Integrated touch screen

• US 9,134,560 B2
• Filed: 07/16/2013
• Issued: 09/15/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Hotelling, Steven Porter, Yousefpor, Marduke, Chang, Shih Chang, Zhong, John Z.
• Primary Examiner(s): Liang, Regina
• Application Number:
  US13/943,669
• Publication Number:
  US 20130300953A1
• Time in Patent Office: 791 Days
• Field of Search: 345/87, 345/90, 345/92, 345/104, 345/173, 345/174, 178/18.01, 178/18.03, 178/18.06, 349/12
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G02F 1/13338 Input devices, e.g. touch panels
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04103 Manufacturing, i.e. details related to manufacturing processes specially suited for touch sensitive devices
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/041 Digitisers, e.g. for touch screens or touch pads, characterised by the transducing means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• 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 3/04184 Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally
• 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

Abstract

Displays with touch sensing circuitry integrated into the display pixel stackup are provided. An integrated touch screen can include multi-function circuit elements that can operate as circuitry of the display system to generate an image on the display, and can also form part of a touch sensing system that senses one or more touches on or near the display. The multi-function circuit elements can be, for example, capacitors in display pixels that can be configured to operate as storage capacitors/electrodes, common electrodes, conductive wires/pathways, etc., of the display circuitry in the display system, and that may also be configured to operate as circuit elements of the touch sensing circuitry.

Claims

1. A touch screen having an integrated display, the touch screen comprising:

a plurality of display pixels, each having a corresponding circuit element;

a plurality of first lines, each including at least a first plurality of circuit elements of the display pixels connected to one another along both a first direction and a second direction;

a plurality of second lines including at least a second plurality of circuit elements of the display pixels; and

a plurality of touch regions, each touch region formed by ones of the first plurality of circuit elements and ones of the second plurality of circuit elements that are adjacent the ones of the first plurality of circuit elements.

2. The touch screen as recited in claim 1, wherein the touch screen further comprises:

a plurality of gate lines connected to the plurality of display pixels; and

a plurality of data lines connected to the plurality of display pixels.

3. The touch screen as recited in claim 2, wherein the corresponding circuit element of each of the plurality of display pixels comprises a common electrode.

4. The touch screen as recited in claim 3, wherein

a first pixel type of display pixels includes the first conductive layer connected to the corresponding circuit element of the first pixel type and electrically connected to at least an adjacent first pixel type along both a positive and a negative first direction and a positive and a negative second direction, the plurality of first lines including at least pixels of the first pixel type, and

the touch screen further comprising:

a second pixel type which includes the first conductive layer connected to the corresponding circuit element of the second pixel type and electrically connected at least to an adjacent second pixel type along all but one or all but two of;

(1) the positive first direction, (2) the negative first direction, (3) and the positive second direction and (4) the negative second direction, the plurality of first lines including at least pixels of the second pixel type.

5. The touch screen as recited in claim 4, further comprising:

a third pixel type which includes the first conductive layer connected to the corresponding circuit element of the third pixel type and electrically connected at least to an adjacent third pixel type along all or along all but one of;

(1) the positive first direction, (2) the negative first direction, (3) the positive second direction and

     4) the negative second direction, the first conductive layer of the third pixel type connected to a tunnel formed by a second conductive layer; and

a fourth pixel type which includes the first conductive layer connected to the corresponding circuit element of the fourth pixel type and electrically connected at least to an adjacent fourth pixel type along all or along all but one of;

(1) the positive first direction, (2) the negative first direction, (3) the positive second direction, and (4) the negative second direction, the fourth pixel type having the tunnel formed by the second conductive layer, and the first conductive layer of the fourth pixel type not connected to the tunnel of the fourth pixel type, the tunnel of the fourth pixel type connected to the tunnel of an adjacent fourth pixel type, and wherein

the plurality of one of the first or second lines including at least pixels of the third and fourth pixel types.

