Touch control unit, electrochromatic force sensing touch pad, input method thereof, and display panel

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10795465-B2
Application number	US-201916411387-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	May 14, 2019
Priority date	Sep 14, 2018
Publication date	Oct 6, 2020
Grant date	Oct 6, 2020

Abstract

A touch control unit, a touch pad, an input method and a display panel are disclosed. The touch control unit includes a substrate, a first electrode layer formed on the substrate, an electrochromic film formed on the first electrode layer, a second electrode unit formed on the electrochromic film and a piezoelectric film unit disposed corresponding to the second electrode unit. At least a portion of the piezoelectric film unit is in direct contact with the second electrode unit. The second electrode unit is transparent, and a projection area of the piezoelectric film unit on the substrate is smaller than a projection area of the second electrode unit on the substrate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A touch control unit, comprising:
a substrate;
a first electrode layer, formed on the substrate,
an electrochromic film, formed on the first electrode layer,
a second electrode unit, formed on the electrochromic film, and
a piezoelectric film unit, disposed corresponding to the second electrode unit and at least a portion of the piezoelectric film unit being in direct contact with the second electrode unit,
wherein the second electrode unit is transparent, and a projection area of the piezoelectric film unit on the substrate is smaller than a projection area of the second electrode unit on the substrate.

2. The touch control unit according to claim 1 , wherein the piezoelectric film unit is made of an opaque material, and the piezoelectric film unit is located at an edge of a corresponding second electrode unit.

3. The touch control unit according to claim 2 , wherein a surface of the piezoelectric film unit facing the substrate and parallel to the substrate all contacts the second electrode unit.

4. The touch control unit according to claim 3 , wherein a groove is formed at the edge of the second electrode unit, and the piezoelectric film unit is located in the groove of the corresponding second electrode unit.

5. The touch control unit according to claim 3 , wherein the piezoelectric film unit is disposed above the second electrode unit.

6. The touch control unit according to claim 5 , further comprising:
a transparent planarization layer, formed on a side of the second electrode unit opposite to the substrate and in a region not covered by the piezoelectric film unit, and flush with the piezoelectric film unit.

7. The touch control unit according to claim 2 , wherein the piezoelectric film unit and the second electrode unit are disposed in an identical layer, a surface of the piezoelectric film unit facing the substrate and a surface of the second electrode unit facing the substrate are coplanar, and a side surface of the piezoelectric film unit completely contacts the second electrode unit.

8. The touch control unit according to claim 1 , wherein the substrate and the first electrode layer are transparent.

9. The touch control unit according to claim 8 , wherein the electrochromic film is a poly (aniline-co-N-(4-sulfophenyl) aniline) x V 2 O 5 nano composite film, wherein X is set in a numerical range in which the electrochromic film exhibits black color.

10. The touch control unit according to claim 1 , wherein the substrate and the first electrode layer are opaque.

11. The touch control unit according to claim 10 , wherein the electrochromic film is a poly (aniline-co-N-(4-sulfophenyl) aniline) x V 2 O 5 nano composite film, wherein X is set in a numerical range in which the electrochromic film exhibits a color that contrasts with black.

12. A touch pad, comprising:
a plurality of touch control units according to claim 1 ,
wherein an insulating layer is disposed between the second electrode units of adjacent touch control units, between the piezoelectric film units of the adjacent touch control units and between the second electrode unit and the piezoelectric film unit of the adjacent touch control units.

13. The touch pad according to claim 12 , wherein the substrate is an integrated structure, and at least one of the first electrode layer and the electrochromic film of the plurality of touch units is formed into an integrated structure.

14. The touch pad according to claim 13 , further comprising:
a cover plate, arranged on a touch control side of the second electrode unit and the piezoelectric film unit of the plurality of touch control units.

15. The touch pad according to claim 14 , wherein the substrate and the first electrode layer are transparent,
the touch pad further comprises:
a backlight source or a reflective sheet positioned on a side of the substrate away from the cover plate.

16. The touch pad according to claim 14 , wherein the piezoelectric film unit is disposed above the second electrode unit,
the touch pad further comprises:
a transparent planarization layer, formed on a side of the second electrode unit opposite to the substrate and in a region not covered by the piezoelectric film unit, and being flush with the piezoelectric film unit,
wherein the cover plate is arranged on a side of the transparent planarization layer opposite to the substrate.

17. The touch pad according to claim 12 , wherein a projection area of the second electrode unit on the substrate is smaller than a contact area between a touch object and the touch pad.

18. A display panel with touch function, comprising:
the touch pad according to claim 12 , arranged on a display side of the display panel,
wherein the substrate and the first electrode layer are transparent; and
each of the plurality of touch control units corresponds to at least one sub-pixel of the display panel.

19. An input method of a touch pad according to claim 12 , comprising:
forming an electrical signal by the piezoelectric film unit in response to an input of a touch object;
forming a voltage difference between the second electrode unit and the first electrode layer in response to the electrical signal, so that the electrochromic film changes color to realize a dark state.

20. The input method according to claim 19 , further comprising:
applying a voltage with a polarity opposite to a polarity of the voltage difference to the first electrode layer, so that the electrochromic film returns to an original state.

Assignees

• Chengdu Boe Optoelect Tech Co
• Boe Technology Group Co Ltd

Inventors

• Yan Shaning

Classifications

• G06F3/04164

  Connections between sensors and controllers, e.g. routing lines between electrodes and connection pads · CPC title

• G06F3/04144

  using an array of force sensing means (position sensing using the local deformation of sensor cells G06F3/0447) · CPC title

• G02F1/15

  based on an electrochromic effect · CPC title

• G06F3/0412 Primary

  Digitisers structurally integrated in a display · CPC title

• G06F3/0233

  Character input methods · CPC title