JP2011103094A - Display device and electronic equipment - Google Patents

Abstract

<P>PROBLEM TO BE SOLVED: To provide a display device with a touch panel function incorporated therein without deteriorating display performance. <P>SOLUTION: The display device includes first and second translucent substrates 301, 302 placed facing each other so as to hold a liquid crystal layer 303 therebetween, and further includes at least one touch sensor 208 placed on any of edges of the first and second translucent substrates 301, 302, for detecting the action of external force accompanying contact of an object on the first and second translucent substrates 301, 302. The touch sensor 208 has: an optical sensor 307 provided on an outer surface of the first translucent substrate 301; a light source for irradiating light toward an outer surface of the second translucent substrate 302; and a shuttering means 310, placed between the optical sensor 307 and the light source for varying an amount of light received from the light source to the optical sensor 307, according to distortion of the first and second translucent substrates 301, 302 caused by the action of external force. <P>COPYRIGHT: (C)2011,JPO&INPIT

Description

  The present invention relates to a display device having a touch panel function.

  In recent years, a display device having a touch panel function that enables operation of a device by touching a screen displayed on a display unit of the device has been used in many applications. Examples of the equipment using such a display device include an automatic teller machine (ATM) of a financial institution, a ticket machine at a station, a mobile phone, a portable game machine, a portable music player, a car navigation system, a portable information terminal ( PDA).

  The touch panel function can be used by various methods such as an analog resistance film method, an optical sensor method, or a capacitance method.

  The analog resistive film system realizes a touch panel function by providing two transparent electrode substrates bonded together with a gap between them on a glass substrate. An ultrathin film such as PET may be provided on the surface of the exposed transparent electrode substrate. When a physical force is applied to the surface on which the film is provided, the two transparent electrode substrates come into contact with each other, and a current flows. Since the voltage division ratio due to the resistance of the transparent electrode substrate changes according to the position where the substrates are in contact with each other, by measuring this, the coordinates of the location where the force is applied can be detected.

  The photosensor system implements a touch panel function by incorporating a photosensor into each pixel of a display device and detecting whether light emitted from each pixel is blocked by external contact.

  In the electrostatic capacity method, a touch panel function is realized by providing an electrostatic sensor on the entire surface of the display panel and detecting a change in charge due to a discharge phenomenon that occurs when an object approaches the display panel surface.

Japanese Patent Laid-Open No. 07-302168 JP 07-334289 A

  However, the conventional method as described above requires a configuration for realizing the touch panel function in the display area of the display panel, which is not only disadvantageous in terms of cost but also transmittance, contrast ratio and / or reflection. There is a problem that display performance such as rate is lowered.

  The present invention has been made in view of such a problem, and an object of the present invention is to provide a display device incorporating a touch panel function without degrading display performance and an electronic apparatus having the display device.

  In order to achieve the above object, a display device of the present invention is a display device having first and second light-transmitting substrates disposed to face each other with a liquid crystal layer interposed therebetween, wherein the first and second light-transmitting substrates are arranged. And at least one touch sensor that is disposed on one of the peripheral portions of the light-transmitting substrate and detects that an external force caused by contact with an object is acting on the first and second light-transmitting substrates. Each of the touch sensors includes an optical sensor provided on an outer surface of the first light-transmitting substrate, a light source that irradiates light toward an outer surface of the second light-transmitting substrate, the optical sensor, And a shutter unit that is placed between the light source and changes the amount of light received from the light source by the optical sensor in accordance with the deformation of the first and second light transmitting substrates due to the action of the external force.

  As described above, the display device can realize a touch sensor function by optically detecting a change in the relative position of a light transmitting substrate such as a glass substrate caused by contact with an object.

  In one embodiment of the display device of the present invention, the shutter means includes a first non-translucent layer provided on an inner surface of the first translucent substrate and an inner surface of the second translucent substrate. And the first and second non-transparent layers change according to deformation of the first and second translucent substrates due to the action of the external force. The shutter means moves relative to each other so that a gap is formed between the first and second non-light-transmitting layers, and the shutter sensor is configured so that the photosensor is in accordance with the width of the gap. Change the amount of light received from the light source.

  In the present embodiment, the second non-light-transmitting layer is formed on the first non-light-transmitting layer so that the gap is completely closed when the first and second light-transmitting substrates are horizontal to each other. In contrast, the first non-transparent layer is provided on the inner surface of the second translucent substrate while being shifted by the horizontal width of the first non-translucent layer. Desirably, one of the first and second non-transparent layers has two or more rectangular members arranged with a gap of a predetermined interval, and the other non-transparent layer. The translucent layer has one or more rectangular members arranged to complement the gap of the predetermined interval when the first and second translucent substrates are in a horizontal state.

