WO2020077484A1

WO2020077484A1 - Touch structure and touch device

Info

Publication number: WO2020077484A1
Application number: PCT/CN2018/110195
Authority: WO
Inventors: 朱林; 李贺; 胡康军; 张瑶; 雷晓华; 何传熙; 陈靖
Original assignee: 深圳柔显系统技术有限公司; 深圳市柔宇科技有限公司
Priority date: 2018-10-15
Filing date: 2018-10-15
Publication date: 2020-04-23
Also published as: CN109643196A; CN209560511U

Abstract

A touch structure (10), comprising a flexible substrate (11) and a touch functional layer (12) provided on the flexible substrate (11), the touch functional layer (12) being made of an elastic conductive material. Formation of the touch functional layer (12) on the flexible substrate (11) by means of the elastic conductive material improves the flexibility and stretching resistance capability of the touch functional layer (12), and reduces the possibility that the touch functional layer (12) breaks due to bending and stretching. Further provided is a touch device (100).

Description

Touch structure and touch device

Technical field

The invention relates to the field of touch technology, in particular to a touch structure and a touch device.

Background technique

Existing electronic devices usually have a touch structure to provide a touch input function. The touch electrodes in the touch structure are usually made of Indium-Tin Oxide (ITO) material. Due to the high mechanical hardness of indium tin oxide material, it is easy to break after stretching the electrode, which affects the use.

Summary of the invention

In order to solve the above problems, embodiments of the present invention disclose a touch structure and a touch device that are not easily broken after stretching.

A touch control structure includes a flexible substrate and a touch function layer disposed on the flexible substrate, the touch function layer is made of an elastic conductive material.

A touch control device includes the touch control structure as described above.

In the touch structure and touch device provided by the present invention, the touch conductive layer is formed on the flexible substrate by the elastic conductive material, which can improve the flexibility and stretch resistance of the touch functional layer and reduce the touch function The possibility of the layer breaking due to stretching. In addition, the laminated structure of the touch structure is simple, which is conducive to the development of thin and light touch devices.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION

In order to more clearly explain the technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention, the drawings required in the embodiments will be briefly described below. Obviously, the drawings in the following description are only some embodiments of the present invention. Those of ordinary skill in the art can obtain other drawings based on these drawings without creative work.

FIG. 1 is a schematic structural diagram of a touch structure provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 2 is a schematic diagram of a first buffer portion of the touch structure shown in FIG. 1 connected to a trace.

FIG. 3 is a schematic diagram of the first buffer portion of the connection trace in an embodiment of the present invention.

4 is a schematic cross-sectional view of a partial area of the touch structure shown in FIG. 1.

FIG. 5 is an exploded schematic diagram of a touch structure in an embodiment of the invention.

6 is a schematic structural diagram of a touch device provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

7 is a schematic diagram of a partial area of a touch device provided by an embodiment of the present invention.

detailed description

The technical solutions in the embodiments of the present invention will be described clearly and completely in conjunction with the drawings in the embodiments of the present invention. Obviously, the described embodiments are only a part of the embodiments of the present invention, but not all the embodiments. Based on the embodiments of the present invention, all other embodiments obtained by those of ordinary skill in the art without making creative efforts fall within the protection scope of the present invention.

Please refer to FIG. 1, which is a schematic structural diagram of a touch structure 10 according to an embodiment of the present invention. The touch control structure 10 includes a flexible substrate 11 and a touch function layer 12 disposed on the flexible substrate 11. The touch function layer 12 is made of an elastic conductive material.

