Touch display device and driving method thereof

Abstract

A touch display device and a driving method thereof are disclosed. The touch display device includes: pixels configured to display an input image; a pixel driving circuit configured to write pixel data of an input image to the pixels; a touch and hover sensor configured to sense a touch input and a hover input; and a sensor driving circuit configured to drive the touch and hover sensor. A sensor drive circuit couples sensing lines connected to the touch and hover sensor to sense hover input and identify a user.

Description

Technical Field

[0001] This disclosure relates to an apparatus, and more specifically, for example, but not limited to, a display apparatus and a driving method thereof. Background Technology

[0002] Various electronic devices employ touch display devices, which serve as user interfaces, to enhance user convenience by sensing user input (e.g., a finger or pen on its display). In recent years, touch recognition technologies have been developed to enable hover sensing in a non-contact state as well as touch sensing on the screen of touch display devices.

[0003] Touch display devices can be designed to have partially different viewing angles, or they can employ techniques that allow for variable control of the viewing angle for each pixel area. For example, video content or visual information reproduced on a touch display device can be displayed to the user only within a narrow viewing angle range, or it can be displayed to multiple users within a wide viewing angle range.

[0004] With the expansion of the market for future vehicles (such as electric and autonomous vehicles), the demand for in-vehicle displays is growing rapidly. The screens of these in-vehicle displays can be implemented as touch displays. In such displays, technologies can be applied to differentiate the viewing angle of different parts of the screen or to vary the viewing angle of each pixel.

[0005] Screen control permissions for touch display devices need to be granted to specific users. However, the touch recognition technology used in touch display devices cannot distinguish between users. Summary of the Invention

[0006] The purpose of this disclosure is to address the aforementioned necessity and / or problems.

[0007] This disclosure provides a touch display device and a driving method thereof, which can distinguish users attempting to perform touch / hover input.

[0008] The problems addressed by this disclosure are not limited to those described above, and other problems not mentioned will be clearly understood by those skilled in the art from the following description.

[0009] A display panel according to one embodiment includes: pixels configured to display an input image; a pixel driving circuit configured to write pixel data of the input image into the pixels; a touch and hover sensor configured to sense touch and hover input; and a sensor driving circuit configured to drive the touch and hover sensor. The sensor driving circuit is connected to sensing lines of the touch and hover sensor to sense hover input and identify a user.

[0010] The touch and hover sensor may include: a plurality of first sensor electrodes connected to a plurality of first sensing lines parallel to each other; and a plurality of second sensor electrodes connected to a plurality of second sensing lines intersecting the first sensing lines and parallel to each other. The sensor driving circuitry may include: a sensor driver configured to apply a driving signal to a capacitor of the touch and hover sensor and sense a change in charge or voltage of the capacitor; and a sensor controller configured to control the sensor driver.

[0011] The sensor controller can provide the sensor driver with a reference drive signal that guides the sensor driver to output drive signals, a hover enable signal that guides hover sensing, and a user identification enable signal that guides user identification.

[0012] The sensor driver can output pulses of a drive signal in response to a reference drive signal, and cause a change in at least one of the voltage and frequency of the drive signal.

[0013] The sensor driver may include: a first driver configured to apply a drive signal to a sensing line; a second driver including an amplifier, to which a predetermined reference voltage or drive signal is applied; and a switching circuit configured to connect the inverting terminals of the first driver and the amplifier to a corresponding first sensing line or a corresponding second sensing line.

[0014] Pixels can be driven during the display interval. Touch and hover sensors can be driven during touch sensing intervals, hover sensing intervals, and user recognition intervals. Sensing lines can be limited to a predetermined number during the hover sensing interval. A larger number of sensing lines can be limited during the user recognition interval compared to the hover sensing interval.

[0015] During the hover sensing interval and the user recognition interval, the voltage charged in the capacitors of the touch and hover sensors is sensed by hover sensing.

[0016] The resolution of hover input sensed during the hover sensing interval is lower than the resolution of touch input sensed during the touch sensing interval.

[0017] The resolution of hover input sensed during the user recognition interval can be lower than the resolution of hover input sensed during the hover sensing interval.

[0018] A frame interval of a touch display device may include a display interval, a touch sensing interval, a hover sensing interval, and a user recognition interval.

[0019] The (N)th frame time period of the touch display device may include a display interval, a touch sensing interval, and a user recognition interval, where N is a positive integer. The (N+1)th frame time period may include a display interval, a hover sensing interval, and a user recognition interval.

[0020] Touch and hover sensors can be driven simultaneously with pixels.

[0021] The (N)th frame time period (where N is a positive integer) of the touch display device may include a touch sensing interval in which pixels and touch and hover sensors are driven simultaneously, and a user recognition interval in which pixels and touch and hover sensors are driven simultaneously. The (N+1)th frame time period may include a hover sensing interval in which pixels and touch and hover sensors are driven simultaneously, and a user recognition interval in which pixels and touch and hover sensors are driven simultaneously.

[0022] A vertical blanking period can be set between the (N)th frame period and the (N+1)th frame period, during which pixels and touch and hover sensors are not driven.

[0023] The user identification interval can be set during the vertical blanking period in each of the (N)th frame period and the (N+1)th frame period when no pixels are driven.

[0024] A frame period of a touch display device may include a touch sensing interval in which pixels and touch and hover sensors are simultaneously driven, a hover sensing interval in which pixels and touch and hover sensors are simultaneously driven, and a user recognition interval in which pixels and touch and hover sensors are simultaneously driven.

[0025] The user recognition interval can be set during the vertical blanking period when no pixels are driven.

[0026] A method for driving a touch display device according to one embodiment includes the steps of: driving pixels to display an input image; driving touch and hover sensors to sense touch input in a contact state on the touchscreen; driving touch and hover sensors to sense hover input in a non-contact state on the touchscreen; and driving touch and hover sensors to identify a user attempting to touch and hover on the touchscreen in a non-contact state.

[0027] According to embodiments of this disclosure, applications requiring user identification can operate effectively by individually allocating intervals for frame time periods to identify users attempting to use touch and hover input methods, and can set or change control of pixels and sensors for each user.

[0028] According to embodiments of this disclosure, user identification can be performed in both the horizontal and vertical directions to provide a wide range of user identification.

[0029] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the number of sensing lines defined during the user identification interval can be increased to form a high field above the touchscreen, facilitating the sensing of users approaching the touchscreen to attempt touch and hover input.

[0030] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the sensing sensitivity of touch and hover inputs can be increased by separating the touch sensing interval and the hover sensing interval for each frame, thereby ensuring a longer sensing time for each interval.

[0031] According to embodiments of this disclosure, since display driving and touch sensing are performed simultaneously, and display driving and hover sensing are performed simultaneously, the data voltage charging time of the pixel, as well as the touch sensing and hover sensing time, can be sufficiently ensured. Therefore, the pixel charging rate and touch and hover sensing sensitivity are improved.

[0032] According to embodiments of this disclosure, the first driver and the second driver can be selectively connected to each of the cross sensing lines. As a result, the touch and hover sensors can be driven by mutual capacitance or self-capacitance.

