KR102245826B1 - Flexible touch screen panel and flexible display device with the same - Google Patents

Abstract

According to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, a thin film substrate divided into an active area and an inactive area positioned at an outer portion of the active area; First sensing cells formed in the active region of the first surface of the thin film substrate and formed to be connected along a first direction, first connection lines connecting the adjacent first sensing cells, and connected along a second direction. Sensing patterns including formed second sensing cells and second connection lines connecting the adjacent second sensing cells; Sensing lines formed in an inactive region of the first surface of the thin film substrate and connected to the sensing patterns are included, a first region having a predetermined curvature based on a bending axis on which the thin film substrate is bent, and a first region other than the first region A flexible touch screen panel having different areas and/or intervals of the sensing cells formed on the second area, which is a flat area of, is provided for each area.

Description

Flexible touch screen panel and flexible display device with the same

Embodiments of the present invention relate to a touch screen panel, and more particularly, to a flexible touch screen panel and a flexible display device having the same.

The touch screen panel is an input device capable of inputting a user's command by selecting an instruction content displayed on a screen such as an image display device with a human hand or an object.

To this end, the touch screen panel is provided on the front face of the image display device and converts a contact position directly in contact with a person's hand or object into an electrical signal. Accordingly, the instruction content selected at the contact position is received as an input signal.

Since such a touch screen panel can replace a separate input device connected to an image display device such as a keyboard and a mouse, the range of use thereof is gradually expanding.

As a method of implementing a touch screen panel, a resistive film method, a light sensing method, and a capacitive method are known. Among them, the capacitive type touch screen panel has a conductive sensing pattern around it when a person's hand or object is in contact. The contact position is converted into an electrical signal by sensing a change in capacitance formed by another sensing pattern or a ground electrode.

In general, such a touch screen panel is attached to an outer surface of an image display device such as a liquid crystal display device and an organic light emitting display device, and is often commercialized. Therefore, the touch screen panel is required to have high transparency and thin thickness.

In addition, in recent years, a flexible image display device is being developed, and in this case, a touch screen panel attached to the flexible image display device is also required to be flexible.

However, in the conventional case, the capacitive touch screen panel has generally formed a sensing pattern on a glass substrate, and the glass substrate must have a thickness of a certain value or more so that it can be transported in the process, so that a thin thickness is required. There is a disadvantage in that the required characteristics cannot be satisfied and flexible characteristics cannot be implemented.

According to an embodiment of the present invention, in a flexible touch screen panel in which sensing patterns as touch sensors are formed on a thin film substrate having a flexible characteristic, a first region having a predetermined curvature based on a bending axis at which the touch screen panel is bent, and the By adjusting the area and/or spacing of sensing cells formed on the second area, which is a flat area other than the first area, the difference in touch sensitivity in the first and second areas is minimized to improve the accuracy and precision of touch recognition. The purpose of this is to provide a flexible touch screen panel.

In addition, another embodiment of the present invention is to provide a flexible display device including the flexible touch screen panel as described above.

The sensing panel according to an embodiment is a thin film substrate including a first region that can be bent around a bending axis, and a plurality of second regions interposed between the first region, and located on a first surface of the thin film substrate. A sensing panel including first sensing cells arranged along a first direction and second sensing cells disposed on a first surface of the thin film substrate and arranged along a second direction, In a first state in which the sensing panel is bent, the first region has a first curvature, the second region is flat, and the first region and the second region are in a second state in which the sensing panel is not bent. It is flat, and a spacing between the sensing cells disposed in the first area is different from a spacing between the sensing cells disposed in the second area.

A spacing between the sensing cells disposed in the first area in the first state may be different from a spacing between the sensing cells disposed in the first area in the second state.

In the first state, some of the first surfaces may face each other.

A spacing between the sensing cells disposed in the first area may be greater than a spacing between the sensing cells disposed in the second area.

In the first state, some of the second surfaces of the thin film substrate may face each other.

A spacing between the sensing cells disposed in the first area may be smaller than a spacing between the sensing cells disposed in the second area.

