Patent Application
20170185201
This application claims the benefit of Chinese Patent Application No. 201510502973.X filed on Aug. 14, 2015 and titled as “TOUCH SUBSTRATE AND METHOD OF MANUFACTURING THE SAME, AND TOUCH DISPLAY DEVICE” in the State Intellectual Property Office of China, the whole disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference.
The present application relates to the technical field of display, and particularly, to a touch substrate, a method of manufacturing the touch substrate, a method of driving the touch substrate, and a touch display device.
At present, a touch screen, as a special peripheral device for a computer, is the most convenient, simplest and friendliest human-computer interaction device. The touch screen enables the multi-media technique to take on a new look and becomes a more attractive newly multi-media interactive device.
In a conventional manufacturing process for a touch screen, an in-cell self-capacitive touch screen is manufactured generally based on an array substrate. Because of a large signal amount and less crosstalk, the in-cell self-capacitive touch screen has become a target of interest many manufacturers are eager to research and develop. The in-cell self-capacitive touch screen is provided therein with a plurality of self-capacitive electrodes that are provided in a same layer and are electrically insulated with each other. When a human body does not touch the screen, capacitances loaded to the respective self-capacitive electrodes are a constant capacitance. When the human body touches the screen, the capacitance loaded to the corresponding self-capacitive electrode is a sum of the constant capacitance and a capacitance of the human body, and thus a touch detection unit can determine a touch position by detecting variations in capacitance values of the respective self-capacitive electrodes during a touch duration.
With reference to
Some of embodiments of the present application provide a touch substrate, a method of manufacturing the touch substrate, a method of driving the touch substrate, and a touch display device, in which a plurality of touch electrodes having a same size and a same shape and arranged in an array are provided, thereby improving accuracy of touch detection.
Concerning the above, according to an aspect of the present application, there is provided a touch substrate, comprising: a base substrate; a plurality of touch electrodes having a same shape and a same size and provided on the base substrate; a plurality of touch leading wires provided on the base substrate, each touch electrode being electrically connected to one of the plurality of touch leading wires; and shielding portions provided on the base substrate, the shielding portions being provided on a blank portion of a wiring region for the plurality of touch leading wires except an area of the wiring region in which the plurality of touch leading wires are arranged.
In an embodiment, each touch electrode is constituted by metal grids, and each metal wire of the metal grids is shielded by a black matrix.
In an embodiment, each touch leading wire is shielded by the black matrix.
In an embodiment, the shielding portions are constituted by metal grids, and each metal wire of the metal grids is shielded by a black matrix.
In an embodiment, grid pitches of the metal grids in a direction perpendicular to an extending direction of the touch leading wires are consistent.
In an embodiment, the plurality of touch electrodes, the shielding portions and the plurality of touch leading wires are provided in a same layer and are formed by etching a same metal layer.
Alternatively, the shielding portions are provided in a layer different from that in which the plurality of touch electrodes and the plurality of touch leading wires are provided.
In an embodiment, the touch substrate is a color filter substrate or an array substrate.
In an embodiment, in a case where the touch substrate is a color filter substrate, the metal grids are located under a layer in which the black matrix lies and are shielded by the black matrix.
In an embodiment, the shielding portions are made of opaque conductive material.
In an embodiment, the shielding portions arranged along an extending direction of the touch leading wires are electrically connected with each other.
Optionally, the plurality of touch electrodes are arranged in an array, and the plurality of touch leading wires run in gaps between any two adjacent rows or columns of touch electrodes.
In an embodiment, centers of the touch electrodes in a same column or row are in a straight line.
In an embodiment, the shielding portions are driven by signals having a same frequency and a same amplitude as driving signals of the plurality of touch electrodes have.
