Touch-sensing display panel

Abstract

A touch-sensing display panel, comprising a plurality of image-forming pixel elements; a planar light guide with a first refractive index, having a front surface forming a touch-sensing region and an opposite rear surface facing the pixel elements; a plurality of light emitters arranged at a peripheral region of the panel to emit light into the light guide for propagation therein through total internal reflection; a plurality of light detectors disposed at the peripheral region for receiving light from the light guide; and an optical layer disposed at the rear surface of the light guide to cover a plurality of the image-forming pixel elements in at least a central region of the panel, wherein said optical layer is configured to reflect at least a part of the light from the emitters impinging thereon from within the light guide.

1 . A touch-sensing display panel, comprising:
 a plurality of image-forming pixel elements;   a planar light guide with a first refractive index, having a front surface forming a touch-sensing region and an opposite rear surface facing the pixel elements;   a plurality of light emitters arranged at a peripheral region of the panel to emit light into the light guide for propagation therein through total internal reflection in at least the front surface;   a plurality of light detectors disposed at the peripheral region for receiving light from the light guide;   an optical layer disposed at the rear surface of the light guide to cover a plurality of the image-forming pixel elements in at least a central region of the panel, wherein said optical layer is configured to reflect at least a part of the light from the emitters impinging thereon from within the light guide, and   incoupling structures arranged at a peripheral region of the light guide for directing light from the emitters into the light guide.   
     
     
         2 .- 28 . (canceled) 
     
     
         29 . The touch-sensing display panel of  claim 1 , wherein said optical layer has a second refractive index which is lower than the first refractive index. 
     
     
         30 . The touch-sensing display panel of  claim 29 , wherein an extension portion of the optical layer is disposed over the light emitters, said extension portion having a third refractive index which is higher than the second refractive index. 
     
     
         31 . The touch-sensing display panel of  claim 30 , wherein the extension portion of the optical layer covers said peripheral region. 
     
     
         32 . The touch-sensing display panel of  claim 1 , wherein the light emitters are coupled to emit light into the light guide, which light bypasses said main portion of the optical layer. 
     
     
         33 . The touch-sensing display panel of  claim 1 , wherein said light emitters and said image-forming pixel elements are OLED elements. 
     
     
         34 . The touch-sensing display panel of  claim 1 , wherein the light emitters are integrated with the image-forming pixel elements in the panel. 
     
     
         35 . The touch-sensing display panel of  claim 1 , wherein said light emitters are disposed behind the image-forming pixel elements, and configured to emit light through the image-forming pixel elements and into the light guide. 
     
     
         36 . The touch-sensing display panel of  claim 30 , wherein the extension portion of the optical layer is also disposed over the light detectors. 
     
     
         37 . The touch-sensing display panel of  claim 1 , wherein said light detectors are coupled to receive light from the light guide, which light bypasses said main portion of the optical layer. 
     
     
         38 . The touch-sensing display panel of  claim 1 , wherein said light detectors are OLED elements. 
     
     
         39 . The touch-sensing display panel of  claim 1 , wherein the light detectors are integrated with the image-forming pixel elements in the panel. 
     
     
         40 . The touch-sensing display panel of  claim 1 , wherein said light detectors and said image-forming pixel elements are stacked OLEDs, wherein the light detectors are configured to detect light from the light guide through the image-forming pixel elements. 
     
     
         41 . The touch-sensing display panel of  claim 1 , further comprising a light output mechanism arranged to lead out light from the light guide to the light detectors. 
     
     
         42 . The touch-sensing display panel of  claim 1 , wherein said light guide is a substrate of the panel on which said pixel elements are formed, and said light guide is sealed at an edge portion to a cover disposed on the opposing side of the pixel elements. 
     
     
         43 . The touch-sensing display panel of  claim 1 , wherein said pixel elements are formed on a substrate, which is sealed at an edge portion to a said light guide cover, which is disposed on the opposing side of the pixel elements. 
     
     
         44 . The touch-sensing display panel of  claim 1 , comprising an LCD unit, of which a central region is controlled to operate as said image-forming pixels and a peripheral region is controlled to pass light from the light guide to the detectors. 
     
     
         45 . The touch-sensing display panel of  claim 1 , comprising an LCD unit including a backlight, wherein the LCD unit is controlled to emulate said emitters by passing light from the backlight through selected portions of the LCD unit. 
     
     
         46 . An electronic device comprising the touch-sensing display panel of  claim 1 , and a controller for causing the image-forming elements to display information content within at least part of the touch surface while causing the touch-sensor elements to provide touch sensitivity within said at least part of the touch surface. 
     
     
         47 . The touch-sensing display panel of  claim 31 , wherein the incoupling structures are included in the extension portion of the optical layer.