  In another embodiment, the second non-light-transmitting layer is at least partly arranged so that the width of the gap is maximized when the first and second light-transmitting substrates are horizontal to each other. It is provided on the inner surface of the second light-transmitting substrate so as to overlap the non-light-transmitting layer. Preferably, each of the first and second non-light-transmitting layers has two or more rectangular members arranged at a predetermined interval, and the second non-light-transmitting layer member includes the first non-light-transmitting layer. When the first and second light-transmitting substrates are in a horizontal state, the first and second light-transmitting substrates are disposed so as to overlap the members of the first light-transmitting layer.

  In an embodiment of the display device according to the present invention, the display device further includes a contact position detection circuit that obtains a position where the object is in contact based on a light amount received by the light sensor from the light source.

  In one embodiment of the display device according to the present invention, the display device is a transmissive or transflective liquid crystal display device, and the light source is provided on a back surface of the liquid crystal display device and emits light toward the liquid crystal layer. It is the backlight which irradiates.

  Moreover, in order to achieve the said objective, the electronic device which has a display apparatus of this invention as mentioned above is provided. Examples of the electronic device include an automatic teller machine (ATM) of a financial institution, a ticket vending machine at a station, a mobile phone, a portable game machine, a portable music player, a car navigation system, a personal digital assistant (PDA), and a wristwatch. There are electronic devices to which a touch panel function is applied.

  According to the embodiment of the present invention, it is possible to provide a display device incorporating a touch panel function and an electronic apparatus having the display device without reducing display performance.

1 shows an electronic device comprising a display device according to one embodiment. It is a block diagram which shows the function structure of the electronic device of FIG. It is a circuit diagram which shows the whole structure of the display apparatus according to one Embodiment. 2 shows a configuration of a touch sensor according to an embodiment. The state of the touch sensor of FIG. 4 when an object contacts is shown.

  The best mode for carrying out the present invention will be described below with reference to the accompanying drawings.

  FIG. 1 is an electronic device including a display device according to an embodiment. The electronic device 100 in FIG. 1 is represented as a mobile phone. For example, an automatic teller machine (ATM) of a financial institution, a ticket machine at a station, a portable game machine, a portable music player, a car navigation system, portable information Other electronic devices such as a terminal (PDA) and a wristwatch may be used.

  The mobile phone 100 includes a display device 10 including a display panel that can display information as an image. In this example, the display device 10 is a numeric keypad that allows the user to operate the mobile phone 100 by touching the surface of the display panel, in addition to information such as the radio wave status and the remaining battery level, the state of the mobile phone 100 and the time. Etc. button is displayed.

  FIG. 2 is a block diagram showing a functional configuration of the electronic apparatus of FIG. The cellular phone 100 includes a control unit (CPU) 101, a storage unit (memory) 102, a user interface unit 103, and a communication unit 104. The control unit 101 controls the entire device. The storage unit 102 stores a control program for controlling the entire device, data used for executing the program, and the like. The user interface unit 103 presents information to the user and receives input from the user. The user interface unit 103 includes the display device 10 of FIG. The communication unit 104 is connected to a network such as a cellular phone network and a data communication network, and communicates with the outside via the network.

  In operation, the control unit 101 generates an information display signal for displaying information on the display device 10 and supplies the information display signal to the display device 10. The display device 10 displays information as an image on the display panel based on the information display signal supplied by the control unit 101. When a button such as a numeric keypad that enables the operation of the mobile phone 100 is displayed on the display device 10, the user touches a portion of the display panel surface on which the button is displayed, so that a predetermined corresponding to the button is displayed. The function can be exhibited by the mobile phone 100. The display device 10 detects the position of the part of the surface of the display panel touched by the user, and sends it to the control unit 101 as coordinate information on the display panel. The control unit 101 recognizes the user input corresponding to the coordinate information, for example, controls the communication unit 104 to communicate with an external communication device, and displays a data signal for displaying the next screen on the display device 10. Appropriate processing such as processing to generate and / or processing to store user input in the storage unit 102 is executed. For this purpose, for example, the memory 102 stores a look-up table that associates coordinate information on the display panel with user input.

  FIG. 3 is a circuit diagram showing an overall configuration of a display device according to an embodiment. The display device 10 includes a control circuit 201, an image memory 202, a power supply circuit 203, a source driver 204, a gate driver 205, a display panel 206, a backlight 207, and a contact detection circuit 210. The display panel 206 includes a plurality of pixels (not shown) arranged in a matrix of rows and columns. Each pixel is located in a crossing region between a source line extending from the source driver 204 and a gate line extending from the gate driver 205, and includes at least one display switching element such as a liquid crystal cell and a driving switching element that supplies current to the display element. Have one by one.

