Display device including a touch sensor

• US 9,086,751 B2
• Filed: 06/04/2009
• Issued: 07/21/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 12/19/2008
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: No, Sang-Yong, Cho, Young-Je
• Primary Examiner(s): Elahi, Towfiq
• Application Number:
  US12/478,162
• Publication Number:
  US 20100156847A1
• Time in Patent Office: 2,238 Days
• Field of Search: 345/104, 345273-175
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13312 Circuits comprising photodetectors for purposes other than feedback
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13338 Input devices, e.g. touch panels
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04164 Connections between sensors and controllers, e.g. routing lines between electrodes and connection pads
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0421 by interrupting or reflecting a light beam, e.g. optical touch-screen

Abstract

A display device includes; a first touch sensor, a second touch sensor disposed in proximity to the first touch sensor, a shade located on the second touch sensor wherein the shade controls intensity of incident light to the second touch sensor so that the second touch sensor receives a different intensity than the first touch sensor, and a reader which receives a first signal and a second signal from the first touch sensor and the second touch sensor, respectively and which analyzes the first signal and the second signal.

Claims

1. A display device comprising:

a first touch sensor;

a second touch sensor disposed in proximity to the first touch sensor;

a shade located on the second touch sensor wherein the shade controls intensity of incident light to the second touch sensor so that the second touch sensor receives the incident light transmitted through the shade having a different intensity than the incident light received by the first touch sensor;

a reader which receives a first signal and a second signal from the first touch sensor and the second touch sensor, respectively, and which analyzes the first signal and the second signal, and

a black matrix having a first transmittance window and a second transmittance window, wherein the first transmittance window is aligned with the first touch sensor and the second transmittance window is aligned with the second touch sensor,

wherein the shade is formed at the second transmittance window.

2. The display device of claim 1, wherein the shade includes a color filter layer.

3. The display device of claim 2, wherein the shade includes a combination of a plurality of color filter layers.

4. The display device of claim 1, the display device further comprising a plurality of pixel units arranged in a matrix pattern wherein the first touch sensor and the second touch sensor are located between individual pixel units of the plurality of pixel units.

5. The display device of claim 4, wherein the first touch sensor and the second touch sensor each comprise a photo sensor which senses incident light and a mechanical sensor which senses deformation of a liquid crystal layer.

6. A display device comprising:

a first touch sensor;

a second touch sensor disposed in proximity to the first touch sensor;

a shade located on the second touch sensor, wherein the shade controls intensity of incident light to the second touch sensor, so that the second touch sensor receives the incident light transmitted through the shade having a different intensity than the incident light received by the first touch sensor;

a black matrix having a first transmittance window and a second transmittance window, wherein the first transmittance window is aligned with the first touch sensor and the second transmittance window is aligned with the second touch sensor; and

a reader comprising;

a first detector which receives a first signal from the first touch sensor;

a second detector which receives the first signal and a second signal from the first touch sensor and the second touch sensor, respectively; and

a comparator which compares a third signal from the first detector and a fourth signal from the second detector,

wherein the shade is formed at the second transmittance window.

7. The display device of claim 6, the display device further comprising a plurality of pixel units arranged in matrix pattern wherein the first touch sensor and the second touch sensor are located between individual pixel units of the plurality of pixel units.

8. The display device of claim 6, wherein each of the first touch sensor and the second touch sensor comprise both a photo sensor which senses incident light and a mechanical sensor which senses deformation of a liquid crystal layer.

9. A display device having a plurality of pixel units arranged in a matrix, the display device comprising:

a first touch sensor comprising a first photo sensor;

a second touch sensor comprising a second photo sensor disposed in proximity to the first touch sensor;

a shade located on the second touch sensor, wherein the shade controls intensity of incident light to the second touch sensor, so that the second touch sensor receives the incident light transmitted through the shade having a different intensity than the incident light received by the first touch sensor,

a reader which receives a first signal and a second signal from the first touch sensor and the second touch sensor, respectively, and which analyzes the first and second signals; and

a black matrix having a first transmittance window and a second transmittance window, wherein the first transmittance window is aligned with the first touch sensor and the second transmittance window is aligned with the second touch sensor,

wherein the first touch sensor and the second touch sensor are located between individual pixel units of the plurality of pixel units, and

wherein the shade is formed at the second transmittance window.

10. The display device of claim 9, wherein at least one of the first touch sensor and the second touch sensor further comprises a mechanical sensor which senses deformation of a liquid crystal layer.

11. A display device comprising:

a first touch sensor;

a second touch sensor disposed in proximity to the first touch sensor;

a first read-out line electrically connected to the first touch sensor;

a shade located on the second touch sensor, wherein the shade controls intensity of incident light to the second touch sensor, so that the second touch sensor receives the incident light transmitted through the shade having a different intensity than the incident light received by the first touch sensor;

a second read-out line electrically connected to the second touch sensor;

a reader electrically connected to the first read-out line and the second read-out lines, wherein the reader receives a first signal and a second signal from the first touch sensor and the second touch sensor, respectively, and analyzes the first signal and the second signal;

a first supply line electrically connected to one of the first touch sensor and both the first touch sensor and the second touch sensor; and

a black matrix having a first transmittance window and a second transmittance window, wherein the first transmittance window is aligned with the first touch sensor and the second transmittance window is aligned with the second touch sensor,

wherein the first read-out line is located between the first supply line and the second touch sensor, and

wherein the shade is formed at the second transmittance window.

12. The display device of claim 11 further comprising a second supply line electrically connected to the second touch sensor, wherein the first supply line is electrically connected to the first touch sensor and the second read-out line is located between the second supply line and the first touch sensor.

13. The display device of claim 12, wherein the first touch sensor and the second touch sensor each comprise a photo sensor which senses incident light and a mechanical sensor which senses deformation of a liquid crystal layer.

14. The display device of claim 13, further comprising

a first switch operated by the photo sensor and the mechanical sensor of the first touch sensor and electrically connected to the first supply line;

and

a second switch operated by a gate signal and electrically connected to the first switch and the reader.

15. The display device of claim 14, wherein the mechanical sensor comprises a liquid crystal capacitor and a reference capacitor connected in series, wherein a capacitance of the liquid crystal capacitor varies according to a deformation of the liquid crystal layer.

16. The display device of claim 15, wherein the photo sensor is connected to a first electrode of the liquid crystal capacitor, and wherein the first electrode is directly connected to a second electrode of the reference capacitor.

17. The display device of claim 16, the display device further comprising a plurality of pixel units arranged in a matrix pattern wherein the first touch sensor and the second touch sensor are located between individual pixel units of the plurality of pixel units.

18. The display device of claim 11, wherein the first touch sensor and the second touch sensor each comprise at least one thin film transistor including at least one amorphous silicon layer pattern.

19. The display device of claim 18, wherein the first touch sensor and the second touch sensor are substantially identical to each other.

20. The display device of claim 19, the display device further comprising a plurality of pixel units arranged in a matrix pattern wherein the first touch sensor and the second touch sensor are located between individual pixel units of the plurality of pixel units.