Integrated touch screen

• US 8,363,027 B2
• Filed: 06/19/2012
• Issued: 01/29/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Hotelling, Steven Porter, Yousefpor, Marduke, Chang, Shih Chang, Zhong, John Z.
• Primary Examiner(s): Liang, Regina
• Application Number:
  US13/527,470
• Publication Number:
  US 20120262406A1
• Time in Patent Office: 224 Days
• Field of Search: 345/87, 345/88, 345/90, 345/103, 345/104, 345173-179, 178/18.01, 178/18.03, 178/18.05, 178/18.06, 349/12
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13338 Input devices, e.g. touch panels
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04166 Details of scanning methods, e.g. sampling time, grouping of sub areas or time sharing with display driving Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally G06F3/04184
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04184 Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes

Abstract

Displays with touch sensing circuitry integrated into the display pixel stackup are provided. An integrated touch screen can include multi-function circuit elements that can operate as circuitry of the display system to generate an image on the display, and can also form part of a touch sensing system that senses one or more touches on or near the display. The multi-function circuit elements can be, for example, capacitors in display pixels that can be configured to operate as storage capacitors/electrodes, common electrodes, conductive wires/pathways, etc., of the display circuitry in the display system, and that may also be configured to operate as circuit elements of the touch sensing circuitry.

Claims

1. A stackup of a plurality of display pixels, the stackup comprising:

first, second, third and fourth, and fifth regions each having a plurality of display pixels, the plurality of display pixels having circuit elements, the first, second, third and fourth, and fifth regions arranged in order along a first direction; and

wherein;

circuit elements of the display pixels in the first region being electrically connected together;

circuit elements of the display pixels in the fifth region being electrically connected together;

the second region disposed between the first and third regions and comprising a grounding region;

the fourth region disposed between the third and fifth regions and comprising a grounding region;

wherein at least one conductive pathway connects circuit elements of the first region to circuit elements of the fifth region wherein the at least one conductive pathway is disposed across the display pixels of the second, third and fourth regions without electrically connecting to the circuit elements of the second, third or fourth regions.

2. The stackup of claim 1, wherein the at least one conductive pathway is disposed under at least a portion of the circuit elements of the display pixels.

3. The stackup of claim 1, further comprising:

a plurality of gate lines;

a plurality of data lines, the plurality of data lines electrically insulated from the plurality of gate lines; and

wherein the circuit elements of the first region are electrically connected together by first conductive lines, and the circuit elements of the fifth region are electrically connected together by second conductive lines, and

the first conductive lines and the second conductive lines are electrically insulated from the plurality of gate lines and the plurality of data lines.

4. The stackup of claim 1, wherein first conductive lines are disposed alone the first and a second direction, and the second conductive lines are disposed along the first and second directions.

5. The stackup of claim 4, wherein the circuit elements of the display pixels in the third region are electrically connected at least along the second direction.

6. The stackup of claim 1, wherein the first and fifth regions comprise drive regions, the third region comprises a sense region.

7. The stackup of claim 1, wherein the second and fourth regions include conductors that connect circuit elements of display pixels within the second and fourth regions to a common ground.

8. The stackup of claim 7, wherein the common ground is an AC ground.

9. A stackup of a plurality of display pixels, the stackup comprising:

first, second, third and fourth, and fifth regions each having a plurality of display pixels, the plurality of display pixels having circuit elements, the first, second, third and fourth, and fifth regions arranged in order along a first direction; and

wherein;

circuit elements of the display pixels in the first region being electrically connected together;

circuit elements of the display pixels in the fifth region being electrically connected together;

the second region disposed between the first and third regions and comprising means for reducing static capacitance between the first and third regions;

the fourth region disposed between the third and fifth regions and comprising means for reducing static capacitance between the third and fifth regions;

wherein at least one conductive pathway connects circuit elements of the first region to circuit elements of the fifth region wherein the at least one conductive pathway is disposed across the display pixels of the second, third and fourth regions without electrically connecting to the circuit elements of the second, third or fourth regions.

10. The stackup of claim 9, wherein the means for reducing static capacitance between the first and third region and the means for reducing static capacitance between the third and fifth regions comprises conductors for grounding circuit elements of plural display pixels within the second and third regions.

11. The stackup of claim 9, wherein each display pixel comprises a pixel electrode and a common electrode disposed in a fringe field switching arrangement.

