Display apparatus, electronic apparatus including the same, and operating method thereof

Abstract

A display device, an electronic device including the same, and an operating method of the electronic device are disclosed. The display device related to the operating method of the display device includes a display panel having a touch sensing unit to sense an external touch and a display unit including a plurality of pixels, a fingerprint sensing panel to sense a fingerprint disposed on one surface of the display unit, the fingerprint sensing panel having a plurality of fingerprint sensing pixels respectively connected to a plurality of fingerprint scan lines and a plurality of fingerprint sensing lines, and a fingerprint scan driving circuit to drive one or more fingerprint scan lines included in a sensing area, and a readout circuit to output a selection signal to select the sensing area of the fingerprint sensing panel.

Description

[0001] Cross-references to related applications

[0002] This application claims priority and benefit to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2019-0038997, filed on April 3, 2019, which is incorporated herein by reference as fully set forth herein for all purposes. Technical Field

[0003] The present invention relates generally to electronic devices, and more specifically to a display panel having fingerprint sensing functionality and a display device including the display panel. Background Technology

[0004] Multimedia electronic devices such as televisions, mobile phones, tablet computers, navigation devices, and game consoles have display devices for displaying images. Electronic devices may include touch display devices, which, in addition to providing typical input methods such as buttons, keyboards, and mice, can also provide touch-based input methods that allow users to easily, intuitively, and conveniently input information or commands.

[0005] Recently, electronic devices have been used in online banking, product purchases, and security applications where sensitive personal and / or financial information must be protected. Therefore, some electronic devices utilize fingerprints, which provide unique biometric information, as a user authentication method for online banking, product purchases, and security applications. With the increase in applications using sensitive personal and / or financial information, the demand for touch display devices with fingerprint recognition capabilities is increasing.

[0006] The information disclosed in this background section is only for understanding the background of the inventive concept, and therefore may contain information that does not constitute prior art. Summary of the Invention

[0007] The applicant acknowledges that electronic devices with fingerprint recognition may be limited because the fingerprint recognition function is confined to a predetermined space on the display.

[0008] A display device constructed according to the principles and exemplary embodiments of the present invention, and an electronic device including the display device, are capable of sensing fingerprints substantially across the entire front surface of the display device. The electronic device can increase the brightness of the display area corresponding to the sensing area, thereby improving fingerprint recognition performance. Furthermore, the amount of signal processing can be minimized by receiving the fingerprint sensing signal from the sensing area corresponding to the user's touch area.

[0009] A display device constructed according to the principles and exemplary embodiments of the present invention and an electronic device including the display device can use a combination of sensing lines and scanning lines to detect finger touch, sequentially drive the scanning lines to create a new fingerprint signal, and compare the fingerprint signal with a fingerprint image stored in a memory.

[0010] Other features of the inventive concept will be set forth in the description which follows, and will become apparent in part from the description, or may be learned by practice of the inventive concept.

[0011] According to one aspect of the present invention, a display device includes: a display panel having a touch sensing unit for sensing external touch and a display unit including a plurality of pixels; a fingerprint sensing panel for sensing a fingerprint disposed on a surface of the display unit, the fingerprint sensing panel having a plurality of fingerprint sensing pixels respectively connected to a plurality of fingerprint scanning lines and a plurality of fingerprint sensing lines, and a fingerprint scanning driving circuit for driving one or more fingerprint scanning lines included in a sensing area; and a readout circuit for outputting a selection signal for selecting a sensing area of ​​the fingerprint sensing panel.

[0012] The fingerprint sensing panel may include a plurality of sensing units, wherein each of the plurality of sensing units may include x fingerprint sensing pixels that are adjacent to each other in a first direction and y fingerprint sensing pixels that are adjacent to each other in a second direction, wherein each of x and y may be a natural number, and the sensing area may have at least one of the plurality of sensing units.

[0013] The fingerprint scanning driving circuit may include a plurality of scanning blocks corresponding to a plurality of sensing units arranged in a second direction, and each of the plurality of scanning blocks may sequentially drive one or more fingerprint scanning lines in a corresponding sensing unit among the plurality of sensing units in response to a block selection signal.

[0014] Each of the plurality of scanning blocks may include: a plurality of switching elements, each corresponding to one or more fingerprint scan lines; and a plurality of stages, each corresponding to one or more fingerprint scan lines, to output a fingerprint scan signal to the corresponding fingerprint scan line, wherein a first switching element among the plurality of switching elements may transmit a block selection signal to the corresponding stage in response to a block clock signal, and an h-th switching element among the plurality of switching elements may transmit a fingerprint scan signal output from the (h-1)-th stage among the plurality of stages to the corresponding stage in response to a block clock signal, wherein h may be a positive integer greater than 1.

[0015] The readout circuit can receive fingerprint sensing signals from one of multiple fingerprint sensing lines.

[0016] The readout circuit may include: a plurality of readout blocks, each corresponding to a plurality of sensing units arranged in a first direction; and a control circuit that outputs a block selection signal and a receive selection signal, wherein each of the plurality of readout blocks may receive a fingerprint sensing signal from a fingerprint sensing line in a sensing unit included in a sensing area in response to the receive selection signal.

[0017] The display panel may have a display area and a non-display area adjacent to the display area, wherein multiple pixels may be arranged in the display area, and multiple fingerprint sensing pixels of the fingerprint sensing panel may be arranged in the fingerprint sensing area overlapping the display area.

[0018] The fingerprint sensing panel can be configured to sense fingerprints located at substantially any position on a surface of the display unit, and one or more fingerprint scanning lines can be driven sequentially.

[0019] According to another aspect of the present invention, an electronic device includes: a display unit including a plurality of pixels; a panel driving circuit for driving the display unit; a touch sensing unit disposed on the display unit to sense external touch; a touch sensing control circuit for driving the touch sensing unit; a fingerprint sensing panel disposed on a surface of the display unit to sense fingerprints; a readout circuit for driving the fingerprint sensing panel; and a control module for controlling the control circuit, the touch sensing control circuit, and the readout circuit, wherein when a touch sensing signal corresponding to any touch area is received from the touch sensing control circuit, the control module controls the control circuit to make the brightness of the light-emitting area of ​​the display unit become a predetermined level, and controls the readout circuit to sense fingerprints from the sensing area of ​​the fingerprint sensing panel, wherein the touch area, the light-emitting area, and the sensing area overlap each other.

[0020] The fingerprint sensing panel may include: multiple fingerprint sensing pixels, which are respectively connected to multiple fingerprint scanning lines and multiple fingerprint sensing lines; and a fingerprint scanning driving circuit that sequentially drives the fingerprint scanning lines included in the sensing area.

[0021] The readout circuit can be configured to output a block selection signal to select a sensing area and receive a fingerprint sensing signal from a fingerprint sensing line included in the sensing area.

[0022] The readout circuit can be configured to perform an authentication process by comparing the fingerprint sensing signal with the stored fingerprint signal and providing the authentication result to the control module.

[0023] The display unit may also include multiple scan lines and multiple data lines respectively connected to multiple pixels. A frame may have an effective period and a blank period. During the effective period, multiple scan lines may be driven sequentially. The control module may be configured to control the readout circuit to receive fingerprint sensing signals from fingerprint sensing lines included in the sensing area during the blank period.

[0024] The fingerprint sensing panel may include a plurality of sensing units, each of which may include x fingerprint sensing pixels that are adjacent to each other in a first direction and y fingerprint sensing pixels that are adjacent to each other in a second direction, wherein each of x and y may be a natural number, and the sensing area may include at least one of the plurality of sensing units.

[0025] The fingerprint scanning driving circuit may include a plurality of scanning blocks corresponding to a plurality of sensing units arranged in a second direction, and each of the plurality of scanning blocks may sequentially drive the fingerprint scanning line in the corresponding sensing unit in response to a block selection signal.

[0026] Each of the scanning blocks may include: multiple switching elements, each corresponding to a multiple fingerprint scan line; and multiple stages, each corresponding to a multiple fingerprint scan line, to output fingerprint scan signals to the corresponding fingerprint scan lines. The first switching element among the multiple switching elements transmits a block selection signal to the corresponding stage in response to the block clock signal. The h-th switching element among the multiple switching elements transmits the fingerprint scan signal output from the (h-1)-th stage among the multiple stages to the corresponding stage in response to the block clock signal. Here, h can be a positive integer greater than 1.

[0027] The display unit may include a display area and a non-display area adjacent to the display area, wherein multiple pixels may be arranged in the display area, and multiple fingerprint sensing pixels of the fingerprint sensing panel may be arranged in the fingerprint sensing area overlapping the display area.

[0028] The control module can be configured to receive fingerprint signals from the readout circuit and perform an authentication process to compare the received fingerprint signals with stored fingerprint signals.

[0029] When a touch sensing signal can be received, the control module can control the brightness of the light-emitting area to a first level. When the fingerprint signal received from the readout circuit is different from the stored fingerprint signal, the control module can gradually increase the brightness of the light-emitting area from the first level.

[0030] When the position of the sensing area can be determined before the touch sensing signal corresponding to any touch area is received from the touch sensing control circuit, the control module can control the control drive circuit so that the brightness of the light-emitting area corresponding to the sensing area can be changed to a predetermined level, and can control the readout circuit to sense the fingerprint from the sensing area.

[0031] The fingerprint sensing panel may also include a plurality of pads disposed in a peripheral area adjacent to the fingerprint sensing area, and may also include a circuit board electrically connected to the fingerprint sensing panel via the pads, and a readout circuit may be disposed on the circuit board.

[0032] According to another aspect of the present invention, a display device includes: a display panel including a touch sensing unit for sensing external touch and a display unit including a plurality of pixels; a fingerprint sensing panel disposed on a surface of the display unit and including a plurality of fingerprint sensing pixels respectively connected to a plurality of fingerprint scanning lines and a plurality of fingerprint sensing lines; and a fingerprint scanning driving circuit for driving the plurality of fingerprint scanning lines, wherein the fingerprint scanning driving circuit selectively drives at least one of the plurality of fingerprint scanning lines in response to a block selection signal, and holds unselected fingerprint scanning lines at an inactive level.

[0033] The fingerprint sensing panel may include multiple sensing units, each of which includes x fingerprint sensing pixels that are adjacent to each other in a first direction and y fingerprint sensing pixels that are adjacent to each other in a second direction, wherein each of x and y may be a natural number.

[0034] The fingerprint scanning driving circuit may include a plurality of scanning blocks corresponding to a plurality of sensing units arranged in a second direction, wherein each of the plurality of scanning blocks may sequentially drive a fingerprint scanning line connected to a fingerprint sensing pixel in the corresponding sensing unit in response to a block selection signal.

[0035] The readout circuit can select some of the multiple sensing units as sensing regions and can provide a block selection signal corresponding to the selected sensing regions. The readout circuit can also be configured to receive fingerprint sensing signals from each of the fingerprint sensing lines connected to the fingerprint sensing pixels in the sensing regions.

[0036] The readout circuit may include a plurality of readout blocks corresponding to a plurality of sensing units arranged in a first direction, each of the plurality of readout blocks corresponding to a sensing area may be configured to receive a fingerprint sensing signal from each of the fingerprint sensing lines connected to the fingerprint sensing pixels in the corresponding sensing unit, and each of the plurality of readout blocks not corresponding to a sensing area may be configured to remain in an inactive state.

[0037] According to another aspect of the present invention, a method for operating an electronic device including a touch sensing unit, a display unit, and a fingerprint sensing panel includes the following steps: receiving a touch sensing signal from the touch sensing unit; defining a touch area corresponding to the touch sensing signal; increasing the luminous brightness of a light-emitting area of ​​the display unit corresponding to the touch area; generating a block selection signal to select a sensing area of ​​the fingerprint sensing panel corresponding to the touch area of ​​the touch sensing unit; and driving a fingerprint scanning line connected to a fingerprint sensing pixel in the sensing area of ​​the fingerprint sensing panel in response to the block selection signal.

