Display device with integrated touch function

• US 9,176,616 B2
• Filed: 08/10/2011
• Issued: 11/03/2015
• Est. Priority Date: 08/19/2010
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Japan Display Incorporated
• Original Assignee: Japan Display Incorporated
• Inventors: Nakamura, Takashi, Tomita, Satoru, Fuchi, Masayoshi, Hayashi, Hirotaka, Imai, Takayuki, Okada, Takashi, Endo, Takahiko, Ishikawa, Miyuki, Tada, Masahiro, Saruhashi, Yasuo, Saito, Keiichi, Takahashi, Hideyuki
• Primary Examiner(s): REGN, MARK W
• Application Number:
  US13/206,818
• Publication Number:
  US 20120044176A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,546 Days
• Field of Search: 345/173, 345/174
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/04184 Synchronisation with the driving of the display or the backlighting unit to avoid interferences generated internally
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0443 using a single layer of sensing electrodes

Abstract

In one embodiment, a display device having a touch function includes an insulating substrate and a plurality of pixels formed on the insulating substrate and arranged in a matrix of rows and columns. The pixels form a plurality of pixel blocks formed of a plurality of rows and columns of the pixels. A sensor circuit is arranged in a space between adjacent pixels on the insulating substrate and includes a coupling electrode, a detection electrode arranged adjacent to the coupling electrode for forming a coupling capacitance therebetween, and a reading-out circuit to read out a potential of the detection electrode. At least one sensor circuit is arranged in each pixel block. The contact or non-contact by a fingertip or a nib is detected by a potential difference of the detection electrode.

Claims

1. A display device, comprising:

an insulating substrate;

a plurality of pixels formed on the insulating substrate and arranged in a matrix of rows and columns, the pixels forming a plurality of pixel blocks formed of a plurality of rows and columns of the pixels;

a sensor circuit arranged in a space between adjacent rows of pixels on the insulating substrate in each pixel block and including a coupling electrode, a detection electrode arranged adjacent to the coupling electrode for forming a coupling capacitance therebetween, and a reading-out circuit to read out a potential of the detection electrode;

a plurality of scanning lines extending along the pixels arranged in the row direction;

a plurality of signal lines extending along the pixels arranged in the column direction;

a driver circuit for writing an image signal into the respective pixels through the signal lines by driving the scanning lines in a period to drive the pixels, wherein the signal lines are used as a precharge line to supply a precharge voltage to the detection electrode and a reading-out line to read out the potential of the detection electrode in a driving period for driving the sensor circuit;

a coupling line extending in the column direction to change a potential of the coupling electrode, wherein a potential change of the detection electrode is read out by driving the coupling line; and

a peripheral circuit including a TCON, a microcomputer, a memory, an A/D converter, and a comparison circuit to compare an output signal of the sensor circuit with a reference voltage, wherein

each of the pixel blocks comprises a plurality of display pixel units respectively including a red display pixel, a green display pixel, and a blue display pixel, and arranged in the rows and columns,

the detection electrode extends in the row direction crossing a plurality of signal lines, and is formed integrally over the display pixels of the display pixel units arranged in the row direction in one block,

the detection electrode is arranged in a space between the adjacent rows of the display pixels,

the detection electrode in one block is electrically separated from the detection electrode arranged in an adjacent block in the row direction,

the detection electrode includes two ends extending in the row direction, and a coupling electrode is branched from the coupling line to extend in the row direction facing the two ends of the detection electrode, and

a contacted position is detected only by a magnitude of the coupling capacitance.

2. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the sensor circuit includes an amplification circuit to read out the potential of the detection electrode.

3. The display device according to claim 1, wherein the display device is formed of a liquid crystal display device or an organic electroluminescence display device.