According to another aspect of the present application, there is provided a method of manufacturing a touch substrate, comprising: providing a base substrate; forming a plurality of touch electrodes having a same shape and a same size on the base substrate, and forming a plurality of touch leading wires and shielding portions on the base substrate, wherein each touch electrode is electrically connected to one of the plurality of touch leading wires; wherein the shielding portions are provided on a blank portion of a wiring region for the plurality of touch leading wires except an area of the wiring region in which the plurality of touch leading wires are arranged.
In an embodiment, the step of forming a plurality of touch electrodes having a same shape and a same size on the base substrate and forming a plurality of touch leading wires and shielding portions on the base substrate comprises: forming a color photoresist layer and a black matrix on the base substrate; and on the base substrate formed with the color photoresist layer and the black matrix, forming a metal film and forming the plurality of touch electrodes, the plurality of touch leading wires and the shielding portions constituted by metal grids which are formed by patterning the metal film through a patterning process, wherein each metal wire of the metal grids is shielded by the black matrix.
According to a further aspect of the present application, there is provided a method of driving the touch substrate as described above, comprising: applying to the shielding portions driving signals having a same frequency and a same amplitude as signals applied to the plurality of touch electrodes have.
According to a further aspect of the present application, there is provided a touch display device, comprising the touch substrate as described above.
With the touch substrate, the method of manufacturing the touch substrate, the method of driving the touch substrate and the touch display device according to the present application, accuracy of touch detection can be improved by using the touch electrodes having the same size and the same shape. In the touch substrate according to the present application, each touch electrode is electrically connected with one of the touch leading wires and therefore is electrically connected to a corresponding signal pin via the touch leading wire. Furthermore, in the present application, since the touch electrodes having the same size and the same shape may cause the touch leading wires to be densely distributed in a lower portion of the wiring region for the touch leading wires, the shielding portions are provided on the blank portion of the wiring region for the touch leading wires and the blank portion is a portion of the wiring region for the touch leading wires except the area of the wiring region for the touch leading wires in which the touch leading wires are arranged. In this way, on one hand, difference in transmissitivity caused due to variation in wiring density of the touch leading wires may be eliminated or at least reduced by means of shielding function of the shielding portions; and on the other hand, same driving signals as be applied to the touch electrodes are applied to the shielding portions, so that different influences on display effects caused due to difference in driving signals may be avoided and thus uniformity of pictures may be enhanced.
In order to explain technical solutions of embodiments of the present application more clearly, the drawings that are used to illustrate the embodiments will be described briefly below. Apparently, the drawings described below only show some of embodiments of the present application, instead of limiting the present application. One skilled in the art can obtain other drawings according to these drawings without paying any inventive efforts.
Technical solutions according to the embodiments of the present application will be explicitly and completely described hereinafter with reference to attached drawings thereof. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some, rather than all, of the embodiments of the present application. Based on the embodiments of the present application, all other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art without paying any creative work will fall within the protective scope of the present application.
As shown in
In an embodiment, the shielding portions 23 and the plurality of touch electrodes 21 are driven by a same signal, that is, the shielding portions 23 and the plurality of touch electrodes 21 are driven by signals having a same frequency and a same amplitude. With such arrangement, a possible coupling capacitance generated when the shielding portions and the plurality of touch electrodes are provided on the same touch substrate may be eliminated.
In this embodiment, each touch electrode 21 is electrically connected with one touch leading wire 22, so as to realize self-capacitive touch. However, application of this embodiment is not limited to this. This embodiment is suitable for solving problems caused when the touch electrodes 21 and the touch leading wires 22 are arranged in the same layer and the sizes of the respective touch electrodes 21 are varied for giving way to the touch leading wires 22.