In this embodiment, the flexible base material 11 is made of thermoplastic polyurethane elastomers (TPU). It can be understood that the flexible substrate 11 can also be made of other flexible materials, so that the flexible substrate 11 can be bent and stretched, such as carbon-based rubber (such as latex, butadiene rubber, ethylene propylene rubber, nitrile rubber, etc.) , Silicone rubber, silicone resin (such as polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS)), SEBS (hydrogenated styrene-butadiene copolymer), EcoFlex (butylene adipate-terephthalic acid At least one of butylene glycol ester copolymer) and elastic hydrogel. The elastic conductive material is a composite material of resin and conductive components. The elastic conductive material is a stretchable conductive mixed system, wherein the resin is a continuous phase and is stretchable, that is, the resin has elasticity, and the conductive component is a dispersed phase, capable of conducting electricity. The touch function layer 12 made of the elastic conductive material can be bent and stretched. The conductive components include silver particles, copper particles, silver wires, copper wires, carbon powder, graphene, carbon nanotubes, PEDOT (polymer of EDOT (3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene monomer)), liquid metal, At least one of ionic liquids. The resin and conductive components (such as conductive particles) can be uniformly and stably mixed, and the solid content can meet the impedance requirements of the printed circuit, so that the elastic conductive material can form the touch-control layer 12 with excellent conductivity. In some embodiments, the elastic conductive material may be a composite material of rubber and conductive components. In some embodiments, the elastic conductive material may also be a composite material of elastic plastic and conductive components.

In this embodiment, the conductive component and the resin are taken, and then an appropriate amount of solvent is added and mixed to form the elastic conductive material. The volume ratio of the resin and the conductive component is (1/8) to (1/3 ), The elastic conductive material is printed on the surface of the flexible substrate 11 by means of screen printing, transfer, embossing, inkjet printing, 3D printing, sputtering and the like. It can be understood that the ratio of the resin and the conductive component is not limited, and the elastic conductive material made by mixing the resin and the conductive component can be stretchable and conductive. Preferably, when the conductive component and the resin are mixed, the mixing system may be heat-treated, and at the same time, a ball mill or a planetary mixer may be used to disperse the system to make the system mixing more uniform, and an elastic conductive material with good performance may be obtained.

By forming the touch function layer 12 on the flexible substrate 11 through the elastic conductive material, the flexibility and stretch resistance of the touch function layer 12 can be improved, and the possibility of the touch function layer 12 breaking can be reduced. In addition, the laminated structure of the touch structure 10 is simple, which is conducive to the development of light and thin touch devices with the touch structure 10.

Specifically, the touch structure 10 further includes a circuit board 14, a touch sensing circuit 15 and a plurality of connecting traces 16. The touch sensing circuit 15 includes at least a touch chip. The touch sensing circuit 15 and its peripheral circuits are integrated on the circuit board 14. In this embodiment, the circuit board 14 is a printed circuit board, and the touch sensing circuit 15 is packaged on the circuit board 14 by way of chip on board (COB). Since the touch sensing circuit 15 is packaged on the circuit board 14 instead of the flexible substrate 11, the flexible substrate 11 can be prevented from being affected by the temperature and pressure during the packaging process, thereby protecting the flexible substrate 11 from damage. Moreover, since the existing FPC (flexible circuit board) is a non-stretchable material, and the flexible substrate 11 is a stretchable material, if the existing FPC is directly bonded to the flexible substrate, it will be due to the two The tensile properties of the person are inconsistent and damage may occur easily. Therefore, in this embodiment, the existing FPC is not used as the medium connecting the flexible substrate 11 and the circuit board 14, or the FPC is used as the bonding area of the chip, but the flexible substrate 11 is directly connected to the circuit board 14.

The touch function layer 12 is electrically connected to the touch sensing circuit 15 through the connection trace 16.

The flexible substrate 11 further includes a main body 113 and an extension 115 integrally formed by one end of the main body 113. The main body 113 includes a functional area 1131 and a connection area 1133 disposed around the functional area 1131. The extension 115 is provided adjacent to the circuit board 14. In this embodiment, the body 113 and the extension 115 are formed integrally.

The touch function layer 12 is graphically arranged in the function area 1131 of the main body 113 for sensing the touch position. The touch function layer 12 includes a plurality of touch units 121 arranged in an array. The touch unit 121 has a substantially strip-shaped structure to improve the tensile resistance of the touch unit 121.

