DISPLAY PANEL

• US 20110242014A1
• Filed: 08/10/2010
• Published: 10/06/2011
• Est. Priority Date: 04/02/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: E Ink Holdings Incorporated
• Original Assignee: E Ink Holdings Incorporated
• Inventors: Tsai, Yao-Chou, Hsiao, Po-Wen, Shinn, Ted-Hong, Huang, Sung-Hui
• Granted Patent: US 8,791,909 B2
• Time in Patent Office: Days
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0414 using force sensing means to determine a position

Abstract

A display panel is provided. The display panel comprises a first substrate, a second substrate, a display control circuit and a force sensing circuit. The display control circuit is disposed on the first substrate between the first substrate and the second substrate for controlling the display panel to display an image through the second substrate. The force sensing circuit is disposed side by side with the display control circuit on the first substrate between the first substrate and second substrate, wherein the force sensing circuit comprises a plurality of force sensing elements for sensing at least one external force and correspondingly generate a plurality of force signals respectively to transform at least one touch signal corresponding to the at least one external force.

Claims

1. A display panel, comprising:

a first substrate;

a second substrate;

a display control circuit, disposed on the first substrate between the first substrate and the second substrate, is configured to control the display panel to display an image through the second substrate; and

a force sensing circuit, disposed side by side with the display control circuit on the first substrate between the first substrate and the second substrate, wherein the force sensing circuit comprises a plurality of force sensing elements configured to sense at least one external force and correspondingly generate a plurality of force signals respectively to transform the force signals into at least one touch signal corresponding to the at least one external force.

2. The display panel as claimed in claim 1, wherein the display panel further comprises a passivation layer disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate, and the passivation layer is adapted to cover and protect the display control circuit and the force sensing circuit and transfer the at least one external force to the plurality of force sensing elements.

3. The display panel as claimed in claim 2, wherein the display panel comprises a plurality of pixels, and each of the force sensing elements is disposed in a corresponding one of the pixels.

4. The display panel as claimed in claim 2, wherein the display panel is a liquid crystal display (LCD) panel comprising a liquid crystal layer disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate.

5. The display panel as claimed in claim 4, wherein the LCD panel is one of a transmissive LCD panel and a reflective LCD panel.

6. The display panel as claimed in claim 2, wherein the display panel is an e-paper panel comprising a graphic display layer disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate.

7. The display panel as claimed in claim 6, wherein the e-paper panel is one of an electrophoretic display (EPD) panel, a quick response liquid powder display (QR-LPD) panel, an electrowetting display panel and a Cholesteric LCD (Ch-LCD) panel.

8. The display panel as claimed in claim 2, wherein the force sensing elements comprises a pressure sensitive and electrically conductive material.

9. The display panel as claimed in claim 8, wherein the pressure sensitive and electrically conductive material is selected from a group consisting of ethylene-propylene-diene monomer (EPDM) rubber, nitrile butadiene rubber (NBR), neoprene, silicone rubber and combinations thereof.

10. The display panel as claimed in claim 2, wherein the force sensing elements comprises a piezoelectric material.

11. The display panel as claimed in claim 10, wherein the piezoelectric material is selected from a group consisting of BaTiO₃, lead zirconate titanate (PZT), AlN and combinations thereof.

12. The display panel as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first substrate is a hard substrate.

13. The display panel as claimed in claim 12, wherein the hard substrate is made of a material selected from a group consisting of glass and metal materials.

14. The display panel as claimed in claim 2, wherein the first substrate is a flexible substrate.

15. The display panel as claimed in claim 14, wherein the flexible substrate is made of a material selected from a group consisting of polyimide (PI), polyethylene terephthalate, polyethylene naphthalate, aromatic polyamide, cycloolefin polymer, polysulfone, epoxy, polycarbonate, polymethyl methacrylate and combinations thereof.