Planar device, touch screen, and liquid crystal display

• US 9,971,438 B2
• Filed: 04/12/2016
• Issued: 05/15/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 05/13/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Trivale Technologies, LLC (Vector Capital Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Mitsubishi Electric Corporation
• Inventors: Ono, Takeshi, Nakamura, Tatsuya
• Primary Examiner(s): Spar, Ilana
• Assistant Examiner(s): Castiaux, Brent D
• Application Number:
  US15/096,298
• Publication Number:
  US 20160334910A1
• Time in Patent Office: 763 Days
• 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 3/04164 Connections between sensors and controllers, e.g. routing lines between electrodes and connection pads
• 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

A plurality of area lines extends in a first direction while being aligned in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction in a predetermined area. A plurality of lead-out lines electrically connects a plurality of terminal parts and the area lines to each other. Two or more of the lead-out lines include width adjusting lines determined to have widths differing from each other to make the respective resistance values of all of the lead-out lines lower than the resistance value of the area lines.

Claims

1. A planar device having a line placed along a plane, comprising:

a plurality of area lines extending in a first direction while being aligned in a second direction perpendicular to said first direction in a predetermined area;

a plurality of terminal parts provided outside said predetermined area; and

a plurality of lead-out lines electrically connecting said terminal parts and said area lines to each other, wherein

each of said plurality of lead-out lines includes a width adjusting line determined to have a width different from the widths of the other lead-out lines to make the respective resistance values of all of said lead-out lines lower than the resistance value of said area lines.

2. The planar device according to claim 1, wherein

first to n^th lead-out lines (n is an integer of two or more) belonging to said lead-out lines include first to n^th width adjusting lines respectively belonging to said width adjusting lines,

said first to n^th width adjusting lines include first to n^th second-direction extending lines respectively extending in said second direction while being aligned in said first direction in order of increasing distance from said predetermined area, and

by determining said width adjusting lines to have said widths, the respective widths of said first to n^th width adjusting lines are increased in this order.

3. The planar device according to claim 1, wherein said lead-out lines are aligned and spaced from each other in said first direction by a predetermined gap and are aligned and spaced from each other in said second direction by said predetermined gap.

4. The planar device according to claim 1, wherein

first to n^th lead-out lines (n is an integer of two or more) belonging to said lead-out lines include first to n^th width adjusting lines respectively belonging to said width adjusting lines,

said first to n^th width adjusting lines include first to n^th second-direction extending lines respectively extending in said second direction while being aligned in said first direction in order of increasing distance from said predetermined area,

said second to n^th width adjusting lines further include second to n^th projecting lines respectively that electrically connect said area lines and said second to n^th second-direction extending lines and project further toward said predetermined area in said first direction than the connected second to n^th second-direction extending lines respectively,

a k^th projecting line arbitrarily selected from said second to n^th projecting lines includes projecting portion lines in number (k−

1) projecting in stages toward said predetermined area, and

by determining said width adjusting lines to have said widths, the lengths in said first direction of two or more of said second-direction extending lines differ from each other while the lengths in said first direction of two or more of said projecting portion lines projecting in the same stage differ from each other.

5. The planar device according to claim 4, wherein the following relationship is established:

W1(1)+W1(2)+ . . . +W1(n)+S1_2(1)+S2_3(1)+ . . . +Sn−

1_n(1)≥

W2(2)+W2(3)+ . . . +W2(n)+S2_3(2)+S3_4(2)+ . . . +Sn−

1n(2)≥

. . . ≥

Wn−

1(n−

1)+Wn−

1(n)+Sn−

1_n(n−

1)≥

Wn(n),

where W1(1) to W1(n) are the lengths in said first direction of said first to n^th second-direction extending lines respectively, W2(k), W3(k), . . . , Wk(k) are the lengths in said first direction of said projecting portion lines in number (k−

1) of said k^th projecting line given in order in which said projecting portion lines in number (k−

1) start to project, and Sk−

1_k(mk) is a slit width between an mk^th projecting portion line being a part of a (k−

1)^th projecting line and an mk^th projecting portion line being a part of said k^th projecting line.

6. The planar device according to claim 4, wherein said lead-out lines are aligned and spaced from each other in said first direction by a predetermined gap and are aligned and spaced from each other in said second direction by said predetermined gap.

7. The planar device according to claim 1, wherein

first to n^th lead-out lines (n is an integer of two or more) belonging to said lead-out lines include first to n^th width adjusting lines respectively belonging to said width adjusting lines,

said first to n^th width adjusting lines include first to n^th second-direction extending lines respectively extending in said second direction while being aligned in said first direction in order of increasing distance from said predetermined area,

said second to n^th width adjusting lines further include second to n^th projecting lines respectively that electrically connect said area lines and said second to n^th second-direction extending lines and project further toward said predetermined area in said first direction than the connected second to n^th second-direction extending lines respectively, and

at least parts of said second to n^th projecting lines have the same length in said second direction.

8. A touch screen comprising a planar device having a line placed along a plane, wherein

said planar device comprises:

a plurality of area lines extending in a first direction while being aligned in a second direction perpendicular to said first direction in a predetermined area;

a plurality of terminal parts provided outside said predetermined area; and

a plurality of lead-out lines electrically connecting said terminal parts and said area lines to each other,

each of said plurality of lead-out lines includes a width adjusting line determined to have a width different from the widths of the other lead-out lines to make the respective resistance values of all of said lead-out lines lower than the resistance value of said area lines,

said predetermined area is a detectable area, and

said area lines are a plurality of sensor lines.

9. The touch screen according to claim 8, wherein each of said sensor lines includes a metal line in a mesh pattern.

10. A liquid crystal display comprising:

a planar device having a line placed along a plane; and

a plurality of thin film transistors, wherein

said planar device comprises;

a plurality of area lines extending in a first direction while being aligned in a second direction perpendicular to said first direction in a predetermined area;

a plurality of terminal parts provided outside said predetermined area; and

a plurality of lead-out lines electrically connecting said terminal parts and said area lines to each other,

each of said plurality of lead-out lines includes a width adjusting line determined to have a width different from the widths of the other lead-out lines to make the respective resistance values of all of said lead-out lines lower than the resistance value of said area lines,

said predetermined area is a display area, and

said thin film transistors are connected to said area lines in said display area.