A plurality of connection traces 16 are arranged on the flexible substrate 11 at intervals. In this embodiment, each connection trace 16 is electrically connected between a touch unit 121 and the touch sensing circuit 15.

The connection trace 16 is electrically connected between the touch sensing circuit 15 and the touch unit 121, so as to realize the electrical connection between the touch unit 121 and the touch sensing circuit 15.

The connection trace 16 includes a first buffer portion 161 formed in the connection area 1133 and a second buffer portion 163 formed in the extension portion 115. One end of the first buffer portion 161 is electrically connected to the corresponding touch unit 121, and the other end of the first buffer portion 161 extends toward the extension portion 115 to form a second buffer portion 163. The structure of the first buffering portion 161 is a curved structure bent in the connection area 1133 to buffer the stress generated when the touch structure 10 is stretched, reducing the possibility of the connection trace 16 being broken and the possibility of sudden resistance change Sex. For example, in one embodiment, please refer to FIG. 2, the structure of the first buffer portion 161 is a wavy line structure. For another example, in an embodiment, please refer to FIG. 3, the structure of the first buffer portion 161 is a broken line structure. In one embodiment, the structure of the first buffer portion 161 is a trigonometric curve structure. It can be understood that in an embodiment, the structure of the first buffer portion 161 may include a polyline structure, a wavy line structure, and a trigonometric function curve structure, that is, the structure of the first buffer portion 161 may include a polyline structure, a wavy line structure, and a trigonometric function curve At least one of the structures.

The end of the second buffer portion 163 away from the touch unit 121 is electrically connected to the touch sensing circuit 15. Please refer to FIG. 4, which is a schematic cross-sectional view of a partial area of the touch structure 10 provided by this embodiment. The extending portion 115 is substantially wavy, folded, or pleated in a curved shape, so that there is a certain elastic deformation space along the extending direction of the extending portion 115. The extending portion 115 includes a plurality of protrusions 1151, and a gap is formed between adjacent protrusions 1151 to buffer the stress generated when the touch structure 10 is stretched. The second buffer portion 163 is a curved structure, which is used to buffer the stress generated when the touch structure 10 is stretched, so as to reduce the possibility of the connection trace 16 being broken and the possibility of sudden resistance change. For example, the structure of the second buffer portion 163 is at least one of a polyline structure, a wavy line structure, and a trigonometric curve structure. Further, the curved structure of the second buffer portion 163 may be closely attached to the curved surface of the extending portion 115 to form a curved structure consistent with the curved surface of the extending portion 115, that is, the bending of the extending portion 115 from the cross section of FIG. 4 The bending width and angle of the curved structure of the surface and the second buffer portion 163 are the same, and both are curved in the vertical direction. Of course, the curved structure of the second buffer portion 163 may be formed on the surface of the extending portion 115 to be curved along the left and right sides or the front and rear sides of the extending portion 115, or include both of the above-mentioned curved structures.

In an embodiment, the connection trace 16 is bent in a region near the outer contour of the flexible substrate 11. The connecting trace 16 is oscillated and bent. The oscillating bending forms a plurality of alternately distributed peaks and troughs of the connecting trace 16. Along the direction toward the outer contour of the flexible substrate 11, the connecting trace 16 forms a plurality of alternating peaks and troughs. The connection trace 16 is also bent in an area away from the outer contour of the flexible substrate 11.

The touch control structure 10 further includes an electrical connector 17. The electrical connector 17 is disposed on the circuit board 14 and electrically connected to the touch sensing circuit 15. An end of the second buffer portion 163 away from the touch function layer 12 forms a pin 1631. The plug end 1631 is plugged on the electrical connector 17, so as to realize the electrical connection between the touch sensing circuit 15 and the touch function layer 12.

