WO2019045345A1 - Mutual inductive force sensor module for implementing three-dimensional touch - Google Patents

Abstract

The present invention relates to a force sensor module and, more specifically, to a mutual inductive force sensor module for implementing a three-dimensional touch, the module detecting a degree of applied force using a varying inductance as a function of distance change. between coils formed on each two-layer FPCB, which makes it possible to implement a three-dimensional touch of a billboard.

Description

Mutual Inductive Force Sensor Module for 3D Touch Implementation

[0001] The present invention relates to a force sensor module, and more particularly, to a force sensor module that detects the degree of applied force by using an inductance variable according to a distance change between coils formed on each two-layer FPCB, To a mutual inductive force sensor module for 3D touch implementation.

2. Description of the Related Art Generally, a portable electronic device such as a smart phone, an MP3 player, or a home appliance such as a refrigerator, a washing machine, and an air conditioner is provided with a display panel that can display various operating states or control the device by touch input.

In recent years, a flexible display capable of realizing the same picture quality even when it is folded or bent and a display consuming a very low thickness and a low power have been developed and used in various electronic devices. Typical examples thereof include an AMOLED (Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode ) Display panel and a TFT-LCD (Thin Film Transistor-Liquid Crystal Display) panel.

Amolold is a display that emits light by itself, unlike an LCD that emits light by a backlight, and is also referred to as an active organic light emitting diode.

A TFT-LCD is an LCD that independently drives each pixel by adding an active element TFT (thin film transistor) to each pixel on the LCD.

Electronic devices using the above-described display panel generally detect where the touch is made on the display panel by using x-axis and y-axis coordinates on the display panel. In recent years, the strength of a touch The magnitude of the force applied to the axis), and a technique for constructing the user interface in a manner different from the conventional one is being developed.

In one embodiment, referring to Apple's 3D touch, a new user interface is constructed by applying a technology that differentiates the intensity of a touch using a pressure sensor as well as simply tapping or dragging a finger to the iPhone or Apple Watch .

However, in the method of using the conventional pressure sensor for detecting the intensity of touching the display panel, there is a limitation in implementing the desired function by fully understanding the difference in sensitivity because the difference in strength of touching the display panel by the user is not so large in a real life .

Accordingly, there is a need for a new technique capable of measuring the magnitude of the force applied to the z-axis of the display panel with a higher sensitivity in implementing a 3D touch.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION The present invention has been made in order to solve the above problems of the prior art, and it is an object of the present invention to provide a method and apparatus for detecting the degree of force applied to a display panel using an inductance varying with a change in distance between coils formed on each two- And to realize a 3D touch of a display panel.

The technical objects to be achieved by the present invention are not limited to the above-mentioned technical problems, and other technical subjects which are not mentioned can be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the description of the present invention .

According to an aspect of the present invention, there is provided a flexible printed circuit board (FPCB) including a first upper layer FPCB and a first lower layer FPCB, the first upper layer FPCB and the first lower layer A first two-layer FPCB in which one or more coils are formed on the other side of each of the FPCBs; And a second upper layer FPCB and a second lower layer FPCB which are located below the first two-layer FPCB and are in contact with one side surface of the second upper layer FPCB and the second lower layer FPCB, A second 2-layer FPCB in which coils of the same number as the number of coils formed in the 2-layer FPCB are formed; And a supporter disposed between the first 2-layer FPCB and the second 2-layer FPCB so that the first 2-layer FPCB and the second 2-layer FPCB may be spaced apart from each other; Layer FPCB and a coil on the first 2-layer FPCB varying in accordance with a force applied to the first 2-layer FPCB, and a 3-D touch implementation in which the inductance is variable according to a distance between a coil on the second 2- And provides a mutual inductive force sensor module.

The inductance varying in the present invention can be sensed by an interlocking electronic device.