[0038] The fingerprint sensing panel may include: a plurality of fingerprint sensing pixels, respectively connected to a plurality of fingerprint scanning lines and a plurality of fingerprint sensing lines; and a fingerprint scanning driving circuit that sequentially drives the plurality of fingerprint scanning lines. The fingerprint sensing panel may include a plurality of sensing units, each of the plurality of sensing units may include x fingerprint sensing pixels that are adjacent to each other in a first direction and y fingerprint sensing pixels that are adjacent to each other in a second direction, wherein each of x and y may be a natural number, and the sensing area may include at least one of the plurality of sensing units.

[0039] The fingerprint scanning driving circuit may include a plurality of scanning blocks corresponding to a plurality of sensing units arranged in a second direction, wherein the step of driving fingerprint scanning lines connected to fingerprint sensing pixels in the sensing area of ​​the fingerprint sensing panel in response to a block selection signal may include: selecting at least one scanning block corresponding to the sensing area among the plurality of scanning blocks in response to the block selection signal; and sequentially driving fingerprint scanning lines corresponding to at least one selected scanning block.

[0040] The steps for receiving fingerprint signals from the sensing area of ​​the fingerprint sensing panel.

[0041] This step involves comparing a fingerprint signal with a preset fingerprint signal.

[0042] When the fingerprint signal and the preset fingerprint signal can be different from each other, the brightness of the light-emitting area of ​​the display unit corresponding to the touch area is increased; a block selection signal is generated to sense the sensing area of ​​the fingerprint sensing panel corresponding to the touch area; and a new fingerprint signal is received from the sensing area of ​​the fingerprint sensing panel.

[0043] It should be understood that both the general description above and the detailed description below are exemplary and illustrative, and are intended to provide further explanation of the claimed invention. Attached Figure Description

[0044] The accompanying drawings illustrate exemplary embodiments of the invention and, together with the specification, serve to explain the inventive concept. The drawings are included to provide a further understanding of the invention and are incorporated in and constitute a part of this specification.

[0045] Figure 1A This is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of an electronic device constructed according to the principles of the present invention;

[0046] Figure 1B yes Figure 1A An exploded perspective view of an electronic device;

[0047] Figure 1C yes Figure 1A A cross-sectional view of an electronic device;

[0048] Figure 2 yes Figure 1A A block diagram of an exemplary electronic device shown;

[0049] Figure 3 This is a plan view of an exemplary embodiment of a display unit constructed according to the principles of the present invention;

[0050] Figure 4 This is a plan view of an exemplary embodiment of a touch sensing unit constructed according to the principles of the present invention;

[0051] Figure 5 This is a plan view of an exemplary embodiment of a fingerprint sensing panel constructed according to the principles of the present invention;

[0052] Figure 6 It is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of the connection relationship between fingerprint sensing pixels constructed according to the principles of the present invention and fingerprint sensing scanning circuit and readout circuit;

[0053] Figure 7 This is a circuit diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a representative fingerprint sensing pixel connected to the i-th fingerprint sensing line and the j-th fingerprint scanning line, constructed according to the principles of the present invention;

[0054] Figure 8 It is shown Figure 6 A block diagram of an exemplary embodiment of the circuit configuration of the first fingerprint scanning driving circuit shown;

[0055] Figure 9 It is shown Figure 8 An exemplary implementation of the circuit diagram of the stage shown;

[0056] Figure 10 It is used for explanation Figure 9 An exemplary implementation of the timing diagram of the operations of the stages shown;

[0057] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a touch sensing unit, a display unit, and a fingerprint sensing panel, illustrating exemplary operation of an electronic device constructed according to the principles of the present invention;

[0058] Figure 12 and Figure 13 These are block diagrams and timing diagrams illustrating exemplary embodiments of the operation of a control module of an electronic device constructed according to the principles of the present invention.

[0059] Figure 14A This is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a first fingerprint scanning drive circuit for driving fingerprint scanning lines of a fingerprint sensing panel, constructed according to the principles of the present invention.

[0060] Figure 14B This is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a first fingerprint scanning drive circuit constructed according to the principles of the present invention for driving fingerprint scanning lines in the sensing area of ​​a fingerprint sensing panel;

[0061] Figure 15 This is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a readout circuit constructed according to the principles of the present invention;

[0062] Figure 16 This is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a readout block constructed according to the principles of the present invention, which receives fingerprint sensing signals from fingerprint sensing lines in the sensing area of ​​a fingerprint sensing panel.

[0063] Figure 17 This is an exemplary embodiment illustrating a timing diagram of the operation of an electronic device constructed according to the principles of the present invention;

[0064] Figure 18A , Figure 18B and Figure 18C It is a graph showing the brightness variation of the light-emitting area in a display unit constructed according to the principle of the present invention;

[0065] Figure 19A This is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a fingerprint sensing process in an electronic device constructed according to the principles of the present invention;

[0066] Figure 19B It shows when in Figure 19A A block diagram illustrating an exemplary implementation of the fingerprint sensing process of an electronic device when fingerprint authentication fails during the authentication process shown.

[0067] Figure 20A This is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a fingerprint sensing process in an electronic device constructed according to the principles of the present invention;

[0068] Figure 20B It shows when in Figure 20A A block diagram illustrating an exemplary implementation of the fingerprint sensing process of an electronic device when fingerprint authentication fails during the authentication process shown.

[0069] Figure 21A This is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of the fingerprint sensing process of an electronic device constructed according to the principles of the present invention; and

[0070] Figure 21B It shows when in Figure 21A The diagram illustrates an exemplary implementation of the fingerprint sensing process of an electronic device when fingerprint authentication fails during the authentication process. Detailed Implementation

[0071] In the following description, numerous specific details are set forth for illustrative purposes to provide a thorough understanding of various exemplary embodiments or embodiments of the invention. As used herein, “implementation” and “example” are interchangeable terms, serving as non-limiting examples of apparatuses or methods employing one or more inventive concepts disclosed herein. However, it will be apparent that various exemplary embodiments may be practiced without these specific details or through one or more equivalent arrangements. In other examples, well-known structures and apparatuses are illustrated in block diagram form to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the various exemplary embodiments. Furthermore, the various exemplary embodiments may be different, but are not necessarily exclusive. For example, a particular shape, configuration, and characteristic of an exemplary embodiment may be used or implemented in another exemplary embodiment without departing from the inventive concept.

[0072] Unless otherwise stated, the exemplary embodiments shown should be understood as providing exemplary features of different details that can be used to implement the inventive concept in practice. Therefore, unless otherwise stated, features, components, modules, layers, films, panels, regions and / or aspects of various embodiments (hereinafter referred to individually or collectively as "elements") may be combined, separated, interchanged and / or rearranged in other ways without departing from the inventive concept.

[0073] The use of crosshairs and / or shading in the accompanying drawings is generally provided to clarify the boundaries between adjacent elements. Therefore, unless otherwise stated, the presence or absence of crosshairs or shading does not convey or indicate any preference or requirement for a particular material, material properties, size, scale, commonalities between the elements shown, and / or any other characteristics, properties, or nature of the elements. Furthermore, in the accompanying drawings, the dimensions and relative dimensions of elements may be exaggerated for clarity and / or descriptive purposes. When exemplary embodiments can be implemented differently, a particular process sequence may be performed differently than the described sequence. For example, two consecutively described processes may be performed substantially simultaneously or in the reverse order of their description. Additionally, the same reference numerals denote the same elements.

[0074] When an element, such as a layer, is referred to as being "on," "connected to," or "attached to" another element or layer, it may be directly on, directly connected to, or directly attached to that other element or layer, or there may be an intermediate element or layer. However, when an element or layer is referred to as being "directly" on, "directly connected to," or "directly attached to" another element or layer, there is no intermediate element or layer. Therefore, the term "connection" can refer to a physical connection, electrical connection, and / or fluid connection with or without an intermediate element. Furthermore, the D1, D2, and D3 axes are not limited to the three axes of a Cartesian coordinate system, such as the x-axis, y-axis, and z-axis, and can be interpreted in a broader sense. For example, the D1, D2, and D3 axes may be perpendicular to each other, or they may represent different directions that are not perpendicular to each other. For the purposes of this disclosure, "at least one of X, Y, and Z" and "at least one of the combinations of X, Y, and Z" can be interpreted as X only, Y only, Z only, or any combination of two or more of X, Y, and Z, such as, for example, XYZ, XYY, YZ, and ZZ. As used herein, the terms "and / or" include any and all combinations of one or more of the associated listed items.

[0075] Although the terms “first,” “second,” etc., may be used herein to describe various types of elements, these elements should not be limited by these terms. These terms are used to distinguish one element from another. Therefore, without departing from the teachings of this disclosure, the first element discussed below may be referred to as the second element.

[0076] Spatial relative terms, such as “below,” “under,” “lower,” “above,” “upper,” “above,” “above,” “above,” and “side” (e.g., as in “sidewall”), may be used herein for descriptive purposes and thereby describe the relationship between one element and another as shown in the accompanying drawings. In addition to the orientations depicted in the drawings, spatial relative terms are intended to encompass different orientations of the device in use, operation, and / or manufacture. For example, if the device in the drawings is flipped, an element described as “below” or “under” other elements or features will subsequently be oriented “above” other elements or features. Thus, the exemplary term “below” can encompass both above and below orientations. Furthermore, the device may be oriented in other ways (e.g., rotated 90 degrees or in other orientations), and therefore, the spatial relative descriptive terms used herein should be interpreted accordingly.

[0077] The terminology used herein is for the purpose of describing particular embodiments and is not intended to be limiting. Unless the context clearly indicates otherwise, the singular forms “a,” “an,” and “the” as used herein are intended to also include the plural forms. Furthermore, when used in this specification, the terms “comprises,” “comprising,” “includes,” and / or “including” specify the presence of the described features, integrals, properties, areas, fixed quantities, processes, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof, but do not exclude the presence or addition of one or more other features, integrals, properties, areas, fixed quantities, processes, steps, operations, elements, components, and / or combinations thereof. The terms “and / or” include all of one or more combinations defined by the relevant components. It should also be noted that, as used herein, the terms “substantially,” “about,” and other similar terms are used as approximate terms rather than as terms of degree, and are thus used to allow for inherent deviations in measurements, calculated values, and / or provided values ​​that will be recognized by those skilled in the art.

[0078] Various exemplary embodiments are described herein with reference to cross-sectional and / or exploded views as schematic diagrams of idealized exemplary embodiments and / or intermediate structures. Thus, deviations from the illustrated shapes should be anticipated, for example, due to manufacturing techniques and / or tolerances. Therefore, the exemplary embodiments disclosed herein should not necessarily be interpreted as limited to the specific shapes of the illustrated areas, but should include, for example, deviations in shape due to manufacturing processes. In this way, the areas shown in the figures can be schematic in nature, and the shapes of these areas may not reflect the actual shapes of the areas of the device, and are therefore not necessarily intended to be limiting.

[0079] In an exemplary implementation, such as Figures 12 to 13 , Figures 19A to 19B , Figures 20A to 20B as well as Figures 21A to 21B The modules and / or one or more components described herein may be implemented by one or more general-purpose components and / or special-purpose components, such as one or more discrete circuits, digital signal processing chips, integrated circuits, application-specific integrated circuits, microprocessors, processors, programmable arrays, field-programmable arrays, instruction set processors, etc.

[0080] According to one or more exemplary embodiments, the features, functions, processes, etc., described herein can be implemented by software, hardware (e.g., general-purpose processors, digital signal processing (DSP) chips, application-specific integrated circuits (ASICs), field-programmable gate arrays (FPGAs), etc.), firmware, or a combination thereof. In this way, as... Figures 12 to 13 , Figures 19A to 19B , Figures 20A to 20B as well as Figures 21A to 21B The modules and / or one or more components depicted herein may include, or otherwise associate with, one or more memories, said one or more memories including those configured to such that... Figures 12 to 13 , Figures 19A to 19B , Figures 20A to 20B as well as Figures 21A to 21B The modules and / or one or more components described herein are used to execute code (e.g., instructions) for one or more features, functions, processes, etc., described herein.

