Display device

Abstract

The invention provides a display device which comprises a display panel and at least three driving readers, a color film substrate in the display panel comprises a first common electrode layer, each driving reader is electrically connected to the part, corresponding to a reference position, in the first common electrode layer, and the position, acted by an external object, in the display panel is a touch position. A corresponding equivalent resistor is arranged between a part corresponding to a touch position and a part corresponding to each reference position in the first common electrode layer, and each driving reader is used for outputting a touch driving signal to form a plurality of touch currents flowing through the plurality of equivalent resistors and is used for determining the touch position according to the magnitude of the plurality of touch currents; the touch control function is achieved, meanwhile, the influence on the penetration rate of the display panel is small, the needed cost is low, and light and thin development of the display panel is facilitated.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This invention relates to the field of display technology, and more specifically to display devices. Background Technology

[0002] For touch display panels used in televisions, traditional touch technologies such as infrared touch, external capacitors, and embedded capacitors require the integration of a large number of touch driver chips. Since the cost of touch driver chips is high and the manufacturing cost of integrating them into the display panel is also high, it is not conducive to controlling the cost of touch display panels used in televisions. Summary of the Invention The purpose of this invention is to provide a display device that improves upon the problem that existing conventional touch technology is not conducive to controlling the cost of touch display panels used in televisions.

[0003] This invention provides a display device, comprising: A display panel includes a color filter substrate, the color filter substrate including a first common electrode layer; At least three driving readers, each of which is electrically connected to a portion of the first common electrode layer corresponding to a reference position, the position of the display panel affected by an external object is a touch position, and there is a corresponding equivalent resistance between the portion of the first common electrode layer corresponding to the touch position and the portion corresponding to each of the reference positions; Each of the drive readers is configured to output a touch drive signal to form a plurality of touch currents flowing through the plurality of equivalent resistors, and to determine the touch position based on the magnitude of the plurality of touch currents.

[0004] This invention provides a display device including a display panel and at least three driving readers. The color filter substrate in the display panel includes a first common electrode layer disposed across its entire surface. By electrically connecting each driving reader to a portion of the first common electrode layer corresponding to a reference position, when the display panel is touched by an external object to have a touch position, each driving reader is used to output a touch driving signal to form multiple touch currents flowing through multiple equivalent resistances (formed between the portion of the first common electrode layer corresponding to the touch position and the portion corresponding to each reference position), and to determine the touch position based on the magnitude of the multiple touch currents. While realizing the touch function, the impact on the transmittance of the display panel is also small, the required cost is also low, and it is also conducive to the development of thinner and lighter display panels. Attached Figure Description

[0005] Figure 1 This is a schematic diagram illustrating a scenario where a display panel is subjected to external objects, as provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0006] Figure 2A cross-sectional view of a display panel provided in an embodiment of the present invention.

[0007] Figure 3 , Figure 4 This is a schematic diagram of the equivalent circuit of a display panel subjected to external objects, provided as a comparative example of the present invention.

[0008] Figure 5 The circuit diagram of the touch driving unit provided in the embodiment of the present invention.

[0009] Figures 6(a) and 6(b) are circuit diagrams of the current reading unit provided in the embodiments of the present invention.

[0010] Figure 7 This is a driver architecture diagram of a display device provided in an embodiment of the present invention. Detailed Implementation

[0011] The technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention will be clearly and completely described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. Obviously, the described embodiments are only some embodiments of the present invention, and not all embodiments. All other embodiments obtained by those skilled in the art based on the embodiments of the present invention without creative effort are within the scope of protection of the present invention.

[0012] The terms "first," "second," etc., are used for descriptive purposes only and should not be construed as indicating or implying relative importance or implicitly specifying the number of technical features indicated. Therefore, a feature defined as "first" or "second" may explicitly or implicitly include one or more of the stated features. In the description of this invention, "a plurality of" means two or more, unless otherwise explicitly specified; "electrical connection" indicates that the two are conductive, and is not limited to a direct or indirect connection.

[0013] Furthermore, it should be noted that the accompanying drawings only provide structures and steps closely related to the present invention, omitting some details less relevant to the invention. The purpose is to simplify the drawings and make the inventive points immediately apparent, not to indicate that the actual device is identical to the one shown in the drawings. Figure 1 It is identical, but this is not a limitation of the actual device.

[0014] The present invention provides a display device, which may include, but is not limited to, the following embodiments and combinations thereof.

[0015] In one embodiment, combined with Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, in one embodiment, combined with Figures 1 to 3As shown, the display device 100 includes: a display panel 10, including a color filter substrate 101, the color filter substrate 101 including a first common electrode layer 1011 (distributed across the entire surface); at least three driving readers 20, each of the driving readers 20 being electrically connected to a portion of the first common electrode layer 1011 corresponding to a reference position N, the position of the display panel 10 being acted upon by an external object being a touch position M, and the portion of the first common electrode layer 1011 corresponding to the touch position M and the portion corresponding to each of the reference positions N having a corresponding equivalent resistance R; wherein each of the driving readers 20 is used to output a touch driving signal TD to form a plurality of touch currents It flowing through the plurality of equivalent resistances R, and to determine the touch position M based on the magnitude of the plurality of touch currents It.

[0016] The display panel 10 can be a liquid crystal display panel or a self-emissive display panel. The portion of the first common electrode layer 1011 to which the driver reader 20 is electrically connected (i.e., the sensor) corresponding to the reference position N belongs to the display panel 10. Therefore, the sensor in this embodiment can be understood as an embedded sensor integrated inside the display panel 10.

