Touch display panel with force sensor

• US 10,282,012 B2
• Filed: 11/09/2017
• Issued: 05/07/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 11/11/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AU Optronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: AU Optronics Corporation
• Inventors: Chen, Chi-Cheng, Liu, Gui-Wen
• Primary Examiner(s): Zhou, Hong
• Application Number:
  US15/808,224
• Publication Number:
  US 20180136773A1
• Time in Patent Office: 544 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133345 Insulating layers G02F1/1335, G02F1/1337, G02F1/135, G02F1/136 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13338 Input devices, e.g. touch panels
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/133528 Polarisers
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/134309 characterised by their geometrical arrangement
• 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 3/0447 Position sensing using the local deformation of sensor cells

Abstract

A touch display panel includes a first substrate, a second substrate, a display medium layer, a transparent electrode layer, a first conductive layer, a control unit and a ground electrode layer. The display medium layer is disposed between the first and second substrates. The transparent electrode layer is disposed on an inner surface of the first substrate and includes touch electrodes disposed in the display region. The first conductive layer is disposed at the transparent electrode layer and includes touch conductive lines and force sensing lines. Each touch conductive line is electrically connected to one touch electrode. The force sensing lines are electrically insulated from the touch conductive lines. A portion of the force sensing lines is connected to the control unit. The ground electrode layer is disposed on the second substrate. A force sensor is formed of the ground electrode layer, the force sensing lines and the control unit.

Claims

1. A touch display panel with a force sensor, comprising:

a first substrate and a second substrate, the first substrate and the second substrate being oppositely disposed in parallel, the first substrate having a display region and a peripheral region, and the peripheral region surrounding the display region;

a display medium layer, disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate;

a transparent electrode layer, disposed on an inner surface of the first substrate, the transparent electrode layer comprising a plurality of touch electrodes disposed side by side in the display region, and the inner surface of the first substrate being a surface, facing the display medium layer, of the first substrate;

a first conductive layer, disposed on the inner surface of the first substrate and located at one side of the transparent electrode layer, the first conductive layer comprising;

a plurality of touch conductive lines, each being electrically connected to one of the touch electrodes; and

a plurality of force sensing lines, electrically insulated from the touch conductive lines;

a control unit, disposed at the peripheral region, and a portion of the force sensing lines extending from the display region to the peripheral region and being connected to the control unit;

a ground electrode layer, disposed on a surface of the second substrate;

a switch layer disposed on an inner surface of the second substrate, wherein the inner surface of the second substrate is a surface facing the display medium layer of the second substrate; and

a pixel electrode layer disposed between the switch layer and the display medium layer, wherein in the display region, the pixel electrode layer and the transparent electrode layer at least partially overlap in a direction vertical to the inner surface of the first substrate.

2. The touch display panel with a force sensor according to claim 1, wherein the touch electrodes are arranged as a plurality of straight columns along a first direction, the straight columns are disposed in parallel side by side along a second direction, and the first direction is not parallel with the second direction.

3. The touch display panel with a force sensor according to claim 2, wherein the force sensing lines approximately extend along the first direction in the display region.

4. The touch display panel with a force sensor according to claim 2, wherein the transparent electrode layer further comprises a plurality of strip-shaped force sensing electrodes extending along the first direction, and each of the force sensing electrodes is electrically connected to at least one of the force sensing lines.

5. The touch display panel with a force sensor according to claim 1, wherein the force sensing lines are divided into a plurality of sensing groups, the force sensing lines in each of the sensing groups are electrically connected to each other, and the force sensing lines in different sensing groups are not electrically connected to each other.

6. The touch display panel with a force sensor according to claim 5, wherein each of the sensing groups of the force sensing lines is electrically connected to the control unit respectively.

7. The touch display panel with a force sensor according to claim 5, wherein in a portion of the sensing groups, the force sensing lines in each sensing group are electrically connected to each other by means of a second conductive layer.

8. The touch display panel with a force sensor according to claim 1, wherein impedance of the ground electrode layer is 10⁸-10⁹Ω

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9. The touch display panel with a force sensor according to claim 1, further comprising:

an insulating layer disposed between the first conductive layer and the transparent electrode layer, wherein the touch conductive lines are electrically connected to the touch electrodes through via holes in the insulating layer, respectively.

10. The touch display panel with a force sensor according to claim 1, wherein the ground electrode layer is disposed on the inner surface of the second substrate.

11. The touch display panel with a force sensor according to claim 1, further comprising:

a conductive shielding layer disposed on a surface opposite to the display medium layer of the first substrate.

12. The touch display panel with a force sensor according to claim 1, wherein the force sensor is formed of the ground electrode layer, the force sensing lines, and the control unit.