[0033] The effects of this disclosure are not limited to those described above, and other effects not mentioned will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art from the following description and the appended claims. Attached Figure Description

[0034] The above and other objects, features, and advantages of this disclosure will become more apparent to those skilled in the art from the detailed description of exemplary embodiments thereof with reference to the accompanying drawings, in which:

[0035] Figure 1 This is a block diagram illustrating a touch display device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0036] Figure 2 This is a schematic circuit diagram illustrating a pixel circuit according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0037] Figure 3 This is a diagram illustrating a touch and hover sensor and a sensor driver according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0038] Figure 4 This is a diagram illustrating the enable signals of a touch and hover sensor according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0039] Figure 5A and Figure 5B This is a diagram illustrating a touch and hover sensing method using a mutual capacitance sensing method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0040] Figure 6A and Figure 6B This is a diagram illustrating a touch and hover sensing method using self-capacitance connected to a second sensor electrode according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0041] Figure 7A and Figure 7BThis is a diagram illustrating a touch and hover sensing method using self-capacitance connected to a first sensor electrode, according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0042] Figure 8 This is a waveform diagram illustrating a touch display device and its driving method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0043] Figure 9 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a method for sensing touch input during a touch sensing interval according to an embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0044] Figure 10 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a method for sensing hover input during a hover sensing interval according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0045] Figure 11 This is a diagram illustrating an example of a user identification method during a user identification interval according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0046] Figure 12 This is an illustration of an example of selectively restricting touch and hover input using user identification in an in-vehicle display device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure;

[0047] Figure 13 This is an example of an embodiment according to the present disclosure. Figure 9 A circuit diagram illustrating an example of the connection relationship between the sensor electrodes and the driver in the mutual capacitance sensing method shown.

[0048] Figure 14 This is an example of an embodiment according to the present disclosure. Figure 10 A circuit diagram illustrating an example of the connection relationship between the sensor electrodes and the driver in the mutual capacitance sensing method shown.

[0049] Figure 15A and Figure 15B This is an example of an embodiment according to the present disclosure. Figure 11 A circuit diagram illustrating an example of the connection relationship between the sensor electrodes and the driver in the mutual capacitance sensing method shown; and

[0050] Figures 16 to 20 This is a waveform diagram of a touch display device and its driving method according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. Detailed Implementation

[0051] Reference will now be made in detail to embodiments of this disclosure, examples of which are illustrated in the accompanying drawings. In the following description, detailed descriptions of well-known functions or configurations relevant to this document will be omitted or may be briefly discussed where it is determined that such detailed descriptions would unnecessarily obscure the essential points of the inventive concept. The described process steps and / or order of operations are exemplary; however, the order of steps and / or operations is not limited to the order set forth herein and may be varied as is known in the art, except for steps and / or operations that must occur in a specific order. The same reference numerals always refer to the same elements. The names of the corresponding elements used in the following explanation may be chosen solely for the convenience of writing the specification and may therefore differ from those used in actual products.

[0052] The advantages and features of this disclosure and its implementation methods will become clearer from the embodiments described below with reference to the accompanying drawings. However, this disclosure is not limited to the following embodiments, but can be implemented in various different forms. In contrast, these embodiments will make the disclosure complete and allow those skilled in the art to fully understand the scope of this disclosure.

[0053] The shapes, sizes, proportions, angles, quantities, etc., shown in the accompanying drawings used to describe embodiments of this disclosure are merely examples, and this disclosure is not limited thereto. Throughout this specification, the same reference numerals generally denote the same elements. Furthermore, in describing this disclosure, detailed descriptions of known related technologies may be omitted to avoid unnecessarily obscuring the subject matter of this disclosure.

[0054] Any implementation described in this article as an "example" is not necessarily to be interpreted as preferred or advantageous over other implementations.

[0055] Unless used with the term “only,” terms such as “comprising,” “including,” “having,” and “containing” as used herein are generally intended to allow for the addition of other components. Unless otherwise expressly stated, any reference to the singular may include the plural.

[0056] Even if not explicitly stated, components are interpreted as including a normal error range.

[0057] When describing the location or interconnection between two components (e.g., "on top of", "above", "below", "adjacent to", "connected to or linked to", "cross", "intersect", etc.), one or more other components may be inserted between them unless "immediately" or "directly" is used.

[0058] When describing time precedence relationships (e.g., "after", "following", "next", "before", etc.), they may not be sequential on a time basis unless "immediately" or "directly" is used.

[0059] The terms “first”, “second”, etc., can be used to distinguish elements from each other, but the function or structure of a component is not limited by the ordinal number preceding the component or the component name.

[0060] Furthermore, when a component or layer is “connected,” “joined,” or “adheded” to another component or layer, unless otherwise stated, the component or layer may not only be directly connected or adhered to the other component or layer, but also indirectly connected or attached to the other component or layer, with one or more intermediate components or layers “set” or “inserted” between the components or layers. This should be understood to mean that components may be arranged to be in direct contact with each other, or may be arranged to be in direct contact with each other.

[0061] The expressions "first element," "second element," and " / or" "third element" should be understood as one of the first element, the second element, and the third element, or any or all combinations of the first element, the second element, and the third element. For example, A, B, and / or C can refer to only A; only B; only C; any or some combinations of A, B, and C; or all of A, B, and C.

[0062] The term “at least one” should be understood to include any and all combinations of one or more associated listed items. For example, “at least one of the first element, the second element, and the third element” means a combination of all three listed elements, a combination of any two of the three elements, and each individual element (the first element, the second element, or the third element).

[0063] Unless otherwise defined, all terms used herein (including technical and scientific terms) have the same meaning as commonly understood by one of ordinary skill in the art to which the example embodiments pertain. It should also be understood that terms such as those defined in common dictionaries should be interpreted as having a meaning consistent with, for example, their meaning in the context of the relevant field, and should not be interpreted in an idealized or overly formal sense unless explicitly defined herein. For example, as one of ordinary skill in the art will understand, the terms “component” or “unit” can be applied to, for example, a single circuit or structure, an integrated circuit, a computational block of a circuit device, or any structure configured to perform the described functions.

[0064] In contrast, these embodiments may be provided to make this disclosure sufficiently thorough and complete to assist those skilled in the art in fully understanding its scope. Furthermore, this disclosure is limited only by the scope of the claims.

[0065] The following implementations may be partially or completely combined or integrated with each other, and may be linked and operated in a variety of technical ways. The implementations may be performed independently or in association with each other.

[0066] In the following description, various embodiments of the present disclosure will be specifically described with reference to the accompanying drawings.

[0067] Reference Figure 1 A touch display device according to one embodiment of the present disclosure may include: a display panel 100, on which pixels and touch and hover sensors TS are arranged; pixel driving circuits 110 and 120 for writing image data to the pixels of the display panel 100; a sensor driving circuit 300 for driving the touch and hover sensors TS; and a power supply circuit 150 for generating the power required to drive the pixel driving circuits 110 and 120 and the sensor driving circuit 300.

[0068] The display panel 100 can be a rectangular structure having a length in the X-axis direction, a width in the Y-axis direction, and a thickness in the Z-axis direction. The display panel 100 can be implemented as a non-transmissive or transmissive display panel. A transmissive display panel can be applied to a transparent display device in which an image is displayed on a screen and an actual object in the background is visible. The display panel 100 can also be implemented as a flexible display panel.

[0069] In the display panel 100, the display area AA of the screen may include a pixel array for displaying images thereon. The pixel array includes multiple data lines 102, multiple gate lines 103 intersecting the multiple data lines 102, multiple sensing lines 104, multiple pixels, and multiple touch and hover sensors TS. The display panel 100 may also include power lines commonly connected to the pixels. These power lines are commonly connected to the pixels to provide the constant voltage required to drive them.

[0070] A pixel can be divided into two or more subpixels for color implementation. For example, three pixels arranged sequentially along the X-axis can be divided into red, green, and blue subpixels. In another embodiment, four pixels arranged sequentially along the X-axis can be divided into red, green, blue, and white subpixels. Each subpixel may include pixel circuitry to drive a light-emitting element. The pixel circuitry may be connected to data lines, gating lines, and power lines.

[0071] The timing controller 130 can receive pixel data of the input image and timing signals synchronized with the pixel data from the host system 200. The timing signals may include a vertical synchronization signal Vsync, a horizontal synchronization signal Hsync, a master clock CLK, and a data enable signal DE. One period of the vertical synchronization signal Vsync can be a frame interval. One period of the horizontal synchronization signal Hsync and the data enable signal DE can be a horizontal interval. The pulse of the data enable signal DE can be synchronized with a row of data to be written to a pixel row. Since the frame interval and horizontal interval can be determined by counting the data enable signal DE, the vertical synchronization signal Vsync and the horizontal synchronization signal Hsync can be omitted. The timing controller 130 can send the pixel data of the input image to the data driver 110 and control the timing of the operation of the data driver 110 and the gating driver 120. The gating timing control signal generated from the timing controller 130 can be input to the gating driver 120 through a level shifter 140. Additionally, the timing controller 130 can synchronize the pixel driving circuits 110 and 120 and the sensor driving circuit 300.

