Patent Application
20170220160
This application claims priority to and the benefit of Chinese Patent Application No. 201610070583.4 filed on Feb. 1, 2016, which application is incorporated herein in its entirety.
Embodiments of the disclosure relate to a touch panel, a method for manufacturing the same and a touch display panel.
With the development of display technologies, touch panel technologies are being rapidly developed. Capacitive display panels are enjoying more and more attentions as they have advantages such as precise and sensitive positioning, excellent touch experience and long life span. Currently, touch panels are mostly add-on touch panels.
Moreover, to improve the responsiveness of the touch panel and the precision of touch position, complicated response mechanism and algorithms are used, which will make related IC consume more power. Such power consumption therefore significantly decreases usage time of the touch panel. As a result, improving usage time of touch display panels has become a hot research topic in the industry.
Embodiments of the disclosure provide a touch panel, a method for manufacturing the same and a touch display panel, which can increase the usage time of the touch display panel.
An embodiment of the disclosure provides a touch panel comprising a touch region and a peripheral region, the touch region comprising a touch structure disposed on a base substrate; the peripheral region comprises a plurality of piezoelectric power generating components disposed on the base substrate, the piezoelectric power generating components are configured for providing energy at least to the touch structure; and each of the piezoelectric power generating component comprises a first electrode, a second electrode and a power generating layer disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode, and the power generating layer is of a piezoelectric material.
Another embodiment of the disclosure provides a method for manufacturing a touch panel, comprising: forming a touch structure on a base substrate in a touch region, and forming a plurality of piezoelectric power generating components on the base substrate in a peripheral region, the piezoelectric power generating components being configured for providing energy at least to the touch structure. Forming each of the piezoelectric power generating components comprises: forming a first electrode and a second electrode through a patterning process; and forming a power generating layer disposed between the first electrode and the second electrode through a printing process, the power generating layer being of a piezoelectric material.
Still another embodiment of the disclosure provides a touch display panel comprising a display panel and the above-described touch panel, and the touch panel is disposed on a light emitting side of the display panel.
In order to clearly illustrate the technical solution of the embodiments of the disclosure, the drawings of the embodiments will be briefly described in the following; it is obvious that the described drawings are only related to some embodiments of the disclosure and thus are not limitative of the disclosure.
In order to make objects, technical details and advantages of the embodiments of the disclosure apparent, the technical solutions of the embodiments will be described in a clearly and fully understandable way in connection with the drawings related to the embodiments of the disclosure. Apparently, the described embodiments are just a part but not all of the embodiments of the disclosure. Based on the described embodiments herein, those skilled in the art can obtain other embodiment(s), without any inventive work, which should be within the scope of the disclosure.
Unless otherwise defined, all the technical and scientific terms used herein have the same meanings as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the present disclosure belongs. The terms “first,” “second,” etc., which are used in the description and the claims of the present application for disclosure, are not intended to indicate any sequence, amount or importance, but distinguish various components. Also, the terms such as “a,” “an,” etc., are not intended to limit the amount, but indicate the existence of at least one. The terms “comprise,” “comprising,” “include,” “including,” etc., are intended to specify that the elements or the objects stated before these terms encompass the elements or the objects and equivalents thereof listed after these terms, but do not preclude the other elements or objects. The phrases “connect”, “connected”, etc., are not intended to define a physical connection or mechanical connection, but may include an electrical connection, directly or indirectly. “On,” “under,” “right,” “left” and the like are only used to indicate relative position relationship, and when the position of the object which is described is changed, the relative position relationship may be changed accordingly.
An embodiment of the disclosure provides a touch panel 01 as illustrated in
It should be noted that: first of all, the peripheral region 2 is located at an outer peripheral of the touch region 1, and for example, the touch region 1 is surrounding by the peripheral region.
Secondly, the touch structure 11 will not be limited or restricted in terms of its specific structure, as long as touch positions of touches by fingers can be identified. A person skilled in the related art will understand that no matter what type the touch structure 11 is, the identification of the touch position is made possible only by supplying energy to the touch structure.
Based on different touch structures 11, the identification of the touch position may be based on a mode of current change or capacitance change.
When the mode of current change is used, as a finger touches the touch panel, a coupling capacitor will be formed between the finger and the touch structure 11 due to a body electric field. Currents flow to the touched point will be generated by the strip electrodes at the four surrounding sides or corners will, and intensities of the currents are in reverse proportional to the distances between the finger and the strip electrodes at the four surrounding sides or corners. A controller connected to the touch panel will then precisely compute the position of the touched point by calculating the ratios and intensities of the currents.
