Display device and electronic unit

• US 9,140,922 B2
• Filed: 04/30/2010
• Issued: 09/22/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 05/18/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Japan Display Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Japan Display Incorporated
• Inventors: Noguchi, Kouji, Ishizaki, Koji, Nakanishi, Takayuki, Takeuchi, Takeya, Teranishi, Yasuyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): Leiby, Christopher E
• Application Number:
  US12/771,759
• Publication Number:
  US 20100289765A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,971 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-178
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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 3/0445 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: G09G 3/3614 Control of polarity reversal in general
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3648 using an active matrix G09G3/367 - G09G3/3696 take precedence

Abstract

The display device with high detection accuracy includes: display pixel electrodes; a common electrode; a display function layer; a display control circuit performing image display control by applying a pixel voltage to each of the display pixel electrodes and applying a common drive voltage to the common electrode, the common drive voltage inverting in synchronization with a drive cycle of the image display control; a touch detection electrode cooperating with the common electrode to form a capacitor; and a touch detection circuit detecting an external proximity object, based on a detection signal obtained from the touch detection electrode in response to the common drive voltage applied to the common electrode. The touch detection circuit performs the detection operation in a inversion period following an inversion timing of the common drive voltage, based on both first and second detection signals obtained before and after the inversion timing, respectively.

Claims

1. A display device comprising:

a plurality of display pixel electrodes;

a common electrode facing the display pixel electrodes;

a display function layer having an image display function;

a display control circuit performing image display control by applying a pixel voltage to each of the display pixel electrodes and applying a common drive voltage periodically to the common electrode, the common drive voltage inverting in synchronization with a drive cycle of the image display control;

a touch detection electrode having a capacitance with the common electrode; and

a touch detection circuit performing a detection operation of detecting an external proximity object, based on a detection signal obtained from the touch detection electrode,

wherein the touch detection circuit performs the detection operation in a period of time following an inversion timing of the common drive voltage and only during a time preceding an image-signal writing operation, based on both a first detection signal obtained during a time after another image-signal writing operation and before the inversion timing, and a second detection signal obtained after the inversion timing and before an image-signal writing operation;

a first noise-eliminated detection signal is obtained by subtracting a predetermined first value from the first detection signal, a second noise-eliminated detection signal is obtained by subtracting a predetermined second value from the second detection signal; and

the touch detection circuit performing the detection operation to detect the external proximity object by comparing the first noise-eliminated detection signal and a predetermined threshold value, and further wherein the first noise-eliminated detection signal is a pre-inversion noise eliminated detection signal and the second noise-eliminated detection signal is a post-inversion noise eliminated detection signal and the first and second predetermined values are different from each other.

2. The display device according to claim 1, wherein

the touch detection circuit obtains a noise-eliminated detection signal through eliminating the post-inversion noise from the second detection signal, the post-inversion noise being caused by the image-signal writing operation for image display before the inversion timing and affecting the second detection signal, and then

the touch detection circuit performs the detection operation in the inversion period following the inversion timing with use of the noise-eliminated detection signal.

3. The display device according to claim 2, wherein

the touch detection circuit determines the pre-inversion noise, which is caused by the image-signal writing operation for image display before the inversion timing and affects the first detection signal, and then

the touch detection circuit obtains the noise-eliminated detection signal based on the determined pre-inversion noise.

4. The display device according to claim 3, wherein

the touch detection circuit determines the post-inversion noise based on the pre-inversion noise, and

the touch detection circuit obtains the noise-eliminated detection signal by subtracting the determined post-inversion noise from the second detection signal.

5. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the touch detection circuit obtains the first detection signal at a timing immediately before the inversion timing.

6. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the touch detection circuit performs the detection operation at timing preceding the image-signal writing operation for image display, in the inversion period following the inversion timing.

7. The display device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a circuit substrate with the display control circuit therein; and

an opposed substrate facing the circuit substrate,

wherein the display pixel electrodes are disposed on a side close to the opposed substrate, on the circuit substrate,

the common electrode is disposed on a side close to the circuit substrate, on the opposed substrate, and

the display function layer is disposed to be inserted between the display pixel electrode on the circuit substrate and the common electrode on the opposed substrate.

8. The display device according to claim 7, wherein the display function layer is a liquid crystal layer.

9. The display device according to claim 1, further comprising:

a circuit substrate with the display control circuit therein; and

an opposed substrate facing the circuit substrate,

wherein the common electrode and the display pixel electrode are stacked in order, with an insulating layer in between, on the circuit substrate, and

the display function layer is disposed to be inserted between the display pixel electrode on the circuit substrate and the opposed substrate.

10. The display device according to claim 9, wherein the display function layer is a liquid crystal layer which operates in a lateral-electric-field mode.

11. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the touch detection electrode is divided into a plurality of stripe-shaped electrode patterns.

12. The display device according to claim 11, wherein the display control circuit drives the plurality of electrode patterns in such a manner that a group of electrode patterns selected from the plurality of electrode patterns are driven at a time, selection of the group being sequentially shifted.

13. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the first detection signal is obtained from the detection electrode that is excited by the common electrode with a common drive voltage and the common drive voltage inverts in synchronization with a drive cycle of the image display.

14. An electronic unit comprising a display device with a touch sensor, the display device including:

a plurality of display pixel electrodes;

a common electrode facing the display pixel electrodes;

a display function layer having an image display function;

a display control circuit performing image display control by applying a pixel voltage to each of the display pixel electrodes and applying a common drive voltage to the common electrode, the common drive voltage periodically inverting in synchronization with a drive cycle of the image display control;

a touch detection electrode having a capacitance with the common electrode; and

a touch detection circuit performing a detection operation of detecting an external proximity object, based on a detection signal obtained from the touch detection electrode,

wherein the touch detection circuit performs the detection operation in a period of time following an inversion timing of the common drive voltage and only during a time preceding an image-signal writing operation, based on both a first detection signal obtained before the inversion timing and a second detection signal obtained after the inversion timing;

a first noise-eliminated detection signal is obtained by subtracting a predetermined first value from the first detection signal, a second noise-eliminated detection signal is obtained by subtracting a predetermined second value from the second detection signal; and

the touch detection circuit performing the detection operation to detect the external proximity object by comparing the first noise-eliminated detection signal, the second noise-eliminated detection signal and a predetermined threshold value, and further wherein the first noise-eliminated detection signal is a pre-inversion noise eliminated detection signal and the second noise-eliminated detection signal is a post-inversion noise eliminated detection signal and the first and second predetermined values are different from each other.