[0081] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein (including technical and scientific terms) shall have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which this disclosure pertains. Terms, such as those defined in common dictionaries, shall be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with their meaning in the context of the relevant field, and shall not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless expressly defined herein.

[0082] Figure 1A This is a perspective view of an exemplary embodiment of an electronic device constructed according to the principles of the present invention. Figure 1B yes Figure 1A An exploded 3D view of an electronic device. Figure 1C yes Figure 1A A cross-sectional view of an electronic device.

[0083] refer to Figure 1A Portable terminals are shown as examples of electronic devices ED (which may be referred to herein as "display devices") according to exemplary embodiments of the present invention. Portable terminals may include tablet PCs, smartphones, personal digital assistants (PDAs), portable multimedia players (PMPs), game consoles, wristwatch-style electronic devices, etc. However, exemplary embodiments are not limited thereto.

[0084] Exemplary embodiments of the present invention can be used in large electronic devices such as TVs or billboards, and also in small electronic devices such as personal computers, laptops, car navigation units, and cameras. These are presented merely as embodiments, and it is obvious that exemplary embodiments of the present invention can be applied to other electronic devices.

[0085] like Figure 1AAs shown, the display surface for displaying the image IM is generally parallel to the plane defined by the first direction DR1 and the second direction DR2. The electronic device ED includes multiple regions defined on the display surface. The display surface includes a display area DA for displaying the image IM and a non-display area NDA adjacent to the display area DA. The non-display area NDA may be referred to as a border area. As an example, the display area DA may have a generally rectangular shape. The non-display area NDA may surround the display area DA. Additionally, the electronic device ED may have a partially generally curved shape. Therefore, a region of the display area DA may have a generally curved shape.

[0086] The front (or upper, or first) and rear (or lower, or second) surfaces of each component are defined based on the orientation of the displayed image IM. However, the directions indicated by the first direction DR1, the second direction DR2, and the third direction DR3 can be converted into other directions as relative concepts. In the following, the first to third directions, which are the directions indicated by the first direction DR1, the second direction DR2, and the third direction DR3 respectively, are denoted by the same reference numerals.

[0087] An electronic device ED according to an exemplary embodiment of the present invention can sense touch input TC applied by a user from an external source. User input includes various types of external input, such as a part of the user's body, light, heat, or pressure. In this embodiment, it is assumed that the user's input is a user's hand applied to the front surface, but this is exemplary. As mentioned above, the user's touch input TC can be provided in various forms. Furthermore, the electronic device ED can sense user input applied to the side or rear surface of the electronic device ED depending on its structure, and is not limited to any one embodiment.

[0088] like Figure 1B As shown, the electronic device ED includes a display module DM and a fingerprint sensing module FSM. The display module DM includes a window component WM, a first adhesive component OCA1, a display panel DP, a panel circuit board P-FCB, a panel driving circuit PDC, and a touch sensing circuit TSC.

[0089] Window components provided by WM Figure 1A The front surface of the electronic device ED is shown. The window member WM may include a glass substrate, a sapphire substrate, a plastic substrate, etc. Additionally, the window member WM may include functional coatings such as an anti-fingerprint layer, an anti-reflective layer, and a hard coating layer. In this exemplary embodiment, a flat window member WM is shown in the display area DA, but the shape of the window member WM can be modified. The edge of the window member WM facing in the first direction DR1 may provide a curved surface.

[0090] The display panel DP is disposed on the rear surface of the window member WM to generate the image IM. Additionally, the display panel DP can sense user input (e.g., user touch and / or user pressure). In this embodiment, although a display panel DP providing a flat display surface is shown as an example, the shape of the display panel DP can be modified. The edge of the display panel DP facing in the first direction DR1 can be bent from the central portion to provide a generally curved surface.

[0091] The display panel DP may include various display elements. For example, the display element may be a liquid crystal capacitor, an organic light-emitting element, an electrophoretic element, or an electrowetting element. A display device according to an exemplary embodiment is described as a plurality of organic light-emitting diodes. An exemplary embodiment of the display panel DP of the present invention may be a flexible display panel, such as an organic light-emitting display panel.

[0092] The first adhesive member OCA1 is disposed between the window member WM and the display panel DP. The first adhesive member OCA1 may be an optically transparent adhesive member.

[0093] One end of the panel circuit board P-FCB can be bonded to a pad located in a region of the display panel DP, and thus can be electrically connected to the display panel DP. According to one embodiment, the panel driving circuit PDC and the touch sensing circuit TSC can be mounted on the panel circuit board P-FCB in a chip-on-film (COF) manner. Furthermore, multiple passive and active components can be further mounted on the panel circuit board P-FCB. The panel circuit board P-FCB can provide electrical signals to the display panel DP via signal lines. The panel circuit board P-FCB can be implemented using flexible printed circuits. The other end of the panel circuit board P-FCB can be electrically connected to... Figure 1A Other components of the electronic device ED shown.

[0094] The fingerprint sensing module FSM is disposed on the rear surface of the display panel DP and includes a second adhesive member OCA2, a fingerprint sensing panel FSP, a fingerprint circuit board F-FCB, and a readout circuit ROC. In the illustrated exemplary embodiment, the fingerprint sensing module FSM is shown and described as being disposed on the rear surface of the display panel DP, but the exemplary embodiment is not limited thereto. For example, the fingerprint sensing module FSM may be disposed on the upper surface of the display panel DP.

[0095] The second adhesive component OCA2 is disposed between the display panel DP and the fingerprint sensing panel FSP. The second adhesive component OCA2 can be an optically transparent adhesive component.

[0096] although Figure 1BThe illustration shows a first adhesive member OCA1 included in a display module DM and a second adhesive member OCA2 included in a fingerprint sensing module FSM, but the exemplary embodiment is not limited thereto.

[0097] After the light emitted from the display panel DP is emitted to the outside through the window member WM, the fingerprint sensing panel FSP can sense the amount of light reflected by the user's hand and thus sense the user's fingerprint information.

[0098] One end of the fingerprint circuit board F-FCB can be bonded to a pad located in a region of the fingerprint sensing panel FSP, and thus can be electrically connected to the fingerprint sensing panel FSP. According to one embodiment, the readout circuit ROC can be mounted on the fingerprint circuit board F-FCB in a chip-on-film (COF) manner. Furthermore, multiple passive and active components can be further mounted on the fingerprint circuit board F-FCB. The fingerprint circuit board F-FCB can provide electrical signals to the fingerprint sensing panel FSP via signal lines and can receive fingerprint sensing signals from the fingerprint sensing panel FSP. The fingerprint circuit board F-FCB can be implemented using flexible printed circuits. The other end of the fingerprint circuit board F-FCB can be electrically connected to... Figure 1A Other components of the electronic device ED shown.

[0099] In an exemplary embodiment, the panel circuit board P-FCB and the fingerprint circuit board F-FCB are disposed facing each other at one end of each of the display panel DP and the fingerprint sensing panel FSP, but the exemplary embodiment is not limited thereto. In another embodiment, the panel circuit board P-FCB and the fingerprint circuit board F-FCB may be separated from each other in the second direction DR2. That is, the panel circuit board P-FCB may be connected to one side of the display panel DP, while the fingerprint circuit board F-FCB may be connected to the other side of the fingerprint sensing panel FSP corresponding to the other side of the display panel DP.

[0100] remove Figure 1B In addition to the display module DM and the fingerprint sensing module FSM shown, Figure 1A The electronic device ED shown also includes various components for controlling the operation of the display module DM. (See later...) Figure 2 Describe in detail the circuit components of the electronic device ED.

[0101] refer to Figure 1C , Figure 1AThe electronic device ED includes a display module DM and a fingerprint sensing module FSM. The display module DM includes a window member WM, a first adhesive member OCA1, and a display panel DP. The display panel DP includes a touch sensing unit TSU and a display unit DU. In another embodiment, the stacking order of the touch sensing unit TSU and the display unit DU can be changed. In another embodiment, the window member WM may include an anti-reflective layer and a window layer.

[0102] Figure 2 yes Figure 1A A block diagram of an exemplary electronic device shown.

[0103] refer to Figure 2 The electronic device ED includes a display module DM, a power module PM, a first electronic module EM1, a second electronic module EM2, and a fingerprint sensing module FSM. The display module DM, power module PM, first electronic module EM1, second electronic module EM2, and fingerprint sensing module FSM can be electrically connected to each other. Figure 2 The diagram schematically illustrates the display unit DU, panel driver circuit PDC, touch sensing unit TSU, and touch sensing circuit TSC in the configuration of the display module DM. Additionally, Figure 2 The image schematically illustrates the fingerprint sensing panel FSP and the readout circuit ROC in the configuration of the fingerprint sensing module FSM.

[0104] The power module (PM) supplies the power required for the overall operation of the electronic device (ED). A typical power module (PM) may include a battery module.

[0105] The first electronic module EM1 and the second electronic module EM2 include various functional modules for operating the electronic device ED. The first electronic module EM1 can be directly mounted on the motherboard that is electrically connected to the display module DM, or it can be mounted on a separate board and electrically connected to the motherboard via connectors, etc.

[0106] The first electronic module EM1 may include a control module CM, a wireless communication module TM, an image input module IIM, an audio input module AIM, a memory MM, and an external interface IF. Some of these modules may not be mounted on the motherboard, but can be electrically connected to the motherboard via a flexible circuit board.

[0107] The control module (CM) controls the overall operation of the electronic device (ED). The control module (CM) can be a microprocessor. For example, the control module (CM) enables or disables the display module (DM). The control module (CM) can control other modules, such as the image input module (IIM) and the audio input module (AIM), based on touch signals received from the display module (DM). The control module (CM) can perform user authentication based on fingerprint signals received from the fingerprint sensing module (FSM).

[0108] The wireless communication module™ can transmit / receive wireless signals to / from another terminal using Bluetooth or Wi-Fi lines. The wireless communication module™ can also transmit / receive voice signals using common communication lines. The wireless communication module™ includes a transmitter TM2 for modulating and transmitting the signal to be transmitted and a receiver TM1 for demodulating the received signal.

[0109] The Image Input Module (IIM) processes image signals and converts them into image data that can be displayed on the Display Module (DM). The Audio Input Module (AIM), in recording mode, voice recognition mode, etc., receives external audio signals through a microphone and converts the audio signals into electronic voice data.

[0110] The external interface IF serves as an interface to external chargers, wired / wireless data ports, and card (e.g., memory card, SIM / UIM card) slots.

[0111] The second electronic module EM2 may include an audio output module AOM, a light-emitting module LM, a light-receiving module LRM, and a camera module CMM. These components can be directly mounted on the motherboard, or mounted on a separate substrate and electrically connected to the display module DM via connectors, or electrically connected to the first electronic module EM1.

[0112] The audio output module AOM converts audio data received from the wireless communication module TM or stored in the memory MM, and outputs the audio data to the outside.

[0113] A light-emitting module (LM) generates and outputs light. The LM can output infrared light. The LM may include LED elements. A light-receiving module (LRM) senses infrared light. The LRM can be activated when a predetermined level or higher of infrared light is sensed. The LRM may include a CMOS sensor. After outputting infrared light generated by the LM, the infrared light is reflected by an external object (e.g., a user's finger or face), and the reflected infrared light can be incident on the LRM. A camera module (CMM) captures an external image.

[0114] Figure 3 This is a plan view of an exemplary embodiment of a display unit constructed according to the principles of the present invention. Figure 3 A schematic diagram of the signal circuit is shown. Additionally, for ease of description, details have been omitted. Figure 3 Some components are used to avoid redundancy.

[0115] like Figure 3As shown in the diagram, the display unit DU includes a display area DP-DA and a non-display area DP-NDA in a plan view. In this embodiment, the non-display area DP-NDA can be defined along the outline of the display area DP-DA. The display area DP-DA and the non-display area DP-NDA of the display unit DU are respectively connected to... Figure 1A The electronic device ED shown corresponds to the display area DA and the non-display area NDA.

