Detection device including conductive thin wires and display device including the detection device

• US 10,216,343 B2
• Filed: 11/14/2016
• Issued: 02/26/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/25/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Japan Display Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Japan Display Incorporated
• Inventors: Ishizaki, Koji, Teramoto, Masahiro, Sato, Yuji
• Primary Examiner(s): Polo, Gustavo
• Application Number:
  US15/350,329
• Publication Number:
  US 20170147107A1
• Time in Patent Office: 834 Days
• Field of Search: None
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04112 Electrode mesh in capacitive digitiser: electrode for touch sensing is formed of a mesh of very fine, normally metallic, interconnected lines that are almost invisible to see. This provides a quite large but transparent electrode surface, without need for ITO or similar transparent conductive material
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04164 Connections between sensors and controllers, e.g. routing lines between electrodes and connection pads
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0445 using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes

Abstract

According to an aspect, a detection device includes: a substrate; a detection electrode disposed on a plane parallel to a surface of the substrate and including conductive thin wires and electrical coupling portions disposed where the conductive thin wires intersect with each other or are bent, and are coupled with each other, the conductive thin wires being arranged in a mesh-like form; a coupling wire that couples the conductive thin wires with a detecting unit at an end portion of the detection electrode; and a protective layer that is made of an insulation material and that covers the detection electrode and the coupling wire. An area density of the conductive thin wires per unit area is smaller in an end region ranging from an electrical coupling portion closest to the coupling wire to the coupling wire than in a region of the entire detection electrode.

Claims

1. A detection device, comprising:

a substrate;

a detection electrode that is disposed on a plane parallel to a surface of the substrate and that includes a plurality of conductive thin wires and a plurality of electrical coupling portions disposed where the conductive thin wires intersect with each other or are bent, and are coupled with each other, the conductive thin wires being arranged in a mesh-like form;

a coupling wire that couples the conductive thin wires with a detecting unit at an end portion of the detection electrode; and

a protective layer that is made of an insulation material and that covers the detection electrode and the coupling wire,

wherein an area density of the conductive thin wires per unit area is smaller in an end region ranging from an electrical coupling portion closest to the coupling wire to the coupling wire than in a region of the entire detection electrode, and

wherein an area surrounded by the coupling wire and the conductive thin wires is larger than an area obtained by multiplying a square of an estimation radius estimated from a concavo-convex portion at an edge of the protective layer by a circumference ratio.

2. A detection device, comprising:

a substrate;

a detection electrode that is disposed on a plane parallel to a surface of the substrate and that includes a plurality of conductive thin wires and a plurality of electrical coupling portions disposed where the conductive thin wires intersect with each other or are bent, and are coupled with each other, the conductive thin wires being arranged in a mesh-like form;

a coupling wire that couples the conductive thin wires with a detecting unit at an end portion of the detection electrode;

a protective layer that is made of an insulation material and that covers the detection electrode and the coupling wire; and

a dummy electrode not functioning as the detection electrode, the dummy electrode being arranged apart from the conductive thin wires and between the conductive thin wires on a plane parallel to the surface of the substrate in the same layer as that of the conductive thin wires,

wherein an area density of the conductive thin wires per unit area is smaller in an end region ranging from an electrical coupling portion closest to the coupling wire to the coupling wire than in a region of the entire detection electrode.

3. The detection device according to claim 2,

wherein a region surrounded by a single mesh of the detection electrode is a parallelogram.

4. The detection device according to claim 2,

wherein a region surrounded by a single mesh of the detection electrode is a polygon.

5. The detection device according to claim 2,

wherein a region surrounded by a single mesh of the detection electrode is a circle.

6. The detection device according to claim 5, further comprising a slit connecting a region surrounded by a plurality of circles with a region in the circle.

7. The detection device according to claim 2,

wherein the detection electrode includes at least one first conductive thin wire extending in a first direction and at least one second conductive thin wire that is coupled with the first conductive thin wire and that forms an angle with the first direction.

8. A display device, comprising:

the detection device according to claim 2; and

a display region,

wherein the detection electrode is disposed in a region overlapping the display region.

