OLED Touch Panel Time-Sharing Driving for Thinner Displays
Find Innovative SolutionsGenerate Solutions
Solution Overview
Problem
Conventional AMOLED embedding schemes are limited to glass-type encapsulation and cannot be applied with thin film encapsulation, and there is a need for an integrated method for integrating OLED devices with touch sensors.
Innovation Solution
An OLED touch panel is designed with a substrate, cathode, and anode layers where the cathode comprises sub-cathodes and at least one touch driving electrode, allowing for time-shared driving signals to enable both display and touch sensing operations without affecting display resolution or luminance, and can be applied to both rigid and flexible OLED devices.
Engineering Contradictions & Design Principles
Engineering Contradiction Analysis
1Length of moving object
If the conventional AMOLED embedding scheme installs a sensor below an encapsulating substrate, then the embedded touch device can be made thinner, but it is limited to glass-type encapsulation and cannot be applied with thin film encapsulation
Solution Approach 1:
The patent merges the touch sensor electrodes with the OLED device electrodes by making the anode of the OLED device serve as the driving electrode of the touch sensor, and the cathode serve as the sensing electrode. This integration eliminates the need for separate sensor layers and allows compatibility with both glass-type and thin film encapsulation methods, resolving the contradiction between thickness reduction and adaptability.
Solution Approach 2:
The patent makes the OLED device electrodes serve dual functions: the anode acts as both the OLED anode and the touch sensor driving electrode, while the cathode acts as both the OLED cathode and the touch sensor sensing electrode. This multi-functionality enables the same structure to work with different encapsulation types (glass and thin film), achieving universality while maintaining thin profile.
2Device complexity
If the touch sensor is integrated with the OLED device, then the embedded touch device becomes thinner and gets rid of encapsulation limitations, but the manufacturing process becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent combines the manufacturing processes of OLED devices and touch sensors into a single integrated process. By forming touch sensor electrodes simultaneously with OLED electrodes using the same material layers and patterning steps, the patent reduces overall manufacturing complexity despite the functional integration, as separate processing lines are eliminated.
3Ease of operation
If time-shared driving signals are used for both display and touch sensing operations, then both functions can be achieved with integrated electrodes, but the driving control becomes more complex
Solution Approach 1:
The patent employs periodic time-shared driving signals where the anode is alternately driven with display signals and touch sensing signals in different time periods. During display periods, the anode receives display driving signals; during touch sensing periods, it receives touch driving signals. This periodic switching enables dual functionality while using a relatively simple control mechanism compared to simultaneous multi-signal handling.
Data Source
AI summary
The present disclosure provides an OLED touch panel, comprising: a substrate; a cathode and an anode, arranged on the substrate, wherein the cathode comprise a plurality of sub-cathodes; and at least one touch driving electrode, arranged on a same layer as the anode and separated from the anode, wherein the touch driving electrode is disposed to be intersected with the sub-cathodes; wherein the OLED touch panel is configured to, at a displaying phase, apply a driving signal for displaying on the cathode or the anode, so as to drive an OLED device, and applying, at a touching phase, a driving signal for touching on the touch driving electrode, so that at least a part of the sub-cathodes are operated as touch sensing electrodes, to output a touch sensing signal. The present disclosure also provides a display apparatus comprising the above OLED touch panel and a method for driving the same. The present disclosure uses the anode and cathode layer of the OLED device as an electrode layer of the touch sensor. Thus, by performing the touching and displaying of the touch display in a time sharing manner, the electrode layer can be omitted, and the thinner touch display can be manufactured.