[0072] Level shifter 140 can be connected between timing controller 130 and gating driver 120. Level shifter 140 can receive gating timing control signals from timing controller 130 and output start pulses, shift clocks, etc. Level shifter 140 can change the pulse swing width by level shifting the voltage of the input signal. The input signal of level shifter 140 can be a digital signal voltage level signal, and the output signal from level shifter 140 can be an analog voltage signal swinging between gating high voltage and gating low voltage.

[0073] Data driver 110 can receive pixel data of an input image received as a digital signal from timing controller 130 and output a data voltage. Data driver 110 can use a digital-to-analog converter (hereinafter referred to as "DAC") to convert the pixel data of the input image into a gamma-compensated voltage and output the data voltage. A voltage divider circuit in data driver 110 can divide the gamma reference voltage (VGMA) output from power supply circuit 150 into gamma-compensated voltages for each grayscale level and provide them to the DAC. The DAC can generate the data voltage as a gamma-compensated voltage corresponding to the grayscale value of the pixel data. The data voltage from the DAC can be output from the corresponding channel of data driver 110 to data line 102 and dummy data line (…) via an output buffer. Figure 18 105 in the middle).

[0074] The gating driver 120 can be disposed on the display panel 100. The gating driver 120 can be located in a non-display area outside the display area AA in the display panel 100, or at least a portion thereof can be located within the display area AA. The gating driver 120 can provide a gating signal to the gating line 103 in a single-feed method. In the single-feed method, the gating signal can be applied to one end of the gating line 103. In the dual-feed method, the gating signal can be applied to the opposite ends of the gating line 103 simultaneously. The gating signal output from the gating driver 120 can be applied to the pixels of the display area AA. The gating driver 120 can use circuitry such as shift registers or edge triggering to shift the pulses of the gating signal.

[0075] Multiple gating signals can be applied to each pixel. For example, two or more scan signals with different pulse widths and phases can be applied. Figure 2 (SCAN in the middle) and one or more light-emitting signals ( Figure 2 The EM signal is applied to each pixel. In this case, the gating driver 120 may include multiple gating drivers, each of which outputs a pulse of a single gating signal.

[0076] The power supply circuit 150 may include, but is not limited to, a charge pump, regulator, buck converter, boost converter, etc. The power supply circuit 150 can receive a DC input voltage from the host system 200 to generate the power required to drive the drive circuits 110 and 120 and the pixels of the display panel 100. The power supply circuit 150 can output a constant voltage (or DC voltage), such as a gamma reference voltage, a gating high voltage, a gating low voltage, etc. The power supply circuit 150 can also output a constant voltage supplied to the pixels. The gamma reference voltage can be supplied to the data driver 110. The gating high voltage and gating low voltage can be supplied to the level shifter 140 and the gating driver 120. The constant voltage input to the pixel circuitry (e.g., pixel drive voltage, pixel ground voltage, etc.) can be applied to the pixels via a power line commonly connected to the pixels. The power supply circuit 150 may be implemented as a power management integrated circuit (PMIC), an electronic integrated circuit (ELI), etc., but is not limited to these.

[0077] Touch and hover sensors TS are connected to sensor driving circuit 300 via sensing line 104. The touch and hover sensors constituting the touchscreen can be arranged as add-ons within the unit, on the unit, and on the display area AA. Each of the touch and hover sensors TS can be implemented as a capacitive touch and hover sensor. Here, the capacitance can be self-capacitance or mutual capacitance. Touch input and hover input can be sensed by any of the capacitances of the touch and hover sensors, depending on how the sensor driving circuit 300 is driven, or by a change in the capacitance type of the touch and hover sensors TS. Touch input can be interpreted as contact-type user input where a conductive object, such as a finger or pen, contacts the display panel 100. Hover input can be interpreted as non-contact user input where a conductive object approaches the display panel 100 in a non-contact state.

[0078] The sensor driving circuit 300 can sense touch and hover inputs by applying a drive signal to the touch and hover sensors TS based on the amount of charge or voltage change before and after the touch / hover input in each of the touch and hover sensors TS. The sensor driving circuit 300 may include a sensor driver 160 and a sensor controller 170. The sensor driver 160 may be implemented as a readout IC (ROIC), and the sensor controller 170 may be implemented as a microcontroller unit (MCU), but is not limited thereto.

[0079] Sensor driver 160 can provide drive signals to touch and hover sensor TS, converting changes in charge or voltage before and after touch / hover input into digital data and outputting raw data. Sensor driver 160 may include a first driver that provides drive signals to touch and hover sensor TS, and a second driver that includes an amplifier and an analog-to-digital converter (ADC). Sensor driver 160 may also include switching circuitry to selectively connect sensing line 104 to the first and second drivers. The switching circuitry may be implemented as, but is not limited to, a multiplexer.

[0080] Sensor controller 170 analyzes raw data input as digital signals from sensor driver 160 during touch sensing and hover sensing intervals by executing a touch / hover sensing algorithm, and calculates the coordinates of the touch / hover input position. Furthermore, sensor controller 170 can analyze the raw data during user identification intervals and output a user identifier (user ID) identifying the user attempting touch / hover input. Sensor controller 170 can identify touch input, hover input, and the user by comparing the raw data with preset thresholds. The thresholds can be one or more, but are not limited to.

[0081] Sensor signals DXYZ, including touch input, hover input, and user identification information, output from sensor controller 170, are sent to host system 200. Host system 200 can execute applications associated with the coordinate values ​​of touch input and hover input in response to the sensor signals DXYZ received as digital signals, and can set and change applications or controls associated with user identification information.

[0082] The display panel 100 can be divided into multiple pixel regions with different viewing angles. For example, the display panel 100 may include: a first pixel region that emits light with a narrow viewing angle, thereby allowing an image of first content to be visible only to a user at a specific location; and a second pixel region that emits light with a wide viewing angle, thereby allowing an image of second content to be visible to users at different locations. A first lens for converging light from the light-emitting element with a narrow viewing angle may be arranged in each of the pixels in the first pixel region. A second lens for diffusing light from the light-emitting element with a wide viewing angle may be arranged in each of the pixels in the second pixel region.

[0083] In other embodiments, each pixel of the display panel 100 can be electrically controlled to have a variable viewing angle. For example, as Figure 2 As shown, each of the sub-pixels may include pixel circuitry for driving a light-emitting element EL1 for a wide viewing angle and a light-emitting element EL2 for a narrow viewing angle. Pixel driving circuits 110 and 120 can selectively drive the light-emitting elements EL1 and EL2 in the sub-pixels under the control of timing controller 130 to change the viewing angle of each sub-pixel.

[0084] Figure 2 This is a schematic circuit diagram illustrating a pixel circuit according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0085] Reference Figure 2 The pixel circuit PXL drives a first light-emitting element EL1 in a first viewing angle mode and a second light-emitting element EL2 in a second viewing angle mode. The pixel circuit includes the first light-emitting element EL1, the second light-emitting element EL2, a driving element DT for driving the first light-emitting element EL1 and the second light-emitting element EL2, a compensation circuit 10 connected to the driving element DT, a first switching element M01 connected between the driving element DT and the first light-emitting element EL1, and a second switching element M02 connected between the driving element DT and the second light-emitting element EL2. The driving element DT and the switching elements M01 and M02 can be implemented as (but are not limited to) transistors.

[0086] The light-emitting elements EL1 and EL2 can be implemented as (but not limited to) organic light-emitting elements (e.g., organic light-emitting diodes (OLEDs)) or inorganic light-emitting elements (LEDs) (e.g., micro light-emitting diodes).

