DISPLAY APPARATUS

• US 20130215076A1
• Filed: 06/07/2012
• Published: 08/22/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/21/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Il H.O. Lee, Jaejin Pyun, Sang Min Jeon, Seongmo Hwang, Yoongu Kim
• Inventors: LEE, IL HO, Hwang, Seongmo, Pyun, Jaejin, Jeon, Sang Min, Kim, Yoongu
• Granted Patent: US 9,135,845 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• 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 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 2354/00 Aspects of interface with display user
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/003 to produce spatial visual effects
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3648 using an active matrix G09G3/367 - G09G3/3696 take precedence

Abstract

A display apparatus includes a display panel that displays a second image in a 3D mode, a barrier panel that forms a barrier pattern that separates the second image into a left-eye image and a right-eye image, a touch sensing part that includes third electrodes capacitively coupled to a portion of the electrodes included in the barrier panel, and a coordinate calculator. The coordinate calculator measures a variation of capacitance between the portion of the electrodes included in the barrier panel and the third electrodes.

Claims

1. A display apparatus, comprising:

a display panel configured to display a first image every frame period in a two-dimensional (2D) mode, and display a second image every frame period in a three-dimensional (3D) mode;

a barrier panel disposed on the display panel and comprising a plurality of first electrodes extending in a first direction and arranged in a second direction crossing the first direction, a plurality of second electrodes extending in the second direction and arranged in the first direction, and a liquid crystal layer disposed between the first and second electrodes, wherein the barrier panel forms a barrier pattern configured to separate the second image into a left eye image and a right eye image;

a touch sensing part comprising a plurality of third electrodes disposed on the second electrodes, extending in the first direction, and arranged in the second direction, wherein the third electrodes are capacitively coupled to the second electrodes; and

a coordinate calculator configured to detect a variation of a capacitance between the second electrodes and the third electrodes, and calculate coordinate information of a touch point.

2. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the display panel is divided into a plurality of display areas extending in the first direction in the 3D mode,

a first area of the display areas is configured to display one of the left-eye image and the right-eye image at a first time point of a frame period, and

a second area of the display areas, different from the first area, is configured to display the other one of the left-eye image and the right-eye image at the first time point of the frame period.

3. The display apparatus of claim 2, wherein the first and second areas are alternately arranged.

4. The display apparatus of claim 2, wherein

the first area and the second area respectively display the left-eye image and the right-eye image at the first time point, and

the first area and the second area respectively display the right-eye image and the left-eye image at a second time point different from the first time point.

5. The display apparatus of claim 2, wherein

the barrier pattern comprises a first barrier pattern and a second barrier pattern different from the first barrier pattern,

the first barrier pattern is configured to provide the left-eye image to a left eye of a viewer and the right-eye image to a right eye of the viewer when the first area displays the left-eye image and the second area displays the right-eye image, and

the second barrier pattern is configured to provide the right-eye image to the right eye and the left-eye image to the left eye when the first area displays the right-eye image and the second area displays the left-eye image.

6. The display apparatus of claim 5, wherein

each of the first barrier pattern and the second barrier pattern comprises a block part configured to block the left-eye image and the right-eye image, and a transmission part configured to transmit the left-eye image and the right-eye image,

the block part and the transmission part are alternately arranged,

and an arrangement of the block part and the transmission part of the first barrier pattern is different from an arrangement of the block part and the transmission part of the second barrier pattern.

7. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein

the barrier panel is synchronized with the display panel,

the barrier panel is configured to transmit the first image when the display panel is operated in the 2D mode, and

the barrier panel is configured to form the barrier pattern when the display panel is operated in the 3D mode.

8. The display apparatus of claim 7, further comprising a barrier panel driver configured to apply a driving voltage to the first electrodes and the second electrodes, wherein the coordinate calculator is electrically connected to each of the third electrodes.

9. The display apparatus of claim 8, wherein

a frame period comprises a first period and a second period,

the first electrodes are configured to receive a first driving voltage from the barrier panel driver during the frame period in the 2D mode,

the second electrodes are configured to sequentially receive a second driving voltage from the barrier panel driver in the 2D mode, and

the second driving voltage is activated during a portion of the first period.

10. The display apparatus of claim 9, wherein

the first driving voltage has a first voltage level,

the second driving voltage has a second voltage level higher than the first voltage level during the portion of the first period, and

the second driving voltage has the first voltage level during a remaining portion of the first period.

11. The display apparatus of claim 9, wherein a voltage level of the third electrodes is varied when the second driving voltage is applied to the second electrodes, and the coordinate calculator is configured to sense a variation of the voltage of the third electrodes.

