TOUCH PANEL AND DISPLAY APPARATUS INCLUDING THE SAME

• US 20160048248A1
• Filed: 08/05/2015
• Published: 02/18/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 08/13/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: NA, Hyunjae, KO, Gwang-Bum, JUN, Sanghyun, LEE, Joohyung, LEE, Jigong, JANG, Hyounwook, AHN, Soonsung
• Granted Patent: US 9,927,939 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04111 Cross over in capacitive digitiser, i.e. details of structures for connecting electrodes of the sensing pattern where the connections cross each other, e.g. bridge structures comprising an insulating layer, or vias through substrate
• 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 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/047 using sets of wires, e.g. crossed wires
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2300/0426 Layout of electrodes and connections
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 5/003 Details of a display terminal, the details relating to the control arrangement of the display terminal and to the interfaces thereto specific for a CRT G09G1/165; for a flat panel G09G3/2092

Abstract

A touch panel including a substrate, first touch electrodes, each of the first touch electrodes including first mesh patterns disposed on the substrate, an insulation layer disposed on the first touch electrodes, second touch electrodes, each of the second touch electrodes including second mesh patterns disposed on the insulation layer, first auxiliary mesh electrodes disposed on the substrate, the first auxiliary mesh electrodes being electrically connected to at least a portion of the corresponding second mesh patterns, and second auxiliary mesh electrodes disposed on the insulation layer, the second auxiliary mesh electrodes being electrically connected to at least a portion of the corresponding first mesh patterns.

Claims

1. A touch panel comprising:

a substrate;

first touch electrodes, each of the first touch electrodes comprising first mesh patterns disposed on the substrate;

an insulation layer disposed on the first touch electrodes;

second touch electrodes, each of the second touch electrodes comprising second mesh patterns disposed on the insulation layer;

first auxiliary mesh electrodes disposed on the substrate, the first auxiliary mesh electrodes being electrically connected to at least a portion of the corresponding second mesh patterns; and

second auxiliary mesh electrodes disposed on the insulation layer, the second auxiliary mesh electrodes being electrically connected to at least a portion of the corresponding first mesh patterns.

2. The touch panel of claim 1, further comprising:

first contact patterns connecting at least a portion of the first mesh patterns to the corresponding second auxiliary mesh electrodes through first contact holes defined in the insulation layer; and

second contact patterns connecting at least a portion of the second mesh patterns to the corresponding first auxiliary mesh electrodes through second contact holes defined in the insulation layer.

3. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein at least a portion of each of the second mesh patterns and at least a portion of each of the first auxiliary mesh electrodes, which are electrically connected to each other, overlap each other, and

at least a portion of each of the first mesh patterns and at least a portion of each of the second auxiliary mesh electrodes, which are electrically connected to each other, overlap each other.

4. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the first mesh patterns and the first auxiliary mesh electrodes are formed of the same material, and

the second mesh patterns and the second auxiliary mesh electrodes are formed of the same material.

5. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein each of the first mesh patterns and the second mesh patterns comprises metal lines defining openings,

each of the first auxiliary mesh electrodes and the second auxiliary mesh electrodes comprises metal lines defining openings,

each of the metal lines of the first auxiliary mesh electrodes has a width less than a width of each of the metal lines of the second mesh patterns, and

each of the metal lines of the second auxiliary mesh electrodes has a width greater than that a width of the metal lines of the first mesh patterns.

6. The touch panel of claim 1, further comprising:

first and second pads disposed on the insulation layer;

first trace lines disposed on the same layer as the first touch electrodes, the first trace lines being electrically connected to the corresponding first touch electrodes;

second trace lines disposed on the same layer as the second touch electrodes, second trace lines being electrically connected to the corresponding second touch electrodes;

third contact patterns connecting the first pads to the first trace lines through third contact holes defined in the insulation layer;

fourth contact patterns connecting the second pads to the second trace lines through further contact holes defined in the insulation layer;

first auxiliary lines disposed on the insulation layer, the first auxiliary lines being electrically connected to the first trace lines; and

second auxiliary lines disposed on the insulation layer, the second auxiliary lines being electrically connected to the second trace lines.

7. The touch panel of claim 6, wherein each of the first auxiliary lines has a width different from a width of each of the first trace lines, and

each of the second auxiliary lines has a width different from a width of each of the second trace lines.

8. The touch panel of claim 1, further comprising dummy patterns disposed between the first mesh patterns and the first auxiliary mesh electrodes,

wherein each of the dummy patterns is in a floated state.

9. A touch panel comprising:

a substrate;

first touch electrodes disposed on the substrate and each of the first touch electrodes comprises mesh patterns, the first touch electrodes extending in a first direction;

an insulation layer disposed on the first touch electrodes;

second touch electrodes disposed on the insulation layer, the second touch electrodes extending in a second direction crossing the first direction;

first auxiliary electrodes disposed on the same layer as the first touch electrodes and each of which has a mesh shape, the first auxiliary electrodes being electrically connected to at least a portion of the second touch electrodes; and

second auxiliary electrodes disposed on the same layer as the second touch electrodes, the second auxiliary electrodes being electrically connected to at least a portion of the first touch electrodes,

wherein each of the second touch electrodes comprises;

first portions disposed on first regions; and

second portions disposed on second regions different from the first regions and second portions having a pattern shape different from the first portions.