The bending shaft may extend in the first direction.

The first sensing cells may include a plurality of sub-sensing cells disposed in the first area, and a spacing between the sub-sensing cells may be smaller than a spacing between first sensing cells disposed in the second area.

The sub sensing cells may be connected to the same sensing line.

The sensing panel according to another embodiment includes a first region that can be bent around a bending axis, and a thin film substrate including a plurality of second regions with the first region interposed therebetween, and positioned on the first surface of the thin film substrate. A sensing panel including first sensing cells arranged along a first direction and second sensing cells disposed on a first surface of the thin film substrate and arranged along a second direction, In a first state in which the sensing panel is bent, the first region has a first curvature, the second region is flat, and the first region and the second region are in a second state in which the sensing panel is not bent. It is flat, and an area of the sensing cells disposed in the first area is different from an area of the sensing cells disposed in the second area.

An area of the sensing cells disposed in the first area in the first state in which the sensing panel is bent may be different from an area of the sensing cells disposed in the first area in the second state.

In the first state, some of the first surfaces may face each other.

An area of the sensing cells disposed in the first area may be smaller than an area of the sensing cells disposed in the second area.

In the first state, some of the second surfaces of the thin film substrate may face each other.

An area of the sensing cells disposed in the first area may be larger than an area of the sensing cells disposed in the second area.

The bending shaft may extend in the first direction.

The first sensing cells and the second sensing cells may be formed of different conductive layers.

The first sensing cells may include a plurality of sub-sensing cells disposed in the first area, and a spacing between the sub-sensing cells may be smaller than a spacing between first sensing cells disposed in the second area.

The sub sensing cells may be connected to the same sensing line.

According to such an embodiment of the present invention, sensing cells formed on a first region having a predetermined curvature based on a bending axis on which the flexible touch screen panel is bent, and a second region that is a flat region other than the first region. By adjusting the area and/or the interval, there is an advantage of improving the accuracy and precision of touch recognition by minimizing a difference in touch sensitivity in the first and second areas.

1 is a plan view schematically showing a flexible touch screen panel according to an embodiment of the present invention.
FIG. 2 is an enlarged view showing an example of the sensing pattern shown in FIG. 1;
3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating a structure of sensing cells when curved surfaces are formed outside the sensing cells illustrated in FIG. 1.
4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating a structure of sensing cells when curved surfaces are formed inside the sensing cells illustrated in FIG. 1.
5 is a cross-sectional view of a touch screen panel according to an embodiment of the present invention and an area I-I' of a flexible display device including the same.
6 is a plan view schematically showing an area of a flexible touch screen panel according to another embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, embodiments of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a plan view schematically illustrating a flexible touch screen panel according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, and FIG. 2 is an enlarged view illustrating an example of a sensing pattern illustrated in FIG. 1.

1 and 2, a touch screen panel according to an embodiment of the present invention is divided into an active area and a non-active area located outside the active area, and is flexible. A thin film substrate 10 having characteristics; Sensing patterns 220 formed in an active area on a first surface of the thin film substrate 10; Sensing lines 230 formed in an inactive region on the first surface of the thin film substrate 10 and for connecting the sensing patterns 220 to an external driving circuit (not shown) through the pad unit 250 Includes.

The flexible thin film substrate 10 is made of a material having high heat resistance and chemical resistance while being transparent, and in the embodiment of the present invention, polyimide (PI) is used as the thin film substrate 10 It will be described as an example.

That is, the touch screen panel according to the embodiment of the present invention does not use an existing rigid material (eg, glass, PET, PC, etc.) as a substrate to secure flexible characteristics, but among polymers. PI, which has the best heat resistance, is used as a thin-film substrate.

In this case, the thickness of the thin film substrate 10 may be about 0.005 to 0.05 mm, and preferably, the thickness of about 0.01 mm (10 μm) may be implemented to secure flexible characteristics. That is, the thin film substrate 10 having the flexible characteristic may be bent unlike a conventional glass substrate.