As for the mode of capacitance change, when the finger touches the touch panel, the body electric field will act on self-capacitance or mutual capacitance of the touch structure 11, changing the value of the capacitance, thereby determining the location of the touched pointed.
Thirdly, the piezoelectric effect refers to a phenomenon where a crystalline material generates a voltage under an external mechanical pressure. For example, polarization will happen to some crystalline materials when external forces along a direction are applied to the materials and causing deformation thereto. At the same time, positive and negative charges are generated on two opposite surface thereof. When the external force is removed, the material will recover to the state with no charges.
In the embodiment, a piezoelectric material which can generate a voltage under an external mechanical force (such as push, press, stretch and the like) and recover to the state with no charges such as a conductive polymer material can be applied.
In the embodiment of the disclosure, when the finger touches the touch region 1 of the touch panel 01, the touch panel 01 will be deformed. When the touch panel 01 is deformed, a mechanical force will be applied to the piezoelectric material, allowing the piezoelectric material to generate charges.
In addition to that, the first electrode and the second electrode will not be limited in terms of their materials, as long as charges generated when the piezoelectric material is deformed can be collected and output in the form of voltage. Based on different piezoelectric materials, the first and second electrodes may be disposed on the same or different layers.
In at least some embodiments, to output the collected charges, the touch panel may further comprise electrode wires respectively connected to the first and second electrodes. The electrode wires may be used to output the collected voltage to an accumulator, which is an energy storage device. The accumulator may be used to provide energy to the touch structure. The accumulator may be disposed on a PCB of the touch panel.
The embodiment of the disclosure provides a touch panel 01. By providing piezoelectric power generating components 21 in the peripheral region 2, the deformation caused to the touch panel 01 when touch happens in the touch region 1 may be used to cause the piezoelectric power generating components 21 to generate powers (electricity), thereby providing energy to the touch structure 11 of the touch region 1. It can even be used to provide power to the display panel when being applied to the touch display panel, thereby extending the usage time of the touch display panel. Moreover, as the force applied to the touch panel 01 is limited, the mechanical force applied to the piezoelectric material will not be too high as to damage the piezoelectric power generating components 21, allowing the piezoelectric power generating components 21 to have a long life span.
In at least some embodiments, at illustrated in
As an example, in the peripheral region 2 close to any side of the touch region 1, first electrodes 211 and second electrodes 212 of all piezoelectric power generating components 21 are disposed in parallel and equally spaced apart from each other. It can be understood that a plurality of piezoelectric power generating components 21 may be disposed in the peripheral region 2 on one side of the touch region, or in the peripheral region 2 on two opposite sides of the touch region. In at least some embodiments, the piezoelectric power generating components 21 are disposed in the peripheral region 2 on at least one side of the touch region.
When no mechanical force is applied to the zinc oxide nanowires 213, that is, when no force is applied to the touch panel 01, for example when no touch operation is present, as illustrated in
When a touch operation happens, the zinc oxide nanowires 213 are deformed under the mechanical force. As illustrated in
It is noted that the zinc oxide nanowire array may be a collection of zinc oxide nanowires having a same orientation. In the embodiment of the disclosure, for example, the zinc oxide nanowires are oriented vertically to an extending direction of the first electrode 211.
As an example, the distance between the first electrode 211 and the second electrode 212 may be from 5 μm to 15 μm, for example 10 μm. That is, the height of the zinc oxide nanowires 231 may be from 5 μm to 15 μm, for example 10 μm. Widths of the first electrode 211 and the second electrode may be from 3 μm to 8 μm, for example 5 μm.
By configuring the distance between the first electrode 211 and the second electrode 212 to be from 5 μm to 15 μm, more piezoelectric power generating components may be disposed in the peripheral region 2, thereby generating more electric power. By configuring the widths of the first electrode 211 and the second electrode to be from 3 μm to 8 μm, a high response precision can be obtained and the process difficulty can be decreased.
In at least some embodiments, as illustrated in
In at least some embodiments, in order to guarantee the precise identification of the touched position, sheet resistances of the first touch sub-electrodes 111 and the second touch sub-electrodes 112 may be 60±15 Ω/cm2.
It should be noted that the material of the first touch sub-electrodes 111 or the second touch sub-electrodes 112 may be a transparent material such as indium tin oxide (ITO). The first touch sub-electrodes 111 and the second touch sub-electrodes 112 may be formed through a single patterning process.
Moreover, the material of the bridge 113 may be a conductive metal or a transparent conductive material. For example, the material of the bridge 113 is a conductive metal material, for example, aluminum or aluminum alloy.
Moreover, the bridge 113 and the first touch electrode may be insulated from each other by providing a whole layer of insulating layer therebetween or providing insulating blocks 114 at overlapping positions therebetween only.