12. A touch screen integrated with a display comprising:

a plurality of display pixels having circuit elements, the display pixels arranged along first and second directions;

a plurality of drive lines including circuit elements of some of the plurality of display pixels disposed along the first direction and including at least a first and fifth regions of display pixels;

a plurality of sense lines including circuit elements of others of the plurality of display pixels disposed at least along the second direction, crossing the first direction and forming a third region of display pixels, the third region disposed between the first and fifth regions along the first direction;

a conducting member for interconnecting at least some of the circuit elements of the first region;

a conducting member for interconnecting at least some of the circuit elements of the fifth region;

a second region of display pixels being distinct from display pixels of the first, third and fifth regions, the second region disposed between the first and third regions along the first direction and comprising a first grounding region;

a fourth region of display pixels being distinct from the first, second, third and fifth regions, the fourth region disposed between the third and fifth regions along the first direction and comprising a second grounding region; and

a conductor electrically connecting at least some circuit elements of the first region with at least some circuit elements of the fifth region, the conductor disposed across and electrically bypassing circuit elements of the second, third and fourth regions of circuit elements.

13. The touch screen as recited in claim 12, wherein each of the plurality of drive lines includes circuit elements of the display pixels arranged along the first and second directions and each of the plurality of sense lines includes circuit elements of the display pixels arranged along the first and second directions.

14. The touch screen as recited in claim 12, wherein the display comprises a liquid crystal display.

15. The touch screen as recited in claim 14, wherein the circuit elements of the display pixels of the first, second, third, fourth and fifth regions comprise common electrodes of the liquid crystal display.

16. The touch screen as recited in claim 14, wherein the conducting member for interconnecting at least some of the circuit elements of the first region interconnects common electrodes of the liquid crystal display within the first region along both the first and second directions and the conducting member for interconnecting at least some of the circuit elements of the fifth region interconnects common electrodes of the liquid crystal display within the fifth region along both the first and second directions.

17. The touch screen as recited in claim 12, wherein

display pixels within the first, second, third, fourth and fifth regions are configured to operate as display pixels during a display mode of operation;

at least some of the display pixels within the first and third regions are configured to be capacitively coupled together during a touch sensing mode of operation;

at least some of the display pixels within the third and fifth regions are configured to be capacitively coupled together during the touch sensing mode of operation; and

circuit elements within the third region are coupled to capacitance measuring circuitry during the touch sensing mode of operation.

18. A computer system comprising:

a processor;

a memory;

a display system including

display circuitry that includes a plurality of circuit elements within display pixels, the display pixels grouped into a plurality of first, second and third regions, and

a display controller;

a touch sensing system including

touch sensing circuitry that includes the plurality of circuit element, a plurality of first regions serving as drive regions, the plurality of second regions serving as sense regions and the plurality of third regions serving as grounding regions;

the first, second and third regions arranged in repeated order of a drive region, a grounding region, a sense region and a grounding region along a first direction;

a conducting member for electrically connecting circuit elements of a plurality of first regions, the conducting member disposed across and electrically bypassing the second and third regions;

the circuit elements of each of the first regions being electrically connected together along the first direction and along a second direction; and

a touch controller.

19. The computer system as recited in claim 18, wherein the circuit elements of each of the third regions are electrically connected together along the first direction and along the second direction.

20. A method of manufacturing an integrated touch screen having a plurality of display pixels, and circuit elements of the display pixels, the method comprising:

forming a first line segment in a first, drive region of the touch screen, the first region including plural display pixels and the first line segment interconnecting circuit elements of the display pixels in the first region;

forming a second line segment in a second, drive region of the touch screen that is separated from the first region by a third, sense region and a fourth and fifth grounding regions of the touch screen, the second, third, fourth and fifth regions including plural display pixels, and the second line segment interconnecting circuit elements of the display pixels in the second region; and

forming a conductive pathway between the first and second regions, the conductive pathway disposed across display pixels the third, fourth and fifth regions without making electrical contact to the circuit elements within the third, fourth and fifth regions, the conductive pathway electrically connecting the first line segment and the second line segment.

21. The method of claim 20, wherein the circuit elements comprise common electrodes of the display pixels.

22. A touch screen having a plurality of display pixels, and circuit elements of the display pixels, the touch screen comprising:

a first conductive member in a first, drive region of the touch screen, the first region including plural display pixels and the first conductive member interconnecting circuit elements of the display pixels in the first region;

a second conductive member in a second, drive region of the touch screen that is separated from the first region by a third, sense region and a fourth and fifth grounding regions of the touch screen, the second, third, fourth and fifth regions including plural display pixels, and the second conductive member interconnecting circuit elements of the display pixels in the second region; and

a conductive pathway between the first and second regions, the conductive pathway passing disposed across pixels the third, fourth and fifth regions without making electrical contact to the circuit elements within the third, fourth and fifth regions, the conductive pathway electrically connecting the first conductive member and the second conductive member.

23. The method of claim 22, wherein the circuit elements comprise common electrodes of the display pixels.