ELECTRONIC DEVICE TOUCH SCREEN DISPLAY MODULE

• US 20110001706A1
• Filed: 07/02/2009
• Published: 01/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/02/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Sanford, Emery, Zadesky, Stephen P.
• Application Number:
  US12/497,358
• Publication Number:
  US 20110001706A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes

Abstract

An electronic device may have a housing in which a touch screen display module is mounted. A cover glass may cover the touch screen display module. The touch screen display module may include display structures and touch sensor structures. A first cable may be connected to the display structures along an edge of the touch screen display module. A second cable may be connected to the touch sensor structures along another edge of the touch screen display module. The cables may be formed from flex circuits that are connected to the display module using heat-and-pressure-bondable conductive adhesive. A printed circuit board in electronic device may have connectors that receive the ends of the first and second flex circuits. The connectors may be located along a common edge of the printed circuit board to facilitate assembly of the touch screen display module within the housing of the electronic device.

Claims

1. A rectangular touch screen display module having four edges, comprising:

display structures;

touch sensor structures;

a display data path cable connected to the display structures at a first of the edges; and

a touch sensor cable connected to the touch sensor structures along a second of the edges.

2. The rectangular touch screen display module defined in claim 1 wherein the display data path cable comprises a flex circuit.

3. The rectangular touch screen display module defined in claim 2 wherein the touch sensor cable comprises a flex circuit.

4. The rectangular touch screen display module defined in claim 1 comprising:

a first dielectric layer;

a second dielectric layer;

display pixels interposed between the first dielectric layer and the second dielectric layer; and

touch sensor electrodes formed on the second dielectric layer, wherein the first and second dielectric layers and the display pixels are associated with the display structures and wherein the second dielectric layer and the touch sensor electrodes are associated with the touch sensor structures.

5. The rectangular touch screen display module defined in claim 4 wherein the display data path cable comprises a flex circuit connected to the first dielectric layer.

6. The rectangular touch screen display module defined in claim 5 wherein the touch sensor cable comprises a flex circuit connected to the second dielectric layer.

7. The rectangular touch screen display module defined in claim 6 wherein the first dielectric layer comprises a layer of glass having a ledge region in which the display data path cable is connected to the first dielectric layer.

8. An electronic device, comprising:

a substrate layer;

a light-emitting diode array on the substrate layer;

a glass layer that covers the light-emitting diode array, wherein the light-emitting diode array is interposed between the substrate layer and the glass layer;

an array of touch sensor electrodes on the glass layer;

a first flex circuit connected to the substrate layer that conveys image data to the light-emitting diode array;

a second flex circuit connected to the glass layer that receives touch sensor data from the array of touch sensor electrodes, wherein the substrate layer and the glass layer form part of a rectangular touch screen display having four edges and wherein the first flex circuit and the second flex circuit are each connected to a different one of the four edges.

9. The electronic device defined in claim 8 further comprising:

a housing; and

a cover glass, wherein the substrate layer, the light-emitting diode array, the glass layer, and the array of touch sensor electrodes are mounted in the housing and are covered by the cover glass.

10. The electronic device defined in claim 9 further comprising a printed circuit board in the housing, wherein the first flex circuit has first and second ends, wherein the second flex circuit has first and second ends, wherein the first end of the first flex circuit is connected to the substrate layer, wherein the second end of the first flex circuit is connected to the printed circuit board, wherein the first end of the second flex circuit is connected to the glass layer, wherein the second end of the second flex circuit is connected to the printed circuit board, wherein the printed circuit board has edges, and wherein the second ends of the first and second flex circuits are connected to the same edge of the printed circuit board.

11. The electronic device defined in claim 10 wherein the light-emitting diodes comprise organic light-emitting diodes and wherein the touch sensor electrodes comprise indium-tin oxide traces.

12. A touch screen display having four edges, comprising:

a first glass layer;

an array of light-emitting diodes on the first glass layer;

a second glass layer that is attached to the first glass layer and that covers the array of light-emitting diodes;

an array of touch sensor electrodes on the second glass layer;

a first cable connected to the first glass layer along a first of the edges, wherein the first cable conveys signals to the array of light-emitting diodes;

a second cable connected to the second glass layer along a second of the edges, wherein the second cable receives signals from the array of touch sensor electrodes.

13. The touch screen display defined in claim 12 wherein the first cable comprises a first flex circuit and wherein the second cable comprises a second flex circuit.

14. The touch screen display defined in claim 13 wherein the first flex circuit is attached to the first glass layer with a heat-and-pressure-bondable conductive adhesive.

15. The touch screen display defined in claim 14 wherein the first and second edges are opposing edges of the touch screen display and wherein the second flex circuit is attached to the second glass layer with a heat-and-pressure-bondable conductive adhesive.

16. The touch screen display defined in claim 13 wherein the first glass layer has a portion defining a ledge that is not covered by the second glass layer, the touch screen display further comprising display driver circuitry mounted on the ledge and wherein the first cable is connected to the first glass layer adjacent to the display driver circuitry on the ledge.

17. A touch screen display module having four edges, comprising:

a display;

a touch sensor;

a display data path flex circuit that is connected to the display at a first of the four edges; and

a touch sensor data path flex circuit that is connected to the touch sensor at a second of the four edges.

18. The touch screen display module defined in claim 17 wherein the first and second edges are opposite one another and wherein the display comprises an array of light-emitting diodes.

19. The touch screen display module defined in claim 18 wherein the touch sensor comprises an array of indium-tin oxide electrodes.

20. The touch screen display module defined in claim 19 further comprising a layer of glass on which the array of indium-tin oxide electrodes is formed, wherein the layer of glass encapsulates the array of light-emitting diodes.