The sensing patterns 220 formed in the active area include a plurality of first sensing cells 220a formed to be connected to each row line along a row direction (first direction), as shown in FIG. First connection lines 220a1 connecting the sensing cells 220a along the row direction, second sensing cells 220b formed to be connected to each column line along the column direction (second direction), and 2 It includes second connection lines 220b1 connecting the sensing cells 220b along the column direction.

The first sensing cells 220a and the second sensing cells 220b are alternately disposed so as not to overlap each other, and the first connection lines 220a1 and the second connection lines 220b1 cross each other. . In this case, an insulating layer (not shown) for securing stability is interposed between the first connection lines 220a1 and the second connection lines 220b1.

Meanwhile, the first sensing cells 220a and the second sensing cells 220b are formed by using a transparent conductive material such as indium-tin-oxide (hereinafter, ITO), respectively, to the first connection lines 220a1 and the second sensing cells 220a1 and the second sensing cells 220a. It may be formed integrally with the connection lines 220b1, or may be formed separately from the connection lines 220b1 to be electrically connected.

For example, the second sensing cells 220b are formed by being patterned integrally with the second connection lines 220b1 in a column direction, and the first sensing cells 220a are between the second sensing cells 220b. Each is patterned to have an independent pattern, and may be connected along the row direction by first connection lines 220a1 positioned above or below the pattern.

At this time, the first connection lines 220a1 may be directly connected to the first sensing cells 220a from the top or bottom of the first sensing cells 220a to be electrically connected, or through a contact hole or the like. 1 It may be electrically connected to the sensing cells 220a.

These first connection lines 220a1 may be formed using a transparent conductive material such as ITO, or may be formed using an opaque low-resistance metal material, but may be formed by adjusting the width of the pattern so as to prevent visualization. .

In addition, the sensing lines 230 shown in FIG. 1 are electrically connected to the first and second sensing cells 220a and 220b in a row line unit and a column line unit, respectively, and connect them to the pad unit 250. It is connected to an external driving circuit (not shown) such as a position detection circuit.

These sensing lines 230 are disposed in a non-active area outside an active area where an image is displayed, and have a wide selection of materials, so that the transparent conductivity is used to form the sensing pattern 220. In addition to the material, it may be formed of a low-resistance metal material such as molybdenum (Mo), silver (Ag), titanium (Ti), copper (Cu), aluminum (Ti), molybdenum/aluminum/molybdenum (Mo/Al/Mo). .

The touch screen panel according to the embodiment of the present invention as described above is a capacitive touch panel, and when a contact object such as a human hand or a stylus pen comes into contact, the sensing line 230 and the pad are formed from the sensing pattern 220. The change in capacitance according to the contact position is transmitted to the driving circuit (not shown) through the unit 250. Then, the contact position is determined by converting the change in capacitance into an electrical signal by an X and Y input processing circuit (not shown) or the like.

The conventional touch screen panel is implemented in a structure in which the sensing patterns shown in FIG. 2 are repeatedly arranged in the same area and at the same interval in the active area.

However, the touch screen panel according to the embodiment of the present invention is characterized in that the thin film substrate 10 has a flexible characteristic, and accordingly, the touch screen panel has a predetermined curvature based on the bending axis shown in FIG. It may be divided into a first region and a second region that is a flat region other than the first region.

In this case, when the sensing patterns are repeatedly arranged at the same area and at the same interval regardless of the first area and the second area as before, the area of the sensing cells formed in the first area having a predetermined radius of curvature and the sensing cells The spacing between the sensing cells is different from the area of the sensing cells formed in the flat second area and the spacing between the sensing cells, resulting in a difference in capacitance values sensed in the sensing patterns formed for each area.

That is, when sensing patterns having the same structure as the conventional ones are arranged on the thin film substrate 10 having the flexible characteristic, a difference in touch sensitivity occurs for each of the first region as a curved area and the second region as a flat region, resulting in the accuracy of touch recognition. And a problem of lowering driving performance, such as a decrease in precision, may occur.

