Flexible display device

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10062739-B2
Application number	US-201514950341-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Nov 24, 2015
Priority date	Mar 10, 2015
Publication date	Aug 28, 2018
Grant date	Aug 28, 2018

Abstract

A flexible display device includes display panel, a touch panel including a touch sensor and a second touch sensor intersecting the first touch sensor, in which the first touch sensor includes first sensor parts, each of the first sensor parts including first conductive lines, and a first crossing part connecting two adjacent first sensor parts, the first crossing part including second conductive lines, and the second touch sensor includes second sensor parts, each of the second sensor parts including third conductive lines, and a second crossing part including fourth conductive lines disposed between the second conductive lines, and a first connection electrode connecting the third conductive lines to the fourth conductive lines and insulated from the second conductive lines.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A flexible display device, comprising:
a display panel; and
a touch panel comprising a first touch sensor and a second touch sensor intersecting the first touch sensor,
wherein:
the first touch sensor comprises:
first sensor parts, each of the first sensor parts comprising first conductive lines; and
a first crossing part connecting two adjacent first sensor parts, the first crossing part comprising second conductive lines; and

the second touch sensor comprises:
second sensor parts, each of the second sensor parts comprising third conductive lines; and
a second crossing part comprising:
fourth conductive lines disposed between the second conductive lines; and
a first connection electrode connecting the third conductive lines to the fourth conductive lines and insulated from the second conductive lines.

2. The flexible display device of claim 1 , wherein:
the first conductive lines, the second conductive lines, the third conductive lines, and the fourth conductive lines are disposed directly on a first layer; and
the first connection electrode is disposed on a second layer different from the first layer.

3. The flexible display device of claim 1 , wherein:
the first sensor parts are disposed along a first direction axis;
the second conductive lines extend along the first direction axis; and
the second sensor parts are disposed along a second direction axis intersecting the first direction axis.

4. The flexible display device of claim 3 , wherein the fourth conductive lines are spaced apart from the second conductive lines and extend along the first direction axis.

5. The flexible display device of claim 3 , wherein:
the fourth conductive lines are spaced apart from the second conductive lines; and
a portion of the fourth conductive lines are disposed in the first direction axis along with one of the second conductive lines.

6. The flexible display device of claim 1 , wherein the first conductive lines, the second conductive lines, the third conductive lines, and the fourth conductive lines are disposed on the same base surface.

7. The flexible display device of claim 6 , wherein:
the touch panel further comprises an insulation layer disposed on the base surface and covering the first conductive lines, the second conductive lines, the third conductive lines, and the fourth conductive lines; and
the first connection electrode is disposed on the insulation layer and connects the fourth conductive lines to the third conductive lines through contact holes that penetrate the insulation layer.

8. The flexible display device of claim 7 , wherein:
each of the first sensor parts has a mesh shape connecting the first conductive lines to each other; and
each of the second sensor parts has a mesh shape connecting the third conductive lines to each other.

9. The flexible display device of claim 8 , wherein each of the first conductive lines and the third conductive lines have a line width less than 10 μm.

10. The flexible display device of claim 7 , wherein the second crossing part further comprises a second connection electrode connecting the third conductive lines to each other, the second connection electrode disposed on the same layer with the first connection electrode.

11. The flexible display device of claim 10 , wherein the second crossing part further comprises a third connection electrode connecting the fourth conductive lines to each other, the third connection electrode disposed on the same layer with the first connection electrode.

12. The flexible display device of claim 11 , wherein each of the first conductive lines, the second conductive lines, and the third conductive lines comprise a transparent conductive oxide (TCO).

13. The flexible display device of claim 6 , wherein:
the touch panel further comprises a base member comprising the base surface; and
the touch panel is connected to the display panel.

14. The flexible display device of claim 6 , wherein the display panel comprises the base surface.

15. The flexible display device of claim 14 , wherein the display panel comprises:
a base member;
a circuit layer disposed on a side of the base member;
an organic light emitting element layer disposed on the circuit layer; and
an encapsulation layer covering the organic light emitting element layer and comprising the base surface.

16. The flexible display device of claim 15 , further comprising a window member disposed on the touch panel.

17. The flexible display device of claim 1 , further comprising a first display area, a second display area, and a folding area disposed between the first display area and the second display area.

18. A display device, comprising:
a display panel; and
a touch panel comprising a first touch sensor and a second touch sensor crossing each other in a cross area,
wherein:
the first touch sensor comprises first conductive lines in the cross area; and
the second touch sensor comprises:
a connection line disposed between the first conductive lines in the cross area;
a second conductive line disposed outside the cross area; and
a connection electrode insulated from the first conductive lines, overlapped with the first conductive lines in the cross area, and connecting the connection line to the second conductive line.

19. The display device of claim 18 , wherein:
the first conductive lines, the second conductive line, and the connection line are directly disposed on a first layer; and
the connection electrode is disposed on a second layer different from the first layer.

20. A method of forming a touch panel of a flexible display device, the method comprising:
forming a first touch sensor comprising first sensor parts and a first crossing part; and
forming a second touch sensor comprising second sensor parts and a second crossing part,
wherein:
forming the first sensor parts comprises connecting first conductive lines with each other in a mesh shape;
forming the first crossing part comprises connecting second conductive lines with each other in the mesh shape, to connect two adjacent first sensor parts;
forming the second sensor parts comprises connecting third conductive lines with each other in the mesh shape;
forming the second crossing part comprises:
partially disconnecting the second conductive lines in the mesh shape such that the disconnected second conductive lines are spaced apart from the second conductive lines in the mesh shape; and
forming a first connection electrode to connect the third conductive lines to the disconnected second conductive lines; and

the first, second, and third conductive lines are directly disposed on a first layer; and
the first connection electrode is disposed in a second layer different from the first layer.

Assignees

• Samsung Display Co Ltd

Inventors

• Jang Hyoungwook
• Bang Jeonghoon
• Ahn Soonsung

Classifications

• G06F3/044

  by capacitive means · CPC title

• G06F2203/04102

  Flexible digitiser, i.e. constructional details for allowing the whole digitising part of a device to be flexed or rolled like a sheet of paper · CPC title

• G06F2203/04111

  Cross over in capacitive digitiser, i.e. details of structures for connecting electrodes of the sensing pattern where the connections cross each other, e.g. bridge structures comprising an insulating layer, or vias through substrate · CPC title

• G06F2203/04112

  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 title

• H01L2251/5338

  Electricity · mapped topic