Electroded Sheet for a Multitude of Products

• US 20120105370A1
• Filed: 12/23/2011
• Published: 05/03/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 12/12/2005
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Nupix, LLC
• Original Assignee: Nupix, LLC
• Inventors: Moore, Chad B.
• Application Number:
  US13/336,093
• Publication Number:
  US 20120105370A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/174
• 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 3/0445 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
• CPC Class Codes: H01G 9/2068 Panels or arrays of photoelectrochemical cells, e.g. photovoltaic modules based on photoelectrochemical cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 31/022425 for solar cells
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/02 Electrodes composed of, or comprising, active material
• CPC Class Codes: H01M 4/8605 Porous electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 30/81 Electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 30/83 comprising arrangements for extracting the current from the cell, e.g. metal finger grid systems to reduce the serial resistance of transparent electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/805 Electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/82 Interconnections, e.g. terminals H10K59/131, H10K59/179 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/50 Photovoltaic [PV] energy
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 60/50 Fuel cells

Abstract

eSheets create a multitude of different products. One embodiment is a projected capacitive touch sensor created by embedding orthogonal arrays of coated metal wires into the surface of a polymer sheet or onto the back of a projector screen. To increase the capacitance of the electrodes or pixels in the sensor, transparent conductive electrodes can be electrically connected to the wire electrodes. Another embodiment is a reflective, energy-efficient display formed by sandwiching a reflective cholesteric liquid crystal (Ch. LC) material between electroded sheet substrates. The eSheet Ch. LCD is pressure sensitive and can be written on using a finger or stylus. The eSheet Ch. LCD can then be read using the wire electrodes in the eSheet LCD.

Claims

1. An electronic display component comprising at least two crisscrossing wire arrays on a substrate, wherein the wires in the at least two crisscrossing wire arrays are electrically isolated from each other.

2. The electronic display component of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of transparent conductive electrodes electrically connected to the wires in the crisscrossing wire arrays.

3. The electronic display component of claim 1, wherein the wires in the at least two crisscrossing wire arrays are connected to electronics on at least one edge of the electronic display component.

4. The electronic display component of claim 1, wherein the crisscrossing wire arrays are used as a projected capacitive touch sensor.

5. The electronic display component of claim 4, wherein the projected capacitive touch sensor is used in a product selected from the group consisting of:

a) an electronic whiteboard;

b) an electronic blackboard;

c) a smartboard;

d) a projection display;

e) a plasma display;

f) an LCD;

g) an OLED;

h) an information display;

i) an advertising display;

j) an interactive display;

k) a voting machine;

l) a three dimensional display;

m) a multiple view display;

n) a flexible display;

o) a rollable display;

p) curved display, and

q) any combination of a) through p).

6. The electronic display component of claim 4, wherein the projected capacitive touch sensor further comprises a wireless communication link between the touch sensor and a second device.

7. The electronic display component of claim 4, further comprising a tough glass interface.

8. The electronic display component of claim 1, wherein at least one wire in the at least two crisscrossing wire arrays is a coated copper wire.

9. The electronic display component of claim 8, wherein the coated copper wire comprises a coating and at least part of the coating is removed to expose the wire to a surface of the substrate.

10. The electronic display component of claim 9, wherein at least part of the wire is coated with an electrically conductive material.

11. The electronic display component of claim 1, wherein the at least two crisscrossing wire arrays comprise a first wire array comprising a first plurality of wires and a second wire array comprising a second plurality of wires, wherein the first plurality of wires bend around the second plurality of wires such that a majority of the first plurality of wires and the second plurality of wires are in a same plane.

12. The electronic display component of claim 1, wherein the wires in the crisscrossing wire arrays are electrically attached to at least one plasma sphere or plasma puck.

13. A method of writing on an eSheet cholesteric liquid crystal display using a solid object, comprising the step of deforming a liquid crystal region and creating a phase change from a focal conical texture to a planar texture.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the eSheet cholesteric liquid crystal display comprises a thin glass sheet on an input surface.

15. The method of claim 13, further comprising the step of sensing a phase change by measuring a change in pixel or line capacitance using a plurality of wires in the eSheets.

16. The method of claim 15, wherein the method is used in product selected from the group consisting of:

a) an electronic whiteboard;

b) an electronic blackboard;

c) a smartboard;

d) an information display;

e) an advertising display;

f) an interactive display;

g) a voting machine;

h) a three dimensional display;

i) a multiple view display;

j) a flexible display;

k) a rollable display;

l) curved display, and

m) any combination of a) through l).

17. An electroded sheet comprising:

a) a polymer substrate wherein a width and a length of the polymer substrate covers substantially a width and a length of the electroded sheet; and

b) an array of wire electrodes embedded in a surface of the polymer substrate;

wherein each wire electrode is a highly conductive thread-like or fiber-like material;

wherein the wire electrodes are formed using a standard wire forming process as free standing entities, are not evaporated or deposited on the substrate and are capable of being extended away from the substrate and connected directly to a printed circuit board; and

wherein the electrodes perform a function selected from the group consisting of;

A) applying power to the device;

B) removing power from the device; and

C) a combination of A) and B).

18. The electroded sheet of claim 17, wherein the electroded sheet forms at least a portion of a device selected from the group consisting of:

i) a flat panel display;

ii) a solar cell;

iii) a fuel cell;

iv) a battery;

v) a resistive touch screen;

vi) a capacitive touch screen;

vii) a projective capacitive touch screen;

viii) a EMI/EMF shield; and

ix) an antenna.

19. The electroded sheet of claim 17, further comprising a polarizer added to the electroded sheet wherein the polarizer is added to the electroded sheet using a method selected from the group consisting of:

a) forming the electroded sheet directly into a surface of the polarizer;

b) coating the surface of the polarizer with a thermal polymer and forming the electroded sheet in the thermal polymer;

c) forming the electroded sheet and attaching it to at least one surface of the polarizer; and

d) any combination of a) through c).

20. The electroded sheet of claim 17, further comprising additional surface structure on the electroded sheet selected from the group consisting of:

a) a lens array;

b) a stimpled antiglare surface;

c) a liquid crystal alignment layer;

d) a liquid crystal anchoring layer;

e) at least one channel for gas or liquid; and

f) any combination of a) through e).