[0017] Specifically, such as Figure 2 As shown, the display panel 10 further includes an array substrate 102 disposed opposite to the color filter substrate 101. The array substrate 102 includes a patterned second common electrode layer 1021. The color filter substrate 101 may include a first substrate 1012 for supporting the first common electrode layer 1011, and the array substrate 102 may include a second substrate 1022 for supporting the second common electrode layer 1021. The constituent material of each of the first common electrode layer 1011 and the second common electrode layer 1021 can be a transparent conductive material or an ultrathin metal film. The transparent conductive material can be, but is not limited to, indium tin oxide, indium zinc oxide, or aluminum zinc oxide, and the material of the ultrathin metal film can be, but is not limited to, silver, gold, or a magnesium-silver alloy.

[0018] When the display panel 10 is an LCD display panel, such as Figure 2 As shown, a liquid crystal layer 103 is disposed between the first common electrode layer 1011 and the second common electrode layer 1021. The liquid crystal molecules in the liquid crystal layer 103 are deflected by a corresponding angle under the action of the vertical electric field between the corresponding pixel electrode (included in the array substrate 102) and the first common electrode layer 1011 and the horizontal electric field between the pixel electrode and the second common electrode layer 1021, thereby having a corresponding amount of light transmission, and presenting a corresponding brightness in combination with the light provided by the backlight module.

[0019] When the display panel 10 is a self-emissive display panel, a light-emitting layer (not shown) is provided between the first common electrode layer 1011 and the second common electrode layer 1021. The first common electrode layer 1011 can be used as a cathode, and the second common electrode layer 1021 can be used to form a storage capacitor in a pixel circuit.

[0020] Among them, combined Figure 1 and Figure 2 As shown, the display panel 10 includes a display area A1 and a non-display area A2 located on at least one side of the display area A1 (e.g., surrounding the display area A1). The aforementioned liquid crystal layer 103 or light-emitting layer is located in the display area A1 for displaying images. A frame 104 can be provided in the non-display area A2 to fix the array substrate 102 and the color filter substrate 101 and to provide a seal. Furthermore, each of the driving readers 20 is located in the non-display area A2, thereby preventing it from affecting the light transmittance of the display panel 10.

[0021] Combination Figure 1 and Figure 3 As shown, in this embodiment, the color filter substrate 101 includes a first common electrode layer 1011 arranged on the entire surface (i.e., its resistance value distribution can be considered relatively uniform). When an external object (which can be considered to be grounded) acts (directly contacts or approaches) a certain position on the display panel 10 (referred to as touch position M), a capacitor Ct is formed between the touch position M and the ground (one plate of the capacitor Ct is ground, and the other plate is the part of the common electrode layer 1011 corresponding to the touch position M). Since the first common electrode layer 1011 is a conductor and the resistance values ​​at different positions are approximately the same, the material arranged along a straight line between any two positions in the first common electrode layer 1011 can form a resistor with a corresponding resistance value. This resistance value is positively correlated with the length of the straight line distance. Therefore, the touch driving signal TD output by the driver reader 20 can be transmitted to the part of the common electrode layer 1011 corresponding to the touch position M after passing through the parts of the common electrode layer 1011 corresponding to multiple reference positions N, and finally flows to the ground through the capacitor Ct.

[0022] For ease of analysis, this invention utilizes the characteristic that "low-resistance branches have minimal obstruction to current." Taking the example that each touch current It flows only through the straight-line distance between the portion corresponding to the reference position N and the portion corresponding to the touch position M in the current common electrode layer 1011, the magnitude of each touch current It is negatively correlated with the resistance value (defined as equivalent resistance R) of the portion of the common electrode layer 1011 corresponding to the reference position N and the portion corresponding to the touch position M. Therefore, by obtaining the magnitude of each touch current It, the resistance value of the corresponding equivalent resistance R can be determined. Furthermore, combining the characteristic that the resistance value of the equivalent resistance R is directly proportional to the straight-line distance between the portion of the common electrode layer 1011 corresponding to the reference position N and the portion corresponding to the touch position M, the distance between the reference position N and each touch position M in the display panel 10 can be determined. This allows the touch position M to be determined so that the display panel 10 provides corresponding feedback to display the corresponding screen, thereby realizing the touch function of the display panel 10.

[0023] It should be noted that if only two drive readers 20 are set to form only two equivalent resistances R through two reference positions N, then there will be multiple positions in the first common electrode layer 1011 where the resistance values ​​of the equivalent resistance R formed by the distance between the two reference positions N are all the same. That is, the combination of the two touch currents It corresponding to these multiple positions is all the same. As a result, the drive reader 20 will obtain multiple possible positions based on the two touch currents It, and cannot determine which position is the actual touch position M. Therefore, in this embodiment, by setting at least three drive readers 20 and transmitting touch drive signals TD to at least three of the reference positions N in the first common electrode layer 1011 to obtain at least three corresponding touch currents It, it is possible to determine only one position (that is, the actual touch position M).

[0024] For ease of description, this example uses a rectangular display panel 10 (i.e., including four edges connected end to end, with adjacent edges intersecting, thus having four intersection points). Figure 1 and Figure 3 As shown, at least three of the drive readers 20 are respectively disposed near at least three different edges of the display panel 10; or, at least three of the drive readers 20 are respectively disposed near at least three intersecting positions.

[0025] For example Figure 1 and Figure 3As shown, the above-mentioned at least three driving readers 20 may include a first driving reader 201, a second driving reader 202, a third driving reader 203, and a fourth driving reader 204 respectively located near the intersection of the upper left corner, the upper right corner, the lower left corner, and the upper right corner of the display panel 10 (that is, the four can be located in the above-mentioned non-display area A2). The four are electrically connected to the portion of the first common electrode layer 1011 corresponding to the first reference position A, the portion corresponding to the second reference position B, the portion corresponding to the third reference position C, and the portion corresponding to the fourth reference position D, respectively. Each reference position N can be located near the corresponding driving reader 20.

