Sensor-equipped display device

• US 10,078,239 B2
• Filed: 04/27/2015
• Issued: 09/18/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2014
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Sugita, Yasuhiro, Tanaka, Kohhei, Noma, Takeshi, Nishiyama, Takayuki, Yonebayashi, Ryo, Tada, Kenshi, Yamagishi, Shinji, Mugiraneza, Jean
• Primary Examiner(s): Glick, Edward
• Assistant Examiner(s): Liu, Shan
• Application Number:
  US15/306,825
• Publication Number:
  US 20170123253A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,240 Days
• Field of Search: 349 12, 345173
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13338 Input devices, e.g. touch panels
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1339 Gaskets; Spacers; Sealing of cells
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/134336 Matrix
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13456 Cell terminals located on one side of the display only
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/136286 Wiring, e.g. gate line, drain line
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1368 in which the switching element is a three-electrode device G02F1/136277 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2201/121 common or background
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2201/123 pixel
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04108 Touchless 2D- digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface without distance measurement in the Z direction
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04164 Connections between sensors and controllers, e.g. routing lines between electrodes and connection pads
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0445 using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes

Abstract

Provided is a sensor-equipped display device (1) that includes: a first substrate (20a); a second substrate (20b) opposed to the first substrate (20a); a liquid crystal layer (LC); a plurality of first lines (15) extending in a first direction in a pixel area (AA); second lines extending in a second direction that is different from the first direction; pixel switching elements that are provided for pixels, respectively, and are connected to the first lines and the second lines; a plurality of sensor electrodes (SE, DL) provided at positions that overlap the pixel area on at least one of the first substrate and the second substrate, for detecting the contact or approach of the object; and a plurality of sensor lead-out lines that are provided in parallel to the first lines or the second lines in the pixel area on the first substrate, and are connected to the sensor electrodes, respectively.

Claims

1. A sensor-equipped display device that includes a pixel area in which pixels that display an image are arranged and that is capable of detecting contact or approach of an object, the sensor-equipped display device comprising:

a first substrate;

a second substrate opposed to the first substrate;

a liquid crystal layer provided between the first substrate and the second substrate;

a plurality of first lines provided on the first substrate, the first lines extending in a first direction in the pixel area;

a plurality of second lines provided on the first substrate, the second lines extending in a second direction in the pixel area that is different from the first direction;

pixel switching elements provided for pixels defined by the first lines and the second lines, respectively, the pixel switching elements being connected to the first lines and the second lines;

a plurality of sensor electrodes provided at positions that overlap the pixel area on at least one of the first substrate and the second substrate, the sensor electrodes detecting the contact or approach of the object; and

a plurality of sensor lead-out lines provided in parallel to the first lines or the second lines in the pixel area on the first substrate, the sensor lead-out lines being connected to the sensor electrodes, respectively,

wherein the sensor electrodes continuously extend from one end of the pixel area to another end of the pixel area in the first direction or the second direction on the first substrate, and

the sensor lead-out lines extend in a same direction as the sensor electrodes so as to overlap the sensor electrodes and all of portions of the sensor lead-out lines extending in the same direction as the sensor electrodes in the pixel area are fully covered by the sensor electrodes when viewed in a direction normal to the pixel area.

2. The sensor-equipped display device according to claim 1, further comprising:

driving switching elements defined in the pixel area on the first substrate that control driving of the first lines or the second lines according to signals supplied from outside of the pixel area; and

driving control lines defined in the pixel area on the first substrate, the driving control lines extending in the first direction or the second direction and being connected to the driving switching elements, wherein,

when the pixel area is viewed in a plan view in a direction normal to a surface of the pixel area, the pixels that the driving-control switching elements or the driving control lines overlap, and the pixels that the sensor lead-out lines overlap, are different.

3. The sensor-equipped display device according to claim 1, further comprising:

sensor driving switching elements arranged in the pixel area, that control the driving of the sensor electrodes, wherein

the sensor lead-out lines connect at least either the sensor driving switching elements and the sensor electrodes, or the sensor driving switching elements and electrical lines outside of the pixel area.

4. The sensor-equipped display device according to claim 3, wherein

the sensor lead-out lines connecting the sensor driving switching elements and the electrical lines outside of the pixel area include:

voltage supply lines that supply a predetermined voltage to the sensor driving switching elements from the electrical lines outside of the pixel area; and

sensor driving control lines that supply a signal that controls whether or not the predetermined voltage supplied from the voltage supply lines should be applied to the sensor electrodes.

5. The sensor-equipped display device according to claim 3, wherein, in the pixel area, the sensor driving switching elements are connected to between the sensor lead-out lines and the sensor electrodes.

