Touch Substrate Metal Mesh Electrodes Surface Resistance
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Solution Overview
Problem
Traditional one glass solution capacitive touch screens using indium tin oxide (ITO) films for driving and sensing electrodes have high surface resistance, leading to high power consumption and increased manufacturing costs, making them unsuitable for large-size screens and resource-intensive.
Innovation Solution
The use of metal conductors like aluminum, copper, or molybdenum for driving and sensing electrodes, with light transmissive regions to reduce surface resistance and power consumption, allowing for normal touch and display functionality while minimizing production costs.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Use of energy by stationary object
If indium tin oxide (ITO) films are used for driving and sensing electrodes, then the touch screen can be manufactured with transparent electrodes, but the surface resistance is high leading to high power consumption and increased manufacturing costs
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a composite electrode structure combining ITO layer and metal mesh layer. The ITO layer provides transparency and basic conductivity, while the metal mesh layer provides low resistance pathways. This composite structure achieves both low power consumption and low surface resistance by leveraging the complementary properties of the two materials.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent applies different materials with different properties to different regions/levels of the electrode structure. The ITO layer is applied as a thin transparent coating, while the metal mesh is applied as an overlay pattern. This local differentiation allows the system to optimize for both transparency (ITO) and conductivity (metal mesh) in the same electrode assembly.
2Ease of manufacture
If indium tin oxide (ITO) films are used for driving and sensing electrodes, then the touch screen can be manufactured with transparent electrodes, but the manufacturing cost increases due to resource intensity
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines expensive ITO material with cheaper metal mesh material to create a cost-effective electrode structure. The ITO layer is used only where transparency is critical, while the metal mesh provides the bulk of the conductive function at lower cost, thereby reducing overall manufacturing costs while maintaining transparency requirements.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent replaces portions of the expensive ITO material with cheaper metal mesh material. The metal mesh serves as a cost-effective alternative that provides the necessary electrical conductivity without the high material costs associated with pure ITO electrodes, thereby reducing manufacturing expenses.
3Reliability
If metal conductors are used for driving and sensing electrodes, then surface resistance and power consumption decrease, but the transmittance may be affected
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses a metal mesh pattern rather than solid metal electrodes. The mesh structure provides conductive pathways while leaving gaps that allow light transmission. This local differentiation between conductive regions (metal mesh) and transparent regions (gaps) enables simultaneous achievement of low surface resistance and high transmittance.
Solution Approach 2:
The metal mesh electrode functions as a porous/conductive structure where the gaps between mesh elements allow light to pass through while the metal portions provide electrical conductivity. This porous-like structure enables the electrode to simultaneously achieve low resistance and high optical transmittance.
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
The implementation of metal conductors with light transmissive regions in touch substrates decreases surface resistance and power consumption, enabling efficient and cost-effective touch screen operation with minimal impact on transmittance, allowing for normal display functionality.
Implementation Method 1
The use of metal conductors like aluminum, copper, or molybdenum for driving and sensing electrodes, with light transmissive regions to reduce surface resistance
Implementation Method 2
providing a light transmissive region in each of the driving electrodes and/or the sensing electrodes made of metal conductor
Data Source
AI summary
A touch substrate includes a base substrate and at least one driving electrode chain and at least one sensing electrode chain each of which is arranged parallel to each other on the base substrate. Each driving electrode chain includes a plurality of driving electrodes which are connected in series, and each sensing electrode chain includes a plurality of sensing electrodes which are connected in series. The driving electrodes and/or the sensing electrodes are made of a metal conductor, and a plurality of light transmissive regions are provided in each of the driving electrodes and/or the sensing electrodes made of the metal conductor. The touch substrate can be touched and controlled normally and can transmit light normally, while the surface resistance of each of the driving electrodes and/or the sensing electrodes therein is decreased greatly. Thus, the power consumption and production cost of the touch substrate is further decreased.