[0026] In the first common electrode layer 1011, the portions corresponding to the first reference position A, the second reference position B, the third reference position C, and the fourth reference position D are respectively connected to the portions corresponding to the touch position M with a first equivalent resistance RA, a second equivalent resistance RB, a third equivalent resistance RC, and a fourth equivalent resistance RD. The touch currents It flowing through the four portions are the first touch current It1, the second touch current It2, the third touch current It3, and the fourth touch current It4, respectively.

[0027] Furthermore, in combination Figures 1 to 4 As shown, the drive reader 20 includes: a touch drive unit 21, for outputting the touch drive signal TD to the portion of the first common electrode layer 1011 located at the corresponding reference position N; and a current reading unit 22, for reading the corresponding touch current It.

[0028] In this context, the touch driving units 21 in different driver readers 20 all output touch driving signals TD to different equivalent resistors R. Figure 4 The equivalent circuit diagram only needs to show one touch driving unit 21. In actual practice, the first equivalent resistor RA, the second equivalent resistor RB, the third equivalent resistor RC, and the fourth equivalent resistor RD can be electrically connected to the corresponding touch driving unit 21 respectively.

[0029] A driving layer (not shown) may also be provided between the second substrate 1022 and the second common electrode layer 1021 of the array substrate 102. The driving reader 20 in this embodiment may be located in the driving layer. The traces in the touch driving unit 21 and the current reading unit 22 may be made of metal. Each touch driving unit 21 may be electrically connected to the portion of the first common electrode layer 1011 corresponding to the reference position N through a corresponding via. Each current reading unit 22 may be connected to the portion of the first common electrode layer 1011 corresponding to the reference position N through another corresponding via.

[0030] Understandably, in this embodiment, by reusing the straight lines between the three portions of the first common electrode layer 1011, which is disposed on the entire surface of the display panel 10, corresponding to at least three reference positions N, and the portion corresponding to the touch position M, at least three touch currents It can be generated when the corresponding at least three driver readers 20 output touch driving signals TD. The at least three touch currents It are analyzed and processed to at least determine the touch position M. Thus, it is possible to avoid setting multiple touch electrodes and corresponding multiple touch lines that need to cover the entire display area A1 in the display panel 10, and there is no need to set any additional sensors. The modification to the display panel 10 is minimal and the impact on the transmittance of the display panel 10 is also minimal. Correspondingly, since the number of driver readers 20 is small, the cost of the driver chip used to drive the above-mentioned driver readers 20 is also low, and it can have a thinner and lighter shell compared to infrared touch technology.

[0031] In particular, combination Figure 3 and Figure 4 As shown, since a capacitor Ct is formed between the touch position M and the ground, and the capacitor Ct has the characteristic of passing high frequencies and blocking low frequencies, the touch driving signal TD can be set as a periodic signal (that is, the waveform changes periodically). Thus, the signal can flow into the ground through the capacitor Ct, thereby forming the touch current It mentioned above, which is used for subsequent touch recognition.

[0032] Specifically, the touch driving signal TD can be, but is not limited to, a square wave signal (a non-sinusoidal periodic wave with a rectangular waveform, i.e., the signal alternates between a fixed minimum and a maximum value at a regular frequency). Correspondingly, the touch driving unit 21 can be, but is not limited to, a square wave generator (also known as an astable multivibrator or a free-running oscillator, which is a circuit that can generate a periodic square wave signal on its own without any external input signal). The touch driving unit 21 may include an operational amplifier (responsible for amplifying and processing the input signal, usually configured as a combination of positive and negative feedback to generate a stable oscillation signal), resistors and capacitors (resistors are used to limit the magnitude of the current to prevent excessive current in the circuit from damaging the components, while capacitors are used to store charge and form a charging and discharging loop in the circuit; by adjusting the values ​​of resistors and capacitors, the frequency and duty cycle of the square wave signal can be changed), and a feedback network (including a positive feedback network and a negative feedback network; the positive feedback network is used to enhance the oscillation of the signal so that the output signal can be stably maintained in one of two stable states (i.e., high level or low level), while the negative feedback network is used to limit the oscillation amplitude of the signal to prevent excessive signal from damaging the circuit; the combination of the two enables the square wave generator to generate a stable square wave signal).

[0033] The touch driving unit 21 can be a square wave generator of a Schmitt trigger, a square wave generator of a NAND gate, or a square wave generator of an operational amplifier. For example... Figure 5 As shown, the touch driving unit 21, which is composed of a square wave generator of an operational amplifier, is illustrated here. The first resistor R1 and the second resistor R2 are connected in series between ground and the output terminal of the operational amplifier. The third resistor R3 and the capacitor C are connected in series between ground and the output terminal of the operational amplifier. The inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier is connected to the node between the third resistor R3 and the capacitor C. The non-inverting input terminal of the operational amplifier is connected to the node between the first resistor R1 and the second resistor R2.

[0034] Ideally, with no input applied, the voltage Vout at the output of the operational amplifier is 0, but in reality, Vout ≠ 0. The first resistor R1 and the second resistor R2 form a voltage divider network. If the initial Vout ≠ 0, a positive input is obtained at both the non-inverting and inverting inputs of the operational amplifier. The output is then amplified and reaches its maximum output voltage as Vout, thus obtaining the portion of the square wave signal with a voltage value greater than 0. When there is a non-zero input at the inverting input of the operational amplifier, the capacitor C continues to charge until the voltage at the inverting input is greater than the voltage at the non-inverting input. At this point, the operational amplifier output switches to a negative voltage and is amplified until it reaches its output voltage as Vout, thus obtaining the portion of the square wave signal with a voltage value greater than 0. The alternation of these two waveforms forms the square wave signal.

