Touch panel including bent wire in flexible area and display panel including the touch panel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10620755-B2
Application number	US-201615001988-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Jan 20, 2016
Priority date	Apr 14, 2015
Publication date	Apr 14, 2020
Grant date	Apr 14, 2020

Abstract

A touch panel including: a base substrate including a flexible area; a touch sensing part disposed on the base substrate; and a wiring part disposed on the base substrate. The wiring part includes a bent portion that is bent at least once in a direction that is not parallel to a top surface of the base substrate in the flexible area.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A touch panel comprising:
a base substrate comprising a first rigid area, a flexible area, and a second rigid area, wherein the first rigid area, the flexible area, and the second rigid area are sequentially disposed in a first direction;
an insulating layer disposed on the base substrate, wherein, in the flexible area, the insulating layer comprises patterned parts and non-patterned parts;
a wiring part extending across the first rigid area, the flexible area, and the second rigid area in a peripheral region of the base substrate, wherein, in the flexible area, the wiring part comprises a first wire covering the base substrate and a second wire covering the patterned parts and the non-patterned parts;
a touch sensing part disposed in a sensing region of the base substrate, wherein the peripheral region is disposed outside the sensing region; and
a pad disposed in the second rigid area of the peripheral region, wherein the wiring part connects the pad and the touch sensing part,
wherein the first wire comprises a lower wire and an upper wire sequentially disposed on the base substrate, the lower wire extending across the first rigid area, the flexible area, and the second rigid area,
wherein the lower wire comprises a transparent conductive material and the upper wire comprises a metal, and
wherein the first wire is sequentially covered by the insulating layer and the second wire.

2. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1 , wherein:
the insulating layer comprises contact holes exposing parts of the first wire; and
the second wire is coupled to the first wire through the contact holes.

3. The touch panel as claimed in claim 2 , wherein the touch sensing part comprises:
first sensing lines extending in the first direction; and
second sensing lines capacitively coupling with the first sensing lines and extending in a second direction different from the first direction.

4. The touch panel as claimed in claim 3 , wherein:
each of the first sensing lines comprises:
first blocks arranged in the first direction; and
first bridges each coupling two adjacent ones of the first blocks; and

each of the second sensing lines comprises:
second blocks arranged in the second direction; and
second bridges each coupling two adjacent ones of the second blocks.

5. The touch panel as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the first blocks, the first bridges, the second blocks, and the lower wire are made of a same material.

6. The touch panel as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the first blocks, the first bridges, the second blocks, and the lower wire comprise a transparent conductive material.

7. The touch panel as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the upper wire, the second bridges, and the second wire comprise a metal.

8. The touch panel as claimed in claim 7 , wherein the upper wire comprises a different metal than the second bridges and the second wire.

9. The touch panel as claimed in claim 4 , wherein the first wire, the first blocks, the second blocks, and the first bridges comprise a metal.

10. The touch panel as claimed in claim 9 , wherein the first blocks and the second blocks have metal mesh patterns.

11. The touch panel as claimed in claim 10 , wherein the insulating layer comprises protrusions on a top surface in the flexible area, the protrusions protruding in a direction parallel to a folding line along which the flexible area is configured to fold.

12. The touch panel as claimed in claim 11 , wherein the insulating layer comprises a dent portion, the dent portion being dented towards a direction parallel to the folding line.

13. The touch panel as claimed in claim 12 , wherein the flexible area is associated with a plurality of folding lines, the plurality of folding lines extending in different directions.

14. The touch screen display panel as claimed in claim 1 , wherein:
the lower wire comprises at least one of silver nanowire, indium tin oxide (ITO), indium zinc oxide (IZO), antimony zinc oxide (AZO), indium tin zinc oxide (ITZO), zinc oxide (ZnO), tin oxide (SnO2), carbon nano tube, and graphene; and
the upper wire comprises at least one of gold (Au), silver (Ag), aluminum (Al), molybdenum (Mo), chrome (Cr), titanium (Ti), nickel (Ni), neodymium (Nd), and copper (Cu), or an alloy comprising at least one of gold (Au), silver (Ag), aluminum (Al), molybdenum (Mo), chrome (Cr), titanium (Ti), nickel (Ni), neodymium (Nd), and copper (Cu).

15. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the upper wire is partially removed in an area corresponding to an area to which the second wire is disposed.

16. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1 , wherein the second wire overlaps the first wire.

17. A display device comprising:
a display panel; and
a touch panel disposed on a front surface of the display panel,
wherein the touch panel comprises:
a base substrate comprising a first rigid area, a flexible area, and a second rigid area, wherein the first rigid area, the flexible area, and the second rigid area are sequentially disposed in a first direction;
an insulating layer disposed on the base substrate, wherein, in the flexible area,
the insulating layer comprises patterned parts and non-patterned parts;
a wiring part extending across the first rigid area, the flexible area, and the second rigid area in a peripheral region of the base substrate, wherein, in the flexible area, the wiring part comprises a first wire covering the base substrate and a second wire covering the patterned parts and the non-patterned parts;
a touch sensing part disposed in a sensing region of the base substrate, wherein the peripheral region is disposed outside the sensing region; and
a pad disposed in the second rigid area of the peripheral region, wherein the wiring part connects the pad and the touch sensing part,
wherein the first wire comprises a lower wire and an upper wire sequentially disposed on the base substrate, the lower wire extending across the first rigid area, the flexible area, and the second rigid area,
wherein the lower wire comprises a transparent conductive material and the upper wire comprises a metal, and
wherein the first wire is sequentially covered by the insulating layer and the second wire.

18. The display device as claimed in claim 17 , wherein:
the insulating layer comprises contact holes exposing parts of the first wire; and
the second wire is coupled to the first wire through the contact holes.

19. The display device as claimed in claim 18 , wherein the touch sensing part comprises:
first sensing lines extending in the first direction; and
second sensing lines capacitively coupling with the first sensing lines and extending in a second direction different from the first direction.

Assignees

• Samsung Display Co Ltd

Inventors

• Park Sungkyun
• Na Hyunjae
• Ko Gwangbum
• Kim Kyungseop
• Kim Cheolkyu
• Cho Kihyun
• Han Sangyoun

Classifications

• 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

• G06F3/041 Primary

  Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing 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

• G06F3/0412

  Digitisers structurally integrated in a display · CPC title