[0087] The first light-emitting element EL1 can be driven by a current supplied from the driving element DT through the first switching element M01 to emit light in a first viewing angle mode. The first light-emitting element EL1 includes an anode electrode connected to the drain electrode of the first switching element M01 and a cathode electrode connected to a VSS node to which a pixel ground voltage VSS is applied. The second light-emitting element EL2 can be driven by a current supplied from the driving element DT through the second switching element M02 to emit light in a second viewing angle mode. The second light-emitting element EL2 includes an anode electrode connected to the drain electrode of the second switching element M02 and a cathode electrode connected to a VSS node to which a pixel ground voltage VSS is applied.

[0088] The first lens 32 can be a wide-viewing-angle lens disposed above the first light-emitting element EL1. The first lens 32 overlaps with the light-emitting area of ​​the first light-emitting element EL1. The first lens 32 can be implemented as a semi-cylindrical lens to limit the vertical viewing angle while increasing the horizontal viewing angle. The first lens 32 is long in the horizontal direction (or X-axis direction) and narrow in the vertical direction (Y-axis direction) of the display panel 100. The first lens 32 can converge the light from the first light-emitting element EL1 in the vertical direction and diffuse the light to a wide viewing angle in the horizontal direction, thereby allowing the light from the first light-emitting element EL1 to travel to a wide viewing angle in the horizontal direction. The second lens 34 can be a narrow-viewing-angle lens disposed above the second light-emitting element EL2. The second lens 34 overlaps with the light-emitting area of ​​the second light-emitting element EL2. The second lens 34 can be a hemispherical lens that is thicker in the center and thins towards the edges in the vertical and horizontal directions. The second lens 34 can converge the light from the second light-emitting element EL2, thereby allowing the light emitted from the second light-emitting element EL2 to travel to a narrow viewing angle in the vertical and horizontal directions.

[0089] In a vehicle, the first lens 32 and the second lens 34 can prevent or reduce the visibility of pixels due to light reflected from the vehicle's windshield by limiting the vertical viewing angle of the pixels. The first lens 32 and the second lens 34 can be implemented as, but are not limited to, a transparent medium or transparent insulating layer pattern disposed within the display panel 100.

[0090] The driving element DT generates current based on the gate-source voltage to drive the first light-emitting element EL1 and the second light-emitting element EL2. The driving element DT may include a source electrode to which a pixel driving voltage VDD is applied, a gate electrode to which a data voltage Vdata is applied, and a drain electrode connected to the source electrodes of the first switching element M01 and the second switching element M02. A compensation circuit 10 may be connected to (but is not limited to) the driving element DT. The compensation circuit 10 may use two or more switching elements (which are turned on / off according to the voltage of the scan signal SCAN) and capacitors to initialize the pixel circuit, sample the threshold voltage of the driving element DT, and apply a data voltage Vdata compensated by the threshold voltage to the gate electrode of the driving element DT.

[0091] A first switching element M01 is connected between a driving element DT and a first light-emitting element EL1, and is turned on in response to a gate on-voltage of a first viewing angle mode signal S. When the first switching element M01 is turned on, the driving element DT is electrically connected to the first light-emitting element EL1, allowing the first light-emitting element EL1 to emit light. The first switching element M01 includes a source electrode connected to the drain electrode of the driving element DT, a gate electrode to which the first viewing angle mode signal S is applied, and a drain electrode connected to the anode electrode of the first light-emitting element EL1. A second switching element M02 is connected between the driving element DT and the anode electrode of a second light-emitting element EL2, and is turned on in response to a gate on-voltage of a second viewing angle mode signal P. When the second switching element M02 is turned on, the driving element DT is electrically connected to the second light-emitting element EL2, allowing the second light-emitting element EL2 to emit light. The second switching element M02 includes a source electrode connected to the drain electrode of the driving element DT, a gate electrode to which the second viewing angle mode signal P is applied, and a drain electrode connected to the anode electrode of the second light-emitting element EL2. If the first switching element M01 and the second switching element M02 are driven as p-channel transistors, the gate on-voltage can be a low gate voltage and the gate off-voltage can be a high gate voltage.

[0092] The first-view mode signal S and the second-view mode signal P can be output from the mode selection circuit 20. The mode selection circuit 20 can be embedded or electrically connected to the pixel circuit PXL in each of the sub-pixels. The mode selection circuit 20 can control the viewing angle of each of the sub-pixels by outputting the first-view mode signal S and the second-view mode signal P under the control of the timing controller 130.

[0093] Figure 3 This is a diagram illustrating a touch and hover sensor and a sensor driver according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0094] Reference Figure 3The touch and hover sensor TS includes first sensor electrodes TE11 to TE1n connected to a first sensing line 1041, and second sensor electrodes TE21 to TE2m connected to a second sensing line 1042 intersecting the first sensing line 1041. The first sensing line 1041 may be a metal line in the X-axis direction. The second sensing line 1042 may be a metal line in the Y-axis direction.

[0095] The first sensor electrodes TE11 to TE1n and the second sensor electrodes TE21 to TE2m are arranged to be insulated from each other in the same plane of the insulating layer. The first sensor electrodes TE11 to TE1n and the second sensor electrodes TE21 to TE2m can be patterned into a grid to increase the transmittance of the pixels, but are not limited thereto. Sensor electrodes TE1 and TE2 can have a reduced width at the intersection between sensor electrodes TE1 and TE2. At the intersection of the first sensor electrodes TE11 to TE1n and the second sensor electrodes TE21 to TE2m, the first sensor electrodes TE11 to TE1n or the second sensor electrodes TE21 to TE2m can be connected by a bridge penetrating the insulating layer.

[0096] Each of the first sensing line 1041 and the second sensing line 1042 can be connected to the first driver 162 and the second driver 164 via a switching element in the switching circuit 30. Figure 3 The switching circuit connected to the first sensing line 1041 is omitted in the original text.

[0097] A self-capacitance Cs is formed between the first sensor electrodes TE11 to TE1n, which are arranged along the first sensing line 1041 and the conductive object. When the second driver 164 is connected to the first sensing line 1041 via a switching circuit, the self-capacitance Cs of the first sensor electrodes TE11 to TE1n can be charged by the second driver 164, so that the amount of charge or voltage change charged in the self-capacitance can be sensed on the first sensor electrodes TE11 to TE1n. Furthermore, a self-capacitance Cs is formed between the second sensor electrodes TE21 to TE2m, which are arranged along the second sensing line 1042 and the conductive object. When the second driver 164 is connected to the second sensing line 1042, the self-capacitance Cs of the second sensor electrodes TE21 to TE2m can be charged by the second driver 164, so that the amount of charge or voltage change charged in the self-capacitance Cs can be sensed on the second sensor electrodes TE21 to TE2m.

[0098] Mutual capacitance Cm is formed between adjacent first sensor electrodes TE11 to TE1n and second sensor electrodes TE21 to TE2m at the intersection point. When the first driver 162 is connected to the first sensing line 1041 via a switching circuit and the second driver 164 is connected to the second sensing line 1042 via a switching circuit, the amount of charge or voltage change charged in the mutual capacitance Cm can be sensed. Furthermore, when the first driver 162 is connected to the second sensing line 1042 via a switching circuit and the second driver 164 is connected to the first sensing line 1041 via a switching circuit, the amount of charge or voltage change charged in the mutual capacitance Cm can be sensed.

[0099] Under the control of sensor controller 170, the switching circuit selectively connects sensing lines 1041 and 1042 to the first driver 162 and the second driver 164. The switching circuit may include, but is not limited to, multiple switching elements ASW selectively connecting adjacent sensing lines 1041 and 1042 in parallel, and multiple switching elements BSW, CSW1, and CSW2 selectively connecting the first driver 162 and the second driver 164 corresponding to the respective sensing lines 1041 and 1042. (Refer to...) Figures 13 to 15B Describe the operation of the switching circuit in detail.

