Touch detectable display device

• US 7,777,727 B2
• Filed: 12/21/2005
• Issued: 08/17/2010
• Est. Priority Date: 12/23/2004
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Lee, Joo-Hyung, Park, Jong-Woung, Uh, Kee-Han, Cha, Young-Ok
• Primary Examiner(s): Hjerpe; Richard
• Assistant Examiner(s): Sheng; Tom V
• Application Number:
  US11/315,541
• Publication Number:
  US 20060146035A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,700 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345/175
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3648 using an active matrix G09G3/367 - G09G3/3696 take precedence

Abstract

A display device according to an embodiment of the present invention includes a display panel having a first display area and a second display area. The display panel includes: a plurality of first display circuits disposed in the first display area; a plurality of second display circuits disposed in the second display area; and a plurality of touch sensing circuits disposed in the second display area.

Claims

1. A display device comprising a display panel having a first display area and a second display area,

wherein the display panel comprises:

a plurality of first display circuits disposed in the first display area;

a plurality of second display circuits disposed in the second display area;

a plurality of touch sensing circuits disposed in the second display area, wherein a display resolution of the second display is lower than a display resolution of the first display;

a plurality of first image scanning lines disposed in the first display area;

a plurality of second image scanning lines disposed in the second display area;

a plurality of first image data lines disposed in the first display area; and

a plurality of second image data lines disposed in the second display area,

wherein the first display circuits are connected to the first image scanning lines and the first image data lines, and the second display circuits are connected to the second image scanning lines and the second image data lines, and

wherein the second image data lines extend from part of the first image data lines.

2. The display device of claim 1, wherein the display panel further comprises:

a plurality of sensor scanning lines disposed in the second display area; and

a plurality of sensor data lines disposed in the second display area,

wherein the sensing circuits are connected to the sensor scanning lines and the sensor data lines.

3. The display device of claim 1, wherein the first display area comprises:

a first panel unit; and

the second display area comprises a second panel unit, and further wherein the second panel unit is physically separated from the first panel unit.

4. The display device of claim 3, further comprising a connecting member connecting the first panel unit and the second panel unit.

5. The display device of claim 4, wherein the connecting member comprises a plurality of electrically conductive lines providing electrical connection between the first panel unit and the second panel unit.

6. The display device of claim 5, wherein the connecting member comprises a flexible printed circuit film.

7. The display device of claim 1, wherein a resolution of the second display circuits is different than a resolution of the photo sensing circuits.

8. The display device of claim 1, wherein each of the sensing circuits forms a pixel along with one of the second display circuits.

9. The display device of claim 1, wherein the touch sensing circuits comprise photo sensing circuits generating sensor output signals based on an amount of ambient light, and

the second image data lines carry sensor data signals originated from the sensor output signals.

10. The display device of claim 9, wherein each of the photo sensing circuits comprises:

a sensing element generating current having a magnitude which is a function of the amount of light received by the sensing element; and

a switching element coupled to the sensing element, the switching element selectively outputting the sensor output signals based on the current.

11. The display device of claim 10, wherein each of the photo sensing circuits further comprises a capacitor storing the current.

12. The display device of claim 10, further comprising:

an image data driver converting image signals into image data signals and applying the image data signals to the first and the second image data lines;

a sensing signal processor processing the sensor data signals supplied from the sensor data lines to generate digital sensor data signals; and

a signal controller controlling the image data driver and the sensing signal processor.

13. The display device of claim 12, wherein the image data driver, the sensing signal processor, and the signal controller are integrated into a single integrated circuit chip.

14. The display device of claim 12, further comprising:

an image scanning driver applying image scanning signals to the image scanning lines; and

a sensor scanning driver applying sensor scanning signals to the sensor lines.