Display device

• US 8,350,835 B2
• Filed: 08/13/2008
• Issued: 01/08/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 08/21/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha (Hon Hai Precision Industry Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Katoh, Hiromi, Brown, Christopher
• Primary Examiner(s): Lao, Lun-Yi
• Assistant Examiner(s): Siddiqui, Md Saiful A
• Application Number:
  US12/674,359
• Publication Number:
  US 20110175871A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,609 Days
• Field of Search: 345/166, 345/81, 345 87- 92, 345/104, 345204-207, 345/212, 345/214, 250/200, 250/553, 349/49, 349/19, 349/33, 349/41, 349/50, 348/207.99, 348/362
• US Class Current: 345/207
• CPC Class Codes: G01J 1/46 using a capacitor
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13338 Input devices, e.g. touch panels
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 2201/58 Arrangements comprising a monitoring photodetector
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/042 by opto-electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: H04N 25/59 by controlling the amount of charge storable in the pixel, e.g. modification of the charge conversion ratio of the floating node capacitance
• CPC Class Codes: H10K 59/13 comprising photosensors that control luminance

Abstract

Dynamic range is widened in a display device with a photosensor that can read an image due to having a photodetection element inside a pixel thereof. A sensor driving circuit switches ON a reset signal (RST) that is supplied via reset signal bus line, and after a predetermined time has elapsed, switches ON a readout signal (RWS) that is supplied via readout signal bus line. Thus, in the photosensor, from which a photosensor signal is output in accordance with an amount of light received by the photosensor in the predetermined time, the capacitance of a capacitor provided in the photosensor is made variable from when the reset signal (RST) is supplied to the photosensor until when the predetermined time has elapsed.

Claims

1. A display device provided with an active matrix substrate, and comprising:

a photosensor provided on the active matrix substrate;

sensor driving bus line connected to the photosensor;

a sensor driving circuit that supplies a sensor driving signal to the photosensor via the sensor driving bus line;

an amplifier circuit that amplifies sensor output that has been read out from the photosensor in accordance with the sensor driving signal, and outputs the amplified sensor output as a photosensor signal; and

a signal processing circuit that processes the photosensor signal that has been output from the amplifier circuit,

wherein the photosensor includes a photodiode, a capacitor that is connected to the photodiode, the capacitor including a semiconductor junction or a Schottky junction, and at least one switching element,

the sensor driving bus line includes at least reset signal bus line that supplies a reset signal to the photosensor, and readout signal bus line that supplies a readout signal to the capacitor,

due to the sensor driving circuit switching ON the readout signal after a predetermined time has elapsed since switching ON the reset signal, a photosensor signal that is in accordance with an amount of light received by the photosensor in the predetermined time is output to the signal processing circuit, and

wherein the sensor driving circuit is configured to vary the capacitance of the capacitor through changing the bias voltage across the capacitor between a bias potential higher than a threshold potential determined by the junction in the capacitor and a bias potential lower than the threshold potential.

2. The display device according to claim 1, wherein due to the sensor driving circuit changing the bias voltage of the capacitor, the capacitance of the capacitor is reduced in at least part of a period from when the reset signal is supplied until when the predetermined time has elapsed.

3. The display device according to claim 2,

wherein the capacitor includes a metal layer and a silicon layer that has a semiconductor junction, and

in at least part of the period from when the reset signal is supplied until when the predetermined time has elapsed, the sensor driving circuit causes the bias voltage of the capacitor to be equal to or smaller than a threshold voltage of the semiconductor junction.

4. The display device according to claim 2,

wherein the capacitor includes a metal layer and a silicon layer that configures a Schottky junction between the metal layer and the silicon layer, and

in at least part of the period from when the reset signal is supplied until when the predetermined time has elapsed, the sensor driving circuit causes the bias voltage of the capacitor to be equal to or smaller than a threshold voltage of the Schottky junction.

5. The display device according to claim 1,

wherein the photosensor is provided in a pixel region of the active matrix substrate,

the photosensor comprises one switching element,

a cathode of the photodiode of the photosensor is connected to one electrode of the capacitor and the switching element, and an anode of the photodiode is connected to the reset signal bus line, and

the readout signal bus line is connected to the other electrode of the capacitor.

6. The display device according to claim 5, wherein in part of the period from when the reset signal is supplied until when the predetermined time has elapsed, a low level potential of the readout signal is equal to or lower than a low level potential of the reset signal.

7. The display device according to claim 6, wherein a high level potential of the reset signal is higher than the low level potential of the reset signal outside the period, by only an amount that is Δ

V_RST ·

C_PD/C_T or is equal to the level of the low level potential of the reset signal outside the period plus the amount of Δ

V_RST ·

C_PD/C_T where Δ

V_RST is the pulse height of the reset signal, C_PD is the capacitance of the photodiode, and C_T is the total capacitance of the connection point where the capacitor is connected to the photodiode.

