DISPLAY DEVICE AND CONTROL METHOD OF THE SAME

• US 20080231606A1
• Filed: 10/30/2007
• Published: 09/25/2008
• Est. Priority Date: 03/23/2007
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.
• Inventors: Moon, Seung-hwan
• Granted Patent: US 9,063,602 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0414 using force sensing means to determine a position
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/044 by capacitive means
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/047 using sets of wires, e.g. crossed wires

Abstract

A display device includes a display panel including a plurality of pixels, a sensing electrode generating a sensing signal in response to an external stimulus, a sensing line connected to the sensing electrode, a sensing driver connected to the sensing line, receiving the sensing signal from the sensing line and storing the sensing signal as a specific register value, and outputting a position pulse according to the specific register value, and a signal controller determining a position of the external stimulus based on the position pulse and a predetermined clock signal.

Claims

1. A display device comprising:

a display panel comprising a plurality of pixels;

a sensing electrode generating a sensing signal in response to an external stimulus;

a sensing line connected to the sensing electrode;

a sensing driver connected to the sensing line, receiving the sensing signal from the sensing line and storing the sensing signal as a specific register value, and outputting a position pulse according to the specific register value; and

a signal controller determining a position of the external stimulus on the display panel based on the position pulse and a predetermined clock signal.

2. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the sensing signal comprises a predetermined electric signal;

and the sensing driver stores the predetermined electric signal as the specific register value if the predetermined electric signal is greater than a preset reference value.

3. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the signal controller outputs a sensing scan signal to the sensing driver, and the sensing driver scans the sensing line while being synchronized with the sensing scan signal and the predetermined clock signal.

4. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the position pulse comprises a high range corresponding to a part of the display panel where the external stimulus is applied to the display panel.

5. The display device according to claim 4, wherein the signal controller determines a position of the sensing line scanned by synchronizing with a third clock signal corresponding to a third count value calculated by the following Equation 1,

where a first count value refers to a count value of a first clock signal defined by when the sensing scan signal is output to when the high range of the position pulse starts, and a second count value refers to a count value of a second clock signal during the high range:

Third count value=first count value+(second count value/2).  

 

[Equation 1]

6. The display device according to claim 5, wherein the sensing driver comprises a driving chip disposed along a side of the display panel.

7. The display device according to claim 6, wherein the driving chip comprises a first driving chip and a second driving chip disposed adjacent to the first driving chip, the first driving chip and the second driving chip being connected to a plurality of sensing lines, respectively, and

the signal controller determines that the external stimulus is applied in a position of a third sensing line disposed at a middle point of a position of a first sensing line included in a first high range, and a position of a second sensing line included in a second high range, if the first high range of a first position pulse output from the first driving chip and the second high range of a second position pulse output from the second driving chip are successive.

8. The display device according to claim 6, wherein the sensing line comprises a Y sensing line extending in a first direction and transmitting a Y position information of a position where the external stimulus is applied on the display panel, and an X sensing line extending in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction and transmitting an X position information of the position where the external stimulus is applied, and

the sensing driver comprises a Y sensing driving chip connected to the Y sensing line, and an X sensing driving chip connected to the X sensing line.

9. The display device according to claim 4, wherein the signal controller calculates a decimal count value of a binary code corresponding to a sum of a first code and a third code, and determines a position of the sensing line scanned by synchronizing with a clock signal of the decimal count value, if the first code refers to a binary code of a first count value of a clock signal from when the sensing scan signal is output to when the high range of the position pulse starts, a second code refers to a binary code of a second count value of a clock signal during the high range, and the third code refers to a binary code where one lowest code is deleted from the second code.

10. The display device according to claim 9, wherein the sensing driver comprises a driving chip disposed along a side of the display panel.

11. The display device according to claim 10, wherein the driving chip comprises a first driving chip and a second driving chip disposed adjacent to the first driving chip, the first driving chip and the second driving chip being connected to a plurality of sensing lines, respectively, and

the signal controller determines that the external stimulus is applied in a position of a third sensing line disposed at a middle point of a position of a first sensing line included in a first high range and a position of a second sensing line included in a second high range if the first high range of a first position pulse output from the first driving chip and the second high range of a second position pulse output from the second driving chip are successive.

12. The display device according to claim 10, wherein the sensing line comprises a Y sensing line extending in a first direction and transmitting a Y position information of a position where the external stimulus is applied on the display panel, and an X sensing line extending in a second direction substantially perpendicular to the first direction and transmitting an X position information of a position where the external stimulus is applied, and

the sensing driver comprises a Y sensing driving chip connected to the Y sensing line, and an X sensing driving chip connected to the X sensing line.

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

a gate line and a data line crossing the gate line, the gate line and the data line being formed on the display panel;

a gate driving chip applying a gate signal to the gate line; and

a data driving chip applying a data signal to the data line, wherein the sensing driver is mounted in the gate driving chip or the data driving chip.

14. A control method of a display device which comprises a plurality of pixels and a plurality of sensing lines, the method comprising:

receiving a sensing signal from the sensing lines;

storing the sensing signal as a specific register value;

outputting a position pulse comprising a high range corresponding to a part where a stimulus is applied to the display device according to the specific register value;

determining a position where the stimulus is applied on a basis of the position pulse and a predetermined clock signal.

15. The control method according to claim 14, further comprising scanning the sensing lines synchronizing with a predetermined sensing scan signal and the predetermined clock signal before the storing a specific register value.

16. The control method according to claim 14, wherein the sensing signal comprises a predetermined electric signal, and the storing a register value comprises storing the predetermined electric signal as the specific register value if the predetermined electric signal is greater than a preset reference value.

17. The control method according to claim 14, wherein the determining the position comprises:

defining a first count value where a clock signal is counted from when the predetermined sensing scan signal is output to when the high range of the position pulse starts;

defining a second count value where a clock signal is counted during the high range; and

calculating a third count value by the following Equation 1, and determining a position of the sensing lines scanned by synchronizing with a clock signal corresponding to the third count value;

[Equation 1] Third count value=first count value+(second count value/2).

18. The control method according to claim 17, wherein the display device comprises a first driving chip and a second driving chip disposed adjacent to the first driving chip, the first driving chip and the second driving chip being connected to the plurality of sensing lines, respectively,

and the determining a position determines that the stimulus is applied in a position of a third sensing line disposed at a middle point of a position of a first sensing line included in a first high range, and a position of a second sensing line included in a second high range, if the first high range of a first position pulse output from the first driving chip and the second high range of a second position pulse output from the second driving chip are successive.

19. The control method according to claim 14, wherein the determining a position comprises:

determining a first count value where a clock signal is counted from when the predetermined sensing scan signal is output to when the high range of the position pulse starts and the first count value is converted into a binary code;

determining a second count value where a clock signal is counted during the high range and the second count value is converted into a binary code; and

calculating a decimal value of a binary code corresponding to a sum of a first code and a third code and determining a position of the sensing lines scanned by synchronizing with a clock signal of the decimal count value if the first code refers to the binary code of the first count value, a second code refers to the binary code of the second count value, and the third code refers to a binary code that one lowest code is deleted from the second code.

20. The control method according to claim 19, wherein the display device comprises a first driving chip and a second driving chip disposed adjacent to the first driving chip, the first driving chip and the second driving chip being connected to the plurality of sensing lines, respectively, and

the determining a position determines that the stimulus is applied in a position of a third sensing line disposed at a middle point of a position of a first sensing line included in a first high range, and a position of a second sensing line included in a second high range, if the first high range of a first position pulse output from the first driving chip and the second high range of a second position pulse output from the second driving chip are successive.