Specifically, the plurality of touch electrodes 21 having the same size and the same shape are provided in this embodiment, and then the touch leading wires 22 electrically connected with the touch electrodes 21 are arranged. In this case, since there may be no wire to be arranged on a part of the base substrate and at the same time there may be wires to be densely arranged on another part of the base substrate, transmissitivities at different parts of the base substrate are different during displaying operation of a panel including the touch substrate, resulting in an adverse influence on display effects. Accordingly, in this embodiment, the shielding portions are provided on the blank portion of the wiring region for the touch leading wires and the blank portion is a portion of the wiring region for the touch leading wires except the portion of the wiring region for the touch leading wires on which the touch leading wires are arranged. On one hand, difference in transmissitivity caused due to variation in wiring density of the touch leading wires may be eliminated or at least reduced by means of shielding function of the shielding portions; and on the other hand, same driving signals as be applied to the touch electrodes are applied to the shielding portions, so that different influences on display effects caused due to different driving signals may be avoided. As a result, the touch leading wires are invisible or not apparent in a displaying state, so that the adverse influence on display effects may be avoided and thus uniformity of pictures may be enhanced.
In some embodiments of the present application, the shielding portions 23 arranged along an extending direction of the touch leading wires are electrically connected with each other, so as to facilitate applying of the driving signals. For example, with reference to
In some embodiments of the present application, the wiring region for the touch leading wires is a region in which the touch leading wires are arranged or distributed. In particular, with reference to
In an embodiment, the shielding portions 23 may be provided in a same layer as the touch electrodes 21 and the touch leading wires 22 are provided. Alternatively, the shielding portions 23 may be provided in an individual layer. Generally, opaque material is selected for forming the shielding portions 23 so as to provide a shielding function. In a case where the shielding portions 23 are made of opaque conductive material, the shielding portions 23 are applied with the same driving signals (having the same frequency and the same amplitude) as be applied to the touch electrodes 21 so as to be driven. In this way, the adverse influence on display effects caused by the difference of the driving signals may be avoided and thus uniformity of pictures may be enhanced.
In an optional embodiment, the touch electrodes 21 are arranged in an array to ensure that the touch electrodes 21 have the same size, and centers of the touch electrodes 21 which are arranged in a same row or in a same column lie in a straight line. The touch leading wires 22 run in the gap between two adjacent columns of touch electrodes. The shielding portions 23 may be designed according to practical requirements to provide a shielding function, so that the touch leading wires 22 may be invisible or not apparent in the display state, thereby avoiding differences in the display effects.
In an embodiment, the touch electrodes 21 and the touch leading wires 22 are made of metal grids (or the touch electrodes 21 or the touch leading wires 22 are made of metal grids), and metal wires of the metal grids are shielded by a black matrix, so that higher touch performance may be achieved while not adversely influencing transmissitivity. In an embodiment, the shielding portions 23 may be made of metal grids, that is, the shielding portions 23 may be made of those metal grids that are distributed on the blank portion of the wiring region for the touch leading wires except a location or an area in which the plurality of touch leading wires are provided or distributed. In this way, the metal wires are evenly distributed on the whole panel, so that better display effect may be achieved. Furthermore, since the metal wires of the metal grids are shielded by the black matrix, the presence of the metal grids may not or may not greatly adversely influence transmissitivity. The term “metal grid” means a grid or a structure having a grid shape made of metal material. In an embodiment, grid pitches of the metal grids in a direction perpendicular to the extending direction of the touch leading wires (see the direction as shown by the arrow a in
In the prior art, the touch electrodes are made of continuous film-shaped material that covers the region in which the touch electrodes are distributed, and the touch leading wires are made of continuous film-shaped material that covers the region designed for the touch leading wires. On the contrary, in the present application, the touch electrodes are made of those metal grids that cover the region in which the touch electrodes are distributed, the touch leading wires are made of those metal grids that cover the region designed for the touch leading wires, and the shielding portions are made of those metal grids that cover the blank portion of the wiring region for the touch leading wires.
It should be noted that the above-described arrangement or configuration (the configurations of the touch electrodes 21, the touch leading wires 22 and the shielding portions 23) is suitable not only for a color filter substrate, but also for an array substrate. In a case of being applied to the color filter substrate or the array substrate, the above configurations may share a same substrate with the color filter substrate or the array substrate.
Next, in order that one skilled in the art can understand and realize the structure of the touch substrate according to the embodiments of the present application, the touch substrate suitable for a color filter substrate will be described in details by taking as an example.
