Electronic device

• US 10,209,819 B2
• Filed: 12/29/2016
• Issued: 02/19/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 12/31/2015
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: LG Display Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Junghan, Song, InHyuk, Kim, Sungho
• Primary Examiner(s): Lam, Vinh T
• Application Number:
  US15/394,692
• Publication Number:
  US 20170192596A1
• Time in Patent Office: 782 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-174, 345 92- 93, 345 50, 349147, 349158, 178 1801- 1901
• CPC Class Codes: G01L 1/146 for measuring force distributions, e.g. using force arrays G01L1/148 takes precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13306 Circuit arrangements or driving methods for the control of single liquid crystal cells G02F1/132, G02F1/133382 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133308 Support structures for LCD panels, e.g. frames or bezels
• 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 1/136286 Wiring, e.g. gate line, drain line
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2201/121 common or background
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04105 Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04106 Multi-sensing digitiser, i.e. digitiser using at least two different sensing technologies simultaneously or alternatively, e.g. for detecting pen and finger, for saving power or for improving position detection
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04166 Details of scanning methods, e.g. sampling time, grouping of sub areas or time sharing with display driving Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally G06F3/04184
• 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: H04M 1/0266 for a display module assembly
• CPC Class Codes: H04M 2250/22 including a touch pad, a touch sensor or a touch detector digitizers for touch screens G06F3/041

Abstract

An electronic device comprises a display module including a plurality of touch electrodes, a cover window covering a front surface of the display module, a housing including an electrically conductive housing plate disposed below a rear surface of the display module and a housing side wall surrounding at least a portion of a side surface of the display module or supporting the display module, and a driving circuit sensing variation in capacitance between one or more of the touch electrodes and the housing plate, caused by a change in distance between said one or more of the touch electrodes and the housing plate.

Claims

1. An electronic device comprising:

a display module including a plurality of touch electrodes;

a cover window covering a front surface of the display module; and

a housing including;

an electrically conductive housing plate, the electrically conductive housing plate overlapping with the plurality of touch electrodes and disposed below a rear surface of the display module, and

a housing side wall surrounding at least a portion of a side surface of the display module or supporting the display module,

wherein a variation in capacitance is sensed between one or more of the touch electrodes and the housing plate, caused by a change in distance between said one or more of the touch electrodes and the housing plate,

wherein the display module includes a display panel including a lower substrate and an upper substrate,

wherein the plurality of touch electrodes are disposed between the lower substrate and the upper substrate of the display panel, and are used as common electrodes during a display mode, and

wherein the housing plate is physically connected to the housing sidewall and extends below the rear surface of the display module from a first portion of the housing sidewall to a second portion of the housing sidewall.

2. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein

a touch driving signal is applied to said one or more of the touch electrodes, and a variation in capacitance is sensed between said one or more of the touch electrodes and the housing plate to generate touch raw data during a touch sensing mode, and

wherein a touch position is calculated based on the touch raw data which is less than reference raw data and a touch force level based on the touch raw data which exceeds the reference raw data.

3. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the display module further comprises a transparent conductive layer provided on a rear surface of the lower substrate.

4. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein the transparent conductive layer is electrically floated.

5. The electronic device of claim 3, wherein

a touch driving signal is applied to said one or more of the touch electrodes and a variation in self-capacitance of said one or more of the touch electrodes is sensed to generate touch raw data during a first touch sensing period of a touch sensing mode,

wherein a force touch driving signal is applied to the transparent conductive layer and a variation in capacitance is sensed between the transparent conductive layer and the housing plate to generate force touch raw data during a second touch sensing period of the touch sensing mode, and

wherein a touch position is calculated based on the touch raw data and a touch force level is calculated based on the force touch raw data.

6. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein during the display mode, the touch electrodes are supplied with a common voltage, and the transparent conductive layer is electrically floated.

7. The electronic device of claim 5, wherein the touch electrodes are supplied with a common voltage during the display mode, and

wherein the transparent conductive layer is electrically floated during the display mode and is electrically floated during the first touch sensing period.

8. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a buffering member disposed on the housing plate and spaced apart from the rear surface of the display module, the buffering member positioned so as not to overlap with a rear edge of the display module.

9. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the buffering member comprises a circular shape in a plan view centered around a center of the display module.

10. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the buffering member comprises a tetragonal shape in a plan view centered around a center of the display module.

11. The electronic device of claim 10, wherein one or more corners of the tetragonal shape in a plan view of the buffering member are rounded.

12. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein the buffering member comprises polyurethane.

13. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the housing side wall includes a groove in an inner surface thereof, and an elastic member between a rear edge of the cover window and a bottom of the groove, the cover window covering an entire surface of the display module and a space between the display module and the housing side wall.

14. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the housing side wall supports a rear edge of the display module with a supporting member between the housing side wall and the display module.

15. The electronic device of claim 14, wherein the supporting member is comprised of an elastic pad or an adhesive foam pad.

16. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a side sealing member covering an outer side surface of the display module.

17. The electronic device of claim 16, wherein at least a part of the display module covers a front surface of the side sealing member.

18. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising a module supporting member vertically provided between a rear edge of the display module and a front edge of the housing plate to create an air gap between the rear surface of the display module and the housing plate.

19. The electronic device of claim 1, further comprising:

a printed circuit board disposed under the housing plate; and

a flexible circuit film electronically connecting the printed circuit board with a part of the display module, the flexible circuit film extending from the printed circuit board to the part of the display module through a film through hole in the housing plate.

20. The electronic device of claim 19, further comprising a conductive connection member electrically connecting the printed circuit board with the housing plate, the housing plate being grounded through the conductive connection member.

21. The electronic device of claim 1, wherein the housing plate is supplied with a direct current (DC) voltage or an alternating current (AC) voltage having a certain voltage level or being electrically grounded (GND).