OLED display and touch screen

• US 7,042,444 B2
• Filed: 01/17/2003
• Issued: 05/09/2006
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2003
• Status: Expired due to Term

• Current Assignee: Global OLED Technology LLC (LG Display Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Eastman Kodak Company
• Inventors: Cok, Ronald S.
• Primary Examiner(s): Lefkowitz, Sumati
• Assistant Examiner(s): Beck, Alexander S.
• Application Number:
  US10/346,987
• Publication Number:
  US 20040140960A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,208 Days
• Field of Search: 345/156, 345/173, 345/175, 313/173, 313/175, 313/176, 313/178, 313/506, 178/18.09, 178/18.11
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/40 OLEDs integrated with touch screens
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/60 OLEDs integrated with inorganic light-sensitive elements, e.g. with inorganic solar cells or inorganic photodiodes

Abstract

An OLED display and touch screen system including a substrate; an OLED display including an array of individually addressable OLEDs formed on the substrate; and a touch screen including an OLED light emitter formed on the substrate and a light sensor formed on the substrate across the display from the light emitter, and optics located around the display above the light emitter and the light sensor for directing light emitted from the light emitter across the display to the light sensor.

Claims

1. An OLED display and touch screen system, comprising:

a) a substrate;

b) an OLED display including an array of individually addressable OLEDs formed on the substrate; and

c) a touch screen including an OLED light emitter formed on the substrate and a light sensor formed on the substrate across the display from the light emitter, and optics located around the display above the light emitter and the light sensor for directing light emitted from the light emitter across the display to the light sensor, wherein the OLED light emitter and the light sensor of the touch screen are integrated on the substrate with the individually addressable OLEDs of the OLED display.

2. The OLED display and touch screen claimed in claim 1, wherein the OLED light emitter is a linear array of individually addressable OLEDs and the light sensor is a linear array of light detecting elements.

3. The OLED display and touch screen claimed in claim 2, wherein the OLEDs of the OLED light emitter and the light detecting elements are interspersed in a plurality of linear arrays.

4. The OLED display and touch screen claimed in claim 2, further comprising control electronics for sequentially activating the OLEDs of the OLED light emitter.

5. The OLED display and touch screen claimed in claim 2, further comprising control electronics for simultaneously activating the OLEDs of the OLED light emitter.

6. The OLED display and touch screen claimed in claim 1, further comprising control electronics for activating the OLED light emitter in a predetermined temporal pattern and for filtering an output from the light sensor to detect the predetermined pattern.

7. The OLED display and touch screen claimed in claim 1, further comprising unitary control electronics for controlling both the OLED display and the touch screen.

8. The OLED display and touch screen claimed in claim 1, wherein the light sensor is a non-organic light detecting element.

9. The OLED display and touch screen claimed in claim 8, wherein the non-organic light detecting element is a silicon light detecting element.

10. The OLED display and touch screen claimed in claim 1, wherein the OLED light emitter is a linear OLED and the light sensor is a linear array of light detecting elements.

11. The OLED display and touch screen claimed in claim 1, wherein the OLED display is a top emitting display.

12. The OLED display and touch screen claimed in claim 1, wherein the OLED display is a bottom emitting display.

13. The OLED display and touch screen claimed in claim 1, wherein the OLED light emitter emits infrared light.

14. The OLED display and touch screen claimed in claim 1, wherein the optics are 45 degree mirrors.

15. The OLED display and touch screen claimed in claim 14, further comprising a frame surrounding the OLED display, and wherein the 45 degree mirrors are supported by the frame.

16. The OLED display and touch screen claimed in claim 14, further comprising a frame surrounding the OLED display, and wherein the 45 degree mirrors are formed on the frame.

17. The OLED display and touch screen claimed in claim 16, including an enclosure for the display wherein the frame is a portion of the enclosure.

18. The OLED display and touch screen claimed in claim 1, wherein the optics comprise light pipes.

19. An OLED display and touch screen system, comprising:

a) a substrate;

b) an OLED display including an array of individually addressable OLEDs formed on the substrate; and

c) a touch screen including an OLED light emitter formed on the substrate and a light sensor formed on the substrate across the display from the light emitter, and optics located around the display above the light emitter and the light sensor for directing light emitted from the light emitter across the display to the light sensor;

further comprising unitary control electronics for controlling both the OLED display and the touch screen, wherein the control electronics are formed on the substrate.

20. An OLED display and touch screen system, comprising:

a) a substrate;

b) an OLED display including an array of individually addressable OLEDs formed on the substrate; and

c) a touch screen including an OLED light emitter formed on the substrate and a light sensor formed on the substrate across the display from the light emitter, and optics located around the display above the light emitter and the light sensor for directing light emitted from the light emitter across the display to the light sensor, wherein the light sensor is an organic light sensor.