The electrical connector 17 includes a connection end (not shown) provided corresponding to the plug end 1631. Since the touch structure 10 is connected to the electrical connector 17 through the plug end 1631 of the connection trace 16, the connection trace 16 of the touch structure 10 can realize the touch sensing circuit 15 and the touch without binding The electrical connection between the functional layers 12 simplifies the assembly process of the touch structure 10, and at the same time prevents the flexible substrate 11 from being damaged due to high temperature during binding, improving the product yield. In addition, due to the gap formed between the protrusions 1151 of the extending portion 115, the impact of the circuit board 14 when the touch structure 10 is stretched can be buffered, the possibility of the circuit board 14 being damaged is reduced, and the plug-in end 1631 can also be reduced The possibility of the control structure 10 being disengaged from the electrical connector 17 when being stretched, thereby ensuring the performance of the touch structure 10. In other words, since the plug end 1631 cannot withstand the stretching action, the bent extension 115 can buffer the tensile force of the touch structure 10 on the plug end 1631 when being stretched to avoid the tensile force received by the plug end 1631 Too large and damaged.

In this embodiment, the number of the connection ends corresponds to the number of the plug ends 1631, and the distance between the connection ends is set according to the number of channels and the connection traces 16. The height of the connection end is confirmed according to the thickness of the stacked structure. The electrical connection between the insertion end 1631 and the insertion end of the connection end can be selected as the upper connection type or the lower connection type. The locking method between the plug-in end 1631 and the connection end can be selected from the plug-in type or the flip-up type.

It can be understood that the connection method of the touch sensing circuit 15 and the circuit board 14 is not limited. For example, the circuit board 14 may be a flexible circuit board, and the touch sensing circuit 15 is provided by a chip on film (Chip On Flex, COF) method. On the circuit board 14, the second buffer portion 163 on the flexible substrate 11 is bonded to the circuit board 14 by binding to realize the electrical connection between the touch sensing circuit 15 and the touch function layer 12. Since the second buffer portion 163 and the touch sensing circuit 15 are bound and joined on the circuit board 14, the flexible substrate 11 is prevented from being affected by high temperature and pressure during the binding process, thereby protecting the flexible substrate 11 from damage.

The touch control structure 10 further includes a reinforcement layer 18. The reinforcing layer 18 is disposed on the side of the flexible substrate 11 away from the touch function layer 12 and on the opposite sides to the second buffer portion 163. The reinforcement layer 18 is located on the extension 115 and is adjacent to the circuit board 14. The reinforcing layer 18 can provide support for the flexible substrate 11, enhance the strength of the flexible substrate 11, and facilitate the insertion of the plug end 1631 on the electrical connector 17. It can be understood that the reinforcement layer 18 may be provided only in a part of the area where the extension 115 is adjacent to the circuit board 14, and the reinforcement layer 18 may also cover the entire area of the extension 115. In this embodiment, the reinforcing layer 18 is made of polypropylene (PP). In other embodiments, the material of the reinforcement layer 18 may be other materials. For example, the material of the reinforcement layer 18 includes PP, polyvinyl chloride (Polyvinyl chloride, PVC), polyimide (Polyimide, PI), At least one of polyphenylene sulfide (Phenylene Sulphide, PPS), epoxy resin board, phenolic resin board, resin fiber board, steel sheet, ceramic sheet, quartz sheet.

Please refer to FIG. 5. In one embodiment, the touch structure 10 further includes a flexible encapsulation layer 19 disposed on the side of the touch function layer 12 away from the flexible substrate 11 for encapsulating and protecting the touch function layer 12 . The touch function layer 12 is located between the flexible encapsulation layer 19 and the flexible substrate 11. The flexible encapsulation layer 19 is made of stretchable resin or stretchable film material. When the flexible encapsulation layer 19 is made of a stretchable resin, it can be prepared on the flexible substrate 11 by coating, spraying, chemical deposition, etc. and cover the touch function layer 12. When the flexible encapsulation layer 19 is made of a stretchable film material, the flexible encapsulation layer 19 can be prepared on the flexible substrate 11 and cover the touch function layer 12 by means of hot pressing, blow molding, injection molding, or the like. The material of the flexible encapsulation layer 19 includes at least one of polyurethane elastic resin and TPU adhesive film.

