Touch Sensor Electrode Gap Design for Flexible Display Force Sensing
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing flexible organic light emitting display devices with touch force sensing capabilities face challenges in accurately detecting touch force due to environmental changes and maintaining thin, flexible designs while ensuring reliable performance and heat dissipation.
Innovation Solution
A flexible display device with a touch force sensing system that includes a resistive layer and electrodes separated by a gap, where the electrodes are spaced apart to vary contact area with the resistive layer based on touch force, and a heat-sink layer for thermal management, allowing for accurate force detection and maintaining flexibility and thinness.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Measurement precision
If electrodes are placed close to the resistive layer to improve touch force sensitivity, then measurement precision improves, but reliability deteriorates due to inability to accommodate impacts and environmental changes
Solution Approach 1:
The patent introduces a gap between the electrodes and the resistive layer as an intermediary space that accommodates environmental changes and impacts. This gap acts as a buffer zone that prevents direct contact between the electrodes and resistive layer under normal conditions, thereby maintaining measurement precision while improving reliability by absorbing mechanical stresses and thermal expansions.
2Reliability
If a gap is introduced between electrodes and resistive layer to accommodate impacts and improve reliability, then reliability improves, but measurement precision deteriorates due to reduced contact area
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs a dynamic design where the gap between electrodes and resistive layer is maintained under normal conditions to ensure reliability, but the system is designed to allow controlled contact when touch force is applied. The electrodes are positioned such that they can make contact with the resistive layer when sufficient force is applied, enabling accurate touch force measurement while maintaining structural integrity and reliability during non-touch states.
3Ease of operation
If the display device is made thin and flexible to improve portability and form factor, then ease of operation improves, but heat dissipation capability deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The patent utilizes flexible substrate materials and thin-film structures to achieve a thin and flexible display device. The flexible nature of the substrate allows the device to be bent and folded while maintaining structural integrity. Additionally, the thin-film design incorporates thermal management features that facilitate heat dissipation despite the reduced thickness, balancing flexibility with thermal performance.
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 precise touch force sensing and improved reliability by compensating for resistance changes due to temperature and accommodating impacts, while maintaining a thin and flexible form factor with effective heat dissipation.
Implementation Method 1
a resistive layer and electrodes separated by a gap, where the electrodes are spaced apart to vary contact area with the resistive layer based on touch force
Implementation Method 2
a heat-sink layer for thermal management, allowing for accurate force detection and maintaining flexibility and thinness
Data Source
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AI summary
Provided is a touch force sensing device (300). The touch force sensing device (300) comprises a first substrate, a resistor (340) on one surface of the first substrate, a second substrate facing the first substrate, a driving electrode disposed on a surface of the second substrate facing the first substrate and spaced from the resistor (340) and a sensing electrode disposed on the same surface as the driving electrode and electrically connected to the driving electrode through the resistor (340) by an external touch input.