[0116] The display unit DU may include a scan drive circuit SDC, multiple signal lines SGL (hereinafter referred to as signal lines), multiple signal pads DP-PD (hereinafter referred to as signal pads), and multiple pixels PX (hereinafter referred to as pixels). Pixels PX are disposed in the display area DP-DA. Each pixel PX includes an organic light-emitting diode and a pixel drive circuit connected to the organic light-emitting diode.

[0117] The scan drive circuit SDC generates multiple scan signals (hereinafter referred to as scan signals) and outputs them sequentially to multiple scan lines SL (hereinafter referred to as scan lines), which will be described later. The scan drive circuit SDC can also output another control signal to the drive circuit of the pixel PX.

[0118] The scan drive circuit SDC may include multiple thin-film transistors formed using the same process as the drive circuit of the pixel PX (e.g., low-temperature polycrystalline silicon (LTPS) process or low-temperature polycrystalline oxide (LTPO) process).

[0119] The signal line SGL includes scan lines SL, data lines DL, power lines PL, and control signal lines CSL. Scan lines SL are connected to corresponding pixels PX, and data lines DL are also connected to corresponding pixels PX. Power lines PL are connected to pixels PX. Control signal lines CSL provide control signals to the scan drive circuit SDC.

[0120] The signal line SGL overlaps with the display area DP-DA and the non-display area DP-NDA. The signal line SGL may include a pad portion and a line portion. The line portion overlaps with the display area DP-DA and the non-display area DP-NDA. The pad portion is connected to the end of the line portion. The pad portion is located in the non-display area DP-NDA and overlaps with the corresponding signal pad in the signal pad DP-PD. The area in the non-display area DP-NDA where the signal pad DP-PD is located can be defined as the pad area NDA-PD.

[0121] The line portion that is basically connected to the pixel PX constitutes most of the signal line SGL. The line portion is connected to the transistor of the pixel PX. The line portion may have a single-layer / multi-layer structure, and the line portion may be a single body or may include two or more portions. The two or more portions may be disposed on different layers and may be connected to each other through contact holes that pass through the insulating layer disposed between the two or more portions.

[0122] The display unit DU may also include an input sensing pad TS-PD disposed in the pad area NDA-PD. Since the input sensing pad TS-PD is formed using the same process as the signal line SGL, the input sensing pad TS-PD may be disposed on the same layer as the signal line SGL.

[0123] Input sensing pad TS-PD can be with Figure 1C The pads of the signal lines in the touch sensing unit (TSU) shown overlap. The input sensing pad (TS-PD) can be electrically isolated from the signal line (SGL) of the display unit (DU).

[0124] Figure 3 The panel circuit board P-FCB, electrically connected to the display unit DU, is also shown. The panel circuit board P-FCB can be a rigid circuit board or a flexible circuit board. The panel circuit board P-FCB can be directly connected to the display unit DU, or it can be connected to the display unit DU via another circuit board.

[0125] The panel circuit board P-FCB may include a panel driver circuit PDC for controlling the operation of the display unit DU. Additionally, a touch sensing circuit TSC for controlling the touch sensing unit TSU may be provided on the panel circuit board P-FCB. Each of the panel driver circuit PDC and the touch sensing circuit TSC may be mounted on the panel circuit board P-FCB as an integrated chip. The panel circuit board P-FCB may include a circuit board pad PCB-P electrically connected to the display unit DU. The panel circuit board P-FCB also includes signal lines connecting the circuit board pad PCB-P and the panel driver circuit PDC and / or the touch sensing circuit TSC.

[0126] Figure 4 This is a plan view of an exemplary embodiment of a touch sensing unit constructed according to the principles of the present invention.

[0127] refer to Figure 4 The touch sensing unit (TSU) is mounted on the display unit (DU). The touch sensing unit (TSU) senses touch input (TC) (such as...). Figure 1A(As shown in the diagram) to obtain position or intensity information of external touch input. The touch sensing unit (TSU) includes a touch area TA and a touch periphery region TSA in a plan view. In this embodiment, the touch periphery region TSA can be defined along the contour of the touch area TA. The touch area TA and touch periphery region TSA of the touch sensing unit TSU are respectively... Figure 1A The electronic device ED shown corresponds to the display area DA and the non-display area NDA.

[0128] The touch sensing unit (TSU) includes multiple first sensing electrodes SE1, multiple second sensing electrodes SE2, multiple sensing lines TL1, TL2 and TL3, and multiple sensing pads.

[0129] The first sensing electrode SE1 and the second sensing electrode SE2 are disposed in the touch area TA. The touch sensing unit TSU can obtain information related to the touch input TC by means of the capacitance change between the first sensing electrode SE1 and the second sensing electrode SE2.

[0130] Each of the first sensing electrodes SE1 extends along a first direction DR1 and is arranged along a second direction DR2. The first sensing electrode SE1 may include a plurality of first sensing patterns SP1 and a plurality of first connection patterns CP1.

[0131] The first sensing patterns SP1 constituting the first sensing electrode SE1 are spaced apart from each other along the first direction DR1. In this embodiment, for ease of explanation, the first sensing patterns SP1 are shaded relative to the second sensing pattern SP2. A first connecting pattern CP1 is disposed between the first sensing patterns SP1 and connects two adjacent first sensing patterns SP1.

[0132] Each of the second sensing electrodes SE2 extends along the second direction DR2 and is arranged along the first direction DR1. The second sensing electrode SE2 may include a plurality of second sensing patterns SP2 and a plurality of second connection patterns CP2.

[0133] The second sensing patterns SP2 constituting the second sensing electrode SE2 are spaced apart from each other along the second direction DR2. The second connecting pattern CP2 is disposed between the second sensing patterns SP2 and connects two adjacent second sensing patterns SP2.

[0134] Sensing lines TL1, TL2, and TL3 are arranged in the touch peripheral area TSA. Sensing lines TL1, TL2, and TL3 may include a first sensing line TL1, a second sensing line TL2, and a third sensing line TL3. The first sensing line TL1 is connected to a first sensing electrode SE1. The second sensing line TL2 is connected to one end of a second sensing electrode SE2.

[0135] The third sensing line TL3 is connected to the other end of the second sensing electrode SE2. The other end of the second sensing electrode SE2 may be the portion opposite to one end of the second sensing electrode SE2. According to an exemplary embodiment of the invention, the second sensing electrode SE2 may be connected to both the second sensing line TL2 and the third sensing line TL3. Therefore, for the second sensing electrode SE2, which has a relatively longer length than the first sensing electrode SE1, region-dependent sensitivity can be uniformly maintained. This is, on the other hand, an exemplary illustration. The third sensing line TL3 may be omitted and is not limited to any particular embodiment.

[0136] like Figure 3 As depicted, sensing pads are disposed in the touch peripheral area TSA. The sensing pads may include a first sensing pad T1, a second sensing pad T2, and a third sensing pad T3. The first sensing pad T1 is connected to a first sensing line TL1 to provide an external signal to a first sensing electrode SE1. The second sensing pad T2 is electrically connected to a second sensing electrode SE2 via a second sensing line TL2. The third sensing pad T3 is electrically connected to the second sensing electrode SE2 via a third sensing line TL3.

[0137] Figure 5 This is a plan view of an exemplary embodiment of a fingerprint sensing panel constructed according to the principles of the present invention.

[0138] refer to Figure 5 The fingerprint sensor panel FSP can sense fingerprints generated by... Figure 1A The touch input TC shown in the diagram reflects light to obtain the user's fingerprint information (fingerprint signal). The fingerprint sensing panel FSP includes a fingerprint sensing area FSA and a peripheral area FSSA in a plan view. In this embodiment, the peripheral area FSSA can be defined along the outline of the fingerprint sensing area FSA. The fingerprint sensing area FSA and the peripheral area FSSA of the fingerprint sensing panel FSP are respectively compared with... Figure 1A The display area DA and the non-display area NDA of the electronic device ED shown overlap. Therefore, Figure 1A The display area DA of the electronic device ED shown Figure 3 The display area DP-DA of the display unit DU shown in the figure. Figure 4 The touch area TA of the touch sensing unit TSU shown in the figure. Figure 5 The fingerprint sensing areas (FSAs) of the fingerprint sensing panel FSP shown overlap each other in the planar view. Similarly, Figure 1A The non-display area NDA of the electronic device ED shown in the figure. Figure 3 The non-display area DP-NDA of the display unit DU shown in the figure. Figure 4 The touch peripheral area TSA of the touch sensing unit TSU shown in the figure. Figure 5The peripheral areas FSSA of the fingerprint sensing panel FSP shown overlap each other.

[0139] The fingerprint sensing panel FSP may include a first fingerprint scanning driving circuit FSDC1, a second fingerprint scanning driving circuit FSDC2, multiple fingerprint signal lines F-SGL (hereinafter referred to as fingerprint signal lines), multiple fingerprint signal pads FS-PD, and multiple fingerprint sensing pixels SP. The fingerprint sensing pixels SP are disposed in the fingerprint sensing area FSA.

[0140] The first fingerprint scanning driver circuit FSDC1 ​​generates multiple fingerprint scanning signals and sequentially outputs these signals to multiple fingerprint scanning lines FSL, which will be described later. The first fingerprint scanning driver circuit FSDC1 ​​can also output another control signal to the fingerprint sensing pixel SP.

[0141] The second fingerprint scanning driver circuit FSDC2 generates multiple fingerprint scanning signals and sequentially outputs these signals to multiple fingerprint scanning lines FSL, which will be described later. The second fingerprint scanning driver circuit FSDC2 can also output another control signal to the fingerprint sensing pixel SP.

[0142] In this exemplary embodiment, each of the fingerprint scanning lines FSL is connected to the first fingerprint scanning driver circuit FSDC1 ​​and the second fingerprint scanning driver circuit FSDC2. In another embodiment, the fingerprint sensing panel FSP may include only one of the first fingerprint scanning driver circuit FSDC1 ​​and the second fingerprint scanning driver circuit FSDC2.

[0143] The fingerprint signal line F-SGL includes a fingerprint scanning line FSL, a fingerprint sensing line FDL, a power line PLL, a first control signal line FCL1, and a second control signal line FCL2. The fingerprint scanning line FSL is connected to the corresponding fingerprint sensing pixel SP, and the fingerprint sensing line FDL is also connected to the corresponding fingerprint sensing pixel SP. The power line PLL is connected to the fingerprint sensing pixel SP. Figure 5 In this configuration, there is one power supply line (PLL), but each fingerprint sensor pixel (SP) can be connected to two or more power supply lines (PLLs). This will be discussed later. Figure 7 In this process, at least one of the first voltage VCST and the second voltage VCOM can be supplied to the fingerprint sensing pixel SP through the power line PLL.

[0144] The first control signal line FCL1 can provide control signals to the first fingerprint scanning driver circuit FSDC1. The second control signal line FCL2 can provide control signals to the second fingerprint scanning driver circuit FSDC2.

[0145] The fingerprint signal line F-SGL overlaps with the fingerprint sensing area FSA and the peripheral area FSSA. The fingerprint signal line F-SGL may include a pad portion and a line portion. The line portion overlaps with the fingerprint sensing area FSA and the peripheral area FSSA. The pad portion is connected to the end of the line portion. The pad portion is located in the peripheral area FSSA and overlaps with the corresponding fingerprint signal pad in the fingerprint signal pad FS-PD.

[0146] Figure 5 The image also shows a fingerprint circuit board F-FCB electrically connected to the fingerprint sensing panel FSP. The fingerprint circuit board F-FCB can be a rigid circuit board or a flexible circuit board. The fingerprint circuit board F-FCB can be directly connected to the fingerprint sensing panel FSP or connected to the fingerprint sensing panel FSP via another circuit board.

[0147] A readout circuit ROC for controlling the operation of the fingerprint sensing panel FSP can be disposed on the fingerprint circuit board F-FCB. The readout circuit ROC can be mounted on the fingerprint circuit board F-FCB as an integrated chip. In an exemplary embodiment of the present invention, the fingerprint circuit board F-FCB may include a readout pad RO-PD electrically connected to the fingerprint sensing panel FSP. The fingerprint circuit board F-FCB may also include signal lines connecting the readout pad RO-PD and the readout circuit ROC.

