Transparent Conductor Assembly with Thin Tracks for Moiré Reduction
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Solution Overview
Problem
Existing transparent conductor assemblies are either not optically transparent enough or too visible to the unaided eye, and they suffer from issues like Moiré effects and specular reflection, compromising their versatility and appearance.
Innovation Solution
A conductor assembly with tracks less than 10 µm wide, spaced less than 200 µm apart, and intersecting at dielectric-insulated points, featuring non-straight tracks and uniform material distribution to minimize visibility and enhance optical homogeneity.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If metal mesh tracks are made wider and thicker to improve conductivity, then electrical conductivity is improved, but the tracks become more visible to the unaided eye and transparency is compromised
Solution Approach 1:
The conductor assembly is divided into multiple sets of tracks (first set, second set, third set) with different orientations and spacing. This segmentation allows the electrical conductivity function to be distributed across many thin tracks rather than relying on fewer thick tracks, thereby maintaining conductivity while reducing individual track visibility and overall optical absorption.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces a third dimension of track orientation by incorporating tracks in three different directions (first set in first direction, second set in second direction, third set in third direction). This multi-directional arrangement improves electrical conductivity in multiple axes while keeping individual tracks thin and spaced apart, reducing visibility from any single viewing angle.
2Ease of manufacture
If regular pattern of tracks is used to simplify manufacturing, then ease of manufacture is improved, but Moiré effects occur when placed over display with regular pixel pattern
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs asymmetric spacing between tracks in different sets. The distance between adjacent tracks of the same set differs from the distance between tracks of different sets. This asymmetric arrangement breaks the regular periodicity that causes Moiré effects while still allowing for systematic manufacturing processes.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent introduces non-straight, curved track paths instead of purely linear arrangements. This curvature disrupts the regular geometric pattern that interacts with display pixel patterns to create Moiré effects, while the tracks maintain their conducting function and can still be manufactured using standardized processes.
3Illumination intensity
If tracks are spaced farther apart to maintain transparency, then optical transparency is improved, but conductivity is reduced
Solution Approach 1:
The conductor assembly uses multiple sets of tracks spaced at different intervals and orientations. While individual track spacing is optimized for transparency, the combined effect of multiple track sets in different directions provides sufficient electrical conductivity pathways without requiring any single set to be densely spaced, thus maintaining overall optical transparency.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent combines multiple track sets with different materials or material configurations (first set, second set, third set) to achieve a composite conducting structure. This composite approach allows optimization of each set for specific functions (transparency vs. conductivity) while the combination provides both properties simultaneously at the assembly level.
4Object-generated harmful factors
If black coating is applied to reduce metal track reflection, then reflectivity is reduced, but conductivity may be reduced and process complexity increases
Solution Approach 1:
The patent uses optically absorbing materials for the tracks themselves, which inherently reduce reflection without requiring separate black coating layers. The track materials are selected to have appropriate optical absorption properties, eliminating the need for additional coating processes while maintaining reduced reflectivity.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent extracts the reflection reduction function from a separate coating layer and integrates it directly into the track material selection and design. By choosing materials with inherent optical absorption properties, the reflection control function is built into the tracks themselves, eliminating the need for additional blackening coating processes.
Data Source
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Figure 7~8b
Figure 9~10
AI summary
A touch sensor has a first and a second set of tracks (3a, 3b) arranged on a substrate (1). The tracks have a small width of less than 10 micrometers that renders them invisible to the naked eye. At the same time, neighboring parallel tracks are located at less than 200 micrometers from each other for macroscopic uniformity. The two sets of tracks (3 a, 3 b) may include interrupted tracks to reduce mutual capacitance and to increase sensitivity. The tracks (3 a, 3b) can be meandering for optical anisotropy. The touch sensor can be manufactured using electrohydrodynamic ejection printing.