Display-integrated type tablet device with high co-ordinate detection accuracy and method for driving the same

Claim 1

A display-integrated type tablet device having a pair of transparent substrates (10, 13) arranged opposite to each other with interposition of an electro-optical material, a plurality of pixel electrodes (12) arranged in a matrix form on one (10) of the transparent substrates, a plurality of switching elements (11) connected to the pixel electrodes (12), a plurality of first electrodes (G) and second electrodes (S) connected to the switching elements (11), first electrode drive means (2) and second electrode drive means (3) for driving respectively the first and second electrodes (G, S), and input pen means (6) electrostatically coupled with the first and second electrodes (G, S), the display-integrated type tablet device comprising: first position detection means (7) which detects first position data representing an input position pointed by the input pen means (6) based on a signal from the input pen means (6) in the time when the first electrodes (G) are driven in an electro-optical material drive period in which the first and second electrodes (G, S) are driven by the first and second electrode drive means (2, 3) to selectively operate the switching elements (11) to write an image into the electro-optical material; and second position detection means (7) which detects second position data representing an input position pointed by the input pen means (6) based on a signal from the input pen means (6) in the time when the second electrodes (S) are driven by the second electrode drive means (3) in a period other than the electro-optical material drive period.

Claim 5

A method for driving a display-integrated type tablet device having a pair of transparent substrates (10, 13) arranged opposite to each other with interposition of an electro-optical material, a plurality of pixel electrodes (12) arranged in a matrix form on one (10) of the transparent substrates, a plurality of switching elements (11) connected to the pixel electrodes (12), a plurality of first electrodes (G) and second electrodes (S) connected to the switching elements (11), first electrode drive means (2) and second electrode drive means (3) for driving respectively the first and second electrodes (G, S), and input pen means (6) electrostatically coupled with the first and second electrodes (G, S), comprising the steps of: driving the first and second electrodes (G, S) by the first and second electrode drive means (2, 3) to selectively operate the switching elements (11) to thereby write an image into the electro-optical material; detecting first position data representing an input position pointed by the input pen means (6) in an electro-optical material drive period in which an image is written into the electro-optical material based on a signal from the input pen means (6) electrostatically coupled with the first electrodes (G) in the time when the first electrodes (G) are driven; and detecting second position data representing an input position pointed by the input pen means (6) in a period other than the electro-optical material drive period based on a signal from the input pen means (6) electrostatically coupled with the second electrodes (S) in the time when the second electrodes (S) are driven by the second electrode drive means (3).

Claim 7

A method for driving a display-integrated type tablet device having an active matrix type display panel (1) having a plurality of row electrodes (G) arranged in parallel on a transparent substrate (10) and a plurality of column electrodes (S) which cross the row electrodes (G) at right angles on the transparent substrate (10), a plurality of switching elements (11) which are arranged in a position where both the electrodes (G, S) cross each other on the transparent substrate (10) and have control terminals connected to the row electrodes (G) and input terminals connected to the column electrodes (S), pixel electrodes (12) arranged on the transparent substrate (10) and connected to output terminals of all the switching elements (11), and an opposite electrode (14) on a substrate (13) arranged opposite to the pixel electrodes (12) with interposition of an electro-optical material layer; an electronic pen (6) having at a tip end thereof an electrode electrostatically coupled with the row electrodes (G) and the column electrodes (S) of the display panel (1) ; a display control circuit (4) which outputs a display control signal and display data for displaying an image on a pixel matrix comprised of an area of the pixel electrodes (12) of the display panel (1); a detection control circuit (5) which outputs a scanning control signal for scanning the column electrodes (S) of the display panel (1); a switching circuit (8) which switchingly selects the display control circuit (4) in an image display period to output the display control signal and the display data from the display control circuit (4), and switchingly selects the detection control circuit (5) in an x-coordinate detection period to output the scanning control signal from the detection control circuit (5); a row electrode drive circuit (2) which generates a row electrode scanning signal for sequentially scanning the row electrodes (G) in the image display period based on the display control signal from the display control circuit (4); and a column electrode drive circuit (3) which generates a column electrode drive signal for giving electric charges for displaying an image to the pixel electrodes (12) connected to the row electrodes (G) being scanned in the image display period based on the display control signal and the display data from the switching circuit (8), and generates a column electrode scanning signal for sequentially scanning the column electrodes (S) in the x-coordinate detection period based on the scanning control signal from the swithcing circuit (8), the method comprising the steps of: successively inputting the row electrode scanning signal generated based on the display control signal to the row electrodes (G) of the active matrix type display panel (1) to scan the row electrodes (G) while successively inputting the column electrode scanning signal generated based on the display control signal and the display data to the column electrodes (S) of the display panel (1) to selectively drive the switching elements (11) to thereby write an image into the electro-optical material; detecting a y-coordinate at the tip end of the electronic pen (6) in the image display period in which the image is written into the electro-optical material based on a voltage induced at the electrode of the electronic pen (6) electrostatically oupled with the row electrodes (G) due to the row electrode scanning signal input to each of the row electrodes (G); and detecting an x-coordinate at the tip end of the electronic pen (6) in the x-coordinate detection period other then the image display period by successively inputting the column electrode scanning signal generated based on the scanning control signal to the column electrodes (S) of the display panel (1) to scan the column electrodes (S) and based on a voltage induced at the electrode of the electronic pen (6) due to the column electrode scanning signal input to each of the column electrodes (S).

