In-cell touch panel and manufacturing method thereof, and display device

• US 9,715,294 B2
• Filed: 12/06/2013
• Issued: 07/25/2017
• Est. Priority Date: 08/28/2013
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd., Hefei BOE Optoelectronics Technology Company Limited (BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd., Hefei BOE Optoelectronics Technology Company Limited (BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Liang, Hengzhen, Zhang, Wenhao, Wang, Hui
• Primary Examiner(s): Chang, Kent
• Assistant Examiner(s): Shah, Sujit
• Application Number:
  US14/369,280
• Publication Number:
  US 20150261367A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,327 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-174
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13338 Input devices, e.g. touch panels
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/136286 Wiring, e.g. gate line, drain line
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04144 using an array of force sensing means position sensing using the local deformation of sensor cells G06F3/0447
• CPC Class Codes: H01L 27/124 with a particular composition, shape or layout of the wiring layers specially adapted to the circuit arrangement, e.g. scanning lines in LCD pixel circuits wiring structures per se H01L23/52

Abstract

The present invention discloses an in-cell touch panel, a manufacturing method thereof and a display device. A plurality of nanowire arrays are added between an array substrate and an opposite substrate, nanowires in each nanowire array extend in a direction perpendicular to the array substrate and the opposite substrate; the newly-added nanowire arrays and s pacers provided between the array substrate and the opposite substrate form piezoelectric sensitive elements. Thus, when cell thickness between the array substrate and the opposite substrate is slightly changed due to pressure on the touch panel by any object, a nanowire array may be slightly deformed by squeeze of a spacer, the deformed nanowire array may release charges to change an electrical signal applied to an electrode wire connected thereto, and a touch point can be positioned by detecting a change in the electrical signal, thus achieving high touch sensitivity.

Claims

1. An in-cell touch panel, comprising an array substrate, an opposite substrate and a liquid crystal layer provided therebetween, and further comprising:

a plurality of piezoelectric sensitive elements arranged in matrix between the array substrate and the opposite substrate, each piezoelectric sensitive element comprising;

a nanowire array and a spacer;

wherein the nanowire array is provided on one of the array substrate and the opposite substrate, the spacer is provided on the other of the array substrate and the opposite substrate, and each nanowire in the nanowire array extends in a direction perpendicular to the array substrate and the opposite substrate; and

electrode wires electrically connected to the nanowire arrays in the piezoelectric sensitive elements, wherein

when the nanowire array in the piezoelectric sensitive element is deformed by squeeze of the spacer, the nanowire array releases charges to change an electrical signal applied to the electrode wire.

2. The touch panel of claim 1, wherein the nanowire arrays and the electrode wires are provided on a side of the array substrate facing the liquid crystal layer, and the spacers are provided on a side of the opposite substrate facing the liquid crystal layer;

or, the nanowire arrays and the electrode wires are provided on a side of the opposite substrate facing the liquid crystal layer, and the spacers are provided on a side of the array substrate facing the liquid crystal layer; and

the spacers and the nanowire arrays in the piezoelectric sensitive elements butt against each other, wherein in each piezoelectric sensitive element, only a part of the nanowire array away from the substrate on which the nanowire array is provided is in contact with the spacer.

3. The touch panel of claim 2, wherein pointed ends are provided at sides of the spacers where the spacers and the nanowire arrays butt against each other.

4. The touch panel of claim 2, wherein

the spacers in the piezoelectric sensitive elements wrap the nanowire arrays.

5. The touch panel of claim 3, wherein the electrode wires comprises first electrode wires and second electrode wires intersecting with each other, the nanowire arrays in respective piezoelectric sensitive elements are provided at intersection points of the first electrode wires and second electrode wires, and are connected to the first electrode wires and the second electrode wires.

6. The touch panel of claim 5, wherein the first electrode wires and gate lines in the array substrate extend in the same direction, and the second electrode wires and data lines in the array substrate extend in the same direction.

7. The touch panel of claim 6, wherein when the electrode wires are provided at the side of the array substrate facing the liquid crystal layer, two gate lines are provided between adjacent rows of pixel units in the array substrate, and every two adjacent columns of pixel units, as one pixel unit group, share one data line provided between the two adjacent columns of pixel units;

the first electrode wires are provided at intervals between the two gate lines provided between the adjacent rows of pixel units; and

the second electrode wires are provided at intervals between adjacent pixel unit groups.

8. The touch panel of claim 7, wherein the first electrode wires and the gate lines are provided at the same layer;

and/or

the second electrode wires and the data lines are provided at the same layer.

