OLED display and touch screen

• US 7,202,856 B2
• Filed: 11/07/2003
• Issued: 04/10/2007
• Est. Priority Date: 01/17/2003
• Status: Active Grant

• 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): Amadiz; Rodney
• Application Number:
  US10/703,808
• Publication Number:
  US 20040140961A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,250 Days
• Field of Search: 345/76, 345/173
• 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 includes 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 the OLED light emitter defining an optical cavity for reducing the angle of emission of light from the OLED light emitter and a light sensor formed on the substrate across the display from the OLED light emitter, and optics located around the display above the OLED light emitter and the light sensor for directing light emitted from the OLED 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 the OLED light emitter defining an optical cavity for reducing the angle of emission of light from the OLED light emitter and a light sensor formed on the substrate across the display from the OLED light emitter, and optics located around the display above the OLED light emitter and the light sensor for directing light emitted from the OLED 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 system claimed in claim 1, wherein the OLED light emitter comprise a first electrode;

one or more layers of light emitting organic material formed on the first electrode;

an electrode formed on the one or more layers of organic material; and

wherein one of the electrodes is reflective and the other is partially reflective and the electrodes are spaced apart a sufficient amount to form an optical cavity in which light emitted from the organic material through the partially reflective electrode has a reduced angle of emission.

3. 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.

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

5. 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.

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

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

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

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

10. The OLED display and touch screen claimed in claim 9, further comprising a frame surrounding the OLED display, and wherein the 45 degree mirrors are supported by the frame.

11. The OLED display and touch screen claimed in claim 9, further comprising a frame surrounding the OLED display, and wherein the 45 degree mirrors are formed on the frame.

12. The OLED display and touch screen claimed in claim 1, wherein the optics are fiber optics.

13. The OLED display and touch screen claimed in claim 3, further comprising control electronics for sequentially activating the OLEDs of the OLED light emitter.

14. The OLED display and touch screen claimed in claim 3, further comprising control electronics for simultaneously activating the OLEDs of the OLED light emitter.

15. 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.

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

17. The OLED display and touch screen claimed in claim 16, wherein the control electronics are formed on the substrate.

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

19. The OLED display and touch screen claimed in claim 18, wherein the non-organic light-detecting element is a silicon light detecting element.

20. The OLED display and touch screen claimed in claim 1, wherein the light sensor is an organic light sensor.

21. The OLED display and touch screen claimed in claim 11, including an enclosure for the display wherein the frame is a portion of the enclosure.

22. The OLED display and touch screen claimed in claim 2, wherein the partially reflective electrode further comprises a transparent conductor and a partially reflective mirror.

23. The OLED display and touch screen claimed in claim 2, wherein the first electrode is reflective, the second electrode is partially reflective, and the display device is a top-emitting display device.

24. The OLED display and touch screen claimed in claim 2, wherein the first electrode is partially reflective, the second electrode is reflective, and the display device is a bottom emitting display device.

25. The OLED display and touch screen claimed in claim 2, wherein the light emitted is coherent.

26. The OLED display and touch screen claimed in claim 2, wherein the light emitted is incoherent.