Accordingly, in an embodiment of the present invention, in order to overcome such a problem, a first region having a predetermined curvature based on a bending axis on which the flexible touch screen panel is bent, and a second region that is a flat region other than the first region It is characterized in that the area and/or spacing of the formed sensing cells is adjusted, and through this, the difference in touch sensitivity in the first and second regions can be minimized, thereby improving the accuracy and precision of touch recognition.

Hereinafter, a structure and arrangement of sensing cells according to an embodiment of the present invention will be described in more detail with reference to FIGS. 3 and 4.

However, the touch screen panel is bent in a direction in which a curved surface is formed outside of the thin film substrate 10 on which sensing cells are formed, or vice versa, that is, in a direction in which a curved surface is formed in the thin film substrate 10 on which sensing cells are formed. Can be bent.

In other words, the sensing cells may be bent in a direction opposite to the first surface of the thin film substrate on which the sensing cells are formed, or may be bent in the direction of the first surface of the thin film substrate. Hereinafter, cases where the sensing cells are bent in different directions are classified to correspond to this. The structure and arrangement of the sensing cells will be described.

3A and 3B are diagrams illustrating a structure of sensing cells when curved surfaces are formed outside the sensing cells illustrated in FIG. 1.

That is, the embodiment shown in FIG. 3 is an example in which the touch screen panel is bent in a direction in which a curved surface is formed outside the thin film substrate 10 on which the sensing cells are formed.

First, referring to FIG. 3A, a first sensing cell 220a' formed on a first region having a predetermined curvature by bending the thin film substrate 10 and a second sensing cell 220b' adjacent thereto, A first sensing cell 220a" formed on the second region and a second sensing cell 220b" adjacent thereto are shown.

When the thin film substrate 10 is bent in this way, the surface of the thin film substrate 10 corresponding to the first region, which is the curved region, is applied to the surface of the thin film substrate 10 corresponding to the second region, which is a flat region, according to the flexible characteristics of the thin film substrate. Compared to that, it will increase.

That is, when the sensing cells are repeatedly arranged at the same area and at the same interval regardless of the first region and the second region, when the thin film substrate 10 is bent as shown in FIG. 3A, the first region formed in the first region , The distance between the two sensing cells 220a' and 220b' becomes farther than the distance between the first and second sensing cells 220a" and 220b" formed on the second region, which is the sensing patterns formed for each region. It is the cause of the difference in the capacitance value detected at.

Accordingly, in the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 3A, in order to overcome this, the interval (first interval: d1) between the first and second sensing cells 220a' and 220b' formed on the first region is changed to a second. It is characterized in that the space between the first and second sensing cells 220a" and 220b" formed on the region is smaller than the interval (second interval: d2), and through this structure, the sensing cells formed for each of the first and second regions It is possible to minimize the difference in capacitance values sensed in the fields.

In this case, the difference (d2-d1) between the first interval and the second interval corresponds to the degree to which the outer surface of the thin film substrate is stretched by bending of the thin film substrate, and this can be optimized through several experiments.

Next, referring to FIG. 3B, a first sensing cell 220a ′ formed on a first region having a predetermined curvature by bending the thin film substrate 10, a second sensing cell 220b ′ adjacent thereto, and a flat region. A first sensing cell 220a" formed on the phosphorus second region and a second sensing cell 220b" adjacent thereto are shown.

As described above, when the thin film substrate 10 is bent in a direction in which a curved surface is formed outside the thin film substrate 10 on which sensing cells are formed, the sensing cells 220a ′ and 220b ′ located in the first region, which is the curved region, are The radius of the curved surface, that is, the area touched by the curvature is reduced compared to the sensing cells 220a" and 220b" located in the second area, which is a flat area.

That is, when the sensing cells are repeatedly arranged at the same area and at the same interval regardless of the first area and the second area, when the thin film substrate 10 is bent as shown in FIG. 3B, when touching each area, The contact area of the first and second sensing cells 220a' and 220b' formed in the first area is smaller than the contact area of the first and second sensing cells 220a" and 220b" formed on the second area. , This causes a difference in capacitance values sensed in the sensing patterns formed for each region.

