Touch panel and portable electronic device thereof

• US 8,274,493 B2
• Filed: 02/24/2012
• Issued: 09/25/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 05/09/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: AU Optronics Corporation
• Original Assignee: AU Optronics Corporation
• Inventors: Ma, Mei-Sheng, Lee, Hsin-Hung, Hsieh, Yao-Jen, Ho, Yung-Hsien, Chou, Heng-Sheng, Li, Chun-Huai, Chang, Meng-Hsiang
• Primary Examiner(s): LAMB, CHRISTOPHER RAY
• Application Number:
  US13/404,009
• Publication Number:
  US 20120154320A1
• Time in Patent Office: 214 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0447 Position sensing using the local deformation of sensor cells
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/047 using sets of wires, e.g. crossed wires

Abstract

A touch panel and a portable electronic device thereof are provided. The present invention can accurately determine a position touched by a user on the touch panel by judging whether or not a potential voltage value between a reference capacitor and a sensing capacitor of a pixel having a sensing area being changed, or to determine whether a switch of a pixel having the sensing area being conducted.

Claims

1. A touch panel, comprising:

a first substrate;

a plurality of pixel structures, arranged on the first substrate in an array, wherein at least one first pixel structure in each M×

N pixel structures comprises a first sensing area, where M and N are positive integers, and the first pixel structure comprises;

an active device, disposed on the first substrate and located at the first sensing area, wherein the active device is electrically connected to a scan line and a readout line, and a passivation layer covers the active device; and

a sensing electrode, disposed on the passivation layer and located at the first sensing area, wherein the sensing electrode is electrically connected to the readout line through the active device, and a portion of the scan line is located between the first sensing area and the sensing electrode to form a reference capacitor;

a second substrate, having a second sensing area corresponding to the first sensing area;

a black matrix layer, disposed on the second substrate and located at the second sensing area;

a spacer, disposed on the black matrix layer and located at the second sensing area; and

a common electrode, covering a portion of the black matrix layer and the spacer, wherein there is a pitch between the common electrode on the spacer and the sensing electrode to form a sensing capacitor.

2. The touch panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the active device comprises:

a gate, disposed on the first substrate and located at the first sensing area, wherein the gate is electrically connected to the scan line, and an insulation layer covers the gate;

a channel layer, disposed on the insulation layer covering the gate;

an ohmic contact layer, disposed at two sides on the channel layer;

a source, wherein the ohmic contact layer is disposed between the channel layer and the source, and the source is electrically connected to the readout line; and

a drain, wherein the second ohmic contact layer is disposed between the channel layer and the drain, and the drain is electrically connected to the sensing electrode.

3. A portable electronic apparatus having a touch panel as claimed in claim 1.

4. A touch panel, comprising:

a plurality of pixel circuits arranged in an array, wherein at least one first pixel circuit in each M×

N pixel circuits comprises;

an active device, having a gate, a source and a drain, wherein the gate is electrically connected to a scan line, and the source is electrically connected to a readout line;

a reference capacitor, electrically connected between the scan line and the drain; and

a sensing capacitor, electrically connected between the drain and a common electrode, where M and N are positive integers.

5. The touch panel as claimed in claim 4, wherein when a voltage value divided between the reference capacitor and the sensing capacitor of the first pixel circuit is changed, it represents an area formed by the M×

N pixel circuits is a touched position of the touch panel.

6. A portable electronic apparatus having a touch panel as claimed in claim 4.