Display device having an input sensing unit

• US 10,475,862 B2
• Filed: 08/02/2018
• Issued: 11/12/2019
• Est. Priority Date: 08/14/2017
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Jeong, Hwan-Hee, Moon, Sungjae
• Primary Examiner(s): Khoo, Stacy
• Application Number:
  US16/053,477
• Publication Number:
  US 20190051708A1
• Time in Patent Office: 467 Days
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04102 Flexible digitiser, i.e. constructional details for allowing the whole digitising part of a device to be flexed or rolled like a sheet of paper
• 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 2203/04111 Cross over in capacitive digitiser, i.e. details of structures for connecting electrodes of the sensing pattern where the connections cross each other, e.g. bridge structures comprising an insulating layer, or vias through substrate
• 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 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• 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: H10K 50/8445 multilayered coatings having a repetitive structure, e.g. having multiple organic-inorganic bilayers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 50/86 Arrangements for improving contrast, e.g. preventing reflection of ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/1213 the pixel elements being TFTs
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/131 Interconnections, e.g. wiring lines or terminals
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/40 OLEDs integrated with touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/805 Electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/8731 multilayered coatings having a repetitive structure, e.g. having multiple organic-inorganic bilayers
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/8791 Arrangements for improving contrast, e.g. preventing reflection of ambient light
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/88 Dummy elements, i.e. elements having non-functional features
• CPC Class Codes: Y02E 10/549 Organic PV cells

Abstract

A display device includes a display panel and an input-sensing unit located on the display panel. The input-sensing unit includes a plurality of sensor portions. At least one of the sensor portions is different from the others in terms of area or distance.

Claims

1. A display device comprising:

a display panel; and

an input-sensing unit on the display panel,

wherein the input-sensing unit comprises;

a plurality of first electrodes extending in a first direction; and

a plurality of second electrodes extending in a second direction crossing the first direction,

each of the plurality of first electrodes comprises a plurality of first sensor portions and a plurality of first connecting portions connecting the plurality of first sensor portions to each other,

each of the plurality of second electrodes comprises a plurality of second sensor portions and a plurality of second connecting portions connecting the plurality of second sensor portions to each other, and

the plurality of first sensor portions of one of the plurality of first electrodes comprises;

a first normal sensor portion having a first area and being spaced apart from an adjacent one of the second sensor portions by a first distance; and

a first severed sensor portion having a second area smaller than the first area and being spaced apart from an adjacent one of the second sensor portions by a second distance that is smaller than the first distance.

2. The display device of claim 1, wherein the first severed sensor portion has a shape which can be made by removing a portion of a shape of the first normal sensor portion.

3. The display device of claim 2, wherein the second area is less than or larger than half the first area.

4. The display device of claim 2, wherein the plurality of first sensor portions of the one of the first electrodes comprises a plurality of the first normal sensor portions,

the plurality of the first normal sensor portions are arranged in the first direction, and

the first severed sensor portion is placed outside the plurality of the first normal sensor portions in the first direction.

5. The display device of claim 1, further comprising an optical dummy electrode located between the plurality of first sensors and the plurality of second sensors and electrically disconnected from the plurality of first sensors and the plurality of second sensors,

wherein a width of the optical dummy electrode between the first severed sensor portion and the second sensor portion adjacent to the first severed sensor portion is smaller than a width of the optical dummy electrode between the first normal sensor portion and the second sensor portion adjacent to the first normal sensor portion.

6. The display device of claim 1, wherein a length from an end of the first severed sensor portion to another end of a first sensor portion adjacent to the first severed sensor portion measured in the first direction is smaller than a length from an end of a first normal sensor portion of the plurality of normal sensor portions to another end of a first sensor portion adjacent to the first normal sensor portion measured in the first direction, and

an area of the first sensor portion adjacent to the first severed sensor portion is substantially the same as the second area.

7. The display device of claim 1, wherein the plurality of first electrodes comprise another first electrode with a length in the first direction that is different from a length in the first direction of the one of the first electrodes, and which includes a plurality of first sensor portions, and

the plurality of first sensor portions of the another first electrode comprise:

a second normal sensor portion having the first area; and

a second severed sensor portion having a third area different from the first area and the second area.

8. The display device of claim 7, wherein an end of the first severed sensor portion is connected to an end of an adjacent one of the plurality of first sensor portions of the one of the first electrodes by a corresponding one of the first connecting portions,

an end of the second severed sensor portion is connected to an end of an adjacent one of the plurality of first sensor portions of the another first electrode by a corresponding one of the first connecting portions, and

a length from another end of the first severed sensor portion to another end of the adjacent one of the plurality of first sensor portions of the one of the first electrodes is smaller than a length from another end of the second severed sensor portion to another end of the adjacent one of the plurality of first sensor portions of the another first electrode.

9. The display device of claim 7, wherein the third area is half the first area.

10. The display device of claim 1, further comprising an auxiliary electrode connected to the first severed sensor portion,

wherein a side edge of the auxiliary electrode faces a side edge of the second sensor portion adjacent to the first severed sensor portion.

11. The display device of claim 10, wherein the auxiliary electrode has a rod shape, and a length of the auxiliary electrode is smaller than a width of the normal sensor portion.

12. The display device of claim 1, wherein the input-sensing unit further comprises:

a plurality of signal lines connected to the plurality of second electrodes; and

a compensation electrode connected to the first severed sensor portion, the compensation electrode being on a layer different from that for the plurality of signal lines, and overlapped with at least one of the plurality of signal lines.

13. The display device of claim 12, wherein the compensation electrode and the first severed sensor portion are integrally formed.

14. The display device of claim 12, wherein, when viewed in a plan view, a side edge of the first severed sensor portion has a curved shape, and

the compensation electrode extends from the side edge of the first severed sensor portion.

15. The display device of claim 1, wherein one of the plurality of first connecting portions which is used to connect adjacent ones of the first normal sensor portions has a width smaller than that of another of the plurality of first connecting portions which is used to connect the first severed sensor portion to a first normal sensor portion adjacent to the first severed sensor portion.

16. The display device of claim 15, further comprising:

a first electrostatic discharge pattern connected to the first severed sensor portion and overlapped with at least one of the plurality of second electrodes, the first electrostatic discharge pattern having a first width; and

a second electrostatic discharge pattern connected to the first normal sensor portion and overlapped with at least one of the plurality of second electrodes, the second electrostatic discharge pattern having a second width smaller than the first width.

17. The display device of claim 1, wherein the display panel comprises corners, the corners having a rounded shape,

the input-sensing unit comprises corners have a rounded shape corresponding to that of the corners of the display panel, and

the first severed sensor portion is adjacent to the corner of the input-sensing unit.

18. The display device of claim 1, wherein the input-sensing unit comprises a sensing region, in which the plurality of first electrodes and the plurality of second electrodes are located, and a non-sensing region, in which the plurality of first electrodes and the plurality of second electrodes are not located,

a boundary is defined between the non-sensing region and the sensing region, and

a side edge of the first severed sensor portion corresponds to the boundary.

19. A display device comprising:

a plurality of first sensors comprising a normal sensor portion and a severed sensor portion, the normal and severed sensor portions having first and second areas, respectively, the second area being 0.05-0.45 times the first area; and

a plurality of second sensors crossing the plurality of first sensor portions,

a capacitance between the normal sensor portion and one of the second sensors adjacent thereto being substantially the same as a capacitance between the severed sensor portion and one of the second sensors adjacent thereto.

20. The display device of claim 19, wherein the first severed sensor portion has a shape which can be made by removing a portion of a shape of the first normal sensor portion.