As shown in
As particularly shown in
It should be noted that although the touch electrodes 21 have the same size and the same shape, arrangement and specific shape of the touch electrodes 21 are not limited. Specific shapes and distribution regions of the touch leading wires 22 and the shielding portions 23 are not limited, as long as the touch leading wires 22 can electrically connect the touch electrodes 22 with the touch detection unit and difference in transmissitivity caused due to variation in wiring density of the touch leading wires can be eliminated or at least reduced by means of the shielding function of the shielding portions.
It should be noted that except that the respective touch leading wires 22 and the corresponding touch electrodes 21 are electrically connected with each other, the metal grids constituting the touch electrodes 21, the touch leading wires 22 and the shielding portions 23 are broken at respective adjacent boundaroes among the touch electrodes, the touch leading wires and the shielding portions, that is, the touch electrodes 21, the touch leading wires 22 and the shielding portions 23 are formed by three separated sheets of metal grids, respectively. However, the three separated sheets of metal grids may be provided in a same layer and may be formed by etching a same metal layer.
When specifically designing the metal grids constituting the touch electrodes, the shielding portions and/or the touch leading wires, available or acceptable shape and size of the lowest touch electrode in each column are first calculated in consideration of wiring of the touch leading wires (by taking a touch electrode having a square shape as an example, the size is a side length). Then, all the touch electrodes are provided to have the calculated size and shape. The longitudinal gaps of the touch electrodes 21 (i.e., the gaps between two adjacent columns of touch electrodes) are used for wiring of the touch leading wires 22 and form the wiring region. On the condition that the wiring region at each column provides a room occupied for wiring of the touch leading wires and a room occupied by the metal grids of the shielding portions 23, the wiring region is also needed to provide a room used for connecting the respective metal grids constituting the shielding portions 23 together. In the above design, except for the region covered by the touch electrodes 21 and the touch leading wires 22, the remaining region is filled with the metal grids that form the shielding portions 23. In an embodiment, the touch electrodes 21 have the same size and the centers of them are in a straight line in the longitudinal direction and in the lateral direction.
The above touch electrodes 21 are led out of the color filter substrate via the touch leading wires 22 and then are led to an array substrate via gold balls, and then are connected to corresponding pins of a chip. A touch driving signal may influence the display effect. In a case where the metal grids constituting the shielding portions 23 are led out column by column, same driving signals as be applied to the touch electrodes 21 are used to drive the shielding portions 23, or signals having the same frequency and the same amplitude as the driving signals of the touch leading wires 21 have are used to drive the shielding portions 23. In this way, the adverse influence on display effects caused by the difference of the driving signals may be avoided and thus uniformity of pictures may be enhanced.
As described above, some of the embodiments of the present application provide a novel in-cell self-capacitive design applied to the color filter substrate, in which a layer of metal grids is used and the metal wires of the metal grids correspond to a pattern of the black matrix at a side of the color film. Since the metal grids are in the form of a single layer, in order to ensure that the centers of the touch electrodes are in a straight line, all the metal grids are divided into the touch region, the touch leading wire region and the shielding region. The whole configuration ensures that the touch electrodes are consistent and the shielding regions are consistent. In this way, difference in size of the touch electrodes caused due to wiring in a single layer may be effectively eliminated, thereby achieving better touch performance Furthermore, because of the configuration of the metal grids, the actual area of the touch electrodes is reduced and thus a touch load is reduced.
Some of the embodiments of the present application also provide a touch display device including any touch substrate as described above. This device has lower cost, better touch performance and higher display quality. The touch display device may be any product or component that has a display function, such as a liquid crystal panel, an electronic paper, an OLED panel, a cell phone, a panel computer, a TV, a displayer, a notebook computer, a digital photo frame, a navigator and so on.
