Thin Touch Panel Integrated Substrate Eliminates Optical Adhesive
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional capacitive touch panels require multiple materials and complex assembly processes, leading to increased material consumption, higher costs, and thicker products due to the use of glass substrates and optical adhesives, which are difficult to rework and waste when not properly assembled.
Innovation Solution
A thin touch panel design where a transparent substrate has a black bordering and metal connecting structures formed directly on its inner surface, eliminating the need for a separate glass substrate and optical adhesive, with a transparent sensing layer and insulators to enable touch functionality while reducing material usage and thickness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If glass substrate and cover lens are used separately and assembled with optical adhesive, then touch panel functionality is achieved, but material consumption increases and manufacturing complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the cover lens and glass substrate into a single integrated transparent substrate. The black pattern is directly formed on the inner surface of this unified substrate, eliminating the need for separate glass substrate and optical adhesive materials, thus reducing material consumption while maintaining touch panel functionality.
Solution Approach 2:
The transparent substrate serves multiple functions simultaneously: it acts as both the cover lens and the glass substrate, and its inner surface serves as the bonding interface that previously required optical adhesive. This multi-functionality reduces the number of components and material usage.
2Reliability
If glass substrate and cover lens are assembled with optical adhesive, then touch panel is manufactured, but manufacturing process becomes complicated and time-consuming
Solution Approach 1:
By integrating the cover lens and glass substrate into one piece, the patent eliminates the assembly step requiring optical adhesive application and bonding. This merging of components simplifies the manufacturing process and reduces production time.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts and eliminates the optical adhesive from the manufacturing process. By forming the black pattern directly on the integrated substrate, the complex adhesive application and bonding steps are removed entirely.
3Reliability
If glass substrate and cover lens are assembled with optical adhesive, then touch panel is completed, but total height increases and thinning requirement cannot be met
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the cover lens and glass substrate into a single integrated transparent substrate, eliminating the intermediate adhesive layer. This merging reduces the total height of the touch panel structure, enabling thinner product designs.
4Reliability
If optical adhesive is used for bonding, then cover lens and glass substrate are connected, but cost increases and reworkability decreases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent extracts and eliminates the optical adhesive from the bonding process. By directly forming the black pattern on the inner surface of the integrated substrate, the need for expensive optical adhesive and complex bonding processes is removed, reducing manufacturing cost and improving reworkability.
Data Source
AI summary
A thin touch panel includes a transparent substrate with a black bordering around the inner surface of the transparent substrate. A plurality of metal connecting structures, metal guiding lines, transparent insulating structures and a transparent sensing layer are formed on the inner surface, so that the transparent substrate not only provides a touch surface, but also has the touch sensing ability, to decrease the manufacture material and increase the transmittance of the touch panel. Besides, the manufacture of the thin touch panel may not use any optical adhesive to decrease the manufacture cost and improve the yield. Further, the thin touch panel may satisfy the trend of thin design.