U.S. patent application number 17/752583 was filed with the patent office on 2022-09-08 for laser-ablated translucent region of a touchscreen.
This patent application is currently assigned to Elo Touch Solutions, Inc.. The applicant listed for this patent is Elo Touch Solutions, Inc.. Invention is credited to Joel C. Kent, ShiPeng WANG.
Application Number | 20220283656 17/752583 |
Document ID | / |
Family ID | 1000006359403 |
Filed Date | 2022-09-08 |
United States Patent
Application |
20220283656 |
Kind Code |
A1 |
WANG; ShiPeng ; et
al. |
September 8, 2022 |
LASER-ABLATED TRANSLUCENT REGION OF A TOUCHSCREEN
Abstract
Embodiments enhance graphic capabilities in projected-capacitive
(PCAP) touch sensitive systems, and more specifically to a border
component of a PCAP touchscreen. Embodiments include a method and
an apparatus for a PCAP touchscreen layered structure. Some
embodiments include screen printing a border component on a cover
sheet, curing the border component, ablating a pattern on the
border component, and screen printing one colored ink onto the
pattern on the border component. In some embodiments the border
layer is black, and the colored ink is coupled to a cover sheet.
The pattern causes the colored ink to appear as a continuous
gradient of the colored ink. In some embodiments the border
component includes two or more border-layer components. At least
one of the border-layer components may include an ablated pattern.
Each ablated pattern may be coupled to a different colored ink.
Inventors: |
WANG; ShiPeng; (Suzhou,
CN) ; Kent; Joel C.; (Fremont, CA) |
|
Applicant: |
Name |
City |
State |
Country |
Type |
Elo Touch Solutions, Inc. |
Milpitas |
CA |
US |
|
|
Assignee: |
Elo Touch Solutions, Inc.
Milpitas
CA
|
Family ID: |
1000006359403 |
Appl. No.: |
17/752583 |
Filed: |
May 24, 2022 |
Related U.S. Patent Documents
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Application
Number |
Filing Date |
Patent Number |
|
|
16384523 |
Apr 15, 2019 |
11353995 |
|
|
17752583 |
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Current U.S.
Class: |
1/1 |
Current CPC
Class: |
G06F 1/16 20130101; B41M
5/24 20130101; B44C 1/228 20130101; G06F 3/044 20130101; G06F
2203/04103 20130101 |
International
Class: |
G06F 3/044 20060101
G06F003/044; G06F 1/16 20060101 G06F001/16; B44C 1/22 20060101
B44C001/22 |
Claims
1. A method for a projected capacitive (PCAP) touchscreen layered
structure, comprising: screen printing an opaque border component
on a cover sheet; curing the border component; creating translucent
regions within the border component by removing portions of the
border component from the cover sheet, wherein the translucent
regions comprise ablated lines or ablated dots; and screen printing
ink of one color onto the translucent regions, wherein the
translucent regions produce gradient shades of the one color.
2. The method of claim 1, wherein the border component comprises
two or more colored border-layer components, and wherein the
gradient shades of the one color exceeds a sum of the two or more
colored border-layer components and the one color.
3. The method of claim 1, wherein the one color is translucent or
opaque.
4. The method of claim 1, wherein a translucent region of the
translucent regions is based on a diameter of the ablated dot and a
pitch of the ablated dot, and wherein the translucent region is
based on a square of the diameter of the ablated dot, divided by a
square of the pitch of the ablated dot.
5. The method of claim 1, wherein a translucent region of the
translucent regions is determined by a first width of the ablated
line divided by a pitch of the ablated line.
6. The method of claim 5, wherein the pitch of the ablated line
comprises a distance measured from of a center of the ablated line
to a center of an adjacent ablated line.
7. The method of claim 1, wherein a translucent region of the
translucent regions includes a first width of the ablated line, and
a second width of a second ablated line, wherein the second width
of the second ablated line is smaller than the first width of the
ablated line.
8. A projected capacitive (PCAP) touchscreen layered structure,
comprising: a cover sheet; a border component coupled to the cover
sheet wherein an ablated pattern of the border component yields
translucent regions comprising a plurality of ablated lines or
ablated dotes; and one colored ink coupled to the translucent
regions, wherein the translucent regions produce gradient shades of
the one color.
9. The PCAP touchscreen layered structure of claim 8, wherein the
border component comprises two or more colored border-layer
components.
10. The PCAP touchscreen layered structure of claim 8, wherein the
border component is opaque or black.
11. The PCAP touchscreen layered structure of claim 8, wherein the
one color is translucent or opaque.
12. The PCAP touchscreen layered structure of claim 8, wherein a
translucent region of the translucent regions is determined by a
first width of the ablated line divided by a pitch of the ablated
line.
13. The PCAP touchscreen layered structure of claim 12, wherein the
pitch of the ablated line comprises a distance measured from of a
center of the ablated line to a center of an adjacent ablated
line.