Some of the embodiments of the present application also provide a method of manufacturing the touch substrate, comprising: providing a base substrate; forming a plurality of touch electrodes having a same shape and a same size on the base substrate, and forming a plurality of touch leading wires and shielding portions on the base substrate, wherein each touch electrode is electrically connected to one of the plurality of touch leading wires; wherein the shielding portions are provided on a blank portion of a wiring region for the plurality of touch leading wires except an area of the wiring region in which the plurality of touch leading wires are arranged, so as to shield the touch leading wires and improve display effects.
In the method of manufacturing the touch substrate according to the present application, forming the touch electrodes having the same size and the same shape may improve accuracy of touch detection. Furthermore, since the shielding portions are provided, difference in display effect caused due to variation in wiring density of the touch leading wires may be eliminated.
Next, the method of manufacturing the touch substrate according to the embodiments of the present application will be described in details by taking a color filter substrate as an example.
As shown in
S101 providing the base substrate 30;
S102 as shown in
S103 on the base substrate formed with the color photoresist layer 31 and the black matrix 32, forming a metal film and forming the plurality of touch electrodes 21, the plurality of touch leading wires 22 and the shielding portions 23 constituted by the metal grids 33 (as shown in
In the method of manufacturing the touch substrate according to the present application, the metal grids 33 are formed of a single layer of metal film to constitute the touch electrodes 21, the touch leading wires 22 and the shielding portions 23. Since the touch electrodes 21 have the same size and the same shape, accuracy of touch detection can be improved. Furthermore, by means of shielding function provided by the black matrix and the shielding portions 23 constituted by the metal grids, the touch leading wires 22 can be shielded, so that the touch leading wires 22 are invisible or not apparent in a displaying state, and difference in display effect caused due to variation in wiring density of the touch leading wires may be eliminated or at least reduced. Furthermore, since the metal grids are used and hence the area of the touch electrodes is reduced correspondingly, a touch load may be reduced. The metal wires of the metal grids are evenly distributed on the whole panel, uniformity of display may be improved.
In an embodiment, the metal grids constituting the shielding portions 23 are connected with each other along a certain direction (in an optional embodiment, in an extending direction of the touch leading wires 22), so that the shielding portions 23 can be led out of the panel and be driven by the same signals as being applied to the touch electrodes 21. In this way, adverse influence on display effects caused due to difference in driving signals may be avoided, thereby achieving better uniformity of pictures.
Concerning the above, with the method of manufacturing the touch substrate according to the embodiments of the present application, the touch electrodes having the same size and the same shape can be formed by a single patterning process. In this way, manufacturing cost may be reduced, accuracy of touch detection may be improved, and display effects may be improved.
Some of the embodiments of the present application also provide a method of driving the touch substrate as described above, comprising the step of applying to the shielding portions same driving signals as being applied to the plurality of touch electrodes, that is, the driving signals applied to the shielding portion have same frequencies and same amplitudes as the driving signals applied to the plurality of touch electrodes have. With such arrangement, a coupling capacitance generated when the shielding portions and the plurality of touch electrodes are provided on the same touch substrate may be eliminated.
The above embodiments are only examples of the present application. Based on the present disclosure, those skilled in the art can easily envisage obvious modifications or variations which will also fall within the scope of the present application.
The respective embodiments of the present application are progressively described. Same or similar parts/structures among the embodiments may be referred with each other. Different points/content of an embodiment from other embodiments are described in details. In particular, since product embodiments correspond to method embodiments, they are described briefly. Details of those product embodiments may refer to the relevant description of the method embodiments.
The above embodiments are only examples of the present application, but the protection scope of the present application is not limited to this. It would be appreciated by those skilled in the art that various modifications or alternations of the above embodiments within the scope of the present disclosure will also fall within the scope of the present application. The scope of the present application is defined by the appended claims.
| Number | Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| 201510502973.X | Aug 2015 | CN | national |
| Filing Document | Filing Date | Country | Kind |
|---|---|---|---|
| PCT/CN2016/071196 | 1/18/2016 | WO | 00 |