12. The display apparatus of claim 11, wherein

a non-touch voltage and a reference discharge time period are set in the coordinate calculator,

the non-touch voltage is a maximum voltage of the third electrodes occurring when a touch event is not detected, and

the reference discharge time period is a time period during which the non-touch voltage decreases before the second and third electrodes are capacitively coupled.

13. The display apparatus of claim 12, wherein

the coordinate calculator is configured to measure the maximum voltage in each of the third electrodes when the second driving voltage is applied to the second electrodes,

calculate coordinate information in a first direction of the touch point using one of the second electrodes, and

calculate coordinate information in a second direction of the touch point using one of the third electrodes.

14. The display apparatus of claim 7, wherein

a frame period comprises a first period and a second period,

the first electrodes are grouped into a first electrode group and a second electrode group in the 3D mode,

the first and second electrode groups are alternately arranged,

the first electrode group is configured to receive a first driving voltage during the frame period,

the second electrode group is configured to receive a second driving voltage, different from the first driving voltage, during the frame period, and

the second electrodes are configured to sequentially receive a third driving voltage activated during a portion of the first period.

15. The display apparatus of claim 14, wherein the first electrode group comprises odd-numbered first electrodes, and the second electrode group comprises even-numbered first electrodes.

16. The display apparatus of claim 14, wherein

the first driving voltage has a first voltage level,

the second driving voltage has a second voltage level different from the first voltage level, and

the third driving voltage has one of the first voltage level and the second voltage level during the portion of the first period, and has the other one of the first voltage level and the second voltage level during a remaining portion of the first period.

17. The display apparatus of claim 7, further comprising:

a barrier panel driver configured to apply a driving voltage to the first electrodes and the second electrodes; and

a sensing voltage supply part configured to apply a sensing voltage to the third electrodes,

wherein the coordinate calculator is electrically connected to each of the second electrodes.

18. The display apparatus of claim 17, wherein

a frame period comprises a first period and a second period,

the first and second electrodes are configured to receive a first driving voltage from the barrier panel driver during the frame period in the 2D mode,

the third electrodes are configure to sequentially receive the sensing voltage from the sensing voltage supply part in the 2D mode,

the sensing voltage is activated during a portion of the first period,

a voltage of the second electrodes is varied when the second driving voltage is applied to the third electrodes, and

the coordinate calculator is configured to sense a variation of the voltage of the second electrodes.

19. The display apparatus of claim 17, wherein

the first electrodes are grouped into a first electrode group and a second electrode group in the 3D mode,

the first and second electrode groups are alternately arranged,

the first electrode group is configured to receive the first driving voltage during a frame period,

the second electrode group is configured to receive the second driving voltage, different from the first driving voltage, during the frame period,

the second electrodes are configured to receive the first driving voltage or the second driving voltage during the frame period,

the third electrodes are configured to sequentially receive the sensing voltage from the sensing voltage supply part,

a voltage of the second electrodes is varied when the sensing voltage is applied to the third electrodes, and

the coordinate calculator is configured to sense a variation of the voltage of the second electrodes.

20. The display apparatus of claim 19, further comprising:

a first polarizing plate disposed under the first electrodes and having a first transmission axis; and

a second polarizing plate disposed on the second electrodes and having a second transmission axis crossing the first transmission axis, wherein the liquid crystal layer is a twisted nematic liquid crystal layer.

21. A display apparatus, comprising:

a display panel configured to display an image in a three-dimensional (3D) mode;

a barrier panel disposed on the display panel and configured to separate the image into a left eye image and a right eye image, wherein the barrier panel comprises a plurality of first electrodes, a plurality of second electrodes, and a liquid crystal layer disposed between the first and second electrodes; and

a touch sensing part disposed on the barrier panel and configured to detect a touch point, wherein the touch sensing part comprises a plurality of third electrodes capacitively coupled to the second electrodes, and a location of the touch input is detected based on a variation of a capacitance between the second and third electrodes.

22. The display apparatus of claim 21, wherein the first electrodes extend in a first direction and are arranged in a second direction crossing the first direction, the second electrodes extend in the second direction and are arranged in the first direction, and the third electrodes extend in the first direction and are arranged in the second direction.

23. The display apparatus of claim 22, wherein

the display panel is divided into a plurality of display areas extending in the first direction,

a first area of the display areas is configured to display one of the left-eye image and the right-eye image at a first time point of a frame period, and

a second area of the display areas, different from the first area, is configured to display the other one of the left-eye image and the right-eye image at the first time point of the frame period.