TWI479361B - Display module and electronic device - Google Patents

Description

Display module and electronic device

The invention relates to a display module and an electronic device, in particular to a display module and an electronic device with close sensing capability.

Portable electronic devices such as mobile phones or tablets have built-in effective and powerful processing components and are equipped with a friendly touch display interface for users to operate more easily.

In the case of mobile phones and tablets, users can click, or circle objects or programs on the touch display interface, and use gestures such as slipping and circle to give instructions. The mobile phone is based on the user's operation. The input shows the corresponding execution result on the touch display interface. However, when a user is holding a mobile phone call, the face is usually placed close to the mobile phone, which causes the touch display interface to be easily touched. In addition, the touch display interface of mobile phones and tablets is required for the user to touch to generate effective input, and usually does not have the capability of proximity sensing. As a result, users are still unable to control mobile phones and tablets in a contactless manner.

Therefore, how to provide a display module and an electronic device capable of providing close proximity sensing capability is one of the current important issues.

In view of the above problems, an object of the present invention is to provide a display module and an electronic device capable of providing close proximity sensing capability.

To achieve the above objective, a display module according to the present invention has a non-display area including a proximity sensing structure and a control unit, and the proximity sensing structure is located on the non-display area, wherein adjacent proximity sensing structures are The area is different, and the control unit is electrically connected to the proximity sensing structure.

To achieve the above objective, an electronic device according to the present invention includes a display module, a plurality of proximity sensing structures, and a control unit. The display module has a non-display area, and the proximity sensing structure is located in the non-display area, wherein adjacent The area of the proximity sensing structure is different, and the control unit is electrically connected to the proximity sensing structure.

In an embodiment, each of the proximity sensing structures respectively forms a first capacitance with an external object, and the capacity of each of the first capacitors represents a proximity of the corresponding proximity sensing structures to an external object.

In an embodiment, each of the proximity sensing structures forms a second capacitance with a ground.

In an embodiment, the control unit determines that the external object system is close to or away from the display module according to the total capacitance value change of the first capacitor and the second capacitor.

In an embodiment, the control unit determines a slip movement of the external object according to the change in the capacitance value of the first capacitor. For example, the control unit compares the total capacitance value with a background value to determine whether the proximity action occurs or not. In addition, the control unit can also determine the occurrence or direction of the slip movement according to the trend of the change in the total capacitance value.

In an embodiment, the adjacent proximity sensing structures are different in shape, for example, each adjacent proximity sensing structure has a different area or shape, for example, at least one proximity sensing structure is comb-shaped, at least one proximity The sensing structure is solid, or at least one of the proximity sensing structures are in pairs of combs.

In an embodiment, the proximity sensing structures are connected in series or in parallel.

In an embodiment, the display module further includes a frame, and the proximity sensing structure is disposed in the frame. The display module may further include a panel disposed in the frame and having a display area, wherein the non-display area and the display area do not overlap.

As described above, in the display module and the electronic device of the present invention, the adjacent proximity sensing structures have different areas, so that capacitors of different capacities can be formed. Therefore, the proximity sensing structure can be used to obtain the proximity sense. As a result of the measurement, the position of the external object relative to the proximity sensing structure is measured as it is approached.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE PREFERRED EMBODIMENTS Hereinafter, a display module and an electronic device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention will be described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

1 is a schematic diagram of a display module according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 1, the display module 1 includes a non-display area 10, a proximity sensing structure 11-13, a control unit 14, and a frame. The body 15 and a display unit 16.

The proximity sensing structures 11 to 13 are located on the non-display area 10, and the adjacent proximity sensing structures 11 to 13 have different areas, so that capacitors of different capacities can be formed. In addition, each of the proximity sensing structures 11 to 13 and the adjacent proximity sensing structures may have different shapes, respectively, thereby forming capacitors of different capacities.

Each of the proximity sensing structures 11 to 13 serves as an end electrode of the sensing capacitor, and can respectively form a capacitance with an external object, and the formed capacitance is, for example, a projected sensing capacitor, and the capacity of each capacitor represents the corresponding proximity sensing structures 11 to 13 The proximity to external objects.

The proximity sensing structures 11 to 13 are disposed in the frame 15 at a position close to one side of the entire display module 1. The display unit 16 is disposed in the frame 15 and has a display area 160, the non-display area 10 and the display. The area 160 does not overlap, that is, the proximity sensing structure 11 does not cover the display area 160, and the user can directly see the display area 160. Therefore, the independently disposed proximity sensing structure 11 does not hinder the display unit 16 from being viewed by the user or operating.