[0035] Specifically, as shown in Figures 6(a) and 6(b), the circuit of the current reading unit 22 can insert a small-value detection resistor Rs into the current loop (which is the first equivalent resistor RA, the second equivalent resistor RB, the third equivalent resistor RC, or the fourth equivalent resistor RD mentioned above) to generate a corresponding voltage drop. This voltage drop is amplified by an operational amplifier to form an output signal (voltage signal) that is proportional to the current flowing through the detection resistor Rs (that is, the first touch current It1, the second touch current It2, the third touch current It3, and the fourth touch current It4 mentioned above), thereby reading each corresponding touch current It.

[0036] As shown in Figure 6(b), if the sensing resistor Rs is placed between the load (the first equivalent resistor RA, the second equivalent resistor RB, the third equivalent resistor RC, or the fourth equivalent resistor RD mentioned above) and ground, the resulting voltage drop can be amplified by a simple operational amplifier. This method is called low-side current sensing, which is different from high-side current sensing as shown in Figure 6(a), where the sensing resistor Rs is placed between the power supply and the load.

[0037] In some embodiments, a frame includes multiple scanning periods and multiple blanking periods. A scanning period can be understood as the period during which a row of sub-pixels is scanned (i.e., the row of sub-pixels is controlled to be turned on). Therefore, the number of scanning periods can be considered equal to the number of rows of sub-pixels. A blanking period (referred to as a row blanking period) is provided between two adjacent scanning periods in the same frame. A blanking period (referred to as a frame blanking period) is provided between the last scanning period of the first frame and the first scanning period of the second frame in two adjacent frames.

[0038] Among them, combined Figures 1 to 7 As shown, the circuit board 40 in the display device 100 includes: a power generator 50, electrically connected to the display panel 10, for providing a common signal Vcom to the first common electrode layer 1011 during multiple scanning periods, and for providing the touch driving signal TD to the first common electrode layer 1011 during at least one blanking period of a frame; wherein the common signal Vcom is a constant voltage signal.

[0039] Furthermore, the common signal Vcom includes a first common signal Vcom1 and a second common signal Vcom, both of which are constant voltage signals but have different voltage values. The power generator 50 is used to provide the first common signal Vcom to the first common electrode layer 1011 and the second common signal Vcom to the second common electrode layer during the scanning period. That is, in each scanning stage, the first common electrode layer 1011 can be loaded with the constant voltage signal first common signal Vcom1, and the second common electrode layer 1021 can be loaded with the constant voltage signal second common signal Vcom, so that the aforementioned vertical electric field is formed between the pixel electrode and the first common electrode layer 1011, and the aforementioned horizontal electric field is formed between the pixel electrode and the second common electrode layer 1021, so that the liquid crystal molecules deflect at a corresponding angle.

[0040] Furthermore, the array substrate 102 may also include a third common electrode layer 1031 disposed on the same layer as the second common electrode layer 1021. The common signal Vcom may also be a third common signal Vcom3 whose voltage value is different from both the first common signal Vcom1 and the second common signal Vcom2. In each scanning stage, the third common electrode layer 1031 may be loaded with a constant voltage signal Vcom3 to serve, for example, as a shielding electric field.

[0041] During at least one blanking period in a frame, the power generator 50 of this embodiment provides a touch drive signal TD to the first common electrode layer 1011, allowing the touch drive signal TD to flow into the equivalent resistance R in the first common electrode layer 1011, and then into the low voltage to form a loop, thereby forming the aforementioned at least three touch currents It, thus realizing the touch function. That is, this embodiment selects at least one blanking period (line blanking period or frame blanking period) within a frame as the touch period. Furthermore, the touch period can be multiple blanking periods evenly distributed on the time axis within a frame to improve the touch reporting rate.

[0042] Furthermore, to avoid the formation of parasitic capacitance between the second common electrode layer 1021 and the third common electrode layer 1031 and the first common electrode layer 1011 due to the common signal Vcom being applied as a constant voltage, which would affect the magnitude of the touch current It, the power generator 50 can also apply the touch drive signal TD instead of the common signal Vcom to the second common electrode layer 1021 and the third common electrode layer 1031 during the touch period.

[0043] In some embodiments, such as Figure 7 As shown, the power generator 50 includes: a first power generator 501 for generating the common signal Vcom; a second power generator 502 for generating the touch driving signal TD; and a selector 503 electrically connected to the first power generator 501, the second power generator 502, and the first common electrode layer 1011, for controlling the electrical conduction between the first power generator 501 and the first common electrode layer 1011 during the scanning period to transmit the common signal Vcom to the first common electrode layer 1011, and controlling the electrical conduction between the second power generator 502 and the first common electrode layer 1011 during at least one blanking period to transmit the touch driving signal TD to the first common electrode layer 1011.

[0044] Understandably, by setting a selector 503 between the first power generator 501 and the second power generator 502, this embodiment can select the output common signal Vcom to be transmitted to the first common electrode layer 1011 during the scanning period to provide a stable constant voltage, and select the output touch drive signal TD to be transmitted to the first common electrode layer 1011 during the blanking period to provide a high-frequency signal. This balances the need to avoid the jitter of the first common electrode layer 1011 affecting the screen display during the scanning period, and to not only achieve touch recognition during the touch period but also eliminate parasitic capacitance to reduce interference with touch recognition.

