Integrated touch panel and method for making same

• US 20100238122A1
• Filed: 03/19/2009
• Published: 09/23/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 03/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Optronic Sciences LLC (Lumina Innovations LLC)
• Original Assignee: AU Optronics Corporation
• Inventors: Shih, Ming-Chang, Tseng, Kuei-Sheng, Chang, Chun-Jong
• Granted Patent: US 8,363,018 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/045 using resistive elements, e.g. a single continuous surface or two parallel surfaces put in contact
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/047 using sets of wires, e.g. crossed wires

Abstract

An integrated touch panel has a display pixels arranged in a two-dimensional array of rows and columns connected to a plurality of gate lines and data lines. Each gate line receives a gate line signal for controlling the pixels in a row, and each data lines provides display data to the pixels in a column. The touch panel is connected to a sensing module having a plurality of shift registers connected in series. The touch panel has a plurality of sensor units arranged in sensor rows and sensor columns. Each sensor row receives gate line signals from a gate line, and each sensor column is connected to a sensor signal line for providing a touch signal to a shift register in the sensing module such that the shift registers connected to two adjacent sensor signal lines are separated by a different shift register is the series.

Claims

1. A panel, comprising:

a plurality of first signal lines to convey control signals;

a sensing module comprising a plurality of shift registers connected in series;

a plurality of second signal lines electrically connected to the sensing module; and

a plurality of sensor units arranged to receive the control signals from the first signal lines, wherein each of the sensor units is configured to provide a sense signal to the sensing module via one of the second signal lines, and wherein each for the second signal lines is connected to one of the shift registers such that the shift registers connected to two adjacent second signal lines are separated by at least another one of the shift registers.

2. A panel according to claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of display pixels controlled by the control signals from the first signal lines.

3. A panel according to claim 1, wherein the sense signal is provided in response to a control signal in a touch event associated with said each of the sensor units.

4. A panel according to claim 2, wherein the display pixels are arranged in a plurality of pixel rows and the display pixels in a pixel row are arranged to receive a control signal from one of the first signal lines and wherein the sense signal is caused by a touch event at a sensor unit and by the control signal in the first signal line associated with said sensor unit

5. A panel according to claim 4, wherein the sensor units comprise a row of sensors arranged to receive the control signal from one of the first signal lines.

6. A panel according to claim 4, wherein the sensor units comprise a column of sensors, each sensor is arranged to receive the control signal from a different one of the first signal lines, and the column of sensors is arranged to convey the touch signal caused by the touch event through one of the second signal lines.

7. A panel according to claim 2, wherein the panel comprises a display area and the plurality of display pixels are arranged on the display area, and wherein the sensor units are also arranged on the display area.

8. A panel according to claim 1, further comprising

a further sensing module comprising a plurality of further shift registers connected in series;

a plurality of further second signal lines electrically connected to the further sensing module; and

a plurality of further sensor units arranged to receive the control signals from the first signal lines, wherein each of the further sensor units is configured to provide a sense signal to the further sensing module via one of the further second signal lines, and wherein each for the further second signal lines is connected to one of the further shift registers such that the further shift registers connected to two adjacent further second signal lines are separated by at least another one of the further shift registers.

9. A panel according to claim 2, further comprising

a first substrate;

and

a second substrate separated from the first substrate, defining a gap therebetween, wherein the first signal lines and the second signal lines are provided to the first substrate, the first signal lines electrically isolated from the second signal lines, and wherein each sensor unit comprises an electrically conductive segment provided on the first substrate, such that the electrically conductive segment causes one of the first signal lines to make electrical contact with one of the second signal lines for providing the sense signal in response to a control signal from said one first signal line in a touch event.

