Display device including sensor

• US 9,170,687 B2
• Filed: 05/22/2012
• Issued: 10/27/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 01/04/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Lee, Byoung Jun, Moon, Seung Hwan, Kim, Chul, Kim, Ji Woong, Park, Su Bin
• Primary Examiner(s): Wang, Quan-Zhen
• Assistant Examiner(s): DICKE, CHAD M
• Application Number:
  US13/477,247
• Publication Number:
  US 20130169587A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,253 Days
• Field of Search: 345173-178, 178 1801- 2001
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes

Abstract

A display device includes: a first display panel; a second display panel opposite to the first display panel; and an electro-optical active layer between the first display panel and the second display panel, wherein the first display panel includes a thin film transistor including a gate electrode, a source electrode, a drain electrode and a semiconductor layer, a gate line configured to transmit a gate signal to the gate electrode of the transistor and extending in a first direction, and a sensing electrode extending in the first direction and overlapping the gate line, where the sensing electrode and the gate electrode define a capacitor.

Claims

1. A display device comprising:

a first display panel including;

a thin film transistor comprising;

a gate electrode;

a source electrode;

a drain electrode; and

a semiconductor layer;

a gate line configured to transmit a gate signal to the gate electrode of the thin film transistor and extending in a first direction and a width of the gate line is varied along the first direction; and

a sensing electrode extending in the first direction and entirely overlapping the gate line along an entire length of the sensing electrode in the first direction, wherein a planar shape of the entire sensing electrode directly overlapping the gate line is substantially the same as the planar shape of the overlapped gate line and a size of the planar shape of the entire sensing electrode is larger than the corresponding planar shape of the entirely overlapped gate line in a plan view,

wherein the sensing electrode overlapping the gate electrode defines a capacitor;

a second display panel opposite to the first display panel; and

an electro-optical active layer between the first display panel and the second display panel; and

a touch signal processor configured to process a sensing signal outputted from the sensing electrode,

wherein the sensing signal is generated from the gate signal and transmitted through the capacitor.

2. The display device of claim 1, wherein the first display panel comprises:

a plurality of gate lines extending in the first direction; and

a plurality of sensing electrodes extending in the first direction,

wherein the number of the sensing electrodes is less than half the number of the gate lines.

3. The display device of claim 2, wherein the plurality of sensing electrodes comprises:

a first sensing electrode; and

a second sensing electrode neighboring the first sensing electrode,

wherein at least n gate lines of the gate lines are positioned between the first sensing electrode and the second sensing electrode, and

wherein n is a natural number.

4. The display device of claim 1, wherein

the sensing electrode is connected to a charge amplifier.

5. The display device of claim 4, wherein

the charge amplifier comprises:

a non-inversion terminal which is grounded;

an inversion terminal connected to the sensing electrode; and

an output terminal,

wherein a capacitor is connected between the inversion terminal and the output terminal.

6. The display device of claim 1, wherein

a plane shape of the gate line and the gate electrode is substantially the same as the plane shape of the sensing electrode.

7. The display device of claim 1, wherein

the sensing electrode comprises a transparent conductive material.

8. The display device of claim 7, wherein

the sensing electrode has a single-layer structure.

9. The display device of claim 1, wherein the first display panel comprises:

a plurality of gate lines extending in the first direction;

a plurality of sensing electrodes extending in the first direction; and

a sensing signal line connected to the plurality of sensing electrodes,

wherein the sensing signal line transmits a sensing signal, and

wherein the plurality of sensing electrodes are connected to each other by the sensing signal line.

10. The display device of claim 9, wherein

the first display panel comprises a plurality of touch sensor units disposed substantially in a matrix shape, and

the plurality of touch sensor units is connected to the sensing signal line.

11. The display device of claim 10, further comprising:

a touch signal processor configured to process the sensing signal,

wherein the touch signal processor is connected to the sensing signal line.

12. The display device of claim 1, wherein the sensing electrode extending in the first direction and overlapping the gate line extends along at least a substantial length of the gate line.

13. A display device comprising:

a plurality of gate lines configured to transmit a gate signal, wherein the plurality of gate lines comprises a plurality of gate electrodes, and the plurality of gate lines extends in a first direction; and

a touch sensor unit configured to capacitively sense a touch thereon, wherein the touch sensor unit comprises a plurality of sensing electrodes configured to define a plurality of capacitors along with the plurality of gate electrodes directly overlapped by respective sensing electrodes in which a planar shape of the entire respective sensing electrodes are larger than a corresponding planar shape of the entirely overlapped gate line along an entire length of the sensing electrodes extending in the first direction in a plan view, the touch sensor unit configured to process a sensing signal outputted from the sensing electrodes, wherein the sensing signal is generated from the gate signal and transmitted through the capacitors,

wherein the number of the plurality of sensing electrodes is less than half the number of the plurality of gate lines.

14. The display device of claim 13, wherein the plurality of sensing electrodes comprise:

a first sensing electrode; and

a second sensing electrode neighboring the first sensing electrode,

wherein at least n gate lines are positioned between the first sensing electrode and the second sensing electrode, and

wherein n is a natural number.

15. The display device of claim 13, wherein

the plurality of sensing electrodes comprises a transparent conductive material.

16. The display device of claim 15, wherein

each of the plurality of sensing electrodes has a single-layer structure.

17. The display device of claim 13, wherein

the plurality of sensing electrodes is connected to each other by a sensing signal line.

18. The display device of claim 17, further comprising:

a touch signal processor configured to process a sensing signal transmitted through the sensing signal.

19. The display device of claim 13, wherein the sensing electrode extending in the first direction and overlapping the gate line extends along at least a substantial length of the gate line.