[0045] In some embodiments, combined with Figures 1 to 7As shown, the display panel 10 includes: a plurality of sub-pixels (located in the display area A1); a gate driving circuit 60 (located in the non-display area A2), including cascaded multi-level gate driving units, each of which is used to transmit a corresponding gate signal Gate to the corresponding plurality of sub-pixels; wherein each of the gate signals Gate includes a corresponding gate pulse during the corresponding scanning period, and the plurality of gate signals Gate includes information of the touch driving signal TD during at least one blanking period; wherein, during at least one blanking period, the period, phase, and peak-to-peak value of each of the gate signals Gate and the touch driving signal TD are the same.

[0046] Here, peak-to-peak value refers to the difference between the highest and lowest values ​​of a periodic signal within one cycle. That is, there are no restrictions on whether the maximum and minimum values ​​of the gate signal (Gate) and the touch drive signal (TD) are equal.

[0047] Specifically, each of the multiple gate signals corresponding to multiple rows of sub-pixels has a corresponding gate pulse during the corresponding scanning period. During the scanning period, the gate pulse drives the multiple sub-pixels of that row to be turned on, and then the multiple sub-pixels of that row receive the corresponding data voltage to present the corresponding brightness. In this way, the multiple gate pulses of the multiple gate signals sequentially drive the sub-pixels of multiple rows to be turned on during multiple scanning periods, and then the sub-pixels of multiple rows are sequentially acted on by the corresponding data voltage to present the corresponding brightness, thereby displaying a frame of the picture.

[0048] Similarly, in this embodiment, the gate signal Gate is set to include information of the touch driving signal TD during at least one blanking period (frame blanking period or line blanking period). Specifically, during this period (touch period), the period, phase, and peak-to-peak value of each gate signal Gate and touch driving signal TD are the same, so that the direction and degree of change of the level of the gate signal Gate are the same as the direction and degree of change of the level of the touch driving signal TD. As a result, the direction and degree of change of the potential of each of the multiple gate lines loaded with the gate signal Gate in the display area A1 are the same as the direction and degree of change of the potential of the first common electrode layer 1011 loaded with the touch driving signal TD, thereby avoiding the generation of parasitic capacitance between the two and reducing interference to touch recognition.

[0049] In some embodiments, such as Figure 7As shown, the power generator 50 is also electrically connected to the gate driving circuit 60, and is used to provide a first voltage signal VGL, which is a constant voltage signal, to the gate driving circuit 60 during a plurality of scanning periods, and to provide a second voltage signal VGL' to the gate driving circuit 60 during at least one blanking period, wherein the second voltage signal VGL' includes information of the touch driving signal TD; wherein the gate driving circuit 60 is used to generate a plurality of gate signals Gate based on the second voltage signal VGL' during at least one blanking period.

[0050] During multiple scanning periods, the power generator 50 provides a first voltage signal VGL, which is a constant voltage signal, to the gate drive circuit 60, so that each gate drive unit can operate stably to improve the reliability of the gate pulse output by each unit. During at least one blanking period (touch period), a second voltage signal VGL', which includes information of the touch drive signal TD, is provided to the gate drive circuit 60 (it can also be considered that its period, phase, and peak-to-peak value are the same as those of the touch drive signal TD). Thus, the gate signal Gate generated by each gate drive unit during this period based on the second voltage signal VGL' also includes information of the touch drive signal TD.

[0051] Similarly, there are no restrictions on whether the maximum values ​​of the second voltage signal VGL' and the touch drive signal TD are equal or whether their minimum values ​​are equal.

[0052] Specifically, such as Figure 7 As shown, the power generator 50 includes: a first voltage generator 504, electrically connected to the gate drive circuit 60, for generating the first voltage signal VGL; and the aforementioned second power generator 502, electrically connected to the first voltage generator 504, for generating the touch drive signal TD; wherein, the first voltage generator 504 is used to generate the second voltage signal VGL' based on the touch drive signal TD at least during at least one blanking period.

[0053] In one embodiment, the touch driving signal TD generated by the second power generator 502 can be transmitted to the first voltage generator 504 so that the first voltage generator 504 generates a second voltage signal VGL' by superimposing the touch driving signal TD on the first voltage signal VGL it generates itself during at least one blanking period (touch period). Since the first voltage signal VGL is a constant voltage signal, the difference between the second voltage signal VGL' generated by superimposing the touch driving signal TD on it and the touch driving signal TD is only the difference in level. That is, the level difference between the two at each moment is the voltage value of the first voltage signal VGL.

[0054] Among them, it can be assumed that the peak-to-peak value of the touch driving signal TD is relatively small, and even if the peak-to-peak value of the second voltage signal VGL' obtained by superimposing it on the first voltage signal VGL (constant voltage signal) with a relatively large or small level is still relatively small.

[0055] In another embodiment, such as Figure 7 As shown, the first voltage generator 504 includes: a first power generator 501, used to generate a third voltage signal VGL0, and used to generate a fourth voltage signal VGL0' based on the third voltage signal VGL0 and the touch drive signal TD during the at least one blanking period; and a level converter 505, electrically connected between the first power generator 501 and the gate drive circuit 60, used to generate the first voltage signal VGL based on the third voltage signal VGL0 during the scan period, and to generate the second voltage signal VGL' based on the fourth voltage signal VGL0' during the at least one blanking period.

[0056] That is, the touch drive signal TD generated by the second power generator 502 is transmitted to the first power generator 501. The first power generator 501 then superimposes the touch drive signal TD on the third voltage signal VGL0 it generates to generate the fourth voltage signal VGL0'. Therefore, the only difference between the fourth voltage signal VGL0' and the touch drive signal TD is the difference in level. That is, the level difference between the two at any given moment is the voltage value of the third voltage signal VGL0.

[0057] Similarly, the fourth voltage signal VGL0' and the touch drive signal TD have the same period, phase, and peak-to-peak value.