14. The PCAP touchscreen layered structure of claim 12, wherein the
ablated pattern includes the first width of the ablated line, and a
second width of a second ablated line, wherein the second width of
the second ablated line is smaller than the first width of the
ablated line.
15. The PCAP touchscreen layered structure of claim 8, wherein a
translucent region of the translucent regions is based on a
diameter of the ablated dot and a pitch of the ablated dot.
16. The PCAP touchscreen layered structure of claim 15, wherein the
translucent region is based on a square of the diameter of the
ablated dot, divided by a square of the pitch of the ablated
dot.
17. The PCAP touchscreen layered structure of claim 15, wherein the
ablated pattern includes the diameter of the ablated dot and a
second diameter of a second ablated dot, wherein the second
diameter of the second ablated dot is smaller than the diameter of
the ablated dot.
18. The PCAP touchscreen layered structure of claim 8, wherein the
cover sheet comprises glass or film.
19. The PCAP touchscreen layered structure of claim 8, further
comprising a circuitry layer coupled to the cover sheet and the
border component.
20. The PCAP touchscreen layered structure of claim 19, wherein the
circuitry layer comprises: indium-tin-oxide (ITO), silver, or metal
mesh.
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
[0001] This application is a continuation of U.S. application Ser.
No. 16/384,523, filed Apr. 15, 2019, entitled Laser-Ablated
Gradient Region of a Touchscreen which is incorporated herein by
reference in its entirety.
BACKGROUND
Field
[0002] The present disclosure relates generally to enhanced graphic
capabilities in Projected capacitive (PCAP) touch sensitive
systems, and more specifically to the border region of PCAP
touchscreens.
Background Art
[0003] The ability to interact with computer applications via touch
with displays is ubiquitous for today's consumers. While several
touch technologies are possible to support touch interactions, each
has advantages and disadvantages that tailor each for particular
environments, sizes, and applications. Projected capacitive (PCAP)
technology is commonly utilized to support characteristics expected
from touch interactions in touch/display interface devices.
[0004] Conventional approaches to creating logos or icons on a PCAP
touchscreen includes the application and reapplication of multiple
layers of color that includes mixing and matching color
combinations that may be difficult to acquire. Screen printing
method require printing a layer and then curing each layer, and the
level of detail is not sharp. Photolithography methods are too
expensive, particularly when the quantity of production is
limited.
SUMMARY
[0005] Apparatus and method embodiments are provided for enhancing
graphic capabilities in projected-capacitive (PCAP) touch sensitive
systems, and more specifically to a border component of a PCAP
touchscreen layered structure. Some embodiments include screen
printing a border component on a cover sheet, curing the border
component, ablating a pattern on the border component, and screen
printing one colored ink onto the pattern on the border component,
where the combination of the one colored ink and the pattern yields
a gradient that includes more than one hue of the one colored ink,
and where the more than one hue includes the one colored ink
coupled to the coversheet. In some embodiments the border component
is black or opaque, and the one colored ink is coupled to a cover
sheet. The pattern causes the one colored ink to appear as a
gradient of the one colored ink, and the one colored ink may be
translucent or opaque.
[0006] In some embodiments the ablated pattern providing a degree
of translucency includes ablated lines. The translucency of the
ablated pattern may be determined by the width of the ablated lines
divided by a pitch of the ablated lines. The pitch of the ablated
lines may be measured from a center of the ablated line to a center
of an adjacent ablated line. The ablated pattern may include the
ablated line with a first width, and a second ablated line whose
width is smaller than the first width of the ablated line. In some
embodiments, the ablated pattern includes ablated dots. The
translucency of the ablated pattern may be based on a diameter of
the ablated dots and a pitch of the ablated dots. For example, the
translucency of the abated pattern may be based on a square of the
diameter of the ablated dot, divided by a square of the pitch of
the ablated dot. The ablated pattern may include the diameter of
the ablated dots and a second set of ablated dots, where the
diameter of the second ablated dots is smaller than the diameter of
the ablated dots.
[0007] The cover sheet forming the touch surface may be made of
glass or film, and the PCAP touchscreen may also include a
circuitry layer coupled to the cover sheet and the border
component. The circuitry layer may include indium-tin-oxide (ITO),
silver, and/or metal mesh.
[0008] Further embodiments, features, and advantages of the present
disclosure, as well as the structure and operation of the various
embodiments of the present disclosure, are described in detail
below with reference to the accompanying drawings.
BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS/FIGURES
[0009] The patent or application file contains at least one drawing
executed in color. Copies of this patent or patent application
publication with color drawing(s) will be provided by the Office
upon request and payment of the necessary fee. The accompanying
drawings, which are incorporated herein and form part of the
specification, illustrate the present disclosure and, together with
the description, further serve to explain the principles of the
disclosure and to enable a person skilled in the relevant art(s) to
make and use the disclosure.
