Integrated Pixel Display and Touch Sensor

• US 20140168133A1
• Filed: 12/14/2012
• Published: 06/19/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 12/14/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Atmel Corporation (Microchip Technology Incorporated)
• Inventors: Yilmaz, Esat
• Granted Patent: US 9,244,559 B2
• 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: G02F 1/134309 characterised by their geometrical arrangement
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04108 Touchless 2D- digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface without distance measurement in the Z direction
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• 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

In one embodiment, an apparatus includes a display component comprising a plurality of pixels configured to display an image. The apparatus also includes a touch sensor component configured to detect a touch input. The apparatus additionally includes a touch-screen controller. The touch-screen controller is coupled to the touch sensor component and the display component. The touch-screen controller is configured to generate a drive signal for the touch sensor component using a portion of the display component.

Claims

1. An apparatus, comprising:

one or more display layers within a liquid crystal display (LCD) display stack;

a plurality of sense electrodes within the LCD display stack, the plurality of sense electrodes configured to detect a touch input; and

a reference voltage layer within the LCD display stack, the reference voltage layer configured to provide a reference voltage for the one or more display layers and a drive signal detectable by the plurality of sense electrodes.

2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reference voltage layer comprises a plurality of electrically isolated drive lines that are configured to all be pulsed simultaneously to provide the reference voltage for the one or more display layers.

3. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reference voltage layer comprises a plurality of electrically isolated drive lines that are configured to each be pulsed one at a time to provide drive signals to the plurality of sense electrodes.

4. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reference voltage layer comprises a plurality of electrically isolated drive lines, wherein two or more of the plurality of electrically isolated drive lines are configured to all be pulsed simultaneously to provide drive signals to the plurality of sense electrodes.

5. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the reference voltage layer comprises fine lines of metal.

6. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of sense electrodes are disposed on a first surface.

7. The apparatus of claim 6, wherein the reference voltage layer is disposed on a second surface within the display stack.

8. The apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a touch screen controller coupled to the plurality of sense electrodes and to the reference voltage layer, the touch screen controller configured to control the reference voltage for the one or more display layers and the drive voltage for the plurality of drive electrodes.

9. An apparatus, comprising:

one or more display layers within a liquid crystal display (LCD) display stack, the one or more display layers comprising a plurality of crystals configured to adjust a polarization of light passing through the one or more display layers;

a reference voltage layer configured to provide the one or more display layers with a reference voltage;

a plurality of pixel-drive electrodes configured to adjust the polarization of the light passing through the one or more display layers by adjusting an electrical potential between the plurality of pixel-drive electrodes and the reference voltage layer;

wherein the plurality of pixel-drive electrodes are further configured to provide a plurality of drive signals for a touch sensor; and

wherein the reference voltage layer is further configured to provide sense signals.

10. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the reference voltage layer comprises fine lines of metal.

11. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the plurality of pixel-drive electrodes comprises a two-dimensional array of pixel-drive electrodes.

12. The apparatus of claim 11, wherein the plurality of pixel-drive electrodes are arranged in a plurality of subsets, each subset comprising a plurality of pixel-drive electrodes that collectively provide a drive signal for the touch sensor.

13. The apparatus of claim 9, wherein the one or more display layers are between the reference voltage layer and the plurality of pixel-drive electrodes.

14. The apparatus of claim 9, further comprising a touch screen controller coupled to the reference voltage layer and the plurality of pixel-drive electrodes, the touch screen controller configured to adjust the electrical potential at each of the plurality of pixel-drive electrodes to generate an image and to generate a drive signal used to determine a location of a touch input based on the sense signals from the reference voltage layer.

15. An apparatus, comprising:

a display component comprising a plurality of pixels configured to display an image;

a touch sensor component configured to detect a touch input;

a touch-screen controller coupled to the touch sensor component and the display component, the touch-screen controller configured to generate a drive signal for the touch sensor component using a portion of the display component.

16. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the display component comprises an organic light emitting diode.

17. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the display component comprises one or more display layers of a liquid crystal display.

18. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the touch-screen controller is coupled to a reference voltage layer, the reference voltage layer configured to provide a reference voltage for the display component and a sense signal to the touch-screen controller.

19. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the touch-screen controller is coupled to a reference voltage layer, the reference voltage layer configured to provide a reference voltage for the display component and a drive signal for the touch sensor component.

20. The apparatus of claim 15, wherein the touch-screen controller is coupled to a pixel-drive layer, the pixel-drive layer configured to provide a pixel-drive signal for the display component and a drive signal for the touch sensor component.