Accordingly, in the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 3B, in order to overcome this, the area (first area: S1) of the first and second sensing cells 220a ′ and 220b ′ formed on the first region is changed to a second The first and second sensing cells 220a" and 220b" formed on the region are characterized in that the sensing cells are formed wider than the area (second area: S2), and through this structure, the sensing cells are formed for each of the first and second regions. It is possible to minimize the difference in capacitance values sensed in the fields. In this case, the difference (S1-S2) between the first area and the second area can be optimized through several experiments.

4A and 4B are diagrams illustrating a structure of sensing cells when curved surfaces are formed inside the sensing cells illustrated in FIG. 1.

That is, the embodiment shown in FIG. 4 is an embodiment in which the touch screen panel is bent in a direction in which a curved surface is formed inside the thin film substrate 10 on which sensing cells are formed.

First, referring to FIG. 4A, a first sensing cell 220a' formed on a first region having a predetermined curvature by bending the thin film substrate 10 and a second sensing cell 220b' adjacent thereto, A first sensing cell 220a" formed on the second region and a second sensing cell 220b" adjacent thereto are shown.

When the thin-film substrate 10 is bent in this way, the distance between the first and second sensing cells 220a' and 220b' formed in the first area, which is the curved area, is a second area, which is a flat area, according to the flexible characteristic of the thin-film substrate. The distance between the first and second sensing cells 220a" and 220b" formed in is narrower than that between the first and second sensing cells 220a" and 220b", which causes a difference in capacitance values sensed in the sensing patterns formed for each region.

Accordingly, in the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 4A, in order to overcome this, the distance between the first and second sensing cells 220a' and 220b' formed on the first region (third interval: d3) is changed to a second The first and second sensing cells 220a" and 220b" formed on the region are characterized by being larger than the interval (fourth interval: d4), and through this structure, the sensing cells formed for each of the first and second regions It is possible to minimize the difference in capacitance values sensed in the fields.

In this case, the difference (d3-d4) between the third interval and the fourth interval corresponds to the degree to which the outer surface of the thin film substrate is stretched due to bending of the thin film substrate, which can be optimized through several experiments.

Next, referring to FIG. 4B, a first sensing cell 220a ′ formed on a first region having a predetermined curvature by bending the thin film substrate 10, a second sensing cell 220 b ′ adjacent thereto, and a flat region A first sensing cell 220a" formed on the phosphorus second region and a second sensing cell 220b" adjacent thereto are shown.

As described above, when the thin film substrate 10 is bent in a direction in which a curved surface is formed inside the thin film substrate 10 on which the sensing cells are formed, the sensing cells 220a ′ and 220b ′ located in the first region, which is the curved region, are The radius of the curved surface, that is, the area touched by the curvature is wider than the sensing cells 220a' and 220b' located in the second area, which is a flat area.

That is, when the sensing cells are repeatedly arranged at the same area and at the same interval regardless of the first area and the second area, when the thin film substrate 10 is bent as shown in FIG. 3B, when touching each area, The contact area of the first and second sensing cells formed in the first area is wider than the contact area of the first and second sensing cells formed on the second area, which is the difference between the capacitance values sensed by the sensing patterns formed for each area. It causes the occurrence of.

Accordingly, in the embodiment of the present invention shown in FIG. 4B, in order to overcome this, the area (third area: S3) of the first and second sensing cells 220a' and 220b' formed on the first area is changed to a second area. The first and second sensing cells 220a" and 220b" formed on the region are characterized by being smaller than the area (fourth area: S4), and through this structure, the sensing cells formed for each of the first and second regions It is possible to minimize the difference in capacitance values sensed in the fields. In this case, the difference between the third area and the fourth area (S4-S3) can be optimized through several experiments.