  The control circuit 201 generates control signals for controlling each of the image memory 202, the power supply circuit 203, the source driver 204, the gate driver 205, and the backlight 207 from the input synchronization signal, and supplies them to each unit. To do.

  The image memory 202 temporarily stores input display data, and outputs pixel data to be displayed on the display panel 206 to the source driver 204 in synchronization with a memory control signal supplied by the control circuit 201. Alternatively, the image memory 202 may be incorporated in the control circuit 201.

  Here, the synchronization signal and the display data are included in the information display signal output from the control unit 101 in FIG.

  The power supply circuit 203 synchronizes with the power supply control signal supplied by the control circuit 201 to generate the drive voltage Vs for the source driver 204, the drive voltage Vg for the gate driver 205, and the common voltage Vcom for the common electrode of the display panel 206. And output them to the source driver 204, the gate driver 205, and the display panel 206, respectively.

  The source driver 204 captures pixel data output from the image memory 202 in synchronization with the source driver control signal supplied by the control circuit 201, and supplies a voltage corresponding to the pixel data to the display panel 206 via the source line. give.

  The gate driver 205 applies a scanning voltage for controlling on / off of the switching element of each pixel to the display panel 206 via the gate line in synchronization with the gate driver control signal supplied by the control circuit 201.

  The display panel 206 includes first and second substrates (see FIG. 4) that are arranged to face each other with a liquid crystal layer made of a liquid crystal material interposed therebetween and that are transparent to light. Pixel electrodes arranged in a matrix are provided on the first substrate, and a counter substrate (also referred to as a common electrode) is provided on the second substrate. By encapsulating a liquid crystal material between the first and second substrates, the matrix arrangement of pixels as described above is formed. The voltage application to the pixel electrode responds to the on / off control of the switching element by the scanning voltage supplied by the gate driver 205. When a data voltage is applied between the pixel electrode and the counter electrode during the ON period, the alignment of the liquid crystal molecules changes so as to polarize the light emitted from the backlight 207. In this way, the display panel 206 can display an image.

  The display panel 206 is further provided with first and second touch sensors 208 and 209 in the non-display area at the periphery of the image display area where the pixel matrix arrangement is formed. The first touch sensor 208 is disposed at at least one of the left end and the right end when viewed from the front of the display panel 206, and the second touch sensor 209 is at least one of the upper end and the lower end when viewed from the front of the display panel 206. Placed in. By combining the touch sensors 208 and 209, when an object comes into contact with the surface of the display panel 206, the position of the contact on the display panel 206 can be detected.

  The contact position detection circuit 210 converts information related to the contact position on the display panel 206 detected by the touch sensors 208 and 209 into a format that can be processed by the control circuit 201 and supplies the converted information to the control circuit 201. The control circuit 201 performs appropriate processing based on the information supplied by the contact position detection circuit 210. In the present embodiment, the contact position detection circuit 210 is provided separately from the control circuit 201, but may be configured to be incorporated in the control circuit 201. Alternatively, the contact position detection circuit 210 may be configured to be incorporated into the display panel 206 if it can be configured as a low temperature polysilicon type TFT.

  FIG. 4 shows a configuration of a touch sensor according to an embodiment. In FIG. 4, the configuration of the first touch sensor 208 is illustrated as an example, but it should be noted that the second touch sensor 209 has a similar configuration.

  As described above, the touch sensor 208 includes the display panel 206 (see FIG. 3) having the first and second light-transmitting substrates 301 and 302 disposed to face each other with the liquid crystal layer 303 in which the liquid crystal material is sealed interposed therebetween. Is provided in a non-display area at the peripheral edge of the. In general, spacers 304 arranged at a predetermined interval are provided between the substrates 301 and 302 in order to maintain a gap for injecting a liquid crystal material.

  The touch sensor 208 includes an optical sensor 307, a light source (in the present embodiment, the backlight 207 in FIG. 3), and a shutter unit 310. The optical sensor 307 is provided on the outer surface of the first substrate 301. The light source is not limited to the backlight 207, and may be provided so as to irradiate light toward the outer surface of the second substrate 302, and has a structure that does not use a backlight like a reflective liquid crystal display device. In the display device, it is necessary to provide a light source dedicated to the touch sensor. On the other hand, when the backlight 207 is used as a light source for a touch sensor as in this example, effects such as reduction in the number of components and the board area can be obtained. The shutter unit 310 is provided between the optical sensor 307 and the light source, and emits light according to deformation of the first and second translucent substrates 301 and 302 caused by an object such as a user's finger coming into contact with the display panel. The amount of light received from the light source by the sensor 307 is changed.