The embodiment of the disclosure realizes precise identification of the touched position by providing the first touch electrode and the second touch electrode.
In at least some embodiments, the first electrode 211 and second electrode 212 are disposed on a same layer as the first touch sub-electrodes 111 or the bridge 113.
That is, the first electrode 211 and second electrode 212 as well as the first touch sub-electrodes 111 are formed through a single patterning process. Or, the first electrode 211 and the second electrode 212 as well as the bridge 113 are formed through a single patterning process, thereby avoiding increasing patterning processes.
In at least some embodiments, considering that the conductivity of a metal conductive material is higher than that of a transparent conductive material, when the bridge is formed of a metal conductive material, the first electrode 211 and the second electrode 212 as well as the bridge 113 are disposed in the same layer.
In at least some embodiments, as illustrated in
As the white photoresist layer 41 is of a small optical density, it cannot shield light completely. In this case, if the white photoresist layer 41 is used, the peripheral region 2 may further comprise a light-shielding layer 42 disposed on a side, away from the base substrate 10, of the white photoresist layer 41, such that light may be shielded completely.
In the embodiment of the disclosure, disposition of the insulation layer (e.g., the photoresist layer) in the peripheral region 2 on one hand is helpful to shield the first electrode 211, the second electrode 212 and the wirings in the peripheral region and on the other hand functions as decoration.
An embodiment of the disclosure further provides a touch display panel, which comprises a display panel and the above touch panel 01, the touch panel 01 is disposed on a light-emitting side of the display panel.
The display panel may be an LCD panel 02 as illustrated in
In at least some embodiments, the touch panel and the display panel may be bonded using an optical clear adhesive (OCA), e.g., optical clear resin (OCR) 03.
The embodiment of the disclosure provides a touch display pane; piezoelectric power generating components 21 are provided in the peripheral region 2 of the touch panel 01, the deformation caused to the touch panel 01 when a touch operation by a finger for example happens in the touch region 1 can cause the piezoelectric power generating components 21 to generate electric power, thereby providing energy to the touch structure 11 of the touch region 1. It can even be used to provide electric power to the display panel, thereby extending the usage time of the touch display panel. Moreover, as the force applied to the touch panel 01 is limited, the mechanical force applied to the piezoelectric material will not be too high as to damage the piezoelectric power generating components 21, allowing the piezoelectric power generating components 21 to have a long life span.
In at least some embodiments, as illustrated in
In at least some embodiments, the second substrate 52 comprises a shielding layer 521, which is disposed on a surface of a base substrate of the second substrate 52 and completely overlays or covers the base substrate.
As an example, the shielding layer may be electrically grounded.
Herein the shielding layer 521 may be of a conductive material, such as molybdenum, copper, indium tin oxide and the like. In at least some embodiment, to prevent the shielding layer 521 from affecting light emission from the display panel, a transparent conductive material such as ITO may be used. When a metal material is used, the shielding layer 521 may be made into a thinner film so as to guarantee light transmission.
In the embodiment of the disclosure, the shielding layer 521 is provided. When the electric field reaches the shielding layer 521, it will be shield due to the short-circuiting effect of the conductive shielding layer 521. As a result, the electric field cannot pass the shielding layer. In this way, when the display panel displays, the shielding layer 521 can shield the impact from the electric field signals on the touch panel. It can also prevent the impact of the electric field on the display panel when touch is present on the touch panel.
In at least some embodiments, the touch display panel further comprises an accumulator for collecting energy generated by the piezoelectric power generating components 21 in the touch panel 01, and for supplying energy at least to the touch structure 11 in the touch panel 01. It may also supply energy to the display panel.
Herein the accumulator may be integrated into a PCB of the touch display panel, which may be configured as needed.
An embodiment of the disclosure further provides a method for manufacturing a touch panel. With reference to
Referring to
In at least some embodiments, the distance between the first electrode 211 and the second electrode 212 may be from 5 μm to 15 μm. Widths of the first electrode 211 and the second electrode 212 may be from 3 μm to 8 μm.
By configuring the distance between the first electrode 211 and the second electrode 212 to be in the range from 5 μm to 15 μm, more piezoelectric power generating components may be disposed in the peripheral region 2, thereby generating more electric power. By configuring the widths of the first electrode 211 and the second electrode to be in the range from 3 μm to 8 μm, a high response precision can be obtained and the process difficulty can be decreased.
