Touch panel and touch electrode structure thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-9977548-B2
Application number	US-201414526487-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Oct 28, 2014
Priority date	Oct 28, 2013
Publication date	May 22, 2018
Grant date	May 22, 2018

Abstract

A touch panel and a touch electrode structure thereof are provided. The touch electrode structure defines position units and includes electrodes electrically insulated from each other. Each of the electrodes covers more than one of the position units and comprises a plurality of sub-electrodes electrically insulated from each other. Each of the sub-electrodes includes sub-electrode units. Each of the position units is corresponding to at least one of the sub-electrode units of at least one of the sub-electrode, and combinations of the sub-electrode units of the different sub-electrodes in the respective position units are different. In the touch electrode structure, each electrode can be electrically independent without needing to dispose a jumper and an insulating layer, thus simplifying process steps and improving a yield rate at the same time.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A touch electrode structure defining a plurality of position units, the touch electrode structure comprising:
a plurality of electrodes electrically insulated from each other, wherein:
each of the plurality of electrodes comprises a plurality of sub-electrodes extending along a first direction and electrically insulated from each other,
each of the plurality of electrodes is associated with a plurality of position units arranged along the first direction,
each of the plurality of sub-electrodes comprises a plurality of sub-electrode units respectively contained by one of the plurality of position units,
a sum of areas of sub-electrode units contained by one of the position units is substantially identical for all of the plurality of position units,
each of the plurality of position units contains sub-electrode units among the plurality of sub-electrodes corresponding to different ones of the plurality of sub-electrodes from each other,
a first electrode of the plurality of electrodes is associated with at least a first position unit of the plurality of position units and a second position unit of the plurality of position units,
the first position unit comprises:
a first sub-electrode unit of a first sub-electrode of the first electrode; and
a second sub-electrode unit of a second sub-electrode of the first electrode, and

the second position unit comprises a third sub-electrode unit of the first sub-electrode, wherein:
the third sub-electrode unit is coupled in series with the first sub-electrode unit,
a first size of the first sub-electrode unit is different than a third size of the third sub-electrode unit, where the first size of the first sub-electrode unit and the third size of the third sub-electrode unit are measured in a second direction that is perpendicular to the first direction along which the first electrode extends, and
a number of sub-electrode units contained within the first position unit is different than a number of sub-electrode units contained within the second position unit.

2. The touch electrode structure of claim 1 , wherein the first sub-electrode unit and the second sub-electrode unit are stacked along the second direction.

3. The touch electrode structure of claim 1 , further comprising a plurality of electrode regions, wherein:
each of the plurality of electrode regions comprises a subset of the plurality of electrodes,
electrodes in a first electrode region of the plurality of electrode regions, including the first electrode, extend along the first direction, and
electrodes in a second electrode, region of the plurality of electrode regions extend along the second direction.

4. The touch electrode structure of claim 1 , wherein the plurality of electrodes are parallel with each other.

5. The touch electrode structure of claim 1 , wherein the first sub-electrode and the second sub-electrode do not intersect.

6. The touch electrode structure of claim 1 , wherein an area of the first position unit is equal to a sum of areas of all sub-electrode units contained within the first position unit, including the first sub-electrode unit and the second sub electrode unit.

7. The touch electrode structure of claim 1 , wherein:
an area of the second position unit is equal to a sum of areas of all sub-electrode units contained within the second position unit, including the second sub-electrode unit, and
no sub-electrode unit of the second sub-electrode is contained within the second position unit.

8. The touch electrode structure of claim 7 , wherein the area of the second position unit is approximately equal to the area of the first position unit.

9. The touch electrode structure of claim 1 , wherein an area of the first sub-electrode unit is different than an area of the third sub-electrode unit.

10. The touch electrode structure of claim 1 , wherein a position of the first sub-electrode unit relative to boundaries of the first position unit is different than a position of the third sub-electrode unit relative to boundaries of the second position unit.

11. The touch electrode structure of claim 1 , wherein the second position unit comprises a fourth sub-electrode unit of a third sub-electrode of the first electrode.

12. The touch electrode structure of claim 1 , wherein the second position unit of the plurality of position units comprises a fourth sub-electrode unit of the second sub-electrode.

13. A touch panel comprising:
a base board, wherein a plurality of position units are defined on the base board, and
a plurality of electrodes electrically insulated from each other and disposed on the base board, wherein:
each of the plurality of electrodes comprises a plurality of sub-electrodes extending along a first direction and electrically insulated from each other,
each of the plurality of electrodes is associated with a plurality of position units arranged along the first direction,
each of the plurality of sub-electrodes comprises a plurality of sub-electrode units respectively contained by one of the plurality of position units,
a sum of areas of sub-electrode units contained by one of the position units is substantially identical for all of the position units,
each of the plurality of position units contains sub-electrode units among the plurality of sub-electrodes corresponding to different ones of the plurality of sub-electrodes from each other,
a first electrode of the plurality of electrodes is associated with at least a first position unit of the plurality of position units and a second position unit of the plurality of position units,
the first position unit comprises:
a first sub-electrode unit of a first sub-electrode of the first electrode, wherein the first sub-electrode unit lies within a first plane that extends in the first direction along which the first electrode extends and has a first length measured in the first direction and a first width measured in a second direction perpendicular to the first direction, and the second position unit comprises:
a second sub-electrode unit of the first sub-electrode, wherein:
the second sub-electrode unit is coupled in series with the first sub-electrode unit,
the second sub-electrode unit lies within a second plane parallel to the first plane and has a second length measured in the first direction and a second width measured in the second direction,
the second length is equal to the first length,
the second width is different than the first width, and
a number of sub-electrode units contained within the first position unit is different than a number of sub-electrode units contained within the second position unit.

14. The touch panel of claim 13 , wherein;
the first position unit comprises a third sub-electrode unit of a second sub-electrode of the first electrode, and
the first sub-electrode unit and the third sub-electrode unit are stacked along the second direction.

15. The touch panel of claim 13 , wherein;
a plurality of electrode regions are defined on the base board,
electrodes in a first electrode region of the plurality of electrode regions, including the first electrode, extend along the first direction,
each of the plurality of electrode regions covers more than one of the plurality of electrodes, and
electrodes in a second electrode region of the plurality of electrode regions extend along a direction different than the first direction.

16. The touch panel of claim 13 , wherein an area of the first position unit is equal to a sum of areas of all sub-electrode units contained within the first position unit, including the first

Assignees

• Tpk Touch Solutions Xiamen Inc

Inventors

• Xie Yanjun
• Jiang Yau-Chen
• Lai Bin

Classifications

• G06F3/044 Primary

  by capacitive means · CPC title

• G06F3/0443 Primary

  using a single layer of sensing electrodes · CPC title