Integrated touch screen

Abstract

This application relates to integrated touchscreens. Displays are provided having touch sensing circuitry integrated into a display pixel stackup. Circuit elements in the display pixel stackup, such as touch signal lines (such as drive lines and sense lines), ground regions, etc. can be collectively grouped to form touch sensing circuitry that senses touches on or near the display. The integrated touchscreens can include multi-functional circuit elements that can operate as circuitry of a display system to produce images on the display and also form part of touch sensing systems that sense one or more touches on or near the display. The multi-functional circuit elements, for example, can be capacitances in a display pixel that can be configured to operate as storage capacitances / electrodes, common electrodes, conductive lines / paths, etc. of display circuitry in a display system and also configured to operate as circuit elements of touch sensing circuitry.

Description

[0001] This application is a divisional application of patent application number 201080010343.6 (international application number PCT / US2010 / 022888) filed on February 2, 2010, having the title "Integrated Touch Screen", the direct parent application of which has the application number 201910050920.7 and the title "Integrated Touch Screen". TECHNICAL FIELD

[0002] The present invention relates generally to displays including a display pixel stack, and more particularly to touch sensing circuitry integrated to the display pixel stack of a display. BACKGROUND

[0003] Many types of input devices are currently available for performing operations in a computing system, such as buttons or keys, mice, trackballs, joysticks, touch sensor panels, touch screens, etc. In particular, touch screens are becoming increasingly popular because of their simplicity of operation and versatility and their ever decreasing price. A touch screen can include a touch sensor panel, which can be a clear panel with a touch-sensitive surface, and a display device, such as a liquid crystal display (LCD), which can be partially or entirely disposed behind the panel so that the touch-sensitive surface covers at least a portion of the viewable area of the display device. The touch screen can allow a user to perform various functions by touching the touch sensor panel with a finger, a stylus or other object at a location dictated by a user interface (UI) being displayed by the display device. Generally, the touch screen can recognize a touch and the position of the touch on the touch sensor panel, and the computing system can then interpret the touch in light of the display present at the time of the touch, and thereafter can perform one or more actions based on the touch. In the case of some touch sensing systems, a physical touch on the display is not required to detect a touch. For example, in some capacitive touch sensing systems, an edge field used to detect a touch can extend out of the surface of the display, and an object in proximity to the surface can be detected as being in proximity to the surface without actually touching the surface.

[0004] A capacitive touch sensor panel can be formed from a matrix of drive and sense lines of substantially transparent conductive material, such as indium tin oxide (ITO), arranged in rows and columns in horizontal and vertical directions, typically on a substantially transparent substrate. As noted above, in part because of its substantial transparency, a capacitive touch sensor panel can be overlaid on a display to form a touch screen. However, overlaying a display with a touch sensor panel can have disadvantages such as increased weight and thickness, additional power required to drive the touch sensor panel, and reduced brightness of the display. SUMMARY

[0005] The present disclosure relates to touch sensing circuitry integrated into a display pixel stack (i.e., a stack of material layers forming a display pixel) of a display, such as an LCD display. Circuit elements in the display pixel stack can be grouped together to form touch sensing circuitry that senses touches on or near the display. The touch sensing circuitry may, for example, include touch signal lines such as drive lines and sense lines, ground regions, and other circuitry. An integrated touch screen can include multi-functional circuit elements that can form part of display circuitry designed to operate as circuitry of a display system to produce images on the display, and also form part of touch sensing circuitry of a touch sensing system that senses one or more touches on or near the display. The multi-functional circuit elements may, for example, be capacitors in a display pixel of an LCD that can be configured to operate as storage capacitors / electrodes, common electrodes, conductive leads / paths, etc. of display circuitry in a display system, and also be configured to operate as circuit elements of touch sensing circuitry. In this way, for example, in some embodiments, a display with integrated touch sensing functionality can be manufactured using fewer components and / or processing steps, and the display itself can be thinner, brighter, and require less power. BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF DRAWINGS

[0006] FIGS. 1A-1C An example mobile phone, an example digital media player, and an example personal computer are described that each include an example integrated touch screen in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0007] FIGS. 1D-1G An example integrated touch screen system is described that includes a touch screen in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0008] FIG. 2 is a block diagram of an example computing system that illustrates one implementation of an example integrated touch screen in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0009] FIG. 3 is FIG. 2 is a more detailed view of the touch screen of

[0010] FIG. 4 An example configuration is described in which the touch sensing circuitry includes a common electrode (Vcom) in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0011] FIG. 5 An example configuration of conductive lines is described in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0012] FIGS. 6-8 is a plan view and a side view that illustrate more details of an example display pixel in accordance with an embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0013] FIG. 9is a partial circuit diagram of an example touch screen including a plurality of sub-pixels according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0014] FIGS. 10-12B An example touch sensing operation according to embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0015] FIGS. 13A-13B Another example configuration of multi-functional display pixels grouped into regions serving as touch sensing circuitry in a touch phase of a touch screen according to embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0016] FIGS. 14A-16C Another example configuration of multi-functional circuit elements of display pixels according to embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0017] FIGS. 17-20 Example display pixels in different manufacturing stages according to embodiments of the present disclosure are illustrated.

[0018] FIG. 21A An example layout of display pixels for one example touch pixel according to embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0019] FIG. 21B is a close-up view of a portion of FIG. 21A illustrating an example drive tunnel according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0020] FIG. 21C An example drive tunnel connection according to embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0021] FIG. 21D Another example drive tunnel connection according to embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated.

[0022] FIG. 22-1 and 22-2 An example touch pixel layout that can include example touch pixels such as FIG. 21A illustrated in

[0023] FIG. 23 is a side view of an example touch screen including a high resistance (R) shield according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0024] FIG. 24 is a partial top view of another example integrated touch screen according to embodiments of the present disclosure. DETAILED DESCRIPTION

[0025] In the following description of example embodiments, reference is made to the accompanying drawings that form a part hereof, and in which are shown by way of illustration specific embodiments in which embodiments of the present disclosure can be practiced. It is to be understood that other embodiments can be used and structural changes can be made without departing from the scope of embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0026] The following description includes examples in which touch sensing circuitry can be integrated into a display pixel stack (i.e., a stack of material layers forming a display pixel) of a display such as an LCD display. Although embodiments are described herein with reference to LCD displays, it should be understood that alternative displays can be used in place of LCD displays, such as any electrically imageable layer generally containing an electrically imageable material. The electrically imageable material can be light emissive or light modulating. Light emissive materials can be inorganic or organic in nature. Suitable materials can include organic light emitting diodes (OLEDs) or polymer light emitting diodes (PLEDs). Light modulating materials can be reflective or transmissive. Light modulating materials can include, but are not limited to, electrochemical materials, electrophoretic materials such as Gyricon particles, electrochromic materials, or liquid crystal materials. Liquid crystal materials can be, but are not limited to, twisted nematic (TN), super twisted nematic (STN), ferroelectric, magnetic, or chiral nematic liquid crystals. Other suitable materials can include thermochromic materials, charged particles, and magnetic particles. Touch sensing circuitry may, for example, include touch signal lines such as drive lines and sense lines, ground regions, and other circuitry. Display pixel stacks are typically fabricated through processes including deposition, masking, etching, doping, etc. of materials such as conductive materials (e.g., metals, substantially transparent conductors), semiconductive materials (e.g., polysilicon), and dielectric materials (e.g., SiO2, organic materials, SiNx). The various structures formed in the display pixel stack can be designed to operate as circuitry of a display system to produce images on a display. In other words, some of the stack structures can be circuit elements of the display circuitry. Some embodiments of integrated touchscreens can include multi-functional circuit elements that can form components of the display circuitry of a display system and also form components of the touch sensing circuitry of a touch sensing system that senses one or more touches on or near the display. Multi-functional circuit elements may, for example, be capacitors in display pixels of an LCD that can be configured to operate as storage capacitors / electrodes, common electrodes, conductive leads / paths, etc. in the display circuitry of a display system and also be configured to operate as circuit elements of the touch sensing circuitry. In this way, for example, in some embodiments, displays with integrated touch sensing functionality can be fabricated using fewer components and / or process steps, and the displays themselves can be thinner, brighter, and require less power.

[0027] Example embodiments are described herein with reference to a Cartesian coordinate system, where the x-direction and y-direction can be equivalent to horizontal and vertical directions, respectively. However, one skilled in the art will understand that reference to a particular coordinate system is for clarity only and does not limit the orientation of the structure to a particular orientation or to a particular coordinate system. Further, while particular materials and material types can be included in the description of example embodiments, one skilled in the art will understand that other materials that achieve the same function can be used. For example, it will be understood that a "metal layer" as described in the examples below can be a layer of any electrically conductive material.

[0028] In some example embodiments, an LCD display with integrated touch sensing functionality can include a matrix of voltage data lines to address multifunctional circuit elements of display pixels to display an image in a display phase, and to address multifunctional circuit elements of the display to sense a touch in a touch sensing phase. Thus, in some embodiments, the multifunctional circuit elements can operate as part of a display system in a display phase and can operate as part of a touch sensing system in a touch sensing phase. For example, in some embodiments, some of the voltage lines can be driven using a first drive signal to drive a drive area of the touch screen in the touch sensing phase. In addition, one or more of the voltage lines can be driven using a second drive signal that is 180 degrees out of phase with respect to the first drive signal used to drive the drive area of the touch screen. These out of phase voltage lines can be used to reduce the electrostatic capacitance of the touch screen.

[0029] Some of the potential advantages of various embodiments of the present disclosure, such as thinness, brightness, and power efficiency, can be particularly useful for portable devices, although the use of embodiments of the present disclosure is not limited to portable devices. FIGS. 1A-1C An example system in which an integrated touch screen according to embodiments of the present disclosure can be implemented is shown. FIG. 1A An example mobile phone 136 that includes an integrated touch screen 124 is illustrated. FIG. 1B An example digital media player 140 that includes an integrated touch screen 126 is illustrated. FIG. 1C An example personal computer 144 that includes an integrated touch screen 128 is illustrated.

[0030] FIGS. 1D-1G An example integrated touch screen system 150 that includes an example integrated touch screen 153 according to embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated. Referring to FIG. 1D The touch screen 153 includes display pixels 155 that include multifunctional circuit elements. FIG. 1DAn enlarged view of one display pixel 155 is shown, which includes multifunctional circuit elements 157, 159, and 161 that can operate as part of a display system controlled by display system controller 170 and as part of touch sensing circuitry of a touch sensing system controlled by touch sensing system controller 180. Display pixel 155 also includes multifunctional circuit element 163 that can operate as part of display circuitry of a display system, a touch sensing system, and a power system controlled by power system controller 190. Display pixel 155 also includes a single function display circuit element 165 that in some embodiments can only operate as part of display circuitry, and a single function touch sensing circuit element 167 that in some embodiments only operates as part of touch sensing circuitry.

[0031] FIGS. 1E-1G Example operations of touch screen system 150 including different operational phases are described. FIG. 1E Example operations in a display phase are shown, in which circuit elements of display pixel 155 can operate to display an image on touch screen 153. Operations in the display phase can include, for example, effectively configuring display pixel 155 into a display configuration by electrically separating or disconnecting touch sensing circuit element 167 from display circuit elements, for example, using switches 169a-e. Effectively configuring circuit elements of a display pixel to operate as part of circuitry of a particular system of an integrated touch screen can include, for example, switching connections between lines of different systems, turning circuit elements on / off, changing voltage values in voltage lines, changing signals such as control signals, and the like. Effective configurations can occur in the operation of a touch screen and can be based at least in part on a static configuration, i.e., a structural configuration of the touch screen. A structural configuration can include, for example, sizes, shapes, arrangements, material compositions, and the like, of structures in a stack of a display pixel, such as a number and arrangement of conductive paths in a stack of a display pixel, permanent connections such as vias of a fill conductor connecting two conductive layers, permanent disconnections such as a portion of a conductive path in which conductive material has been removed in the design, and the like.

[0032] Display system controller 170 can emit control signals 171, 173, and 175 through multifunctional circuit elements 159 and 163 and display system circuit element 165, respectively, to cause multifunctional circuit elements 157 and 161 of display pixel 150 to display an image on touch screen 153. In some embodiments, control signals 171, 173, and 175 can be, for example, a strobe signal, a Vcom signal, and a data signal.

[0033] FIG. 1FAn example operation in the touch sensing phase is shown, in which the circuit elements of display pixel 155 can operate to sense touch, including for example effectively configuring the display pixel for touch sensing by electrically connecting touch sensing circuit elements 167 with switches 169b and 169c and electrically disconnecting display system circuit elements 165 using switches 169a and 169d. Touch sensing system controller 180 can transmit control signals 181 and can receive information signals 183 and 185. In some embodiments, control signals 181 can be, for example, drive signals for capacitive sensing, drive signals for optical sensing, etc. In some embodiments, information signals 183 can be, for example, sensing signals for capacitive, optical, etc. sensing and information signals 185 can be, for example, feedback signals for the touch sensing system.