[0010] FIG. 1 illustrates a front view of a projected capacitive
(PCAP) touchscreen, according to example embodiments of the
disclosure;
[0011] FIG. 2A illustrates a combination of a PCAP touchscreen with
a display device, according to an exemplary embodiment of the
disclosure;
[0012] FIG. 2B illustrates a cross-section of a PCAP touchscreen,
according to an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure;
[0013] FIG. 3A illustrates a cross-section example of a cover
sheet, according to an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure;
[0014] FIG. 3B illustrates a stack-up of a cross-section of a
logo;
[0015] FIG. 3C illustrates an exemplary stack-up of a cross-section
of a logo with a single border-layer component, according to an
exemplary embodiment of the disclosure;
[0016] FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary example of an icon,
according to an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure;
[0017] FIG. 5 illustrates a process to create the stack for a logo
of FIG. 3B;
[0018] FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary process to create the
exemplary stack for a logo, according to an exemplary embodiment of
the disclosure;
[0019] FIG. 7A illustrates an exemplary example of a laser-ablated
pattern with laser-ablated lines, according to an exemplary
embodiment of the disclosure;
[0020] FIG. 7B illustrates an exemplary example of a laser-ablated
pattern with laser-ablated dots, according to an exemplary
embodiment of the disclosure;
[0021] FIG. 8 illustrates an exemplary example of a laser-ablated
pattern placed in front of an electro-optical device;
[0022] FIG. 9 illustrates an example computer system useful for
implementing various embodiments; and
[0023] FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary stack-up of a cross-section
of a logo with two border-layer components, according to an
exemplary embodiment of the disclosure.
[0024] The present disclosure will now be described with reference
to the accompanying drawings. In the drawings, generally, like
reference numbers indicate identical or functionally similar
elements. Additionally, generally, the left-most digit(s) of a
reference number identifies the drawing in which the reference
number first appears.
DETAILED DESCRIPTION
[0025] The following Detailed Description of the present disclosure
refers to the accompanying drawings that illustrate exemplary
embodiments consistent with this disclosure. The exemplary
embodiments will fully reveal the general nature of the disclosure
that others can, by applying knowledge of those skilled in relevant
art(s), readily modify and/or adapt for various applications such
exemplary embodiments, without undue experimentation, without
departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Therefore,
such adaptations and modifications are intended to be within the
meaning and plurality of equivalents of the exemplary embodiments
based upon the teaching and guidance presented herein. It is to be
understood that the phraseology or terminology herein is for the
purpose of description and not of limitation, such that the
terminology or phraseology of the present specification is to be
interpreted by those skilled in relevant art(s) in light of the
teachings herein. Therefore, the detailed description is not meant
to limit the present disclosure.
[0026] The embodiment(s) described, and references in the
specification to "one embodiment", "an embodiment", "an example
embodiment", etc., indicate that the embodiment(s) described may
include a particular feature, structure, or characteristic, but
every embodiment may not necessarily include the particular
feature, structure, or characteristic. Moreover, such phrases are
not necessarily referring to the same embodiment. Further, when a
particular feature, structure, or characteristic is described in
connection with an embodiment, it is understood that it is within
the knowledge of one skilled in the art to effect such feature,
structure, or characteristic in connection with other embodiments
whether or not explicitly described.
[0027] Some embodiments include an apparatus and a method for using
laser ablation to create translucent regions within an opaque
border layer on a projected-capacitive (PCAP) touch sensitive
systems such as a PCAP touchscreen. For example, embodiments
include using laser ablation to make a selected region of a border
layer translucent and enable gradients of translucency. Further, in
some embodiments, one color (not counting the border layer color)
may be applied to the selected region of the border layer to
produce a gradient of shades of the one color. The gradient of
shades may be so fine as to appear to the human eye as a continuous
and gradual gradient of the one color (which might be shades of
gray including white). While black is the most common color of the
border layer, other border layer colors are possible such as white,
pink, etc.
[0028] FIG. 1 illustrates a front view of a projected capacitive
(PCAP) touchscreen 100, according to example embodiments of the
disclosure. PCAP touchscreen 100 may be placed in front of a
monitor or display device, for example. PCAP touchscreen 100
includes border layer 110 that may be any color, such as black. In
this disclosure, border layer 110 is shown as a cross-hatched
pattern for illustration convenience, and not a limitation. PCAP
touchscreen 100 also includes connector 145 that connects to a
display device. PCAP touchscreen 100 includes logo 120, icon 130,
and transparent area 140 for viewing contents of the display
device. Logo 120 and icon 130 may be located at any location within
border layer 110. Logo 120 and icon 130 may be similar or different
from each other.