In this embodiment, the tensile modulus of elasticity of the flexible substrate 11, the touch function layer 12 and the flexible encapsulation layer 19 are of the same order, and the mechanical properties are matched to avoid the stretching process of the touch structure 10 Phenomenon such as delamination and peeling are easy to occur, resulting in the failure of the touch structure 10.

Referring to FIG. 6, the present invention also provides a touch device 100 including the touch structure 10, the adhesive layer 70 and the flexible member 80 as described above. The flexible member 80 and the touch control structure 10 are bonded together by an adhesive layer 70. In this embodiment, the adhesive layer 70 is optical glue. In other embodiments, the adhesive layer 70 may be other adhesive layers, for example, the adhesive layer 70 may be at least one of hot melt adhesive, double-sided adhesive, optical adhesive, and liquid adhesive; the touch structure 10 and the flexible member 80 The bonding method may be hot-melt adhesive hot-press bonding, double-sided adhesive, optical adhesive bonding, and liquid adhesive bonding.

The extension 115 and the adhesive layer 70 are bonded to the flexible member 80 at the top 1155 of the protrusion 1151 and the flexible member 80 through the adhesive layer 70. In other words, the tip 1155 of the protrusion 1151 on the side of the extension 115 adjacent to the flexible member 80 is bonded to the flexible member 80, and the other parts are separated from the flexible member 80 so that the extension 115 is in a folded state with the flexible member 80 It is fixed and adhered together to prevent the plug end or the circuit board 14 from being pulled by the extension 115 when the touch device 100 is stretched. Further, the position of the adhesive layer 70 corresponding to the extension 115 may also be a discrete distribution (non-continuous distribution). Please refer to FIG. 7, that is, the adhesive layer 70 is only provided at the position of the protrusion 1151 corresponding to the extension 115. There is no distribution between the positions 1151, and the adhesive layer 70 is broken between two adjacent protrusions 1151. The discretely distributed adhesive layer 70 further helps to improve the tensile resistance of the adhesive layer 70. The extension 115 can be folded along the stretching direction 700.

In this embodiment, the materials of the flexible member 80, the adhesive layer 70, and the layers of the touch structure 10 have the same order of tensile modulus of elasticity, so that the mechanical properties of the layers can be matched to avoid the touch device During the stretching process of 100, delamination, peeling and other phenomena are prone to occur, resulting in the failure of the touch device 100. The flexible member 80 is made of an elastic textile material, and the touch device 100 is a wearable device, such as clothes. In other embodiments, the flexible member 80 may also be other materials, such as leather and other materials with certain flexibility.

In the touch structure 10 and the touch device 100 provided by the present invention, the touch conductive layer 12 is formed on the flexible substrate 11 by the elastic conductive material, which can improve the flexibility and stretch resistance of the touch functional layer 12 To reduce the possibility of the touch function layer 12 breaking due to bending and stretching. In addition, the laminated structure of the touch structure 10 is simple, which is conducive to the development of the thin and thin touch device 100.

The above is a preferred embodiment of the present invention. It should be pointed out that for those of ordinary skill in the art, without departing from the principles of the present invention, several improvements and retouches can be made. These improvements and retouches are also regarded as This is the protection scope of the present invention.