5 is a cross-sectional view of a touch screen panel and an area I-I' of a flexible display device including the touch screen panel according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

5 is a cross-sectional view of a portion of a non-active area and an active area of the touch screen panel formed on the first surface of the thin film substrate 10 having flexible characteristics, which shows the flexible touch screen panel. A cross section of the equipped flexible display device is shown.

In this case, since the touch screen panel illustrated in FIG. 5 is the same as the flexible touch screen panel described with reference to FIGS. 1 to 4 above, a detailed description thereof will be omitted.

In this case, the thin film substrate 10 is made of a material having high heat resistance and chemical resistance while being transparent, and polyimide (PI) may be used.

In addition, FIG. 5 shows a structure in which the display device 20 is attached by a transparent adhesive layer 260 in the direction of the lower surface of the touch screen panel, that is, the first surface of the thin film substrate 10. In this case, The display device 20 is a display device having flexible characteristics, and may be implemented as an organic light emitting display device.

For example, an organic electroluminescent display device is a self-luminous device, and unlike conventional liquid crystal display devices, it is not necessary to have a backlight unit. Therefore, the substrate is made of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), acrylic (Acryl) having flexible characteristics. ), polyester (polyester, PET), etc., can have flexible properties.

Here, the transparent adhesive layer 260 is a transparent adhesive material having high light transmittance, and may be made of Super View Resin (SVR) or Optical Cleared Adhesive (OCA).

In addition, as shown, in the direction of the second surface of the thin film substrate 10, a polarizing film 30 and a window substrate 40 are stacked, and these components are attached to the transparent adhesive layer 260. Are attached to each other by

Referring to FIG. 5, sensing patterns 220 formed on an active area of the thin film substrate 10 are first sensing cells 220a formed to be connected to each row line along a first direction. And, first connection lines 220a1 connecting the first sensing cells 220a along the row direction, second sensing cells 220b formed to be connected to each column line along the column direction, and the second sensing It includes second connection lines 220b1 connecting the cells 220b in a column direction, and an insulating layer 270 is provided at an intersection between the first connection lines 220a1 and the second connection lines 220b1. ) Is interposed.

However, in FIG. 5, the thicknesses of components such as sensing patterns 220 constituting the touch screen panel are shown to be large, but this is for convenience of explanation, and the actual thickness of each component is much thinner than this.

In addition, a non-active area located outside the active area is formed to overlap with the black matrix 210 and the black matrix as shown, and is electrically connected to the sensing patterns 220. Sensing lines 230 connected to each other are formed.

In this case, the black matrix 210 serves to form an edge of the display area while preventing a pattern such as a sensing line formed in an inactive area from being visible.

In the case of such a structure, the embodiment of the present invention allows the touch screen panel to be positioned between the display device 20 and the polarizing film 10, so that it is possible to implement a sensing pattern reflection prevention and reflectance minimization while maintaining a flexible characteristic. do.

In addition, the window substrate 40 attached to the upper surface of the polarizing film 10 in order to improve the mechanical strength is also implemented as a material having flexible characteristics, since the display device 20 and the touch screen panel have flexible characteristics. This is desirable.

Therefore, in the case of the embodiment of the present invention, the window substrate 40 may be made of a material such as polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA), acrylic, polyester, etc., and the thickness is about It can be implemented with 0.7mm.

In the embodiment of the present invention described above with reference to FIGS. 1 to 5, the sensing patterns 220 of the touch screen panel include diamond-shaped first and second sensing cells 220a and 220b formed on the same layer. An insulating layer 270 is interposed at the intersections of the first and second connection lines 220a1 and 220b1 connecting the first and second sensing cells 220a and 220b, respectively.

However, the sensing patterns of the touch screen panel according to the exemplary embodiment of the present invention are not limited to the above structure, and the first and second sensing cells 220a and 220b may be formed on different layers. In this case, the first sensing cells 220a are formed on the first surface of the thin film substrate 10, and the insulating film 270 is formed on the first surface of the thin film substrate 10 including the first sensing cells. , Second sensing cells 220b may be formed on the insulating layer in a direction crossing the first sensing cells.

