Touch screen having fingerprint recognition function and display device having the same

• US 10,379,684 B2
• Filed: 03/20/2017
• Issued: 08/13/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/08/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Ahn, Soon Sung, Jang, Hyoung Wook, Na, Hyun Jae, Kim, Mu Gyeom
• Primary Examiner(s): Yang, Kwang-Su
• Application Number:
  US15/463,874
• Publication Number:
  US 20170293378A1
• Time in Patent Office: 876 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/0338 Fingerprint track pad, i.e. fingerprint sensor used as pointing device tracking the fingertip image
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04112 Electrode mesh in capacitive digitiser: electrode for touch sensing is formed of a mesh of very fine, normally metallic, interconnected lines that are almost invisible to see. This provides a quite large but transparent electrode surface, without need for ITO or similar transparent conductive material
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0448 Details of the electrode shape, e.g. for enhancing the detection of touches, for generating specific electric field shapes, for enhancing display quality
• CPC Class Codes: G06V 40/1306 non-optical, e.g. ultrasonic or capacitive sensing

Abstract

A touch screen including a substrate that includes an active area and a non-active area adjacent to the active area, the active area including at least one fingerprint recognition area; touch sensing electrodes including first sensing electrodes arranged in the active area, and at least one second sensing electrode arranged in the fingerprint recognition area, the second sensing electrode configured for sensing a touch and recognizing a fingerprint; and a pad portion provided with a plurality of pads which are electrically connected to respective sensing electrodes, wherein the at least one second sensing electrode includes: a plurality of sub electrodes extending in a direction inclined with respect to an edge portion of the active area; and a plurality of fingerprint recognition lines connecting the sub electrodes to the pad portion, and the fingerprint recognition lines arranged in a same fingerprint recognition area extend in a same direction.

Claims

1. A touch screen comprising:

a substrate including an active area and a non-active area arranged to be adjacent to the active area, the active area including at least one fingerprint recognition area;

touch sensing electrodes including first sensing electrodes arranged in the active area and connected to each other along a first direction, and at least one second sensing electrode arranged in the fingerprint recognition area and extending in a second direction oblique to the first direction, the second sensing electrode configured for sensing a touch and recognizing a fingerprint; and

a pad portion including a plurality of pads which are electrically connected to respective sensing electrodes,

wherein the at least one second sensing electrode comprises;

a plurality of sub electrodes extending in the second direction inclined with respect to an edge portion of the active area; and

a plurality of fingerprint recognition lines connecting the sub electrodes to the pad portion, and

wherein the fingerprint recognition lines arranged in a same fingerprint recognition area extend in a same direction.

2. The touch screen according to claim 1,

wherein the first sensing electrodes are arranged in the active area and outside the fingerprint recognition area, and

wherein the plurality of sub electrodes is a plurality of first sub electrodes, and the at least one second sensing electrode further comprises:

a plurality of second sub electrodes arranged on an insulating film covering the first sub electrodes, and extending in a direction intersecting the first sub electrodes; and

the fingerprint recognition lines connecting the first sub electrodes and the second sub electrodes to the pad portion.

3. The touch screen according to claim 2,

wherein the first sensing electrodes comprise a conductive mesh including a plurality of conductive fine lines intersecting each other.

4. The touch screen according to claim 3,

wherein the fingerprint recognition lines comprise:

first fingerprint recognition lines connecting the first sub electrodes to the pad portion; and

second fingerprint recognition lines connecting the second sub electrodes to the pad portion.

5. The touch screen according to claim 4,

wherein the active area comprises a first fingerprint recognition area and a second fingerprint recognition area that are adjacent to each other,

wherein the touch sensing electrodes include two second sensing electrodes which are arranged in the first fingerprint recognition area and in the second fingerprint recognition area, respectively, and

wherein the first fingerprint recognition lines and the second fingerprint recognition lines of the first fingerprint recognition area extend in the first direction, and the first fingerprint recognition lines and the second fingerprint recognition lines of the second fingerprint recognition area extend in a third direction intersecting the first direction.

