TOUCH-RESPONSIVE CAPACITOR WITH POLARIZING DIELECTRIC STRUCTURE

• US 20130278544A1
• Filed: 04/24/2012
• Published: 10/24/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Original Assignee: Ronald Steven Cok
• Inventors: COK, RONALD STEVEN
• Granted Patent: US 8,937,604 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/174
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13338 Input devices, e.g. touch panels
• 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

A touch-responsive capacitive apparatus includes means for defining first and second surfaces, a first micro-wire layer formed on the first surface, the first micro-wire layer including a plurality of electrically connected first micro-wires, a second micro-wire layer formed on the second surface, the second micro-wire layer including a plurality of electrically connected second micro-wires, and a polarizing dielectric structure located between the first and second micro-wire layers.

Claims

1. A touch-responsive capacitive apparatus, comprising:

means for defining first and second surfaces;

a first micro-wire layer formed on the first surface, the first micro-wire layer including a plurality of electrically connected first micro-wires;

a second micro-wire layer formed on the second surface, the second micro-wire layer including a plurality of electrically connected second micro-wires; and

a polarizing dielectric structure located between the first and second micro-wire layers.

2. The touch-responsive capacitive apparatus of claim 1, wherein the polarizing dielectric structure includes a substrate providing the first and second surfaces opposed to each other.

3. The touch-responsive capacitive apparatus of claim 1, further including a first substrate providing the first surface and a second substrate different from the first substrate providing the second surface.

4. The touch-responsive capacitive apparatus of claim 3, wherein the polarizing dielectric structure, or a portion of the dielectric structure, is the second substrate.

5. The touch-responsive capacitive apparatus of claim 3, wherein the second substrate is a quarter-wave plate.

6. The touch-responsive capacitive apparatus of claim 3, wherein the polarizing dielectric structure is located between the first substrate and the second substrate.

7. The touch-responsive capacitive apparatus of claim 3, wherein the first substrate or the second substrate has a transparency greater than 80% transmittance to light at 550 nm.

8. The touch-responsive capacitive apparatus of claim 1, wherein the polarizing dielectric structure is a linear polarizer.

9. The touch-responsive capacitive apparatus of claim 8, further including a quarter wave plate.

10. The touch-responsive capacitive apparatus of claim 1, wherein the polarizing dielectric structure is a circular polarizer.

11. The touch-responsive capacitive apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first micro-wires or second micro-wires absorb ambient light.

12. The touch-responsive capacitive apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first micro-wires or second micro-wires are a metal, a metal alloy, or a material including cured or sintered metal particles.

13. The touch-responsive capacitive apparatus of claim 12, wherein the metal includes nickel, tungsten, silver, gold, aluminum, copper, titanium, or tin, or combinations thereof.

14. The touch-responsive capacitive apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first micro-wires or the second micro-wires each have a width in a range of 0.5 um to 20 um and occupy an area less than 15% of the area of the first micro-wire layer or the second micro-wire layer, respectively.

15. A touch-responsive display apparatus, comprising:

a display having a viewing side through which display light is emitted, reflected, or transmitted;

means for defining first and second surfaces;

a first micro-wire layer formed on the first surface over the viewing side, the first micro-wire layer including a plurality of electrically connected first micro-wires;

a second micro-wire layer formed on the second surface over the first surface, the second micro-wire layer including a plurality of electrically connected second micro-wires; and

a polarizing dielectric structure located between the first and second surfaces.

16. The touch-responsive display apparatus of claim 15, further including an LCD display having two polarizing layers and a layer of liquid crystals located between the two polarizing layers.

17. The touch-responsive display apparatus of claim 16, wherein one of the two LCD display polarizing layers is the polarizing dielectric structure.

18. The touch-responsive display apparatus of claim 15, further including an OLED display.

19. The touch-responsive display apparatus of claim 15, wherein the display includes a cover and wherein the cover provides the first surface.

20. The touch-responsive display apparatus of claim 15, wherein the display includes a display substrate and wherein the display substrate provides the first surface.

21. A touch-responsive capacitive apparatus, comprising:

means for defining first and second surfaces;

a first electrode layer formed on the first surface, the first electrode layer including one or more first transparent electrodes;

a second electrode layer formed on the second surface, the second electrode layer including one or more second transparent electrodes; and

a polarizing dielectric structure located between the first and second surfaces.

22. A touch-responsive display apparatus, comprising:

a display having a viewing side through which display light is emitted, reflected, or transmitted;

means for defining first and second surfaces;

a first electrode layer formed on the first surface over the viewing side, the first electrode layer including a plurality of first transparent electrodes;

a second electrode layer formed on the second surface over the viewing side, the second electrode layer including a plurality of second transparent electrodes; and

a polarizing dielectric structure located between the first and second surfaces.