The control unit 14 is electrically connected to the proximity sensing structures 11 to 13 to detect the capacitance value, thereby determining whether there is an external object approaching and roughly determining the position or moving direction of the external object. For example, the control unit 14 can determine a proximity action or a slip motion based on the capacitance value. For example, the control unit 14 compares the total capacitance value of the proximity sensing structures 11 to 13 with a background value to determine the occurrence or absence of the proximity action, and may also determine the occurrence of the slip motion according to the trend of the change in the total capacitance value. No or direction.

The display unit 16 includes a display panel for displaying a picture. In addition, the display unit 16 can include a display panel and a touch panel. The touch panel is disposed on the display panel. The touch panel generates an input signal after being touched by an external object, and the touch panel can be a capacitive touch panel or a resistive type. Touch panel. It mainly has a plurality of sensing lines, and the unit sensing pattern of the sensing line can be set to a diamond shape, a line shape, or the like. The control unit 14 can be electrically connected to the touch panel to receive an input signal. For example, if the shape of the unit sensing pattern is a generally common diamond shape, the size is about 6 mm diagonal and the area is about 18 mm ² . Compared with this, the area of the proximity sensing structures 11 to 13 can be designed to be larger than the unit induction. The area of the pattern, that is, the proximity sensing structures 11-13, is designed to sense external objects farther than the touch panel. Structurally, the touch panel can be a single-chip external structure such as a window integrated sensor (WIS), or two glass/multiple glass film types (Glass-Glass, GG type/ Glass-Film-Film, GFF type).

In the present embodiment, the proximity sensing structures 11-13 are independent of the display unit 16, rather than being integrated into the circuitry of the display unit 16. In another embodiment, the proximity sensing structures 11-13 can also be integrated into the circuit of the display unit 16, for example, integrated in the sensing circuit of the touch panel, but the proximity sensing structures 11-13 still do not occupy. The lines within the area 160 are displayed.

FIG. 2 is a schematic structural diagram of a proximity sensing structure of a display module according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 2, in the embodiment, the proximity sensing structure 11 is paired into a pair of comb-shaped, close-connected The sensing structure 12 is solid, and the proximity sensing structure 13 is comb-shaped. The shape and area of the proximity sensing structures 11 to 13 are different, and the degree of density is also different. Therefore, the adjacent proximity sensing structure can be Set to form capacitors of different sizes. In addition, the pattern shape of the proximity sensing structure may also be a pattern such as a spiral.

In the present embodiment, each of the proximity sensing structures 11 to 13 are connected in series, and the control unit 14 is connected to the tail ends of the proximity sensing structures 11 to 13 through a line. In other embodiments, the proximity sensing structures 11-13 can also be connected in parallel with one another.

FIG. 3A and FIG. 3B are schematic diagrams showing the equivalent capacitance of the proximity sensing structure of a display module according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 3A, when no external objects are approached, the proximity sensing structures 11 to 13 are paired. Grounding or forming a background capacitance C _B1 ~ C _B3 for the environment. In this embodiment, each of the proximity sensing structures 11 to 13 is connected at the same end, and the background capacitors C _B1 to C _B3 are connected in parallel, and the control unit 14 is connected to the tail end of the proximity sensing structures 11 to 13 through the line to detect At this time, the total capacitance value of the capacitance formed by the sensing structures 11 to 13 is closely connected. At this time, the detected signal S represents the total capacitance value of the background capacitances C _B1 C C _B3 , which can be used as a basic value for reading whether an external object is close. The control unit 14 can treat the total capacitance value at this time as a background value according to the signal S.

As shown in FIG. 3B, when there is an external object approaching, each of the proximity sensing structures 11-13 of the proximity sensing structure 11 is external to the different positions A, B, and C, except that the background capacitance is formed as shown in FIG. 3A. The objects respectively form the sensing capacitors C _S1 ～ C _S3 . At this time, the detected signal S represents the total capacitance values of the background capacitors C _B1 ～ C _B3 and the respective sensing capacitors C _S1 ～ C _S3 . If the total capacitance value represented by the signal S in FIG. 3B is greater than the total capacitance value represented by the signal S in FIG. 3A, it can be judged that an external object is approaching. The capacitance values of the sensing capacitors C _S1 ～ C _S3 are inversely proportional to the distance between the external object and the proximity sensing structures 11-13. When the external object is closer to the display module 1, the distance from the proximity sensing structures 11 to 13 is also smaller, so that the sensing capacitance is increased. When the external object approaches the display module 1 so that the value of the sensing capacitance is increased to a certain extent, the sensing capacitor can be used as an effective signal for detecting the proximity of an external object. When the external objects are at positions A, B, and C, the distances are the same with respect to the proximity sensing structures 11 to 13, but the capacitance values of the respective corresponding sensing capacitors C _S1 to C _S3 have different sizes, and thus can be used as a detective The effective signal of the proximity sensing structures 11-13 is measured by the external object.