[0058] In this embodiment, the level converter 505 receives the third voltage signal VGL0 generated by the first power generator 501 during the scanning period, and can generate the first voltage signal VGL based on it. The level converter 505 receives the fourth voltage signal VGL0' generated by the first power generator 501 at this time during at least one blanking period (touch period), and can generate the second voltage signal VGL' based on it.

[0059] In some embodiments, such as Figure 7As shown, the display panel 10 includes: the aforementioned plurality of sub-pixels (located in display area A1); a plurality of data lines 105 (located in display area A1), each of the data lines 105 being electrically connected to the corresponding plurality of sub-pixels (e.g., located in the same column); the display device 100 further includes the aforementioned circuit board 40, the circuit board 40 including: a source driver 401 for outputting corresponding plurality of data signals Data to the plurality of data lines 105 respectively; during the plurality of scanning periods, the source driver 401 is electrically connected to the plurality of data lines 105 to transmit the plurality of data signals Data to the plurality of sub-pixels; during at least one blanking period, the source driver 401 is electrically disconnected from the plurality of data lines 105 to make the plurality of data lines 105 in a passive state.

[0060] Each data signal Data can include multiple data voltages corresponding to multiple sub-pixels located in the corresponding column. When each row of sub-pixels is turned on, the data voltage transmitted by each data signal Data also corresponds to the sub-pixel of that row, so that multiple sub-pixels in that row all present the corresponding brightness.

[0061] Understandably, in this embodiment, the multiple data lines electrically connected between the source driver 401 and the multiple columns of sub-pixels are configured to: be electrically connected to the source driver 401 during each scanning period to transmit multiple data signals Data, thereby driving the sub-pixels of the corresponding row to present the corresponding brightness, and then present the corresponding display image after multiple scanning periods of a frame; while during at least one blanking period (touch period), they are electrically disconnected from the source driver 401 so that the multiple data lines 105 are in a passive state (i.e., in a floating state, and their potential does not change actively), so that the multiple data lines 105 and the first common electrode layer 1011 cannot form parasitic capacitance, thereby reducing interference with touch recognition.

[0062] In some embodiments, such as Figure 7 As shown, a switching element 402 (disposed on the circuit board 40 or the display panel 10, the figure only shows the latter as an example) is provided between the source driver 401 and the multiple data lines 105. The switching element 402 is used to close during multiple scanning periods to electrically connect the source driver 401 and the multiple data lines 105, and to open during at least one blanking period to electrically disconnect the source driver 401 from the multiple data lines 105.

[0063] That is, in this embodiment, by setting a switching element 402 between the source driver 401 and multiple data lines 105, and by closing or opening the switching element 402, the source driver 401 and multiple data lines 105 are electrically connected during multiple scanning periods to enable the data lines 105 to transmit data signals Data, and are electrically disconnected during at least one blanking period (touch period) so that the data lines 105 are no longer acted upon by the data signals Data, thereby avoiding the formation of parasitic capacitance between the data lines 1011 and the first common electrode layer 1011 loaded with touch driving signals TD, so as to reduce interference with touch recognition.

[0064] Specifically, such as Figure 7 As shown, the switching element 402 includes at least one switching transistor Ts, the first source-drain terminal of the switching transistor Ts being electrically connected to the source driver 401, and the second source-drain terminal of the switching transistor Ts being electrically connected to at least one corresponding data line 105; the circuit board 40 further includes the aforementioned power generator 50, electrically connected to the gate of the switching transistor Ts, for outputting a first control signal Con1 during a plurality of scan periods to control the switching transistor Ts to be turned on, and outputting a second control signal Con2 during at least one blanking period to control the switching transistor Ts to be turned off.

[0065] The gate of the switching transistor Ts can be electrically connected to the level shifter 505. The level shifter 505 can generate the first control signal Con1 or the second control signal Con2 based on the signal provided by the first power generator 501. The level range of the first control signal Con1 and the second control signal Con2 is not limited here, as long as it is known that the switching transistor Ts is turned on during multiple scan periods and turned off during at least one blanking period (touch period).

[0066] Furthermore, such as Figure 7 As shown, the first control signal Con1 is a constant voltage signal, and the second control signal Con2 includes information about the touch driving signal TD; wherein, during at least one blanking period, the period, phase, and peak-to-peak value of the second control signal Con2 and the touch driving signal TD are the same.

[0067] Referring to the discussion of the waveforms of the gate signal Gate and the second voltage signal VGL' during the touch period above, it can be seen that in this embodiment, the period, phase, and peak-to-peak value of the second control signal Con2 are set to be the same as the period, phase, and peak-to-peak value of the touch driving signal TD, respectively. This ensures that when the switching transistor Ts is located in the display panel 10, during at least one blanking period (touch period), the potential change of its gate is the same as the potential change of the first common electrode layer 1011 loaded with the touch driving signal TD, thereby avoiding the formation of parasitic capacitance between the two and reducing interference with touch recognition.

[0068] Specifically, such as Figure 7 As shown, the power generator 50 includes: the first voltage generator 504 described above, electrically connected to the gate of the switching transistor Ts, for generating the first control signal Con1 and the third control signal Con3; and a second power generator 502, electrically connected to the first voltage generator 504, for generating the touch driving signal TD; wherein, the first voltage generator 504 is used to generate the second control signal Con2 based on the third control signal Con3 and the touch driving signal TD during at least one blanking period.

