Touch screen sensor

• US 10,642,426 B2
• Filed: 12/23/2016
• Issued: 05/05/2020
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Chem Limited (LG Corporation)
• Original Assignee: LG Chem Limited (LG Corporation)
• Inventors: Hwang, Ji Young, Seo, Han Min, Lee, Seung Heon
• Primary Examiner(s): Ghebretinsae, Temesghen
• Assistant Examiner(s): Abebe, Sosina
• Application Number:
  US15/777,411
• Publication Number:
  US 20180329534A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,229 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04107 Shielding in digitiser, i.e. guard or shielding arrangements, mostly for capacitive touchscreens, e.g. driven shields, driven grounds
• 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 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04164 Connections between sensors and controllers, e.g. routing lines between electrodes and connection pads
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• 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

Abstract

The present application relates to a touch screen sensor. A touch screen sensor according to an exemplary embodiment of the present application includes a driving electrode unit including a driving electrode pattern (Tx pattern) provided on a first base substrate; and a sensitive electrode unit including a sensitive electrode pattern (Rx pattern) provided on a second base substrate, in which the driving electrode pattern and the sensitive electrode pattern include conductive metal lines and the touch screen sensor includes at least one touch non-sensing area and at least one touch sensing area.

Claims

1. A touch screen sensor, comprising:

a driving electrode unit including a driving electrode pattern (Tx pattern) provided on a first base substrate;

a sensitive electrode unit including a sensitive electrode pattern (Rx pattern) provided on a second base substrate;

a guard area to which no signal is applied entirely covering an area where a channel that receives a signal of the Rx pattern (Rx channel unit) is formed; and

a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) which electrically connects the driving electrode unit and the sensitive electrode unit to an external power source,

wherein the driving electrode pattern and the sensitive electrode pattern include conductive metal lines and the touch screen sensor includes at least one touch non-sensing area and at least one touch sensing area, and

wherein the driving electrode pattern and the sensitive electrode pattern are provided in entire areas of the touch non-sensing area and the touch sensing area, respectively,

the driving electrode pattern and the sensitive electrode pattern provided in the touch sensing area are electrically connected to the FPCB independently, and

the driving electrode pattern which is provided in the touch non-sensing area is not electrically connected to the FPCB.

2. The touch screen sensor of claim 1, wherein the driving electrode pattern and the sensitive electrode pattern which are provided in the touch non-sensing area further independently include a disconnection area which disconnects electrical connection in the pattern.

3. The touch screen sensor of claim 1, wherein the sensitive electrode unit further includes a first wiring electrode pattern which connects the sensitive electrode pattern provided in the touch sensing area to the FPCB and the first wiring electrode pattern is provided in the touch non-sensing area.

4. The touch screen sensor of claim 3, wherein at least a part of the sensitive electrode pattern provided in the touch non-sensing area serves as the first wiring electrode pattern.

5. The touch screen sensor of claim 3, wherein the driving electrode pattern, the first wiring electrode pattern, and the sensitive electrode pattern independently include a polygonal mesh pattern.

6. The touch screen sensor of claim 5, wherein the first wiring electrode pattern alternately includes at least one wiring channel area which connects the sensitive electrode pattern provided in the touch sensing area and the FPCB to each other and at least one disconnection area where the electric connection in the pattern is disconnected, the width of the disconnection area is (a characteristic length (L)×

2^1/2) or shorter and the characteristic length (L) is a 0.5-th power of an area of any one polygon which configures the mesh pattern.

7. The touch screen sensor of claim 6, wherein the width of the disconnection area is two times or more the disconnection distance and the disconnection distance is a distance of most adjacent ends of two or more conductive metal lines which are provided in the disconnection area and are spaced apart from each other.

8. The touch screen sensor of claim 1, wherein the conductive metal line includes one or more of gold, silver, aluminum, copper, neodymium, molybdenum, nickel, titanium, and an alloy thereof.

9. The touch screen sensor of claim 3, further comprising:

a darkening pattern on the driving electrode pattern, the first wiring electrode pattern, and the sensitive electrode pattern, independently.

10. The touch screen sensor of claim 1, wherein the touch screen sensor recognizes a touch input using a mutual capacitance manner.

11. The touch screen sensor of claim 1, wherein a difference in aperture ratios of the touch non-sensing area and the touch sensing area is 10% or lower.

12. The touch screen sensor of claim 1, wherein a difference in transmittances of the touch non-sensing area and the touch sensing area is 10% or lower.

13. An electronic device, comprising:

the touch screen sensor of claim 1; and

a display device provided below the touch screen sensor.