Display apparatus

• US 9,092,103 B2
• Filed: 03/15/2013
• Issued: 07/28/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Hwang, Seongmo, Park, Jihong, Lee, Il Ho, Nam, Seungho, Choi, Moonsung, Kim, Incheol
• Primary Examiner(s): Abdin, Shaheda
• Application Number:
  US13/844,211
• Publication Number:
  US 20140062943A1
• Time in Patent Office: 865 Days
• Field of Search: 382/188, 345173-174, 345/178, 345/179, 178/18.01, 178/18.03, 178/19.03, 178/20.1, 455/56
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04101 2.5D-digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface and also measures the distance of the input means within a short range in the Z direction, possibly with a separate measurement setup
• 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 2203/04112 Electrode mesh in capacitive digitiser: electrode for touch sensing is formed of a mesh of very fine, normally metallic, interconnected lines that are almost invisible to see. This provides a quite large but transparent electrode surface, without need for ITO or similar transparent conductive material
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• 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 display apparatus includes a display panel that displays an image during a display period and detects a touch event during a non-display period. The display panel includes a plurality of common electrodes and a plurality of data lines capacitively coupled to the common electrodes during the non-display period. Coordinate information of a position at which the touch event occurs is calculated on the basis of a capacitance variation of the common electrodes and the data lines.

Claims

1. A display apparatus comprising:

a display panel that includes a first substrate providing a touch surface, wherein the display panel displays an image during a display period, and detects a touch event during a non-display period; and

a touch sensor configured to calculate a coordinate information of a position at which the touch event occurs,

wherein the display panel comprises;

a plurality of common electrodes that receive a reference voltage during the display period and receive sensing signals during the non-display period, the common electrodes being extended in a first direction; and

a plurality of data lines that receive data voltages during the display period, the data lines being extended in a second direction crossing the first direction, and a portion of the data lines being capacitively coupled to the common electrodes during the non-display period, wherein the data lines include a first data line group that receives the data voltages during the display period and applies a capacitance variation received from the display panel during the non-display period; and

a second data line group that receives the data voltages during the display period and are alternately arranged with the first data line group.

2. The display apparatus of claim 1, further comprising a plurality of gate lines disposed on the first substrate and extended in the first direction,

wherein the plurality of common electrodes and the plurality of data lines are disposed on the first substrate.

3. The display apparatus of claim 2, further comprising:

a first driving controller that applies the data voltages to the display panel during the display period and applies the capacitance variation received from the display panel to the touch sensor during the non-display period; and

a second driving controller that applies the reference voltage to the display panel during the display period and applies the sensing signals to the display panel during the non-display period.

4. The display apparatus of claim 3, wherein the second driving controller comprises a plurality of CMOS transistors electrically connected to the common electrodes.

5. The display apparatus of claim 4, wherein the display panel further comprises a plurality of common lines respectively connected to the common electrodes.

6. The display apparatus of claim 5, wherein the common lines are disposed on a same layer as the gate lines.

7. The display apparatus of claim 5, wherein the CMOS transistors are respectively connected to the common lines.

8. The display apparatus of claim 7, wherein each of the CMOS transistors comprises an n-type transistor and a p-type transistor, a control electrode of the n-type transistor and a control electrode of the p-type transistor commonly receive a switching signal, one of the n-type transistor and the p-type transistor is turned on in accordance with a level of the switching signal, and the other one of the n-type transistor and the p-type transistor is turned off in accordance with the level of the switching signal.

9. The display apparatus of claim 8, wherein input and output electrodes of the n-type transistor and input and output electrodes of the p-type transistor are commonly connected to a corresponding common line of the common lines, one of the n-type transistor and the p-type transistor applies the reference voltage to the common lines, and the other one of the n-type transistor and the p-type transistor applies the sensing signals to the common lines.

10. The display apparatus of claim 2, further comprising a plurality of pixels each connected to a corresponding gate line of the gate lines and a corresponding data line of the data lines.

11. The display apparatus of claim 10, wherein the display panel comprises a liquid crystal layer disposed between the first substrate and a second substrate facing the first substrate.

