Display apparatus

• US 9,335,857 B2
• Filed: 06/17/2015
• Issued: 05/10/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 09/04/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Original Assignee: Samsung Display Company Limited (Samsung Electronics Co. Ltd.)
• Inventors: Choi, Moonsung, Kim, Incheol, Hwang, Seongmo, Park, Jihong, Lee, Il Ho, Nam, Seungho
• Primary Examiner(s): Abdin, Shaheda
• Application Number:
  US14/742,554
• Publication Number:
  US 20150286329A1
• Time in Patent Office: 328 Days
• US Class Current: 1/1
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04101 2.5D-digitiser, i.e. digitiser detecting the X/Y position of the input means, finger or stylus, also when it does not touch, but is proximate to the digitiser's interaction surface and also measures the distance of the input means within a short range in the Z direction, possibly with a separate measurement setup
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04111 Cross over in capacitive digitiser, i.e. details of structures for connecting electrodes of the sensing pattern where the connections cross each other, e.g. bridge structures comprising an insulating layer, or vias through substrate
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 2203/04112 Electrode mesh in capacitive digitiser: electrode for touch sensing is formed of a mesh of very fine, normally metallic, interconnected lines that are almost invisible to see. This provides a quite large but transparent electrode surface, without need for ITO or similar transparent conductive material
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0412 Digitisers structurally integrated in a display
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0416 Control or interface arrangements specially adapted for digitisers
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes
• CPC Class Codes: G06F 3/045 using resistive elements, e.g. a single continuous surface or two parallel surfaces put in contact

Abstract

A display apparatus includes a display panel that displays an image during a display period and detects a touch event during a non-display period. The display panel includes a plurality of common electrodes and a plurality of data lines capacitively coupled to the common electrodes during the non-display period. Coordinate information of a position at which the touch event occurs is calculated on the basis of a capacitance variation of the common electrodes and the data lines.

Claims

1. A display apparatus comprising:

a display panel that includes a first substrate comprising an upper part on which a touch event that occurs, a second substrate disposed under the first substrate, and a liquid crystal layer disposed between the first substrate and the second substrate; and

a touch sensor that calculates coordinate information of a position at which the touch event occurs,

wherein the first substrate comprises;

a base substrate;

a plurality of common electrodes disposed under the base substrate, the plurality of common electrodes receiving a reference voltage during a display period and receiving touch sensing signals during a non-display period;

a plurality of pixel electrodes overlapping with the plurality of common electrodes;

a plurality of data lines; and

a plurality of gate lines extending in a direction crossing the plurality of data lines;

wherein the plurality of data lines comprises;

first data line groups that intersect with the plurality of common electrodes, the first data line groups receiving first data voltages during the display period and being capacitively coupled to the plurality of common electrodes during the non-display period; and

second data line groups that are alternately arranged with the first data line groups and receive second data voltages during the display period.

2. The display apparatus of claim 1, wherein the plurality of pixel electrodes are disposed under the plurality of common electrodes.

3. The display apparatus of claim 2, wherein each of the plurality of pixel electrodes includes a plurality of slits.

4. The display apparatus of claim 1, further comprising:

a first driving controller that applies the first and second data voltages to the display panel during the display period and applies a capacitance variation that occurs between the plurality of common electrodes and the first data line groups to the touch sensor during the non-display period; and

a second driving controller that applies the reference voltage to the display panel during the display period and applies the touch sensing signals to the display panel during the non-display period.

5. The display apparatus of claim 4, wherein the first driving controller comprises a first switching part connected to data lines included in the first data line groups and a second switching part connected to data lines included in the second data line groups.

6. The display apparatus of claim 5, wherein the first switching part comprises a plurality of first switching devices respectively connected to the data lines included in the first data line groups, the plurality of first switching devices provides the first data voltages to the data lines included in the first data line groups during the display period, and the plurality of first switching devices transfers the capacitance variation from the data lines included in the first data line groups to the first driving controller.

7. The display apparatus of claim 6, wherein each of the plurality of first switching devices comprises a CMOS transistor.

8. The display apparatus of claim 7, wherein the CMOS transistor comprises an n-type transistor and a p-type transistor, a control electrode of the n-type transistor and a control electrode of the p-type transistor commonly receive a switching signal, one of the n-type transistor and the p-type transistor is turned on in accordance with a level of the switching signal, and the other one of the n-type transistor and the p-type transistor is turned off in accordance with the level of the switching signal.

9. The display apparatus of claim 8, wherein an output electrode of the n-type transistor and an input electrode of the p-type transistor are commonly connected to a corresponding data line of the first data line groups, one of the n-type transistor and the p-type transistor applies the first data voltages to the display panel, and the other one of the n-type transistor and the p-type transistor applies the capacitance variation to the touch sensor.

10. The display apparatus of claim 8, wherein an input electrode of the n-type transistor and an output electrode of the p-type transistor are commonly connected to a corresponding data line of the first data line groups, one of the n-type transistor and the p-type transistor applies the first data voltages to the display panel, and the other one of the n-type transistor and the p-type transistor applies the capacitance variation to the touch sensor.

11. The display apparatus of claim 5, wherein the second switching part comprises a plurality of second switching devices respectively connected to the data lines included in the second data line groups, the plurality of second switching devices provides the second data voltages to the data lines included in the second data line groups during the display period, and the plurality of second switching devices is electrically open to the data lines included in the second data line groups during the non-display period.

12. The display apparatus of claim 4, wherein the second driving controller comprises a plurality of CMOS transistors electrically connected to the plurality of common electrodes.

13. The display apparatus of claim 12, wherein the display panel further comprises a plurality of common lines respectively connected to the plurality of common electrodes.

14. The display apparatus of claim 13, wherein the plurality of common lines is disposed on a same layer as the plurality of gate lines.

15. The display apparatus of claim 13, wherein the CMOS transistors are respectively connected to the plurality of common lines.

16. The display apparatus of claim 15, wherein each of the CMOS transistors comprises an n-type transistor and a p-type transistor, a control electrode of the n-type transistor and a control electrode of the p-type transistor commonly receive a switching signal, one of the n-type transistor and the p-type transistor is turned on in accordance with a level of the switching signal, and the other one of the n-type transistor and the p-type transistor is turned off in accordance with the level of the switching signal.

17. The display apparatus of claim 16, wherein an output electrode of the n-type transistor and an input electrode of the p-type transistor are commonly connected to a corresponding common line of the plurality of common lines, one of the n-type transistor and the p-type transistor applies the reference voltage to the common line, and the other one of the n-type transistor and the p-type transistor applies the sensing signal to the common line.

18. The display apparatus of claim 16, wherein an input electrode of the n-type transistor and an output electrode of the p-type transistor are commonly connected to a corresponding common line of the plurality of common lines, one of the n-type transistor and the p-type transistor applies the reference voltage to the common line, and the other one of the n-type transistor and the p-type transistor applies the sensing signal to the common line.