COMBINED DISPLAY PANEL CIRCUIT

• US 20140168131A1
• Filed: 12/13/2012
• Published: 06/19/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Corporation
• Inventors: Rihn, Bernard K., Dietz, Paul Henry, Bathiche, Steven Nabil, Jacobson, Jeremy A.
• Granted Patent: US 9,513,748 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/174
• 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 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes

Abstract

Combined display panel circuit techniques are described herein. In one or more implementations, a combined panel circuit of a display device is configured to enable functionality for both recognition of touch inputs and functionality to update images output by the display device. The combined panel circuit, for instance, may include an electrode arrangement in conductive layers that sandwiches display particles used to form images for the display device. The display particles may be manipulated under the influence of a threshold voltage applied to the electrode arrangement that is sufficient to cause the display particles to transition between states. Capacitance sensing indicative of touch inputs may occur under the influence of a different voltage that is not sufficient to manipulate the display particles. The different voltages are selectively applied at different times to update displayed images through manipulation of the display particles and sense capacitance to recognize touch inputs.

Claims

1. A display device comprising a combined panel circuit operable to perform capacitive sensing responsive to application of a first voltage and updating of an image displayed by the display device responsive to application of a second voltage.

2. A display device as recited in claim 1, further comprising a controller to selectively apply the first voltage and the second voltage.

3. A display device as recited in claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to apply the first voltage and the second voltage according to a control scheme to switch back and forth between a sensing mode when the first voltage is applied and a display driving mode when the second applied voltage.

4. A display device as recited in claim 1, wherein the display device is configured as a passive matrix display.

5. A display device as recited in claim 1, wherein the combined panel circuit is configured to include an electrode pattern corresponding to pixel positions of the display device.

6. A display device as recited in claim 5, wherein the electrode pattern comprises an x-y matrix of control lines formed within conductive layers of the combined panel circuit.

7. A display device as recited in claim 1, wherein the combined panel circuit includes display particles arranged between conductive layers of the combined panel circuit, the display particles manipulable under applied voltage to form images for display via the display device.

8. A display device as recited in claim 7, wherein the display particles are bistable particles configured to switch between states at a threshold voltage.

9. A display device as recited in claim 8, wherein the second voltage corresponds the threshold voltage and is sufficient to manipulate the display particles to cause the updating of the image displayed by the display device.

10. A display device as recited in claim 1, wherein the first voltage is insufficient to manipulate display particles to change an image displayed via the display device.

11. A display device as recited in claim 1, wherein the capacitive sensing enables recognition of touch inputs at positions of the display device by measuring capacitance at corresponding locations of the combined panel circuit.

12. A display device as recited in claim 1, wherein the display device is as external display device connectable to a computing device via an input/output interface.

13. A display device as recited in claim 1, wherein the display device is as an integrated component of a computing device.

14. A method implemented by a controller of a display device comprising:

causing formation of an image for display via the display device by supplying a first voltage to a combined panel circuit of the display device, the first voltage sufficient to manipulate display particles of the display device to form the image; and

measuring via the combined panel circuit capacitance associated with touch input at positions of the display device by selectively applying a second voltage to the combined panel circuit, the second voltage insufficient to manipulate the display particles.

15. A method as described in claim 14, wherein the display particles comprise bistable particles arranged between conductive layers of the combined panel circuit that are configured to toggle between states when the first voltage is applied.

16. A method as described in claim 14, wherein the combined panel circuit comprises an x-y matrix of control lines having intersections that correspond to pixel positions of the display device.

17. A method as described in claim 14, wherein the first voltage is higher than the second voltage.

18. A computing device comprising an integrated display device including:

a combined panel circuit configured to implement both a sensing mode to measure capacitance at positions of the display device and a display driving mode to rearrange display particles corresponding to the positions to control images displayed via the display device; and

a controller to selectively switch between the sensing mode and the display driving mode by applying different respective voltages to the combined panel circuit at different times.

19. A computing device as described in claim 18, wherein the different respective voltages comprise a threshold voltage for the display driving mode that is sufficient to cause the display particles to transition between states and a sensing voltage for the sensing mode that is lower than the threshold voltage and insufficient to cause the display particles to transition between the states.

20. A computing device as described in claim 18, wherein the integrated display device is configured as an electrophoretic display.