In the present invention, the electronic device may determine that a force is applied when the inductance increases according to the connection structure of the coil, and may determine that the force is applied when the inductance decreases.

In the present invention, when the coil on the first upper layer FPCB and the coil on the second lower layer FPCB are connected and the coil on the first lower layer FPCB and the coil on the second upper layer FPCB are connected, the electronic device is subjected to a force when the inductance decreases And when the coil on the first upper layer FPCB and the coil on the second upper layer FPCB are connected and the coil on the first lower layer FPCB and the coil on the second lower layer FPCB are connected, the electronic device has been subjected to a force when the inductance increases It is preferable to judge.

In the present invention, the electronic device may include an inductive sensor, a voltage-dividing resistor, a comparator, and a controller.

In the present invention, the coils are formed in a spiral pattern, and the coils formed on the first upper layer FPCB and the first lower layer FPCB are formed in a spiral pattern in the same direction, and the second upper layer FPCB It is preferable that each of the coils formed on the second lower layer FPCB is also formed in a spiral pattern in the same direction.

In the present invention, an alternating current (AC) is applied to the coil so that a magnetic field is formed around the coil.

In the present invention, the mutual inductive force sensor module for implementing the 3D touch is disposed under the AMOLED panel or the flexible amorphous panel, thereby being applied to the AMOLED display panel to enable a 3D touch implementation .

In the present invention, the mutual inductive force sensor module for implementing the 3D touch is disposed under the backlight light guide to be applied to a TFT-LCD (Thin Film Transistor-Liquid Crystal Display) panel, can do.

The present invention has the effect of realizing the 3D touch of the display panel by sensing the degree of force applied to the display panel by using the inductance varying according to the distance change between the coils formed on each two-layer FPCB.

In addition, the present invention has the effect of realizing a 3D touch with higher sensitivity through a two-layer FPCB made up of two layers of FPCB in which coils are formed in each layer.

In addition, the present invention can be easily applied to both the amorphous display panel and the TFT-LCD panel to realize a 3D touch.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS FIG. 1 is a plan view illustrating a disassembly and projection of a mutual inductive force sensor module for 3D touch implementation according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.

2 is a plan view of a spiral pattern coil according to an embodiment of the present invention;

3 is a cross-sectional view of a mutual inductive force sensor module for 3D touch implementation in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

FIG. 4A is a view illustrating a cross section of a mutual inductive force sensor module for 3D touch implementation when a force is not applied in a z-axis direction of a display panel in a current direction in which a magnetic field is canceled according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 4B is a view illustrating a cross section of a mutual inductive force sensor module for 3D touch implementation when a force is applied in a z-axis direction of a display panel in a current direction in which a magnetic field is canceled according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5A is a view illustrating a cross section of a mutual inductive force sensor module for 3D touch implementation when a force is not applied in a z-axis direction of a display panel in a current direction in which a magnetic field is reinforced according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 5B is a view illustrating a cross section of a mutual inductive force sensor module for 3D touch when a force is applied in a z-axis direction of a display panel in a current direction in which a magnetic field is reinforced according to an embodiment of the present invention;

FIG. 6A is a cross-sectional view of an amorphous display panel according to an embodiment of the present invention when a force is not applied in the z-axis direction; FIG.

FIG. 6B is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which a force is applied in the z-axis direction of the amorphous display panel according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.

FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional view of a TFT-LCD panel according to an embodiment of the present invention when a force is not applied in the z-axis direction; FIG.

FIG. 7B is a cross-sectional view of a TFT-LCD panel when a force is applied in the z-axis direction according to an embodiment of the present invention; FIG.