Claims

A touch control structure, characterized in that the touch control structure includes a flexible substrate and a touch function layer disposed on the flexible substrate, the touch function layer is made of an elastic conductive material.
The touch control structure according to claim 1, wherein the elastic conductive material is a composite material of resin and conductive components, or a composite material of rubber and conductive components, or a composite material of elastic plastic and conductive components.
The touch control structure according to claim 2, wherein the conductive component comprises silver particles, copper particles, silver wires, carbon powder, graphene, carbon nanotubes, 3,4-ethylenedioxythiophene monomer At least one of polymer, liquid metal, and ionic liquid.
The touch structure according to claim 1, wherein the touch structure further comprises a circuit board and a touch sensing circuit provided on the circuit board, the touch sensing circuit and the touch The control function layer is electrically connected.
The touch structure according to claim 4, wherein the touch function layer comprises a plurality of touch units, and the touch structure further comprises a plurality of connection traces provided on the flexible substrate, The connecting trace is electrically connected between the corresponding touch unit and the touch sensing circuit.
The touch control structure according to claim 5, wherein the flexible substrate includes a main body and an extension portion formed by one end of the main body, the plurality of touch units are disposed on the main body, and the connection One end of the wiring is electrically connected to the corresponding touch unit, and the other end of the connection wiring extends from the main body to the extension portion and is electrically connected to the touch sensing circuit.
The touch control structure according to claim 6, wherein the main body and the extending portion are integrally formed.
The touch structure according to claim 6, wherein the main body includes a functional area and a connection area disposed adjacent to an edge of the functional area, the plurality of touch units are disposed in the functional area, and the connection The other end of the trace extends from the connection area to the extension.
The touch control structure according to claim 8, wherein the connection trace is bent at the connection area to form a first buffer portion.
The touch control structure according to claim 8, wherein the connection trace is bent at the extending portion to form a second buffer portion.
The touch control structure according to claim 5, wherein the touch control structure further comprises an electrical connector, the electrical connector is provided on the circuit board, the touch sensing circuit and the electrical The connectors are electrically connected, and the end of the connection trace away from the touch unit is a plug-in end, and the plug-in end is plugged into the electrical connector so that the touch sensing circuit is electrically connected The device is electrically connected.
The touch structure of claim 11, wherein the touch structure further comprises a reinforcement layer, the reinforcement layer is disposed on a side of the flexible substrate away from the touch function layer.
The touch control structure according to claim 5, wherein the connection trace is bent in a region close to the outer contour of the flexible substrate.
The touch control structure according to claim 13, wherein the connection trace is an oscillating bend.
The touch control structure according to claim 13, wherein the connecting traces form a plurality of alternately distributed peaks and troughs along a direction toward the outer contour of the flexible substrate.
The touch control structure according to claim 13, wherein the connection trace is also bent in an area away from the outer contour of the flexible substrate.
The touch control structure according to claim 1, wherein the material of the flexible substrate comprises at least one of thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer rubber, carbon-based rubber, silicone rubber, silicone resin, macromolecular hydrogel One kind.
The touch control structure according to claim 1, wherein the flexible substrate and the elastic conductive material have the same order of tensile modulus of elasticity.
The touch structure as claimed in claim 1, wherein the touch structure further comprises a flexible encapsulation layer disposed on a side of the touch function layer away from the flexible substrate.
The touch control structure of claim 19, wherein the material of the flexible encapsulation layer comprises at least one of polyurethane elastic resin and thermoplastic polyurethane elastomer rubber film.
A touch device, characterized in that the touch device comprises the touch structure according to any one of claims 1-20.
The touch device according to claim 21, wherein the touch device further comprises a flexible member, and the flexible member and the touch structure are adhered by an adhesive layer.
The touch device as claimed in claim 22, wherein the flexible substrate includes a main body and an extension portion extending from one end of the main body, the touch function layer is disposed on the main body, the extension The portion includes a plurality of protrusions, a gap is formed between adjacent protrusions, and the top end of the protrusion on the side of the extension portion adjacent to the flexible member is bonded to the flexible member through an adhesive layer.
The touch device according to claim 23, wherein the adhesive layer is distributed discontinuously, and the adhesive layer is broken between two adjacent protrusions.
The touch device of claim 22, wherein the flexible member, the adhesive layer, the flexible substrate, and the elastic conductive material have the same order of tensile modulus of elasticity.
The touch device according to claim 22, wherein the flexible member is made of an elastic textile material, and the touch device is a wearable device.