Display device and operation method thereof

Patent metadata

Field	Value
Publication number	US-10656799-B2
Application number	US-201514700663-A
Country	US
Kind code	B2
Filing date	Apr 30, 2015
Priority date	May 2, 2014
Publication date	May 19, 2020
Grant date	May 19, 2020

Abstract

To provide a display device having an input means using a bending action. A display device includes a first substrate, a second substrate, a display part, a first sensor element, and a second sensor element. The display part is provided between the first substrate and the second substrate. The first sensor element and the second sensor element are provided in their respective regions overlapping with the display part between the first substrate and the second substrate. The region where the second sensor element is provided overlaps with the region where the first sensor element is provided. The first substrate and the second substrate have flexibility. The first sensor element has a function of detecting the presence or absence of an object touching the first substrate or the second substrate. The second sensor element has a function of detecting the distortion of the first substrate or the second substrate.

First claim

What is claimed is:

1. A display device comprising:
a first substrate and a second substrate;
a third substrate and a fourth substrate between the first substrate and the second substrate, wherein the third substrate and the fourth substrate are provided side-by-side to each other and do not overlap with each other;
a first element layer between the first substrate and the second substrate, the first element layer including a display part and a first sensor element part overlapping with the display part, wherein a top surface shape of the display part is rectangular having at least a first side and a second side facing the first side when seen from above; and
a second element layer between the first substrate and the second substrate, the second element layer including second sensor element parts, third sensor element parts, and fourth sensor element parts, wherein the first element layer and the second element layer overlap with each other,
wherein the second sensor element parts overlap with a first region of the display part along the first side of the display part,
wherein the third sensor element parts overlap with a second region of the display part along the second side of the display part,
wherein the fourth sensor element parts overlap with a third region located intermediate between the first side and the second side of the display part,
wherein the first sensor element part is configured to detect a presence or an absence of an object touching the first substrate or the second substrate,
wherein the second sensor element parts, the third sensor element parts, and the fourth sensor element parts are each configured to detect a distortion of at least one of the first substrate and the second substrate, and
wherein each of the first substrate and the second substrate is more flexible than the third substrate and the fourth substrate.

2. The display device according to claim 1 , further comprising an insulating layer between the first element layer and the second element layer.

3. The display device according to claim 1 , wherein the first sensor element part includes one of a capacitive touch sensor, an optical touch sensor, and a pressure-sensitive touch sensor.

4. The display device according to claim 1 , wherein the display part includes an organic EL element.

5. A display module comprising:
the display device according to claim 1 ; and
at least one of a printed circuit and a frame.

6. An electronic appliance comprising:
the display device according to claim 1 ; and
at least one of a speaker and a camera.

7. The display device according to claim 1 , wherein each of the second sensor element parts, the third sensor element parts, and the fourth sensor element parts includes a distortion sensor comprising one of a metal thin film resistor and a piezoelectric element.

8. The display device according to claim 1 , wherein the display part is capable of being bent at the third region.

9. The display device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the third substrate is overlapped with the second sensor element parts and the fourth sensor element parts, and
wherein the fourth substrate is overlapped with the third sensor element parts and the fourth sensor element parts.

10. The display device according to claim 9 , wherein the display part is capable of being bent along a region between the third substrate and the fourth substrate.

11. A display device comprising:
a first substrate and a second substrate;
a third substrate and a fourth substrate between the first substrate and the second substrate, wherein the third substrate and the fourth substrate are provided side-by-side to each other and do not overlap with each other;
a first element layer between the first substrate and the second substrate and overlapping with the third substrate and the fourth substrate, the first element layer including a display part and a first sensor element part overlapping with the display part, wherein a top surface shape of the display part is rectangular having at least a first side and a second side facing the first side when seen from above; and
a second element layer between the first substrate and the second substrate and overlapping with the third substrate and the fourth substrate, the second element layer including second sensor element parts, third sensor element parts, and fourth sensor element parts, wherein the first element layer and the second element layer overlap with each other,
wherein a first one of the second sensor element parts overlap with a first region of the display part along the first side of the display part,
wherein the third sensor element parts overlap with a second region of the display part along the second side of the display part,
wherein the fourth sensor element parts overlap with a third region located intermediate between the first side and the second side of the display part,
wherein the fourth sensor element parts overlap with the third substrate and the fourth substrate,
wherein the first sensor element part is configured to detect a presence or an absence of an object touching the first substrate or the second substrate,
wherein the second sensor element parts, the third sensor element parts, and the fourth sensor element parts are each configured to detect a distortion of the first substrate or the second substrate, and
wherein each of the first substrate and the second substrate is more flexible than the third substrate and the fourth substrate.

12. The display device according to claim 11 , wherein the display part is capable of being bent along a region between the third substrate and the fourth substrate.

13. The display device according to claim 11 , further comprising an insulating layer between the first element layer and the second element layer.

14. The display device according to claim 11 , wherein the first sensor element part includes one of a capacitive touch sensor, an optical touch sensor, and a pressure-sensitive touch sensor.

15. The display device according to claim 11 , wherein the display part includes an organic EL element.

16. A display module comprising:
the display device according to claim 11 ; and
at least one of a printed circuit and a frame.

17. An electronic appliance comprising:
the display device according to claim 11 ; and
at least one of a speaker and a camera.

18. The display device according to claim 11 , wherein each of the second sensor element parts, the third sensor element parts, and the fourth sensor element parts includes a distortion sensor comprising one of a resistor and a piezoelectric element.

Assignees

• Semiconductor Energy Lab

Inventors

• Takesue Norifumi

Classifications

• G06F1/1626

  with a single-body enclosure integrating a flat display, e.g. Personal Digital Assistants [PDAs] · CPC title

• G06F3/03

  Arrangements for converting the position or the displacement of a member into a coded form · CPC title

• G06F3/0487

  using specific features provided by the input device, e.g. functions controlled by the rotation of a mouse with dual sensing arrangements, or of the nature of the input device, e.g. tap gestures based on pressure sensed by a digitiser · CPC title

• G06F1/169

  the I/O peripheral being an integrated pointing device, e.g. trackball in the palm rest area, mini-joystick integrated between keyboard keys, touch pads or touch stripes (G06F1/1643 takes precedence; constructional details of pointing devices G06F3/033) · CPC title

• G06F2203/04102

  Flexible digitiser, i.e. constructional details for allowing the whole digitising part of a device to be flexed or rolled like a sheet of paper · CPC title