Touch-sensitive liquid crystal display device

• US 8,279,361 B2
• Filed: 07/27/2010
• Issued: 10/02/2012
• Est. Priority Date: 07/31/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: InnoLux Corporation
• Original Assignee: Chi Mei Innolux Corporation (InnoLux Corporation)
• Inventors: Chen, Hsin-Li, Liu, Wen-Hsiung
• Primary Examiner(s): Vu, Phu
• Application Number:
  US12/844,803
• Publication Number:
  US 20110025969A1
• Time in Patent Office: 798 Days
• Field of Search: 349/12
• US Class Current: 349/12
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13338 Input devices, e.g. touch panels
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/047 using sets of wires, e.g. crossed wires

Abstract

A in-cell touch-sensitive liquid crystal display device (LCD) includes a first substrate, a second substrate opposite to the first substrate, a liquid crystal layer disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate, a first sensing line and a second sensing line disposed on the second substrate, a first conductive layer and a second conductive layer electrically connected to the first sensing line and the second sensing line, respectively, and electrically isolated from each other by a gap existing therebetween. The in-cell touch-sensitive LCD device further includes a spacer disposed on the first substrate and corresponding to the gap. The spacer is electrically connected to the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer in response to an external pressure.

Claims

1. An in-cell touch-sensitive liquid crystal display (LCD) device, comprising:

a first substrate comprising a common electrode and a third conductive layer, the common electrode electrically isolated from the third conductive layer, and the third conductive layer and the common electrode made of the same conductive material;

a second substrate opposite to the first substrate;

a liquid crystal layer disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate;

a first sensing line and a second sensing line disposed on a surface of the second substrate near the liquid crystal layer;

a first conductive layer and a second conductive layer electrically connected to the first sensing line and the second sensing line, respectively, and the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer electrically isolated from each other by a gap existing therebetween; and

a spacer disposed on the first substrate and corresponding to the gap.

2. The in-cell touch-sensitive LCD device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the first sensing line serves as a scan line, and the first sensing line is perpendicular to the second sensing line.

3. The in-cell touch-sensitive LCD device as claimed in claim 2, wherein the second substrate further comprises a data line, and the data line is parallel to and electrically isolated from the second sensing line.

4. The in-cell touch-sensitive LCD device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the data line and the second sensing line are made of the same conductive material and co-planar.

5. The in-cell touch-sensitive LCD device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the second substrate further comprises a pixel electrode, and the pixel electrode, the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer are made of the same conductive material.

6. The in-cell touch-sensitive LCD device as claimed in claim 1, further comprising a reading circuit, electrically connected to the second sensing line.

7. The in-cell touch-sensitive LCD device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the spacer is a conductive spacer, the third conductive layer and the common electrode are co-planar, and the third conductive layer is disposed between the conductive spacer and the liquid crystal layer.

8. The in-cell touch-sensitive LCD device as claimed in claim 1, wherein the spacer is a photo spacer, and the third conductive layer is disposed between the photo spacer and the liquid crystal layer.

9. The in-cell touch-sensitive LCD device as claimed in claim 8, wherein a height of the photo spacer is less than a distance from the third conductive layer to the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer.

10. The in-cell touch-sensitive LCD device as claimed in claim 9, wherein the photo spacer moves toward the second substrate in response to an external pressure so as to make the third conductive layer electrically connected to the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer.

11. The in-cell touch-sensitive LCD device as claimed in claim 3, wherein the second substrate further comprises a thin film transistor (TFT) and a pixel electrode, a gate of the TFT is connected to the first sensing line, a source of the TFT is connected to the data line, and a drain of the TFT is conncted to the pixel electrode.

12. An in-cell touch-sensitive liquid crystal display (LCD) device, comprising:

a first substrate;

a second substrate opposite to the first substrate;

a liquid crystal layer disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate;

a plurality of first sensing lines and a plurality of second sensing lines perpendicular to the first sensing lines, the first and second sensing lines disposed on a surface of the second substrate near the liquid crystal layer, the first sensing lines serving as scan lines, the first sensing lines and the second sensing lines defining a plurality of sub-pixel units, each sub-pixel unit comprising a first conductive layer, a second conductive layer and a thin film transistor (TFT), the first conductive layer and TFT both electrically connected to a corresponding one of the first sensing lines, the second conductive layer electrically connected to a corresponding one of the second sensing lines, and the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer electrically isolated from each other by a gap existing therebetween; and

a spacer disposed on the first substrate and corresponding to the gap.

13. The in-cell touch-sensitive LCD device as claimed in claim 12, wherein the second substrate further comprises a plurality of data lines parallel to the second sensing lines, each sub-pixel unit further comprises a pixel electrode, a gate of the TFT is connected to the corresponding one of the first sensing lines, a source of the TFT is connected to a corresponding one of the data lines, and a drain of the TFT is connected to the pixel electrode of each sub-pixel unit.

14. The in-cell touch-sensitive LCD device as claimed in claim 13, wherein the first substrate comprises a common electrode and a third conductive layer, the common electrode is electrically isolated from the third conductive layer, the third conductive layer and the common electrode are co-planar, and the third conductive layer is disposed between the spacer and the liquid crystal layer.

15. The in-cell touch-sensitive LCD device as claimed in claim 14, wherein the first conductive layer and the TFT are electrically connected to the corresponding one of the first sensing lines at two opposite sides of the corresponding first sensing line.

16. The in-cell touch-sensitive LCD device as claimed in claim 14, wherein the third conductive layer and the common electrode are made of the same conductive material.

17. The in-cell touch-sensitive LCD device as claimed in claim 12, wherein the data lines and the second sensing lines are made of the same conductive material and co-planar.

18. The in-cell touch-sensitive LCD device as claimed in claim 12, wherein the pixel electrode of each sub-pixel unit, the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer are made of the same conductive material.

19. An in-cell touch-sensitive liquid crystal display (LCD) device, comprising:

a first substrate comprising a common electrode and a third conductive layer, the common electrode and the third conductive layer being co-planar, the common electrode being electrically isolated from the third conductive layer by a gap therebetween, and the third conductive layer and the common electrode being disposed alternately;

a second substrate opposite to the first substrate;

a liquid crystal layer disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate;

a first sensing line and a second sensing line disposed on a surface of the second substrate near the liquid crystal layer;

a first conductive layer and a second conductive layer electrically connected to the first sensing line and the second sensing line, respectively, the first conductive layer and the second conductive layer electrically isolated from each other by a gap existing therebetween; and

a spacer disposed on the first substrate and corresponding to the gap.

20. The in-cell touch-sensitive LCD device as claimed in claim 19, wherein the first sensing line is perpendicular to the second sensing line, the first sensing line serves as a scan line, the second substrate further comprises a thin film transistor (TFT) and a pixel electrode, a gate of the TFT is connected to the first sensing line, a source of the TFT is connected to the data line, and a drain of the TFT is conncted to the pixel electrode.