DISPLAY SUBSTRATE, IN-CELL TOUCH SCREEN, DISPLAY APPARATUS, AND TOUCH SCREEN DRIVING METHOD

• US 20180107322A1
• Filed: 05/26/2016
• Published: 04/19/2018
• Est. Priority Date: 03/03/2016
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Beijing BOE Optoelectronics Technology Co Ltd. (BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd.), BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd.
• Original Assignee: Beijing BOE Optoelectronics Technology Co Ltd. (BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd.), BOE Technology Group Co., Ltd.
• Inventors: LIU, Yingming, DONG, Xue, XUE, Hailin, WANG, Haisheng, CHEN, Xiaochuan, DING, Xiaoliang, YANG, Shengji, XU, Rui, LI, Changfeng, LIU, Wei, WANG, Pengpeng
• Granted Patent: US 10,353,505 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 2203/04105 Pressure sensors for measuring the pressure or force exerted on the touch surface without providing the touch position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04112 Electrode mesh in capacitive digitiser: electrode for touch sensing is formed of a mesh of very fine, normally metallic, interconnected lines that are almost invisible to see. This provides a quite large but transparent electrode surface, without need for ITO or similar transparent conductive material
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04166 Details of scanning methods, e.g. sampling time, grouping of sub areas or time sharing with display driving Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally G06F3/04184
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04184 Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• 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

An in-cell touch screen includes a pressure sensing structure. The pressure sensing structure includes a plurality of pressure sensitive electrodes arranged in an array and being independent from each other, each pressure sensitive electrode configured for generating a potential difference in response to a pressure caused by pressing; an input electrode electrically connected to the plurality of pressure sensitive electrodes for receiving a fixed potential in a pressure detection phase; and a plurality of output electrodes each electrically connected to a respective one of the plurality of pressure sensitive electrodes for outputting a signal indicative of a change in a potential of the respective pressure sensitive electrode with respect to the fixed potential in the pressure detection phase.

Claims

1. A display substrate comprising:

a substrate body; and

a pressure sensing structure formed on the substrate body wherein the pressure sensing structure comprises

a plurality of pressure sensitive electrodes arranged in an array and being independent from each other, each of the pressure sensitive electrodes configured for generating a potential difference in response to a pressure caused by pressing;

an input electrode electrically connected to the plurality of pressure sensitive electrodes for receiving a fixed potential in a pressure detection phase; and

a plurality of output electrodes each electrically connected to a respective one of the plurality of pressure sensitive electrodes for outputting a signal indicative of a change in a potential of the respective pressure sensitive electrode with respect to the fixed potential in the pressure detection phase.

2. The display substrate of claim 1, wherein the input electrode, the plurality of pressure sensitive electrodes and the plurality of output electrodes are stacked on top of each other, the plurality of pressure sensitive electrodes arranged between the input electrode and the plurality of output electrodes.

3. The display substrate of claim 2, further comprising sub-pixels arranged in an array on the substrate body, wherein the plurality of pressure sensitive electrodes and the plurality of output electrodes are patterned within gaps between the sub-pixels.

4. The display substrate of claim 3, wherein each of the pressure sensitive electrodes and each of the output electrodes have a grid pattern.

5. The display substrate of claim 4, wherein the grid pattern of the output electrode has a line width not smaller than that of the grid pattern of the pressure sensitive electrode.

6. The display substrate of claim 3, wherein the input electrode is pattern within the gaps between the sub-pixels such that the input electrode has a grid pattern.

7. The display substrate of claim 6, wherein the input electrode is made of the same material as pixel electrodes of the sub-pixels and disposed in the same layer as the pixel electrodes.

8. The display substrate of claim 7, further comprising data lines and gate lines electrically connected to respective ones of the sub-pixels, wherein the plurality of output electrodes are made of metal and disposed in the same layer as the data lines or the gate lines.

9. The display substrate of claim 7, further comprising a common electrode formed above the pixel electrodes, wherein the plurality of output electrodes are made of the same material as the common electrode and disposed in the same layer as the common electrode.

10. The display substrate of claim 1, wherein the plurality of pressure sensitive electrodes are made of a piezoelectric material.

11. The display substrate of claim 1, wherein the display substrate is an array substrate or opposite substrate for a liquid crystal display.

12. The display substrate of claim 1, wherein the display substrate is an array substrate or protective coverplate for an electroluminescent display.

13. An in-cell touch screen comprising:

the display substrate as recited in claim 1;

an opposite substrate opposite to the display substrate;

touch electrodes disposed at the display substrate or the opposite substrate for support of touch detection; and

a controller connected to the display substrate and configured to apply the fixed potential to the input electrode in the pressure detection phase and to determine a pressed position and a magnitude of the pressure based on the signals output from the plurality of output electrodes.

14. The in-cell touch screen of claim 13, wherein the controller is further configured to apply touch detecting signals to the touch electrodes and determine a touch position based on a signal indicative of a change in capacitance of the touch electrodes in a touch detection phase different from the pressure detection phase.

15. The in-cell touch screen of claim 14, further comprising sub-pixels disposed at the display substrate or the opposite substrate, and gate lines and data lines electrically connected to respective ones of the sub-pixels, wherein the controller is further configured to:

apply the touch detecting signals to the gate lines and the data lines in the touch detection phase and the pressure detection phase; and

apply the touch detecting signals to the touch electrodes in the pressure detection phase.

16. The in-cell touch screen of claim 15, wherein the controller is further configured to perform, in the touch detection phase, an operation selected from the group consisting of:

not applying any signal to the input electrode to render it floated, and applying the touch detecting signals to the input electrode.

17. The in-cell touch screen of claim 13, wherein the controller is further configured to apply the touch detecting signals to the touch electrodes and determine a touch position based on a signal indicative of a change in capacitance of the touch electrodes in the pressure detection phase.

18. The in-cell touch screen of claim 17, further comprising sub-pixels disposed at the display substrate or the opposite substrate, and gate lines and date lines electrically connected to respective ones of the sub-pixels, wherein the controller is further configured to apply the touch detecting signals to the gate lines and the data lines in the pressure detection phase.

19. A display apparatus comprising the in-cell touch screen as recited in claim 13.

20. A method of driving the in-cell touch screen of claim 13, comprising:

applying touch detecting signals to the touch electrodes and determining a touch position based on a signal indicative of a change in capacitance of the touch electrodes in a touch detection phase; and

applying the fixed potential to the input electrode and determining a pressed position and a magnitude of the pressure based on the signals output from the plurality of output electrodes in a pressure detection phase.

21-24. -24. (canceled)