[0029] FIG. 2A illustrates combination 200 of PCAP touchscreen 100
with display device 210, according to an exemplary embodiment of
the disclosure. For explanation purposes, FIG. 2A may be described
with elements from previous figures. PCAP touchscreen 100 is placed
in front of display device 210 and electronically coupled to
display device 210 via connector 145 (not shown.) Display device
210 may include but is not limited to a computing device, a
computer, a laptop, a tablet, and/or a mobile computing device. For
example, a user can interact with software applications on display
device 210 by touching cover sheet touch surface 237 of touchscreen
100. Cross-section 220 of PCAP touchscreen 100 that includes logo
120 is described further in FIG. 2B.
[0030] FIG. 2B illustrates cross-section 220 of PCAP touchscreen
100, according to an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure. For
explanation purposes, FIG. 2B may be described with elements from
previous figures. Cross-section 220 illustrates a two glass
solution (2GS) implemented for touchscreen 100. Other
implementations include but are not limited to a glass-film-film
(GFF) solution and a three glass (3GS) solution. Cross-section 220
may include cover sheet 235, transparent conductor 250a, adhesive
layer 240, transparent conductor 250b, and back sheet 230. A user
interacts with touchscreen 100 by touching cover sheet touch
surface 237. Information from the touch on cover sheet touch
surface 237 are collected via transparent conductor 250a and 250b,
and conveyed to display device 210 electronically. In this example,
logo 120, the 3-D-style letter "E", is found on the underside of
cover sheet 235. A cross-section of cover sheet 235 that includes
logo 120 is described further in FIG. 3A.
[0031] Adhesive layer 240 may be a solid optically clear adhesive
(OCA) that can be an acrylic-based adhesive, a silicone-based
adhesive, polyvinyl butyral (PVB), ethylene-vinyl acetate (EVA), or
any other suitable OCA that will be recognized by those skilled in
the relevant art(s). Transparent conductors 250a and 250b are
circuitry layers that may include electrodes, routing traces, and
trace shields of materials such as indium-tin-oxide (ITO), silver,
and/or metal mesh. (The transparent conductors 250a and 250b are
typically microscopically thin, but for clarity they are not drawn
to scale in FIG. 2B. Furthermore, there is no air gap between
adhesive 240 and cover sheet 235 or back sheet 230; the adhesive
240 conforms to the inside surfaces of cover sheet 235 and back
sheet 230.)
[0032] FIG. 3A illustrates example cross-section 300 of cover sheet
235 according to an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure. For
explanatory purposes, FIG. 3A may be described with elements from
previous figures. Cross-section 300 includes a portion of cover
sheet 235 that has been cut. Cover sheet touch surface 237 is the
portion of cover sheet 235 that a user touches. Logo 120 and border
layer 110 are located on the underside of cover sheet 235. Top
portion 310 of cross-section 300 includes the upper right tip of
the 3-D-style letter "E", and includes the following colors: 322,
324, 326, and border layer 110. In this example, border layer 110
is shown as a cross-hatched pattern, but could be any color such as
black. If top portion 310 is brought together with the remaining
portion of cross-section 300 to make logo 120 whole, underside view
350A is the rectangular portion that would physically touch the
remaining portion of cross-section 300. Underside view 350A is
described further in FIGS. 3B and 3C.
[0033] FIG. 3B illustrates a stack-up 350B of a cross-section of
logo 120. For explanation purposes, FIG. 3B may be described with
elements from previous figures. Stack-up 350B may correspond with
underside view 350A when top portion 310 of FIG. 3A is tipped away
from the viewer, resulting in coversheet touch surface 237 being on
top. Stack-up 350B includes cover sheet 235 which may be made of
glass or film and the user interacts with touchscreen 100 by
touching cover sheet touch surface 237. Screen printing layers of
border layer 110, and three different layers of colored inks 342,
344, and 346 can be applied to the underside of cover sheet 235 one
layer at a time. Color ink 342 correlates with color 322 of the
apparent horizontal plane of the 3-D-style letter "E" of logo 120;
color ink 344 correlates with color 324 of the apparent front face
of the 3-D-style letter "E" of logo 120; and color ink 346
correlates with color 326 of the apparent vertical plane of the
3-D-style letter "E" of logo 120.
