Dual purpose touch sensor panel and optical retarder

• US 9,158,143 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2011
• Issued: 10/13/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/12/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Chen, Cheng, Mohapatra, Siddharth, Huang, Lili, Zhong, John Z., Kuwabara, Masato
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Phu
• Application Number:
  US13/230,331
• Publication Number:
  US 20130063684A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,492 Days
• Field of Search: 349/8, 349/117
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13338 Input devices, e.g. touch panels
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13363 Birefringent elements, e.g. for optical compensation
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133634 the refractive index Nz perpendicular to the element surface being different from in-plane refractive indices Nx and Ny, e.g. biaxial or with normal optical axis
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133635 Multifunctional compensators
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133638 Waveplates, i.e. plates with a retardation value of lambda/n
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/042 by opto-electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3105 for displaying all colours simultaneously, e.g. by using two or more electronic spatial light modulators simultaneous projection in colour photography G03B33/10; beam splitting or combining systems per se G02B27/10
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 9/3197 using light modulating optical valves

Abstract

When a user operates a touch sensor panel having an LCD device outdoors or in a bright environment, light reflecting off the device can create glare. In order to reduce glare, a user can view the device through polarized filters such as polarized sunglasses. Doing so can reduce the visibility of the image displayed on the LCD. A quarter-wave retardation film can be added to the touch sensor panel'"'"'s LCD device to mitigate these effects by producing circularly polarized light. However, adding a separate quarter-wave retardation film can increase the thickness and cost of manufacturing the touch sensor panel. Embodiments of the present disclosure are directed to a touch sensor panel constructed from a base film having quarter-wave retardation properties that can produce circularly polarized light. Because the base film has the desired optical properties, a separate quarter-wave retardation film may not be needed.

Claims

1. A device, comprising:

a touch sensor panel disposed on a substrate; and

a display that emits linearly polarized light towards the touch sensor panel,

wherein the substrate introduces optical retardation to the light as it passes through the touch sensor panel and the touch sensor panel is oriented with respect to the display such that a 45°

±

30°

or 135°

±

30°

angle is formed between the optical axis in the substrate of the touch sensor panel and a polarization axis of the light emitted from the display.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the substrate is configured such that a total amount of optical retardation introduced by the substrate is substantially equal to one-quarter of the wavelength of the light or substantially equal to an odd number multiple of one-quarter of the wavelength of the light.

3. The device of claim 2, wherein the total amount of optical retardation introduced by the substrate converts the linearly polarized light from the display into circularly polarized light.

4. The device of claim 1, wherein the substrate of the touch sensor panel is made from a material, the material selected from a group consisting of polycarbonate (PC), cyclo-olefin polymer (COP), cyclo-olefin copolymer (COC), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), and cellulose triacetate (TAC).

5. The device of claim 1, wherein the substrate of the touch sensor panel is formed by a controlled stretch of the substrate, the controlled stretch selected from a group consisting of a machine direction stretch, a transverse direction stretch, and a diagonal direction stretch.

6. The device of claim 5, wherein the machine direction stretch yields an optical axis in the substrate oriented along the direction of the stretch or in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the stretch.

7. The device of claim 5, wherein the transverse direction stretch yields an optical axis in the substrate oriented in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the stretch.

8. The device of claim 5, wherein the diagonal direction stretch includes a machine direction stretch component and a transverse direction stretch component, the diagonal direction stretch yielding an optical axis in the substrate oriented at an angle substantially equal to 45°

with respect to the machine direction stretch.

9. The device of claim 1, wherein the display is selected from a group consisting of a liquid crystal display (LCD) and an OLED (organic light emitting diode) display that includes a polarizer.

10. A method for converting linearly polarized light into circularly polarized light in a device having a display and a touch sensor panel, the touch sensor panel having a substrate, the method comprising:

emitting linearly polarized light from the display towards the touch sensor panel;

orienting the touch sensor panel with respect to the display such that a 45°

±

30°

or 135°

±

30°

angle is formed between an optical axis in the substrate of the touch sensor panel and a polarization axis of the light emitted from the display; and

introducing optical retardation to the light using the substrate as the light passes through the touch sensor panel,

wherein the substrate of the touch sensor panel introduces the optical retardation.

11. The method of claim 10, wherein the total amount of optical retardation introduced by the substrate is substantially equal to one-quarter of the wavelength of the light or substantially equal to an odd number multiple of one-quarter of the wavelength of the light.

12. The method of claim 10, wherein the substrate of the touch sensor panel is made from a material, the material selected from a group consisting of polycarbonate (PC), cyclo-olefin polymer (COP), cyclo-olefin copolymer (COC), polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), and cellulose triacetate (TAC).

13. The method of claim 10, wherein the touch sensor panel is formed by cutting the touch sensor panel from the substrate.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the substrate of the touch sensor panel is formed by a controlled stretch of the substrate, the controlled stretch selected from a group consisting of a machine direction stretch, a transverse direction stretch, and a diagonal direction stretch.

15. The method of claim 14, wherein the machine direction stretch yields an optical axis in the substrate oriented along the direction of the stretch or in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the stretch.

16. The method of claim 14, wherein the transverse direction stretch yields an optical axis in the substrate oriented in a direction perpendicular to the direction of the stretch.

17. The method of claim 14, wherein the diagonal direction stretch includes a machine direction stretch component and a transverse direction stretch component, the diagonal direction stretch yielding an optical axis in the substrate oriented at an angle substantially equal to 45°

with respect to the machine direction stretch.

18. The method of claim 13, wherein the controlled stretch is performed during roll-to-roll processing of the substrate.