Integrated Touch Screen
First Claim
1. A stackup of a plurality of display pixels, the stackup comprising:
- a first layer of conductive material including gate lines;
a second layer of conductive material including data lines;
a third layer of conductive material including first conductive lines in a first direction, each of the first conductive lines including a plurality of first line portions extending through plural display pixels and separated from each other by disconnections; and
second conductive lines in a second direction transverse to the first direction, each of the second conductive lines including a plurality of second line portions extending through plural display pixels and separated from each other by disconnections,wherein circuit elements of the display pixels in a first region are electrically connected together in the first direction by a first plurality of the first line portions, and the circuit elements of the display pixels in the first region are electrically connected together in the second direction by a first plurality of the second line portions.
1 Assignment
0 Petitions
Accused Products
Abstract
Displays with touch sensing circuitry integrated into the display pixel stackup are provided. Circuit elements, such as touch signal lines, such as drive lines and sense lines, grounding regions, in the display pixel stackups can be grouped together to form touch sensing circuitry that senses a touch on or near the display. 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.
377 Citations
43 Claims
-
1. A stackup of a plurality of display pixels, the stackup comprising:
-
a first layer of conductive material including gate lines; a second layer of conductive material including data lines; a third layer of conductive material including first conductive lines in a first direction, each of the first conductive lines including a plurality of first line portions extending through plural display pixels and separated from each other by disconnections; and second conductive lines in a second direction transverse to the first direction, each of the second conductive lines including a plurality of second line portions extending through plural display pixels and separated from each other by disconnections, wherein circuit elements of the display pixels in a first region are electrically connected together in the first direction by a first plurality of the first line portions, and the circuit elements of the display pixels in the first region are electrically connected together in the second direction by a first plurality of the second line portions. - View Dependent Claims (2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9)
-
-
10. A touch screen integrated with a display comprising:
-
a plurality of display pixels arranged along first and second directions; a plurality of drive lines including some of the plurality of display pixels disposed along the first direction; a plurality of sense lines including others of the plurality of display pixels disposed along the second direction, crossing the first direction; each of the plurality of drive lines including first groups of circuit elements of the plurality of display pixels; each of the plurality of sense line including a second group of circuit elements of the plurality of display pixels; a conductive layer interconnecting at least some of the circuit elements of one of the first groups along, or substantially parallel to, at least the first direction within a first region defined by a portion of at least one of the plurality of drive lines; the conductive layer further interconnecting at least some of the circuit elements of the second group along, or parallel to, at least the second direction within a second region defined by at least a portion of at least one of the plurality of sense lines; the first region and the second region electrically disconnected in the conductive layer; and a drive tunnel conductive layer electrically connecting at least some circuit elements of one the first groups with circuit elements of another of the first groups, the drive tunnel conductive layer passing generally through or under the display pixels of the sense lines but electrically bypassing circuit elements of the second group of circuit elements. - View Dependent Claims (11, 12, 13, 14)
-
-
15. A touch screen integrated with a display comprising:
-
a plurality of display pixels; a plurality of drive lines, each having a plurality of circuit elements of the display pixels; a plurality of sense lines disposed transverse to the drive lines and including a plurality of circuit elements of the display pixels; each of the plurality of display pixels having a corresponding circuit element, the plurality of display pixels including; a first pixel type which includes a first conductive layer connected to the corresponding circuit element of the first pixel type and electrically connected to at least to an adjacent first pixel type along both a positive and a negative first direction and a positive and a negative second direction; a second pixel type which includes the first conductive layer connected to the corresponding circuit element of the second pixel type and electrically connected to at least to an adjacent second pixel type along all but one or all but two of the positive and negative first direction and the positive and negative second direction; a third pixel type which includes the first conductive layer connected to the corresponding circuit element of the third pixel type and electrically connected to at least to an adjacent third pixel type along all or along all but one of the positive and negative first direction and the positive and negative second direction, the first conductive layer of the third pixel type connected to a drive tunnel formed by a second conductive layer separated from the first conductive layer by one or more insulating layers; 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 to at least to an adjacent fourth pixel type along all or along all but one of the positive and negative first direction and the positive and negative second direction, the fourth pixel type having a drive tunnel formed by the second conductive layer, and the first conductive layer of the fourth pixel type not connected to the drive tunnel of the fourth pixel type, the drive tunnel of the fourth pixel type connected to the drive tunnel of an adjacent fourth pixel type. - View Dependent Claims (16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22)
-
-
23. A touch screen having a plurality of touch pixels responsive to a touch or near touch of the touch screen wherein each touch pixel comprises:
-
a first group of display pixels forming part of a drive line; a second group of display pixels, adjacent the first group of display pixels along a first direction and forming part of a sense line; a third group of display pixels adjacent the second group of display pixels along the first direction and forming another part of the drive line, a drive tunnel connecting the first and third groups of display pixels while bypassing the second group of display pixels; and conductors electrically connecting the first group of display pixels along, or substantially parallel to, the first direction and along a second, different direction, and electrically connecting the third group of display pixels along, or substantially parallel to, the first direction and along, or substantially parallel to, the second direction; wherein the first, second and third groups are disposed along the first direction and wherein each of the first, second and third groups comprises display pixels arranged along, or substantially parallel to, both the first direction and along, or substantially parallel to, the second direction. - View Dependent Claims (24, 25)
-
-
26. A touch screen comprising:
-
display circuitry including a first circuit element of a display pixel and a connection to a display driver; and touch sensing circuitry including a first conductive line including the first circuit element, and a second conductive line that includes two conductive line portions electrically connected together by a conductive pathway that includes a second circuit element of the display pixel, wherein one of the first and second conductive lines is a drive line of the touch sensing circuitry, and the other conductive line is a sense line of the touch sensing circuitry. - View Dependent Claims (27, 28, 29, 30, 31)
-
-
32. A computer system comprising:
-
a processor; a memory; a display system including display circuitry that includes a plurality of circuit elements within display pixels, and a display controller; and a touch sensing system including touch sensing circuitry that includes the plurality of circuit elements grouped into a plurality of first regions and a plurality of second regions, wherein electrically conductive pathways through the second regions connect a plurality of first regions while bypassing the second regions, and a touch controller.
-
-
33. A computer system comprising:
-
a processor; a memory; and an integrated touch screen including a first display pixel including a connection layer of conductive material that connects a circuit element of the display pixel to the connection layer of one or more adjacent display pixels, a second display pixel including a connection that connects the connection layer of the second display pixel and a second layer of conductive material, wherein the second layer of the second display pixel connects to the second layer of an adjacent display pixel, and a third display pixel including the second layer without a connection between the second layer of the third display pixel and the connection layer of the third display pixel, wherein the second layer of the third display pixel connects to two or more adjacent display pixels.
-
-
34. A method of manufacturing an integrated touch screen stackup, the method comprising:
forming a segmented touch signal line including a first line segment in a first region of the touch screen, a second line segment in a second region of the touch screen that is separated from the first region by a third region of the touch screen, and a conductive pathway running through the third region and connecting the first line segment and the second line segment. - View Dependent Claims (35, 36, 37, 38, 39, 40, 41, 42, 43)
Specification