Touch Sensor Conductive Mesh With Obtuse-Angle Wire Intersections
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Solution Overview
Problem
Conductive sheets used in touch sensors, such as those with thin metal wire meshes, face issues where intersections of metal wires at acute angles cause bleeding of conductive ink or incomplete etching, leading to increased visibility and potential gaps in the metal wires.
Innovation Solution
The conductive sheet design includes thin metal wires with bent wires at intersections forming obtuse angles, ensuring uniform wire lengths and patterns, reducing visibility by minimizing metal areas at intersections and maintaining consistent density across the mesh.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Ease of manufacture
If thin metal wires intersect at acute angles in a mesh pattern, then the mesh can be formed with simple geometry, but conductive ink bleeds at intersections or etching solution cannot fully reach intersections, increasing wire areas and visibility
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by changing the intersection geometry from acute angles to obtuse angles (greater than 90 degrees). This asymmetric angular design prevents conductive ink bleeding and etching solution penetration issues that occur with acute angle intersections, thereby improving manufacturing precision while maintaining ease of manufacture through the consistent obtuse angle pattern throughout the mesh structure
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the geometric parameter of intersection angles from acute to obtuse (greater than 90 degrees). This parameter change fundamentally resolves the manufacturing defects at intersections, as the obtuse angle geometry prevents capillary action of conductive ink and allows complete penetration of etching solution, thereby improving patterning accuracy without complicating the manufacturing process
2Illumination intensity
If thin metal wires are used to create a mesh pattern, then the conductive sheet maintains transparency, but the metal wires become visible and affect appearance
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies local quality by uniformly increasing the intersection angles to obtuse angles throughout the mesh pattern. This localized geometric modification at each intersection reduces the effective metal area and minimizes light scattering, thereby reducing metal wire visibility while preserving the overall transparency of the conductive sheet
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the geometric parameter of intersection angles to obtuse angles, which reduces the projected metal area at intersections. This parameter change decreases light scattering and reflection from the metal wires, thereby reducing visibility while maintaining the transparent substrate's illumination properties
3Device complexity
If conventional mesh patterns are used with acute angle intersections, then manufacturing processes are simple, but the pattern density is non-uniform and wires are more visible
Solution Approach 1:
The patent applies asymmetry by using obtuse angles (greater than 90 degrees) at all intersections instead of acute angles. This asymmetric angular design creates more uniform spacing between wire segments, resulting in uniform pattern density across the entire mesh while maintaining simple manufacturing processes through consistent angular geometry
Solution Approach 2:
The patent changes the intersection angle parameter to obtuse angles, which uniformly increases the spacing between adjacent wire segments throughout the mesh. This parameter change creates consistent pattern density across the entire structure, improving manufacturing precision without increasing process complexity
Data Source
AI summary
A conductive sheet includes less visible thin metal wires. The conductive sheet includes a transparent substrate and a first conductive pattern on a first surface of the transparent substrate. The first conductive pattern includes multiple first thin metal wires extending in a first direction and arranged in a second direction. The first conductive pattern includes multiple second thin metal wires extending in the second direction and arranged in the first direction. The first thin metal wires extending in the first direction and the second thin metal wires extending in the second direction commonly include first bent wires at their intersections. The first thin metal wires and the second thin metal wires form first obtuse angles. The first bent wires connect first obtuse angles. The conductive sheet is incorporated in a touch sensor and a method of manufacturing the touch sensor.