DISPLAY DEVICE, TOUCH SCREEN DEVICE COMPRISING THE DISPLAY DEVICE, MOBILE DEVICE AND METHOD FOR SENSING A FORCE ON A DISPLAY DEVICE

• US 20110007023A1
• Filed: 08/06/2009
• Published: 01/13/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 07/09/2009
• Status: Abandoned Application

• Current Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Original Assignee: Sony Ericsson Mobile Communications USA Incorporated (Sony Group Corp.)
• Inventors: Klinghult, Gunnar, Abrahamsson, Magnus, Ek, Martin
• Application Number:
  US12/537,163
• Publication Number:
  US 20110007023A1
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/174
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13338 Input devices, e.g. touch panels
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0488 using a touch-screen or digitiser, e.g. input of commands through traced gestures

Abstract

The present invention relates to a display device, touch screen device comprising a display device, mobile device and method for sensing a force on a display device. The display device provides a user interface for controlling different functions allowing additional and more flexible input operations. The display device comprises a first layer made at least partly of a transparent material, a second layer arranged at one side of the first layer, the first and second layers forming faces of a cavity including a fluid, and pressure sensing device for sensing a pressure in said fluid.

Claims

1. A display device, comprising

a first layer made at least partly of a transparent material;

a second layer arranged at one side of the first layer, the first and second layers forming faces of a cavity including a fluid; and

a pressure sensing device for sensing a pressure in said fluid.

2. The display device of claim 1, wherein said pressure sensing device and said cavity are adapted and coupled so that a force applied to said first layer of said cavity is communicable by said fluid to said pressure sensing device.

3. The display device of claim 1, wherein said pressure sensing device is arranged inside said cavity or on the circumference of said cavity.

4. The display device of claim 1, wherein said pressure sensing device is placed outside said cavity and said cavity is coupled with said pressure sensing device by a channel adapted to carry said fluid.

5. The display device of claim 1, wherein said pressure sensing device comprises a piezoresistive element.

6. The display device of claim 1, wherein said fluid is a birefringent liquid.

7. The display device of claim 6, further comprising two electrodes arranged between said first and second layers so as to change the polarization property of said birefringent liquid.

8. The display device of claim 6, further comprising two polarizers with their polarization directions being perpendicular to each other.

9. The display device of claim 1, further comprising

a determination section for determining a signal level based on the sensed pressure.

10. The display device of claim 9, wherein the determination section is adapted to determine at least one of a force applied through a user input and the air pressure.

11. Touch screen device comprising said display device of claim 1.

12. The touch screen device of claim 11, wherein said second layer is made at least partly of a transparent material and a light source is provided on a side of said second layer other than the side facing said fluid.

13. The touch screen device of claim 11, further comprising

a touch sensor arranged on a side of said first layer other than the side facing said fluid to sense a position touched on a touch area defined by said touch sensor.

14. Mobile device comprising said display device of claim 1.

16. Mobile device comprising said touch screen of claim 11.

15. Method for sensing a force on a display device having a first layer and a second layer forming faces of a cavity including a fluid, comprising the steps

applying a force to said first layer;

sensing a pressure in said fluid based on said force applied to said first layer and communicated by said fluid; and

determining a signal level based on said sensed pressure.