Plastic Film having Lines for a Multi-Modal Input Device and Method for Producing

• US 20140238728A1
• Filed: 07/23/2012
• Published: 08/28/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 07/29/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: PolyIC GmbH & Co. KG (Leonhard KURZ Stiftung & Company KG)
• Original Assignee: PolyIC GmbH & Co. KG (Leonhard KURZ Stiftung & Company KG)
• Inventors: Ullmann, Andreas, Fix, Walter, Alekseev, Andrey
• Granted Patent: US 9,699,899 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 174/251
• 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 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• 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: H05K 1/0274 Optical details, e.g. printed circuits comprising integral optical means H05K1/0269 takes precedence; coupling light guides with opto-electronic components G02B6/42
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 1/11 Printed elements for providing electric connections to or between printed circuits
• CPC Class Codes: H05K 3/32 electrically connecting electric components or wires to printed circuits
• CPC Class Codes: Y10T 29/4913 Assembling to base an electrical component, e.g., capacitor, etc.

Abstract

A plastic film for a multi-modal input device has conductors that link a touch module and an operating element. Such input devices, for example, are in central consoles of motor vehicles, dishwashers, washing machines, telephones, or the like. Touch modules and operating element modules are interconnected by the layout of conductors in the form of a geometrically distorted electrical matrix on a single plastic film which forms a carrier for a combined input device. The conductors are electrically insulated from each other, but capacitively coupled to crossover points in the electrical matrix, the crossover points dividing the matrix into at least two areas. Strip conductors extend from the matrix at an edge area of the matrix of the touch module and connected to the operating elements forming a geometrically distorted matrix of conductors on the plastic film.

Claims

1. A plastic film comprising:

a plastic film;

a plurality of conductors on the film electrically insulated from each other, but capacitively coupled to crossover points forming an electrical matrix, and which points are formed either vertically and/or laterally, on one or on two planes;

wherein the crossover points forming the matrix divide the matrix into at least two areas;

a first area in which the crossover points are transparent and form a homogeneous matrix which serves as a substructure for a multi-touch sensor and a second area in which the crossover points are arranged such that the matrix is geometrically distorted but electrically retained, wherein all of the conductors form the electrical matrix which is powered via a connection to the matrix.

2. The plastic film according to claim 1, wherein the conductors in the transparent area form conductive areas comprising networks of conductive tracks with a width smaller than/equal to 20 μ

m, wherein the conductive tracks are spaced apart from each other such that the networks appear transparent.

3. The plastic film according to claim 1 wherein all conductors on the plastic film are of the same conductive material.

4. The plastic film according to claim 1, wherein the conductive tracks inside the networks are such that they exhibit a periodicity that is interrupted, wherein either the angles among the conductors are varied for parallel lines or the periodicity changes for wavy lines, with the result that when superimposed the networks display no moiré

effect.

5. The plastic film according to claim 1 further including a carrier for the plastic film, wherein the coverage of the carrier by the film with conductive material within the conductive areas amounts to 20% of the carrier surface area or less.

6. The plastic film according to claim 1 wherein the transparent area has an overlying display.

7. The plastic film according to claim 1 including a transparent carrier for the plastic film and/or comprises a decoration layer having a decorated side.

8. The plastic film according to claim 7, wherein the plastic film and the decoration layer are applied to the same side and/or to different sides of the transparent carrier.

9. The plastic film according to claim 7 applied to one side of a transparent carrier and which comprises a decoration layer on the opposite side of the carrier, wherein the decoration layer is matched to the electrical functionality of the plastic film.

10. The plastic film according to one of the claim 7 wherein the decoration layer comprises at least one sheet.

11. The plastic film according to claim 1 further including a protective layer over the film.

12. The plastic film according to claim 1 including further transparent areas, wherein light-emitting elements become visible through these further transparent areas.

13. The plastic film according to claim 1 wherein the electrically insulated conductors which are capacitively coupled to the crossover points are interconnected and/or connected such that the crossover points are uniquely addressable.

14. The plastic film according to claim 1 an arrangement for capacitively coupling each of the conductors to each of the remaining conductors via at most one of the crossover points.

15. The plastic film according to claim 1 wherein the connection has a plurality of contact elements greater than ______ and each of the contact elements is connected to one of the conductors.

16. Plastic film according to claim 15, wherein at least a first one of the conductors connects only crossover points of the first area of the matrix to an assigned contact element of the connection and wherein at least one second conductor, different from this, connects only crossover points of the second area of the matrix to the assigned contact element of the connection.

17. The plastic film according to claim 16, wherein at least a third one of the conductors connects both at least one or more of the crossover points of the first area of the matrix and one or more of the crossover points of the second area of the matrix to the assigned contact element of the connection.

18. Method for producing a multimodal input device employing the plastic film of claim 1, comprising

forming at least one touch module and at least one operating element and attaching electrical conductors bundled at a common connector, to the plastic film for electrically coupling the at least one touch module to the at least one operating element.

19. Method according to claim 18, wherein the forming step comprises imprinting, heating, printing, stamping, bending and/or in-mold injection.

20. Method according to claim 18, wherein the plastic film is applied to a carrier and/or processed by injection molding, in-mold injection and/or back injection molding, deep drawing and/or by means of a transfer film

21. Method according to claim 18, wherein the plastic film is laminated on to a carrier or applied by back injection molding, which carrier has a decoration comprising one or more sheets located on the opposite side of the carrier from which the film is located.

22. Method according to claim 21, wherein the plastic film has at least one electrical functionality and the decoration is matched to the electrical functionality of the plastic film, with the result that a homogeneous matrix of the plastic film is in an area of the carrier, where the decoration is transparent.

23. Method according to claim 18, wherein the plastic film is covered with a protective film.

24. The plastic film according to claim 1 wherein the film is a substrate of a two-part input device, comprising at least one touch module and at least one operating element, which touch module and operating element are connected to evaluation electronics via a common connector.