The present invention is characterized in that a first upper layer FPCB (Flexible Printed Circuit Board) and a first lower layer FPCB are formed on one side surface of the first upper layer FPCB and the first lower layer FPCB, respectively, Layer FPCB, a second upper layer FPCB and a second lower layer FPCB, which are located below the first two-layer FPCB and are in contact with each other on one side, and the second upper layer FPCB and the second upper layer FPCB, A second 2-layer FPCB in which the number of coils equal in number to the number of coils formed in the first 2-layer FPCB is formed on the other side of each second lower layer FPCB, and a second 2-layer FPCB and a second 2- Layer FPCB and a second-layer FPCB on the second-layer FPCB, wherein the second-layer FPCB includes a supporter disposed therebetween so as to be spaced apart from each other, A 3D touch whose inductance varies according to the distance between coils on the layer FPCB That to provide a mutual inductive force sensor module for the current features.

Hereinafter, preferred embodiments of the present invention will be described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings. Prior to this, terms and words used in the present description and claims should not be construed as limited to ordinary or dictionary meanings, and the inventor should properly interpret the concepts of the terms in order to describe their invention in the best way. It should be interpreted in accordance with the meaning and concept consistent with the technical idea of the present invention based on the principle that it can be defined. Therefore, the embodiments described in this specification and the configurations shown in the drawings are only the most preferred embodiments of the present invention, and not all of the technical ideas of the present invention are described. Therefore, It is to be understood that equivalents and modifications are possible.

The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments only and is not intended to be limiting of the invention. As used herein, the singular forms "a", "an", and "the" include plural referents unless the context clearly dictates otherwise.

The in-coil distance on the two-layer FPCB that varies depending on the degree of the pressing force on the display panel determines the inductance and the degree of the force that pushes the display panel by sensing the increased or decreased inductance of the associated electronic device, The present invention for realizing a 3D touch of a display panel is composed of a first upper layer FPCB (Flexible Printed Circuit Board) 11 and a first lower layer FPCB 12 which are in contact with each other on one side, A first two-layer FPCB 10 in which one or more coils 23 are formed on the other side of each of the FPCB and the first lower layer FPCB, Layer FPCB 21 and the second lower layer FPCB 22, and the other side of each of the second upper layer FPCB and the second lower layer FPCB is provided with a number of coils formed on the first two-layer FPCB The same number of coils Layer FPCB 20 and a supporter 30 disposed therebetween so that the first 2-layer FPCB and the second 2-layer FPCB may be spaced apart from each other And provides a mutual inductive force sensor module 100 for 3D touch implementation.

FIG. 1 is a plan view of a mutual inductive force sensor module for 3D touch implementation according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 2 is a plan view illustrating a mutual inductive force sensor module according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. A top view of a helical pattern coil is shown, and in FIG. 3 there is shown a cross-sectional view of a mutual inductive force sensor module for 3D touch implementation in accordance with an embodiment of the present invention.

Hereinafter, each configuration of the present invention will be described with reference to the drawings.

First, the first two-layer FPCB 10 of the present invention has a structure in which two FPCBs composed of a first upper layer FPCB 11 and a first lower layer FPCB 12 are combined, One side of each of the FPCB and the first lower layer FPCB is in contact with one side and at least one coil 23 is formed on the other side.

Here, the FPCB refers to a wiring board using a flexible insulating substrate, and it is preferable that the circuit board used in the module of the present invention has a flexible characteristic so as to be applicable to a flexible display panel.

Unlike the second two-layer FPCB 20 to be described later, the first two-layer FPCB 10 is located at the top of the mutual inductive force sensor module 100 for 3D touch implementation of the present invention, (AMOLED) panel or a flexible amorphous panel, and can be applied to an amorphous display panel, and can be closely attached to the bottom of a backlight light guide, It has features that can be applied.

A second two-layer FPCB 20 is disposed below the first two-layer FPCB 10, and the second two-layer FPCB 20 is also connected to the second upper layer FPCB 21 and the second lower layer FPCB 22, Like the first two-layer FPCB, the second upper layer FPCB and the second lower layer FPCB are formed so that one side faces one another and at least one coil 23 is formed on each other side.

