Touch screen sensor

• US 9,823,786 B2
• Filed: 02/06/2014
• Issued: 11/21/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 02/28/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Original Assignee: 3M Innovative Properties Company (3M Company)
• Inventors: Frey, Matthew H., Robrecht, Michael J., Jambor, George F.
• Primary Examiner(s): Sasinowski, Andrew
• Application Number:
  US14/174,199
• Publication Number:
  US 20140218052A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,384 Days
• CPC Class Codes: C23F 1/02 Local etching
• CPC Class Codes: C23F 1/14 Aqueous compositions
• CPC Class Codes: G01R 27/2605 Measuring capacitance capacitive sensors G01D5/24
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04108 Touchless 2D- digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface without distance measurement in the Z direction
• 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 3/044 by capacitive means
• 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: G06F 3/045 using resistive elements, e.g. a single continuous surface or two parallel surfaces put in contact

Abstract

A touch screen sensor includes a visible light transparent substrate and an electrically conductive micropattern disposed on or in the visible light transparent substrate. The micropattern includes a first region micropattern within a touch sensing area and a second region micropattern. The first region micropattern has a first sheet resistance value in a first direction, is visible light transparent, and has at least 90% open area. The second region micropattern has a second sheet resistance value in the first direction. The first sheet resistance value is different from the second sheet resistance value.

Claims

1. A touch screen sensor, comprising:

a visible light transparent substrate;

an electrically conductive micropattern disposed on or in the visible light transparent substrate, the micropattern including;

a visible light transparent conductive mesh region comprising traces that define enclosed open areas; and

a region having a larger feature that is not transparent, wherein

the visible light transparent conductive mesh region and the region having the larger feature include the same metal at approximately the same thickness.

2. The touch screen sensor of claim 1, wherein the larger feature is a conductive trace that makes contact to the visible light transparent conductive mesh region.

3. The touch screen sensor of claim 2, wherein the conductive trace makes contact to a pad making contact with an electronic device including a decoding device, a signal generation device, or a signal processing device.

4. The touch screen sensor of claim 3, wherein the contact with the electronic device is for capacitive detection of finger touch.

5. The touch screen sensor of claim 1, wherein the larger feature is a pad for making contact with an electronic device including a decoding device, a signal generation device, or a signal processing device.

6. The touch screen sensor of claim 5, wherein the contact with the electronic device is for capacitive detection of finger touch.

7. The touch screen sensor of claim 1, wherein the traces have a width of less than or equal to 10 micrometers.

8. The touch screen sensor of claim 1, wherein the traces have a width of less than or equal to 0.5 micrometer.

9. The touch screen sensor of claim 1, wherein the traces have a width of between 0.5 and 5 micrometers.

10. The touch screen sensor of claim 1, wherein the traces have a width of between 1 and 10 micrometers.

11. The touch screen sensor of claim 1, wherein the traces have a width of between 0.5 and 25 micrometers.

12. The touch screen sensor of claim 1, wherein the visible light transparent conductive mesh region has an open area of between 90 and 99.5 percent.

13. The touch screen sensor of claim 1, wherein the visible light transparent conductive mesh region has an open area of between 95 and 99 percent.

14. The touch screen sensor of claim 1, wherein the visible light transparent conductive mesh region comprises random cell shapes, irregular polygons, or a combination thereof.