Variable Thickness Conductive Patterns for Foldable Display Stress Management
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Solution Overview
Problem
Electronic products face breakage of conductive lines or films due to varying stress levels across different areas, particularly in foldable or flexible devices where stress is unevenly distributed, leading to potential cracks and disconnection.
Innovation Solution
The implementation of conductive patterns with varying thicknesses across different stress areas, where thicker conductive patterns are used in low-stress areas for good signal transmission and thinner patterns in high-stress areas for flexibility, along with a digitizer layer and insulating layers to manage stress and maintain functionality.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Reliability
If conductive patterns are made uniformly thick across all areas, then signal transmission is good in low-stress areas, but cracks occur in high-stress areas due to lack of flexibility
Solution Approach 1:
The conductive pattern is designed with different thicknesses in different regions: thicker in low-stress areas (sensing area) for good signal transmission, and thinner in high-stress areas (non-sensing area) for flexibility. This local variation in geometric property resolves the contradiction between signal quality and flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The thickness parameter of the conductive pattern is changed across different spatial locations to optimize both signal transmission and stress resistance. By controlling the thickness parameter to vary from thick to thin across the folding line, the patent achieves both low resistance in sensing areas and flexibility in folding areas.
2Strength
If conductive patterns are made thin in high-stress areas, then flexibility is improved, but signal transmission deteriorates
Solution Approach 1:
The conductive pattern is designed with different thicknesses in different regions: thicker in low-stress areas (sensing area) for good signal transmission, and thinner in high-stress areas (non-sensing area) for flexibility. This local variation in geometric property resolves the contradiction between signal quality and flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The thickness parameter of the conductive pattern is changed across different spatial locations to optimize both signal transmission and stress resistance. By controlling the thickness parameter to vary from thick to thin across the folding line, the patent achieves both low resistance in sensing areas and flexibility in folding areas.
3Ease of manufacture
If uniform thickness is used throughout, then manufacturing is simple, but breakage occurs at folding lines due to stress concentration
Solution Approach 1:
The conductive pattern is designed with different thicknesses in different regions: thicker in low-stress areas (sensing area) for good signal transmission, and thinner in high-stress areas (non-sensing area) for flexibility. This local variation in geometric property resolves the contradiction between signal quality and flexibility.
Solution Approach 2:
The thickness parameter of the conductive pattern is changed across different spatial locations to optimize both signal transmission and stress resistance. By controlling the thickness parameter to vary from thick to thin across the folding line, the patent achieves both low resistance in sensing areas and flexibility in folding areas.
Data Source
AI summary
An electronic product comprises: a sensing area that senses a touch, a non-sensing area adjacent to the sensing area and that does not sense a touch, a display panel that displays an image on a front surface, and a stack structure disposed on a rear surface of the display panel and that includes a plurality of conductive patterns that sense a touch. The plurality of conductive patterns includes first conductive patterns that extend across the sensing area and the non-sensing area. Each of the first conductive patterns has a first thickness in the sensing area and a second thickness in the non-sensing area that is less than the first thickness.