10. The touch panel of claim 9, wherein the first portions disposed on the first regions cover first auxiliary electrodes, first touch electrodes disposed on the first regions, openings defined by the first auxiliary electrodes disposed on the first regions, and openings defined by the first touch electrodes disposed on the first regions, and

the second portions comprise first overlapping patterns covering first auxiliary electrodes disposed on the second regions and first inner patterns spaced apart from the first overlapping patterns and disposed within the openings defined by the first auxiliary electrodes disposed on the second regions.

11. The touch panel of claim 10, wherein the first portions comprise overlapping portions overlapping the first touch electrodes and connection portions connecting the overlapping portions to each other,

the second portions are connected to the connection portions and disposed outside the connection portions,

the second auxiliary electrodes comprise third portions disposed on third regions and fourth portions disposed on fourth regions and each of the fourth portions has a pattern shape different from each of the third portions,

the third portions are disposed on the third regions and cover mesh patterns and openings defined by the mesh patterns disposed on the third regions, and

the fourth portions are disposed on the fourth regions and comprise second overlapping patterns covering mesh patterns and second inner patterns spaced apart from the second overlapping patterns and disposed within openings defined by the mesh patterns disposed on the fourth regions.

12. The touch panel of claim 11, wherein each of the third portions overlaps a central portion of each of the mesh pattern, and

the fourth portions are connected to the third portions and disposed outside the third portions.

13. The touch panel of claim 11, wherein the first portions and the third portions do not have openings.

14. The touch panel of claim 11, wherein the first and second inner patterns are electrically floated,

one of the first inner patterns is disposed in one of the openings defined by the first auxiliary electrodes, and

one of the second inner patterns is disposed in one of the openings defined by the mesh patterns.

15. The touch panel of claim 11, wherein the first and second inner patterns are electrically floated,

the first inner patterns are spaced apart from each other and are disposed in one of the openings defined by the first auxiliary electrodes, and

the second inner patterns are spaced apart from each other and are disposed in one of the openings defined by the mesh patterns.

16. The touch panel of claim 11, further comprising first outer contact patterns electrically connecting at least a portion of the first auxiliary electrodes to the connection portions through outer contact holes defined in a region that is closest to the overlapping portions on a plane of regions overlapping metal lines of the first auxiliary electrodes.

17. The touch panel of claim 9, wherein the first portions expose a portion of the first auxiliary electrodes that are disposed on the first regions and a portion of the first touch electrodes that are disposed on the first regions, and

the second portions expose all of the second auxiliary electrodes that are disposed on the second regions.

18. The touch panel of claim 17, wherein the first portions comprise overlapping portions covering remaining portions of the first touch electrodes disposed on the first regions and connection portions connecting the overlapping portions to each other,

the second portions are disposed outside the connection portions, the second portions comprising first inner patterns disposed within openings defined by the second auxiliary electrodes disposed on the second regions,

the second auxiliary electrodes comprise third portions disposed on third regions and fourth portions disposed on fourth regions and each of which has a pattern shape different from each of the third portions,

the third portions expose a portion of the mesh patterns that are disposed on the third regions, and

the fourth portions expose all of the mesh patterns that are disposed on the fourth regions.

19. The touch panel of claim 16, wherein the fourth portions comprise second inner patterns disposed within openings defined by the mesh patterns disposed on the fourth regions.

20. The touch panel of claim 16, wherein the first portions expose portions except for intersection points of the metal lines of the first electrodes disposed on the first regions, and the third portions expose portions except for intersection points of the metal lines of the mesh patterns disposed on the third regions.

21. The touch panel of claim 16, wherein the first portions expose intersection points of the metal lines of the first electrodes disposed on the first regions, and

the third portions expose intersection points of the metal lines of the mesh patterns disposed on the third regions.

22. A display apparatus comprising:

a display panel for displaying an image; and

a touch panel coupled to the display panel,

wherein the touch panel comprises;

a substrate;

first touch electrodes disposed on the substrate and extending in a first direction, each of the first touch electrodes comprising mesh patterns;

an insulation layer disposed on the first touch electrodes;

second touch electrodes disposed on the insulation layer to extend in a second direction crossing the first direction;

first auxiliary electrodes disposed on the same layer as the first touch electrodes and each of which has a mesh shape, the first auxiliary electrodes being electrically connected to at least a portion of the second touch electrodes; and

second auxiliary electrodes disposed on the same layer as the second touch electrodes, the second auxiliary electrodes being electrically connected to at least a portion of the first touch electrodes,

wherein the second touch electrodes comprise;

first portions disposed on first regions; and

second portions disposed on second regions different from the first regions and each of which has a pattern shape different from that of each of the first portions.