[0100] Figure 4 This is a diagram illustrating the enable signal of a touch and hover sensor according to one embodiment of the present disclosure.

[0101] Reference Figure 4 The sensor controller 170 can control the sensor driver 160 by providing the sensor driver 160 with a reference drive signal TPWM indicating the output of the drive signal, a hover enable signal HEN indicating hover sensing, and a user identification enable signal UEN indicating user identification. The timing controller 130 can provide the sensor controller 170 with a synchronization signal (e.g., but not limited to a vertical synchronization signal (Vsync)).

[0102] The sensor driver 160 can output a pulse of the drive signal TX in response to a pulse of the reference drive signal TPWM. The pulse of the drive signal TX is generated as a square wave, sine wave, or triangle wave and applied to the sensor electrodes TE1 and TE2. The capacitance of the touch and hover sensors is charged according to the pulse voltage of the drive signal TX. The voltage of the drive signal TX output from the sensor driver 160 can be variable (e.g., ΔV1, ΔV2, etc.), but is not limited thereto. Figure 4In this context, TDS1 is a drive signal with a relatively low voltage ΔV1, and TDS2 is a drive signal with a high voltage ΔV2. The frequency of the drive signal TX can also vary according to the sensing interval, but is not limited to this. The reference drive signal TPWM can be generated as a pulse width modulated signal and can include pulse timing, frequency, and voltage information of the drive signal TX.

[0103] Sensor controller 170 can identify hover input and a user by executing a hover sensing algorithm during hover sensing intervals and user identification intervals. Sensor controller 170 can output a hover enable signal HEN at an active level during the hover sensing interval and user identification interval, and an inactive level during other time periods. Sensor controller 170 can also output a user identification enable signal UEN at an active level during the user identification interval, and an active level during other time periods. The active level can be, but is not limited to, a high level (H) or '1', while the inactive level can be a low level (L) or '0'.

[0104] During the touch sensing interval, sensor driver 160 senses touch input at high resolution. For example, sensor driver 160 can sense the charge or voltage of capacitor Cm or Cs by applying a drive signal TX individually to sensing lines 1041 and 1042 while sensing lines 1041 and 1042 are separated during the touch sensing interval. During the touch sensing interval, both the hover enable signal HEN and the user identification enable signal UEN can be at an inactive level. In this case, when both the hover enable signal HEN and the user identification enable signal UEN are at an inactive level, sensor driver 160 can operate using touch sensing methods.

[0105] During the hover sensing interval, the sensor driver 160 senses hover input at a relatively high resolution by sensing a conductive object approaching above the touchscreen in a non-contact state. In this case, to locate a higher field on sensor electrodes TE1 and TE2, the switching circuit 30 is used to connect adjacent sensing lines 1041 and 1042 in i (i is an integer of 2 or greater) lines to sense the charge or voltage of capacitors Cm and Cs. During the hover sensing interval, the hover input resolution may be lower than the touch input resolution because the sensing lines are connected. During the hover sensing interval, the hover enable signal HEN may be generated at an active level, and the user identification enable signal UEN may be at an inactive level. In this case, the sensor driver 160 can operate using the hover sensing method when the hover enable signal HEN is generated at an active level and the user identification enable signal UEN is at an inactive level.

[0106] During the user identification interval, sensor driver 160 senses a conductive object (such as a user's finger) approaching the touchscreen in a non-contact state to identify a user attempting touch or hover input. In this case, to locate a higher field on sensor electrodes TE1 and TE2, adjacent sensing lines 1041 and 1042 can be connected by j (j is an integer greater than i) lines via a switching circuit, and a drive signal TX can then be applied to the connected sensing lines 1041 and 1042 to sense the charge or voltage of capacitors Cm and Cs. Because more sensing lines are connected during the user identification interval than during the hover sensing interval, the hover input resolution during the user identification interval can be lower than the touch input resolution during the hover sensing interval.

[0107] During the user identification interval, since it is sufficient to identify users attempting touch or hover input, more sensing lines 1041 and 1042 are connected compared to the hover sensing interval, resulting in a higher field of view. During the user identification interval, both the hover enable signal HEN and the user identification enable signal UEN can be at active levels. In this case, when both HEN and UEN are active, the sensor driver 160 identifies users attempting touch or hover input using the hover sensing method.

[0108] During the touch sensing interval, sensor controller 170 analyzes the raw data received from sensor driver 160 using a touch sensing algorithm and sends a sensor signal DXYZ, including information about the touch input position (coordinate values), to host system 200. During the hover sensing interval, sensor controller 170 analyzes the raw data received from sensor driver 160 using a hover sensing algorithm and sends a sensor signal DXYZ, including information about the hover input position (coordinate values), to host system 200.

[0109] During the user identification interval, sensor controller 170 analyzes the raw data input from sensor driver 160 using a hover sensing algorithm and sends a sensor signal DXYZ, including a user identification code, to host system 200, indicating that the user is attempting touch or hover input. During the user identification interval, the sensor signal DXYZ output from sensor controller 170 may include only the user identification code even without location information from touch or hover input.

[0110] The sensor driver 160 may increase the voltage of the drive signal TX and / or increase the frequency of the drive signal TX to locate a higher field on the touchscreen during at least one of the hover sensing interval and the user recognition interval, but is not limited thereto.

[0111] Figure 5A and Figure 5B This is a diagram illustrating touch and hover sensing methods using mutual capacitance. Figure 6A and Figure 6B This is a diagram illustrating a touch and hover sensing method using self-capacitance connected to a second sensor electrode. Figure 7A and Figure 7B This is a diagram illustrating a touch and hover sensing method using self-capacitance connected to the first sensor electrode. Figure 5B , Figure 6B and Figure 7B In this context, "CAMP" refers to the amplifier for the second driver. The amplifier includes an operational amplifier OAMP, a feedback capacitor Cfb connected in parallel between the inverting input (-) and output terminals of the operational amplifier OAMP, and a reset switch RST. A reference voltage Vref or a pulse of the drive signal TX can be applied to the non-inverting input terminal (+) of the operational amplifier OAMP.

[0112] Reference Figure 5A and Figure 5B When the first driver is connected to the first sensor electrodes TE11 to TE1n to apply a pulse of the drive signal TX to the first sensor electrodes TE11 to TE1n, and when the second driver is connected to the second sensor electrodes TE21 to TE2m, a mutual capacitance Cm is formed between the first sensor electrodes TE11 to TE1n and the second sensor electrodes TE21 to TE2m. In this configuration, the mutual capacitance is connected to the inverting input terminal (-) of the operational amplifier OAMP, and the reference voltage Vref is applied to the non-inverting input terminal (+) of the operational amplifier OAMP.

[0113] Whenever a pulse of the drive signal TX is applied to the mutual capacitance Cm, Cm is charged, and the charge in Cm accumulates in the feedback capacitor Cfb of the amplifier CAMP, generating the output voltage VOUT from the amplifier CAMP. The amount of charge in the mutual capacitance Cm varies depending on the capacitance of the conductive object connected to Cm, resulting in a variation in the amount of charge in Cm between touch and hover inputs. Therefore, the output voltage VOUT of the amplifier CAMP varies before and after touch and hover inputs. The output voltage VOUT of the amplifier CAMP is converted into digital data by the analog-to-digital converter ADC and output as raw data.

[0114] Reference Figure 6A and Figure 6BWhen a pulse of the drive signal TX is applied to the amplifier CAMP connected to the second sensing line 1042 as it moves from the left to the right side of the touchscreen, the self-capacitance can be scanned while sequentially scanning the touchscreen from top to bottom. In this case, although the second sensor electrodes TE21 to TE2m are floating without being connected to the first and second drivers, a pulse of the drive signal TX can be applied to the non-inverting input terminal (+) of the operational amplifier OAMP connected to the second sensor electrodes TE21 to TE2m. The self-capacitance Cs connected to the second sensor electrodes TE21 to TE2m can be charged by the pulse of the drive signal TX applied to the non-inverting input terminal (+) of the amplifier OAMP. The charge of the self-capacitance Cs accumulates in the feedback capacitor Cfb of the amplifier CAMP, resulting in the output voltage VOUT of the amplifier CAMP. The output voltage VOUT of the amplifier CAMP varies before and after touch and hover inputs and is converted into digital data by the ADC and output as raw data.