The signal S represents the total capacitance values of the sensing capacitors C _S1 ～ C _S3 and C _B1 ～ C _B3 , and the control unit 14 receives the signal S and judges the external value according to the total capacitance values of the sensing capacitors C _S1 ～ C _S3 and C _B1 ～ C _B3 . The object system approaches or moves away from the display module 1. For example, the control unit 14 compares the signal S with the background value to determine the occurrence or failure of the proximity action. In addition, the control unit 14 can also determine the occurrence or direction of the slip movement based on the trend of the amount of change of the signal S.

4A and FIG. 4B are schematic diagrams showing the capacitance value of FIG. 3B for detection. As shown in FIG. 4A and FIG. 4B, the control unit 14 can determine a slip of the external object according to the change of the capacitance values of the sensing capacitors C _S1 ～ C _S3 . Action to detect the occurrence or direction of the slip movement. The order in which the capacitance values of the sensing capacitors can be formed in FIG. 2 is the proximity sensing structure 12> the proximity sensing structure 11> the proximity sensing structure 13, and therefore, the change of the signal S detected by the proximity of the external object is as follows. 4A shows that the external object is moved from position A to position C; if the detected signal S changes as shown in FIG. 4B as opposed to FIG. 4A, it can be seen that the external object is moved from position C to position A. Therefore, the occurrence or direction of the slip movement can be judged.

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an electronic device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention. As shown in FIG. 5, an electronic device 2 includes a non-display area 20, a proximity sensing structure 21-23, a housing 25, and a display unit. 26, the proximity sensing structures 21-23 are located on the non-display area 20, the non-display area 20 does not overlap with the display area 260 of the display unit 26, and the adjacent proximity sensing structures 21-23 have different areas and can be used to form Capacitors of different capacities. The proximity sensing structures 21 to 23 are housed in the casing 25 and are covered by the casing 25 so that they are not directly visible to the user.

FIG. 6 is a block diagram of the electronic device 2 of FIG. 5 . The electronic device further includes a control unit 24 . The display unit 26 includes a touch panel 261 and a display panel 262 . The control unit 24 and the display unit 26 are disposed on the housing 25 . The touch panel 261 is located on the display surface of the display panel 262. The control unit 24 is electrically connected to the proximity sensing structures 21 to 23 to detect the capacitance value. The control unit 24 is electrically connected to the touch panel 261, which can receive the touch. The input signal generated by the control panel 261, in addition to the area in which the display panel 262 provides the screen display, also serves as an area in which the touch panel 261 provides the touch input function. The control unit 24 determines a proximity action or a slip motion based on the capacitance value between the proximity sensing structures 21-23 and the external object. For example, the control unit 24 compares the total capacitance value with the background value to determine the occurrence or absence of the proximity action. In addition, the control unit 22 can also determine the occurrence or direction of the slip movement according to the trend of the change in the total capacitance value. The control unit 24 is electrically connected to the display panel 262, which controls whether the display panel 262 is displayed or not. The display panel 262 may be a flat display panel such as a liquid crystal display panel, an electroluminescent display panel, or a plasma display panel or the like. The touch panel 261 and the display panel 262 can be integrated into one touch display unit or the touch display module as described above. Alternatively, the touch panel 261 and the display panel 262 can be directly integrated into the same panel, that is, the in-cell touch. In-cell touch panel. Since the proximity sensing structures 21-23, the control unit 24, the housing 25, and the display unit 26 have the same or similar functions, structures, and designs as the corresponding components of the foregoing display module 1, the details are not described again.

The electronic device 2 can be a terminal consumer product purchased, handled, or used by a general consumer, such as a portable electronic device such as a mobile phone or a tablet computer. The housing 25 is a housing for the terminal consumer product, and usually does not be outside the casing 25. It is then covered with other extra casings.

The proximity sensing structures 21-23 are used to detect whether an external object is approached at the proximal end of the electronic device 2, and can detect the movement or position of the external object. The electronic device 2 can provide the body sensing function without adding an additional body sensing device.

