Touch-sensing display panel

• US 8,963,886 B2
• Filed: 01/16/2013
• Issued: 02/24/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 07/13/2011
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: FlatFrog Laboratories AB
• Original Assignee: FlatFrog Laboratories AB
• Inventors: Wassvik, Ola
• Primary Examiner(s): NGUYEN, JENNIFER T
• Application Number:
  US13/742,958
• Publication Number:
  US 20130127790A1
• Time in Patent Office: 769 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-178, 178 1801- 1901
• US Class Current: 345/175
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13338 Input devices, e.g. touch panels
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04109 FTIR in optical digitiser, i.e. touch detection by frustrating the total internal reflection within an optical waveguide due to changes of optical properties or deformation at the touch location
• 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 3/042 by opto-electronic means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0421 by interrupting or reflecting a light beam, e.g. optical touch-screen
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0428 by sensing at the edges of the touch surface the interruption of optical paths, e.g. an illumination plane, parallel to the touch surface which may be virtual sensing beam interruptions in a planar beam grid of an optical touch-screen G06F3/0421

Abstract

A touch-sensing display panel, comprising a plurality of image-forming pixel elements; a planar light guide with a first refractive index, having a front surface forming a touch-sensing region and an opposite rear surface facing the pixel elements; a plurality of light emitters arranged at a peripheral region of the panel to emit light into the light guide for propagation therein through total internal reflection; a plurality of light detectors disposed at the peripheral region for receiving light from the light guide; and an optical layer disposed at the rear surface of the light guide to cover a plurality of the image-forming pixel elements in at least a central region of the panel, wherein said optical layer is configured to reflect at least a part of the light from the emitters impinging thereon from within the light guide.

Claims

1. A touch-sensing display panel, comprising:

a plurality of image-forming pixel elements;

a planar light guide with a first refractive index, the planar light guide having a front surface forming a touch-sensing region and an opposite rear surface facing the plurality of image-forming pixel elements;

a plurality of light emitters arranged at a peripheral region of the touch-sensing display panel to emit light into the planar light guide for propagation therein through total internal reflection in at least the front surface;

a plurality of light detectors at the peripheral region for receiving light from the planar light guide; and

an optical layer at the rear surface of the planar light guide to cover image-forming pixel elements in at least a central region of the touch-sensing display panel,

wherein said optical layer is configured to reflect at least a part of the light from the plurality of light emitters impinging thereon from within the planar light guide,

wherein the optical layer has a second refractive index, which is less than the first refractive index, and

wherein an extension portion of the optical layer is arranged over the plurality of light emitters, said extension portion having a third refractive index, which is greater than the second refractive index.

2. The touch-sensing display panel of claim 1, wherein the third refractive index is greater than or equal to the first refractive index.

3. The touch-sensing display panel of claim 1, wherein the extension portion of the optical layer covers said peripheral region.

4. The touch-sensing display panel of claim 1, wherein the plurality of light emitters are coupled to emit light into the planar light guide, which light bypasses a main portion of the optical layer.

5. The touch-sensing display panel of claim 1, wherein said plurality of light emitters and said plurality of image-forming pixel elements are OLED elements.

6. The touch-sensing display panel of claim 1, wherein the plurality of light emitters are integrated with the plurality of image-forming pixel elements in the touch-sensing display panel.

7. The touch-sensing display panel of claim 1, wherein said plurality of light emitters are behind the plurality of image-forming pixel elements, and configured to emit light through the plurality of image-forming pixel elements and into the planar light guide.

8. The touch-sensing display panel of claim 1, wherein the extension portion of the optical layer is also arranged over the plurality of light detectors.

9. The touch-sensing display panel of claim 1, wherein said plurality of light detectors are coupled to receive light from the planar light guide, which light bypasses a main portion of the optical layer.

10. The touch-sensing display panel of claim 1, wherein said plurality of light detectors are OLED elements.

11. The touch-sensing display panel of claim 1, wherein the plurality of light detectors are integrated with the plurality of image-forming pixel elements in the touch-sensing display panel.

12. The touch-sensing display panel of claim 1, wherein the plurality of light detectors are functionally arranged in a number of detector subsets, wherein the light detectors of one subset are configured to operate as one larger area light detector.

13. The touch-sensing display panel of claim 1, wherein said plurality of light detectors and said plurality of image-forming pixel elements are stacked OLEDs, and wherein the plurality of light detectors are configured to detect light from the planar light guide through the plurality of image-forming pixel elements.

14. The touch-sensing display panel of claim 1, wherein at least one of said plurality of light detectors is behind a portion of the plurality of image-forming pixel elements.

15. The touch-sensing display panel of claim 1, further comprising:

a light output mechanism arranged to lead out light from the planar light guide to the plurality of light detectors.

16. The touch-sensing display panel of claim 1, wherein said planar light guide is a substrate of the touch-sensing display panel on which said plurality of image-forming pixel elements are formed, and said planar light guide is sealed at an edge portion to a cover on the opposing side of the plurality of image-forming pixel elements.

17. The touch-sensing display panel of claim 1, wherein said plurality of image forming pixel elements are on a substrate, which is sealed at an edge portion to a light guide cover, which is on the opposing side of the plurality of image-forming pixel elements.

18. The touch-sensing display panel of claim 1, wherein said plurality of image-forming pixel elements are configured to operate in the visible range, whereas the plurality of light emitters and plurality of light detectors are configured to operate in the IR range.

19. The touch-sensing display panel of claim 1, wherein a grid of propagation paths is defined across the touch-sensing region between pairs of the plurality of light emitters and plurality of light detectors.

20. The touch-sensing display panel of claim 1, further comprising:

an LCD unit having a central region controlled to operate as said plurality of image-forming pixel elements, and a peripheral region controlled to pass light from the planar light guide to the plurality of light detectors.

21. The touch-sensing display panel of claim 1, further comprising:

an LCD unit including a backlight, wherein the LCD unit is controlled to emulate said plurality of light emitters by passing light from the backlight through selected portions of the LCD unit.

22. An electronic device comprising:

the touch-sensing display panel of claim 1, and

a controller configured to cause the plurality of image-forming pixel elements to display information content within at least part of a touch surface while causing touch-sensor elements to provide touch sensitivity within said at least part of the touch surface.