[0069] That is, during multiple scanning periods, the first control signal Con1 generated by the first voltage generator 504 can be directly applied to the gate of the switching transistor Ts to turn on the switching transistor Ts, and the first control signal Con1 can be a constant voltage signal to maintain the stable conduction of the switching transistor Ts; during at least one blanking period (touch period), the first voltage generator 504 needs to receive the touch drive signal TD generated by the first voltage generator 504 and form the second control signal Con2 by superimposing it on the third control signal Con3 (which can also be a constant voltage signal). Since the peak-to-peak value of the first control signal Con1 is small, the peak-to-peak value of the second control signal Con2 is also small, so that the level of the second control signal Con2 is still close to the third control signal Con3. While turning off the switching transistor Ts, it can also avoid the formation of parasitic capacitance between the gate of the switching transistor Ts and the first common electrode layer 1011, so as to reduce the interference to touch recognition.

[0070] In some embodiments, combined with Figure 1 and Figure 7As shown, the circuit board 40 in the display device 100 further includes: a timing controller 404, used to control the source driver 401 to drive the display panel 10 to display an image; and a processor 403, electrically connected to the plurality of driver readers 20 and the timing controller 404, used to configure the driver readers 20 to: output the touch drive signal TD, read the plurality of touch currents It, and determine the touch position M according to the magnitude of the plurality of touch currents It; wherein the timing controller 404 and the processor 403 are clock-synchronized.

[0071] As discussed above, the timing controller 404 can be electrically connected to the source driver 401 and the gate driver circuit 60, thereby controlling the gate driver circuit 60 to generate multiple gate signals (Gate) to control multiple rows of sub-pixels to turn on sequentially within a frame, and controlling the source driver 401 to generate multiple data signals (Data) so that when multiple sub-pixels in each row are turned on, they receive multiple data voltages corresponding to the multiple data signals (Data), and then the multiple sub-pixels in that row display the image. In this way, multiple rows of sub-pixels display the image sequentially to display the image of that frame.

[0072] It is understood that the clocks of the timing controller 404 and the processor 403 in this embodiment are set to be synchronized, so that their working timing can be synchronized, and thus the display screen of the display panel 10, the generation of the touch drive signal TD, the reading of multiple touch currents It, and the determination of the touch position M can be carried out in a coordinated manner.

[0073] In this application, the first power generator 501 (generating a common signal Vcom) in the power generator 50 can be, but is not limited to, a power management chip. The power management chip can include an input power management circuit (receiving external raw power (such as battery, adapter, or Universal Serial Bus power supply), a core power conversion circuit (converting the input power into various voltages required by the load), a battery management circuit (responsible for battery charging, discharging protection, and status monitoring), a control and communication circuit (receiving instructions from the main controller, adjusting the power output, and providing status feedback), and a monitoring and protection circuit (providing comprehensive protection for the entire power system to prevent damage to the power management chip or the load). The second power generator 502 (generating a touch drive signal TD) in the power generator 50 can be understood as the aforementioned touch drive unit 21.

[0074] The first voltage generator 504 (generating a first voltage signal VGL) in the power generator 50 of this application includes a level converter 505 and the aforementioned first power generator 501. The level converter 505 (generating the first voltage signal VGL according to the third voltage signal VGL0 and generating the second voltage signal VGL' according to the fourth voltage signal VGL0') is used for signal transmission between different voltage domains. It can be a unidirectional level conversion circuit (diode circuit or N-type metal-oxide-semiconductor circuit) or a bidirectional level conversion circuit (bidirectional diode circuit or field-effect transistor circuit).

[0075] The selector in this application may include at least a plurality of transistors to control the electrical conduction between the first power generator 501, the second power generator 502 and the first common electrode layer 1011 in a time-sharing manner.

[0076] The gate driving unit in this application may include at least multiple transistors and multiple capacitors, and generate a corresponding gate signal Gate based at least on a clock signal, a second voltage signal VGL', and other voltage signals.

[0077] The timing controller in this application can be a timing control chip to receive video signals such as low-voltage differential signals from the motherboard and drive the source driver 401 and the gate drive circuit 60 to work.

[0078] The processor in this application can be a microcontroller unit (a microcomputer system that integrates multiple functional modules such as a central processing unit, memory, timer, input / output interface, etc. on a single chip) or a field-programmable gate array (a semi-custom programmable logic device that contains a large number of programmable logic units, programmable interconnect resources, and programmable input / output interface units, which can be programmed and configured by the user according to their own needs using a hardware description language to build specific digital logic circuits).

[0079] The structure of the display device provided in the embodiments of the present invention has been described in detail above. Specific examples have been used to illustrate the principles and implementation methods of the present invention. The description of the above embodiments is only for the purpose of helping to understand the technical solutions and core ideas of the present invention. Those skilled in the art should understand that modifications can still be made to the technical solutions described in the foregoing embodiments, or equivalent substitutions can be made to some of the technical features. These modifications or substitutions do not cause the essence of the corresponding technical solutions to deviate from the scope of the technical solutions of the embodiments of the present invention.

Claims

1. A display device, characterized in that, include: A display panel includes a color filter substrate, the color filter substrate including a first common electrode layer; At least three driving readers, each of which is electrically connected to a portion of the first common electrode layer corresponding to a reference position, the position of the display panel affected by an external object is a touch position, and there is a corresponding equivalent resistance between the portion of the first common electrode layer corresponding to the touch position and the portion corresponding to each of the reference positions; Each of the drive readers is configured to output a touch drive signal to form a plurality of touch currents flowing through the plurality of equivalent resistors, and to determine the touch position based on the magnitude of the plurality of touch currents.

2. The display device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The driver reader includes: A touch driving unit is configured to output the touch driving signal to the portion of the first common electrode layer located at the corresponding reference position; A current reading unit is used to read the corresponding touch current.

3. The display device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The touch drive signal is a periodic signal.

4. The display device as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that, A single frame of an image includes multiple scanning periods and multiple blanking periods. The display device further includes: A power generator, electrically connected to the display panel, is used to provide a common signal to the first common electrode layer during multiple scanning periods, and to provide the touch drive signal to the first common electrode layer during at least one blanking period in a frame. The common signal is a constant voltage signal.

