Display device

• US 8,487,901 B2
• Filed: 11/24/2009
• Issued: 07/16/2013
• Est. Priority Date: 11/26/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Panasonic Intellectual Property Corporation of America (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Hitachi Displays Limited (Japan Display Incorporated), Panasonic Liquid Crystal Display Company Limited (Panasonic Holdings Corporation)
• Inventors: Hayakawa, Kouji, Nagata, Koji, Mamba, Norio, Kumagai, Toshiyuki, Sekiguchi, Shinji, Anno, Kouichi, Furuhashi, Tsutomu
• Primary Examiner(s): Edun, Muhammad N
• Application Number:
  US12/624,434
• Publication Number:
  US 20100134440A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,330 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/174
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0445 using two or more layers of sensing electrodes, e.g. using two layers of electrodes separated by a dielectric layer
• 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 3/0447 Position sensing using the local deformation of sensor cells

Abstract

The display device is provided with X electrodes XP and Y electrodes YP which cross with a first insulating layer in between and a number of Z electrodes which are electrically floating from each other with a second insulating layer in between. The Z electrodes are arranged so that each Z electrode overlaps both an adjacent X electrode and Y electrode. The pad portion of a first X electrode has such a form that the area is maximum in the vicinity of the fine wire portion of the first X electrode and the area is minimum in the vicinity of the fine wire portion of an adjacent second X electrode, and the area of the pad portion is smaller towards the direction in which the distance increases away from the vicinity of the fine wire portion of the first X electrode. A pulse signal is sequentially applied to one set of X electrodes or Y electrodes.

Claims

1. A display device having a capacitance touch panel, characterized in that

said capacitance touch panel comprises a number of X electrodes, a number of Y electrodes, and a number of Z electrodes,

said X electrodes and said Y electrodes cross with a first insulating layer in between and are formed so that respective pad portions and fine wire portions are aligned alternately in the direction in which the electrodes extend, and thus, the pad portions of said X electrodes and the pad portions of said Y electrodes are aligned without overlapping as viewed in a plane,

said Z electrodes are formed with a second insulating layer in between so that each Z electrode overlaps both an adjacent X electrode and Y electrode as viewed in a plane,

said number of Z electrodes are electrically floating,

a third insulating layer is formed over the Z electrodes, and

a pulse signal is sequentially applied to one set of said X electrodes or Y electrodes and a change in the signal is detected from the other set of electrodes.

2. The display device according to claim 1, characterized in that the thickness of said second insulating layer changes when pressure is applied.

3. The display device according to claim 1, characterized in that said second insulating layer is formed of an elastic insulating material.

4. The display device according to claim 1, characterized in that

the pad portion of a first X electrode extends to the vicinity of the fine wire portion of a second X electrode which is adjacent to the first X electrode,

the pad portion of the first X electrode has such a form that the area is minimum in the vicinity of the fine wire portion of said second X electrode and the area is maximum in the vicinity of the fine wire portion of the first X electrode as viewed in a plane, and

the area of the pad portion is smaller towards the vicinity of the fine wire portion of said second X electrode from the vicinity of the fine wire portion of the first X electrode.

5. The display device according to claim 1, characterized in that

the pad portion of a first X electrode extends to the vicinity of the fine wire portion of two second X electrodes which are adjacent to the first X electrode,

the form of the pad portion of said first X electrode is such that the width of the electrode is minimum in the vicinity of the fine wire portions of said two second X electrodes and the width of the electrode is maximum in the vicinity of the fine wire portion of the first X electrode as viewed in a plane,

the form of the pad portions of said Y electrodes is such that the width in the direction in which said X electrodes extend is constant relative to the direction in which said Y electrodes extend as viewed in a plane, and

the pad portions of said X electrodes and the pad portions of said Y electrodes are aligned alternatively in the direction in which said X electrodes extend as viewed in a plane.

6. The display device according to claim 1, characterized in that the form of the pad portions of said X electrodes is such that the pad portion is tapered towards an adjacent X electrode.

7. The display device according to claim 1, characterized in that the form of the pad portions of said X electrodes is such that the pad portion is tapered towards an adjacent X electrode and has a recess facing another adjacent X electrode.

8. The display device according to claim 1, characterized in that said Z electrodes are divided by a number of slits in the direction in which said X electrodes extend and divided by a number of slits in the direction in which said Y electrodes extend.

9. The display device according to claim 1, characterized in that said Z electrodes are divided by a number of slits in the direction in which said X electrodes extend, and the slits in said Z electrodes, which are in the direction in which said Y electrodes extend, are provided so that there is one slit in each Y electrode and one slit in each X electrode as viewed in a plane.

10. The display device according to claim 1, characterized in that said Z electrodes are divided by a number of slits in the direction in which said X electrodes extend, and the slits in said Z electrodes, which are in the direction in which said Y electrodes extend, are provided so that there is one slit in each Y electrode as viewed in a plane.

11. The display device according to claim 1, characterized in that said Z electrodes are divided by a number of slits in the direction in which said X electrodes extend, and the slits in said Z electrodes, which are in the direction in which said Y electrodes extend, are provided so that there is one slit in each X electrode as viewed in a plane.

12. A display device having a capacitance touch panel for detecting the coordinates of a touched point on the display region in a capacitance coupling system, characterized in that

said capacitance touch panel comprises a number of X electrodes, a number of Y electrodes, and a Z electrode,

said X electrode and said Y electrodes cross with a first insulating layer in between and are respectively formed such that pad portions and fine wire portions are alternately aligned in the direction in which the electrodes extend, and the pad portions of said X electrodes and the pad portions of said Y electrodes are arranged so as to not overlap as viewed in a plane,

said Z electrode is formed with a second insulating layer in between so as to overlap both said number of X electrodes and said number of Y electrodes as viewed in a plane,

said Z electrode is electrically floating,

a third insulating layer is formed over the Z electrode, and

a pulse signal is sequentially applied to one set of said X electrodes and said Y electrodes and a change in the signal from the other set of electrodes is detected.

13. The display device according to claim 12, characterized in that said Z electrode has a high resistance.

14. The display device according to claim 12, characterized in that said Z electrode is an electrode in a solid sheet form.

15. A display device having a capacitance touch panel for detecting the coordinates of a touched point on the display region in a capacitance coupling system, characterized in that

said capacitance touch panel comprises a number of X electrodes, a number of Y electrodes, and a number of Z electrodes or one Z electrode,

said X electrodes and said Y electrodes cross with a first insulating layer in between and are respectively formed so that pad portions and fine wire portions are alternately aligned in the direction in which the electrodes extend, and the pad portions of said X electrodes and the pad portions of said Y electrodes are arranged so as not to overlap as viewed in a plane,

said Z electrodes or Z electrode are formed so as to overlap both said X electrodes and said Y electrodes with a second insulating layer in between as viewed in a plane,

a third insulating layer is formed over said Z electrodes or Z electrode,

said number of Z electrodes or one Z electrode is electrically floating,

said second insulating layer is formed of a gas so that the volume changes when pressure is applied, and

a pulse signal is sequentially applied to one set of said X electrodes and said Y electrodes and a change in the signal from the other set of electrodes is detected.

16. The display device according to claim 15, characterized in that said second insulating layer is air.