  The shutter unit 310 includes first and second non-transparent layers 305 and 306 having a property of blocking light. The first non-light-transmitting layer 305 is provided on the inner surface of the first substrate 301, that is, the surface facing the second substrate 302, and the second non-light-transmitting layer 306 includes the second non-light-transmitting layer 306. It is provided on the inner surface of the substrate 302, that is, the surface facing the first substrate 301. In the illustrated embodiment, the second non-translucent layer 306 has a first first maximum relative to the first non-translucent layer 305 when the first and second substrates 301, 302 are in a horizontal state. The non-light-transmitting layer 305 is arranged so as to be shifted by the horizontal width. Specifically, the first non-translucent layer 305 has a rectangular member that is arranged at a predetermined interval, while the second non-translucent layer 306 is the first non-translucent layer 305. A rectangular member disposed so as to complement the gap between the members. In such an embodiment, when the object does not touch the display panel, the first and second substrates 301 and 302 are maintained in a horizontal state, so that the shutter unit 310 emits light from the light source toward the optical sensor 307. Cut off. Therefore, the amount of light received by the optical sensor 307 from the light source at this time is zero.

  FIG. 5 shows the state of the touch sensor of FIG. 4 when an object comes into contact. When an object such as a user's finger comes into contact with the display panel, an external force due to the contact of the object acts on the first substrate 301, and the action acts on the second substrate 302 through the spacer 304. Thereby, the 1st and 2nd board | substrates 301 and 302 bend centering on a contact location so that it may be illustrated. When the first and second substrates 301 and 302 are bent in an arc shape, the first and second substrates 301 and 302 have different curvature radii, so the first and second substrates provided on each substrate are different. The relative positions of the non-light-transmitting layers 305 and 306 are shifted in the direction along the substrate. Specifically, the position of the first non-light-transmissive layer 305 is displaced toward the outer side of the display panel, and the position of the second non-light-transmissive layer 306 is displaced toward the inner side of the display panel. Due to such a change in the relative position of the first and second non-light-transmitting layers 305 and 306, a gap for transmitting light from the light source to the optical sensor 307 is generated in the shutter unit 310. The optical sensor 307 detects light passing through the gap of the shutter unit 310.

  The closer the contact position is to the touch sensor 208, the shorter the radius of curvature of the first and second substrates 301 and 302 in the touch sensor 208, and the larger the displacement of the relative positions of the first and second non-transmissive layers 305 and 306. Become. The width of the gap generated in the shutter unit 310 changes according to the degree of the relative position shift, and as a result, the amount of light received by the optical sensor 307 from the light source also changes.

  The touch sensor 208 outputs a signal representing the amount of light detected by the optical sensor 307 to the contact position detection circuit 210 (FIG. 3). Similarly, the touch sensor 209 outputs a detection signal to the contact position detection circuit 210. The contact position detection circuit 210 can determine the position of contact on the display panel 206 based on signals output from the touch sensors 208 and 209.

  In an alternative embodiment, the second non-translucent layer 306 is a gap that occurs between the first non-translucent layer 305 when the first and second translucent substrates 301, 302 are horizontal to each other. May be provided so as to have the maximum width. Specifically, in the embodiment in which the first non-translucent layer 305 includes a rectangular member disposed at a predetermined interval, the second non-translucent layer 306 includes the first and second translucent substrates. When 301 and 302 are in a horizontal state, they have a rectangular member arranged so as to overlap with a member of the first non-light-transmissive layer 305. In this embodiment, when there is no object contact with the display panel and the horizontal state of the first and second substrates 301 and 302 is maintained, the shutter unit 310 receives the maximum amount of light from the light source by the optical sensor 307. The light from the light source toward the optical sensor 307 is transmitted. On the other hand, when the first and second translucent substrates 301 and 302 are deformed by the action of an external force due to contact with an object, the width of the gap between the first and second non-translucent layers 305 and 306 is narrowed. The amount of light received by the optical sensor 307 from the light source is also reduced.

  In this way, the display device 10 according to the present embodiment can realize a touch panel function by detecting a change in the relative position of two substrates that occurs when a physical external force is applied as an optical change. it can. Further, unlike the conventional display device 10 according to the present embodiment, it is not necessary to provide a configuration for realizing the touch panel function in the display area of the display panel, so that the display performance is not deteriorated.