5. The display device as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that, The power generator includes: A first power generator is used to generate the common signal; A second power generator is used to generate the touch drive signal; A selector, electrically connected to the first power generator, the second power generator, and the first common electrode layer, is configured to control electrical conduction between the first power generator and the first common electrode layer during the scanning period to transmit the common signal to the first common electrode layer, and to control electrical conduction between the second power generator and the first common electrode layer during at least one blanking period to transmit the touch driving signal to the first common electrode layer.

6. The display device as claimed in claim 4, characterized in that, The display panel further includes an array substrate disposed opposite to the color filter substrate, the array substrate including a patterned second common electrode layer; The power generator is used to provide the touch drive signal to the second common electrode layer during at least one blanking period.

7. The display device as claimed in claim 6, characterized in that, The common signals include a first common signal and a second common signal, both of which are constant voltage signals but have different voltage values; The power generator is used to provide the first common signal to the first common electrode layer and the second common signal to the second common electrode layer during the scanning period.

8. The display device as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that, A single frame comprises multiple scanning periods and multiple blanking periods, and the display panel includes: Multiple sub-pixels; A gate driving circuit includes cascaded multi-stage gate driving units, each of which is used to transmit a corresponding gate signal to the corresponding plurality of sub-pixels. Each of the gate signals includes a corresponding gate pulse during the corresponding scanning period, and the plurality of gate signals include information of the touch driving signal during at least one blanking period; During at least one of the blanking periods, the period, phase, and peak-to-peak value of each of the gate signals and the touch drive signals are the same.

9. The display device as claimed in claim 8, characterized in that, Also includes: A power generator, electrically connected to the gate drive circuit, is configured to provide a first voltage signal as a constant voltage signal to the gate drive circuit during a plurality of the scanning periods, and to provide a second voltage signal to the gate drive circuit during at least one of the blanking periods, the second voltage signal including information of the touch drive signal; The gate driving circuit is used to generate a plurality of gate signals according to the second voltage signal during at least one blanking period.

10. The display device as claimed in claim 9, characterized in that, The power generator includes: A first voltage generator is electrically connected to the gate drive circuit and is used to generate the first voltage signal; A second power generator is electrically connected to the first voltage generator and is used to generate the touch drive signal. The first voltage generator is used to generate the second voltage signal based on the touch drive signal at least during at least one blanking period.

11. The display device as claimed in claim 10, characterized in that, The first voltage generator includes: A first power generator is configured to generate a third voltage signal and to generate a fourth voltage signal based on the third voltage signal and the touch drive signal during the at least one blanking period. A level converter, electrically connected between the first power generator and the gate drive circuit, is used to generate the first voltage signal according to the third voltage signal during the scan period, and to generate the second voltage signal according to the fourth voltage signal during at least one of the blanking periods.

12. The display device as claimed in claim 3, characterized in that, A single frame comprises multiple scanning periods and multiple blanking periods, and the display panel includes: Multiple sub-pixels; Multiple data lines, each of which is electrically connected to a corresponding plurality of sub-pixels; The display device further includes a circuit board, the circuit board comprising: A source driver is used to output multiple corresponding data signals to the multiple data lines respectively; During multiple scanning periods, the source driver is electrically connected to multiple data lines to transmit multiple data signals to multiple sub-pixels; During at least one of the blanking periods, the source driver is electrically disconnected from the plurality of data lines to render the plurality of data lines passive.

13. The display device as claimed in claim 12, characterized in that, A switching element is provided between the source driver and the plurality of data lines. The switching element is configured to close during a plurality of scan periods to electrically connect the source driver to the plurality of data lines, and to open during at least one blanking period to electrically disconnect the source driver from the plurality of data lines.

14. The display device as claimed in claim 13, characterized in that, The switching element includes: At least one switching transistor, wherein the first source-drain terminal of the switching transistor is electrically connected to the source driver, and the second source-drain terminal of the switching transistor is electrically connected to the corresponding at least one of the data lines; The circuit board also includes: A power generator, electrically connected to the gate of the switching transistor, is configured to output a first control signal during a plurality of the scan periods to control the switching transistor to turn on, and to output a second control signal during at least one of the blanking periods to control the switching transistor to turn off.

15. The display device as claimed in claim 14, characterized in that, The first control signal is a constant voltage signal, and the second control signal includes information about the touch drive signal; During at least one of the blanking periods, the period, phase, and peak-to-peak value of the second control signal and the touch drive signal are the same.

16. The display device as claimed in claim 15, characterized in that, The power generator includes: A first voltage generator, electrically connected to the gate of the switching transistor, is used to generate the first control signal and the third control signal; A second power generator is electrically connected to the first voltage generator and is used to generate the touch drive signal. The first voltage generator is used to generate the second control signal based on the third control signal and the touch drive signal during at least one blanking period.

17. The display device as claimed in claim 15, characterized in that, Also includes: The timing controller is used to control the source driver to drive the display panel to display the image; A processor, electrically connected to a plurality of the drive readers and the timing controller, is configured to: Output the touch drive signal, read multiple touch currents, and determine the touch position based on the magnitude of the multiple touch currents; The timing controller and the processor are clock-synchronized.

18. The display device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, The display panel includes a display area and a non-display area located on at least one side of the display area. The display area is used to display images, and each of the drive readers is located in the non-display area.

19. The display device as claimed in claim 1, characterized in that, At least three of the drive readers are respectively positioned near at least three different edges of the display panel; Alternatively, two adjacent edges of the display panel may intersect, and at least three of the drive readers may be positioned close to at least three of the intersecting locations.

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