TOUCH SENSITIVE LCD PANEL

• US 20100277423A1
• Filed: 05/04/2009
• Published: 11/04/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 05/04/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Whitted, J. Turner
• Granted Patent: US 8,547,345 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 3/0445 using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/045 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

Described herein is a liquid crystal display apparatus that includes a liquid crystal display panel comprising. The liquid crystal display panel includes a receiver component that receives a sensed parameter of a column line in the liquid crystal display apparatus, wherein electrical voltage is transmitted along the column line and directed at a particular sub-pixel. An output component outputs an indication that a member is in physical contact with the display panel based at least in part upon the received sensed parameter of the column line.

Claims

1. A liquid crystal display apparatus that includes a liquid crystal display panel comprising the following computer-executable components:

a receiver component that receives a sensed parameter of a column line in the liquid crystal display apparatus, wherein electrical voltage is transmitted along the column line and directed at a particular sub-pixel; and

an output component that outputs an indication that a member is in physical contact with the display panel based at least in part upon the received sensed parameter of the column line.

2. The liquid crystal display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensed parameter is current on the column line when the particular sub-pixel is addressed.

3. The liquid crystal display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensed parameter is impedance of the column line when the particular sub-pixel is addressed.

4. The liquid crystal display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the sensed parameter is reflected voltage on the column line when the particular sub-pixel is addressed.

5. The liquid crystal display apparatus of claim 1 being a television.

6. The liquid crystal display apparatus of claim 1 being a computer.

7. The liquid crystal display apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a calibration component that is configured to generate a table of observed parameters on the column line for different voltages applied to various sub-pixels, wherein the output component outputs the indication that the member is in physical contact with the display panel based at least in part upon an analysis of the table of observed parameters with respect to the received sensed parameter of the column line.

8. The liquid crystal display apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a column driver that is configured to output at least two successive voltage spikes of opposing polarities on the column line; and

a sensor that is positioned electrically in parallel with the column line or in series with the column line that is configured to sense the parameter when the column driver outputs the at least two successive voltage spikes on the column line.

9. The liquid crystal display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the receiver component receives sensed parameters with respect to multiple column lines, and wherein the output component outputs an indication that multiple members are simultaneously in contact with the display panel at different locations on the display panel.

10. The liquid crystal display apparatus of claim 1, wherein each column line in the display panel has a sensor corresponding thereto that is configured to sense at least one parameter corresponding to the column lines during operation of the liquid crystal display apparatus.

11. The liquid crystal display apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a labeler component that labels certain sub-pixels as being contacted by a member and creates a matrix that is indicative of which sub-pixels are contacted by the member; and

a centroid determiner component that determines a centroid in the matrix of sub-pixels that are found to be contacted by the member.

12. The liquid crystal display apparatus of claim 11, further comprising an interface component that causes an interaction to occur on the liquid crystal display panel based at least in part upon a location of the centroid in the matrix.

13. A method comprising the following computer-executable acts:

configuring a sensor in a liquid crystal display panel to output at least one parameter with respect to at least one column line that provides current to at least one sub-pixel; and

configuring a processor that corresponds to the liquid crystal display panel to determine that a member is in physical contact with the liquid crystal display panel at a particular position on the liquid crystal display panel based at least in part upon the at least one parameter output by the at least one sensor.

14. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one sensor is positioned electrically in parallel with the at least one column line.

15. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one parameter is current on the column line.

16. The method of claim 13, wherein the at least one parameter is impedance of the column line.

17. The method of claim 13, further comprising configuring the processor to detect that multiple members are in simultaneous contact with the liquid crystal display panel at different locations thereon.

18. The method of claim 13, further comprising:

configuring a column driver to output at least two electrical voltage spikes of opposing polarity on the column line for each frame; and

configuring the sensor to output the parameter with respect to the at least two electrical voltage spikes of opposing polarities.

19. The method of claim 18, further comprising:

configuring the processor to analyze the parameter output by the sensor with at least one expected value;

and determining that the member is in physical contact with the liquid crystal display based at least in part upon the analysis.

20. A liquid crystal display panel, comprising:

a plurality of liquid crystal elements;

a plurality of column lines that are configured to provide electrical charge to the plurality of liquid crystal elements;

a column driver that is configured to selectively control an amount of electrical charge to be provided to each of the plurality of liquid crystal elements by way of the corresponding plurality of column lines, wherein the column driver is additionally configured to control timing with respect to providing electrical charges to each of the plurality of liquid crystal elements by way of the column line, and wherein the column driver is configured to cause successive voltage spikes of opposing polarities to be transmitted on each of the plurality of column lines during a frame; and

a plurality of sensors that are positioned electrically in parallel with the plurality of column lines, such that each of the plurality of column lines has a sensor in parallel thereto, wherein each of the plurality of sensors is configured to detect voltage on the column line.