The coil 23 formed on the first two-layer FPCB 10 and the coil formed on the second two-layer FPCB 20 for canceling or reinforcing the magnetic field for changing the inductance are located symmetrically to the same size As shown in Fig.

As shown in FIG. 2, the coil 23 may be formed of a spiral pattern, and a coil having a blue spiral pattern may be formed as a coil formed in the first upper layer FPCB 11 or the second upper layer FPCB 21 The coil of the yellow spiral pattern corresponds to a coil formed in the first lower layer FPCB 12 or the second lower layer FPCB 22 and the coil formed in the first upper layer FPCB or the second upper layer FPCB, And the coils formed in the lower layer FPCB or the second lower layer FPCB are formed in a spiral shape in the same direction.

In the coil 23, an alternating current (AC) flows so as to form a magnetic field. Assuming that the alternating current flows into a coil of a blue spiral pattern and flows into a coil of a yellow spiral pattern, It can be seen that the direction in which the actual alternating current flows is the same.

In the opposite case, the alternating current flows in the coil 23 of the yellow spiral pattern and flows into the coil of the blue spiral pattern, but the direction in which the alternating current flows is the same in the plane.

As the AC current is applied to the coil 23 of the spiral pattern, the magnetic induction force sensor module 100 for 3D touch implementation generates a magnetic field to be canceled or a magnetic field to be reinforced, 5A and 5B.

In order to maintain the first two-layer FPCB 10 and the second two-layer FPCB 20 apart from each other, the present invention is arranged between the first two-layer FPCB 10 and the second two- And a supporter (30).

3, which is a cross-sectional view, the structure of the present invention can be more easily understood, and the supporter 30 can be formed in such a manner that even if the first two-layer FPCB 10 is pushed downward by the force, (More precisely, the coil on the first lower layer FPCB 12 does not touch the coil on the second upper layer FPCB 21) so as not to directly contact the FPCB 20 or the coil 23 on the second 2- Degree) is sufficient.

4A is a cross-sectional view illustrating a cross section of a mutual inductive force sensor module for implementing a 3D touch when a force in a z-axis direction of a display panel is not applied in the case of a current direction in which a magnetic field is canceled according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 4B is a cross-sectional view of a mutual inductive force sensor module for 3D touch when a force is applied in the z-axis direction of the display panel in the case of a current direction in which a magnetic field is canceled according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG.

In this case, the magnetic fields generated by applying the alternating current to the helical coil 23 are offset from each other, and the results are obtained when the directions of the currents flowing through the coils are opposite to each other.

That is, the coil on the first upper layer FPCB 11 and the coil on the second lower layer FPCB 22 are connected and the coil on the first lower layer FPCB 12 and the coil on the second upper layer FPCB 21 are connected The current directions of the helical patterns are opposite to each other, and the magnetic fields formed are offset from each other.

At this time, force is applied to the display panel so that the first two-layer FPCB 10 is pushed down so that the coil 23 on the first two-layer FPCB and the coil on the second two-layer FPCB 20 are close The ground mutual component becomes larger and the effective inductance is reduced.

Accordingly, the electronic device interlocking with the present invention can sense that the display panel is subjected to a force by sensing a decrease in inductance.

5A is a cross-sectional view of a mutual inductive force sensor module for implementing a 3D touch when a force in a z-axis direction of a display panel is not applied in a current direction in which a magnetic field is reinforced according to an embodiment of the present invention 5B is a cross-sectional view of a mutual inductive force sensor module for 3D touch implementation when a force is applied in the z-axis direction of the display panel in the case of a current direction in which a magnetic field is reinforced according to an embodiment of the present invention. Is shown.

In this case, the magnetic field is reinforced in the opposite manner. In the case where the directions of the currents flowing through the coils 23 of the helical pattern are made equal to each other, this result is obtained.

