Touch location sensing panel having image

• US 9,557,865 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2014
• Issued: 01/31/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 11/07/2013
• Status: Expired due to Fees

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Park, Hee Woong, Kang, Sung Ku, Kim, Jin Hwan, Bae, Joo-Han, Jeon, Byeong Kyu
• Primary Examiner(s): DINH, DUC Q
• Application Number:
  US14/333,099
• Publication Number:
  US 20150123935A1
• Time in Patent Office: 930 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-181
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0448 Details of the electrode shape, e.g. for enhancing the detection of touches, for generating specific electric field shapes, for enhancing display quality

Abstract

A touch location sensing panel including horizontal location sensing electrodes and vertical location sensing electrodes, which are arranged in two dimensions on one surface of a base layer and are electrically isolated from each other. A conductive layer is formed within the electrode and on at least a part of the electrode. The electrodes are connected to separate channels of a circuit sensing a touch of a user, respectively, and the conductive layer and the sensing electrodes have a difference in color, so that an image is expressed in an entire region of the sensing panel.

Claims

1. A touch location sensing panel, comprising:

horizontal location sensing electrodes and vertical location sensing electrodes disposed in two dimensions on one surface of a base layer, the horizontal location sensing electrodes and vertical location sensing electrodes being separated from each other and electrically isolated from each other; and

a conductive layer disposed within the electrodes or on at least a part of the electrodes,

wherein;

the vertical location sensing electrodes, which extend continuously in a horizontal direction, and the horizontal location sensing electrodes arranged at different horizontal locations are connected to separate channels of a circuit configured to sense a touch of a user, respectively;

the conductive layer is patterned to be disposed on the electrodes adjacent to each other and comprises a gap corresponding to a gap between the adjacent electrodes; and

the conductive layer and the sensing electrodes have a difference in color, such that an image formed by the conductive layer is visible when another image is not displayed by projecting light through the sensing panel.

2. The touch location sensing panel of claim 1, wherein:

the conductive layer comprises antimony tin oxide (ATO), fluorine doped tin oxide (FTO), indium tin oxide (ITO), zinc tin oxide (ZTO), AL doped ZnO (ZAO), Ga doped ZnO (ZGO), or zinc oxide (ZnO); and

the electrodes comprise a material different from the material of the conductive layer.

3. The touch location sensing panel of claim 1, wherein the image comprises a character, a trademark, a letter, or a picture.

4. The touch location sensing panel of claim 3, wherein the conductive layer is disposed in a dark portion of the image.

5. The touch location sensing panel of claim 3, wherein the image is externally viewable by the viewer.

6. The touch location sensing panel of claim 3, wherein the touch location sensing panel comprises a touch screen panel.

7. The touch location sensing panel of claim 6, wherein the touch location sensing panel is disposed on a front surface or a rear surface of a transparent window of a display device.

8. The touch location sensing panel of claim 3, wherein the base layer comprises a transparent layer.

9. The touch location sensing panel of claim 1, wherein the horizontal location sensing electrodes and the vertical location sensing electrodes are configured to sense a touch through the channels connected thereto.

10. The touch location sensing panel of claim 1, wherein:

a transparent passivation layer is disposed on a front surface of the base layer; and

an electrical shielding layer is disposed on a rear surface of the base layer.