[0034] FIG. 1G An example operation in the power system phase is shown, in which multifunctional circuit elements 163 of display pixel 155 can be electrically disconnected from the display system and the touch sensing system using switches 169c, 169d, and 169e. Power system controller 190 can transmit signals 192 through multifunctional circuit elements 163. Signals 192 can be, for example, signals indicating the state of charge of the power system, the voltage of the power source, etc.

[0035] In some embodiments of the present disclosure, the touch sensing system can be based on capacitance. By detecting changes in capacitance at each of the touch pixels and recording the location of the touch pixels, the touch sensing system can identify multiple objects and determine the location, pressure, direction, velocity, and / or acceleration of the objects as they move across the touch screen.

[0036] For example, some embodiments of the integrated touch sensing system can be based on self-capacitance and some embodiments can be based on mutual capacitance. In a self-capacitance based touch system, each touch pixel can be formed by an individual electrode that forms a self-capacitance to ground. When an object approaches the touch pixel, an additional capacitance to ground can be formed between the object and the touch pixel. This additional capacitance to ground can result in a net increase in the self-capacitance visible to the touch pixel. This increase in self-capacitance can be detected and measured by the touch sensing system to determine the location of multiple objects touching the touch screen. In a mutual capacitance based touch system, the touch sensing system can include, for example, a drive region and a sense region such as drive lines and sense lines. In one example case, the drive lines can be formed in rows and the sense lines can be formed in columns (e.g., orthogonal). Touch pixels can be disposed at the intersections of the rows and columns. In operation, the rows can be excited using an AC waveform and mutual capacitance can be formed between the rows and columns of touch pixels. When an object approaches the touch pixel, some of the charge coupled between the row and column of the touch pixel can be coupled onto the object. This decrease in charge coupled onto the touch pixel can result in a net decrease in mutual capacitance between the row and column and a decrease in the AC waveform coupled onto the touch pixel. This decrease in the AC waveform coupled onto the touch pixel can be detected and measured by the touch sensing system to determine the location of multiple objects touching the touch screen. In some embodiments, the integrated touch screen can be multi-touch, single touch, projected scan, full imaging multi-touch, or any capacitive touch.

[0037] FIG. 2is a block diagram of an example computing system 200 illustrating one implementation of an example integrated touch screen 220 in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. The computing system 200 can be included, for example, in a mobile telephone 136, a digital media player 140, a personal computer 144, or any mobile or non-mobile computing device that includes a touch screen. The computing system 200 can include a touch sensing system that includes one or more touch processors 202, peripherals 204, a touch controller 206, and touch sensing circuitry (described in more detail below). The peripherals 204 can include, but are not limited to, random access memory (RAM) or other types of memory or storage, a watchdog timer, etc. The touch controller 206 can include, but is not limited to, one or more sense channels 208, channel scan logic 210, and driver logic 214. The channel scan logic 210 can access the RAM 212, autonomously read data from the sense channels, and provide control for the sense channels. In addition, the channel scan logic 210 can control the driver logic 214 to generate excitation signals 216 at various frequencies and phases that can be selectively applied to drive regions of the touch sensing circuitry of the touch screen 220, as described in more detail below. In some embodiments, the touch controller 206, the touch processor 202, and the peripherals 204 can be integrated into a single application specific integrated circuit (ASIC).

[0038] The computing system 200 can also include a host processor 228 for receiving output from the touch processor 202 and performing actions based on the output. For example, the host processor 228 can be connected to program memory 232 and a display controller such as an LCD driver 234. The host processor 228 can use the LCD driver 234 to generate images on the touch screen 220, such as images of a user interface (UI), and can use the touch processor 202 and the touch controller 206 to detect touches on or near the touch screen 220, such as touch inputs to the displayed UI. The touch inputs can be used by a computer program stored in the program memory 232 to perform actions including, but not limited to, moving an object such as a cursor or pointer, scrolling or panning, adjusting control settings, opening a file or document, viewing a menu, making a selection, executing instructions, operating a peripheral device connected to the host device, answering a telephone call, placing a telephone call, terminating a telephone call, changing a volume or audio setting, storing information related to a telephone communication such as a phone number, a frequently dialed number, a received call, a missed call, logging onto a computer or computer network, permitting an authorized individual access to a restricted area of the computer or computer network, loading a user profile related to user preferred arrangements of a computer desktop, permitting access to network content, launching a specific program, encrypting or decoding a message, etc. The host processor 228 can also perform additional functions that can not be related to touch processing.

[0039] Touchscreen 220 may include touch sensing circuitry, which may include a capacitive sensing medium having a plurality of drive lines 222 and a plurality of sensing lines 223. It should be noted that, as those skilled in the art will understand, the term "line" is sometimes used herein simply to refer to a conductive path and is not limited to a strictly linear structure, but includes paths that change direction and include paths of different sizes, shapes, materials, etc. Drive lines 222 may be driven by excitation signals 216 from driver logic 214 via drive interface 224, and the resulting sensing signals 217 generated in the sensing lines 223 may be transmitted via sensing interface 225 to sensing channel 208 (also known as event detection and demodulation circuitry) in touch controller 206. In this way, drive lines and sensing lines may be part of touch sensing circuitry, and they may interact to form capacitive sensing nodes, which can be considered as touch image elements (touch pixels), such as touch pixels 226 and 227. This understanding is particularly useful when touchscreen 220 is viewed as an "image" capturing a touch. In other words, after the touch controller 206 has determined whether a touch has been detected at each touch pixel in the touchscreen, the pattern of the touch pixels at the point where the touch occurred in the touchscreen can be considered an “image” of the touch (e.g., the pattern of a finger touching the touchscreen).

[0040] FIG. 3 This is a more detailed view of a touchscreen 220 showing an example configuration of drive lines 222 and sensing lines 223 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. FIG. 3 As shown, each drive line 222 can be formed by one or more drive line segments 301, which can be electrically connected via drive line links 303 at connection 205. The drive line links 303 are not electrically connected to the sensing lines 223; instead, the drive line links can bypass the sensing lines via bypass 307. The drive lines 222 and sensing lines 223 can interact capacitively to form touch pixels such as touch pixels 226 and 227. The drive lines 222 (i.e., drive line segments 301 and corresponding drive line links 303) and sensing lines 223 can be formed by circuit elements in the touchscreen 220. FIG. 3 In the example configuration, each of touch pixels 226 and 227 may include a portion of a drive line segment 301, a portion of a sensing line 223, and a portion of another drive line segment 301. For example, touch pixel 226 may include the right half 309 of a drive line segment on one side of a portion 311 of the sensing line and the left half 313 of a drive line segment on the opposite side of the portion 311 of the sensing line.

[0041] As described above, circuit elements may include, for example, structures that are present in conventional LCD displays. It should be noted that circuit elements are not limited to entire circuit assemblies such as entire capacitors or entire transistors, but may include several parts of the circuit, such as only one of the two plates of a parallel-plate capacitor. FIG. 4 This description illustrates an example configuration according to embodiments of the present disclosure, where the common electrode (Vcom) can form part of the touch-sensing circuitry of a touch-sensing system. The common electrode is a circuit element of the display system circuitry within the stack of display pixels (i.e., the stacked material layers forming the display pixels) of some types of conventional LCD displays (e.g., rim field switching (FFS) displays), which can operate as part of the display system to display an image. FIG. 4 In the example shown, the common electrode (Vcom) 401 (e.g. FIG. 1D Component 161) can be used as a multifunctional circuit element, which can operate as a display circuit of the display system of the touchscreen 220 and also as a touch sensing circuit of the touch sensing system. In this example, the common electrode 401 can operate as a common electrode of the display circuit of the touchscreen, and can also work as a touch sensing circuit of the touchscreen when combined with other common electrodes. For example, a group of common electrodes 401 can operate together as the capacitive portion of the drive line or sensing line of the touch sensing circuit during the touch sensing phase. For example, other circuit elements of the touchscreen 220 can form a partial touch sensing circuit by electrically connecting the common electrodes 401 in a region together, switching the electrical connections, etc. Generally, each of the touch sensing circuit elements can be either a multifunctional circuit element or a single-function circuit element. A multifunctional circuit element can form a partial touch sensing circuit and can perform one or more other functions, such as forming a partial display circuit, while a single-function circuit element can operate solely as a touch sensing circuit. Similarly, each of the display circuit elements can be either a multifunctional circuit element or a single-function circuit element. A multifunctional circuit element can operate as a display circuit and perform one or more functions, such as operating as a touch-sensing circuit, while a single-function circuit element can operate solely as a display circuit. Therefore, in some embodiments, some of the circuit elements in the display pixel stack can be multifunctional circuit elements while others can be single-function circuit elements. In other embodiments, all the circuit elements in the display pixel stack can be single-function circuit elements.

[0042] In addition, although example embodiments herein can describe display circuitry as operating in a display phase and touch sensing circuitry as operating in a touch sensing phase, it should be understood that the display phase and touch sensing phase can operate simultaneously, e.g., partially or completely overlapping, or the display phase and touch phase can operate at different times. Also, although example embodiments herein describe certain circuit elements as multifunctional and other circuit elements as single- function, it should be understood that circuit elements are not limited to particular functionality in other embodiments. In other words, a circuit element described as a single-function circuit element in one example embodiment herein can be configured as a multifunction circuit element in other embodiments, and vice versa.

[0043] For example, FIG. 4 The common electrodes 401 are shown grouped together to form a drive region segment 403 and a sense region 405 that generally correspond to the drive line segment 301 and the sense line 223, respectively. Grouping multifunctional circuit elements of display pixels into a region can mean collectively operating the multifunctional circuit elements of the display pixels to perform a common function for the region. Grouping into a functional region can be achieved by one method or a combination of methods, e.g., by a structural configuration of the system (e.g., physical break and bypass, voltage line configuration), an operational configuration of the system (e.g., turning on / off circuit elements, changing voltage values and / or signals on voltage lines), etc.

[0044] In some embodiments, the grouping of circuit elements can be implemented as a layout of display pixels, each display pixel selected from a finite number of display pixel configurations. In some embodiments, a particular function of the touch sensing circuitry can be provided by a particular type of display pixel having a configuration that can perform the function. For example, the following embodiments are described with reference to FIGS. 17-20 2 describes an embodiment that can include a type of display pixel that can be commonly connected to one or more adjacent pixels in a connection layer of the stack, a type of display pixel that can provide contact with other layers of the stack, and a type of display pixel that can commonly connect one or more adjacent pixels in the other layers.

[0045] In some embodiments, the regions may be reconfigurable to allow pixels to be grouped into regions of different sizes, shapes, etc. For example, depending on factors such as variations in ambient noise, the size and / or distance of the object to be sensed from the touchscreen, some embodiments may include a programmable switch array to allow reconfigurable switching schemes to group display pixels into regions of different sizes. Other aspects of the configuration that may allow grouping may not be reconfigurable; for example, physical breaks in lines in the display pixel stack are not reconfigurable. However, touchscreen configurations including physical breaks can still allow, for example, to reconfigurable group display pixels into regions of different sizes, shapes, etc. by including other reconfigurable circuit elements such as programmable switches, signal generators, etc.

[0046] The multifunctional circuitry of the display pixels of a touchscreen can operate in both a display phase and a touch phase. For example, in the touch phase, common electrodes 401 can be grouped together to form touch signal lines, such as driving and sensing areas. In some embodiments, the circuitry can be grouped to form one type of continuous touch signal lines and another type of segmented touch signal lines. For example, FIG. 4 The illustration shows an example embodiment in which the driving region segment 403 and the sensing region 405 correspond to the driving line segment 301 and the sensing line 223 of the touchscreen 220. In other embodiments, other configurations are possible; for example, the common electrode 401 may be grouped together such that each driving line is formed by a continuous driving region and each sensing line is formed by a plurality of sensing region segments linked together by connections through bypass driving regions. See below for reference. FIGS. 11A-11B Describe the operations in the example display phase and the example touch phase in more detail.

[0047] FIG. 3 The driving region in the example FIG. 4 The image shows a rectangular area including multiple common electrodes for the display pixels. FIG. 3 The sensing area is in FIG. 4 The image shows a rectangular region comprising a plurality of common electrodes for display pixels extending the vertical length of the LCD. In some embodiments, FIG. 4 The configuration of touch pixels may, for example, include 64×64 areas of display pixels. However, the driving and sensing areas are not limited to the shapes, orientations, and positions shown, but may include any suitable configuration according to embodiments of this disclosure. It should be understood that, according to embodiments of this disclosure, the display pixels used to form touch pixels are not limited to those described above, but may be of any size or shape to allow touch functionality.