For the application of the mobile device and the tablet computer, the control unit 24 can provide page slip or remote control according to the sensing result of the proximity sensing structures 21-23, such as a remote control screen as a replacement page or picture. Control action. The user can control the touch panel 261 to perform a simple gesture operation without directly touching the screen. Such detection can be applied to user gestures, or option selection, or page turning.

For the application of the mobile device 2, the detection results of the proximity sensing structures 21-23 can be used for the interpretation of the display panel 262. And disabling the touch function of the touch panel 261. For example, when the mobile phone is only for voice call, the user's face will generally be close to the mobile phone to listen to the call content, so that the display will not continue to be viewed, so the touch panel 261 can be turned off to save power. Therefore, when the control unit 24 detects that the external object approaches the electronic device 2 according to the capacitance values of the proximity sensing structures 21 to 23, the control unit 24 turns off the display panel 262.

In addition, the face proximity electronic device 2 is also prone to false touches. Especially when the touch panel 261 uses a capacitive touch panel, the face is excessively close to the touch panel 261 during a call, which causes capacitive sensing. In order to avoid the wrong input action of the touch panel when the user's face is close to the mobile phone during the call, the touch input function of the touch panel needs to be disabled during the call to prevent malfunction. Therefore, when the control unit 24 detects that the external object approaches the electronic device 2 according to the capacitance values of the proximity sensing structures 21 to 23, the control unit 24 disables the touch input function of the touch panel 261.

In summary, in the display module and the electronic device of the present invention, two adjacent electrode regions in the proximity sensing structure are respectively set to form a capacitor of different capacity, so that the proximity sensing structure can be used. As a result of the proximity sensing, the position of the external object relative to the proximity sensing structure is measured as it is approached.

The above is intended to be illustrative only and not limiting. Any equivalent modifications or alterations to the spirit and scope of the invention are intended to be included in the scope of the appended claims.

1‧‧‧ display module

10‧‧‧Non-display area

11~13‧‧‧ proximity sensing structure

14‧‧‧Control unit

15‧‧‧ frame

16‧‧‧ panel

160‧‧‧ display area

2‧‧‧Electronic devices

20‧‧‧non-display area

21~23‧‧‧ proximity sensing structure

24‧‧‧Control unit

25‧‧‧shell

26‧‧‧Display unit

260‧‧‧ display area

261‧‧‧Touch panel

262‧‧‧ display panel

A~C‧‧‧Location

C _B1 ~C _B3 ‧‧‧Background capacitance

C _S1 ~C _S3 ‧‧‧Induction Capacitor

S‧‧‧ signal

1 is a schematic diagram of a display module according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

2 is a schematic layout view of an electrode region of the proximity sensing structure of FIG. 1;

3A and 3B are equivalent circuit diagrams of electrode regions of the proximity sensing structure of FIG. 1;

4A and 4B are schematic diagrams showing the capacitance value of FIG. 3B for detection;

FIG. 5 is a schematic diagram of an electronic device according to a preferred embodiment of the present invention;

6 is a block diagram of the electronic device of FIG. 5.

1. . . Display module

10. . . Non-display area

11~13. . . Proximity sensing structure

14. . . control unit

15. . . framework

16. . . Display unit

160. . . Display area

Claims (10)

A display module having a non-display area includes: a plurality of proximity sensing structures on the non-display area for detecting movement of an external object by non-contact sensing, wherein the adjacent proximity sensing structures are adjacent The areas are different; and a control unit electrically connected to the proximity sensing structures. The display module of claim 1, wherein each of the proximity sensing structures respectively forms a first capacitance with the external object, and the capacity of each of the first capacitors represents a corresponding one of The proximity of the sensing structure to the external object. The display module of claim 2, wherein each of the proximity sensing structures forms a second capacitance with a ground. The display module of claim 3, wherein the control unit determines that the external object system is close to or away from the display module according to a change in the total capacitance of the first capacitor and the second capacitor. The display module of claim 2, wherein the control unit determines a sliding movement of the external object according to a change in a capacitance value of the first capacitors. The display module of claim 1, wherein the adjacent proximity sensing structures are different in shape. The display module of claim 1, wherein the proximity sensing structures are connected in series or in parallel. The display module of claim 1, wherein at least one of the proximity sensing structures is comb-shaped, solid, or in pairs Comb. An electronic device includes: a housing; a display panel located in the housing; a plurality of proximity sensing structures located within the housing and shielded by the housing and detecting non-contact sensing to detect an external object The movement of the adjacent proximity sensing structures is different; and a control unit electrically connecting the proximity sensing structures to the display panel. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the adjacent proximity sensing structures have different shapes.