9. The touch panel of claim 5, wherein orthogonal projection of the electrode wires on the opposite substrate or on the array substrate is covered by a pattern of a black matrix;

the black matrix is provided on the opposite substrate or on the array substrate.

10. A display device, comprising an in-cell touch panel, wherein the in-cell touch panel comprises an array substrate, an opposite substrate and a liquid crystal layer provided therebetween, and further comprising:

a plurality of piezoelectric sensitive elements arranged in matrix between the array substrate and the opposite substrate, each piezoelectric sensitive element comprising;

a nanowire array and a spacer;

wherein the nanowire array is provided on one of the array substrate and the opposite substrate, the spacer is provided on the other of the array substrate and the opposite substrate, and each nanowire in the nanowire array extends in a direction perpendicular to the array substrate and the opposite substrate; and

electrode wires electrically connected to the nanowire arrays in the piezoelectric sensitive elements, wherein

when the nanowire array in the piezoelectric sensitive element is deformed by squeeze of the spacer, the nanowire array releases charges to change an electrical signal applied to the electrode wire.

11. The display device of claim 10, wherein the nanowire arrays and the electrode wires are provided on a side of the array substrate facing the liquid crystal layer, and the spacers are provided on a side of the opposite substrate facing the liquid crystal layer;

or, the nanowire arrays and the electrode wires are provided on a side of the opposite substrate facing the liquid crystal layer, and the spacers are provided on a side of the array substrate facing the liquid crystal layer; and

the spacers and the nanowire arrays in the piezoelectric sensitive elements butt against each other, wherein in each piezoelectric sensitive element, only a part of the nanowire array away from the substrate on which the nanowire array is provided is in contact with the spacer.

12. The display device of claim 11, wherein pointed ends are provided at sides of the spacers where the spacers and the nanowire arrays butt against each other.

13. The display device of claim 11, wherein the spacers in the piezoelectric sensitive elements wrap the nanowire arrays.

14. The display device of claim 12, wherein the electrode wires comprises first electrode wires and second electrode wires intersecting with each other, the nanowire arrays in respective piezoelectric sensitive elements are provided at intersection points of the first electrode wires and second electrode wires, and are connected to the first electrode wires and the second electrode wires.

15. The display device of claim 14, wherein the first electrode wires and gate lines in the array substrate extend in the same direction, and the second electrode wires and data lines in the array substrate extend in the same direction.

16. The display device of claim 15, wherein when the electrode wires are provided at the side of the array substrate facing the liquid crystal layer, two gate lines are provided between adjacent rows of pixel units in the array substrate, and every two adjacent columns of pixel units, as one pixel unit group, share one data line provided between the two adjacent columns of pixel units;

the first electrode wires are provided at intervals between the two gate lines provided between the adjacent rows of pixel units; and

the second electrode wires are provided at intervals between adjacent pixel unit groups.

17. The display device of claim 16, wherein the first electrode wires and the gate lines are provided at the same layer;

and/or

the second electrode wires and the data lines are provided at the same layer.

18. The display device of claim 12, wherein orthogonal projection of the electrode wires on the opposite substrate or on the array substrate is covered by a pattern of a black matrix;

the black matrix is provided on the opposite substrate or on the array substrate.

19. A manufacturing method of an in-cell touch panel, comprising the steps of:

1) forming patterns including gate lines and first electrode wires on an array substrate;

2) forming patterns including data lines and second electrode wires on the array substrate subjected to the process of step

     1);

3) forming a passivation insulating layer on the array substrate subjected to the process of step

     2), and forming vias at intersection points of the first electrode wires and the second electrode wires, of the passivation insulating layer;

4) forming nanowire arrays in the vias formed in step

     3), such that each nanowire in the nanowire arrays extends in a direction perpendicular to the array substrate; and

5) forming a pattern including spacers corresponding to the nanowire arrays on an opposite substrate;

or

1′

) forming patterns including first electrode wires and second electrode wires on an opposite substrate;

2′

) preparing nanowire arrays at intersection points of the first electrode wires and the second electrode wires subjected to the process of step 1′

), such that each nanowire in the nanowire arrays extends in a direction perpendicular to the opposite substrate;

3′

) preparing a pattern including a black matrix on the opposite substrate subjected to the process of step 2′

), the pattern of the black matrix covering the patterns of the first electrode wires and the second electrode wires; and

4′

) forming a pattern including spacers corresponding to the nanowire arrays on an array substrate.