Touch screen sensor

• US 10,114,516 B1
• Filed: 08/20/2018
• Issued: 10/30/2018
• 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): Yodichkas, Aneeta
• Application Number:
  US16/105,030
• Time in Patent Office: 71 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 patterned substrate for use in a touch screen sensor, comprising:

a visible light transparent substrate; and

a plurality of alternating first and second regions disposed on or in the visible light transparent substrate, each first region comprising a first mesh bar comprising a plurality of first traces having a first width and defining a plurality of enclosed first open areas, each first mesh bar electrically connected to an electrically conductive pad for connection to an electronic device, each second region comprising a second mesh bar not electrically connected to an electrically conductive pad for connection to an electronic device, each second mesh bar comprising a plurality of selective breaks in an otherwise continuous mesh.

2. The patterned substrate of claim 1, wherein if a total area of the plurality of alternating first and second regions is segmented into an array of 1 millimeter by 1 millimeter regions, then none of the regions has a shadowed area fraction that differs by greater than about 50 percent from an average for all of the regions.

3. The patterned substrate of claim 1, wherein if a total area of the plurality of alternating first and second regions is segmented into an array of 1 millimeter by 1 millimeter regions, then none of the regions has a shadowed area fraction that differs by greater than about 25 percent from an average for all of the regions.

4. The patterned substrate of claim 1, wherein if a total area of the plurality of alternating first and second regions is segmented into an array of 1 millimeter by 1 millimeter regions, then none of the regions has a shadowed area fraction that differs by greater than about 10 percent from an average for all of the regions.

5. The patterned substrate of claim 1, wherein for each first mesh bar, the first traces of the first mesh bar and the conductive pad connected to the first mesh bar include a same metal at approximately a same thickness.

6. The patterned substrate of claim 1, wherein each first mesh bar has at least a 90% open area.

7. The patterned substrate of claim 1, wherein each first mesh bar has an open area between 95 and 99.5%.

8. The patterned substrate of claim 1, wherein the visible light transparent substrate comprises a glass.

9. The patterned substrate of claim 1, wherein the visible light transparent substrate comprises a polymer.

10. The patterned substrate of claim 1, wherein each first mesh bar comprises randomly shaped cells.

11. The patterned substrate of claim 1, wherein the metal traces of the first and second metal meshes have widths between 0.5 and 25 micrometers.