6. The sensor-equipped display device according to claim 1, wherein

each of the sensor electrodes includes a drive electrode to which a driving signal is input, and a detection electrode that outputs a response signal according to the driving signal, and

either the drive electrodes or the detection electrodes are defined on the second substrate.

7. The sensor-equipped display device according to claim 1, further comprising:

pixel electrodes provided for the pixels, respectively; and

common electrodes opposed to the pixel electrodes, wherein

the common electrodes define and function as the sensor electrodes.

8. The sensor-equipped display device according to claim 1, wherein line widths of the sensor lead-out lines, or a number of the sensor lead-out lines connected to one sensor electrode, are different depending on lengths of the sensor lead-out lines.

9. A sensor-equipped display device that includes a pixel area in which pixels that display an image are arranged and that is capable of detecting contact or approach of an object, the sensor-equipped display device comprising:

a first substrate;

a second substrate opposed to the first substrate;

a liquid crystal layer provided between the first substrate and the second substrate;

a plurality of first lines provided on the first substrate, the first lines extending in a first direction in the pixel area;

a plurality of second lines provided on the first substrate, the second lines extending in a second direction in the pixel area that is different from the first direction;

pixel switching elements provided for pixels defined by the first lines and the second lines, respectively, the pixel switching elements being connected to the first lines and the second lines;

a plurality of sensor electrodes provided at positions that overlap the pixel area on at least one of the first substrate and the second substrate, the sensor electrodes detecting the contact or approach of the object; and

a plurality of sensor lead-out lines provided in parallel to the first lines or the second lines in the pixel area on the first substrate, the sensor lead-out lines being connected to the sensor electrodes, respectively, wherein

at least a portion of the sensor electrodes are provided on the second substrate,

the sensor-equipped display device further comprising;

a plurality of sealing contacts provided between the first substrate and the second substrate, the sealing contacts electrically connecting the sensor lead-out lines provided on the first substrate, and the sensor electrodes provided on the second substrate,

the sealing contacts are provided along an edge parallel to the first direction,

each of the sensor lead-out lines includes a first portion that is parallel to the first direction and a second portion that is parallel to the second direction,

one end of the first portion is connected with one end of the second portion in the pixel area,

another end of the second portion is connected with a corresponding one of the plurality of sealing contacts outside of the pixel area, and

on the second substrate, on an edge along which the plurality of sealing contacts are provided, the sealing contacts and the sensor electrodes in the pixel area are connected.

10. The sensor-equipped display device according to claim 9, further comprising:

driving switching elements defined in the pixel area on the first substrate, that control driving of the first lines or the second lines according to signals supplied from outside of the pixel area; and

driving control lines defined in the pixel area on the first substrate, the driving control lines extending in the first direction or the second direction and being connected to the driving switching elements, wherein

when the pixel area is viewed in a plan view in a direction normal to a surface of the pixel area, the pixels that the driving-control switching elements or the driving control lines overlap and the pixels that the sensor lead-out lines overlap, are different.

11. The sensor-equipped display device according to claim 9, further comprising:

sensor driving switching elements arranged in the pixel area that control driving of the sensor electrodes, wherein

the sensor lead-out lines connect at least either the sensor driving switching elements and the sensor electrodes, or the sensor driving switching elements and electrical lines outside of the pixel area.

12. The sensor-equipped display device according to claim 11, wherein

the sensor lead-out lines connecting the sensor driving switching elements and the electrical lines outside of the pixel area include:

voltage supply lines that supply a predetermined voltage to the sensor driving switching elements from the electrical lines outside of the pixel area; and

sensor driving control lines that supply a signal that controls whether or not the predetermined voltage supplied from the voltage supply lines should be applied to the sensor electrodes.

13. The sensor-equipped display device according to claim 11, wherein, in the pixel area, the sensor driving switching elements are connected between the sensor lead-out lines and the sensor electrodes.

14. The sensor-equipped display device according to claim 9, wherein

each of the sensor electrodes includes a drive electrode to which a driving signal is input, and a detection electrode that outputs a response signal according to the driving signal, and

either the drive electrodes or the detection electrodes are defined on the second substrate.

15. The sensor-equipped display device according to claim 9, further comprising:

pixel electrodes provided for the pixels, respectively; and

common electrodes opposed to the pixel electrodes, wherein the common electrodes also define and function as the sensor electrodes.

16. The sensor-equipped display device according to claim 9, wherein line widths of the sensor lead-out lines, or a number of the sensor lead-out lines connected to one sensor electrode, are different depending on lengths of the sensor lead-out lines.