6. The touch screen according to claim 4,

wherein the active area includes a first fingerprint recognition area, a second fingerprint recognition area and a third fingerprint recognition area, the second fingerprint recognition area and the third fingerprint recognition area being arranged at either side of the first fingerprint recognition area,

wherein the first sub electrodes of the first fingerprint recognition area extend to one of the second fingerprint recognition area and the third fingerprint recognition area, and are electrically connected to the second sub electrodes of one of the second fingerprint recognition area and the third fingerprint recognition area, and

wherein the second sub electrodes of the first fingerprint recognition area extend to the other one of the second fingerprint recognition area and the third fingerprint recognition area, and are electrically connected to the first sub electrodes of the other one of the second fingerprint recognition area and the third fingerprint recognition area.

7. The touch screen according to claim 3,

wherein a wiring density of the sub electrodes is greater than a wiring density of the conductive fine lines.

8. A display device comprising:

a first substrate comprising a plurality of pixel areas;

display elements arranged in the pixel areas on the first substrate;

a second substrate facing the first substrate and including an active area and a non-active area arranged to be adjacent to the active area, the active area including at least one fingerprint recognition area; and

a touch screen arranged on one surface of the second substrate,

wherein the touch screen comprises;

touch sensing electrodes including first sensing electrodes arranged in the active area and connected to each other along a first direction, and at least one second sensing electrode arranged in the fingerprint recognition area and extending in a second direction oblique to the first direction, the second sensing electrode configured for sensing a touch and recognizing a fingerprint; and

a pad portion including a plurality of pads which are electrically connected to respective sensing electrodes, and

wherein the at least one second sensing electrode comprises;

a plurality of sub electrodes extending in the second direction inclined with respect to an edge portion of the active area; and

a plurality of fingerprint recognition lines connecting the sub electrodes to the pad portion, and

wherein the fingerprint recognition lines arranged in a same fingerprint recognition area extends in a same direction.

9. The display device according to claim 8,

wherein the first sensing electrodes are arranged in the active area and outside the fingerprint recognition area, and

the at least one second sensing electrode further comprises:

a plurality of first sub electrodes extending in the direction inclined with respect to the edge portion of the active area; and

a plurality of second sub electrodes arranged on an insulating film covering the first sub electrodes, and extending in a direction intersecting the first sub electrodes, and

wherein the fingerprint recognition lines connecting the first sub electrodes and the second sub electrodes to the pad portion.

10. The display device according to claim 9,

wherein the first sensing electrodes comprise a conductive mesh including a plurality of conductive fine lines intersecting each other, and

wherein a wiring density of the sub electrodes is greater than a wiring density of the conductive fine lines.

11. A touch screen comprising:

a substrate including an active area and a non-active area arranged to be adjacent to the active area, the active area including at least one fingerprint recognition area;

touch sensing electrodes including first sensing electrodes arranged in the active area and connected to each other along a first direction, and at least one second sensing electrode arranged in the fingerprint recognition area and extending in a second direction oblique to the first direction, the second sensing electrode configured for sensing a touch and recognizing a fingerprint; and

a pad portion including a plurality of pads which is electrically connected to respective sensing electrodes,

wherein the at least one second sensing electrode comprises;

a plurality of sub electrodes extending in the second direction; and

a plurality of fingerprint recognition lines connecting the sub electrodes to the pad portion, and

wherein the fingerprint recognition lines arranged in a same fingerprint recognition area extend in a same direction.

12. The touch screen according to claim 11,

wherein the first sensing electrodes are arranged in the active area and outside the fingerprint recognition area, and

wherein the at least one second sensing electrode further comprises:

a plurality of first sub electrodes extending in the second direction inclined with respect to an edge portion of the active area;

a plurality of second sub electrodes arranged on an insulating film covering the first sub electrodes, and extending in a third direction intersecting the first sub electrodes; and

the fingerprint recognition lines connecting the first sub electrodes and the second sub electrodes to the pad portion.

13. The touch screen according to claim 12,

wherein the first sensing electrodes comprise a conductive mesh provided with a plurality of conductive fine lines, and

wherein a wiring density of the sub electrodes is greater than a wiring density of the conductive fine lines.