[0148] In an exemplary embodiment, the first fingerprint scanning driving circuit FSDC1 ​​and the second fingerprint scanning driving circuit FSDC2 can be formed on the same substrate as the plurality of fingerprint sensing pixels SP, but the exemplary embodiment is not limited thereto. For example, the first fingerprint scanning driving circuit FSDC1 ​​and the second fingerprint scanning driving circuit FSDC2 are each implemented as independent integrated circuit chips and can therefore be electrically connected to at least one side of the fingerprint sensing panel FSP. In yet another embodiment, the first fingerprint scanning driving circuit FSDC1 ​​and the second fingerprint scanning driving circuit FSDC2 can be configured within the readout circuit ROC and can provide fingerprint scanning signals to the plurality of fingerprint scanning lines FSL via connection wiring.

[0149] Figure 6 This is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of the connection relationship between fingerprint sensing pixels constructed according to the principles of the present invention and fingerprint sensing scanning circuit and readout circuit. Figure 7 This is a circuit diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a representative fingerprint sensing pixel connected to the i-th fingerprint sensing line and the j-th fingerprint scanning line, constructed according to the principles of the present invention.

[0150] refer to Figure 6 and Figure 7Each of the fingerprint sensing pixels SP is connected to a corresponding fingerprint sensing line among multiple fingerprint sensing lines FDL1 to FDLm, and is also connected to a corresponding fingerprint scanning line among multiple fingerprint scanning lines FSL1 to FSLn.

[0151] For example, such as Figure 7 As shown, the fingerprint sensing pixel SPij can be connected to the i-th fingerprint sensing line FDLi and the j-th fingerprint scanning line FSLj.

[0152] The first fingerprint scanning driver circuit FSDC1, in response to block selection signals BS1 to BSk, the first block clock signal BCK1 and the second clock signal BCK2, and the first clock signal CK1 and the second clock signal CK2, outputs fingerprint scanning signals FS1 to FSn to multiple fingerprint scanning lines FSL1 to FSLn. For example, for... Figure 8 In the exemplary embodiment depicted, "n" and "k" are 2560 and 40, respectively. The second fingerprint scan driver circuit FSDC2 outputs fingerprint scan signals FS1 to FSn to multiple fingerprint scan lines FSL1 to FSLn in response to block select signals BS1 to BSk, the first block clock signal BCK1 and the second clock signal BCK2, and the first clock signal CK1 and the second clock signal CK2. The first fingerprint scan driver circuit FSDC1 ​​and the second fingerprint scan driver circuit FSDC2 may have substantially the same circuit configuration. The block select signals BS1 to BSk, the first clock signal BCK1 and the second clock signal BCK2, and the first clock signal CK1 and the second clock signal CK2 are provided from the readout circuit ROC.

[0153] The readout circuit ROC receives fingerprint sensing signals RX1 to RXm from multiple fingerprint sensing lines FDL1 to FDLm.

[0154] In an exemplary embodiment, the readout circuit ROC provides the first fingerprint scan driver circuit FSDC1 ​​and the second fingerprint scan driver circuit FSDC2 with block selection signals BS1 to BSk, a first block clock signal BCK1, a second clock signal BCK2, and a first clock signal CK1 and a second clock signal CK2 for driving a fingerprint scan line included in a predetermined fingerprint scan line among multiple fingerprint scan lines FSL1 to FSLn. The readout circuit ROC can also receive fingerprint sensing signals from fingerprint sensing lines included in a predetermined sensing area among multiple fingerprint sensing lines FDL1 to FDLm.

[0155] refer to Figure 7The fingerprint sensing pixel SPij includes a switching transistor ST, a capacitor CST, and a photodiode PD. The switching transistor ST includes a first electrode connected to the i-th fingerprint sensing line FDLi, a second electrode connected to one end of the capacitor CST, and a gate electrode connected to the j-th fingerprint scanning line FSLj. One end of the capacitor CST is connected to the second electrode of the switching transistor ST, and the other end is connected to a first voltage line VL1 supplied with a first voltage VCST. The photodiode PD includes an anode connected to a second voltage line VL2 supplied with a second voltage VCOM, and a cathode connected to the second electrode of the switching transistor ST.

[0156] Regarding the photodiode PD, current flows when light is received, and the voltage is almost proportional to the amount of light. The charge generated by the photodiode PD can be stored in the capacitor CST. When a low-level fingerprint scan signal FSj is received through the j-th fingerprint scan line FSLj, the switching transistor ST turns on, and as the charge stored in the capacitor CST is discharged, the fingerprint sensing signal RXI is output through the i-th fingerprint sensing line FDLi.

[0157] Figure 7 The fingerprint sensing pixel SPij shown is an exemplary implementation, and the exemplary implementation is not limited thereto. In another implementation, the fingerprint sensing pixel SPij may include two or more switching transistors ST.

[0158] Figure 8 It is shown Figure 6 A view of an exemplary embodiment of the circuit configuration of the first fingerprint scanning driver circuit shown. Although only referenced... Figure 8 The first fingerprint scanning driver circuit FSDC1 ​​is shown and described, but the second fingerprint scanning driver circuit FSDC2 may have the same circuit configuration as the first fingerprint scanning driver circuit FSDC1.

[0159] In an exemplary implementation, such as Figure 6The fingerprint sensing panel FSP shown includes 1280 fingerprint sensing pixels SP on the first direction DR1 and 2560 fingerprint sensing pixels SP on the second direction DR2. Therefore, the fingerprint sensing panel FSP may include 1280 fingerprint sensing lines FDL1 to FDL1280 and 2560 fingerprint scanning lines FSL1 to FSL2560. The number of fingerprint sensing pixels SP, the number of fingerprint sensing lines, and the number of fingerprint scanning lines are merely illustrative examples for ease of explanation, and the exemplary embodiment is not limited thereto. Furthermore, in this exemplary embodiment, the number of fingerprint sensing pixels SP arranged on the first direction DR1 is less than the number of fingerprint sensing pixels SP arranged on the second direction DR2, but the exemplary embodiment is not limited thereto. In another embodiment, the number of fingerprint sensing pixels SP arranged on the first direction DR1 is equal to or greater than the number of fingerprint sensing pixels SP arranged on the second direction DR2.

[0160] Figure 8 The first fingerprint scanning drive circuit FSDC1 ​​shown includes 40 fingerprint scanning blocks FSB1 to FSB40. Each of the fingerprint scanning blocks FSB1 to FSB40 corresponds to 64 fingerprint scanning lines. For example, fingerprint scanning block FSB1 can sequentially drive fingerprint scanning lines FSL1 to FSL64.

[0161] Fingerprint scanning blocks FSB1 to FSB40 operate in response to the corresponding block selection signal among block selection signals BS1 to BS40. Each of fingerprint scanning blocks FSB1 to FSB40 receives a first block clock signal BCK1 and a second block clock signal BCK2, as well as a first clock signal CK1 and a second clock signal CK2. The block selection signals BS1 to BS40, the first clock signal BCK1 and the second clock signal BCK2, and the first clock signal CK1 and the second clock signal CK2 are provided from the readout circuit ROC.

[0162] Since fingerprint scanning blocks FSB1 through FSB40 operate similarly with the same circuit configuration, only fingerprint scanning block FSB1 will be specifically shown and described.

[0163] The fingerprint scanning block FSB1 includes transistors ET1 to ET64 and stages SC1 to SC64 corresponding to fingerprint scan lines FSL1 to FSL64, respectively. The representative transistor ET1 in the fingerprint scanning block FSB1 includes a first electrode for receiving the block selection signal BS1, a second electrode connected to the representative stage SC1, and a gate electrode for receiving the first block clock signal BCK1. The first electrode of each of transistors ET2 to ET64 in the fingerprint scanning block FSB1 is connected to the output line of the previous stage, i.e., the previous fingerprint scan line. The second electrode of each of transistors ET2 to ET64 in the fingerprint scanning block FSB1 is connected to the corresponding stage among stages SC2 to SC64. Even-numbered transistors ET2, ET4, ..., and ET64 among transistors ET2 to ET64 receive the second block clock signal BCK2, while odd-numbered transistors ET1, ET3, ..., and ET63 receive the first block clock signal BCK1.

[0164] In response to the block selection signal BS1 received through transistor ET1 and the first clock signal CK1 and the second clock signal CK2, stage SC1 outputs the representative fingerprint scan signal FS1 to the corresponding representative fingerprint scan line FSL1.

[0165] Each of stages SC2 to SC64, in response to the previous fingerprint scan signal received through the corresponding transistors ET2 to ET64 and the first clock signal CK1 and the second clock signal CK2, outputs fingerprint scan signals FS2 to FS64 to the corresponding fingerprint scan lines FSL2 to FSL64.

[0166] Figure 9 It is shown Figure 8 An exemplary implementation of the circuit diagram of the stage shown.

[0167] refer to Figure 9 The stage Sch corresponding to the h-th fingerprint scan line FSLh receives the (h-1)-th fingerprint scan signal FSH-1, the first clock signal CK1, the second clock signal CK2, the high voltage VGH, and the low voltage VGL from the (h-1)-th fingerprint scan line FSLh-1, and outputs the h-th fingerprint scan signal FSh to the h-th fingerprint scan line FSLh. In an exemplary embodiment, the high voltage VGH can be a voltage with a higher level than the low voltage VGL.

[0168] Stage SCh includes first transistor M1 to seventh transistor M7, first capacitor C1 and second capacitor C2.

[0169] The first transistor M1 includes a first electrode for receiving the (h-1)th fingerprint scan signal FSh-1, a second electrode connected to the first node Q, and a gate electrode for receiving the first clock signal CK1.

[0170] The second transistor M2 includes a first electrode that receives a high voltage VGH, a second electrode, and a gate electrode connected to the second node QB.

[0171] The third transistor M3 includes a first electrode connected to the second electrode of the second transistor M2, a second electrode connected to the first node Q, and a gate electrode that receives the second clock signal CK2.

[0172] The fourth transistor M4 includes a first electrode connected to the second node QB, a second electrode receiving the first clock signal CK1, and a gate electrode connected to the first node Q. The fifth transistor M5 includes a first electrode connected to the second node QB, a second electrode receiving a low voltage VGL, and a gate electrode receiving the first clock signal CK1.

[0173] The sixth transistor M6 includes a first electrode for receiving a high voltage VGH, a second electrode connected to the h-th fingerprint scan line FSLh, and a gate electrode connected to the second node QB.

[0174] The seventh transistor M7 includes a first electrode connected to the h-th fingerprint scan line FSLh, a second electrode receiving the second clock signal CK2, and a gate electrode connected to the first node Q.

[0175] The first capacitor C1 is connected between the first node Q and the h-th fingerprint scan line FSLh. The second capacitor C2 is connected between the signal line receiving the high voltage VGH and the second node QB.

[0176] In this exemplary embodiment, each of the first transistor M1 to the seventh transistor M7 is a PMOS transistor, but the exemplary embodiment is not limited thereto. Furthermore, the circuit configuration of stage SCh is not limited to... Figure 9 The circuit shown.

[0177] Figure 10 It is used for explanation Figure 9 An exemplary implementation of the timing diagram of the operations of the levels shown.

[0178] refer to Figure 9 and Figure 10 When the first transistor M1 is turned on in response to the low level of the first clock signal CK1 in the sensing section D_P, the low level of the (h-1)th fingerprint scan signal FSh-1 is transmitted to the first node Q. If each of the first node Q and the first clock signal CK1 is at a low level, the fourth transistor M4 and the fifth transistor M5 are turned on respectively, so that the second node QB remains at the low level of the first clock signal CK1.

[0179] In the output section O_P, when the first clock signal CK1 goes high, the first transistor M1 and the fifth transistor M5 are turned off, and the second node QB goes high. When the second node QB goes high, the sixth transistor M6 is turned off. When the second clock signal CK2 goes low, the h-th fingerprint scan signal FSH is kept low by the low-level pulse width of the second clock signal CK2.

