Sharp Kabushiki Kaisha Corporation

Shinichi Miyazaki

Kengo Takahama

Mikihiro Noma

Kohji Yabuta

Masakazu Wada

Tomotoshi Tsujioka

Masayuki Hata

Kenji Misono

Takatoshi Kira

Toshiaki Nakagawa

Norikazu Hohshi

Mitsuhiro Murata

Hiroshi Hamada

Keisuke Iwasaki

Atsushi Aoki

Toshimitsu Gotoh

Yoshihide Koyama

Kosuke Nagata

Yoshiharu Yoshimoto

Noriyuki Hoshiai

The present invention provides a display device that can improve the detection sensitivity for detecting the approach of a user's face, hand, or the like. The display deviceincludes a display substrate D and a bezelthat covers side surfaces and a rear surface of the display substrate D. The bezelincludes a conductive sectionand an insulating section. The insulating sectioncovers the side surfaces and the rear surface of the display substrate D and has insulating properties. The conductive sectionis provided on a surface of the insulating sectioncovering the side surfaces of the display substrate D and has conductivity. The conductive sectionis configured such that a predetermined voltage is applied thereto and a capacitance is formed between the conductive sectionand a dielectric object.

Display device

The present invention provides a display device that can correctly detect the approach of an object to be detected. A display device () includes conductors () and () arranged outside a display region (R) on a display substrate so as to extend along the outer periphery of the display region (R). The conductors () and () are configured such that a predetermined voltage is applied thereto and capacitances are formed between the conductors and an object to be detected. The outer periphery of the display region (R) has a corner portion (C) that is at least partially bent. The conductors () and () are adapted such that the capacitance formed between the conductors and the object to be detected at the corner portion (C) is adjusted so as to be approximately equal to the capacitances formed between the conductors and the object to be detected in regions other than the corner portion (C).

Provided is a technique of preventing a decrease in touch detection sensitivity even in the case where an air layer is present between electrodes for touch detection in a mutual capacitance touch panel-equipped display device. A touch panel-equipped display deviceincludes: a substrate; a plurality of first electrodes Rx spaced from each other on the substrate; a second electrode Tx located around or inside the plurality of first electrodes Rx on the substrate, to form a capacitance with each of the first electrodes; and a translucent cover portion C facing the substrate. Each of the first electrodes Tx or the second electrode Rx is in contact with the cover portion C, and an air layer AG is interposed between the substrateand the cover portion C in a region in which an electrode not in contact with the cover portion C is located.

Touch panel-equipped display device

A display device includes, on a display substrate having a display region, a proximity sensor arranged outside the display region, and a terminal section connected to the proximity sensor. The proximity sensor includes a plurality of conductors arranged so as to surround the periphery of the display region while being spaced apart from each other. The plurality of conductors are configured such that one ends thereof are connected to the terminal section, a predetermined voltage is applied thereto via the terminal section, and a capacitance is formed with an object to be detected. The proximity sensor includes capacitance adding regions that are provided in the vicinity of a gap portion at which the plurality of conductors are spaced apart from each other and that are adapted to compensate for the capacitance formed with the object to be detected in the gap portion.

An embodiment of the present invention makes it possible to carry out stable inspection on performance of a touch panel. An inspection device for inspecting a touch panel on a basis of a resistance value of a transparent film of the touch panel, which includes at least the transparent film, a dielectric member, and a sensor stacked on top of each other, includes: an integrating circuit configured to obtain a background capacitance of the touch panel by applying a first pulsed voltage to the sensor; and a switch configured to connect the transparent film to a ground or to a generator configured to generate a second pulsed voltage which is opposite in phase to the first pulsed voltage.

Inspection device and inspection method

A touch panel includes an insulating substrate; a plurality of touch drive electrodes, andarranged on the insulating substrate so as to be arrayed in a first direction, each of the touch drive electrodes extending in a second direction that intersects with the first direction; touch detection electrodes arranged on the insulating substrate so as to be arrayed in the second direction, each of the touch detection electrodes extending in the first direction; and a dummy electrodethat is arranged between adjacent ones of the touch detection electrodes, in which a slit extending substantially in the first direction is provided. The dummy electrodeis segmented by the slit into a plurality of electrode portionsarrayed in the second direction, and two adjacent ones of the electrode portionswith the slit being interposed therebetween are divided at positions different in the first direction.

Touch panel including an insulating substrate and display device for the same

Provided is a touch panel device configured to execute touch panel drive processing while appropriately preventing discoloration of a semi in-cell touch panel. A touch panel-equipped display deviceincludes a touch panel TP and a touch panel controller. The touch panel TP is configured as a semi in-cell touch panel, and includes a color filter layer, a sense electrode layer provided with sense electrodes RxRx, and a drive electrode layer provided with drive electrodes Txto Tx. The sense electrode layer and the drive electrode layer oppose each other with the color filter layer interposed therebetween. The touch panel controllergenerates a drive signal such that an integrated value of a potential difference between the drive electrode and the sense electrode is less than a first value in a predetermined period of driving the touch panel.

Touch panel device

A touch panel (a position input device) includes a trace group including traces arranged at intervals, and an electrode portion including a driving electrode and a detection electrode. The traces, the driving electrode, and the detection electrode are made of a light transmissive conductive film. The driving electrode and the detection electrode are arranged adjacent to the trace group and include a slit extending along the traces.

