Electro-optical device and electronic apparatus
View Patent ↗An electro-optical device, which has a display area and a plurality of sensing areas for detecting capacitance in the display area, includes a black matrix that is provided in the vicinities of display pixels in the display area, pixel electrodes that individually form the display pixels, a common electrode, a liquid crystal layer that is interposed between the pixel electrodes and the common electrode, a plurality of pixel circuits that individually drive the pixel electrodes, a capacitance detection element that is provided in a corresponding one of the sensing areas to convert a change in thickness of the liquid crystal layer caused by external pressure into a change in capacitance, and a sensing circuit that outputs a sensing signal on the basis of the change in capacitance obtained by the capacitance detection element. The capacitance detection element overlaps the black matrix in planar view.
1. An electro-optical device that has a display area and a sensing area for detecting capacitance in the display area, the electro-optical device comprising:
a plurality of display pixels each including a plurality of sub-pixels in the display area;
a black matrix that is provided in the vicinity of the sub-pixels;
a pixel electrode, a common electrode and a liquid crystal layer that form the display pixel, the liquid crystal layer being interposed between the pixel electrode and the common electrode;
a pixel circuit that drives the pixel electrode;
a capacitance detection element that is provided between the display pixels in the sensing area such that a distance between adjacent sub-pixels is substantially equal throughout the display area; and
a sensing circuit that outputs a sensing signal on the basis of the change in capacitance obtained by the capacitance detection element,
wherein the capacitance detection element overlaps the black matrix in planar view, and
wherein a distance between sub-pixels in a same display pixel is greater than a distance between the capacitance detection element and an adjacent sub-pixel.
2. The electro-optical device according to claim 1 , further comprising:
a driving circuit that, on the basis of the sensing signal, generates positional information about a position at which the external pressure is being applied.
3. The electro-optical device according to claim 1 ,
wherein the sensing circuit overlaps the black matrix in planar view.
4. The electro-optical device according to claim 1 , further comprising;
another capacitance detection element electrically connected in parallel with the capacitance element.
5. An electronic apparatus comprising the electro-optical device according to claim 1 .
6. The electro-optical device according to claim 1 , wherein the capacitance detection element includes a protrusion provided at a portion of the second electrode opposing the first electrode.
7. The electro-optical device according to claim 1 , wherein the capacitance detection element is between a first two sub-pixels in the same row and not between a second two sub-pixels in the same row, wherein a distance between the first two sub-pixels is substantially equal to a distance between the second two sub-pixels.
8. The electro-optical device according to claim 7 ,
wherein each of the sub-pixels includes a TFT, and the TFT is separate from the capacitance detection element between the second two sub-pixels.
9. The electro-optical device according to claim 1 , wherein a distance between a first electrode and a second electrode of the capacitance detection element is smaller than a distance between the pixel electrode and the common electrode.
10. The electro-optical device according to claim 1 , wherein
a fixed voltage is supplied to the capacitance detection element, and
a common voltage, separate from the fixed voltage, is provided to the pixel circuit.
11. The electro-optical device according to claim 10 , wherein
the capacitance detection element is configured to perform sensing independently from image display.