DISPLAY PANEL, DRIVING METHOD AND MANUFACTURING METHOD THEREOF, DISPLAY DEVICE

• US 20180052350A1
• Filed: 10/21/2016
• Published: 02/22/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 01/15/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: ZHAO, Jiayang
• Granted Patent: US 10,495,913 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13338 Input devices, e.g. touch panels
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/1343 Electrodes reflective electrodes G02F1/133553
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04105 Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04142 the force sensing means being located peripherally, e.g. disposed at the corners or at the side of a touch sensing plate

Abstract

A display panel including a display area and a non-display area around the display area, and one or more pressure sensors arranged in the non-display area is provided. The pressure sensor is configured to sense a pressure input on the display panel. A display device, a method for driving a display panel, and a method of manufacturing a display panel are also provided.

Claims

1. A display panel comprising:

a display area, a non-display area around the display area, and one or more pressure sensors arranged in the non-display area, wherein the pressure sensors are configured to sense a pressure input on the display panel.

2. The display panel according to claim 1, wherein the pressure sensor comprises a first electrode arranged on an opposite substrate of the display panel and a second electrode arranged on an array substrate of the display panel which are disposed opposite to each other, and an elastic material layer sandwiched between the first electrode and the second electrode.

3. The display panel according to claim 2, wherein in the display area, the opposite substrate comprises a common electrode on a side close to the array substrate, the first electrode and the common electrode being set to be in a same layer and have a same material.

4. The display panel according to claim 2, wherein in the display area, the array substrate comprises an electrode layer on a side close to the opposite substrate, the second electrode and the electrode layer being set to be in a same layer and have a same material.

5. The display panel according to claim 4, wherein the electrode layer comprises one of a gate electrode layer, a source/drain electrode layer, and a pixel electrode layer.

6. The display panel according to claim 2, further comprising a spacer disposed between the array substrate and the opposite substrate for supporting the array substrate and the opposite substrate, wherein the elastic material layer and the spacer of the display panel are set to be in a same layer and have a same material.

7. The display panel according to claim 2, wherein the pressure sensor further comprises a pressure sensor control circuit, wherein the first electrode and the second electrode are connected to the pressure sensor control circuit via a corresponding signal line.

8. The display panel according to claim 7, wherein the display panel comprises an integrated control circuit, the pressure sensor control circuit and a control circuit of the display panel are integrated on the integrated control circuit.

9. A display device comprising the display panel according to claim 1.

10. The display device according to claim 9, further comprising a touch panel disposed on a light exit side of the display panel.

17. The display device according to claim 9, wherein the pressure sensor comprises a first electrode arranged on an opposite substrate of the display panel and a second electrode arranged on an array substrate of the display panel which are disposed opposite to each other, and an elastic material layer sandwiched between the first electrode and the second electrode.

18. The display device according to claim 17, wherein in the display area, the opposite substrate comprises a common electrode on a side close to the array substrate, the first electrode and the common electrode being set to be in a same layer and have a same material.

19. The display device according to claim 17, wherein in the display area, the array substrate comprises an electrode layer on a side close to the opposite substrate, the second electrode and the electrode layer being set to be in a same layer and have a same material.

20. The display device according to claim 19, wherein the electrode layer comprises one of a gate electrode layer, a source/drain electrode layer, and a pixel electrode layer.

11. A method for driving a display panel comprising:

providing the display panel, wherein the display panel comprises a display area, a non-display area around the display area, and one or more pressure sensors arranged in the non-display area, wherein the pressure sensors are configured to sense a pressure input on the display panel;

in a pressure sensing phase, sensing a pressure input on the display panel using the one or more pressure sensors integrated in the non-display area of the display panel; and

in a display phase, displaying an image.

12. The method according to claim 11, wherein the pressure sensing phase and the display phase are alternate and do not overlap.

13. A method of manufacturing a display panel, the display panel comprising a display area and a non-display area around the display area, the method comprising:

manufacturing an array substrate and an opposite substrate;

aligning and attaching the array substrate and the opposite substrate to form a display panel; and

manufacturing a pressure sensor between the array substrate and the opposite substrate, the pressure sensor comprising a first electrode arranged on the opposite substrate and a second electrode arranged on the array substrate which are disposed opposite to each other, and an elastic material layer sandwiched between the first electrode and the second electrode.

14. The method according to claim 13, wherein in the display area, the opposite substrate comprises a common electrode on a side close to the array substrate, the method further comprising forming the first electrode and the common electrode by one patterning process.

15. The method according to claim 13, wherein in the display area, the array substrate comprises an electrode layer on a side close to the opposite substrate, the method further comprising forming the second electrode and the electrode layer by one patterning process.

16. The method according to claim 13, the display panel further comprising a spacer arranged in the display area for supporting the array substrate and the opposite substrate, the method further comprising forming the elastic material layer of the pressure sensor and the spacer of the display panel by one patterning process.