10. A panel according to claim 9, wherein the display pixels comprise liquid crystal display pixels.

11. A method for touch sensing, comprising:

connecting a plurality of shift registers in a series, each shift register arranged to receive a clock signal; and

coupling a plurality of sensor units to the shift registers through a plurality of signal lines, wherein each of the signal lines is connected to one of the shift registers such that the shift registers connected to two adjacent signal lines are separated by at least another one of the shift registers, wherein each sensor unit is arranged to provide a first signal indicative of a touch event through one of the signal lines, and wherein each of the shift registers comprises a latching unit operable in a first state and a second state, such that a shift register is configured to output a second signal to a subsequent shift register in the series in response to the clock signal only when the latching unit in said shift register is operated in the second state, and wherein the latching unit is operable in the second state only when said corresponding shift register receives at least one of the first signal from one of the signal lines and the second signal from a preceding shift register in the series.

12. A method according to claim 11, wherein each shift register comprises an output end for outputting the second signal, said method further comprising:

applying a series of the clock signals to each of the shift registers;

obtaining an output signal from the output end of one of last shift registers in the series in response to said clock signals; and

determining the touch event from the output signal.

13. A method according to claim 11, wherein the plurality of sensor units are arranged on a panel in an array defining a plurality of coordinates;

and the first state and the second state of the latching unit in a string of shift registers in the series are configured to provide touch data indicative of a coordinate of the touch event, and wherein the series has a series end, said method further comprising;

providing a plurality of the clock signals to each of the shift registers for shifting the touch data toward the series end; and

obtaining the touch data from the series end for determining the coordinate of the touch event.

14. A method according to claim 12, wherein the sensor units are configured to receive control signals from a plurality of control lines, and the sensor units are arranged in an array comprising a plurality of columns and a plurality of rows, such that each row of the sensor units in the array is arranged to receive the control signals from a different one of the control lines, and wherein the first signal indicative of the touch event is provided only in response to a control signal, said method further comprising:

sequentially providing the control signal to each of the control lines so as to determine the touch event associated with each row of the sensor units in a sequential manner.

15. A method according to claim 14, wherein the sensor units are arranged on a display panel comprising a plurality of display pixels comprising in a plurality of pixel rows and the display pixels in a pixel row are controlled by the control signals from one of the control lines.

18. A method according to claim 11, wherein the display pixels are arranged in a plurality of pixel rows and the display pixels in a pixel row are arranged to receive a control signal from one of the first signal lines and wherein the sense signal is caused by a touch event at a sensor unit and by the control signal in the first signal line associated with said sensor unit

19. A method according to claim 11, further comprising;

arranging on the panel a plurality of further second signal lines electrically connected to the further sensing module; and

providing on the panel a plurality of further sensor units arranged to receive the control signals from the first signal lines, wherein each of the further sensor units is configured to provide a sense signal to the further sensing module via one of the further second signal lines, and wherein each for the further second signal lines is connected to one of the further shift registers such that the further shift registers connected to two adjacent further second signal lines are separated by at least another one of the further shift registers.

20. A method according to claim 11, wherein the panel comprises:

a first substrate; and

a second substrate separated from the first substrate, defining a gap therebetween, wherein the first signal lines and the second signal lines are provided to the first substrate, the first signal lines electrically isolated from the second signal lines, and wherein each sensor unit comprises an electrically conductive segment provided on the first substrate, such that the electrically conductive segment causes one of the first signal lines to make electrical contact with one of the second signal lines for providing the sense signal in response to a control signal from said one first signal line in a touch event.

16. A method for touch sensing, comprising:

arranging on a panel a plurality of display pixels and a plurality of first signal lines to convey control signals for controlling the display pixels;

providing a plurality of sensor units on the panel, the sensor units configured to receive the control signals from the first signal lines; and

arranging on the panel a plurality of second signal lines, the second signal lines electrically connected to a sensor module, the sensing module comprises a plurality of shift registers connected in series, wherein each of the sensor units is configured to provide a sense signal to the sensing module via one of the second signal lines, and wherein each for the second signal lines is connected to one of the shift registers such that the shift registers connected to two adjacent second signal lines are separated by at least another one of the shift registers.

17. A method according to claim 16, wherein the sense signal is provided in response to a control signal in a touch event associated with said each of the sensor units.