混合內嵌式觸控 Apple 補強專利已於今年獲證
由Sony最先生產的混合內嵌式觸控，運用LCD內部的Vcom分條後作為觸控的驅動訊號Tx，然後在LCD的玻璃外再用ITO做成觸控用的接收電極Rx，新思(Synaptics)的TDDI技術用的觸控結構也是如此，當初Apple在2007年提出的專利雖然有提到這個觀念，可是權利項中並沒有關於這種觸控結構的描述，所以筆者在這兩年來的多次演講中，都提到這個技術可能會成為公版，因為缺乏專利的保護，雖然Sony有提出相關的專利申請，可是有Apple作為前案，通過的機會不高，現在Apple已於今年5月取得這方面的專利，讓整個產業的局勢產生變化，據筆者所知已經有許多面板業者投入開發相關的研發與生產，甚至已有產品出貨，現在需要好好考慮專利的因素，會不會造成重大損失。
Segmented Vcom
US 8451244 B2
Date of Patent: *May 28, 2013
FILed ' Apr‘ 11’ 2011
Description
CROSS-REFERENCE TO RELATED APPLICATIONS
This application is a
divisional of U.S. patent application Ser. No. 11/760,036, filed Jun. 8, 2007,
which claims priority to Provisional U.S. Patent Application Ser. No.
60/804,361, filed Jun. 9, 2006, Provisional U.S. Patent Application Ser. No.
60/883,979, filed Jan. 8, 2007, which are hereby incorporated by reference in
their entirety.
Abstract
Disclosed
herein are liquid-crystal display (LCD) touch screens that integrate the touch
sensing elements with the display circuitry. The integration may take a variety
of forms. Touch sensing elements can be completely implemented within the LCD
stackup but outside the not between the color filter plate and the array plate.
Alternatively, some touch sensing elements can be between the color filter and
array plates with other touch sensing elements not between the plates. In
another alternative, all touch sensing elements can be between the color filter
and array plates. The latter alternative can include both conventional and
in-plane-switching (IPS) LCDs. In some forms, one or more display structures
can also have a touch sensing function. Techniques for manufacturing and
operating such displays, as well as various devices embodying such displays are
also disclosed.
What is claimed is:
1. A touch screen comprising:
a liquid crystal display having a plurality of pixel electrodes and a
counter electrode;
the counter electrode segmented into a plurality of touch drive electrodes,
the counter electrode operating as a common voltage electrode by providing a
common voltage during a display function and operating as the plurality of
touch drive electrodes during a touch function;
a plurality of touch sense electrodes spaced apart from the plurality of
touch drive electrodes to form capacitive coupling nodes therebetween; and
at least one capacitance touch sensing circuit operatively coupled to the
plurality of touch sense electrodes during the touch function for measuring a
change in capacitance at the capacitive coupling nodes;
wherein during the touch function, the plurality of touch drive electrodes
are operative to transmit at least one stimulation voltage along one or
multiple ones of the plurality of touch drive electrodes to the capacitive
coupling nodes.
2. The touch screen of claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal display has a
color filter plate and wherein the plurality of touch sense electrodes are
disposed on the color filter plate.
3. The touch screen of claim 2, wherein the liquid crystal display
comprises a plurality of rows of display pixels and wherein each of the
plurality of touch drive electrodes overlaps plural rows of display pixels.
4. The touch screen of claim 2, wherein the plurality of touch drive
electrodes are disposed on the color filter plate.
5. The touch screen of claim 2, wherein the plurality of touch drive
electrodes are disposed on the color filter plate on a side opposite the
plurality of touch sense electrodes.
6. The touch screen of claim 2, wherein the liquid crystal display further
comprising:
a first polarizer;
a second polarizer;
an active matrix layer disposed on a first substrate, the first substrate
disposed between the first and second polarizers;
the color filter plate disposed between the first and second polarizers and
spaced apart from the active matrix layer; and
a liquid crystal layer disposed between the first substrate and the color
filter plate.
7. The touch screen of claim 6 wherein the liquid crystal display comprises
a plurality of rows of display pixels and wherein each of the plurality of
touch drive electrodes overlaps plural rows of display pixels.
