Dual-mode capacitive touch display panel

• US 10,416,804 B2
• Filed: 10/06/2016
• Issued: 09/17/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 04/28/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AU Optronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: AU Optronics Corporation
• Inventors: Lai, Shih-Lun, Hsieh, Yi-San, Huang, I-Hsiung
• Primary Examiner(s): Jansen, II, Michael J
• Application Number:
  US15/287,103
• Publication Number:
  US 20170315657A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,076 Days
• 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 2203/04107 Shielding in digitiser, i.e. guard or shielding arrangements, mostly for capacitive touchscreens, e.g. driven shields, driven grounds
• 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 3/0412 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 3/041662 using alternate mutual and self-capacitive scanning
• 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 3/0447 Position sensing using the local deformation of sensor cells

Abstract

A dual-mode capacitive touch display panel includes first and second substrates, a display layer disposed between the first and second substrates, at least two first touch electrodes, at least two second touch electrodes, plural pressure sensing electrodes, and a shielding conductive layer. The first and second touch electrodes are disposed on the first substrate and overlap sub-pixels thereon. The first and second touch electrodes are respectively separated. The pressure sensing electrodes are disposed on the second substrate, and overlap the corresponding first or second touch electrodes in a vertical projection direction. The shielding conductive layer is disposed on the second substrate and includes plural openings, the pressure sensing electrodes overlap the corresponding openings, and the pressure sensing electrodes have a lower surface resistance than the shielding conductive layer does.

Claims

1. A dual-mode capacitive touch display panel, comprising:

a first substrate;

a plurality of first sub-pixels, located on the first substrate, each first sub-pixel comprising;

a first switching element;

a first signal line;

a first data line;

a first common electrode; and

a first pixel electrode;

wherein said first switching element is electrically connected to said first signal line, said first data line, and said first pixel electrode;

a plurality of second sub-pixels, located on the first substrate, each second sub-pixel comprising;

a second switching element;

a second signal line;

a second data line;

a second common electrode; and

a second pixel electrode;

wherein said second switching element is electrically connected to said second signal line, said second data line, and said second pixel electrode;

a first touch electrode formed by the first common electrodes of the plurality of first sub-pixels;

a second touch electrode formed by said second common of the plurality of second sub-pixels;

a display medium layer, disposed above said first substrate and covering said first sub-pixel and said second sub-pixel;

a second substrate, disposed above said display medium layer wherein said display medium layer is sandwiched between said first substrate and said second substrate;

a shielding conductive layer, disposed on said second substrate and including a plurality of first openings; and

a pressure sensing electrode, positioned within each of said plurality of first openings and within the shielding conductive layer, wherein said pressure sensing electrode overlaps with said first touch electrode, and said pressure sensing electrode has a lower surface resistance than said shielding conductive layer.

2. The dual-mode capacitive touch display panel according to claim 1, wherein each of said first sub-pixels further comprises a third common electrode, said first touch electrode is further formed by said third common electrode, and said third common electrode is connected to said first common electrode.

3. The dual-mode capacitive touch display panel according to claim 1, wherein the pressure sensing electrode is disposed on said second substrate and adjacent to said shielding conductive layer.

4. The dual-mode capacitive touch display panel according to claim 3, further comprising:

a control circuit, electrically connected to each of the pressure sensing electrodes; and

an insulating layer, sandwiched between the control circuit and the shielding conductive layer, and having a second opening;

wherein the insulating layer covers said first opening of the shielding conductive layer and the pressure sensing electrodes, and the pressure sensing electrode is connected to the control circuit via said second opening of the insulating layer.

5. The dual-mode capacitive touch display panel according to claim 3, further comprising:

a control circuit, electrically connected to the pressure sensing electrode; and

an insulating layer, sandwiched between the control circuit and the shielding conductive layer;

wherein the insulating layer covers said first opening of the shielding conductive layer, and the pressure sensing electrode is located on the insulating layer.

6. The dual-mode capacitive touch display panel according to claim 3, further comprising:

a control circuit, electrically connected to the pressure sensing electrode;

a first insulating layer, sandwiched between the control circuit and the shielding conductive layer, wherein the first insulating layer covers said first opening of the shielding conductive layer; and

a second insulating layer including a second opening;

wherein the second insulating layer covers the control circuit and the first insulating layer, said pressure sensing electrode is positioned within said second opening, and the pressure sensing electrode is connected to the control circuit via said second opening.

7. The dual-mode capacitive touch display panel according to claim 1, further comprising a insulating layer;

wherein the shielding conductive layer is sandwiched between said insulating layer and said second substrate, and the insulating layer is sandwiched between the pressure sensing electrode and the shielding conductive layer.

8. The dual-mode capacitive touch display panel according to claim 7, further comprising:

a control circuit, electrically connected to the pressure sensing electrode.

9. The dual-mode capacitive touch display panel according to claim 1, wherein a gap exists between said first touch electrode and said second touch electrode, said first touch electrode and the gap overlap with said pressure sensing electrode in said vertical projection direction.

10. The dual-mode capacitive touch display panel according to claim 1, wherein the first opening of the shielding conductive layer has a first vertical projection area, first touch electrode has a second vertical projection area, and said first vertical projection area divided by said second vertical projection area is greater than 0 and less than or equal to 5%.

11. The dual-mode capacitive touch display panel according to claim 1, further comprising:

a signal line, disposed on the first substrate and connected to said first touch electrode; and

a signal line, disposed on the first substrate and connected to said second touch electrode.

12. The dual-mode capacitive touch display panel according to claim 1, further comprising:

a first bridge electrode, connecting said first touch electrode and said second touch electrode.

13. The dual-mode capacitive touch display panel according to claim 1, wherein a spacing exists between said pressure sensing electrode and said first touch electrode is deformable when a force is applied to sad pressure sensing electrode.

14. The dual-mode capacitive touch display panel according to claim 1, further comprising:

at least one controller, operatively coupled to the first touch electrode and the second touch electrode, wherein the controller measures a position of an object relative to the first touch electrode and the second touch electrode, and measure a force applied to the second substrate.

15. The dual-mode capacitive touch display panel according to claim 14, wherein:

in a position detection mode, both the pressure sensing electrode and the shielding conductive layer are at a floating potential, and a touch position is calculated based on capacitance fluctuation on the first touch electrode and of the second touch electrode, or a capacitance fluctuation between the first touch electrode and the second touch electrode; and

in a force detection mode, both the pressure sensing electrode and the shielding conductive layer are at a fixed potential, and a force applied to the pressure sensing electrode is calculated based on capacitance fluctuation between the pressure sensing electrode and said first touch electrode.

16. The dual-mode capacitive touch display panel according to claim 1, wherein:

in a display mode, both the pressure sensing electrode, the shielding conductive layer, and the first touch electrode are at a fixed potential to display an image.