TOUCH UNIT AND FLAT PANEL DISPLAY

• US 20150049047A1
• Filed: 04/23/2014
• Published: 02/19/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/15/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: HannsTouch Solution, Inc.
• Original Assignee: HannsTouch Solution, Inc.
• Inventors: Liao, Sian-Zong, Chen, Han-Ming
• Granted Patent: US 9,170,697 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: G02F 2201/12 electrode
• 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

Abstract

In a flat panel display, two direction sensing electrodes, respectively representing an X-axis sensor and a Y-axis sensor, are disposed on both sides of a substrate of a color filter of the flat panel display. One direction sensing electrode is disposed in the black matrix on one side of the substrate and the other direction sensing electrode is disposed on the other side of the substrate locating farther from the black matrix. The configuration provides a much thinner dimension for the flat panel display with touch function while the touch function is less interfered by the display panel.

Claims

1. A touch unit, comprising:

a substrate having a first surface and a second surface opposite to each other;

a black matrix disposed on the first surface of the substrate and a plurality of pixel areas is defined by the black matrix;

a first direction sensing electrode disposed on the black matrix or contained in the black matrix;

a second direction sensing electrode disposed on the second surface; and

a color filter layer comprising a plurality of color filter units disposed in the plurality of pixel areas defined by the black matrix, wherein the first direction sensing electrode is disposed between the substrate and the color filter layer.

2. The touch unit of claim 1, wherein the first direction sensing electrode is a metallic electrode and the second direction sensing electrode is a transparent conductive electrode.

3. The touch unit of claim 1, wherein the first direction sensing electrode is disposed on the black matrix and comprises a plurality of first electrode strips aligning along a first direction and parallel with one another, every two adjacent first electrode strips separated by a gap with a first distance and each first electrode strip being a meshed structure.

4. The touch unit of claim 3, wherein the plurality of first electrode strips is composed of a plurality of metal wires with a metal mesh structure.

5. The touch unit of claim 4, wherein the width of each metal wire is less than or equal to the line width of the black matrix where the metal wire is located.

6. The touch unit of claim 4, wherein the width of each metal wire is between 2 μ

m and 8 μ

m.

7. The touch unit of claim 3, wherein each first electrode strip has the width that covers at least a row of pixel areas.

8. The touch unit of claim 3, wherein the second direction sensing electrode comprises a plurality of second electrode strips aligning along a second direction and parallel with one another, every two adjacent second electrode strips separated with a second distance.

9. The touch unit of claim 1, wherein the first direction sensing electrode is contained in the black matrix, the black matrix comprising a first anti-reflection layer and a metallic layer, the first anti-reflection layer disposed between the first surface and the metallic layer and the first direction sensing electrode formed by the metallic layer.

10. The touch unit of claim 9, further comprising a second anti-reflection layer disposed between the first anti-reflection layer and the metallic layer.

11. The touch unit of claim 10, wherein the first anti-reflection layer is an oxide layer and the second anti-reflection layer is a nitride layer.

12. The touch unit of claim 9, wherein a plurality of first electrode strips is composed of the black matrix, the first electrode strips aligning along a first direction and parallel with one another and each first electrode strip being a meshed structure.

13. The touch unit of claim 9, wherein every two adjacent first electrode strips are separated by a gap and a portion of the color filter layer disposed on the gap has at least two color filter units overlapping the gap.

14. The touch unit of claim 3, wherein each of the first electrode strips includes metal wires formed in diamond meshed shape covering a number of the pixel areas and each of the second electrode strips formed in diamond piecewise shape covering the areas complementary to what the first electrode strips cover.

15. A flat panel display, comprising:

a display substrate;

a touch unit disposed on the display substrate, the touch unit comprising;

a substrate having a first surface and a second surface opposite to each other;

a black matrix disposed on the first surface of the substrate and a plurality of pixel areas is defined by the black matrix;

a first direction sensing electrode disposed on the black matrix or contained in the black matrix;

a second direction sensing electrode disposed on the second surface; and

a color filter layer comprising a plurality of color filter units disposed in the plurality of pixel areas defined by the black matrix; and

a liquid crystal layer disposed between the touch unit and the display substrate.

16. The flat panel display of claim 15, wherein the first direction sensing electrode is a metallic electrode and the second direction sensing electrode is a transparent conductive electrode.

17. The flat panel display of claim 16, wherein the first direction sensing electrode is disposed on the black matrix and comprises a plurality of first electrode strips aligning along a first direction and parallel with one another, every two adjacent first electrode strips separated by a gap with a first distance and each first electrode strip being a meshed structure.

18. The flat panel display of claim 17, wherein each first electrode strip is meshed structure having line width less than or equal to the line width of the black matrix where the first electrode strip is located.

19. The flat panel display of claim 15, wherein the first direction sensing electrode is contained in the black matrix, the black matrix comprising a first anti-reflection layer and a metallic layer, the first anti-reflection layer disposed between the first surface and the metallic layer and the first direction sensing electrode formed by the metallic layer.

20. The flat panel display of claim 19, wherein a plurality of first electrode strips is formed by the black matrix, the first electrode strips aligning along a first direction and parallel with one another and each first electrode strip being a meshed structure.

21. The flat panel display of claim 20, wherein every two adjacent first electrode strips are separated by a gap and a portion of the color filter layer disposed on the gap has at least two color filter units overlapping the gap.