8. The touch screen of claim 1, wherein the plurality of touch drive
electrodes comprise patterned ITO and the plurality of touch sense electrodes
comprise patterned ITO.
9. The touch screen of claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal display
comprises a plurality of rows of display pixels and wherein each of the
plurality of touch drive electrodes overlaps plural rows of display pixels.
10. The touch screen of claim 9, wherein a touch scanning rate is twice a
display refresh rate.
11. The touch screen of claim 1, wherein a touch scanning rate is twice a
display refresh rate.
12. The touch screen of claim 1, wherein a touch scanning rate is equal to
a display refresh rate.
13. The touch screen of claim 1, wherein:
the liquid crystal display comprises a plurality of rows of display pixels
and wherein each of the plurality of touch drive electrodes overlaps plural
rows of display pixels and
each display pixel includes a storage capacitor and in the display function
the common voltage is applied to each storage capacitor of the plural rows of
display pixels overlapped by each of the touch drive electrodes.
14. The touch screen of claim 13, wherein in the display function, the
common voltage is also applied to the touch drive electrodes.
15. The touch screen of claim 13, wherein in the touch function, the
stimulation voltage is also applied to each storage capacitor of the plural
rows of display pixels overlapped by a given touch drive electrode which
receives the stimulation voltage.
16. The touch screen of claim 13, wherein in the touch function, each
storage capacitor of the plural rows of display pixels overlapped by a given
touch drive segment which receives the stimulation voltage is placed in an open
state.
17. The touch screen of claim 1, wherein the liquid crystal display further
comprises:
a first polarizer;
a second polarizer;
an active matrix layer disposed on a first substrate, the first substrate
disposed between the first and second polarizers;
a color filter plate disposed between the first and second polarizers and
spaced apart from the active matrix layer; and
a liquid crystal layer disposed between the first substrate and the color
filter plate; and
wherein the plurality of touch drive electrodes and the plurality of touch
sense electrodes are disposed on the color filter plate.
18. The touch screen of claim 17, wherein the plurality of touch drive
electrodes and the plurality of touch sense electrodes are disposed on opposite
sides of the color filter plate.
19. The touch screen of claim 18, wherein the plurality of touch drive
electrodes are disposed on a side of the color filter plate facing the liquid
crystal layer, and the plurality of touch sense electrodes are disposed on a
side of the color filter plate facing the second polarizer.
20. The touch screen of claim any of claim 1, wherein the display and touch
functions are performed simultaneously, and an area of the display being
updated in the display function does not overlap an area of the display being
scanned in the touch function.
21. The touch screen of claim 20, wherein the at least one capacitance
touch sensing circuit includes a charge amplifier having an inverting input
coupled to receive an output from the plurality of touch sense electrodes, a
non-inverting input coupled to a reference potential and an output coupled to
the inverting input.
22. The touch screen of any of claim 1, wherein the capacitance touch
sensing circuit includes a charge amplifier having an inverting input coupled
to receive on output from the plurality of touch sense electrodes, a
non-inverting input coupled to a reference potential and an output coupled to
the inverting input.
23. An electronic device incorporating the touch screen as recited in claim
1.
24. A method of integrating the functions of a liquid crystal display and a
touch screen comprising:
providing a counter electrode segmented into a plurality of touch drive
electrodes for operating as a common voltage electrode by providing a common
voltage during a display function and operating as the plurality of touch drive
electrodes during a touch function; and
providing a plurality of touch sense electrodes spaced apart from the
plurality of touch drive electrodes to form capacitive coupling nodes
therebetween, the plurality of touch sense electrodes adapted for coupling to
capacitance touch sensing circuitry;
wherein during the touch function, the plurality of touch drive electrodes
are operative to transmit at least one stimulation voltage along one or
multiple ones of the plurality of touch drive electrodes to the capacitive
coupling nodes.
25. The method of claim 24, further comprising: providing the plurality of
touch sense electrodes on a color filter plate.
26. The method of claim 25, further comprising: providing a plurality of
rows of display pixels; disposing each of the plurality of touch drive
electrodes in overlapping relationship with a contiguous group of the plurality
of rows of the display pixels.