[0048] FIG. 5 The embodiments of this disclosure illustrate how common electrodes 401 can be grouped into... FIG. 4An example configuration of drive lines is shown in FIG. 12, which shows the regions illustrated in FIG. 11 and linking the drive region segments to form the conductive lines of the drive lines. Some embodiments can include other regions, such as interface regions between drive lines and / or between drive lines and sense lines, as shown in the example embodiment illustrated in FIG. 13.

[0049] FIG. 5 A plurality of xVcom lines 501 along the x-direction and a plurality of yVcom lines 503 along the y-direction are shown. In this embodiment, each row of common electrodes 401 can have a corresponding xVcom line 501 and each column of common electrodes 401 can have a corresponding yVcom line 503. FIG. 5 A plurality of drive region segments 403 (illustrated by dashed lines) are also shown, where each drive region segment 403 can be formed as a group of common electrodes 401 connected together by x-y-com connections 505, which connect each common electrode to the xVcom line 501 and the yVcom line 503 in that drive region segment, as described in more detail below. The yVcom lines 503 (such as yVcom line 503a) running through the drive region segments 403 can include breaks 509 that provide electrical isolation of each drive region segment from other drive region segments (e.g., the segments above and below a given drive region segment). The breaks 509 can provide y-breaks (electrical breaks in the y-direction).

[0050] Each drive line 511 can be formed from a plurality of drive region segments 403, which can be formed from common electrodes 401 and their interconnecting conductive lines xVcom. In particular, the drive lines 511 can be formed by connecting the drive region segments 403 across the sense region 405 using the xVcom lines 501. As FIG. 5 As shown, a first drive line 511a can be formed from the drive region segments 403 of the top row, and a next drive line 511b can be formed from the drive region segments 403 of the next row. As described in more detail below, the xVcom lines are conductive paths that bypass the yVcom lines in the sense region 405 using the bypasses 513.

[0051] FIG. 5 A plurality of sense regions 405 (illustrated by dashed lines) are also shown. Each sense region 405 can be formed as a group of common electrodes 401 connected together by y-com connections 507, which can connect each common electrode of the sense region 405 to one of the yVcom lines 503. Additional connections (e.g., see FIG. 10The yVcom lines of each sensing region 405 can be connected together. For example, additional connections can include switches in the borders of the touch screen 220 that can connect the yVcom lines of each sensing region together during the touch phase of operation. The yVcom lines 503 that run through the sensing regions 405, such as yVcom line 503b, can electrically connect all of the common electrodes 401 in the y direction, thus, the yVcom lines of these sensing regions do not include breaks. In this way, for example, a sensing region can be formed from a plurality of vertical common voltage lines yVcom that are connected to each other and to the circuit elements of a corresponding display pixel, thereby forming a sensing line 512 in the sensing region that is composed of the electrically connected circuit elements of the display pixel. In the example sensing region shown in FIG. 5 the vertical common voltage lines yVcom can be disconnected from the horizontal common voltage lines xVcom and can cross over the horizontal common voltage lines xVcom (at 513) to form a structure for capacitive touch sensing. This crossing over on yVcom and xVcom can also form additional parasitic capacitance between the sensing and drive regions.

[0052] Each common electrode 401 can correspond to a display pixel of the touch screen 220, such as display pixels 515 and 517. During the display phase, the common electrodes 401 operate with other display pixel components as display circuitry of the display system of the touch screen 220 to display an image on the touch screen. During the touch phase, the common electrodes 401 can operate as touch sensing circuitry of the touch sensing system of the touch screen 220 to detect one or more touches on or near the touch screen.

[0053] In operation during the touch phase, the horizontal common voltage lines xVcom 501 can emit an excitation signal to excite the drive lines 511 and form an electric field between the excited drive lines and the sensing lines 512 to form touch pixels, such as touch pixels 226 in FIG. 3 When an object, such as a finger, approaches or touches a touch pixel, the object can affect the electric field that extends between the drive line 511 and the sensing line 512, thereby reducing the amount of charge that is capacitively coupled to the sensing line. This reduction in charge can be sensed by the sensing channel and stored in memory along with similar information from other touch pixels to form an "image" of the touch.

[0054] In some embodiments, the drive lines and / or sensing lines may be formed from other structures, such as those already present in a typical LCD display (e.g., other electrodes, conductive and / or semi-conductive layers, metal lines, such as those carrying signals, storing voltages, etc., which would also serve as circuit elements in a typical LCD display), other structures formed in the LCD stack of atypical LCD stack structures (e.g., other metal lines, plates whose function will be substantially for the touch sensing system of the touchscreen), and structures formed outside the LCD stack (e.g., such as externally transparent conductive plates, lines, and other structures). For example, a portion of the touch sensing system may include a structure similar to a known touchpad overlap. Using structures already present in the display to partially or completely form the touch sensing system can potentially increase the touchscreen's image quality, brightness, etc., by reducing the amount of structure primarily dedicated to touch sensing (typically overlapping displays).

[0055] In some embodiments, for example, display pixels may be grouped into areas between driving areas and sensing areas and / or between two driving areas, and these areas may be connected to ground or virtual ground to form grounded areas to further minimize interference between driving areas and / or between driving areas and sensing areas. FIGS. 13A-13B An example layout of regions according to embodiments of the present disclosure is shown, including grounding regions between drive regions and between drive regions and sensing regions. In other examples, vertical common voltage line interruptions may be omitted and these lines are fully shared between drive regions.

[0056] from FIG. 5 As can be seen, display pixel 515 can be grouped into sensing area 405, and display pixel 517 can be grouped into driving area segment 403. FIGS. 6-8 The description shows FIG. 5 The plan view and side view of "box A" show more details of pixels 515 and 517, and illustrate an example configuration of instances of in-plane / in-layer example interruptions / bypasses and out-of-plane / out-of-layer example interruptions / bypasses according to embodiments of the present disclosure.

[0057] FIG. 6 yes FIG. 5 The enlarged view marked "Box A" shows further details of the display pixels 515 and 517 and other structures of the touchscreen 220 according to an embodiment of the present disclosure. Display pixels 515 and 517 may each include a common electrode 401 and three display pixel electrodes 601, respectively used during the display phase of the touchscreen to provide color data to the red (R) sub-pixel, green (G) sub-pixel, and blue (B) sub-pixel corresponding to R data line 603, G data line 605, and B data line 607 of the sub-pixel when the transistor 609 of the sub-pixel is turned on by a voltage applied to the gate line 611.

[0058] In some embodiments, other types of display pixels can be used, such as monochrome (e.g., black and white) display pixels, display pixels that include more or fewer than three sub-pixels, display pixels that operate in a non-visible spectrum such as infrared, etc. Different embodiments can include display pixels having different sizes, shapes, optical properties. The display pixels of some embodiments can have different sizes, shapes, and optical properties from one another, and in some embodiments, different types of display pixels used in a touch screen can provide different functionality.

[0059] FIG. 6 It is also illustrated that the yVcom line 503 that runs through the display pixels 517 has an interruption 509 that separates the display pixels 517 (and the drive region segments 403 of the display pixels 517, see FIG. 5 ) from adjacent drive region segments. The interruption 509 is an example of an in-plane interruption, which is an electrical open between conductive paths that run substantially in the same plane (in this case, the x-y plane in which the yVcom line 503 runs). Similarly, the interruption 509 is an example of an in-layer interruption, which is an electrical open between conductive paths that run in the same layer (in this case, the second metal layer, as described below). Although many in-layer interruptions can also be in-plane interruptions, this is not necessarily the case. For example, an interruption in a conductive path of a material layer in a stack can occur at a location of a layer formed at a different stack height (i.e., a different plane), and thus such an interruption at that location should be an in-layer, out-of-plane interruption, not an in-layer, in-plane interruption.

[0060] On the other hand, the yVcom line 503 that runs through the display pixels 515 of the sense region 405 does not include an interruption, so that the display pixels 515 can be electrically connected to other display pixels of the sense region 405 in the y-direction, i.e., the display pixels in the sense region are y-connected.

[0061] The xVcom line 501 runs through the display pixels 515 and 517 in the x-direction. As shown in the magnified view of the xVcom behind the R data line 603 at the upper left corner of the display pixel 515, the xVcom line 501 is behind the R, G, and B data lines 603, 605, and 607, respectively. The connections between the xVcom and yVcom lines and the common electrodes 401 of the display pixels 515 and 517 are shown in more detail in the exploded view in FIG. 6 , FIGS. 7-8It is also shown that the xVcom line 501 is behind the yVcom line 503, and that the yVcom line 503 is behind the common electrode 401. For the display pixel 515 of the sense region, the exploded view of the y-com connection 507 of the display pixel 515 shows that the y-com connection is a wire 613 (e.g., a via filled with a conductive material) between the yVcom line 503 and the common electrode 401 of the display pixel, and shows that there is no connection between the xVcom line 501 and the yVcom line 503, i.e., a bypass 513 (and thus no connection between the xVcom line and the common electrode). As a result of the bypass 513, the display pixel 515 can be x- disconnected or isolated in the x-direction, i.e., disconnected or isolated from adjacent display pixels along the x-direction. In this example embodiment, additional connections of the yVcom line 503 of the sense region, such as the border switches described above, electrically connect the common electrode 401 of the display pixel 515 to the common electrode of the adjacent sense region display pixel to the left of the display pixel 515, so the bypass 513 "right disconnects" the display pixel 515 from the adjacent drive region display pixel 517 to the right of the display pixel 515 (in other words, the display pixel 515 can be x-disconnected in the positive x-direction, i.e., positive x-disconnected).

[0062] The bypass 513 is an example of an out-of-plane bypass, which can be an electrical open circuit between conductive paths that travel in substantially different in-plane directions; in this case, the x-y plane in which the yVcom line 503 travels can be different from the x-y plane in which the xVcom line 501 travels. Similarly, the bypass 513 is an example of an out-of-layer bypass, which can be an electrical open circuit between conductive paths that travel in different layers (in this case, the second metal layer of the yVcom 503 and the first metal layer of the xVcom 501, as described below). This configuration, which includes the yVcom-common electrode connections, the yVcom-yVcom connections in the touch screen border (for yVcom lines of the same sense region), and the bypass between the xVcom and yVcom lines, is one example that groups together the circuit elements of the display in the sense region to form a sense line for touch sensing, and uses the xVcom lines to bypass the sense line, which links together drive region segments that are separated from each other by sense regions to form a drive line for touch sensing.

[0063] For display pixels 517 of a drive region segment, an exploded view of the x-y-com connections 505 of a display pixel 517 shows that the x-y-com connections can include one of a wire 615 connecting the xVcom line to the yVcom line and a wire 613 connecting the yVcom line to the common electrode. Thus, the common electrode of each display pixel in a drive region segment can be electrically connected together because each display pixel can be connected to the same conductive grid of vertical lines (yVcom) (i.e., y-connections) and horizontal lines (xVcom) (i.e., x-connections). In this example configuration, the common electrode, vertical lines, and horizontal lines can be oriented in different substantially coplanar planes and connected together by two sets of connections, one set connecting the vertical and horizontal lines and the other set connecting the vertical lines and the common electrode. This configuration, including the interruption in the vertical lines, is one example that groups together the circuit elements of the display in a drive region segment to form a touch sensing circuit of drive lines that can be linked to other drive line segments by drive line links that bypass intervening sensing lines.

[0064] FIG. 7 are cross-sectional views illustrating a portion of the display pixel 515 stack and a portion of the display pixel 517 stack, respectively. FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of the display pixel 515 along the arrow line of 7-7'. FIG. 7 FIG. 6 includes the gate lines 611 and xVcom lines 501 formed in a first metal layer (M1), the B data lines 607, the drain 701, and the yVcom lines 503 formed in a second metal layer (M2). The figure also includes the common electrode 401 and the display pixel electrode 601 formed of a transparent conductor such as ITO. The common electrode 401 can be electrically connected to the yVcom lines 503 through a via in a dielectric layer 707a that can be filled with a conductive material, a conductive via 703 that is one example of the wire 613 of FIG. 7 FIG. 7 also shows a bypass 513 (no connection) between the xVcom 501 and the yVcom 503. In this regard, the bypass 513 can be viewed as a structure that separates the xVcom 501 and the yVcom 503, which can include a portion of the dielectric layer 707b. The gate insulating layer 705 can comprise a dielectric material such as SiO2, SiNx, etc. A liquid crystal layer can be disposed above the pixel electrode, followed by a color filter, and polarizers can be disposed on the top and bottom of the stack (not shown). Reference is made to FIG. 8 viewing the touch screen from above.

[0065] FIG. 6 shows a cross-sectional view of the display pixel 517 along the arrow line of 8-8' of FIG. 8 FIG. 7 with​​​FIG. 8 The same, except that the conductive via 801 in FIG. 7 replaces the bypass 513 in FIG. 6 Thus, the xVcom 501 can be electrically connected to the yVcom 503 in the drive region segment display pixel 517. Thus, the conductive wire 615 in FIGS. 7-8 may be a via filled with a conductor in this example stack.