[0115] Reference Figure 7A and Figure 7B When a pulse of the drive signal TX is applied to the amplifier CAMP connected to the first sensing line 1041 as it moves from the top to the bottom of the touchscreen, the self-capacitance can be scanned while sequentially scanning the touchscreen from top to bottom. In this case, although the second sensor electrodes TE21 to TE2m are floating without being connected to the first and second drivers, the pulse of the drive signal TX can be applied to the non-inverting input terminal (+) of the operational amplifier OAMP connected to the first sensor electrodes TE11 to TE1n. When the pulse of the drive signal TX is applied to the non-inverting input terminal (+) of the amplifier OAMP, the self-capacitance Cs connected to the first sensor electrodes TE11 to TE1n can be charged. The charge in the self-capacitance Cs accumulates in the feedback capacitor Cfb of the amplifier CAMP, resulting in the output voltage VOUT of the amplifier CAMP. The amount of charge in the self-capacitance Cs varies depending on the capacitance of the conductive object connected to the self-capacitance Cs, and therefore, the amount of charge in the self-capacitance Cs varies due to touch and hover input charges. Therefore, the output voltage VOUT of the amplifier CAMP varies before and after touch and hover inputs. The output voltage VOUT of the amplifier CAMP is converted into digital data by the analog-to-digital converter ADC and output as raw data.

[0116] Touch sensing methods and hover sensing methods can be appropriately utilized Figure 5A and Figure 5B The mutual capacitance sensing method shown and Figures 6A to 7B The self-capacitance sensing method shown.

[0117] Figure 8This is a waveform diagram illustrating a touch display device and its driving method according to one embodiment of the present disclosure. Figure 8 In this context, "Vsync" refers to the vertical synchronization signal.

[0118] Reference Figure 8 A frame period (1FR) can be divided into display interval TD, touch sensing interval TC, hover sensing interval TH, and user recognition interval TU.

[0119] During the display interval TD, pixel data of the input image is written to the pixels to drive them. The image is then displayed in the pixels. The touch and hover sensors TS are not driven during the display interval TD.

[0120] The touch and hover sensor TS is driven during the touch sensing interval TC, hover sensing interval TH, and user recognition interval TU. During these intervals, no new pixel data is written to the pixel, but the pixel can maintain the brightness of the light-emitting element where the data voltage was previously charged into the storage capacitor. The touch and hover sensor TS can be driven using either mutual capacitance sensing or self-capacitance sensing methods during these intervals.

[0121] The pulses of the reference drive signal TPWM can be input to the sensor driver 160 during the touch sensing interval TC, hover sensing interval TH, and user recognition interval TU, so that pulses of the drive signal TX are applied to the touch and hover sensors TS. One or more of the pulse voltage and frequency of the drive signal TX can be set differently for each interval. As an example, the voltage of the drive signal TX generated during the hover sensing interval TH can be higher than the voltage of the drive signal TX generated during the touch sensing interval TC and user recognition interval TU, but is not limited thereto. The frequency of the drive signal TX generated during the user recognition interval TU can be higher than the frequency of the drive signal TX generated during the touch sensing interval TC and hover sensing interval TH, but is not limited thereto.

[0122] The hover enable signal HEN can be at an inactive level (L) during the display interval TD and touch sensing interval TC, and at an active level (H) during the hover sensing interval TH and user identification interval TU. The user identification enable signal UEN can be at an inactive level (L) during the display interval TD, touch sensing interval TC, and hover sensing interval TH, and at an active level (H) during the user identification interval TU.

[0123] During the touch sensing interval TC, such as Figure 9 As shown, it can sense touch input made on the touchscreen. Figure 9Examples include, but are not limited to, sensing touch input by applying a pulse of the drive signal TX to the first sensor electrodes TE11 to TE1n and sensing the amount of charge or voltage change in the mutual capacitance through the second sensor electrodes TE21 to TE2m. During the touch sensing interval TC, such as... Figures 6A to 7B As shown, touch input can be sensed by sensing the self-capacitance connected to the first sensor electrodes TE11 to TE1n or the self-capacitance connected to the second sensor electrodes TE21 to TE2m via the sensing method described above. Figure 9 In the attached diagram, the reference numerals "TE1 / TE2" indicate the sensor electrodes for sensing touch input.

[0124] During the hover sensing interval TH, such as Figure 10 As shown, hover input in a non-contact state can be sensed above the touchscreen. Figure 10 Examples include, but are not limited to, sensing the hover input by connecting the first sensor electrodes TE11 to TE1n such that a pulse of the drive signal TX is simultaneously applied to them, and sensing changes in the charge or voltage of the mutual capacitance by connecting the second sensor electrodes TE21 to TE2m. During the hover sensing interval TH, such as Figures 6A to 7B As shown, touch input can be sensed by sensing the self-capacitance connected to the first sensor electrodes TE11 to TE1n or the self-capacitance connected to the second sensor electrodes TE21 to Te2m via the above-described sensing method. Figure 10 In the attached diagram, the reference numerals "TE1 / TE2" indicate the sensor electrodes for sensing touch input.

[0125] During the user identification interval TU, such as Figure 11 As shown, hover sensing can be used to detect users approaching the top of the touchscreen in a non-contact state. For example, in Figure 11 In the example, in addition to the second sensing lines at the left and right ends, the second sensing lines are connected so that the pulse of the drive signal TX is applied to them simultaneously, and by sensing the change in charge or voltage in the mutual capacitance connected to the first sensor electrodes TE11 to TE1n at both ends of the first sensing lines, the user attempting to perform touch or hover input on the touchscreen can be identified in the left-right direction. In this case, the field affecting the mutual capacitance can be formed as high between the left and right sides of the touchscreen.

[0126] Then, the first sensing lines, except for the first sensing lines at the upper and lower ends, are connected so that the pulse of the drive signal TX is applied to them simultaneously, and by using the first sensing lines at the upper and lower ends to sense the amount of charge or voltage change in the mutual capacitance connected to the first sensor electrodes TE11 to TE1n, the user attempting to make touch or hover input in the upper and lower directions is identified.

[0127] If a user attempting touch or hover input is identified during the user identification interval, the host system 200 can launch the associated application or establish or change control over touch and hover input. For example, Figure 12 As shown, the host system 200 can allow touch and hover input on the in-vehicle display device only for the driver, and restrict touch and hover input for passengers in the passenger seat. In another embodiment, when the vehicle is being driven, the host system 200 can allow the driver and passengers different screen touch and hover input controls on the in-vehicle display device for driving safety. For example, the driver can restrict touch input on the passenger-side screen controlled with a narrow viewing angle while allowing touch input on the navigation screen or dashboard screen.

[0128] Figure 13 Examples Figure 9 A circuit diagram illustrating an example of the connection relationship between the sensor electrodes and the driver in the mutual capacitance sensing method shown. Figure 14 Examples Figure 10 A circuit diagram illustrating an example of the connection relationship between the sensor electrode and the driver in a self-capacitance sensing method. Figure 15A and Figure 15B Examples Figure 11 A circuit diagram illustrating an example of the connection relationship between the sensor electrode and the driver in a self-capacitance sensing method.

[0129] Now refer to Figures 13 to 15B The switching circuit 30 includes first switching elements SW1A and SW1B that connect the first driver 162 to one of the first sensor electrodes TE11 to TE1n and the second sensor electrodes TE21 to TE2m; second switching elements SW2A and SW2B and third switching elements SW3A and SW3B that connect the second driver 164 to one of the first sensor electrodes TE11 to TE1n and the second sensor electrodes TE21 to TE2m; and a fourth switching element SW4A that connects adjacent sensing lines. Switching elements SW1A to SW4A can be switched on / off under the control of the sensor controller 170.