  Here, for convenience of explanation, the first and second substrates 301 and 302 are bent in an arc shape, but it is not always necessary to bend in an arc shape. Depending on various conditions such as the material, thickness and / or installation position of each of the first and second substrates 301 and 302, the way of bending inevitably differs between the two. Accordingly, the arrangement, structure, and / or number of touch sensors are not limited to those disclosed herein, and depending on how each of the first and second substrates 301 and 302 bends, or is used or required. Depending on other factors such as accuracy, a change in the relative position between the substrates may be selected so that it can be properly detected. For example, the contact sensitivity is such that when the first and second substrates 301 and 302 are in a horizontal state, the second non-transparent layer 306 is shifted with respect to the first non-transparent layer 305. Can be determined. The contact sensitivity becomes more sensitive as the overlapping portion between the first non-translucent layer 305 and the second non-translucent layer 306 becomes narrower, and has high reactivity with a small external force.

  Although the best mode for carrying out the invention has been described above, the present invention is not limited to the embodiment described in the best mode. Modifications can be made without departing from the spirit of the present invention.

  The display device of the present invention is not limited to the active matrix type liquid crystal display device in the above-described embodiment, and is configured to have first and second light-transmitting substrates that are arranged to face each other with a liquid crystal layer interposed therebetween. Any display device can be used. For example, the display device of the present invention can also be applied to STN liquid crystals, and can also be applied to segment liquid crystals that can display only predetermined numbers, characters, and / or symbols such as calculators, digital clocks or timers. It is.

DESCRIPTION OF SYMBOLS 10 Display apparatus 100 Electronic device 207 Light source (backlight)
208, 209 Touch sensor 301, 302 Translucent substrate 303 Liquid crystal layer 305, 306 Non-translucent layer 307 Optical sensor 310 Shutter

Claims (9)

A display device having first and second light-transmitting substrates disposed to face each other with a liquid crystal layer interposed therebetween,
At least one touch sensor that is disposed on one of the peripheral portions of the first and second light-transmitting substrates and detects that an external force accompanying contact with an object is acting on the first and second light-transmitting substrates. Have
Each of the at least one touch sensor is
An optical sensor provided on an outer surface of the first light-transmitting substrate;
A light source that emits light toward an outer surface of the second light-transmissive substrate;
Shutter means that is placed between the light sensor and the light source, and changes the amount of light received from the light source by the light sensor in response to deformation of the first and second light-transmitting substrates due to the action of the external force. A display device. The shutter means includes
A first non-translucent layer provided on an inner surface of the first translucent substrate;
A second non-translucent layer provided on the inner surface of the second translucent substrate,
The first and second non-light-transmitting layers have a width that changes according to deformation of the first and second light-transmitting substrates due to the action of the external force, and the first and second non-light-transmitting layers. Move relative to each other to create a gap between the layers,
The display device according to claim 1, wherein the shutter unit changes an amount of light received by the optical sensor from the light source according to a width of the gap.   The second non-translucent layer has a maximum of the first non-translucent layer with respect to the first non-translucent layer so that the gap is completely closed when the first and second translucent substrates are horizontal to each other. The display device according to claim 2, wherein the display device is provided on an inner surface of the second light-transmitting substrate while being shifted by a horizontal width of the first light-transmitting layer.   One non-translucent layer of the first and second non-translucent layers has two or more rectangular members arranged with a gap of a predetermined interval, and the other non-translucent layer The display device according to claim 3, further comprising one or more rectangular members arranged to complement the gap of the predetermined interval when the first and second light-transmitting substrates are in a horizontal state.   The second non-translucent layer at least partially overlaps the first non-translucent layer so that the width of the gap is maximized when the first and second translucent substrates are horizontal to each other. The display device according to claim 2, wherein the display device is provided on an inner surface of the second translucent substrate.   Each of the first and second non-translucent layers has two or more rectangular members disposed at a predetermined interval, and the first non-translucent layer includes the first and second non-transparent layers. The display device according to claim 5, wherein when the two light-transmissive substrates are in a horizontal state, the display device is disposed so as to overlap with a member of the second non-light-transmissive layer.   The display device according to claim 1, further comprising a contact position detection circuit that obtains a position where the object is in contact based on a light amount received by the light sensor from the light source. The display device is a transmissive or transflective liquid crystal display device,
The display device according to claim 1, wherein the light source is a backlight that is provided on a back surface of the liquid crystal display device and irradiates light toward the liquid crystal layer.   The electronic device which has a display apparatus as described in any one of Claims 1 thru | or 8.

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