9. A detection device, comprising:

a substrate;

a detection electrode that is disposed on a plane parallel to a surface of the substrate and that includes a plurality of conductive thin wires and a plurality of electrical coupling portions disposed where the conductive thin wires intersect with each other or are bent, and are coupled with each other, the conductive thin wires being arranged in a mesh-like form;

a coupling wire that couples the conductive thin wires with a detecting unit at an end portion of the detection electrode;

a protective layer that is made of an insulation material and that covers the detection electrode and the coupling wire;

a plurality of small electrode portions each including the conductive thin wires and arranged in an island form; and

a conductive bridge portion that is stacked in a layer different from that of the small electrode portions and that is coupled with the small electrode portions adjacent to each other,

wherein the bridge portion is covered with an insulation material and includes a convex portion in a planar view, and

wherein an area density of the conductive thin wires per unit area is smaller in an end region ranging from an electrical coupling portion closest to the coupling wire to the coupling wire than in a region of the entire detection electrode.

10. A display device, comprising:

the detection device according to claim 9; and

a display region,

wherein the detection electrode is disposed in a region overlapping the display region.

11. A detection device, comprising:

a substrate;

a detection electrode that is disposed on a plane parallel to a surface of the substrate and includes a plurality of conductive thin wires arranged in a mesh-like form;

a coupling wire that couples the conductive thin wires with a detecting unit; and

a protective layer that is made of an insulation material and that covers the detection electrode and the coupling wire,

wherein an area surrounded by the coupling wire and the conductive thin wires is larger than an area surrounded by a single mesh of the detection electrode, and

wherein the area surrounded by the coupling wire and the conductive thin wires is larger than an area obtained by multiplying a square of an estimation radius estimated from a concavo-convex portion at an edge of the protective layer by a circumference ratio.

12. A detection device, comprising:

a substrate;

a detection electrode that is disposed on a plane parallel to a surface of the substrate and includes a plurality of conductive thin wires arranged in a mesh-like form;

a coupling wire that couples the conductive thin wires with a detecting unit;

a protective layer that is made of an insulation material and that covers the detection electrode and the coupling wire; and

a dummy electrode not functioning as the detection electrode, the dummy electrode being arranged apart from the conductive thin wires and between the conductive thin wires on a plane parallel to the surface of the substrate in the same layer as that of the conductive thin wires,

wherein an area surrounded by the coupling wire and the conductive thin wires is larger than an area surrounded by a single mesh of the detection electrode.

13. The detection device according to claim 12,

wherein a region surrounded by a single mesh of the detection electrode is a parallelogram.

14. The detection device according to claim 12,

wherein a region surrounded by a single mesh of the detection electrode is a polygon.

15. The detection device according to claim 12,

wherein a region surrounded by a single mesh of the detection electrode is a circle.

16. The detection device according to claim 15, further comprising a slit connecting a region surrounded by a plurality of circles with a region in the circle.

17. The detection device according to claim 12,

wherein the detection electrode includes at least one first conductive thin wire extending in a first direction and at least one second conductive thin wire that is coupled with the first conductive thin wire and that forms an angle with the first direction.

18. A display device, comprising:

the detection device according to claim 12; and

a display region,

wherein the detection electrode is disposed in a region overlapping the display region.

19. A detection device, comprising:

a substrate;

a detection electrode that is disposed on a plane parallel to a surface of the substrate and includes a plurality of conductive thin wires arranged in a mesh-like form;

a coupling wire that couples the conductive thin wires with a detecting unit;

a protective layer that is made of an insulation material and that covers the detection electrode and the coupling wire;

a plurality of small electrode portions each including the conductive thin wires and arranged in an island form; and

a conductive bridge portion that is stacked in a layer different from that of the small electrode portions and that is coupled with the small electrode portions adjacent to each other,

wherein the bridge portion is covered with an insulation material and includes a convex portion in a planar view, and

wherein an area surrounded by the coupling wire and the conductive thin wires is larger than an area surrounded by a single mesh of the detection electrode.

20. A display device, comprising:

the detection device according to claim 19; and

a display region,

wherein the detection electrode is disposed in a region overlapping the display region.