[0180] In the initialization section I_P, when the first clock signal CK1 goes low again, the first transistor M1 turns on and the high-level (h-1)th fingerprint scan signal FSh-1 is transmitted to the first node Q. Therefore, the seventh transistor M7 is turned off. When the fifth transistor M5 turns on, the second node QB goes low. Therefore, the sixth transistor M6 turns on and the h-th fingerprint scan signal FSh can be initialized to a high level.

[0181] exist Figure 10 In the middle, the first horizontal scan segment 1H refers to the driving... Figure 6 The section of each of the fingerprint scan lines FSL1 to FSLn shown.

[0182] Refer again Figure 8 For example, if the block selection signal BS1 is low, the fingerprint scanning block FSB1 can output fingerprint scanning signals FS1 to FS64 to the corresponding fingerprint scanning lines FSL1 to FSL64 in response to the first block clock signal BCK1 and the second block clock signal BCK2, as well as the first clock signal CK1 and the second clock signal CK2. For example, during the first horizontal scanning segment 1H, fingerprint scanning signals FS1 to FS64 are sequentially enabled to low level.

[0183] For example, if the block select signal BS2 is low, the fingerprint scanning block FSB2 can respond to the first block clock signal BCK1 and the second block clock signal BCK2, as well as the first clock signal CK1 and the second clock signal CK2, to output fingerprint scanning signals FS65 to FS128 to the corresponding fingerprint scanning lines FSL65 to FSL128.

[0184] For example, if the block select signal BS40 is low, the fingerprint scanning block FSB40 can respond to the first block clock signal BCK1 and the second block clock signal BCK2, as well as the first clock signal CK1 and the second clock signal CK2, to output fingerprint scanning signals FS2496 to FS2560 to the corresponding fingerprint scanning lines FSL2496 to FSL2560.

[0185] Regarding block selection signals BS1 to BS40, two or more block selection signals can be simultaneously enabled at a low level according to the sensing area described above. For example, four adjacent block selection signals among block selection signals BS1 to BS40 can be enabled at a low level simultaneously.

[0186] Figure 11 This is a schematic diagram of an exemplary embodiment of a touch sensing unit, a display unit, and a fingerprint sensing panel, illustrating exemplary operation of an electronic device constructed according to the principles of the present invention.

[0187] For ease of explanation, the touch sensing unit (TSU), display unit (DU), and fingerprint sensing panel (FSP) of the electronic device ED are separated and... Figure 11 As shown in the image.

[0188] refer to Figure 2 and Figure 11 When a message MSG indicating "Authenticate yourself using your fingerprint" is displayed at a predetermined location on the electronic device ED, the user will touch the pre-registered finger onto the electronic device ED. The type and form of the message MSG displayed on the electronic device ED can vary. Alternatively, the touch sensing process can be performed without a specific message MSG. For example, even when the display unit DU is turned off to save power, the electronic device ED can still sense touch input TC and perform user authentication and unlocking functions.

[0189] The touch sensing unit (TSU) senses the touch input (TC) and provides the position information of the touch input (TC) to the touch sensing circuit (TSC). The touch sensing circuit (TSC) then transmits the position information from the touch sensing unit (TSU) to... Figure 2 The control module CM shown is shown.

[0190] The control module CM sets the touch area TA based on the position information from the touch sensing unit TSU and selects the light-emitting area EA corresponding to the touch area TA. The control module CM controls the panel driver circuit PDC, which increases the brightness of the light-emitting area EA of the display unit DU. The panel driver circuit PDC displays the message MSG in a predetermined area of ​​the display unit DU and increases the brightness of the light-emitting area EA.

[0191] For example, the control module CM can control the control circuit PDC to increase the brightness of the image displayed in the light-emitting area EA by a predetermined level or any first level of brightness.

[0192] Next, the control module CM provides a signal to the readout circuit ROC, which is used to select the sensing area SA of the fingerprint sensing panel FSP corresponding to the touch area TA. The readout circuit ROC receives fingerprint information based on the touch input TC from the sensing area SA of the fingerprint sensing panel FSP.

[0193] Figure 12 and Figure 13 These are block diagrams and timing diagrams illustrating exemplary embodiments of the operation of a control module of an electronic device constructed according to the principles of the present invention.

[0194] refer to Figure 12 and Figure 13 When the touch sensing unit TSU senses Figure 1A When the user touches the screen (TC) as shown, the control module (CM) of the electronic device (ED) receives a touch sensing signal from the touch sensing circuit (TSC) (S1). In response to the touch sensing signal from the touch sensing circuit (TSC), the control module (CM) outputs a control signal to the panel driver circuit (PDC) to control the brightness of the light-emitting area (EA) of the display unit (DU) (S2).

[0195] On the other hand, the control module CM outputs a control signal for selecting the sensing area SA of the fingerprint sensing panel FSP to the readout circuit ROC (S3). Responding to the control signal from the control module CM, the readout circuit ROC outputs a selection signal for selecting the sensing area SA of the fingerprint sensing panel FSP to the fingerprint sensing panel FSP. The readout circuit ROC then provides the fingerprint sensing signal from the sensing area SA of the fingerprint sensing panel FSP to the control module CM (S4).

[0196] The control module CM performs the authentication process by comparing the fingerprint sensing signal from the readout circuit ROC with the fingerprint stored in the database. Figure 2 The fingerprint signals in the memory MM shown are compared (S5).

[0197] Figure 14A This is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a first fingerprint scanning drive circuit constructed according to the principles of the present invention for driving fingerprint scanning lines of a fingerprint sensing panel.

[0198] refer to Figure 14A In an exemplary embodiment, the fingerprint sensing panel FSP includes 1280 fingerprint sensing pixels SP on the first direction DR1 (see...). Figure 5 The fingerprint sensing panel FSP may include 20 columns of sensing units on the first direction DR1 and 40 rows of sensing units on the second direction DR2. Each of the sensing units may include x fingerprint sensing pixels SP on the first direction DR1 (in x columns of the first direction DR1). Figure 5 (shown in the diagram) and y fingerprint sensing pixels SP in the second direction DR2. In this document, x and y are positive integers, and in this exemplary embodiment, x = 64, y = 64.

[0199] Figure 14A The number of fingerprint sensing pixels SP and sensing units SU11 to SU4020 in the fingerprint sensing panel shown, as well as the number of fingerprint sensing pixels SP in sensing units SU11 to SU4020, are merely examples for illustrative purposes, and the exemplary embodiments are not limited thereto. Furthermore, regarding... Figure 14A The fingerprint sensing panel FSP shown has a greater number of fingerprint sensing pixels SP arranged on the second direction DR2 than the number of fingerprint sensing pixels SP arranged on the first direction DR1, but the exemplary embodiment is not limited thereto.

[0200] although Figure 14A The fingerprint sensing panel FSP shown includes only the first fingerprint scanning drive circuit FSDC1, but the fingerprint sensing panel FSP may also include... Figure 5 The second fingerprint scanning driver circuit FSDC2 is shown in the figure.

[0201] The number of fingerprint scanning blocks FSB1 to FSB40 in the first fingerprint scanning driving circuit FSDC1 ​​can be equal to the number of sensing units arranged on the second direction DR2. Fingerprint scanning blocks FSB1 to FSB40 respectively drive the corresponding fingerprint scanning lines. For example, fingerprint scanning block FSB1 can drive the fingerprint scanning lines connected to sensing units SU11 to SU120 arranged sequentially on the first direction DR1, and fingerprint scanning block FSB2 can drive the fingerprint scanning lines connected to sensing units SU21 to SU220 arranged sequentially on the first direction DR1.

[0202] Figure 14B This is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a first fingerprint scanning drive circuit constructed according to the principles of the present invention for driving fingerprint scanning lines in the sensing area of ​​a fingerprint sensing panel.

[0203] In an exemplary embodiment, the sensing area SA may include four columns of sensing units in the first direction DR1 and four rows of sensing units in the second direction DR2, that is, a total of sixteen sensing units. Figure 12 The control module CM shown outputs a control signal to the readout circuit ROC, so that when a predetermined area of ​​the touch sensing unit TSU is touched, the 16 sensing units corresponding to the touch area are selected as the sensing area SA. Figure 14B An example is shown where 16 sensing units SU54 to SU87 are selected as sensing areas SA.

[0204] The fingerprint scanning blocks FSB5 to FSB8 in the first fingerprint scanning drive circuit FSDC1 ​​can sequentially drive the fingerprint scanning lines corresponding to the sensing units SU54 to SU87 in response to the block selection signals BS5 to BS8 enabled at a low level.

[0205] In this embodiment, since only the fingerprint scanning blocks FSB5 to FSB8 corresponding to the sensing units SU54 to SU87 in the sensing area SA are operated among the fingerprint scanning blocks FSB1 to FSB40 in the first fingerprint scanning drive circuit FSDC1, power consumption can be reduced.

[0206] Figure 15 This is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a readout circuit constructed according to the principles of the present invention.

[0207] like Figure 15 As shown, the readout circuit ROC includes readout blocks RXB1 to RXB20 and control circuit RC.

[0208] refer to Figure 14A and Figure 15 The number of readout blocks RXB1 to RXB20 can be equal to the number of columns of sensing units arranged on the first direction DR1. Each of the readout blocks RXB1 to RXB20 receives a fingerprint sensing signal from a fingerprint sensing line connected to the corresponding sensing unit in the sensing unit. For example, readout block RXB1 receives fingerprint sensing signals RX1 to RX64 from fingerprint sensing lines FDL1 to FDL64 connected to sensing units SU11 to SU401 arranged sequentially on the second direction DR2. Readout block RXB20 receives fingerprint sensing signals RX1216 to RX1280 from fingerprint sensing lines FDL1216 to FDL1280 connected to sensing units SU120 to SU4020 arranged sequentially on the second direction DR2.

[0209] The control circuit RC responds to the control signal from the control module CM and outputs enable signals EN1 to EN20 for selecting read blocks RXB1 to RXB20.

[0210] The control circuit RC, in response to a control signal from the control module CM, outputs block selection signals BS1 to BS40, a first block clock signal BCK1 and a second clock signal BCK2, and a first clock signal CK1 and a second clock signal CK2. In an exemplary embodiment, the control circuit RC outputs a receive selection signal in response to a control signal from the control module CM, and each of the readout blocks RXB1 to RXB20 receives a fingerprint sensing signal from the fingerprint sensing line in the sensing unit included in the sensing area SA in response to the receive selection signal.

[0211] exist Figure 14B In the example shown, when sensing units SU54 to SU87 in sensing area SA are selected, the control circuit RC enables only block selection signals BS5 to BS8 of block selection signals BS1 to BS40 at a low level, and keeps the remaining block selection signals BS1 to BS4 and BS9 to BS40 at a high level in an inactive state.

[0212] Figure 16 This is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of a readout block constructed according to the principles of the present invention, which receives fingerprint sensing signals from fingerprint sensing lines in the sensing area of ​​a fingerprint sensing panel.

[0213] refer to Figure 15 and Figure 16 When sensing units SU54 to SU87 in sensing area SA are selected, only enable signals EN4 to EN7 out of enable signals EN1 to EN20 can be enabled to a predetermined level, while the remaining enable signals EN1 to EN3 and EN8 to EN20 can remain in an inactive state. In this case, readout blocks RXB4 to RXB7 (corresponding to sensing area SA) among readout blocks RXB1 to RXB20 receive fingerprint sensing signals from the fingerprint sensing line and transmit the received fingerprint sensing signals to the control circuit RC. Therefore, only fingerprint sensing signals from the fingerprint sensing line in sensing area SA can be provided to the control module CM through readout blocks RXB4 to RXB7 and the control circuit RC. On the other hand, readout blocks RXB1 to RXB3 and RXB8 to RXB20 (not corresponding to sensing area SA) that receive enable signals EN1 to EN3 and EN8 to EN20 remain in an inactive state. Therefore, power consumption in the readout circuit ROC can be reduced.

[0214] According to this embodiment, by providing only the fingerprint sensing signals from the fingerprint sensing lines RX1 to RX1280 in the sensing area SA to the control module CM, the number of signal lines between the readout circuit ROC and the control module CM can be reduced. Furthermore, the amount of data processing required for the fingerprint authentication process in the control module CM can be minimized.

