Carbon nanotube based flexible mobile phone

• US 20100317409A1
• Filed: 12/10/2009
• Published: 12/16/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 06/12/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd., Tsinghua University
• Original Assignee: Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd., Tsinghua University
• Inventors: Fan, Shou-Shan, Li, Qun-Qing, Jiang, Kai-Li, Liu, Liang
• Granted Patent: US 9,077,793 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 455/566
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 20/00 Nanooptics, e.g. quantum optics or photonic crystals
• CPC Class Codes: B82Y 30/00 Nanotechnology for materials or surface science, e.g. nanocomposites
• CPC Class Codes: G04G 17/083 Watches distributed over several housings
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1626 with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 1/1652 the display being flexible, e.g. mimicking a sheet of paper, or rollable
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04102 Flexible digitiser, i.e. constructional details for allowing the whole digitising part of a device to be flexed or rolled like a sheet of paper
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0202 Portable telephone sets, e.g. cordless phones, mobile phones or bar type handsets constructional features of telephone transmitters or receivers, e.g. of speakers or microphones H04M1/03
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0214 Foldable telephones, i.e. with body parts pivoting to an open position around an axis parallel to the plane they define in closed position combined with translation movement H04M1/0235
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 1/0268 including a flexible display panel
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041
• CPC Class Codes: Y10S 977/724 Devices having flexible or movable element

Abstract

A carbon nanotube based flexible mobile phone includes a flexible body including a flexible display panel a flexible touch panel, and a communicating system received therein. The flexible touch panel is disposed on a surface of the flexible display panel. The flexible touch panel includes at least one carbon nanotube layer including a carbon nanotube film.

Claims

1. A carbon nanotube based flexible mobile phone, comprising:

a flexible body having a flexible display panel;

a communicating system disposed in the flexible body;

a flexible touch panel attached on the flexible display panel, the flexible touch panel comprising at least one transparent conductive layer, the at least one transparent conductive layer comprising a carbon nanotube layer.

2. The carbon nanotube based flexible mobile phone as claimed in claim 1, wherein the carbon nanotube layer comprises a plurality of carbon nanotubes substantially parallel to a surface of the carbon nanotube layer.

3. The carbon nanotube based flexible mobile phone as claimed in claim 2, wherein the carbon nanotube layer comprises a plurality of disordered carbon nanotubes wherein adjacent carbon nanotubes are attracted by van der Waals attractive force to form an entangled structure.

4. The carbon nanotube based flexible mobile phone as claimed in claim 2, wherein the carbon nanotube layer comprises a plurality of ordered carbon nanotubes arranged approximately along a same direction.

5. The carbon nanotube based flexible mobile phone as claimed in claim 1, wherein the carbon nanotube layer comprises at least one carbon nanotube film, the at least one carbon nanotube film comprising a plurality of carbon nanotubes.

6. The carbon nanotube based flexible mobile phone as claimed in claim 5, wherein the carbon nanotubes of the at least one carbon nanotube film are connected end-to-end by van der Waals attractive forces therebetween and are approximately parallel with each other.

7. The carbon nanotube based flexible mobile phone as claimed in claim 1, wherein the flexible touch panel shares a common substrate with the flexible display panel.

8. The carbon nanotube based flexible mobile phone as claimed in claim 1, wherein the flexible touch panel is adhered on a surface of the flexible display panel.

9. The carbon nanotube based flexible mobile phone as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a shield layer interposed between the flexible touch panel and the flexible display panel.

10. The carbon nanotube based flexible mobile phone as claimed in claim 9, further comprising a passivation layer interposed between the flexible display panel and the shield layer.

11. The carbon nanotube based flexible mobile phone as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a protective layer disposed on a surface of the flexible touch panel away from the flexible display panel.

12. The carbon nanotube based flexible mobile phone as claimed in claim 1, wherein the flexible touch panel comprises a capacitive-type touch panel, the capacitive-type touch panel comprising a flexible substrate disposed on the flexible display panel, the at least one transparent conductive layer disposed on the flexible substrate away from the flexible display panel, and at least two electrodes spaced from each other and electrically connected to the at least one transparent conductive layer.

13. The carbon nanotube based flexible mobile phone as claimed in claim 12, wherein the at least two electrodes are made of carbon nanotube film or conductive metal.

14. The carbon nanotube based flexible mobile phone as claimed in claim 1, wherein the flexible touch panel is a resistive-type touch panel, the resistive-type touch panel comprising a first electrode plate and a second electrode plate spaced apart from the first electrode plate, the first electrode plate comprising a first flexible substrate defining a first surface, a first transparent conductive layer mounted on the first surface of the first substrate, and two first electrodes, the two first electrodes being fixed on two ends of the first transparent conductive layer in an interval along a first direction;

the first transparent conductive layer comprises the carbon nanotube layer, the carbon nanotube layer comprising a plurality of carbon nanotubes arranged approximately along a first direction;

the second electrode plate comprises a second substrate defining a second surface away from the display panel, a second transparent conductive layer mounted on the second surface of the second transparent substrate, and two second transparent electrodes, the two second transparent electrodes being fixed on the two ends of the first transparent conductive layer, the second conductive layer and the two second transparent electrodes of the second electrode plate facing the first electrode plate, the second transparent conductive layer comprising the carbon nanotube layer, the carbon nanotube layer comprising a plurality of carbon nanotubes arranged approximately along a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction.

15. The carbon nanotube based flexible mobile phone as claimed in claim 14, wherein the resistive touch panel comprises an insulated pad interposed between peripheries of the first and second electrode plates to space the first electrode plate from the second electrode plate.

16. The carbon nanotube based flexible mobile phone as claimed in claim 14, wherein the first and second transparent electrodes are fixed on opposite ends of the first and second transparent conductive layer, respectively.

17. The carbon nanotube based flexible mobile phone as claimed in claim 14, wherein the resistive touch panel comprises a plurality of transparent dot spacers sandwiched between the first and second electrode plates to space the first electrode plate from the second electrode plate.

18. The carbon nanotube based flexible mobile phone as claimed in claim 14, wherein the carbon nanotube layer is at least one carbon nanotube film.

19. The carbon nanotube based flexible mobile phone as claimed in claim 18, wherein the at least one carbon nanotube film is a drawn carbon nanotube film, the carbon nanotubes in the drawn carbon nanotube film are oriented substantially along a same preferred orientation and approximately parallel to each other.

20. The carbon nanotube based flexible mobile phone as claimed in claim 18, wherein the at least one carbon nanotube film is a flocculated carbon nanotube film, the flocculated carbon nanotube film is porous and isotropic, and the carbon nanotube of the flocculated carbon nanotube film are entangled with each other and uniformly dispersed in the flocculated carbon nanotube film;

adjacent carbon nanotubes in the flocculated carbon nanotube film are attracted by van der Waals attractive force.

21. The carbon nanotube based flexible mobile phone as claimed in claim 18, wherein the at least one carbon nanotube film is a pressed carbon nanotube film, the carbon nanotubes in the pressed carbon nanotube film are arranged substantially along a same direction.

22. The carbon nanotube based flexible mobile phone as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a fixture disposed on two ends of the flexible body to make the flexible mobile phone maintain a designed shape.