DISPLAY APPARATUS WITH TOUCH SENSOR FUNCTION

• US 20100214248A1
• Filed: 02/22/2010
• Published: 08/26/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 02/25/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Original Assignee: Seiko Epson Corporation (Seiko Group)
• Inventors: SAITO, Hiromi, TAKANO, Yasushi
• Application Number:
  US12/709,570
• Publication Number:
  US 20100214248A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13338 Input devices, e.g. touch panels
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• 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

Abstract

A display apparatus with a touch sensor function includes: a first substrate having a common electrode; a second substrate arranged to face the first substrate; a display section disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate; and a touch sensor that detects a touch position on a touch surface disposed on the side of the first substrate or on the side of the second substrate, wherein the second substrate has a plurality of data lines arranged in a row direction, a plurality of gate lines arranged in a column direction substantially perpendicular to the data lines, a plurality of pixel electrodes each arranged in a pixel region surrounded by a pair of neighboring data lines and a pair of neighboring gate lines, and a plurality of thin film transistors each arranged in the plurality of pixel electrodes and electrically connected to the pixel electrode, the data line, and the gate line, and the touch sensor has a potential increase rate detection unit that detects a potential increase rate upon charging each of the pixel regions and detects a position of the pixel region whose potential increase rate detected by the potential increase rate detection unit falls outside a predetermined range as the touch position.

Claims

1. A display apparatus with a touch sensor function comprising:

a first substrate having a common electrode;

a second substrate arranged to face the first substrate;

a display section disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate; and

a touch sensor that detects a touch position on a touch surface disposed on the side of the first substrate or on the side of the second substrate, wherein

the second substrate has a plurality of data lines arranged in a row direction,

a plurality of gate lines arranged in a column direction substantially perpendicular to the data lines,

a plurality of pixel electrodes each arranged in a pixel region surrounded by a pair of neighboring data lines and a pair of neighboring gate lines, and

a plurality of thin film transistors each arranged in the plurality of pixel electrodes and electrically connected to the pixel electrode, the data line, and the gate line, and

the touch sensor has a potential increase rate detection unit that detects a potential increase rate upon charging each of the pixel regions and detects a position of the pixel region whose potential increase rate detected by the potential increase rate detection unit falls outside a predetermined range as the touch position.

2. The display apparatus with a touch sensor function according to claim 1, wherein the potential increase rate detection unit detects the potential increase rate of each of the pixel regions via the plurality of data lines.

3. The display apparatus with a touch sensor function according to claim 1, wherein the touch sensor sequentially applies voltage to the plurality of gate lines, substantially simultaneously applies, in accordance with the timing of applying the voltage, voltage to the plurality of data lines to charge each of the pixel regions, and detects a potential increase rate upon charging in each of the pixel regions with the potential increase rate detection unit.

4. The display apparatus with a touch sensor function according to claim 3, wherein the application of voltage to the data lines for charging is performed during a time in which an image signal is not applied to the plurality of data lines.

5. The display apparatus with a touch sensor function according to claim 4, wherein the time in which the image signal is not applied is a blanking period.

6. The display apparatus with a touch sensor function according to claim 5, wherein the touch sensor detects the potential increase rates of all the pixel regions at the time of charging in a plurality of blanking periods.

7. The display apparatus with a touch sensor function according to claim 5, wherein the touch sensor detects the potential increase rates of all the pixel regions at the time of charging in one blanking period.

8. The display apparatus with a touch sensor function according to claim 5, wherein the touch sensor detects the potential increase rates of the pixel regions at the time of charging at a rate of once every plurality of blanking periods.

9. The display apparatus with a touch sensor function according to claim 1, wherein the display section has a liquid crystal layer.