12. The display apparatus of claim 11, wherein each of the pixels comprises:

a thin film transistor connected to the corresponding gate line and the corresponding data line; and

a pixel electrode connected to the thin film transistor.

13. The display apparatus of claim 12, wherein the pixel electrode is disposed on a layer different from a layer on which the common electrodes are disposed.

14. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the first driving controller comprises a first switching part connected to the first data line group and a second switching part connected to the second data line group.

15. The display apparatus of claim 4, wherein the second switching part comprises a plurality of transistors respectively connected to the data lines included in the second data line group, the plurality of transistors provides the data voltages with the data lines included in the second data line group during the display period, and the plurality of transistors electrically opened to the data lines included in the second data line group during the non-display period.

16. The display apparatus of claim 4, wherein the first switching part comprises a plurality of switches respectively connected to the data lines included in the first data line group, the plurality of switches provides the data voltages with the data lines included in the first data line group during the display period, and the plurality of switches transfers the capacitance variation from the data lines included in the first data line group to the first driving controller.

17. The display apparatus of claim 16, wherein each of the plurality of switches comprises a CMOS transistor.

18. The display apparatus of claim 17, wherein the CMOS transistor comprises an n-type transistor and a p-type transistor, a control electrode of the n-type transistor and a control electrode of the p-type transistor commonly receive a switching signal, one of the n-type transistor and the p-type transistor is turned on in accordance with a level of the switching signal, and the other one of the n-type transistor and the p-type transistor is turned off in accordance with the level of the switching signal.

19. The display apparatus of claim 18, wherein input and output electrodes of the n-type transistor and input and output electrodes of the p-type transistor are commonly connected to a corresponding data line of the first data line group, one of the n-type transistor and the p-type transistor applies the data voltages to the display panel, and the other one of the n-type transistor and the p-type transistor applies the capacitance variation in the display panel to the touch sensor.

20. A display apparatus comprising:

a display panel that includes a first substrate providing a touch surface, wherein the display panel displays an image during a display period, and detects a touch event during a non-display period; and

a touch sensor that calculates a coordinate information of a position at which the touch event occurs,

wherein the display panel comprises;

a plurality of gate lines disposed on the first substrate and extended in a first direction;

a plurality of first common electrodes that receives a reference voltage during the display period and the non-display period and is extended in a second direction crossing the first direction;

a plurality of second common electrodes that receives the reference voltage during the display period and receives sensing signals during the non-display period; and

a plurality of data lines that receives data voltages during the display period, a portion of the data lines being capacitively coupled to the second common electrodes during the non-display period,

wherein the second common electrodes are divided into a plurality of groups arranged in the second direction, each of the groups comprises n (n is an integer number equal to or greater than

     2) discrete second common electrodes, and the n discrete second common electrodes are electrically connected to each other and arranged in the first direction.

21. The display apparatus of claim 20, further comprising:

a first driving controller that applies the data voltages to the display panel during the display period, and applies a capacitance variation received from the display panel to the touch sensor during the non-display period; and

a second driving controller that applies the reference voltage to the display panel during the display period and applies the sensing signals to the display panel during the non-display period.

22. The display apparatus of claim 21, wherein the data lines comprise:

a first data line group overlapped with the first common electrodes; and

a second data line group overlapped with the second common electrodes.

23. The display apparatus of claim 22, wherein the first driving controller comprises a switching part connected to the first data line group and the switching part comprises a plurality of CMOS transistors respectively connected to the data lines included in the first data line group.

24. The display apparatus of claim 21, wherein the display panel further comprises a plurality of first common lines respectively corresponding to the groups of the second common electrodes, and each of the first common lines is connected to the n second common electrodes of corresponding group of the second common electrodes.

25. The display apparatus of claim 24, wherein the second driving controller comprises a plurality of CMOS transistors respectively connected to the first common lines.

26. The display apparatus of claim 24, wherein the first common lines are disposed on a same layer as the gate lines.

27. The display apparatus of claim 25, wherein the display panel further comprises at least one second common line to electrically connect the first common electrodes.

28. The display apparatus of claim 21, further comprising a plurality of pixels each connected to a corresponding gate line of the gate lines and a corresponding data line of the data lines.