Display device

• US 20080084366A1
• Filed: 09/27/2007
• Published: 04/10/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 10/06/2006
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Hitachi Displays Limited (Japan Display Incorporated), Panasonic Liquid Crystal Display Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Displays Limited (Japan Display Incorporated)
• Inventors: Sato, Hideo, Nishitani, Shigeyuki, Saito, Teruaki
• Application Number:
  US11/905,070
• Publication Number:
  US 20080084366A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/76
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0421 by interrupting or reflecting a light beam, e.g. optical touch-screen
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3225 using an active matrix
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3406 Control of illumination source illumination devices structurally associated with liquid crystal cells G02F1/1336
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/13 comprising photosensors that control luminance

Abstract

A photosensor for selecting a specific function is arranged around an effective screen. A window is formed in a portion of a display substrate corresponding to the photosensor. When a user touches the window with his/her finger, an external light is interrupted and a signal is generated, and the signal is used as a signal for selecting the specific function. The photosensor and peripheral circuits are formed using a process substantially equal to, a process for forming a TFT of a pixel portion and hence, the increase of a cost can be suppressed.

Claims

1. A display device which includes a substrate on which pixels are mounted in a matrix array within an effective screen thereof, and in which an image signal applied to each pixel is controlled by a thin film transistor which corresponds to each pixel, wherein

a photosensor is arranged on the substrate outside the effective screen, the photosensor generates a signal by interrupting an external light, and the signal from the photosensor allows the display device to perform a specific function.

2. A display device according to claim 1, wherein a light blocking layer which interrupts the external light is formed on the substrate outside the effective screen, and the light blocking layer is not formed on a portion of the substrate which corresponds to the photosensor.

3. A display device according to claim 1, wherein the photosensor is constituted of a sensor-use thin film transistor which is formed by steps equal to the steps for forming the thin film transistor which corresponds to each pixel.

4. A display device according to claim 3, wherein a gate of the sensor-use thin film transistor adopts the diode constitution in which the gate is connected to a drain or a source of the sensor-use thin film transistor.

5. A display device according to claim 1, wherein the signal from the photosensor is transmitted to a signal processing circuit via a circuit which is mounted on the same substrate on which the thin film transistor corresponding to each pixel is formed and transfers the signal.

6. A display device according to claim 5, wherein the circuit which transfers the signal includes a parallel/serial conversion circuit.

7. A display device according to claim 5, wherein the circuit which transfers a signal is formed on a side closer to the effective screen side than the photosensor.

8. A display device according to claim 3, wherein the thin film transistor corresponding to each pixel is made of polysilicon.

9. A display device according to claim 1, wherein a light blocking layer is formed on a portion of a back side of the substrate on which the photosensor is formed in a state that the portion corresponds to a portion of the substrate where the photosensor is arranged.

10. A display device according to claim 1, wherein a plurality of photosensors is formed outside the effective screen, and signals form the plurality of photosensors allow the display device to perform the same function.

11. A display device according to claim 1, wherein a light blocking layer for interrupting an external light is formed outside the effective screen, a window portion in which the light blocking layer is not formed is formed on a portion of the substrate which corresponds to the photosensor, and a plurality of photosensors is formed in the portion of the substrate which corresponds to the window portion.

12. A liquid crystal display device comprising:

a liquid crystal display panel which includes a TFT substrate on which pixel electrodes and thin film transistors each of which controls a signal voltage applied to the pixel electrodes are formed within an effective screen thereof, a color filter substrate on which color filters and a black matrix are formed within an effective screen thereof, and liquid crystal which is sandwiched by the TFT substrate and the color filter substrate, and forms an image; and

a backlight, wherein

the photosensor is formed outside the effective screen of the TFT substrate, the photosensor generates a signal by interrupting an external light, and the signal from the photosensor allows the display device to perform a specific function.

13. A liquid crystal display device according to claim 12, wherein a light blocking film which interrupts the external light is formed outside the effective screen of the color filter substrate, and the light blocking film is not formed on a portion of the color filter substrate which corresponds to the photosensor.

14. A liquid crystal display device according to claim 12, wherein the light blocking film is made of the same material as the black matrix.

15. A liquid crystal display device according to claim 12, wherein the photosensor is constituted of a sensor-use thin film transistor which is formed by steps equal to steps for forming the thin film transistor which controls the signal voltage applied to the pixel electrodes.

16. A liquid crystal display device according to claim 15, wherein a gate of the sensor-use thin film transistor adopts the diode constitution in which the gate is connected to a drain or a source of the sensor-use thin film transistor.

17. A liquid crystal display device according to claim 12, wherein a light blocking layer is formed between the TFT substrate on which the photosensor is formed and the backlight.

18. An organic EL display device which includes a substrate on which organic EL layers which constitute pixels within an effective screen are formed in a matrix array, and forms an image by applying a signal voltage to the organic EL layers, wherein

the signal voltage applied to the organic EL layer is controlled by a thin film transistor, a photosensor is arranged on the substrate outside the effective screen, the photosensor generates a signal by interrupting an external light, and the signal from the photosensor allows the display deice to perform a specific function.

19. An organic EL display device according to claim 18, wherein the photosensor includes a sensor-use thin film transistor which is formed by steps equal to the steps for forming the thin film transistor which controls the signal voltage applied to the organic EL layer.

20. An organic EL display device according to claim 18, wherein the organic EL display device is of a bottom emission type.