[0066] Combined, FIGS. 9-12B One example of how the use of out-of-plane / bypasses according to embodiments of the disclosure can provide an efficient way to form a multi-functional touch- sensitive LCD structure including multi-functional circuit elements in some embodiments is illustrated. In this case, in some embodiments, the connections / bypasses formed between conductive paths in different planes / layers can allow for more options in the design of the multi-functional configuration, and can potentially reduce the number of structures, e.g., wires, that need to be added to form the bypasses in the same plane / layer. In this regard, for example, the y-break and / or the x-break in some embodiments can be conveniently formed by simply forming conductive paths in different planes / layers of the display pixel stack. Likewise, in some embodiments, the y-connection and / or the x-connection can be conveniently formed using conductive paths between different planes / layers to connect conductive paths in different planes / layers. In particular, this can allow for existing LCD designs to be more easily modified to add integrated touch functionality according to embodiments of the disclosure. In this regard, the selective use of in-plane and out-of-plane / bypasses can allow for more structures in an existing LCD design to be used as circuit elements in a touch- sensitive system, and can reduce the number of changes that need to be made to existing manufacturing processes, such as masks, doping, deposition, etc.

[0067] Further details of an example touch screen and an example method of operating a multi-functional touch screen LCD circuit element will be described with reference to FIG. 9 Further details of an example touch screen and an example method of operating a multi-functional touch screen LCD circuit element will be described with reference to FIG. 9 is a partial circuit diagram of an example touch screen 900 including a plurality of sub-pixels according to embodiments of the disclosure. As with the example embodiments described above, the sub-pixels of the touch screen 900 can be configured such that they can have multi-functionality as LCD sub-pixels and as touch sensor circuit elements. That is, the sub-pixels can include circuit elements that can operate as part of the LCD circuit of the display pixel and can operate as circuit elements of the touch- sensitive circuit. In this way, the touch screen 900 can operate as an LCD with integrated touch- sensitive functionality. FIG. 6Details of sub-pixels 901, 902, and 903 of touch screen 900 are shown. In this example embodiment, each sub-pixel can be a red (R), green (G), or blue (B) sub-pixel, with a combination of all three R, G, and B sub-pixels forming a color display pixel. Although this example embodiment includes red, green, and blue sub-pixels, the sub-pixels can be based on other colors of light or other wavelengths of electromagnetic radiation (e.g., infrared), or can be based on a monochrome configuration.

[0068] Sub-pixel 902 can include a thin film transistor (TFT) 955 having a gate 955a, a source 955b, and a drain 955c. Sub-pixel 902 can also include a common electrode (Vcom) 957b, which, for example, can be a continuous sheet of substantially conductive material shared among sub-pixels 901, 902, and 903, such as common electrode 401 shown in FIG. 4. Sub-pixel 902 can also include a pixel electrode 957a that can operate in conjunction with common electrode 957b as part of a display system circuit. Pixel electrode 957a, for example, can be pixel electrode 601 shown in FIG. 6. Touch screen 900 can operate as an FFS display system, in which the pixel electrode and common electrode of each sub-pixel create an edge field applied to the liquid crystal of that sub-pixel, and also form a storage capacitance for that sub-pixel. Sub-pixel 902 can include a storage capacitance 957 formed by pixel electrode 957a and common electrode 957b. Sub-pixel 902 can also include a portion 917a of a data line for green (G) data, G data line 917, and a portion 913b of a gate line 913. Gate 955a can be connected to gate line portion 913b, and source 955b can be connected to G data line portion 917a. Pixel electrode 957a can be connected to drain 955c of TFT 955. FIGS. 6-8 FIG. 6 Sub-pixel 902 can include a thin film transistor (TFT) 955 having a gate 955a, a source 955b, and a drain 955c. Sub-pixel 902 can also include a common electrode (Vcom) 957b, which, for example, can be a continuous sheet of substantially conductive material shared among sub-pixels 901, 902, and 903, such as common electrode 401 shown in FIG. 4. Sub-pixel 902 can also include a pixel electrode 957a that can operate in conjunction with common electrode 957b as part of a display system circuit. Pixel electrode 957a, for example, can be pixel electrode 601 shown in FIG. 6. Touch screen 900 can operate as an FFS display system, in which the pixel electrode and common electrode of each sub-pixel create an edge field applied to the liquid crystal of that sub-pixel, and also form a storage capacitance for that sub-pixel. Sub-pixel 902 can include a storage capacitance 957 formed by pixel electrode 957a and common electrode 957b. Sub-pixel 902 can also include a portion 917a of a data line for green (G) data, G data line 917, and a portion 913b of a gate line 913. Gate 955a can be connected to gate line portion 913b, and source 955b can be connected to G data line portion 917a. Pixel electrode 957a can be connected to drain 955c of TFT 955.

[0069] Sub-pixel 901 can include a thin film transistor (TFT) 905 having a gate 905a, a source 905b, and a drain 905c. Sub-pixel 901 can also include a pixel electrode 907a that can operate in conjunction with common electrode 957b to create an edge field for the sub-pixel and form a storage capacitance 907. Sub-pixel 901 can also include a portion 915a of a data line for red (R) data, R data line 915, and a portion 913a of a gate line 913. Gate 905a can be connected to gate line portion 913a, and source 905b can be connected to R data line portion 915a. Pixel electrode 907a can be connected to drain 905c of TFT 905. Sub-pixels 901 and 902, for example, can include most or all of the structure of a conventional LCD sub-pixel.

[0070] ​Sub-pixel 903 may include a thin-film transistor (TFT) 975 having a gate 975a, a source 975b, and a drain 975c. Sub-pixel 903 may also include a pixel electrode 977a that can cooperate with a common electrode 957b to generate an edge field for the sub-pixel and form a storage capacitor 977. Sub-pixel 903 may also include a portion 919a of a data line Bdata line 919 for blue (B) data, and a portion 913c of a gate line 913. The gate 975a may be connected to the gate line portion 913c, and the source 975b may be connected to the Bdata line portion 919a. The pixel electrode 977a may be connected to the drain 975c of the TFT 975. Unlike sub-pixels 901 and 902, sub-pixel 903 may also include a portion 925a of a common voltage line yVcom 925 traveling in the y direction, and a connection point 929. In other embodiments, yVcom may travel through red or green subpixels instead of blue subpixels. (See references above.) FIG. 9 Connections such as the described y-com connection 507 or xy-com connection 505 can be formed at connection point 929, for example, to connect a common electrode 957b to yVcom 925 (which travels vertically through other display pixels), to connect a common electrode 957b to yVcom 925 and xVcom 921 (which travels horizontally through other pixels), etc. In this way, for example, the common electrode 957b can be connected to the common electrodes of other display pixels to form a region of connected common electrodes.

[0071] As described above in some example embodiments, one way to form a separation region is by creating an interruption (open circuit) in the horizontal and / or vertical common lines. For example, the yVcom 925 may have such... FIGS. 10-12B The optional interruption shown allows the subpixel above the interruption to be isolated from the subpixel below the interruption; that is, the subpixel can be bottom-disconnected. The x-disconnection can be formed by creating a y-com connection instead of an xy-com connection at connection point 929, thus disconnecting xVcom 921 from the common electrode 957b. In some embodiments, xVcom 921 may include an interruption that allows the subpixel to the right of the interruption to be isolated from the subpixel to the left of the interruption. Other configurations may allow the display pixel circuitry elements to be grouped as described above using drive line segments linked together via bypasses of the sensing lines.

[0072] In this manner, the common electrodes of the touch screen 900 can be grouped together to form structures within the display pixels that can operate as part of the touch sensing circuitry of the touch sensing system. For example, the common electrodes can be configured to form drive regions or sense regions, to form bypasses and links, and the like, as described above with respect to some embodiments. In this regard, circuit elements such as the common electrodes, xVcom lines, and the like, can operate as multifunctional circuit elements.

[0073] Generally, the touch screen 900 can be configured such that the common electrodes of all of the sub-pixels in the screen can be connected together, for example, by at least one vertical common voltage line having connections to a plurality of horizontal common voltage lines. Another touch screen can be configured such that different groups of sub-pixels can be connected together to form a plurality of separate regions of connected common electrodes.

[0074] Touch sensing operations in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure will be described with reference to FIG. 10 Touch sensing operations in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure will be described with reference to FIG. 10 Portions of circuit diagrams showing some of the touch sensing circuitry within display pixels in a drive region 1001 and a sense region 1003 of an example touch screen in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure are shown. For clarity, FIG. 10 Circuit elements are included using dashed lines to indicate that some circuit elements primarily operate as part of the display circuitry rather than the touch sensing circuitry. In addition, the touch sensing operations are described primarily with respect to a single drive display pixel 1001a (e.g., a single display pixel of the drive region 1001) and a single sense display pixel 1003a (e.g., a single display pixel of the sense region 1003). However, it should be understood that other drive display pixels in the drive region 1001 can include the same touch sensing circuitry as described below with respect to the drive display pixel 1001a, and other sense display pixels in the sense region 1003 can include the same touch sensing circuitry as described below with respect to the sense display pixel 1003a. As such, the description of the operation of the drive display pixel 1001a and the sense display pixel 1003a can be considered as a description of the operation of the drive region 1001 and the sense region 1003, respectively.

[0075] With reference to FIG. 10 The drive region 1001 includes a plurality of drive display pixels including the drive display pixel 1001a. The drive display pixel 1001a includes a TFT 1007, a gate line 1011, a data line 1013, an xVcom line portion 1015 and a yVcom line portion 1017, a pixel electrode 1019, and a common electrode 1023. FIG. 10A common electrode 1023 is shown that is connected to common electrodes in other drive display pixels in the drive area 1001 through the xVcom line portion 1015 and the yVcom line portion 1017 to form a structure for touch sensing within the display pixels of the drive area 1001, described in more detail below. The sense area 1003 includes a plurality of sense display pixels, including sense display pixel 1003a. The sense display pixel 1003 includes a TFT 1009, a gate line 1012, a data line 1014, a yVcom line portion 1016, a pixel electrode 1021, and a common electrode 1025. FIG. 11A A common electrode 1025 is shown that is connected to common electrodes in other sense display pixels in the sense area 1003 through the yVcom line portion 1016, which can be connected in a border region of the touch screen, for example, to form a structure for touch sensing within the display pixels of the sense area 1003, described in more detail below.

[0076] In a touch sensing phase, a drive signal applied to the xVcom line portion 1015 creates an electric field between the structure of connected common electrodes 1023 of the drive area 1001 and the structure of connected common electrodes of the sense area 1003 connected to a sense amplifier such as charge amplifier 1026. Charge is injected into the structure of connected common electrodes of the sense area 1003, and the charge amplifier 1026 converts the charge injection into a voltage that can be measured. The amount of charge injected, and the resulting measured voltage, can depend on the proximity of a touch object such as a finger 1027 to the drive and sense areas. In this way, the measured voltage can provide an indication of a touch on or near the touch screen.

[0077] FIG. 11A An example signal applied to drive display pixels of the drive area 1001 including drive display pixel 1001a through xVcom 1015 is shown in an example LCD or display phase and in an example touch phase. In the LCD phase, the xVcom 1015 and yVcom 1017 can be driven using a square wave signal of 2.5V + / - 2.5V to perform LCD inversion. The duration of the LCD phase is 12ms.

[0078] In the touch phase, the xVcom 1015 can be driven using an AC signal such as a sinusoidal signal, a square wave, a triangle wave, etc. In the example shown in FIG. 11B In the example shown in FIG. 10, the xVcom can be driven using 15 to 20 consecutive excitation phases each lasting 200 microseconds, while as shown in FIG. 11AAs shown, yVcom 1016 is maintained at the virtual ground of charge amplifier 1026. The drive signal in this case can be a 2.5V + / - 2V square wave or sinusoidal signal, each having the same frequency and either 0 degrees or 180 degrees (corresponding to FIG. 12A the relative phase of the "+" and "-" in FIG. 6B). The duration of the touch phase is 4 ms.