In other words, the coils on the first upper layer FPCB 11 and the coils on the second upper layer FPCB 21 are connected and the coils on the first lower layer FPCB 12 and the coils on the second lower layer FPCB 22 are connected The current directions of the helical patterns become equal to each other, resulting in a result that the formed magnetic fields are mutually reinforced.

At this time, force is applied to the display panel so that the first two-layer FPCB 10 is pushed down so that the coil 23 on the first two-layer FPCB and the coil on the second two-layer FPCB 20 are close The ground mutual component becomes larger and the effective inductance is increased.

Accordingly, the electronic device interlocking with the present invention can sense that the display panel is being applied with an increase in inductance.

The electronic device that senses an increase or decrease in inductance may include an inductive sensor, a voltage-dividing resistor, a comparator, and a control unit. The voltage across the inductive sensor and the voltage across the voltage- Such as performing a specific operation.

However, the configuration of the electronic device is merely one embodiment, and various circuit configurations capable of detecting the change in the effective inductance of the coil 23 and the change amount may correspond to the configuration of the electronic device of the present invention It is self-evident.

The mutual inductive force sensor module 100 for realizing the 3D touch of the present invention having the above structure can be applied to both the amorphous display panel and the TFT-LCD panel to realize the 3D touch.

6A is a cross-sectional view of the amorphous display panel when no force is applied in the z-axis direction according to an embodiment of the present invention. FIG. 6B is a cross- FIG. 7A is a cross-sectional view illustrating a state in which a force is applied in the z-axis direction of the amorphous display panel according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention. And FIG. 7B is an exemplary view showing a cross section when a force is applied in the z-axis direction of the TFT-LCD panel according to an embodiment of the present invention.

6A shows that the mutual inductive force sensor module 100 for implementing the 3D touch is applied to an amorphous display panel by being disposed under the amorphous panel or the flexible amorphous panel, and the amorphous panel or the flexible amorphous panel On-Cell Capacitive Touch Pattern and Cover Glass are sequentially arranged on the glass substrate. In this case, no force is applied to the amorphous panel or the flexible amorphous panel in the z-axis direction .

When a force is applied to the amorphous panel or the flexible amorphous panel in the z-axis direction as shown in FIG. 6B, the magnetic field is canceled or reinforced in accordance with the direction of the current flowing through the coil 23 of the helical pattern The first two-layer FPCB 10 disposed in close contact with the first two-layer FPCB 10 bends downward, which reduces the distance between the coil 23 on the first two-layer FPCB and the coil on the second two-layer FPCB 20 In the case of the magnetic field canceled, the effective inductance is reduced and the effective inductance is increased in the case of the magnetic field reinforced.

In other words, a capacitive touch sensor interlocked with an on-cell capacitive touch pattern obtains an x coordinate and a y coordinate of a touch on the display panel, and detects an inductance increase or decrease The device senses the degree of the force applied in the z-axis direction (or the distance that the display panel moved in the z-axis direction by the force), thereby ultimately realizing the 3D touch.

7A shows that the mutual inductive force sensor module 100 for the 3D touch implementation is disposed under the backlight light guide and applied to the TFT-LCD panel. On the backlight ride guide, a TFT-LCD panel, A cell capacitive touch pattern, and a cover glass are sequentially arranged, and this figure shows a state in which no force is applied to the TFT-LCD panel in the z-axis direction.

When a force is applied to the TFT-LCD panel in the z-axis direction as shown in FIG. 7B, the magnetic field is canceled or reinforced in accordance with the direction of the current flowing through the coil 23 of the helical pattern, The first two-layer FPCB 10 bends in a downward direction, which reduces the distance between the coil 23 on the first two-layer FPCB and the coil on the second two-layer FPCB 20, The effective inductance is decreased and the effective inductance is increased in the case of the magnetic field of the reinforced type.