8. The display device according to claim 6, wherein when the reset signal is switched ON, the potential of the readout signal is equal to or higher than the low level potential of the readout signal.

9. The display device according to claim 1, comprising a light shielding layer on a back face of the capacitor.

10. The display device according to claim 1,

wherein the photosensor is provided in a pixel region of the active matrix substrate,

the photosensor comprises a first switching element, a second switching element, and a third switching element,

a cathode of the photodiode of the photosensor is connected to one electrode of the capacitor, a drain of the first switching element, and a gate of the second switching element, and an anode of the photodiode is kept at a first reference potential,

a source of the first switching element and a source of the second switching element are kept at a second reference potential,

a drain of the second switching element is connected to a source of the third switching element,

a gate of the third switching element is connected to the readout signal bus line, and

the other electrode of the capacitor is connected to a supply line for a mode signal that switches a dynamic range of the photosensor.

11. The display device according to claim 10, wherein the supply line for the mode signal is connected to the second reference potential in at least part of the period from when the reset signal is supplied until when the predetermined time has elapsed, and outside the period, the supply line for the mode signal is connected to the first reference potential.

12. A display device provided with an active matrix substrate, and comprising:

a photosensor provided on the active matrix substrate;

sensor driving bus line connected to the photosensor;

a sensor driving circuit that supplies a sensor driving signal to the photosensor via the sensor driving bus line;

an amplifier circuit that amplifies sensor output that has been read out from the photosensor in accordance with the sensor driving signal, and outputs the amplified sensor output as a photosensor signal; and

a signal processing circuit that processes the photosensor signal that has been output from the amplifier circuit,

wherein the photosensor includes a photodiode, a capacitor that is connected to the photodiode, and at least one switching element,

the sensor driving bus line includes at least reset signal bus line that supplies a reset signal to the photosensor, and readout signal bus line that supplies a readout signal to the capacitor,

due to the sensor driving circuit switching ON the readout signal after a predetermined time has elapsed since switching ON the reset signal, a photosensor signal that is in accordance with an amount of light received by the photosensor in the predetermined time is output to the signal processing circuit,

and due to the sensor driving circuit changing the bias voltage of the capacitor, the capacitance of the capacitor is variable;

wherein the photosensor is provided in a pixel region of the active matrix substrate, the photosensor comprises one switching element, a cathode of the photodiode of the photosensor is connected to one electrode of the capacitor and the switching element, and an anode of the photodiode is connected to the reset signal bus line, the readout signal bus line is connected to the other electrode of the capacitor;

wherein in part of the period from when the reset signal is supplied until when the predetermined time has elapsed, a low level potential of the readout signal is equal to or lower than a low level potential of the reset signal; and

wherein when the reset signal is switched ON, the potential of the readout signal is equal to or higher than the low level potential of the readout signal.

13. A display device provided with an active matrix substrate, and comprising:

a photosensor provided on the active matrix substrate;

sensor driving bus line connected to the photosensor;

a sensor driving circuit that supplies a sensor driving signal to the photosensor via the sensor driving bus line;

an amplifier circuit that amplifies sensor output that has been read out from the photosensor in accordance with the sensor driving signal, and outputs the amplified sensor output as a photosensor signal; and

a signal processing circuit that processes the photosensor signal that has been output from the amplifier circuit,

wherein the photosensor includes a photodiode, a capacitor that is connected to the photodiode, and at least one switching element,

the sensor driving bus line includes at least reset signal bus line that supplies a reset signal to the photosensor, and readout signal bus line that supplies a readout signal to the capacitor,

due to the sensor driving circuit switching ON the readout signal after a predetermined time has elapsed since switching ON the reset signal, a photosensor signal that is in accordance with an amount of light received by the photosensor in the predetermined time is output to the signal processing circuit,

and due to the sensor driving circuit changing the bias voltage of the capacitor, the capacitance of the capacitor is variable;

wherein the photosensor is provided in a pixel region of the active matrix substrate, wherein the photosensor comprises a first switching element, a second switching element, and a third switching element, a cathode of the photodiode of the photosensor is connected to one electrode of the capacitor, a drain of the first switching element, and a gate of the second switching element, and an anode of the photodiode is kept at a first reference potential,

a source of the first switching element and a source of the second switching element are kept at a second reference potential,

a drain of the second switching element is connected to a source of the third switching element,

a gate of the third switching element is connected to the readout signal bus line, and

the other electrode of the capacitor is connected to a supply line for a mode signal that switches a dynamic range of the photosensor; and

wherein the supply line for the mode signal is connected to the second reference potential in at least part of the period from when the reset signal is supplied until when the predetermined time has elapsed, and outside the period, the supply line for the mode signal is connected to the first reference potential.