[0079] FIGS. 12A-12B Details of the operation of the common electrode 1023 in the touch phase are shown. In particular, because the capacitance of the storage capacitor formed by the common electrode 1023 and the pixel electrode 1019 is much higher than other capacitances in the system (i.e., the parasitic capacitances between the various conductive structures and between the common electrode and the finger 1027), almost all (about 90%) of the AC component of the 2.5V + / - 2V sinusoidal drive signal applied to the common electrode 1023 is also applied to the pixel electrode 1019. Thus, the voltage difference between the common electrode 1023 and the pixel electrode 1019 can remain very small, and the liquid crystal will experience minimal changes in electric field due to the touch stimulus, and maintain its charge state and the image it was set to in the LCD phase. In the display phase operation of the LCD, the common electrodes 1023 and 1025 can typically be charged to 0 or 5V DC (square wave 2.5 + / - 2.0V). However, in the touch mode, the common electrode in the drive region 1023 is charged to a DC voltage of 2.5V using a superimposed sinusoidal signal of 2V amplitude. Similarly, the common electrode in the sense region 1025 can be held at the virtual ground of the charge amplifier 1026 at a DC level of 2.5V. In the touch phase, the sinusoidal signal on the common electrode 1023 in the drive region 1001 can be transferred to the common electrode 1025 of the sense region 1003. Due to the high coupling between the common pixel electrodes in the drive and sense regions, 90% of the voltage change on the common electrode is transferred to the corresponding pixel electrode, thus minimizing the disturbance of the stored image charge in the display phase while performing touch sensing. In this way, the common electrodes of the drive and sense regions can operate as circuit elements of the touch sensing circuit by forming the structure for capacitive touch sensing without affecting the LCD image.

[0080] At the same time, the common and pixel electrode configurations are configured to operate as circuit elements of the touch sensing circuit, the electrodes described above can continue to operate as part of the LCD system. As shown in FIG. 10 the structure of the pixel electrode 1021 is modulated at about + / - 2V each, the relative voltage between the pixel electrode 1021 and the common electrode 1025 remains substantially constant at + / - 0.1V. This relative voltage is the voltage seen by the liquid crystal of the display pixel for LCD operation, and its amplitude can determine the gray scale value of the image (e.g., in FIG. 11BIn this case, the relative voltage is 2V). The 0.1V AC change in the relative voltage in the touch (sensing) phase should have an acceptably low impact on the LCD, especially since the AC change will typically have a frequency higher than the response time of the liquid crystal. For example, the excitation signal frequency, and thus the frequency of the AC change, will typically be greater than 100 kHz. However, the response time of the liquid crystal is typically less than 100 Hz. Thus, the function of the common and pixel electrodes as circuit elements in the touch system should not interfere with the LCD function.

[0081] Reference will now be made to FIG. 12B , FIG. 11B and FIG. 10 An example operation of the sensing region 1003 will now be described. FIG. 13A The signal applied to the display pixels of the sensing region including display pixel 1003a by yVcom 1016 in the above-described LCD and touch phases is shown. As with the drive region, yVcom 1016 is driven using a square wave signal of 2.5V + / - 2.5V to perform LCD inversion in the LCD phase. In the touch phase, yVcom 1016 is connected to charge amplifier 1026, which holds the voltage at or near a virtual ground of 2.5V. Thus, pixel electrode 1021 is also held at 2.5V. As shown in FIG. 13B The edge fields propagate from common electrode 1023 to common electrode 1025. As described above, the edge fields are modulated at about + / - 2V by the drive region. When these fields are received by pixel electrode 1021, most of the signal is transmitted to common electrode 1025, since display pixel 1003a has the same or similar parasitic and storage capacitances as display pixel 1001a.

[0082] Because yVcom 1016 is connected to charge amplifier 1026 and held at virtual ground, the charge injected into yVcom 1016 will produce an output voltage of the charge amplifier. This output voltage provides touch sensing information to the touch sensing system. For example, when a finger 1027 is close to the edge field, it causes a disturbance in the field. This disturbance can be detected by the touch system as a disturbance in the output voltage of charge amplifier 1026. Approximately 90% of the edge field that hits the pixel electrode 1021 connected to the drain of TFT 1009 will be transferred to charge amplifier 1026. 100% of the charge that hits the common electrode 1025 directly connected to yVcom 1016 will be transferred to charge amplifier 1026. The proportion of charge that hits each electrode will depend on the LCD design. For non-IPS, almost 100% of the charge affected by the finger can hit the common electrode because the CF plate is closest to the finger in the layout. For IPS type displays, the proportion can be closer to 50% because each portion of the electrode has approximately equal area facing the finger (or 1 / 4 vs 3 / 4). For some subtypes of IPS displays, the pixel electrode is not co-planar and the majority of the upward facing area contributes to the common electrode.

[0083] FIG. 13A Another example configuration of multi-functional display pixels grouped into regions that function in a touch sensing system in a touch phase of a touch screen is shown in accordance with embodiments of the present disclosure. FIGS. 13A-13B A more detailed view of a touch screen having FIGS. 13A-13B grounded regions is shown. As FIGS. 13A-13B shown, a region of display pixels can be formed, for example, between a drive region and a sense region, and this region can be grounded to a true ground to form a drive-sense ground region 1301. FIG. 13B A similar grouping of display pixels between two drive regions is also shown, which can likewise be grounded to form a drive-drive ground region 1303. The ground regions and other regions can be formed, for example, from a grid of connection structures such as wire segments. For example, FIG. 13B A ground region connection grid 1304 is shown that includes horizontal and vertical conductive paths of in-plane / within-layer breaks (y-breaks) 1305 and in-plane / within-layer breaks (x-breaks) 1309. The lines linking the drive regions can bypass the ground regions and sense regions using out-of-plane / out-of-layer bypasses 1308. In FIGS. 13A-13B the example configuration, the drive-sense ground region 1301 is electrically connected to the drive-drive ground region 1303 through a connection 1310, and all ground regions can be grounded to a single ground 1313 through a multiplexer 1311 at one boundary of the touch screen.

[0084] FIGS. 13A-13BThe ground region connection grid 1304 is shown connected to the common electrodes of the ground regions 1301 and 1303 through connections 1310, while maintaining electrical separation from other regions using in-plane breaks 1305 (y-breaks) and in-plane breaks 1309 (x-breaks). The common electrodes of the sense regions can be similarly connected to the grid. FIGS. 14A-16C The common electrodes of the drive regions are also shown formed from different grids of wires connected by connections 1323 to form a drive region connection grid 1321. The horizontal lines of the drive region connection grid can bypass the ground and sense regions, with the bypass conductive paths 1325 traveling through the ground and sense regions using, for example, the out-of-plane bypass 1308 to prevent electrical contact between the drive regions and the ground and sense regions. The bypass conductive paths can be, for example, drive tunnels, described in more detail below. FIGS. 14A-16C In the example configuration, the ground regions 1301 and 1303 are each two display pixels wide; however, the width of the ground regions is not limited to two display pixels, but can be fewer or more display pixels wide. Likewise, although the drive-sense ground regions are shown as two display pixels wide, the width of the drive-sense ground regions is not limited to two display pixels, but can be fewer or more display pixels wide. FIGS. 14A-14C The drive-drive ground regions are shown connected to the drive-sense ground regions, in other embodiments, the ground regions can be electrically separated from other ground regions. In other embodiments, the ground regions can be grounded to other types of ground, such as AC ground. The ground regions 1301 and 1303 can help reduce the static capacitance that can be formed between the drive and sense regions and / or between the drive and drive regions. Reducing such static capacitance in a touch system configuration can improve the accuracy and power consumption of the touch screen.

[0085] FIGS. 5-6 Another example configuration of a multi-functional circuit element of a display pixel including a third metal (M3) layer according to embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated, and an example method for fabricating a display pixel according to embodiments of the present disclosure is illustrated. For ease of comparison only, FIGS. 15A-15C An example arrangement of three different display pixels is shown in a side-by-side view, and is not intended to imply a particular order of the display pixels. FIGS. 5-6 An example display pixel 1401 in a drive region is shown, such as the display pixel 517 described with reference to FIGS. 16A-16C in the description. FIG. 14A An example display pixel 1501 in a sense region with a drive tunnel is shown, such as the pixel 515 described with reference to FIG. 15A in the description. FIG. 16A An example display pixel 1601 in a sense region without a drive tunnel is shown. In the following description, for clarity only, the same processes and structures are described with reference to a single display pixel for all display pixels 1401, 1501, and 1601.

[0086] FIG. 14B 、 FIG. 15B and FIG. 16BAn earlier stage of the process is shown, which includes a first stage of forming a polysilicon layer that includes the transistor circuit elements of the display pixels. A second stage includes forming the gate lines in the Ml layer of all display pixels, and forming the xVcom lines in the Ml layer of display pixels 1401 and 1501. The xVcom line of display pixel 1401 includes an extension on the left to allow connection to the yVcom line. The xVcom line of display pixel 1501 serves as a drive tunnel for the other conductive paths in the sense area because no connection is formed between the xVcom line and the other conductive paths of the sense area (i.e., there is a bypass). Next, a connection layer (CONl) is formed that includes connections on the transistor circuit elements of the display pixels. Display pixel 1401 includes an additional connection on the extended xVcom portion. The data lines are formed in the M2 layer of the display pixels, and the M2 layer of display pixel 1401 includes the yVcom line.

[0087] FIG. 14C , FIG. 15C and FIG. 16C An intermediate stage of the process is shown. For reference, the M2 layer is also shown. A second connection layer (CON2) is formed that connects the transistor drain to the pixel electrode. Display pixel 1401 includes another connection in CON2 that connects the yVcom to the common electrode. Next, a common electrode is formed, for example, of ITO.

[0088] FIGS. 14A-14C , FIGS. 15A-15C and FIG. 15C A final stage of the process is shown, and the Vcom from the original process is shown for reference. A third metal (M3) layer is formed. As shown, the M3 layer of display pixel 1401 is different from the M3 layer of display pixels 1501 and 1601. The M3 layer configuration of the sense area display pixels 1501 and 1601 includes vertical lines that connect to the display pixels above and below, thus allowing the sense area display pixels to be connected in the y direction without using the yVcom line. Mimicking this M3 structure in the drive area display pixel 1401 can help reduce visual inconsistencies of the touch screen that can result from the additional metal in the sense area. A third connection layer (CON3) is formed and then the display pixel electrodes are formed on all of the display pixels.

[0089] Combined, FIGS. 16A-16CA display pixel 1401 configured for a drive region is shown similar to the display pixel 517 described above. The display pixel 1401 includes a gate line 1403 and an xVcom line 1405 in a first metal (Ml) layer and a yVcom line 1407 and a data line 1409 in a second metal (M2) layer. The display pixel 1401 can include connections such as an x-y-com connection 1411, such as the connection 505 described above. The x-y-com connection 1411 connects the xVcom line 1405, the yVcom line 1407, and a common electrode (Vcom) 1413.

[0090] Combined together, FIG. 16C A touch screen display pixel 1501 configured for a sense region is shown similar to the display pixel 515 described above. The display pixel 1501 includes a gate line 1503 and an xVcom line 1505 in an Ml layer and a data line 1507 in an M2 layer. Because the xVcom line 1505 is formed in a lower layer (Ml) of the stack, and because no connection is provided between the xVcom and yVcom, the xVcom line "tunnels" horizontally through the sense region display pixel 1501 without connecting to a common electrode (Vcom) 1513 of the sense region. This is an example of a drive tunnel, which can connect a drive region through a display pixel stack of another type of region (such as a sense region) while bypassing the region, i.e., not electrically contacting touch sensing circuit elements in the display pixel stack of the bypassed region. Also, in other embodiments, other types of tunnels can be used, such as a sense tunnel that connects a sense region. FIGS. 17-23 A third metal (M3) layer is shown partially used as a connection structure to electrically connect display pixel circuit elements in a sense region in both the x and y directions, as shown by the connection grid 1509. Note that although yVcom is used in the drive pixel electrode 1401, yVcom is not used in the sense pixel electrodes 1501 and 1601. Rather, y connectivity is provided through the M3 layer. In some embodiments, display pixels in a sense region can be connected together in the horizontal direction through connections and switches in the borders of the touch screen.

[0091] Combined together, FIGS. 14A-16C A display pixel 1601 is shown that is identical to the display pixel 1501 except that the display pixel 1601 does not include a drive tunnel. As shown by the connection grid 1603 in FIGS. 17-20 The display pixel 1601 does not include a connection structure in the M3 layer to electrically connect display pixel circuit elements in a sense region, as shown by the connection grid 1603 in

[0092] FIG. 21AOther example configurations of display pixels including another configuration of a layer of a third metal (M3) according to embodiments of the disclosure, example methods for manufacturing display pixels, example touch pixel layouts, and example touchscreens are described. As with the above FIG. 21B As above, merely for ease of comparison, FIG. 21C Side-by-side views of example groups of display pixels in different manufacturing stages are described. FIG. 22-1 And FIG. 22-2 Example layouts of display pixels of touch pixels according to one example of embodiments of the disclosure are described. FIG. 21A And 21D Example drive tunnel connections according to embodiments of the disclosure are described. FIGS. 17-20 And FIG. 17 Example touch pixel layouts that can include example touch pixels such as FIG. 18 are described.

