodes and signal transmission lines, while the common electrodes serve as touch sensing electrodes. This consolidation eliminates the need for separate dedicated touch electrode layers, thereby reducing overall panel thickness while maintaining complete touch sensing functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent implements multi-functionality by making the data lines serve both as display signal transmission lines and as touch driving electrodes. Similarly, the common electrodes function both as display common electrodes and as touch sensing electrodes. This universal usage of existing layers for multiple purposes eliminates redundant structures and reduces thickness without compromising either display or touch performance.
2Reliability
If additional touch electrodes are added to achieve touch sensing, then touch functionality is enabled, but device complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the display driving electrode structure with the touch sensing electrode structure. The data lines and common electrodes that already exist for display functionality are integrated to perform touch sensing functions, eliminating the need for additional separate touch electrode layers and reducing overall device complexity.
Solution Approach 2:
Existing display components are made multi-functional: data lines serve both display signal transmission and touch driving functions, while common electrodes serve both display common electrode functions and touch sensing functions. This universal application reduces the total number of components and simplifies the overall device architecture.
Data Source
AI summary
A TFT substrate for a touch display panel of reduced thickness defines a display area and a surrounding non-display area. The TFT substrate includes a first conductive layer on the substrate and a second conductive layer on the first conductive layer. In the display area, the first conductive layer includes data lines and the second conductive layer includes common electrodes. Each common electrode extends as a strip along a first direction. Each data line extends along a second direction. The first direction intersects the second direction. Each data line crosses the common electrodes. Each data line functions as a touch driving electrode and each common electrode functions as a touch sensing electrode.