Combined display panel circuit

• US 9,513,748 B2
• Filed: 12/13/2012
• Issued: 12/06/2016
• Est. Priority Date: 12/13/2012
• Status: Active Grant

• Current Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Original Assignee: Microsoft Technology Licensing LLC (Microsoft Corporation)
• Inventors: Rihn, Bernard K., Jacobson, Jeremy A., Dietz, Paul Henry, Bathiche, Steven Nabil
• Primary Examiner(s): Hicks, Charles
• Application Number:
  US13/714,401
• Publication Number:
  US 20140168131A1
• Time in Patent Office: 1,454 Days
• Field of Search: 345/76, 345/156, 345/157, 345173-178
• US Class Current: 1/1
• 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: G06F 3/0446 using a grid-like structure of electrodes in at least two directions, e.g. using row and column electrodes

Abstract

Combined display panel circuit techniques are described herein. In one or more implementations, a combined panel circuit of a display device is configured to enable functionality for both recognition of touch inputs and functionality to update images output by the display device. The combined panel circuit, for instance, may include an electrode arrangement in conductive layers that sandwiches display particles used to form images for the display device. The display particles may be manipulated under the influence of a threshold voltage applied to the electrode arrangement that is sufficient to cause the display particles to transition between states. Capacitance sensing indicative of touch inputs may occur under the influence of a different voltage that is not sufficient to manipulate the display particles. The different voltages are selectively applied at different times to update displayed images through manipulation of the display particles and sense capacitance to recognize touch inputs.

Claims

1. A display device comprising a combined panel circuit operable to perform both capacitive sensing responsive to application of a first voltage to a grid of control lines and updating of an image displayed by the display device responsive to application of a second voltage to the same grid of control lines to which the first voltage was applied, the combined panel circuit comprising a top conductive layer and a bottom conductive layer which are configured to implement a first electrode pattern and a second electrode pattern, respectively, across which the first voltage and the second voltage are applied, the first voltage and the second voltage applied at different times and at different voltage levels.

2. A display device as recited in claim 1, further comprising a controller to selectively apply the first voltage and the second voltage.

3. A display device as recited in claim 2, wherein the controller is configured to apply the first voltage and the second voltage according to a control scheme to switch back and forth between a sensing mode when the first voltage is applied and a display driving mode when the second voltage is applied.

4. A display device as recited in claim 1, wherein the display device is configured as a passive matrix display.

5. A display device as recited in claim 1, wherein the electrode patterns correspond to pixel positions of the display device.

6. A display device as recited in claim 5, wherein each of the electrode patterns comprise an x-y matrix of control lines formed within the conductive layers of the combined panel circuit.

7. A display device as recited in claim 1, wherein the combined panel circuit includes display particles arranged between the conductive layers of the combined panel circuit, the display particles manipulable under applied voltage to form images for display via the display device.

8. A display device as recited in claim 7, wherein the display particles are bistable particles configured to switch between states at a threshold voltage.

9. A display device as recited in claim 8, wherein the second voltage corresponds to the threshold voltage and is sufficient to manipulate the display particles to cause the updating of the image displayed by the display device.

10. A display device as recited in claim 1, wherein the first voltage is insufficient to manipulate display particles to change an image displayed via the display device.

11. A display device as recited in claim 1, wherein the capacitive sensing enables recognition of touch inputs at positions of the display device by measuring capacitance at corresponding locations of the combined panel circuit.

12. A display device as recited in claim 1, wherein the display device is as external display device connectable to a computing device via an input/output interface.

13. A display device as recited in claim 1, wherein the display device is an integrated component of a computing device.

14. A method implemented by a controller of a display device comprising:

causing formation of an image for display via the display device by supplying a first voltage to a grid of control lines of a combined panel circuit of the display device, the first voltage sufficient to manipulate display particles of the display device to form the image, wherein the display particles are arranged between conductive layers of the combined panel circuit; and

measuring via the combined panel circuit capacitance associated with touch input at positions of the display device by selectively applying a second voltage to the same grid of control lines of the combined panel circuit which received the first voltage, the first voltage and the second voltage applied at different times and having different voltage levels, the second voltage sufficient to sense capacitance across positions of the display device but insufficient to manipulate the display particles, the combined panel circuit comprising a top conductive layer and a bottom conductive layer which are configured to implement a first electrode pattern and a second electrode pattern, respectively, across which the first voltage and the second voltage are applied.

15. A method as described in claim 14, wherein the display particles comprise bistable particles, and wherein the conductive layers are configured to toggle between states when the first voltage is applied.

16. A method as described in claim 14, wherein the combined panel circuit comprises an x-y matrix of control lines having intersections that correspond to pixel positions of the display device.

17. A method as described in claim 14, wherein the first voltage is higher than the second voltage.

18. A computing device comprising an integrated display device including:

a single combined panel circuit configured to implement both a sensing mode to measure capacitance at positions of the display device and a display driving mode to rearrange display particles corresponding to the positions to control images displayed via the display device, the combined panel circuit comprising a top conductive layer and a bottom conductive layer which are configured to implement a first electrode pattern and a second electrode pattern, respectively, across which a first voltage and a second voltage are applied; and

a controller to selectively switch between the sensing mode and the display driving mode by applying the first voltage to a matrix of control lines and the second voltage to the same matrix of control lines of the combined panel circuit at different times and at different voltage levels.

19. A computing device as described in claim 18, wherein the first voltage is a threshold voltage for the display driving mode that is sufficient to cause the display particles to transition between states and the second voltage is a sensing voltage for the sensing mode that is lower than the threshold voltage and insufficient to cause the display particles to transition between the states.

20. A computing device as described in claim 18, wherein the integrated display device is configured as an electrophoretic display.