Touch sensitive IPS liquid crystal display

• US 8,471,828 B2
• Filed: 09/10/2009
• Issued: 06/25/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 06/19/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: TPK Touch Solutions (Xiamen) Inc. (TPK Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: TPK Touch Solutions (Xiamen) Inc. (TPK Holding Co., Ltd.)
• Inventors: Liu, Chen-Yu
• Primary Examiner(s): Haley, Joseph
• Assistant Examiner(s): LEE, NICHOLAS J
• Application Number:
  US12/557,514
• Publication Number:
  US 20100321327A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,384 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-176
• US Class Current: 345/174
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13338 Input devices, e.g. touch panels
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/134363 for applying an electric field parallel to the substrate, i.e. in-plane switching [IPS]
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04111 Cross over in capacitive digitiser, i.e. details of structures for connecting electrodes of the sensing pattern where the connections cross each other, e.g. bridge structures comprising an insulating layer, or vias through substrate
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 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
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/045 using resistive elements, e.g. a single continuous surface or two parallel surfaces put in contact

Abstract

A touch sensitive in-plane switching (IPS) liquid crystal display (LCD) includes a liquid crystal layer, an active-matrix transistor layer with an electrode pair, a color filter substrate, and a sensing electrode layer. The sensing electrode layer may be disposed above or below the color filter substrate, and the sensing electrode layer may include two parts that are disposed above and below the color filter layer respectively.

Claims

1. A touch sensitive in-plane switching (IPS) liquid crystal display (LCD), comprising:

a liquid crystal layer;

an active-matrix transistor substrate disposed below the liquid crystal layer;

an electrode pair positioned or set on the active-matrix transistor substrate, the electrode pair comprising a pixel electrode disposed below the liquid crystal layer and a common electrode disposed below the liquid crystal layer, wherein a laterally horizontal electric field is generated between the pixel electrode and the common electrode for controlling orientation of liquid crystals of the liquid crystal layer in an IPS display mode;

a color filter substrate disposed above the liquid crystal layer;

a sensing electrode layer disposed between the color filter substrate and the liquid crystal layer; and

a black matrix layer disposed between the liquid crystal layer and the sensing electrode layer, wherein the black matrix layer performs as a shielding layer for preventing an electric interference between the liquid crystal layer and the sensing electrode layer.

2. The display of claim 1, wherein the sensing electrode layer comprises:

a first-axis electrode layer comprising a plurality of first sensing electrodes, wherein a first;

connecting conductive line is connected between the neighboring first sensing electrodes along a first axis; and

a second-axis electrode layer comprising a plurality of second sensing electrodes, wherein a second connecting conductive line is connected between the neighboring second sensing electrodes along a second axis;

wherein the first connecting conductive line is electrically insulated from the corresponding second connecting conductive line.

3. The display of claim 2 wherein the first connecting conductive line is made of a metal material or ITO.

4. The display of claim 2, wherein the first-axis electrode layer or the second-axis electrode layer is made of a transparent conductive material.

5. The display of claim 1, wherein the sensing electrode layer includes a multiple electrode layer or a single electrode layer.

6. The display of claim 2, wherein the first-axis electrode layer and the second-axis electrode layer are disposed on different levels respectively, and an insulating layer is inserted between the first-axis electrode layer and the second-axis electrode layer.

7. The display of claim 6, wherein the insulating layer between the first-axis electrode layer and the second-axis electrode layer is a color resist layer.

8. The display of claim 2, wherein the first sensing electrodes and the second sensing electrodes disposed on a same level;

and an isolation island is formed or set into an overlapping area between the first connecting conductive line and the second connecting conductive line in order to electrically insulate the first connecting conductive line from the second connecting conductive line.

9. The display of claim 8, wherein the isolation island is a color resist layer.

10. The display of claim 2, wherein the first sensing electrodes and the second sensing electrodes are disposed on a same level;

and an insulating layer electrically insulates the first connecting conductive line from the second connecting conductive line, wherein a via hole is formed in the insulating layer used for communicating the first sensing electrodes therebetween, and the first connecting conductive line electrically connects with the first sensing electrodes through the via hole.

11. The display of claim 10, wherein the insulating layer is a color resist layer.

12. The display of claim 1, wherein the sensing electrode layer comprises a plurality of sensing electrodes that are spaced apart from each other and arranged in parallel along one axis, wherein two ends of each of the sensing electrodes are coupled to a conductive line.

13. The display of claim 12, wherein the electric resistivity value of each of the sensing electrodes is lower than the electric resistivity value of the conductive line.

14. The display of claim 1, wherein the sensing electrode layer comprises:

a plurality of elongated first sensing electrodes that are spaced apart from each other in parallel along a first axis; and

a plurality of elongated second sensing electrodes that are spaced apart from each other in parallel along as second axis;

wherein the elongated first sensing electrodes are electrically insulated from the elongated second sensing electrodes.

15. The display of claim 1, further comprising a dielectric layer disposed between the sensing electrode layer and the black matrix layer.

16. The display of claim 15, wherein the black matrix layer includes a mesh structure.