[0130] Reference Figure 3 , Figure 9 and Figure 13First switching elements SW1A and SW1B connect first sensor electrodes TE11 and TE12 to a first driver 162 to transmit pulses of the drive signal TX to the first sensor electrodes TE11 and TE12. Second switching elements SW2A and SW2B and third switching elements SW3A and SW3B connect second sensor electrodes TE21 and TE22 to a second driver 164. A fourth switching element SW4A is turned off to electrically disconnect adjacent second sensing lines 1042. In this configuration, the charge or voltage of the mutual capacitance Cm can be sensed through each modulation in the second sensing lines 1042.

[0131] Reference Figure 3 , Figure 10 and Figure 14 First switching elements SW1A and SW1B connect first sensor electrodes TE11 and TE12 to the first driver 162 to transmit pulses of the drive signal TX to the first sensor electrodes TE11 and TE12n. To connect the RX channel, second switching elements SW2A and SW2B connect second sensor electrodes TE21 and TE22n to their corresponding third switching elements SW3A and SW3B, and a fourth switching element SW4A is turned on to connect the adjacent second sensing line 1042. In this configuration, the second sensing lines 1042 are connected via i lines, thereby allowing the second driver 164 of the selected RX channel to sense the charge or voltage of the mutual capacitance Cm.

[0132] Reference Figure 15A The left-side sensing circuit can be connected to Figure 11 The sensing circuit in the first longitudinal channel of the leftmost second-first sensor electrode TE21 in the upper part, and the right-side sensing circuit may be the sensing circuit in the second longitudinal channel of the second-second sensor electrode TE22 adjacent to the leftmost second-first sensor electrode TE21.

[0133] The first switching element SW1A is off and in a floating state. The second and third switching elements SW2A and SW3A connect the second sensor electrode TE21 to the second driver 164, such that the first longitudinal channel is used as an RX sensing channel for sensing the charge or voltage of mutual capacitance. The first switching element SW1B connects the first driver 162 to the second sensor electrode TE22, such that the second longitudinal channel is used as a TX driving channel. In this configuration, the second and third switching elements SW3B and the fourth switching element SW4A are off.

[0134] Reference Figure 15B The left-side sensing circuit can be connected to Figure 11The sensor circuit in the first lateral channel of the uppermost first-first sensor electrode TE11 in the lower part of the component, and the right-side sensing circuit may be the sensor circuit connected to the second lateral channel of the uppermost first-second sensor electrode TE12 adjacent to the uppermost first-first sensor electrode TE11.

[0135] The first switching element SW1A is turned off and in a floating state. The second and third switching elements SW2A and SW3A connect the first sensor electrode TE11 to the second driver 164, such that the first lateral channel is used as an RX sensing channel for sensing the charge or voltage of mutual capacitance. The first switching element SW1B connects the first driver 162 to the first sensor electrode TE12, such that the second lateral channel is used as a TX driving channel. In this case, the second and third switching elements SW2B and the fourth switching element SW4A are in the off state.

[0136] Figures 16 to 20 This is a waveform diagram illustrating a touch display device and its driving method according to another embodiment of the present disclosure. In these embodiments, the components related to... Figure 8 The foregoing description of the implementation method is repeated.

[0137] Reference Figure 16 The (N)th frame time interval FR(N) (where N is a positive integer) can be divided into a display interval TD, a touch sensing interval TC, and a user recognition interval TU. The (N+1)th frame time interval FR(N+1) can be divided into a display interval TD, a hover sensing interval TH, and a user recognition interval TU. In this embodiment, since the touch sensing interval TC and the hover sensing interval TH are separated for each frame to further ensure each sensing time, the sensing sensitivity of touch input and hover input can be improved.

[0138] During the display interval TD, pixel data of the input image is written to the pixels to drive them. The image is then displayed in the pixels. The touch and hover sensors TS are not driven during the display interval TD.

[0139] The touch and hover sensor TS is driven during the touch sensing interval TC, hover sensing interval TH, and user recognition interval TU. During the touch sensing interval TC, hover sensing interval TH, and user recognition interval TU, no new pixel data is written to the pixel, but the pixel can maintain the brightness of the light-emitting element in which the data voltage was previously charged into the storage capacitor.

[0140] The pulses of the reference drive signal TPWM can be input to the sensor driver 160 during the touch sensing interval TC, hover sensing interval TH, and user recognition interval TU to apply the pulses of the drive signal TX to the touch and hover sensors TS. One or more of the pulse voltage and frequency of the drive signal TX can be set differently for each interval.

[0141] The hover enable signal HEN can be at an inactive level (L) during the display interval TD and touch sensing interval TC, and at an active level (H) during the hover sensing interval TH and user identification interval TU. The user identification enable signal UEN can be at an inactive level (L) during the display interval TD, touch sensing interval TC, and hover sensing interval TH, and at an active level (H) during the user identification interval TU.

[0142] During the touch sensing interval TC, touch input on the touchscreen can be sensed. During the hover sensing interval TH, hover input in a non-contact state can be sensed above the touchscreen. During the user recognition interval TU, a user approaching above the touchscreen in a non-contact state can be sensed using hover sensing methods.

[0143] Figures 17 to 20 An implementation in which display driving and touch and hover sensing are processed in parallel is illustrated, and touch and hover sensors are driven while driving pixels.

[0144] Reference Figure 17 A frame period (1FR) can be divided into a display and touch sensing interval TC, a display and hover sensing interval TH, and a display and user recognition interval TU. In this embodiment, since display driving and touch sensing are performed simultaneously, and display driving and hover sensing are performed simultaneously, the data voltage charging time of the pixels and the touch and hover sensing times can be sufficiently ensured. Furthermore, display driving and user recognition can be performed simultaneously. Therefore, this embodiment can improve the pixel charging rate and the sensitivity of touch and hover sensing.

[0145] Reference Figure 18 The time interval FR(N) of frame (N) can be divided into the display and touch sensing interval TC and the display and user recognition interval TU. The time interval FR(N+1) of frame (N+1) can be divided into the display and hover sensing interval TH and the display and user recognition interval TU. Figure 18In this embodiment, because there is no pixel data and the touch and hover sensors TS are not driven, "VB" is the vertical blanking period during which pixels are not driven. In this embodiment, since display driving and touch sensing are performed simultaneously, and display driving and hover sensing are performed simultaneously, the pixel data voltage charging time and the touch and hover sensing times can be sufficiently ensured. Furthermore, display driving and user recognition can be performed simultaneously. Therefore, this embodiment can improve the pixel charging rate and the sensitivity of touch and hover sensing.

[0146] exist Figure 17 and Figure 18 During the display and touch sensing interval TC, pixel data DATA of the input image is written to the pixels to drive them, and the touch and hover sensors TS are activated to sense touch input on the touchscreen. During the display and hover sensing interval TH, pixel data of the input image is written to the pixels to drive them, and simultaneously, hover input in a non-contact state can be sensed above the touchscreen. During the display and user recognition interval TU, pixel data of the input image is written to the pixels to drive them, and a user approaching the touchscreen in a non-contact state can be sensed using the hover sensing method.

[0147] Reference Figure 19 The (N)th frame time interval FR(N) can be divided into a display and touch sensing interval TC and a user recognition interval TU. The (N+1)th frame time interval FR(N+1) can be divided into a display and hover sensing interval TH and a user recognition interval TU. In this embodiment, since display driving and touch sensing are performed simultaneously, and display driving and hover sensing are performed simultaneously, the data voltage charging time of the pixel and the touch sensing and hover sensing time can be sufficiently ensured. Therefore, this embodiment can improve the pixel charging rate and the sensitivity of touch and hover sensing.