[0093] Reference is made to FIG. 19 Example manufacturing processes for a stack of display pixels for a group of 8 example display pixels (labeled A_Pixel, B_Pixel,..., H_Pixel) are described. As explained in more detail below, each of the display pixels in the group is one of 3 types of display pixels: a connection layer type, a contact type, and a tunnel type, as described in more detail below. In the following description, only for clarity, processes and structures common to all display pixels A-H can be described with reference to a single display pixel.

[0094] FIG. 19 Earlier stages of an example process including a first stage of forming a polysilicon layer including circuit elements of a transistor 1701 are shown. A second stage includes forming a gate line 1703 in the M1 layer of all display pixels, and forming an xVcom line 1705 in the M1 layer of display pixels E-H. The xVcom line of display pixels E-F includes an extended portion 1706 in the middle sub-pixel to allow connection to a common electrode. The xVcom line of display pixels G-H acts as a drive tunnel for other conductive paths in the bypass sensing area, as no connection is formed between the xVcom line and the other conductive paths of the sensing area (i.e., there is a bypass). Next, a connection layer (CON1) including connections 1707 is formed on the transistor circuit elements of the display pixels, and the extended xVcom portion 1706. Data lines 1709 are formed in the M2 layer of the display pixels.

[0095] FIG. 19An intermediate stage of the example process is shown. For reference, the M2 layer is also shown. A second connection layer (CON2) is formed to connect the transistor drain to the common electrode (Vcom) 1805 using connection 1801. The display pixels E-F include another connection 1803 in CON2 connecting xVcom 1705 to the common electrode 1805. Next, the common electrode 1805 can be formed, for example, from a substantially transparent conductor such as ITO.

[0096] FIG. 19 A final stage of the process is shown, with the Vcom from the previous process shown for reference. In this example, the display pixels are A-pixels. FIG. 20 In the process shown in FIG. 19, a third metal (M3) layer and a third connection layer (CON3) are formed. The CON3 layer 1905 is connected to the display pixel electrode. The M3 layer is formed to be in electrical contact with the Vcom 1805. The M3 layer for each display pixel includes two vertical lines 1901 and one horizontal line 1903. In some embodiments, the M3 layer can serve the same purpose as the yVcom line in other embodiments. Generally, in some embodiments, the M3 layer can have certain advantages in that it can provide a relatively low cross-capacitive coupling between itself and the data / gate lines. Also, in the sensing region, the horizontal (x-direction) connection of the M3 layer can be used to couple all the sensing common electrodes together to enhance the y-direction charge sensing. The x-y connection of the common electrode in the sensing region can be repeated in the driving region for uniformity. Also, by placing the vertical M3 lines (y-direction) on the data lines, an enhanced aperture ratio can be achieved. Because the driving tunnel can even still be used in common with the M3 layer to bypass the sensing region, the horizontal (x-direction) of the M3 layer can be placed above the driving tunnel and above any xVcom layer aligned therewith, thereby increasing the aperture ratio. In pixel embodiments that do not use xVcom lines, the energizing drive line signal can be fed into the M3 layer. Generally, the energizing drive line signal can be fed into one or both of the xVcom line and the M3 layer. Depending on the particular display pixel of the group (i.e., A-pixel, B-pixel, etc.), the vertical lines 1901 in each display pixel can include a y-break or a y-connection. In FIGS. 17-20 The y-connection of the B-pixel and the y-break of the C-pixel are highlighted in FIG. 19. Depending on the particular display pixel of the group, the horizontal line 1903 in each display pixel can include an x-break or an x-connection. In FIG. 5The x-connection of A-pixels and x-disconnection of E-pixels is emphasized. The vertical lines 1901 and horizontal lines 1903 of the M3 layer of display pixels A, F, and H extend to the edges (top, bottom, left, and right) of the display pixels and can potentially connect display pixels A, F, and H to neighboring display pixels in each direction. Thus, display pixels A, F, and H provide x- and y-connections (x-con, y-con). Display pixels A, F, and H are labeled as x- and y-connected display pixels because the horizontal lines 1903 of each display pixel form a conductive path between neighboring display pixels on the right and left, and the vertical lines 1901 of each display pixel form a conductive path between neighboring display pixels on the top and bottom. However, although display pixels A, F, and H have a connection structure to connect in both the x-direction and the y-direction, the display pixels do not necessarily connect to neighboring display pixels because one or more of the neighboring display pixels, for example, can include a disconnection in the M3 layer that disconnects the neighboring display pixel from pixel A, F, or H.

[0097] The M3 layer in each of display pixels B, E, and G extends completely in the vertical direction, but not to the right edge of the display pixel. These display pixels provide x-disconnection and y-connection (x-discon, y-con). More specifically, display pixels B, E, and G are "right disconnected," i.e., they do not connect to the M3 layer of the display pixel to their right. Likewise, the M3 layer of display pixel C provides x-connection and y-disconnection (x-con, y-discon), and more specifically, pixel C is "bottom disconnected." The M3 layer of display pixel D provides x- and y-disconnection (x-discon, y-discon), and more specifically, pixel D is "right and bottom disconnected." It should be noted that disconnection is not limited to the right and / or bottom, but there can be any number and combination of disconnections in the top, left, or interior of the M3 layer of a display pixel.

[0098] FIG. 21A An even later stage of the example process is shown. The M3 and CON3 layers are shown for reference. Display pixel electrodes 2001 and black mask (BM) 2003 are formed on all display pixels. The M3 layer is used to connect the common electrode in the x- and y-directions. FIG. 21B In the embodiment of FIG. 2, there is no yVcom line connection, unlike the embodiment of FIG. 1. FIG. 21A Instead, the M3 layer can be used for the purpose of connecting the common electrode in the x- and y-directions. However, xVcom can still be used in some pixels (i.e., E, F, G, H) to provide a drive tunnel, i.e., a sense region bypass.

[0099] FIG. 4 and FIG. 3An example layout of display pixels for one example touch pixel 203 is shown. Touch pixel 2103 includes a region of 64x64 display pixels, each of which is one of the above-described display pixels A-H according to the legend of display pixels shown in the figure. FIG. 3 An example touch screen 2101 is also shown including an example arrangement of 150 (15x10) touch pixels 2103. The display pixel layout forms groupings of display pixels that can substantially correspond to the reference FIGS. 17-20 and FIG. 13. In particular, the layout of display pixels forms two X regions (XI and X2), two Y regions (Yl and Y2), and one Z region. The XI and X2 regions can be, for example, the right half of a drive region segment and the left half of another drive region segment, such as the right half 309 and left half 313 of FIG. 21A in FIG. 13, respectively. The Y regions can be, for example, portions of the contact region such as the drive-sense contact region 1301 in FIG. 13. The Z region can be, for example, a portion of the sense region such as the sense line 223 of FIG. 21B in FIG. 13. FIGS. 17-20 The particular configuration of the group of 8 display pixels shown in FIG. 21A and FIG. 20 together with the specially designed pixel layout shown in

[0100] In view of FIG. 20 and FIG. 20 the legend, it can be seen that the display pixels from columns 1-23 and from rows 1-64 are connected together in the M3 layer to form the drive region XI. The contact region Yl includes columns 24-25 and rows 1-64 of display pixels. The sense region Z includes columns 26-39, rows 1-64. The contact region Y2 includes columns 40-41 and rows 1-64 of display pixels. The drive region X2 includes columns 42-64, rows 1-64.

[0101] The drive regions XI and X2 are electrically connected together by the circuit elements of the display pixels of the drive tunnel (bypass) 2105. The drive tunnel 2105 includes display pixels E, H, G, and F. Referring to FIG. 21C from the figure, it can be seen that display pixels E and F provide a "contact" between the M3 layer (at contact 2005 of FIG. 21D ) through the conductive layers Vcom ITO, CON2, M2, and CON1 to connect with xVcom in the Ml layer. Thus, display pixels E and F allow the M3 layer of the drive region to be grounded through the tunneling bypass and the sense region (forming an out-of-layer / out-of-plane bypass to the xVcom (Ml) layer). As FIGS. 17-20As shown, the contact points 2005 can be located in the central sub-pixels of the display pixels E and F. However, the contact points can be located in other locations in the display pixels.

[0102] For example, FIG. 21 illustrates example drive tunnel contact points 2109 at different locations within different display pixels 2111 of a drive region 2113, in accordance with embodiments of the disclosure. In this example, the drive region 2113 can abut an induction region 2115. Three contact points 2109 can connect 3 display pixels 2111 to a drive tunnel 2117 of a display pixel 2119 that bypasses the induction region 2115. Using multiple contact points, for example, can reduce the impedance of the connection between the drive region 2113 and the drive tunnel 2117. Although FIG. 21A While three contact points are shown located in adjacent display pixels 2111, the contact points can be in different arrangements and need not be in adjacent display pixels. In addition, more or fewer contact points can be used. The three contact points 2109 can be located at different points within their respective display pixels 2111, for example, in different sub-pixels of each display pixel.

[0103] FIG. 21A Another example is illustrated with drive tunnel contact points 2129 at the same location within the display pixels 2133 of a drive region 2135. In this example, all of the contact points 2129 are located in the same sub-pixel in their respective display pixels 2133, for example, the blue sub-pixel of an RGB display pixel. The contact points 2129 connect the display pixels 2133 using a drive tunnel 2137 of a display pixel 2139 that bypasses an induction region 2141.

[0104] Display pixels G and H include a circuit element xVcom and do not include a connection between xVcom and any of the other circuit elements of the display pixels that operate in the touch induction system described in more detail below. Thus, display pixel types G and H are examples of tunnel connections that bypass the ground and induction regions to connect two drive regions (e.g., drive regions XI and X2) together.

[0105] Referring again to FIG. 21A Referring now to FIG. 21A and 21BThe example display pixel layout describes three example types of display pixels in more detail: connection layer type, contact type, and tunnel type. In this example, the common electrodes of the display pixels in each region are primarily connected together through the M3 layer (also referred to as connection layer here). A_pixel, B_pixel, C_pixel, and D_pixel are connection layer type display pixels that can provide the common function of connecting the common electrodes of the display pixels together through the connection layer. In particular, the vertical lines 1901 and horizontal lines 1903 as described above are electrically connected to the common electrodes of the display pixels. The 4 different M3 layer configurations of the connection layer type display pixels provide 4 different ways to connect the M3 layer between the display pixels. A_pixel can connect the M3 layer in all adjacent display pixels (top, bottom, left, and right). B_pixel can connect to the top, bottom, and left, but provide a break from the display pixel to the right. C_pixel can connect to the top, left, and right, but provide a break from the display pixel below. D_pixel can connect to the top and left, but provide a break from the display pixel to the right and below. Referring to FIG. 21A , the majority of the display pixels of the display pixel layout can be A_pixels, which can typically be located in the inner regions of the regions to effectively connect all adjacent pixels.

[0106] B_pixels, C_pixels, and D_pixels can be located at the boundaries of the regions, as the x and y breaks of these display pixels can provide the breaks that form the boundaries of the regions. For example, as shown in FIG. 21A , B_pixels with right breaks can be arranged in vertical lines to separate the regions left and right. As shown in FIG. 22-1 , C_pixels can be arranged in horizontal lines to separate the regions up and down. D_pixels can be located in the corners of the regions to separate the regions left and right and up and down.

[0107] Using pixels A-D alone, it is possible to form FIG. 22-2The drive region segment, sense line, and contact region are shown in FIG. 21. However, in some embodiments of the disclosure, the drive region segments are electrically connected together by bypassing the conductive paths of other regions, such as the contact region and the sense region. The contact type display pixels (i.e., E pixels and F pixels) and the tunnel type display pixels (i.e., G pixels and H pixels) can form the bypassing of the conductive paths of other regions. The contact type pixels can electrically connect or disconnect two or more conductive layers in the stack of display pixels. The example contact type display pixels described herein include a connection between the M3 layer and the xVcom line, which can be formed in the first metal layer (Ml layer). Thus, by connecting the connection layer (M3 layer) of the drive region segment to a different conductive path (xVcom line in the Ml layer), the contact type pixels form an out-of-plane / out-of-layer bypass. The tunnel type display pixels include the xVcom line, but do not include a connection between the xVcom line and any other circuit elements of the display pixel stack, such as the M3 layer.

[0108] Bypassing conductive paths will now be described in more detail. As FIG. 22-2 and 21B shown, the touch pixel 2103 includes 3 drive tunnels 2105. Each drive tunnel 2105 includes display pixels of the following pattern of pixel types: E, H, G, H,..., H, G, H, G, F. The drive tunnels 2105 are one example of a bypassing conductive path. Starting at the left end of the drive tunnel 2105, the bypassing conductive path starts with an E_ pixel, which includes a right disconnect in the connection layer to disconnect the connection layer between the drive region segment and the contact region in FIG. 21. Thus, the right disconnect of the E_ pixel results in a +x disconnect in the connection layer between the two drive region segments, and the out-of-plane / out-of-layer connection of the E_ pixel results in an x connection in another layer (Ml) between the two drive region segments.