[0034] There are difficulties with stack-up 350B with regards to
timing, procuring and matching colored inks, and the resolution of
the printing: First, stack-up 350B requires individually screen
printing an ink layer and then curing the ink layer for each color
ink. For example, starting with border layer 110 that is printed on
cover sheet 235, then border layer 110 is cured. This is followed
by the printing and curing of each of the different colored inks
342, 344, and 346 in separate layers. Second, matching the pigments
for each of the different colored inks 342, 344, and 346 to be
compatible colors may be difficult, especially when the different
colors are obtained from different sources. And third, the
resolution of placing the different colored inks 342, 344, and 346
may not be precise, and the edges are not sharp or crisp. Using
photolithography may produce sharper edges than screen printing,
but the tooling costs for photolithography are expensive
[0035] FIG. 3C illustrates an exemplary stack-up 350C of a
cross-section of logo 120 with a single border layer component,
according to an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure. For
explanation purposes, FIG. 3C may be described with elements from
previous figures. Exemplary stack-up 350C corresponds with
underside view 350A when top portion 310 of FIG. 3A is tipped away
from the viewer resulting in coversheet touch surface 237 being on
top. Exemplary stack-up 350C includes cover sheet 235 which may be
made of glass or film and the user interacts with touchscreen 100
by touching cover sheet touch surface 237. Exemplary stack-up 350C
also includes border layer 110, ablated patterns 372 and 376, and
one (e.g., one and only one) colored ink, colored ink 374. In
contrast to stack-up 350B, exemplary stack-up 350C utilizes two
inks instead of four inks. The two inks include border layer 110
ink, shown as a cross-hatched pattern, which in this example could
be black, and one (e.g., one and only one) colored ink, colored ink
374. Two additional shades of colored ink 374 are achieved by
different translucent ablated patterns: ablated pattern 372 and
ablated pattern 376. Having less colored inks results in less
physical masks, less printing, and less curing, resulting in a
shorter overall process. Because one (e.g., one and only one)
colored ink is used, colored ink 374, exemplary stack-up 350C
removes the problem of obtaining compatible colored inks and
matching pigments. And finally, ablation (e.g., laser ablation)
enables fine lines with sharp edges that are adjustable. Unlike
stack-up 350B, no physical masks are created for screen printing
the one (e.g., one and only one) colored ink, colored ink 374. The
tooling may include laser programming that may be downloaded into
laser equipment, which may be low-cost compared to photolithography
tooling.
[0036] As illustrated in FIG. 3C, border layer 110 may have a
single border-layer component. Alternatively, border layer 110 may
have two or more components. FIG. 10 illustrates an exemplary
stack-up 1000 of a cross-section of logo 120 with two border layer
components, according to an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure.
In this example, border layer 110 has two components, border-layer
component 1010 and border-layer component 1020. Three regions of
border-layer component 1020 are illustrated. Region 1030 is an area
in which no border-layer component 1020a material is removed.
Region 1035 is an area in which border-layer component 1020a is
partially removed in a pattern (e.g., border-layer component 1020a
is ablated in a pattern.) Region 1040 is an area in which
border-layer component 1020a is entirely removed. Colored ink 1060
is added at least over region 1035 and region 1040 where
border-layer component 1020a material is at least partially
removed. As an example, border-layer component 1010 may be black,
border-layer component 1020a and 1020b may be yellow and colored
ink 1060 may be red. In this case, the perimeter border of
touchscreen 100 will generally be perceived as black, and orange as
well as yellow and red colors will be perceived within logo 120. In
particular, region 1030 will be perceived as yellow, region 1040 as
red, and region 1035 as orange due to the limited resolution of the
human eye mixing the yellow and red colors. If the colored ink is
blue rather than red, then region 1030 will be yellow, region 1040
will be blue, and region 1035 will be green due to the human eye
mixing yellow and blue colors.
[0037] Accordingly, in some embodiments, the border component may
have two or more border-layer components, and one or more of the
border-layer components may include an ablation pattern. Each
ablation pattern may be coupled to a different colored ink. In
general, as a result of the ablated patterns, the number of colors
or hues perceived by the user exceeds the number of border-layer
components plus the number of colored inks.
[0038] FIG. 4 illustrates another exemplary example 400 of icon
410, according to an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure. For
explanation purposes, FIG. 4 may be described with elements from
previous figures. Example 400 includes transparent area 140, border
layer 110, and icon 410 which may be equivalent to icon 130 of FIG.
1. Icon 410 comprises: a gradient pattern ablated from a portion of
border layer 110 which in this example is black, and one (e.g., one
and only one) colored ink, green in this example. The colored ink
may be opaque or translucent. In some embodiments, the gradient
pattern is gradual and the application of the one and only one
colored ink to the gradient pattern makes icon 410 appear to
include multiple colored inks of continuous gradient shades of the
one and only one colored ink shade. The ablated pattern may include
ablated lines (e.g., laser-ablated lines) and/or ablated dots
(e.g., laser-ablated dots), such that when the one and only one
color, green in this case, is applied to the gradient pattern, the
result is a translucent gradation of color which would be difficult
and expensive to achieve with a screen printing method. And as
described above, the embodiments are less expensive to implement
than photolithography tooling costs.
[0039] In some embodiments (not shown), border layer 110 may be
applied to a combination of cover sheet 235 and portions of
transparent conductor 250a of FIG. 2B. Various ablation patterns
may be applied to border layer 110 and/or transparent conductor
250a to achieve the design for logo 120 and/or icon 130.