[0148] Reference Figure 20 The (N)th frame time period FR(N) can be divided into a display and touch sensing interval TC and a user recognition interval TU. The (N+1)th frame time period FR(N+1) can be divided into a display and hover sensing interval TH and a user recognition interval TU. In this embodiment, because display driving and touch sensing are performed simultaneously during the effective period of driving pixels in each frame time period, and display driving and hover sensing are performed simultaneously, the user can be recognized by hover sensing during the extended vertical blanking period VB. Therefore, sufficient data voltage charging time for pixels can be ensured, and touch sensing and hover sensing are performed in each frame time period to improve the touch and hover reporting rate, thereby improving the sensing sensitivity of each of the touch input and hover input.

[0149] exist Figure 19 and Figure 20 In the illustrated implementation, a user identification interval TU is set within an extended vertical blanking period VB in each frame time interval FR(N) and FR(N+1). Since there is no pixel data during the extended vertical blanking period VB, pixels are not driven, and users attempting touch and hover input can be identified during the vertical blanking period VB using a hover sensing method.

[0150] According to one or more embodiments of this disclosure, the display device can be applied to mobile devices, video phones, smartwatches, watch phones, wearable devices, foldable devices, rollable devices, bendable devices, flexible devices, bending devices, sliding devices, variable devices, electronic magazines, e-books, portable multimedia players (PMPs), personal digital assistants (PDAs), MP3 players, mobile medical devices, desktop PCs, laptop PCs, netbooks, workstations, navigation systems, vehicle navigation systems, vehicle display devices, vehicle devices, theater devices, theater display devices, televisions, wallpaper devices, signage devices, gaming devices, laptop computers, monitors, cameras, portable video cameras, and home appliances, etc. Furthermore, the display device according to one or more embodiments of this disclosure can be applied to organic light-emitting devices or inorganic light-emitting devices.

[0151] The object to be achieved by this disclosure, the means for achieving the object, and the aforementioned effects of this disclosure do not specify the essential features of the claims, and therefore the scope of the claims is not limited to the disclosure of this disclosure.

[0152] Although embodiments of the present disclosure have been described in more detail with reference to the accompanying drawings, the present disclosure is not limited thereto and may be implemented in many different forms without departing from the technical concept of the present disclosure. Therefore, the embodiments disclosed herein are provided for illustrative purposes only and are not intended to limit the technical concept of the present disclosure. The scope of the technical concept of the present disclosure is not limited thereto. Therefore, it should be understood that the above embodiments are illustrative in all respects and do not limit the present disclosure.

[0153] Cross-references to related applications

[0154] This application claims priority and benefit to Korean Patent Application No. 10-2024-0155099, filed on November 5, 2024, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference in its entirety.

Claims

1. A touch display device, the touch display device comprising: Pixels, which are configured to display an input image; A pixel driving circuit, configured to write pixel data of the input image into the pixel; Touch and hover sensors, the touch and hover sensors being configured to sense touch input and hover input; as well as A sensor driving circuit, configured to drive the touch and hover sensors, The sensor driving circuit is configured to connect to the sensing lines of the touch and hover sensors to sense the hover input and identify the user.

2. The touch display device according to claim 1, wherein, The touch and hover sensors include: A plurality of first sensor electrodes, said plurality of first sensor electrodes being connected to a plurality of first sensing lines parallel to each other; and A plurality of second sensor electrodes are connected to a plurality of second sensing lines, the plurality of second sensing lines intersecting the first sensing line and being parallel to each other. The sensor driving circuit includes: A sensor driver configured to apply a drive signal to the capacitance of the touch and hover sensors, and the sensor driver configured to sense a change in charge or voltage of the capacitance; and A sensor controller configured to control the sensor driver.

3. The touch display device according to claim 2, wherein, The sensor controller is configured to provide the sensor driver with a reference drive signal that instructs the sensor driver to output the drive signal, a hover enable signal that instructs hover sensing, and a user identification enable signal that instructs user identification through the hover sensing.

4. The touch display device according to claim 3, wherein, The sensor driver is configured to output a pulse of the drive signal in response to the reference drive signal, and the sensor driver is configured to change at least one of the voltage and frequency of the drive signal.

5. The touch display device according to claim 2, wherein, The sensor driver includes: A first driver, configured to apply the drive signal to the sensing line; A second driver, the second driver including an amplifier, a predetermined reference voltage or the drive signal being applied to the non-inverting terminal of the amplifier; and A switching circuit configured to connect the inverting terminals of the first driver and the amplifier to a corresponding first sensing line or a corresponding second sensing line.

6. The touch display device according to claim 3, wherein, The pixels are driven during the display interval; The touch and hover sensors are activated during the touch sensing interval, hover sensing interval, and user recognition interval; The sensing lines are connected in a predetermined number during the hover sensing interval; and A greater number of the sensing lines are connected and identified during the user identification interval compared to the hover sensing interval.

7. The touch display device according to claim 6, wherein, During the hover sensing interval and the user identification interval, the voltage charged in the capacitors of the touch and hover sensors is sensed by hover sensing.

8. The touch display device according to claim 6, wherein, The resolution of the hover input sensed during the hover sensing interval is lower than the resolution of the touch input sensed during the touch sensing interval.

9. The touch display device according to claim 8, wherein, The resolution of the hover input sensed during the user identification interval is lower than the resolution of the hover input sensed during the hover sensing interval.

10. The touch display device according to claim 6, wherein, A frame time period of the touch display device includes the display interval, the touch sensing interval, the hover sensing interval, and the user recognition interval.

11. The touch display device according to claim 6, wherein, The Nth frame time period of the touch display device includes the display interval, the touch sensing interval, and the user identification interval, where N is a positive integer, and The N+1th frame time period includes the display interval, the hover sensing interval, and the user identification interval.

12. The touch display device according to claim 6, wherein, The touch and hover sensors are driven simultaneously with the pixels.

13. The touch display device according to claim 6, wherein, The Nth frame time period of the touch display device includes a touch sensing interval and a user recognition interval. The pixels and the touch and hover sensors are simultaneously driven during the touch sensing interval, and simultaneously driven during the user recognition interval, where N is a positive integer. The N+1 frame time period includes a hover sensing interval and a user recognition interval. The pixel and the touch and hover sensors are simultaneously driven during the hover sensing interval and during the user recognition interval.

14. The touch display device according to claim 13, wherein, A vertical blanking period is set between the Nth frame period and the N+1th frame period, during which the pixel and the touch and hover sensor are not driven.

15. The touch display device according to claim 13, wherein, During each of the Nth frame time period and the N+1th frame time period, the user identification interval is set to be identified during the vertical blanking period when no pixels are driven.

16. The touch display device according to claim 6, wherein, A frame period of the touch display device includes a touch sensing interval, a hover sensing interval, and a user recognition interval. The pixel and the touch and hover sensors are driven simultaneously during the touch sensing interval, the pixel and the touch and hover sensors are driven simultaneously during the hover sensing interval, and the pixel and the touch and hover sensors are driven simultaneously during the user recognition interval.

17. The touch display device according to claim 13, wherein, The user identification interval is set during the vertical blanking period, during which no pixels are driven.

18. A method for driving a touch display device, the method comprising the following steps: Drive pixels to display the input image; Drive touch and hover sensors to sense touch input in a contact state on the touchscreen; Drive the touch and hover sensors to sense hover input in a non-contact state above the touchscreen; as well as The touch and hover sensors are driven to identify users attempting to touch and hover over the touchscreen in a non-contact state.

19. The method according to claim 18, wherein, The voltage charged in the capacitors of the touch and hover sensors is sensed by hover sensing during the hover sensing interval and the user recognition interval.

20. The method according to claim 19, wherein, The resolution of hover input sensed during the hover sensing interval is lower than the resolution of touch input sensed during the touch sensing interval, and The resolution of the hover input sensed during the user identification interval is lower than the resolution of the hover input sensed during the hover sensing interval.

Images