Similar to the previous AMOLED display panel, the TFT-LCD panel also has a capacitive touch sensor interlocked with an on-cell capacitive touch pattern to obtain the x coordinate and y coordinate of the touch panel on the display panel, (Or the distance that the display panel moves in the z-axis direction by the force) in the z-axis direction, thereby finally realizing the 3D touch.

As a result, the present invention detects the degree of force applied to the display panel vertically by using the inductance varying according to the distance change between the coils formed on the first two-layer FPCB and the second two-layer FPCB, There is an advantage of implementing a touch.

The present invention is advantageous in that a 3D touch can be realized with a higher sensitivity by using a two-layer FPCB composed of two layers of FPCB in which one or more coils are formed in each layer.

On the other hand, the present invention can be easily applied to both the amorphous display panel and the TFT-LCD panel, which has the advantages of commercialization and high marketability.

While the present invention has been described with reference to the specific embodiments, it is to be understood that the invention is not limited thereto. It will be understood by those skilled in the art that various changes in form and details may be made therein without departing from the spirit and scope of the invention as defined by the appended claims and their equivalents. Various modifications and variations are possible.

Claims (9)

A first upper layer FPCB (Flexible Printed Circuit Board) and a first lower layer FPCB which are in contact with one side of each other, and one or more coils are formed on the other side of each of the first upper layer FPCB and the first lower layer FPCB A first 2-layer FPCB; And a second upper layer FPCB and a second lower layer FPCB which are located below the first two-layer FPCB and are in contact with one side surface of the second upper layer FPCB and the second lower layer FPCB, A second 2-layer FPCB in which coils of the same number as the number of coils formed in the 2-layer FPCB are formed; And A supporter disposed between the first 2-layer FPCB and the second 2-layer FPCB so that the first 2-layer FPCB and the second 2-layer FPCB may be spaced apart from each other; Including, Layer FPCB and the coils on the first two-layer FPCB varying in accordance with the force applied to the first two-layer FPCB and the coils on the second two-layer FPCB vary in inductance. Tube force sensor module. The method according to claim 1, Wherein the variable inductance can be sensed by an interlocking electronic device. ≪ RTI ID = 0.0 > 11. < / RTI > 3. The method of claim 2, The electronic device may determine that the force is applied when the inductance increases according to the connection structure of the coil and may determine that the force is applied when the inductance decreases. Force sensor module. The method of claim 3, When the coil on the first upper layer FPCB and the coil on the second lower layer FPCB are connected and the coil on the first lower layer FPCB and the coil on the second upper layer FPCB are connected, the electronic device determines that the force is applied when the inductance decreases, When the coil on the first upper layer FPCB and the coil on the second upper layer FPCB are connected and the coil on the first lower layer FPCB and the coil on the second lower layer FPCB are connected, the electronic device determines that the force is applied when the inductance increases Features a mutual inductive force sensor module for 3D touch implementation. 3. The method of claim 2, Wherein the electronic device includes an inductive sensor, a voltage-dividing resistor, a comparator, and a control unit. The method according to claim 1, The coils are formed in a spiral pattern, and the coils formed on the first upper layer FPCB and the first lower layer FPCB are formed in a spiral pattern in the same direction, and the second upper layer FPCB and the second lower layer Wherein each of the coils formed on the FPCB is also formed in a spiral pattern having the same direction as the mutual inductive force sensor module. The method according to claim 6, And a magnetic field is formed around the coil by applying an alternating current (AC) to the coil. The method according to claim 1, The mutual inductive force sensor module for implementing the 3D touch may be applied to an AMOLED display panel by being disposed under an AMOLED (Active Matrix Organic Light Emitting Diode) panel or a flexible AMOLED panel to enable 3D touch implementation Features a mutual inductive force sensor module for 3D touch implementation. The method according to claim 1, The mutual inductive force sensor module for implementing the 3D touch is disposed under the backlight light guide to be applied to a TFT-LCD (Thin Film Transistor-Liquid Crystal Display) panel, A mutual inductive force sensor module for 3D touch implementation.

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