[0040] FIG. 5 illustrates a process 500 to create stack 350B for
logo 120. For explanation purposes, FIG. 5 may be described with
elements from previous figures. Process 500 includes creating a
physical mask that is used for screen printing each color. After
each colored ink is screen printed, the colored ink must be cured
before proceeding.
[0041] At 510, black border ink is screen printed using a physical
mask onto a coversheet. For example, border layer 110 of FIG. 3B is
screen printed onto cover sheet 235 using a physical mask.
Alternatively the border ink is not black, but some other opaque
color.
[0042] At 520, the black border ink such as border layer 110 is
cured which takes time and equipment.
[0043] At 530, a first colored ink is screen printed onto a
coversheet using a physical mask. For example, color ink 342 of
FIG. 3B is screen printed onto cover sheet 235 using a physical
mask.
[0044] At 540, the first colored ink such as color ink 342 is
cured.
[0045] At 550, a second colored ink is screen printed onto a
coversheet using a physical mask. For example, color ink 344 of
FIG. 3B is screen printed onto cover sheet 235 using a physical
mask.
[0046] At 560, the second colored ink such as color ink 344 is
cured.
[0047] At 570, a third colored ink is screen printed onto a
coversheet using a physical mask. For example, color ink 346 of
FIG. 3B is screen printed onto cover sheet 235 using a physical
mask.
[0048] At 580, the third colored ink such as color ink 346 is
cured.
[0049] FIG. 6 illustrates an exemplary process 600 to create
exemplary stack 350C for logo 120, according to an exemplary
embodiment of the disclosure. For explanation purposes, FIG. 6 may
be described with elements from previous figures.
[0050] At 610, black border ink is screen printed onto a coversheet
using a physical mask. For example, using a physical mask, border
layer 110 such as a black ink as shown in FIG. 3C, is screen
printed onto cover sheet 235 of FIG. 3C. In an embodiment, the
entire border area may be printed a solid color without any
patterns.
[0051] At 620, border layer 110 such as a black border ink is
cured.
[0052] At 630, one or more patterns are laser ablated onto the
border ink layer such as border layer 110.
[0053] At 640, one and only one colored ink is screen printed using
a physical mask onto a coversheet. For example, using a physical
mask, color ink 374 is screen printed onto cover sheet 235 of FIG.
3C. In an embodiment, the physical mask may be a simple mask that
does not require any fine detail or patterns.
[0054] At 650, one and only one colored ink such as colored ink 374
is cured.
[0055] By utilizing less colored ink, the number of physical masks,
layers of colored ink printing, and curing are reduced. In
addition, the quality of the logo and/or icon produced is more
detailed than would be obtained by screen printing methods (such as
the example shown in FIG. 5), and yet at lower costs than
photolithography methods.
[0056] As described with regards to FIG. 3C, border layer 110 may
include ablated patterns such as ablated patterns 372 and 376.
Ablated patterns may be designed using ablated lines and/or ablated
dots. FIG. 7A illustrates an exemplary example of a laser-ablated
pattern 700 with laser-ablated lines 710, according to an exemplary
embodiment of the disclosure. FIG. 7B illustrates an exemplary
example of a laser-ablated pattern 750 with laser-ablated dots 760,
according to an exemplary embodiment of the disclosure. For
explanation purposes, FIGS. 7A and 7B may be described with
elements from previous figures. Commercially available lasers now
routinely produce ablation line widths or dot diameters in the tens
of microns range, e.g. 30 microns. This is much finer that can be
perceived by the naked eye at a distance users typically view touch
displays. As a result, a pattern of lines or dots with widths and
spacings in the tens of microns range will be averaged out by the
human eye and perceived as a region of partial transparency. Laser
wavelengths may be in the visible or near-infrared range, such as
780 nm from a high-power AlGaAs diode laser. The time required to
produce the laser-ablated pattern for a logo or icon may be of
order of one minute, and will vary depending on the specific
capabilities of the laser and the details of the laser ablation
pattern. In the future, the capabilities of laser systems are
expected to improve.
[0057] The laser-ablated patterns may be created with laser ablated
lines of adjustable width. An example range includes line widths or
dot widths of 0.026 mm to 0.035 mm. By changing the pitch of a
laser-ablated line or a laser-ablated dot, the amount of the one
and only one colored ink visible through the laser-ablated pattern
varies. Thus, regions of a touchscreen may be laser-ablated to
produce a translucent image (e.g., logo 120, icon 130.)
Laser-ablated pattern 700 of FIG. 7A includes laser-ablated lines
710a-710e. For example, each laser-ablated line 710 indicates where
border layer ink has been removed. In this example, width 720 of
line 710d may be 0.031 mm. Pitch 730 can be measured as a distance
from the center line of one laser-ablated line (e.g., 710c) to the
center line of another laser-ablated line (e.g., 710d), and in this
example the pitch of lines 710 is 0.078 mm. The translucency of
laser-ablated pattern 700 is determined as the width of a
laser-ablated line over the pitch of a laser ablated line. In this
example, the translucency is 39.7% (e.g., 0.031/0.078=39.7%).