Position input device and display device

A configuration of a touch-panel-equipped display device in which the occurrence of moire can be suppressed is provided. A touch-panel-equipped display device () includes: a color filter layer () that includes a plurality of pixels (PX) arranged in matrix along a first direction and a second direction that intersect at a right angle; and a sensor pattern layer () that includes a plurality of electrodes () arranged along the second direction at a predetermined sensor interval (SY) and is disposed so as to overlap the color filter layer () in a plan view. Each of the plurality of pixels (PX) includes n color filters (R,G,B) that transmit light in different wavelength regions from one another, where n represents an integer of 3 or more. The n color filters are arranged at predetermined subpixel intervals (CSFY) along the second direction. The sensor interval (SY) and the subpixel interval (CSFY) satisfy the following expression (1):&#xd7;(+1)&#x2264;&#xd7;(&#xd7;(+1)&#x2212;1)&#x2003;&#x2003;(1)where m represents a positive integer.

Touch-panel-equipped display device

A touch panel () includes: a glass substrate (); X-direction electrodes and Y-direction electrodes () provided above the glass substrate (); lines () provided above the glass substrate () and electrically connected with the X- and Y-direction electrodes (); an insulating resin layer () covering the X- and Y-direction electrodes () and lines (); and a conductive layer () provided above the insulating resin layer () to allow static electricity entering the panel from the outside to flow therethrough.

Touch panel

In order to simultaneously carry out, at a smaller sensor density, (i) detection of color information (recognition of a color) of visible light which enters a detection target surface and (ii) detection of an input position of the visible light, a liquid-crystal panel () included in a liquid-crystal display device of the present invention has an area sensor function of detecting color information and an input position of visible light by sensing an input image of the visible light on a panel surface. The liquid-crystal panel () (position detecting section) includes (i) a yellow sensor (Y) including a light sensor element () which senses an intensity of green light and red light from among three primary color lights and (ii) a cyan sensor (C) including a light sensor element () which senses an intensity of blue light and green light from among the three primary color lights. Sensing of the input image of the visible light on the panel surface by each of the yellow sensor (Y) and the cyan sensor (C) allows detection of the color information and the input position.

Area sensor, and liquid-crystal display device equipped with an area sensor

A touch panel includes: an infrared light transmitting material through which infrared light is transmitted and which has a surface as a touch surface () touched by a detection subject; area sensors () including photo sensor elements () below a touch region, which is touched by the detection subject, of the infrared light transmitting material; and infrared light sources () provided outside the touch region, the infrared light sources () emitting infrared light along said surface of the infrared light transmitting material such that an entire circumference of the detection subject touching the touch surface () is irradiated with the infrared light, the touch panel detecting a position touched by the detection subject so that the photo sensor element () receives, among infrared light emitted by the infrared light sources () along said surface, infrared light reflected by the detection subject and transmitted through the infrared light transmitting material.

Touch panel, liquid crystal panel, liquid crystal display device, and touch panel-integrated liquid crystal display device

A liquid crystal display device of the present invention includes a liquid crystal panel () having an area sensor function of detecting the position of an input from an outside source by detecting an image on a panel surface. The liquid crystal panel () (position detecting section), provided with visible light sensors (A) each containing light sensor elements () that detect the intensity of received visible light and infrared light sensors (B) each containing light sensor elements () that detect the intensity of received infrared light, which detects an input position by the visible light sensors (A) and the infrared light sensors (B) separately detecting an image on the detector surface. The liquid crystal display device further includes a backlight (light-emitting section) for irradiating the liquid crystal panel () with light containing infrared light. This achieves an area sensor capable of accurate position detection in a wide range of environmental illuminances and a liquid crystal display device equipped with such an area sensor.

Area sensor and liquid crystal display device with area sensor

A liquid crystal display device () of the present invention includes: a liquid crystal panel () including: an active matrix substrate (); a counter substrate (); and a liquid crystal layer () provided between the active matrix substrate () and the counter substrate (); and a backlight () illuminating the liquid crystal panel. The liquid crystal display device () has an area sensor function for detecting an external input position, and further includes a reflectance changing section () that reduces a reflectance of light from the backlight () in response to application of pressure on a panel surface (). The reflectance changing section () is configured so that in a state where no pressure is applied on the panel surface (), an air layer () is formed between two elastic films (and) whereas in a state where pressure is applied on the panel surface (), the two elastic films (and) contact each other.

Area sensor and display device including area sensor

An input pen () of the present invention is an input pen used for performing an input to a touch-panel-integrated liquid crystal display device () (display device). The liquid crystal display device () includes a plurality of photosensitive elements () that senses light transmitted through a panel surface. The photosensitive elements () detect a position of input by sensing an image on a surface of a display panel. The input pen () includes a retroreflective element () at its tip that is to be in contact with the display panel. The retroreflective element () is made up of a spherical glass () (spherical transparent member) and an elastic reflective element (). In this way, it is possible to provide an input pen which is to be used with a touch-panel-integrated display device and which makes it possible to perform a more accurate position detection.

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Sakai, Japan

Shinichi Miyazaki