Display and touch panels with drive and sense techniques

• US 10,248,236 B2
• Filed: 09/12/2016
• Issued: 04/02/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 10/30/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Yongman Lee
• Original Assignee: Yongman Lee
• Inventors: Lee, Yongman
• Primary Examiner(s): Okebato, Sahlu
• Application Number:
  US15/262,085
• Publication Number:
  US 20170038875A1
• Time in Patent Office: 932 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• 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 3/04184 Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/0285 using tables for spatial correction of display data
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/029 by monitoring one or more pixels in the display panel, e.g. by monitoring a fixed reference pixel
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2320/045 Compensation of drifts in the characteristics of light emitting or modulating elements
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3208 organic, e.g. using organic light-emitting diodes [OLED]
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3648 using an active matrix G09G3/367 - G09G3/3696 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3696 Generation of voltages supplied to electrode drivers

Abstract

The present invention provides a display device comprising: a display panel including a data line, a gate line, and a pixel; a data driver configured to output a data signal to the data line; a gate driver configured to output a gate signal to the gate line; and a signal controller configured to control the data driver, and the gate driver, wherein at least one of the data driver and the gate driver comprises a first current monitoring unit configured to monitor output current of the at least one of the data driver and the gate driver.

Claims

1. A display device comprising:

a display panel including a plurality of data lines, a plurality of gate lines, a plurality of common electrode lines, and a plurality of pixels;

a data driver configured to output data signals to the data lines and comprising a first current monitoring unit configured to monitor output current of the data driver;

a gate driver configured to output gate signals to the gate lines;

a common voltage driver to output common voltages to the common electrode lines and comprising a second current monitoring unit configured to monitor output current of the common voltage driver;

a signal controller configured to control the data driver, the gate driver, and the common voltage driver and comprising;

a touch monitor determining whether a touch is applied or not, and where the touch is applied, if any, by using current monitoring results of the first current monitoring unit and the second current monitoring unit; and

wherein the common electrode lines includes first common electrode lines and second common electrode lines, and

the display panel further comprises;

a first substrate having the first common electrode lines and a second substrate having the second common electrode lines; and

a plurality of taps connecting the first common electrode lines and the second common electrode lines.

2. The display device of claim 1, further comprising:

a first comparator comparing the current monitoring results of the first current monitoring unit with first expected values and providing a first comparison data to the touch monitor; and

a second comparator comparing the current monitoring results of the second current monitoring unit with second expected values and providing a second comparison data to the touch monitor.

3. The display device of claim 1, wherein the data driver and the common voltage driver respectively apply a first stimulating voltage to the data line and a second stimulating voltage to the common electrode line during a vertical blank period.

4. The display device of claim 1, wherein the data driver and the common voltage driver respectively apply a first stimulating voltage to the data line and a second stimulating voltage to the common electrode line during a horizontal blank period.

5. The display device of claim 1, wherein the touch monitor executes a touch sensing operation during a display period by using display data as stimulating signals.

6. The display device of claim 1, wherein at least one of the first common electrode lines and the second common electrode lines are divided in a plurality of groups and common electrode lines in a group are connected to each other.

7. The display device of claim 1, wherein the data lines are divided in a plurality of groups and data lines in a group are simultaneously applied with a stimulating voltage.

8. A display device comprising:

a display panel including a plurality of data lines, a plurality of gate lines, a plurality of common electrode lines, and a plurality of pixels;

a data driver configured to output data signals to the data lines and comprising a first current monitoring unit configured to monitor output current of the data driver;

a gate driver configured to output gate signals to the gate lines and comprising a second current monitoring unit configured to monitor output current of the gate driver;

a signal controller configured to control the data driver, the gate driver, and a common voltage driver with the plurality of common electrode lines and comprising;

a touch monitor determining whether a touch is applied or not, and where the touch is applied, if any, by using current monitoring results of the first current monitoring unit and the second current monitoring unit; and

wherein the common electrode lines includes first common electrode lines and second common electrode lines, and

the display panel further comprises;

a first substrate having the first common electrode lines and a second substrate having the second common electrode lines; and

a plurality of taps connecting the first common electrode lines and the second common electrode lines.

9. The display device of claim 8, further comprising:

a first comparator comparing the current monitoring results of the first current monitoring unit with first expected values and providing a first comparison data to the touch monitor; and

a second comparator comparing the current monitoring results of the second current monitoring unit with second expected values and providing a second comparison data to the touch monitor.

10. The display device of claim 8, wherein the data driver and the gate driver respectively apply a first stimulating voltage to the data line and a second stimulating voltage to the gate line during a vertical blank period.

11. The display device of claim 8, wherein the data driver and the gate driver respectively apply a first stimulating voltage to the data line and a second stimulating voltage to the gate line during a horizontal blank period.

12. The display device of claim 8, wherein the touch monitor executes a touch sensing operation during a display period by using display data as stimulating signals.

13. The display device of claim 8, wherein each of the pixels comprises:

an organic light emitting diode having a cathode connected to a negative supply voltage and an anode;

a switching thin film transistor having a control terminal connected to the gate line, a source terminal connected to the data line, and a drain electrode;

a driving thin film transistor a control terminal connected to the drain terminal of the switching TFT, a source terminal connected to a positive supply voltage line, and a drain terminal connected to the anode of the organic light emitting diode; and

a storage capacitor connected between the control terminal and the drain terminal of the driving thin film transistor; and

a test thin film transistor having a control terminal connected to a test voltage line, a source terminal connected to the drain terminal of the switching TFT, and a drain terminal connected to the anode of the OLED.

14. The display device of claim 8, wherein the gate lines are divided into a plurality of groups and gate lines in a group are simultaneously applied with a stimulating voltage.

15. The display device of claim 8, wherein the data lines are divided in a plurality of groups and data lines in a group are simultaneously applied with a stimulating voltage.