In addition, when the first and second sensing cells are formed on different layers, they may be implemented in a bar shape as well as a diamond shape. In this case, separate first and second connection lines 220a1 and 200b1 It does not need to be equipped.

Hereinafter, FIG. 6 relates to an embodiment in which sensing patterns of a touch screen panel are implemented in a bar shape on different layers.

6 is a plan view schematically illustrating an area of a flexible touch screen panel according to another exemplary embodiment of the present invention.

However, the same reference numerals are used for the same components as in the embodiment shown in FIG. 1, and detailed descriptions thereof will be omitted.

6, a touch screen panel according to an embodiment of the present invention is divided into an active area and a non-active area located outside the active area, and has a flexible characteristic. A thin film substrate 10; Sensing patterns 320 formed in an active area on a first surface of the thin film substrate 10; Sensing lines 230 formed in an inactive area on the first surface of the thin film substrate 10 and for connecting the sensing patterns 320 to an external driving circuit (not shown) through a pad portion (not shown) Includes.

As shown, the sensing patterns 320 formed in the active region include a plurality of first sensing cells 320a formed for each row line along a row direction (first direction) and a column direction (second direction). Accordingly, it is configured to include a plurality of second sensing cells 320b formed for each column line.

In this case, the first and second sensing cells 320a and 320b are formed on different layers, and the first sensing cells 320a are formed on the first surface of the thin film substrate 10, and the An insulating film (not shown) is formed on the first surface of the thin film substrate 10 including first sensing cells, and second sensing cells 320b are formed on the insulating film in a direction crossing the first sensing cells. do.

That is, in the case of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, unlike the embodiment of FIG. 1, separate first and second connection lines 220a1 and 200b1 need not be provided.

However, even in the case of the embodiment shown in FIG. 5, the thin film substrate 10 is characterized in that it has a flexible characteristic, and accordingly, the touch screen panel has a first curvature having a predetermined curvature based on the bending axis shown in FIG. It is divided into a region and a second region that is a flat region other than the first region.

In addition, as shown, the area and spacing of sensing cells formed on a first area having a predetermined curvature based on a bending axis at which the flexible touch screen panel is bent and a second area, which is a flat area other than the first area, are It is characterized in that it is implemented differently, and through this, it is possible to improve the accuracy and precision of touch recognition by minimizing the difference in touch sensitivity in the first and second regions.

More specifically, assuming that the bending axis is in the first direction as shown, the first sensing cells 320a' arranged in a direction parallel to the bending axis have an area for each of the first area and the second area. And the spacing are implemented differently.

Particularly, the first sensing cells 320a ′ formed on a region of the first region crossing the bending axis are configured to be branched into a plurality of sensing cells 322a, and the branched sensing cells 322a Compared with the first sensing cells formed on the second area, the area and the interval are small.

However, since the branched sensing cells 322a operate as one first sensing cell, they are connected to one sensing line 230 as shown.

In addition, even if the first sensing cells 320a and 320a ′ arranged in the first direction use a transparent conductive material such as indium-tin-oxide (hereinafter, ITO), the structure of the embodiment shown in FIG. 6, that is, a curved surface The first sensing cells 320a' arranged in the first region, which is an area, are each branched into a plurality of sensing cells 322a, and the area and gap are formed to be small, thereby preventing defects such as cracks due to bending. You can overcome it.

However, in the case of the plurality of second sensing cells 320b arranged in the second direction crossing the bending axis, crack failure due to bending when the second sensing cells are implemented as ITO like the first sensing cells This can lead to outbreaks.

Accordingly, in the embodiment of the present invention, the second sensing cells 320b are formed of silver nanowires (AgNW) as a transparent conductive material having good bending properties.