6. The touch screen as recited in claim 5, wherein the circuit elements arranged along the positive and negative first direction form one of rows or columns and the circuit elements arranged along the positive and negative second direction form the other or rows or columns and the number of tunnels in each of the first lines is less than the number of the one of rows or columns of circuit elements.

7. The touch screen as recited in claim 1, wherein the plurality of second lines further includes the first conductive layer connecting the second plurality of circuit elements to one another along both a positive and a negative first direction and a positive and a negative second direction.

8. A touch screen having an integrated display, the touch screen comprising:

a plurality of display pixels, each having a corresponding circuit element;

a plurality of first lines connecting a first plurality of circuit elements to one another along both a positive and a negative first direction and a positive and a negative second direction;

a plurality of second lines disposed transverse to the first lines and including at least a second plurality of circuit elements of the display pixels;

a plurality of touch pixels formed by adjacent ones of the plurality of first lines and the plurality of second lines;

the plurality of display pixels including;

a first pixel type electrically connected to at least to an adjacent first pixel type along (1) a positive first direction, (2) a negative first direction, (3) a positive second direction and (4) a negative second direction, the plurality of first lines including at least pixels of the first pixel type and the plurality of second lines including at least pixels of the first pixel type; and

a second pixel type which electrically connected at least to an adjacent second pixel type along all but one or all but two of;

(1) the positive first direction, (2) the negative first direction, (3) the positive second direction and (4) the negative second direction; and

wherein each of the plurality of first lines includes circuit elements of the display pixels arranged along the positive and negative first direction and the positive and negative second direction.

9. The touch screen as recited in claim 8, wherein the circuit elements arranged along the positive and negative first direction form one of rows or columns and the circuit elements arranged along the positive and negative second direction form the other of rows or columns.

10. The touch screen as recited in claim 8, further comprising a plurality of grounded circuit elements of display pixels positioned between first lines or between first lines and second lines.

11. A touch screen integrated with a display, the touch screen comprising:

a plurality of display pixels arranged along first and second directions, each display pixel having at least one circuit element;

a plurality of first lines, each including at least one two dimensional first regions comprising a plurality of display pixels disposed along the first direction, circuit elements of display pixels within each first region electrically connected together along the first and second directions;

a plurality of second lines, each including at least one two dimensional second region comprising others of the plurality of display pixels, each of the plurality of second lines disposed along the second direction, crossing the first direction, circuit elements of display pixels within each second region electrically connected together along at least one of the first and second directions;

a plurality of touch or near-touch responsive regions formed by the plurality of first lines and the plurality of second lines;

a two dimensional second region of one of the plurality of second lines interposed between first and second adjacent first regions of a given first line;

a tunnel electrically connecting together at least some circuit elements of the first and second adjacent first regions of the given first line while electrically bypassing circuit elements of the interposed second region of the one of the plurality of second lines.

12. The touch screen as recited in claim 11, wherein each of the plurality of second lines includes circuit elements of the display pixels arranged along the first and second directions.

13. The touch screen as recited in claim 11, wherein the display comprises a liquid crystal display, and wherein the circuit elements of the display pixels comprise common electrodes of the liquid crystal display.

14. The touch screen as recited in claim 13, wherein a conductive layer interconnects at least some of the common electrodes of the liquid crystal display within the first region along both the first and second directions, and the conductive layer interconnects at least some of the common electrodes of the liquid crystal display within the second region along both the first and second directions.

15. The touch screen as recited in claim 11, wherein the tunnel comprises a plurality of tunnels, and the number of the plurality of tunnels is less than the number of the plurality of first lines.

16. The touch screen as recited in claim 15, wherein the first regions of circuit elements includes individual common electrodes for each of the plurality of display pixels within the first regions.

17. The touch screen as recited in claim 15, wherein the first regions and the second regions of circuit elements includes individual common electrodes for each of the plurality of display pixels within the first regions and the second regions.

18. The touch screen as recited in claim 17, wherein the tunnel comprises a plurality of tunnels, and the number of the plurality of tunnels is less than the number of the plurality of first lines.