When no mechanical force is applied to the zinc oxide nanowires 213, that is, when no force is applied to the touch panel 01, for example when no touch is present, as illustrated in
When a touch operation happens, the zinc oxide nanowires 213 are deformed under the mechanical force. As illustrated in
The embodiment of the disclosure provides a method for manufacturing a touch panel. By configuring piezoelectric power generating components 21 in the peripheral region 2 of the touch panel, the deformation caused to the touch panel 01 when a touch operation happens in the touch region 1 may cause the piezoelectric power generating components 21 to generate electric power, thereby providing energy to the touch structure 11 of the touch region 1. The piezoelectric power generating components 21 can even be used to provide electric power to the display panel when being applied to the touch display panel, thereby extending the usage time of the touch display panel. Moreover, as the force applied to the touch panel 01 is limited, the mechanical force applied to the piezoelectric material will not be too high as to damage the piezoelectric power generating components 21, allowing the piezoelectric power generating components 21 to have a long life span.
In at least some embodiments, as illustrated in
In at least some embodiments, the first electrode 211 and second electrode 212 are formed through a single patterning process. As an example, the first electrode 211 and the second electrode 212 as well as the first touch sub-electrodes 111 or the bridge 113 are formed through a single patterning process.
As an example, the material of the first touch sub-electrodes 111 or the second touch sub-electrodes 112 may be a transparent conductive material. A material of the bridge 113 may be a conductive metal or a transparent conductive material. For example, the material of the bridge 113 is a conductive metal material.
In at least some embodiments, considering that the conductivity of a metal conductive material is higher than that of a transparent conductive material, when the bridge is of a metal conductive material, the first electrode 211 and the second electrode 212 as well as the bridge 113 are disposed in the same layer.
Referring to
As the white photoresist layer 41 is of a small optical density, it cannot shield light completely. In this case, if the white photoresist layer 41 is used, the peripheral region 2 may further comprise a light-shielding layer 42 disposed on a side, away from the base substrate 10, of the white photoresist layer 41, such that light may be shielded completely.
In the embodiment of the disclosure, disposition of the photoresist layer in the peripheral region 2 on one hand helps to shield the first electrode 211, the second electrode 212 and the wirings in the peripheral region and on the other hand functions as decoration.
In the following, a specific embodiment will be described to illustrate the method for manufacturing a display panel. The method comprises the following operations:
S10, with reference to
For example, a layer of black photoresist film may be applied to the base substrate 10 first. The black photoresist film may be of a thickness of for example 1.5 μm. After that, the black photoresist layer 31 is formed in the peripheral region 2 through exposing and developing processes.
S11, with reference to
As an example, the second touch sub-electrodes are arranged into columns, second touch sub-electrodes 112 in each column are disposed on both side of a connection portion between adjacent first touch sub-electrodes 111. For example, the first touch electrode and the second touch sub-electrodes 112 are made of ITO.
As an example, an ITO film may be formed via a sputtering process. A thickness of the ITO film is 800 Å for example, and its sheet resistance may be made to be 60±15 Ω/cm2. After a layer of photoresist is applied and the first touch electrode and the second touch sub-electrodes 112 are formed through exposing, developing and etching processes.
S12, with reference to
As an example, the insulating block 114 may be formed by applying a photoresist film layer with a thickness of 1.5 μm first and then having the film layer exposed and developed.
S13, with reference to
The first electrode 211 and the second electrode 212 are in parallel and spaced apart from each other. The distance between the first electrode 211 and the second electrode 212 may be 10 μm, and widths of the first electrode 211 and the second electrode 212 may be 5 μm.
As an example, a metal film may be formed via a sputtering process. A thickness of the metal film is 3,000 ÅAfter that a layer of photoresist is applied and the first electrode 211 and the second electrode 212 are formed through exposing, developing and etching processes.
S14, with reference to
The touch panel 01 may be formed through the above steps S10 to S14. Then, the touch panel 01 can be bonded to a light-emitting side of the display panel using a bonding process, thereby forming the touch display panel.
In the touch panel, the method for manufacturing the same and the touch display panel provided by the above embodiments of the disclosure, by configuring piezoelectric power generating components in the peripheral region, the deformation caused to the touch panel when a touch operation happens in the touch region may be used to cause the piezoelectric power generating components to generate electric powers, thereby providing energy to the touch structure of the touch region. It can even be used to provide power to the display panel when being applied to the touch display panel, thereby extending the usage time of the touch display panel. Moreover, as the force applied to the touch panel is limited, the mechanical force applied to the piezoelectric material will not be too high as to damage the piezoelectric power generating components, allowing the piezoelectric power generating components to have a long life span.
What is described above is related to the illustrative embodiments of the disclosure only and not limitative to the scope of the disclosure; the scopes of the disclosure are defined by the accompanying claims.
The present application claims priority from Chinese Application No. 201610070583.4 filed on Feb. 1, 2016, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 201610070583.4 | Feb 2016 | CN | national |