In addition, although not shown in FIG. 6, the active area is divided into two around the bending axis, and the first sensing lines (not shown) drawn out from the first active area are provided at the lower end of the inactive area. The second sensing lines (not shown) connected to (not shown) and drawn out from the second active area are connected to the second pad unit (not shown) provided at the upper end of the inactive area, so that the sensing lines are connected to the bending shaft. It is also possible to prevent the sensing lines from being damaged even in repeated bending based on the bending axis because an area intersecting with is not generated.

Although the technical idea of the present invention has been described in detail according to the above preferred embodiment, it should be noted that the above embodiment is for the purpose of explanation and not for the limitation thereof. In addition, those of ordinary skill in the technical field of the present invention will understand that various modifications are possible within the scope of the technical idea of the present invention.

10: thin film substrate
220, 320: sensing pattern
230: sensing line

Claims (20)

A thin film substrate including a first region that can be bent around a bending axis and a plurality of second regions interposed between the first region; And
Including first sensing cells located on a first surface of the thin film substrate and arranged along a first direction, and second sensing cells located on a first surface of the thin film substrate and arranged along a second direction As a sensing panel including sensing patterns,
In a first state in which the sensing panel is bent, the first region has a first curvature, the second region is flat,
In a second state in which the sensing panel is not bent, the first region and the second region are flat,
A sensing panel in which a spacing between the sensing cells disposed in the first area is different from a spacing between the sensing cells disposed in the second area. The method of claim 1,
A sensing panel in which a spacing between the sensing cells disposed in the first area in the first state is different from a spacing between the sensing cells disposed in the first area in the second state. The method of claim 1,
A sensing panel in which portions of the first surfaces face each other in the first state. The method of claim 3,
A sensing panel in which a distance between the sensing cells disposed in the first area is greater than a distance between the sensing cells disposed in the second area. The method of claim 1,
A sensing panel in which some of the second surfaces of the thin film substrate face each other in the first state. The method of claim 5,
A sensing panel in which a spacing between the sensing cells disposed in the first area is smaller than a spacing between the sensing cells disposed in the second area. The method of claim 1,
The bending axis is a sensing panel extending in the first direction. The method of claim 7,
The first sensing cells include a plurality of sub sensing cells disposed in the first area,
A sensing panel in which an interval between the sub sensing cells is smaller than an interval between first sensing cells disposed in the second area. The method of claim 8,
A sensing panel in which the sub sensing cells are connected to the same sensing line. A thin film substrate including a first region that can be bent around a bending axis and a plurality of second regions interposed between the first region; And
Including first sensing cells located on a first surface of the thin film substrate and arranged along a first direction, and second sensing cells located on a first surface of the thin film substrate and arranged along a second direction As a sensing panel including sensing patterns,
In a first state in which the sensing panel is bent, the first region has a first curvature, the second region is flat,
In a second state in which the sensing panel is not bent, the first region and the second region are flat,
A sensing panel in which an area of the sensing cells disposed in the first area is different from an area of the sensing cells disposed in the second area. The method of claim 10,
An area of the sensing cells disposed in the first area in a first state in which the sensing panel is bent is different from an area of the sensing cells disposed in the first area in the second state. The method of claim 10,
A sensing panel in which portions of the first surfaces face each other in the first state. The method of claim 12,
A sensing panel in which an area of the sensing cells disposed in the first area is smaller than an area of the sensing cells disposed in the second area. The method of claim 10,
A sensing panel in which some of the second surfaces of the thin film substrate face each other in the first state. The method of claim 14,
A sensing panel in which an area of the sensing cells disposed in the first area is larger than an area of the sensing cells disposed in the second area. The method of claim 10,
The bending axis is a sensing panel extending in the first direction. The method of claim 16,
A sensing panel in which the first sensing cells and the second sensing cells are formed of different conductive layers. The method of claim 16,
The first sensing cells include a plurality of sub sensing cells disposed in the first area,
A sensing panel in which an interval between the sub sensing cells is smaller than an interval between first sensing cells disposed in the second area. The method of claim 18,
A sensing panel in which the sub sensing cells are connected to the same sensing line. The sensing panel according to any one of claims 1 to 19; And
A display device including a light emitting element disposed on the sensing panel.

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