[0058] A laser-ablated pattern, a portion of which is illustrated
in FIG. 7B, includes laser-ablated dots (e.g., 760a and 760b)
within border layer 110. Each laser-ablated dot indicates where the
border layer ink has been removed. In this example, the radii of
the laser ablated dots vary, namely with a radius of R1 to the left
and a radius R2 to the right. In this example, the laser-ablated
dots are arranged in a square grid with a spacing of S1 to the left
and a spacing of S2 to the right. Computing the faction of border
layer area that is ablated, the resulting degree of transparency is
T1 to the left and a T2 to the right where the transparencies may
be computed using the formulas in FIG. 7B. For example, if the
radius and spacing to the left is R1=30 microns and S1=100 microns
then the averaged transparency is T1=28% to the left. And, if the
radius and spacing to the right is R2=45 microns and S2=100
microns, then the averaged transparency T2=64%. Increasing the
radius and/or decreasing the spacing increases transparency while
decreasing the radius and/or increasing the spacing decreases the
transparency. In other embodiments, the dot radii vary continuously
leading gradients in transparency (as in FIG. 4). In other
embodiments, the ablated dots are arranged on a grid that is not
square, such as rectangular, hexagonal or honeycomb.
[0059] While laser-ablated pattern 700 includes laser-ablated lines
and laser-ablated pattern 750 includes laser-ablated dots,
laser-ablated patterns may include a combination of laser-ablated
lines and laser-ablated dots. Further, the width of the lines and
the diameters of the dots can vary as can their respective pitches,
within the same laser-ablated pattern. This flexibility enables the
creation of detailed logos and/or icons with continuous gradients
that appear to the human eye as infinite number of shades of a
single color.
[0060] While FIG. 3C illustrates embodiments in which a colored ink
374 is applied over the laser-ablated border layer, in other
embodiments it may be desirable to provide a laser-ablated border
layer with no associated colored ink. FIG. 8 illustrates a case
where instead of a layer of colored ink there is an electro-optical
device behind the laser-ablated pattern. The electro-optical device
may be a light source such as an OLED (organic light emitting
diode) element. In this case a logo would glow with the color of
the light source. The electro-optical device may also be a
programmable display such as an LCD (liquid crystal display) or an
OLED display, in which case the laser-ablation pattern would modify
the image from the programmable display. Furthermore, the
electro-optical device may be a light sensing device such as a
camera or a fingerprint sensor. In some embodiments, the pattern
that is ablated is positioned in front of a liquid crystal display
(LCD), where a combination of the pattern that is ablated and a
line of pixels of the LCD, avoids a moire pattern.
[0061] If the electro-optical device, such as a programmable
display or camera, includes a pixel array, there is a risk of
forming undesired moire patterns due to the interaction between the
laser-ablation pattern and the electro-optical device pixel
pattern. In such cases, undesired moire patterns may be suppressed
or eliminated by an appropriate choice of laser-ablation pattern.
Moire patterns are minimized when the two-dimensional Fourier
transform has no strong peaks at two-dimension wavenumbers close to
strong peaks in the two-dimensional Fourier transform of the
electro-optical device pixel pattern. For example, for the
laser-ablation pattern of FIG. 7A, the locations of the peaks of
the two-dimensional Fourier transform may be adjusted by adjusting
the pitch 730 of the ablation lines 710 as well as by adjusting the
tilt angle of the ablation lines 710. Referring to FIG. 7B, tuning
to suppress moire patterns may be accomplished by adjusting the
grid spacing as well as rotating (e.g. tilting) the square grid
with which the ablation dots are arranged.
[0062] Various embodiments can be implemented, for example, using
one or more well-known computer systems, such as computer system
900 shown in FIG. 9. Computer system 900 can be any well-known
computer capable of performing the functions described herein such
as PCAP touchscreen 100 of FIG. 1 and/or display device 210.
Computer system 900 may be internal or external to PCAP touchscreen
100 and/or display device 210 as discussed above. For example,
portions of computer system 900 may be included as PCAP touchscreen
100 and/or display device 210. In addition, PCAP touchscreen 100
may be used in conjunction with another computer system 900.
[0063] Computer system 900 includes one or more processors (also
called central processing units, or CPUs), such as a processor 904.