[0215] Figure 17 This is an exemplary embodiment illustrating a timing diagram of the operation of an electronic device constructed according to the principles of the present invention.

[0216] refer to Figure 12 and Figure 17 The panel driver circuit PDC can be operated such that each frame (FR) displays a new image on the display unit DU. A frame (FR) includes an active period (AP) and a blank period (BP). During the active period (AP), the panel driver circuit PDC transmits image signals and synchronization signals (e.g., scan start signal, horizontal synchronization signal, clock signal, etc.) to the display unit DU. During the blank period (BP), the panel driver circuit PDC does not transmit image signals to the display unit DU.

[0217] The touch sensing circuit TSC can receive touch signals from the touch sensing unit TSU during the effective period AP.

[0218] According to an exemplary embodiment, the control module CM can control the synchronization signals of the readout circuit ROC and the panel driving circuit PDC. During the active period AP, the readout circuit ROC provides the fingerprint sensing panel FSP with block selection signals BS1 to BSk, a first block clock signal BCK1, a second clock signal BCK2, and a first clock signal CK1 and a second clock signal CK2, and during the idle period BP, it receives fingerprint sensing signals RX1 to RX256 from the fingerprint sensing panel FSP. Figure 14B and Figure 15 In the example shown, since the sensing area SA includes four sensing units in the first direction DR1, the readout circuit ROC can receive a total of 256 fingerprint sensing signals RX1 to RX256 from the fingerprint sensing panel FSP during the blank period BP.

[0219] Since the readout circuit ROC receives the fingerprint sensing signals RX1 to RX256 from the fingerprint sensing panel FSP during the blank period BP of the display unit DU and the touch sensing unit TSU, the noise image caused by the interference of the fingerprint sensing signal with the image signal and the touch sensing signal can be minimized.

[0220] Figure 18A , Figure 18B and Figure 18C It is a graph showing the brightness variation of the light-emitting area in a display unit constructed according to the principle of the present invention.

[0221] refer to Figure 11 , Figure 12 and Figure 18A When the control module CM receives a touch sensing signal from the touch sensing circuit TSC, the control module CM controls the control drive circuit PDC, which increases the brightness of the light-emitting area EA corresponding to the touch area TA.

[0222] Figure 7 The fingerprint sensing pixel SPij in the fingerprint sensing panel FSP shown uses a photodiode PD to sense the amount of light reflected by the user's hand from the light emitted from the display unit DU, thereby sensing the user's fingerprint information. As the brightness of the light emitted from the display unit DU increases, the fingerprint sensing panel FSP can more accurately sense the differences in light reflected from the valleys between the ridges of the fingerprint.

[0223] like Figure 18AAs shown, the control module CM can set the brightness of the light-emitting area EA to the maximum level (e.g., 1000 nits). If the fingerprint sensing signal received from the fingerprint sensing panel FSP via the readout circuit ROC does not match the preset fingerprint signal, the control module CM can repeat the fingerprint sensing process. The control module CM can maintain the brightness of the light-emitting area EA at the maximum level (e.g., 1000 nits) in the first fingerprint sensing segment FS_P1, the second fingerprint sensing segment FS_P2, and the third fingerprint sensing segment FS_P3.

[0224] like Figure 18B As shown, the control module CM can progressively increase the brightness of the light-emitting area EA. For example, the control module CM can progressively increase the brightness of the light-emitting area EA to 400 nits in the first fingerprint sensing segment FS_P1, 700 nits in the second fingerprint sensing segment FS_P2, and 1000 nits in the third fingerprint sensing segment FS_P3. In this way, if the brightness of the light-emitting area EA increases, it will correspond to... Figure 18A Compared to the example shown, power consumption can be reduced. The number of fingerprint sensing segments, the increase in the brightness level of the luminous area EA, etc., are just examples, and it should be fully understood that these can be changed in various ways.

[0225] like Figure 18C As shown, the control module CM can gradually increase the brightness of the light-emitting area EA, but the brightness increase width can be set irregularly. For example, the control module CM can gradually increase the brightness of the light-emitting area EA to 700 nits in the first fingerprint sensing segment FS_P1, 1000 nits in the second fingerprint sensing segment FS_P2, and 1000 nits in the third fingerprint sensing segment FS_P3.

[0226] like Figures 18A to 18C As shown, the control module CM can improve the fingerprint sensing performance of the fingerprint sensing panel FSP by increasing the brightness of the light-emitting area EA. Specifically, the fingerprint sensing performance of the fingerprint sensing panel FSP can be improved while minimizing power consumption by changing the brightness of the light-emitting area EA during the fingerprint sensing process.

[0227] Figure 19A This is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of the fingerprint sensing process of an electronic device constructed according to the principles of the present invention.

[0228] refer to Figure 19A The control module CM receives a touch sensing signal from the touch sensing unit TSU (S11). The control module CM determines the touch area corresponding to the touch sensing signal from the touch sensing circuit TSC, and outputs a control signal for controlling the brightness of the light-emitting area of ​​the display unit DU corresponding to the touch area to the panel driving circuit PDC (S12).

[0229] The panel driving circuit PDC increases the brightness of the light-emitting area of ​​the display unit DU (S13).

[0230] The fingerprint sensing panel FSP provides the fingerprint sensing signal of the sensing area corresponding to the touch area to the readout circuit ROC (S14).

[0231] The readout circuit ROC provides the fingerprint sensing signal from the fingerprint sensing panel FSP to the control module CM (S15).

[0232] The control module CM performs the authentication process by comparing the fingerprint sensing signal from the readout circuit ROC with the fingerprint stored in the database. Figure 2 The fingerprint signal in the memory MM shown is compared (S16).

[0233] Figure 19B It shows when in Figure 19A A block diagram illustrating an exemplary implementation of the fingerprint sensing process of an electronic device when fingerprint authentication fails during the authentication process shown. Figure 19B In the process, S11 to S16 and Figure 19A The processes S11 to S16 are the same, so repeated descriptions are omitted to avoid redundancy.

[0234] refer to Figure 19B If the fingerprint sensing signal from the readout circuit ROC and the fingerprint stored in the circuit... Figure 2 If the fingerprint signals in the memory MM shown are different (S16), then the control module CM will output a control signal to the panel driver circuit PDC to increase the brightness of the light-emitting area (S21). For example, as Figures 18A to 18C As shown in any of them, the brightness of the luminous area can be increased.

[0235] The panel driving circuit PDC increases the brightness of the light-emitting area of ​​the display unit DU (S22).

[0236] The fingerprint sensing panel FSP provides the fingerprint sensing signal of the sensing area corresponding to the touch area to the readout circuit ROC (S23).

[0237] The readout circuit ROC provides the fingerprint sensing signal from the fingerprint sensing panel FSP to the control module CM (S24).

[0238] The control module CM performs the authentication process by comparing the fingerprint sensing signal from the readout circuit ROC with the fingerprint stored in the database. Figure 2 The fingerprint signals in the memory MM shown are compared (S25).

[0239] If the fingerprint sensing signal from the readout circuit ROC matches the one stored in the fingerprint sensor... Figure 2If the fingerprint signals in the memory MM shown are different, then processes S21 to S25 can be executed again.

[0240] If fingerprint authentication fails even after the authentication process has been repeated a predetermined number of times, the control module CM can determine that the user providing the fingerprint is an unauthorized user.

[0241] Figure 20A This is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of the fingerprint sensing process of an electronic device constructed according to the principles of the present invention.

[0242] refer to Figure 20A The control module (CM) can have a pre-defined touch area. For example, an application used for internet banking can set the fingerprint authentication location to a predetermined area of ​​the electronic device and notify the control module (CM) of the fingerprint authentication location information. In this case, the control module (CM) does not receive touch sensing signals from the touch sensing unit (TSU).

[0243] The control module CM outputs a control signal to the panel driver circuit PDC (S31) to control the brightness of the light-emitting area of ​​the display unit DU corresponding to the previously known touch area.

[0244] The panel driving circuit PDC increases the brightness of the light-emitting area of ​​the display unit DU (S32).

[0245] The fingerprint sensing panel FSP provides the fingerprint sensing signal of the sensing area corresponding to the touch area to the readout circuit ROC (S33).

[0246] The readout circuit ROC provides the fingerprint sensing signal from the fingerprint sensing panel FSP to the control module CM (S34).

[0247] The control module CM performs the authentication process by comparing the fingerprint sensing signal from the readout circuit ROC with the fingerprint stored in the database. Figure 2 The fingerprint signals in the memory MM shown are compared (S35).

[0248] Figure 20B It shows when in Figure 20A A block diagram illustrating an exemplary implementation of the fingerprint sensing process of an electronic device when fingerprint authentication fails during the authentication process shown. Figure 20B In the process, S31 to S35 and Figure 20A The processes S31 to S35 are the same, so repeated descriptions are omitted to avoid redundancy.

[0249] refer to Figure 20B If the fingerprint sensing signal from the readout circuit ROC and the fingerprint stored in the circuit... Figure 2If the fingerprint signals in the memory MM shown are different (S35), then the control module CM will output a control signal to the panel driver circuit PDC to increase the brightness of the light-emitting area (S41). For example, as Figures 18A to 18C As shown in any of them, the brightness of the luminous area can be increased.

[0250] The panel driving circuit PDC increases the brightness of the light-emitting area of ​​the display unit DU (S42).

[0251] The fingerprint sensing panel FSP provides the fingerprint sensing signal of the sensing area corresponding to the touch area to the readout circuit ROC (S43).

[0252] The readout circuit ROC provides the fingerprint sensing signal from the fingerprint sensing panel FSP to the control module CM (S44).

[0253] The control module CM performs the authentication process by comparing the fingerprint sensing signal from the readout circuit ROC with the fingerprint stored in the database. Figure 2 The fingerprint signals in the memory MM shown are compared (S45).

[0254] If the fingerprint sensing signal from the readout circuit ROC matches the one stored in the fingerprint sensor... Figure 2 If the fingerprint signals in the memory MM shown are different, then processes S41 to S45 can be executed again.

[0255] If fingerprint authentication fails even after the authentication process has been repeated a predetermined number of times, the control module CM can determine that the user providing the fingerprint is an unauthorized user.

[0256] Figure 21A This is a block diagram illustrating an exemplary embodiment of the fingerprint sensing process of an electronic device constructed according to the principles of the present invention.

[0257] Figure 21A The processes S61 to S64 of the electronic device shown are in conjunction with Figure 19A The processes S11 to S14 shown are operated in the same manner. Figure 19A The control module CM of the electronic device shown performs an authentication process to compare the fingerprint sensing signal from the readout circuit ROC with the fingerprint stored in the device. Figure 2 The fingerprint signal in the memory MM shown is compared (S16).

[0258] and Figure 19A The process S16 shown is different. Figure 21A The readout circuit ROC shown performs an authentication process (S65) that compares the fingerprint sensing signal from the fingerprint sensing panel FSP with the fingerprint signal stored in the internal memory.

[0259] The readout circuit ROC provides the results of the authentication process to the control module CM (S66).

[0260] Figure 21B It shows when in Figure 21A A block diagram illustrating an exemplary implementation of the fingerprint sensing process of an electronic device when fingerprint authentication fails during the authentication process shown. Figure 21B In the process, S61 to S66 and Figure 21A The processes S61 to S66 are the same, so repeated descriptions are omitted to avoid redundancy.

[0261] refer to Figure 21B When the readout circuit ROC receives a signal indicating fingerprint authentication failure (S66), the control module CM outputs a control signal to the panel driver circuit PDC to increase the brightness of the light-emitting area (S71). For example, as Figures 18A to 18C As shown in any of them, the brightness of the luminous area can be increased.

[0262] The panel driver circuit PDC increases the brightness of the light-emitting area of ​​the display unit DU (S72).

[0263] The fingerprint sensing panel FSP provides the fingerprint sensing signal of the sensing area corresponding to the touch area to the readout circuit ROC (S73).

[0264] The readout circuit ROC performs an authentication process (S74) that compares the fingerprint sensing signal from the fingerprint sensing panel FSP with the fingerprint signal stored in the internal memory.