Claim 20

A method for driving a display-integrated type tablet device having an active matrix type display panel (1) having a plurality of row electrodes (G) arranged in parallel on a transparent substrate (10) and a plurality of column electrodes (S) which cross the row electrodes (G) at right angles on the transparent substrate (10), and a plurality of switching elements (11) which are arranged in a position where both the electrodes (G, S) cross each other on the transparent substrate (10) and have control terminals connected to the row electrodes (G) and input terminals connected to the column electrodes (S), pixel electrodes (12) arranged on the transparent substrate (10) and connected to output terminals of all the switching elements (11), and an opposite electrode (14) on a substrate (13) arranged opposite to the pixel electrodes (12) with interposition of an electro-optical material layer; an electronic pen (6) having at a tip end thereof an electrode electrostatically coupled with the row electrodes (G) and the column electrodes (S) of the display panel (1); a display control circuit (4) which outputs a display control signal and display data; a detection control circuit (5) which outputs a scanning control signal; a row electrode drive circuit (2) which generates a row electrode scanning signal in the image display period based on the display control signal; a column electrode drive circuit (3) which generates a column electrode drive signal in the image display period based on the display control signal and the display data, and generates a column electrode scanning signal in the x-coordinate detection period based on the scanning control signal; and a coordinate detection circuit (7) which detects a y-coordinate at the tip end of the electronic pen (6) in the image display period based on a voltage induced at an electrode of the electronic pen (6) due to the row electrode scanning signal input to each of the row electrodes (G), and detects an x-coordinate at the tip end of the electronic pen (6) in the x-coordinate detection period based on a voltage induced at the electrode of the electronic pen (6) due to the column electrode scanning signal input to each of the column electrodes (S), the method including in the image display period the steps of successively inputting the row electrode scanning signal generated based on the display control signal to the row electrodes (G) of the active matrix type display panel (1) to scan the row electrodes (G), inputting the column electrode drive signal generated based on the display control signal and the display data to the column electrodes (S) of the display panel (1) to display an image on the display panel (1), and detecting the y-coordinate at the tip end of the electronic pen (6) based on a voltage induced at the electrode of the electronic pen (6) due to the row electrode scanning signal input to each of the row electrodes (G), and including in the x-coordinate detection period the steps of successively inputting the column electrode scanning signal generated based on the scanning control signal to the column electrodes (S) of the display panel (1) to scan the column electrodes (S) and detecting the x-coordinate at the tip end of the electronic pen (6) based on a voltage induced at the electrode of the electronic pen (6) due to the column electrode scanning signal input to each of the column electrodes (S), wherein the row electrode scanning signal successively input to the row electrodes (G) in scanning the row electrodes (G) of the display panel (1) is a row electrode scanning signal including a coordinate detection pulse (PY) for inducing an induction voltage at the electrode of the electronic pen (6) in a specified time different from a time when an induction voltage is induced at the electrode of the electronic pen (6) due to the column electrode drive signal applied to the column electrodes (S) and an image display pulse (PT) for applying a voltage to the control terminal of the switching element (11) of the display panel (1).