[0109] Once the out-of-plane / out-of-layer connections to other layers are formed, the bypassing conductive path uses tunnel type display pixels to travel through other regions (i.e., the contact region and the sense region). The tunnel type display pixels each include an xVcom line and, alternatively, an x disconnect and an x connection. More specifically, the G_ pixels include a right disconnect, and the H_ pixels include a right connection. The x connections / disconnects of the tunnel type display pixels can allow, for example, more than one other region to be formed between two drive region segments. In particular, as shown in FIG. 21, the G_ pixels can be formed in the vertical column of B_ pixels to create a disconnect to form a boundary between the contact region Yl and the sense region Z, a boundary between the sense region Z and the contact region Y2, and a boundary between the contact region Y2 and the drive region segment X2. The H_ pixels can be located in the interior regions of other regions, such as the contact region and the sense region, because the connection layer (M3 layer) of the H_ pixels is connected to all adjacent pixels, similar to the A pixels.

[0110] FIG. 22-2 and FIG. 23 An example touch pixel layout and touch screen 2201 is shown according to embodiments of the present disclosure. The touch screen 2201 includes an LCD FPC (flexible printed circuit board) that connects 2201 to the LCD circuitry (not shown), an LCD that drives the display pixels in the display phase, a Vcom line that carries the common voltage for the touch screen. The touch FPC includes the following lines: r0-r14 and r14-r0 lines that transmit drive signals to the drive areas, c0-c9 lines that receive sense signals from the sense areas, tswX, tswY, and tswZ (sometimes referred to herein as "tswX,Y,Z") lines that connect to the touch switch (TSW) that can control various switching such as switching from connecting all data lines to virtual ground in the touch phase to connecting respective data lines to respective data outputs from the LCD drive in the display phase, switching between sense areas in the touch sense phase, etc. The touch FPC also includes g1 and g0 for connecting the data lines and ground areas to virtual ground, respectively. A gate driver that includes gate on lines.

[0111] FIG. 23 A side view of the touch screen 2201 is also shown. This side view illustrates some of the connections in more detail. For example, FIG. 24 The M3 connections from the Y areas allow these areas to be grounded to g0. The M3 connections from the Z areas allow the Z areas to be connected to the c0-c9 lines. The M2 connections allow the data lines to be grounded to g1 in the touch sense phase.

[0112] FIG. 2 A side view of an example touch screen that includes a high resistance (R) shield according to embodiments of the present disclosure. ​A portion of a touch screen 2300 is shown, including cover 2301, adhesive 2302, polarizer 2303, high resistance (R) shield 2304, color filter glass 2305, drive region 2309, sense region 2313, ground region 2315, TFT glass 2316, and second polarizer 2317. A liquid crystal layer can be disposed under the color filter glass. A high resistance shield such as high R shield 2304 can be disposed between the CF glass and the front polarizer, for example, in place of a low resistivity shield layer used for FFS LCDs. The sheet resistance of the high R shield can be, for example, 200 M ohms / square to 2 G ohms / square. In some embodiments, a polarizer with a high resistance shield film can be used as the high R shield layer, thus using a single high R shield polarizer, for example, in place of polarizer 2303 and high R shield 2304. The high R shield can help block low frequency / DC voltages in the vicinity of the display, preventing interference with the operation of the display. At the same time, the high R shield can allow high frequency signals such as are typically used for capacitive touch sensing to penetrate the shield. Thus, the high R shield can help shield the display while still allowing the display to sense touch events. The high R shield can be made of, for example, an extremely high resistance organic material, carbon nanotubes, etc.

[0113] ​ is a partial top view of another example capacitive type integrated touch screen 2400 according to embodiments of the present disclosure. This particular touch 2400 is based on self-capacitance and thus it includes a plurality of touch sensing regions 2402, each representing a different coordinate in the plane of the touch screen 2400. The touch pixels 2402 are formed from display pixels 2404 that include multifunctional circuit elements that operate as part of the display circuit to display images on the touch screen 2400 and as part of the touch sensing circuit to sense touches on or near the touch screen. In this example embodiment, the touch sensing circuit and system operates based on self-capacitance, thus based on the self-capacitance of the circuit elements in the touch pixels 2402. In some embodiments, a combination of self-capacitance and mutual capacitance can be used to sense touches.

[0114] While embodiments of the present disclosure have been fully described in detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, it is to be noted that various changes and modifications can be apparent to those skilled in the art in view of the description and the drawings, including but not limited to changes and modifications in the combination of features, the omission of one or more features, etc.

[0115] For example, one or more of the functions of the computing system 200 described above can be performed by a storage device (e.g., a memory) storing instructions that are executable by a processor (e.g., a microprocessor, a microcontroller, a microcomputer, etc.) to cause the processor to perform the functions. ​The firmware can also be stored and / or transmitted in any computer-readable medium for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device, such as a computer-based system, processor- containing system, or other system that can fetch the instructions from the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device and execute the instructions. In the context of this document, a "computer-readable medium" can be any medium that can contain or store the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The computer-readable medium can include, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, infrared, or semiconductor system, apparatus, or device, a portable computer diskette (magnetic), a random access memory (RAM) (magnetic), a read-only memory (ROM) (magnetic), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM) (magnetic), a portable optical disk (e.g., CD, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD, DVD-R, or DVD-RW), or flash memory such as a compact flash card, a Secure Digital card, a USB memory device, a memory stick, or the like.

[0116] The firmware can also be transmitted or received over a communications network using a transmission medium via the network to a computer-readable medium, to a processor, or to both. The transmission medium carries the data (e.g., as packets of data or a data stream) which can be used to program a processor, or to cause an apparatus, device, or system to program a processor. The described techniques also can be implemented in connection with any computer-readable medium for use by or in connection with an instruction execution system, apparatus, or device, such as a computer-based system, processor- containing system, or other system that can fetch the instructions from the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device and execute the instructions. In the context of this document, a "computer-readable medium" can be any medium that can contain or store the program for use by or in connection with the instruction execution system, apparatus, or device. The computer-readable medium can include, but is not limited to, electronic, magnetic, optical, electromagnetic, or infrared communications medium, such as a portable computer diskette (magnetic), a random access memory (RAM) (magnetic), a read-only memory (ROM) (magnetic), an erasable programmable read-only memory (EPROM) (magnetic), a portable optical disk (e.g., CD, CD-R, CD-RW, DVD, DVD-R, or DVD-RW), or flash memory such as a compact flash card, a Secure Digital card, a USB memory device, a memory stick, or the like.

[0117] Other preferred embodiments can be described in the following manner.

[0118] A stack of multiple display pixels has a first layer of conductive material including gate lines; a second layer of conductive material including data lines; and a third layer of conductive material including first wires in a first direction. Each of the first wires includes a plurality of first wire portions extending through the multiple display pixels and separated from one another in the third layer by breaks. Second wires arranged in a second direction transverse to the first direction are also provided. Each of the second wires includes a plurality of second wire portions extending through the multiple display pixels and separated from one another in the second direction by breaks. Circuit elements of the display pixels in a first area are electrically connected together in the first direction by a first plurality of the first wire portions, and the circuit elements of the display pixels in the first area are electrically connected together in the second direction by a first plurality of the second wire portions. The multiple display pixels in the first area are contact pixels including contact points electrically connecting the circuit elements of each of the contact pixels with conductive paths extending from the first area into a second area of display pixels without electrically connecting to the circuit elements of the display pixels in the second area. The third layer of the stack can include the second wires, and the second wire breaks can be in the third layer. A second area of display pixels can also be provided, where the circuit elements of the display pixels of the second area are electrically connected together in the first and second directions by a second plurality of the first wire portions and a second plurality of the second wire portions, respectively, and electrically broken from the circuit elements in the first area in the third layer. The circuit elements can be common electrodes of the display pixels. The stack can include a third area of display pixels, where the circuit elements of the display pixels of the third area are electrically connected together in the first and second directions by a third plurality of the first wire portions and a third plurality of the second wire portions, and the third area is between the first and second areas, and at least one conductive path connects the circuit elements of the first area to the circuit elements of the second area, where the at least one conductive path travels through one or more display pixels of the third area without electrically connecting to the circuit elements of the third area. The conductive paths of the stack can include a common line in the first layer; first conductive contacts electrically connecting at least some of the circuit elements of the first area to the common line; and second conductive contacts electrically connecting at least some of the circuit elements of the second area to the common line.

[0119] A fourth area of display pixels between the first and second areas can also be provided, where at least some of the conductive paths travel through one or more display pixels of the fourth area but do not electrically connect to the circuit elements of the fourth area. Conductive wires connecting the fourth area to ground can also be provided in other embodiments.

[0120] The touch sensing system can also include a drive signal generator connected to one of the first and second areas; and a sense channel connected to the third area.

[0121] Each display pixel has a separate common electrode, and the first plurality of first line portions and the first plurality of second line portions connect the common electrodes of the display pixels in the first area together. The second plurality of first line portions and the second plurality of second line portions connect the common electrodes of the display pixels in the second area together. The third plurality of first line portions and the third plurality of second line portions connect the common electrodes of the display pixels in the third area together. A drive signal generator is connected to at least one of the first plurality of first line portions or the first plurality of second line portions in the first area or at least one of the second plurality of first line portions or the second plurality of second line portions in the second area. A sense channel can be connected to one of the third plurality of first line portions or the third plurality of second line portions, and the sense channel can include a charge amplifier.

[0122] A touch screen includes display circuitry including first circuit elements of display pixels and connections to a display driver, and touch sensing circuitry including first conductive lines having some of the first circuit elements of the display pixels and second conductive lines including at least two line portions electrically connected together by at least one conductive path including second different circuit elements of the display pixels. One of the first and second conductive lines is a drive line of the touch sensing circuitry, and the other of the first and second conductive lines is a sense line of the touch sensing circuitry. Also, the at least two line portions can include at least some of the first circuit elements, the first circuit elements can include common electrodes of the display pixels, and the second circuit elements can include a common voltage line. An electrically conductive region substantially between the two conductive lines of the first and second conductive lines can also be provided, where the electrically conductive region is grounded. Also, the electrically conductive region can be grounded to an alternating current (AC) ground.

[0123] Another embodiment can be described as a computer system including a processor, a memory, a display system including display circuitry including a plurality of circuit elements of display pixels and a display controller, and a touch sensing system. The touch sensing system can include touch sensing circuitry including a plurality of circuit elements grouped into a plurality of first areas and a plurality of second areas and means for electrically connecting the circuit elements of the plurality of first areas while bypassing the second areas, the connecting means including a drive tunnel and a plurality of contact points connecting the circuit elements of the display pixels with the drive tunnel, the plurality of contact points being arranged at least along a first direction within one of the plurality of first areas. The circuit elements of each of the first areas can be electrically connected together along the first direction and along a second direction transverse to the first direction, and a touch controller can also be provided. Also, the circuit elements of each of the second areas can be electrically connected together along one of the first and second directions.

[0124] Other preferred embodiments can be described as touchscreens with integrated displays. The touchscreen includes a plurality of display pixels, each display pixel having a respective circuit element; a plurality of drive lines, each drive line including at least a first plurality of the circuit elements of the display pixels; a plurality of sense lines disposed transverse to the drive lines and including at least a second plurality of the circuit elements of the display pixels; and a plurality of touch pixels formed by adjacent ones of the plurality of drive lines and the plurality of sense lines. The plurality of display pixels includes a first pixel type including a first conductive layer connected to the respective circuit element of the first pixel type and electrically connected to at least adjacent first pixel types along positive and negative first directions and positive and negative second directions. The display of the touchscreen can be a liquid crystal display. The touchscreen can also include a plurality of gate lines connected to the plurality of display pixels; and a plurality of data lines connected to the plurality of display pixels. Also, the respective circuit element of each of the plurality of display pixels can include a common electrode of the liquid crystal display.

[0125] A second pixel type can also be provided, the second pixel type including a first conductive layer connected to the respective circuit element of the second pixel type and electrically connected to at least adjacent second pixel types along all other directions except one or both of the positive and negative first directions and the positive and negative second directions. Also, a third pixel type can be provided, the third pixel type including a first conductive layer connected to the respective circuit element of the third pixel type and electrically connected to at least adjacent third pixel types along all directions or all other directions except one of the positive and negative first directions and the positive and negative second directions, the first conductive layer of the third pixel type connected to a drive tunnel formed by a second conductive layer separated from the first conductive layer by one or more insulating layers; and a fourth pixel type, the fourth pixel type including a first conductive layer connected to the respective circuit element of the fourth pixel type and electrically connected to at least adjacent fourth pixel types along all directions or all other directions except one of the positive and negative first directions and the positive and negative second directions, the fourth pixel type having a drive tunnel formed by a second conductive layer, and the first conductive layer of the fourth pixel type not connected to the drive tunnel of the fourth pixel type, the drive tunnel of the fourth pixel type connected to the drive tunnel of an adjacent fourth pixel type.