[0265] The readout circuit ROC provides the results of the authentication process to the control module CM (S75).

[0266] If fingerprint authentication fails even after the authentication process has been repeated a predetermined number of times, the control module CM can determine that the user providing the fingerprint is an unauthorized user.

[0267] A display device constructed according to the principles and exemplary embodiments of the present invention can sense fingerprints on substantially the entire front surface of the display device. The electronic device can improve fingerprint recognition performance by increasing the brightness of the display area corresponding to the sensing area. Furthermore, the amount of signal processing can be minimized by receiving the fingerprint sensing signal from the sensing area corresponding to the user's touch area.

[0268] Although certain exemplary embodiments and examples have been described herein, other embodiments and modifications will be apparent from this description. Therefore, the inventive concept is not limited to these embodiments, but is limited to the broader scope of the appended claims and various obvious modifications and equivalent arrangements that will be apparent to those skilled in the art.

Claims

1. A display apparatus comprising: a display panel including a plurality of pixels; a fingerprint sensing panel sensing a fingerprint disposed on one surface of the display panel, the fingerprint sensing panel including: a plurality of fingerprint sensing pixels respectively connected to a plurality of fingerprint scan lines and a plurality of fingerprint sensing lines; and a fingerprint scan driving circuit driving one or more fingerprint scan lines included in a sensing area; and a readout circuit outputting a selection signal for selecting the sensing area of the fingerprint sensing panel, wherein the fingerprint scan driving circuit includes a plurality of scan blocks respectively corresponding to a plurality of sensing units arranged in a second direction, and each of the plurality of scan blocks sequentially drives the one or more fingerprint scan lines in corresponding sensing units among the plurality of sensing units in response to a block selection signal, each of the plurality of scan blocks includes: a plurality of switching elements respectively corresponding to the one or more fingerprint scan lines; and a plurality of stages respectively corresponding to the one or more fingerprint scan lines to output a fingerprint scan signal to corresponding fingerprint scan lines, a first switching element of the plurality of switching elements transfers the block selection signal to a corresponding stage in response to a block clock signal, and an h-th switching element of the plurality of switching elements transfers a fingerprint scan signal output from an (h-1)-th stage of the plurality of stages to a corresponding stage in response to the block clock signal, where h is a positive integer greater than 1.

2. The display device of claim 1, wherein, the fingerprint sensing panel includes the plurality of sensing units, wherein each of the plurality of sensing units includes x fingerprint sensing pixels adjacent to each other in a first direction and y fingerprint sensing pixels adjacent to each other in a second direction, where each of x and y is a natural number, and the sensing area includes at least one sensing unit of the plurality of sensing units.

3. The display device of claim 1, wherein, the readout circuit receives a fingerprint sensing signal from one of the plurality of fingerprint sensing lines.

4. The display device of claim 3, wherein, the readout circuit includes: a plurality of readout blocks respectively corresponding to the plurality of sensing units arranged in a first direction; and a control circuit outputting the block selection signal and a reception selection signal, wherein each of the plurality of readout blocks receives the fingerprint sensing signal from the fingerprint sensing line in a sensing unit included in the sensing area in response to the reception selection signal.

5. The display device of claim 1, wherein, the display panel includes a display area and a non-display area adjacent to the display area, wherein the plurality of pixels are arranged in the display area, and the plurality of fingerprint sensing pixels of the fingerprint sensing panel are arranged in a fingerprint sensing area overlapping the display area.

6. The display device of claim 1, wherein, the fingerprint sensing panel is configured to sense a fingerprint disposed at any position on the one surface of the display panel, and the one or more fingerprint scan lines are sequentially driven. 7.An electronic apparatus comprising: a display unit including a plurality of pixels; a panel driving circuit driving the display unit; a touch sensing unit disposed on the display unit to sense an external touch; a touch sensing control circuit driving the touch sensing unit; a fingerprint sensing panel disposed on one surface of the display unit to sense a fingerprint; a readout circuit to drive the fingerprint sensing panel; and a control module to control the panel driving circuit, the touch sensing control circuit, and the readout circuit, wherein, when a touch sensing signal corresponding to an arbitrary touch area is received from the touch sensing control circuit, the control module controls the panel driving circuit such that luminance of a light emitting area of the display unit becomes a predetermined level, and controls the readout circuit to sense a fingerprint from a sensing area of the fingerprint sensing panel, wherein the touch area, the light emitting area, and the sensing area overlap with each other, when the touch sensing signal is received, the control module controls the luminance of the light emitting area to be a first level, when the fingerprint signal received from the readout circuit is different from a stored fingerprint signal, the control module gradually increases the luminance of the light emitting area from the first level.

8. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein, the fingerprint sensing panel includes: a plurality of fingerprint sensing pixels connected to a plurality of fingerprint scan lines and a plurality of fingerprint sensing lines, respectively; and a fingerprint scan driving circuit to sequentially drive the fingerprint scan lines included in the sensing area.

9. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein, the readout circuit is configured to output a block selection signal to select the sensing area and receive a fingerprint sensing signal from the fingerprint sensing lines included in the sensing area.

10. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein, the readout circuit is configured to perform an authentication process to compare the fingerprint sensing signal with a stored fingerprint signal and provide an authentication result to the control module. 11.The electronic device of claim 9, wherein the display unit further includes a plurality of scan lines and a plurality of data lines connected to the plurality of pixels, respectively, a frame includes an active period and a blank period, wherein the plurality of scan lines are sequentially driven in the active period, and the control module is configured to control the readout circuit to receive the fingerprint sensing signal from the fingerprint sensing lines included in the sensing area during the blank period.

12. The electronic device of claim 9, wherein, the fingerprint sensing panel includes a plurality of sensing units, each of the plurality of sensing units includes x fingerprint sensing pixels adjacent to each other in a first direction and y fingerprint sensing pixels adjacent to each other in a second direction, wherein each of x and y is a natural number, respectively, and the sensing area includes at least one of the plurality of sensing units.

13. The electronic device of claim 12, wherein, the fingerprint scan driving circuit includes a plurality of scan blocks corresponding to the plurality of sensing units arranged in the second direction, respectively, and each of the plurality of scan blocks sequentially drives the fingerprint scan lines in the corresponding sensing unit in response to the block selection signal.

14. The electronic device of claim 13, wherein, each of the plurality of scan blocks includes: a plurality of switching elements corresponding to the plurality of fingerprint scan lines, respectively; and a plurality of stages corresponding to the plurality of fingerprint scan lines, respectively, to output a fingerprint scan signal to the corresponding fingerprint scan line, wherein a first switching element of the plurality of switching elements transfers the block selection signal to the corresponding stage in response to a block clock signal, an h-th switching element of the plurality of switching elements transfers a fingerprint scan signal output from an (h-1)-th stage of the plurality of stages to the corresponding stage in response to the block clock signal, where h is a positive integer greater than 1.

15. The electronic device of claim 8, wherein, The display unit includes a display area and a non-display area adjacent to the display area, wherein the plurality of pixels are arranged in the display area, and The plurality of fingerprint sensing pixels of the fingerprint sensing panel are arranged in a fingerprint sensing area overlapping the display area.

16. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein, The control module is configured to receive a fingerprint signal from the readout circuit and perform an authentication process to compare the received fingerprint signal with a stored fingerprint signal.

17. The electronic device of claim 7, wherein, When the position of the sensing area is determined before a touch sensing signal corresponding to any touch area is received from the touch sensing control circuit, the control module controls the panel driving circuit such that the luminance of the light emitting area corresponding to the sensing area becomes the predetermined level, and controls the readout circuit to sense a fingerprint from the sensing area.

18. The electronic device of claim 15, wherein, The fingerprint sensing panel further includes a plurality of pads disposed in a peripheral area adjacent to the fingerprint sensing area, and further includes a circuit board electrically connected to the fingerprint sensing panel through the pads, and The readout circuit is disposed on the circuit board.

19. A display device, comprising: a display panel including a plurality of pixels; a fingerprint sensing panel disposed on one surface of the display panel and including a plurality of fingerprint sensing pixels respectively connected to a plurality of fingerprint scan lines and a plurality of fingerprint sensing lines; and a fingerprint scan driving circuit driving the plurality of fingerprint scan lines, wherein the fingerprint scan driving circuit selectively drives at least one of the plurality of fingerprint scan lines in response to a block selection signal, and holds a non-selected fingerprint scan line at a non-activation level, the display device further includes a readout circuit to select some of a plurality of sensing units as a sensing area and to provide the block selection signal corresponding to the selected sensing area, the readout circuit includes a plurality of readout blocks respectively corresponding to the plurality of sensing units arranged in a first direction, each of a plurality of readout blocks corresponding to the sensing area among the plurality of readout blocks is configured to receive a fingerprint sensing signal from each of the fingerprint sensing lines connected to the fingerprint sensing pixels in the corresponding sensing unit, and each of a plurality of readout blocks not corresponding to the sensing area among the plurality of readout blocks is configured to hold a non-activation state.

20. The display device of claim 19, wherein, Each of the plurality of sensing units includes x fingerprint sensing pixels adjacent to each other in a first direction and y fingerprint sensing pixels adjacent to each other in a second direction, wherein each of x and y is a natural number, respectively.

21. The display device of claim 20, wherein, The fingerprint scan driving circuit includes a plurality of scan blocks respectively corresponding to the plurality of sensing units arranged in the second direction, wherein each of the plurality of scan blocks sequentially drives the fingerprint scan lines connected to the fingerprint sensing pixels in the corresponding sensing unit in response to the block selection signal.

22. The display device of claim 20, the readout circuit is configured to receive a fingerprint sensing signal from each of the fingerprint sensing lines connected to the fingerprint sensing pixels in the sensing area. 23.A method of operating an electronic device including a touch sensing unit, a display unit, and a fingerprint sensing panel, the method comprising the steps of: receiving a touch sensing signal from the touch sensing unit; defining a touch area corresponding to the touch sensing signal; controlling a light emission luminance of a light emission area of the display unit corresponding to the touch area to a first level when the touch sensing signal is received; generating a block selection signal to select a sensing area of the fingerprint sensing panel corresponding to the touch area of the touch sensing unit; supplying the block selection signal to the fingerprint sensing panel; driving a fingerprint scan line connected to a fingerprint sensing pixel in the sensing area of the fingerprint sensing panel in response to the block selection signal; and receiving a fingerprint signal from the sensing area of the fingerprint sensing panel, and gradually increasing the light emission luminance of the light emission area from the first level when the fingerprint signal and a preset fingerprint signal are different from each other. the fingerprint sensing panel includes:

24. The method of claim 23, wherein, a plurality of fingerprint sensing pixels connected to a plurality of fingerprint scan lines and a plurality of fingerprint sensing lines, respectively; and a fingerprint scan driving circuit sequentially driving the plurality of fingerprint scan lines, wherein the fingerprint sensing panel includes a plurality of sensing units, each of the plurality of sensing units includes x fingerprint sensing pixels adjacent to each other in a first direction and y fingerprint sensing pixels adjacent to each other in a second direction among the plurality of fingerprint sensing pixels, wherein each of x and y is a natural number, respectively, and the sensing area includes at least one sensing unit among the plurality of sensing units. the fingerprint scan driving circuit includes a plurality of scan blocks corresponding to the plurality of sensing units arranged in the second direction, respectively, 25. The method of claim 24, wherein, wherein the step of driving a fingerprint scan line connected to a fingerprint sensing pixel in the sensing area of the fingerprint sensing panel in response to the block selection signal includes: selecting at least one scan block corresponding to the sensing area among the plurality of scan blocks in response to the block selection signal; and sequentially driving fingerprint scan lines corresponding to at least one selected scan block. 26.The method of claim 23, further comprising the step of comparing the fingerprint signal with a preset fingerprint signal. 27.The method of claim 26, further comprising: generating a block selection signal to sense a sensing area of the fingerprint sensing panel corresponding to the touch area; and receiving a new fingerprint signal from the sensing area of the fingerprint sensing panel. ​ ​

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