Processor 904 is connected to a communication infrastructure or bus
906. One or more processors 904 may each be a graphics processing
unit (GPU). In an embodiment, a GPU is a processor that is a
specialized electronic circuit designed to process mathematically
intensive applications. The GPU may have a parallel structure that
is efficient for parallel processing of large blocks of data, such
as mathematically intensive data common to computer graphics
applications, images, videos, etc. Computer system 900 also
includes user input/output device(s) 902, such as monitors,
keyboards, pointing devices, etc., that communicate with
communication infrastructure 906 through user input/output
interface(s) 902.
[0064] Computer system 900 also includes a main or primary memory
908, such as random access memory (RAM). Main memory 908 may
include one or more levels of cache. Main memory 908 has stored
therein control logic (i.e., computer software) and/or data.
Computer system 900 may also include one or more secondary storage
devices or memory 910. Secondary memory 910 may include, for
example, a hard disk drive 912 and/or a removable storage device or
drive 914. Removable storage drive 914 may be a floppy disk drive,
a magnetic tape drive, a compact disk drive, an optical storage
device, tape backup device, and/or any other storage
device/drive.
[0065] Removable storage drive 914 may interact with a removable
storage unit 918. Removable storage unit 918 includes a computer
usable or readable storage device having stored thereon computer
software (control logic) and/or data. Removable storage unit 918
may be a floppy disk, magnetic tape, compact disk, DVD, optical
storage disk, and/any other computer data storage device. Removable
storage drive 914 reads from and/or writes to removable storage
unit 918 in a well-known manner.
[0066] According to an exemplary embodiment, secondary memory 910
may include other means, instrumentalities or other approaches for
allowing computer programs and/or other instructions and/or data to
be accessed by computer system 900. Such means, instrumentalities
or other approaches may include, for example, a removable storage
unit 922 and an interface 920. Examples of the removable storage
unit 922 and the interface 920 may include a program cartridge and
cartridge interface (such as that found in video game devices), a
removable memory chip (such as an EPROM or PROM) and associated
socket, a memory stick and USB port, a memory card and associated
memory card slot, and/or any other removable storage unit and
associated interface.
[0067] Computer system 900 may further include a communication or
network interface 924. Communication interface 924 enables computer
system 900 to communicate and interact with any combination of
remote devices, remote networks, remote entities, etc.
(individually and collectively referenced by reference number 928).
For example, communication interface 924 may allow computer system
900 to communicate with remote devices 928 over communications path
926, which may be wired, and/or wireless, and which may include any
combination of LANs, WANs, the Internet, etc. Control logic and/or
data may be transmitted to and from computer system 900 via
communication path 926.
[0068] In an embodiment, a tangible, non-transitory apparatus or
article of manufacture comprising a tangible computer usable or
readable medium having control logic (software) stored thereon is
also referred to herein as a computer program product or program
storage device. This includes, but is not limited to, computer
system 900, main memory 908, secondary memory 910, and removable
storage units 918 and 922, as well as tangible articles of
manufacture embodying any combination of the foregoing. Such
control logic, when executed by one or more data processing devices
(such as computer system 900), causes such data processing devices
to operate as described herein.
[0069] The foregoing description, for purposes of explanation, used
specific nomenclature to provide a thorough understanding of the
disclosure. However, it will be apparent to one skilled in the art
that specific details are not required in order to practice the
disclosure. Thus, the foregoing descriptions of specific
embodiments of the disclosure are presented for purposes of
illustration and description. They are not intended to be
exhaustive or to limit the disclosure to the precise forms
disclosed; obviously, many modifications and variations are
possible in view of the above teachings. The embodiments were
chosen and described in order to best explain the principles of the
disclosure and its practical applications, they thereby enable
others skilled in the art to best utilize the disclosure and
various embodiments with various modifications as are suited to the
particular use contemplated. It is intended that the following
claims and their equivalents define the scope of the
disclosure.
[0070] Based on the teachings contained in this disclosure, it will
be apparent to persons skilled in the relevant art(s) how to make
and use embodiments of the disclosure using data processing
devices, computer systems and/or computer architectures other than
that shown in FIG. 9. In particular, embodiments may operate with
software, hardware, and/or operating system implementations other
than those described herein.
[0071] It is to be appreciated that the Detailed Description
section, and not the Abstract section, is intended to be used to
interpret the claims. The Abstract section may set forth one or
more, but not all exemplary embodiments, of the disclosure, and
thus, are not intended to limit the disclosure and the appended
claims in any way.
[0072] The disclosure has been described above with the aid of
functional building blocks illustrating the implementation of
specified functions and relationships thereof. The boundaries of
these functional building blocks have been arbitrarily defined
herein for the convenience of the description. Alternate boundaries
may be defined so long as the specified functions and relationships
thereof are appropriately performed.
[0073] It will be apparent to those skilled in the relevant art(s)
that various changes in form and detail can be made therein without
departing from the spirit and scope of the disclosure. Thus the
disclosure should not be limited by any of the above-described
exemplary embodiments. Further, the claims should be defined only
in accordance with their recitations and their equivalents.
* * * * *