[0126] Other preferred embodiments can be described as follows.

[0127] A touch screen has an integrated display and includes a plurality of display pixels each having a respective circuit element, a plurality of drive lines each including at least a first plurality of circuit elements of the display pixels, a plurality of sense lines disposed transverse to the drive lines and including at least a second plurality of circuit elements of the display pixels, and a plurality of touch pixels formed by adjacent ones of the plurality of drive lines and the plurality of sense lines. The plurality of display pixels includes a first pixel type including a first conductive layer connected to the respective circuit element of the first pixel type and at least electrically connected to adjacent first pixel types along positive and negative first directions and positive and negative second directions, and a second pixel type including a first conductive layer connected to the respective circuit element of the second pixel type and at least electrically connected to adjacent second pixel types along all other directions except one or both of the positive and negative first directions and the positive and negative second directions. Each of the plurality of drive lines includes circuit elements of the display pixels arranged along the positive and negative first directions and the positive and negative second directions. Also, the circuit elements can be arranged along the positive and negative first directions to form rows and the circuit elements arranged along the positive and negative second directions form columns, and a number of drive tunnels in each of the drive lines is a subset of a number of the rows of circuit elements. A plurality of ground circuit elements of the display pixels disposed between the drive lines or between the drive lines and the sense lines can also be provided.

[0128] A touch screen integrated with a display can include a plurality of display pixels arranged along first and second directions, a plurality of drive lines including some of the plurality of display pixels arranged along the first direction, and a plurality of sense lines including others of the plurality of display pixels arranged along a second direction that intersects the first direction. Each of the plurality of drive lines includes a first set of circuit elements of the plurality of display pixels, and each of the plurality of sense lines includes a second set of circuit elements of the plurality of display pixels. A conductive layer is also provided that interconnects at least some of the circuit elements of one of the first sets along or substantially parallel to a first direction within at least a first region defined by a portion of at least one of the plurality of drive lines, and interconnects at least some of the circuit elements of the second set along or substantially parallel to a second direction within at least a second region defined by at least a portion of at least one of the plurality of sense lines. The first and second regions are electrically disconnected in the conductive layer, and a drive tunnel conductive layer electrically connects at least some of the circuit elements of one of the first sets and the circuit elements of another of the first sets, generally by or under a display pixel of the sense line but electrically bypassing the circuit elements of the second set. The plurality of drive lines can include circuit elements of the display pixels arranged along the first and second directions, and each of the plurality of sense lines can include circuit elements of the display pixels arranged along the first and second directions. The display of the touch screen can include a liquid crystal display, and the circuit elements of the first set of display pixels and the circuit elements of the second set of display pixels can include common electrodes of the liquid crystal display. Also, the conductive layer interconnects the common electrodes of the liquid crystal display within the first region along the first and second directions, and the conductive layer interconnects the common electrodes of the liquid crystal display within the second region along the first and second directions.

[0129] Other preferred embodiments can be described in the following manner.

[0130] A touch screen has a plurality of touch pixels responsive to a touch or proximity touch of the touch screen, where each touch pixel includes: a first set of display pixels forming a portion of a drive line; a second set of display pixels adjoining the first set of display pixels along a first direction and forming a portion of a sense line; and a third set of display pixels adjoining the second set of display pixels along the first direction and forming another portion of the drive line. The first, second, and third sets of display pixels include common electrodes. Means, e.g., a drive tunnel, is provided for connecting the first set of display pixels while bypassing the second set of display pixels. The drive line conductor electrically connects together the common electrodes of the display pixels in the first set of display pixels along or substantially parallel to the first direction and along or substantially parallel to a second, different direction, and the common electrodes of the display pixels in the third set of display pixels along or substantially parallel to the first direction and along or substantially parallel to the second direction. The first, second, and third sets can be arranged along the first direction, and each of the first, second, and third sets can include display pixels arranged along or substantially parallel to the first direction and along or substantially parallel to the second direction. The connecting means, e.g., the drive tunnel, electrically connects at least one common electrode of the first set of display pixels with at least one common electrode of the third set of display pixels. In other embodiments, a plurality of drive tunnels connect a plurality of common electrodes of the display pixels in the first set with a respective plurality of common electrodes of the display pixels in the third set. The display pixels are part of a liquid crystal display. The sense line conductor can electrically connect together the common electrodes of the display pixels in the second set of display pixels along or substantially parallel to the second direction. A drive signal generator can also be provided that provides an excitation AC waveform that is applied to the drive line in a touch sensing operation. Of the first, second, and third sets of display pixels, only the second set of display pixels can have common electrodes that are connected to a touch sensing channel. The touch sensing channel can include a charge amplifier.

[0131] A touch screen has a liquid crystal display having a plurality of display pixels including: a separate pixel electrode and a common electrode for each display pixel; a plurality of touch pixels responsive to a touch or proximity touch of the touch screen, where each touch pixel includes: a first set of display pixels forming a portion of one of a plurality of drive lines; a second set of display pixels adjoining the first set of display pixels and forming a portion of a sense line; and a third set of display pixels adjoining the second set of display pixels and forming another portion of one of the plurality of drive lines. The drive line conductor can electrically connect together the common electrodes of the display pixels in the first set of display pixels along or substantially parallel to a first direction and along or substantially parallel to a second, different direction, and the common electrodes of the display pixels of the third set of display pixels along or substantially parallel to the first direction and along or substantially parallel to the second direction. The sense line conductor electrically connects together the common electrodes of the display pixels in the second set of display pixels along or substantially parallel to the second direction.

[0132] A computer system can include a processor, a memory, and an integrated touch screen. The touch screen can include first display pixels including a first connection layer of conductive material connecting a circuit element of a display pixel to a first connection layer of one or more adjacent display pixels, second display pixels having the first connection layer and including a connection connecting a second connection layer of a second display pixel and a second connection layer of conductive material of the first connection layer of the second display pixel connected to a second connection layer of an adjacent display pixel, and third display pixels having the first connection layer and including the second connection layer without a connection between the second connection layer of the third display pixel and the first connection layer of the third display pixel, wherein the second connection layer of the third display pixel is connected to an adjacent display pixel. A first plurality of the display pixels forms one of a drive region and a sense region, a second plurality of the display pixels forms the other of the drive region and the sense region, and a third plurality of the display pixels forms a boundary between the drive and sense regions, and a fourth plurality of the display pixels is adjacent the boundary and disposed within the drive region.

[0133] Other preferred embodiments include methods of manufacturing an integrated touch screen having a plurality of display pixels and a circuit element comprising a common electrode of the display pixels. The method includes forming a segmented touch signal line comprising forming a first line segment in a first region of the touch screen, the first region comprising a plurality of display pixels and the first line segment electrically connecting circuit elements of the display pixels in the first region in a first direction and a second, different direction; forming a second line segment in a second region of the touch screen, the second region of the touch screen separated from the first region by a third region of the touch screen, the second and third regions comprising a plurality of display pixels and the second line segment electrically connecting circuit elements of the display pixels in the second region in the first direction and the second direction; forming a conductive path running through the third region, the conductive path electrically bypassing the circuit elements of the display pixels in the third region and electrically connecting the first line segment and the second line segment, and electrically connecting the display pixels within the first region to the conductive path at a plurality of contact points arranged in the first direction. The plurality of contact points can be formed within a given sub-pixel of the display pixels. The first line segment can comprise a first structure of conductive material connected to the circuit elements of the plurality of display pixels in the first region, and the second line segment can comprise a second structure of conductive material connected to the circuit elements of the plurality of display pixels in the second region. The first structure and the second structure can be formed in a first layer of a stack, and the first layer can comprise a break between the first and second structures. The conductive path can comprise a third structure of conductive material formed in a second layer of the stack different from the first layer and a connection between the third structure and the circuit elements of the first region and a connection between the third structure and the circuit elements of the second region. The circuit elements of the first and second regions can be, for example, common electrodes of the display pixels. The connections can be formed by forming vias that contact the second layer. Forming the first and second structures can comprise depositing the first layer on a region comprising the circuit elements. The conductive path can comprise a third structure of conductive material formed in the second layer, and the first and second structures are formed outside the second layer. The method can also form a touch sense signal line formed in the third region and defining another structure of conductive material connected to the circuit elements of the plurality of display pixels in the third region, the touch sense signal line being broken from the conductive path. The segmented touch signal line can be formed as a drive line.

[0134] Cross Reference to Related Applications

[0135] This application is a continuation-in-part of U.S. Patent Application No. 12 / 545,649, filed August 21, 2009, which claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 / 149,340, filed February 2, 2009, and U.S. Provisional Application No. 61 / 156,463, filed February 27, 2009, the entire contents of which are incorporated herein by reference for all purposes.

Claims

1. A touch screen having a plurality of display pixels, the touch screen comprising: a plurality of regions, each region comprising a plurality of display pixels and a plurality of circuit elements within the plurality of display pixels; wherein the plurality of circuit elements within each region comprises: a first plurality of first line portions, a first line portion extending through a first plurality of display pixels in that region and separated from one another in a first direction by one or more breaks, and wherein a second plurality of second line portions extend through a second plurality of display pixels in that region and separated from one another in a second direction by one or more breaks; wherein the plurality of circuit elements of the plurality of display pixels in each region are electrically connected together in the first direction by the first plurality of first line portions and the plurality of circuit elements of the plurality of display pixels in each region are also electrically connected together in the second direction by the second plurality of second line portions; and wherein touch sensing is provided by capacitive coupling between each of the plurality of regions and an object proximate to the touch screen.

2. The touch screen of claim 1, the plurality of circuit elements within each region comprising: a first layer of conductive material comprising gate lines; a second layer of conductive material comprising data lines; and a third layer of conductive material comprising the first line portions of the plurality of circuit elements and comprising the second line portions of the plurality of circuit elements.

3. The touch screen of claim 2, wherein the third layer comprises the second line portions, and wherein the breaks separating the second line portions are in the third layer.

4. The touch screen of any of claims 1-3, wherein the circuit elements are common electrodes of the display pixels.

5. The touch screen of any of claims 1-3, further comprising a driver connected to each of the plurality of regions.

6. The touch screen of claim 5, wherein each display pixel has a separate common electrode; wherein the first plurality of first line portions and the second plurality of second line portions connect the common electrodes of the display pixels in each of the plurality of regions together; and wherein the driver is connected to at least one of the first plurality of first line portions or the second plurality of second line portions in each of the plurality of regions.

7. The touch screen of any of claims 1-3, wherein the plurality of display pixels comprise a liquid crystal display, the touch screen further comprising: a plurality of gate lines connected to the plurality of display pixels; and a plurality of data lines connected to the plurality of display pixels.

8. The touch screen of claim 7, wherein the plurality of circuit elements of each of the plurality of display pixels comprise common electrodes of the liquid crystal display.

9. The touch screen of claim 7, wherein the plurality of gate lines are formed from a first layer of conductive material; the plurality of data lines are formed from a second layer of conductive material, and the first plurality of first line portions and the second plurality of second line portions are formed from a third layer of conductive material. ​ ​ 10. The touch screen of claim 1, wherein at least some circuit elements of the plurality of display pixels arranged in the first direction across the plurality of regions are configurable to be connected together in the first direction by the first plurality of line portions in a display phase, and at least some circuit elements of the plurality of display pixels arranged in the second direction across the plurality of regions are configurable to be connected together in the second direction by the second plurality of line portions in a display phase.

11. A computer system comprising: a processor; a memory; a touch screen according to any of claims 1-10; a display controller; and a touch controller.

12. A method for providing integrated display and touch sensing, comprising: grouping a plurality of display pixels and a plurality of circuit elements within the plurality of display pixels into a plurality of touch sensing regions, wherein the plurality of circuit elements within each region comprises: a first plurality of first line portions, a first line portion extending through a first plurality of display pixels in that region and separated from one another in a first direction by one or more breaks, and wherein a second plurality of second line portions extend through a second plurality of display pixels in that region and separated from one another in a second direction by one or more breaks; electrically connecting circuit elements of the plurality of display pixels in each region together in the first direction by the first plurality of first line portions; electrically connecting circuit elements of the plurality of display pixels in each region that are also connected in the first direction together in the second direction by the second plurality of second line portions; and sensing a change in capacitive coupling between each of the plurality of regions and an object to perform touch sensing.

13. The method of claim 12, further comprising: in a display phase, using the first plurality of line portions to connect at least some circuit elements of the plurality of display pixels arranged in the first direction together in the first direction across the plurality of regions, and using the second plurality of line portions to connect at least some circuit elements of the plurality of display pixels arranged in the second direction together in the second direction across the plurality of regions. ​

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