Dual configuration for display data lines

• US 8,760,412 B2
• Filed: 08/21/2009
• Issued: 06/24/2014
• Est. Priority Date: 02/02/2009
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Original Assignee: Apple Inc.
• Inventors: Hotelling, Steven Porter, Yousefpor, Marduke, Chang, Shih Chang
• Primary Examiner(s): LEE, NICHOLAS J
• Application Number:
  US12/545,557
• Publication Number:
  US 20100194695A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,768 Days
• Field of Search: None
• US Class Current: 345/173
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04107 Shielding in digitiser, i.e. guard or shielding arrangements, mostly for capacitive touchscreens, e.g. driven shields, driven grounds
• 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: G09G 2310/0297 Special arrangements with multiplexing or demultiplexing of display data in the drivers for data electrodes, in a pre-processing circuitry delivering display data to said drivers or in the matrix panel, e.g. multiplexing plural data signals to one D/A converter or demultiplexing the D/A converter output to multiple columns
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3648 using an active matrix G09G3/367 - G09G3/3696 take precedence
• CPC Class Codes: G09G 3/3696 Generation of voltages supplied to electrode drivers

Abstract

A display having data lines that can be configured between a display mode and a touch mode is disclosed. The display can have sense regions for sensing a touch or near touch on the display during the touch mode. These same regions can display graphics or data on the display during the display mode. During display mode, the data lines in the sense regions can be configured to couple to display circuitry in order to receive data signals from the circuitry for displaying. During touch mode, the data lines in the sense regions can be configured to couple to corresponding sense lines in the regions, which in turn can couple to touch circuitry, in order to transmit touch signals to the circuitry for sensing a touch or near touch. Alternatively, during touch mode, the data lines in the sense regions can be configured to couple to ground in order to transmit residual data signals to ground for discarding.

Claims

1. A display device switchable between a display mode and a touch mode, the device comprising:

at least a first and second drive region, each having a plurality of display pixels having storage capacitors connected together along first and second, different directions by first and second common voltage lines;

a sense region positioned between the first and second drive regions, the sense region having a plurality of display pixels having storage capacitors connected together along the first and second directions by third and fourth common voltage lines,

the first common voltage lines of the first drive region electrically bypassing the sense region to couple to the first common voltage lines of the second drive region;

each display pixel of the sense region having a data line configured to transmit a display data signal and a sense line configured to transmit a touch signal, the sense line being distinct from the data line; and

a switch configured to switch the data line between a first configuration associated with a display mode and a second configuration associated with a touch mode,

wherein in the second configuration, the data line is coupled to the sense line, the sense line being coupled to a touch circuit in order to sense a touch or near touch on the device.

2. The device of claim 1, wherein the first configuration comprises the data line coupled to a display circuit of the device for sending the transmitted display data signal in order to display graphics or data on the device.

3. The device of claim 1, comprising:

the touch circuit configured to receive the touch signal from the sense line and a residual data signal from the data line during the touch mode in order to sense a touch or near touch on the device.

4. The device of claim 1, comprising:

the display circuit configured to send the display data signal to the data line during the display mode in order to display graphics or data on the device.

5. The device of claim 1, further comprising one or more other switches configured to couple the sense line to the touch circuit in the second configuration and to couple the sense line to receive a common voltage in the first configuration.

6. The device of claim 1 incorporated into at least one of a mobile telephone, a digital media player, or a personal computer.

7. A display device having a display mode and a touch mode, comprising:

at least a first and second drive region, each having a plurality of display pixels having storage capacitors connected together along first and second, different directions by first and second common voltage lines;

a sense region positioned between the first and second drive regions, the sense region having a plurality of display pixels having storage capacitors connected together along the first and second directions by third and fourth common voltage lines;

each of the plurality of display pixels of the sense region having a data line and a distinct sense line;

the first common voltage lines of the first drive region electrically bypassing the sense region to couple to the first common voltage lines of the second drive region;

wherein the data line is configured to couple to the sense line during a touch mode for reducing parasitic capacitance created by the data line.

8. The device of claim 7, comprising:

a switch configured to couple the data line to the sense line during the touch mode.

9. The device of claim 8, wherein the switch is configured to decouple the data line from the sense line during a display mode.

10. The device of claim 7, comprising:

a switch configured to couple the data line to a display circuit during a display mode.

11. The device of claim 10, wherein the switch is configured to decouple the data line from the display circuit during the touch mode.

12. A display device having a display mode and a touch mode, comprising:

a plurality of pixels, each of the plurality of pixels having a data line and a sense line, the sense line being distinct from the data line, wherein some of the data lines are configured to couple to a touch circuit to sense touch or near touch on the device during the touch mode and others of the data lines are configured to couple to ground during the touch mode for reducing parasitic capacitance created by the data line.

13. The device of claim 12, comprising:

one or more switches configured to couple the others of the data lines to ground during the touch mode to discard display data signals from the others of the data lines.

14. The device of claim 12, comprising:

one or more switches configured to couple the some and the others of the data lines to the display circuit during the display mode, the display circuit configured to send display data based on a display data signal to the coupled data lines.

15. The device of claim 12, wherein the sense line is coupled to the touch circuit during the touch mode, the touch circuit configured to sense a touch based on touch signals received from the coupled sense lines.

16. A method for configuring a display device having a display mode and a touch mode, the method comprising:

for a touch mode, switching some of a plurality of data lines corresponding to a plurality of pixels of the device to couple to a plurality of sense lines of the device and others of the plurality of data lines of the device to couple to ground, the plurality of sense lines being distinct from the some and the others of the plurality of data lines.

17. The method of claim 16, comprising:

for a display mode, switching the some and the others of the plurality of data lines to couple to a display circuit of the device.

18. The method of claim 16, comprising:

for the touch mode comprising the some of the plurality of data lines coupled to the plurality of sense lines, transmitting first signals from the plurality of sense lines with second signals from the some of the plurality of data lines to a touch circuit to sense a touch or near touch on the display device.

19. The method of claim 16, comprising:

for the touch mode comprising the others of the plurality of data line coupling to ground, transmitting a first signal from the others of the plurality of data lines to ground and a second signal from the plurality of sense lines to a touch circuit of the device to sense a touch or near touch on the device.

20. A method for switching a display device between a display mode and a touch mode, the method comprising:

determining whether a mode signal is associated with a display mode or a touch mode for a display device;

for the determined mode signal associated with the display mode, switching a data line of a pixel of the display device to couple to a display circuit of the display device; and

for the determined mode signal associated with the touch mode, switching the data line of the pixel of the display device to decouple from the display circuit of the display device and coupling the data line to a sense line, the sense line being distinct from the data line;

wherein the display device has a plurality of pixels with a plurality of sense lines and a plurality of data lines, the method comprising;

during the touch mode, coupling some of the plurality of data lines with some of the plurality of sense lines and decoupling the some of the plurality of data lines from the display circuitry.

21. The method of claim 20, comprising:

during the touch mode, switching others of the plurality of data lines to ground and decoupling the others of the plurality of data lines from the display circuitry.